The Wayfarer

The wayfarer passes, steady, and leading the way
Ambling with confident strides, betraying not a trace of hesitation

Roaming it seems, meandering and, oddly, retracing steps
Doubling back occasionally just short of the destination

The eccentricity of the exploration, the unhurried way with time
Across uncharted territory, searching these far regions of the mind

Storytelling of the purest kind marks the pathways
Masterful twists and turns, unerring guidance displayed

Narrative fragments gathered at each waystation
The sense of an ending emerges, the arc takes shape

The tales recounted at each stop refined by repetition
Signposts at the outskirts inscribed upon leaving the place

Fulfilling the wayfarer's mission at length
Bearing a message to be unveiled at journey's end

Wayfarer, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note (spotify version)

• Passin' me by by The Pharcyde
• Are you going my way by The Whispers
• Show you the way to go by The Jacksons
• Africa by Dennis Brown
• The way by Jill Scott
• Harlem hendoo by Al Hirt
• All I have (dub) by Young Disciples
• And the beat goes on by The Whispers
• Are you gonna go my way by Lenny Kravitz
• At the journey's end by Antti Martikainen
• Passin' me by (instrumental) by The Pharcyde

Bonus beats: All I have in me by Young Disciples

File under: griots, culture, perception, sensory, poetry, toli

Writing log: June 23, 2023

Keyboard Warrior

The fragility of the keyboard warrior
This charmed life lived at a remove from manual labor
Where the only strain is a matter of ergonomics
Creaky joints, lower back pain and the concomitant dilemma
Whether to spring for the executive chair with added lumbar support
Sleek and futuristic or, of late, the standing desk
The perils of repetitive stress injury
Bad posture is something that should be managed
Lest one falls victim of collateral damage

The ferocity of the keyboard warrior
Self image of the hunter gatherer
Albeit with proficiency with mice and spreadsheets
Where primal combat is reserved for office politics
The kind of skillset that befits the times. Also: sharp elbows
And backstabbing is delivered with a deadly sentence in a memo
Or, worse, a stray bullet point in a presentation slide deck
Perfidy in poisoned prose, a combat zone of paper cuts
Empire building tempered with glass ceilings
Badges dangling, dressed in office-casual attire
This land where predators roam the open floor plans

Still, the dead giveaway was the eruption of new blisters
The mark of the shovel on the white collar worker
Right in the middle of the palm - surprising
The mere couple of hours digging up the garden
Prospect of calloused hands, the timely reminder
The clear shortcomings of the keyboard warrior

Keyboard Warrior, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note (spotify version

• Half the Man by Jamiroquai
• Warriors Don't Cry by Beres Hammond
• Fragile by Sting
• Warrrior by Sault
• Warrrior by Jose James
• Cheap Talk by Loose Ends
• Fragile by Isaac Hayes

File under: culture, humour, life, observation, perception, poetry, toli

Writing log: June 15, 2023

The Soothsayers

The subtle art of divination
A gift lost in the mist of time
From gods that would teach lessons about how to see
A sense of clarity forgone early on in our encounters
Thus only an uncertain few walked among us
Finely attuned as they were to this external music
Responding to talking drums that others could barely perceive
The rumbling sounds most merely mistook for background noise

Underlying conditions then,
Fragments these liminal invitations
The message was always there,
Just listen, they would advise
And the messages were received
For the soothsayers paved the way

...

That the frayed threads were pulled together
For a people that only looked outwards
That a reflection was there to be seen
If only one paid attention to the stories told
Disconcerting perhaps in the light of day
They faced a better reception once night fell
But were ever mindful that tired senses would then pertain
That the textures were woven, witness the emergent fabric

Prophecy is a thankless task
Even when couched with the best intentions
For the bearer, despite themselves, implies a need for change
That still they persisted, indeed for them it was a compulsion
Caution, take heed, they said.
The soothsayers pursued their mission

Soothsayer, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note (spotify version)

• Blazing Horns by Soothsayers
• Who put you behind the wheel? by Charlie Hunter
• Journey by Soothsayers
• The Soothsayer by Wayne Shorter
• Messenger Dub by Jah Shaka
• We're not leaving by Soothsayers
• Latin for Travelers by Charlie Hunter
• Prophet's Mission by Otis Taylor
• We're not leaving dub by Soothsayers
• Messenger by Luciano
• Human Nature by Soothsayers
• Valse Triste by Wayne Shorter

