Hi All
It's a great day to shine the spotlight on an individual I find highly talented. It is my pleasure to share with you the poetry of Gary Richmond.
I first read Gary's work a few months ago and immediately became a fan. Frequently, Gary paints poetic landscapes I am familiar with - and some, I have traveled. Gary's poems are among my favorites.
Here is Gary in his own words:
An Air Force brat born in Topeka Kansas in 1953. Raised in Glen Ellen, in Sonoma County, California Started writing at 16, and started making jewelry at 17. Married for 35 years to Jere White. Lives in Mt Angel, Oregon
Here are two poems by Gary Richmond - and, I know you'll love them as much as I do! ______________
Eat Shit and Howl at the Moon
I gathered enough strength To get out of bed The face in the mirror looked sad Everyone saying it will all go away A confusion of noise in my head
Wearing a coat of old regrets Expertly woven from a wasted life Disappointing my Mother With her hopefull eyes When I told her There would never be a wife
Forcing a smile, excelling at work Trying to figure it out Leaving the state to be who I am Crushed by the weight of the doubt
Looking for anyone who would love me Even though I hated myself Dozens of posers in long ragged lines Throwing my pride up on a high shelf
I was only a body with a dick No one gave a damn for my mind Searching blank eyes First any wretched clue Knowing that this life isn't kind
Then finally I found a love of my own From the ground up We built a home Two years of Love in Oklahoma When it was finally time to go
We drove West to a garden called Oregon Found a house in the woods In the hills Fully employed and happy Suffering from ordinary ills
In 1996, I lost 30 pounds Most of my hair was gone Full blown AIDS With a viral load That meant my future was done
With Jere's help I beat the odds And bolted from the curve Suppressing the virus 'Til it couldn't be found Slowly regaining my verve
Thirty four years in a life of love Traveling the world with him On a vision quest for beauty And falling in love again
Never let your guard down When we did we let Cancer in The doctors pretended to care Speaking in code, with pretty words Created to protect only them
So now we know our time is up Crushed again By the weight of the grief Trying to do the best we can Considering this God as a thief
So these days of doubt As we try to cope Knowing tears will be here soon The only prayer I remember From my angry God Is Eat Shit and Howl at the Moon.
Gary Richmond ____
There Was a Moon
It was a balmy Los Carneros Halloween Heated eucalyptus in the air Slipping off the trail near Wolf House To a meadow only you and I know where We walked awhile until we found that wagon Abandoned When Jack London flew away Sitting by itself under an Oak tree It was ghostly in the midnight of the day I opened up a bottle of local Pinot And toasted every aspect calling me Your eyes Your lips Your perfect ass Your wisdom Had my head spinning As You knocked me to my knees I didn't know what day it was Or where I stood So I focused on the compass In your eyes I listened to your story Lost in every word You devoured me As we tangled up our lives You hypnotized the boy in me As we realized the man Then slowly came back down to earth As you showed me who I am I wanted to stay forever Our time was ending soon I couldn't remember a single thing Except There was a Moon.
Gary Richmond
Photo: Gary Richmond.
