c.
2018 Rod Ice
All
rights reserved
(12-18)
Insomnia.
According
to my father, the template was set, in 1961. I would not sleep
restfully through the night. Not for him or my mother, despite their
encouragement, as new parents. After a variety of tricks and
coddling, he simply pushed my crib next to their black-and-white TV.
With gleaming rabbit ears towering above, I basked in the glow of
real-time video. And defiantly, stayed awake.
Some
57 years later, my plan to survive such nights has become more
sophisticated. One that channels the restless energy of open eyes
into useful accomplishment. Typically, I take a seat at my desk, and
begin to research or write. In the wee hours, images fill my head and
trickle downward, with purpose, into my nimble fingers. There, they
begin to dance.
A
recent example came after coffee and P. B. toast, on a Saturday
morning:
Coffee
and toast
I
aim not to boast
But
the night is so empty
The
darkness within me
Has
spun away my hope
Like
a blacked-out zoetrope
I
kneel in the mud
Bombshell
is a dud
No
spilled blood
Coffee
and toast
The
image of a ghost
Fleeting
footsteps run
Heel
prints scored in dung
Looking
for an answer
In
the tread-tracks of a Panzer
Run
down in the dirt
I
know my true worth
I
am hurt
Coffee
and toast
Keep
my enemies close
Split
the night with a spark
Watching
reruns of ‘Quark’
I
have twisted up bedding
And
a mission, forgetting
What
was my intention
Too
embarrassing to mention
I
am your son
Coffee
and toast
In
a past life, engrossed
With
the laugh of a jester
And
the saw-teeth of a terrier
I
scamper and hide
At
full moon and high tide
Giving
up only once
Like
a fumble-mouthed dunce
On
the run
Coffee
and toast
Life
on the Northcoast
Pecking
out my sad tales
My
klaxon horn wails
Paint
flecks fly free
There’s
darkness in me
A
guidepost gone lost
A
busted tooth in the permafrost
My
ring she tossed
Coffee
and toast
Roots
cooked with the roast
Burned
up in the same pot
Nailed
and surveilled in the same spot
Holy
grail on a chain
Holy
snakes on a plane
Tongue,
teeth and a serpent kiss
How
many rhymes did I miss?
Bullshit
is bliss
Coffee
and toast
Sign
on a fence post
Lead
the way to tomorrow
I
have textbooks to borrow
Words
flat on the page
About
citizens, enraged
Got
to spend my inheritance
On
a fool’s flip in silk pants
On
a dice rolled for chance
Coffee
and toast
AM
Coast to Coast
Art
Bell, my hero, died
BayGen
radio, I cried
Freeplay,
turn the crank
In
the deep, dark and dank
With
a nod to the night
In
the absence of light
Our
hero takes flight
Coffee
and toast
And
a mark on the goalpost
Where
my cleats hit the side
To
show that I tried
No
score but a ribbon
For
nothing that I won
Standing,
stooped in the rain
Another
play run for no gain
I’m
humbled and shamed
Coffee
and toast
A
quick wit, riposte
Tapped
out on the keyboard
A
dry, twisted gourd
With
leaves in a circle
And
seeds colored purple
I
make my escape
On
ink dots and neck’s nape
And
a length of duct tape
Coffee
and toast
I
aim not to boast
But
my song is now ended
My
compadres, befriended
I
leave by God’s grace
With
mud on my face
No
intent to be merry
With
visions most scary
Do
not make me tarry
Coffee
and toast
My
thoughts, innermost
Poured
out on the parchment
Like
spray paint on the pavement
A
screed lifted up
In
a beggar’s tin cup
A
brew to be savored
Dirt
and dust offer flavors
These
are my last words
As
a newborn child, in 1961, I could not rise from my crib to search for
our household typewriter. But it is certain that, even as I lay
sputtering and cooing in my blankets, new ideas were beginning to
form in my baby brain. From that primal moment, that incubation in
front of our Sears & Roebuck receiver, I had begun a journey of
sorts. One that would lead to scribbling with crayons, compositions
for school, magazine submissions, newspaper work, the authorship of
five books, and eventually, to the completion of a grand circle.
After
nearly six decades, still up
at night, and ready to
imagine.
Comments
about ‘Words On The Loose’ may be sent to:
icewritesforyou@gmail.com
Write
us at: P. O. Box 365 Chardon, OH 44024
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