to swerve man
Sunday, May 5, 2019 by Wade Kwon
It is not enough
to feign disdain; let us dig
deep and feign action.
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three kinds of memory
Saturday, May 4, 2019 by Wade Kwon
Long-term fact storage.
Planning future strategy.
(I forgot the third.)
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short play date
Friday, May 3, 2019 by Wade Kwon
The pit scampered in
and made a beeline for the
comfortable couch.
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Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 49
Thursday, May 2, 2019 by Wade Kwon
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- drives of fancy
They shut the highways
down to rebuild. If only
hovercars swooped in … - cotton candy snickers
Every candy has
a set of improbable
flavors to stump tongues. - the struggle is fake
No victims but me.
No truth but my talking heads.
No vengeance but mine. - a swamp to call one’s own
Turf gives way to mush
as rainy season brings a
never ending soak. - in the foothills of appalachia
A remarkable
city teeming with magic
and nothing to lose. - do i dare eat a peach?
We fail to reckon
what we put in motion with
choices, abstentions. - the three kinds of happiness
Holding a kitten.
Finishing a marathon.
And eating ice cream. - snow dance
Trudge in a circle
around empty milk cartons
while shaking textbooks. - junk in the junk
A place to store junk.
A place to pick up bought junk.
A place to junk junk. - the broken parts of the library
The heat and AC,
the escalators, leaky
ceilings, sewage flow. - ghost of writings past
Struck hard by a muse,
the words flowed with grace and ease
till they came up dry. - common bore
They teach to the test,
the test that measures how well
students fill bubbles. - yada yada yada
Ten years of tweeting
gets you a dumb hashtag and
some aching fingers. - pro-creation
Stop buying and start
making. Imagination
fuels the best presents. - the not me theory of achievement
To motivate folks,
“Well, someone’s gotta do it.”
History is made. - to sleep, and sleep some more
The snooze button is
a mere suggestion. Fatigue
is the only clock. - inner growth
It is not enough
to claim our past misdeeds but
to learn from them, too. - affirmative reaction
A yearbook full of
bimbos wearing blackface who
grow up to be pols. - inside the industry
Surly manager
barks at servers, customers
to spread her bad cheer. - books not yet on tape
The narrator sits
in the booth surrounded by
ghosts of characters. - contentment on demand
No button on the
remote can scare up what we
demand in our souls. - the re-evolution of language
More tech, more letters
and emoji for more weird
acronyms, hashtags. - confession is good for the soul
Let us lay bare our
foibles and weaknesses to
grow stronger for it. - affection disorder
Love (remarkable
and unremarkable) fills
the world with splendor. - gratitude day 0
Let me recall the
ways my life is very good
when times are rotten. - with liberty and gaping wounds for all
I pledge allegiance
to the gun, to the lobby
for which it adores … - a most comfortable rut
The status quo so
ordinary it defies
extremes and insights. - shortcuts to culinary mastery
Is it cooking to
assemble a meal kit? Or
to microwave stuff? - papy r us
It’s a paperless
world till you write a check, send
a letter, swat flies. - soggy state of affairs
The scorched earth has drowned
in weeks of rainfall. The skies
will show no mercy. - the cookie fairy
Boxes of delight
and sugar fly to the door
steps of those who dream. - beyond the bible and pilgrim’s progress
No one can be bored.
No one should be bored. We live
in this peak culture. - state of the union
Corruption upon
corruption, lie upon lie,
so much truth to find. - oscar sunday
Check on the limo,
squeeze into impossibly
tight dress, wave to fans. - the new shorthand
Let us trade our thoughts
in acronyms and smileys,
hashtags and selfies. - mineshaft means
Work in the dark. Breathe
in the dark. Go home in the
dark. Die in the dark. - living dead metropolis
Smashed parking meters,
burnt shells of houses, rubble
roads, murderous wolves. - rip western
A grocer made his
way through growing pains and tough
times, feeding us all. - water worked
The best tear-jerkers
bring joy then sadness, hope then
hopelessness. Then hope. - a most imperfect impression
What do we remem-
ber? What do we recall with-
out flubbing details? - the promise of a park
Where once rubble could
emerge a green space. Instead,
a new interstate. - say it with gifs
Silent cartoons that
pop with personality
on screens big and small. - look higher
If an employee
fails, check out his boss. If a
child errs, probe parents. - the harm from words
The testimony
of the oppressed yields tears and
yawns from oppressors. - common senses
An outlook shaped by
media and moms, values
and voices. We think. - at the end of her trope
She swooned at the ball.
