Sidewalk poems are written in chalk on streets—sometimes during poetic celebrations or community events, other times more unstructured and graffiti-like. I’ve written a few myself, though not directly on the pavement!
In this post, I’ll share a real set of sidewalk poems found on the street near my summer home in Medford, Oregon, followed by a few of my own sidewalk-style poems from years past.
First, you’ll find a poetic intro, then the Medford sidewalk poem (somewhere between classic sidewalk poetry and graffiti, as it wasn’t officially sanctioned). After that, I’ve included photos of the sidewalk poems, my chalk-inspired pieces, and background information provided by Copilot on related poetic forms—found poems, concrete poems, sidewalk poems, blackout poems, and erasure poems—with links for further reading. I wrap up with a few final thoughts.
Enjoy!
Sidewalk Love Poems- Love on the Street
The other day
I came upon
The following sidewalk poem
On a street in Medford, Oregon.
My wife said
They had a fight.
I asked,
Do I need
To do sidewalk
Love poetry.
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
For you?
She said,
No need.
It is obvious
On your face
That you love me.
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Medford Sidewalk Love Poem (August 2025)
😍 Always
😍 True love
I love You
Twin Love
♥️♥️♥️♥️
Twin 😍 love
Come home
Twin Love
♥️♥️♥️♥️
Don’t give
up on us
Don’t Give Up On US
meant to be
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Meant to be
ment to be
For the Best You ever Had
For the Best You Had
I 👩❤️♥️♥️♥️👩 You
I miss you.
I love You
I love You
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
♥️♥️♥️
Come home
I miss you
Come Home
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Come Home
Bobo
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Jen 4 ever
sidewalk love poem1
My Sidewalk Love Poems
I was lost
And you found me.
You walked out.
of my dreams
And into my life—
And that made
All the difference
In the world.
My love is waiting,
Waiting for me
To return
From this trip.
She is the
most beautiful
Woman
in the world.
Have you seen her—
My Angela Lee?
Tell her I love her.
Tell her.
I will be home.
I am coming.
back to her.
Co-Pilot Backgrounder
📚 Found Poetry
Found poetry is created by rearranging existing texts—from books, articles, speeches, or even street signs—into poetic form. It’s like a literary college.
The poet doesn’t write original words but selects and reshapes existing ones.
Found poetry includes several sub-categories: blackout poetry, cut-up poetry, and erasure poetry.
🕶️ Blackout Poetry
Blackout poetry is made by blacking out words from a printed page (like a newspaper or book) to reveal a new poem.
Uses a black marker to obscure unwanted words.
The remaining visible words form the poem.
Often emphasizes visual design and minimalism.
Example:
Tyler Knott Gregson:
“In my solitude I became aware of lack.
Lie near me in the starlight, quiet and free.”
Sidewalk poetry is poetry displayed in public spaces, often on sidewalks, driveways, or parks. It’s designed to delight and surprise pedestrians.
Created with chalk or etched into concrete.
Often part of city art programs or community projects.
Combines literature and visual art, sometimes with illustrations or creative lettering.
Example:
From Saint Paul’s sidewalk poetry contest:
“Though I worry that everything I held true and firm as rock
Will crumble under my feet—
I can’t forget: no paper, pen, or marble engraved
Can change the fact of my heart…”
Sidewalk Poetry: Reflection, inspiration, public art
Tone:
Graffiti: Bold, rebellious, expressive
Sidewalk Poetry: Gentle, poetic, contemplative
Audience:
Graffiti: Urban passersby, subcultures
Sidewalk Poetry: General public, pedestrians
Final Thoughts
Note: The Medford sidewalk poems were chalk-marked on the street—not spray-painted—and likely not sanctioned by the city. So, they linger somewhere between sidewalk poetry and graffiti—a little rogue, a little romantic.
Whoever left them, I hope the message landed. And best of luck to the couple behind it. As an incurable romantic, I fully endorse this kind of public love. The world could use more of it. After all, love makes us bold—it makes us scribble mad sidewalk poems in the middle of the night.
Have you stumbled across a chalked confession or a poetic whisper on the pavement? Or maybe you’ve penned one yourself? Share your sightings, your verses, your stories. Let’s turn sidewalks into storyboards—one love poem at a time.
note: submitted to Rogue Valley Times for possible publication
audio clip
poem version
Wagontire Oregon 1973
In 1973, I embarked on a road trip with my father. We left Berkeley, heading toward Yakima, where my father owned a summer cabin. As a college professor, he enjoyed the luxury of July and August off, and our dysfunctional family spent those summers together in the mountain cabin from 1968 to 1978. Our annual pilgrimage was both a trip to hell and a journey back.
My father and I shared a wanderlust—a love for exploring new places. This trip turned out to be one of our best. Surprisingly, we got along, which was unusual given our typically tense relationship. We were vastly different, but during this journey, we became friends..
We drove east along Highway 395, entering the high mountain desert of eastern Oregon. The road stretched ahead, almost deserted. Then we saw the sign: Wagontire, Oregon, 100 miles ahead. We counted down the signs, mile after mile, as dusk settled around us. We speculated Wagontire must be a giant truck stop—an oasis in the middle of nowhere.
Interspersed with the Wagontire signs were Burma Shave signs. Highway 395 was one of the last highways to still have these signs, which had been phased out in most places by 1966 or so.
Burma shave signs were written in rhyming couplets or quatrains cowboy poetry style, ending with the tag line Burma Shave. Here are two examples:
“Shaving brushes
You’ll soon see ’em
On a shelf
In some museum
Burma-Shave”
“Within this vale
of toil
and sin
your head grows bald
but not your chin–use
Burma-Shave”
We counted down the miles until at last we pulled into town. But when we pulled into town, reality struck. There was nothing but a gas station, a motel, and a cafe. Last gas for 100 miles, according to the highway sign. I chatted with the owner, who was the sheriff, fire chief, and owner of the only business in town. The sign outside read: “Welcome to Wagontire, Oregon. Population: 200,000 sheep, 10 dogs, two and one half humans..”
Curiously, I asked who was the half-human, and the sheriff replied, “My idiot son.”
I did not know it, but this was my last big solo road trip with my father. We drove to and from the cabin a few more times, last time in 1984, but this trip was special and one I will always remember. Mainly because my dad and I finally became “friends” during this trip and got along great. Unfortunately, that moment did not last, and we soon re-entered our difficult relationship, but during that trip, we got along famously.
2016 Revisiting Wagontire
Fast forward to 2016. My wife and I drove through eastern Oregon as part of an epic cross-country trip—31 states, 100,000 miles in three months to celebrate my retirement from 27 years of serving the country in the U.S. Foreign Service working overseas in 10 countries. We thought it was time to see America.
We followed Highway 395, revisiting the memories of my trip with my father 40 years earlier. But Wagontire had changed. The signs were gone, the motel abandoned, and the town reduced to ruins—a ghost town.
As we reflected on Wagontire and other “nothing burgs,” we pondered the heart of Trump’s forgotten America—the flyover country that often escapes our attention.
Reflections on my visit to Wagontire, Oregon, in 1973 and 2016.
He was a college professor
And had July and August off
And we spent our summers,
Every summer from 68 to 78
In that mountain cabin,
and hanging with my Uncle
who had inherited the family
apple farm in Yakima.
Our whole dysfunctional family
Our annual trip
to hell and back
And we did not
get along at all.
We decided to drive
through Eastern Oregon
Just my Father and me.
Just for the hell of it
The rest of the family
was already there,
My father and I shared a travel lust
Loved to go to new places
One of the few things we shared.
This was one of our best trips
We actually got along
Which was unusual.
Normally our relationship
Was fraught with tension
As we were so different.
We left Klamath Falls
A real noting burg in those days
And headed east along Highway 395.
As we entered the
desert of Eastern Oregon
America’s Outback lands
We entered a different world
High mountain desert
Almost no one on the road
Then we saw the signs
Wagontire Oregon
100 miles ahead
99 miles
98 miles
intersperse with the signs
were Burma Shave signs
one of the last highways
to have these cowboy poetry
advertisements
Just a few examples
for those who have never
seen these lost Americana signs
common from 1915 to 1975
Shaving brushes
You’ll soon see ’em
On a shelf
In some museum
Burma-Shave
Within this vale
of toil
and sin
your head grows bald
but not your chin – use
Burma-Shave
We counted down the signs
Mile after mile
Wagontire
Burma shave add
Wagontire
Burma Shave
every mile
counting down
.
As we drove
into the gathering dusk,
We speculated that Wagontire
Must be a giant truck stop
An oasis in the desert
In the middle of nowhere,
We pulled into town
Nothing but a gas station
Motel and cafe
We stopped
Last gas for 100 miles
According to the highway sign
In the morning
We chatted with the owner.
He was the sheriff, fire chief
rancher and Owner
of the motel gas station.
The only business in town
And the only place open
For one hundred miles.
I noticed a sign outside
“Welcome to Wagontire, Oregon
Population 200,000 sheep.
and two and one half-humans.”
I asked the sheriff
“Who is the half-human?”
He said,
“My idiot son.”
And we left
200 miles
We finally
left Eastern Oregon.
2016
In 2016, my wife
and I drove
through Eastern Oregon.
As part of our epic
Cross-country trip
to celebrate my retirement
from the U.S. Foreign Service.
31 states
10,0000 miles
in three months.
On the way
from Medford, Oregon
to Yellowstone,
We drove along
Highway 395,
40 years since
my trip with my father.
The signs for
Wagontire were gone
as were the Burma Shave signs.
As we drove through the town
The motel was abandoned
Nothing there at all.
The motel was in ruins
Just another ghost town.
And that sign was gone too
Just a small sign saying,
Wagontire, Oregon.
We speculated about wagon tire
And all the other nothing burgs
We drove through that summer.
Heart of Trump’s
Forgotten America
Fly over country.
background info on Burma Shave commercials by Microsoft Co-Pilot
Certainly! Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream, but it became even more famous for its unique advertising campaign. Let me share some interesting details and a few delightful Burma Shave poems with you:
History of Burma-Shave:
Introduced in 1925by the Burma-Vita company in Minneapolis, it was initially known for a liniment made from ingredients sourced from the Malay Peninsula and Burma.
Seeking wider appeal, they launched the Burma-Shavebrand of brushless shaving cream along with a clever advertising program.
At its peak, Burma-Shavewas the second-highest-selling brushless shaving cream in the US.
Unfortunately, sales declined in the 1950s, and in 1963, the company was sold to Philip Morris. The iconic roadside signs were removed at that time.
These witty and memorable poems left a lasting cultural impact, reminding us of a bygone era when highways were dotted with clever signs and a touch of humor. 🚗🌟
Background Info on Wagontire Oregon from Microsoft Co-Pilot
Wagontire, an unincorporated community in Harney County, Oregon, lies along U.S. Route 395. The name itself is intriguing—it conjures images of a remote outpost in the vast Oregon landscape.
Here are some fascinating details about Wagontire:
Origin of the Name:
The community was named after the nearby Wagontire Mountain.
Despite its modest size, the name carries a sense of adventure and history.
Historical Context:
In the late 1970s, Wagontirewas home to just two people: William and Olgie Warner.
The Warners owned a property that included a gas station, café, motel, general store, and an RV park.
Across the road from these buildings was Wagontire Airport, where planes would taxi across the highway and refuel at the gas station.
The signs outside humorously declared: “Welcome to Wagontire, Oregon. Population: 2½ humans, 10 dogs, 200,000 sheep.”
Changing Times:
Fast forward to 2016, and Wagontirehad transformed.
The signs were gone, the motel abandoned, and the town reduced to ruins—a ghost town.
It became a symbol of the heart of forgotten America, the flyover country often overlooked by travelers.
Education:
Wagontire falls within Suntec School District 10(Suntec School, grades K-8) and Harney County Union High School District 1J (Crane Union High School).
Wagontire—a place where time stood still, where echoes of the past whisper across the desert landscape. 🌵🚗
1: Geographic Names Information System 2: United States Topographic Map 3: Moyer, Armond; Moyer, Winifred (1958). The Origins of Unusual Place-Names. Keystone Pub. Associates, p. 137. 4: Monroe, Bill (December 14, 1997). “Under the Desert Sky: Solitude for Sale.” The Oregonian. : Weber, first (July 11, 1993). “Everyone Stops At Wagontire (Pop. 2).” The New York Times. : Frazier, Joseph B. (April 2, 2000). “Life Takes on a Slow Pace in Wagontire.” Albany Democrat-Herald.
Last weekend, I finally hiked Hobart’s Ridge near Ashland, Oregon. Hobart’s Ridge is about a 30-minute drive from downtown Ashland. It is part of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument near Hyatt Lake. The trailhead is off Soda Mountain Road near Hyatt Lake, and Green Springs. There is an information center for the monument on Soda Road just past the turnoff for Hobart’s Ridge at the Green Springs Inn. As you drive down the road, you turn to the right and go down a dirt, gravel road through some private housing areas with no hunting/fishing/hiking signs. You will find the trailhead about two miles in.
The trail is part of the Pacific Crest Trail. The trail is a short three-mile loop trail to the top of Hobart’s Ridge and back. Up at the top, you have some fantastic views of Southern Oregon, including Mt Shasta, Mt McLaughlin, Hyatt Lake, and Ashland. Some of the best views in the region.
First Attempt 2016 – Encounter with Mad Mountain Man
I first tried to hike up Hobart’s Ridge in 2019. My wife and I had decided that we were going to go for a hike, and we were following the directions of an old friend of mine, whom I had known almost my entire life, since first grade, almost 65 years ago.
When we got near the trailhead, we found there was nobody there, as it was the middle of the week in early June. We have been talking about mountain lions and bears and other critters. And then we saw on the side of the road an old mountain man, with thick hair and beard. He had a lunatic’s thousand-yard stare and glared at us. He was walking with a shovel., and backpack. We were freaked out. We thought he might be an axe murderer or something, and we aborted our trip.
Finally Made it in 2024
It took another five years before I could get back up there, this time with the same friend who had originally recommended the trail. And we had a fun time. We ran into several other hikers and their dogs, but did not encounter the mountain man, coy dogs, or mountain lions, but did see some friendly deer.
The trail was nice. Delightful weather, great views, great wildflowers, and had a delightful picnic lunch at the top. I’m glad I finally made it up to the top of Hobart’s Ridge. At my age, (68) still being able to hike up a mountain is a great accomplishment.
Here’s a story I wrote after my first attempted hike to Hobart’s Ridge.
The Mad Bag Piper of Hobart’s Ridge
Joe Lewis was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail as part of his bucket list. He was 70 years old and figured this was the last chance he would have to take such an epic trip He had started in Southern California in May, and it was now August. He was three-quarters through the trip. He stopped off in the town of Ashland, Oregon to take a few days off the trail and recuperate before he pushed on. One night, after seeing a Shakespeare play, he had gone to a bar where he met some locals and told them where he was going.
“Well, you need to be careful as you hike the trails near here. There is a mad bag piper who haunts the mountains near here. On full moon nights, he appears and accosts hikers, challenging them to a drinking contest, saying that if .you could out drink him, he will let you live, but if he out drank you, he would have to kill you, because he was a soul hunter and had a contract with the Grim Reaper to keep.
Whatever you do, don’t take the bet. The mad bagpiper is not a human being. Nobody knows who he is, what he is. All we know hikers disappear every full moon. And on those nights you can hear the bagpiper, walking in the woods near Hyatt Lake. He is usually described as a tall mountain man with a long beard, carrying a backpack, and his bagpipes. “
Joe dismissed the warnings as a silly urban legend. Late on the next day, he set up camp near the top of Hobart’s ridge and was enjoying his dinner, a beer and the epic sunset, when he heard a bagpiper and saw an old mountain man coming up the trail.
“What brings you to my woods, my friend?.”
“ Just passing through.”
