Sum Lucid by Jason Shimberg

Sock Management (poem)

2012-02-09T00:36:00.001-06:00

Escape into the wilderness

Can’t you CLC, Can’t you sea

Work on gaining that diploma in the school of hard rocks

Socks are dry

Climb ahead

At the top of the mountain is a diploma that is in abackdrop of clouds

One new idea

Gets shot down

Leaves town to return

To space out at the space bar

Buy a drink for everyone in the bar

Round of veal scalabrine

When he scores a bucket

I say fuck it instead of screw it

He knew it

He was short on fame

He had his birth name

Tattoos cost money or he would have more

Cursive nickname on his wrist

He is pissed and living in a ice box

Folding socks

Watching clocks

Miserable

Boat has left the dock, and the shore is so much farther inthe distance

This point will navigate back to terminal one

JellyBean Coffee (poem)

2012-02-09T00:28:00.001-06:00

There once was a bucket filled with sugar

I took it into my room

And sugar was melted to caramel

Caramel was swallowed, mixed with coffee beans

Jelly Beans create aroma of sugar

Jellybean would not make good coffee

So he shook and buried the scary law of marriage

Divorced took the online course

Late night trivia was explored

But me more bored of games

Started writing thoughts and dreams while awake

The scent of charcoal

The mole to the sleuth

The robber

Had a hobby

He would hang out at safes

And when unlocked he would pick, but he had no pockets

Found full shoulder sockets

So he hid the drug in his mind

He rewound the movie then returned to the present

Opened the gift

In a few short moments a poem was written

About not stealing, but being original

Goodreads (link)

2012-02-07T16:57:00.001-06:00

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5626060.Jason_Shimberg

Read the new author profile up on Goodreads.com

Gymnasts Ready For Showdown After Evanston (article)

2012-01-11T19:01:00.000-06:00

By JASON SHIMBERG Correspondent

In girls gymnastics, regular season activities are mostly about preparing for the post-season state tournament, which starts in two-and-half weeks.
At the Evanston Brinkworth/Munch invitational last weekend, several area athletes showed they are very much ready for the big show.

Nora Landri of Glenbrook South, Michelle Madalinski and Natasha Tsinonis of Maine West and Haleigh Sir of Maine South all shined brightly with strong performances at the 11-team event.
Led by Landri, Glenbrook South's Titans won the event with 131.800 team points, beating Maine South by less than a point. Maine West was 5th behind Madalinski and Tsinonis with 122.100 points. A short-handed Niles West team finished 7th with 119.450 points, and Maine East was 10th.
Other participating teams were Glenbrook North, Willowbrook, Evanston, Glenbard South, Highland Park, and Northside College Prep.
Following are team-by-team summaries of the performances of the five Journal-area squads:
• Glenbrook South - Landri, a senior and co-captain of the Titans this year, topped 21 other competitors with a first-place 36.500 in the all-around competition (gymnasts who participate in all four events). She won the uneven bars (9.500), and floor exercise (9.200), placed 2nd on balance beam (9.300), and 11th on vault (8.500)
This was one of her best all-around performances in her three seasons on the Titan varsity. She was a state qualifier last year and is almost certain to duplicate that achievement this season.
Other Titans placing in the top 10 in an event were freshman Kaci Castino, 5th on bars (7.800), and 6th on floor (8.550); Pauline Zielinski 8th on beam (8.250); and sophomore Amanda Browder, 10th on bars (7.650).
"Today my best event was probably bars," Landri said. "I really enjoy performing in the floor event because you get to dance. The team had a really good meet, it was good for everyone."
Maine South - Haleigh Sir was the most consistently strong performer at the meet. She finished 2nd on vault (9.200), and 3rd on floor, beam, and bars, with respective scores of 8.900, 9.250, and 8.800.
The Hawks' Allegra Miller, who only performed on vault (4th place at 8.900) said, "Today, I hurt myself in warm-ups. I was supposed to work the floor, beam, and vault, but was only able to compete in the vault."
Despite her injury, she outscored more than 300 other vaulters.
South's Jackie Angioletti also competed hurt. "I performed in the vault today (8.200, 15th place) after falling off the bars and hitting my head yesterday. I'm feeling a little better today."
Also for the Hawks, April Simpson's best event was floor (8.200). "Warm-ups were a little rough, but we definitely pulled it together and had as great meet," she said.
Maine West - Michelle Madalinski was West's star. Even though she competed in only two events, she aced them both. She won the beam competition with a 9.450, and finished 2nd to Landri on bars with an 8.900. "My best event was the beam," she said, "but I fell on a double back dismount. Coach (Caeli Sievert) was supportive of our team. She told us we didn't have too many faults."
Tsinonis was 5th in the all-around (32.850), 7th on beam (8.400), 10th on floor (8.350), 18th on bars (7.500), and 9th on vault (8.600).
Niles West - The Wolves were without Jenny Marin, one of their top scorers, and Catherine Steegmueller competed with a bruised foot and only did bars, where she placed 4th with a score of 8.250.
The Wolves Valerie Fung competed only on floor and had an impressive routine and an 8.650 score, good for 4th place. "I stuck everything and it went perfect," she said. "For what we had we did really well today with the injuries we have. It was a great meet overall."
Maine East's best performance was a 27.200 all-around score by Anne Kaczkowski. Her best event score was an 8.100 on vault for 16th place.
Dwight Esau contributed to this story.

Poetry Reading (Event)

2012-01-10T21:50:00.004-06:00

Rainy Day Glass is hosting a poetry reading featuring writers from Waukegan and nearby. Our featured reader is poet, Jacqueline Harris, who will read from her book, Random Acts of Verse, which will be available after the reading. Also reading, will be poet, Jason Shimberg reading from his book SUM Lucid, which will also be available. Joining them will be David Motley, Bill Paterson and maybe a surprise or two. This event will be PG13.

Friday, February 10, 2012
Time 7:00pm until 9:00pm

Rainy Day Glass Studio
108 S. Genesee St., Waukegan, IL 60085

Glenbrook South Tiptoes Over Maine South (article)

2012-01-10T17:28:00.001-06:00

Glenbrook South Tiptoes Over Maine South

Ten girl’s gymnastic teams competed in the 8th Annual Brinkworth/Munch Invitational on Saturday at Evanston High School, including GBS, Maine South, Maine West and Niles West.
Nora Landri from GBS took top prize in the all-around contest with a season high 36.5 points, attributed to her 1st place finishes on the uneven parallel bars (9.5) and floor exercise (9.2), 2nd place on balance beam (9.3) and an 11th place finish on the vault (8.5). “Today my best event was probably bars. I really enjoy performing in the floor events because you get to dance. The team had a really good meet, it was good for everyone,” stated Landri.
Maine South’s gymnast Allegra Miller described her performance, saying “Today, I only did the vault and I managed an 8.9. I hurt myself in warm-ups. I was supposed to work the floor, beam and vault, but I was only able to compete in the vault.” Considering her injury she had a respectable vault performance.
Maine South’s Jackie Angioletti also suffered the agony of performing with an injury. She said, “I performed in the vault today (8.2) after falling off the bars and hitting my head yesterday. I am feeling a little better today.” Her teammate April Simpson added, “My best event was floor (8.2). Warm ups were a little rough, but we definitely pulled it together and had a great meet.”
Maine West’s Michelle Madalinski, competing for the 5th place team saying “My best event was the beam (9.45) but I fell on a double back dismount. Coach was supportive with our team, she told us that we didn’t we have too many faults.”
The 7th place team, Niles West’s Valeria Fung stated with excitement “I am most proud of my floor routine (8.65), I stuck everything and it went perfect. One of our top girls Jenny Marin is out because she sprained her ankle. Catherine Steegmueller bruised her foot. For what we have we did really well today with the injuries we have. It was a great meet overall.”
Finishing 1st was GBS (131.8), 2nd overall was Maine South (131.125), 5th Maine West (122.1), 7th Niles West (119.45).

By Jason Shimberg

Smart (poem)

2012-01-08T21:39:00.001-06:00

Twice a day I meditate
In the morning and the evening
The time between that I practice the art of listening
Music glows in the moonlight of the heartland
Key strokes in the mean time
Nice time to get lubed up on mahanarayan oil
Bottle empty, I am drenched in circulation
Wish this newspaper business would circulate to its readers
That well has dried up too
People would rather read on their smart phones and kindle
Why is the world becoming smaller?
Leg room in cars
Smart cars and smart phone
Small people envy tall people until coordinating is mentioned
And mattresses fitted
Guest in my house he had to bet the only man there
Words in mouth bittersweet
Going to take a freight train, going to climb a mountain highest mountain, drank a bottle of coke, eat some chocolate, thinking about books, nooks, sand, crannies, old grannies’
On time deep in the abyss
I felt your kiss
I switched off between mean and nice, I cooked your rice twice
Baked a potato, and said tomatoes

Transcribing (blog)

2012-01-03T12:48:00.002-06:00

I am currently in the process of transcribing notebooks from ten years ago found when cleaning out my childhood room. This should be fun. I will post on this blog. Maybe the catalyst to a second memoir. If you haven't purchased SUM lucid yet, why are you waiting so long. Peace. J.A.S.

First Post of 2012 (blog)

2012-01-03T12:00:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year's! Year # 5 of Lucky To Be Lucid Blog

Return to the Ashram (poem)

2011-12-19T20:55:00.002-06:00

Every man’s journey on this planet can be summed up by discovering the key that unlocks joy.
A door that opens to possibilities bigger than just one self.
That a community is rather large for a family of one.
Spun out dreams, and convoluted schemes, once made this a treacherous path.
We do simple math, we find out about being holy.
I made it a mission to make it back to the ashram.
My ideas had changed.
My status had changed a million keystrokes.
Beards had been shaved only to grow back.
It is not every day we ever experience in this life what it means to be content.
Repent and contentious
Doing laundry lists
Must have missed teeth in these dream
We find fingers fall off quite easily on a table
A mattress that rests
Plus size dresses confesses should be air dried
We fly over the clouds
Too proud when this stain make clouds pour rain
Only words are magic
Isn’t that symbolic and tragic
Roll out of bed with nothing on the head
Unemployed and enjoyed by witty people
The bottom pit, the dance of pennies
Nickel placed inside a pickle
Dropped the dime
Build muscle
We think will we be the drink of choice
The boys in the courtyard swing from branches
This page made from a branch
It electronically appeared and we saved a tree
We snapped a knee
We sent our bees to play with birds
To receive the word
The musty film are clouding the mind in this downpour
We roar back and fight like lions
Tigers are kitty cat’s both wear their hats exactly the same
This rain has no season
Listen all we need is to tread to the trees that breathe consciousness to the rest of us
We jump, feel the tree stump
Pump up our muscle till we get into tussles without nations
Turn this station and watch our clocks
And change dirty socks
In this box,
Create a jail
To practice getting out
Lion or a lamb
Joakim said to Noah their must be some ark to your jumper.

Paperclip (poem)

2011-12-19T01:35:00.000-06:00

Paperclip
You got that good ol’ fashioned paperclip that bends all the back until it snaps
You have that firm grasp on a sheet, that it clips paper hangers
What you got, if you have no paperclips
A staple
No way
A perfect paperclip will fall out of your grasp
Clippers on the rebound
Evoke sound
Friendship
The paperclip will tease
It will never say please
All natural binding
Unwinding
Forget the ones that broke
Spoke to paperclip the other day
Paperclip said go away
I went long ways away
The paperclip was here to stay

mosh pit (poem)

2011-12-15T22:13:00.002-06:00

He was a prophet
He wore ordinary clothes
No tattoos
No ear rings
No bling
He could sing
I have severe heart burn from love lost and death
Copy the words but not the emotion
The millennium generation has no real leaders
Just a mosh pit of slackers, hackers, and turbo geeks’
No when one man speaks
We tune out
Tap the keg and beg for spare dollars from the baby boom generation
Our parents are richer than we are
We drive cars we can’t afford
We have education that leaves in a lifetime of dept
Wet behind your ears
Too many beers make me think that a drink is sold not on quality but perception it is what our parents did

Glenbrook Swimmers Settle Score---40 Years Later (article)

2011-12-14T07:02:00.000-06:00

Two technicalities that occurred in the 1970s added a special dimension to Friday's boys swim meet at Glenbrook North.
In a 1971 meet with rival Glenbrook South, a timer fell in the pool before one of the swim events was complete giving GBN the win by default. In 1975, GBN coach Jim Runkle made a mistake on his entry card, writing down the wrong name, giving GBS the victory. Both events remained shrouded in controversy awaiting resolution.
Friday, the match between GBN and GBS provided an opportunity for the athletes of the ‘71 and ‘75 an opportunity for closure.
While many of the swimmers from the Glenbrook classes of 1972-1975 attended the University of Illinois and even roomed together, there was good-natured ribbing over the years and electronic messages leading up to the event. "Even after 40 years, you still get butterflies in your stomach," was the consensus from both sides. In 1972, the price of gasoline was about 35 cents. Swimmers who grew up in the neighborhood gladly traveled as far away as Anchorage, Alaska (Mike Booth, GBS Class of '72). Times and prices have changed but the neighborhood rivalry has remained much the same.
When kids are asked normally to clear the pool because it is time for adult swim, there are usually jeers. In Northbrook, the announcement of this rematch and the months of planning was met with applause and local television coverage. A full pavilion and anxious alumni waited patiently to settle a long overdue conclusion. The 40-year reunion featured just two races, so there was a chance if the meet was not swept by GBN the result would be a friendly tie.
But GBN won the rematch by winning both the 200-yard and 400-yard relay races. The forever-proud Titan alumni were content with how they swam despite the loss. The Titans claimed that GBN won with trick mirrors, and were pleased that no timers were thrown in. They also claimed they are better swimmers now than they were 40 years ago. Forty years makes tales taller, legends lengthier, and bellies plumper.
All the Titan alumni wore shirts with a frightening shark prominently displayed. "Ancient, huge and dangerous was the motto for the Titans for this rematch," Loren Sheffer described in his created shirts. Sheffer, Class of ‘72, flew in from Delray Beach, FL.
GBS 120, GBN 66
In the boys dual events prior to Friday's big rematch:
Senior Titan J.J. Connor swam the fastest time in the 200-yard freestyle with 25.13. "I did alright, but the team did really well, that was my best event of the night," Connor stated.
"I am really excited to watch tonight's rematch, I think whenever you get beat by a small amount of time like 1/1000 of a second, I would love to redo that," said senior Titan Adam Vevang, referring to a freshman event, giving context to the 40-year rematch. Vevang swam the 200-yard IM for a time of 30.14 during his leg. Vevang also helped GBS' overall victory with a time of 29.87 in 200-yard medley relay.
The boys varsity swim meet's final tally was GBS 120, GBN 66. There was no controversy in this 2011 version of the long-lived rivalry.

A Porpoise Has Purpose (poem)

2011-12-13T21:00:00.000-06:00

I am not getting ideas
They seem to miss me by a full yard
a backyard in the front
A front yard in the back
A good knee
A bad back
A twisted neck
A trek in the wild
A mild sprain
The pouring rain
Living in Spain for a week
Dare to speak Spanish
Vanquished to France
Romance, poetry and graves
Catch the final wave back to the dock
Aqua socks dry as scorching Vegas heat
The beat
All comfortable in the passenger seat
Running to catch up with the only thing you ever knew to make you smile
A pile of dirty laundry
That has no purpose
Well a dolphin is just a porpoise

Two a day's (poem)

2011-12-13T20:53:00.001-06:00

One day
It was time to pay off the debt created by sweat
The vet said this dog is dead
Too much medicine for the head
Led astray
So you have to pay
The voice is all over that microphone
Spitting verse and spittle
To uncover this riddle
Fiddle with violin
Spin the news to make us happy
We have mice traps

We have rat poison
We have seasons
We have reasons
Why we should move on
Create a bond with the ground
Find that sound that will soothe the move

Tastes like my Palate (poem)

2011-12-13T16:37:00.000-06:00

Tired and feeling wired up
This dog is just a pup
Can garbage
Goes out on Friday
TGIF
This landlord is deaf
Theft
Cleft palate
Tastes so good
Coconut oil
Straight butter
Take out that garbage
Forget the trash recycle compost
The most
Of us take the bus
Use gasoline
Like a lean mean electric car
Not far that I drive
100 years is a long time
This rhyme is doing time behind bars
No stars locked up inside
Outdoor enthusiast hikes
Bike
Avoids tikes
Never to be married carried without strollers
Boulders and people climbing Everest
The rest of us meditate
And predicate this life sentence with punctuation
This nation is obsessed with religion, politics
And card tricks.