She waited helplessly for
him. She cried and cried. - verbing weirds language
Real adults know that
“adulting” is not a word.
So very childish. - revisionist reality
What was history
becomes modern trauma when
the facts are questioned. - strip mining for data
A soul laid bare for
computers to harvest our
tastes, sins and secrets. - how ai wins
They will not need to
own us, just impersonate
our online presence. - fitzgerald and me
Let me tell you a-
bout the very rich. They are
different from you. - beyond trauma
When surviving is
no longer the most urgent,
take some time to heal. - all the broken happy ever afters
What about us? What
about all the times you said
you had the answers? - the hatred behind closed doors
Teens say the word and
giggle. They learned it from their
community clans. - an eternity and a day
Life’s too short. Or is
it too long? Depends on which
end you’re living in. - library of regress
Leaky ceilings and
broken escalators in
the home of our books. - wagers of sin
Always bet on your-
self. Unless you suffer from
a gambling problem. - season’s greetings
Warm thoughts turn to warm
days, warm ways. Rejoice in the
demise of winter. - snooze and snooze again
Just five more minutes.
Hide under the covers till
reality wins. - work of the past, work of the future
Hard labor to desk
jobs to lives of uselessness
in front of bright screens. - the classics
Where titans conquer
and peasants falter, where man
meets himself and weeps. - the great gatsby
Self-made man worships
ritzy ditzy blonde, felled by
American dream. - a portrait of the artist as a young man
Coming of age in
Dublin, straying from and to
the Church, a soul freed. - the chronicles of narnia
Seven books proclaim
loudly: Have you heard the Good
News about Aslan? - moby dick
Like “The Old Man and
the Sea,” but with a bigger
fish, meaner captain. - the passing of the family dog
He begged for scraps, dug
up the yard, chewed on shoes. And
will be sorely missed. - 1984
Winston smoked out by
police. Oceania
wages war on truth. - fahrenheit 451
Books make good kindling.
Fear the written word, but not
the flames it brings forth. - a song of ice and fire
When you play the game
of thrones, you win or you die.
There’s no middle ground. - trolling millions
You can fool a lot
of the people a lot of
the time with Facebook. - watching hoops on 11 screens
With each basket, the
cheers grew louder, the drunks got
drunker. Go, team, go. - digging for ones and zeroes
Tiny bots with no
degrees dive deep into the
data mines for days. - not a name but a data point
White, female, 30,
Baptist, 5-foot-4, middle
class, 110. - more data points
Shops at Target, hits
yoga every Thursday, drives
a black Explorer. - data points in action
Sell you this, at the
right time, right size, right price, through
manipulation. - track and field
Joggers and doggers,
strollers and rollers, walkers
and talkers go round. - where new cars graze in place
Shiny vehicles
occupy every parking
space and fire lane. - the resurrection of the receiver
All it took was a
simple unplug and plug to
bring it back to life. - the forest, but not for long
Groves of pines, maples
and oaks sacrificed themselves
for a new Marshalls. - the soul-sucking news cycle
Stay informed and go
nuts vs. ignore it all:
A false dilemma? - rare catch
Fish parts wrapped in rice
and seaweed, with a little
wasabi and soy. - alexa is listening
Jeff Bezos, you are
eavesdropping on my private
convo with my cat. - regrets and remissions
Sometimes, a money
order is just as good as
an apology. - taxing situation
Fill out the form, fill
out the checkbook, look at the
receipts, check the math. - notre dame
A majestic church
where eyes turn heavenward and
souls sing and rejoice. - uncurrent currency
Money orders, beads,
barter, two-dollar bills, fine
metals, shells, squirrel pelts. - corneal implode
Eyes burning with specks
of pollen, stings of contacts,
strains of tiny words. - chicken coop co-op
Poor possum. Trying
to eat farm fresh, but cannot
get to store on time. - silence breeds creativity
The golden sound of
nothing yields a delight to
ears and minds and hearts. - the promise of easter
Can we be reborn?
Can we atone for sins and
grow into new selves? - leaves behind
Trees shiver in their
nakedness. How long before
their new coat is done? - the haunted rite-aid
Aisles empty, lights on,
ghosts of shoppers chit-chat with
ghost of bored worker. - the war over grass
Puff puff pass. Send ’em
all to prison to enrich
the rich, slam the poor. - the russians aren’t invited
To our socials and
our media, to our votes
and our candidates. - viva los measles
Spotted tongue, spotted
skin, spotty info, hot spots
for bedded bodies. - the heroes we deserve
Enthralled by big screen
spectacle made from comic
book pages sprung to life. - the worst seat in the house
Stumbling around in
darkness hitting stairs and rails
sitting in a lap. - quicksand of emotion
Sinking ever so
slowly into malaise and
comforting sadness. - what was once television’s provenance
YouTube the teacher,
the babysitter, the stealth
corruptor, the void. - spoiler phobia
Don’t tell me about
the show. No no no no no—
dammit, tweet screwed me. - comfort drink
A shot, a beer, then
three more shots and an IV
drip of tequila.
