itching limb buds
kept the poet from sleep
bad rhymes on Burn Day
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
my kingdom for a couplet
That is not cold which can eternal steam,
we serve strange stews in R'lyeh's deep tureen
we serve strange stews in R'lyeh's deep tureen
Monday, June 29, 2009
new story online
My flash story about plant sex http://www.dailycabal.com/2009/06/young_love_a_tragedy.html
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Can you dig it?
Reynolds, Eric T., ed., 2007, Ruins: Extraterrestrial, Hadley Rille books, Box 25466, Overland Park KS 66225, www.hadleyrillebooks.com. Perfect bound trade paperback, 345 pages, $15.95.
"Nice cover," I thought, though that seems to be typical of this publisher. I enjoyed every story too. There are 23 them, and the theme is obvious from the title of the book.
I have always been fascinated by ruins. Studying them, we catch glimpses of other people, doing other things. Ruins give one a feeling of mortality and also immortality. Here we are, receiving something from those who lived long ago. Some of what we get is passed on unintentionally, and this can be at least as revealing as estimates that are meant for posterity. Considering the past reminds us that we could pass something on too. The fact that we may only have a few crumbs from the biscuit just makes vanished worlds more intriguing. We can take as a premise that ancient people were not so different, really, from us, because varied circumstances have the same basic human material to work with in creating cultures and societies. Could the same be true of ruins left by aliens? Maybe, maybe not. In _Ruins: Extraterrestrial_, a couple of dozen authors consider this question and others
A few excavations.
I'm not familiar with very many of these authors, which may be a function of my ignorance more than anything else. I was quite impressed the quality of writing.
In "stonework" by Wendy Waring, an archaeologist of sorts encounters a relic of a civilization that isn't quite as dead as it seems. This story doesn't answer any questions, but it raises a few.
Justin Stanchfield takes us "Beyond the wall." The concept of a mysterious wall whose far side is unknown is almost a cliché in science fiction. Stanchfield does manage to bring a new twist to the idea. I like the way he like the way he shows, rather than tell, what is going on. And what is that exactly? Is the wall a device that manipulates time? Does it merely manipulate minds? Maybe the difference really makes no difference.
Christopher McKitterick introduces a new riff on the end of humanity theme, so wonderfully played by John W. Campbell and others over the past few decades. "The empty utopia" isn't completely empty, but the last cup is about to be drained when the Martians show up in the nick of time. It is a sweet story.
I don't really mean to say something about every single story in this book, because that would make this review longer than it ought to be. The truth is I like just about every story in this book well enough to tell you something about it. I am afraid that talking about these stories is a bit like eating leaves potato chips. "Borrowed time" by Gustavo Bondoni left me wondering what the ending meant. That doesn't happen too often and I quite enjoyed it.
Harvey Welles and Philip Raines use "The dam" to look back from the far side of a profound cultural transition. Something like the singularity of Vernor Vinge. It's almost impossible for us to understand what the far side of such an event would be like, but this story provides a few clues.
One more. "The fateful voyage of _Dame la Liberté_" by Lavie Tidhar reminded me strongly of RA Lafferty. There's nothing like surreality to enhance a story about archaeology.
The bottom line is that Eric has done something really remarkable in this volume. If you are anything like me, you will like every story. Don't wait until it goes out of print!
In the interest of full disclosure: Eric and my wife are old friends.
The end
"Nice cover," I thought, though that seems to be typical of this publisher. I enjoyed every story too. There are 23 them, and the theme is obvious from the title of the book.
I have always been fascinated by ruins. Studying them, we catch glimpses of other people, doing other things. Ruins give one a feeling of mortality and also immortality. Here we are, receiving something from those who lived long ago. Some of what we get is passed on unintentionally, and this can be at least as revealing as estimates that are meant for posterity. Considering the past reminds us that we could pass something on too. The fact that we may only have a few crumbs from the biscuit just makes vanished worlds more intriguing. We can take as a premise that ancient people were not so different, really, from us, because varied circumstances have the same basic human material to work with in creating cultures and societies. Could the same be true of ruins left by aliens? Maybe, maybe not. In _Ruins: Extraterrestrial_, a couple of dozen authors consider this question and others
A few excavations.
I'm not familiar with very many of these authors, which may be a function of my ignorance more than anything else. I was quite impressed the quality of writing.
In "stonework" by Wendy Waring, an archaeologist of sorts encounters a relic of a civilization that isn't quite as dead as it seems. This story doesn't answer any questions, but it raises a few.
Justin Stanchfield takes us "Beyond the wall." The concept of a mysterious wall whose far side is unknown is almost a cliché in science fiction. Stanchfield does manage to bring a new twist to the idea. I like the way he like the way he shows, rather than tell, what is going on. And what is that exactly? Is the wall a device that manipulates time? Does it merely manipulate minds? Maybe the difference really makes no difference.
