Mad Macedonian

ON TAKING A WALK: A Poem

Sometime in the 1990’s the poet Leo Dangel wrote a poem about walking called “How to Take a Walk.”
Reading it, recently, I found myself inspired to write an update.

On Taking a Walk by Kiril Kundurazieff

 

This is Car Country
Everyone will believe
You are nuts
If you go for a walk
Just to think, be alone, maybe find inspiration.
So carry a reusable shopping bag,
Pretend you are going shopping
And your walking will not
arouse suspicion.
But don’t forget to
Load the bag.
They will know
If your bag is empty.
A notepad, a pen,
Your cell phone…better yet
A REAL camera.

Walk your neighborhood,
Explore local parks and trails,
Or the streets of Downtown.
Stop often.
Look around you and
Take in your surroundings,
Listen to the activities
You never notice
From inside a vehicle.
See the Squirrel, hear the birds,
In the park.
Smell the food
As you pass the Taco Truck, 

And observe the people

Sharing the sidewalk with you,

But remember a cat
May be watching from the bushes.
When you cross the street,
And have the green,
Pause to make sure
That you are seen.
Most of all
Take pride and possession
Of your pedestrianism.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whose Streets?: Some Poetic Thoughts

In 1922 Robert Frost wrote a poem, it was called "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."
It was published the following year.
This moody pondering of mortality, as this writer calls it, became one of his most revered poems.
Until recently it was not in public domain.
When I read the above article and the poem, recently, I found myself inspired to create a poem of my own.

 

WALKING THE STREETS ON A BEAUTIFUL DAY by Kiril Kundurazieff

 

Whose streets these are I think you know.
His home is in the suburbs though;
He will not see me walking here
As I daily come and go.

The commuting motorist must think it queer
To travel, by foot, far and near.
Between one’s house and work
5 days a week through all the year.

 

 

He gives his middle finger a hearty shake
To address pedestrians behavior he thinks a mistake.
The problem being
The attention to driving he fails to make.

Walking is healthy. Beauty experienced can make one weep;
So get off your butt and take the leap,
Explore your community, wide and deep.
Walk many a mile before you sleep.

 

 

Alone 3: A Poem and Essay Update with Photos

In November 2018 I undertook a walk along historic Fannin St., a walk that began at Allen's Landing, and, due to darkness and my camera batteries dying, ended at TMC Transit Center.

I took some photos and intended to return to finish my journey and take more photos.

I returned twice, the 2nd time with camera in tow.

Fannin St. is 8.3 miles in length, and one sees a lot, from historic buildings, including numerous churches, to 2 bayous, murals, inspirational sidewalk quotes, museums, a zoo, a college, statues, transit centers, hospitals, walking and cycling trails, sports and entertainment venues, and a number of restaurants and a gas station for when you need to go potty mid-walk.

The purpose of this post is to reprint my poem and essay, from November, and include the Fannin St. photos...

I hope that, by including the photos, added inspiration is given to any readers to get out and explore their community on foot.
This is something I intend to do more of now that I have a work schedule that allows me more freedom to do something more than sit at home in between work shifts.

 

ALONE 3: A Poem About Fannin St.

In the afternoon I walk
Along an historic city street; myself
Looks about, and sees busy workers, tourists and the homeless,
Each alone in their own little worlds,
The sounds of a vibrant city
All around me;

I explore and experience this scene

 

Seeing what is to see, and hearing what I can not; Conversations
of those I pass, with others and with themselves; and myself
With hands in my sweater pockets,
Smiles, tired, yet content, as
I make my way along Fannin St.

Alone 3: Thoughts From a "Bloomin'" Houstonian

ALONE 3: A Poem About Fannin St.

In the afternoon I  walk
Along an historic city street; myself
Looks about, and sees busy workers, tourists and the homeless,
Each alone in their own little worlds,
The sounds of a vibrant city 
All around me;
I explore and experience this scene
Seeing what is to see, and hearing what I can not; Conversations
of those I pass, with others and with themselves; and myself
With hands in my sweater pockets,
Smiles, tired, yet content, as
I make my way along Fannin St..

