Revised Poem: LIKE IT ISN’T HAPPENING

 

The jackhammer pounding 

Of government, industry, media

Repeat the same propaganda:

Get back to normal 

Go back to work

It’s mild, they say

Five days at home are enough

 

We haven’t licked this disease yet

Hell, there’s no Omicron vaccine until maybe March

People are filling hospital beds again

But by all means, reclaim normal

We’re giving away half our N95 stockpile

Only four tests a month via USPS

Ready or not, we’ll tempt you to 

Go back to the mall, hang out, shop

We might put up warning signs

But we’re not the mask police

Be normal again

But don’t blame us when you get sick

 

 

 

New Poem: ONE MORE LOCKDOWN

 into the submarine again

 doing my best to stay clear 

 of the bodyjacking Delta and Omicron

 seeing just one other person

 unless it’s time to leave for provisions

 staying clear of those grocery aisles 

 where people still take off masks

 to talk on their cell phones

 >

 thanks to a belligerent one-third of a nation

 we’re going into year three of unnecessary hell

New Poem: What Will I Do Today (Omicron Edition)

Wake up mid-morning 

Make a list of what is needed

Decide what necessities are nearby 

Put on my tight fitting N95 mask

Erect a window for only necessary pursuits 

The window must have exact proportions 

Because there are only a few non-peak hours

>

Mid-afternoon , return home

With mild fatigue from two hours activity

Take my doses of maintenance medication 

Think about tomorrow 

Hope for a better year to come

Best Films/TV of 2021: Third Draft

 In no specific order:

 JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH 

 THE SPARKS BROTHERS

 LAST NIGHT IN SOHO 

 HOLLER

 SUMMER OF SOUL

 NO SUDDEN MOVE

 HACKS

 THE BEATLES: GET BACK

 ANNETTE

 HOUSE OF GUCCI

 THE VELVET UNDERGROUND 

 BENEDETTA 

 MALIGNANT 

 LANDSCAPERS

 Honorable Mention: THE CARD COUNTER/PASSING/THE NIGHT HOUSE/THE LAST DUEL/THE HARDER THEY FALL/CANDYMAN 2021/BELFAST/NIGHTMARE ALLEY 2021/WEST SIDE STORY 2021/SPENCER/THE LOST DAUGHTER/HALSTON

New Poem: FAREWELL 2021 RAMBLE

 it’s all over now as we continue to live in a house divided which cannot stand as it is but one-third of a nation still thinks they’re doing just fine thank you and yes it was the kind of a year (as Mel Torme used to sing on a nostalgic TV show) where people in government made unforced errors regarding the spread of coronavirus variants and kept their jobs and the president at least got infrastructure passed but voting rights for all was deemed something lesser, perhaps something to fundraise off of this year until the midterms arrive and don’t forget the fundraising off of let’s have a majority of Democrats who will still most likely default to Oh Dear! What Will the Republicans think?

meanwhile the sonic firework booms detonate outside and some of us are ready to hunker down one more  time and stay in our fallout shelters until both January and/or Omicron ends

how well or poorly will we fare for this the second full year of living with instead of vanquishing plague

Best New to Me Films I Saw in 2021

 In nonspecific order: 

The Beast Must Die (1950s Argentinian noir) Drive A Crooked Road (Mickey Rooney as put-upon race car driver) A Double Tour (murder within a wealthy French wine making family) I Walk Alone (teaming of Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas and Lizabeth Scott) Cast A Dark Shadow (Dirk Bogarde as wife murderer in English village) Guilty Bystander (Zachary Scott as former cop seeking kidnapped son) The Suspect (19th century Hitchcockian thriller with Charles Laughton) Bang! The Bert Berns Story (documentary on the 1960s songwriter/producer/record label head) Cruel Gun Story (1960s Japanese Yakuzanoir starring Jo Shishido)

Most of these were seen on TCM. Bang! The Bert Berns Story available as rental.

Cast A Dark Shadow available on the Tubi app.

The Suspect, The Beast Must Die and I Walk Alone can be purchased on DVD/Blu-ray

Poem from 2017: BEFORE GOING ABROAD

 BEFORE GOING ABROAD 

 

we'll learn enough German

to get us through the basics

of politeness and asking for amenities,

so we don't qualify as ugly Americans

>
because I remember the time
I ordered a cafe latte for you
at a chain bookstore
in the Alberto Sordi Mall in Rome
>
and after two sentences of fractured Italian,
the counterperson took pity on me
and answered in English
>
she smiled as she did this,
and I'm guessing she was pleased
that I made the effort 
to momentarily take leave
of my native tongue

 

 

Partially Found Poem: DISCHARGE INFORMATION

 Based on information I received last July when I had recovered enough from my stem cell transplant to go to the UCLA-sponsored hotel for further rest: 

DISCHARGE INFORMATION 

 

 

To leave hospital, ANC count of 0.5

 

Must be able to eat, drink, take pills normally 

 

If confusion occurs, call doctor

 

Any new redness, swelling in right arm

 

Around PIC line, call doctor

 

 

Platelets (if minor cuts, I.e. shaving),

 

Hemoglobin (blood passed with bowel movement)

 

Call doctor if above occurs

 

Blood in urine, or when brushing teeth

 

No flossing, no aggressive brushing 

 

Be careful when blowing nose

 

In case blood drips out

 

In case headaches occur,

 

Concern with bleeding of brain—call doctor

 

Avoid Tylenol, Advil, Aleve

 

Prevent infection by hand washing, sanitizer 

 

Use shower glove for right arm until PIC line removed 

 

Continue COVID-19 restrictions—visit outdoors, 

 

If running errands, avoid peak hours

 

No dental work until cleared by doctor 

 

At home with cats:

 

No being licked on face 

 

And no cats in bedroom 

 

Wipe down with antibacterial wipes

 

No vaccinations (six month average) until doctor says

 

Cleaning linens at home—average of once a week

 

Food Permitted:

 

Fresh fruits, vegetables (washed thoroughly)

 

Dried fruits okay with packed bags (small)

 

Take-out restaurants made to order (heated thoroughly)

 

No buffets, salad bars etc.

 

No deli food.

 

Frozen, canned food okay.

 

No prepared salads.

 

No prepackaged salads from Ralphs, etc,

 

Frozen dinner okay, cooked properly.

 

Pasteurized dairy (oat milk permitted)

 

No yogurt,

 

Eggs must be fully cooked

 

No raw food

 

 

No alcohol 

 

Diet Soda permitted—bottles, cans

 

Ensure, Boost supplemental drinks

 

Oatmega bars may be okay, Kind bars too.

 

Exercise:

 

Can walk to and from campus 

 

Or around block

 

Ask for the shuttle number if needed

 

This will pass

I’m glad to remain present