• • •
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The Birmingham channel: Kiss and makeup
Wednesday, May 1, 2019 by Wade Kwon
A look at Birmingham in videos …
At April’s Corporate Challenge fund-raiser at Railroad Park, Alabama Power takes on UAB and BBVA Compass in the tug of war. From Alabama NewsCenter.
•
Racing go-karts at the Autobahn Indoor Speedway in Bessemer. From Jared Chandler.
•
Kiss performs in April at Legacy Arena downtown. From Russell Fulmer.
A look around the venue before the Kiss concert. From Crystal Stokes.
•
A round of “Call of Duty: Black Ops 4” with Birmingham-based Alabama Gaming League. From Alabama Gaming League.
•
Atlanta hard rock band Needeep performs in 2012 at Cafe Firenze in Inverness Plaza. From Deadlie13.
•
Soccer: Louisville City at Birmingham Legion in March at BBVA Compass Field. From USL Championship.
Celebrating Legion goals with a literal hammer down. From USL Championship.
•
Birmingham artist Lillis Taylor, with a special cameo. From Lillis Taylor.
•
Performances from the 2018 Alabama Music Awards in July at the BJCC Theatre downtown. From Alabama Music Awards.
•
The Don’t Wait Project tour stops in April at UAB to promote organ donation. From the Don’t Wait Project.
•
New York punk/blues singer-songwriter Radiator King performs in April at the Nick on Southside (our vertical video of the week). From Danny Hammons.
•
Driving by downtown. From Josh Andrews.
•
Promo for April’s “Soul-Winning Mega-Marathon” at Hamburger Heaven in Green Springs, Homewood. From Sanderson1611.
•
Taking in March’s UAB International Festival. From Travel with Annie G.
•
Miami-based Mexican band Los Temerarios perform in April at El Mega Sol in Glen Iris. From Puro Hidalgo Resendiz.
•
Renovating the Stonewall/American Life building downtown with $24 million opportunity zone funding. From Alabama NewsCenter.
•
Parkour downtown. From Obito Uchiha.
•
Promo for the Legal Aid Society of Birmingham. From Jequette Edmonson.
•
Flying a remote control helicopter at night. From Scott Graham.
•
Taking off from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport to Las Vegas. From R.M. Harrison.
•
Promo for Fit Performance training. From Stephen Young.
•
Alcorn State alumni give a preview of Birmingham attractions. From Josh Lewis.
•
Time-lapse footage of Railroad Park downtown. From Erratic Aperture.
•
Highlights from April’s Inferno Dance Competition at Pleasant Grove High School. From Inferno Dance.
•
A quick look at Composed: The Art of Styling workshop in April at BridgeStreet Gallery and Loft downtown. From Megan Pettus Videography.
•
DC speaker and Birmingham native Reggie Selma visits Amsterdam. From Reggie Selma.
•
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) participates in the bipartisan reading of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” organized by Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.). From Senator Doug Jones.
•
Touring Birmingham with stops at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, Vulcan and McWane Science Center. From Rodriguez Tua.
•
Dashcam footage of I-459. From Isaac of Olympia.
•
Drone footage of the Rotary Trail downtown, plus a health-related project. From Fig Tree Media Group.
•
Media conference announcing Protective Life buying naming rights to Protective Stadium at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. From Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
•
Backyard horse (our other vertical video of the week). From Suave Jahad.
•
Final match in “Dota 2” in the Birmingham Invitational. From Noob from UA.
•
Inside the New Ideal Lofts downtown. From Rev Birmingham.
•
Feature on LeNell’s Beverage Boutique in Norwood. From Alabama NewsCenter.
•
Time-lapse footage of the downtown skyline. From Erratic Aperture.
•
Checking out BlazerCon gaming convention in April at UAB’s Hill Student Center. From Cody Gremlin.
•
Visiting April’s Alabama Vegan Fest at Tropicaleo in East Avondale. From Travel with Annie G.
•
Commercial for WBRC-6 weather coverage. From Javohn Cayton.
•
At the McDonald’s drive-through. From Sir Ivy Lee.
