I've invented a 12-step system.

It's not been fully tested, mind you. But what you do is do some of whatever drug you want, then make a list of several things to do, and make the last one "that's good enough," and then maybe add one more after that, but only if it's easy and kind of pleasing, like "open that chocolate milk." Then---here's the tricky part---you actually do the things on the list. In order! (Have you ever actually done them in order?) Pee, e.g. Put some socks & jeans in the washer. Fill the bird feeder, do the neighbors' cat feeding & litter box changing & throw in the neighbors' dirty dishes if you want, that's okay, even if it's not on the list. Get food. Do some journalling. Put the clothes in the dryer. That's good enough.

Then all that's left is the chocolate milk.

Report back to me your results, if you try it, and if you'd be so kind. Oh, it's still to be decided whether it's twelve steps exactly. I'm thinking once you get the framework down, the list is the steps, and as long as the next-to-last one is "that's good enough," well, that's good enough.


Was noticing the flow of conversations a lot today. Started with a meeting at work. I'm in 'em and outside 'em at the same time. This is neither good nor bad but (as I like to quote) thinking makes it so.


Diane diPrima may have had a point about the boredom.


There she is, a long while ago.

She makes me wonder who's gonna be at the Dodge Poetry Festival this year. I went last time it was held, reuniting with Terri after all those years (as commemorated in song). 2006. It's an every-other-year thing.

Hmmm... they're saying the following, tentatively, on the main stage:

CD Wright • Brenda Hillman • Coral Bracho • Robert Hass • Martín Espada • Franz Wright • Linda Pastan • Maxine Kumin • Jane Hirshfield • Naomi Shihab Nye • Taha Muhammad Ali • Ted Kooser • Mark Doty • Edward Hirsch • Chris Abani • Charles Simić • Joy Harjo • Lucille Clifton • Sharon Olds • Billy Collins

Don't know of all of those, but most.

It's not like I left there last time burning with the desire to become a regular. And there's some crossover into uncomfortably canonical territory---canon in the making, if you know what I mean. However, it is a big poetry party, and there will be some really good poetry being read, and lots of people around who like poetry, even if a lot of them are liking poetry in some way(s) I don't like.

I've invented a 12-step system.

It's not been fully tested, mind you. But what you do is do some of whatever drug you want, then make a list of several things to do, and make the last one "that's good enough," and then maybe add one more after that, but only if it's easy and kind of pleasing, like "open that chocolate milk." Then---here's the tricky part---you actually do the things on the list. In order! (Have you ever actually done them in order?) Pee, e.g. Put some socks & jeans in the washer. Fill the bird feeder, do the neighbors' cat feeding & litter box changing & throw in the neighbors' dirty dishes if you want, that's okay, even if it's not on the list. Get food. Do some journalling. Put the clothes in the dryer. That's good enough.

Then all that's left is the chocolate milk.

Report back to me your results, if you try it, and if you'd be so kind. Oh, it's still to be decided whether it's twelve steps exactly. I'm thinking once you get the framework down, the list is the steps, and as long as the next-to-last one is "that's good enough," well, that's good enough.


Was noticing the flow of conversations a lot today. Started with a meeting at work. I'm in 'em and outside 'em at the same time. This is neither good nor bad but (as I like to quote) thinking makes it so.


Diane diPrima may have had a point about the boredom.


There she is, a long while ago.

She makes me wonder who's gonna be at the Dodge Poetry Festival this year. I went last time it was held, reuniting with Terri after all those years (as commemorated in song). 2006. It's an every-other-year thing.

Hmmm... they're saying the following, tentatively, on the main stage:

CD Wright • Brenda Hillman • Coral Bracho • Robert Hass • Martín Espada • Franz Wright • Linda Pastan • Maxine Kumin • Jane Hirshfield • Naomi Shihab Nye • Taha Muhammad Ali • Ted Kooser • Mark Doty • Edward Hirsch • Chris Abani • Charles Simić • Joy Harjo • Lucille Clifton • Sharon Olds • Billy Collins

Don't know of all of those, but most.

It's not like I left there last time burning with the desire to become a regular. And there's some crossover into uncomfortably canonical territory---canon in the making, if you know what I mean. However, it is a big poetry party, and there will be some really good poetry being read, and lots of people around who like poetry, even if a lot of them are liking poetry in some way(s) I don't like.