File under: griots, culture, perception, sensory, poetry, toli

Writing log: June 23, 2023

Toxic Strain

The dull luster of deadly nightshade
The slightly sweet dark berries
The tart taste that belied their sly effect
Oblivious to the truth-in-advertising mandates
Plausible disguise, fruit as attractive nuisances

So then, the anatomy of a medical puzzle
Elements of the differential diagnosis
No recent exposures that would account for the symptoms
The long walks were the only change in the routine
The dilated pupils were the sign that eventually aroused suspicion

Teasing it out with expressions of interest
It's great that you're improving your fitness
But that harvested reward near the end of the trail
Is a culinary deception, call it a toxic strain

Toxic Strain, a playlist

A soundtrack to this note (spotify version)

• Deadly Nightshade by Brand X
• Deadly Nightshade by Wormtooth
• Deadly Combination by Nneka
• Deadly Nightshade by Ashlee Standish

File under: health, plant, medicine, poison, life, mystery, poetry, toli

Writing log: June 13, 2023

Spirits

Messengers of the night
Bearing temporary disguises
Identities adopted then promptly discarded
Earnest, these caretakers of the land

Spirits calling, speaking softly
Souls seduced, hosts respond with tributes
Then, charms displayed, totems conveyed
Expectant as histories are recited and renewed

Knowledge unveiled - no libation needed
Cures freely shared without sacrifice
Healing through mere conversation
Welcome them, the spirits at your side

The comfort of visitors to lean on during ordeals
Connective tissue, their convenient embrace
Listen carefully, savor the gifts they dispense
Acknowledging, before they return into the night

Spirits, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note (spotify version)

• Spirits up Above by Jose James
• Spirit in the Dark by Aretha Franklin
• Spirit by Cleo Sol
• Spirits in the Material World by The Police
• Spirits up Above by Osibisa
• Blue Spirits by Freddie Hubbard
• Spirit by Al Jarreau
• Kindred Spirits by Horace Silver
• Spirits by Gil Scott Heron

File under: ghosts, sensory, culture, observation, perception, poetry, toli

Writing log: June 12, 2023

Free-For-All (Part 2 All For Free)

The chief linguist of the Usher tribe undoubtedly had the gift of gab
He stretched the truth so felicitously that one quite forgot that he was a cad
A smiling rogue with an unalloyed propensity to take the occasional bribe
The enforcement of decorum and propriety thus fell on the chief scribe

This last, on such matters, would often turn a blind eye
After all, who had the time to count all the stars in the sky
In the big picture, the planets were what really mattered
A little deception in the business of state hardly counted

So when Ananse came forward with his latest proposal, accompanied by the chief linguist
The scribe had an inkling that there would be some kind of devious twist
But the rulers, by definition, had a right to partake, this much was obvious
For indeed, the technical phrase was of wider application: acceptable loss

This meant that scrutiny of the transaction was, of necessity, purely perfunctory
For the only issue at hand was the kind of compensation, preferably monetary
Although, those newfangled instruments cooked up by the financiers were rather bold
These alchemists now proffered tokens and emblems instead of the customary gold

Meanwhile the scribe signaled the terms and conditions for his backend payment
After all, what use was the exercise of power without some personal enrichment
He was old fashioned and preferred dealing with something tangible
A mine, black gold, a race horse rather than this crypto business: non-fungible

Hard earned lessons had taught him to steer clear of obvious bubbles
Lest one be caught holding worthless tickets that were non-refundable
Cash was king, he stressed to his comperes the importance of liquidity
When the chips were down, leverage was the currency of iniquity

And so he paid no mind to the bluster of Ananse and the chief linguist
Realizing that after he'd been paid, he could always issue a cease and desist
Skimming the take was avowedly the basis of a grifter's conceit
But a game can be rigged in many ways in the symphony of deceit

The whole world was in upheaval, many had plainly lost their bearing
Those quaint appeals for social living were, truth be told, quite endearing
But there was no room at the high table, those at the top had to be hard nosed
To emphasize to the majority that the great leveling had now been foreclosed

