Alright

Alright, there's a music to the voicing
Words tumbling out not quite deliberately
A mere good morning from her... Sigh
It lifts you out of melancholy
Togetherness, to dance to her conversation
No matter the topic, it feeds your soul
To hear her. Heaven on the ground
And that's alright with me

...

Alright, a faint thread runs through this thing
Marking moods, as it does, across the rich seams
Hard to understand, but I made my peace early on
Undulating rhythms, I confess, leave me confounded
Chalk it up to underlying conditions
And that's alright with me

...

Alright, the broken strings of your heart will eventually mend
It's a healing process and I fear we must be patient
As to commitment, I'm sated with the stolen moments - intense
Restlessness is your privilege
And that's alright with me.

...

Alright, a passing of the baton
The burden of responsibility
Amidst capricious fortune that we face
Navigating across uncertain terrain
Failure is not an option they say
And that's alright with me

Alright, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note (spotify version)

• Alright by D'Angelo
• Fine by Omar
• Alright by Janet Jackson
• It's Gonna be Alright by Ruby Turner
• It's Alright by Van Morrison
• I Was Doing All Right by Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson
• It's All Right by Sam Cooke
• That's Alright by Etta James
• That's All Right with Me by Esther Phillips
• It's Alright by Chante Moore
• Alright by Ledesi
• It's Alright, It's Ok by Shirley Caesar and Anthony Hamilton
• Alright by Kendrick Lamar
• It's alright by Pet Shop Boys
• I Was Doing All Right by Dexter Gordon

File under: culture, observation, perception, strategy, obsession, poetry, toli

Writing log: January 18, 2023

Withholding

Withholding a smile in public
Poker face, your solemn eyes
Betraying nothing
For no one needs to know
The things we do
Together
To each other
For each other
There's no shame in those brief encounters
All too brief
The hum we make
Sighs
Taking comfort from the sweet ache
When you acknowledge me
Moments alone
When you teach me
Restraint amidst private joy
So I hold on to that feeling
So, yes, I make no demands in this affair of ours
Your secret is safe in these hands
Withhold away, the very essence
For that's alright with me

Withholding, a playlist

A soundtrack for this affair (spotify version)

• Everything I Miss at Home by Cherrelle
• Secret Lovers by Atlantic Starr
• Alright by D'Angelo
• Lucky by Cherrelle
• Private Joy by Prince
• Crazy (For Loving You) by Cherrelle
  I've long thought that Cherrelle's affair best caught the magic of Jam and Lewis.

File under: love, secrecy, observation, perception, obsession, control, relationships, poetry, toli

Writing log: January 17, 2023

Fumes

"The streets of Berkeley are paved with weed"
The Wife's wry rejoinder to a friend's laconic quip:
"The streets of Harlem are paved with weave"
Indeed, gentrification hasn't affected the surfeit of wigs

The Senegalese and Gambian vendors proffer the hair products
Essential oils - massage, incense and herbs with vital aromas
Nighttime potency assured, all that is missing is the candles
Spoil yourself, pomade, scent of argan oil
What strange brews, mystical even, we throw on our hair
Fake Rolexes and Gucci knockoffs - Versace misspelled on the label
Don't look too closely, fast talkers on 125th Street make their pitch
"Boss, we can make a deal, okay, tell you what, tell me your last price.."

But back to Berkeley, we lived around the block from Wavy Gravy's commune
He, the MC of Woodstock fame, the Summer of Love,
Hippie consciences, sustainability pledges
Farm to table, organic everything, ecological awareness
More conscious than thou, earnest as kettle oatmeal
Puff then, fumes, scent of marijuana
What strange fruit of the progressives
Goody Two Shoes, home of the gluten free
Righteous living, just a few miles north of Fruitvale Station

Fumes, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note (spotify version)

• Wavy Gravy by Kenny Burrell
• Freedom Jazz Dance by Eddie Harris
• The Hustler by Stanley Turrentine
• Hair by Graham Central Station
• Street Corner Hustler Blues by Lou Rawls

File under: culture, observation, perception, Berkeley, New York, city, humour, sensory, Observers are worried, poetry, toli

Writing log: January 15, 2023

The Drunken Toddler

A cautionary tale perhaps, my earliest memory is of being drunk
At the Christmas party, this almost 3 year old had been quite industrious
Drinking the bottom of the various glasses that the guests were imbibing
A cocktail of sharp tasting liquids, the base materials of my experiment
Until my vision blurred and the alcohol had its effect.

"My head is round"

Apparently my declaration of inhibition
   Caused alarm among the partygoers
Spoiled the festivities frankly
   The adventures of the drunken toddler

Parents, never rest on your laurels,
   Keep a close watch on your offspring
In the event, a wellspring of visions, promptly hung over,
   I counted the cost
Mum's red mini loomed large in the driveway,
   Its googly eyes staring at me
Spinning, eyes wide open, walls expanding,
   the whole world was collapsing

That'll teach you right

I've found virtue in moderation ever since
Those fever dreams and hallucinations
An early lesson in buyer's remorse
Staggered straight to bed
Never to be repeated
   The case of the drunken toddler

Punch Drunk, a playlist

A playlist on a loss of inhibition. (spotify version)

• Only When I'm Drunk by Tha Alkaholiks
• One More Drink by Jaguar Wright
• Punch Drunk by Sade
• Drunk As Cooter Brown by Cassandra Wilson
• This World is Drunk by Raphael Saadiq
• I Want to Take You Higher by Sly & The Family Stone

File under: life, observation, culture, perception, alcohol, memory, humour, Observers are worried, poetry, toli

Writing log: December 30, 2022