S.U.e. (poem)

2011-11-25T19:54:00.000-06:00

Overheard conversations
Across Syracuse nation
The main Scoop Jardine
Point made
Point guard fade
It is not C.J. FAIR
Brewster Bobcat
Things that make you pull out your hair
Hotel rooms consume
Mini bars
Not mini men
Ball boy just a toy
Last week all balls were twisted orange
Now no one is a ten foot midget
This widget
Hackers
Go thru cells
Murder was said to be less a crime
Fine Time
I guess, coach beware
Ball boys go on to become millionaires in the Jordan era because of NBA connections I thought
T-Shirt
One and Done
I have a million jokes, but they are in the reserved seats not in the party deck
Must change this station
I’ve seen your heart
Orange Blood
In a cloud
That sails past the perimeter where there are no stars
Zone pressure
Not far from where it all began
An orange tan
Juice
Color
Recruit O.J.
Jim Brown was once an Orangeman
Remember news forget tweets
The beat
The street
This cold makes me choose forks and pickup sticks
Stones and spoons in the afternoon
Hipster dufus
Roofie’d us
Take the team bus
The Oranges are seven years old.

Stevenson Poised For Comeback (article)

2011-11-24T22:04:00.001-06:00

School: Stevenson
Team Name: Patriots

Conference: North Suburban Lake
Last year: 12-12
Coach: Patrick Ambrose

Stevenson came off a rough season finishing 2-8 in the North Suburban conference last year with a 12-12 record overall.
Goals for this season are to improve on mediocrity and compete in a very tough conference. They plan to work on their basketball skills, off the court character and academic effort.
When asked about last year's achievements, coach Patrick Ambrose honestly put it this way: "not a whole lot of good things happened last year."
Ambrose anticipates the Pats' biggest strengths this season will be their proficient shooting and solid offensive ball movement. On defense, the Pats play a tough man-to-man.
However, their weakness is inexperience on the court. They lost four contributing seniors to graduation; guard Ryan Chapman, guard Brian Carlson, forward Kevin Earl and forward Brian Wood.
"We are focused on the Buffalo Grove tournament with four games right away that will take care of our inexperience," Ambrose stated.
Two players expected to have standout seasons are seniors Mike Fleming and Colby Cashaw.

20 Wins 'Good Landmark' For Stevenson Coach (article)

2011-11-24T22:03:00.001-06:00

School: Stevenson
Team name: Patriots

Conference: North Suburban Lake
Last year: 21-9
Coach: Tom Dineen
With a storied tradition of excellence, the Patriot girls basketball team looks forward to another winning season. Coach Tom Dineen's career has recorded over 700 wins, most of them coming at Buffalo Grove.
Last year's team finished 21-9, second in the North Suburban conference and lost to Barrington 60-48 in their regional championship game.
"We lost four starters, so early on we will have to find out where everybody fits in. I think a 20-win season is a good landmark for us," said Dineen, who's going into his third year as Stevenson head coach.
"Our balance is our biggest strength, last year we got a bulk of our scoring from only two players. This year we are much more balanced. We could have a lot of games with five players getting 10 points each," Dineen added.
Junior point guard Kari Moffat has been a starter since she was a freshman, and now she is getting much deserved Division 1 recruiting attention.
Senior Katie Batman was the first sub off the bench last year and will now fill a starting role.
Jackie Green, Taylor Buford, Sophia Way are three freshmen that could see lots of time.
The starting lineup is Moffat, Batman, Olivia Whalen, Alex Elbinga, and Julia Babrowski.
"We put a lot of pride in our conference schedule. We have a real big ball game Dec. 1 against Zion Benton. We beat them twice last year and they got to the final four," Dineen said.

Great I am Full (poem)

2011-11-18T21:38:00.000-06:00

Grateful for this bounty
The stuffing
The sweet potatoes with marshmallows
Have you ever had turducken?
I had it
I was grateful
When we went back to plain old turkey
Great I am full
Great I am full now-no cow
Just turkey tryptophan
Watching the Lions
And Cowboys
Thinking about John Madden
Thanksgiving is reminiscing
Natively missing
We were all immigrants
Then at the end of the night
When I remember what starving feels like
I loosen my belt
I think I am grateful
That I am full

Work Your Fingers (poem)

2011-11-16T20:26:00.002-06:00

It’s a mix and match
It’s a thumbtack barely hanging on for dear life
It is going under a knife for an elective surgery
It is lying under threat of perjury
It is injury that shapes you
It is being a Jew in a German neighborhood
It is your mood that fluctuates by the weather
It is a shield guard that you use as weather deflector
It is change of season
For no other reason than the sun revolves
Like a four gage
The sun dial gages the size of your smile
After awhile you except
You resign, you retire
Then you lose the thing that you identified with
Work everyday
People who don’t work
Never get addicted to work.

Smoliga Smokes 'Em At Sectional (article)

2011-11-16T16:46:00.000-06:00

Swimming to qualify for the state finals is certainly no easy task unless your name is Olivia Smoliga. The junior from Glenbrook South was on fire in her home pool during Saturday's sectional meet in Glenview.
Earlier in the week, Smoliga decided she would swim the 100-yard freestyle instead of the 100-yard backstroke. The decision worked in her favor as she won the freestyle in a time of 50.22 seconds. Smoliga also set a pool record in the 50-yard freestyle in 23.03 edging out Loyola's Evan Swenson (23.79).
Glenbrook South's 200-yard medley relay kicked things off Saturday afternoon beating out New Trier and Loyola in a thriller. The Titans took the title in 1:46.06 ahead of the Trevians (1:46.38) and Ramblers (1:46.51) by fractions of a second.
South's 200-yard freestyle relay was flanked in second place by New Trier (1st) and Loyola (3d).
In the 200-yard individual medley, a combo of Loyola girls finished in first and second place. Mallory Remick swam a time of 2:08.45, and close behind was Michelle Garland finishing with a time of 2:08.89.
"We definitely hoped to finish first and second, but we didn't expect it. It was nice doing it, but it was grueling," said Garland. "I was happy with our swim, I thought we both had really good times," Remick added.
"Compared to our times this season it was a marked improvement. Saving the best for last is my plan. I am more nervous than excited to swim at state. Finishing in the top six is definitely a goal at state," Remick concluded.
In addition to qualifying in the aforementioned race, Garland took first place in the 100-yard breaststroke.
A bright spot for Maine South was Jenna Zitkus. She qualified for state in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 58.58 and in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 59.10.
"It felt good to drop time and do better at sectionals. I hope to do way better at the state meet than last year because I know what I am preparing for. Now I am ready to go and have the experience of last time under my belt," Zitkus said.
Zitkus qualified in the butterfly on a very narrow margin. "I really wasn't paying attention because I was in the end lane. I knew I had girls ahead of me, but my teammates were cheering me on. I didn't know how I was doing during the race, but in the end it turns out I did enough."
Without the same notoriety of her Glenbrook South teammate, Katie Wells, a freshman with a wealth of talent qualified for state in the 100-yard freestyle. "I didn't swim my best race today, I was a little tired. I have better performances ahead of me. I am excited for state," said Wells.
The top three teams overall were New Trier with 302 points, Loyola with 256 points, and Glenbrook South with 213 points. Deerfield, Glenbrook North and Evanston rounded out the top 6.
The state meet will be held Friday and Saturday at New Trier.
Journal-Area State Swim Qualifiers
The following swimmers from the Journal's coverage area qualified at Saturday's Glenbrook South swim sectional for this weekend's state finals at New Trier.
200-Yard Medley Relay
Glenbrook South (1:46.06)
Loyola (1:46.51)
200-Yard Freestyle
Claire Rushin (Loyola)
Kimmy Durkin (Glenbrook South)
Kelly Cordes (Glenbrook South)
200-Yard IM
Mallory Remick (Loyola)
Michelle Garland (Loyola)
Katie Iida (Glenbrook South)
50-Yard Freestyle
Olivia Smoliga (Glenbrook South)
Evan Swenson (Loyola)
Edan Scott (Niles West)
Grace Tierney (Loyola)
Niki Wells (Glenbrook South)
Diving
Katie Rourke (Loyola)
Courtney Jacobs (Loyola)
Kelly Sanks (Niles West)
Amanda Browder (Glenbrook South)
100-Yard Butterfly
Maria Jardeleza (Loyola)
Jenna Zitkus (Maine South)
100-Yard Freestyle
Olivia Smoliga (Glenbrook South)
Grace Tierney (Loyola)
Edan Scott (Niles West)
Mallory Remick (Loyola)
Katie Wells (Glenbrook South)
500-Yard Freestyle
Claire Rushin (Loyola)
Kimmy Durkin (Glenbrook South)
200-Yard Freestyle Relay
Glenbrook South (1:36.67)
Loyola (1:37.51)
Maine South (1:39.71)
100-Yard Backstroke
Madeleine Jardeleza (Loyola)
Jenna Zitkus (Maine South)
Maria Jardeleza (Loyola)
100-Yard Breaststroke
Michelle Garland (Loyola)
Hallie Hengels (Glenbrook South)
400-Yard Freestyle Relay
Loyola (3:32.28)
Glenbrook South (3:34.03)
Maine South (3:37.23)

Glenbrook South Spikes Loyola (article)

2011-11-04T12:35:00.000-05:00

Glenbrook South brought down Loyola on the girls volleyball court Thursday night in Glenview, advancing the Titans to tomorrow's (Saturday's) super-sectional against St. Charles East at York High School in Elmhurst.
A win at York would propel the Titans, seeded 3rd in their Class 4A sectional, to next week's state finals.

First for the Titans (17-20) was Thursday's sectional championship victory on their home court over the No. 4 Ramblers (24-15), who GBS lost to on the road earlier this season.
The Titans started well with three aces in the first set's 20 points. Carson Weaver set the tone while making two confident backward sets on consecutive volleys and a 16-9 lead. Loyola would pull to within two, but that was as close as they would get.
South never relinquished the lead in the first set taking it 25-19. The second set saw the Ramblers lead 7-4 before Titans libero Abby Watkins (12 digs) perfectly placed a ball over the net to give the Titans momentum. Weaver's four aces led a 20-5 surge. The game winning point was provided by the tallest player on the court, 6-0 Olivia Nelson. Nelson spiked it to end the Ramblers season in the second set, 25-12. Nelson also tallied three crucial blocks to go along with a team high six kills.
"We were a different team that showed up today, and then was here on Tuesday. It was evident in everyone's play that we lost focus," a downtrodden Loyola coach Jenny Morris said.
Kaitlin Mohr, Loyola's captain, stat leader and stalwart was one bright spot for the Ramblers. Mohr scored eight kills overall, and came up with a huge seven points at the net in the first game. "It is not how I would like to end the season. We couldn't get it together; at every huddle we were flustered. There was no connection between the center and the hitter," Mohr said.
"We definitely practiced digging the middle, Kaitlin Mohr on Loyola is a great weapon for them. Our serving was tough tonight, so they weren't able to use her as well tonight," Glenbrook coach Katie Hoover said about sticking to the game plan.
Loyola was quicker with the block, so the Titans had to use their hitter coverage. South's Carson Weaver was getting everyone involved. She finished with 16 assists.
In 2009, GBS finished third in state and with Thursday's win, this is the farthest they have made it since then.
"Our success is definitely because of our leadership. We have strong captains who believe in themselves. Girls come prepared to play hard every day. We are playing our best volleyball at the end of the season," Hoover concluded.

Titans Take Care Of Trevs Twice; Lyons Next (article)

2011-10-31T14:01:00.001-05:00

The Glenbrook South student body started Friday's pre-game pep rally at 5 a.m., voted "Prep Destination of the Week" by a local TV station. Titan fans would have a lot to cheer about that night.
Friday's Class 8A first round matchup at John Davis Stadium in Glenview unfolded with the No. 5 Titans (7-2 coming in) having their way with No. 12 New Trier Trevians, 27-0.

Both sides had the luxury of going through game tape of their midseason clash that GBS won 21-10. Coach Mike Noll's game plan revolved around handoffs to running back Kevin Schroeder who would take advantage of the Titans' consistent blocking schemes.
Schroeder gave up the ball on a fumble during South's initial possession, but made up for it in the end tallying 25 carries for 130 yards and two scores. The player that would take on much of the blocking for Schroeder was Michael Demos, the team captain who stepped up on key plays.
Near the end of the 1st quarter the Trevians lined up in their rugby style formation. Demos broke through the blockers, and changed the path of the ball and the path of the game.
"We have been working on it all week. They have a different kind of punt formation. I felt I could get one off the edge, it was an awesome feeling," Demos stated. The blocked punt set up South's first score.
"I thought that the blocked punt was the play of the game. It certainly flipped the momentum. I am not surprised one bit that he made that play. He is our captain and a three-year starter," Noll happily reiterated.
The second quarter was a big one for the Titans. Schroeder scored on a 3-yard run with less than 12 minutes left in the second quarter. GBS then put the ball in the air. Titans QB Mac Zabriskie found his favorite target, Sully Stadler, on a 37-yard hookup for a TD. Schroeder's second TD came on a 17-yard run with time running down to make it 20-0 at the half.
"Mac threw the fade well and hit some open receivers," Noll said. The two minute drive right before halftime was the proverbial "nail in the coffin" on an early Halloween weekend spectacular.
The final score would be a pass from Zabriskie to Ose Ilenikhena with 9:33 left in 3rd. On the next possession, deep inside the red zone, Stadler then intercepted a pass intended for a Trevian wideout. The Titans didn't let down. Late in the game, Demos would recover a fumble to ice the victory.
"The defense contained their guy outside. The ball just squirted loose and I was there to pick it up," Demos concluded.
"We are going to scout Lyons and Bartlett Saturday. Then we will start breaking it down on Sunday. We are really proud how our kids bounced back after a tough game last week," Noll concluded.
The Titans travel to Lyons Township High School in LaGrange in a round two tilt. Date and kickoff time had yet to be announced by noon on Monday, Oct. 31.
The winner of that game faces the winner of the Loyola-Dunbar matchup set to take place in Chicago this weekend.

Loyola Brings Down Evanston, 35-0 (article)

2011-10-31T14:00:00.001-05:00

Loyola Academy, the #1 overall seed in the state's Class 8A high school football playoffs put on a show Saturday for everyone on the field, in the stands and in the stats column.
The Ramblers impressively claimed a first round win moving to a perfect 10-0 record. Their opponent, the #16 Evanston Wildkits, finished the season with a 5-5 record as the Ramblers rolled to victory, 35-0.

Loyola will now take on Chicago Dunbar with a location and time to be announced. No. 9-seed Dunbar won romped #8 Taft last week, 66-26.
On Saturday in Wilmette, Loyola QB Malcolm Weaver, conference player of the year, put up monstrous numbers. He finished the day 22-31 for 303 yards and 3 TDs. His longest touchdown was a 50-yard score, which came on the team's first drive. Weaver connected with target Rich Wehman (5 catches, 84 yards total) covering half the field, 6-0. The PAT kick by Will Cushwa was good and Loyola was up quick, 7-0.
That score would turn out to be all the points the Ramblers would need.
The Ramblers' defense stymied the Wildkit attack all day. Loyola, led by their seniors, would not allow a first down the entire first half. Senior LB Lars Lopatka had one tackle for a loss, and two pass deflections.
"We don't mind that our defense is sometimes over looked because we have such a strong offense. We like to sneak up on people," Lopatka stated.
The Ramblers held the Wildkits to under 70 yards from scrimmage. It was a drubbing from the get go.
"We have a team defense, one player is not bigger than the team," Loyola coach John Holecek said.
Loyola would score again in the first quarter as William Palivos plunged ahead on 1-yard score making it 13-0 with 1:43. At 1:40 in the 2nd, Weaver found Peter Pujals on a 28-yard route into the end zone.
At 3:28 in the 3rd, Weaver completed another TD pass to Charlie Dowdie (7 catches, 105 yards) for 25 yards. Weaver's stats would make any fantasy owner proud.
"This is a special team, we are clicking right now," Weaver said. Although the rushing game never fully got in gear, Weaver didn't look like he missed it.
The scoring was complete when Ryan Ribordy scored from 1-yard away at 4:28 in 4th.

No Trip To State 'Hard To Take' For Maine South Boys (article)

2011-10-31T13:59:00.001-05:00

The Loyola tandem of William Hague and Todd Ford clearly enjoy running together. Like the regional competition held the week before, they again ended up in the top 5, finishing 4th and 5th respectively at Saturday's Niles West cross country sectional.
The top five runners in the boys race were New Trier senior Leland Later (14:34), Oak Park-River Forest senior Malachy Scrobilgen (14:44), Willowbrook senior Pat Niyork (14:54), senior Hague (14:57), and senior Ford (15:06).