All the talk of justice and equality was laudable but amounted to cheap talk
Those in the know well understood that when push came to shove, they could balk
Soul insurance was all well and good, but the rules were different for those at the top
You couldn't expect that the conqueror would share the spoils with the have nots

Ludicrous, this notion that one should temper one's insatiable appetites
A contradiction, to expect giving up privileges one had won by all rights
The elites were plainly heroes, who would dare cast them as villains?
Class solidarity was paramount, lest everyone end up in prison

And so the chief scribe made to apply his opinion with the authoritative stamp
Pricked the seal of approval on the decision, he then wiped his bloodied thumb
Everything was in good order, he proclaimed after receiving his convenience fee
The deal was settled with some schnapps and palm wine under the baobab tree

If global narrative collapse had engendered this free-for-all
Those at the reins of power would prove they had the wherewithal
The objective of the shell games they'd embarked on was no big mystery
Looting, to recapture the bulk of the world's riches and get it all for free

All for free, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note (spotify version)

• I'm going for mine by Keith Sweat
• Dealing by Eric Roberson and Lalah Hathaway
• I gotta get mine yo by Chubb Rock
• How I deal by Dwele
• Gotta get mine by Born Jamaicans
• A strange arrangement by Meyer Hawthorne
• The rules don't apply to you by Ellis Hall
• Practical Arrangement by Kurt Elling & Branford Marsallis
• Gotta get mine by MC Breed

See previously: Free-For-All

File under: humour, satire, culture, observation, folktale, Ananse, storytelling, whimsy, myth, coronavirus, pandemic, Social Living, Things Fall Apart, Observers are worried, Buyer's Remorse, hatchet job, covidious, poetry, toli

Writing log: October 1, 2023

Forensics

The toxic strain was the innovation
Murder, they say, is a matter of imagination

Against the conqueror, it is said that poetry can be a weapon
Something quite potent that might trigger prompt retaliation

For in the throes of reactionary passions
These men in khaki oft favored assassinations

The tawdriness of the violence that becomes the thin skinned
The culture of silence they impose in pursuit of blood and sin

After the takeover, it was a matter of consolidation
Silence is golden, the poet embodied the opposition

In those early days of the coup, it was just another atrocity
Later, they would be more exotic and turn to dropping bodies

Pushing people out of helicopters over the Pacific ocean
In this case, the resort was to unnatural bacteria, botulism

The toxicologist's report would outline the matter, the dry minutia
The unlikelihood of natural occurrence of this strain of bacteria

Where the Bulgarians, contra Trotsky, used the poisoned tip of an umbrella
This toxic strain was plausible deniability for the likes of Kissinger

We only have interests, such are the wages of Pax Americana
To paraphrase: it was our son-of-bitch that poisoned Neruda


...

"I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its people. The issues are much too important for the Chilean voters to be left to decide for themselves."

— The Kissinger Doctrine (New York Times June 27, 1970)

...

"If he had a toxic strain, how would it have gotten there?” said Charles Brenner, a forensic investigator from California who helped complete the report. “That is more a matter of imagination, and not science."

— Was Pablo Neruda Murdered? (New York Times, February 15, 2023)

Forensics, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note (spotify version)

• Poison by Bell Biv Devoe
• Murderer by Barrington Levy
• New York is Killing Me by Gil Scot Heron
• Cold Blooded by Rick James
• Evidence by Ark Blakey and Thelonious Monk
• Cold, Cold Heart by Dinah Washingon
• Evidence by Soullive
• Murderer by Buju Banton
• Evidence by Thelonious Monk
• It's Going Wrong by Chocolate Genius

File under: USA, Chile, coup, violence, murder, blood, sin, politics, rogues, politics, Great Game, crime, dictator, culture, observation, policy, hatchet job, Observers are worried, poetry, toli

Writing log: June 8, 2023

Tropes

Why are plots always sinister?
Why always proud to be a sponsor?
Why stay the course and never lose hope?
Running away is perfectly fine, why be so beholden to tropes?

...