“Tell you want. Let’s play a game. If you can out-drink me, I will not only let you live but take you a buried treasure left over from the gold rush times. What do you say, Joe Lewis? Do we have a deal?”
“How do you know my name?”
“I know everything about you. Let’s drink”
The mountain pulled out a bottle of Mount Gay Rum, Joe’s favorite drink, back in the day when he worked as a diplomat for the U.S. and had served in Barbados.
They started drinking and at about dawn the old man said,
“Joe, I like you, so I will let you live.”
Some hikers found later that day found Joe’s dead body, half-eaten by coy dogs. The mad bagpiper was long gone.
The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is an extraordinary ecological gem nestled at the intersection of the Cascade, Klamath, and Siskiyou mountain ranges. Let’s explore its fascinating features:
Location: The monument spans 114,000 acres (approximately 46,134 hectares) of lush forests and grasslands.
Ecological Marvel: This convergence of three distinct mountain ranges has created an area of unparalleled biological diversity and a varied landscape.
Establishment: Recognizing its exceptional ecology and diverse range of resources—biological, geological, aquatic, archeological, and historic—the monument was established in 2000.
Wildlife: Within the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, you’ll encounter a rich variety of animals, including deer, bears, mountain lions, small mammals, and songbirds. Birdwatchers are drawn to the presence of eagles and other raptors.
Activities: Visitors can engage in hiking, wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting, scenic drives, skiing, snowmobiling, and sledding.
Elevation Range: The elevation within the monument varies from 2,100 to 6,100 feet.
Location: Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, near Ashland, Oregon
Trail Length: Approximately 2.5 miles (out-and-back)
Elevation Gain: 413 feet
Difficulty: Moderately challenging
Estimated Completion Time: Around 1 hour and 9 minutes
Best Times to Visit: May through November
Activities: Bird watching, hiking, and running
Views: From the top, enjoy stunning vistas of Ashland, Pilot Rock, and Mt. McLoughlin.
Trail Description: The trail starts off moderately flat and gradually ascends. The last half-mile becomes steeper, but the panoramic valley views make it worthwhile. You’ll encounter wildflowers and may spot various bird species along the way. Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash. The trail is usually snow-free from late May to October.
To reach Hobart Bluff from Ashland:
Head east on Highway 66.
Look for the Hobart Bluff Trailhead near the highway.
Park your vehicle and begin your hike
Certainly! A Coydog is a fascinating hybrid resulting from the mating of a male coyote and a female domestic dog. Let’s explore some interesting facts about these unique canids:
Hybrid Origins:
A Coydog is the product of a coyote (Canis latrans) and a domestic dog (Canis lupus familiars).
These two canids belong to different species, making the Coydog a canid hybrid.
Crossbreeding between coyotes and dogs has occurred for so long that the exact percentages of wild hybrids remain unknown.
Characteristics:
Coydogs exhibit a mixture of traits inherited from both parents.
Their appearance and behavior can vary widely due to this genetic blend.
The exact proportions of coyote and dog characteristics are unpredictable.
Fertility and Breeding:
Hybrids of both sexes are fertile and can be successfully bred for up to four generations.
Similarly, a hybrid with a dog father and a coyote mother is known as a dogote.
Temperament and Care:
Coydogs can be challenging to handle, as they require a lot of affection and care.
Their temperament is akin to that of a child.
Due to the limited breeding season of coyotes, Coydogs are relatively rare.
Habitat and Occurrence:
Coydogs occur in the wild where the number of other coyotes is scarce.
In areas with fewer potential mates, they may mingle with domesticated dogs for companionship or breeding.
I have tried white water rafting a couple of times in my life. Once or twice in the Boy Scouts, once in West Virginia during foreign service training, and twice now along the Rogue River in southern Oregon. I have also gone tubing along the Natches and Yakima rivers as a child and tried canoeing, and rowing while I was in the Boy Scouts.
rogue river 2
Among these various boating escapades, the Rogue River experience was the best. There are several jet boat/white water rafting outfitters. The best is the Hellgate Jetboat excursions company based out of Grants Pass.
Grants Pass is a cute river town about ninety minutes north of the Oregon/California border, (one hour from Ashland, Medford, or Jacksonville) perhaps three hours from Portland, six hours from Seattle, and perhaps 10 hours from SF. Grants Pass has a lot of wineries nearby and some decent craft beer breweries in town and one artisanal whiskey maker, Sundance Disterly located next to the Hellgate company offices.
rogue 3
There are four or five different routes you can take. We did the two-hour excursion which takes you down the Hellgate Canyon hence the name of the outfitters. There is also a brunch and dinner option and a four-day excursion as well.
rogue 4We found the price was quite reasonable 35$ per adult with the military/senior discount figured in, and a suggested gratuity to the boat pilot of $5.00 per member of your group, so we paid $20 for the five of us.
The Hellgate story, As one of the United States’ first jet boat companies, Hellgate Jet boat Excursions has run adventures through the wild and scenic Rogue River for over half a century – all while actively working with our local Parks Department. to enhance the …
Early Hudson’s Bay Company hunters and trappers, following the Siskiyou Trail, passed through the site beginning in the 1820s. In the late 1840s, settlers (mostly American) following the Applegate Trail began traveling through the area on their way to the Willamette Valley. The city states[9] that the name was selected to honor General Ulysses S. Grant‘s success at Vicksburg. The Grants Pass post office was established on March 22, 1865.[10] The city of Grants Pass was incorporated in 1887.[11]
Grants Pass, along with Medford and Ashland was an unofficial “sundown town“, which actively warned Black and other non-white people to leave town before sunset or face violence and harassment. Although there was no documented law of the racist policy, it was enforced locally via residents and signage.[13][14]
Geography
Grants Pass is located in the Rogue Valley; the Rogue River runs through the city. U.S. Route 199 passes through the city and joins Interstate 5. The city has a total area of 11.03 square miles (28.6 km2), of which 10.87 square miles (28.2 km2) is land and 0.16 square miles (0.41 km2) is water.[15]
The other day I returned to Bend, Oregon. I last visited there in 2019 and enjoyed both visits. Growing up in Berkeley, I spent my summer with my family in Yakima staying at the family’s cabin in the national forest near Mt. Ranier. My father was a college professor and had July and August off, so we went to the cabin during the summers. We frequently drove through Bend as it was on the route from Yakima to the Bay Area. We usually stayed in Medford or Weed, but sometimes we stopped in Bend or the small town of Chemult.
Bend in those days was a backwater little town, a little bigger than the town of CHemul or Klamath Falls. It was a boring agricultural town.
Over the years it has become a trendy, hip town filled with the best beer in the country, great wine as well, and decent food as it is a foodie’s delight. Bend is a hip town about an hour southeast of Portland on the edge of the Oregon high mountain desert, it is the mecca of artisanal spirits, beer, and Kombucha. There is a good museum called the Oregon High Desert Museum which is worth a visit. There is also an Oregon Cascade scenic bypass, a 66-mile drive through the Cascades that I am looking forward to driving on my next trip
The city is the second fastest-growing city in Oregon if not the country. It is increasingly diverse, no longer a backwater. There is a new State college there as well. Mostly tourism based now, but there are some hi-tech companies set up there.
The city is lined with beautiful parks along the Deschutes River which runs through the city. The city is the second most fit city in the country and we saw lots of people, walking, biking, boating, or hitting the gym.
We walked about Drake Park and Juniper Park before trying the beer at Bend Brewing Company downtown. We drove around town after touring downtown and having some great Gelato. We stopped off at the last Blockbuster left in the country, stopped off at Humms’s Kombucha, and then had a beer sampler at Long Barrel Beer one of the bigger brew pubs in town.
We drove by several of the many parks in Bend, stopping off at Jupiter Park and Drake’s park. the city is building a long trail along the Deschutes River which flows through town.
bend park
last Blockbuster
The last blockbuster video store in the world is located in Bend, Oregon. Blockbusters used to be everywhere. Then they weren’t with the advent of Netflix and streaming services. But, somehow they manage to thrive in trendy little Bend Oregon. Seeing a blockbuster brought back memories. We used to go every Friday night to get movies for the weekend picking three to five to watch every weekend.
Conveniently located downtown along the mirror pound park near Drakes Park. It has lots of places to sit outside and enjoy the weather. The beer is great.
Welcome to Bend Brewing Co. We were established in 1995, and are the second oldest brew pub in Bend, Oregon. We have a rich history of award winning craft beer brewed at our
humm original. We didn’t invent kombucha, we perfected it. We’ve always had one primary goal: to make people feel good. And as more and more people are drinking kombucha …
We stopped by their tasting room and tried a number of samples. we drove by the factory as well.
my Brother-in-law and his wife have a Kombucha business in Korea. So they were quite interested in seeing how it is made.
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon’s largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, up from 76,693 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census, and 52,029 at the … See more
On the way to Bend, we stopped off at the High Desert Museum which is worth a visit. The highlights of the museum are the outdoor walks that go through the high desert forest with a great otter exhibit and a bird of prey exhibit with eagles, and other birds of prey. There are lots of chipmunks running around as well. The otters were very cute as otters tend to be.
The museum had a decent Native American exhibit as well as an outdoor recreation of a settler’s camp circa 1890 or so.
The High Desert Museum is located near Bend, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1982, it brings regional wildlife, culture, art, and natural resources together to promote an understanding of the natural and cultural heritage of North America’s high desert country. The museum uses indoor and outdoor exhibits, wildlife in natural-like habitats, and living history demonstrations to help people discover and appreciate the high desert environment. The museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums.
Facilities :
The High Desert Museum sits on 135 acres (0.55 km square) of pine-covered forest land in Central Oregon. South of Bend on U.S. Route 97, the museum includes various indoor and outdoor exhibits, a library, a desertarium, and a cafe. Portland’s GHA Architects designed the original museum building. That structure contains walls built from volcanic rocks and slate flooring. The outdoor exhibits and various buildings are connected by a half-mile-long paved path.
Collections :
The museum has more than 18,500 artifacts in its collections. Artwork includes works from Edward Curtis, Edward Borein, Charles Marion Russell, Philip Hyde (photographer), and Alfred Jacob Miller among others. Historical artifacts include those of Native American origin and post-Euro-American settlement of the region. Many of the Native American items are from the Doris Swayze Bounds Collection of American Indian Art and Artifacts, and the Doris Bounds Swayze collection.
This unique museum reveals the West’s High Desert region through artful exhibits, alluring animals, engaging programs and meaningful history. Whether you’re a local or planning to visit Bend, Oregon, discover why …
Chemult
One of the towns we drove through is the town of Celmult, Oregon. It is a town now, I recalled it being bigger when we drove through back in the 70s. We often spend the night there. It is the snowiest town in Oregon if not in the United States. Now there is not much there.
The locale was originally established in 1924 as a station on the Southern Pacific Cascade Line named “Knott” during construction.[4] The station’s name was changed to Chemult when the line opened in 1926 and a post office was established the same year.[4] The name Chemult comes from a Klamath chief who was one of the 26 who signed the Klamath Lake Treaty of October 14, 1864.[4][5]
The area around Chemult is commonly used for hiking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, dog sled racing, fishing, and hunting. Chemult also offers the annual Sled Dog Races where mushers come to race their sled dogs and compete for cash prizes.
Chemult is Trump country as many smaller towns in Oregon are. Oregon is a blue state with much of the population in the Portland -Eugune corridor. Central Oregon, (with the exception of Bend) eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon (with the exception of Ashland) are ruby red, politically speaking. But in general, people in Oregon are not as partisan as people in many other states tend to be. They are a pretty tolerant and friendly lot.
Rogue Gorge and Natural Bridge
(from internet article)
On the way to Bend we stopped off at the Rogue River gorge = a long waterfall near Crater Lake that is worth a visit, the other day we visited the natural bridge nearby which is also spectacular.
Nature’s own magic act
Everyone loves a good magic trick, and nature seems to have figured out a way to create one- without the smoke and mirrors. Natural Bridge, a point along the upper reaches of the Rogue River, is where the magic happens. At this point, the Rogue River disappears underground into a 250-foot lava tube, with a small amount of water escaping from the tube, forming a pool under the bridge. All the water, slowly but surely, reappears at the surface further down the river.
There are many ways to hike this stretch of the Rogue River. Natural Bridge itself can be reached via the Upper Rogue River trail. The easy hiking 2.4-mile loop option includes views of Natural Bridge and is accessible for all ages. For this route, start at the Natural Bridge viewing area. Stay on the near side of the river and start hiking upstream. Hike upstream until you reach Woodruff Bridge. Cross the bridge here and head downstream back to another foot bridge right near your starting point. The loop can be done in either direction with no substantial advantages either way. The trail itself has amazing river views, views of Natural Bridge, and ancient old-growth forests.
There are different campsites in the area, all of which have easy access to Natural Bridge, and the many surrounding recreation areas. This area is 10-15 minutes away from Crater Lake National Park and is a great place to stay to enjoy the park. Longer hiking options continue upstream to the Rogue Gorge along the river. You can also do a very short hike to the Rogue Gorge viewpoint just off the highway, this option is more of a leg stretch than a “hike” but has amazing views of the gushing river. More details and directions on different hiking routes here.
While this natural wonder is as impressive as the lush forests around it, it is not protected. If you want to help protect one of nature’s own magic acts, be sure to sign the petition and support the Crater Lake Wilderness region for generations to come.
These are my reflections on Oregon. I have been to Oregon many times over the years. My father was a college professor at SF State, and we spent our summers at the family cabin near Mt. Ranier and winters too. I quit going to the cabin with my family when I was in college. We kept the cabin in the family until my mother sold it after my father passed away in 1985. Uncle-in-law managed the family’s fruit farm near Yakima until he died in the early nineties.
On the way to and from Yakima, we frequently stayed in Medford. Later in 1990, I bought a property in Medford, two duplexes, and a house. We still have the duplexes which we renovated in 2017, We sold the house at the market peak in 2007 My brother was going to move to Oregon and manage our properties for us but his plans fell through so we were stuck with the properties which provided good income once we paid off the mortgages back in 1996 or so.
The plan was to spend our summers in Oregon with side trips to Northern California, Portland, Seattle, and Las Vegas.
COVID put a stop to that and we finally got back after three years. We are back on our summer plan. Unfortunately, our tenant trashed our furnished apartment, so we had to change our original five-week road trip to two weeks – Oregon Coast, Portland, Seattle, Yakima, and Bend including a side trip to Crater Lake, and then a trip down Highway one to the Bay Area and stay in the Bay Area for about a week – with an optional trip to Las Vegas, Arizona, and Utah provided the heat is less than 105 every day. Right now, with temperatures over 120, it is simply too dangerous to drive.
Ashland
Ashland is a nice college town and the home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, one of the oldest Shakespeare festivals in the Western United States. We usually try to take in a show when we are in the area. The University has an award-winning English literature department due to its long-standing connection to the festival. There are lots of trendy restaurants and bars in the city. During the winter it is a base for people going to Mt. Ashland for skiing.
The city is the home of Southern Oregon University (SOU) and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). These are important to Ashland’s economy, which also depends on restaurants, galleries, and retail stores that cater to tourists. Lithia Park along Ashland Creek, historic buildings, and a paved intercity bike trail provide additional visitor attractions.
