In 2009, I started the year with the thought that I would a take a self-portrait and write a haiku everyday. I did not make it more than a month, but the short time was enjoyable and I produced some decent work.
The Uncertainty Principle
Floating on the air
everywhere and somewhere,
nowhere, only here.
The last day of 2009. I failed at this project miserably. But that is alright.
The idea of time is such a construct. Life is like the Heinsenberg uncertainty principle, which basically says: "You cannot measure/observe something without changing that which you are measuring/observing." Life is only now, affected by the past and the future, but there is no such thing as now. We are in constant motion. It is comforting and a bit scary to know that I cannot stop things enough to actually see it as it is. Happy New Year; life is an amazing, wonderful gift.
Balance
Cactus collection,
flowering needles, balance;
a line in the sand.
This was taken at the Lake Regional Park right near my grandparents house, specifically in the botanical garden they had, and more specifically in the cactus garden.
I Am an Ocean
I am an ocean,
surrounding, waved, unexplored;
you are an island.
I was at Lover's Key park near Fort Myers, FL with my grandparents. It was nice to be by the ocean.
Politics of Laziness
Disinclination;
ability, no action,
eyes wide without sight.
Politics, by literal meaning, are inherently not lazy, and yet I often see politics as without results.
Pi
Three years, ink under skin,
only then did my heart know,
permanence realized.
I always understood it in my mind, but it wasn't until 3 years after my first tattoo, did I finally know its permanence.
Let Me Go
Help! Who is this guy?
Why is he torturing me?
Please, please put me down.
Jefa loves it! She just always looks scared.
Span of an Instant
Frenzied fur flashing
across framed floors are frozen
forced and fixed instant.
Watch out, he's everywhere at once.
Lighted Keys
Electrical sound
bouncing from walls, ear to ear,
eyes off, my mind drifts.
The keys on the organ light up!
Against Glass
Glass, so clear, takes shape
only when objects collide
the surface we see.
I need to leave the house more often.
Through the Window
Looking through windows,
lights on, so I can see inwards
but you can't see out.
My neighbot and I can often see into each other's houses. It's no big deal, but we don't ever talk about it.
Older
In twenty nine years,
have my experiences
gotten me anywhere?
Trackpads are so worthless. But so is my ability to draw.
Look
Ten toes in the sand,
two eyes on the prize, taken
one heart out to sea.
Is there freedom in life?
Solar Flare
I live everyday
like the sun is chasing me,
solar flare, sun spotted.
I wear these shorts. Every day. Yeah, every day.
Frigid, Watery Grave
Kicking and screaming;
frigid water fills your lungs,
the ceiling is ice.
This picture was taken on Medicine Lake. It has bee above freezing for a few days so there was lots of water on top of the frozen lake. There had formed a hole near our shanty. Maybe not big enough for myself to fit through, but big enough for a smaller person. And though the water is not deep, one could still get trapped under the ice. I had a very vivid vision of that happening.
Banging Keys
Of all human flaws,
religion will untangle
our destruction.
I know it's not the traditional English haiku form, but I am letting go of the rigidity.
Sea Food
Nom, nom, chomp, chomp, mmmm,
tasting and mastication,
you want some see-food?
Just plain gross. I am such a 9-year-old.
Smile
My mouth curves a smile;
fight as I may, I've no choice
to stop when you're near.
... needs editing.
A Bowl of Cereal
Pillow cradled head,
dreaming sunlight peaks window,
Owen strums, when I wake.
Sweet, sleepy comfort. Owen who is Mike Kinsella of such bands as Cap'n Jazz and Joan of Arc, is comfort like a bowl of cereal; like half dreaming when the sun rises.
Mediocre
Mediocre food,
mediocre company,
all with a headache.
Riding the train back from Chicago.
Beauty and Tragedy
Moments, tragical
beauty and beautifully
tragic grasp me tight.
On the retreat, we had a lot of smoke breaks downstairs in FG. No more smoking.
Can't Stop Running Away
There's no solution
in avoidance; no building
in running away.
A shot from the CTC office.
Groundhog Day
The groundhog witnessed
his shadow today; six weeks
of winter remains.
This haiku is pathetic. But I am really tired and traveled all day.
The Only Way to Wake Up
There's something honest
to waking, and stepping out
on a frozen lake.
After a fairly decent sleep in a shanty.
Beyond the Visual
In Antarctica,
women, waddling, whiskey,
and smoking are king.
An amazing night staying at the shanties. The women of the Transantartic were wonderful host and superb company.
Shadow Government
Lurking in shadows,
the government is stalking
our little children.
Shadows!
The Sky
Emancipation,
the sky, you are my freedom
close and out of reach.
The sky represents my freedom (not to say I live a shackled life). But there is something in that blue and those clouds that takes away all my worries, all this motion.
Sunshine
One day the sun shines,
the next it hides behind clouds,
everyday hissing.
Things are crazy every day.
Dinner on the Couch
Dinner on the couch;
lunch on the floor; one day
I'll get a table.
Pretty straight-forward. My unit (of a duplex) isn't all that spacious for a table. But, in the warmer days, there's a table outside to eat on.
Sleep
Sleepy, purring cats
make biscuits in the blankets;
all eyes are heavy.
Just messing around with exposures.
Shanty
In the icy days
of winter, three women live
on a frozen lake.
I spent the day at the Art Shanties and remembered to take a picture with me in it. I put myself in the big panoramic I took. It's not the best cause I forgot to adjust the white balance on the camera.
The Art Shanties are like this warm beacon of joy in the frigid tundra that is Minnesota in the winter.