My contribution, as you know well, was a result of none too subtle blackmail
For when you passed me in Times Square in the company of that discreet female
You remarked, "Fancy seeing you here my dear uncle in these streets"
Hot pink. Just as she wiped the telling smudges of lipstick
An understanding, an agreement in your eyes to not sing like a bird
Still, proud sponsor, it rankles, even as I've kept my word

...

Now now, there's a perfectly innocent explanation
No need to make a drama out of this situation
Some go with double lives, lies and fabrications
I rather prefer the subtle art of omission
Not another word more, no one needs to know
Loose lips sink ships, careful as you go
And prefer strategic silence instead of playing the improviser
Default deny is a straightforward policy, there's nothing sinister

...

Life lessons, it takes a village, and all that talk
A proper education. Lean in. Stand strong. Walk tall
Think. Buyer beware. Hell hath no fury
Also: le silence n'est pas un oubli

Compromising Situation, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note (spotify version)

• Say Nothing by Omar
• Don't Explain by Billie Holiday
• Man of the World by Peter Green
• It's a Man's, Man's Man's World by James Brown
• Busted by Ray Charles
• Le Silence n'est pas un Oubli by Orchestre Les As de Benin
• Situation by Yaz
• Busted by The Isley Brothers
• Compromising Situation by Elecktra
• Silence is Golden by Franki Valli & the Four Seasons
• Blackmail by Donell Jones
• Busted by Stephanie McDee
• Man of the World by Eric Clapton

File under: humour, life, lies, culture, observation, perception, betrayal, language, Observers are worried, poetry, toli

Writing log: June 1, 2023

Cadman Plaza, Noon

Outside the courthouse waiting, cameras at the ready
Perp walk in prospect, vultures killing time
Jaded, one of the photographers explained
"We're basically waiting for people that don't want their picture taken..."

The nannies with their ruddy charges seeking the shade in the plaza
Grandma demographic, patiently observing, tiring them out
Who knew that Haitians had so many blond toddlers?
Homeless man conversing with the invisible crowd
A righteous lecture on grievances continuing and past

Eyewitness news WABC-7 New York
Truck and supporting cast, reconnaissance
Photogenic correspondent, hair piece steadied, swank
Checking angles, anticipating, the video man readies the camera
"This is federal, once they've got you in their sights, game over"

Court lets out, the morning session is over
The lawyers on their break, gray suits suitably somber
Homeland Protection Services crew fall out, looks of relief
The old man emerges, and could it be? Ooh, his daughter

Then the rush, furtive as he exits the courthouse
Coverage, first spotted by the indie stringer as he moves to the left
Caught, unexpected this development, indecision
Now the dance, the choreography begins
Questions hurled as they all move to the right
Telephoto lens activated, daughter lets out a yell.
He falters, stuck mid-street, then moves right, resigned
Can't avoid it, they have to walk through the plaza

Outrage and shame cross the face of the daughter
Shame and more shame on the part of the father
Click, shutter, click, more questions
He stutters - big mistake - and starts to answer
Ooh, this is a live one here
Protests vehemently, "We will appeal."
Passing the homeless man whose patter suddenly becomes distinct
"This country was never innocent... Repent"
Click. Gotcha, all in a day's work

Soundtrack for this note

• Plaza de Toros by Larry Young
  Featuring Grant Green and Elvin Jones. The album is called Into Something.

...

Timing is everything
Observers are worried

File under: culture, observation, life, city, media, Observers are worried, poetry, toli

Writing log: June 1, 2023

Only Interests

Bureaucratic maneuvering born of sharp elbows
Directing the ultimate operational examples
We have only interests and shades of gray

So. Thoroughly flesh out the preferred option
While presenting limp policy alternatives
These fig leaves adorn the poisoned chalice
We have only interests, it's worth the price we pay

Constructing straw men in this intellectual game
Realpolitik when it comes to brass tacks
A balancing act of supposed hard choices
We have only interests, tough decisions have to be made

Deflection, play down the issue of an embargo
Encourage accommodation and liberal treatment
Throughout, proffer expressions of sorrow
We have only interests come what may

Moral blinders in the form of dual purpose equipment
Facade of toothless sanctions against de jure illegality
Exchange programs in all categories, including military
We have only interests, suffice to say

As to the unfettered pursuit of power and wealth
Cynical calculation asserting favored preferences
The strange architecture of misdirection
We have only interests, the decisions have been made