Dining Out With Mad 6: Boys Burgers of Santa Ana, Ca.

Over the years I have written of my dining out adventures and shared photos, from one end of SoCal to the other, and here in the Houston area.

 

In the Kitchen, and Dining Out (The Archive)

I just realized I've only written 1 dining review since moving to Houston! In Oct. 2012, for crying out loud!

I have discovered photos that show that I appear to have failed to follow through on February 2011 plans to do a write-up on a popular fast food joint on 17th, next to Santa Ana College, west of Bristol, in Santa Ana, Ca..

Boys Burgers

Family owned and operated since 1993 they are known for their 3 ft. burritos & their world famous 6 ft. burritos, as well as their burgers and fries, among other Mexican and American classics.

There may have been at least 8 of them, at one time, but now there are only 2, the other being in Long Beach.

Yes, there is an In & Out around the corner on Bristol....but the smart, discerning, person, with no time for long lines in the drive-thru and a hankering for more than just your typical burger, knew where to go, and go often.

I went often...for years, until I fled Ca. for Texas in 2012. So did a lot of cops, firefighters and paramedics, college students and teachers, and no doubt people who worked in stores in the nearby shopping center.

Living up the road, where Bristol ended, at the Orange Crush Freeways, made it easy.

Like a certain one-of-a-kind fast food joint, in Pomona, I've rapturized about on this blog, I miss the food dearly.

Re-discovering Ecotone and Reimagining Place

In 2008 I discovered a website called Ecotone, the national literary magazine of the same name from the Department of Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington and the concept of "Writing About Place".

As I wrote earlier this month:

"The first "place" related piece I wrote was actually in May 2002, my 2nd ever blog post.

"Writing about Place" can be defined not just as about a physical location but about something that occurs there, about what you did there, even about issues related to the location.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner can be "places".

The "place" can even be a virtual landscape such as the "Blogosphere".

In that blog post, earlier this month, I celebrated my years of writing such pieces and announced a new category archive for the topic.

Writing About Place For Almost 15 Years

This was all brought about by something I received in my email, on New Year's Eve.

That email and where it led me is what this post is about.

The original Ecotone blog was short-lived and the original website is no more. I lost track of both years ago but, unknown to me, I was still on their contact list of emails.

Their message was as follows:

"All of us at Ecotone are sending best wishes for 2017—and we'd love to share a little news with you too. We're about to relaunch our occasional newsletter, and we'd love to send it your way. We'll have subscription specials, calls for work, news from our sister imprint, Lookout Books, and more."

I signed up for the newsletter and have begun to explore their websites to see what I have been missing all these years.

Writing About Place For Almost 15 Years

As I have written before... I like sharing my travel experiences, and my thoughts on the things I see in the world we live in, because it helps my writing skills, and may spur readers to get out and explore their own surroundings.

Something I received in my email, on New Year's Eve, brought back memories and reminded me that I have been writing and thinking about "place" ever since I began blogging in 2002.

The first piece was actually in May 2002, my 2nd ever blog post.

"Writing about Place" can be defined not just as about a physical location but about something that occurs there, about what you did there, even about issues related to the location.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner can be "places".

The "place" can even be a virtual landscape such as the "Blogosphere".

A week ago I began exploring the archives of this blog, looking for all the posts I could move into a new category I call "Writing About Place". Going back to October 2007 I was surprised at the number of pieces I found.

That got me to thinking... what about My old bike blog (2003-10) and my original blog (2002-07)? What was there that I could link to in a post that would show how this interest in "place" has been a central part of my creativity as a writer and photographer all along?

Walking, using mass transit, and/or riding my bike, I took notes on notepads, and took photos using my much missed point and shoot camera in my hands and perched atop my much missed special walking stick and my mini-tripods (on the bike handlebar and off) and shared my stories with the world and anyone who came across them.

 I spent this afternoon reviewing the archives of both blogs and this is what I came up with:

Vacation Day 6: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

On Thursday, the 6th day of my vacation I went to a place that had truly a hell of a lot to see.

 

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, made up of several buildings in the Museum District, and elsewhere in Houston, is one of the largest art museums in America.