•
Jenna Mosley of My Girls Dance Center in Moulton performs “Let’s Get Loud” at March’s Platinum National Dance Competition at the Alabama Theatre downtown, winning Top Recreational Act. From Platinum Dance.
•
Promo for downtown property investment company Spartan Invest. From the Holton Wise Property Group.
•
The Birmingham Slayers perform in the We Are Queens Dance Competition. From Atlbattle.
•
Olympia, Wash., post-hardcore band Karp performs in 1996 at American Beat Records. From the Sound of Indie.
• • •
Send us links to your videos. | More videos on the Birmingham channel.
spoiler phobia
Wednesday, May 1, 2019 by Wade Kwon
Don’t tell me about
the show. No no no no no—
dammit, tweet screwed me.
• • •
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what was once television’s provenance
Tuesday, April 30, 2019 by Wade Kwon
YouTube the teacher,
the babysitter, the stealth
corruptor, the void.
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quicksand of emotion
Monday, April 29, 2019 by Wade Kwon
Sinking ever so
slowly into malaise and
comforting sadness.
• • •
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#sundayread for April 28, 2019
Sunday, April 28, 2019 by Wade Kwon
Photo: Teresa Grau Ros (CC)
My picks for #sundayread for April 28, 2019:
- Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”: So glad I finally listened to this classic. Brilliant and mad, a harrowing look at a criminal mind.
https://buff.ly/2IYLRRT - This is why we aren’t curing the world’s most curable diseases
By @KatherineJWu
(RT @LiberMedia) - Walking While Black: How Jacksonville fights pedestrian fatalities … and black pedestrians
By Topher Sanders @ReporterTopher, Kate Rabinowitz @dataKateR and Benjamin @Conarck - Flashback: 10 years ago, a look at Shift Workspace, one of the first coworking spaces in Birmingham
#Bham - .@JamilaWoods and the Poetry of Black Love
By @JennyGathright
(via @ForBeginners) - .@ElonMusk: The Architect of Tomorrow
By @NeilStrauss - Flashback: When a blog isn’t right for you
- Author/TV producer David Simon @AoDespair unleashes fury on the concept of “packaging” in Hollywood.
- Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ Cash Flow
By @AmyChozick - Flashback: Ten years ago, Huntsville fights possible swine flu
- Amy Poehler, Comedy’s Subversive Star, Is Defining Her Own Feminism
By @MarisaGuthrie - How Rupert Murdoch’s Empire of Influence Remade the World
Three-part series by @JonathanMahler and @JimRutenberg - Against Amazon: Seven Arguments, One Manifesto
By @JorgeCarrion21
(via @thebookstall) - What 50-year-old dirty diapers on the moon can teach us about the potential origins of life on Earth
By Brian Resnick @B_resnick
More posts from Wade this week:
More #sundayread:
- All tweets for April 28 #sundayread
- The latest #sundayread tweets
- More #sundayread recommendations from me
the worst seat in the house
Sunday, April 28, 2019 by Wade Kwon
Stumbling around in
darkness hitting stairs and rails
sitting in a lap.
• • •
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the heroes we deserve
Saturday, April 27, 2019 by Wade Kwon
Enthralled by big screen
spectacle made from comic
book pages sprung to life.
• • •
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viva los measles
Friday, April 26, 2019 by Wade Kwon
Spotted tongue, spotted
skin, spotty info, hot spots
for bedded bodies.
• • •
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the russians aren’t invited
Thursday, April 25, 2019 by Wade Kwon
To our socials and
our media, to our votes
and our candidates.
• • •
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The Birmingham channel: A detour through town
Wednesday, April 24, 2019 by Wade Kwon
A look at Birmingham in videos …
Montreal death metal band Cryptopsy performs earlier this month at Zydeco on Southside (our vertical video of the week). From Alcides Palacios.
•
A weekend trip includes stops at LightRails and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. From the Erni’s Journeys.
•
Northport’s Academy of Ballet and Jazz performs at the Nuvo Dance Convention in March at the Sheraton Birmingham downtown. From BMJ Videos.
•
Cheetah tattoo in progress (our other vertical video of the week). From Tattoos by Marshall Dale.
•
A look at the 2019 Alabama Auto Show earlier this month at the BJCC Exhibition Halls downtown. From Smileyswagtv.
•
In town for the Momentum conference in January at Legacy Arena downtown. From Bobby Simmons.
