Damn this commentary gets increasingly more real as it goes on. I can RELATE tho OOOF. I do think there's a little more to what's cool in this society than ONLY cell phone's and internet, though. For example we've made great strides in a lot of social domains. But it's been SLOW. And slowness truly is boring. Especially when a human life only has about 80 something years. Hope for change can dwindle, it's easy to lose patience with strangers ANYwhooo -loved the poem.
you reaise some great points, and I agree that we've made a lot better and have rectified many social issues too, but it's the aching slowness that can hurt. I wonder what will be the next big thing that shifts to make life more tolerable and humane
"The land of ideas"!! sometimes it seems like sub stack is that place :D I can always find things to read here that make reality a little more palatable. And it seems to me that so do you Franco. Well crafted.
I was so happy to get away from it. But the office environment…ah, just as petty and small, the size of corns, and every bit as irritating. The game I made was to see how many days I could go without speaking and how many hours I could go without being seen.
i'm glad you enjoyed it, Marjorie. I'll at least take safe self-driving ones, but you're right, it's probably better if they stay on the ground for now. ;)
Bunions and eye problems. It can get even worse than that! I guess itt depends on the corner of public you work with hehe. All jokes aside, it's true, it can be hard to rise above our basic human insstincts when we're in a struggle to survive. That's part of it. Happy to be thinking deeper today thanks to you.
Franco such a well thought and scribed piece. Sadly it seems more gadgets are produced to maintain the external journey and avoid the internal one. The one that leads to contentment in the end. What do we really have other than nature and ourselves while searching for aliveness in the mundane .
I could relate to this line: "I float off to the land of ideas,
hoping for a little gift from the gods,
sometimes, if I’m lucky, I’m struck with a good one
and that makes the day mean something to me… " Yes, I am never more alive than when I am in possession of the kernel of a good story. But I can't talk about it, not even with a fellow writer. I've got to write it and with the writing comes a clearer vision of the story. When it comes to casual conversation, it is not what is said, but it is the smile, the exchange of energy, the acknowledgement of a fellow human being. That is my reward.
absolutely, those non-verbal paralinguistic cues are everything. And I'm the same way when I have a good nuggets of a story. I can't talk about it till it's worked out. Thanks, K.C., I can definitely dig it.
😭🤯 Love this so much and so so true. We are all creatives—whether it’s writing, music, sewing, painting, knitting, gardening—and are made for more than mundanity. 🫶🏻🥰
Thank youuu 💜 🫶 you know what I mean, sometimes theres so much beauty and joy in what an individual person brings to the moment, no matter how ordinary the activity
Loved the poem, and loved your notes even more. There was a poem in the making right there. In my 60+ years on the planet, I've done a lot of similar things (and still am, but am grateful for it). You have to be a chameleon in order to navigate these realities and if they can be turned into poetic material, I'd consider it a victory. A victory because you're able to transform these mundane boring experiences and turn them into gold, to find the divine in them (if possible).
Sure thing, Franco. It truly is a miracle to be alive and the challenge is to find those moments as life sweeps us this way and that way through our daily obligations.
Some of my latest poems were written while waiting on the platform of my train station and just grabbing those moments when I could.
Damn this commentary gets increasingly more real as it goes on. I can RELATE tho OOOF. I do think there's a little more to what's cool in this society than ONLY cell phone's and internet, though. For example we've made great strides in a lot of social domains. But it's been SLOW. And slowness truly is boring. Especially when a human life only has about 80 something years. Hope for change can dwindle, it's easy to lose patience with strangers ANYwhooo -loved the poem.
you reaise some great points, and I agree that we've made a lot better and have rectified many social issues too, but it's the aching slowness that can hurt. I wonder what will be the next big thing that shifts to make life more tolerable and humane
"The land of ideas"!! sometimes it seems like sub stack is that place :D I can always find things to read here that make reality a little more palatable. And it seems to me that so do you Franco. Well crafted.
So...sooo true. Thank you, Scarlett.
Nineteen years of retail, man. I feel it.
