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.

The Beans and Potatoes Days

During the beans and potato days
when he was still doing school
and the future was like
a fogged windshield
with a broken defroster,

Benny was dating a girl
with family money and
no worries.

Secure in her station
she loved to laugh,
and smoke and screw,

and talk in an exhausting carnival
of ceaseless randomness,
a fascination of which
she never tired.

Her temptations were an
intoxicating distraction
from his murky prospects;
her generosity as boundless
as her monologues.

Benny was seduced by
his newfound fortune - 
being fed and dressed
and fucked and given gifts of
clothes, big books, 
candlelight dinners,
and antique shit 
that accumulated
on his crowded dresser.

Yet, he saw nothing
when he looked
in the mirror,
could not hear
above the noise,
and though he was
comfortable without
a map, he felt himself
stalled and sinking
in discontent.

I can’t do this anymore,
he blurted out one night
during martinis
and foie gras.

But I can give you everything
your heart desires,
she countered,
What do you want?
A Porsche?
A boat?
A romantic trip to Paris?
Anything?

Benny just shook his said,
said I’m sorry,
then left her sitting there,
alone, stunned
and waiting 
for the check.

He couldn’t explain to her
something he didn’t 
really understand -
that he was living where
no one was home,
and that she couldn’t
possibly give him
himself.

January 20, 2025

He has:
	no class, 
	no charm, 
	no cool, 
	no credibility, 
	no compassion, 
	no wit, 
	no warmth,
	no grace, 
	no shame,
	no ethics,
	no wisdom, 
	no subtlety, 
	no sensitivity,
	no self-awareness,
	no  mercy,  
	no humility, 
	no honor,
	no humanity.

Eighty million chose him
and not a goddamn one’s
gonna clean up his mess
when he’s finally gone.






The Monkey Jumps Into the Water

Now the monkey jumps into the water.
                         —old Hungarian saying

The monkey jumps into the water.
Dilbert tie, crooked grin,
corn silk wig and bad cologne.
He doesn’t know how to swim.

Nobody does.The crowd leans in,
half-drunk on hope,
half-dead on lies,
half-waiting for a punchline.

They clap anyway.
Because what else is there?
The same tired circus,
the same bruised lions,
the same half-assed clowns.

Someone lights a cigarette,
someone spits into the street.
The monkey thrashes,
and we all go under.

Beneath the Rusted Sky

He sits in the space where nothing begins,
A man folded into himself,
his hands still, as if waiting to explain
what the world refuses to ask.

The shutters are closed, the light withdrawn,
and yet the graffiti hums—
a hymn of guilt, a language he cannot speak,
scribbled by ghosts who pass unnoticed.

Behind him, the city vanishes,
its weight pressed into his spine.
He is no longer afraid of falling;
the earth has already claimed him.

Is this the moment the world forgets him?
Or the moment he forgets the world?
The air thickens with questions,
each heavier than the silence they fill.

Kandy, Sri Lanka

Gull on Asphalt

Gull on Asphalt
it started with a crack of light,

a wet push into the cold,
and the sky—always the sky—

waiting to swallow you whole.
you learned fast.


claws on stone,
wings slicing the wind like knives.
you laughed at gravity,
but sickness hit like a sudden storm,
a sharp crack in the clear sky,
leaving you stunned, spiraling,
ground rushing up too fast to fight.


one day the wind felt heavier,

the horizon farther.
and then—this.


blood on the pavement,

feathers bent wrong,

the sky doesn’t even care.

Portland, Maine

Ennio Morricone – August 26, 2024

Ennio Morricone’s contribution to the world of music, especially film music, stands as a testament to his unparalleled genius. Over a career spanning more than six decades, Morricone composed over 400 film and television scores, in addition to more than 100 classical works. His music is not just a backdrop to the films it accompanies; it is an integral part of the storytelling process, often conveying more emotion, tension, and drama than the dialogue or visuals themselves. 

This week’s show features some of his greatest compositions, for film. 

