visions_version_groucho

letters find excellence
sentence blends the rest
coherent minds melt
telling jests

visions_versions_sb18

hard knees keep
a respect for the ice
the season of time
leafs unyielding piles
viscoelastic limits tried
visible lines find
feet in behind and in front
short cuts on crystals took us

schenley park

succor works progress
prolific once scatters
crumbs of the land
hands on branches
brandish upright flags
flat layers through which
with long ago practice
now make my descent

october once

the afternoon the rain
sitting in the silent chair
listening to wind
alternate
between amongst
the leafs and nets
tapping the glass
keeping a sort of time
as a reminder
colors green to gold to gone

visions_version_muskie1

we left the dock an hour ago
looking for answers as to
where the muskellunge
keep their comfort
in the deep
and if it wasn't
them then
pike as well
and if not when

visions_versions_granted

some a glacier broke
fractures pink exposed
fanned stepping stones

penelope

the spray encases the sides
holding the suns shimmer
longer in the low light
on november waves
putting along

visions_version_nros

the chop tosses the bow into the sun
and the water foams in courses down
the deck is wretched with paint
winter is setting into the lines
taking longer to untie

yamahaha

the motor gets into motion
after a minute or two of choking

coves

the river is cold hands
reaching to cover over
the rocks a broken expositor
glacier fractures ever after

chores

stalking over the hard
still grass crystal sharp
to feed the birds these
seeds numerous

visions_versions_su

the seal seats
improperly
my fingers deep
soaked in oil
enough to taste

visions_versions_GH

skating on the mud
all accross the yard
out back the hole
that was dug
by who knows
is still left open
why don;t know
no ones going
in and out
so far as can see

visions_versions_LS

are the leafs left
more than the last
time night day then
that those ones that brace
laden with snow still
at this time as dawn
climbs into higher degrees

on launching a canoe: part three

on launching a canoe

Fiberglass

Composites are in vogue.  The engineering, the modeling accuracy and manufacturing methodology and costs, is reliable in this day and age.  At the inception, entire companies sprang up specializing in a cost effective solution to the wooden boat (see glastron, mfg, etc).  And that is exactly what fiberglass composite is competing with.  For larger displacement boats, the fiberglass hull represents an approximation of natural composite.  The strength to weight ratio is comparable, the durability is in excess, and, most importantly, the margin is far and above beyond.  Like wood, though, fiber glass requires care.  This is a little known fact.  The perception is that fiberglass is durable; the look and feel of it gives one the confidence that you can drop the canoe from the roof of your honda minivan onto the tarmac and drag it one thousand feet across the two hundred degree sand beach.   And you can.  The abuse of the hull, though, leads to a degraded performance and longevity.  Longevity in this case is referring to seaworthyness. The aging of a damaged fiberglass hull tends towards waterlogging and softening.  Which of these faults is more problematic is up for debate.  From the perspective of the oarsman, waterlogging is the worst feature a boat can have. 

Kevlar (and other exotic materials)

Composites are variegated.  Some are expensive.  Kevlar is very expensive.  It is perhaps the ultimate material for it is extreme in durability.  The abrasion resistance of kevlar is second to none though it has a lower ultimate tensile strength than some other fibers, such as carbon or high strength glass.  That being said, a kevlar canoe still requires care.  The matrix is prone to damage and cracking can lead to waterlogging and softening.  But all of the high performance load bearing composite materials yield a low weight vessel to those who can afford the price.  Usually, the unladen weight is insignificant to the performance and laden weight.  

Think carefully about what you intend to be doing in the canoe.

Check your pocketbook, check your landing and draft requirements.

Look at yourself, at your friends, and at your family; will you have passengers of competence or will they be, as the french say, les encompetent.

Finally, what do you want your reputation to be? 

winter_practice

lets guess best
which guest lets
the door open
longest yet

on launching a canoe: Part Two

on launching a canoe

Don't drag the canoe accross rocks sharp enough that you wouldn't put them in your mouth. Or any substance that is harder than the surface of the canoe.

Canoes are manufactured from a number of materials.  The durability can be graded and what follows is a list and breakdown of canoe compositions.

