Coop Snake

Hello Beautiful People,

Well the good news is, it’s not COVID. But dang I am dragging ass this week. Big time chest cold. It’s a good thing I don’t get sick very often because when I’m sick I’m just plain irritated. One the one hand, my body forces me into a timeout, and I love timeouts. But I’m so miserable that I can’t use the timeout to catch up on all my arts and crafts projects, which is what I dream of when I dream of time to myself.

I did salvage the day. After a quick segment on the local CBS morning show with my buddy Trevor to promote the Lone Star Limerick Contest, I went with a friend and spent hours just soaking in the sun and cold plunging at my beloved Barton Springs. Highly recommend! That water is so healing.

Since my head is too frazzled to write a proper installment this week, I thought I’d share with you a poem about my recent run-in with a rattlesnake in the chicken coop. And also, in just the past three days I have received three amazing pieces of art. I never set out purposefully to be an art collector, but I must say that over the past 34 years in/near Austin, I have amassed some true works of wonder from local artists. So I’m going to tell you about the artists.

First, the poem.

COOP SNAKE

I don’t know what

you were thinking

but if I had to guess

I’d say

we were probably

thinking the same thing

I could kill you

So easily

Right now

I could kill you

Just

Like

That.

Me with my rake

You with your fangs

Staring staring staring

I suppose it was

stupid for me to

tip the nesting box

in hopes you would scram

But your belly was

too egg-bump full

the rest of you

ribboned around

a half-dozen more

MINE MINE MINE

They weren’t really yours

but they weren’t mine either

(Boy were the chickens

pissed off at us both)

I did not have the

heart or balls

to lop off your head

I doubt empathy or compassion

informed your decision

I think you were just

Too bloated

To move

(I have

so been there)

I confess

when you rattled

your rattle

it rattled my bowels

But then I remembered

some good advice

about coop snakes

What you do is

You walk away

So I did

In the morning

you were gone

It has taken me

so long to learn this

Put the rake down

Walk away

(We are all just trying

to stay alive)

***

And now for the art. My friend Elena Eidelberg, a gifted ceramicist, has been playing with pajakis. A pajaki is a traditional Polish craft—you make chandeliers from straw and paper. I found Elena’s cheery gift hanging in a tree this morning.

My friend Sandy, also a gifted ceramicist, brought me a stunning bowl, which holds a votive candle. Sandy didn’t make this one. It was made by Bastrop artist Marie Blazek, whose work I started collecting a few years ago. Marie is a wonderful artist and a wonderful human.

And then there is this stunning stamp collage. My friend Janna Garza made this. Janna is a multidisciplinary artist who works in so many mediums, including words and photos. The quote used for this piece is from a song Sinead liked to sing—Queen of Denmark by John Grant.

I’m gonna leave it at that and go blow my nose some more. Please tell me about your art collection, your favorite artists (you can include yourself) and give us some links so we can check out your recommendations.

Wishing you all a splendid week,

Love,

Uncle Spike