Niles West, Maine South and Niles North also competed from the Journal-area. York took the overall sectional crown topping New Trier by 37 points, with Loyola taking 3rd. The reminder of teams finished in this order: Niles West, Lane Tech, Maine South, Oak Park-River Forest, Niles North, Glenbard West, Lake Park, St. Ignatius, Whitney Young.
With these results Loyola and Niles West have advanced to this weekend's state finals.
Host Niles West has been in a battle with rival Niles North most of the year and secured its first state-meet boys invitation. Maine South and Lane Tech appeared tied for fifth with 173 points.
Unfortunately for Maine South, they would draw the short stick of a controversial judgment. As Niles West's Neal Omar neared the finish line he fell, his torso crossed the line but the microchip in his shoe that sends a signal to scorers put him behind. Maine South's Zach Eckhart would have been given 21st place ahead of Omar, and the Hawks would have been given a score of 173. However, the officials ruled that Omar crossed the line and Eckhart slipped back one place.
The result added one point to Maine South's total and eliminated them from the state finals.
"This was a decision that is hard to take, but we will have to live with it," said Maine South coach Greg Nordahl.
Niles West was led by senior Marc-Daniel Julien's ninth-place finish (15:21). Omar took 21st in 15:38.
Advancing to state as an individual from the Journal-area is Fabrian Cabrera of Leyden.
In ideal weather conditions, the girls sectional 3-mile race was also run at Niles West on Saturday. The top five runners in the girls race were New Trier junior Courtney Ackerman (17:02), Lake Park junior Kaylee Flanagan (17:17), New Trier junior Jessica Ackerman (17:17), Maine South sophomore Emily Leonard (17:20), and Glenbard East senior Lindsey Rakosnik (17:24).
Advancing as an individual was Danielle Devito from Glenbrook South who finished in 14th place with a time of 18:15.
Maine South girls will advance as a team to this weekend's state finals. The Hawks are comprised of all upper classmen except for Leonard who is a sophomore.
"I am happy with my performance, can't wait to run in the state meet. This is a big personal accomplishment, and a big team accomplishment. I am glad we could all share in this accomplishment," Leonard proudly stated.

Gratitude (poem)

2011-10-29T19:33:00.002-05:00

Constant reflection
Cost money
Two bit hustle
Lots of muscle
Edits with tricycles
We smile’
After a while
We paid
We stayed
Today we say not a word
This is just poet or prophet
Cost Money
Cost Dollar Dollar Bills
Take all the pills
To wake up
Bake and fake ignition
This station changes
But it is early in the stage
This page we write
When we fight all night
With ourselves
We wrestle with the idea
Ideas are just like pages
They start to take shape when full
This poem is dull

Tomorrow Dove (poem)

2011-10-28T23:28:00.001-05:00

There is a madman on the loose
There is a moose crossing the street
There is a beat reporter out there
There is more to see, and less to view
There are always great things to do
Chains of love
The common dove
Hovers over butterfly
That walk and stalk out prey
Today we offer up only tokens of gratitude
With a new attitude for tomorrow
We will see you tomorrow
Midnight strikes
The bike messenger
Comfort in a bigger acreage
Burning the treatments
Fold twice
Put some ice on the last decade
We will see you tomorrow

SUM Lucid now being sold at Barnes and Noble (update)

2011-10-24T21:36:00.002-05:00

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/jason-shimberg

Now buy SUM Lucid on Barnes & Noble Website

Ramblers, Hawks Battle Through Pack At Loyola Regional (article)

2011-10-24T09:46:00.001-05:00

A Loyola tandem showed great endurance during all four laps of Saturday's 3-mile Class 3A cross country regional hosted by the Ramblers at Harms Woods in Skokie.

The top five runners in the boys race were New Trier senior Leland Later (15:15), Loyola senior Todd Ford (15:26), William Hague, a Loyola senior (15:32), Niles West senior Neal Omar (15:36), and Marc-Daniel Julien, a Niles West senior (15:45).

Maine West, Elk Grove, Glenbrook South, Maine East and Maine South also competed from the Journal-area. South's Hawks took the overall regional crown topping New Trier by 17 points. The rest of the team field finished in this order: Niles North, Loyola, Niles West, Maine West, GBS, Glenbrook North, Elk Grove, Evanston, Maine East.

Even though Later finished 11 seconds ahead of Ford and Hague, he showed great respect for their talents.

"Both of those guys have a great chance to do very well at the state meet. Todd Ford has a great kick and I think he has a great shot at an individual title. William Hague has been up there his whole career," Later said.

"We could have gone out conservative, focusing more on sectionals just to get out of this meet, the last 600 hundred I pushed pretty hard. Not my best race, just made sure I got the job done," Ford said. "My plan was to race under control and move onto next week," Hague added.

Teams that advanced to this Saturday's sectional include Maine South, Niles North, Loyola and Niles West.

Advancing as individuals were Elk Grove senior Alex Mertes (16:32) and Gren sophomore Joey Kraemer (16:54), in addition to Maine East freshman Anthony Misiak (17:01).

Maine South was led by Zach Eckhart in 7th, Jon Vaccaro in 8th and Robert Taylor in 9th.

Before the boys meet on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Skokie, Loyola hosted the Class 3A girls race. The top five runners in this 3-mile race were New Trier junior Jessica Ackerman (17:31), Maine South sophomore Emily Leonard (17:32), New Trier freshman Mimi Smith (17:35), Maine South junior Megan Lemersal (17:55), and New Trier senior Julie Jackson (18:14).

"It was a good race. My goal was just to stay with the pack, New Trier had the better kick. I stayed more to the left, I should have cut to the right. My turns were too wide. All in all I think I had a good race. We were trying to cover New Trier. I am not disappointed, I am happy with how I ran, I had a good race," Leonard said slightly out of breath.

"I tried to stay as close to the front pack as possible, I got a little confused toward the end, so I fell back a little. I tried to keep as close to Emily as possible. But when I lost her, I was proud she finished so highly. Emily is better at longer distances, I am better at shorter distances. It would be great if we could make it to State as a team," Lemersal said.

Along with Maine South, other advancing girls teams were New Trier, Loyola, Glenbrook South and Glenbrook North.

In addition to two runners in the boys race, Elk Grove advanced two girls to this Saturday's sectional as individuals. Gren sophomore Loredana Lapano finished 29th overall (20:28) and teammate senior Rachel Pruim came in 41st (21:03), good enough to make the cut. Maine West junior Mayra Valezquez also moves on as an individual, placing 38th in a time of 20:46.

Qualifying runners at Harms Woods travel to the Niles West sectional this Saturday in Skokie. The state finals are Saturday, Nov. 5.

Prospect Over Stevenson: 'As Good As It Gets' (article)

2011-10-23T20:35:00.000-05:00

The game remained deadlocked after four overtime periods when the seldom-used tiebreaker rule kicked in. Prospect (19-0-2) prevailed 3-2 on tie-breaker kicks in Saturday's regional title game over the host Patriots at Stevenson High School.
For the Knights, the victory was their first regional title in 30 years.
"It came down to the last shot, I stepped up. We practice penalty kicks everyday for this type of moment. Every time we go into penalty kick situations, I'm not worried with our goalie," Prospect senior Richard Lenke said after scoring game winner.
Prospect, (19-0-2) a No. 2 seed in the Palatine sectional and Mid Suburban League champs, seemed entitled to home field advantage, but Saturday night's regional final was played on Stevenson's home field in Lincolnshire. The favored Knights faced a determined Patriot team that extended a tied 1-1 game into four overtimes. Stevenson, the No. 8 seed, felt right at home with their team's logos dominating both end zones of the field.
The Knight scored first in the 49th minute of play. Ihor Lehkiv assisted on the goal off a free kick as Matthew Burikas headed it into the net. Alex Smith's first goal of the season for Stevenson couldn't have come at a better time in the 63rd minute with the assist going to Constantine Kulhman on a corner kick.
"I think we are pretty special, every time it seems we are down an out, we come away with a win," Lenke added.
"We have a special group of boys, we don't have just one or two great players, several players that fill roles and know exactly what to do. Starts with great goal tending. We have finishers, we have guys in the middle, and we have a solid backline. I can trust them to do what needs to be done. I don't really have to coach them. Technically we could have been a lot better today," Knights coach Kurt Trenkle said.
"It is sad it had to end this way, you can't prepare a high school athlete for that amount of pressure. I've been doing this for 25 years. This game was as good as it gets," Patriots coach Mark Schartner said.
Prospect will next play Buffalo Grove (13-4-6) in a sectional semifinal at Palatine on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Libertyville plays Fremd in the other semi at 5 p.m. and the winners face off for the sectional crown on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 11 a.m. at Palatine.
"We played Buffalo Grove earlier in the year and won 3-0, you can't underestimate anyone at this point, anything we can happen," Lenke said. "I knew we could see Buffalo Grove again, because they have an outstanding midfield," Trenkle said.

Notre Dame Makes Playoffs In 'Must-Win' Situation (article)

2011-10-23T20:34:00.000-05:00

Each game on Notre Dame's football schedule has been a key one this season. When you start out 0-3, the magnitude to win the final game of the season is magnified. On this Friday night under the lights in Niles, the Dons were victorious over East Suburban Catholic foe St. Patrick, 24-14.
On Notre Dame's first drive they wanted to set the tone. At 9:28 left in 1st quarter Nick Pieruccini scurried 7 yards around the left hash on a QB keeper for the score. The Shamrocks tied the game late in the first quarter on Ryan Tentler's 25-yard touchdown pass to Steve Galiardo. But Pieruccini would not be denied. At 8:57 left in 2nd quarter, he danced his way for another touchdown inside the red zone. The point after was blocked resulting in a 13-7 score.
The Dons' defense stepped up to control St. Pat in the 2nd half. Linebacker Dan Proano made a key sack on a blitz to gain possession after a resulting fumble. The Dons' effective ground game kept the clock ticking. RB Conner Gavin picked up key first downs while securing the football.
The star on this night was Notre Dame quarterback Pieruccini (20 carries for 151 yards).
"The line was giving great push up front creating big holes to run right through," Pieruccini stated.
"We run an option formation that keeps the ball in Pieruccini hands, making the defense have to defend him as a runner. He is a tough kid, keeping the ball in his hands is what the offense is all about. His 1,400 yards passing and 600 rushing yards on the season are impressive," Dons coach Mike Hennessey said.
The Dons of Notre Dame (5-4) needed this victory to secure a round one matchup vs. #1 seed Batavia (9-0) in Class 6A. The Dons are now playoff bound for the sixth straight year. The IHSA passed a one-year waiver for Notre Dame to play in the smaller 6A class. The Dons have not historically advanced very far in the 8A playoffs.
"This was a must win. Over the long haul the team became better at listening and executing. They became better teammates because we started 0-3, we had to do a great coaching job to get these kids to believe. Even though it was a coaching risk, we started four sophomores. Our program is healthy for years to come," Hennessey concluded.

Pats Bust Out Rally Towels (article)

2011-10-19T16:48:00.000-05:00

By Jason Shimberg Correspondent

Signs of autumn were evident on this brisk Senior Night in Lincolnshire. For three quarters, the Stevenson home crowd sat on their hands and rally towels, not just for warmth. Even with the home team announcer's constant encouragement, the white rally towels did not go on display until the final quarter of play, when all of Patriot nation awoke to produce an impressive rally.
Wauconda held a 12-0 advantage with 7:20 left in regulation. The only bright spot for Stevenson in the first half was RB Kevin Foley's rushing 16 times for 109 yards. He would finish the game with a solid 29 carries for 166. Stevenson suddenly shook off their three quarter malaise with QB Matt Micucci (8-15, 186 yards) and WR Matt Morrissey (3 catches, 115 yards) hooking up twice for long touchdown receptions to pullout this conference crossover battle, 13-12.

Morrissey made sure he knew where the back of the end zone was as he secured the first touchdown managing to gracefully stay in bounds for a 21-yard reception. The second catch was a deep bomb that went for 63 yards.
"The back of the end zone was a harder catch than the post that I ran. Wauconda had man coverage. I was given half of the field. Matt put it right on the money, all I had to do was just run into the end zone," sophomore receiver Morrissey humbly explained.
Morrissey should be an all around weapon for the next two years with his ability to contribute at receiver, QB and safety. When he injured the thumb on his throwing hand he was forced to temporarily give up his pursuits at QB, for now.
Even with the late Patriot touchdown surge, a missed extra point on the first touchdown kept the pressure on the final extra point. Micucci, QB and placekicker, was given the opportunity to attempt the winning extra point, and it was all but a formality as he propelled the ball through.
"We said to ourselves this comes down to heart. The 4th quarter was great, but we wish we had succeeded a little earlier. It was a very slow start, but it was vital to get this win. We will attempt to play a full four quarters of football next week," Morrissey concluded.
Stevenson finishes the regular season on Friday at home against Mundelein.

Maine West Battles GBN To Final Whistle (article)

2011-10-07T22:35:00.001-05:00

The winless Maine West Warriors visited Northbrook Thursday evening on what was a picture perfect night for football. What unfolded was a tightly played game that went down to the final whistle.
The Warriors (0-7, 0-3), led by QB Jake Korbecki, have had their share of execution struggles this season especially on option plays. They appeared to have worked out their challenges, executing well versus the Spartans. Korbecki kept the ball himself on each crucial down in a 61-yard drive that ended in a touchdown with 6:20 left in the first half to tie the game 7-7.
"We run the option, so every play I can either hand off to the fullback or I can run it so usually they collapse on the fullback. As a result, I usually take the ball," Korbecki said.
Coach Chris Hare stated, "We started clicking on the option, we ran it well, we were calling it when we should call it. The right plays at the right time. When it works well, it is a good looking offense." Hare added, "We got bottled up on a couple plays. They put eight or nine in the box. They came at us. Jake's runs were affective. A couple of times Jake was being tackled, but he got out of it and made some nice runs. That is the thing about the option; you have to have four runners. Tonight, we had a solid two or three with our slots."
Hare was certainly one of the more notable of the Warriors playing despite injury. Hare recently underwent his second back surgery in six months.
"This is my first day back, I had my surgery a week ago. I am hurting right now, I am hurting for the kids. That is more important, I am hurting for them because this was a game we could have won," Hare stated.
With only seven minutes remaining in the game Korbecki ran the ball 36 yards around the left side to the 2 yard line. On the next play he found his intended receiver Alex Pierce in the back of the end zone with 6:01 left to tie the score at 14-14.
However, with only 29 seconds left, Jason Scholl of the Spartans found pay dirt to give GBN enough to pull out the 21-14 win. When the Warriors got the ball back deep in their own territory, Scholl intercepted Korbecki's pass attempt on first down to ice the game.
Next Friday, Maine West will host Maine East.
"Maine East is always a fun game because it is the battle of the Maines in our own district," Hare stated.
"We are going to come back and practice hard for Maine East. We love playing them, they should be a tough team, so we got to get it right in practice," Korbecki said.

Will the Cubs consider fantasy GM (poem)

2011-09-27T06:40:00.002-05:00

The Cubs hired there P.A. through a contest
Is Ricketts considering winning fantasy G.M.'s
Check out my resume

Beane Ball
Fantasy mall. Sum Lucid might win
Might rest on the shoulders of four closers
Shop for players
With worth, value, and commodity
It’s an oddity
That a first year GM should win the crown
In this town you are Chicago tough
Read the book about money
Saw the first showing of the film, ain’t that funny
Scouts are lonely
Statisticians are lonely
Reported
Wrote
Worked on my stats inc.
Prepared, no one more than me
As we enter 2 days left, I own the tiebreaker
No one game playoff
I am prepared for the call from Ricketts
Burnt out on numbers
Beginner’s luck
Stuck in first
Trade for Halladay did not go through
But it might be o.k.
As a kid I commissioned fantasy leagues with monopoly money
I have fantasy experience.
Box scores
Season ends in two days
Loyalty to stay with a team that might not win it all
I think Ricketts should consider two people for 2012 GM:
Billy Beane and the winner of the league Kenny Powers for MVP, "A"

North Freshman Steps Up On Maine East Homecoming Night (article)

2011-09-26T17:03:00.000-05:00

While the locals rolled out their best vintage cars to provide pregame entertainment, "not vintage" was Niles North freshman QB Tony Granato in his first high school varsity team start Friday at Maine East.

The freshman team's signal caller, Granato got the call up to the varsity Thursday to replace junior Billy Voitik, who continues to suffer the effects of a concussion.

The freshman performed as if he had played at this level before, and the Viking offense didn't skip a beat in spoiling East's Homecoming week, 42-14. Tony, the younger brother of former Viking QB Mike Granato certainly reinforced the cliché that "older brothers make you tougher."