Ashland, originally called “Ashland Mills”, was named after Ashland County, Ohio, the original home of founder Abel Helman, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other founders had family connections. Ashland has a council-manager government assisted by citizen committees. Historically, its liberal politics have differed, often sharply, from much of the rest of southwest Oregon.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival 75th anniversary banner
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has grown from a summer outdoor series in the 1930s to a season that stretches from February to October, incorporating Shakespearean and non-Shakespearean plays at three theaters.[42] The OSF has become the largest regional repertory theater in the United States.[14]
The Oregon Cabaret Theater features musicals and comedies throughout the year.[43] Opened in 1986, the dinner theater occupies a former First Baptist Church built in Mission Revival style.[44] The Ashland Independent Film Festival, which shows international and domestic films of almost every genre, takes place each April in the Varsity Theatre downtown. About 90 films are shown during the five days of the festival.[45] In 2009, Ashland was the setting for the film adaptation of Gaman’s Coraline.[46]
The Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University focuses on academic programs including creative arts (art, emerging media, and creative writing), music, and theater. Affiliated with the center is the Schneider Museum of Art, which has rotation exhibitions of works featuring professional contemporary artists. Also affiliated with the center are chamber music concerts, a Shakespeare institute, a piano series, and other art-related events.[47]
The annual Ashland New Plays Festival (ANPF) is a nonprofit organization that encourages playwrights to develop new work through public readings. Each year, the ANPF holds an international competition that winnows hundreds of submissions to four plays that are read to live audiences by professional actors during a five-day festival in October
Ashland Co-Op is a great natural foods store in Ashland. They used to pre-covid have a great make-your-own sandwich bar. My favorite was their loaded BLT.
Sam Adams, favorite sandwich
Was the make it your own sandwich
Served at the Ashland, Oregon, Co-Op
A modified BLT sandwich on Gluten free bread
Cheese, roast beef or pastrami, bacon
Sprouts, lettuce, tomatoes, dill pickles, peppers
Mayo, mustard, ketchup
Just heaven in every delicious bite
Lithia Park
Lithia Park in Ashland is a great park that follows Lithia Creek. It was designed by the NCY and Golden Gate Park designer Olmstead.
Lithia Springs
Lithia Springs is a small hot springs resort just north of Ashland. It has been operating as a spa since the 1880’s.
Within the hub of downtown sits Lithia Park, Ashland’s crown jewel. Lithia is a 100-acre vista of emerald lawns, pickleball courts, a sand-pit volleyball court, the Swim Reservoir at the …
Lithia Springs Resort in Ashland, Oregon. Low Online Rates – Book Today! Lithia Springs Resort in Ashland, Oregon. 2165 W Jackson Rd. Book Now.
Astoria
Astoria is a town at the mouth of the Colombia River about an hour from Portland. I went Salmon Fishing there with my dad when I was 16. It has a nice Lewis and Clark museum as this was the farthest extent of their legendary trip in the 1810s.
Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains.[6] The county is the northwest corner of Oregon, and Astoria is located on the south shore of the Columbia River, where the river flows into the Pacific Ocean. The city is named for John Jacob Astor, an investor and entrepreneur from New York City, whose American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site and established a monopoly in the fur trade in the early 19th century. Astoria was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on October 20, 1856.[1]
Bend is a hip town about an hour southeast of Portland on the edge of the Oregon high mountain desert, it is the mecca of artisanal spirits, beer, and Kombucha.
There is a good museum called the Oregon High Desert Museum which is worth a visit. There is also an Oregon Cascade scenic bypass, a 66-mile drive through the Cascades that I am looking forward to driving.
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon’s largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, up from 76,693 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census, and 52,029 at the … See more
Here the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The city borders the city of North Bend, and together they are often referred to as one entity called either Coos Bay-North Bend or Oregon’s Bay Area.[7] Coos Bay’s population as of the 2020 census was 15,985 residents, making it the most populous city on the Oregon Coast. Oregon’s Bay Area is estimated to be home to 32,308 (Coos Bay Census County Division).[8]
Crater Lake National Park
i have been to Crater Lake at least ten times in my life. It is always impressive. We tried to go to Crater Lake, but our car had other ideas. Fortunately, a good Samaritan came along and helped out. We went the next day. And a good day touring the park. We stopped off at the Oregon Natural Bridge just before entering the park. That was very impressive.
Write a Naani poem. A Naani consists of 4 lines, and the total lines consist of 20 to 25 syllables.
Klamath Falls, Oregon
Klamath Falls (/ˈklæməθ/KLAM-əth) is a city in, and the county seat of, Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called Linkville when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city was sited. The name was changed to Klamath Falls in 1893.[5] The population was 21,813 at the 2020 census. The city is on the southeastern shore of the Upper Klamath Lake located about 246 miles (396 km) northwest of Reno, Nevada, and approximately 17 miles (27 km) north of the California–Oregon border.
Logging was Klamath Falls’s first major industry.
We drove back through Klamath Falls, which is a dying city, not that prosperous looking. There is an airbase there as well as the Oregon Institute of Technology but overall, the city seems to be depressed economically speaking. There are two dams on the Klamath river which are scheduled to be removed and the whole river re-wildered next year or so. There is a small downtown business district that has seen better days.
Central Point
Central Point is a small community north of Medford near the airport and COSTCO. There is an industrial zone on the west side of the city that abuts the west Medford industrial zone. I went there frequently when we were doing the epic remodeling of our four Medford units in 2016; We go there almost every day to go to COSTCO but have not explored the rest of the city.
Table rock mountains are two Messa mountains north of Medford that are great places to hike. But during the summer it is best to go in the morning as it often gets about 100 degrees in the late afternoon.
Upper Table Rock and Lower Table Rock are two prominent volcanic plateaus located just north of the Rogue River in Jackson County, Oregon, U.S. Created by an andesitic lava flow approximately seven million years ago and shaped by erosion, they now stand about 800 feet (240 m) above the surrounding Rogue … See more
Starting approximately 40 million years ago in the middle Eocene, a braided river system called the “Ancestral Rogue River” flowed through the… See more
Agate Desert Park
Another great little park north of Medford, famous for natural agates.
Eagle Point is a small-town northeast of Medford. It is on the Rogue River and is a popular staging area for river rafting trips. There are several award-winning golf courses there.
It is also settling for some reason for most of my horror stories where I construct an eldritch Lovecraftian haunted mansion that Sam Adams of the Cosmos Institute inherits.
Eugene in the University of Oregon campus town. It reminds me of Berkeley and Boulder -both college towns. It has a good co-op that had great sandwiches back in the day.
Roseburg is another little town on the rouge river. There are lots of wineries nearby. But what it is known for is Oregon’s wildlife safari which is worth a visit.
It is also the northernmost extension of the Northern California climate zone and the southernmost extension of the Pacific Northwest climate zone. Once you go north you enter into the Pacific Northwest climate zone.
Roseburg is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is in the Umpqua River Valley in southern Oregon and is the county seat and most populous city of Douglas County. Founded in 1851, the population was 23,683 at the 2020 census, making it the principal city of the Roseburg, Oregon Micropolitan Statistical … See more
Jacksonville is a historical 19th-century Gold Rush town. A lot of people don’t know that Oregon had a gold rush and silver rush as well – just not as well known. And there are working wines to this day. The town reminds me of Old Town Alexandria and old towns across the country, including downtown Medford, Bend, and Old Town Sacramento.
It is a popular retirement community. Ten miles to Medford, and Ashland.
Lots of nice restaurants and classic bed and breakfast country inns, and easy access to wineries.
The Brit festival has an amazing lineup for a minor out-of-the-way music festival. They attract a lot of acts who add on a night at the Brit Festival which is becoming a big thing to their Portland, Eugene of Sacramento bookings.
We just missed Diana Ross
We saw Big Toad and the Monsters and Blues Travelers. Both were pretty good. Big Todd was a bit more mainstream rock, blues travelers remind me of The Grateful Dead, Phish, and Rush, with similar style and fanatical fan base. The lead singer is a great blues harmonica player.
Phoenix
Phonex Oregon is a suburb of Medford just south of the city. It has Home Depot and a few other big box stores and a few wineries and truck stop and RV parks. It was heavily damaged in the 2020 fire.
The area was settled in about 1850 by brothers Hiram and Samuel Colver. Samuel Colver laid out the town in 1854. Early residents included Milton Lindley, who operated a sawmill that provided timbers in 1855 for a blockhouse as well as a flouring mill owned by Sylvester M. Wait. For a time, the settlement was known locally as Gasburg after a talkative employee in the kitchen serving the mill hands. Wait, who was an agent for the Phoenix Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut, assigned the official name, Phoenix, to the community and, in 1857, to its post office. Waitsburg, Washington, was later named after Wait.[6]
2020 fire
On September 8, 2020, much of Phoenix, along with neighboring Talent and parts of Medford and Ashland, were destroyed by the Almeda Drive Fire.[7][8][9][10] On September 11, 2020, authorities said they were preparing for a mass fatality incident.[11] On September 11, it was reported that 600 homes and 100 commercial buildings have been destroyed by the Almeda Drive Fire,[12] but on September 18, that number was updated to 2,800.[13] Officials stated that the Almeda Drive Fire was human-caused.[12] On September 11, a man was arrested for arson, for allegedly starting a fire that destroyed multiple homes in Phoenix and merged with the Almeda Drive Fire.[14] A separate criminal investigation into the origin point of the Almeda Drive Fire in Ashland is ongoing.[14]
Portland
The biggest city in Oregon and a very hip and trendy town. Center of Oregon’s Asian, African-American, Hispanic, and LGBTQ communities. Because Oregon does not have a sale tax and Washington does not have an income tax, many savvy retirees live in Vancouver, Washington just across the river from Portland, and do the bulk of their shopping there. Portland is one of the few cities that still has a vibrant shopping center near downtown. It also has the world’s largest bookstore – which I will visit on my next trip, several innovative universities including Lewis and Clark and Reed, as well as Portland State and Oregon’s sole medical university the Oregon State Medical University which has dental, both oriental medicine, western medicine, Physical therapy and nursing schools. 80 percent of the State lives within the metro area, which has the only real mass transit in Oregon. It also has one of the best urban park systems in the world, great local beer and Kombucha breweries and hundreds of nearby wineries, and of course lots of cannabis shops everywhere. It is about an hour’s drive to Bend and an hour’s drive to the coast, and four to five hours to Medford.
Named after Portland, Maine,[11] which is itself named after the English Isle of Portland, the Oregon settlement began to be populated in the 1840s, near the end of the Oregon Trail. Its water access provided convenient transportation of goods, and the timber industry was a major force in the city’s early economy. At the turn of the 20th century, the city had a reputation as one of the most dangerous port cities in the world, a hub for organized crime and racketeering. After the city’s economy experienced an industrial boom during World War II, its hard-edged reputation began to dissipate. Beginning in the 1960s,[12] Portland became noted for its growing liberal and progressive political values, earning it a reputation as a bastion of counterculture.[13]
The city operates with a commission-based government, guided by a mayor and four commissioners, as well as Metro, the only directly elected metropolitan planning organization in the United States.[14][15] Its climate is marked by warm, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. This climate is ideal for growing roses, and Portland has been called the “City of Roses” for over a century.[16]
P. Talent, an East Tennessee native who settled in Oregon in the 1870s, platted the city in the 1880s. He wanted to name it Wagner but was overruled by postal officials, who preferred Talent, dropping one of the L’s. The post office opened at this location in 1883. Earlier names for the settlement were Eden District and Wagner Creek.[5]
On September 8, 2020, roughly a third of Talent, along with neighboring Phoenix and parts of Medford and Ashland, were destroyed by the Almeda Drive Fire.[6][7][8][9] On September 11, 2020, authorities said they were preparing for a mass fatality incident.[10] As of September 11, 600 homes and 100 commercial buildings have been destroyed by the Almeda Drive Fire,[11] but on September 18, that number was updated to 2,800.[12] Officials stated that the Almeda Drive Fire was human-caused.[11] On September 11, a man was arrested for arson, for allegedly starting a fire that destroyed multiple homes in Phoenix and merged with the Almeda Drive Fire.[13] A separate criminal investigation into the origin point of the Almeda Drive Fire in Ashland is ongoing.[13]
White City
White City is a small but upcoming city. It is based on a World War 11 Army camp that closed down in the 50s. There is a big regional Veterans hospital center and because of that has drawn a lot of military retirees to the valley.
There is a rumor that the city was called White City and was supposed to be a whites-only city. It was the center of KKK activity between 1880 and 1940. In any event it has the largest minority population in the Rogue Valley due to the relatively inexpensive rents.
Oregon is mostly white about 80 percent but there are a lot of Hispanics and Asians in Portland a thriving African American community of 80 percent lives in the Portland Willamette Valley down to Eugune and Salem the State Capitol.
Indian Casinos
There are numerous Indian casinos in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California, and over the years I have lost money in many of them. This summer we will visit at least two. An Indian Casino is planned for Medford, opening perhaps in 2025. The nearest casinos to Medford are about an hour or two northwest and southwest of the city along the coast.
Indian History
The Indian tribes of Oregon and California were almost wiped out in the Indian wars of the 19th century. Most of the tribes were forced to move to Idaho or Oklahoma. The remaining tribes struggled with getting Federal and State recognition, benefits, etc. Almost all of them have been recognized by now. Many of the tribes are teaching their language and culture and tribal communities have come back from near death. Many of them have become wealthy due to casinos and the decisions by most tribes of giving every tribal member a monthly stipend and full scholarships for college and tech institutions. Many tribal members live off their stipends, which depending upon the tribe can be quite generous as they usually tax the casinos about 10 percent of their income stream, returning it all to the benefit of the tribes, and investing a lot of it as well…
Southern Oregon has emerged as a major winery region with over 125 between Roseburg and Ashland. Most are in the Applegate Valley west of 1-5 and west of Jacksonville and Medford. Some are nearer Roseburg-Grants Pass. There are a number in a town near Ashland, Jacksonville, Medford, Phoenix, and Talent. Southern Oregon is also a craft beer town and an kombucha town. and there are lots of farmers markets and organic groceries in town including several 24/7 groceries. There are cannabis shops everywhere now.
Owned by friends of our friends. They have a good menu as well as wine tasting and they often have live music. Three swans live on the lake. And a goose who was raised with the swans and thinks he is a swan. The winery also has cottages for rent.
Oregon Poems
Wagontire Oregon
1973
In 1973, I went on a road trip With my father
We left Berkeley to go to Yakima Where my father had a summer cabin
He was a college professor And had July and August off
And we spent the summers Every summer from 1968 to 1978 Our whole dysfunctional family
Our annual road trip to hell and back
As we did not get along at all
We decided to drive through Eastern Oregon
Just my father and me Just for the hell of it
The rest of the family was already there
in Washington waiting for us
My father and I shared a travel lust One of the few things we shared
This was one of our best trips We got along
Which was unusual Normally our relationship
Was fraught As we were so different
We left Klamath Falls A real nothing burg in those days
And headed east along Highway 395 As we entered the desert of eastern Oregon
We entered a different world High mountain desert
Almost no one on the road
nothing on the radio
but country music
and talk radio from KGO in SF
my father and I bonded Learned a lot about his past
What he liked And did not like
He hated country music But loved news radio
And we talked about politics And life in general
Just a father and son Enjoying a rare
Father-son Bonding moment
We usually did not get each other
I inherited too much Of my Mother’s wild Irish personality
To suit his dour Norwegian Germanic personality
Then we saw the sign
Wagontire Oregon
100 miles ahead Burma shave
We counted down the signs Miles after miles As we drove into the gathering dusk
along with the wagon tire countdown
were other signs last gas for x miles
and the Burma Shave roadside signs
with their classic cowboy poetry slogans
which in 1975 were already
becoming a thing of the past
had not seen those since this road trip
but on this road they still had them
every mile Burma Shave signs
We speculated that Wagontire
Must be a giant truck stop In the middle of nowhere
And we drove on
Counting down the signs
Listening to dreadful country music And endless political news
Wagontire 100 miles ahead
And we drove on Counting down the signs
Listening to dreadful country music And endless political news
Wagontire 100 miles ahead ……………………………………..
Burma Shave
Wagontire 1 Mile ahead Last Chance Gas, Food, lodging next gas 200 miles Welcome to Wagontire, Oregon
Population 2 ½ humans 10 dogs, 50,000 sheep
We pulled into the town
Nothing there but a gas station Motel and café
We decided to stop
Last gas for 200 miles According to the highway signs
In the morning We chatted with the owner
He was the sheriff, the fire chief The owner of the motel, gas station
The only business in town
And the only place open For two hundred miles
Until the next town
John Day I believe
I asked the Sherriff Say, who is the ½ human?
My idiot son!
And we left.
200 miles later We finally left Eastern Oregon
2016
In 2016 my wife and I drove through Eastern Oregon
As part of our epic cross-country trip
first time for her in Eastern Oregon Idaho, Montana Wyoming and many other states
last time I had visited was during my epic road trip with my father summer of 1973
10,000 miles 31 states
in three months to celebrate my retirement
from the US Foreign Service
On the way from Medford
to Yellowstone We drove along Highway 395
The signs for Wagontire were gone And we drove through the town
The motel was abandoned
Nothing there at all
And that sign was gone too
and the Burma shave signs long ago
faded into lost Americana
On the radio Nothing but country
Right-wing talk shows And Christian radio
I said I suppose the idiot son Never took over the business
And we speculated about Wagontire And all other nothing burgs
We drove through that summer
Heart of Trump’s America True fly-over country
Travels with my Father
Prose Poem Version
I grew up in Berkeley, California in the 60s and 70s, graduating from high school in 1974. My father was a local politician, college professor, and economist who served in DC under President Kennedy and Johnson. He and I did not get along that much, he was a distant aloof person hard to get to know, although I admired him and agreed with him on political issues for the most part. He was a moderate democrat which in Berkeley made him a conservative a curse word in the hyper-partisan Berkeley political scene.
One thing we did share was the love of travel and road trips. My father had inherited a summer cabin near Yakima, Washington, and from an early age to when I was 20, I spent most summers in the cabin with my father, my mother, my brothers, and my sister and visiting my uncle and his family. We were a dysfunctional family, always bickering and did not get along at all. Our road trips were fun actually despite our dysfunctional family dynamics.
We made several memorable trips over the years. We drove across the country twice from DC to California both times taking the northern route and stopping off in Yakima before returning to California. Along the way stopping off at Yellowstone, Grand Teton, etc. On one trip we went through Canada stopping off in Montréal, Toronto, Calgary, the Canadian Rockies, and Vancouver. We were 90 miles from the Alaskan border and my father decided we were not going to go to Alaska although we all begged him to do so. It took me almost 50 years before I finally got to Alaska, on a cruise, and I thought Meh was overrated and not for me. But still, I would have liked to have seen it when I was 11 years old.
One summer we drove just my father and me to Yakima and we drove through eastern Oregon just for the hell of it. We drove down a lonely country highway dubbed the loneliness highway in America that started in Nevada and goes through eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington the Nevada and Oregon sections are among the least densely populated areas in the United States. We started noticing signs for Wagon Tire, Oregon, with signs like 99 miles to Wagon Tire’s last services for 200 miles. 99 98 97 every milepost had two signs to Wagon tire and a Burma Shave sign. Burma Shave signs were a feature of the American West from 1920 to 1974 when the interstate highway system ended most roadside billboard advertisements, and the Burma Shave company ceased as an independent company the Burma Shave billboards were cowboy poetry at its best three to five short tanka like advertisements like
Drivers, You must remember this Driving fast Kills you fast
Burma Shave
When we got there, we found a run-down motel/gas station, cafe, and general store. We spent the night; we were the only customers as it was mid-week. We had noticed a sign-out front
“Welcome to Wagon tire
Population
30,000 sheep 20, 000 cows 10,000 pigs 5,000 chickens Thousands of bears, coyotes, deer, elk, and antelope two and one-half people
We asked the owner who had identified himself as the owner, fire chief, sheriff, and landlord what the sign, two and one-half people meant. He said,
“Oh me, my wife, and my idiot son, that’s the half person.”
In 2016 when I drove across the country with my wife to celebrate retiring from the foreign service we drove through Wagontire, which entire was now a ghost town with signs for sale. I wonder if anyone bought the store? And whether anyone lives there anymore. In any event, the idiot son never carried out the family business.
Travels with My Father Free verse
I grew up in Berkeley California My father was a local politician, college professor,
we did not get along that much he was a distant aloof person hard to get to know,
although I admired him and agreed with him on political issues
One thing we did share was the love of travel and road trips.
My father had a summer cabin near Yakima, Washington, and from an early age to when I was 20
I spent most summers in the cabin with my father, my mother, my brothers, and my sister and visiting my uncle and his family.
We were a dysfunctional family, always bickering and did not get along at all.
Our road trips were fun actually despite our dysfunctional family dynamics.
One summer My father and I drove through eastern Oregon just for the hell of it.
We drove down Highway 395 dubbed the loneliness highway in America
the Nevada and Oregon sections are among the least densely populated areas in the United States.
Outside of Klamath Falls As we entered Oregon High desert outback
We started noticing signs for Wagon Tire, Oregon, with signs like
99 miles to the Wagon tire last services for 200 miles. 99 98 97 every milepost had two signs a sign to Wagon tire and a Burma Shave sign.
Burma Shave signs were a feature of the American West from 1920 to 1974 when the interstate highway system ended most roadside billboard advertisements,
and the Burma Shave company ceased as an independent company
the Burma Shave billboards were cowboy poetry at its best
three to five short tanka like advertisements like
“Drivers, You must remember this Driving fast Kills you fast
Burma Shave”
When we got there we found a run-down motel/gas station, cafe, and general store.
We spent the night. we were the only customers as it was mid-week.
We had noticed a sign-out front
“Welcome to Wagon tire
Population
30,000 sheep 20, 000 cows 10,000 pigs 5,000 chickens Thousands of bears, coyotes, deer, elk, and antelope 2 and one-half people
We asked the owner who had identified himself? as the owner, fire chief, sheriff, and landlord
what is the sign, two and one-half people meant.
He said,
“Oh me, my wife, and my idiot son, that’s the half person.”
In 2016 when I drove across the country with my wife to celebrate retiring from the foreign service
we drove through Wagontire, which was now a ghost town with signs for sale.
I wonder if anyone bought the store? And whether anyone lives there anymore. In any event, the idiot son never carried out the family business.
Note: according to Wikipedia there are still a few people living in Wagon Tire. When we drove through in 2016 it sure looked like a Ghost town.
Wagontire is an unincorporated community in Harney County, Oregon, United States, along U.S. Route 395.
The community was named after the nearby Wagon Tire Mountain. From 1986 to at least 1997, Wagon Tire was home to just two people: William and Olgie Warner. The Warners’ property included a gas station, cafe, motel, general store, and r… Wikipedia · Text under CC-BY-SA license
BING AI seems to think that Wagontire might be a Ghost town but as far as I know, it is not yet listed on the state list of ghost towns.
Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream, famous for its advertising gimmick of posting humorous rhyming poems on small sequential highway roadside signs.
Burma-Shave was introduced in 1925 by the Burma-Vita company in Minneapolis owned by Clinton Odell. The company’s original product was a liniment made of ingredients described as having come “from the Malay Peninsula and Burma” (hence its name).[1] Sales were sparse, and the company sought to expand sales by introducing a product with wider appeal. the Burma Shave signs were written in cowboy poetry style three lines with Burma Shave as the fourth tag lines.
The signs were everywhere as the automobile era commenced. The last signs disappeared with the opening on the interstate highway system which banned outdoor billboards.
Seattle UW Blues
I have a long history
with the city of Seattle
dating back to my grandparents
who met there at UW
and my father who attended UW
and became a student leader
fighting to integrate the University
I first visited the city
when I was a young man
when we spend the summer
in Yakima
where we had a family home
decades later I visited the city
before I went to the Peace Corps
Before I went to the Peace Corps
then my wife and I lived there
for four years
while we were attending graduate school
at the University
and we fell under its seductive spell
living and Breathing Seattle
falling in love again
with the city
we left the city
and traveled the world
came back twice
once to take and pass the foreign service
oral exam
and once decades later
to take a cruise to Alaska
and found that the city
had changed in many ways
but the old Seattle remained
and I wanted to come back
and now my nephew lives there
adding another element to our family’s
ongoing Seattle family history
why I had been there before
I cannot say, but this much I do know
Seattle remains a part of me
and I a part of its history
Because of You, I’m In A Seattle Kind Of Mood
Because of you, I’m in a Seattle kind of mood
When I look out my window
And see the rain drops gently falling all around
And I feel that special Seattle kind of chill
In my bones
I think of you with a Seattle kind of mood
In the morning
Wherever I am in this crazy world if I see raindrops
Gently falling all around
Blue mood dissolves in the rain’s gentle mist
And I cry out with all my heart
Because of you
I am in a Seattle kind of mood
As I walk down the street
In distant foreign lands
Whether I am in Bangkok, Taipei, Tokyo, or Seoul
New York, Moscow, Rome, or San Francisco
Whether I am in India, China, Thailand, or Europe
Whenever I feel the rain’s gentle embrace
I get into that Seattle kind of mood
Seattle, a Seattle kind of mood
Fresh Salmon sizzling over a hickory smoke fire
Ivar’s clam chowder
And Red Hook Ale Pike Place market
Bums in Pioneer Square
And angry hippies preaching in Red Square
Yuppies drinking downtown
Geeks in Redmond
Making the world safe
For the Microsoft King
And the Mariners lose again
While the Huskies dream of Rose Bowls to come
And everywhere rain falls down
oh yeah
A Seatt1e kind of mood
Because of you
I get into that Seattle kind of mood
In the morning
As I fight the horrendous traffic
And breathe in deadly, killer air
I cough, cough, and remember
The green, green air of Seattle
And because of you,
I get into that Seattle kind of mood
Seattle, Seattle, kind of mood
The Huskies are number one in my heart
While the Mariners are always last in the nation
But what the hell
I’m in a Seattle kind of mood
I sit in the International District
Eating Dim Sum and drinking Ballad bitter
Watching the crowds dodge the ever-present raindrops
Seattle Kind of mood
As I wake up each day in crazy foreign lands
I hear the falling raindrops calling me home
Oh why did you leave me they cry out
In a Seattle sort of voice
Whispering in the gently falling rain
Seattle, Seattle kind of mood
And so my Dear
Wherever I roam in this wide planet of ours
From here to entreaty
And beyond
To the red plains of Mars
Whenever I hear the gentle patter of raindrops
I’ll get into that Seattle kind of mood
And dream of spending eternity with you
Watching the Seattle rain
Gently falling on our bumbershoots
As we walk down the beach hand in hand
Digging the gooey ducks while drinking Rainier Ale
All because of you
I’ll always be in the Seattle kind of mood
Medford Beckons
Once boring, humble Medford Oregon
and I have a long history
dating back to my childhood
when we would drive through there
often spending the night
back and forth to Yakima
from our family home in Berkeley
with my father during our summer vacations
Medford back in the day
was a sleepy little town
but the biggest town around
Ashland was more famous
but Medford grew on me
decades later my wife
Decades later my wife
and I drove through there
as we yo-yo up and down
the coast going from Seattle
where we were graduate students
and Berkeley to visit my family
we bought five pieces of property
in Medford in 1990
and were absentee landlords
for almost thirty years
coming back every few years
finally coming back in 2016
renovating the property
and now we are spending
our summers there
and preparing to become
Oregonian residents
Medford humble boring Medford
has become a trendy place
we have become part of Medford
and Medford is part of our hearts and soul
I am now an Oregonian
complete with a beard, no ties, and Western shirts
and my love affair with this humble city
will continue to grow
as my life winds down
in Medford city of my soul
Yakima Dessert Blues
Yakima, Washington
The ancestral home of my father’s family since 1920
Kept alive in my family’s history
Went back and forth like a Yo-Yo between Yakima
and the Bay area, mostly when I was a young man
In 2019, I visited the ghosts at my father’s grave
I did not realize how much Yakima had not changed
Ever since I was a child I thought that Yakima
Simply was too much of a desert outpost
Even then I knew why my father had led the town
Rarely did I think that my father would want to return
That he did over and over until the day he died
But for me, the Yakima of my childhood no longer remained
The lesson learned from all of this is Yakima remains in my heart
Until the day I die, I know that my family’s history in Yakima
Even now Yakima the desert town of my father will not be
Remains a foreign outpost and is not anymore for me
The Lighthouse of Whispers
35
Sam Adams, a paranormal researcher For the Cosmos Institute in Berkeley
Received reports Of a mysterious event In Brandon, Oregon Along the coast
A mysterious lighthouse Appeared one night Flashing red lights
Several locals went inside To investigate And came out different
Sam and his team Arrived and talked To everyone in town
But no one wanted To say what Was going on
They went to the lighthouse And found inside a gateway
With a sign
“Gateway to other worlds Enter at your own risk For madmen only.”
Saying,
“what the hey”
They entered the gateway Came back differently too.
Joining the rest of the town As members of the alien Hive mind.
Sam wrote back Nothing to see here Just an empty old lighthouse.
Soon other mysterious lighthouses Caves and buildings appeared Everywhere.
As the body snatchers Spread out Infecting the whole world.
Until there were only A few feral humans Hiding from the hive mind.
Check out the new prompt in “The Writer’s Cramp” – write the best story or poem in 24 hours or less and you will win 10,000 GPs AND a Merit Badge from me!!
” WINNER AND NEW PROMPT DUE SATURDAY MAY 21″ 16 hours 25 minutes 45 seconds Today’s prompt comes from Chatbot <insert spooky music here>
In a small coastal town, a mysterious lighthouse suddenly appears overnight. Its beacon shines with an otherworldly glow, captivating the locals. As people begin to investigate, they discover that the lighthouse holds a secret power. Write a story about this enchanted lighthouse.
The title of your static item must be: The Lighthouse of Whispers
Growing up
In Berkeley
My family seldom went out
For a meal together
My Father and Mother
Depression babies
Were extremely frugal
Not wanting
to waste money.
Once in a while
Though particularly
On our family road trips,
We would enjoy a meal together
One of our best meals ever
Was in an Italian restaurant
In the town of Medford, Oregon
On the way to Yakima, Washington
To go to our summer cabin
In the woods
A two-day road trip
From our family home
In Berkeley, California.
We ordered pasta pesto
Combo Pizza with all the meats Lemon ice cream
And the first time
I ever cappuccino
They ran out
Of everything
Late at night
In a small town.
An hour later
It all came together
And was one
Of our best times
Together.
A rare event
For a dysfunctional family
On the road.
Today’s winner is:
This Task (E)
Searching for that needle in a haystack.
#2295842 by Dave (929)
New Prompt: Use in your poem or story – BOLD or colorize for tomorrow’s judge:
An Italian restaurant
pasta pesto
lemon ice cream
cappuccino
Use food as your genre.
The Mystery of Sam Adams’s Death Writers’ Cramp
38
Sam Adams was a paranormal detective
For the Cosmos Institute in Berkeley, California
A real-life X files funded by black CIA money
Their mission explaining the unexplainable
Explaining the paranormal
Exposing hoaxes and fraudulent claims
Of the supernatural
One day his uncle died and left him
An old haunted house in Eagle Creek, Oregon
A small southern Oregon town
That Sam had grown up in.
He had not been back
In decades as he had grown up
In a dysfunctional family
Spoke to his siblings once a year
His father and mother have long gone.
In the house, they found the dead body
Of his distant eccentric uncle
Who left beside his body,
A letter, his will, and the infamous Neromicron
A book bound in scarlet leather.
The letter ended,
“Turn to page 666, and recite the chants
The truth will set you free.”
He started chanting
A spinning scarlet portal appeared
The grim reaper walked through.
Sam Adams asked him
“What happened to my uncle”
The grim reaper said
“He got what was coming to him
As all who summons us to do.
Be prepared to meet your maker
For judgment day is at hand”.
Sam spends the night
At the mansion where his uncle had left him
Sorting through his stuff.
The next morning a crater
Was found where the house had stood.
And his notes left behind
The scarlet leather bond Necromicron
Solved the mysteries of his uncle’s death
And his disappearance.
On Dec 1st, 1887, the first Sherlock Holmes story, “A Study in Scarlet”, appeared in print.
Write a poem or story in which:
* The narrator/POV character is a detective (or his assistant)
* A mystery is solved by the end of the piece
* One of the clues used to solve the mystery is scarlet
One of your genres must be MYSTERY
NB: The mystery can be ‘traditional’ (e.g. solving a murder), more light-hearted (who stole my socks?), or even more abstract (figuring out the cause of galaxies’ redshift).
Evil Spirit Haunts Oregon Town
In an old, haunted house
Along the Oregon coast
An evil spirit emerges
Unleashing a tidal wave
Of terror in the town
Ripping off
the torn curtains in the house
fallen mask fall off
as madness descends
on the unsuspecting town.
Please select “Ghost” as one of your genres.
A strange Place Writing com
Sam Adams was a paranormal researcher for the Cosmos Institute based in Berkeley, California. They considered themselves the real X files and worked for various governmental and other institutions. No story was too outrageous. They believed that the truth was out there-really out there. They mostly uncovered hoaxes, scams, and grifts, but once in a while, they uncovered things that could not be explained. These x files made great stories, and Sam and his buddies were dreaming of writing a movie based on their exploits.
One of the strangest events they ever encountered took place in the small Oregon town of Eagle Creek outside of Medford, Oregon, 20 miles north of the California border. Sam Adams had grown up there and had family in the area.
One day he heard that his Uncle had died and left him some property, an old, abandoned farmhouse rumored to be a haunted house where cultists conducted secret rites.
He went to Oregon with his two workmates, Maria Kim and Jason Lee, who were a couple, and his best friends. They got to town, met Sandra the realtor, got the key, and went to the house at sunset. The realtor told them,
“I’ve lived here all my life, but that is a strange place you inherited. Be careful.”
They got out and looked around
Sam said,
“This is a strange place.”
They decided to spend the night in town, but Sam wanted to stick around a bit longer so Maria and Jason went to find Oregon beer, wine and kombucha, and food, and they would dine al fresco in the park down the street.
When they got back shortly after sunset, they found the house and Sam was missing. There was just a big hole in the ground where the house had stood.
Prompt for 8/15 Write a story that includes the Line, “I’ve live here all my life.”
Prompt for 8/14
Write a story that includes the line: “This is a strange place.”
Jason Lee the Fashion Violator
37 lines
Jason Lee was a man
Born without the fashion gene
Born without a fashion clue
Did not understand fashion.
In his mind, the best male fashion was
the Northwest grunge look
Well-worn khaki, plaid Pendleton shirt
boots, and perhaps a bolo tie.
He often thought
That the irony of his life
Was that he married a fashionista.
Proving that opposites do indeed attract.
His wife, Maria Lee
Tried repeatedly to change his fashion sense,
Tried to make him look nice
Taught him basic color coordination.
He resisted but over time
He gradually become
A bit more fashioned aware
Even spent years wearing a suit and tie.
She threw out his horrid ties
Which made him angry
He loved his garish bugs bunny ties.
But when they retired
and they move to Oregon
from the halls of power in DC,
He told her that he would never wear a suit again,
Going back to the Oregon lumberjack look
Khaki or Jeans, boots or sneakers, plaid Pendleton shirt.
complete with a scraggly beard.
She merely smiled at him,
Finally resigned herself
to her fate as the wife of a man
who would always
be a walking fashion violation.
Favorite Cheese PSH
My favorite cheese
Has always been Tillamook
cheddar cheese
My father turned me
On to it
When I was a young lad
Once during our annual
Migration from Berkeley
To Yakima
During the summer vacation
Season
When we drove to the family cabin
And stayed almost two months
Just my father,
My mother
My two brothers
My sister
Our whole dysfunctional family
Forced to be together
For the summer
It was hell on earth
But the road trip
To and from
Was and adventure
One year we drove
Up the Oregon coat
And we stopped
At the Tillamook creamery
And did the tour
Learned how they made
Their famous cheese
And ice cream
Tillamook cheese
Is made in Tillamook, Oregon
A small town
Along the Oregon coast
The cheese is dark yellow
Comes in two flavors
Sharp and regular
I prefer the sharp.
It has a delightful aroma
And is among the most
Favorable of cheeses
I have ever eaten.
And it has an aftertaste
That lingers in your mouth
For several minutes
As you savor
The aroma, the taste
And the texture
Taking you to cheese
heaven
I was perhaps 13
At the time
And interested
In everything
Learned a lot
About cheese
That visit
But the most important thing
Was I learned
That was my favorite cheese
Tillamook. Cheese.
The end of the year
We drove to Bookings on the Oregon Coast
We had a pleasant drive through the mystic fog shrouded Redwoods.
The gathering gloom of the dark woods foretold my dismal mood
Slept soundly to the sound of the ocean.
The super moon light filled
the beach outside our window
with an eerie light all night long.
As we slept people walked the beach
Enjoying the full moon
And the unusually warm weather
Setting off fireworks at midnight
In the morning I went for a nice walk along the beach
and thought about the year that was.
As the waves pounded the shore
I was filled with calmness
Enjoying the morning calm
And the unusually warm weather
Thinking that the storm is coming
That perhaps we are in the end of our days
With the political storms threatening us all
Yet the ocean reminded me
This too will pass
And we will endure
Until the end of our time
On earth
The ocean waves soothed my soul
And I prepared to drive back through the mystic redwoods
Back to my home
And the peaceful ocean waves
Reminded me
the end of my life
Comes closer to my door
published in Former People
Oregon Demon Cat
evil cat
The demon cat
Lived in Medford Oregon
The demon cat was a big black cat
His eyes were filled with demonic energy
He stared at you
Looking into your very soul
Filled with anger, and hatred
For the entire human race
He seemed at times
To be not from this planet
Perhaps an alien species
Studying the human race
Or perhaps he came
Form hell itself
The demon cat loved to torment visitors
For some reason he hated the man’s daughter
The cat would stare at her from his perch
Down the hall from the old man
Then he would run at her
Screaming like an escaped banshee
Straight out of hell
She told her dad
Either the cat goes
Or I go
He said
See you later
The demon cat smiled
At the small victory
And she left the house
With the demon cat
Screeching good bye
I am a member of Earth First, based in Seattle. We decide that we will do one action per month to radically change the environment and generate publicity for our efforts and gain recruits.
After much discussion, we decide to liberate all the animals being used for testing at UW medical school and in other labs in the city and to free the animals in Zoo. We would take the animals out to the woods outside of town and let them run free.
We plan our attack with great care and we strike with military precision in the middle of the night one week and liberate 5,000 animals. We release the animals and film them on U Tube. The U-Tube goes viral.
The animals run free and soon establish themselves in the forests near Seattle. The Tigers and lions soon breed and become established eating deer and other animals. The monkeys move into the city and the City of Seattle soon becomes their home. The monkeys do very well and even survive the winter.
They soon become a tourist attraction. The zoo is closed down as they can’t afford to round up the animals who have all gone native. The UW Medical School denied that they were engaging in animal testing so we publish their secret research online.
It is a great victory for Earth First. Other animal liberation actions take place across the country.
Within five years monkey troops have become established throughout the US. Lions and Tigers have also flourished eating deer and helping to keep deer populations in check. There were isolated lion and tiger attacks on humans but for the most part, the lions and tigers stick to deer meat.
Other animals also flourished – Elephants take to the Central Valley and most of the African animals we had released were released into the Central Valley which became known as America’s Serengeti.
The wild animals become a huge tourist attraction.
Ft. Ashland
Novel
First Three Chapters
Chapter One Best Day of Sam’s Life Ends as Worst Day of His Life
Sam Adams was having the best day of his life, he had made love to Maria for the first time since he had met her a few weeks ago and felt he had met his soul mate. They stayed up until midnight when the world ended, and the worst years of their lives began.
Sam Adams was a tenured professor at Southern Oregon State University teaching English literature. He had been at the University for five years and had just gotten tenure. Sam was 35 years old. He had grown up in Berkeley, California, and gotten his BA in English literature at CAL.
Sam had gone on for a Ph.D. at Bowling Green University in Ohio where he did his Ph.D. thesis on “End of the World Fiction”. had divided the genre into five basic scenarios, “Nuclear War”, “Zombie Apocalypse,” “End of Power, Oil or other critical infrastructure”, “alien invasion” or other natural disasters – climate change, super volcanoes, new ice age, meteor collision, etc. His favorite though was “nuclear war” because he felt that was the most likely to occur, his least favorite was “zombie apocalypse” which he felt was too far-fetched. Climate change was also a good one to study because it was beginning to take shape in real life. The others were “black swan events, ” civilization-ending but unlikely to ever occur.
In these scenarios, 90 percent of humanity dies within three months as no one was prepared for the collapse of civilization. Only a few smaller communities would survive intact. Any town bigger than 30,000 would end up with most people dead, with a ruthless warlord in charge of the remaining people who would be virtual slaves. He had just finished writing Ft. Ashland which was his vision of how Ashland could survive the end of the world. The Police chief, the Mayor, and the President of the University loved the book. They were all part of Sam’s weekly poker party and had all agreed to be beta readers for his first novel, “Ft. Ashland.” The Police Chief appointed Sam to be chair of the citizen’s emergency action planning committee and had asked him to map out various scenarios for consideration by the town council at next month’s council meeting. The council would review the various plans and scenarios and adopt the official joint-city-University EAP. The country director for Emergency planning would be there as she was on the committee. They planned to adopt a similar countrywide plan based on the Ashland prototype. Sam had based his plans on both the official DHS-recommended state and local planning documents as well as his review of the Emergency planning literature as well as SF stories. He thought that many of the post-world war stories were quite relevant and he incorporated ideas from the best of the literature. Sam would reveal the various plans and then direct the first city-university joint emergency planning drill where they would walk through various scenarios. Little did Sam know he would have to carry out the drill in real life.
But that was fate Sam thought later that eventful night. Someone was looking out for him and the town he was sure. Sam did not believe in guardian angels. He had grown up in a secular family. His mother had grown up in a Southern Baptist fundamentalist church and had fled home from Arkansas in the dust bowl. She was part Irish, and part Cherokee and pure witch as Sam often thought as she was psychic and mad. But in a good way, although she later developed Alzheimer’s and spent the last few years of her life in an assisted living facility. His father had grown up in a stern Lutheran family in Yakima, Washington. He was of German, Scandinavian, and French background.
Sam was enjoying living in Ashland which he had visited as an undergraduate to see the Shakespeare plays. He had been hired by the English Department to modernize their curriculum which had been heavily focused on Elizabethan literature as many of the students and faculty were associated with the Festival in one manner or another and they had become well known as one of the best English Departments for that sort of literature. Sam and his colleague Jonathon Goodman, who was from Nigeria, had been told to develop classes on contemporary literature. Sam taught SF, Fantasy, Thriller, Mystery, and contemporary literary literature. He also taught the creative writing program.
Maria, his new finance, was also 35 years old. She had grown up in India and was from Goa, most people assumed she was Hispanic or Portuguese because of her name, Maria Francesca De Lopez, and her looks. Her father was the son of a Portuguese colonial administrator who married a local woman and stayed on after India took over Goa. They were due to arrive in town in a few weeks as Maria and Sam had just announced their marriage. Sam had to agree to convert to Catholicism and to have a church wedding followed by a honeymoon in Goa, his first trip to his fiancé’s native country. And Sam knew that she believed in Guardian angels. She had told him that on his first date when they had a passionate debate about religion. Sam had expressed his doubts and his reservations about Christianity, and she had defended her faith. At the end of the night, they reached an agreement. Sam would be welcome to attend Church or not. She would go every Sunday for mass. She would respect his atheistic heathen ways if he respected her Catholic ways. If they had a child, the child would be told that he can make up his mind whether to be a believer or not. They would raise their child in church but on their 18th birthday would make their case to their child. The child would then choose, and they would respect the child’s opinion on the matter.
Maria had moved to town last year to accept a position at the local hospital as director of Emergency services. She had just graduated from the University of Washington and had served in a hospital in Portland getting her residency completed so she knew that she wanted to be in Oregon. Her cousin ran the local Indian restaurant and had invited her to come down to Ashland. When she got there, she found that there was an opening as the ER director at the Asante Community Hospital, the biggest and best hospital in Ashland, and she took the position. Sam had gotten to know her through his work on the Emergency Planning Committee (EPC) which he co-chaired with Maria. Maria also loved his story, “Ft. Ashland” but thought that it was a bit too pessimistic.
That night they had gone to see a play at the Oregon Cabaret as the festival had just ended. It was a few weeks before Thanksgiving, just before Veterans Day. And next to the end of the hunting season. Although Ashland was a “blue city”, large parts of Oregon were “red states” especially up in Medford. And even in Ashland there were a lot of hunters, and some of the students disappeared to go hunting as well.
Maria had finally agreed to spend the night together with him and had accepted his proposal of marriage made at the Taj Indian Cuisine. The owner, Samuel Lopez Gomez, was a distant cousin of Maria. Maria had hinted that she thought that Sam was going to propose and wanted to surprise him with a traditional Goa dinner. The restaurant was known through the Indian community in Southern Oregon as the only place to go for traditional Goan food as all the other restaurants served the more common Moghul or North Indian fare and the Indian Kitchen in Medford served South Indian food as well as the stereotypical North Indian fare. The Taj served both Maharashtra, Gujarat, southern Indian style food and their specialty, Goan food – as well as the expected North Indian fare.
After dinner, Sam called Samuel over to the table and told him,
“I think it is only fitting that you serve as a witness since you are Maria’s cousin’s brother. And Sam dropped to his knees and said,
“Maria Francesca De Lopez Gomez, will you marry me, Samuel Joseph Adams?”
“ Of course.”
And they went to the Oregon Cabaret to see “She Loves Me”.
They walked home from the theater in the rain and snow (early for snow) to their cottage on B and First Street down the street from the Ashland Co-op and just a few blocks from the theaters.
Maria told Sam
“Let’s call it a night. Tomorrow let’s plan our life together. I think we both know we are the one for each other and let’s pledge to each other that we will always remember this night, and always remember the love that we feel right now and that we will always be there for each other. I think we both know we are the one for each other and let’s pledge to each other that we will always remember this night, and always remember the love that we feel right now and that we will always be there for each other until death does us apart. “
“Okale dokoli honey bun.”
“Wait. Are you going all Ned Flanders on me? I always thought of you as more of a Homer Simpson guy and I would be your Marge.”
“Whatever.”
“Nope. We cannot ever use the phrase “whatever or dismissive language. You as a professor of English should know that words matter.”
“Okay, no whatever. Can I respond?”
“Only if it is said lovingly.”
“Okay. I am asking you a second time, just to be sure you have not changed your mind. Will you, Maria Francesca Lopez De Gomez from Goa marry me, Samuel Jacob Adams, from the People’s Republic of Berkeley?”
“That’s more like it. But I already said yes
But, let’s have some champagne and watch let’s watch the news for a bit. I want to see what happened at the Peace talks. I have a bad feeling about this.”
Chapter Two CNN Broadcasts the End of the World
CNN and the global media live-streamed the end of the world. The world as we knew it ended in a fiery nuclear war that engulfed the entire world killing half the population of the world within the first month of the attacks, and within one year more than 75 percent of mankind was killed. The remainder of humanity hunkered down in small heavily fortified towns scattered in the more rural areas of the world as the major metropolitan cities were all wastelands. The new dark ages began that morning.
The whole world watched in horror as the events spun out of control. It started a few weeks before Thanksgiving, early November. The North Koreans had kept up the pressure on the President as they saw he was becoming more and more unstable with the political scandals threatening to overwhelm his administration.
The attack by the North happened without warning early in November. The North Koreans had announced that they would join five-party talks in Beijing in early November. The U. S. Secretary of State and the Foreign Ministers of North Korea, China, Russia, and Japan were all in attendance. The President of China chaired the meeting. As the meeting began, the North Korean foreign minister rose to make his opening statement. He announced that the North Koreans had made a grave decision. He announced that the high command had just approved a nuclear attack on the U.S.
CNN Announcer: “This is Jake Smith, CNN Beijing Bureau Chief with Breaking news from the last chance peace conference. The North Korean Foreign minister has just announced during the opening session of the five-party last chance for peace talks in Beijing that they had launched a nuclear attack against the U.S. targeting the mainland. Going to his remarks now.”
FM Lim Taewoo: “The dotard Trump and his hapless minions have brought this upon themselves. We have said we would be open to discussions to end the conflict peacefully because we do not desire this war. But dotard Trump and his senile henchmen have continued to provoke us by flying their bombers into our airspace. We told them that this was our final warning. But they did not listen to us. So, the war is on them. “
He turned to his South Korean counterpart,
“We have launched a great patriotic war of unification and our artillery are turning Seoul into a sea of fire even as we speak. And we have launched missiles against Japanese targets, and U.S. military facilities in both South Korea, Japan, and Guam as well as in the U.S., mainland. The South Korean government can stop the attacks by agreeing to a total surrender to the Korean People’s liberation army right now.”
The U.S., Japanese, and South Koreans demanded the right to respond.
“The U.S. condemns these cowardly attacks and you must know that you are your leadership have just committed national suicide. We will retaliate at once and know out your artillery and your offensive weapons. Then we will attack North Korean military assets and let there be no doubt if any North Korean missiles reach the U.S. we will destroy North Korea.”
The Secretary turned to the Chinese President and said, “Considering the North Korean actions we demand you join us, Japan, South Korea, and Russia in condemning this attack and that you dismiss the proceedings for the rest of the day and provide us and our colleagues access to secured communications, so we can all check in with our respective capitols to coordinate our responses.”
FM Park Changsu from South Korea spoke next. He said,
“The Republic of Korea will destroy you arrogant bastards and you will not survive the war. We will never surrender to you and will fight you until every North Korean soldier is killed. There is nothing more to be said.”
FM Harshiro Watanabe from Japan spoke last.
“It is unfortunate that it has come to this. But Japan too will never surrender and will fight to the last man, woman, and child to defend Japan. We are ordering bombers to begin bombing North Korean targets in conjunction with our American and South Korean allies. We and the South Korean and U.S. forces will not send ground forces into the north if the Chinese and Russians agree to do so and agree that once hostilities ceased we will reconvene and discuss forming a unified Korean government.”
The Russian FM spoke up,
“The Russian government also condemns the actions of the North Korean regime but also notes that President Trump bears some responsibility for his reckless comments and provocative actions. Nonetheless, we will assist in any way we can including sending armed forces into the North and we will coordinate with the US, Japanese, Chinese, and South Koreans regarding bombing targets. Might I suggest that we after consulting with our respective capitols reconvene to discuss immediate next steps?”
President Xi looked at the assembled diplomats and made his closing comments:
“Indeed, Secretary Moore, the PRC condemns the reckless actions of the North Korean government and asks that they pull back their attacks and cease all hostilities. We also ask that the U.S. not attack North Korea if the North Koreans withdraw their attacks. If the missiles reach the U.S., obviously the U.S. would have the right to respond but the PRC will not tolerate any incursion by ground troops by the U.S., Japan, or South Korea into the North Korean territory. If ground forces are needed to restore order, Russia and China will do in consultation with the South Koreans, the Japanese, and the United States. This concludes today’s formal meeting. We will resume a meeting with just the FMs and military leaders of South Korea, Japan, China, the U.S., and Russia regarding terms of engagement and coordinating air strikes. And we remind everyone that neither China nor Russia will tolerate coalition ground forces north of the DMZ.
We remain ready to resume peace talks if it proves useful. And FM Watanabe after hostilities cease and order had been restored in the North we will not only host a peace conference, we will also hold a war crimes tribunal. And of course, we will support the creation of a unified Korean state. In the meantime, please follow our aides who will escort you to secure communication channels. “
CNN Announcer: “We have breaking news. NORAD has just confirmed that the U.S. appears to be under cyber-attack. The Hoover Dam and Colombia river dams have all burst. All airports appear to have lost power. And traffic management systems across the country are failing. Our local affiliate in Las Vegas is showing the dam bursting.
CNN Las Vegas: Yes, Jim. As you can see from our helicopter coverage the dam has burst and a wall of water 500 feet high is flooding down the river heading towards Las Vegas and Phoenix. It is expected to hit in less than twenty minutes, and power is out all over Las Vegas. Thousands of people are trapped in high rises across the city and as you can see the entire city is black. There is a mandatory shelter-in-place drill = meaning if you can get out of town and into the nearby mountains do so, if not, go to the highest floors of the nearest high rise. The casinos are all operating on emergency power and have announced that they will be giving out free food and booze if they can and free rooms for anyone who needs shelter. Everyone is being directed to floors about 20 floors (the flood waters will hit the 15th floor). The hope is that the high rises will remain to stand, but no one knows for sure.
CNN HDQ: This is Jake Smith, with a breaking announcement. NORAD has announced that there are hundreds of incoming nuclear missiles coming from North Korea, China, and Russia. The Chinese and Russian government has just informed the US that rogue elements in their government are behind the attacks and are joining North Korea in the attack on the U.S. President Putin and President Li have condemned the attacks and are trying to recall as many of the missiles as they can. NORAD has confirmed that the North Koreans took out most of the electric grid in the West in a cyber-attack. And the New York Stock market is under a cyber-attack as well. FEMA estimates that half the country is without power or water and they believe it may be months before water and electricity can restore. We are breaking to Vice Preside Brown who is announcing to the nation.
“My fellow Americans. Today is perhaps the darkest day in recent history. The North Koreans have attacked the U.S. aided by the Russians and the Chinese. As many of you have long suspected, our president, President Johnson has been showing signs of Alzheimer’s, and therefore considering the crisis we are facing, we felt that he should step aside and let more experienced and steadier hands deal with the consequences of the attack. During this crisis, I ask that you keep Donald and his family in your prayers. His heart was in the right place, but it was clear that he would not be able to handle this crisis anymore. And so, under the provisions of the 25th amendment, he has been removed from power and I am now your President.
As your president, my first responsibility is to ensure your safety. To that end, we will keep broadcasting from this undisclosed location if we can. We have evoked the emergency broadcasting notification system, but cable news channels can and will continue broadcasting as long as they can. All other programming will be suspended during the duration of this crisis.
We urge you if you are in one of the 25 cities on the following list to hunker down and prepare for a nuclear attack which will commence in less than ten minutes. Do not look at the bomb bursts and stay underground if possible. Stay home or at your office. Once you receive the all-clear go home and take care of your loved ones, and your neighbors. Remember that we are all Americans and we will survive this.
We have authorized retaliatory strikes against the targets in North Korea, China, and Russia targeting where the missiles were launched, and we have targeted Pyongyang, North Korea. We are not targeting Moscow or Beijing now as we believe that rogue elements in their governments were behind the attacks. The Presidents of Russia and China have assured us that they will find the culprits and deal with them. And they are prepared to help in the recovery.
We have attempted to shoot down some of the incoming missiles and have succeeded in knocking down some of them. But we are prepared to take a direct hit. The cities that we believe are targeted include NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, DC, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Indianapolis, Denver, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, and Seattle. And most air force bases and army bases across the country are potential targets. We are concentrating our anti-missile defenses on protecting these cities, and DC. The entire cabinet and top leadership of the Senate and House are en route to this location which will serve as the central nexus of the recovery efforts. However, once the bombs have hit, the federal government will be short-staffed, so local towns will have to cope the best that they can.
We urge people to be calm, to share resources, and to fight to maintain law and order and to preserve our civilization. That is all. God bless America and keep us strong. We will overcome this with God’s help.
CNN announcer breaks in:
NORAD has just informed us that there are incoming nukes that are about to detonate causing an EMP blast that will knock out the remaining pow….
CNN goes dead as does the EMB system.
Chapter Three Watching the Planes Go Down
It was 1:30 am. Just as the power went off there was a blinding flash of light like the most intense lightning storm ever experienced and then moments later everything electric, – cars, computers, microwaves, blenders, and lights blew out with an intense blue spark and fires broke out all over town.
Thus, began the worst year of their life.
Sam immediately knew what needed to be done. He had just finished writing an SF story about the end of civilization after watching Jericho and realizing that story was way too optimistic. The reality was that an EMP could wipe out industrial civilization for over a thousand years. This was more like the Fall of Rome or the novel, “Dying of the Light”. Same knew because he had done his Ph.D. on post-nuclear war fiction and had just finished writing, Ft Ashland, and also just finished writing the EAP for the City of Ashland and the University.
Sam swore.
“God Damn the President, and Kim Jong-un. WW111 has just started and ended just as I predicted.
Within a week all law and order would break down and armed gangs would rule. Ashland being a compact small town with a liberal reputation, would be a prime target for the criminal elements largely based in Medford and White City, 15 miles up the road. To prevent that fate, Sam knew that they would have to dust off the EMP that he and Maria had just drafted based on his novel and his research. Fortunately, the major, the University President, and the Police Chief, his poker-playing buddies, had all read his novel and were big fans.
Sam turned to Maria,
“We had better go and see the Police Chief. Afterward, you need to get to the hospital. All the medicines in the refrigerators will go bad within days. Call Joe in the History department in the morning. He is a sort of expert on early modern civilizations. He may have some ideas as to how to jury rig an ice box system to keep the essential medicines cold enough. And then let’s get your cousin over so we can figure out how to preserve the frozen foods in the restaurants. “
And they walked out the door into the changed new post-nuclear world.
The first thing that Sam and Maria noticed as they stepped outside into the post-EMP world after the blast was how quiet and dark it was. All the lights had blown out, all the vehicles had stalled, and a few scattered fires had started, but the snow was putting them out. Some people were out on the street and Sam and Maria told their neighbors what they suspected had happened.
George and Samantha lived next door. George was with the festival as an actor, his wife worked in the front office. They had been here for five seasons and had re-up for a six-season. The actors stayed one to three seasons then move on. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, like most professional theaters, rotated actors and tech staff every year to give fresh talent and fresh ideas. George was from England and his wife Samantha was from Barbados. They met working the cruise ship entertainment circuit which was also common in the theater world as those gigs paid well and gave well free room and board and cruising. What not to like thought Sam to himself.
“So, Sam, I know you’ve researched all this. What are you thinking happens next?”
“Well, come with me to meet Police Chief Chuck and Mayor Joe. If the Mayor is asleep, we will have to wake him up. Go to the theater. It might be difficult to perform in the dark! But what happens next is up to us. If we all pull together and drop everything else and concentrate on three core tasks, collecting food and setting up community kitchens, starting community gardens sprouts for now, hunting as well; and building a Fort around the town to keep out predators including humans, we might survive with most people alive as we are just small enough to be viable. Medford is already history although gangs might take over and enslave the population. Portland is too big to survive. SF Los Angeles. Sacramento, Oakland, San Jose, and San Diego are gone by now. According to the news just before the bombs fell those cities, and most major metro areas and military bases have been or will be nuked. The only ones near here are Portland and the Klamath Falls reserve air base. We might be okay as Oregon is just too insignificant a target compared to the target-rich California and Washington State.
The food will go bad in seven days. No new food will arrive, and the growing season is over, we won’t have fresh food except for sprouts and indoor lettuce until June. Looters will get most of the canned goods, but no one will cook without power unless they have a pre-1960 stove or wood stove. Gas stoves won’t work as the gas distribution systems and water systems also depend upon computer circuits which are all fried. There may run water for a while as the water systems may be okay but eventually, toilets will fail. I’d give that about six months sooner if we have a cold winter which we will due to nuclear winter.
In any urban area over 50,000 people will have 90 percent of the population starve to death, eaten by animals, including lions, tigers, and cheetahs, – they will escape soon from the wildlife parks, and zoos across the State, -cougars, wolves, coyotes, feral dogs, vultures, and eagles and bears. The dogs are going to go bad within a week and join up with coyotes and wolf packs. Cats are going to go feral but probably not attack humans. The animals are going to attack deer, cattle, and horses. Which means they are going off the same game that we need to hunt.
And cannibal gangs will soon form and prey upon survivors. Or people will die of falling out or die of disease or freeze to death. We can avoid that fate if we all pull together today. Join me in convincing the Mayor and police chief.”
“Sam, stop it. You are scaring me. Can’t be that bad.”
“George, it is going to be a lost worst up in Medford. By this time tomorrow armed gangs are going to take over the city, within a few days they will be coming out of the way. We had better be ready.”
“Sam seems to me that we can start by piling up old cars and buses and then building fencing and posts behind it.”
“George, I knew your past as a construction contractor would prove useful. The acting not so much. We must think that we are back in 1400 or perhaps 700 ads with the Fall of Rome. The dark ages have started.”
A crowd had formed about 20 people were milling around listening to Sam and George discuss the unfolding situation.
Just then there was a flash of blinding light to the East towards Klamath Falls where there was a reserve air base. Sam yelled at everyone inside my house now.
Everyone ran inside. Sam told everyone
“Okay. That was Klamath Falls being hit by a nuke. Fortunately, between here and there are high mountains so we might be okay. Hard to know. We need some of the scientists at the University to tell us. So, here’s the deal. George and I are going to get the mayor and police chief. We will bring them here for an emergency management committee meeting. Marisa will take volunteers to the hospital to get stretchers and ER supplies then divide up into teams. One team will go to the crash site north of town, one south of town, and another team will hit the freeway entrances, north, and south. Look for survivors. Take them to the armory which we will set up as an emergency shelter. Someone wakes up the management and opens it up and someone organizes emergency bedding supplies, water, and food. We may have injuries and may have refugees. For now, we won’t turn people away, but in a few days, that will change once we have the Fort set up.
George on the way to getting the mayor and police chief let’s sketch out how we will build the Fort where the barricades will go first and what we need to do to build it fast and ugly at first then over time make it a fortress surrounding the core downtown and the University districts. And someone goes to find Joe Turner the history buff. He will know what to do. We need his expertise.”
Joe had arrived. He was a big burly fellow, a college football player at CAL who had gone back to graduate school after his two years in the NFL did not pan out. But he had the funds to pay for graduate school. He studied at Bowling Green and was a classmate of Sam’s. His Ph.D. was on 17th-century technology in the colonial era. Sam and Joe had talked about EMP effects when Sam was writing his book. He had done his research and told Sam,
“Sam, I figured you could use me. So, it is the EMP we talked about?”
“Hacking first I think then EMP and nukes. Seems that Klamath has been hit by a nuke but probably no other nukes except for the Bay Area, Sacramento and Portland, Seattle, and Los Angeles. There should be massive forest fires starting but the snow and rain will put them out soon enough. More worried about Medford burning up. We also need the fire crew to put out the fires that have started. But the snow and rain should help prevent a massive fire. Joe come with me we must get the Police Chief and the Mayor to call a mandatory town hall meeting.”
Joe went on,
“Well Sam, folks. We are going to have to go through the town and pull together pre-1960 stoves, refrigerators, radios, TVs, and lighting fixtures. I may be able to get some solar power and wind power and hydropower up and running in a few weeks so once those are ready we can set up the pre-1950’s stoves and refrigerators. In the meantime, we can put food outside and medicine outside in bear and raccoon-proof containers that will have to be in the trees or on the rooftops. And we can set up some emergency ice boxes as well. That should last us until Spring time when we can restore power to the University and the downtown corridors. We have to re-wire everything and set up solar and wind power systems. Fortunately, if the solar panels were not installed they should work, they are low-tech. The computer gizmos won’t work but we might be able to do a workaround. The wind turbines may be a problem as they tend to have computer gizmos but some of the engineering chaps can figure that out. “
They soon divided up into emergency teams and went their separate ways. Sam was proud that his towns folks so far, were doing what he knew needed to be done. But Sam also knew that what he was going to propose the next day would be resisted by half the town folk who will naively feel that they just need to wait for the Federal or State government to organize recovery operations. Sam knew that they had about five days max to prepare for an invasion of armed bandits from Medford as the food ran out. If they weren’t ready it would be game over and Sam did not want to be a slave or killed by bandits or cannibals or wild animals. Or starve to death. Sam knew what had to be done.
