tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35848173615714128812024-03-05T10:35:51.772-08:00Rupert PupkinRupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.comBlogger203125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-32914925947586665262013-03-10T19:33:00.001-07:002013-03-10T19:33:47.281-07:00Word Meds<br />
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For the time being, I'm going to start posting on my new tumblr site instead of this outdated wordpress. It's a literary-based blog, so in addition to new writing and announcement, I'll be posting all things that inspire me and relate to writing. I hope you check it out and enjoy it.<br />
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Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-72756267164414288602013-03-06T17:51:00.000-08:002013-03-07T09:21:05.033-08:00march 6th, 2013<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This may be the first proper short story I've ever written, and it's a true one. Is that something you can fucking handle? Is it? The characters are based on my own mom and dad back in the 70s or 80s, before I even existed. Hopefully you laugh and enjoy it. I SAID LAUGH, GOD DAMMIT.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And just a quick side note<span style="font-size: small;">—ignore the<span style="font-size: small;"> or<span style="font-size: small;">ange highlighted words that keep coming up on this damn site. I don't know why they<span style="font-size: small;"> provide <span style="font-size: small;">links, <span style="font-size: small;">nor do I<span style="font-size: small;"> care enough to find out. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Family’s Family</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My wife and I were newlyweds, living in a two bedroom apartment in Marina Del Rey. We didn’t need the extra room, but the space was nice and we could afford it. I was working as a financial advisor for a firm in Century City, and Pam was a bank teller in Santa Monica. We didn’t have kids or a dog or a cat or even a hamster—it was just the two of us. The weekdays were long and stressful, but come Friday night we kicked off our shoes and lived it up. Nice dinners. Good red wine. The kind of contentment that only two young, married lovers can have. Everything was pleasant. Until the phone rang one Tuesday night while we were watching TV. I told her not to answer it. She didn’t listen.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Hello?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Hi, Pammy.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Mom?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Yes, it’s your Mother. You sound surprised.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “No–well, yes. It’s just a little late, especially for you. Everything alright?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> (Pam’s Mother and Father live in the small town of Bridgewater, Massachusetts. At the age of 18, she hopped on a Greyhound bus with her best friend and headed to Los Angeles. Starry-eyed and full of teenage hope. Her friend left just six months later, but she stayed. Waiting tables paid the bills, and it wasn’t long until she met me. The rest is history.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Everything’s fine, Pammy. Everything’s fine. But...”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “But what?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Well, you remember your cousin Harlan.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Yeah, I remember Harlan.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Well, he was living in Texas, as you know.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Yeah.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “And was thinking about moving to Southern California.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Okay.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “And I kind of told him...”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Mom—what did you tell him?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “That he could stay with you until he found a job.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Why would you tell him that?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Oh, Pammy. Come on, he’s family. Family’s family—you know that.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Yeah, yeah. You could’ve asked first at least.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I know, I know. I’m sorry.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I don’t know, Mom. I mean—we have an extra room, but I have to talk to Richard. You really should’ve asked first. Is he already on his way?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Yes, he’s driving.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Great. I don’t know, Mom.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “What’s the problem, Pammy?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Well, I always remember Harlan being kind of...”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Kind of what?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Strange.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Oh, come on. He’s a good kid. You two always got along.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration. I only met him a few times.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Well, he’s fine. He’s just trying to start fresh.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Sounds like he’s running from something.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Oh, that’s just ridiculous. He’s a good kid.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Mom, he’s only a year younger than me. He’s not a kid.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Then he’s a good man. Just help him out, will ya? I’m sure he’ll be out in a week.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “He better be.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Oh, Pammy.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Well—I still have to talk to Richard. Okay?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “That’s fine. How is your lovely husband?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “He’s good. Working hard.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “WHO IS IT, HONEY?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “MY MOTHER. And you don’t need to shout.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “IT’S THE TV, I CAN’T HEAR YOU.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Then try getting up and walking over here.