Niles North played a smart ball control game from beginning to end. Their game plan allowed Granato to limit his mistakes while guiding the offense to a sizeable 28-0 halftime lead. Although Granato's stats where not outstanding, completing just three balls for 31 yards, he executed the game plan he was asked to follow. He handed off to Oshayne Brown 11 times for 93 yards, highlighted by the second play from scrimmage when he took the handoff leading to a 67-yard touchdown. The Viking offense tallied a total of 229 yards on 31 carries leading to five rushing touchdowns.

Niles North (2-3, 1-0) head coach Scott Smith said after the 42-14 victory, "Our toughest part of the schedule is coming in the next few weeks. We are pretty thin, so more injuries are a real concern. If we can sustain this kind of effort for the whole game, I think we can battle for the conference.

"I think any good coach is going to look at his program for the next best guy," Smith continued. "Granato has shown the ability and he understands the game. I wasn't sure until yesterday that I was going to even start him. I figured he would turnaround and hand the ball to Oshayne. I am really pleased with how Tony performed."

Maine East (0-5, 0-1) head coach Gabe Corey said after the defeat, "We gave the game away. We basically gave them points in the first half on nothing. It's hard when you dig yourself a hole. We gave up too many turnovers, we can't hand wrap gifts to our opponents. The biggest thing that is hurting us right now is we haven't won on the field yet, and so there less confidence in what we are doing, until we get one in the bag. I give our kids credit for keeping their heads up and playing till the final whistle. We will keep plugging away in our next four CSL North games."

No edits (poem)

2011-09-25T00:38:00.003-05:00

no credits
no edits
procrastination
is for the a.d.d. nation
my relation to the space station is
a needle
a cord
dreams in waking life
cut the cord
I am free
just me
everybody else is behind bars
pick up line don't work inside bars
blast off
pick up hitchhikers
bikers control the road
bike lanes
bike pains
bike trails
mayor must make way for walkers
talkers in the cell
brain damage
caused by deodorant
This back stretch stretches
Makes sense we repent
This mail is sent
I bend the spoon this afternoon
Went to the fork in the road
I drafted two pages
erased one
and made a one hit wonder
fun as sun in summer
what a bummer
I fall out of love
winter soon
full moon
it is almost time to shovel
gloves
Mookie Blaylock
and long socks

Convenient Confidant (poem)

2011-09-25T00:04:00.000-05:00

Thank you for being a friend 711
You are open 24/7
You are a pal and a confidant
I am a six pack deep
And you do not judge
I do not budge at midnight
My curfew is light
Full-bodied taste and kettle style
After a while a short trip is so convenient
That I just realized my car bought in April has a functioning heating system
It is suppose to warm up
Bye Cook County
Off to sunnier sales tax pastures
Bye bye
Bye J.A.S.

Star Set (poem)

2011-09-22T23:54:00.001-05:00

Count your lucky stars
Count your unlucky stars
Count sheep
Little Bo Peep
No peaking
So lucky to be alive
Lucky to be lucid
Sum Lucid
Lucky I have this life for as many sunsets that have taken place
I may not finish first but I may place
This face may be scarred
But count your lucky stars

Silence Sir (poem)

2011-09-22T23:28:00.000-05:00

One time I drank too much coffee and a poem formed
Strong
Two times I smoked too much tobacco and a poem formed
Strong
Three times I listened to a good beat
Strong
Four times I expunged a crime
Strong
Five times I consumed too much sugar
Strong poem formed
Considerable vices
I meditated, yoga’d my body
Poetry formed but pain made me want to go hard
Soft poets are created they are not born
You can’t teach bipolar
You can teach English
You can speak any language you invent
Pen invent the language lost called poetry
Stickers move
Get in the groove
I write about the past, I write fast
My average poem takes five minutes
So I have a talent
Everyone possesses one
Gunshot out in the distance
Firecracker cover up
The silent retreat is sitting in an apartment all day in communication with a poem

Titan Back Scores 5 TDs In Rout Of Blue Demons (article)

2011-09-21T18:23:00.000-05:00

There was no let down from week three for the Glenbrook South Titans (3-1) last Friday hosting the Maine East Blue Demons (0-4) in Glenview.
There was also no let up. The Titans were in cruise control in the first half, driving to a 49-6 lead half way through. With a running clock in the second half, the Demons were in no position to mount a comeback.
The final score was 63-12.
South's offensive stars came out of the backfield. It was RB Kevin Schroeder with five prodigious touchdowns and RB Osi Ilenikhena with a long run for over 70 yards. Schroeder, who in week three carried the ball 29 times, rested and rushed in this game only six times resulting in 38 yards and 4 scores, catching one more TD in the air.
He added to his considerable night with a 45-yard TD catch. Schroeder started the engine for the Titans and Ilenikhena did not slow down the offensive explosion. Ilenikhena, a speedy, gifted talent, scored his first varsity touchdown. He finished the night with 135 yards on only 3 carries; all three were rushed into the end zone.
Both head coaches were talkative after the ball game.
"We talked to the kids all week about playing at our level. Trying to build some confidence at what we do. In the backfield we have had some previous injuries but everyone was back tonight. We have been in three fairly close ball games. It's always good for morale to get everybody some action. The offensive line did a great job, the holes were huge," stated GBS coach Mike Noll.
"We pride ourselves on being a smart football team, a smart football program. We have emphasized in practice to cut down on penalties. We wanted to play our backup quarterback a lot and see what he could do in a meaningful situation," Noll added.
"I thought defensively we were in position to make plays. It wasn't a scheme problem, we were there. We hesitated, instead of attacking. We just didn't do a good job of tackling tonight," Maine East coach Gabe Corey said.
Corey, looking forward, added, "The nice thing about it, this is the toughest team on our schedule this year. I told our kids afterwards, they are every bit as tough as Maine South talent wise. Regardless of what that score says, there are some good things we can take out of it."
Glenbrook South is on the road this week at Evanston. Maine East is back at home against Niles North.

Rush Hashanah (poem)

2011-09-21T11:24:00.000-05:00

There is no rush to Rosh Hashanah
Moving day after all
To a small suburb of Chicago
I had aspirations to travel farther
Two years as a cook
Has taught me how to microwave
Faster back to the lake
To stake a claim on taxes, faxes, leases on boats in the lake
Hanging pictures is easier then taking them down
I may become a dental’s assistant
2 years older, no rush to Rosh Hashanah
Manana
Just another day with more space
The human race
Grows
Studio’s unrelated to art
1 bedroom’s for one person
2 bedroom’s for one person
As Jerry Seinfeld said on Rosh Hashanah
“What do I need two bedrooms, I have enough trouble maintaining action in one.”
So is the grass greener
Depends on the season
Shoveling your own snow is worse than shoveling other people
What I won’t miss is plumbing, blackouts, and the six inch space between my toilet and sink
Mexican eatery close enough to walk
Organic smokes
Bars
Checking out my own book from the library
Will the librarian recognize the author of SUM Lucid?
Has anyone that narcissistic ever tried it?
Let us pray on Rosh Hashanah, I win my fantasy baseball league so I can get the IPhone 5…

Robert Morris Falls To Visiting Saints (article)

2011-09-14T10:06:00.000-05:00

Arlington Hts. gave the full appearance of a college football town last Saturday. From the tailgaters, to the free raffle giveaways, cheerleaders, mascots and the small press box the town welcomed the Robert Morris University Eagles to their second home game at Forest View Stadium.
Unfortunately, the Eagles (0-3) are still looking for their first win to return the favor provided by their hometown's hospitality.

The Saints of Siena Heights must have flown or bused-in every alum that had ever attended the small Michigan school. A talented Siena squad came out pumped up in their first game ever---something Eagles players and coaches could easily relate to as their first ever game came against Mayville State just a few short weeks ago.
"There were a lot of similarities to our first game. The difference is they came out and dominated play in the second half," said Eagles head coach Jared Williamson.
Siena Heights racked up 407 total yards, converted four opportunities in the red zone. The key to the game may have been the lack of rushing by RMU. They finished with -3 yards, only controlling the ball for 22:18 of game clock.
The Eagles' only score came via the air when Matt Westerkamp connected with the lengthy 6-6 TE Tyler Warden. At 2:50 of the second quarter, Warden stretched out to make the score 13-7. The Saints took that lead into half and capitalized on second half mistakes by the Eagles.
"Today we got outcoached and outplayed, overall they are not a better team, I need to do a better job at getting our guys to play, that is the bottom line," stated Williamson. The final score was 30-7.
The Eagles' local talent includes Sunil Rehmani, a 6-0 freshman receiver who played his high school ball at Niles North. Rehmani had two catches for 10 yards.
"Sunil is a very hard worker and an excellent blocker. He is reliable; you know where he is going to be. He is not going to have a lot of missed assignments. You are not going to question his effort," Williamson said.
Another recruit from the area is Jason Olson, a 6-0 freshman defensive stopper and punter who played prep football at Hersey. Olson recorded two tackles and one assist. Olson also had 8 punts for 311 yards for an average of 38.9. Olson's average punt was better than the Saints punter who kicked half as much. Two were inside the 20 with a long of 55 yards.
"Jason has done a phenomenal job moving from linebacker to defensive line. As you saw today, he is an excellent punter," Williamson added.
Coach Williamson is not looking ahead yet to a rematch with the Saints. He is focused on the next home opponent, scheduled for Sept. 24 against Ave Maria University of Florida.
"Right now, I am focused on our bye week and getting better," Williamson concluded.

Titans Win In Northbrook, 28-14 (article)

2011-09-12T19:33:00.001-05:00

The atmosphere Friday night at Glenbrook North (1-2) screamed rivalry, but Glenbrook South (2-1) had not competed against GBN in football since 2008.

Perhaps previous year schedule makers felt this regular season matchup was best reserved for the playoffs. The three-year wait was way too long.

The longtime neighborhood rivals were knotted at halftime, 14-14. On the last play of the first half the rains came and most of the crowd hustled to their cars and any available form of shelter. Although the puddles formed, the rain had reached its apex before the second half began. Whether it was the rain or something GBS coach Mike Noll said in the locker room, the Titans never looked back.

The star of the 2nd half was Kevin Schroeder. He is the soft spoken younger brother of two previous Schroeders who wore the GBS navy and gold, and he outplayed the conditions and GBN.

Not to be overlooked was Titan Michael Demos who made a big impact on both sides of the line. Schroeder relied on Demos to create openings in the defensive line for him to run through.

"Kevin is a horse, when he runs hard it gets all of us going," Demos said. Demos also had two tackles for a loss playing defensive lineman. Sully Stadler led the GBS defense in tackles with 5 and 2 assists.

It was an ideal playing surface to grind it out. Schroeder showed up big time with 29 rushes for 197 yards and 2 TDs. The longest run was 38 yards, averaging 6.8 per carry.

"The offensive line did their job. It's not all about me, it's all about them. They did all the blocking. I just ran the ball where I am supposed to run," Schroeder said. Schroeder must have had on his good cleats because he never appeared to lose traction while he made others around him slip and slide.

The final score was 28-14, as Schroeder's two touchdowns in second half proved to be the margin of victory. The lines crew got quite a workout with an untold number of measurements and stoppages of play due to 22 total penalties. It seemed coach Noll was able to consult with starting QB Mac Zabriskie after virtually every play. Sixteen of the seventeen first downs by GBS came as a result of a handoff. The passing game was an afterthought as the Titans had no trouble on the ground.

Maine East is up next for GBS on Friday in Glenview. After Friday's crosstown showdown, GBS will have to avoid letdown in week three.

Human (poem)

2011-09-09T03:18:00.002-05:00

Day and night
We put up a fight
Bite we write out our dreams
Teams play out there on silver talons
Working out dividers, rhythm, and binders
Cloth mask
This simple task
Bask in the sunshine so bright the memory fades
Still out there friend of sun
Cinnamon bun in the oven
We live out our desires through awake moments that come few and far between
Tap out, and hang out with nothingness for awhile
Always put a smile on my face
This human race

lower case (poem)

2011-09-09T01:31:00.000-05:00

Way past the clock buried me beneath
You never forget the first time
You are locked down
Locked in
That bottle
Ain’t gonna help
Yelp will
Find an eatery
Repeatery three times a day
Anniversaries come but once a year
Six packs divide your slacks
Jacks and flashing lights
Is vegas at night
Showroom palace
Alice in her Restaurant restraint

Milk it for what it's worth (poem)

2011-09-09T01:23:00.000-05:00

Dungeons of persistence
Resistance at every corner
A bow and an angle
A heavenly angel
A Bengal striped like a tiger
A Jewish feline rewind the spine
Relax into a brutish sweat
Edible arrangements
Entanglements
Junior mints
Extra large mints
Senior milky ways
Stars, atmosphere
Spores
More s’mores
Fire starter
Shot caller
Roast and toast to legend

Bases loaded (poem)

2011-09-09T01:07:00.000-05:00

Fingertip control
Bowling ball
Small ball
Bean bag
Beene ball
Weather you whether short or tall
You shall fall in love
With the jump hook
Just to reverse pivot
The divot in the sand
Shakes free
Chop block to the knee
Aggressive ;b; team
They are second string
Play wing
Set up man
Set shot
Two handed dunk
Peach basket
Goal post
Turkey roast
Post up
Post it on your blog
Arkansas hogs
Wade Boggs
Lift weights
First mate
Sail to central America to find talent wash itself to the sea
Find a town playing stick ball
Mookie Blaylock
Mookie Wilson
Rookie of the year
Shaving cream in the ear hurts less
Than a moth
To a flame
Back of jersey has no name
Play for front
Sacrifice bunt
Hunt for October
Overlaps to create day games
Lights at the end of tunnels
Funnel cakes
Lake Erie Monsters
Look up at the scoreboard and wonder will I ever get that shot
That call up to play ball in the fall
Winter needs four wheel drive
Needs a full count
3 and 2
Bases loaded

Turnover overturned (poem)

2011-09-09T00:31:00.001-05:00

Turnover in the crowd
The masses as time passes
The passing game is slipping dripping wet
from all the fumbles never recovered.
Above all we fall for the hook and ladder.
Nothing makes me sadder then a missed opportunity to receive a reception then fall into the end zone.
Big league chew
Sitting out this one with cramps. Revamp the offense defend the crew at this Jewish school
Pull the wool over my eyes
I’m ready to look you in the eye
Face mask off
Ripped as it tore through the uprights
Football don’t lend itself to fights
How can you damage someone with padding
Some like summer, sum like fall, sum zip to the mall
Sum x lucid
Sometimes lucid
My heart is not in this game
Make a right turn during school hours, only school buses
To predict the outcome
Is bubble gum
To report the outcome
Is ginger ale
To not know the outcome is an epic fail

Stumpers (poem)

2011-09-07T22:38:00.002-05:00

When the rich get down
They take the town below ground
I found beneath this reef
It cost money just to go to the beach to be sunny
Shade and Fade away jumpers
trivia and thought stumpers
Bumper sticker
The heart ticker
The brutal eastbound sun
This hits me hard
Moon and sun collide
I hide
I abide
I must lie down in my hometown
Some can't go home
Some can't find a way
When you go away you don't want to be rich
You want to be more then you were when you were poor

Home Sports Stevenson Tops Glenbrook South On 'Night Of Champions' (article)

2011-09-05T15:52:00.001-05:00

This second week matchup of top-20 ranked teams may be an early season barometer of just how far the Glenbrook South Titans and Stevenson Patriots will go.

Stevenson (1-1) received the ball to start the game on a hot and humid evening in Lincolnshire and knew exactly what they wanted to do. They wanted to run, and that they did. When the final buzzer sounded in Stevenson's 17-15 victory, the Patriots had rushed for 261 yards on 43 carries.

Every play from scrimmage on the opening 80-yard possession was a handoff. The tempo setter was Kevin Foley who finished with 12 carries for 81 yards. Eleven of those carries and 77 of those yards came in the first half. Foley scored from 16 yards out on the initial drive at 7:38 in first quarter.

"I have to thank the coaches and all the offensive line. They are just great blockers, great team effort right there. It's not all me." Foley added: "We really wanted this victory, we have been working really hard for it. I'm happy we got what we have been working for."

On the second Stevenson drive, GBS (1-1) decided to blitz and defensive lineman Gus Shipp was able to stop the carry behind the line of scrimmage. For the Titans, 6-4 Sully Stadler stepped up big as he ended a Stevenson drive with an outstanding interception to prevent a two touchdown lead right before halftime.

Talented Stevenson QB Matt Micucci, whose reputation is based more on his prowess as a kicker than that of a signal caller, booted a field goal of 40 yards to make the score 10-0. GBS responded early in the 4th with Stadler, playing on the offensive side of the ball, again demonstrating his catching skills as he and Mac Zabriskie hooked up for an 18-yard touchdown. The Titans trailed 10-7.

