Dear readers:
The Winter 1998 collection is titled "After the Rains." In many parts of the world, Southern California included, the rains only come during a certain time of the year. Like the arrival of New Year's Day or yet another birthday, the coming of the rains can be an occasion to reflect on time gone by -- How the past year has changed us, how we have measured up to our own expectations, how we have gotten along with those around us.
"After the Rains" deals with a process of self-reflection, of coming to terms with our own development and, just as importantly, the development of those around us. I have borrowed, stolen and been given experiences from the many people I have met or have observed during the last three months. I am deeply grateful for their inspiration. Unlike "Under a Sky" or "Last Days of May", this collection trends toward a larger number of shorter, sometimes cynical pieces that, hopefully, invite thought.
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Best Wishes,
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the collection:
instinct -- the embodiment of a fear of those we don't know.
interlude -- a temporary respite from guilt.
to a blade -- Some people, like some objects, can hurt you without meaning to. It's just the way they are. "blade" is about both.
cat at your door -- discovering new things together
version and the writer, a cynic -- writer's lament.
shores -- a study of a relationship.
illumination -- profoundness and meaning we get to experience at rare times. It's fleeting, so it should be cherished. The message reminds me a lot of "Oceanside II (colors)"
Huntington Beach V (Late Fall) and
Huntington Beach VI (Seagull) are a continuation of the series I began this summer.
search -- the effort of declaring loss.
to a coil of razor wire -- I came across a fence with razor wire on top, silhouetted against the sky. In the past, I would have photographed it.
a fantasy (not what you think)
game -- Every game of social interaction has its rules. Some of us have fun playing, others like making the rules. It takes both.
diversity -- My new surroundings teem with people from everywhere. This might be a (thankfully) not-too-deep pondering on the subject, if we were to ever catch ourselves thinking about it.
The Horrible Girl -- A spoof of T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats", one of my favorite works of poetry, on which the musical Cats, by the way, was based.