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Is that him I hear?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Yes, Mom. He’s in the living room shouting over the TV.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “What are you two watching?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Nothing, Mom. Look—I gotta run, okay? I really wish you had asked first.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I didn’t think it would be a big deal. And you’re the only family who lives out there. We’re all stuck back here, in the snow and the rain and the cold and—”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I get it, Mom. Fine. How can I reach him?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Who?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Harlan!”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Honey, you don’t have to shout.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “WHO’S HARLAN?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “NO ONE. SHUT UP, HONEY. Ugh, I have to go, Mom. So how can I call him?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I gave him your home number. He said he would call when he gets to California.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “And then what? Show up on my doorstep?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I don’t know, Pammy. He’s a good kid.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “He’s not a—forget it. I’ll talk to Richard. Thanks, Mom. Love you.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I love you too, honey.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Say hi to Dad for me.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “PAMMY SAYS HI, PHILBERT!”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “WHO?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Mom—jeez. You didn’t have to say it that second.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Sorry.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Bye, Mom.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Bye, honey. I love you.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Love you too.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> And that was that. She asked me after hanging up and I begrudgingly said yes. What was I supposed to say? The man who tells his wife no in that situation is in for a short marriage.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, Thursday night rolled around and we got another phone call. It was Harlan. He said he was a few hundred miles out and would arrive sometime that night. I was less than thrilled.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Babe, it’s already 8:00. He’s gonna knock on our door at, what, 1:00? I have to be up at 6:30.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I know. I didn’t know what to say.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “What’s this guy’s deal, anyway? When’s the last time you saw him?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I don’t know. A year or two before I left, I guess.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “That’s like... more than ten years. He could be anybody now.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “What does that mean?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I don’t know. I’m just a little frustrated with this whole situation. Apparently your Mom thinks we run a Motel 6.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Richard—he’s family.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I know. Sorry.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “It’s fine. I’m not too happy about this whole situation either. I just want him in and out. One week, alright?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “One week.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “And then he’s out.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “You gonna give him the boot?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Right in the ass.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “That’s the woman I married. Love you.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Love you.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Five hours and 27 minutes later, three pounding knocks on the door awoke us from our slumber. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Can you get it?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Yeah. You’re not getting up?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Honey, I need to sleep.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “What if he’s a murderer?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Little late for that, don’t you think? He’s your cousin, just answer the door.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Fucking hell, can’t he knock a little quieter? It’s... 1:30 in the morning.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Go back to sleep, Richard.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Aye aye.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> And I did.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> When I left for work the next morning, the door to second bedroom was closed and my wife was still alive, so I figured everything went alright.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The three of us ate dinner together that night and other than Harlan’s quiet, introverted nature, he seemed alright. I guess. I set my expectations were pretty low, though. After we all finished, he excused himself to go read in what was now his bedroom. I told him he was more than welcome to join us and a few friends at a nearby bar, but he declined. I wasn’t too broken up about it. When we got home later that night, his door was closed and the light was off. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The next day we all walked to the beach. Pam did her best to catch up on old times, but Harlan’s answers were less than descriptive. I asked him what kind of job he was looking for and he said, “I don’t really know yet.” “Okay,” I replied. I then asked him why he decided to come to California, and he said, “It looked nice in the pictures.” I believe my response was the same. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> After finding a spot, we put down our towels and took off our shirts. Harlan had borrowed a pair of my swim trunks which I no longer wanted back after seeing his chest. Other than his gigantic nipples, a thick rug of hair covered just about the entire visible area. It was impressively off-putting. I’ve never been much of a beach person, so I just laid on my towel and pulled a magazine out of the bag we brought. Pam and Harlan, on the other hand, wasted no time and headed right for the water. Pam returned alone about 20 minutes later.