*I am endorsing KC (Carla Hanson) in her re-election as Democratic Party of Oregon Chair.* There is a lot to appreciate about her, including her accessibility and enthusiasm. The point I want to key in on is how she is helping to build a bigger party, particularly across the urban-rural…

Joel Barker July 2021 Ice cream in the dish dries after it melts on the edges of the bowl. You were leaning over it of the night. It remembers your laughter this morning. The cupboards open are marks of dancing done with lustful appetite your partner. The corkscrew on the…

Today, I am casting a vote I don’t want to, for the Democrat Tina Kotek for Oregon Governor. I am despondent what the outcome will be from this vote. The mass of power in urban Oregon is so great that urban voters can ignorantly enable violence and suffering. …

Article: Inflation is crippling rural America and may even drive people to the cities The needs for fuel in urban and rural places are different and have different impacts on the economy. The uses for vehicles are different and so the vehicles are different. …

Happy Juneteenth! I wanted to tell you about a short, activating, and _uplifting_ pamphlet that I read Race, Systemic Violence, and Retrospective Justice. It is NOT what you might expect and I hope you consider reading its 30 pages. The author Harold Weaver is a part of The Black Quaker…

I was homeless in my home town, Dulcinea your face was shining over a restaurant counter. The food rich, overpowering. I had one hand where it should be and one where it didn’t belong. Leaving was going to be hard, Dulce. …

So he died, lifted up and away and around, down. We can use any preposition we choose — the change is not positional, the words are strained metaphor doing their damnedest.

October 2021 We are wrapped up in a pandemic and we are safe but having to find ways to get laid and to give food to people. The driveway up to Lynn’s ranch is lined with cordwood after crossing Sardine Creek on an aging but firm bridge with no railings. …

Magical Easing for fun! I want us to have a fun CLR. One part of CLR that is fun is the crowds. If we are too slow, we will not be among crowds. It can be a downer. But a lot of us have slowed as individual runners. …