… or for leaving on the corner of Liberty and South William streets? i’m thinking, first the former and then the latter. What do you think?
One of these days this boot is gonna … do what? There’s a story here, no doubt.
There’s got to be a story here. Who would ditch a kid’s bike atop a snow bank? Yet this one has been lying in the snow on “The Bluff” in Newburgh for at least two or three weeks. i hope someome comes and gets it (and fixes it, if necessary), but even more than that, i hope i learn the story of how it got there.
There’s an abandoned bike on bayview … and also a story. Someone, please get the bike and write the story!
…even before Maya Angelou knew. Paul Laurence Dunbar, a great Black American poet who died of tuberculosis at age 33 (thanks, Wikipedia!), wrote “Sympathy” in the late 1800s. In his brief lifetime he managed to write and publish four novels and several books of short stories, in addition to 12 books of poetry. Yet today he is relatively unknown in America. Here is his poem “Sympathy”: I’ve always felt that somebody should set it to music.
Sympathy
I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals—
I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting—
I know why he beats his wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—
I know why the caged bird sings!
from The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar. (New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 2004
Paul Laurence dunbar: a great american.
You know what it means when a U.S. President sends criminals to murder poets and VA hospital ICU nurses? Six more weeks of winter!
Happy groundhog day, you moronic, demented nazi!
Catherine O’Hara is dead and Donnie Trump lives. This world is ragged and wrong.
Rest in peace, catherine. without you, it feels like we’re all up schitt’s creek.
Newburgh’s lovely bust of John Lewis, at Liberty and Broadway, had him all dressed up for synagogue recently.
shabbat shalom, Mr. lewis!
If perchance you do not know the wonderful Gerard Manley Hopkins poem “Inversnaid” (the name of a small rural village in Scotland, where he saw this brook that inspired him), check it out on Poets.org soon. Here is the last stanza of it:
What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and wilderness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, the wildness and wet:
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet!
--by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet!
It isn’t the Thanksgiving season until you’ve heard Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant. I was there when Arlo sang it at the Newport Folk Festival in the summer of 1967, and have never since hosted a Thanksgiving without playing this song for the whole gathering. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m57gzA2JCcM
Educational TV
Our TV is fixed!
Now once again I learn that medicine can lead me through
gauzy montages of every possible happiness, let me
run through fields of hay with my still-handsome and
playful though white-bearded husband,
who will push me on a swing while I lean back
and we both smile smiles wide as a swing seat.
Pencil in hand, so that I can write down the toll-free number,
I learn that pills can let me play chess with
an elementary-school lad of color who will gaze
at me adoringly, chin on fist, while reaching slyly toward
the timer to his right.
I’ll slap playfully at his hand, and we’ll both giggle.
I learn also that if after taking the recommended dosage,
I experience any of the most common side-effects:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, difficulty breathing, headache,
double vision, frequent urination, trouble hearing,
dizziness, nausea, palpitations, loss of appetite,
or an erection that lasts more than four hours —
or other common side-effects,
including runny nose, sneezing and thoughts of suicide —
I should call my doctor or nine-one-one.
If on the other hand, for any reason I have a moment of
good health and am focusing simply on Buying Local,
I learn that several car dealers right here in Newburgh,
in colorfully checked suits and blonde helpers,
can get me a great deal on a certified pre-owned vehicle
but only until May, so I have to Act Now and Not Delay,
and that our local attorneys, if my car does indeed
lose its tie rods or brakes, will stand by me all the way
and never give up, because: They Don’t Win if I Don’t Win!
I’m writing it all down.
Really, when the TV is fixed, everything is fixed.
What an edication!
The Spin Cycle of Life
Passing the laundromat, I slow to smell the fragrance
of fabric softener and dryer sheets that infuse the warm, moist air
from the vent pipe protruding from the brick wall. My husband finds it sad:
“That’s the smell of people too poor to own a dryer,” he says.
But it makes me happy: To me, it’s the scent of women
who care enough about their families to shlep overstuffed cloth bags
to the laundromat, either slung over their shoulders or balanced on
a stroller or kid’s wagon, and who later expertly fold the dry clothes,
each item into its own perfect rectangle. You can see them
chatting amiably in Spanish at the long, deep Formica counter
behind the big plate-glass window, recently replaced
after an incident outside involving two men and one woman.
And it occurs to me while the machines rumble, that I have entered
the Spin Cycle of Life. No more for me the Soak, the Power Wash
or even the Rinse. My world now feels as if it’s in the throes of vertigo.
Round and round we go, staggering and nauseated, with wild ups and downs — more Tilt-a-Whirl than Merry-Go-Round — and I’m approaching that moment where the dizzying days I’ve had, understanding nothing but somehow
getting through them all, are about to jerk to a halt and things
(memory, skills, wit, friends, good health) will, by centrifugal force
or force of habit, continue to stay put for maybe
one moment more and then collapse all at once
and thump in a damp, bumpy clump and jumble of relief, regrets and —
with G-d’s grace — gratitude.
If you are among the few living souls who still have not purchased my poetry book (it's really a "chapbook" -- just 30 poems or so) for yourselves or your poetry-loving friends and neighbors, NOW is a great time to do so. Published by Finishing Line Press, it's called "Pretty Nearly All Natural."
You can get it by searching for either that title or my name at www.goldenhourbookstore.com.
Golden Hour Books is a sweet, bricks-and-mortar shop at 181 Broadway right here in Newburgh. Say hi to the proprietor, my friend Angie Venezia! She's closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and open Thursdays from 11:30 am to 5 pm; Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 5 pm; and Mondays from 12:30 to 5 pm.
