A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Gray and Dim 

A Civil War poem by Walt Whitman 

A sight in camp in the day-break grey and dim, As from my tent I emerge so early, sleepless, As slow I walk in the cool fresh air, the path near by the hospital tent, Three forms I see on stretchers lying, brought out there, untended lying, Over each the blanket spread, ample brownish woollen blanket, Grey and heavy blanket, folding, covering all. Curious, I halt, and silent stand; Then with light fingers I from the face of the nearest, the first, just lift the blanket: 

Who are you, elderly man so gaunt and grim, with well-grey'd hair, and flesh all sunken about the eyes? Who are you, my dear comrade? 

Then to the second I step--And who are you, my child and darling? Who are you, sweet boy, with cheeks yet blooming? 

Then to the third--a face nor child, nor old, very calm, as of beautiful yellow-white ivory; Young man, I think I know you--I think this face of yours is the face of the Christ himself; Dead and divine, and brother of all, and here again he lies.

 

CIVIL WAR

HELP WANTED

This time Fort Sumpter wasn't a place it was a year.

 

I dreamed I was on 14th Street. There was no light in the City. I was sitting alone before a campfire at the intersection. A large Northern Brown Bear calmly walked by.

 

For #45's cult of followers this election is a religious matter. Almost more than it's racial for them. Many openly proclaim him a prophet. As we know there is no cruelty true believers won't commit for their faith.

All 60+ millions of his people will vote.

With voter suppression against everyone else every vote for sanity will count. He could, and I think very likely will win despite all the noise about polls.

I'll go farther. I think in my gut somehow he will pull off an electoral college win again.
Even with a near 10 million vote majority against him. This is mathematically possible. Once again dismissing the votes against him as "fake". He will proclaim a mandate, and with vengeance act accordingly.

What happens then with a popular vote against such a disliked even hated personality winning anyway...It will be bad. It will also be bad if by some chance he loses as well. In either case lives are going to be lost. The gun play has already started.

I don't know what to do or say.

 

 

Stop! Peoples Enemy Trump!"
"You Reactionary Woman Abusing Capitalist Roader!"

"No more 'Tic Tacs' for You!"

 

 

Remember though he may be hung over "Bob the Bunny" is still Watching!

...well as best he can.

In the old days we'd have Civil Defense during times if extreme danger, and confusion. Now we're on our own. This with a chaotic out of control political system a plague, and random death on the streets. If there was a Shelter for this kind of madness I'd be there right now. Eh,..."Bob the Bunny" would ride it out in his titanium burrow in the back yard. 

When I was a kiddie in the 1950's the above sign was a common sight. Left over WW2 bomb shelter signs, and the new Fallout shelter directions. Well we're at war again. They should now build as many "Social Chaos Shelters" as possible. Mind,...bleeping big enough for social distancing.

So if ya just trying to get home alive. 'But then you're about to be shot dead by cops Nazi militia or just old fashioned deranged maniacs, and republicans. You can flee to one of them handy sites.

They should have three foot thick blast doors. Be stocked with every variety of tranquilizer, and or booze dope cake ice cream Oreos, and Den Mothers to chill us out. Teddy bears,...yeah lots of teddies down there. No radios TV or computers. 

We really don't need anyone to tell us how bad it is. 

We already know.

 

You ever wonder about the people in your dreams. No not your dog or people you know I mean the 'Others'. You dream, and there are people in it, People that you know, but only in your dreams.

Who are they?

You have complex relationships with a whole cast of characters. Whom on your awaking vanish. You forget them or at best have only a vague notion of them.

What happens I wonder. To all those people I mean. Do they go on living their lives in the dream you've awakened from. Not knowing where the world they live in came from.

...or do the cease.

Dreams we now know are brief. Mere seconds or at most a few minutes long. However within this small interval our dream companions have a whole existence. Do they know that their world or worlds are born, and perish by our sleeping, and waking.

In their last subjective thoughts do the realize the truth.

We are the sum of so many forgotten realms. I wonder if our Dream Children as their reality starts to de-pixelize as their world fades. I wonder if their last thought before oblivion is...

"Oh!...I was a Dream."

