A look at Birmingham in videos …

Lynyrd Skynyrd performs in 1987 at the BJCC Coliseum downtown. From Hangin’ Loose.

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1. the joy of wearing stuff out
   Each possession, bright
   and sturdy, used and used and
   used till broken down.
2. the very quiet foreign girls poetry group
   Their broken English
   made for elegant stanzas
   of their existence.
3. having tea with the muse
   Places are set for
   two, she comes and goes (mostly
   goes) as she pleases.
4. the wonder of autumn
   Celebrate crunching
   of the leaves, cooling of the
   days, cups of cider.
5. something in the air
   Health care’s finest are
   sitting down to lunch while they’re
   poisoning the room.
6. the wait for a vaccine
   Racing for a cure,
   taking all the shortcuts, most
   of us won’t partake.
7. youtube and the alt-right
   The endless stream wreaks
   radicalization, from
   recommendations.
8. the oldies
   Those songs from that long
   ago era when ancients
   roamed the discotheques.
9. virtue wriggling
   Don’t pretend Black Lives
   Matter while treating your peers
   and colleagues like dirt.
10. where to sit in a pandemic
    The signs on every
    other table say to stay
    away. The rest? Fine!
11. to play ball
    A pause from shooting
    hoops, catching pop-ups, to fight
    police violence.
12. dreaming of the harvest
    Little seeds, big plans,
    rows of hope and dirt-covered
    jeans, come sun, come rain.
13. when crisis management needs crisis management
    Forging safety for
    a nation divided puts
    us in more danger.
14. up-to-the-minute bad news
    It’s never been more
    fashionable to shoot the
    messenger point blank.
15. a foreign policy built on human rights
    Not to invade and
    conquer, but to assist and
    leave somewhat better.
16. one russian, one vote
    Interference means
    our picks don’t matter, our hopes
    and voices poisoned.
17. play balls
    Every sport all at
    once, a smorgasbord and a
    true fan’s worst nightmare.
18. it started today in 2005
    I’ve written haiku
    daily for 15 years and
    don’t plan on stopping.
19. safety fatigue
    Playing by the rules
    sucks when everyone else does
    whatever they want.
20. a library is more than just books
    It’s readers, crafty
    librarians, free-range kids
    and random townsfolk.
21. the reading-is-contagious book club
    The ladies, without
    masks, piled into the living
    room to gossip, gloat.
22. everything is coronavirus
    Scratchy throat, a cough
    (but only once in a while),
    bleeding from the eyes.
23. ode to the post office
    Sometimes surly, but
    able to take my letter
    for only four bits.
24. how people are voting
    In person on time
    or early, by mail or drop
    box, hopeful, anxious.
25. halloween improvised
    Bobbing for vaccines.
    Trick or grab-and-go bagged treat.
    Masks and nothing else.
26. web two-point-whoa
    Doomscrolling on a
    Wednesday night, watching all the
    misery out there.
27. dujuan, far from home
    Aboriginal
    healer, just 10, struggled with
    school and the system.
28. gasping for revenue
    Every town scraping
    by till we reopen it
    all someday, some year.
29. ready to dream about bones
    A pittie in his
    PJs scampers to and fro,
    comfy and happy.
30. ones, zeroes and solutions
    We collect all this
    data and ask it how we
    should manage our lives.
31. witches and black cats, too
    Carve a jack-o’-lan-
    tern, put it in a mask. Hang
    a skeleton. Same.
32. benched
    A football team with
    too many positives must
    sit out the season.
33. a pandemic pickle
    The restaurants are
    too crowded and not crowded
    enough to survive.
34. ruth bader ginsburg
    She fought and fought and
    fought for women to be all
    treated equally.
35. death of a hard drive
    Stop playing dead and
    give me my files! Or else I’ll …
    curl up on the floor.
36. why vote?
    For democracy.
    To choose our leaders. To stick
    it to the Russians.
37. breonna taylor
    In her apartment,
    an innocent bystander
    shot by cops six times.
38. reading as an immersion
    I want to read with
    my eyes, my ears, my fingers.
    I want words to last.
39. our place in history
    A corrupt regime
    that we helped bring about while
    resisting feebly.
40. he wouldn’t wear a mask
    He wouldn’t wear a
    mask, not to shop or browse, not
    for him or for you.
41. little pupils, big caution
    All day, they stayed in
    the one classroom, but they were
    together again.
42. life on venus
    Microscopic cells
    who enjoy a plush sauna
    and full privacy.
43. trick or treatment
    *doorbell* *temperature
    check* *hand sanitizer* *tongs*
    *drop candy* Repeat.
44. on-the-job inspiration
    A posted sign: The
    beatings will continue un-
    til morale improves.
45. remote hazing
    OMG what’s that
    behind you?! Ha! Made you look.
    (Please unmute yourself.)
46. vote early and often
    The good people have
    spoken early this year: They’ve
    already voted.
47. every four years
    The anxiety,
    the held breath, the wait to see
    victory or loss.
48. where were we?
    Let’s get back to the
    business of running and/or
    ruining this land.
49. sean connery
    A sub captain, a
    spy and an Irish copper
    walk into a bar …
50. tailgate in the driveway
    Playing it safe by
    grilling at home and saving
    on the parking fees.
51. be kind to yourself
    Treat yourself gently
    as you would your best friend and
    show yourself some love.
52. spare hurricane names
    Unbreakable codes,
    hieroglyphs, nail polish shades,
    semaphores, Klingon.
53. it’s all uphill from here
    A steady job, a
    purpose in life … man, this dude
    Sisyphus rocked it.
54. a national debt
    When will we give them
    the highest honor, keeping
    them safe post-service?
55. a meme-based economy
    Not by your wealth nor
    the sweat of your brow but your