Established in 1900, the MFAH is the largest cultural institution in the southwest.

 

It took me several hours to explore just the 2 connected buildings in the Museum District and if I had actually read all the informational displays explaining this or that item I might still be there today. :-D

 

General admission is free on Thursday and you won't regret spending the money to get in. I didn't.

 

There were several exhibitions to see and enjoy, spanning literature, photography, painting, sculpture and more and deciding what to photograph for sharing would have been difficult if I hadn't decided to focus on subjects related to my own personal interests and creative pursuits.

I focused my cell phone camera on literature, writing, photography, bicycles and felines...especially felines.

The exhibitions spanned the centuries, from several hundred years before Christ to the early 20th century, and every continent.

 

The intent of this post and one on my cat blog is to share 19 photos that give a representative example of all that I saw and was amazed at on my exploring the museum.

There were 4 Shakespeare volumes on display, from the 17th to the 19th centuries.

This one was something called "Bell's ed."

"Boydell's" from 1804.

 

A Mid-19th century volume.

The 2nd Folio, from 1632.

Vacation Day 5: Checking Out the Houston Center For Photography

The Houston Center For Photography is a Non-profit gallery that specializes in photography as an art form. It supports emerging and mid-career artists, and promotes the study of photography through exhibitions, classes and events.

After I left the Boat Tour, I took in the morning, I headed into the Museum District to check out this gallery.

If you have been following long since my first adventure you may have noticed a pattern....most of the places I have been have been in the Museum District, hee, hee!

That won't change with Day 6.

Anyway, about the gallery...

  They also publish a magazine twice a year...

Spot magazine features award-winning commentary on photography and photo-based art exhibitions in Texas, the United States, and abroad.

Their library of photography book blew me away and this photo is just one corner of the room where they have them.

 

HCP began in 1981 and claims as its mission "to increase society's understanding and appreciation of photography and its evolving role in contemporary culture.

 

HCP strives to encourage artists, build audiences, stimulate dialogue, and promote inquiry about photograph".

HCP has an international reputation and its exhibitions have included works by some of the most important photographers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The day I visited they had 2 exhibits on display and I was particularly struck by one of them.

SIGHT LINES: Looking at Guns

As you may be aware in the United States, debates about the right to keep and bear arms, as outlined and protected by the Second Amendment, have been, um, plentiful and heated in recent years.

Here in Texas new laws have been passed related to Concealed Carry and Open Carry resulting in businesses and colleges coming to grips with whether to allow licensed gun owners inside or on campus.

Fire arms manufacturing, sales and ownership have risen in recent years.

Vacation Day 5: A 1 Hr Tour With a Mad Macedonian Brave and True

 

Day 4 of my vacation was spent going to a pair of Food Pantries and preparing photos for sharing.

Day 5 saw me return to my adventures in an entertaining way....

Interested in my earlier vacation adventures, this week? Begin here.

The other day my creative friend Amanda Socci encouraged me to try my hand at the latest writing prompt by the great Robert Lee Brewer, of  Writer's Digest and Poetic Asides Blog.

As Robert explained:

"write an ekphrastic poem. Ekphrasis sounds kind of complicated, but it’s just a fancy word for using a piece of art to inspire a poem. I’ve included a few images below, but feel free to use your own, including paintings, drawings, and sculptures."

I got to thinking about this and decided to used the first 2 photos below as  my inspiration...

Enjoy! And let me know what you think in the comments.

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Just sit right back and read this tale, a tale of a short but interesting trip,

That started from the Houston Port, aboard a small, but comfy ship.

The crew were friendly sailin' folk, the Skipper steered straight and sure.

A hundred passengers set sail that morning for a 1 hour tour, a 1 hour tour.

 

 

 

 

Getting there on time was a little tough, I almost got lost.

The gatekeepers wouldn't let me walk through, but I vowed to make it at all cost, make it at all cost.

A ride I soon found and got on the boat with a happy smile.

 

With the tour guides, the Skipper too, some old folks full of life,

Travelers from afar, students and yours truly, a creative writer man,

We left our cares behind for a little while.