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “How was it out there?” I asked.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Really nice. Cold, but nice.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “How far’d you go?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Eh, not too far. Just past those first waves.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Farther than I’ve ever been.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “That’s not saying much. Harlan just kept going, though.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Yeah?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Yeah. As soon as the water reached his waist, he dove in and just kept swimming. I lost sight of him pretty quickly.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Guy’s a little weird.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I know. Thanks again, honey.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Mhmm. Can you see him now?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “No.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Yeah, neither can I. I wonder where he is.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> An hour went by and he was still gone. Then another. And another. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Where the fuck is this wacko?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I don’t know, honey. I’m really worried.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I am too. Should we call a lifeguard or something?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I think so.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I’m guessing you want me to take care of that?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Could ya?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Sure.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I walked for what seemed like half a mile until I spotted one. I told him the story and we jogged back in the direction we were sitting. But once we were a hundred yards away or so, I could see Harlan drying off next to Pam. I told the bronze teenager that everything was fine, so he headed back. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Where the hell were you, Harlan?” I asked as I got closer.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Richard—please.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I was swimming.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “For three hours?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Yeah.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Doesn’t that seem like a long time, Harlan?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Not really.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Okay.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> So we gathered up our stuff and walked home.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eight days later and he was still around. I told Pam that he needed to go, that we only agreed on one week. She bargained me up to two weeks, giving him four days left. The man was an adult, and as much I wanted to help, he was cramping my style. And frankly, he wasn’t my responsibility. I feel bad for making a man sleep in his car, but it was his own damn fault. For all I know, he hadn’t been to a single job interview. And he kept disappearing at odd times in the night, returning whenever he felt like it. This was our first new place since being married. It was our sanctuary, not a hostel. I’d had enough.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two days later, Pam called me sobbing in the middle of the afternoon, so I got in my car and rushed home. A group of masked men had stormed into the bank she worked at and held the place up. One of them pointed a gun at her head as she emptied the register. I was horrified to hear this and consoled her on the couch, holding in her my lap like a frightened kitten. She hadn’t been injured, nor had anyone else, but she couldn’t get over the fact that one of the men was wearing a white pair of pants—the same kind she had seen Harlan in earlier that week. After an hour or so, she stopped crying and calmed down, then her free-loading cousin walked through the door. He was wearing a regular pair of blue jeans. Pam’s face was still red with fear.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “What happened?” Harlan asked.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Pam re-told the story, maintaining her calm this time. After she finished, Harlan put his hands on his hips and curled his mouth.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Did he look like me?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> We gave him the boot right there and then and never saw him again.</span></span><br />
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Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-14189319375565755262013-02-22T14:15:00.000-08:002013-02-22T14:15:01.230-08:00february 22nd, 2013<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>disorder</b><br /><br /><br />men have searched long and hard<br />for the origins of thought—<br />pushing deep into the moonless night<br />with sharpened fingernails<br />and elusive wrinkles<br />that evaporate into sightless deserts<br />of decaying knuckle.<br /><br />bend in<br />bend out<br />and witness disappearance<br />in its most elegant form.<br /><br />you exist<br />just as the unknown does.</span></span><br />
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<br />Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-50795793575245411192013-01-17T15:00:00.001-08:002013-01-17T15:00:47.058-08:00press board press<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Three poems of mine were published on Press Board Press yesterday, so check them out and leave a comment if you feel so inclined. I think it's about damn time "how to assassinate the void" got accepted, so I'm excited about this. Below is the link. Long live the printed word.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">http://pressboardpress.com/2013/01/16/three-poems-by-cliff-weber/</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-28077404740289254672012-12-11T23:24:00.002-08:002012-12-11T23:35:06.620-08:00new chapbook for sale<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hot off the press, a newly organized collection of flash fiction entitled "recycled fiction for the impatient: a self-explanatory chapbook." So there you have it, it's fairly self-explanatory. Check it out, buy a dozen, tell your friends. Huzzah.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">http://www.lulu.com/shop/cliff-weber/recycled-fiction-for-the-impatient-a-self-explanatory-chapbook/paperback/product-20571166.html</span></span><br />
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<br />Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-19174292596878292402012-11-11T03:06:00.006-08:002012-11-11T03:17:06.517-08:00november 11th, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-66428620742712091142012-10-03T14:00:00.001-07:002012-10-03T14:49:15.004-07:00october 3rd, 2012<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here a couple new poems. Enjoy.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">been a while</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I haven’t written poetry in a while<br />or sat down with a pen and a fresh bottle of whiskey<br />and I miss it.<br />I miss the outpour of anger and frustration.<br />I miss the hangover the next morning<br />that accompanies the reread,<br />because when the reread is good,<br />when the poetry feels right,<br />the hangover sprouts a pair of legs<br />and struts out my front door,<br />into the Los Angeles heat.<br />I miss the bad rereads too,<br />when the poetry feels wrong,<br />because it provides that necessary push,<br />that essential first step toward greatness.<br />I miss defeating the bleakness of three a.m..<br />I miss the ambient music that soothed my drunk bones.<br />I miss the fear I felt reading better work than mine,<br />knowing it would take a million more whiskey nights<br />to be mentioned in the same conversation.<br />I miss pacing around the kitchen,<br />pulling my hair out,<br />readjusting my posture<br />and staring out the window in hopes of an answer<br />or the one sentence that could change everything.<br /><br />I haven’t written poetry in a while<br />and I don’t have a fresh bottle of whiskey by my side,<br />but this poem feels right<br />and I no longer fear better work than mine,<br />nor do I fear happiness,<br />for it’s merely an excuse the weak use when searching for a scapegoat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>“I have a mentor”</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><br />“I have a mentor”<br />she says<br />“who tells me to write ten pages everyday<br />just get it out<br />ten pages everyday<br />it’s gonna be shit<br />oh it’s gonna be real bad<br />but if you write ten pages a day<br />for ten days<br />you’ll have 100 pages<br />and a script.”<br />“so it’s like diarrhea<br />of the pen”<br />I say.<br />“exactly”<br />she says.<br />glad we’re on the same page.<br /><br />I tried to walk to a nearby diner<br />to work out the kinks<br />with a green legal pad<br />a black pilot g-2 07 pen<br />and nabokov’s lolita.<br />my privacy was taken from me<br />by a friend,<br />a man I like,<br />and a girl who’s writing ten pages everyday<br />for ten days<br />until a bad script drops from her bowels<br />like a corn infested log from my hairy asshole.<br /><br />all I wanted to do was drink alone in peace<br />with nabokov<br />a green legal pad<br />a black pilot g-2 07 pen<br />and my concerns.<br /><br />the novel is getting to me.<br />it’s tearing me apart.<br />but I think i like it.</span><br />
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<br />Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-17759941616411411122012-09-25T10:48:00.004-07:002012-09-25T10:48:50.481-07:00assassinate the void<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Look for these pasted in your neighborhood</span><br />
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<br />Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-66259176210311178902012-09-20T21:55:00.000-07:002012-09-20T21:55:20.867-07:00september 20th, 2012<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">From the novel:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Mitchell walks into the light of day, wearing his laughably out-of-style shorts, a faded green collared shirt he was given through work and a pair of white tennis shoes (sporting a double-knot tied upon purchase). He holds ground for a moment, looking left, then right. An unusually curious disposition sprouts above his chin as he appears to be soaking in the idea of absolute freedom. This looks invades many minds of diverse backgrounds and situations, but tends to fade like the last rising smoke from an extinguished fire. True freedom is a concept understood only by the confident and willing; those who view challenges as means of self-improvement, those who do all they can to defeat mortality by leaving an indentation so deep, future thinkers place their hands on their hips and study with awe and admiration. Mitchell may be able to take a sip of such potion, but to think he can guzzle the whole bottle is naïve, left only to the childish over-optimists—who suffer from the very same problem. It’s not simply about having a tough skin, for you can have the skin of an elephant and remain void of potential. The toughest skin protects the man willing to admit death scares him, only to ask, “What can I do to shrink that fear into a ball so tiny I can drop it in my pocket and maintain control?” No personal accomplishment worthy of pursuit is going to be easy, nor should it. You must find out why you’re afraid and alleviate the answer. Sure—this drive lies within all you humans, Mitchell included, but it suffocates the meek to the point of excommunication—a thought expelled, a desire determined ludicrous. I see this unusually curious disposition sprouting below his scalp and smirk with arrogance. Soak it up all you want, Mitch, for the fear that paralyzes you cannot be squeezed into even the largest pocket you own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-52696554480273676982012-08-08T14:57:00.002-07:002012-08-08T14:58:37.998-07:00august 8th, 2012<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ozvbmO0IGcCgM8ajM5s6GwxJc_iU_2WUIeWp5pXjGeH2JLA-pYNhxEOD5dJ_R20LasLAoEQuF13Q61mkahLi41owiAWWkqx9vUJdKYxptgIJ4U8kAvIY28xedYyjRxlJfBpvtFcQXGm9/s1600/she+could+not+doubt+me+now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ozvbmO0IGcCgM8ajM5s6GwxJc_iU_2WUIeWp5pXjGeH2JLA-pYNhxEOD5dJ_R20LasLAoEQuF13Q61mkahLi41owiAWWkqx9vUJdKYxptgIJ4U8kAvIY28xedYyjRxlJfBpvtFcQXGm9/s320/she+could+not+doubt+me+now.