Chuck the police chief saw Sam and welcomed him, George, and Joe Turner to the station.
The Police Chief, Chuck Conners, was a career law enforcement guy. He was in his late 40’s and well built, muscular guy. He had served as the police chief for five years. Before joining the Ashland police, he had been a policeman in SF. He had served five years in the military as an MP and had done rough service including interrogating prisoners. He was married to Lisa Marie and had two adult children. Jack was in the military and likely to make it for life. Maria was a struggling actress. His parents were elderly, and he worried about them a lot. Sam, George, and Joe Turner were great friends, sharing a passion for SF movies and books, and avid poker players. They played almost every Friday night at Sam’s house.
The mayor was on his way. Sam offered to host the emergency action team at his house and they all agreed. Joe Turner had been mayor for five years. He was a medium height medium build average looking white guy, the most remarkable thing about him was his remarkableness. He was planning on running for Congress when the fall hit and changed his plans. He and Sam had become fast friends when Sam first arrived.
When the mayor arrived, Sam told them what they had already done.
“Okay, let’s do this. Sam, George, and Joe, I am deputizing you right now as deputy sheriffs and you will have full authority under the law. We are going to find Tom Strange who is the armory manager. He lives a few blocks over. If I know Tom, he may already be at the armory and opening it up. He is a man of action and a good egg. Let’s go and find him. I will send a couple of my officers to the two crash sites and to the two freeway entrances to meet up with the volunteers and escort survivors to the armory. After that, we will go to your house. Joe, can you figure out how to make coffee and food for 30 people without power?”
“I sure can. Let’s do that at the armory. I can rig up a makeshift kitchen fire out back, but I need a few volunteers. How about I put a few of the refugees to work building a kitchen so we can have hot food by 9 am and coffee of course. Sam, can we swing by your house and get supplies first?”
“Sure. “
They walked back to his house, put together emergency food rations including coffee, and went to the armory which had a fully stocked kitchen as they hosted all sorts of events there including community pancake breakfasts etc. On the way, they collected more volunteers. Everyone turns to Sam as everyone in town knew of his book and his service on the EAP committee. Most thought that he was a bit eccentric, but everyone realized that between Joe and Sam, the town had a fighting chance of survival.
Tom was waiting for them and had opened the armory. There were about 25 people their volunteers setting up cots, blankets, and emergency food and water ratios. Joe spoke up,
“I need about six people to go out back with me and set up an emergency fire pit kitchen. We will start brewing up coffee and making eggs and pancakes. We have plenty of paper plates for now. Someone will have to wake up the Safeway manager and get them to donate more supplies. We expect the whole town to show up sooner or later. Fortunately, most of the tourists are gone for the season and some of the residents as well are out of town. So, we are down to about 20,000 people vs. 30,000 during the tourist season. We are going to have a town hall at noon and the EAP will start meeting as soon as we can get them coffee and breakfast. Later we will need to get those pre-50 stoves up and running once we get some power but that is not today’s problem. So, let’s go.”
Sam, George, Chuck, and Joe Brown the Mayor sat down and begin mapping out the details of the EAP following a written copy that the Major had printed out before the power failed.
“Sam, this is the worst-case scenario, isn’t it?”
“Yep. Joe. End of civilization as we know it.”
the Haunted House in Eagle Point
Sam Adams was a paranormal researcher for the Cosmos Institute in Berkeley, California. He had grown up in Eagle Point, Oregon, a small community just north of the town of Medford, twenty miles from the California border.
When he was growing up there stood an old mansion on the north end of town. The mansion was rumored to contain secret doorways to other worlds. The owner of the mansion was Eugene Small, a retired English professor who had taught at Southern Oregon University and worked as an advisor to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival before Alzheimer’s caused him to retire at age 60. He became a hermit held up in the house where he was rumored to conduct secret Satanic rituals involving animal sacrifices. He had a small stable containing horses, cattle, pigs, dogs, and cats.
When Sam first worked at the Cosmos Institute, he became interested in the rumored satanic rituals being conducted at the small old mansion which was down the street from where he had grown up. He called up his father one day and talked to him about the rumors surrounding the old mansion. His father told him that Eugene had not been seen in over a month and strange ghostly figures were walking about the property and urged Sam to come up and take a look as part of his job.
Sam told his boss about the strange cooccurrences she authorized him to return home to investigate it. When he returned home, he found that the mansion, the stable and Mr. Small had all mysteriously vanished in the night leaving behind an empty crater.
Sam reported the case as inconclusive and went back to the Institute.
He walked along the lonely coast picking up shells and thinking about life. He came upon an eagle feather on the beach and looked up and saw the eagle looking at him. He imagined that the eagle was blaming humanity for destroying the world. He screamed at the eagle “don’t blame me for the misdeeds of the human race. I am the last human alive so leave me alone.”
The eagle screeched and flew off looking for breakfast. Soon he came upon a gruesome sight. He saw a fellow survivor who had somehow survived the zombie flu-fighting for his life against a pack of feral dogs. Sam chased the dogs off throwing rocks at them. The man thanked him and joined him for breakfast in a new abandoned cabin. They thought about the end of humanity, and the revenge of the natural world. The wildlife was resurgent everywhere. The few humans left huddled together trying to survive the collapse of the old-world order. They went back out to the world walking the beach. They saw a pride of lions chasing down a deer. They shot at the lions who ran off snarling into the woods. They came to another abandoned cabin and prepared to spend the night. They heard a commotion and saw another survivor walking down the beach towards them. They joined her and had dinner together. That was the moment that Sam Adams realized that although the world might have ended, he was still somehow alive.
One November afternoon, at about 5 pm, Sam Adams, a white man in his late
The 60s was doing his usual daily walk in Lithia Park in Ashland, Oregon. Sam had retired to
Oregon after serving in the U.S. government as a diplomat for many years. He had grown up in
Berkeley but had visited Ashland over the years. He and his wife, Linda, were big fans of the
Shakespeare festival. Linda was worried that Sam was showing signs of Alzheimer’s but Sam
was not worried. He told Linda every day he would always remember how to find his way back
to her. They had been married for 45 years. They met on a bus in South Korea when Sam was
teaching there for the US Army before joining the State Department. Linda Lee was from Korea. It
was love at first sight and they got married two months after meeting.
Since retirement they were inseparable, but Sam often went for his walks alone. He would walk deep into Lithia Park following Lithia Creek upriver until he came upon his favorite bench and sat there a while. The bench was a simple wooden bench, surrounded by Japanese Maple trees which were in the full-color display that afternoon. It was a pleasant spot and Sam had been going there every day for almost two years.
Soon, as usual, he was lost in thought, dreaming of his past life, thinking of his past loves, thinking dark thoughts preparing mentally for the coming end times of his life. Sam had a premonition that death was stalking him and that his time was near. He never told his wife that because he did not want to worry her. But he had insisted that they had gotten their estate plan completed, and he felt ready to go any day now.
Sam had plenty to think about – he and Linda had had an eventful life. He had lived in over ten countries around the world and traveled to 50 states. After retiring he became a blogger and worked on that off and on. But lately, he felt that time was slipping away from him. As he sat on the bench, meditating on his past life, something strange occurred. The bench woke up and spoke to Sam.
“Sam, how are you doing? An old friend of mine. Delighted that I can speak with you.”
Sam looked around and could not find out where the voice was coming from but realized that the chair had spoken to him. Sam laughed and said,
“Well, chair if you can speak tell me what you know.”
The chair spoke of Sam’s life and of the life of others in the community that Sam knew. The chair said he knew everything that occurred in the lives of the people that sat on his bench. And the trees knew too as did the cosmic cat and even the squirrels knew. But people, well they just did not know how to listen to nature and the world around them. In a way, it was too bad because the bench had so much wisdom to implant.
Sam and the bench began talking. Soon a black cat appeared. He said that he was a cosmic cat as most cats are. Cats, he explained, are special creatures – not originally from this planet and descended from great warriors that crashed and landed on Earth millions of years ago.
Humans as alien freaks or as annoying pests so often dismissed cats. But cats were man’s best friend. And all cats had a sixth sense about death. They knew when it was time to go. The cat said the Grimm Reaper was coming to Sam’s place that night and that Sam would be gone the next day.
Sam said,
“Cosmic cat, do you know what will happen to me? Will I go to Heaven or Hell? Is there a heaven or a hell?”
“Sam, that is beyond my pay grade as they say. I do know that life continues after death but heaven and hell I don’t know much about. It is different for us cats. We come back to life again, and can’t seem to escape our karmic fate. Humans will then move on to the next level of existence and we will never see them again. Oh, here is the Grimm Reaper himself.”
The Grimm Reaper walks up to Sam and introduces himself. The Grimm Reaper was a handsome man dressed in all-black clothes, with a black hat and tie on. He said that he is just part of an army of Grimm Reapers and was breaking protocol to talk with Sam. He was so impressed that Sam had developed the ability to talk to animals, trees, and the cosmic bench that he had a deal to make.
Sam intrigued said,
“what’s the deal?”
I will give you one more month to live but you let me into your life like in the moviI always Black. Always wanted to try that. At the end of your life, God may grant me my wish to be a mortal for a few years. Here’s how it is going to play out. I will introduce myself as your long-lost son from an affair long ago. You will welcome me into your life and Linda will eventually accept me as your son as well.
Every day we will come back here and continue our conversation. At the end of the month, you will go on to the other world and I will stay behind as your son and stay with your wife to comfort her until it is her time to go and then you will be reunited. For you are special true soul mates and will be together forever. Do we have a deal?”
Sam said, “Sure.”
The bench smiled, the cat was happy, and the squirrel came down from the tree after getting assurances that the Cat would not eat him that day and congratulated him as well. The Maple Tree finally spoke and blessed the deal as well.
As night deepened, he turned slowly towards home, accompanied by the Grimm Reaper who decided to call himself Joe Black, and the cosmic cat.
He said goodnight to the cosmic bench in the park, acknowledging that he would be back
same time, the same station, day after day until Joe released him from this mortal world.
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Former People Will Publish “Lone Foreigner Hiking the Seoul City Walls”
“Hi Jake, I would like to publish “Lone Foreigner Hiking the Seoul City
Walls”? Is it still available? And do you have an author photo to go
with your work?”
Lone Foreigner Hiking the Seoul City Walls
Hiker
A Lone foreign male hiker
In the hills above the city
Hiking along the ancient Seoul City walls
500 years after the founding
Of the city in 1492
Balancing his walk
Amid the boulders
The winter is coming
Soon he thinks
And finishes his hike
Heading to a bar
To sake his thirst
Some soju, and bulgogi
Will do the trick
He thinks to himself
Just another day
In the life
Of an unknown nameless
Foreigner in the city
Of Seoul
Part of the ten million
Naked stories
In the big city
Former People published three of my poems, “New Years Visit to the Oregon Coast”, ‘Indian Casino Thoughts” and “Casino Thoughts”
Oregon coast
New Years Visit to the Oregon Coast
The end of the year
We drove to Bookings on the Oregon Coast
We had a pleasant drive through the mystic fog shrouded Redwoods.
The gathering gloom of the dark woods foretold my dismal mood
Slept soundly to the sound of the ocean.
The super moon light filled
the beach outside our window
with an eerie light all night long.
As we slept people walked the beach
Enjoying the full moon
And the unusually warm weather
Setting off fireworks at midnight
In the morning I went for a nice walk along the beach
and thought about the year that was.
As the waves pounded the shore
I was filled with calmness
Enjoying the morning calm
And the unusual warm weather
Thinking that the storm is coming
That perhaps we are in the end of our days
With the political storms threatening us all
Yet the ocean reminded me
This too will pass
And we will endure
Until the end of our time
On earth
The ocean waves soothed my soul
And I prepared to drive back through the mystic redwoods
Back to my home
And the peaceful ocean waves
Reminded me
the end of my life
Comes closer to my door
Indian Casino Thoughts
Indian casino Fun
Indian casinos seem to be everywhere
I have stopped off here and there
In rural enclaves across the land
The Indian casinos run by the mob
For the benefit of the tribes
The Indian’s revenge on the White man
For stealing their land
Is to steal their money
One gamble at a time
And make them pay
For the crimes they committed
Almost always have a welcome mat
To teach the ignorant visitor
Something about their lost culture
With words in the native languages
Words that would be illegal to have spoken
Not so long ago
As the genocide against the tribes
Was in full force
Nowhere worse than in Oregon
And northern California
Along the foggy coastal lands
Where the final solution
Almost worked
The survivors
Such as they are
Operate dismal dark depressing casinos
Here and there in the rural countryside
Along the coast
And in the hinterlands here and there
Most barely making any money
There are so many gambling joints
Across the land
And the Indians are being screwed
Out of their gambling riches
By the big gaming consortiums
That run the casinos
In the reservations
And across the land
And I wonder
Just how much money
Have these Indian casinos
Stolen from the elderly pensioners
And other fools that flock to their premises
Their neighbors in these small towns
Where the Indian casino
is the only joint open
For business
In Search of America 1975 – Hitchhiking Tales by Jake Cosmos Aller
April 30
In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales
When I was young and foolish
Broke and stubborn
I hitchhiked across the USA
Started in Salt Lake City
Where my greyhound bus pass
Was stolen
The station manager
Could have helped me
But refused to do so
Threaten to call the cops
When I grabbed my bags
Without the stolen tags
I said
Go ahead
But I am
so out of here
Wondered about Salt Lake City
Went to a bar
Found I had to buy my booze
Next door
And they would
mix it for me
Had to order food too
After a bloody Mary
And a burger
I walked about town
Saw the Mormon Temple
Finally about 3 pm
It was time
to hit the road
Did not look back
Ended up in Cody Wyoming
Got a room shower
Steak beer
Using my rapidly
depleted cash
Spent 25 dollars
Money really went far
Back in those days
A band of professional
Communist agitators
Gave me a ride
To Des Moines
Lots of weed, booze
And politics later
Got off the road
Slept outside
Next day
A beautiful woman
Drove me to near Chicago
In a red mustang
Might have been
The girl in the song
Took it easy
Digging her vibe
She invited home
But was not sure
If her estranged husband
Would welcome me
So I being foolish
And inexperienced with women
Did not go to her place
And always regretted
That I had lost
My chance that day
Then on to Chicago
Several rides later
Visited friends
Hit the road again
A series of uneventful rides
With truckers
And others
And a week later
I ended in New York City
Slept along the way
In cars
In truck stops
In high way rest stops
Always moving
Always going
None stop talking
And lots of free weed
And beer
And conversation
One more memorable ride
Occurred outside Albany
On my return to Chicago
A middle age
creepy looking man
Picked me up
In a brand new Cadillac
He was
he said
a dynamite deliverer
For the Mafia
Went to various places
To blow up shit
He hated a lot of people
Particularly hippies
from California
And Jewish people
Looking at me to confirm
That I was both
I told him
that I lived in New York
And had never been
to California
And although
I might looked Jewish
As I had
what was called
back in the day
A “Jewfro”
I was not Jewish
Many years later I discovered
That I am indeed part Jewish
But then I did not know
And I felt a bit of
strategic misinformation
Might keep me alive
Then I realized
that he was just
jiving with me
And we relaxed
And he pulled
out some weed
And beer
And we mellowed out
But I believe
that he really
was with the mob
Perhaps not a dynamite dealer
A real made Italian
made mafia member
By Chicago
I had enough
I called my Dad
Told him what had happened
Wanted a ticket home
And he sent me a ticket
And 500 dollars
And I went home
I told him I would tell him
My tales some day
But never did
I learned so much
About my fellow Americans
And the strange vibe
That was 1975
And now it is too late
But I wanted to finally
Tell the world
Of my hitchhiking tales
In search of America 1975
In the summer of 2016
We drove across the country
Just the wife and me
10,000 miles
31 states
Three months on the road
I now know
why people don’t live
In South Dakota
Hot, dry dusty
Windy as hell
Black Hills are nice
But after seeing Mt. Rushmore
There is not much left to do
Rapid City did not impress me
Nor did Sioux Falls
Lost money in Deadwood
And wall drugs
Well the free water was nice
But it is a nothing town
In a nothing state
On the edge of the badlands
And the Sioux reservation
There is a reason the Indians live there
No one else wanted the land
And they are warehoused there
So I drove through Rapid City
And thought that it is the heart of Trump Land
The land of the forgotten
The left behind
Just another nothing burger of a State
In the middle of nowhere
Truly flyover country
Wagontire, Oregon
1973
April 6 Wagontire
In 1973, I went on a road trip
With my father
We left Berkeley to go to Yakima
Where my father had a summer cabin
He was a college professor
And had July and August off
And we spent the summers
Every summer from 1968 to 1978
Our whole dysfunctional family
Our annual road trip to hell and back
As we did not get along at all
We decided to drive through Eastern Oregon
Just my father and me
Just for the hell of it
The rest of the family was already there
My father and I shared a travel lust
One of the few things we shared
This was one of our best trips
We got along
Which was unusual
Normally our relationship
Was fraught
As we were so different
We left Klamath Falls
A real nothing burg in those days
And headed east along highway 395
As we entered the desert of eastern Oregon
We entered a different world
High mountain dessert
Almost no one on the road
Then we saw the sign
Wagontire Oregon
100 miles ahead
99 miles ahead
98 miles ahead
97
96
95
We counted down the signs
94
93 92
91
90
88
87
86 85
84
83
82
81 80
79
78
77
76
75 74
73
72
71
70
Miles after miles
69 68 67
66 65
64
63
62
61
60 59
58
57
55
54
53 52
51
50
49
48
47 46
45
44
43
42 41
40
39
38
37
36 35
34
33
32
31
As we drove into the gathering dusk
We speculated that Wagontire
Must be a giant truck stop
In the middle of no where
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21 20
19
18
17
16 15
14
13
12
11
10
8
7
Gas up ahead
Next gas 150 miles ahead
Dad made an executive decision
We are spending the night
It was about 8 pm
We had been on the road
Since 9 am that morning
6
5
3
2
1
Welcome to Wagontire
Population 2 ½ humans
dogs
20 thousand sheep
We pulled into the townNothing there but a gas station
Motel and cafe
In the morning
We chatted with the owner
Joe Wilson who was my father’s age
My father had the natural ability
Of a politician to talk to almost anyone He was the sheriff, the fire chief
The owner of the motel, gas station The only business in town and the owner of a ranch as well Which was his real business he said
Inany event it was only place openfor over 100 miles I asked the Sherriff Say who is the ½ human?
