Snapping
Popping
Bang Bang Bang.
The whole neighborhood grows silent
The childeren stop laughing
the dogs stop barking
and the smell of barbeque draws out of the air
pants low
hats lower
skies grey
hopes greyer
wondering who's going to be widowed next?
Walking alone
scared but brave enough
artistic and invinceable
creative and destructable
female
white
target
stop questioning
pressuring
assuming you know the end outcome
hoping to hear the right answer
which answer is right?
who knows anything about anyone here
who knows were here?
screaming, smiling, laughing, living.
loathing the upper hand that lay us down
to sleep at night
to not peep at night
smokey clubs and smokier lungs
tattered shoes from dancing
so much
cluttered minds, and thumping hearts
standing outside, jump starting cars
ghettos, getting more ghetto as time turns
fading reality, which way do I turn?
Detroit, Detroit.
You've never fallen off my map.
Detroit, land of opportunity?
Well how about that...
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Self Realization.
Hello cold air, colder snow and even colder wood floors.
Here in Detroit, it's gusts of snow filled wind, and chills up the spine.
As you shuffle your feet across the white dusted pavement running to your car,
you can only hope there's not a thirty dollar ticket sitting on your windshield due to the meter eating your quarters, and saying it's expired.
Wiping the snow from your face and squinting your eyes you see a Tavern,
and in you go, into the warmth, for a warm cup of coffee with a warm shot of Jameson.
Ah, Life, it happens boy.
And it happens the hardest when you're least expecting it.
The bartender is an old bar marm, says she's worked there twenty one years & is pretty quick on the coffee refills. The whole place smells of barbeque chicken and beer, the windows steamed up just around the edges and the hum of the t.v. and juke box sent a vibration around the bar that created a comfortable feeling, just enough to be good in your seat, with your drink in your hand, and conversation in your mouth. And, we wait.
The car is covered in snow at this point, there are notes all over it: PLEASE DO NOT TOW: CAR BROKE DOWN, WENT FOR HELP WILL RETURN. , WILL RETURN - METER BROKEN WENT FOR HELP- PLEASE DO NOT TICKET OR TOW., two hours in the pub and the occasional checking out the window to ensure it wasnt being towed, and its time to go peek at it see if any tickets or guff has been done to it....and BAM, thirty dollars for a no standing zone after six p.m, and the snow had covered all of the notes.....aye yae yae, somebody get me a tow truck.
Fish and chips, even though I'm a vegetarian, something's different in the air tonight..
There's more to this car conundrum than sitting around all day, this is some sort of transition....I just havent figured it out yet.
Detroit, you're a despicably magical place....aren't you?
Here in Detroit, it's gusts of snow filled wind, and chills up the spine.
As you shuffle your feet across the white dusted pavement running to your car,
you can only hope there's not a thirty dollar ticket sitting on your windshield due to the meter eating your quarters, and saying it's expired.
Wiping the snow from your face and squinting your eyes you see a Tavern,
and in you go, into the warmth, for a warm cup of coffee with a warm shot of Jameson.
Ah, Life, it happens boy.
And it happens the hardest when you're least expecting it.
The bartender is an old bar marm, says she's worked there twenty one years & is pretty quick on the coffee refills. The whole place smells of barbeque chicken and beer, the windows steamed up just around the edges and the hum of the t.v. and juke box sent a vibration around the bar that created a comfortable feeling, just enough to be good in your seat, with your drink in your hand, and conversation in your mouth. And, we wait.
The car is covered in snow at this point, there are notes all over it: PLEASE DO NOT TOW: CAR BROKE DOWN, WENT FOR HELP WILL RETURN. , WILL RETURN - METER BROKEN WENT FOR HELP- PLEASE DO NOT TICKET OR TOW., two hours in the pub and the occasional checking out the window to ensure it wasnt being towed, and its time to go peek at it see if any tickets or guff has been done to it....and BAM, thirty dollars for a no standing zone after six p.m, and the snow had covered all of the notes.....aye yae yae, somebody get me a tow truck.
Fish and chips, even though I'm a vegetarian, something's different in the air tonight..
There's more to this car conundrum than sitting around all day, this is some sort of transition....I just havent figured it out yet.
Detroit, you're a despicably magical place....aren't you?
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Being a fly on the wall: Breakfast in Midtown.
It’s Saturday Morning, I’ve cancelled my morning appointments and have decided to snag a bite to eat before I take my puppy to the vet. A mile or two down the street is the Midtown, neighborhood , That’s where I’m heading in for Lunch.
