No unambiguity allowed.

G. Murray Thomas (ex-NEXT magazine creator and Long Beach/OC icon) in his current Poetix.net review column:
In my opinion, all poetry (all art, in fact) needs to be open to interpretation. That is how we bring our own experiences to the poetry, and engage with it emotionally as well as intellectually. 

Between a Brexit and a Trump/Clinton place.

Something I wrote earlier on Facebook:
Yesterday's positivity over Democrats standing up for passing gun legislation in the House replaced tonight by the British far right deploying fear and hate to remove the UK from the European Union.

So, as the United Kingdom tilts further right, the pound drops in value and immigrants (this time, refugees) are once again damned, one wonders if many in the United States will read the gigantic writing on the wall.

As an American, I deeply resent being herded into the usual "lesser of two evils" position where the choice is between a blustering billionaire spewing geysers of prejudice and "he's not a politician" fakery to the general public AND the ethically-challenged conservative Democrat who loves regime change war (just like Bush Jr. and neocons) and counts on other incremental centrists/captains of Industry to vote in lockstep after a primary campaign where the old-school liberal challenger suffered at least 57 varieties of demonization in the primaries.

Of course, if one opts out for third party choices (the leave-business-alone Libertarian buffoon Gary Johnson and the more-sane-than-Johnson Dr. Jill Stein), there's the possibility of post-November centrist Democrat pea soup getting whirled in all directions.

(Remember the 2000-era moaning where Ralph Nader was largely blamed for Al Gore's flaccid campaign and the Supreme Court's thievery?)

Looking forward to buying a NOT SORRY I VOTED FOR BERNIE bumpersticker, if such items are sold.

Best Films of the 21st Century so far.

Repeating and expanding on recent Twitter posts:

20 Live-Action Films: THE MASTER/THERE WILL BE BLOOD/BEASTS OF NO NATION/THE DARK KNIGHT/12 YEARS A SLAVE/THE HURT LOCKER/LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA/BOYHOOD/GHOST WORLD/SUPERBAD/THE RAID/MOONRISE KINGDOM/INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS/NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN/THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY/THE SQUID AND THE WHALE/YOUNG ADULT/MONSTER/THE KID WITH A BIKE/CAROL

12 Documenraries: AMY/THE HOUSE I LIVE IN/GOING CLEAR/THE FOG OF WAR/TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE/FAHRENHEIT 9/11/NO DIRECTION HOME: BOB DYLAN/HAPPY VALLEY/CITIZENFOUR/THE UNKNOWN KNOWN/GASLAND/CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS

12 Animated Features: WALL-E/UP/TOY STORY 3/INSIDE OUT/FINDING NEMO/FRANKENWEENIE/CORALINE/WRECK-IT RALPH/HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON/PERSEPOLIS/THE LEGO MOVIE/RANGO

The Carl Wilson playlist--Beach Boys and solo.

1. God Only Knows
2. I Was Made To Love Her
3. Darlin'
4. Feel Flows
5  Long Promised Road\
6. Marcella
7. Angel Come Home
8. Good Timin'
9. Full Sail
10. Goin' South
11. Livin' With A Heartache
12. Young Blood
13. Rockin' All Over The World
14. Where I Belong
15. Soul Searchin' (w/Brian Wilson)
16. This Whole World
17. Our Sweet Love

Another poetry litmus test.

Someone I know and respect (though he walks a different artistic path than I do) put up a list of poets' names on Facebook.

I didn't see the list, since he took it down after rancor and arguments occurred.

But I'll share with you, the reader, a comment by an Influential Figure (poet, teacher, occasional festival organizer) without further comment:

And I spoke to the difficulty of lists -- inevitably many deserving people are omitted. I don't think Los Angeles' seasoned, accomplished poets would be bitter and jealous -- only dilettantes and frustrated amateurs respond that way.

Ben Folds: The Solo Years playlist.

1. There's Always Someone Cooler Than You (Sunny 16 version)
2. Annie Waits
3. Zak and Sara
4. Rocking The Suburbs
5. Still Fighting It
6. The Ascent Of Stan
7. Not The Same
8. Yours To Thank
9. Jesusland
10. Landed
11. Effington
12. Hiroshima (B-B-B-Benny Hit His Head)
13. Dr. Yang
14. The Frown Song
15. You Don't Know Me (w/Regina Spektor)
16. From Above
17. Capable Of Anything
18. Phone In A Pool
19. Army (Ben Folds Live version)
20. The Luckiest

New poem: ORLANDO

domestic madman terror dispenser

uses AR-15 automatic weapon

laughing as he keeps killing and reloading

as usual

many defend

the right to sell

everything containing bullets

without constraints

as usual

we’re counseled by media

to suck it up,

hold it inside

even if it burns,

and accept the probablity

of premature death

as the price of citizenship

in the land of the angry

and the home of the disturbed

The post-Orlando quiz.

1. What will the National Rifle Association response be:
a. "This tragedy is being politicized"
b. "If everyone had been armed with AR-15s in that club, there wouldn't have been a tragedy"

2. How soon will the U.S. bomb an ISIS target in retaliation:
a. Within 48 hours
b. Within 24-36 hours

3. How much time per day will cable news devote to Donald Trump comments on this:
a. at least 2 hours
b. 4-6 hours
c. wall-to-wall until Hillary Clinton makes statement criticizing Trump comments

4. True or False: Most Americans retain at least some memories of Friday's interfaith service (Islam/Christianity/Judaism/Buddhism/Native American) in honor of Muhammad Ali.

5. Guess the number of neocons who will turn to condemning violence against the LGBTQ communities since it can be used as a pro-regime change talking point.

6. Guess the likelihood of either a new assault weapons ban or a limitation on bullets per magazine even being considered before "you can't get the votes" op-eds and Republican obstructionists respond.

New poem: HE PREFERRED A DECEASED ME

long ago

when I was contrarian

on a social network,

someone said:

Terry’s death

can't come

soon enough

no one objected

or gave him the chance to,

as the young people say now,

“walk it back”

or allow him to wear

the rhetorical fig leaf of

"it was just a figure of speech"

instead, there was the odor

of everyday cowardice

where people group their friends

like poetry submissions:

A, B, C, D, F

(with pluses and minuses if necessary)

few people want to cope with

lingering moral stress

it’s the equivalent of

faded yellow anti-perspirant stains

on a favorite shirt

New poem CENTERED.

it’s neutralized now

the challenge removed

like a jacknifed truck on a freeway

after a few hours of inconvenience

you know what your friends will tolerate

don’t say you’re with Someone Else

listen again

to the arguments favoring settle for less

or letting the monster into the house

you don’t want to have the monster’s

potential rampage

blamed on you,

do you?

The day after the progressives were neutralized.

Here's an editorial cartoon/meme from TRUTHDIG's Dwayne Booth aka mr. fish: