Author: davestankowicz

Dave Stankowicz is a retired educator who lives on an island off the coast of Portland, Maine with his wife Debbie Jordan and their dog Cody. Liberated from the responsibilities of teaching he has found the space and time to pursue so much that interests him. Dave is the former host of the WMPG radio show Palm Wine Radio, and currently hosts Next To Silence - an hour long show that explores different themes, genres, artists and record labels. Next to Silence can be streamed live on Peaks Island Radio at https://peaksislandradio.com on Mondays and Fridays @ 7:00 PM EDT, and Tuesdays @noon. You can also stream archived shows at his site (category: next to silence) He continues his lifelong efforts to master space and time.

Flux

I am in an empty space 
With a green screen behind me. 
I think that everything that I do is categorized, 
And that would feel like an imposition, 
Except that the categories keep changing.
I ‘m swallowed in a constant state of flux, 
Without reference points. 

Besides, 
The batteries on the $10,000 boat 
I cannot afford
Need a charge, 
and I don’t know how 
to get that done.
It's one of my incapabilities. 

I’ve not been sleeping well 
Nor have I been able 
To wake up well. 

I keep arguing with myself 
which may be the cause. 

I cannot catch a break 
and have too many secrets to remember.
My lost attention may be in one of my pockets, 
but all of them are empty. 

I continue to look for holes.
The mending is endless.
There’s no one I know 
who can help me. 

Though we share English,
No one seems to speak my language, 
And I wonder if I could be Wittgenstein’s lion, 
Disguised as a human. 

Maybe we all are.

I see people walking outdoors. 
One minute it is sunny 
The next it is nightfall -
Their movement either slo mo 
or fast mo, 
going nowhere at variable speeds. 

I don’t want to be disingenuous, 
But I can’t help myself being adrift. 
Adrift without faith, 
yet spiritually unbound.
I take heart in entropy,
Maybe we all do
As a necessity for 
Keeping us alive.

Around 4:00 AM






Around 4:00 AM
With some small urgency
Nature calls, 





So I get out of bed,
Thinking that time
Is deteriorating
Slowly.





Oh so slowly, that





It’ll take a billion years
For time to be
Completely wasted.





Obliterated, 
Gone forever,
No longer existing.





But how,
I cannot imagine.





With my business finished
I make my way
In the dark
Back to bed,





Not knowing
How time deteriorates,





Except
with every single death,





Or worse,





In a life
Of wasted time.

	


	



			
				


			
				


			

			
I Started with a Beer
		
	
	

		

I started with a beer,
then made a list of what
I was gonna do.





I made a call
to someone wounded
by the guy who
I replaced, 
and made good
with kind words.





The guy I replaced had begun
by making himself a beard
with various kinds of tape:
Scotch tape, masking tape, duct tape,
electrical tape, packing tape, surgical tape,
gaffers tape, painters tape, insulation tape,
recording tape with a sticky bottom.





I was amazed.





Then the guy I replaced 
went to town
and began to tear down
all that he could,
one tantrum at a time.






	


	



			
				


			

			
To Make
		
	
	

		

 To make something perfect 
 with precision and care;
 
 To be someone perfect
 integrating flaws in such that
 they have value,
 rather than being impediments;
 
 To be part of something vital
 and grand,
 with contributions
 of intelligence
 and expertise.
 
 This is what it is - 
 to fit into the grand design
 of this universe, our human tribe;
 
 this aspiration towards unity,
 performed with grace and humility
 
 is what may be
 our greatest hope.