The Imperial TransAntartic Expedition shanty is three wonderful woman living on Medicine Lake for the month. It is pretty impressive.
Ugly Toes
Is the word ugly
an onomatopoeia,
if it sounds ugly?
This is a crappy picture of my toes after they were beneath two pairs of socks and in boots for 8 hours on Medicine Lake. You can't see it, but they stink... a lot.
Salivation
Simmering ginger
in coconut garlic sauce,
mouth salivating.
I made some great food tonight. Lots of veggies and ginger and garlic in a Indian coconut curry sauce, and this 7 rice blend. But I filled up on bread and got distracted by Matt sharing his Surly Darkness upstairs. So, I guess I will just have to heat it up tomorrow. It's gonna be so good.
When I Die
When I die, I hope
I am outside, the sun shines
down, warming my face.
Just a quick idea while the sun was still out.
Mirror
The mirror, it lies,
but your eyes, they tell a truth
I will never see.
Oh, the devil that is the mirror.
Obama!
Change will come, as waves
on the shore; it is better
to swim than stand ground.
Obama was sworn into office today as the President. I went over to Amanda's to watch the Inauguration. Obama represents a lot of hope and positive change. Though he may not be the most ideal candidate, he is a huge step in the right direction, and I am very excited to see what will happen. At least with Obama, I know he will give it all that he can with the best of intentions. And if he fails, well, that's ok. At least I feel like its worth failing this time.
Sunset
Sometimes, when the sky
falls down, there is a rejoice
exploding colors!
It was a nice sunset today. It would have been nice to get a better vantage point (and time).
Ghosts
The ghosts, history
floating through our house; stories
waiting to be told.
I was playing around with the exposures and got a neat sort of ghosty image. Nothing too special, but fun.
The Haiku
The haiku, like sun
peaking through in the morning,
a brief of waking.
I still need to take my camera more places with me. The pictures at home are not as exciting.
Liquid
Tonight like digging
holes in water. The sides flush
while splashing this thirst.
Birthday. Cake. Drinking.
Sun, or Lack There Of
Each morning the sun
lifts above the horizon,
showering its light.
Its still cold outside, and I am still busy and a tad uninspired.
If for a Moment
Take no prisoners,
space provided; time marches,
your head does not stray.
Pretty uninspired day...
Frigid
I heard seven below.
I heard negative thirteen.
Either way, it's cold!
It was -12 (negative 12) when I woke up and looked at the thermometer today. That's without wind chill factored in. The pictures is of Caitlin and I outside her house after biking there from MCAD. It was so damn cold! But still nice to go outside.
Hand
My hand, a map where
each line, boundary, a saved place
holding my travels.
My hand is kind of gross when up so close.
Winter Creativity
Sometimes the answers
are not solutions; comfort
comes in future tense.
We got the Map Shanty on the the ice. It went well due to the good design work of mostly Emily.
On Thursday
So carelessly free
coasting snow river valleys,
you, a weekly light.
The Map Shanty comes together.
Pomegranate Eyes
Pomegranate eyes,
tart perception with sweet scenes,
burst of ruby light!
Mmmmmmmm, pomegranates. They really make you work for their sweety tart goodness. After a wonderful meal that Devin mostly made, we split a pomegranate and it was awesome.
Also, Astronautalis recently came out with an amazing new album named Pomegranate. You can read a review and listen to one of the best songs (with POS) at jeffvrabel.com.
Motion Without Time
The satiated
moments; motion without time;
placement without ground.
Tim, Caitlin, and I had some drinks at Pancho Villa. We did not actually share the margarita.
Teton!
No one can snuggle
you, but me, making our love
forever and true.
Teton is the greatest thing in the world. What's the best is that he doesn't like anyone but me, so it just makes his love for me even better. He is getting nicer with Jefa, but I am still his favorite. Also, tonight Bill Wither's Lean on Me shot in my head and Devin and I enjoyed it (and Caitlin remotely), so you should too.
Not Not Licking Toads
Furry, fuzzy, free,
Jefa makes sweet biscuits
on hair covered couch.
The self-portrait is me working at Second Moon with Amanda. We go their pretty often. Jefa is one of my really cute cats. Teton will get one to many Haikus too.
The Moon, My Saddle
The moon, my saddle,
orbiting this everyday
with winter brilliance.
The moon was nice as the sun was setting. My camera is not powerful enough to show you. The first line of the haiku is the title of a Chamberlain album (couldn't find any good links).
Vegetarians on Ice
Warm bread and cherry
chocolate; Aleah loathes
vegetarians.
That's Matt, Jesse, and I ice skating in Matthews Park. It was the first time I have been ice skating in about 10 years, I think. Also, Aleah came over for dinner and she helped with the haiku. She doesn't actually hate vegetarians, but she has some negative things to say about us vegetarians sometimes.
The Organ
Oh organ, hazard
of electrical fire! Keys
illuminate notes.
Matt and I went down to Unique, a thrift store in the suburbs, today. I was hoping to get cheap ice skates, but no avail (I did get some later). But, there was this sweet organ there for $15! Yeah, fifteen dollars! Sure, its beat up and old, and its definitely an electrical fire waiting to happen, but it plays music. Also, there is a light below the keys that illuminates the note for each one. I am really excited about it. So, that is what today's portrait and haiku are about.
Hard Boiled Egg
With egg, bring to boil,
let roll ten minutes and chill;
tap, crack, peel, and smile.
I am about to make some hard-boiled eggs. It seemed like a good thing to write a haiku about.
The New Year
Another year starts,
frigid air quiet, so still;
possibilities.
The project begins today. I hope to see a lot of improvement on my Haiku and Self-Portrait taking skills.