My idiot son!
and we left.
200 miles later
We finally left Eastern Oregon
2016
In 2016 my wife and I drove through Eastern Oregon
As part of our epic cross country trip
10,000 miles
31 states in three months
On the way from Medford to Yellowstone
We drove along highway 395
The signs
for Wagon Tire was gone
And we drove through the town
The motel was abandoned
Nothing there at all
And that sign was gone too
The town had turned
into one of Oregon’s ghost towns
and Oregon has more ghost towns
than any other state in the country
mostly in Eastern Oregon desert
which has one of the lowest
population densities
in the entire world
1 person per square mile
I said I suppose the idiot son
Never took over the business
And we speculated about Wagon Tire
And all other nothing burgs
We drove through that summer
Heart of Trump’s America
True fly over country
Back of the Bus
Many years ago
When I was a foolish young man
I took a greyhound bus trip
Just to see the country
I was trapped
In the back of the bus
Where the young
And restless souls
Gathered together
And drank illegally
And smoked weed
Also illegally
We stayed there
Until Winnemucca
Where I got off
And found my bus pass
Had found another owner
And I went to Salt Lake City
Still trapped in the back of the bus
the Bus – Travels Through America’s Underbelly
I am a bus rider
That makes me unusual
For a white male
From an upper middle class family
Our people are not bus riders
Though some are subway riders
Bus riders are other people
The poor, minorities, immigrants
People who don’t drive
Because they are blind
Or have a DUI
And in my case
I don’t drive
Because I have bad vision
And bad coordination
Just never got the hang
Of the whole driving thing
Fortunately for me
My wife does the driving
But I still take the bus
From time to time
I rode the AC buses in Berkeley
As a child
Line 67, line 51, line 43 F bus
Rode them long before BART came along
And afterwards as well
As an adult seldom rode the bus
But when I did so
I was always impressed
By the sheer diversity
Of the bus riding property
Hundreds of languages
All sorts of sexual orientation
Some were white
Most were not
Most of my fellow passengers
Were nice enough
Some were friendly
And some were lost
In their own thoughts
And a few
Were scary looking dudes
With the look
Of someone who had done time
And were capable of more violence
I also rode the bus
In Seattle as a graduate student
A lot of fellow UW students
And the usual immigrants
Minorities etc
And some white people commuting
And in DC
Over the years
I rode a lot of buses
Mostly to and from the metro
But I got to know
And love the DC buses as well
I also took the greyhound bus
Across the country
Several times over the years
All over the U.S.
From Bay Area to Stockton
From Bay Area to Clear Lake
From Bay area to NYC
NYC to DC
All over the USA
Taking the Greyhound
Was always an a adventure
Met a lot of interesting people
As people on long distant bus rides
Tend to open up and talk
To pass the time away
Overseas I took the bus
All over
In India, in Barbados
In Spain and in Korea
The Korean buses
For many years
Were difficult for foreign visitors
As the signs were all in Korean
Most have signs
Now in English, Chinese and Korean
And are much more foreigner friendly
Riding the bus
In America
Allows one access
To the underbelly of American society
The poor, the marginalized
The immigrant communities
That many middle-class
white people
Just never see
And for that reason
I am glad
That I am a bus rider
Cross Country Road TripsPart One
I have driven across the country
Five times in my life
Most recently in the summer of 2016
My wife and I drove an epic 10,000 mile road trip
31 states in three months
To celebrate my retirement from the State Department
We started in DC Drove to Florida,
stopped in Virginia, and Georgia
Staying at military bases Along the way
Finding food always a problem
As outside of the metro areas
Few people really knew
How to serve gluten free food
And most of the food we ate
Was pretty ghastly indeed
Was pretty ghastly indeed
Finally hitting Tampa
Where we became a resident
And stayed a week
Checking it out
As a potential retirement destination
Finally it was time to move on
We drove through Florida
Seeing some real poor rural towns
In the outback of Florida
We saw a lot of rural poverty
Throughout our trip
As much of the country
We found resembled
We found resembled
A third world backwater
Shocking to see
How far the country
Has declined
Outside the big metro areas
We stayed in Tallahassee one night
Not that impressed
Then Birmingham, Alabama
Also not that impressed
Ended up in Hot Springs Arkansas
Two nights
Lost money gambling of course
Lost money gambling of course
Then on to Little Rock
And saw the Clinton Museum
Little Rock was a nice town
But not a place for us
And on we went
Arkansas, Mississippi
Missouri flew by
What we could see
From the freeway
Was nothing but rural poverty
Oklahoma welcomed us
With hundreds of Indian casinos
With Hundreds of Indian casinos
But we drove on
And stayed outside of Oklahoma city
Had some decent BBQ
Next day
Drove all day
Through Texas
Thinking of the country classic
Dear god drove 800 miles
Still stuck in Texas
And ended up
In Armadillo Texas
Had great texmex there
Drove by the grand canyon
Of Texas but did not stop
But did not stop
And on to New Mexico
Where we enjoyed two nights
Checking out the sights
Made famous in Breaking Bad
Gambling of course
And eating at the oldest
Restaurant in America
Tried New Mexican wine
Not for the faint of heart
Then on to Arizona
Stopped of in Winslow
To take a picture
Of the guitar player
Of the guitar player
And the red mustang
Where the song take it easy
Plays all day long
24/7 tribute
Finally we went to Las Vegas
Stayed a few days
Visiting friends
Gambling a lot
Deciding that Las Vegas
Also would not be
Our retirement destination
We then drove
To Reno
Spend the night
Lost more money
Not too impressed
Drove Through the Nevada desert
Drove through the Nevada desert
Right by area 51
Stopped by the area 51 alien brothel
Looked at all tourist alien things
Did not buy anything though
Saw by the edge of the road
Area 51 fencing and armed patrols
Everywhere
Hiding whatever they are hiding
Spend the night in Tonopah
Lost money
Snowing in the morning
The next day
The next day
We decided to drive
All the way to Medford Oregon
350 miles
Through some beautiful mountains
Worth a future trip to Lassen volcano
Then past Mt. Shasta
And on to Medford along I-5
We felt we were going home
And perhaps Medford
Would be our final home
But we had to go back in two months
But that is another epic poem
Yet to be written
On the Road
Volumes 1& 2
With over 250 contributions, from 121 poets in 28 countries, and over two volumes, ON THE ROAD is probably one of the largest international anthologies of travel poetry every published! For further details go to OUR COLLECTIONS in the website’s menu, and click on the links. If you have contributed to this collection, you can download a free pdf copy by going to AUTHOR’S COPIES in the menu, using the password AuthorCopies
Our NEXT theme is: A NEW WORLD: Rethinking our lives post pandemic. You can write about anything and everything to do with living and life after the pandemic, real or imagined! Go to CONTRIBUTE at the website for full details, submission guidelines, deadline etc. Please also share this with your fellow poets, and give them an opportunity to have their words published too.
Further themes for 2020/21 will be announced shortly, but will include: Space, Bereavement & Loss and Addiction.
We would now like to add more interviews to the website. Recent interviews include…
An interview with Bahrain-based Bengali writer, journalist and poet Vaijayantee Bhattacharya.
Tales of the Exiles in One’s Own Nation: An Interview with Kashmir born novelist, storyteller, poet and filmmaker Siddhartha Gigoo.
A comprehensive interview with American poet Linda Imbler.
An interview with S’busiso Manqa, a South African born poet, author and film-maker.
If you are a poet, either unpublished and just setting out on your journey with words, or already established and published, and fancy answering some email questions about your life as a poet, and what motivates and inspires you to write, please email us.
ONLINE BOOKSHOP…
Lastly, we will shortly be setting up an online bookshop where poets featured on our website and in our quarterly collections can promote and market their titles. Full details will follow separately.
Summer 2020 theme: ON THE ROAD
Volumes 1 & 2
With over 250 contributions, from 121 poets in 28 countries (Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Kurdistan, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Republic Of Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, USA, Vietnam and Wales), and over two volumes, ON THE ROAD is probably one of the largest international anthologies of travel poetry every published.
Volume 1
SUMMER 2020 – Poetry on the theme of ON THE ROAD from poets around the world.
54 poets
135 poems
240 pages
Featuring Mark Tulin – USA, Xe M. Sánchez – SPAIN, Linda McCauley Freeman – USA, Cathy Cade – ENGLAND, Neil Leadbeater – SCOTLAND, Eduard Schmidt-Zorner – REPUBLIC OF IRELAND / GERMANY, Chelsea Murphy – USA, Bruce Louis Dodson – SWEDEN, David Dephy – USA, Ed Ruzicka – USA, Anindita Ghosh – SINGAPORE, Mark Cunningham – USA, Shelly Narang – INDIA, Linda M. Crate – USA, Neal Whitman – USA, Eliza Segiet – POLAND, Lee Evans – USA, Joan Mcnerney – USA, R. Bremner – USA, Pamela Scott – SCOTLAND, Chrys Salt MBE – ENGLAND / SCOTLAND, Dr. Eftichia Kapardeli – GREECE, John Nixon – SWEDEN, Geoffrey Heptonstall – ENGLAND, Michael Estabrook – USA, Linda Imbler – USA, Lynn White – WALES, James Dean Rivera – USA, Monica Mastrantonio – BRAZIL, Mark Fleisher – USA, Kathleen Boyle – VIETNAM / ENGLAND, Jake Cosmos Aller – USA / SOUTH KOREA, Martin Chrispine Juwa – MALAWI, Yash Seyedbagheri – USA, J.J. Steinfeld – CANADA, Ed Ahern – USA, Moinak Dutta – INDIA, Gerard Sarnat – USA, Justin Fox – SOUTH AFRICA, Robert Beveridge – USA, Tonmoi Das Kashyap – INDIA, Ann Cefola – USA, Louis Faber – USA, Diane Kendig – USA, Ermira Mitre Kokomani – USA / ALBANIA, Matthew J. Andrews – USA, Christina Lloyd – USA, P.J. Reed – ENGLAND, Diana Smith – USA, Bryan Andrews – SOUTH AFRICA, Antoni Ooto – USA, J. Bi Li Chan – AUSTRALIA, Christopher D. Sims – USA, Tali Cohen Shabtai – ISRAEL and John Tunaley – ENGLAND.
SUMMER 2020 – Poetry on the theme of ON THE ROAD from poets around the world.
66 poets
117 poems
245 pages
Featuring; Mary McCormack – USA, Yi Jung Chen – TAIWAN, Eugene Stevenson – USA, Judy DeCroce – USA, Karen Douglass – USA, William Khalipwina Mpina – MALAWI, LindaAnn LoSchiavo – USA, Wynn Wheldon – ENGLAND, Megha Sood – USA, Alex Carroll – ENGLAND, Cheryl Caesar – USA, Kathleen Bleakley – AUSTRALIA, Jim Landwehr – USA, Strider Marcus Jones – ENGLAND, Theresa C. Gaynord – USA, Sara Kerr – ENGLAND, Kimberly Falsafi – USA, David A Banks – ENGLAND, Jacinta Diaz – USA, Leanne Bradbury – FRANCE / UK, Jayne Marek – USA, Barbra Dean – SPAIN / ENGLAND, Gila Mon – USA, Dany Gagnon – CANADA, Stella Peg Carruthers – NEW ZEALAND, Janet McCann – USA, Máire Malone – ENGLAND, Judith Sanders – USA, Bill Cushing – USA, Marianne Mersereau – USA, Maliha Hassan – PAKISTAN, Saharsh Satheesh – USA, Bernadette Perez – USA, Sean J Mahoney – USA, Aaron Sandberg – USA, Veda Varma – BAHRAIN, Sandra Storey – USA, Bill Cox – SCOTLAND, Mariana Mcdonald – USA, Hussein Habasch – KURDISTAN / GERMANY, Diana Raab – USA, Ankita Patel – INDIA, Charles Leggett – USA, Sarah Jane Justice – AUSTRALIA, Jack D. Harvey – USA, Adrienne Stevenson – CANADA, Barbara Hawthorn – NEW ZEALAND, Jessica Niles DeHoff – MALAYSIA, Mary Anne Zammit – MALTA, William Rudolph – USA, Emmanuel Chitsanzo Mtema – MALAWI, Tamam Kahn – USA, Angela B. Haag – USA, Alicja Maria Kuberska – POLAND, Mtende Wezi Nthara – MALAWI, Fred Kracke – USA, Mantz Yorke – ENGLAND, Donna Zephrine – USA, Brian Langley – AUSTRALIA, Mary Messick – USA, Marc Darnell – USA, John Laue – USA, Isioma Jemimah Okonicha – NIGERIA, Bruce Pemberton – USA, Brigette Furlonger – CANADA, and Lucy Tyrrell – USA.
