coffee table

ashes, roaches, tweezers, matches

our hands a foot apart

not touching until

you pass the heavy book of

Picasso paintings

tapping the cover telling me

without telling me

the days grow shorter

a candle burns slowly

security in its perch

atop the bottle of cheap wine

(a pair of feline eyes stare

through the glass top sharing

perfect secrets knowing what is real)

"who believes in love anymore?" you

say, a provocation? an invitation?

"maybe," i reply, "maybe!"

if it is you

who is of

love and secrets perfected by scars

but!

you feel untouchable heavier than

this table carrying

questions that burn, that smoke

that penetrate us, but

why?

i'm alive enough to know i'm

near you

not near enough to you to

know i'm alive

douglas brent smith

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Wild Towers

Wild Towers -- collage by Douglas Brent Smith Notes: In the lower right corner is one of my favorite photos -- my brother Dave and me at Grandmom and Grandpop Rogers' house. If you look closely you can see Grandpop Rogers sitting in his chair. He was probably reading the newspaper, the Bridgeton Evening News. It was a great newspaper in those days and Grandpop read it front to back every night. There are more clear versions of this picture, probably even in other collages because I love it so much. Those were wonderful days and I miss my little brother so much.

Gears of Joy

Gears of Joy, collage by Douglas Brent Smith This is page 305 of Journal #33, Life in Progress.

Why Gamble?

The less we make our world look like a casino the better off we'll be. -- Doug smith Notes: Just for fun, I added this collage. It is not a casino.

Bugs In The System

Bugs In The System, collage, mixed media by Douglas Brent Smith

Note to Self 20230423

If you keep working your craft you will be amazed at how much you've learned and how much more there is yet to learn. -- doug smith

The Towers of Vettunder

The Towers of Vettunder - painting by Douglas Brent Smith, acrylic. This one feels like another cover to a science fiction novel. In the 70's I might have tried to write that book. Maybe it's not too late.

Horse Named Hannah

the horse got free in a galloping hurry needed something to read and a tall cup of milk I did post this earlier under the title "Who Let the Horse In." Here it is again. Horse Named Hannah -- sketch by douglas brent smith, 1998, from Journal #33, Life In Progress

With Every Available Device

With Every Available Device -- painting by Douglas Brent Smith, December 1976. This is another of the series of acrylic paintings that I did in Oak Lawn, IL, living with Mom and Jack for a brief few months. My favorite art movement is surrealism, and this one clearly emulates the work of the surrealists, in particular Yves Tanguy . When I moved from Colorado to Newtown in 2016 I threw away a number of my paintings, many from this period of time. I did not like them enough to keep them, I guess although I feel some regret at heaving them, one can't save everything and I live in an apartment that's about 600 square feet. No real storage room. This one survived the cut.

All At Once with Trap Doors

All At Once with Trap Doors, mixed media by Douglas Brent Smith

Framed By A Notion

Framed By A Notion, Collage by douglas Brent smith, 1996