Plastic
The plastic canoe rates high on durability.  This canoe is resilient to rough treatment; plastic is tough and can be scraped and scoured without developing a leak.  Plastic is also easily repaired with plastic plugs and a low temperature torch.  On the other hand, the plastic canoe leaves a wake of microscopic plastic particles everytime she touches down.  Another problem is that plastic canoes have an unfavourable strength to weight ratio.  Compounding this is the necessity of reinforcement stays or beams, in some cases, to retain shape or load rating, owing to the low tensile strength.  Plastic is also prone to relaxation. Keep this canoe out of the sun if left strained.

Aluminum
Of the constituent particles of the earth, if analysis is limited to what is termed the crust, element thirteen is is the most common true metal. Aluminum is so common that it takes a ton of scrap to buy a jar of pretzels.  What does this mean to you?  The price of aluminum has no bearing on the value of an aluminum canoe it suffices to say.  In Montreal, aluminum canoes of excellent craft and gauge are had for nothing.  In Wisconsin, the value of aluminum canoes is inflated to such an extent that you can likely afford one with bullet holes and dents galore only.  The market for boats is unencumbered by realistics.  Whether this is good or bad is hard to say.  Aluminum, as a material for a canoe, is a good choice:  Aluminum can be repaired easily; is cool to the touch, has a naturally attractive luster, is of excellent strength to weight ratio (no mystery why the wright brothers salivate at the mere mention of), is in abundance.  Aluminum, from a cost to longevity perspective, is the material of choice with which to build a good canoe that will survive the eons. 

visions_versions_6805

bailing the boat
yellow and green
with the tarp
same leafs fall
maple elduburry hawthorn
in the yard

visions_versions_gr

breaking the golden ends
and with a shake to the walk
there to be unsettled
over critical spots the yard
talks resume next year
will see if stalks take
time as well

visions_version_liv

down the steps to
sit and ponder
this is late season grass
boring and decrepit how much
of us is in it
some or more save the date

visions_versions_liii

one apple this yaer and
for what
forgone to the end
where distance isn't
anymore than a tail
 

visions_versions_lii

prophecy in primaries
the horizon becomes kinds
diamonds on those knives eyes
black and ringed with time
in spots between fingers mine

vision_versions_li

when the water leaps in bounds
binding the flowers down
asters the last after the sun
has filled with lead
setting here and there ever
further the signs in the leafs
green galvanized for next year
settles on the feet

on purchasing a canoe; part one

on purchasing a canoe

The right canoe is the canoe that gets you out there and home again.  But more important than making a clean cut through the chop is that the canoe looks excellent at your command, at your dock, on top of your car, leaned against the woodpile, or even at the bottom of the river. 

The best canoe I have ever been in is a Princecraft.  I have never felt like a prince any where else in fact.  The Princecraft is big; from bow to stern, seventeen and five eights feet.  At the beam, from gunwhale to gunwhale, she is nearly foure feet wide, wide enough to sit two medium width people side by side.  In practice she is wider with her handsome hard chines that make her ride just high enough that the bow and stern, symmetric in their ends, join plane above the water line unladen at calm.  Just barely.  She is also an exquisite battleship color and is becoming more interesting as the aluminum oxidizes and reacts with the substance and denizens of the river. As a seaworthy rating, the Princecraft gets a ten out of ten.  She really does cut, can take whitecaps without so much as pitching, and only becomes more controllable the more load she hauls.  Her seams are welded and the result is a sharp prow that makes it.  Even though, there is a tack welded keel which does wonders to keep her tracked.  I can, with the rock in the bow, take her out and build some steam, and stand and walk and fight and land the fish.  The Princecraft is excellent.  She is marked with a big Indian chief at the bow on the starboard and by a registered trademark on the port to stern.  Allinall a good boat.  I would keep this boat until my family name invariably dies out in a few hundred years or so. 

