Young Rene stepped out
Out from the museum's marble floor
Out from the toned confines
Of the gallery's walls its halls
Out into the wild world its crazy forms
Trying to recapture in words
Its raw beauty
Its refined tenderness
Like what had been depicted
By the masterpieces he had witnessed
With his own eyes
His own heart
He felt deep down to the depths of his soul
Not that he wanted to reproduce the masters
Now dead and buried
Some for hundreds of years
But that he wanted to feel a kinship
With beings who at one time felt similar to him
About his art
About his gift
About his explorations
Akin to the sensibilities
Of this collection of painters
These breakers of new ground
These front-line soldiers
Along the continuum of human expression
But how could this be accomplished
It is always so difficult to match one mode of human expression
With another
Trying to parallel the style
The grace
The touch
In a different medium
Still the expressions that their paints and strokes
Tried to capture and share
The colors the textures
It had all intrigued Young Rene
He felt overwhelmed as he stepped out
Out from the museum's marble floor
Out from the toned confines
Of the gallery's walls its halls
Out into the wild world its crazy forms
It all had imbued in him a burning desire
To capture in words
Its raw beauty
Its refined tenderness
Like had been depicted
By the masterpieces he had witnessed
With his eyes
With his heart
For Sketches
Denis J. Kelly
Dec. 18, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Antonio Astascio
He called himself Antonio Astascio
As he floated down the hill
The end of the line of Madison Park
An angelic section of Seattle
To the dock out onto Lake Washington
In full view of the floating bridge
Bridges don't float he screamed
Though only the insides of his imagination
Heard his melodiy in time
Bridges don't float he refrained
They fly they rise they hover
As he twirled and soft-shoed
Out onto the dock
Imagining it to be a stage catwalk
Out into an audience
Where he would show off his new-found dance shoes
I don't float he screamed
Though only the mirror of mirth in his imagination
Caught his inflection and guffawed
And cried
I don't float I aint no dancer I ain't no bridge
Oh sweet high stepper of these boards
Oh give me the gift to ply your planks
Oh inspire me in the performance of a lifetime
Oh help me to grace your humble yet timeless stage
With a creation appropriate to this view
The beauty of this lake
The texture of this inked cotton sky
Black and white watercolor canopy
And this contradiction from the world of science
Bridges don't float
And this contradiction from the world of art
I don't float
One-man symposium on magic convened on the spot
When he called himself Antonio Astascio
As he floated down the hill
The end of the line of Madison Park
An angelic section of Seatle
To the dock out onto Lake Washington
In full view of the floating bridge
For Sketches
Denis J. Kelly
Dec. 9, 2012
As he floated down the hill
The end of the line of Madison Park
An angelic section of Seattle
To the dock out onto Lake Washington
In full view of the floating bridge
Bridges don't float he screamed
Though only the insides of his imagination
Heard his melodiy in time
Bridges don't float he refrained
They fly they rise they hover
As he twirled and soft-shoed
Out onto the dock
Imagining it to be a stage catwalk
Out into an audience
Where he would show off his new-found dance shoes
I don't float he screamed
Though only the mirror of mirth in his imagination
Caught his inflection and guffawed
And cried
I don't float I aint no dancer I ain't no bridge
Oh sweet high stepper of these boards
Oh give me the gift to ply your planks
Oh inspire me in the performance of a lifetime
Oh help me to grace your humble yet timeless stage
With a creation appropriate to this view
The beauty of this lake
The texture of this inked cotton sky
Black and white watercolor canopy
And this contradiction from the world of science
Bridges don't float
And this contradiction from the world of art
I don't float
One-man symposium on magic convened on the spot
When he called himself Antonio Astascio
As he floated down the hill
The end of the line of Madison Park
An angelic section of Seatle
To the dock out onto Lake Washington
In full view of the floating bridge
For Sketches
Denis J. Kelly
Dec. 9, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Helen, Jen and Maura