 "Spirit Frequency"

For the past days I've been having surreal flash-back dreams of my decades in Broadcast. I'm seeing friends that are long passed. Places objects situations that were once so familiar.

I'm remembering my friend Eric Williams who passed this might be the catalyst.

He was a good journalist broadcaster father friend. It was so very sudden. Out of the blue his passing. Just now I dreamed I was doing a show. Old friends some passed were in the studio.

Perhaps they're saying it was good what we did. It mattered after all. It's not important if anyone remembers us. What we did for folks at that time in that time is what matters...we helped. At least a little.

Stay Tuned. 

This comment from a radio pal.

Rebecca Myles

We created magic, beauty and truth, Sidney. At the funeral people remembered Eric for conversations that deepened their understanding of social justice, making them better reporters and journalists, shaping their lives. That place that station was the home where it happened. 

It shaped a family of misfits, outsiders and weirdos, and now we are all out in the world stirring it up in our small way.

"Godzilla" painting his new studio apartment in Brooklyn. 

The realtors asked $2500. a month so our hero ate a few of them. 

They came down to $950. "Deal" said the King of the Monsters, and that was that. 

Godzilla on weekends.

Godzilla on vacation with pals. This on the Pluto Maru in 1958. 

Here's our hero with his first wife Sophie. 

Shit went south because of his booze gambling dope, 

and activities with far right violent movements in Japan. 

Godzilla seen here with a speedball stroke while on the set of Godzilla vs Nixon.

Fortunately Billy Graham was visiting the Toho back lot when this happened.

That holy scam artist got our hero into rehab. 

Then used him to as a prop at his tent bund rallies. 

Now in semi-retirement  

Godzilla shedding scale relaxes in his Brooklyn apartment.  

Excuse the mess. The big Guy still has bad flash backs to his

years of drug addictions, and pro-fascist street brawls. 

His new one reptile show  "Me, and my Big Mouth"

Is coming up on Hulu this November in time for the election. 

 Stay Tuned. 

My Ma listened to FDR, and the "Lone Ranger"

on a radio set much as this.

This is a replica Cathedral Radio I bought in the 1980's.

It's now as old as the real thing was when I got it.

Time flies when you're on the Radio.

 

 

I recall proclaiming the warm months of 2019

"The year of the Rose"

Prospect Park Brooklyn last Summer.

As some recall that summer was the season of Roses.

In this area since colonial times.

Roses every several years have a great blooming!

They seem shy, and hibernate other times.

I haven't been out much this season. Not many of us have.

I've noted some roses, but nothing like last year.

Sadly we will have to wait a while till

the next great blooming.

 

I wrote this while the Better Angels of my nature were running things. Today not so much. Moral exhaustion rage sadness are in charge just now. However the Angels ought to be back. I mean they just went down the block to knock back a few rum, and cokes. Who can blame them these days. 

It's in two parts. One I posted on my FB page the other only here.

In recent days there's been another shooting of a Black man by police. Shot in the back several times in front of his family,...the usual. This followed by chaos violence, and two murders by a white militia kid,...just 17.

I refuse to call anyone an enemy.

We all of us are human we all of us have souls we all want the same things. Love family friends, and a purpose. We put the barriers between us up. We can take them down. What else can one say? What else can one do?

Later as more information came. 

An image of the militia kid becomes apparent. A 17 year old boy motivated by conspiracy gun culture decided to be a patriot. Though untrained he took his semi-automatic rifle to the scene of the protests. He joined with other militia, and the events of that tragic night unfolded.

From the many videos these persons were in good standing with the police who openly thanked them gave the water, and encouragement. These "militia" were clearly young men, and kids playing at war. They were more akin to Cosplayers with live ammo.

Of course the inevitable happened.

It was dark chaotic loud confusing, and he with no police or military training fired shots. Two dead several wounded. This by a kid who from his social media wanted to be a cop, and patriot. 

With his lack of training for any sort of confrontation he fired wildly, and killed two people. Wounded others. Then he calmly walked to his car, and went home. The cops, friendly to militias, drove right past him. He still had his just fired semi-automatic rifle slung. ...they passed him without a word.

Now he's a totem for both sides of the culture wars. Maga world has him as a hero against the dark skinned hoards. The rest of us see him as a deluded murderer. He has to live the rest of his life with two murders, and violent assaults on his soul.