The second best canoe I have ever been in is a Grumman I believe.  Grumman canoes are characterized by their speed.  They have a good plan and are durable but tend on the heavy side.  All the same, the Grumman is a work horse.  But it does take some skill to pilot. The Grumman is sensitive to placement which can be utilized by a familiar crew to minimize the steering effort and concentrate energy into a race.  I recommend a Grumman for one who is strong and who likes a challenge.  For a beginner, the Grumman canoe will either drown you soon or put you at the top.  One last note is that the Grumman canoes are characterized by good Aluminum and heavy gauge.  This is the canoe that you can portage and cross the ice without a worry.  Highly recommended. 

on sinking a canoe; part one

on sinking a canoe

The curious thing about sinking a canoe is that no one ever sees it coming.  Because the sinking is unforeseen, there is little to no planning for the event.

Sinking usually begins in one or two scenarios and almost invariably ends in the same result.

At the start, the day usually is a good paddle; the pilot is fresh and the muscle is warmed to the thought.  The mood is bordering on ecstatic.  But at a certain point, energy is starting to wane and the hired hands are grumbling.  In the bow talk turns to mutiny, cannibalism, and deceit.  If the navigator is solid, they will have already threatened the conspirators with a drubbing.  Things get worse until they are worst of all.  It may start with the wind picking up.  Or it may be even more simply that the rapids are more violent than expected if not expected at all.  Another morale sapping scenario is the spread of disease.  Nothing can ruin a canoe paddle as fast as cholera running from stem to stern.

So the crew is dissatisfied with the course and the weather is souring.  The talk turns to turning around.  But where to head?  A wise pilot keeps the bow pointed into the wind.

Not every canoe gets a good pilot just the same as no cake is completed by the icing.  Eventually a wave crests the gunwhale.

Water in the canoe usually precipitates the sinking.  Before long you are paddling water around, no canoe in sight.  At this point, its best to throw the paddles towards shore and strike out into a practiced australian crawl.

After you have sunk that canoe, if you can see people on shore, start to laugh.  When they hear you laughing there is a fifty fifty chance they believe that you sank the canoe for a lark.  But if you see your insurance agent, don't laugh. Don't cry either.  Immediately go up on shore and start asking if anyone witnessed the steamship that did run you down.  The pretense of seeking witnesses always makes a good impression on the jury. 

on launching a canoe; part one

on launching a canoe

On launching a canoe, one should be prepared to paddle.  Or, on launching a canoe, at the least, one should be prepared to commence paddling. Foregoing that, one should be content to think about paddling and be satisfied that someone else is doing it instead.

The canoe is an interesting instrument.  And I do call it that and draw the comparison to any tuba or x-ray spectroscope in the sense that the canoe is played upon the water.  And, like any sailor's accordion, the canoe inspires a certain sense of calm and (as they say in the city) centering.  The canoe is, in short, a mechanism with which one interacts and manipulates in order to achieve the stimulation that opens up the mind, body, and soul to a higher plane of consciousness.

And conscientiousness is also the most important quality to have in a canoe. No rapids are run by the lackluster and no races are won by the hesitant.  At the paddle, one should have a solid grasp on reality and their pedigree.  What matters most is the intent; embarking on a canoe is a decision cresting waves of history.

Wait for that right wave.  If you are looking to leave from a beach or landing nothing can be more embarrassing and discrediting than capsizing at the point of departure or losing a leg.  A canoe laden with water weighs more than a metric ton and can wrap around a rock like tin foil on a baked potato.  You absolutely do not want to go into a meeting to convince your financiers not to pull out of your canoe exposition dragging a mangled leg.  Not only will it be painful, it will be bad form. 

visions_versions_sq

with what tempo does the squirrel
go there in the center of the street
erratic from toe to tail

visions_version_midge

over head the midges
took advantage of the sun
momentary they whirl
stochastic actors passing
from earth to last
same as us

