With June coming to a close, I feel like the spring we look forward to so much in this climate was gone in a flash. Winter lingers, but spring pops up and makes a rapid passage to summer's warm and humid days. This collection of photos is tied together only by the fact that I took them over the last two months in Southeastern Wisconsin. Enjoy.

The interior of a 1946 Nash. This car (at a car show) had every option imaginable including a swamp cooler which channeled air across water covered fins and supposedly kept the interior 10º cooler. Also a cigarette pack holder!

Short lived moment just before sunset. Washingtn County, WI.

After a rain. I had to chase this down. Monches WI.

This old graveyard is up on a hill out in the country and provides a great view of storms coming in. Rubicon, WI.

Dragonflies provide good subjects while waiting for other things to happen by.

This family of Sandhill Cranes strolled by last night. There was another juvenile just outside the frame.

I was not expecting to see a Bald Eagle around these parts but there he was, majestically awesome! Along the Bark River in Merton, WI.

This pair was curious to see who was passing through their territory.

There are three strains

of blood which flow

Within these veins of mine

I know

Tossed by chance

like a throw of dice

On an isle

in paradise.

 

Its evidence isn’t hard to see

Go ahead take a look at me

With skin that’s brown

or white

or cream

With eyes jet black

brown

     or green

Hair that’s blond

black

or ‘fro

It is I

was man’s first rainbow.

 

Now clearly listen

to my voice

Your ears shall have

no other choice

But to hear a sound so bold

‘twill make you think

‘Tis Spain of old.

 

Changó, a god from across

the sea

Came to me

chained in slavery

His Africa gave me

drums to play

And this love for freedom

I have today.

 

The Taino Native is hard to find

you must look between the lines

The lines are those

in the songs I sing

That speak of love

and eternal spring.

 

So now you see

I’m very sure

That my blood

is very pure

For if you haven’t guessed by now

soy Puertorriqueño

Free and proud.

 

Originally written in 1971

Published in El Boricua a publication of La Casa de Puerto Rico, June 1994

 

 

1.
for whom
were you

waiting brother

waiting
at well
with eagles
stretching wings

sieges in hell

2 .

begin

keep on
going

formidable force
of fluid
passes lips

praise tongue
immolating
on ice

far out
there

pole
to pole

meridian
in mouth

clenching breath
then beating
it
free

it free
brother

3.

come

come
to convert

poison

4.

albert's pulse'
remembering

sound
of slaves

steel
against skin

leather
against skin

backs
bending
slow
vertebrae becomes viper

clunk
of chains
against
timber

sweat squeezing
song
from
thorax

threnody
only threnodies

knots
ìn knees

shoulders

hands

name
nocturne

night
still

remembers

5

smolder
speak only

to spectres
long

gone but running
within
wind

wind
you are

permitting
to pass

ghost's
lips

6

burning birds
above
bring
tune

into elaborate circles
of your living
time's

soul

so it is
said by
by brother

don
turning trumpet
ìnto barbed wire

trapeze

two
of you

tied
to one

mother
choir

chanting
against chant

crying
into lake

7

gaze
with eyes
closed

threnody's thread

first
to las

weave
soul
in field
in forest

somewhere
outside stockholm

8

resuscitate
remains of memory

forgive flight

sorrow
dwelling
detains

you cry
& kneel

far from sea

dance
deep
in
valley
with your horn

9

death
speaks her name
from surface
of hudson river

over
& over again

time
turns
against you
turning

skin
beautiful

blind
broken

so little surrendered
in sickness's song

breathe better
brother

despair
danced élicate

weep
with wing

wind
you

be
above

burning
birds

endless echos
tune you taught

beautiful bellowing
better than speech

10.

gloriy
ghost to be

go to ghosts

garden
grown by ghosts

give
ghosts
give

ghosts
edifice

ghosts
working on wheel

ghosts wake
call out
to corpses

chant

ferocious flowers
grow into ghosts

 

 

 

 

 

 

cain
come

observe

mouth
crush
tongue

abraham
kill
son

work
on
wound

together
tie
cord to corpse

collect
carrion

while waiting
for
boat
sea
woman

first
to
last

fall
echo

echo's
fall

suffocated
sing

mute
melodies
murder
taught

in space
scripture stole

always
leaving

blood
on stones

assimilate
annihilation

faith
in fear

faith
in being

wiped off

face
of earth

fulfillment
of first
instant

expectorating
extinction
from first

breath
to
last

breath
to
last

verdict
pure

temptation
treason

collect
fire

wood

pull knife
on ancient
until dance
deformed

sense
aberration
concealed

nothing
noble
cain

are
you
vain

urge
unfolding

determining
it

disclosed

self
before
break
though

i
offer
i
evidence

before voyage

going further
through woods

going further
that faith
allows

breath
painful

consequence

make
manifest
man

fraud
figuring out
faith

with wheel
bent
against
building
for
first
time

structure
divine
power
mortal

absolute
attained
tainted
act
in abattoir

desolation's
force

endlessly
elaborate

before
you start
shifting soil
in belarussian
forest

aware
of feet falling
on top

you watch feet
feel for
your thigh

feet stamping
on earth
archaic
drum
men make

kicking hinges
from history
's house

suspended
between
earth
sky

terrible
knowledge's
terrain

wherever
you are

essences
eliminated

miserable entities
move

thoroughly
in tunnel

trench

death
bed
back

things
themselves

unfold
as you
undress
before
other
farmers
teachers
& the family
who sold you
vegetables
& fruit

unfold
as you see
the scars
moles skin
stretched
of someone
you went
to school
with

unfolding
in way
uniformed men
pull pull
on cigarettes

unfolding
in air
wind whistling
rapidly
past you & through
you

vanished

realm
affliction
annotated
again
& again

& am not ashamed

of going
though
again
& again

essential
essence

you

remember

disappearances
of living

universes

some
street
in
kovno

some
street
in
kovno

some
street
in
kovno

where
men
& women

thought
in thrusts
that you will
never
knows

night
knows

way words
weaved
around
each other

with
momentum
of memories
we have lost
forever

we have lost

forever
faith

faith
can go

faith
can go

fuck itself

i observe
this hour
woman drawing
diagram
on table
two men
watching
& adding numbers

& adding
number
vico
destroyed
one
again

forgot
to tell

i observe
woman
with diagram
not

lost

in bruno's
flames
only
these settlements

inherited

as
night know

as night
knows

greeks
obliterated
greatness

of africa

stealing
this
& that
story

of eagles
gliding
over penelope's
pit

surface
stares

back to back

beast to beast

climbing
on
backs

of one

another
vertabrae

utter
unfolding

remember

recall
loss's
loss

vilnius
ghetto
empty
for projection
of veit
harlan's
film
forgotten

form

less
loss

loss's
loss

broken
boats
follow
one
another
down
river

river
boats

hear holy
men sing
from
shore
shriek
you know
is secret
you cannot
share

even holding
arrows
in arms

foretold
you are

forsaken
you are

pitiless
as you
pretend

living
souls

still

 

 

luciano prisco 'death fugue'