jpaulgorman

Mark Ball....graphic Bob Schneider. from paul gorman on Vimeo .

air was cool, sky was blue. sun was high in solitude. when am I gonna ever learn. another December sunburn. southern half of the earth. where Peruvians and Aussies lurk. every year the same ole thing. the sunburns December brings. leaves fell many months ago. supposed to be white with snow. Christmas lights turn white to red. just like the top of my head. long sleeves and floppy hats. republicans and democrats. all who have light shades of skin. regardless of the month we're in. air was cool, sky was blue. sun was high in solitude. when am I gonna ever learn. another December sunburn. a e d7 ed7a **co-write with Ross Campbell Crum.

an 1836 revolutionary map. with its lines and grants. Austin carved out a heart. towns that don't even exist anymore. all the way down to Port Isabel. border towns up the Rio Grande to Laredo. the vast Comanche lands. east to Santa Fe and up to Pueblo. protected by long bands of islands. immense herds of buffalo. the disputed arkansas claim. those crooks. and on through Kickapoo crossing. 48 battles to independence.. from Anahuac to Copano Bay. Patrick Churchill Jack and the tarred and feathered. Capt. Antonio Tenorio had enough. took them in and roughed them up. til Travis sprung em loose. the little known Texas navy. grass fight and coleto creek. deaf smith and henry wax karnes of the spy squad. then the siege at the Alamo. the massacre at Goliad. where the bloodthirsty drank blood. then Sam took control. the runaway scrape. and some quick training. finally, the Battle of San Jacinto. arrogance always loses in the end. too much mercy and negotiation...

cd7x3, g tell you the story if I must. from the word you can always trust. baby born to die for us. we're saved. (repeat vocals) d7cx3, g prophets laid it out long ago. told of the one that saved your soul. take your sins and carry your load. we're saved. leave the lights on overnight. hug your family, squeeze em tight. celebrate this holy night. we're saved.

we know, we know. we think it sucks too. no need for horns. originally installed in cars as a safety feature, they have become an announcement of annoyance. the skin so thin. the time so short. the late runner blues. when lights don't care, and blinkers don't matter. parking spot scenarios. and gunning it. rev that engine up. maybe it will quicken the steps. a honk can punctuate the frustration. too bad the oasis radio station went silent. good for the chill out, that smooth jazz.

books stacked high and read. smell of a burned fire. déjà vu mind flood.

a barside serenade. three quarters classical guitar. the nylon is so easy and smooth. real nice sound in the old downtown mexican restaurant. tall, old, bricks, booths, ladies rolling silverware. a place to watch boxing matches in the eighties. TVs on wood shelves in the corners. cutting our own limes and a Friday night crowd. it was early evening, late afternoon timeframe. we all had places to be. but a break for beers at el Juarez was welcomed. updates on tragic famlies and concert invites. the aging men a bit older. the women all the same. so it is with time. searching for motivation to carry forward. this is not all there is. the crazy man understood spacefolk. danced, Woodstock style, as the Mexicans watched. told him specifically of the genre. the true songs capturing stories of the past. lifting up the eternal mindset. the musical evolution of the lead guitarist. from 2 minute loud punk songs to spacey effects and pedals. and some space for silence, whic...

.check the spin rate. .it's a millisecond behind. .days will last forever if this keeps up. .the orbit could slow down too. .we'll age slower and slower. .it could be the truth. .suspended by the pull of the sun. .otherwise we collapse. .like knots in a rope. .our solar system mates. .we found the right one. .this didn't happen by accident. .stashed here for the time being. .along with everyone else. .getting our kicks. .supporting others. .traveling through time with anticipation. .aliens for sure.

not once did I consider shopping. out in the public with reorders and sequels. dashing all over the towns. dodging new drivers. even the experienced are too distracted now. connections require maintenance. even the virtual kind. and maintenance requires thought. and brains can only think of one thing at a time. exponential connections. exponential thoughts. real relations are built primarily on tangible activities. breathing and beating through time together. perhaps for different reasons. out of obligation and pity or attraction and love. our minds are unclear and unclean. corrupted and selfish. memories are long and unreliable. learning can only be done now. all the people that have lived and died. for reasons and for nothing at all. some never made it to the crib even. some just carry on. the jolly melancholy. the uppers and downers. the quiet and the loud. the bored and the excited. experiencing time together.

there was nothing there. dense woods with stickers and thorn vines. sharp, dead sticks everywhere. tall trees, thin and thick. sky was way up, but bright enough. like a huge skylight in a theater of brush. brother had backpacks of stripped golf balls. he worked on the lawn crew at the club. from our own backyard driving range. we hit them all at the future parkway. just a nice little neighborhood in the western mckinney hills. first instinct was to grab our shotguns. see what was around. we grew up with creeks and dirt, and nature all around. tried the sandy, windy west for a year or so. but west texas is only good for driving through and short visits. to me anyway. people are old and nice. in a hee haw kind of way. oh well, there's no trees.  oh well. but, there are oasises all around. the bridge was first, then a back way to the highway. like our very own back road. jeep rides up fresh earth mountains in the construction zone. then mile by mile, year by...

peace is a mindset.   its advocates quibble over tactics and labels.  anyone of any character or noble intention or the ability to overcome their own self interest, even for a moment, should agree. a peaceful existence is better than a conflicted one.  most people, more than most, would rather live in peace.  they could all call themselves pascifists and it would be true.  we are working towards it always, avoiding the irrelevant, chilling out, selecting our influence carefully and thoughtfully.  these are habitual instincts and should be reinforced and reminded often.  it is a strenuous peace.  one that is fought for, one that is sacrificed for, one that is not easy.  a deal will make no difference.  it is heart, it is mind, and it is most definitely soul.  it must be made clear by word and by deed.  the soulless can stand back, the soulless can suffocate on their own hate, the soulless will see their own end. peace is not po...

.another rude awakening. .like a never ending interruption. .the broken peace of sleep. .on to the trivial. .on to first impressions. .on to making it. .perceptions of achievements. .most valuable something. .a singular opportunity. .invisible and loud. .for rational purposes. .nobody pays attention anyway. .thought therapy. .dream rewinds. .a jingle all the way.