After National Security Study Memorandum 39 And The Future Of United States Policy Toward Southern Africa by Edgar Lockwood


File under: USA, politics, policy, cynicism, rogues, war, language, hatchet job, Great Game, Strange Bedfellows, Africa, Observers are worried, poetry, toli

Writing log: May 24, 2023

Trouble Manufacturers

Trouble manufacturers, all competitor coupons happily accepted
We are never knowingly undersold, you've, no doubt, heard our enduring promise
Our prices are insane, truly, nobody beats us
For trouble is our business. Satisfaction guaranteed

The future of anxiety retail is moving in our direction
Extra discounts on distress will be applied when you check out
Rest assured, our no pressure tactics are world renowned
And if all else fails, consider our money back guarantee

Worry on demand, cash on delivery
A legendary family-owned business
Take part in our award winning retail experience
Premium service for all, pricing you can understand
Trouble manufacturers
Affordable luxury each and every day

Trouble, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note (spotify version)

• Trouble Man by Marvin Gaye
• Trouble by Jose James
• Trouble by Amel Larrieux
• Nothin But Trouble by Charlie Hunter
• Trouble by Stanley Turrentine
• You See the Trouble With Me by Barry White
• Double Trouble by The Roots
• Trouble by Lizz Wright
• Double Trouble by Beres Hammond

File under: humour, language, culture, absurd, poetry, toli

Writing log: May 21, 2023

Shadows

Shadows. Unsteady harbingers of the night
Furtive motion at a remove at once and then joined together
The stories they tell, mirrors of alternate worlds
Uprooted, prodigal strangers, faintly recognizable as ourselves

Visions. The griots would speak of the antecedents
And of the journeys from origins that were once called home
Roots and connective tissue to pasts we escaped
Places we once belonged, sanctuaries lost
And glories to be regained

Absences
That, at night, when the calm invades our shelter
When momentarily we can truly perceive the notices conveyed by the spirits
We welcome the reflection, these fugitives that elude us
Even as we touch and draw together

Shadows, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note (spotify version)

• Blue Shadows by Freddie King
• Soul Shadows by Joe Sample
• Shadow Dancers by George Benson
• Spirits by Gil Scott-Heron
• Shadows by Tom Scott
• The Moving Shadows by United Future Organization
• Genes and Spirits by Moses Taiwa Molelekwa
• Shadows and the Light by Maysa Leak
• Messenger of Wisdom by Kool & the Gang
• Standing in the Shadows of Love by Barry White
• Shadow Dancers by George Benson & Jack McDuff
• Shadow Boxing by Teena Marie
• Spirits of Tembisa by Moses Taiwa Molelekwa
• Shadows of the Night by Pat Benatar
• Silver Shadow by Atlantic Starr

File under: culture, observation, perception, sensory, longing, poetry, toli

Writing log: May 21, 2023

Now's the Time

The afterlife of a whispered thought
Lingering, a seed planted haphazardly bears fruit
Precious, a leaf collects dew drops, a matter of flows redirected
Reducing, harnessing, fluid dripping capturing the very essence

Even without anyone immediately acting, ideas witnessed gain weight
Assessed when issued but always waiting for their moment
That nature and society abides with the waiting without regret
Secure in the gods' admonition for restraint
Keenly discerning the theme that opportune time deems befitting
When mankind would seize the direction of the most worthy

The prescient would bemoan the wasted time
While the laggards, new converts all, would sing the praises of the present
The regrets of the former - inconvenient as they are,
Are mere reminders of the grand experiment that is life

Pressure relieved, catharsis reprieved
The rhythms echo the past messages
Fragments made whole, a new synthesis
Vivid futures in prospect, now's the time

Now's the Time, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note. (spotify version)

• Now's the Time by Charlie Parker
• The Right Time by Ray Charles
• I'm Ready by Tevin Campbell
• It's Time by The Winans
• Time is on my Side by Maze
• People Get Ready by Brand New Heavies
• Our Time Has Now Come by Soul II Soul
• It's Time by Horace Silver
• Now's the Time by Prince and the Revolution
• The Time is Right by Barry White

File under: culture, observation, perception, memory, sensory, poetry, toli

Writing log: May 21, 2023