Trio of white-haired ladies
Grand Dames in the beholder's eyes
Denim jackets easy walking shoes
Coffees on the common table between them
Planning out informally
Their misadventures as they loved to call them
Forays out of this their favorite haunt
Into the world of art, science and sport
Their husbands and children and grandchildren
Shaking their heads
Not so much at their tales
Brought back and retold from their treks
As from the rather eclectic menu of morsels
Choice experiences
Grown grandmothers full of life
Of course
The trio would say
Now more than ever
They'd mix opera with baseball
Ballet with soap box derby
Movies with a calculus symposium over at the university
Visiting mathematicians discussing formulas
Brushing up against the borderline with philosophy
Their favorite seasoning
Their busman's holiday
The conferees totally unaware
That this trio of white-haired ladies
This trio of visiting scholars
Had once ruled the mathematics departments
At the local middle school
High school and
Community College
Brighter many of their colleagues always thought
Fiercely bright their colleagues would say
Ivy League bright
Much brighter than folks in their positions usually are it was said
Nonsense the trio would say
You'd be surprised at how we are bright the trio would laugh out loud
Brilliance comes in all shapes and sizes
Helen had confided quietly
To her granddaughter Cassie
In whom she could see a sparkle in her eye
Helen had never before really believed in that expression
Until she saw it personified in this 13-year-old
Yes there it is yes
Helen would catch herself noticing
But now Helen would never doubt the expression
There in the sparkle in dear young Cassie's eye
Her second daughter's brightest daughter
Not that her other grandchildren weren't bright too
But this sparkle is exactly what Helen was talking about
Helen could tell for sure
From the sparkle in Cassie's eye bless her soul
Oh praise be to God
Helen knew she could believe in immortality
In her immortality
In their immortality
The trio's
Helen had once confided her findings to her confessor
And would in due time share her feelings
Her findings
Her solution to the equation
Her proof
Her faith
Share it with the other two women
Sitting at the common cafe table between them
Sitting with her favorite compatriots
Her conspirators
Her Jen and her Maura
She'd tell them that for sure
Cassie
And Jen's granddaughter Lena
And Maura's Colleen
Yes oh yes my dear sisters
These girls their generation
They would be their immortality
They'd be their continuation on nearth
They'd be the future matriarchs for generations to come
They'd carry on this magical aura
We'd coax them Jen and Maura
We must encourage them
To see the beauty in this menagerie
As their grand moms do
The grand mosaic of human expressions
The explorations
Not as mathematicians necessarily
But as artists scientists and athletes
Attempting to dig out the meanings
Of life and love and laughter and fun
Of challenge and death and heartbreak and reconciliation
Of work that is play and play that is work
And play that is nurturing and nourishing
Expressions discovered to help humans wander better
And wandering to fuel the endless wonderings better
From here to there and back again on their journey to the pool
Where the mysteries would all be revealed
Sing praise sing honor sing glory sing Amazing Grace Amen
You said it, nodded Jen when Helen finally had had enough courage to share
Ah but how asked Maura ever the practical one
Staerting next week next Friday
We'll take them to see The Mariners Friday night Helen said
Maybe eat at some exotic cuisine restaurant before the game
And for a present give them their own copies
Of Oscar Wilde's plays
Assign them one of the plays to read
Which the six of us will dissect two weeks after
In Huskies' Football stadium
When we can wander in all alone
Bring sandwiches
And feel the presence of that brilliant open-air cathedral
Doing wonders to the imagination
As big as Wilde's himself
The twinkle in her eye convinced Jen and Maura
Of the brilliance of the scheme
Trio of white-haired ladies
Grand Dames in the beholder's eyes
Denim jackets easy walking shoes
Coffees on the common table between them
Planning out informally
Their misadventures as they loved to call them
Forays out of this their favorite haunt
Into the world of art, science and sports.
For Sketches
Denis J. Kelly
June 22, 2012
Grand Dames in the beholder's eyes
Denim jackets easy walking shoes
Coffees on the common table between them
Planning out informally
Their misadventures as they loved to call them
Forays out of this their favorite haunt
Into the world of art, science and sport
Their husbands and children and grandchildren
Shaking their heads
Not so much at their tales
Brought back and retold from their treks
As from the rather eclectic menu of morsels
Choice experiences
Grown grandmothers full of life
Of course
The trio would say
Now more than ever
They'd mix opera with baseball
Ballet with soap box derby
Movies with a calculus symposium over at the university
Visiting mathematicians discussing formulas
Brushing up against the borderline with philosophy
Their favorite seasoning
Their busman's holiday
The conferees totally unaware
That this trio of white-haired ladies
This trio of visiting scholars
Had once ruled the mathematics departments
At the local middle school
High school and
Community College
Brighter many of their colleagues always thought
Fiercely bright their colleagues would say
Ivy League bright
Much brighter than folks in their positions usually are it was said
Nonsense the trio would say
You'd be surprised at how we are bright the trio would laugh out loud
Brilliance comes in all shapes and sizes
Helen had confided quietly
To her granddaughter Cassie
In whom she could see a sparkle in her eye
Helen had never before really believed in that expression
Until she saw it personified in this 13-year-old
Yes there it is yes
Helen would catch herself noticing
But now Helen would never doubt the expression
There in the sparkle in dear young Cassie's eye
Her second daughter's brightest daughter
Not that her other grandchildren weren't bright too
But this sparkle is exactly what Helen was talking about
Helen could tell for sure
From the sparkle in Cassie's eye bless her soul
Oh praise be to God
Helen knew she could believe in immortality
In her immortality
In their immortality
The trio's
Helen had once confided her findings to her confessor
And would in due time share her feelings
Her findings
Her solution to the equation
Her proof
Her faith
Share it with the other two women
Sitting at the common cafe table between them
Sitting with her favorite compatriots
Her conspirators
Her Jen and her Maura
She'd tell them that for sure
Cassie
And Jen's granddaughter Lena
And Maura's Colleen
Yes oh yes my dear sisters
These girls their generation
They would be their immortality
They'd be their continuation on nearth
They'd be the future matriarchs for generations to come
They'd carry on this magical aura
We'd coax them Jen and Maura
We must encourage them
To see the beauty in this menagerie
As their grand moms do
The grand mosaic of human expressions
The explorations
Not as mathematicians necessarily
But as artists scientists and athletes
Attempting to dig out the meanings
Of life and love and laughter and fun
Of challenge and death and heartbreak and reconciliation
Of work that is play and play that is work
And play that is nurturing and nourishing
Expressions discovered to help humans wander better
And wandering to fuel the endless wonderings better
From here to there and back again on their journey to the pool
Where the mysteries would all be revealed
Sing praise sing honor sing glory sing Amazing Grace Amen
You said it, nodded Jen when Helen finally had had enough courage to share
Ah but how asked Maura ever the practical one
Staerting next week next Friday
We'll take them to see The Mariners Friday night Helen said
Maybe eat at some exotic cuisine restaurant before the game
And for a present give them their own copies
Of Oscar Wilde's plays
Assign them one of the plays to read
Which the six of us will dissect two weeks after
In Huskies' Football stadium
When we can wander in all alone
Bring sandwiches
And feel the presence of that brilliant open-air cathedral
Doing wonders to the imagination
As big as Wilde's himself
The twinkle in her eye convinced Jen and Maura
Of the brilliance of the scheme
Trio of white-haired ladies
Grand Dames in the beholder's eyes
Denim jackets easy walking shoes
Coffees on the common table between them
Planning out informally
Their misadventures as they loved to call them
Forays out of this their favorite haunt
Into the world of art, science and sports.
For Sketches
Denis J. Kelly
June 22, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
It Had Gotten To The Point
It had gotten to the point
Where his wife wouldn't dance with him
Unless he promised not to raise his arms
That way
It was embarassing she said
But he couldn't help it
The music got into his shoulders
Around his neck
My shoulder girdle he would say
The opposite of Elvis
Whose gyrations whose gift
Was centered more in the hip girdle
Or so he would tell his wife
He just couldn't help it
She said he looks like he is doing a tai chi routine
On the dance floor only faster
Making funny formations with shoulders arms hands
Like some little teapot from the nursery rhymes
Arms and legs all akimbo
Like some fluid ever-changing abstract sculpture
Water to ice to vapor back to water
Changing like one of those moving billboards
That have images on three sides
Rotated every 10 seconds
To reveal a triangulated message
Come Josephine
In my flying machine
Going up and down
Exactly he said to her exactly
Oh no she moaned what have I done
Have I encouraged this insanity
Exactly he said exactly
I'm sitting down then Mister Teapot she said
Although she had to laugh despite herself
It had gotten to the point
Where his wife wouldn't dance with him
Unless he promised not to use his arms
That way
It was embarrassing she said
Exactly he said exactly
But not embarrassing
Free form art he said
Like I said she said
It had gotten to the point
For Sketches
By Denis J. Kelly
June 13, 2012
Where his wife wouldn't dance with him
Unless he promised not to raise his arms
That way
It was embarassing she said
But he couldn't help it
The music got into his shoulders
Around his neck
My shoulder girdle he would say
The opposite of Elvis
Whose gyrations whose gift
Was centered more in the hip girdle
Or so he would tell his wife
He just couldn't help it
She said he looks like he is doing a tai chi routine
On the dance floor only faster
Making funny formations with shoulders arms hands
Like some little teapot from the nursery rhymes
Arms and legs all akimbo
Like some fluid ever-changing abstract sculpture
Water to ice to vapor back to water
Changing like one of those moving billboards
That have images on three sides
Rotated every 10 seconds
To reveal a triangulated message
Come Josephine
In my flying machine
Going up and down
Exactly he said to her exactly
Oh no she moaned what have I done
Have I encouraged this insanity
Exactly he said exactly
I'm sitting down then Mister Teapot she said
Although she had to laugh despite herself
It had gotten to the point
Where his wife wouldn't dance with him
Unless he promised not to use his arms
That way
It was embarrassing she said
Exactly he said exactly
But not embarrassing
Free form art he said
Like I said she said
It had gotten to the point
For Sketches
By Denis J. Kelly
June 13, 2012
Sal
Sal chose crayons
His instrument of choice
Waxed color on paper
Instrument of youth
Surfaces covered thick
Pigments coating unevenly
Pure blankets mostly
Although periodic breaks
To show the glory of the younger child
Pure scribble raised to high art
Scratched from out of the hues
Scratched as if whittling away waxen splinters
Scratched as if Jefferson himself
Were laying down the words of splendor
Test of freedom
Beliefs on truths
That changed the world
Acted as modern-day gospel
Retold take of The Fisherman
Ideals to live by
Ideas to empower generations to treat one another
As brethren under a blanket of blue pigment
Broad American sky
Broad American landscape
Green pigments
Beds of grasses fields and forests
Mixed dollops of reds yellows browns purples
At times paste raised and thick
At times scratch has reaches down to paper
Now to tell a story of the wonders of the Northwest
Streets of Seattle
Waters of Puget Sound
Peaks of Ranier Olympia Baker
Folks of the neighborhoods
Teams families classes playgrounds
Offices hospitals factories loading docks
Day care centers nursing homes
Universities high schools night schools
Houses on the hill
Rains descending on the valley
Broad bright sun
Rises and sets
Life itself
Sal chose crayons
His instrument of choice
Waxed color on paper
Instrument of Youth
Surfaces coated thick
Pigments coating unevenly
Pure blankets mostly
Although periodic breaks
To show the freedom of the young child
Pure scribble raised to high art
For Sketches
Denis J. Kelly
June 13, 2012
His instrument of choice
Waxed color on paper
Instrument of youth
Surfaces covered thick
Pigments coating unevenly
Pure blankets mostly
Although periodic breaks
To show the glory of the younger child
Pure scribble raised to high art
Scratched from out of the hues
Scratched as if whittling away waxen splinters
Scratched as if Jefferson himself
Were laying down the words of splendor
Test of freedom
Beliefs on truths
That changed the world
Acted as modern-day gospel
Retold take of The Fisherman
Ideals to live by
Ideas to empower generations to treat one another
As brethren under a blanket of blue pigment
Broad American sky
Broad American landscape
Green pigments
Beds of grasses fields and forests
Mixed dollops of reds yellows browns purples
At times paste raised and thick
At times scratch has reaches down to paper
Now to tell a story of the wonders of the Northwest
Streets of Seattle
Waters of Puget Sound
Peaks of Ranier Olympia Baker
Folks of the neighborhoods
Teams families classes playgrounds
Offices hospitals factories loading docks
Day care centers nursing homes
Universities high schools night schools
Houses on the hill
Rains descending on the valley
Broad bright sun
Rises and sets
Life itself
Sal chose crayons
His instrument of choice
Waxed color on paper
Instrument of Youth
Surfaces coated thick
Pigments coating unevenly
Pure blankets mostly
Although periodic breaks
To show the freedom of the young child
Pure scribble raised to high art
For Sketches
Denis J. Kelly
June 13, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Melba Anne, Dina and Bev
"She was just trying to hone her craft"
The two were exercising the gift for gab
Melba Anne and Dina talking about Bev
Down at the coffee cafe
Madison Park Seattle
"I was aghast at her for dumping on the singer
No need to infect a great Saturday night
With so much negativity
"I mean way back then
I didn't listen to her very closely
She was just another blonde from overseas
That some corporate record company bigwig
Propped up as the next big thing in the 1970s
Admittedly annoying with hit after hit
With that thin voice too much too soon
"But then I recently came upon her greatest hits CD
Asn I said I don't know
I'm up for something retro
So I took it home got good and comfortable
Saturday night alone for a change
Yeah right don't laugh
More like alone every Saturday night
Anyway
Saturday night alone
And I wasn't about to infect it
With so much negativity
"So I drew a bath
Lit about 100 candles
Poured a decaf
Kept it black
But with one ice cube
Popped her tunes in the CD player
Sunk down in the suds
Only my head
Popping up like Flipper talking to his friends on the dock
And gave her a go
"What a surprise
More angst between the lines
More depth if you cared to listen
More worldly-wise nuance she must have snuck in
When the corporate record company bigwig
Wasn't listening
Or more to the point you know
Was looking more at her
At her assets
Then really listening to her
If you know what I mean
I mean she was only trying to hone her craft
For crying out loud"
The two were exercising the gift for gab
Melba Anne and Dina talking about Bev
Down at the coffee cafe
Madison Park Seattle
"I know what you mean Melba Anne I know"
Dina felt compelled to defend the third a little
Gently though
Cause she generally agreed
That Bev had been too harsh on the singer
And on Melba Anne
Before she had to run off before finishing her coffee
She was always running off before finishing her coffee
"Bev is coming from a different school of thought
One that never looks closer than the crowd's opinion
She follows the concensus
Plays it safe
And it robs her of some judgment
It obviosuly robbed her being able to recognize
Last Saturday night
The space your head was in
Afer the bath
When she just burst in
Unannounced
Caught you enthralled
Brought you down a notch"
"I'll say
Down a notch
Down three notches"
"But I mean I remember the singer you're talking about
I always thought she was just veneer
But now I'm curious
Letting some her songs play over in my head now
Now I'm curious
I'll have to borrow your CD
Give a listen
Maybe give her the bath treatment and all
Hey maybe that's what Bev really needs
The bath treatment
Yeah, maybe we could be stumbling on a new therapy line here
A new treatment spa sensation for Saturday night relaxation
Music of the 70s rebathed in bubbles, candles and decaf
Hey don't laugh
That's how the last three gazillionaires got their start
Taking some crazy idea like that
And running with it"
Melba and Dina were execrising the gift for gab
Talking about Bev and everything
Down at the coffee cafe
Madison Park Seattle
For Sketches
By Denis J. Kelly
May 16, 2012
The two were exercising the gift for gab
Melba Anne and Dina talking about Bev
Down at the coffee cafe
Madison Park Seattle
"I was aghast at her for dumping on the singer
No need to infect a great Saturday night
With so much negativity
"I mean way back then
I didn't listen to her very closely
She was just another blonde from overseas
That some corporate record company bigwig
Propped up as the next big thing in the 1970s
Admittedly annoying with hit after hit
With that thin voice too much too soon
"But then I recently came upon her greatest hits CD
Asn I said I don't know
I'm up for something retro
So I took it home got good and comfortable
Saturday night alone for a change
Yeah right don't laugh
More like alone every Saturday night
Anyway
