Pull Over (not the sweatshirt kind)

Jess and I were driving to Memphis today . . .
oh, those blazoning blue lights,
lighting like pinpricks in my consciousness;
yes, the boys in blue -- well, one for now.

Quick, check the speed limit . . . right on . . . safe.
Is there a problem, sir?
Seems to me u were cuting that wite line: you on drugs boy?
No sir, I was trying to let you pass (tailgated by an unmarked popo)
Lemme c ur driver's licence and insurance.
Just a minute. . . it's in here. . .
that one's outdated. . .
oh, here it is, thanks honey
strut, strut, strut
. . .
looks like he's called for backup
. . .
boy, you supost to where shews win u drive
yessir, they're right here.
You got a restriction on your license
. . .?
Supost to be whereing somethang.
Yessir, I wear contacts.
Why u nervous boy?
I get nervous when I get pulled over. (we have a title!)
Get outta the car.

You doin drugggs?
Nosir.
Empty ur pokets.
Whose that with you?
My girlfriend.
Mind if we search the trunk?
Go ahead.
Wear u goin boy?
An art gallery in Memphis.
Aiight, u can go.


Where does right start,
Where does it end?
If I think I'm right,
and you think you're,
then can I condemn you
without first fairly condeming myself?

(Thanks to William Faulkner and William Carlos Williams for some poetic inspiration...)

an old epiphany, newed

People matter. Achievements don't.

Sealing and filing the spring break zip-lock bag

Hiking in East TN was an experience -- which is something I've been yearning for. Sometimes I read so much that my imagination aches for words to be reality, and although a book can take our minds to different places, there is something existentially profound about going there bodily.

Highlites of the week:
-- having out 5-person tent laden with sleeping bags caught up by a gale-force wind and blow across the campsite hitting a tree.
-- reciting The Raven while the wind and rain pillaged our tent.
-- reading Slaughter-House Five, The Road, and Richard II
-- enjoying the quiet of mountains

Grad school update:
I've now gotten acceptance/assistantship letters from OU and OSU. I have gotten rejection letters from FSU and UTenn. Purdue and Mizzou are left.

Mom's Chemo Update:
She has had chemo for the past couple weeks and is still doing fine. Apparently it can take a little while for the drugs to have their debilitating side effects. She hasn't lost her hair yet and is in good spirits.

"I have come to the highway home,
and lo, it is ended."
~Robert Frost