Ah, Good Girls Go to Paris Crepes.
I had a bit of an issue with the parking meter on my way in,
I emptied my pockets of change into one meter, and it never changed status from expired. Even the parking meters are shiest-y here. Digging down deep in the bottom of my bag, I can feel my nails scraping against crumpled paper, old mint wrappers, and pins trying to push my way through to the coin, only to empty it into the other meter. Finally!, one that works. I pull my car up to the meter with “time” on it and proceed to walk up to the local crepery. As I approach, the smells dance their way over to the my nostrils and swirl around each one with anticipation. Motown’s playing overhead & all the women working behind the counter are wearing knit caps & black aprons, sporting imperfect but absolutely beautiful smiles. The customers all fit the bill, each from a different walk of life, some sort of artist, entrepreneur, music or bass head, a family of three in the corn it er, eating and still looking over the menu in awe, and me in the corner…like a fly on the wall….overseeing it all, life in the city.
It breathes, it smells, it feels, it is.
Good Saturday Morning Midtown, We’re off to a good start with the Annette Crepe.
Across the crepery from me is a table of five men, probably in their thirties.
Theyre telling the waitress how they are in town,and here, “studying” Detroit; how interesting this statement is to me. “Studying, Detroit?” Almost insulted, I swallow the lump in my throat and take another sip of coffee. There’s veterans of the city, “studying” Detroit, and representing it to the world, screaming to be heard, and no one looks but fellow Detroiters, yet, a group of electronic heads from another state come in with cameras and paper bracelets stamped by a company and now it’s time to listen to the man on the soap box?
Something is wrong here.
A few minutes pass by into me not noticing any real activity because I’m knee deep in my crepe, it’s so good. I look up to realize the entire restaurant is with these five men,, when they begin talking to all of them. Theres about 20 people here from out of town “Studying” Detroit. Now, I start to see the beauty in it.
Here I sit confused sipping on my luke warm coffee staring at this group of people crowd around a computer looking for directions around the city….to see whats next.
The man directing them on how to get around has a german accent, and non oe them look to be of the same decsent. Where are they from? And what are they doing in our ghost town city?
Detroiters aren’t always the friendliest of welcome committees, we know what we have and don’t want trespassers treading too heavily on our territory.
Maybe it’s just me, but I sit on the fence on that one, but sure am curious as hell as to where this group is going.
Maybe I’ll trail them a bit, just to see….
Ah, Good Girls Go to Paris Crepes.
I had a bit of an issue with the parking meter on my way in,
I emptied my pockets of change into one meter, and it never changed status from expired. Even the parking meters are shiest-y here. Digging down deep in the bottom of my bag, I can feel my nails scraping against crumpled paper, old mint wrappers, and pins trying to push my way through to the coin, only to empty it into the other meter. Finally!, one that works. I pull my car up to the meter with “time” on it and proceed to walk up to the local crepery. As I approach, the smells dance their way over to the my nostrils and swirl around each one with anticipation. Motown’s playing overhead & all the women working behind the counter are wearing knit caps & black aprons, sporting imperfect but absolutely beautiful smiles. The customers all fit the bill, each from a different walk of life, some sort of artist, entrepreneur, music or bass head, a family of three in the corn it er, eating and still looking over the menu in awe, and me in the corner…like a fly on the wall….overseeing it all, life in the city.
It breathes, it smells, it feels, it is.
Good Saturday Morning Midtown, We’re off to a good start with the Annette Crepe.
Across the crepery from me is a table of five men, probably in their thirties.
Theyre telling the waitress how they are in town,and here, “studying” Detroit; how interesting this statement is to me. “Studying, Detroit?” Almost insulted, I swallow the lump in my throat and take another sip of coffee. There’s veterans of the city, “studying” Detroit, and representing it to the world, screaming to be heard, and no one looks but fellow Detroiters, yet, a group of electronic heads from another state come in with cameras and paper bracelets stamped by a company and now it’s time to listen to the man on the soap box?
Something is wrong here.
A few minutes pass by into me not noticing any real activity because I’m knee deep in my crepe, it’s so good. I look up to realize the entire restaurant is with these five men,, when they begin talking to all of them. Theres about 20 people here from out of town “Studying” Detroit. Now, I start to see the beauty in it.
Here I sit confused sipping on my luke warm coffee staring at this group of people crowd around a computer looking for directions around the city….to see whats next.