Saturday night alone
And I wasn't about to infect it
With so much negativity
"So I drew a bath
Lit about 100 candles
Poured a decaf
Kept it black
But with one ice cube
Popped her tunes in the CD player
Sunk down in the suds
Only my head
Popping up like Flipper talking to his friends on the dock
And gave her a go
"What a surprise
More angst between the lines
More depth if you cared to listen
More worldly-wise nuance she must have snuck in
When the corporate record company bigwig
Wasn't listening
Or more to the point you know
Was looking more at her
At her assets
Then really listening to her
If you know what I mean
I mean she was only trying to hone her craft
For crying out loud"
The two were exercising the gift for gab
Melba Anne and Dina talking about Bev
Down at the coffee cafe
Madison Park Seattle
"I know what you mean Melba Anne I know"
Dina felt compelled to defend the third a little
Gently though
Cause she generally agreed
That Bev had been too harsh on the singer
And on Melba Anne
Before she had to run off before finishing her coffee
She was always running off before finishing her coffee
"Bev is coming from a different school of thought
One that never looks closer than the crowd's opinion
She follows the concensus
Plays it safe
And it robs her of some judgment
It obviosuly robbed her being able to recognize
Last Saturday night
The space your head was in
Afer the bath
When she just burst in
Unannounced
Caught you enthralled
Brought you down a notch"
"I'll say
Down a notch
Down three notches"
"But I mean I remember the singer you're talking about
I always thought she was just veneer
But now I'm curious
Letting some her songs play over in my head now
Now I'm curious
I'll have to borrow your CD
Give a listen
Maybe give her the bath treatment and all
Hey maybe that's what Bev really needs
The bath treatment
Yeah, maybe we could be stumbling on a new therapy line here
A new treatment spa sensation for Saturday night relaxation
Music of the 70s rebathed in bubbles, candles and decaf
Hey don't laugh
That's how the last three gazillionaires got their start
Taking some crazy idea like that
And running with it"
Melba and Dina were execrising the gift for gab
Talking about Bev and everything
Down at the coffee cafe
Madison Park Seattle
For Sketches
By Denis J. Kelly
May 16, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Old Man Vic
We lost a good man
When Old Man Vic
Decided to head back east
Attend to family business
Sell this bookstore to Lucius
A young man whom Vic
Introduced to everyone as
A close family friend
'Nuff said
Looking out over the neighborhood merchants
And customers gathered now in his store
Not so much to buy books and magazines
Because Lucius had decided to close the registers
Just for this one-hour social
Rather just to say goodbye
And hello
On the first Saturday afternoon in October
After the Huskies game
Before everyone's evening parties and family suppers
Would pull the audience here and there
"We lost a good man
When Old Man Vic
Decided to go east"
Lucius repeated his opening address
As if reading from a ballad
From one of Vic's and his favorite books of free verse
Legendary and long
The kind this bookstore specialized in
His journey all through college had informed him
That this situation even if it were the 21st Century
And not in the time of chivalry folk tales and couplets
That this situation truly called for
Just such an address
It would be his introduction to his neighborhood
As Vic's successor as owner of the store
And an insight into
His way of conducting business
Formal yet friendly
"We lost a good man
When Old Man Vic
Decided to go east"
Lucious picked up the pace now
Clearly making his third repeat of the same words
Mean something different
And used the opening not so much for meaning
As for pacing
Rhythm
"And he left this store this space this room
To me of all peoplea humble servant
A relative newcomer to his neighborhood"
In facr he had been a stranger just two months ago
"But then that first month, Vic quietly patiently
In his own sweet way his style
Walked me through everything I would need to know
About the business about ordering and re-stocking
But more importanly he personally introduced me
To all of you folks his dear friends
His other children he'd call you
Other than his books
His nutrition he once said
As we were passing
The "Zen and the Art of Cooking" book
Up on the shelf back in the corner over there
And for that month I watched his eyes
As much as I listened to his voice
How they would light up
Go aglow
But look slightly different
For each one"
"You were individuals you were people not customers
He was teaching he clearly said in his mannerisms
He was mentoring
Guiding steady customers through reading lists
As if you were prep school students
You know it's true
Many of you are nodding your heads am I right
Getting to know your habits he was
Encouraging diversity."
