I settled on James Cagney, who was playing Lon Chaney in Man of a Thousand Faces: The Lon Chaney Story. Lon Chaney was a famous actor and makeup artist on vaudeville and in silent films in the early 1900s. He was a CODA (long before the term CODA had been coined).
and before
when you kissed me
you tasted
like cryptic cocktail, before
more shelling.
Gabe shares a lovely tribute to his mom in this month’s Captain Canada’s Movie Rodeo.
Vacant canvases shape artists, too.
But I don’t just belong on top—
Put me inside your finest frame.
How I’d toss them back in grubby fistfuls, between chokes on the juice, as honied explosions—sour and sweet—took me to Heaven and back then ‘round, again, while she looked out the screen door, tossing hair from her eyes—cup of black coffee in one hand, cigarette in the other—staring at my father working in the field, beyond.
like that flat black bumper sticker–
I saw on the hearse while I drove in reverse
through the Goodwill parking lot–read in glossy black writing–BUMPER STICKER.
this poem says it over and over
and over
like the workman walking under
a ladder leaned against the church
you can only think so long until the chatter comes forth
Adversity finally arrived and in a swarm. For hours Gemmer had hidden in the brush; his horse now dead from a single shot. Having learned over the past months to move with great stealth, he had been able to slither here and there until he came to a dense spot in the woods where he could hide for a time—perhaps deep into the night. But that was past. The enemy troops were onto him.
the tale of us always a quick disappearance,
incalculable shrugs, CCTV footage
skipping, never in the proper sequence—
our plot, allegedly a goodbye without history—
Vacations are exhausting. And what’s most exasperating about German writer/director Maren Ade’s Everyone Else (2009) is that there’s no escaping the claustrophobic world she’s created. The volatile coupling of Chris (Lars Eidinger) and Gitti (Birgit Minichmayr), holed up together at Chris’ parents’ Sardinian villa, defies any expectations for a customary on-screen getaway.
The day I was introduced to Miss Peggy Lee was defining. When we met, I cordially took her hand and said "hello." She responded, "thank you very much."
Unlearn lesson.
Unload snake bullets.
Unclimb Tree of Death and Life.
Unfall into temptation.
Her heart is a steering wheel
with no grip. Look at the seams
between the valves –
almost invisible.
Gabe goes to bat for creatives during these uncertain times with AI in this month’s Captain Canada’s Movie Rodeo.
As Judge McDonough waltzes down the hallway towards his chambers, with three defense attorneys in tow, suddenly Johnny Lagatutta races past me and the other attorneys—including the defense attorney whose client had just been locked up, and jumps atop Judge McDonough’s back. Lagatutta wraps an arm around the judge’s neck and secures his choke hold with the other hand. McDonough swings his arms, trying to reach back to free Lagatutta’s grip, to no avail.
Raspberries lose their gumption in late July.
They placate themselves, accept
becoming bird feed to disperse
among conifers, to flow wordlessly
into the quagmire and wait for the snout
of next year.
She picks up another cup. It cracks under her grip; the plastic slices her thumb. Bright red runs along the crack. She watches blood mix with juice, the two turning brown, dirty. She adds the broken cup to the stack, others on top of the broken cup.
Autzen Stadium is many things. At worst, it is an edifice of concrete and steel, that’s seen millions of dollars in renovations funded by a man who’s devoted similar levels of capital to influencing local elections. At the same time, Autzen is a thing of beauty. For a few Saturdays in the fall, tens of thousands of people fill the seats, regardless of weather.
i can tell he is still jealous of you
but we can’t move our eyes from the wood paneled floors.
the place was heavily decorated
pink tulle hanging from the ceiling
like shrouds.
Halfway to the supermarket, my mother wants to know if I’m in the mood for some R&B music because I still haven’t said a word. The next thing I know, she offers me her right hand. I take it, but I’m still unsure why she did it. Maybe it’s all part of her plan to force a big smile onto my face. She takes my silence as a no. “A cigarette, then?” she asks. “Beer? How about a beer?”