With time running down at the 6:14 mark of the 4th, Chris Peters scored a 2-yard TD to try to put the game away for Stevenson. But the Titans made a late surge to cut it to 4 points as running back Sean Christ plunged into the end zone from 1 yard away.

A successful 2-point conversion pass was complete. The Titans found themselves down by two. GBS had only six seconds left to try an onside kick.

Timmy Breen of Stevenson made sure to fall on the bouncing ball and the Patriots walked away with the win on "Night of Champions" in Lincolnshire.

Next Friday: Glenbrook South travels to Northbrook to take on district rival Glenbrook North, while the Patriots host Zion-Benton.

BBQ (poem)

2011-08-31T20:33:00.002-05:00

Took a cruise ship
Sailed past the masses
Felt it was my duty to swim with the sharks
I bark at dogs
See wild hogs
The fog is setting in
Gin is pouring out like the ocean
All this sea sickness
Is making me drunk
I eat an oyster barbecued
In the afternoon sun
Not too far from here
There is a bar that sells non-alcoholic
Beer
I just have to wait it out
To find a place to stay
A place to rest my head
Until I am buried and my ashes are smoked
Barbecued in the sun
Sunny and funny
Playboy bunnies give eulogies
I apologize for having three wives
No knife can save me
I am sprinkled in the sea
My soul is far from me

California Nose Comma Chicago Knows (creative non-fiction)

2011-08-30T00:48:00.001-05:00

California Nose Comma Chicago Knows
By Jason Shimberg
If reporters are supposed to be good at writing headlines and titles then why do editors always change them to something less substantial? I think the title says it all and I have worked as a reporter for eight years. I have written over 150 articles and only once has the editor taken my exact title to describe the place I was at. The editor wasn’t in attendance.
Why is it so hard to take care of yourself in the 20th century or the 21st century? Some are looking to live forever. Others are looking to live fast and die young. As a writer we feel the need to be down to write. But if you feel good do the words ever come? Not as fast, so here I am at the underpass.
In three rooms stood three entities, a Buddhist, a Jew, and a cigarette addicted monkey. This sounds like the first line to a joke, but in fact it was what Joel had to figure out. He walked in the room with the Buddhist; he knew that path would not hold his attention long enough to make a life change, and for the good of humanity he believed it was more or less not his path. He knew room number two with the Jew offered light through the eternal struggle of enlightenment while on this planet. The cigarette addicted monkey offered Joel a challenge to be the savior. He chooses none of these rooms and instead made a home deep in the forest with just his sleeping bag for safety. If in one room we had all the Jews, all the Krishna’s, all the Bible belters, the Buddhists and Muslim. The cigarette addicted monkeys would still have the best vice. Truly it would equate to the same thing, more suffering.
I know I can move forward but the temptation to step back to write another straight to the point chronological memoir is too good to pass up. Sure my life may not be as interesting the last year. Working on health isn’t always a page turner. Sometimes the best writing comes from those uninteresting hiccups. Going somewhere higher ultimately comes from a real desperation. When the world looks at you as one thing, you just sidle up to put on a different front. But when the hardest, deepest secrets resurface don’t drown them in sorrow for forty years. Put them on the page! That is the only advice I can give any first time author. I broke my nose in California my first time around. I am trying to break ground with my writing and poetry.
This book will not contain neat little pictures on the inside. I look different in the State of California than I look in Chicago. California has trick mirrors and a tricky state of mind. It leads you into thinking that things are easier than they appear. I am not saying beauty is skin deep.
In the state that produced Jim Morrison and Charlie Manson, I arrived swinging a big stick with a big mouth. I left my safety net and nook back in Illinois to embark on a journey in the state where I already had one strike against me. Not many people make it out to tell the story, now I am telling it twice. When I got there I didn’t know what would be inside the package. I thought about my well being and took enough medication where I didn’t feel like I would be trapped. My Father still has considerable influence financially and emotionally in my life. I considered the options, if my Father passes away, I have to support myself.
I step solidly off the plane in Uggs, purchased by my Mother when we were on speaking terms. I look for my green luggage which was borrowed from my Sister. My Sister and I are always on speaking terms. I don’t own much, but the willingness to do service. I wait for what could be the longest three months of my life or the most rewarding. I now weigh upwards of 275 pounds. I search out every kind of sun salutation and downward dog that will make me into a better and slimmer man the next time my knee buckles. The next time I get blood drawn or blood pressure read.
In yoga circles and studios we are instructed to take our shoes off. We are instructed that this is a safe place where we can channel the inner drive of our soul. If our soul was born without shoes then it makes sense we take them off now reaching for adulthood. I am in a world of my own making. I fall in love with most of my yoga instructors at first glance. I am not the prototypical yogi or poet. I morphed from a lazy student and jock to the tenth degree of spirituality. I started following “new age,” things in the ninth grade. When girls were just out of my grasp I needed a hook. I needed something that would separate me from the masses. I knew if I started reading about all these living saints maybe through osmosis I would become more desirable to the opposite sex, knowing they could not have me. Like a priest and the cloth.
I usually blow my money on gambling. Gambling is not yoga. It uses different muscle groups than yoga uses. Yoga conserves energy, gambling puts your energy out for free. Karma gives thought to the Frisbee analogy that if you sweep a floor, the next time you walk into a room it will be swept by someone unannounced to you. Not every person finds pleasure in mundane tasks such as karma yoga for service. Gambling you want to get paid, that is the goal. Karma yoga teaches us that payment will come in a different form then money. So I benefit from yoga and gambling, different but equal. I got off the plane and looked for my ride to Mount Madonna, an ashram in Northern California.
I was supposed to meet a woman named Casey from our program email list, I couldn’t figure out if Casey was a male or female name. I called her the night before to double check and she was indeed female. In yoga circles woman outnumber the men by a wide margin. We were also suppose to meet Meg who changed her travel plans to get picked up at San Jose airport. She would have to describe what she was wearing so we could identify her, I was picked up first and found Meg in her slightly orange shirt and horn rimmed bright red glasses.
I was signed up to reside for the next three months at a very fair price. I did not know who or what I would encounter there. I was in transition, I usually go to California looking for something and when I return to the suburbs I know I have found a road that leads back to independence of thought but not of means. The year is 2011, you might think because I mention the word ashram that maybe this place and time is the 1960’s. You might think that because I listen to bands such as The Doors, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin that maybe I grew up in a different time. I am surrounded by technology. I am surrounded by chatter of the mind and twittering of those near me.
I was first seriously injured on a court in 1996, playing in a Junior Varsity game, but the injury at the ashram had to be the shoes. I got these shoes in 2006. Former NBA All-Star, Latrell Sprewell was ahead of his time in many ways. Latrell invented the “spinnahs” for your car, and put them on his shoes. Latrell was creative, the shoes came damaged, and at the ashram I removed the damaged sole that made too much noise.
I met a kindred basketball spirit named Andrew. Andrew was a nice Vegan from a broken home where they ordered fast food nightly as the only means of survival. He believed in true love and the power of meditation. He resided at Mount Madonna and was completing the last phase before becoming a full time resident. Andrew was cross-eyed from birth, but surgery after high school corrected this, his mother thought he didn’t want to get the surgery because he didn’t want to see in the midst of his parent’s divorce. Andrew and I attended an NBA game in Oakland between the Golden State Warriors and my hometown team the Chicago Bulls. The Warriors topped the Bulls on the scoreboard that night. I was not too heartbroken. The Bulls ended the season with the best overall record. There was a large contingency of Bulls fans in attendance. Ben was the one who drove us to Oakland, we all hung out before Ben went to meet a friend in nearby Berkley. Ben was a nice friend but we had a little financial disagreement over gas money. Ben was in the second phase of the program. I originally submitted my application and would have been placed in his fall session group if I hadn’t changed my mind so I would miss more of the heavy snow in Chicago. The weather in Watsonville averaged about sixty degrees a day. It didn’t rain until I was leaving.
I did a lot of hiking on the private trails of Mount Madonna’s 355 acres. That is one of the reasons I wanted to attend. The couple of John and Julia was a strong dynamic in our group of ten. I saw them openly fight once, when John thought Julia was speaking for everyone else. In a small group dynamic, a microcosm couple can sometimes upset the majority who are not having regular sex.
Initially becoming a resident did not compel me, making about the same I do now from SSI disability. But the more I think about it, as my own funds dry up and my Father, who is my main source of income, has reached his ladder years. My Father and Mother lived in a Boulder tipi before they married and followed a 13 year old guru named Maraji throughout India for their honeymoon. I realize that a safe haven like Mount Madonna may be something I want to return to someday. I have that option to return and I would be credited. The people who were first scared of my memoir became my champion after getting to know me better.
I injured my knee when colliding with Andrew on the hardwood. Andrew and I raced sprints the day before, but it has got to be the shoes. I was in good shape and very flexible. That morning Andrew and I took one of the trails and got lost for a solid hour till we located a bridge landmark.
I entered the emergency room hobbled. They took mercy on me and shot me up with morphine and dilaudid. They also fitted me with a black brace, but the brace kept falling off. So I bought a sleeve and felt like walking without crutches about a week of icing later. I have taken so many hard drugs, they could have shot me up with a placebo I probably wouldn’t have known the difference. They said dilaudid was the “big gun,” liquid opium. I like the image of the word, “opium.” Wayne my loom-mate (shared a bathroom) drove me back to Mount Madonna. I knew right there I couldn’t attempt anything risky, even yoga. Wayne was a good friend to me and did not take pity but rather compassion. We went to an overpriced Mexican restaurant. It wasn’t great, but somehow my credit was stolen that evening. Maybe I didn’t tip the waitress enough; she had a tight body with the look of a Gilroy hooker.
I filled out an injury report; it was revealed on a Tuesday that I had a complete ACL tear. I didn’t really expect it to be that serious because I could walk following the injury. The first ACL tear triggered years of depression afterwards not knowing if I could ever play basketball at the college capability I was being recruited for. Pain makes me write now. I know losing thirty pounds in six months was a serious accomplishment, but the price was a sedentary lifestyle.
Why does it have to be like that? A person who tries to improve their health the right way ends up doing more damage. I can still write. I have working fingers on working hands. Western medicine is so faulty, I began rubbing mahanarayan oil on my knees, and also took a supplement (gotu cola-connective tissue, turmeric-anti-inflammatory, comfrey-for bone) mixed with tea from the Ayurveda World at Mount Madonna. The staff acupuncturist had left a year before. I like acupuncture and have someone I see in Illinois. Any good ashram should have an acupuncturist.
I stopped taking the Vicodin or it stopped taking me. I ran out of the script in a matter of days, as it was prescribed to take every six hours. My pain was intense. The nurse said, “On a scale of one to ten, what is your pain?” I said, “No knock on childbirth but I would go with an eleven on this scale.”
The beginner’s yoga at Madonna was too easy and too early in the morning so I tried to get into an intermediate class. This worked better and the pace quickened. I had been doing yoga for over ten years so it made no sense that I should be in a beginner’s class still. I never really thought that playing sports would lead to long term injuries that would affect my mental state for years to come.
I needed a ride to the airport for my flight back to Chicago. Casey’s car broke down on the way to the airport. We were at the V.A. hospital lot dropping off a fellow resident who had hurt his back. Casey’s car would not start but we still had a window of time before my flight. Some of the hospital security was able to push Casey’s old lemon along. I was nervous I would miss my flight.
When we arrived at the airport, I started to miss the ashram right away, I missed the friendships I made. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Joe returning from a flight from Texas. Joe like Casey is another name that usually conjures up an image of a man. She was a resident at Madonna. A place in America that has the most confusing names. When you think of the name, “Mount Madonna,” you think first of Christianity. Well it is a Hindu ashram nonetheless. I missed certain things except the rule of no meat allowed on the grounds. My vegetarian diet is over, as I choose to indulge in the savory bacon and other pleasures of the flesh.
I made it home in one piece, besides the torn ACL. Plane travel is so difficult, with an injury it is even slower. When I came to security check the TSA couldn’t decide if they wanted to do a full body scan or a metal detector. I interrupted saying that I could stand up, then they checked out my brace to see if there were any foreign materials. A good cover for the Taliban would be come dressed to the tees as a handicap person; they would never suspect that someone with crutches could blow up an airplane. You could crush someone’s skull in with crutches on an airplane. Mine were stored in the overhead compartment. The Watsonville Community Hospital bill came out to roughly $4000. I couldn’t pay that on my lack of salary. My Dad told him, they could have a dollar a week for forty years. I thought that was pretty funny. I flew back to Chicago to get the MRI which would be completely covered by my Illinois health insurance.
The eight limbs of Ashtanga yoga are yama: moral codes, niyama: self purification and study, asana: posture, pranayama: breath control, pratayahara: sense control, dharana: intention, dhyana: meditation, Samadhi: contemplation. I grew a long beard while at Madonna and it was unnoticed compared to the size of the beards I was competing with. A Canadian named Yogeshwar had been growing his since 9/11. The service was 30 hours a week, and the rest of the time free. I wrote down a restaurant name I saw on the food network, “Drive-in’s and Dives,” called Aldo’s. Casey, Wayne and I made a stop there, I had the fish tacos. We walked the pier, and Wayne snapped a skinny facebook profile picture of me with sunglasses on with an ocean backdrop.
Ben, someone diagnosed with psycho-effective disorder and Nick, someone with one psych ward hospitalization were usually hanging around the outdoor smoking lounge. As far as smoking lounges go, this one was top notch. Except for the limited seating, not many yogi’s smoke a pack a day. Many people smoked marijuana in the ashram, but it was discreet. Cigarette smokers were out in the open, and the best view in the house. I was not satisfied with the teachings of the head yoga instructor, Kamalesh.
There was a rusted basketball court with cars parked in the way, and the nets were chain. We played there before the elementary school play had ended. Then we started playing in the indoor gym.
When I donated my book to the bookstore, they checked for content and somehow “Sum Lucid,” ended up in the hands of an ex-therapist, who was concerned none of this info was in my application. She had just returned to Madonna from a long trip in Canada. I was put on the defensive with Savita and Yogeshwar as they double teamed me. I was sent an email by Savita that she wanted to get to know me better. I explained to her that I was serious about being present at Madonna with hopes of improving my life and health. Yogeshwar went on to talk about how he ended up at Madonna after years of taking psychedelic mushrooms and just wanting to do yoga.
The founder and guru Babi Hari Dass, affectionately known as Babaji came to the United States, after a family from California invited him. As the legend goes, Babaji was granted a visa to leave India because the man in charge favorite soccer team had just won a big match, so he was carefree and Babaji was coming to America. Followers of Babaji flocked to Madonna to sit and ask questions. I think the awe of Babaji now 88 years old was part of the allure. I first learned of Babaji when I was a teenager reading the book, “Be Here Now,” by Ram Dass.
I was hoping to avoid a Chicago winter, but my knee injury sent me home early. I avoided a blizzard in Chicago but snow remained when I got off my flight. I decided as I entered the airport that Chicago is tougher, I decided against the wheelchair and went with the crutches for about a mile at O’Hare airport.
It took some serious thinking to leave Madonna. I would miss the beauty, the fresh air, the elevation, the freedom, and the sunshine. My Grandpa passed away while I was out in Watsonville, California. The funeral was held in Pennsylvania, I was not requested to come, because I was in California and this would be a very long trip back and forth. My Cousin Collin did not make the flight, or my Aunt Jude. My Father gave the eulogy.
Walking is key, funny as it sounds. When you can’t walk you realize your core belief system is out of whack. I initially was hyped for the intensive yoga, as I trained every day for a month straight attending American yoga classes a block from my house. Every cell in my body doesn’t want to return to the amount of yoga I was doing. Asana and pranayama are great if are alright with slow improvements and benefits.
I don’t read many mystery novels, but when I injured my knee I completed my first non-fiction mystery book. As I nursed my knee in the community room library. The book concluded with a woman murdered in an Ashram.
After my first ACL tear I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. But what set off the bipolar depression, was it the initial knee injury. I was a sarcastic snot nosed young one who though it was smooth sailing until after I got that first scholarship to play basketball. I didn’t know that mental health was just as important if not more important than a physically built body.
I have a terrible time sleeping. Sleeping alone is the main problem. Some people at Madonna detested the food, there was one in particular named Barnaby that said keep this one in the vault, and they don’t know how to cook here. He liked to watch cooking shows, maybe because he thought he could out cook some of the devotees.
There was a woman named Sunanda, who everyone seemed a little afraid of. I never really had direct contact with her. I was told she had her hand in just about everything from admissions to running the grounds. There are three aspects of Madonna; the Institute, school, and center. When I worked service on field staff I was introduced to the laid back style that the Institute ran on. We did what we could but it was more of a social club. It was the most desired responsibilities there. I found the caretaker of YSC I (Yoga, Service, Community-Phase One) very attractive, she was from Austria, she went by two names her given name was Nina, but she also had a Sanskrit name. Babaji handed out the Sanskrit names based on your birth day, time of birth, and a sit down so he could give you the appropriate name. Some people found it hard to permanently switch over names. It made it very difficult to remember Sanskrit names. Kamalesh called me Joel for a month; I never corrected her, until I tore my knee. I said, “My name is Jason,” not condescending in fact.
Rebecca, a girl who drove all the way from Rhode Island and I took a cigarette break on about the third night, she smoked sparingly, and she told me of all the bad dates she had been on. Including a suitor with no teeth. She was escaping the east coast and had already made up her mind of relocating to the Santa Cruz area. She was the main leader in our hot tub activities as well. Rebecca got people together for the hot tub when it was in service.
When I asked Carrie if we could smoke on the grounds, she said unfortunately there is only one smoking section at Madonna. Carrie was the one in charge of the applications and asked if I minded waiting for the winter session. I actually thought in terms of selflessness and karma that by me not going that would make room for someone else to have a great experience. I don’t think everyone is accepted to MT Madonna, but you really have to a poor applicant. Later in our orientation Bhavani explained that I could smoke in the parking lot of forest view. She asked who smokes, I raised my foot not my hand because most of us were seated on the floor below the couches. Another smoker named Isabel, she had pretty black hair. She attended the same college as me, Naropa. We had different experiences, she went in a slightly different time for Naropa. I gave her a signed copy of Sum Lucid because I felt close to her knowing we had the alma mater in common. Don’t know if she read the book.
Going without a lot of television really helped my contemplation and concentration. I felt I was stagnating before I left, I couldn’t get on the writing horse, and the month and a half really changed my mind. Kamalesh says who can change brain patterns through yog. They call it yog, because in India the ‘A’ is silent. I was left 10,000 dollars before my Grandpa Jules passed away. Then another 10,000 when he passed. I used the money to buy a 2011 Honda CRV.
There were chickens on the land, but no one ate eggs, people in the YSC group cooked eggs in secret. Eating vegetarian helps lose weight. My friend Jason went from being a raw food caterer back to a day trader. Pia and Jason just had their first child together after Jason’s Dad passed away less than two weeks before. I told Jason that I bumped into his friend at Madonna. I remembered his face from a Kirtan we both attended two years before. Jason’s friend was on a silent retreat so we only spoke shortly.
I used to feel good when I felt bad, now I feel bad when I feel bad. I have made lackluster decisions for the good of my ego, I have made decisions based on karma, and if you don’t believe in God then you believe in yourself. I believe in myself. I have a sense of humor that doesn’t give up perhaps passed down from a generation of Jews who had to sustain through the horror of the Holocaust.
It may be a long road to recovery but I have snapshots in my memory that was worth the physical pain. I also have snapshots of a place I really wanted to visit on my 275 pound bucket list. My favorite snapshot is the half naked long haired homeless hippie doing calisthenics on the side of the road. We all have to stay in shape! Also Sanskrit names are almost impossible to remember in a month and a half.

