Dagblastit
by Casey McKinney

Hung almost 5 times before bothering
to get to know you. I tend to avoid
looking at the work of people I dig.
So often the shit sucks (then there you are).
But as I told Ben today, I'm perplexed,
because the mix you have is just too much:
Country yet modern. Weird yet not crazy.
Pretty, but thankfully are not perfect.
Spent a year trying hard to gigolo,
not get snagged, sucked in, or whipped as they say,
but damnit, think you've done it. Another
Georgian too. What's up with that? Peaches
of death will grab my one good testicle.
They'll squeeze too and laugh - that's what I figure.


Sounds about right... but I can't be objective. What do you (e:strip)pers think? Does this poem stand on its on? and what's up with the not perfect? hah, I've been watching Dr. 90210 so I know quests for physical perfection are serious concerns for many folks. Some of those folks are nuts. This woman on there today wanted to have a big old diamond placed right under her skin on her arm, this on account of the fact she'd become more active and couldn't wear it all the time. Reminds me of Egyptian Pharaohs gettin' buried with all their things when they die. Somehow the burial before death seems worse. The doctor wouldn't do it so the woman just had some cellulite dug up with metal sticks. crazy.
here's a link to more of Casey's poetry. I don't like poetry an awful lot but Casey knows that.

This flower (Passiflora incarnata)



produces a fruit. I found one of these fruits in the woods yesterday, kind of strange finding fruit in November. I'd never seen this fruit before so I thought it was an exciting find. I thought it could have been lepracaun stool ( ).
My Mama called it a maypop. Apparently this plant helps with all kilnd of ailments, including sleeplessness and PMS .
I made my find into a video. It's a boring video, I guess. Kiah didn't like it. here's the link anyway

It strange that I get so excited from finding food in the woods. It makes me realize how capitalism commodifies the most basic things and makes naturally occurring things seem untrustworthy. Yes, I was afraid to eat the fruit but I did save the seeds. The pod was full of seeds. The fruit had a lime outside and a pumpkin inside.

I got fed up and walked out of the house. I wanted to go down a grown up path in the woods but Kiah followed me, a five-year-old in flip-flips. I told her to go back in the house but what is television compared with tagging along after your "crazy aunt Robin?" I worried about the briars and brambles finding their way into the open parts of the Kiah's shoes but I was determined to continue my original pursuit despite being shadowed by a child. She asked me, "Do you even know where you're going?" I looked down at my house shoe clad feet and I realized that indeed I did not. I asked her "Do you know where you are going?" She said, "Yes, I'm following you."

My Dad and Grandpa.


Grandpa with a fatter man

Welcome to the Gothic South
A picture of Grandpa's grave taken in May 1956


Same grave... with Granny added. I found this picture on my Lil cousin Taryn's myspace page.


My Granny looking younger than I've ever seen her look. She may be holding my Aunt Wink.


Wink and Dash with other mill town kids.


My Aunt Wink and Aunt Dash in 1948 I think.


Wink and Dash, my Granny made the white dress.


Mabye McGee? my Granny's brother who died on the beaches in 1944.


Aunt Wink with my Daddy, I think. Wink was in her 2nd year at Duke when her Dad died. Wink's Mom (my Granny) had a nervous breakdown and Wink moved home to help... I think. All this shit happened before me, you know?




I want to work with these images but some of them are so strong on their own, like the one of Wink and my Dad. I would really like to make this family history into a documentary but a documentary that wouldn't alienate people who arn't so affected by the stories as , oh lets say... the filmmaker. hehe
I'm not sure how old stories and old pictures affect my life but I know they have. I feel like it's something that needs to be shared in a throughtful orignal way. It's going to take work... lots of work. My two Aunts, Wink and Dash, are in poor health these days. Wink is about 80 and Dash is a little younger.

It was weird finding a box of my Granny's things. I found her old costume jewelry and it brought up a memory sharp as a knife. When I was a child I loved more than anything, to ramble. I would get in trouble with my Mama for going through every cupboard and drawer I could reach.
Now one day I was going through my Granny's costume Jewelry. My Granny doted on me an my sister so it wasn't a big deal, until... I came across this necklace.



I decided that the locket was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen so I promptly went into the living room and asked my Granny if I could have it after she died. This was good logic on my part because I figured no one would want to part with such a lovely trinket while they were living. My dear old Granny didn't see it that way. I can't remember what she said I just know she was pissed off. I learned that is is not considerate to remind elderly people of their impending death, no matter how much you crave a certain commodity.

The moral delima now is... do I take the locket?
look here how my Granny adored me.

I was just reading a job call for someone to teach Transformative Language Arts at Goddard College. I've VERY interested in the job, more so than any other post I've read about but I'm not sure if I'm what they're looking for.
Thanks to all of you for the job advice. the quarterlifecrisis.com site made me feel a bit better about my situation. but Vincent I can't really borrow a book when I'm in Georgia!
back to Transformative Language Arts, I wonder if my involvement in this site could count toward that. I've been participating in this Transformative Language Arts project for quite a while. I hope some of the things I write are at least a little insightful. I do enjoy oral history and I've tried to make use of it with this video and this one I don't think they help to change society much... more so they reflect on it. Guess I'm not there yet.
I'm planning on scanning tonight. I found my long departed Granny's old photo album. I'd like to work with the images by incorporating them in with modern day video of her old mill town. I was looking at the pictures of my nieces from Halloween the other night and thinking about how much documentation has changed since the first half of the 20th century. maybe I'll post a few images later tonight.