It ain't all pizzas and cream

SWANS

See this paper
swan
on the kitchen table

Nothing
but a dead sheet
of paper

But you see a bird
a beautiful white bird
maybe even a lake
under it
glinting
in the sun

You ask how
to get thru
hunger
loneliness
violence
poverty

Swans
that's how.

THE CITY

is a song about a shark
walking down a street
with a man in his mouth.

He strolls among the shops
and picks out a new tie
at a haberdashers,

All as the man flails
and pleads to god
and his mother for help,

Until finally an officer
of the law stops the shark
and says, "Nice tie."

"Everyone Has a Name" profiled in Philadelphia Weekly

Homelessness doesn't equal hopelessness.
Today's Philadelphia Weekly story profiles "Everyone Has a Name." 

In my own words: "Everyone Has a Name" profiled at Type-A Parent

How can social media be a valuable tool in the fight against homelessness? I describe the genesis and progress of the "Everyone Has a Name" photo project at Type-A Parent.

Evolution

When Cecily and I were first dating, we often went out drinking in groups. When I got bored, I'd get up from the table at whatever bar it was and go for a walk. Sometimes I'd go 5 or 6 blocks, enjoying the silence of the night, the moths zooming in crazy arcs around the street lamps. Sometimes I'd play the harmonica to the slow stomping blues that was continually banging against the walls of my head. Then when I'd walk back into the bar, it'd be like I'd just arrived. No matter how long I was gone, the conversation seemed uninterrupted. Usually something about tv show or a band. It was like getting back on the highway after a rest stop: just hit the gas and ease back into your lane. It took about a year into the relationship before I was able to drink in a group without getting itchy to leave. In the end it was easy. I just crawled up into my head and looked out the windows. If you ask if I believe in evolution, this is what I'll say.