You know the struggle.
I was so happy to get away from it. But the office environment…ah, just as petty and small, the size of corns, and every bit as irritating. The game I made was to see how many days I could go without speaking and how many hours I could go without being seen.
Hard, but rewarding.
I really hear you on this one. The mental games, the cognitive gymnastics. I know what you mean.
I am glad we don’t have flying cars, let the birds and clouds have the skies. Really enjoyed your notes on this poem.
i'm glad you enjoyed it, Marjorie. I'll at least take safe self-driving ones, but you're right, it's probably better if they stay on the ground for now. ;)
Bunions and eye problems. It can get even worse than that! I guess itt depends on the corner of public you work with hehe. All jokes aside, it's true, it can be hard to rise above our basic human insstincts when we're in a struggle to survive. That's part of it. Happy to be thinking deeper today thanks to you.
thank you, Victoria. I heard somoene say the other day, survial is boring. And I think that's part of it.
Franco such a well thought and scribed piece. Sadly it seems more gadgets are produced to maintain the external journey and avoid the internal one. The one that leads to contentment in the end. What do we really have other than nature and ourselves while searching for aliveness in the mundane .
Absolutely, that's always how I've felt, that the search for joy and feeling alive is a journey inward. 💜 Thank u for the comment:)
"I often write about the ordinary, the commonplace. But I always try to find at least an element of the sublime in it. "
And this is what I love about your work...and endeavor to include in my own. xox
Thank you Jeni. Means so much to me that you get it ❤️
I could relate to this line: "I float off to the land of ideas,
hoping for a little gift from the gods,
sometimes, if I’m lucky, I’m struck with a good one
and that makes the day mean something to me… " Yes, I am never more alive than when I am in possession of the kernel of a good story. But I can't talk about it, not even with a fellow writer. I've got to write it and with the writing comes a clearer vision of the story. When it comes to casual conversation, it is not what is said, but it is the smile, the exchange of energy, the acknowledgement of a fellow human being. That is my reward.
absolutely, those non-verbal paralinguistic cues are everything. And I'm the same way when I have a good nuggets of a story. I can't talk about it till it's worked out. Thanks, K.C., I can definitely dig it.
Your poems always get me thinking, Franco.
Thank you, brother. 🙏
😭🤯 Love this so much and so so true. We are all creatives—whether it’s writing, music, sewing, painting, knitting, gardening—and are made for more than mundanity. 🫶🏻🥰
Thank youuu 💜 🫶 you know what I mean, sometimes theres so much beauty and joy in what an individual person brings to the moment, no matter how ordinary the activity
Fantastic Franco! The ending of the poem was wonderful :)
Thank you Michael. I really appreciate it.
Hi, Franco - you're so real, it's inspiring. Thanks.
Ha I'm just glad it's inspiring and not something worse. Thank you, Giulietta:)
You hit da Nail on the fooking head my friend
thanks brother
Ah, moments from the front desk. Nostalgia....
;)
Loved the poem, and loved your notes even more. There was a poem in the making right there. In my 60+ years on the planet, I've done a lot of similar things (and still am, but am grateful for it). You have to be a chameleon in order to navigate these realities and if they can be turned into poetic material, I'd consider it a victory. A victory because you're able to transform these mundane boring experiences and turn them into gold, to find the divine in them (if possible).
I love that. We need more of trying to find the divine in the mundane. Really appreciate this comment.
Sure thing, Franco. It truly is a miracle to be alive and the challenge is to find those moments as life sweeps us this way and that way through our daily obligations.
Some of my latest poems were written while waiting on the platform of my train station and just grabbing those moments when I could.
That's admirable. I keep trying to find those moments as best I can. I'll take a look at those train platform poems. Thank you, my friend.
Anytime man. Thanks for checking out my work, too. Hope you get some inspiration from them.
https://substack.com/@wlorenzocromwell/note/p-162647576?r=8jqpp&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
https://substack.com/@wlorenzocromwell/note/p-162647576?r=8jqpp&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action