The man directing them on how to get around has a german accent, and non oe them look to be of the same decsent. Where are they from? And what are they doing in our ghost town city?
Detroiters aren’t always the friendliest of welcome committees, we know what we have and don’t want trespassers treading too heavily on our territory.
Maybe it’s just me, but I sit on the fence on that one, but sure am curious as hell as to where this group is going.
Maybe I’ll trail them a bit, just to see….
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Our City. Your Show.
I'm not going to go into a full rant or explanation on this one.
I'll say this, It's shot in Detroit, but it isn't a proper representation of the city.
Bit of Advice Creators/Directors/Writers/Producers,
Get REAL. And Get Real quick. New music too, we're Detroiter's, we've been listening to the beautiful sounds of Motown & Black bottom blues for years.
Over & Out.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Autumn-motion alley.
Brightly backlit grey skies & crisp cool air blow leaves off of the trees and down the streets of Detroit.
Everyone's wearing things like hats, and scarves, pants, hoodies & fingerless gloves so that they can continue smoking, working & manuevering with their hands/fingers while keeping warm at the same time. Ah, The Working Class.
We know a little about The Working Class and we know they are Detroit,
But what about The Wildlife? The Recreations, parks & wait a minute,... Detroit has an Island?
Well I'm glad you asked because YES. There is an island in Detroit, in fact there are three.
Let's start with the Historical Belle Isle, Once known as "Hog Island"; Located in The Detroit River. It's connected to the rest of the city by the MacArthur Bridge* off of Jefferson and East Grand Boulevard.
**The MacArthur Bridge is a bridge that spans the Detroit River between Detroit, Michigan and Belle Isle. The bridge, which features nineteen total arches across 2,193 feet (668 m), provides main access to Belle Isle. Completed in 1923 for $2,635,000 USD, it replaced a mostly wooden bridge that accidentally caught fire and was destroyed in 1915. The bridge, once known as the Belle Isle Bridge, was later renamed the Douglas MacArthur Bridge after General Douglas MacArthur in 1942**
So Belle Isle, known as "Wah-na-be-zee"(Swan Island) to the Chippewa and Ottawa Native American tribes; today Belle Isle reflects the late 19th century movement. This movement in which was to create metropolitan parks, begun in Paris and emulated in America by landscape architects like Frederic Law Olmsted. <---The Same guy who brought us Central Park in New York City. ( Ownership of the Island passed through many hands after the seige of Detroit by Chief Pontiac, From the French to the British and Finally into American Settlers posession. Detroit finally acquired the island, whose name had changed from Hog Island to Belle Isle in the middle of the century, in 1879. After Olmsted's landscape design was completed, other buildings were slowly added to the island. The most famous structure on Belle Isle is obviously the Aquarium and Horticulture Building.
Inspired by the Naples aquarium, the firm of Nettleton & Kahn designed a building with a highly articulated brickwork facade, copper roof, and a huge interior space to hold the great aquariums, here where diverse marine habitats are displayed. The Horticulture building, also known as The Conservatory,(my favorite) includes a fernery, a tropical plants sections, and is surrounded by three acres of formal gardens, lily ponds and greenhouses.
Another noted building is the Belle Isle Casino, designed by Albert Kahn in 1908. Once said to be the finest casino in the United States, ornate towers frame the building's four corners, and verandas provide picnickers with shelter. A beautiful public park of memorials, fountains, athletic fields, manmade lagoons, and dramatic buildings, Belle Isle is a green oasis near the city's center, and is only a trip over the bridge away.
The park was a unique social center in decades when Detroit was growing at a boisterous rate. The island served as a meeting place, and entertainment and recreation center. In 1972, park administration made a decision to modernize the inside the island's Casino (opened in 1908 and designed by Albert Kahn).
Marilyn Tuchow (native Detroiter, frequent visitor to Belle Isle and active in preservation) happened upon the renovation work in progress at the Belle Isle Casino. To quote Marilyn: "Someone got the idea to modernize the restaurant in the Casino. Downstairs...there had been marvelous, wonderful marble counters...a lot of the early soda fountain-type counters and accouterments. One day, I found workmen sledge-hammering to destruction of property."
That shattering impact of a sledgehammer on the marble countertops within the casino brought the Friends of Belle Isle into existence. A preservation group, that was set to save the island. Their first step was to do an inventory of the Island. Everything had to be documented: bridges, structures, picnic areas, topography, pavilions, plant materials, animal population and drinking fountains. Next an application for the island was sent to the National Register of Historic Places.
