To Liz Hogan after reading her poetry booklet

Hi, Liz, I don't know why it took me so long to read your poetry booklet. It crossed my mind any number of times but today I remembered. On Friday, I played at an open mic called OMG (Original Music Group) held every Friday at LaDivina Cafe on Perkins at South Acadian in Baton Rouge, very near our house. A very accomplished singer/songwriter/guitarist who often plays was there, a guy I like and admire as a musician; and, I bought a self-published poetry book of his he was offering for whatever anyone wished to pay. He was charmingly gratified. I read a few of his poems yesterday and they were nice, OK, heartfelt but, well, lacking something.. inspiration, a unique perspective, the crack of the verbal whip, something interesting that hasn't already been said...maybe they lacked enough pain. Anyway, today, I read your booklet. You might think I'm prejudiced in your favor but, seriously, your poetry is SO much better. I understood much of what you were saying but even where I didn't, your artful strings of words evoked feeling and meaning, conveyed the quiet ferocity of your personality, broke in unexpected directions that resonated with aesthetic sensibility. I feel like I know you pretty well, I've had substantive conversations with you, listened to and played your songs (and have told you how much I like and admire you as a musician, not to mention as a human being) and I've been through and still go through the kinds of struggles with self and society sensitive, insightful, ethical people like us undergo, things I feel in your words. Writing poetry is scary, intimidating. Your poetry is fiercely beautiful, absolutely authentic, it's you. Thanks so much for sharing it with me. Owen

Feedback to my Honors students on their Critical Essays

I've completed grading your Critical Essays and sent each of you an edited copy with comments. I'm pleased to report the quality of your work on the assignment was very good, making the reading enjoyable and earning a grade ranging from 9.0 and 10.0 for every paper. Areas of improvement were almost entirely in the mechanics of writing and not in the quality of critical thinking. My grading philosophy for writing assignments places the highest weight on 1) the quality of thinking and 2) strength of argument (presenting valid evidence with sound logic to support your assertions and conclusions). The stylist and aesthetic quality of the prose, which is somewhat more subjective to evaluate yet is a powerful factor in the impact of ones writing, is given a lower weight; while, the technical fundamentals (spelling, grammar, efficiency of expression, and word usage), although the elements that may be evaluated most objectively, get the lowest weight. Nevertheless, developing strong fundamental writing skills is essential to having the maximum impact on the target audience, so it is very important to work diligently on improving in any weak areas you may have. Thus, most of the red ink on your papers was devoted to the fundamentals. (Some of you apparently didn't run a spell check before submitting. That's the first thing I did after turning on "Track Changes," so I would urge you to beat me to the punch next time out.)

Homeless in Athens

I flew in Thursday afternoon at the request of old sweetheart Ginger Adams to pitch a music program to the Clarke Central High School Class of 71 Reunion Committee Initial Planning Meeting.  The meeting began at 7pm EST. I managed to drive over from ATL and find the meeting site, arriving at 8pm. Ginger was doing a masterful job of moderating a large group of all white alums including Pat Nunnally, Libby Weaver, Lindy Keane, and several femaleFacebook friends who follow my travel photo posts closely. It all went smoothly after which I went to Bobby Daniel's house and watched the Falcons lose to the Eagles with him.

Yesterday (Friday), Fran and Bobby prepared a huge and delicious breakfast. I killed a little time and then had lunch at the Grit with Roy Bell. We went to Roy and Debbie's house after lunch and Roy showed me the characteristically beautiful renovations he had done to their second floor to accommodate Debbie's mother, who is moving in at the end of the month. I then went by Mike Pruett's office and signed off on the estate settlement. Scottie was supposed to meet me there but she and Steve were late, so I went back to Bobby's. I met Scottie and Steve at Barnes and Noble on the Atlanta Highway, just across the road from Bobby's subdivision. This was followed by Lindy's book signing at Hilltop Grill where I had a long conversation with Rob (formerly Robin) Hein, a friend from elementary school. Lindy, Rob, Ginger and a couple of others stayed for dinner at Hilltop. I capped the evening off at Bobby's with his two first cousins, kicking some music around.

Bobby and Fran left at 8am for a long-planned weekend at Myrtle Beach with David and Kim Woods. David and Bobby were my bandmates in Chain Reaction back in the early 1970s. Oh, my, how the time gets away. Bobby is being treated for cancer, having had a tumor removed from his liver a few months back. He seems fine at present and has been told his prognosis is pretty good, so I'm hopeful he will not die from this one. He's not so sure but grateful to be alive. Bobby and Fran took care of me at the same high standard as Debbie and Roy have in times past. How fortunate I am; how little do I have to complain about.

Today, however, I'm homeless. I don't want to ask anyone in Athens to take me in for the night, so I will have to come up with Plan B. There's always a Plan B. It's very hot today. I spent the morning at Jittery Joes Alps Road and had lunch at Moe's. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do next. I ended up driving to Oconee Hill Cemetery and driving around randomly until I found a place to park across the one lane bridge. The cemetery is rather large, stretching over not one but a number of hills next to the UGA campus. I stopped and took some photos, posting one on Instagram but not Facebook. The heat was daunting. I got back into the car and drove out to Athens Memorial Gardens to visit my parents' graves. I took photos there as well, posting one on both social media sites with the caption "Together Forever," the inscription on the plaque marking the burial plot. I didn't feel the presence of my parents but I thought about the lives they lived and how they would feel about the way I'm living mine. My parents were content to live within the lines, dedicated to one another and the roles they played in society. My Dad was most proud of his military service, as indicated by the words "Colonel, USAF, retired" beneath his name. Under Mom's name it says "Married 65 years."  That sums up their lives, doesn't it? Not really, but they are important bits of information.

I'm trying to come to terms with not getting what I want in certain areas of my life. I'm feeling my mortality, even as I recognize I'm in much better shape than almost all my peers.  I found myself thinking I may not come back to Athens any time soon. What would be the reason? I can't think of a good one right now.