Whacked Off Plate and Poetry Back in the Woods
Last night I drove two blocks to pick up pizza at Hungry Howie's (not my favorite, but that's what the grandkids wanted). I might have walked if it hadn't been so cold and rainy out.
Leaving the pizzeria (if you can call it that), I pulled a little too far forward to see around the corner of the building onto Cleveland Street, checking for traffic, when a minivan with no lights on (and which I couldn't possibly see) flew through the intersection, and through the front bumper of my wife's Ford Explorer. Our bumper and hood got buckled a bit and there are two big holes where the license plate got ripped off. But I guess it could've been worse - and no one was injured. Of course there was no way to prove that the van driver didn't have his lights on, so I got cited for running a stop sign (I was maybe six inches past it, but past it I was). The other guy got a flat tire and had to change it in the rain, while the police officer sat in his car filling out the report and I sat in the Explorer eating pizza (I hadn't eaten all day and was starving). I felt bad for the guy. But it wasn't totally my fault, since he was driving without lights on a low-visibility night. At least I hadn't pulled further into the intersection and gotten whacked in the side.
I also discovered that my driver's license expired on my birthday (September 17th). You have to renew it every four years in Ohio; and the last time I'd done so was in 2004. The officer said it was an honest mistake, however, and didn't cite me for that. Funny thing is, my wife had just been to the drivers license bureau earlier the same day renewing her license, which had also expired (unbeknownst to her) on her birthday in September. She only found out about it because the state of Ohio sent her a letter. I never received such a letter. But at least I didn't receive a citation either.
Most importantly, no one was injured. We will have to pay a $500 deductible to get it fixed. But we already needed to get the hood and fender fixed from where someone keyed them deeply at the zoo. So now we can do both repairs for the same $500.
Onto more pleasant news.... I was thrilled to learn that one of my favorite local poets, Roger Craik, will be reading new work at the Shaker Library Thursday. When I looked up the flyer, I learned that another excellent local poet, Maj Ragain, will also be reading. Interestingly enough, though I admire both of these gentlemen's work, I've not yet had the privilege of meeting them in person. A testament to how large and diverse a world the Cleveland poetry scene is.... So I'm very much looking forward to Thursday night.
I encourage you to attend as well, if you can. Here's a flyer I lifted from the Cleveland Poetics blog:
I wish I could go to this.. because I love Major Ragain's stuff. (Why is he not in the Library yet?)
Can you pick up a chap book for me? I'll pay ya for it...
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He'll be in the library as soon as I can get permission. Same goes for Roger....
As for a book: If I can, I shall.
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Sorry.. I shouldn't have asked this here... but I'd be grateful if you could.
Thanks..
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Expensive pizza. Try Little Ceasers next time. LOL I was driving my daughter to the movie theater on Sunday when a cop pulled me over and gave me a ticket for 5 over the speed limit. $110.00 from what I hear. That's the most expensive movie my daughter has ever seen. And it was High School Musical 3.
Glad you're okay.
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Thanks... I'm not sure how much my stop sign citation is going to be yet. I'm afraid to call and find out.
I might go see High School Musical 3 if someone paid me $110.
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http://www.poetrypoem.com/charlax7
CharlaXXPlainasion
Eye is me the personal pronoun I is replaced with eye become a sober poetical religious Jesus lover of mye Parme. Ewe it is her who loves me sometimes eye misspell words purposefully to fit a poem to make the poems bleed to make a poem fit the back of my poetical license plate intended to make the people come back to poem place again again then to remember me to read and smile to understand the poem of a CharlaX man to understand a CharlaX poem to have a read good time to understand the poem of a CharlaX ewe must first understand mye style this poem gentle reader this one that ewe aer reading now this one is a CharlaX Poem this one made me smile. The LINK is the new stuff the whirlyfritzer have a liscence plate day. HAHAHHAHAH
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Thanks for the smile!
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That was a really expensive pizza. Glad you didn't get hurt and glad it wasn't your Mustang that got smashed. Good you blog about these incidents since I would never know about your latest bad luck if I waited for an email or a phone call. lol
Please drive carefully if you take your other car all the way to the Shaker Library in the dark on Thursday.
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The pizza wasn't that good, either.
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Maj Ragain is the best poet I have ever heard live or met. He's an awesome poet and an awesome human being - one of the good guys. Tell him hi for us.
Here's a poem I made from a maj Ragain letter to me - the words are his. I just deleted a lot of words inbetween these.
Letter from Major Ragain
selected quotes, November 1994
Duet of cards
lashed to the prow
deep winter wakeup
Tongue's fire making out
the principle here
limited containment
Surf and snowy peaks
stuff of the midwest
rats in the granary
The pulse of days
bops back walking
where the earth is soft
Near the end
storm windows up
water black cuts
Standing rock
muted spirits
crater ruins of an Inca City
(these are Ragain’s words, in Ragain’s order ... I just removed the 99% in between)
Steven B. Smith
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That's what I say, too, Chris. Wow!
Now I'm looking forward to it even more than I was. Thanks, Smith!
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Awesome John, thats what i love about reading you, I always leave with new knowledge and info about life and what not. Plus i totally realized that since my the b-day on august 2, ive been driving with an expired drivers!!! now ive got to get off the couch and actually do something today!!! Glad you are all safe!!!
Peace out Munchie
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Thanks, bro! Glad you haven't been busted.... That might be the first break I've ever gotten from the police (and my dad's a retired police chief... lol).
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I'm glad you're OK. It was crappy of the other driver that he didn't admit his lights weren't on.
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Thanks, Lady. I should have been more attentive.
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Whacked means something totally different in New Jersey. But, all of our pizza joints are really good.
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