been a long slow lovely day
first day without any chores
spoke with john b-r on the phone for an hr
he and jerome rothenberg are reading from
their anthology barbaric vast & wild [poems for the millenium vol. 5]
at city lights bookstore next thursday nov. 5
john and i firmed up plans to meet for lunch on thursday before the reading 

then i caught up on emails

then i read poems via the ether while the 3rd republican debate played in the background 

sometimes i covered my ears to concentrate on the poems
that is not a criticism of the debate only that sometimes i have to do that
cover my ears to block out noise
when i want to concentrate
i could've turned off the TV but no i'm interested
easy to hear all the politicians on both sides of the spectrum and say
same old same old
but no
i get the feeling that the world they argue for is no longer present the world has changed
is changing and the older models can neither describe or structure these changes
yet we don't know how to structure our thinking about this new world of ours

i sure as hell don't know

i'm reminded of this short verse by venezuelan poet rafael cadenas
translated by the wonderful poet guillermo parra

Poets don't convince.
Nor do they conquer.
Their role is another, far from power: to be a contrast.

perhaps a sharp contrast or a subtle one
being in poetry gives me humility
the world is vaster and more complex than i could possibly know

being in poetry gives me hope that the human condition
bruised and blasted
is a force without using force
an illumination