Beethoven

sweeping the floor
with an adagio
straw bristles wilting

dinner is tomorrow
today I need nothing

visions_versions_bee

here comes the last bee
or second to none
and the sun sets
jeering at the effort
to get two feet
out from the other three
that succumb

visions_versions_w4

piles of dust on the border
heaps of wonder four or more
feet deep one or two or three
or in hand all at once
over an hour or so they go
from here to there and then to
kinetic implements drying
draw the the heat ou
because of janus
and the fever

vision_versions_b999

with a handfull of keys
that dont rust
automatic emblems of what
stuff opens up
have that fraction
of half thats passed in
the rest happens
unknown and unaccessed
quarter waves on plates served
phases white light and thunder
but dropped a hat at the mere
mention of the mother of
invention in the mirrors
reflection

parting lines
the painter
the stern
solid in time
fine fine fine

visions_versions_oak

lets let the wind guess
which leaf is dead last
honey brown
veins raised
a shadow cast
 a show made
worth the golden weight
to spot and blow down

tomatos

some like it hot
don't like it cold
tomatos on the vine rot
when they get old

grasshopper

ahead of the asters
behind the turns each
leafs take time turning
from green to less than
goes the grasshopper
who is all of october
slow in the low light

visions_versions_t-0

a coagulation on the vines
tangles hung with finery
the red of the sun
the orbit of a tongue
the dinner of one

bison

under leaf the bee
hangs on for not
much longer later
wash turns to frost

visions_versions_pleu

water poured out
under ground
and gone

the pollen lost
the golden rod
bows down
sopping

visions_versions_wellesleyislanders

all the porch is boots
a survey of some
mud on the horizon

visions_versions_wellesleyisland

left here for a right
palm to touch
this sum on
a beating heart
creases the seam
quartz not too
pure but red rose
a sun between nothing
not one no

tree as wizard of finance

q
stomatal instruments
so photons accrues
cumulative returns ring
so round so true
the basis of equities
flexible in emphasis
b
leafs amortized
instruments the sun
useful for some
movements to the roots
a 52 week high in the juice

visions_versions_us

when the moss under
foots loosed on
an envelope loss
less order interrupts
what goodness
the rain absent corrupts
 

visions_versions_b0

as above so below

fine lines can't sink

so the theories go

visions_version_kitchens

a watched pot
does not boil
but watch out
lest they plot

tomatos

all about the sun
the red condenses from
too near a sphere
time will tell

my table is bored

visions_versions_n

cool light spills
adjacent rooms ever
even just a bit
get a little glimmer
 

visions_versions_w

The scissors for the rope
are hung with care
the whereabouts unknown
the rest of the stuff

visions_versions_b

a night of fish
jumping
and more than acorns
sounding

water levels

A NEW REACH

further down the coast
the river finds
perfectly reflected
the river

burdock

keep the burrs
guessing the day
that hands close
around shadows
like noons noose
pulling up or what

wavelengths

tomatos to be green
still and the wind whips
tasking stalks on a dip
tasting the tired dirt
stakes ask for a hand
tomorrow with string
understanding which band
f(ro)m am to pm
absorbing their take

shingles

done that one
two does it work
down pour town
time to find out

deluge

these the sun sums
up to the heart
the stalks bent
water weighth an eighth
of a ton I speak a tongue
worth with all
and for all its worst

visions_versions_pittsburgh

After the cherries peaked they went killer sour. The robins and starlings came and got drunk on cherries. Every morning soused birds bobbed on the stairs and sat stumbling around the yard.

visions_version_wI

gone gone gone
wind who catches
what ever tries
times divides
blind spots in
and out of line

visions_versions_birds

so crazy fresh
robins careen about
this branch that branch
trajectory is cursory
to two who are friends

spare-o

in the breeze
in the branches
in the breast
the sparrow heart
beats on the ones
and twos those
gusts and blue

mostly

in a violent way
all silent all be it
bites all over with
the touch of us
a plunge a minute
a finish enough

a_gust

the light of august
is arresting and
whatever it is
is abberant
that does this
to us

spanish castle

on some counts after
midnigh the sky is still
and lit till its what is right
all finds the ties that bring
cross town magic tonight
to split tomorrow goodnight

black_body_radiation

while out on the clouds
we spied the swans
same white as the dead tree
baked bleached by said sun
who in turn turns us dark
as opposites approaching
stephan-boltzman emissivity