"We lost a good man
When Old Man Vic
Decided to head back east"
Lucius knew he'd have to get to his point now
His young career as their apprentice
Was about to begin now
He measured out his words cautiously
"I could never replace Old Man Vic
That was what I told him when we first met
When first I arrive in Seattle by bus
When first I answered his letter
When first my aunt told me
That her long lost friend from college
She called him practically family
A legend by his absence
A Ph.D. college professor
A gifted man of letters
Would be returning to Albany
To take care of a very dear friend
And needed someone to take over his store
"And in his kindness I was humbled to learn
That he had been following my progress through school
My aunt must have kept him current
Through St. Joseph's High School and Holy Cross and Rutgers grad school
And that he wanted me to take his place
Here behind the counter
Here on this street
Here among this neighborhood district of stores
Here among these friends of his
His books
Truly
Verily as the high priests would say
We lost a good man
When Old Man Vic
Decided to head back east"
"During the past month
Especially during those first days
When I was all alone
Swamped by all the work
Never having been a shopkeeper
A businessman
Really never having been anything other than a student
I remembered everything that he had told me
Especially the part about letting the situation come to me
And listening long and close before venturing out
Reaching out in measured almost symbolic gestures
To find a way to announmce my arrival
To ask your patience and support
To never ever hope
Nor appear to ever think
That I could replace Old Man Vic
Or even repeat exactly what he did
But rather to develop my own style
And then cultivate
Build a business
Based on my own personality."
"Well here goes Ladies and Gentlemen
I've gathered you here for this social hour
When the registers are stilled
And the cheese and wine are still abundant
To say thank you for the past month
You've made this situation so easy
You've been nothing but incredibly welcoming
You've been helpful in showing me the ropes
Even down to where to buy my milk
Where to get my shirts dry-cleaned
Where to go for the best sermons
What buses to take here and there
Where to go for the best salmon
And king crab
You've been great
I'll always try to do the same for you."
"So here goes
And how about them huskies
27-10 today
And it's a good day
A very good day
Don't you just love this season
We'll call it Sweater Weather Saturdays
Lots of hot coffee and warm lyrics
And for any of you who like to play guitar or sing
Maybe blow a blues harp
Open mike over by the best sellers
From now on every Saturday afternoon if the game is early
A post game hour
And if the game's late
How about Saturday morning pre-game
All sunny and bright
Even when it's wet and cold outside
Verses to wake up to
Refrains to sing at the game"
"Anyway more about that later
I know I'm trying too hard
But that's the way it ought to be at first
Don't you think
Yeah, we lost a good man
When Old Man Vic
Decided to head back east
May God keep him safe always
And now I've come west because of him
Thank you very much sir
Young Man Lucius you can call me
Pray to God for me
You've lost a good man,
And gained one back again"
For Sketches
Denis J. Kelly
April 17, 2012
When Old Man Vic
Decided to head back east
Attend to family business
Sell this bookstore to Lucius
A young man whom Vic
Introduced to everyone as
A close family friend
'Nuff said
Looking out over the neighborhood merchants
And customers gathered now in his store
Not so much to buy books and magazines
Because Lucius had decided to close the registers
Just for this one-hour social
Rather just to say goodbye
And hello
On the first Saturday afternoon in October
After the Huskies game
Before everyone's evening parties and family suppers
Would pull the audience here and there
"We lost a good man
When Old Man Vic
Decided to go east"
Lucius repeated his opening address
As if reading from a ballad
From one of Vic's and his favorite books of free verse
Legendary and long
The kind this bookstore specialized in
His journey all through college had informed him
That this situation even if it were the 21st Century
And not in the time of chivalry folk tales and couplets
That this situation truly called for
Just such an address
It would be his introduction to his neighborhood
As Vic's successor as owner of the store
And an insight into
His way of conducting business
Formal yet friendly
"We lost a good man
When Old Man Vic
Decided to go east"
Lucious picked up the pace now