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-67849069073154519392012-07-31T04:18:00.001-07:002012-07-31T04:18:58.847-07:00july 31st, 2012<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">I just found out that three of my pieces will be published in A Few Lines Magazine in September. The poems <b>maybe her body followed</b> and <b>los feliz</b> were accepted, along with the short story <b>tomorrow</b>. Feel free to check out the publication here:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">http://www.afewlinesmagazine.com/</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It's been a slow year, so I'm very happy about this and can't wait to check out the rest of the issue. I'll update you with more info when all's finished. Thanks for reading.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-45620984307296008772012-06-20T02:02:00.001-07:002012-06-20T02:02:44.380-07:00"even if it takes all night"<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">In reference to my last post, you can now purchase my chapbook "even if it takes all night" here:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/cliff-weber/even-if-it-takes-all-night-a-poetry-chapbook/paperback/product-20182764.html" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.lulu.com/shop/cliff-weber/even-if-it-takes-all-night-a-poetry-chapbook/paperback/product-20182764.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you live in Los Angeles, you can also buy it at Skylight Books on Vermont Ave. in Los Feliz. Great book store, regardless of your intention. I highly recommend you check it out. I also highly recommend you buy this chapbook, but we all know the doubtful nature of that wish. Boy do I wish I wasn't being sarcastic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Long live poetry. Be well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-61133682915807628392012-06-06T03:33:00.000-07:002012-06-06T03:33:23.813-07:00coming soon...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-6190123316667342012012-05-03T14:41:00.002-07:002012-05-03T16:49:49.333-07:00writing update<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">I'm currently writing a novel based on a story I developed with the lovely Erin Dillon. It has a long way to go, but I figured an update would do some good. I'll continue posting poetry and prose, but there's no real intention to publish another book until this novel is done. Perhaps I'll post a chapter from time to time. We'll see.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Also, I wrote an article on Henry Miller for a great publication called Beatdom, but I don't believe I ever mentioned it on this blog. You can check it out here:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.beatdom.com/?p=1342" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.beatdom.com/?p=1342</a><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.</span><br />
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<br /></div>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-65274210141777412002012-04-04T13:28:00.002-07:002012-04-04T21:57:18.884-07:00april 4th, 2012<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family:georgia;" ><br /><br />a divide</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><br style="font-family:georgia;"><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">The older I get the more I think about the impending divide between those actively involved in my life. At a certain point we’re all forced to choose a side and no longer is anyone else responsible for your decision. The beast knocks with polished, unbiased knuckles. How will you respond?</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Your first option is a reality in which Art dominates thought because creation is an idea as eternal as God. This is a reality in which the infinite coincides with human potential. The expected, tested, tried and true notion of three is tossed aside, for no barrier is breached without understanding and justified change. How can <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> take what inspires me to new levels? How can <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> pay homage to the deserved souls while simultaneously chiseling my own immortality? This is a reality in which truth and beauty guide the mind through murky swamps in search of <span style="font-style: italic;">the </span>orchid-- knowing damn well the quest may end in defeat thick enough to see; a thin veil in perspective, but one capable of temporarily blinding the hungry doubter. The illusionary reality of Art contains only those who openly accept fear because no man is without it, it’s simply a matter of how tall you choose to stand before it.</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Your second option is a reality in which art is no longer capitalized because it is no longer necessary. Like beaten hand-me-downs too small for the unplanned younger child, art has been tossed on the freeway shoulder to rot like flavorless gum below the circling, salivating vultures. This is a reality void of deeper meaning, leaning upon the splintered crutches of brainwashed business delusion. Ambition has been replaced with subservience and with enough hours punched on the clock, by golly, you could apply for the job upstairs-- you know the one I’m talking about, the one that comes with the mahogany desk and the power-trip and the vacant assistant begging to grant your every wish! It’s a much sought after position so I recommend you keep on plugging away with that same sense of mindless devotion. You musn’t worry about art anymore child, for it proved to be an expendable commodity. Like an unsightly, pesky wart we had it removed.</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">When the ground begins to split underneath your feet, which side will you feel compelled to join?<br /><br /><br /></span></span>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-22770339970224156722012-03-14T17:26:00.002-07:002012-03-19T14:54:16.820-07:00march 14th, 2012<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family:georgia;" ><br /><br />the return</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><br style="font-family:georgia;"><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Loneliness rests in the nook of Eve’s arm.</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">It is the crease opposing our elbow,</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">the indentation which evaporates</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">before our covered identifiers.</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Pupils are cloaked</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">and uncloaked for amusement’s sake,</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">like gigantic</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">lustrous</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">holy movie screens;</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">palettes of projected immortality.</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">The red velvet curtain ruffles up,</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">momentarily faking existence</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">before unfurling </span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">with smooth</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">graceful</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">class.</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Loneliness is a beauty mark I had removed,</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">a cyst I nurtured night in and night out.</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">But early this morning,</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">beneath the unchanged darkness of dawn,</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">the two of us reunited.</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">The unremembered face,</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">the miserable mug,</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">the beast I so proudly defeated </span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">cried into clasped hands beside me.</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">His tears watered the cheap, colorless upholstery</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">and I embraced him with every muscle in my body.</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">I dug the ends of my fingers into his tender back</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">and clutched his hollow spine.</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">For the first time in years</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">he appeared beautiful.</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Forgotten loneliness is a lovely thing</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">when you’re driving home alone,</span><br style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">surrounded by the unchanged darkness of dawn.</span><br style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="font-family: georgia;"></span>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-74637946144482426312012-02-28T23:29:00.004-08:002012-02-29T12:12:28.855-08:00february 28th, 2012<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />how to assassinate the void</span><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br face="georgia"><br face="georgia"><br face="georgia">You must start with Imagination;<br face="georgia">the blessed,<br face="georgia">caged<br face="georgia">and chosen beast<br face="georgia">handpicked for gruesome battles<br face="georgia">such as this.<br face="georgia"><br face="georgia">For the void is a disease<br face="georgia">that feasts on the public,<br face="georgia">tricking the cerebrum<br face="georgia">into believing that money and monotony<br face="georgia">breed satisfaction;<br face="georgia">happiness,<br face="georgia">contentment,<br face="georgia">a meaningfully adequate existence.<br face="georgia"><br face="georgia">The sad part is<br face="georgia">the disease has claimed mountains of victims.<br face="georgia">Some of them are dead,<br face="georgia">unable to repeat and repent,<br face="georgia">and some of them are alive,<br face="georgia">walking past you on the sidewalk,<br face="georgia">serving you lunch<br face="georgia">or cutting your hair.<br face="georgia">They are merely shells of human potential;<br face="georgia">hollowed out bodies<br face="georgia">programmed to respond with simple answers:<br face="georgia">“Yes sir, right away, sir.”<br face="georgia">“No sir, my fault, sir.”<br face="georgia"><br face="georgia">The diseased are no different than crudely built robots.<br face="georgia">They accomplish their tasks at work<br face="georgia">with moderate<br face="georgia">to above moderate success.<br face="georgia">They acknowledge their co-workers<br face="georgia">with polite farewell gestures<br face="georgia">and drive home in a generally safe manner.<br face="georgia">Red lights mean stop,<br face="georgia">green lights mean go<br face="georgia">and yellow lights should be read as slow down.<br face="georgia">God forbid you strike another vehicle<br face="georgia">and injure a healthy,<br face="georgia">capable cog.<br face="georgia">The government does not appreciate such accidents.<br face="georgia">In fact,<br face="georgia">the government does not appreciate much of anything.<br face="georgia">The government is doing just fine,<br face="georgia">so move along.<br face="georgia">Nothing to see here.<br face="georgia">Your work is appreciated<br face="georgia">and so are you.<br face="georgia">Move along, champ.<br face="georgia">Nothing to see here.<br face="georgia"><br face="georgia">The next hurdle involves Passion.<br face="georgia">A dash is fine,<br face="georgia">but I recommend a handful.<br face="georgia">Passion is a difficult ingredient to apprehend,<br face="georgia">so do not succumb to its elusiveness.<br face="georgia">Do not surrender if the search prolongs;<br face="georgia">Passion is a pure<br face="georgia">and honest commodity<br face="georgia">worthy of its journey.<br face="georgia">Many weak legs have collapsed<br face="georgia">before reaching the pillar it rests upon.<br face="georgia">Many courageous men have lowered their sword<br face="georgia">in valiant defeat.<br face="georgia">Passion will evade your efforts<br face="georgia">until desperate necessity kicks in;<br face="georgia">pumping ferociously<br face="georgia">like the legs of the prey<br face="georgia">narrowly outrunning the fresh feet<br face="georgia">of the hungry hunter.<br face="georgia"><br face="georgia">Problem is--<br face="georgia">the hunted outnumber the hunters,<br face="georgia">but the scaly beast of oppression<br face="georgia">strangles the advantage,<br face="georgia">sucking the air out<br face="georgia">slowly<br face="georgia"> slowly<br face="georgia"> slowly<br face="georgia">until the purple, lifeless face<br face="georgia">collapses in defeat.<br face="georgia"><br face="georgia">There is no formula<br face="georgia">no matter what I’ve said,<br face="georgia">no matter what you’ve heard,<br face="georgia">so do whatever it takes<br face="georgia">for however long<br face="georgia">to assassinate the void<br face="georgia">and emerge an independent<br face="georgia">fireball of a progressive thought.