zoo (poem)

2011-08-29T17:25:00.003-05:00

Poem from the start
Start Over
Find that seven leaf clover
Roll over on a pile of cash
Bash this party host Atari
Crash this reunion
make cents out of sense
repent, give time
ten years later
double chin
gin served
with a smile'
after a while
pump up the music
step out for a moment on my wife
Because she carve the turkey with a knife
I root all day for pacific standard time zone
I phone myself collect
I accept the charges
go chargers
bither me sent to the zoo

Bison Zirngibl Is Humble In Victory (article)

2011-08-29T08:26:00.001-05:00

Buffalo Grove's home opener against Lake Forest featured a superb all around performance by QB/CB Richard Zirngibl as the Bison standout led BG to a 31-24 win in front of a packed house.

With the student section adorning white shirts and waving white school spirit sticks, Zirngibl's performance was anything but plain vanilla. He rushed 17 times for 73 yards and 2 touchdowns, and completed 15 passes for 85 yards and another TD.

The Bison lagged behind 17-16 in the third quarter when RB Alex Fritz found the end zone on a 1-yard plunge. Zirngibl then located receiver Ryan Schumi for the 2-point conversion. The Bison suddenly found themselves ahead 24-17 and never looked back.

BG stretched the lead to 31-17 in the fourth quarter when Zirngibl fired a 15-yard touchdown pass to Schumi.

With little doubt, the game ball deserved to go to Zirngibl and fittingly the ball found Zirngibl to seal the win. Zirngibl never had recovered an onside kick before.

"I was scared, but as soon as I saw the ball I went after it. I told Schumi, I will block for you, you recover the kick. It was a slow kick and I wanted to win this game, on instinct I covered it," Zirngibl said.

The recovery with 2:28 left in the contest closed out any hope for the Scouts of Lake Forest.

"It is not me alone; it's my linemen pressuring QB Jordan Beck to make the ill advised throw. If not for our defensive line, I don't pick the ball off," Zirngibl said of one of his two interceptions. While Lake Forest kept the game close, their eight penalties accumulating 100 valuable yards and the untimely turnover did not help their cause.

Not to be overlooked, the Bison running backs also contributed to the victory. Brian Busch rushed 17 times for 117 yards and Alex Fritz ran 12 times for 73 yards.

Buffalo Grove will host Schaumburg this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Dundee and Arlington Hts. roads.

Pout Feel Doubt (Poem)

2011-08-24T06:43:00.000-05:00

Remember to forget
We jet thru cafeteria lines
To get food we detest
We must pass a test
Know the three pleas. Please cut this pill in half. Under tongue.
The soap is anything but zest
The shower washes away spirit
The rest is short
Rest is when you get out’
Pout feel doubt
Over medicated and over illuminated by the food we detest
But to spice things up they make food look good to the skinny
You gained six pounds.
Based on that math, six turned into sixty when doubling the dose
Hocus pocus the bigness never went away
New meds, with something that helps blood pressure
Caused by what weight gain
Weight gain caused by medication
Fatty liver accrued by the non-medical doctor in the room
“You got me on twice my dose”
Hocus pocus
Would you rather gain sixty pounds on ramen noodle or chicken wings?

Robert Morris College Football Preview (article)

2011-08-23T18:23:00.001-05:00

The 2011 season will be a first for Robert Morris University as it rolls out its new football program. The school has had a football program on the drawing board for many years. They now have a field to play on in Arlington Hts. to showcase their vision.

"Finding a place to play was a big issue for several years. Then having this relationship with Dist. 214 ends up being perfect," said head coach Jared Williamson. Home games will be played on Saturdays at Forest View Educational Center where the Township High School Dist. 214 administration offices are located. Morris will share the field with St. Viator High School who plays its home games Friday nights.

Robert Morris has been able to recruit talent for a full year from a combination of junior college transfers and high school seniors. Staff was able to actively recruit without football history or an assembled team. The new team is comprised of 95 players who will play a 10-game schedule.

The Eagles open this week at Mayville State in North Dakota. The inaugural game has an interesting twist with Williamson returning to his alma mater where he starred as quarterback.

The Eagles have been practicing on their new field in Arlington Hts. since Aug. 1.

"The great thing about being in Chicagoland area is the talent great quality in terms of high school programs. Seventy percent of our roster is in a 45-mile radius of Chicago," Williamson stated.

New players working to establish a tradition include Montini's Matt Westerkamp, who won two state titles back to back; Tyler Warden (TE) who played at Glenbard West before moving on to the University of Buffalo; and Jeremy Robinson (LB) of Proviso West where he was is a standout player.

Williamson, hired last June, was offensive coordinator at Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington before taking over at Robert Morris. He was able to hand pick his coaching staff, which made the program very attractive from a coaching standpoint.

"When you are starting something from scratch, it is great when you are able to have your hands in multiple facets," said Williamson. "Whether it is picking the uniforms, or having some input into the design of the facility. My staff consists of coaches I had coached along side or coached myself."

In addition to the 14-member coaching staff, Williamson was able to get his brother, Andrew Williamson, transferred into the program as a junior tailback.

Harper College Football Preview (article)

2011-08-23T18:22:00.000-05:00

The Harper College Hawks of Palatine seek to field a competitive team this year in the Midwest Conference and are looking to improve on last season's record (2-7, 1-7 in conference, 0-1 playoff record).

This will be head coach Eric Waldstein third season at the helm.

The Harper program channeled 10 players from the last year's team onto select college football programs and they will need to backfill the missing talent. As a two-year program, placing sophomores into excellent four-year programs certainly helps with the recruiting process.

The 2011-12 season will feature key returning starters on offense including Robert Douglas (WR), Ron Zollicofer (RB), Jackson Davenport (RB), Shamar McFarland (WR) and Rafael Flores (OL).

Returning on defense are Jared Hauer (DL), Jameel High (DB) and Louis Erkins (LB).

Top newcomers are Darius Moffett (LB), Tom Ehrlich (OL), Alexander Anthony (OL), Pierre Key (DL), Martell Harris (DB), Delyeonne Walton (OL), Brandon Croff (OL), Shayne Charpentier (DB), Greg Kennedy (RB), Keith Barrett (DB), Jory Cunningham (DB), Dustin Jolley (DB), Matt Lemire (QB) and Cody Miller (QB).

Waldstein's team strength will be dependent on the leadership of the returning talent. The team will be bigger and more athletic than last year. Waldstein is concerned that team's weaknesses will come to light due to the many unknowns on the roster.

Despite the unknowns, the team is aiming high to win a conference championship and move on to a bowl game.

Stevenson Football Preview (article)

2011-08-23T18:21:00.001-05:00

No doubt the Stevenson Patriots are aiming to repeat their outstanding regular season accomplishments of last fall (11-1, 7-0 in the North Suburban Conference). And no doubt among their goals is a deeper run into the playoffs.

"Our ultimate goal is to win a state championship. That is something we are shooting for," said head coach Bill McNamara. "We have a nice core group of kids. We are trying to fit all the talented pieces of the puzzle together. We feel we always can get better in all phases of the game, but we certainly are not disappointed with what we have done in the past."

Offensively, the Pats need to become a little more consistent. Defensively, they need to avoid giving up big gains. On special teams they need to maintain a great kicking game, McNamara says.

Linebackers should anchor the Patriot defense with Dominick Bominicaickus, Carl Miller and John Way all returning.

The team continued to bond over the summer with a commitment to taking their game to the next level. "Our upper classmen are working hard in order to put out the best football team. If we limit our mistakes we should win a lot of football games," McNamara concluded.

Christian Liberty Football Preview (article)

2011-08-23T18:19:00.001-05:00

Head coach Jim Calkins acknowledges the gap between the upper echelon of teams and their counterparts in the Northeastern Athletic Conference. Calkins is aware of the ground that needs to be made up if his Christian Liberty Academy Chargers, based out of Arlington Hts., want to reach that upper echelon.

The 2011 campaign will be Christian Liberty's third year in the Northeastern Athletic. Two years ago they failed to win one game. Last year, they beat Luther North in their last game of the season. They open this fall with a Luther North rematch hoping to build on last year's finish.

"On offense, we need to improve both our ground and air attack. We know our system a little better this year. On defense, we need to improve our tackling and blocking," Calkins said.

The young Chargers continue to build on their conference experiences. The team's core players are mostly juniors, ensuring a bright near-term future. Dan Glad should make first team all-conference this year. Emilio Mondragon is one of the better blockers in the conference. They both understand the system and have experience to share.

"There is a lot of enthusiasm with the team. Our numbers are down but the guys who came out are looking forward to a great job this year," Calkins concluded.

Christian Liberty, a Class 1A team, plays home games at its campus on Euclid Avenue, site of the former Arlington High School.

Feasible (poem)

2011-08-17T22:50:00.001-05:00

Outside we run and hide
Inside we fend off being normal
For a second I thought I would turn the page on beginning
Once again I remain in a community of hippies
Dressed for the occasion
With flower power in the shower
Chamomile lotion secret potion
One step in between the long stride
Is my alibi
My seeker thought and his brain started working again
Again in Zen, he put pen to paper
Figured out this caper, like a true wordsmith
He fought his way to the dictionary
He boxed two paradoxes
He wore mismatching socks
He rocked the stage just to get his own hotel room
So he could wake at noon
The big boom
Good night
Good morning seems feasible

Dodgers and Angels (poem)

2011-08-05T20:45:00.001-05:00

Backspace my way to the end of the novel
I throw away the bible pick up the good book
Can’t read more than two pages
My concentration wanes
Till I can’t explain the last passage
I collect air bags on the side of the road
I am bored by the finest writers of my time
I like the amateurs in every kind of way
I pay good money
For a long winded poet to spout that they took the wrong date to prom
That there long drawn out tale of missed chance romances
Is somehow relatable
A letter arrived in the mail
It took me out to a sea to sail by myself
For personal health and wealth
I was a draft dodger
A California Angel of Anaheim
I was in a L.A. state of mind
Let us rewind
When we burned books
Because we felt it was write (right)
But if someone on welfare can’t vote
I don’t think the prospect of casting one single check mark will motivate anyone to stop voting democratic on a Hippocratic plane.

bowling is over (poem)

2011-08-05T20:32:00.000-05:00

We are all wired differently
In fact we are all wired to be fired
Fired up
Fired down
Come on baby light my fire
Burned my tongue while trying to tell you I love you
Fire comes from my tongue
I am young
It will come in time
Just like this rhyme
Poetry in motion
A great wonder
I propose to you that this room with a view will only play rock n’ roll
Until we go out to bowl
Shoes two sizes too big
Haley’s comet is going to set off out behind lane ten
I grab a pen, jot down the time
I am now 75 years old, my first astrology experiment
Rock n’ roll can bowl
Ball down the center with a spin that is enhanced by the gin in the bottom of my coke can
Around the corner there is a spare
Pins
And swears from lane nine
Perfectly aligned for a strike
Workers paid
Delay of yellow mustard
I feel full
I bowl
Until no more uncertainty
For sure one hundred percent I bowl 300
That is about five Haley comets ago

Sandy Shore (poem)

2011-08-05T20:19:00.001-05:00

Born in a race,
This space
This bar
is closed by 4 am
I grab a pen and jot down the number on the bathroom stall
I fall in love with bartender who has a day job as a yoga teacher/poet
I know it, just expose it on my hand
To my friend who hangs out by the sand watching surfers
I have thoughts that flow like smooth waves against a sandy shore
What a bore it must be to be a bartender
When they outlawed smoking in bars
I found it was too far
to have confidence to tell the bartender my problems
I got 99
I tear off the spine of my book
Take a look at what is left
I just write right to left
Left hook
Look deep inside this book

Fox Trot (poem)

2011-08-04T22:32:00.001-05:00

Once in awhile
I smile from ear to ear
I hear off in the distance
We miss each over and over long distance
Off my game, not the same girl
My world turned off
Do a fox trot
We smoke in our cots
Until we were raised
We had no idea that youth is wasted on the young
By division we assume this subtracts
But in fact multiplication of the human race
Makes me want no part of a child
I want to be a joker without being tied down
Kings and queen are face cards with no poker face
Procreation
Is an AM station
The traffic reports report there is traffic due to a race growing and growing
This lawn is not being mowed by aliens, but poor immigrants
Which all were beside Natives
Price to pay for a turkey dinner with a children’s table.

