most of the day

great day

pretty low key

nothing over the top

simple tradition

of thankfulness

amazing meal with

the greatest people on earth

the family circle is tight

like clothes straight

out of the dryer

outside since 8 am

fire blazing most of the day...

vacation fire #6 and super fight

     Today started a day that has been planned for months now.  My longest oldest friend, Mark Altieri came down to hang for the day and then stay for the "money" fight tonight.  Aside from my family Mark is the person I have know the longest in my life.  We have known each and hung out for almost 30 years.  

     We had to eat, so we decided at Mark's request to go to an old spot that most Brocktonians know all about.  The Italian Kitchen, a place that everyone in my family loves so much that we buy their stuff for all of our family parties.  Today was a special night because it's been a long time Mark, my bro and I have seen a great super fight in the boxing category.  Growing up we were lucky to have a grandfather who was into boxing.  Historically my brother and I saw many amazing fights.  Hagler vs. Leonard, Hagler vs. Hearns, Pazienza vs Camacho, Tyson vs. Holmes, and so many more.  

     This was a special kind of fight.  Connor McGregor, the two time UFC champion challenged the retired, but undefeated Floyd "Money" Mayweather.  After months of back and forth initiated by a challenge from Connor to Floyd, the fight was made.  It was a boxing super fight and the build up to the fight was epic to say the least.  Connor convinced a huge portion of the boxing fan base that he had more than just a chance to take away Floyd's unblemished record.  

     The fight was better than most imagined and Connor stood his ground, but Floyd has so much composure and stamina and experience in the ring that in the 10th round Connor could not recover and went nearly a minute getting banged around the ring without throwing a punch and the referee stopped the fight.  Winner by TKO the undefeated Floyd "Money" Mayweather!!  50-0!!  Not only was it a great fight but it was a great day.

vacation fire #6

     I got a fire going.  Then we ordered pizza for the fight.  My cousin David came over and our friend Claudio came by and Mat, Kristen and the boys (Nando & GG) were here.  It was a great night and no one regardless of who they wanted to win went home disappointed.  It was a great fight and an amazing night.  

vacation fire #5

fire #5

     Tonight's fire was started with my brother Mat here and my brother-in-law Rodrigo and our friend Claudio.  Rodrigo picked some of the corn from his property in Easton and was cooking it for dinner.  It's really good corn.  

     Tomorrow night is a big night in the combat sports industry.  Connor McGregor the UFC champion has challenged and is fighting Floyd "Money" Maywether, in a boxing match super fight.  The WBC has sanctioned the fight and it will be under boxing rules and there has been weeks and weeks of hype surrounding this fight.  Floyd retired 2 years ago undefeated at 49-0.  Connor has lost in MMA but not when standing and throwing punches.  Connor is super confident and swears he will leave Floyd unconscious in less than 4 rounds.  We shall see Floyd wasn't 49-0 because he fought weak fighters.  He has beat many legendary Hall of Fame boxers.  This is Connor's first professional boxing match.  It's gonna be an event.  Mark, DJ, Mat & the boys will be coming over.  I know I will have a fire too, but watching the fight will be exciting.  

     I will end tonight's thoughts with a picture of the moon as it set in the western sky tonight.

vacation fire #4

fire #4

     Tonight's fire was started with a visit from my long-time friend Julie Grant.  We went to high school together but a year apart in grade.  I knew her earlier than that though back when my brother and friends were all young teenage skateboarders.  

     When she left I added a few more logs and watched them get eaten by my fire.  I am going share a few picture from the garden this morning as the sun came over the tree line.

vacation fire #1-3

fire #3

     

     I find myself by another fire, successfully having my 3rd in three nights to celebrate being on vacation from my job.  Most, no all of my journal writing is done with a pen and a blank page.  Every once and a while I think I should write directly to my blog and I have attempted a few times with no luck.  This time I am going to incorporate pictures into my journal.  This too is something I have done with the blank page a pen some prints and clear tape.  This makes it easier which should mean more content.  In this day and age on the internet, content is everything.  

     

     

     My blog is packed full of content but it has been strictly poetry & random thoughts until now. Publishing my books has been my thing for almost 20 years now and that is not going to change.  I simply want to be me add another level to my writing.  Since summer vacations in the white mountains of New Hampshire, Woodard's Cabins to be exact, I have been keeping journals of daily events.    

     I am on vacation and I had fires last night and on Monday night so I want to share a few pictures from those nights too.  I am going to try keep up this journal style writing.  I will call it FRO-ZEN because I was given the nickname NiceFRO and although I have pretty much outgrown the nickname I still use it for my thoughts because that's where it came from originally.  

fire #1

fire #2

the only thing we know how to do

someone once told me
nothing very good
or very bad
lasts for very long
so enjoy every moment you have 
but be patient too
-a laugh and smile
that twenty years time
couldn't erase in the mind
sitting back now
nearly the same spot
doing nearly the same thing
with the pen trying to capture
it all with words
like it was back when
in my early twenties
she was my inspiration
the muse for the thoughts
of the time now memories
have become those life lessons
learned and old words
take on new significance
taught me about love and heartbreak
then a life time of friendship
for our born days are a week apart
and I can't remember one
where I didn't think 
of this random fact
for now the only thing 
we know how to do
is keep on keepin' on
and if we listen hard enough 
with the right kind of ears
laughter like thunder can be heard
blowing in the wind...