<br /><br /><br /></span>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-21096588676706348222012-01-16T01:35:00.000-08:002012-01-16T01:38:26.219-08:00january 16th, 2012<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here's another new one, a quick Sunday night/Monday morning cut-up.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">leaning out on the edge</span></span></b></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The spiraling roar of a miracle</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">tears through curtains of porcelain doubt</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">like a golden comet</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">shot through tattered lace.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The whirling spasm of ingenuity,</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">when caged</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and tagged for future research,</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">crushes a lifetime of groans in a</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">single</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">violent</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">breath.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Life is a relay race</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and the only thing that matters</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">is whether or not</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">you’re holding the baton.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p></div>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-47035892710001160622012-01-15T22:45:00.001-08:002012-01-15T22:46:49.644-08:00january 15th, 2012<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here's a random piece of prose I found written in a legal pad. I'm sure it's the result of a late night, but it's not bad.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">top five</span></span></b></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">People make lists because they are physical, organized manifestations of interests and disinterests we consider “real”. Lists provide validation, state opinions and etch trivial decisions onto paper, cementing a thought, albeit momentary, into the sidewalk of a chosen surface. They act as handprints in the sidewalk, and when put into perspective, affect nothing equally. Like most activities, lists attempt to solidify the invisible.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></p></div>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-43880391712068166772012-01-11T17:53:00.000-08:002012-01-11T18:05:41.612-08:00january 11th, 2012<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">throw him a curveball </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">is featured on Young American Poets blog today, which is very nice of them. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">the heavy musk of masochism </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> keep it simple </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">previously appeared in late 2011.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://youngamericanpoets.blogspot.com/2012/01/throw-him-curveball.html</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I haven't posted new work in a while, so here are two poems for you to enjoy. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">can't you hear me knockin'?</span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Before I could react to the knocking</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">it was gone.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A few modest pounds</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">followed by sustained silence.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The kind of silence that permeates through an auditorium</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">hours before an orchestra takes stage.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hauntingly inspirational,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">yet suspiciously dormant.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Before I could answer the door</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">the knocking was gone,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and I was left standing</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">like a fool in the rain.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">los feliz</span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Now we live together.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Just like that.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Seems like, well, at most a year ago</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">when we first walked toward each other,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">awkwardly closing the cement gap with wobbly legs.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sure as hell doesn't feel like four years.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Now we live together</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and we're 25 years-old,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">merely skimming the surface of potentiality,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">meticulously chipping away at the tip of the iceberg.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A subdued smirk sprouts above my chin</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">because I have seen the ocean floor</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and the massive frozen base.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I have seen what we are capable of</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and fully intend to capture it,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ensuring we are there to witness it blossom.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Others are free to watch,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">for they will always remember the couple</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">who unleashed what they could not.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Now we live together</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and it's easy.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The vinyl is continually spinning</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and the art comes in spurts,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">always returning moments before you swear it's gone for good.