Of course, you can also get the book through Barnes and Noble or Amazon, but DON'T. (Shop Local, y'know?)
Happy, peaceful and creative holidays to all!
Get a great poetry book at a great bookstore — “Pretty Nearly All natural,” by me, Newburgh’s poet laureate!
My poetry chapbook, “Pretty Nearly All Natural,” and my three novels: “Louey Levy’s Greatest Catch,” “Louey Levy’s Perfect Pitch” and “Louey Levy’s Heading Home,” are all for sale at Golden Hour Bookstore, 181 Broadway in Newburgh. You can also get any of them straight from me at genieabrams@gmail.com. (Of course, you can also get them from Amazon or Barnes and Noble, but: DON’T.)
Is it too early to point out that they would make great holiday gifts for the readers and poetry-lovers in your life?
Nah, it’s not.
my poetry chapbook has joined my 3 novels in being published and on sale at Golden hour Bookstore in newburgh!
The Golden Hour Bookstore, 181 B’way in Newburgh, N.Y., is wonderful for many reasons, first among them being the proprietor, Angie Venezia, who has a knack for offering books for all interests and all ages in her little shop. She carries great poetry there, and I am honored to say that, if you can’t wait to buy it in person, you can order my own poetry chapbook, “Pretty Nearly All Natural,” anytime, through goldenhourbookstore.com.
Drop in and browse, or order online. Hope to see you there soon!
Golden hour bookstore, at 181 Broadway, is just what newburgh needed. support this bricks-and-mortar treasure!
Shop Local: My first book of poetry, “Pretty Nearly All Natural,” is now available at the Golden Hour Bookstore, 181 Broadway in Newburgh, N.Y.!
If you haven’t done so already, please pre-order a copy or two (or 10, or 436 …) by clicking here: https://goldenhourbookstore.com/products/pretty-nearly-all-natural-poems-by-genie-abrams-9-27-24
Golden Hour is a great bookstore (as you’ll see, if you haven’t been there yet), and it’s more important than ever to support our local businesspeople. Hope to see you at Golden Hour Books soon!
Get ‘em while they’re hot! pre-order my first book of poetry from the one and only angie Venezia, proprietor of golden hour books on newburgh’s broadway, today!
For those few stragglers who have still not ordered “Pretty Nearly All Natural,” my poetry book that will be published by Finishing Line Press in September: this weekend is your last chance to do so AT A DISCOUNT! The publisher is raising the price by 2 bucks on Monday, Aug. 12. To pre-order now for $15.99, go to finishinglinepress.com, click on “Bookstore” at the top and then type “abrams” in the search bar. Or, just click on this bold type: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/?s=Abrams&post_type=product
THANKS!!
wELL, IT’S PRETTY NEARLY ALL NATURAL, GENIE’S FIRST BOOK OF POETRY!
The Mid Hudson Times and Southern Ulster News are both running my ad again for my poetry book, “Pretty Nearly All Natural,” which will be published in the fall by Finishing Line Press. Please remember to pre-order NOW, as the publisher is hiking the price by $2 on Aug. 3. To pre-order, click here: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/?s=Abrams&post_type=product
THANKS!!
pRETTY NEARLY PERFECT CHAPBOOK OF 30 OR SO POEMS BY nEWBURGH’S OWN POET LAUREATE! pLEASE PRE-ORDER NOW.
Thanks to the Mid Hudson Times for running this ad for my first book of poetry … on Page 3, no less! It’s also in the awesome Southern Ulster Times. All you have to do (and please do) is pre-order the book before Aug. 3. On that date, the publisher, Finishing Line Press, will raise the price by 2 bucks. Hope you will pre-order before running out to see the fireworks tonight!
Thanks to the mid hudson times and the southern ulster times for running this ad. now, please run and pre-order my chapbook, “Pretty nearly all natural!”
“Grand Street, Grand Street…”
Sorry, the heat has melted my brain and i was just humming to myself (because, why not?) the old Orlons hit, “South Street.” ANYWAY: Check out the new meeting place for the Hudson River Poets!
And, join us! Anyone can come, read a poem or two, or just listen. We have some terrific poets around here!
July 6, aug. 6, and sept. 7 are our next 3 meetups … in the air-conditioned newburgh free library! everyone is welcome to attend, read a poem, or just listen.
My first book of poetry, “Pretty Nearly All Natural,” will be published by Finishing Line Press in September! Here is the story about it that ran in Dae Vitale’s column in this week’s issue of the MHT. To summarize: It costs $15.99 if you pre-order now, but the price will go up by 2 bucks on Aug. 3. So, please, hurry over to: finishinglinepress.com, click on “Bookstore” at the top and then type Abrams in the search box. Or, simply click here: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/?s=Abrams&post_type=product
This terrific poetry publisher is also on Twitter at @FLPress.
Thanks for the nice write-up, dae! Hope everyone clicks here: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/?s=Abrams&post_type=product before August 3!
Rabbi Alan Lew, of blessed memory, wrote these words in 2003, in his book, This Is Real and You are Completely Unprepared: “All human beings are bearers of the divine. And when we try to drive a particular group of people away, we drive the divine away with them … God hears the cries of the oppressed and goes where they go.”
A good reminder for us all every day, and especially in June — Pride Month.
A blessed pride month to one and all.
HAH, I’m not even in the Top Twenty, Brian!
Welcome to my website, featuring my podcast, The Newburgh News. Always on tap: ideas, photos, interviews with intriguing people, and news of the goings-on and comings-up around Newburgh, N.Y., and the greater Hudson Valley.
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