Rest In Peace my beautiful friend
much love eversince!!

Jolena Golemme Driscoll
5/3/1975 - 6/27/2017

perch on the porch

 the days warmer air

has not disappeared as the darkness creeps

extremely comfortable

finally have a fire going 

and it's still spring

don't need it for light or heat or food

just for something to do

night off from having to wake before dawn

will still hear planes overhead

and the occasional helicopter

and below the crackle of the fire

looking down from my perch on the porch...

putting in hours

 putting in hours

2 separate places

trying to stack some of those riches

they speak of

and of course it is never enough

by design

holding the balance better

than ever before

maybe it's taken too long

but lesson learned

can only take it from here

moving onward and upward

maybe older does bring the wiser thoughts

the smokey haze creates called

this too requires putting in hours...

eve of forty-2

on the eve of forty-two
not even sure how it happened
youngest member of the family
home merely forty-eight hours old
watched my mother holding her
she looked at me remembering
forty-two years ago
it was I being held as first born
somewhat saddened a bit
without my own progeny
but it won’t slow me down
still push on every day
and appreciate every branch
of the family tree with roots
running deep and true
on the eve of forty-two
years I appreciate
my spot in this reality
and all of my surroundings...

pushing up green knuckles

pushing up green knuckles
spring brings warm
and the ground is ready
to spring forth new life
pushing up myself
twenty five at a time
four times a day
keeping the core strong
hoping to replicate
last years crop
and push out some more
pushing up green knuckles
reaching for the sun
even though it’s been
separated from us
by layers of clouds
every week for a month
many hours of rain and clouds
with hope pushing up
green knuckles
seeing sun soon...

spring night sounds

chill in the air
but the day was warm
night cooled it down quick
but cold nights seems
to be gone
fire from across the yard
hear it snap and pop
along with all the other
spring night sounds
we all know the sound
night silence makes
especially being here
forty years same childhood
sounds watching my nephews
and niece grow up on the same
land and rolling through
the memories
how these forty years have
brought about so much change...

420 all day anyway

six strains in the bag
the day began early
absolutely above the clouds
talked to the former Mrs
the guilt wave never misses
any day and with herb eye pray
Jah saw another path
able to maintain above the clouds
years never missing a day
today is a day for everyone to step
up and raise one up to the sky
burn one down to be high in the mind
plant put here no different
than all the rest
six strains locally grown
all the derogatory comments
have now become compliments
to the confidence in the healing
properties of the herb
no matter four twenty or not
riding on another plane
as one roars overhead
like the clouds blown
they are my own
started off with
six strains in the bag...

escaping time

time just escapes
at times ironic, no?
time never stops
but days pass between writings
in the book
thoughts pop up
like colors
the flowers start
to pop too
around the pond
the landscape is
constantly changing...

confusion

dropping bombs again
who knows who
is lying now
what’s the point
trying not to hurt anyone
in my daily journey
to where I need to go
delivery on the way
something needs to be done
as the wind picks up
ten pages to slap the writing hand
and lose the train of thought
the wind picks up
and delivers confusion…

sixteen years

hard to believe
it’s been sixteen years
trying to bring back memories
without bringing back sadness
for those tough years
we could never forget
standing in the rain
shoes are going to get wet
hard to believe
sixteen years have passed
and it seems but a little more
than a blink of these eyes...

helps me figure out

don’t know where
things are headed
only can prove
what is provable
only know where I have been
see how much
everything has changed
watching everything
around me grow
this time of year
the little green tips poke through
in the flower gardens around the yard
don’t know everything
only what these eyes
help me see
and what this mind
helps me figure out...

falling behind

overcast and colder
hoped for spring today
but it hasn’t quite arrived
falling behind editing
the thoughts hoping
to break through someday
and come up with another idea
one that will take off into space
inward traveling to find out
where I am going
and where I have been
probably get down
with a quick nap
then build something great…

sending smoke signals

these days it seems harder
digging to get up on some
thoughts can’t wait
until new thoughts
begin to grow
some days it’s easy
to drop down some thoughts
on science or the lack there of
at least experimenting again
with a brand new crop
hopefully it will be fruitful
these day the mind doesn’t stop
but the pen arm page creation device
has been lazy I must say
don’t even mind the weather today
overcast is what they call it
but I am sitting solo
sending smoke signals
to someone who sees
the stars as I do
and visits me every morning...

can't abandon myself

can’t abandon
the pen and the page
been with me through
the toughest of times
still standing here
feet firmly planted
again as if spring
begins a rasta vibration
within thoughts
some twenty-five years old
can’t abandon the self
at times I know I would like to
lost in the wind watch
the bare trees bend
how long now until
everything springs into
new life...

evidence of un-truth

it’s not
that I have run out
of things to write
haven’t run out of inspiration
everyday the world around me
inspires me to push on
despite any and all hurdles
first book is fifteen years old
second book is thirteen
might be time to bring out
some of the older thoughts
in the stacks of dusty books
random thoughts in very
different frames of mind
always necessary to be willing
to change and it’s obvious
once sen in hindsight
helps in the editing process
as much as visionary thoughts
forward full steam
sometimes I do wish it made sense
why would they lie
and how could no one
question it when looking
at the evidence of un-truth...