Freedom (poem)

2011-07-08T08:15:00.001-05:00

Just a little rhyme about doing time
Freedom
The prisoner in cell block one
Finds ways to have fun
Freedom
The prisoner in cell block two
Is just like me and you
Freedom
The prisoner in cell block three
Can’t cop a plea
Freedom
The prisoner in cell block four
Plans to steal some more
Freedom
The prisoner in cell block five
Is unhappy to be alive
Freedom
The prisoner in cell block six
Turns tricks
Freedom
The prisoner in cell block seven
Has no ticket to heaven
Freedom
The prisoner in cell block eight
Has a court date
Freedom
The prisoner in cell block nine
Makes apples into jailhouse wine
Freedom
The prisoner in cell block ten
Just got to the pen
Freedom
The prisoner in cell block eleven
Robbed a seven eleven
Freedom
The prisoner in cell block thirteen
Can’t count to twelve
There are twelve cells
The dinner bells are signaling chow
The food is unsalted charcoal
“The worse I ever had,” says the inmate who won’t eat
I want some lobster enchiladas when I get out of here, says another
I want a really expensive beer, says the majority in the can
Not just one can, but a case
When the State drops this case
I am going to Canada
I am opening a little convenient store that sells Cuban cigars
I am going to Zihuatanejo
I am going somewhere that has no memory
Do you remember being a young man?
Do you remember when you held your first girlfriend’s hand?
Do you remember that kiss?
In the child’s mind
I killed a mosquito
You are going to jail
In the child’s mind
I killed a spider
You are going to jail
Juvenile delinquents think jail is sexy
It is your constitution that makes you unrelentless
I don’t believe in recidivism
I believe everyone gets a second chance
You do your time, you face your consequences
You are rehabilitated, and then you are free
Janis Joplin sang,
“Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose,”
I don’t disagree with her, but I contend
If you never know freedom then you have nothing to loose
The cell blocks are full
So overcrowded that they let some charged with a crime
Leave before serving their time
If you do the crime then do the maximum time
Just a little rhyme about doing time
By Jason Shimberg

No Time To Lose (poem)

2011-07-06T12:57:00.001-05:00

No Time to Lose ------By Jason Shimberg
This is a short poem, because I only have a few seconds
NO TIME TO LOSE
Trivia Question: Do you know how long one billion seconds is?
Ok, go ahead--Take a second to think about it
No answer?
Well it is 31 years, 252 days, 1 hour, 46 minutes and 40 seconds, I round up my Driver’s License
It says right there, I am a real live dinosaur and it all happened in a split second
Now I understand, I have knowledge that “life is short.”
I abort the first couple thousand seconds immediately
I have no recall
I was very small in fact
I have lived a billion seconds on planet earth
It takes 32 years to amount a billion seconds
That would make me a billion seconds old
I never thought I would be a billionaire
I never thought I would make it here
The first billion is always the hardest
NO TIME TO LOSE
Every second above ground is a good day
So a billion clicks of the clock have passed
Pretty fast
I stand at the threshold of another billion seconds
Tick tock
I don’t look half bad for being a billion seconds old
Age is relative
Moment to moment awareness is priceless and precious
I used to be able to run the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds
But now I am very old, a billion seconds to be exact
So my knees don’t work as well as they did when I was just a millionaire
What I wouldn’t give to be only half a billion seconds old for just a minute
Those were great moments
NO TIME TO LOSE
I am a human telethon, I just keep clicking away
I have no regrets, although I am a billion seconds old
I feel like I have lived my life in such a way, that I don’t even notice the little red hand move
I know some people who are 2 billion seconds old
I even hear there is a community of writers who more than 3 billion seconds old
You don’t have to worry about that, it is nowhere near here
NO TIME TO LOSE
I’ll keep writing because that is a productive way to spend my seconds
In fact I could use seconds on steak
I could use seconds on coffee
Some wise men my age are already on their second wife
I don’t want to finish second place in anything
Silver is not worth its weight
Wait a minute, I am having second thoughts
Gold is tacky
I wouldn’t mind being second
A few seconds ago this verse started now in one second
It will end—NO TIME TO LOSE

Road Trip (poem)

2011-07-05T08:32:00.003-05:00

Road Trip ------By Jason Shimberg
Life is making an expression in the pouring rain
Then changing it again as the drizzle steadies
Life is a long road trip
Life is a highway
I want to do it my way---STRAIGHT AHEAD
When you get off
You might as well stick to cut back roads
Until you find where you belong
You hum a melody to yourself about being off course
You flip through FM radio stations like you are conducting a mix masterpiece
You wish you could listen to two at a time, you have two ears
You toggle
You find most southern stations really love Jesus Christ
Really love country
And really love their country with a little side of Jesus
I have to admit I am not a witness, just a Trundle wheel on the road trip of life
Life is a highway
I want to do it my way--- STRAIGHT LINE
So I play my Orthodox Hasidic Reggae CD to get the feel of the open road
I am a very good driver
At least I think
Sometimes I drive with just my knees pressing against the wheel
But don’t tell anybody that, it’s between me and you
I don’t like to multitask
I do like to open windows and bask in the sun
I don’t wear shades
I like to stop at rest areas
Planning and GPS can only help reaching a destination part of the way
The rest of the way you must rely on your moxie and the ability to humble yourself
If you are too macho to ask for direction
You will be lost in Burnsville, North Carolina forever
If you stay in Burnsville, you may start adopting irregular behavior
Like carrying a loaded shotgun over your lap while driving
BANG BANG
The best place to write is in a power outage
I take my power outage everywhere I go
It began in the windy city, our second city, the city of big shoulders
85 mph winds knocked out our power for four days
Then southbound in South Carolina, I was just a guest Sleeping over as workers tried to find the fuse box in my room at 2 a.m. to restore some light
Who needs light at 2 a.m.? It felt like a dream.
Life is not seeing other’s expression in a pitch black power outage
Life is getting lost intentionally on a sunny day This road trip is bouncing me around on the trampoline of life
In the dark room of my heart
I picture enlightenment
But I know I have to look through the structure of these four walls
My fire may burn out
I like to have a steady current
Words illuminate
One party rubbing two pencils together
To create a collective
We touch our words till we feel something beautiful

Even a picnic is no picnic (summer solstice poem)

2011-06-22T16:19:00.001-05:00

Even a picnic is no picnic
The grass is green
Money is green
Broccoli is green
Grass. Mowed or smoked is good for ya
Veggies can’t hurt
We work all day so one day
We can go to a picnic
Veg out
And nosh on potato salad
I wish every park had a skateboard ramp
I wish we all could be lords of dogtown
Skateboarding is alternative
Gen x, grass smoking
Hop over the fence
And empty a rich man’s pool
I am no fool, I love the park

Bogard my spot (summer solstice poem)

2011-06-22T16:17:00.000-05:00

Bogard my spot
The blank page in nature is what Gary Snyder did
The blank page in nature
Is perfect for a kid
This blank page in nature
Is made from a tree
All around us there are stories
Past, present and future
All around us is glory
There are teams that won
Father’s playing catch with their son’s
Nature for me is the sum of my existence
Without want without need
Just be one with nature
No clocks, no pressure, no conformity
Just natural child birth
Born from Mother Nature
Check out page ten
Page ten
There are ten things I love about nature
This dog named Bogard
Was trying to Bogard my writing spot
He was quickly shooed away by the owner
Do we name our owned dogs properly?
My sister named a female dog “Cody”
Dogs that are left in the wild to fend for themselves
Take on characteristics of wolves
We adopted this dog Cody
Cody never bit and she could run like the wind

Astronaut Park with a 50 cent pay phone (summer solstice poem)

2011-06-22T16:12:00.000-05:00

Astronaut Park with a 50 cent pay phone
I grew up here
No I mean
I really grew up here, almost as old as the trees I reflect on
I used to race Scott up the astronaut slide every day.
That is before I knew every day was the beginning of summer
Sunset Ridge
I played in a softball league here just the other fall when it turned October,
Everyone wore mittens underneath their gloves
I was the only one without spikes, I didn’t make the investment
I didn’t hit any home runs that fall season
The only game my team won was when I did not suit up
I thought the ump in the Montreal Expos hat would call the game
Like tonight I thought it would rain
I watched my Dad play softball in a mixed league here at Sunset Park
The men had to bat lefty, or opposite hand
This leveled the playing field
We all went out to Buffo’s afterwards
I also fielded ground balls at a baseball camp as a youth here at sunset till the sun set
Now we have a basketball court, tennis court
We have a place that John Mayer would say
Please don’t turn into a parking lot
Or a mini mall
You can say a lot about the snobs of the North Shore
The attitude “we want more.”
But a park
Just a park
When you climb your first tree and shimmy down to your roots
All you want is a park
A place to park

2011-06-22T12:06:00.001-05:00

Sports you can not play. Don't make you envious. You know your limitations. Hockey and wrestling were mine. Football, lacrosse, soccer, track, tennis, baseball. I couldn't decide on one so i only played basketball. Even dodgeball in gym was part of my decathalon. Blogging from my phone. Maybe power will be back today. Palm memoirs to come. Leaving for Carolina monday. Keep supporting "sum lucid" and i'll reward you with improvement

My Hook (poem)

2011-06-20T00:26:00.000-05:00

I have been out all day gambling on one leg
The horse is the greatest athlete in the world
I wear my Royal Ascot to match my peasant status is pleasant
The pageantry
My house is a mess I must confess
I have trouble reading a book
My hook is I can write about an experience
That most people look the other way
If I was caught in a hurricane I would bet on weather and whether I would survive

kNOw Direction (poem)

2011-06-19T01:06:00.000-05:00

kNOw Direction
When I learned how to use a compass
I was more confused than ever
When God invented GPS
My haze evaporated
Your left arm extended is west
Your right arm extended is east
The top of your head is north
Your feet are south
Your other right
We all come to a fork in the road
But now that GPS spoon feeds us to our destination
Knifing through life is easy
I am headed north if I do good things for the meek
I am headed south when I get lost in action

Sandra (response)

2011-06-19T00:39:00.001-05:00

I really enjoyed the article in your last paper
about local author Jason Shimberg and his
recent memoir Sum Lucid. He sounds like an
interesting guy and I plan to read his book at
some point. However, although you call him a
local author, you don’t tell us where he lives.
It’s still a good piece, and I am sure I’m not
the only one looking forward to reading more
about art in the north shore!
Sandra, Riverwoods
Editor’s Response:
Dear Sandra,
We’re glad you enjoyed the article. As per
your query, author Jason Shimberg currently
lives in Glencoe.

A Philly is a Philly (poem)

2011-06-19T00:37:00.001-05:00

Notebook entry
Open the door with a key
Out
To be true
Opening doors is the key
To open your mind
Look and listen
We are wishing
This holiday would go away
And spring would spring into full bloom
I want to write a screenplay
I want to hit delay and retrace
The day like a beautiful reminder we are only here for a finite time
I don’t want to write poems in English anymore
I want to write in a language that you can understand
I don’t understand why I do the things I do,
I don’t understand why I am quick with the whip
Should jockeys be hitting a horse
Of course not
A philly is a philly
The Phillies, they can pitch
They can hit a little too
Rollins, Howard, Utley
Make a trade here and there
But I am not getting anywhere
Collusion is the definition of illusion
Cheaters will always win
Felons will always lose
Go to the slammer
Come out with Slam poetry

Cul-de-sac (poem)

2011-06-04T22:45:00.001-05:00

My certain attention deficit lacks deficit
It is utterly dependent
Rock on
The clock has ticked away
Time to bury the scary movies
Time to look out the window
See the rain crash against your brow
No time to resupply
You must march on’
Till this trek
Has made us stars
Button up the parka
Talk a long walk a
a-a-a-a- away
We wave goodbye
Frightened from the flick
We float like butterflies to a picnic
Not sick of the chicken salad
Eat more chicken and this BBQ sauce is too sweet, must be made with ketchup
I lost you on the boulevard
I turned the cul-de-sac on its back
Cul-de-sac is a fun word for young and old at a three part picnic

Unwind (poem)

2011-06-04T20:12:00.002-05:00

One track mind
I unwind into a book
I curl up with you
Don’t you know we can’t be together
Together is how we move
One foot in behind the other
I rather be inside
Hide from the sun
We run into each others' arms
I find the only experience someone can learn from is truth
Going out with a bang
Rang sweetly
Neatly compartmentalized
She flies off the handle
We angle through dividers
Over looking spiders
We swoop in loudly
We strut proudly
We don’t easily spook
We forgo the nook and safety

Book Review of Sum Lucid by What's Happening News (Review)

2011-06-04T11:39:00.005-05:00

ART & SOUL OF THE NORTH SHORE
Jason Shimberg: Local Author, Wandering Poet
Jason Shimberg has led one heck of a life.
He’s hiked through Costa Rica, traveled
all over the U.S., and published a memoir
that alternates between prose and poetry.
He also has bipolar disorder, the untreated
symptoms of which include severe,
debilitating mood swings. Dealing with being
bipolar has led Shimberg to spend time in
and out of hospital psychiatric wards, and
has contributed to the darker experiences of
his life, including struggling with addiction,
spending time homeless on the streets of California,
and ultimately completing a 350
day stint in jail. His book, Sum Lucid, the
Latin title of which translates roughly to “I
am sane,” chronicles all of these events.
Reading Sum Lucid is like walking through
the corridors of someone else’s mind: even
though it’s largely chronological, with
an opening that begins with his time in
jail, Shimberg feels his way through the
connections in his life organically rather
than just charting them out on a timeline.
He speaks the way he writes – during our
interview he was open and candid, and
allowed one topic to evolve into another.
Early in the conversation he talked about
the picture on the cover of his book (top
right). It’s an older photograph, grainy and
of a color quality that dates it to its origin in
the early 80s. A three-year-old Jason reclines
next to his grandfather, Grandpa Herb.
Jason’s eyes are closed, and his right hand
rests on the arm his grandfather has extended
for him. Grandpa Herb looks relaxed too,
though his eyes are slightly open, gazing at
the photographer who’s trying to capture this
singular moment of serenity.
“I have vivid memories of myself and him”
Shimberg tells me about his grandfather, “like
driving a golf cart around, and him letting
me drive it when I was three. It just seemed
to me that he could do no wrong.” One
day Shimberg’s parents went out to dinner,
leaving him with Grandpa Herb to watch a
football game between the Dolphins and the
Chiefs. After a while Shimberg noticed his
grandfather was unconscious, and when his
parents came home, it was discovered that he
had passed away.
“He was my best friend and I loved him
to death,” Shimberg recounts. He tells me
that his grandfather’s death played a large
part in shaping who he became, and that it
was something he had to deal with for many
years. Still, he would never trade losing his
grandfather for never having known him.
The cover of Sum Lucid is a testament to a
familial bond that Shimberg cherishes despite
its brevity.
Shimberg also has a close relationship with
his father, who has given him so much help
over the years, especially with his illness,
that when I ask about him Shimberg says
succinctly, “I can never pay him back.”
Shimberg’s father also wrote a foreword for
Sum Lucid titled “Hope is not a Four Letter
Word: A Parent’s Foreword and Perspective.”
He describes his dad as “an intelligent
guy” and a “straight hippie,” after which
he details how his father lived in a teepee
in Boulder for a while, and traveled across
India with Shimberg’s mother before he was
born. Shimberg, who describes himself as “a
wanderer,” inherited this love of being on the
move; he hates routines and prefers to seek
out new horizons, both literal and figurative.
His father was the one who picked
Shimberg up from jail in California, and
subsequently took him out to a Mexican
restaurant for lobster enchiladas. Shimberg
remembers those enchiladas. He starts
grinning when he describes his memory of
them, and his reaction to their taste, which
ran along the lines of, “Oh my God, this is
real food.” He had forgotten that food could
taste good after almost a year in jail where the
cuisine reminded him of “unsalted charcoal.”
Among many other things, in his book
Shimberg asks questions, good and difficult:
“Are you in the search, or are you the
search?” and “How do you gain strength from
another person, without taking away energy
from them?”
Much of the memoir includes poems whose
rhythms are reminiscent of the Beat poets
Shimberg admires. The subjects of his poems
are varied, they style modern. For example,
his poem “WHERE, WHAT, WHEN,”
partially quoted below, is philosophically
oriented:
Who is left standing?
When everybody sits
When everybody is told
And no one is keen enough to taste
Well water turns into wine
When physique is more important than
etiquette
When the sun has no answers, and only
offends
The following is an excerpt from a more
purely aesthetic poem, “BIG FISH IN THE
JUNGLE,” which is about the experiences
Shimberg gained while trekking through
Costa Rica:
In the rainforest
I find the background of
Landscape and sound
That I soak in.
Forever,
Every step
A new step
Every breath
A new breath
Forever, and beyond that too
When I ask Shimberg what the word
“memoir” means to him, he replies “there
is no set definition of a memoir, a memoir
is anything that is truthful, fact-based about
yourself; it doesn’t have to be narrative, it
doesn’t have to be prose.”
Recently, Shimberg led a poetry workshop
for high-school freshman students. Among
other things, he advised them to keep a
journal in which they could write down
thoughts and poems, something he wishes he
had thought of when he was that age. In the
near future, he’ll go to a writing retreat called
Wild Acres in North Carolina, where he’ll
continue to work on his next book, California
Nose comma Chicago Knows. I, for one, look
forward to reading it.
In Sum Lucid, you’ll learn what it’s like to
be shut off from the world while in jail, about
the confusion and life disruption of being
bipolar, about the seemingly eternal hunger of
being homeless. About, in short, a few of the
many trials of being human.
You can find Sum Lucid at the Highland
Park Library, amazon.com, kindle, and lulu.com.
Learn more about Jason Shimberg
and read more of his poems in his blog at
luckytobelucid.blogspot.com.
Contributed by Carolyn Rudinsky
editorial@whatshappeningonline.com

Surprised I am still here (poem)

2011-05-28T00:49:00.004-05:00

Surprised I am still here
Illegal for me to work
Wow- that is some benefit
Must cause chaos
I am surprised I am not dead
I try to rest my head
I’m surprised they didn’t believe my alibi
I’m surprised I remained in the same place for 5 years.