Clearly making his third repeat of the same words
Mean something different
And used the opening not so much for meaning
As for pacing
Rhythm
"And he left this store this space this room
To me of all peoplea humble servant
A relative newcomer to his neighborhood"
In facr he had been a stranger just two months ago
"But then that first month, Vic quietly patiently
In his own sweet way his style
Walked me through everything I would need to know
About the business about ordering and re-stocking
But more importanly he personally introduced me
To all of you folks his dear friends
His other children he'd call you
Other than his books
His nutrition he once said
As we were passing
The "Zen and the Art of Cooking" book
Up on the shelf back in the corner over there
And for that month I watched his eyes
As much as I listened to his voice
How they would light up
Go aglow
But look slightly different
For each one"
"You were individuals you were people not customers
He was teaching he clearly said in his mannerisms
He was mentoring
Guiding steady customers through reading lists
As if you were prep school students
You know it's true
Many of you are nodding your heads am I right
Getting to know your habits he was
Encouraging diversity."
"We lost a good man
When Old Man Vic
Decided to head back east"
Lucius knew he'd have to get to his point now
His young career as their apprentice
Was about to begin now
He measured out his words cautiously
"I could never replace Old Man Vic
That was what I told him when we first met
When first I arrive in Seattle by bus
When first I answered his letter
When first my aunt told me
That her long lost friend from college
She called him practically family
A legend by his absence
A Ph.D. college professor
A gifted man of letters
Would be returning to Albany
To take care of a very dear friend
And needed someone to take over his store
"And in his kindness I was humbled to learn
That he had been following my progress through school
My aunt must have kept him current
Through St. Joseph's High School and Holy Cross and Rutgers grad school
And that he wanted me to take his place
Here behind the counter
Here on this street
Here among this neighborhood district of stores
Here among these friends of his
His books
Truly
Verily as the high priests would say
We lost a good man
When Old Man Vic
Decided to head back east"
"During the past month
Especially during those first days
When I was all alone
Swamped by all the work
Never having been a shopkeeper
A businessman
Really never having been anything other than a student
I remembered everything that he had told me
Especially the part about letting the situation come to me
And listening long and close before venturing out
Reaching out in measured almost symbolic gestures
To find a way to announmce my arrival
To ask your patience and support
To never ever hope
Nor appear to ever think
That I could replace Old Man Vic
Or even repeat exactly what he did
But rather to develop my own style
And then cultivate
Build a business
Based on my own personality."
"Well here goes Ladies and Gentlemen
I've gathered you here for this social hour
When the registers are stilled
And the cheese and wine are still abundant
To say thank you for the past month
You've made this situation so easy
You've been nothing but incredibly welcoming
You've been helpful in showing me the ropes
Even down to where to buy my milk
Where to get my shirts dry-cleaned
Where to go for the best sermons
What buses to take here and there
Where to go for the best salmon
And king crab
You've been great
I'll always try to do the same for you."
"So here goes
And how about them huskies
27-10 today
And it's a good day
A very good day
Don't you just love this season
We'll call it Sweater Weather Saturdays
Lots of hot coffee and warm lyrics
And for any of you who like to play guitar or sing
Maybe blow a blues harp
Open mike over by the best sellers
From now on every Saturday afternoon if the game is early
A post game hour
And if the game's late
How about Saturday morning pre-game
All sunny and bright
Even when it's wet and cold outside
Verses to wake up to
Refrains to sing at the game"
"Anyway more about that later
I know I'm trying too hard
But that's the way it ought to be at first
Don't you think
Yeah, we lost a good man
When Old Man Vic
Decided to head back east
May God keep him safe always
And now I've come west because of him
Thank you very much sir
Young Man Lucius you can call me
Pray to God for me
You've lost a good man,
And gained one back again"
For Sketches
Denis J. Kelly
April 17, 2012
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