Piggly Wiggly

This is a sign from a Piggly Wiggly store in Sikeston, Missouri. Piggly Wiggly was the first store to let (make?) customers pick out their own groceries. Before the "Pig" people waited while clerks picked out the things on their shopping lists. Now we can go get stuff ourselves without having someone wait on us hand and foot. Thank you Mr. Piggly Wiggly.

At Little Rock Zoo

This is me and Rejeanne at the Zoo in Little Rock this past February. The animals were glad to see us. Several of them "did their business" for us. We found the Fox particularly fragrant.

Ms Dorothy's Party

This is me and Ms. Dorothy at Uptown Bill's Small Mall in Iowa City. We often "party hearty" at Bills. Sometimes we even eat chocolate.

Buddha's Hippocampus

This Buddha was sitting in an Iowa City shop window. Why? Only Buddha knows. I once went to Japan to study about Buddha...I was not a very good student. When I was getting ready to return to Florida a priest quoted the Bible. I thought it was odd that a Buddhist would quote the Christian Bible but then I was not myself when I was in Japan. Maybe I have never been myself. I don't know, or really care anymore. Like I was saying...the priest quoted the bible passage about wine skins:

Luke 5:37,38 No one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved. No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’"

I don't understand what the priest was getting at, but as I said, I was not a very good student. I no longer worry about ideas like new and old, much less wine. It has been my experience that worrying about distinctions like old and new causes me pain. Whatever I have in front of me must be sufficienct or else I will be unhappy. If I am new and long to be old I will be unhappy. If I am old and long to be new I will be unhappy. If I want that which I do not have then I will always be unhappy. I wrote a poem about this idea when I got back from Japan. It was written in Iowa City, an old wineskin of mine, about what I felt that day, definitely new wine since I was in a manic fit (or at least so I am told).

Old and New Wine

The old wine can be made new.

Plum blossoms can become buds.

Shiva can learn to waltz to "Also Sprach Zarathustra"

Vasque hiking boots can be the key

For me

To set free

That which is in me

Finding A Place

Is this lamp trying to be a tree? I do not know. Does the tree wish it were a lamp? Don't know that either...being neither lamp or tree. Guess I did too much acid back in the 70's.

Southern Women

I was made from Southern Women.
Mattie Jean’s blood flows in my veins.
Aunt Maysel’s grit stiffens my spine.
The joy of Aunt Pat’s chocolate pie shines in my eyes.
Grandma Hankins gave me laughter.
And most of all Grandma Mac gave me my soul.
Their blood, grit and soul have long departed.
Motes in God’s - eye returned to the stars.
Yet their spirit remains.
Lifting me from darkness,
When I would fade to nothing.
Shaping my path when my feet lose their way.
Yes Southern Women made me;
from the red Arkansan clay.

Balloons

Thinking of balloons. Or is it balons? Or baloons? Or ballons? I bet the balunz don't care.

Chair Lottery

Who is going to sit in the chairs? Who lives in this purple and yellow room? Who? I ask you! Who?! Please send your responses to daleshankins@yahoo.com and win a chance at a magnificent prize.

Bluesman Jack

I met Bluesman Jack at Tony's Grill in Iowa City, Iowa. He is not there anymore. His face has finished sliding off the page.

Tree And A Poem

This tree lives in my memory. It's parent lives in Iowa City. Happy tree.

A poem for today. It is kind of happy.

A woman's tears open my deepest wounds

Resurrecting a child buried by his mother's pain

"Yes Mamma...I love you Mamma...Please no Mamma."

I fall into a timeless hell but do not die

Seeing no one to judge me I walk on

May women keep their tears

I have enough of my own

Liquid Glass

I have been told that glass is a liquid rather than a crystal. If it is a liquid then it does a pretty good impersonation of a crystal.

Daily Bread

In mute wholesomeness the bread sat upon my plate...

I ate it anyway.

Bush Hell

This Bush was outside in the Iowa winter bothering no one. Cruelly, I captured its image, twisted it with Photoshop and have now shamefully exposed it to the world. I am an investigative reporter, I surely shall go to Bush hell.

New Fiesta

We did not have enought plates for everyone so we bought two new sets of Fiestware. It is the new Fiesta. It is not the old, authentic Fiesta. The food tasted okay anyway.

Christmas Corner

Last year the materialism of the season was too much. The torment of presents was too much. This year, thanks to Rejeanne, there is room in the corner for a small tree. A corner is enough I think. It is big enough to be a reminder of the happy parts of the season yet small enough not to overwhelm me. Thank you Santa Rejeanne.

Stonehenge

Me at Stonehenge. Guess I thought I saw something meaningful. There were many rocks there. Merry Christmas.

Chicago Building

It is late in the day in Chicago. Only one person is still working in this building. Can you see the light? I once worked in such a building. I don't do that anymore. I have seen the light...and many other strange things.

Mysterious Curtains

This image orginally started as a picture of some curtains. I believe they are the ones we had in our house in Florida. But then I have been mistaken about what I believe many times in the past.

Tired Purple Flower

Looks like how I feel about now - dried out and a bit crispy around the edges. Late night.

State Flower of Iowa