New record

Didn't feel froggy so I didn't jump ship

Felt I needed to complete something I started to the end

I am shocked that I lived through a gang war
I am also just irreverent to a new title
To say we can’t expand if we don’t work
The worker is a consumer that never gets ahead
I should start my own company so I can filter away from government
I should write letters and take an oath of silence like a Monk
I am silent all day in my apartment, does that mean I don’t talk to myself,
Or am I on a silent retreat
I should adopt a kid because my building doesn't allow pets
They must smell or make too much noise

Gift Rift (Poem)

2011-05-27T23:55:00.002-05:00

I don’t smoke dope.
Little Bit like the Pope in that regard
Your bits and nugs need more hugs
You see love is ever present
You are a gift
In this life rift
Learn lessons that just make us wise

It is funny how much time is spent,
Just asking what it all means
What I derive is that once in awhile there is a
Board- meeting

Just bored
Boring
Board
Call me bored but don’t call me late for dinner

Surfing in
Single lanes
There is no carpool lane in the ocean

Here comes another poem (poem)

2011-05-26T15:18:00.002-05:00

Here comes another poem
To sleep around is too feel the ground
So soft
We leave out the pages
We hunt for perspective
Going too deep
Too make sense
We bottom out
We are proud of our circumstance
I enhance melody
Soft song
Droopy
And Sleepy
Kicked the bucket
Want what remained in the bucket
It was just perspiration
Another step it takes bake to first base
Lead off
Way past the point of no return
“He is going to second base.”
“Rounding third”
“Heading home”
Home is where we go when we want to be somewhere else.

Right Leg (poem)

2011-05-26T14:27:00.001-05:00

Right leg
Instead
I might just fight
To enlighten the masses
Reflect on dreams
Lucid as they are
Drive in car
No knee operation till I am ready
A better fight would be to battle the rattlesnakes of the mind
If you don’t step on them you will find that this is a blessing
I am guessing they protect you from all kind of diseases because they eat rodents and such
If you know what is good for you would join a team destined
To win rings
456\ pick up sticks 789 rewind the clock 1111111 who is #1
Grow a brain, stop the rain
I like the weather when it works to my advantage
I like when I am outside, inside I try my best
But why>?
High can’t complain
In this rain
Pain
I don’t feel at the moment
But this too shall pass
Forgo a foreigner
Make an entertainer
Remind us we can sleep with who we want or sleep
Alone
Phones
Zones
Bones
Road a boat
We emote across the waters
We
Enter
A future
Just as unlikely
As spiking a ball over the net
When you are small
Lack of insecurity
Is purity
His confidence rose as his eyes dilated
Concentration improved
Mood followed
But we are all followers
That wants to learn
We can flow
In directions we no doubt is connected to our right leg
Wrong Leg
Stage
Nerve endings
Pleasure shouldn’t be limited to running
But walking to and from
Left is right
Right is left
The mention of this is reverse in the mirror
I see nothing but hurdles

Da Bulls (poem)

2011-05-26T14:05:00.002-05:00

On second thought
I was just reading a book’
It took so long to get thru pages’
Stages and phases we go thru’
We knew what we want’
We wanted pretty pictures’
We wanted lectures’
We wanted intellect
We wanted to connect’
We wanted to heal’
To feel’
A banana peel’
To live out west;
Is the quest’
It is a picture’
Pretty’
View’
Jewish Buddhist’
In a heaven like a nudist’
This goes in and out, we gain clout’
We rout the opposition’

The last time I watched a Maverick vs. Heat Final I was in Patton State Hospital, so I really want theeeeeeee Bulls to win. Bad flashback! Drink a bottle of Gin and celebrate until it’s real late. In July we are in short supply of championship banners that hang from the rafters lately. Hold out hope!

Puma (poem)

2011-05-26T12:33:00.001-05:00

I would rather be writing than reading
I would rather be moving than sitting
I’d rather be unemployed than working
I’d rather be a paradox then wear mismatching socks
I’d rather think outside the box
I like foxes over wolves
I think we all like pumas not leopards
I think we can all come to final destination
Just by starting fresh
Gain fresh perspective
Above and beyond
Time flies
Blink of the eye
I tie up loose ends
Send out for supplies
I dance over the finish lane
Just shake hands with the President
I never look people in the eye
It is a trademark

Acid Rain Erosion (Poem)

2011-05-26T00:12:00.000-05:00

Ten for ten
Twenty for twenty
Pretty penny

Earlier that day once upon a time there was A SAFE PLACE INSIDE THIS RHYME
BEYOND CRIME
WE STEAL OUR
FREEDOM
Just being… is hard enough

I wish I lived somewhere safe I wish I was switched at birth Erased
Mace In the face Creative tab Bear mace
Bears on the AT
take six months of steady walking
How long does it take to walk it with no knees?
The 500 word poem was never written
It was just scribbled down erased and rewritten again
The pen never gives me motive to shout
Only book I own is not the bible
It is a story of once upon a time in this rhyme
Make the keyboard angry
It has no feelings
Remember LOL means lots of latitude
Get off your cell, get out of your cell and say hi to someone

Cartoons make me sick
Start from scratch with some baking soda
In the mode to stare directly into the future
It has been pretty wet lately
What can we blame on humans?
Global warming was bound to heat up
Toaster
Microwave Pita puffs grab the earmuffs-- we going out tonight
We knew from our view inside we mustn’t hide
We oblige
We must read our hand writing on the wall
Hammered a nail where it was not supposed to go
This diet consists of remissions and additions through subtraction
Sublime
We make up songs we hear some we don’t want to acknowledge
We hear other songs
From far away they sound so close
Close our mind to a state of mind
One-sum\
There are 2 rainmaker’s
Thunder and lightning
Engine
No quiet
Suburbs
&
AT

All we have are legs instead of pegs

Last poem for awhile
He said all the time frowning
At the thought of being erased from planet earth
Welcome death
Welcome the intruder

What I find other people are laughing at is not so funny
How could you ever eat a bunny?
Rabbits hop and go
But the bald eagle
We flew back

Wonder makes it thunder
Acid rain grabs’ your umbrella
Made two poems come up for one
Just understood Microsoft word
This document could be erased in a single keystroke
Years of creation wiped out by acid
What is natural about our cancerous influence on the environment?

It is has been pretty wet lately.
Y2K finally made us pay

Bright sunshine copied by the moonshine
I wonder if I make it thunder
Rainmaker oh Rainmaker
Are you the power of one-sum
A bum, looking for the ticket to richness
We hear sirens
We are southbound
We want to be northbound

I found a town on the outskirts of another town
5 minutes away but separated by living on this side of the tracks
One track mind
We find
That erasing is not starting over
Expungement is not releasing punishment
Handful of consequences is inconsequential
Dropping acid rain the pain numb
Too Addiction
Too Predication
Two

Sleeping In (poem)

2011-05-25T23:32:00.001-05:00

Thoughts begin in non-fiction
Began in fact to enact
7777777777’s across the board
Hoard your books
Breathe in pure oxygen
Words create pages
It sells
This creates wages
The poet only knows poetry
Just like a landscaper can’t tell you about the sea
Let it be
All
And
All
It
Begins
To
Fall
Tall
Buried
Beneath
Teeth all of the sudden falling out in non-fiction
Suddenly this addiction quiets the mind
Coma of word power
Add the comma to a coma patient

Blog Photag (Poem)

2011-05-25T15:28:00.001-05:00

The picture that awaits you on the blog for four years,
It is tough to load, takes forever.
Have you ever seen a woman try to balance a book on their head?
The symbol of a model
Have you ever tried to balance your life?
Have you ever tried to meet the awaiting challenge with humor?
Don’t take yourself too seriously
In this age of pictures telling a thousand words
We all have camera phones
So the pictures and remembrances in our mind’s eye gets hazy.
But the picture remains to establish “BALANCE”
It’s hard to level yourself lucid
Balance one, then two, then three
So no one is normal
Never judge a blog by its cover
I once saw a wave hit sand so smooth that
I wanted to be a surfer
WWHD (What Would Hashem Do?) Surf with three pillows atop head for balance
It is captured in my mind.
I have no visual proof only that it still remains there forever.

2 Carolina's (Poem)

2011-05-25T13:57:00.001-05:00

To write a second book
You must finish a first
To go to Carolina
You must head south
And remember after the first Carolina
There is one up north
I am going to Carolina
Lucid
Inside my mind
Tornado alley
Can’t wait
Deer ticks
Make me thinks it started in Lyme, Connecticut
But why the lime green support
In my green car I haven’t left
Follow the signs to the right
To start and finish a second book
There may never be a third Carolina
This is unedited
Carolina on my mind
Disease of writing too much
Road blocks make the publishing house closer by
I am not gone yet
Still time
It is only May
Divided up North and South
Who wins in two states of mind
So I am really going to Carolina for a vacation from my mind

Authentic (poem)

2011-05-22T07:40:00.000-05:00

Authentic
Synthetic
And prophetic
If signed and inscribed
The scribe the left
To his own vices
Rats and mice
Think twice
Rhymes with rice
I add special sauce
All I write about is food
When in the mood
To eat
I look down and see feet
Over my stomach
The miles I traveled with shoes covering feet
I passed the point of no return
I earned this place
This destination was premeditated
But this verse is dated
Critics do the ratings
I do the waiting
I know the plague strikes
But it is as vague as writer’s block
If going through socks fast
Then I must brainstorm and wash the brain till brainwash

Winner at Birth (poem)

2011-05-14T03:43:00.001-05:00

What is natural is going forward not looking behind
But from where I sit
All I have is past
Time alas has tried to erase just one obsession
To win, I am not kidding’
In a society that is convinced the bigger the better
We celebrate murder like New Year’s Eve
I have long forgotten what society wants
I write this in plain font because I have some experience on planet earth now
I know that grammatical errors are nothing when trying to prove a point
When you come to the fork in the road
Go the direction that is going to make you fulfilled
You know which way even if you were not taught from senseless grades 1-12
You know at birth
To unearth any satisfaction you have to be victorious
And glorious in doing so

Plain Perspective (poem)

2011-05-13T23:02:00.002-05:00

Need Mountains
Can’t you see by Marshall Tucker plays in the back ground
Need ocean all that commotion creates emotion
You can’t feel on an even plain
The backyard corn induced slavery of living in the Midwest is pure irony
With no iron bars
Need to look at a backdrop that stirs excitement
Just plain old flat irons
To have both ocean and mountains is a luxury
One is fine with me
But none
No fun
With a bad knee and nowhere to hop to

Break Up (Poem)

2011-05-13T18:40:00.000-05:00

She is leaving Las Vegas
Why is she gone for good
To a different neighborhood
He stood far from the stoop,
He understood that he can’t help her

The four page divorce
Of course, just a wing and a prayer
We will
Still
And then again maybe not
“Let him rot out there beyond.”

Made up his mind still like a book spine
Wine drank, heart sank
Put that video on, what I wouldn’t do just for a view
It is a forest of boredom out here
Trees so tall, they should topple over
I fall for her again

Rip up the divorce papers on the floor
I tore the last one and burned it for you to never see
No more victories
A conclusion born at this station
This faction
Perhaps his diction
His admission
One thing missing is wishing
That he spent the time it takes
To make sweet love and afterwards apple pie
High in the sky
There was another guy
Just not that understanding
The fan was in the middle of the apartment dangling
When she fell in love
The fan fell too
All love happens on the ground

Whatever room it takes place in
Grab his cues from the attendant
Flair for the dramatic
This static clings to titles never used.
Summer brings sweat in this basement of dreams
It doesn’t reflect the bet he never made
Out her in the shade the bet won
Summer revealed its head

Racking pool sticks to just feel something felt
Tricks of the trade
It was just his head
Sticking out his shirt
Headed for deep in the dirt

Erase a page,
Take a wage at who is playing
Riding the same pony
Confess this TV dinner has bones
Get to the point
Let’s roll away from the ring with the stone
Let’s throw away the phone
I will never talk to her again

2011-05-07T14:13:00.001-05:00

Sum lucid factory. Its a playhouse on wheels. Inside a dark and stormy night. The pickup van moves slowly on no wheels. Feels the rib cage right up against his side, hide from discourse. This course met head on with no lights on. Only a barely lit lamp to lead us. He resides in the sunny bush. Its off in the distance.

On the real (poem)

2011-04-22T17:41:00.001-05:00

A real poet
A steel poet made of pure hardness
There is a soft mess of pillows
This willow tree feels the anxiety of the fact that it could be cut down
Death has not escaped this town
Like a frown that lasts
Till they pass along
A song that has no melody
But be the beat of turning over in the graveyard
Not far now, every step in debt to the one he never paid
Now unpaid allowance is never going to be accredited for
The door that opened to the next life
Is missing a husband and his wife

Drizzles (poem)

2011-04-19T04:07:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time
At 4 in the morning
There was a time
But clocks bust a rhyme
The crime is criminal
The one awake is an individual
It isn’t unusual to be loved by anyone
It isn’t unnatural to feel that feeling
It comes out reeling
For the page
But as it echoes it knows
That once a book is written it can’t be erased
Clouds pass
And rain drizzles
As we nuzzle under the stars
We know that the only bar that is open
Don’t serve us
We ride the back of the bus

Birthplace (poem)

2011-04-15T18:48:00.000-05:00

Birthplace of what went wrong
Just be honest and you can hear the song
Hang up posters of your favorite band
Take your head out of the quicksand
Puzzle is just out of your grasp
Take a vacation to the arcade on change alone
We need unrest to confess our deepest darkest
May one travel in the forest
May one be honest to a fault
May we do summersaults in October Also?
May is such a plain month
Ice cream tears drip from eyes only seeing Summer

If accepted (poem)

2011-04-15T18:41:00.000-05:00

Blank page is so ominous
I promise this sleepless night
Is a fight not won
Sum Lucid protrudes through the open avenue
Knee hurts, but it works
The mind works but certain to fade away
I stay as open as vessel
This special page is no longer blank
And I reminisce near the fish tank
I rank in order the soldiers that fought for something else
A purse
Stolen, swollen, otherwise folded up
Knocked down, plan to return to town
To do laundry
If accepted

Lost Files (poem)

2011-04-15T14:57:00.001-05:00

Lost files
Bring no more smiles
After awhile
I grab a slip
And rip through pages
Lost wages
And stages of discomfort
All hurt
No More Security Issues
Grab tissues
I wish you well
But undoubtedly know too well
This fell swooping in
Is like gin
And the operative word is sin
Write lines,
Cross borders
This folly is a sheep collie
Security issues quelled
I am on the other side of being widowed
I don’t care who gets #1 seed anymore
Flip a coin
The big ash tray of life
Metaphors aside, I would run and hide inside my big ash tray until it is time to play
Today I can’t escape the big ash tray of life my slow poke butts
Have the upper hand
I have rubber bands and a big ashtray
If losing is victory is never quite attainable
Then I will lose weight
Lose anxiety
Lose my innocence
I remember when I was 16
I was winning as Charlie Sheen says
Now I am 32, half a life of winning
I don’t drink more than the other fish
But big ash trays are my vice
They sparkle in clear silver
I hold my liquor fine
I hold my tobacco stemmed leaves even better
I don’t even notice when the big ash tray is full
Being drunk is dull compared to the control of feeling good in a few short puffs after any one of life’s constant reminders of death wake you up in a cold sweat every fifteen minutes
I have had my share of knocks; it is well illustrated in “Sum Lucid.”
My first instinct wasn’t the bottle because I was breast fed.
My first reaction was spliff, and then those were only medicinal, then they had the nerve to say you couldn’t mix your tobacco vice with a harder chemical, alcohol in bars.
I guess they were worried the smoke would bother the people who wanted a much costlier death.
Your force is followed,
When you have two drunks in a room,
And someone hopped up on pharmies
One decides to take their rent money and gamble 300 large at the Horseshoe casino,
Then blame the one who was pill popping minding his own business,
It wouldn't have been his idea with no money in his pocket unless he likes watching other despair.

How does music affect you? (poem)

2011-03-29T22:32:00.001-05:00

How does music affect you?
May it be said that words hold a meaning
That
Found a pack of jack rabbits
Hiding in circles square fields
Kneel
Wheel turn
Turn my eyes on
And I open like a lotus
Spoiled and moist
I toast this beginning in sin
Facts are jacked up
In a cup
Full of liquid
Notorious nitrous
Talk what you know
Mow the lawn
Fawn for deer
Whey your options in the blender of life
Sidewinder’ courage dull and lonesome