•
A Woodford Reserve Manhattan whiskey tasting earlier this month at Paper Doll bar downtown. From Taylor LeMaitre
•
At a media conference earlier this month, Birmingham’s Roy Wood Jr. announces new sitcom, “Jefferson County: Probation,” to be filmed in May in Birmingham. From City of Birmingham.
•
Birmingham comedian Rod Newman performs in March at the Purpose Center at Dannon downtown. From the Adventures of Mr. NewmanTM.
•
A 200m race at the Crossplex in Five Points West. From Taylah Upshaw 400m Diva.
•
Birmingham real estate agent knocks on doors (our other other vertical video of the week). From Christopher Kendrick.
•
Music video for “Glow” by Birmingham artist Aso Gang. From TransParent Music Co.
•
San Diego heavy metal band As I Lay Dying performs earlier this month at Zydeco on Southside. From Richard Metal Fan.
•
Students from Knoxville’s Revolution Dance perform “It’s Quiet Uptown” at March’s VIP Dance competition at the Alabama Theatre downtown, winning Hollywood Duo/Trio Senior. From VIP Dance.
Julianne Abenoja of Birmingham Dance Theatre in Hoover performs “Breaking Free,” winning Hollywood Solo Teen. From VIP Dance.
Students from Madison, Miss., Xpress Dance Company perform “Superman,” winning Hollywood VIP List. From VIP Dance.
Students from Knoxville’s Revolution Dance perform “Heart Attack.” From VIP Dance.
•
Highlights from April’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds. From NTT IndyCar Series.
And practice highlights. From NTT IndyCar Series.
Talking with drivers during qualifying round No. 3. From Pasion por la Velocidad.
•
Chicago rapper Calboy performs earlier this month at Boutwell Auditorium downtown. From Sony Music U.
•
Lafayette, Ind., artist Crazy Doberman performs in February at Art Town in East Lake Station. From Strange and New Sounds.
•
A visit to the Birmingham Police Department’s North Precinct in North Birmingham. From Civil Transparency in America.
•
Mexican rapper C-Kan talks to the audience in February at El Sol in Glen Iris (our other other other vertical video of the week). From Emanuel Gaspar.
•
Orlando Apollos at Birmingham Iron in “All-Pro Football 2K8.” From NYEPH1 BackBreaker and 2K8 Channel Old School Sports.
•
Vestavia Hills’ Bennett Smith paddles over DeSoto Falls. From Real Crazy Stuntmen.
•
Trucking through Birmingham on I-20 westbound (with a detour) to I-22 northbound. From Isaac of Olympia.
•
Wedding (our other other other other vertical video of the week). From Kacey Gemini 23 #idomarathon.
•
An imaginary elevator ride in Birmingham. From Leo do Rego.
•
Christian rapper TobyMac performs “I Just Need U” earlier this month at Legacy Arena downtown. From DTenacity.
•
Promo for Advanced Endodontics dental clinic in Five Points South. From Advanced Endodontics.
•
Webinar on investing in real estate in Birmingham by San Francisco advisor SeeWing Yee. From SeeWing Yee.
•
Train in Oak Ridge Park. From Free Brick Productions.
And more trains across Birmingham. From Free Brick Productions.
•
Trucking orientation. From Trucking with T.B.E.
•
Football: Atlanta Legends at Birmingham Iron in March at Legion Field. From Homer Simpson.
And game highlights. From Alliance of American Football.
•
Promo for the 2019 Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly June 17-21 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex downtown. From Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
•
Connecticut metal band Currents performs earlier this month at Zydeco on Southside. From Richard Metal Fan.
•
Heading out (our final vertical video of the week). From Jose Romero.
•
Promo for the Birmingham Heart Clinic. From Birmingham Heart Clinic.
•
A rumor about the XFL coming (back) to Birmingham. From Legend of the Iron Fleet Express.
•
A tour of Miles College. From Jordan Briscoe.
•
Alleged ladder theft in Roebuck. From Alex Ethridge.
•
Drone footage of Highland Park and Sloss Furnaces. From Craine Imaging.
•
Drone footage of wooded property near Oak Mountain State Park. From Next Door Photos Birmingham.
•
Vulcan helps promote August’s Student and Youth Travel Association conference at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex downtown. From SYTA: Student and Youth Travel Association.
•
Tokyo rock band Pinky Doodle Poodle performs earlier this month at the Nick on Southside. From J.J. Hoover.
• • •
Send us links to your videos. | More videos on the Birmingham channel.
the war over grass
Wednesday, April 24, 2019 by Wade Kwon
Puff puff pass. Send ’em
all to prison to enrich
the rich, slam the poor.
• • •
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