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-71620839035998352732011-12-08T17:11:00.001-08:002011-12-08T17:18:03.205-08:00december 8th, 2011<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Few things to speak about in this post, which is always a good thing. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">First-- </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">station to station</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> will appear in the new issue of </span></span><a href="http://outofour.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Out of Our</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, which will be printed on Friday. Booyah! This is my third piece in their publication, the first two being </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">my generation </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">forever grasping a clutching</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, which led off the previous issue.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Second-- the new issue of </span></span><a href="http://www.beatdom.com/?p=1227"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Beatdom</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, featuring </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">horseshit</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, focuses on the topic of religion. I find that amusing. Basing my guess on the info in the link, it should be available for purchase soon.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And the last little announcement is that soon enough more stores will be carrying my books on consignment. At the moment they are for sale here:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Book Soup</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Stories</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Daily Planet</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Skylight Books</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">All of which are in Los Angeles. New stores, out of state (and possibly out of country), will be added to the list in time.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks for giving a shit, take care.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-18684080402765319952011-11-28T17:46:00.000-08:002011-11-28T17:53:09.119-08:00Beatdom<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The poem <b>horseshit</b> from </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Remain Frantic </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">will be published in the next issue of <a href="http://www.beatdom.com/">Beatdom</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. I suggest you check their site out.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here's a reading of the piece by a friend of mine, Brian Charles:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><a href="http://soundcloud.com/cliff-weber" target="_blank" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; ">http://soundcloud.com/</a></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><a href="http://soundcloud.com/cliff-weber" target="_blank" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; "><wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; "></span>cliff-weber</a></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; font-size:small;">Also on that link are readings of <b>my generation </b>and <b>nude photographs of immortality</b>. All three are fucking spot-on in my opinion. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; font-size:small;">I'll follow up with a link to the poem in the issue once that becomes available.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-57272645940837304072011-11-21T08:44:00.000-08:002011-11-21T08:46:06.543-08:00young american poets, pt. 2<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here's "keep it simple" from </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Jack Defeats Ron 100-64</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, the second poem to be published on Young American Poets:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://youngamericanpoets.blogspot.com/2011/11/keep-it-simple.html</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Enjoy.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-26100394387045964092011-11-16T16:46:00.001-08:002011-11-16T16:48:11.129-08:00winter wheat<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Two more poems will be published in the new litmag "winter wheat", so look for those in late December, most likely. They are "studying bare walls" and "poets are so full of shit". You can read the second one below:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FUcBtU9tQl_RFcQiPdvJMhsscZKMO0a2vdWasfYzYkpDDKtnkf4woH6jqzlx4P8fFL7TanSR9RzlYlvL8EVWvvi5CCMt52VY1xMCyTMkiVW2iTzc17urbEgC8GTbAYxWO5bXx0I4mm7J/s1600/02-64+poets+are+so+full+of+shit.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FUcBtU9tQl_RFcQiPdvJMhsscZKMO0a2vdWasfYzYkpDDKtnkf4woH6jqzlx4P8fFL7TanSR9RzlYlvL8EVWvvi5CCMt52VY1xMCyTMkiVW2iTzc17urbEgC8GTbAYxWO5bXx0I4mm7J/s400/02-64+poets+are+so+full+of+shit.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675759834663917426" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Check out the mag here:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><a href="http://winterwheatpoetry.wordpress.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; ">http://winterwheatpoetry.wordp</a></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><a href="http://winterwheatpoetry.wordpress.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; "><wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; "></span>ress.com/</a></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584817361571412881.post-81213351021575527352011-10-26T16:47:00.001-07:002011-10-26T16:49:47.770-07:00october 26th, 2011<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEqC_TtduhjbRQ-dKe9WLKWkybirOPcjBRNEdLnWzIR5PdDD6cPgjYArnzGkmcNUVgG-EjmAAXfffX_tNAuaPEqLQFBlYbRirv6xY0Dm4u_2rJa-hRqM-D-VHMRJ8BFakzkWGQt-pw_kE/s1600/welcome+to+the+maze.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 274px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEqC_TtduhjbRQ-dKe9WLKWkybirOPcjBRNEdLnWzIR5PdDD6cPgjYArnzGkmcNUVgG-EjmAAXfffX_tNAuaPEqLQFBlYbRirv6xY0Dm4u_2rJa-hRqM-D-VHMRJ8BFakzkWGQt-pw_kE/s400/welcome+to+the+maze.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667952036739182866" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Rupert Pupkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03556827223725765209noreply@blogger.com1