Thursday, July 10, 2014

Dear Harley



I love Harley. I wish he was my dog.
For years, I have watched him as he trotted across
his human parents' lawn to greet me,
the spring in his stride and muscles rippling
under his gray ghost coat.
He's older now, and sometimes would rather 
bask in the sun than check out a squirrel invader
or come over to me to be adored and get
his chest scratched. But his profile
is beautiful, and he remains confident
that he is loved and admired by all,
including his neighbor.


Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Jean Dubuffet in Speedway



I was walking through a Speedway neighborhood 
a couple years ago when I noticed 
a driveway that had been repaired with slurry seal 
in a manner resembling the artwork 
of French Artist Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985).
Since then, it's as though the long-dead painter
has taken up summer residency here
to paint the streets and driveways with easy,
drippy strokes to form interesting
compositions on the grayed asphalt.

 Jean Dubuffet. l'Hourloupe. 1966. Ink on Paper



Monday, July 7, 2014

Independence Day: A Walk In An Armed Camp


I saw this display as I was on my way home 
from work and went back on Independence Day 
for a picture. Given the area where I live, 
I'm not at all certain the man who put up this flag 
and I would agree on anything except 
that this country is in distress.

Yesterday, the city of Indianapolis lost another policeman, 
a twenty-two year veteran, when he was shot 
with a semi-automatic weapon by a known felon;
bullets from the gun were so powerful they 
ripped through the officer's vest. This is the third man 
killed in the line of duty and the eighth shot 
in the past eighteen months. ER docs, who tend to
the victims of these crimes, see this as a major
public health crisis.

On the one hand, you have an entire culture of 
villains with access to firearms who use them at the 
slightest provocation. Friday night, seven people were shot
when one man became upset when another man
bumped into him. On other occasions, police will go
to the site of a reported shooting to find no 
victims, but they will find a great number of shell
casings. It's as though it's evidence of
premature ejaculation, with the casings the
spendings from a violent ecstasy spread
all over the sordid alleyways.

And then there are the other idiots, the ones
who insist on their right to bear arms, as designated
by the Second Amendment. Well, that's another
fantasy, with those folks thinking their right to carry
a weapon will automatically render them safe
from harm. Hell, if they were to be attacked by a robber,
they'd be dead on the ground before they could draw
their own penile extension. In those cases, the attacker
would already have their weapon drawn,
meaning the "victim" would virtually have to walk
around with his gun in his hand and -- there you
have it, another idiot showing his dick.

In between, there are the normal, every day folk
who just try to go about their business
while walking between these two armed camps.
It is an appalling reality, with the flowers
and beauty of the season stained with blood
and intractable stupidity all around.

    

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Psychedelic Cow Patties


It's a cow patty cupcake-palooza!
Technicolor invites to sugar comas to last 
through the July 4th weekend.
Eat one, get an insulin spike and nod off
'til the fireworks start.
Eat the whole carton and you'll never
know the explosions and "rockets' red glare"
ever occurred.
Below, a baker has sketched an outline 
for the on-going penis sweepstakes
over on the wonderful Cake Wrecks website.
This one is ready for a personal message: 
"Dear Mr. Grey, I've found a fifty-first shade 
I want to try with you." 
The cawlerin' on this cake seems 
a tad pissy, though.



Saturday, July 5, 2014

It's a Rainbow


The apparel shop that closed a month or so back
has reopened as Rainbow Fashions.
This seems appropriate, given the brightly
hued garments on the mannequins
and hanging on the racks in the background.


Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Pink and White


I don't know what these little pink flowers are called, 
but I love the delicacy of both their color
and structure. Here, they dance lightly against 
a backdrop of snowy hydrangeas,
a flower whose presence will remain well 
into winter, a dried, papery shell of its spring beauty.


Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Theme Day: Celebrating Summer


For the Town of Speedway, summer began 
last May with the inaugural Indy Grand Prix and
the Indy 500 on Memorial Day.
As for "celebrating summer"?
Shoot, if you can't find something in this
town to interest you, then it's you that has a problem.

We're already in the throes of numerous athletic
events - cycling, swimming, running;
food festivals from the innocuous church ladies
and their strawberries and cream, to what seems
to be any excuse to down buckets of beer
and myriad deep-fried foods on a stick.
There's church league softball and 
minor league baseball, as well as the city's
new professional soccer team, the Indy Eleven.

Musical performances ranging from genteel classics
performed by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
to raunchy pyrotechnics of last gasp middle-aged
hard rock bands will dance their way
through town, with the Indy Jazz Fest spreading
into an increasing number of venues later
in the season. Yep, there's plenty to do. 


Some mornings though, I just like to get up early 
to enjoy summer's golden light.
From the added glow to the little window display 
in a Speedway shop, and to the fiery reds 
of this homeowner's house and car, summer's
colors are celebrations all by themselves.

This blog is a member of the City Daily Photo 
portal, a loose gathering of folk from all over the world
who each day post images of the cities where they
live. To see their interpretations of today's theme,
click on the link above, or on the CDP badge in
the right hand column.