    drolly captioned pics.
56. a tiktok economy
    Dancing for likes, lip-
    synching for views, being your
    performative self.
57. the third wave
    Restless for human
    interaction, so tired
    of hunkering down.
58. the heart of 2020
    One crisis after
    another and another
    and another and …
59. a strange neighborhood
    Walking past tidy
    lawns and construction sites in
    night’s semi-darkness.
60. the confrontation that wasn’t a confrontation
    They demanded to
    meet with her only to tell
    her good job, sort of.
61. and a few misspelled words
    Sending a text with
    random punctuation % enh,
    they’ll figure it out^
62. cheers under a faltering light
    They snuck glasses of
    wine when parents weren’t watching
    and drank to good times.
63. at least we still have power
    Why does everything
    break down after the checking
    account is tapped out?
64. stylish strokes
    Typographically
    speaking, the best fonts convey
    meaning in an “a.”
65. but would they let them drive?
    Rule for astro-chimps:
    They would not make the monkey
    launch the dang rocket.
66. ultimate sins
    Doctors: malpractice
    suits, death. Priests: molesting kids.
    Reporters: lying.
67. thankful for
    The strength to survive
    such an outrageous year while
    faking sanity.
68. sweet sassy molassy
    I hate when tweets end
    with declarative bull. That’s
    it. That’s the haiku.
69. pilgrims, indians and social distancing
    Do not gather, but
    give thanks for the good health that
    makes it possible.
70. blackest friday
    Jam the stores! This cruel
    pandemic economy
    needs sacrifices.
71. finding meaning in art if not the artist
    The artist can be
    an utter wanker, yet still
    create works of art.
72. confessions of a trivia winner
    Trust your gut. Keep an
    eye on the competition.
    Sometimes, take a guess.
73. waltzing autumnal
    Twirl in the moonlight
    surrounded by shadows deep
    in the pumpkin patch.
74. gifts by the 23rd at the latest
    The naughty list grew
    so big this year that Santa
    just needs a hatchback.
75. mr. privilege
    Do what I want when
    I want and let the rest of
    the planet be damned.
76. old growth, new stump
    A tree falls with help.
    Men with their chainsaws carve it
    into huge matchsticks.
77. cold snap
    The house? Perfectly
    comfortable 68.
    Me? Shivering so.
78. madam vice president
    Kamala, like a
    breath of fresh air. Kamala,
    let’s be inspired.
79. the roosting of our sins
    Meeting up without
    a mask. Flaunting our freedom.
    Getting sick in droves.
80. about living in historical times
    Has 2020
    taught us anything? Are we
    doomed to repeat it?
81. inclement no more
    Snow comes and blankets
    the roads, and antsy children
    are stuck in Zoom school.
82. other casualties of the pandemic
    Shopping local has
    never been quicker since so
    many stores have closed.
83. dark ages the sequel
    Emerging from 4
    years of smearing science and
    setting up scapegoats.
84. autumn at ruffner
    Up the mountain we
    hiked. Down the mountain we sped.
    All along we breathed.
85. stabilization
    Her burden feels a
    little lighter, her panic
    starting to subside.
86. 2020 gonna 2020
    On the first day of
    Christmas, my true love gave to
    me, COVID-19.
87. the slutty locksmith
    Dirty locks, shiny
    keys. Opening the doors to
    pleasure and tool sheds.
88. symptoms and strategy
    Can economy
    recover without beating
    virus? So far, no.
89. the other sickness
    Unbelievable
    stress, new anxiety, lone-
    liness. Minds unwell.
90. where once were office parties
    Log in and wear your
    finest Christmas jammies while
    sipping spiked eggnog.
91. the proud pittie in the back yard
    Atop the stump, he
    surveyed the land around him,
    and it pleased him so.
92. the 99-year-old passive-aggressive samaritan
    Her burdensome texts
    let us know exactly how
    she felt about strays.
93. pandemic baby boom
    Welcome to all the
    new Coronas and Faucis
    into this masked world.
94. a new season, i guess
    That bleak sky. Growing
    madness in quarantine. The
    grimness of winter.
95. for the loved ones we keep safe
    One more Facetime. Some
    cookies and sweaters in the
    mail. Saving up hugs.
96. a wish list
    Vaccines in every
    stocking, relief checks for the
    jobless, hope for all.
97. the constant of children’s joy
    Let them sing with glee.
    Let them dream of sugar plums.
    Let them wake with gifts.
98. all for the birthday boy
    An evening party
    with a barnyard theme and odd
    assortment of gifts.
99. the monocultural experience
    Back to a world in
    which we share hardships and small
    wins, pathos and grit.
100. a girl and her horse
     Once ornery, he
     softened under her guidance,
     riding proud as one.
101. forever … ’21
     Let us renew our
     commitment to a better
     future for us all.

• • •

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Video: Warm up by the virtual yule log.

Merry Christmas!

A look at Birmingham in videos …

Processing coils of sheet metal. From Conklin Metal Industries.

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A look at Birmingham in videos …

Showing off a gun collection and some ammo (our vertical video of the week). From Big Clint Guns, Gold and Silver Channel.

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A look at Birmingham in videos …

Vlogging about best aspects of living in Birmingham. From Diaries of Valeen Oseh.

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A look at Birmingham in videos …

Panel of Birmingham activists at the 2019 Equity Summit in Columbia, S.C., with T. Marie King of Local Network Voices Birmingham, Wayne Coleman of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and Shauntice Allen of the UAB School of Public Health. From Collaborative on Race.

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