Back in High School we were very worried about Nuclear War. I even recall missing school, taking the bus downtown to an anti-Nuke Rally.

(We ended up at Jaffee’s comic book store and the pool hall.)

Here are a couple of my first poems:

____________

The many people I have known
Were scattered in that blast and blown
Up to the sky and on beyond,
Up to the God that looked and yawned
And turned away, not the other cheek,
But turned away the mild and meek,
The good, the bad, the young and old;
He turned away the strong and bold,
The rich, the poor, the black the white,
All were equal in His vast sight.
They stood together in a crowd.
He shock His fist and spoke aloud.
“I want no part of you damn men,
I’ll simply go and start again.”
____________

quite remarkable
indeed they are
and finished in less than a week
they say
it really is amazing what modern Science can do
these days
i know what you mean
imitations so identical like that
they are good
very good
perfect in fact
at least right now
but they say that they are created in Our own image
exactly
no
maybe someday
when they are filled perhaps
but not now
i wish i could start over too

____________

I wrote those in 1973-74, a Language Arts option High School class. Teacher Ms Gloria Dalton.

Rob Paradis’ house burned down. He and his wife were devastated.

… Soon after, however, they felt oddly relieved. This was a chance for renewal. A fresh start.

My personal philosophy over the past 20yrs is Voluntary Simplicity. … :

Do more with less.
– Bucky Fuller

Every increased possession loads us with a new weariness.
– John Ruskin

He who knows he has enough is rich.
– Lao-tzu

… Nod now in sage agreement

Yet, embarrassingly, I’ve had for decades a garbage dump of STUFF in storage.

Finally, I’ve burned down my own house, … or about 60% of it.

I shed possessions in these categories:

• paper
• clothing
• STUFF
• electronics

I’ll never get on the TV show Hoarders, now.

Most difficult to donate to charity was clothing. Though I’m not a nostalgic person, I was nearly brought to tears dumping a t-shirt I hadn’t worn since High School.

What about YOU. … Ready to do some ‘Spring Cleaning’ at your place?

P.S.

… Dana will be pleased to hear that my “Underwear Box” survived the fire. (But it’s been combined into the “Underwear / Socks Box”.)