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WALKING ON THIN ICE

me MC Poetry at Pat’s in the Flats

May 21, 2012 2 Comments

Front cover of “22 Years” by Wendy Shaffer
edited by Lady K, published by The City Poetry Press

I get to play Master of Ceremonies again . . . for seven poets and a musical duo this Sunday May 27th, 11am – 3pm. Exceptional lineup.

Poetry at Pat’s in the Flats
2233 West Third Street
(at the bottom of Literary Ave Hill, in Tremont)

Doors open at 11, lunch served after 11:30, poetry & music at noon.
Alcohol available at the bar.

Musical Interludes provided by Tom Orange and Davide András Imburgia

Featured Poets: Mary Weems / R.A. Washington / Wendy Shaffer / Jim Lang / Christopher Green / Katie Daley / Christina Brooks

Wendy Shaffer will be reading from her fine fine book of poetry “22 Years,” which will be available. 88 poems in 187 pages, edited by Lady K and published by The City Poetry Press

Open mic afterwards as time permits.

Master of Ceremonies Steven B. Smith

Come enjoy friends and words in the warmth of an industrial gem, Pat’s.

(If this works out, it could become a quarterly event with me as main mouth.)


Back cover of “22 Years” by Wendy Shaffer
edited by Lady K, published by The City Poetry Press

Dialogue to help create the change we want to see

May 21, 2012 1 Comment

I’ve been thinking about getting more involved in the dialogues and projects on the Civic Commons. In my inbox today I received an e-newsletter inviting people to participate in a project by America Today. They want people to answer four questions: How did we as a nation get in trouble economically? Who do you blame? How do we as a nation solve our economic problems? What are you doing differently to get through the downturn?

What I really like about the Civic Commons is that the philosophy of the project involves polite dialogue oriented around making the change we want to see.

Here are my answers:

How did we as a nation get in trouble economically?

There are multiple factors. The situation that allowed the disparity of wealth to grow way out of balance was one major one. Military spending rather than focusing on developing our strengths through education and investment in people and small businesses was another one. The way Wall Street and the banks focused on nonproductive speculation was another.

Whom do you blame?

I blame lack of citizen involvement and lack of transparency and too much corruption in the system–people not using it properly. I blame the Supreme Court a bit. I blame apathy a lot.

How do we as a nation solve our economic problems?

1) Stop killing people–defund the military and instead get those soldiers working at home on infrastructure building for a green economy.

2) Believe in a better future–the power of belief is amazing.

3) Follow up words with action. Don’t just protest–do community projects to help change the situation for the better.

4) Work on making sure our business actions follow our ideals more and stop the cynicism.

What are you doing differently to get through the downturn?

1) I’m working on better business practices–making sure our business is doing business well, ethically, honestly. This does translate into more opportunities. Our business is actually growing through this period, and the latest news shows Ohio is recovering as well.

2) I’m investing time in educating myself on current trends in my business and also am reading books on how to grow the business.

3) I buy locally whenever possible–“vote with your dollars.”

You can post your own answers to their four questions here…

Past Forward

May 19, 2012 1 Comment

Altzes of old – foto Smith

Past Forward

Time swish swoops fast
Past present flash test dash
From were to will
Till ash at last
The day danced daze
Of never now
But then
And if
And when
The dreadlines drooling
Showing who’s the boss
Of loss
Or gain
Depends on aim
And élan
The flux and flow of plan
Or in this case
The me of my my
And the she of my main ma’am

We are
Our own time machine
A fine force firm for the future

— Smith, 5.19.2012


Firm for the future – foto Smith

3 wishes 4 u

May 18, 2012 1 Comment

O what a beautiful morning – foto Smith

3 Wishes 4 U

Wake me when you go to sleep
So I can watch the winding weir
Protect the Princess from the plot
And guard the grid from grinding gear

I’ll set the sun up in the sky
And sprinkle blue red birds about
Set such flowers here and there
A pool to soothe wild beastie snout

The clouds will puff pure white in fluff
The breeze a gentle neck kiss come
The grass in warm soft green will call
For you to lie awhile as one

— Smith, 5.18.2012








Liquid light and golden water – foto Smith

Quantum Copulation

May 17, 2012 1 Comment

It takes two to tango – foto Smith

Quantum Copulation

When singularities get married
and they’re not single anymore
do they become couplelarities?

— Smith, 5.17.2012


The Great Cosmic Foreskin – foto Smith

Dharma Run

May 16, 2012 1 Comment

Dharma run May 16, 2012. 3+ miles & a stop to water the peas. ~ Lady

Lady magick

May 16, 2012 1 Comment

Lady Magic – foto Smith

My Lady’s trying magic healing through images, words, thoughts . . . a gentle branch of sympathetic magick perhaps. Here are a few of the images appearing around the apartment.


Lady Magic – foto Smith

Peace crayon drawing peace path through peace arch to peace land.