Whereas all he wanted to do was play at soldier with live ammo against living people of a different color. Such are our times. 

This will play itself out for the rest of the season till something else happens...which it will. 2020 is like that. 

After this has passed the dead will remain dead. Assuming he's not pardoned by #45. He might sit in prison with all that implies for a 17 year old for years possibly the rest of his life. 

I wonder. What will he think of that night five ten twenty years from now. What will the families of the murdered think of their loss in those days to come. This can't be undone. Only understood, and learned from.

Three things I remember from the American pandemic skies.

National Guard choppers overhead near constantly in March during the first days of Lockdown. In June Police choppers shining lights onto the streets, and into windows,...mine too, during the rebellions against murders by Police.  Empty streets busy skies. Now in late August the sound of commercial jets screaming above fouling the skies on the opening of the airports.

Elsewhere I imagine the sky is full of sun rain, and winds.

 

 

We just broke 180,000 in COVID perished. Amazing what just a few weeks can do these days. As predicted it's going faster as Fall comes. Half a Million for sure by the Holidays at this rate. I write this, and still can't believe it happened, and continues to happen.

With no rational preparations for the Second Wave. Near or at a Million by February, and March. That, and it will keep going. 

If #45 gets back in, and he could,...the polls are shit. Expect 3,000,000 by summer 2021,...despite the vaccine. ...if any.

Numbers tend not to lie especially if there are honest brokers out there,...and there still are a few. I wish this was just more of my end times crap. The Awful Arithmetic sez otherwise.

'get this,...

I wrote my Will a few weeks back. Not that I have anything to pass on other than my good intentions. It's basically a love letter to my remaining family, and friends. For some it might be getting on time to consider such a document.

This is not the 21st century I was banking on.

George Jetson was full of shit.

 

Charlie Brown as a 70 something post-Fall survivor. Yeah that would be him, and Snoopy alright. Most of the gang long dead. Wars plagues starvation the usual. Though I hear Linus escaped to the Pacific island strongholds. Some sort of Anarchist Dyke-Queer Dionysian alliance. 

Seems some escaped the genocides in the Americas, and Europe, and set up shop on assorted archipelagos. They're a fusion powered pocket of rationality in the post toilet world.

Having forcefields dark matter rail guns, and some former US Navy Nuke armed subs helps keep the Holy Republic of Jebus, and the Trailer Army of Aryan Cannibals' away. All in all a better deal than being registered meat in the food pens of what's left of Kansas.

That's where our hero Charlie comes in. Red Kansas. Red not for it's hats, but for it prime human meat. Ol' Charlie once a darling of the literati hunts human flesh. Hey it's a job, and they let him eat a portion of his catch. 

This is not the 21st century George Jetson foretold to us.

 

So it's agreed.
We 'All' Vote, and remove the Villains.

Besides chopping down my hair,...see post below. I'm thinking of what will be written about these times. There's already oceans of digital ink spilled on this. However I'm wondering of more lasting works. What books plays films or monuments will come. If any.

The 1918 pandemic vanished from the world's memory. When I was little I knew it happened...but nothing else. No details whatever.

It was barely a footnote in our mid-century history books. Later it wasn't there at all. Which is how #45 our head of state at the beginning of this could say, "...nothing like this has ever happened before." 

Will there be annual observances with Black Watch bagpipes as we do for 9/11. That or will we move on to the usual distractions. These by unworthy celebs scandal mongering nothing good on TV, and trivia's, and poison's online?

We could lose a Million or more souls in this country over the next six months.  I shudder to think what will happen in the rest of the world. How will we internalize that,...will we bother? Who are we. What has all this made us?

Been cutting my own hair through all this,...use two mirrors. Trust me on this one. All body types genders identities, and hat sizes have had to resort to this. The one sign I agreed with among the anti-shut down folks was one that said, "...All I Want is a Haircut!" 

I stumbled to the bathroom for my third daily shower,... as the Scouts say "Klean mind Klean body...take ya pick". Anyway I looks in the mirror, and oh crap! How the hell does this keep happening?!

