Redbud

My mom sent me these photos of a very old redbud she recently spotted. I've never seen one this old before. The blossoms blooming on the trunk are unusual and make the tree eerie beautiful.

And it's the Oklahoma state tree.

To Home: Oklahoma, Ireland, Manhattan

I visited the Irish Hunger Memorial recently on the recommendation of a good friend. My two favorite experiences while living in the city are (1) when I encounter something that transports me out of my surroundings and (2) when I encounter something that makes me feel wonderful to be here. Exact opposites.

This memorial made me feel like I was back at home in Oklahoma. I think it was a combination of the stone work (I spent all of my adolescence laying stone with my father) and the view (though it's surrounded by high buildings, from a perspective you look over a hill and see nothing but the horizon).

 

Abridged list of things I'm self-conscious about enjoying

 

First sight of short skirts in spring.

The smell of books -- all books: old, new, ruined.

"Lithium" by Nirvana

Watching hours of reruns of Fraiser with Leslie.

Elliott Smith.

T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land".

"Wheat Field with Cypresses" by Vincent van Gogh

The first sip of a well-made cocktail. The second sip.

Allen Ginsberg's "Howl".

Love Actually.

The early crisp smell of fall.

Riding the subway.

Finding errors in others' grammar. 

"Pay for What You Get" by Dave Matthews Band

A compliment on my poetry.

Where Are You in America

Blank billboard in Brooklyn.

Where are you in America when there's nothing to advertise?