Ground Bound Promise

 Ground Bound Promise, sketch by douglas brent smith, 1978

drama yet again

a dramatist's conflict

pivots in place

when peace is achieved

and there is no drama

it is conflict to the form

but! is this true? or only

ego driven desire for

more attention

brought by the tension

that drama brings

with the world unresting

drama keeps testing.

-- douglas brent smith

 

Variations on the Energy Theory

 Variations on the Energy Theory, Sketch by douglas brent smith

peacefully free #3

 

the universal circle

o

ends where it begins

o

bends not breaking

defined by the space

inside

equal in pressure

and flow

o

to the space outside

o

laughing Buddha

did know

o

sweet Jesus

did know

o

nameless eternity

do you know

peace lives here

o

when you know.

-- douglas brent smith

The Cubist Kong

 The Cubist Kong - sketch by douglas brent smith, 1977

peacefully free #2

when i learn to leave

judgment and criticism

instead enjoying others

and their differences

delights

when i learn to accept

this place on earth

assured

as a happy one

with a peaceful soul.

-- douglas brent smith

 

Mustard Seed Truck

 

Sketch: Mustard Seed Truck, douglas brent smith, 1978

Notes:

Peter bought a used mail truck which had the steering apparatus on the right side instead of the traditional left side on American vehicles so that the drive could place mail into resident's mail boxes without getting out of the truck. Because of that oddity, Peter said that his truck had a sex change -- it used to be a female truck but was turned into a MAIL truck -- and now was stuck as a male.

Those trucks are surprising small inside and of course, only have one seat. Nena and I sat in the back on boxes or folding chairs -- no seatbelts --  on route to our Mustard Seed Theatre gigs. I think that Bob and Harry travelled separately, probably in Harry's car.

We didn't get nearly as many gigs as we'd hoped for (after all, we'd hoped to make it our career) but it was fun while it lasted. 

dbs

peacefully free

a conflict-free person

does not destroy

knowing she will always

rather remain whole

knowing she offers

a pathway to peace

-- douglas brent smith

Walk This Way

 Sketch by douglas brent smith

song of the night

deep in the night

all the joy here beside you

feeling our spirits

rise and converge

deep in the night

with the dance of holding

folding our arms

and our hearts as one

deep in the night

our darkness behind us

the new secrets find us

full and alive

deep in the night

as i turn to kiss you

your eyes shine those signs

of friendship and love.

-- douglas brent smith

 

Concentration on Detail

 

Sketch: "Concentration on Detail" by doug smith, 1978

with you

always at the right moment

you know

a smile, a touch, a spontaneous poem

and all the lights now happy midnight

bright joys come soaring

from you to me as we

fly wing on wing

with our promise of love our

tender desire our

strength of growing

now and until all the candles 

flicker out i will hold this flame

with you.

-- douglas brent smith

 

Mustard Seed Theatre Company Logos

Notes:

Peter, Harry, and I started a little touring theatre company we called the Mustard Seed Theatre Company. We had very limited success for an all too brief amount of time. I later revived the name at churches in Chicago, and I'm sure that any search would uncover other theatre companies bearing that name, but we loved it while we proudly wore it on our t-shirts. 

These sketches are modest attempts at logos. circa 1977-1978

vacancy

 flame fast upon the styro

foam underbelly of the

rapidly freezing uncooperative ozone

    (don't let it rain daddy)

the

initial waves hurt only a few

misguided wild winking creatures

grazing mesmerized by the new sun

by the endless summer

by the quick

    (what about the cat daddy?)

some say the continents shifted

tectonic shifts wrecking slumber

impact by the billions or so

psychogestalt screams of urgently

weeping innocents

    (how much water do we have daddy?)

the parthenon stood the eiffel blinked

hancock shuddered general motors flinched

but all carefully in place unharmed unscarred

    (daddy what's wrong?)

noah gasped christ wept and music

cloned recklessly moaned recognizable melodies

endgame moved into place bartered out

castled and kinged winged flashing

vacancy

vacancy...vacancy...

    (oh daddy it hurts)

mimes muttered clowns frowned the whole

broken circus city state

tumbled down

cavernous cravings mist hot twisted

vacancy

sensate symbiotic ruptures

seven dragons seven angels seven

remaining wonders / blunders

vacancy

    (oh god daddy i can't breathe!)

-- douglas brent smith

What Is Real?

 What Is Real? sketch by douglas brent smith, (1977)

Notes:

Cece and I used to play a word game we called "What Is Real?" The idea was that we were all living in a movie, or simulation, or game, and only some of us and some things are real. It seemed a bit advanced for 1977 but I was reading a lot of science fiction at the time and Cece has always had a very open, very curious, very creative mind. It was fun.

We'd also draw pictures, sometimes using a surrealist technique known as "exquisite corpse" where you each draw half of the picture, without seeing what the other person has drawn. The paper is folded in half with a couple of lines visible on both halves to show you where to connect the pictures. It was also fun.

These sketches are just doodles from one of my journals.