Sunday, February 12, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
New Novel About a Bizarre Plague
So I finally published my most recent novel via Kindle. It is called WITHOUT ONE, and it concerns a bizarre epidemic that strikes in the near future and that hits men where they live--but otherwise let's them live. One tag-line, so to speak, is "Something is happening to men; their penises are falling off."
Mostly droll satire, I'd say, with some pathos and comedy. The ensemble-cast includes first sufferers, researchers, doctors, media-folk, conspiracy-theorists, and of course politicians, including the POTUS.
The disease is soon known as RAPIDS--Rapid Penile Degeneration Syndrome.
My favorite anecdote from my adventures in trying to find an agent for the book: A male agent responded almost immediately to the email query and wrote, "I couldn't possibly represent this book because I have a fear of castration." Which was funny. And which, to me, suggested the book might have some appeal. Technically, the disease doesn't castrate, but I got his drift. I think I apologized for scaring him, too.
Anyway, if you're not scared, and in the unlikely event you have time to read, sigh, another novel, and you like somewhat bizarre fiction, here is a link:
Without One
Mostly droll satire, I'd say, with some pathos and comedy. The ensemble-cast includes first sufferers, researchers, doctors, media-folk, conspiracy-theorists, and of course politicians, including the POTUS.
The disease is soon known as RAPIDS--Rapid Penile Degeneration Syndrome.
My favorite anecdote from my adventures in trying to find an agent for the book: A male agent responded almost immediately to the email query and wrote, "I couldn't possibly represent this book because I have a fear of castration." Which was funny. And which, to me, suggested the book might have some appeal. Technically, the disease doesn't castrate, but I got his drift. I think I apologized for scaring him, too.
Anyway, if you're not scared, and in the unlikely event you have time to read, sigh, another novel, and you like somewhat bizarre fiction, here is a link:
Without One
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Anti-Epic
*
*
*
*
Anti-Epic
Here's a thought: stay home.
Quell grandiose ideas.
Let understanding invade you.
Consider all those people
and animals you won't kill.
Admit that whatever you
would seek doesn't exist--
revenge; a cup; glory.
Construct manageable
fantasies. You're an organism
that eats and sleeps. A deeper epic
lies in being nothing special.
Copyright 2012 Hans Ostrom
*
*
*
Anti-Epic
Here's a thought: stay home.
Quell grandiose ideas.
Let understanding invade you.
Consider all those people
and animals you won't kill.
Admit that whatever you
would seek doesn't exist--
revenge; a cup; glory.
Construct manageable
fantasies. You're an organism
that eats and sleeps. A deeper epic
lies in being nothing special.
Copyright 2012 Hans Ostrom
Dog Outside a Bar
*
*
*
*
Dog Outside a Bar
Memory is loyalty
to something not there.
I sit outside the past
like a dog outside
a bar, and what
I'm waiting for went
out the back door
hours ago. I furrow
my brow and alert
my ears and eyes.
And I remember.
The future wants
to take me for a
walk. It hooks
a leash to my collar.
And here we go.
Copyright 2012 Hans Ostrom
*
*
*
Dog Outside a Bar
Memory is loyalty
to something not there.
I sit outside the past
like a dog outside
a bar, and what
I'm waiting for went
out the back door
hours ago. I furrow
my brow and alert
my ears and eyes.
And I remember.
The future wants
to take me for a
walk. It hooks
a leash to my collar.
And here we go.
Copyright 2012 Hans Ostrom
Monday, February 6, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Wislawa Szimborska
Wislawa Szimborska, the Polish poet and Nobel Laureate, has died, age 88. Bless her. What a splendid writer. An obituary:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/books/wislawa-szymborska-nobel-winning-polish-poet-dies-at-88.html
A recording of a poem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92dakW05yGs
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/books/wislawa-szymborska-nobel-winning-polish-poet-dies-at-88.html
A recording of a poem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92dakW05yGs
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
And On Forever
*
*
*
And On Forever
A brisk wind blowing
across a high mountain
meadow continues
after I imagine it, after
I die. It goes on and on
forever in that place.
