poem #2 December 4th, 2005, around 9 PM....
i await among the sullen frames of a city
born from the hands of strain and hunger
i await among the fresh fleet-footed wonder
of youth not yet impregnated with fear nor anger
i await among the ripened faces at the market
under a pointed skyline at dusk
i await through dawn and through the day and
through the drop of the dwindling sun into dark
i await through the weaving sputter of industry
and mutter of busy figures
diving in and out of their daily clutter
i await through the serene cold silence piercing
the bold dead pages bound in books made of flesh
i await among the praying sparrows
taking cover from the snow on window sills of pain
i await among the ringing sound of hammered strings
like those suspending steel and concrete
above surrounding waters singing
i await inside myself among songs that vibrate
through sleep and awakening and pen and paper
and dreams wandering
i await outside looking in........
but not turning around, staying still.......
so as not to awake the tired, young sparrows
patiently awaiting the same warmth as i....
East Village, NYC 2005-12-04, 8-9 PM ⓒ2005 philip gayle
12-04-2005....#1
just for you
if i were to give you something
now
it would be nothing
so that everything
would be before you
and anything
could be....
yours
East Village 2005-12-04 around 8 pm ⓒphilip gayle 2005
Sunday In East Village....New poem....
anyway, i wrote three new poems tonight.....all in English...I will post them after this. So, Akio came back from his gig and i met him at McSorley's which has been around since 1854 and hasn't changed much...i assume...i'm not that old!!!! He told me he enjoyed the gig and met some people that I "indirectly" introduced him to. I actually recommended that he go, and i am glad he enjoyed it...so we met this poet who works there (at McSorley's), great guy named Geoffrey Bartholomew. His poems are amazing! I told him i write also and we traded (my latest CD for his book of poetry)....we signed each others work, and he treated us to a few beers. Then!, I was picked up by my friend Mike at around midnight at 2nd Ave. and 7th St. and he drove me and my droopiness back to Astoria and i helped him move stuff into his apt., again. I am happy to do it, for he's a good new friend of mine. He's also a musician and i will introduce him properly later on....To make a long story short, why don't i just post those poems....i will talk about the exam tomorrow.....too long of a day...i didn't sleep last night. Why, i don't know......i am still in the writing mode, so maybe i will write through the morning....time for a smoke......
Another Day...
I hope everyone is having a great weekend! The weather is great today even though it's cold. It's not too cold though. I am drinking hot tea and writing, finishing some work. Later on, I will help my friend Mike move into his new apt., and then will eat a big meal at a nearby restaurant. Tomorrow I will go to Columbia University to take a big exam. It's for certification of Japanese Level 1 (highest level). After my exam, I will meet up with my friends Akio and Shinobu for dinner in the East Village. They are from Nagoya and have been here for a long time. I met Akio about 15 years ago at a gig in Kichijoji.....long time ago! We reunited at the Big Sur Experimental Music Festival in 2000. What surprise that was!
初雪の詩
NYCの初雪はサンクスギビングの夜だった。ちょっとだけ降ってきて、その後はみぞれになっていた。
一瞬だったような感じ。で、その時は近くの行きつけのダイナーへ、
独りでサンクスギビングディナーっていうか、スープを食べたけどね（笑）、家からその店へ歩いている途中、降り出してきた。店の外で目をつぶって、その初雪と接する感覚を詩にしてみた。まあ、こんな詩はたま～に書くんだよね。暗いかもしれないけど、その時はそういう気持ちだったわけだ：
初雪
初戯れから
初雪までは
一喜一憂の旅だった
その間に
呑み込んだ言葉は
ほっぺたからぽろぽろ落ちる
心をたちまち見破る
初雪のひとひらが
黙殺の夜に溶け込む
闇中に佇む
サボテンのように
翼を張り上げようと
上を向こうと
でも、動けん
雪花が散ってゆくなり
雪がみぞれに
ほっぺたから
失せてゆく初雪は
無意義へのうろたえ
僕はサボテン
辺りをものともせず
ずっとここに
待っていた
待っている
クイーンズ ２００５年１１月２４日 ⓒ2005 philp gayle
Another Comment from an old friend! Chari!
やあやあ、お久しぶりだね、Chariさん!
Chariさんは昔、ハバナ・エキゾチカっていうバンドでドラムズ叩いていた。８８年～９０年の間によく通っていた高円寺のアフタービートというスタジオで８８年に、大野由美子さん（現バファロードーター）と知り合い、ハバナのライブへ誘ってくれた。由美子さんは当時ハバナのベースとかやっていた。
よく渋谷のLaMamaへハバナのライブを観に行っていた。色々危ない事したな、僕。若かったな。そういえば、この間、NYCにあるBook Offにハバナの「Loveが大事」が置いてあった！懐かしいな〜。楽しいバンドだったよ。僕はChariさんと色んなバンドの仲間達と、中野にある哲学堂公園で野球したり花見したりしていた。かなり懐かしいな～！皆さんは元気にしているのかな？チャリさんもkeep in touch!してね！子供さんも会ってみたいな～！よろしく！
I heard from Chari, a friend of mine from Tokyo and the former drummer for Havana Exotica. They disbanded several years ago and now, Sugar and Yumiko have the band called Buffalo Daughter. I think they play in the States sometimes. I was surprised when i saw Havana Exotica's debut CD at Book Off in NYC. Chari and a bunch of us band people used to play baseball at Testugakudou in Nakano (West Tokyo) and would enjoy the cherry blossoms at night after games, laughing, acting crazy, drinking beer and sake, and eating good food! I miss a lot of people from those days. Let's all meet again sometime!!!! Speaking of Tetsugakudou, I used to go there to read and write.
Today In NYC....
My Friend, Hiroya Miura-san
三浦寛也さんは現代音楽の作曲家で、翻訳の仕事で知り合ったんですけど、今はメイン州のBates Collegeで教授しています。僕達は似ているところがいっぱいあって、共通点もそうなんですけどね、けっこう二人でいるととんでもない冗談を言ったりとか言葉遊びをしてしまう。寛也さんはいい友達さ。
Hiroya is my good friend and composer. He now teaches at Bates College in Maine. We met through a translation project, but have a lot in common and have become good friends. His piece will be performed at Miller Theater in Columbia University on Dec. 7th. I hope some of you can make it. His music is brilliant.
sleepless...embracing....
there is something out of my reach that will make me warm.........it is in the sky.....
it is here.....it is there.....my friend.....you are here.....whether you like it or not.....
yet, i cannot feel you....just the cold wind......bringing chimes through the kitchen window....into
an empty shell....not from the ocean.....from some firmament.....somewhere.....opposite directions.....sometimes lead back to the same place...... but this may be an illusion......
nyc 12-02-05, 4 am....
ⓒ2005 philip gayle