A Head Back Snapper from Pangofornia

The above painting is William de Kooning's "Woman 1". The style is Abstract Expressionism, where subjective liberties are taken with recognizable forms to enhance the personal view of the artist. I believe, he and his wife were divorcing at the time of his "Woman" paintings.



The photo above, of a 100 year old prostitute's lair, located under the stage of the Bird Cage Theatre, in Tombstone Arizona, inspired this poem. Abstract Expressionism with image word forms, rather than painted forms, and composed to enhance the subjective expression of the writer, of what must have been practiced in this room.

A Head Back Snapper From Pangofornia

Heels toes rubber flaps crushed old spider legs
into painless cement squares aligned to hovels,
jade heated, showing off cotton lined boundaries
scorned, bruised, dented, punched and waxed.

Blanched, sponge grinding souls amid banana peels,
away from armed patterns into ruptured chagrin.
A distant revenant, ever bending bounteous host
gripped cradled brown feathers split on crags.

Lost across thin chilled wallpaper heart thorns,
turned sore fugitive against born muscle marrow.
Specious rolled until spacious, fragile animated,
while a clear rising easy warmed vitality surfaced.

Kellie my Kellie, were you ever here.

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Kellie was such a perfectly formed beautiful baby. Before she was 1 year old, her mother and I used to make a corral out of our knees on the bed, and on Saturday and Sunday mornings, spend hours just watching her amble around the space. We were awe struck and couldn't take our eyes off her.



I suppose all kids can't wait to grow up. Before Kellie could go to school, Ceci would fix her lunch, give her a few books and she would wait at the school bus stop with her older brother and watch him ride away to where she wanted to go.



Before she got into high school she was in sync with the family I suppose, yet I noticed there was something behind her eyes. A mysterious, far away look that blocked me out and manipulated my feelings. I hoped it was just that I didn't have that mother thing. While I seemed to be window dressing or for when the father thing was needed.



Kellie was so fragile in many ways, and I worried for her constantly, as I still do, every waking hour. She did however, seem to get into everything physical; Black belt in karate, basketball, and jumped hurdles in track. In the performing arts she chose was some music, art classes and photography. Maybe because I was an Art Teacher, played several instruments, and into photography, and maybe not. Fathers never seem to know.



I was super proud of her graduation, mostly because she so wanted me there, and to hold her on that day. I didn't know it was farewell. Soon after that she bolted for California, to the rich and party town of Santa Barbra. I was stunned, hurt and heavy worry came over me. It's like standing on a highway lane, waiting to be hit by a truck. She promised me she would go to our small college for two years before striking out. My plans were to convince her to go to the larger University. The worry has not subsided in me. Will it ever? Daughters have a way of manipulating your love on the sidelines of their life. Maybe when she's a little older, she'll come back one day, and warm my heart. God how I love her!

Autumn on the San Pedro River.

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Here in Cochise County, the southeastern most county in Arizona,



we have one river that winds across the landscape. The river was named Rio Nexpa by the Coronado Expedition in 1540. A good rain has to occur before the river actually looks like a river, yet all kinds of trees and desert wildlife cling to it's banks for survival. Much of the river is an animal and bird reserve, and is kept quite primitive.



The intimate view of the river gets one lost in the primitive nature of the environment where one hates to make a footprint or break one established twig.