Copyright 2012
*
*
And On Forever
A brisk wind blowing
across a high mountain
meadow continues
after I imagine it, after
I die. It goes on and on
forever in that place.
Copyright 2012
Ghosts Are Comfortable
*
*
*
*
*
Ghosts Are Comfortable
When ghosts want to take a break
from ghosting, they sometimes visit
my place. They know I won't
expect anything from them--
not fright, news, melodramatic
Hamlet-crap, or broken dishes.
To be a ghost is to be
a permanent yearning.
It takes a lot of energy.
I've always understood
that about ghosts--
how hard they work.
Copyright 2012 Hans Ostrom
*
*
*
*
Ghosts Are Comfortable
When ghosts want to take a break
from ghosting, they sometimes visit
my place. They know I won't
expect anything from them--
not fright, news, melodramatic
Hamlet-crap, or broken dishes.
To be a ghost is to be
a permanent yearning.
It takes a lot of energy.
I've always understood
that about ghosts--
how hard they work.
Copyright 2012 Hans Ostrom
Friday, January 27, 2012
Fact and Miracle
*
*
*
*
Fact and Miracle
The sun stays on
all the time. What
is the difference
between a fact
and a miracle?
I wonder how many
people around
this world tonight are
looking for proof of something.
If you are reading
this, then you are
alive, and that is
excellent news. What's
the difference between
a fact and a miracle?
Copyright 2012 Hans Ostrom
*
*
*
Fact and Miracle
The sun stays on
all the time. What
is the difference
between a fact
and a miracle?
I wonder how many
people around
this world tonight are
looking for proof of something.
If you are reading
this, then you are
alive, and that is
excellent news. What's
the difference between
a fact and a miracle?
Copyright 2012 Hans Ostrom
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Don't Know, Do Know
)
)
)
)
Don't Know, Do Know
i don't know why. i
do know why. i do,
i don't, know why.
why, no, i don't
know why. i know
why i don't know
why and don't
know why
i know. i don't,
i do, and i
don't know how
it is for you.
Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom
)
)
)
Don't Know, Do Know
i don't know why. i
do know why. i do,
i don't, know why.
why, no, i don't
know why. i know
why i don't know
why and don't
know why
i know. i don't,
i do, and i
don't know how
it is for you.
Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom
Lemon Harangue
]
]
]
]
Lemon Harangue
hey, it's hard to do
anything. yeah, but
you have to try. hell,
we all start out as
squirming blobs of
flesh and then
get push-pushed
to join reality.
later we get
volunteered to
join this mess,
society. with
a system like
this, who needs
chaos? for
today, stop
haranguing
yourself, although
it's a good word,
harangue.
do what you can,
if you can, and
know that doing
anything is hard.
Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom
]
]
]
Lemon Harangue
hey, it's hard to do
anything. yeah, but
you have to try. hell,
we all start out as
squirming blobs of
flesh and then
get push-pushed
to join reality.
later we get
volunteered to
join this mess,
society. with
a system like
this, who needs
chaos? for
today, stop
haranguing
yourself, although
it's a good word,
harangue.
do what you can,
if you can, and
know that doing
anything is hard.
Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom
Dramatic Noise
/
/
/
/
Dramatic Noise
in the next motel
room, someone's
talking, with volume,
on a telephone.
words get stripped
of their wordness
as they pass through
stuccoed sheet rock.
so what i
hear sounds like
the intense language
of a huge insect
that is related
to a small
electric drill.
it's fascinating.
there's drama
in this noise.
hearing the words
would diminish
that. the noise can
be an argument
about anything.
i'm sad when
the sound stops
and the walls
of the room
i am in begin
to advance on
me, flashing their badges
of splendid, cheap
mass-produced art.
Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom
/
/
/
Dramatic Noise
in the next motel
room, someone's
talking, with volume,
on a telephone.
words get stripped
of their wordness
as they pass through
stuccoed sheet rock.
so what i
hear sounds like
the intense language
of a huge insect
that is related
to a small
electric drill.
it's fascinating.
there's drama
in this noise.
hearing the words
would diminish
that. the noise can
be an argument
about anything.
i'm sad when
the sound stops
and the walls
of the room
i am in begin
to advance on
me, flashing their badges
of splendid, cheap
mass-produced art.
Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom
Sydney Greenstreet's Younger Days
*
*
*
Sydney Greenstreet's Younger Days
today i heard
a woman say
of sydney greenstreet:
"in his younger days,
he was probably
light on his feet."
Link: "The Sydney Greenstreet Blues," by Richard Brautigan
poem copyright Hans Ostrom 2011
*
*
Sydney Greenstreet's Younger Days
today i heard
a woman say
of sydney greenstreet:
"in his younger days,
he was probably
light on his feet."
Link: "The Sydney Greenstreet Blues," by Richard Brautigan
poem copyright Hans Ostrom 2011
Wood on Water
>
>
>
Wood on Water
i now set this out
on waters of
Electronic Ocean
like a small
piece of wood--
white pine
i don't know
where it will go
except anywhere
it's particular
now--of particles
diffused
it could end up
being scanned by
an entity in
another galaxy,
a disappointed
decoder
Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom
>
>
Wood on Water
i now set this out
on waters of
Electronic Ocean
like a small
piece of wood--
white pine
i don't know
where it will go
except anywhere
it's particular
now--of particles
diffused
it could end up
being scanned by
an entity in
another galaxy,
a disappointed
decoder
Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Far Away and Above
*
*
*
*
Far Away and Above
If you don't have any
expectations, everything's
a surprise, and the crowd
of disappointments gets
thinned considerably.
So I'm using a day
off as a day off
from expectation.
Just breathing
is an accomplishment--
vital, in fact.
Far away and above,
a light airplane
buzzes in the
ear of the sky.
I hadn't
expected that.
Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom
*
*
*
Far Away and Above
If you don't have any
expectations, everything's
a surprise, and the crowd
of disappointments gets
thinned considerably.
So I'm using a day
off as a day off
from expectation.
Just breathing
is an accomplishment--
vital, in fact.
Far away and above,
a light airplane
buzzes in the
ear of the sky.
I hadn't
expected that.
Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Love Poem Put Together Before Reading Guidelines for Assembly
#
#
#
#
Love Poem Put Together Before Reading Guidelines for Assembly
I love you very mulch. I mean much. I like
the way your berries ripen on your vines, baby,
and I don't mean literally.
I like your skin. Suddenly that doesn't
sound like a compliment.
Hey, the connection between laughter
and sexual attraction is something
I've often wanted to discuss with
strangers I'm standing in line with--
your thoughts? Words can possibly
express how I feel about for you,
I mean feel about you. That's
what words do--they feel about
and then they express. Like:
I love you! Look how easy that was.
I vow to you that I will bake you an apple pie
as diligently as I would bake it for anybody
else. But to me, you're not anybody else,
okay? I wrap this poem up for you now.
Please take it. I don't want it back. I'm
so fond of you I'd like to fondle you
right away. In other words, totally
in love with you: me.
Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom
#
#
#
Love Poem Put Together Before Reading Guidelines for Assembly
I love you very mulch. I mean much. I like
the way your berries ripen on your vines, baby,
and I don't mean literally.
I like your skin. Suddenly that doesn't
sound like a compliment.
Hey, the connection between laughter
and sexual attraction is something
I've often wanted to discuss with
strangers I'm standing in line with--
your thoughts? Words can possibly
express how I feel about for you,
I mean feel about you. That's
what words do--they feel about
and then they express. Like:
I love you! Look how easy that was.
I vow to you that I will bake you an apple pie
as diligently as I would bake it for anybody
else. But to me, you're not anybody else,
okay? I wrap this poem up for you now.
Please take it. I don't want it back. I'm
so fond of you I'd like to fondle you
right away. In other words, totally
in love with you: me.
Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Political Sign
^
^
^
^
Political Sign
Visible only for a while longer:
a white, blue, red candidate's
sign (name now inscrutable),
lodged under a green, brown,
yellow mass of blackberry vines,
brush, and ferns.
Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom
^
^
^
Political Sign
Visible only for a while longer:
a white, blue, red candidate's
sign (name now inscrutable),
lodged under a green, brown,
yellow mass of blackberry vines,
brush, and ferns.
Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom
Sunday, November 27, 2011
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