There are a few of us now. Besides me and Luz, there are new friends and colleagues floating around “behind the scenes” here @ #njpoet. We’ve been emailing, chatting, texting, plotting…
Heh. Heh.
Thank you to everyone who helps me do what I do. You are all family to me.
And to everyone who retweets, reposts, likes, shares, and consistently reads along,
you make my surreal life concretely awesome.
TY. TY. TY.
Bring on 2013!
Wait! Is that a comet in the sky?!
Just kidding… 2012 joke…
In 2011, 685,724 New Yorkers were stopped by the police.
605,328 were totally innocent (88 percent).
350,743 were black (53 percent).
223,740 were Latino (34 percent).
61,805 were white (9 percent).
341,581 were aged 14-24 (51 percent).
—
Let’s here it for the NYPD! Way to give all cops everywhere a bad name. On behalf of my friends, and specifically my family, who serve in law enforcement—and on behalf of my friends, and specifically my family, who are black and/or Latino [my wife, my in-laws]—I’d just like to thank those officers involved for making things worse for everyone. Well done! ::golf clap:: -CB
—
Statistics via nyclu.org»
What if you devoted all your time to poetry? Chewstroke asked, and I had to choke back a sob at the thought of it: to just write poetry and back away from politics, for my health, for my sanity—back away from the unfolding economic collapse that keeps us perpetually behind on the rent, the gas, the electric, and the car payment that must be paid or the whole commuting engine of her employment stops. No more income. No unemployment insurance for a temp position. And what if the car dies? 141,000 miles plus. What then, Professor? Don’t think such thoughts. Don’t worry, the family says, and palms us a little money—just between us. We are grateful and we are humiliated. But don’t worry, they say, and invite us to their catered parties. Everyone smile. Cheese. Take home some leftover food for the week. And don’t worry. Grandma came to me in a dream. She wanted me to tell you to stop crying, Charlie. She said: “Tell him not to worry so much. Things will get better.”
