douglas brent smith

there are times when our imaginations    paint pictures better than sunsets    play chords more stirring    than violin strings    times when hearts beat faster    sounding panic stilled by its own clock alarming signals ringing clipped wings singular embarrassing  defining a new way of being one such time i was prepared for the best of    advancing, making progress      to reach you it             would go so well                you'd be able to tell                    how i feel and                        you would see the magic in my tricks the longing in my voice the muse for your amusement in that alter place of hyper-reality: high school and none of the rumors had    helped my cause, noe of the phone calls brou...

is it any wonder our      thoughts stack      over-lapping on      top of one another      some vast library caught in      an earthquake of                                 dreaming      out of order when      was the last time you      were truly alone?                 25 July 1988       

  Collage: A Question of Survival, 11 February 1980, douglas brent smith

part of this nutritious breakfast: a quiet time an hour of thought  three sometimes four layers of cereal in the bowl (always the  same bowl and the one spoon) morning details to center the day a strong slender tower rising to face the resilient serial motions of standing tall a prayer before the first bite vitamin, juice, black coffee the soft gentle snoring of my son in the next room peaceful, still birds sing familiar tunes clapping this day this tree of living this world at five forty-five and the morning is alive with details. 29 March 1988 All the horses in collageland - collage by douglas brent smith

Ever have a dog that has passed on? If so, you miss that dog, don't you. Dogs are such wonderful creatures, such perfect examples of unconditional love.  I'm mostly a cat person, but of the few dogs who have shared parts of my life, I miss them all. If you have a dog, give it some attention. Watch that tail wag with joy. Smile.  -- doug smith  

Lead with love but manage your boundaries. -- doug smith  

Nobody lives forever. Everybody lives forever.  You're right either way. -- doug smith  

  Cavalier Club at Large -- collage by douglas brent smith, 1995 From Journal #30, Operation Fresh Start, 1995. NOTES: I've owned (or co-owned) four Chevy Cavaliers and loved every single one. I've loved them so much that I even contemplated forming a Cavalier Club -- or maybe finding one that already existed. Such charming little cars. Basic, the last one I owned had wind-up windows. Fun to drive, a bit sporty without being too fast (can a car be too fast?).  My favorite was a blue 1987 station wagon version of a Cavalier. It had an old, permanent smell that was not at all unpleasant. I loved that car and commuting to work in Trevose in that car and it was named Bluebird. Sometimes I would sit in Bluebird and eat my lunch in the parking lot of UFLIC on Street Road.  I was recently in that parking lot again for a gig with CareerTrack and another for the college but I barely recognized the building or the lot because they had changed so much. Still, the vibes were good. I ...

  How Is All of this Possible? -- collage by douglas brent smith, 1995. From the journal Operation Fresh Start, 1995.

  Juggling Competing Priorities -- collage by douglas brent smith, 1995.

  Have you ever thrown anything away and then regretted it? Gone Box i filled a dumpster no i filled a dumpster two times and another dumpster, too i didn't have permission and they weren't my dumpsters but it was always at night and i wanted some things out of my life foolishly books. paintings. collages. tools. and one really big relationship deeper than any box gone a box filled with memories set afire. and no matter how much i dream i cannot retrieve that box. -- douglas brent smith

  A Stroll Around The Crystal, collage by douglas brent smith, 4 December 1979.

  photo: at table indulgence, douglas brent smith, 2016