The playlist for the week of August 26, 2024 ☞

00:00:00 Ennio Morricone – The Ecstasy of Gold

00:05:48 Ennio Morricone – Deborah’s Theme – ( From “Once upon a time in America”)

00:09:55 Ennio Morricone –  A Fistful of Dollars – Titles

00:12:49 Ennio Morricone; Itzhak Perlman; John Williams; Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra –  Love Theme (From “Cinema Paradiso”)

00:16:01 Ennio Morricone –  For a Few Dollars More – Main Theme

00:18;56 Ennio Morricone – Gabriel’s Oboe (From “The Mission”)

00:21:07 Ennio Morricone –  Man with a Harmonica (From “Once Upon a Time in the West”)

00:24:29 Ennio Morricone; Joan Baez –  Here’s to You (From “Sacco e Vanzetti”)

00:27:36 Ennio Morricone; Maria Travia; Hayley Westenra; Roma Sinfonietta – Once Upon A Time In The West – Main Theme

00:31:31 Ennio Morricone – Watch Chimes (Carillon’s Theme from  For a Few Dollars More)

00:32:39 Ennio Morricone – The Verdict (Dopo la condanna) (From “Inglourious Basterds”)

00:33:50 Ennio Morricone – Duck You Sucker! (From “A Fistful of Dynamite”)

00:38:32 Ennio Morricone – Abolicao (From “Burn!”)

00:43:27 Ennio Morricone – Overture (From “The Hateful Eight”)

00:46:37 Ennio Morricone – Chi mai From “Maddalena”)

00:50:04 Ennio Morricone – Theme – From ”The Battle of Algiers”

00:52:30 Ennio Morricone – Ninna Nanna per adulteri (From ” Cuore Di Mamma” and “The Place Beyond The Pines”)

00:55:32 Ennio Morricone – The Tropical Variation (From “Nostromo”)

00:58:49 Ennio Morricone – On Earth As It Is In Heaven (From “The Mission”)

01:02:35 Ennio Morricone –  Navajo Joe (From ” Navajo Joe”)

01:05:23 Ennio Morricone – The Untouchables – End Title

01:08:23 Ennio Morricone – My Name is Nobody (From “My Name is Nobody”)

01:11:13 Ennio Morricone; Sabine Meyer -A l’aube du cinquième jour (From “Cinema Paradiso”)

01:13:27Ennio Morricone – Theme from The Sicilian Clan

01:17:22 Ennio Morricone – Theme From ”Lolita”

01:21:44 Ennio Morricone – Rabbia e Tarantella (From “Inglourious Basterds”)

01:26:50 Ennio Morricone -The Good, The Bad & The Ugly – opening theme

Masterpieces of Minimalism – September 23, 2024

Minimalism in music is a style that focuses on simplicity and repetition. Instead of using lots of complex notes and fast changes, minimalist music uses a small number of musical ideas and builds on them slowly. It’s like using just a few colors to paint a picture, but finding new ways to mix and repeat those colors to create something interesting over time.

This week’s show explores minimalism with what I consider a handful of masterpieces. Some compositions run from 30-50 minutes, the 8 compositions this week are much shorter. My intention is to give you a taste of this musical genre. I invite you to follow the music as it unfolds. It may seem simple, but the effect may heighten your focus, create a meditative or trance state, or simply relax you.

Playlist for this show:

00:00:00 Philip Glass; Philip Glass Ensemble; Michael Riesman – Glassworks: I. Opening 

00:08:56 Hania Rani -It Comes in Waves – Live at Studio 1

00:15:23 Laurie Anderson -O Superman

00:23:46 Steve Reich; Piano Circus – Six Pianos 

00:47:21 Stefano Scala – Music for pieces of wood 

00:54:46 Terry Riley – Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band 

01:16:21 Meredith Monk; Katia Labèque; Marielle Labèque; Bryce Dessner; David Chalmin – Ellis Island 

01:19:19 Steve Reich; Rebecca Armstrong; Jay Clayton; Erin Lesser; Sō Percussion – Drumming: Pt. II 

01:42:39 Delta Saxophone Quartet -New York Counterpoint 1