Lady Magic – foto Smith

Horn of Africa Loves H2O and Vice Versa
Safe Water Peace Education Healthcare


Lady Magic – foto Smith

Proposed # of Honeybee Colonies in the United States

Increasing # of hives and keeping the bees more local (small farms) will help employment & quality of life for bees and humans (more bee keeping jobs)


Lady Magic – foto Smith

Proposed Population Level for Species Homo Sapiens — World Population

Where ? = year to peacefully have met goal of getting down to 2 billion people on planet earth through natural attrition without undue illness, without starvation, but by ceasing to have so many children (because we love the ones we already have)


Lady Magic – foto Smith

Proposal for Reality — Reduce # of Movies That Portray Violence and Increase # of Movies That Portray No Violence At All


Lady Magic – foto Smith

Mandy’s Dance
(Mandy’s dancing to my movie thoughts)

Movies about little and long beautiful moments.

Movies w/ very minor drama; i.e., a child moves from being obese to being healthy.

Movies about oatmeal & vegetarian food.

Hiking movies where the hikers rest for a while, the forest fairies come out and do a dance for them.

Movies about solving engineering problems, where the solutions are found and are successfully applied.

Movies about people finding ways to live sustainably w/in the modern setup (modern house, apt., local community).


Lady Magic – foto Smith

Walking into the unknown, partially known. What has been the history of our expectations? Can we improve the future w/ our expectations? Has progress been made in realms? How about sea change? Can we have a “sea change” in order to see change? Can we be change? Has progress ever been made in realms? You can believe it.

Do Wrap

May 14, 2012 1 Comment

She said – foto Smith

Do Wrap

A wop bop a lu lop a bop bam boo
Get up in the morning there’s stuff to do
Stuff it in the kitchen
Stuff it in the pan
Stuff it real good with your favorite man

She says she’s always taking care of stuff
I reply that’s life
life’s taking care of stuff
that’s what we do
we get up in the morning
start taking care of stuff
stumble through day
taking care of more stuff
one stuff after another
some yours
some others
until we go to bed
sleep
recharge
get up
start taking care of stuff all over again
self-stuffing turkeys
basting ourselves
with thanks in the giving

— Smith, 5.14.2012


He said – foto Smith

Soap and Such

May 13, 2012 1 Comment

Dust my broom – foto Smith

New Ball & Smith song recorded last Thursday titled Soap and Such . . . aka The Jonah Icarus Minotaur Theseus Medea Jason RobinHood Hercules Fable Table Blues.

I’ve been avoiding blogging it because it’s strange stuff, odd, offputting . . . my double-tracked vocals start off fairly horrible and slowly improve to mediocre — but after you get used to the bad, it’s not so bad.

At least the music’s good, the chorus works quite well, and the words are not your usual blues lyrics. Perhaps its authentic unsmooth non-professional unsinging will come across as endearing primitiveness . . . or not.

Here it is –> -> -> Soap and Such.

Music mix recording Peter Ball of Apartment One; vocals words Smith.

Soap and Such

Saw a cat beat a drum with her tail
Flashed on Jonah swallowing the whale
And the life in which he lived to love to fail
But someone done told that tale

Icarus flew too close to the sun
Minotaur after Theseus did run
Medea for Jason killed her son
But they’re not the only one

  But first a commercial for soap and such
  It really won’t cost you all that much
  And we need to pay for this program
  Cuz our bread and butter needs new jam

Robin Hood robbed and taxed the rich
Whose greedy palms did always itch
For larger status tents to pitch
But way too much leads to ditch

Hercules had to clean their stables
Or the gods said we will you disable
Unless that’s just another fable
And I’m sitting at the wrong table

   Again a commercial for soap and such
  It really won’t cost you all that much
  And we need to pay for this program
  Cuz our bread and butter needs some brand new jam

All these tales tell outlandish lies
Trying to answer our unsettled whys
To explain what’s above the skies
The how and why we live our lives

But there ain’t no truth to a single one
Except for the truth in having a bit of fun
Though bits of truth in each one run
Yet no final answer till this this undone

  And finally a commercial for soap and such
  It really won’t cost you all that much
  So we need to pay for this here program
  Cuz our bread and butter wants some brand new jam

— Smith, 5.10.2012


Soap n such – foto Smith

Lots Overlapping

May 12, 2012 1 Comment

Sun and Shadow – foto Smith

Lots Overlapping

Seems to me a lot of people
are sleeping with a lot of people
under various rules and regulations
while I deal in shadow
(for not all place bound in time)

I think it’s neat sniffing sheep in heat
though not my style
I’m more rock n roll cool cruel lean scene
with lots overlapping

I’m the high in Ohio
Fractals friend
Mom made whether
Dad’s leaks and squeaks
(which is white of me)
Proof positive ant’s scant
leather lash shadow due

I fear neither name
nor knowledge
for magic round bounds
joyous in between
high noon weed easy
stone throw from sanity
optional

Step outside the lines
Stable tables
Video yesteryear roarshock inkblot
new age pap
mammaries for stars

Be one
Be nothing
Bananas brown Asian to African
Albinos weep white
dark, as Africa used to be

— Smith, 1995


Shadow and Sun – foto Smith