Christopher McKitterick introduces a new riff on the end of humanity theme, so wonderfully played by John W. Campbell and others over the past few decades. "The empty utopia" isn't completely empty, but the last cup is about to be drained when the Martians show up in the nick of time. It is a sweet story.
I don't really mean to say something about every single story in this book, because that would make this review longer than it ought to be. The truth is I like just about every story in this book well enough to tell you something about it. I am afraid that talking about these stories is a bit like eating leaves potato chips. "Borrowed time" by Gustavo Bondoni left me wondering what the ending meant. That doesn't happen too often and I quite enjoyed it.
Harvey Welles and Philip Raines use "The dam" to look back from the far side of a profound cultural transition. Something like the singularity of Vernor Vinge. It's almost impossible for us to understand what the far side of such an event would be like, but this story provides a few clues.
One more. "The fateful voyage of _Dame la Liberté_" by Lavie Tidhar reminded me strongly of RA Lafferty. There's nothing like surreality to enhance a story about archaeology.
The bottom line is that Eric has done something really remarkable in this volume. If you are anything like me, you will like every story. Don't wait until it goes out of print!
In the interest of full disclosure: Eric and my wife are old friends.
The end
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
blub blub
Enceladus' ocean may be deeply buried, but ever hear of chemosynthesis? See this year's Rhysling anthology for more "info."
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
audio poem
"Hazard Pay," first published 1999 in Scavenger's Newsletter, part of the Beam Me Up podcast released yesterday.
http://beameup.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-06-20T17_04_33-07_00
Begins 20 min. 16 sec. into the podcast.
http://beameup.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-06-20T17_04_33-07_00
Begins 20 min. 16 sec. into the podcast.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
dn 83
Subscriber, contributor, & reviewer copies have been mailed. If you expect one & don't get it this coming week, please contact me. If you are a reviewer & would like to see the zine, contact me. If you have a comment on the magazine.... A comment here's as good as a word to the wise.
Friday, June 19, 2009
warning: horror couplet
are they called spelunkers who burrow into flesh
carving red-rimmed caverns and screaming with the rest
carving red-rimmed caverns and screaming with the rest
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Review of DN 81
Don't think I saw this review when it came out.
http://clevelandpoetics.blogspot.com/search/label/Dreams%20and%20Nightmares
http://clevelandpoetics.blogspot.com/search/label/Dreams%20and%20Nightmares
dn 83
DN 83 most contrib copies mailed yesterday. Plan to mail subscriber copies tomorrow.
Also, DN 76 only 2 copies left. All later issues (77-83) available. Remember you get all these with a lifetime subscription ($90 US).
Also, DN 76 only 2 copies left. All later issues (77-83) available. Remember you get all these with a lifetime subscription ($90 US).
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
dear maisie
Postcard from the old country
caustic epeiric
seas dissolve dead cities
corals seize ions turn mason
parrotfish gnaw metropolis
wish you were here
caustic epeiric
seas dissolve dead cities
corals seize ions turn mason
parrotfish gnaw metropolis
wish you were here
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
dn 83
I got the copies from the printer, but I won't have time to put them in the mail before I go out of town. Look for them late this month unless you live in the Kansas City area. In that case, maybe I can hand deliver one.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
them frisky psychologists
shack treatment
And I thought it said shack treatment
--what is that?
Where you go if you lose your job?
I'd like to see some important people--
big politicos--
undergo shack treatment;
might give them a little sense
of what we all want.
end
old
And I thought it said shack treatment
--what is that?
Where you go if you lose your job?
I'd like to see some important people--
big politicos--
undergo shack treatment;
might give them a little sense
of what we all want.
end
old
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
oldie
FOREIGN SHADES
diaphanous elbows beneath my garden,
a shallow grave of memory,
coiled like a holiday snake.
Repenting too late;
a chastisement of angels,
hurtling from below,
not one half so careless
as a cold reply tossed
expectantly beneath the cherry table.
Said it? you said it,
the windows pealed antiphony like
frozen cakes of mud,
blue-nosed to the ears,
and groomed as close as houses.
end
diaphanous elbows beneath my garden,
a shallow grave of memory,
coiled like a holiday snake.
Repenting too late;
a chastisement of angels,
hurtling from below,
not one half so careless
as a cold reply tossed
expectantly beneath the cherry table.
Said it? you said it,
the windows pealed antiphony like
frozen cakes of mud,
blue-nosed to the ears,
and groomed as close as houses.
end
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
older than dirt (some of it)
Screaming bones
The Dead will quit their crypts when Cthulhu's mansion quakes,
And even dry bones scream when that which dreams awakes.
Believe this was in Scavenger's Newsletter.
The Dead will quit their crypts when Cthulhu's mansion quakes,
And even dry bones scream when that which dreams awakes.
Believe this was in Scavenger's Newsletter.
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