To Have And To Hold
A poem to wake us up [from The Forgotten Art of Being Ordinary]
pockets packed
with wind
full tank and
sleepy eyes
I nod to the sunrise like we’re about to race
down the interstate
past wild pines
like Steinbeck
like Kerouac
like Simon
I’ll crawl across
this country
this molecular experiment
married to me
oil and vinegar
black and white
blood and salt water
here’s what I want
to trace my fingers across
its curves and valleys
flesh tones and flashes of neon
to smell sweat
on a freshly picked banjo
echoes of ancestors
who picked heavier things
to stroll past porches
and stoops
and awnings
sinner sanctuaries
graced with cricket choirs
stop to taste the holy water
made by a neighbor
the gifts of God
for the people of God
let me listen with my mouth
read with my toes
press my prints against
clay and concrete
stories and riddles
now old enough to rhyme
all this time
my wife
sits over in the corner
giving me her
permissive eyes
and I’ve been staring at my phone
Next Week on the Fuseletter
I interview Marshall McLuhan’s grandson, Andrew McLuhan, Director of The McLuhan Institute! We talk about the state of media technology and ways we can shift our thinking around its impact.
Inspiring Discoveries
Books/Poetry: Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. I read his Book of Hours like some people read the Bible, but only recently had I read this collection of letters and it’s as if his ghost was sitting across from me the entire time, musing on life, spirit, and the creative journey like an easy old friend. [RANDOM FACT: This is the book Whoopi Goldberg gives Lauryn Hill in Sister Act 2.]
Substacks/Essays: Take a look at what my fellow Columbus friend, Alex Lewis, is doing over at his Substack, Feels Like Home. The guy gives some incredible insight and a fresh point of view on all things pop-culture from music and sports to current events and politics.
Podcasts: I recently listened to Marc Maron’s interview with one of my favorites, Ray Romano (Everyone Loves Raymond takes place on Long Island where I grew up and is basically my childhood). Romano just directed his first feature film. It was inspiring to hear someone with so much success continue to put himself out there on a tightrope and push himself creatively. You could feel the nervousness in his voice. Worth a listen.