ticktockgoestheclock

lets guess the rest
the evenness of less
thats left of east to west

pleu

just the rain that falls
touches all in a column
until the leafs and stalks
tasked to set out and catch
bask in plethora's redirect

swallows

but never faster
than that reflection
on the water
that they fly over
closer and closer

pastures of plenty

when cisco sang to woody
who then died
where all of us have been
where all of us will be
whilst first, with the dust
while after, out with the wind

states

let it break more
completely before
everything and anything
is done and all
the stops pulled
last resort booked
the boats all launched
the beaches swept clean
out into the sea
back again we go

dust

knuckles deep the dust
of last night over
our turns in sleep
some keep

visions_versions_birds1

with little flicks of the wings
a robin stalks a worm
under an overcast sky
all types of lives

granite two

let down the stone
which with the weight
of the world fractures
at the edge of each
ache and facet
chrysanthemum red
exposed and iron ends

granite

what it is that
the rocks say about
the river that sat
once high above
now downhill
running on
among and below
a weight off
flimsy and soaking
prone to breaking
in white frothing
from the mouth
and all along
of course

red is the cardinal

last light cardinal
singing to half of us
moon includes another
silver pews the branches
empty though the sermon
spills clear and true

is

little rings around
the trees sing and all
the leafs green now and then
when the cold comes
 off into the next
they toss and expect
not this not this

archimedes

on the level of where the water
settles and scores a line
the various times
higher and lower
always pushing the sky

animals

the weathered look
of the rabbit run
after the purple finch
after two hops on
the sidewalk takes off
right into the tree
and also in the yard

rained_in

each step of the way
mud makes cakes
of feet heavy enough
to lay down to sleep

water levels

an hour closer
to the high water
the river closes
up the soaking trees
out there standing
remembering land and
the sun play
the sound of plain aire

latitude

an open wind
blowing snow
yes in april
mind? oh my

fleur

from west to east
for each flower
a minute or two
of sunshine and water

 

misipi

up in the trees
is some river
reaching for more
than normal
duck feats

flagstaff

up on the
hill is all
robins all right

visions_versions_rr

who is it
is it you
mouse on and in
leafsss
or another one
mole sans eyes
clean out the dirt
dead with surprise

visions_Versions_rwb

and back
today the blackest
bird  with reddest
wings basks
the tasks in the bay
unfrozen up today
 

visions_version_g0

on in wings
the goose with
all the wind

thee, mole

mighty was the mole
who emerged too soon
who forsook life for you
who forgot to look out
who over and above is
still and blind still in death

misipi

on the views
talking high
trying eyes
each line
trees binds
tiny islands

withheld

penance
let that rest
less is letters

send them in a bottle
and watch them never
arrive here because
where is here
its not there

a barque
a hull
a bath
it all

at the dock
at anchor
in the drive
behind the car
under foot
over head

if a wizard of penance
was i wishing i was
with all aluminum holes

 

in_and_out

like the lion on the lamb
winter had the deep bite
holding onto about ten inches
frost in the shadows
trees stark before the sun
suddenly hot against
on our windy eyes
and spring on the lam
those are the shade birds
dust under bare branches
baths where the grass is gone

goose_va1

looking into the west
the sky just sets
as a flock of geese
descendants of the rest
lets down on less
is as a rare earth
crust or mush

idle_march

on the robins note
the sun also minds
rising higher too

towards a
heaven pragmatic
and down here 
the axe works
for next winter

swinging in between
each listening

 

equinox

such is the light dull
the balance sums up
to nothing over zero
long division cut short
lassitude hemisphere
showing little
above mud

the cranes are flying

from the grey sky
the same size
wide jibes and tacks
wings frantic make
a landing soft
in march
in frigid melt
in new marsh
looking to make quick
pickings are slim
the brown grass bent
lapsed silhouettes

c

as fast as medium
goes on legs bent
perpetually and for ever
that what
constant is
thats whats
content if

the fish and the see

the vatican is vast
and money don't last
when pope goes shopping for fish
the retail is fine
but a scale weighs a dime
and dore is all the list lists

the fish is a scene

on each and every* eve
the fish makes a dutiful plea
facing towards heaven
the fish tries to leaven
the bread that each of us needs

the fish is a saint!




