The short poems,
I don't know what 
to do with them:
the cardboard box
of mewling kittens
left on my doorstep.

There's is a hole 
in my T-shirt 
right where 
my bellybutton is.
I wonder if that's how
the inspiration gets in.

The words just 
jump out at me.
Out from the dark.
And they have 
vampiric tendencies. 
(Bite me.)
That is the general 
thrust of the plot.
So much at stake.

I don't remember 
shutting off the light, 
and a book's a rather 
hard pillow 
to dream upon. 
But my back's 
the stronger for it.

The words come 
in short bursts.
Sprays really, 
the flower kind.
Bullets of love.

Upon reflection, 
the weight I carry
in the bags 
under my eyes
sags my shoulders 
and bends my track.
Back then,
things were different. 
How?

Put the thoughts 
into gear.
Drive.
See where they go 
from here.
Drive.

The morning 
eggs me on, and I
I joust 
with a piece of toast. 
The yolk
runneth over. 
And there's more 
coffee too.
Hot. 
On the trail.

That shadow
follows you,
Close enough 
to get in your sneakers 
and breathe for you.
Jogging memories.

If you write 
half-a-dozen poems 
before you get out of bed, 
what do you do with
the rest of the day?
​
Anything.

​Here is a short keyboard piece that I've titled "Butterflies." I created it about six months ago. The last time I was screwing around with the keyboard. 

The title has significance in at least to ways. First, I was experimenting with an approximation of the  left-hand technique referred to as "Butterfly Stride."  I saw Dr. John do it on one of his instructional videos. Second, I think it sounds like how I feel when sharing in person or online. I get nervous and queasy. I get "butterflies."

I have never taken a piano lesson. We never had a piano around growing up. I don't have access to one now.I have only experimented now and then with an electronic keyboard and Garageband.

Oh, did spend a short amount of time with the lessons that come with the app. Very short. Mostly I just apply my sparse knowledge of music theory gained ages ago from the Mel Bay guitar books. I'll talk more about this later. It's stuff like knowing a major chord uses the first, third, and fifth tones of any scale. And how many steps are between each. But mostly I just know. My brain does, and it tells my hands what to do.

 It's completely strange how I can do this. I can't explain it. I just do it. I sit down for a few hours, get obsessed, get into flow, and things start happening. Time seems to expand, my brain tells me what key to hit, I see it, and I can hardly go wrong. Weird, huh. 

Hope you enjoy. 

Here is a piece of instrumental music I wrote during a practice session today. I felt like today was the day to start sharing again. (finally! ) The recording is very raw. I had my iPhone 4S on my lap, while I played my guitar. I mailed it myself and opened it in iTunes. From there, I went to Garageband, where I shaved it down to the excerpt you have here. 

I called it "Catherine the Great" just because that's what popped in my head when I was reaching for a title. Don't know what that means. 

The plan is to put something up every week. Since I write at least two or three songs a week that should be a doable goal. I also plan to add to each post any new versions that I come up with, just so I can share my process. Which is mostly what this website is about. 

Once I get myself accustomed to sharing, the plan is to start a Patreon site, But for now, just one thing at a time. 

Hope you enjoy. There will be more to follow. Please notice the creative commons info at the bottom of the page.