Fortunately my hair what there is of it is curly kinky. Grows in rolls. So it's like cutting wheat. Just clip along the edges. Generally it takes just a few minutes. I never understood why it's a half hour or more at the barber. Sure I like the company, but still.

Anyway my head is nicely mowed, and I'm Clean for Gene. Ask ya Hippie grandma what that means. Also on the home internment front. These are the first days in nearly three months where I did not 'need' the AC blasting on full. I'd say that's a good sign. 

Btw. Had a strange dreams of paintings moving. The elements moved about the canvas collaging itself. Wait get's better I dreamed large wasps digging into building homes rooms clouds of them. Like a 1950's black, and white monster movie. Could all that have something to do with eating apple jam cookies before I went to bed?

After what seems like months of temps in my digs between 90f, and 100f. It's more or less 75f~24c this morning by my kitchen window. Yeah it'll be in the 80's for the rest of the month, but low to mid-80's. 

I think the worst of summer is more or less behind us. Mind it can still hit 90+ any time,...but I'd say we're going in the right direction. 

Did I say fuck summer yet?  ...no?

"Fuck Fucking Summer!"

 

 

 

A month ago I posted "...The CDC sez that in that in 3 to 4 weeks a further 30,000 persons may perish of COVID'. They did. They died. We were 140k then we're 171,000+ now. That is the terrible arithmetic of this administration. They're doing nothing. Vote Harris~Biden the coalition of sanity.

Two things I noticed today. Rain, and thunder in the Emerald City. Watch your step. The other. JFK airport seems to be open. I heard jets this morning. First time in months. JFK is re-opening on August 28th 2020. Seating distanced, and masks. I expect incidents. Where people are going in all this I don't know. People coming in must be Quarantined for 14 days. This will be another tragic "oops" like opening schools.

Eh,...no Quarantine for passengers on model planes.

Well there I was at market to get assorted stuff. 

When I sees,..."Oatly". 

Advertised as not legally ice cream. So you can chow down as much as ya wants...sounds good so far. Whatever this stuff is they sez it's made from oats,...and stuff.  Like Cheerio's though perhaps not shot from guns. The "stuff" is maybe insect parts remains of mafia hits plutonium extracts, and magic beans. ...the usual.

Not only that, but each specimen gives you your own personal magic numbers. To do what with they didn't say. Mine are 2-7-8-32-46. If anyone has suggestions to the meaning let me know. At least it wasn't "42". Google that.

Btw it tasted,....good, but in an odd way. 

It is what it sez...Ice Cream made from Oats. It comes from Sweden,...figures. Halfway down it changed form an entre of ice cream, and morphed into a twinge of frozen oatmeal. Not in a bad way either. I'll suck up a bunch more of this, and let ya know. So far so good!

 

From the bottomless pit of Facebook's data bin. My life on August,16 2016 comes to visit.

The Maw of Hank's Hades!! I sat in a bar on Nevins Street Brooklyn. It was air conditioned which is what I wanted. They had non-alcoholic Lime Rickie's which I also wanted. Like a regular guy I sipped, and watched the patrons watch the game.

Taxpayers on down time.

'Didn't take snaps of the patrons. I didn't want to get shot or stabbed. I just wanted a drink like them. Being American is hard work. There was a noisy down stairs too. Given my experiences in bars as a youth,...I just watched the game.

 

In normal times things would be normal.

Things to do. Wake up keep breathing stuff like that.

The complicated interpersonal noise recedes. However there’s still stuff to do. Stay alive keep others alive. Also cooking reading old movies laundry even the post office.

Today I'll cook. 'Was too hot before.

A simple veggie stew thing,...kinda. Necessity makes one creative. This event is making me a partial vegetarian.

I stare out the window. Watch eternity wander by on this oddly cool August day. Oak trees do that. Not make stew,…they watch eternity. I’d have made a good tree. There’s the Bridge.

 

Our lady of Quiet Hopes.

We are different. We are otherwise. We are among the quiet hopes of the world. Dreamers artists poets those with many souls. Makers of peace of kindness of patience. Our Lady watches comforts, and guides us.

It's another warm humid day in the Emerald City. I'm feeling better puttering about trying to be useful to eternity. Eating a peach. Peaches are suddenly everywhere, and priced to go at last. Superwoman, and pal are hanging out with me too.