*every
(pronounced ever airy)

the fish and the sea

the fish and the sea
see, what more can there be
if of all that is known
not more can be shown
then those two are all that we need

pans

burnt ends the edge collects
pining over our squares
cutting corners
overtures 

buckwheat

standing over the stove
letting a pancake go
asking for perfection
wishing for half as much
bubbles emerge touch and burst
one flip and then
plate and fork
settling on gold

stover

this is the acid wood
the residual scent left
fingers singed and nostrils wrent

embers to build a bed upon
ideally stoked all last night
half way through awake
to hear the fire lost in space

odr_2

The bisquit hit
Skitters and skips
Coriolis and misses

addition

some unlike ivy green
a patience so silent
under the snow those
who move and whos
lives depend on it
little mathematics
flakes filling banks
the richest vole
the brokest fox

and another

once or twice at first and again
the train stopped our talk
still lamps bounce and all
in the little death since

why sweep on the porch
why keep a wheel

another year

gone are ears hearing
much and doing little
unless adjusted enough
set on the scent
heads tails

from under
stairs or above
sure in the bush
and beholden not
even when well off
couched high
cool collected cast
from a rare alley
well tempered
and best ever

Spoons_1

overnight snow
not just knee deep
in windy triangles
porch white
so shovel my heat
then sweep
a quebec trick
under shelter a whiff
cat reminisce
missing paws prints
her most obvious
still is it

branches to ashes

noon dust today
last night fahrenheit
if the shovel fits

on comet

on the grain
that axe falls
breaking years
agos bonds holds
now exposed
to light to decompose

sunday

at last all east
with wind from north
blessed seeds
birds to seek feed

a snow a shovel
take at hand and lever
an arm so taught
to throw and with it
go make way make haste
tomorrow is ordinary

din

yellow is for steaming
orange is for peeling
white is for boiling
black is for stewing

squash is an all night feeling
orange is mornings noons evenings
rice is a staple in the palm bleeding
beans is prometheus' breathing

taking air

steps away
a sidewalk
moon is half
and one goose
the other
clouds out fast

south bay

we on the ice
we glide and dine
we ask the cracks
we passed by time

WIZARD_OF_FINANCE

all this is
is business
baffles open
wide senseless
downer jones' index

survival as ritual

late hands make the most
adding bones to the stove
doling out the dose
keeping off the cold those
arctic compass rose
frozen points ears nose toes

a care

rabbit too takes
the tracks out back
answering whats asked
of the hand which feeds
collections of seed
without want or need

mornings nights repeats
and opposites completes
the same steam
that breaths make
in as little time
or less

canada_goose

veering inland in
gusty formation
sunset to open
water

b is for bird

spare light sparrows
flitting and asking
where is mine
while miles behind
the window grime
my bread toasts
before boots on
to pour seed
filling the zeros
out in the cold

mercury

from out to in
gadgets indicating
a descending
decimate, slow
lo and behold
so it goes
below
 

enter_the_winter

individual digits
each sharp facets
in subtle increments
hazards sum settle
blown drifts or built
solid as bank vaults
sweat the shovelers cough

north winds

the lake throws up
slush on ice bluffs
shorelines growing
out and up

oj and toast

oj and toast sort of rote
orbits one to one
same moon same sun
looping back to gaze on

not looking to stay put
three words these want
a future will pass

winter up north

all swamp
frozen tufts

footsteps thumps


brown and white
as the deer is too
brilliant use
under the blue
 

new years for some

what could have been
(could be conditionally)
what hardly is it in
a bit of undigested beef
a fragment of potato
minuscule is the patzer
dallying on a pawn
in the game of life
such perverse additions
in ratios inverse
to the paucity
the post-script hard stone

then and again

aghast at the balance
the last act of praxis
a city out lasts its
accumulate of outcasts
the vortex and access
to continental breakfasts
and only half this
is accidents 
rest assests
or else us malcontents
with lariats
to catch the sun
behind our backs
and bask in lights pasts