DETROIT YACHT CLUB
The DYC clubhouse is a restored 1920s Mediterranean-style villa that is the largest yacht club in the United States.
BELLE ISLE AQUARIUM
Registry would give it some validity, because local f--k politicians didn’t seem to understand that they had anything that was valuable. It would make it possible to gain state and local historical status for the park, which would provide further protection and conservation.
Belle Isle was placed on the National Registry in 1973, and the Friends of Belle Isle then began forming and challenging city policy on the island.
The big problem with Belle Isle then, now and ongoing is getting people to understand that Belle Isle in not a vacant lot standing there for somebody to build on. Its reason for being was that it was open space; by having few structures and having a natural landscape, it made it a place where all people from the city could find recreation and relief from city tension. FOBI’s plan would emphasize the complete nature of the island closing it to opportunistic, development.
The Friends of Belle Isle formed in 1973, with Marilyn Tuchow as FOBI's first president. It is a nonprofit, grassroots organization dedicated to preserving and maintaining the unique island park. The Friends of Belle Isle has been a longtime defender and advocate for the island park. While sometimes at odds with the city, the Friends often have worked with city officials on programs and projects benefiting the island.
Such Projects like :
--->The Michigan Alliance for Environmental & Outdoor Education (MAEOE) in partnership with, Michigan Technological University and the Belle Isle Nature Zoo have received $10,000 in funding from the Michigan Space Grant Consortium to implement a year-long initiative for Detroit and Pontiac teachers titled Bringing Environmental Education to Urban Schools.
--->The Greening Of Detroit - Greening of Detroit
--->Belle Isle Botanical Society - BIBSOCIETY
--->The Recovery Project - www.ncadd-detroit.org
---> Fitness & Nutrition Hosted By The Surgeon General
Okay okay, so we've got all the informational stuff out of the way, how it started, who did what,...now what about the curse of Belle Isle? What about the Nain?
Interested yet?
Until next time kiddies, we'll end here and begin there.
Everyone's wearing things like hats, and scarves, pants, hoodies & fingerless gloves so that they can continue smoking, working & manuevering with their hands/fingers while keeping warm at the same time. Ah, The Working Class.
We know a little about The Working Class and we know they are Detroit,
But what about The Wildlife? The Recreations, parks & wait a minute,... Detroit has an Island?
Well I'm glad you asked because YES. There is an island in Detroit, in fact there are three.
Let's start with the Historical Belle Isle, Once known as "Hog Island"; Located in The Detroit River. It's connected to the rest of the city by the MacArthur Bridge* off of Jefferson and East Grand Boulevard.
**The MacArthur Bridge is a bridge that spans the Detroit River between Detroit, Michigan and Belle Isle. The bridge, which features nineteen total arches across 2,193 feet (668 m), provides main access to Belle Isle. Completed in 1923 for $2,635,000 USD, it replaced a mostly wooden bridge that accidentally caught fire and was destroyed in 1915. The bridge, once known as the Belle Isle Bridge, was later renamed the Douglas MacArthur Bridge after General Douglas MacArthur in 1942**
So Belle Isle, known as "Wah-na-be-zee"(Swan Island) to the Chippewa and Ottawa Native American tribes; today Belle Isle reflects the late 19th century movement. This movement in which was to create metropolitan parks, begun in Paris and emulated in America by landscape architects like Frederic Law Olmsted. <---The Same guy who brought us Central Park in New York City. ( Ownership of the Island passed through many hands after the seige of Detroit by Chief Pontiac, From the French to the British and Finally into American Settlers posession. Detroit finally acquired the island, whose name had changed from Hog Island to Belle Isle in the middle of the century, in 1879. After Olmsted's landscape design was completed, other buildings were slowly added to the island. The most famous structure on Belle Isle is obviously the Aquarium and Horticulture Building.
Inspired by the Naples aquarium, the firm of Nettleton & Kahn designed a building with a highly articulated brickwork facade, copper roof, and a huge interior space to hold the great aquariums, here where diverse marine habitats are displayed. The Horticulture building, also known as The Conservatory,(my favorite) includes a fernery, a tropical plants sections, and is surrounded by three acres of formal gardens, lily ponds and greenhouses.
Another noted building is the Belle Isle Casino, designed by Albert Kahn in 1908. Once said to be the finest casino in the United States, ornate towers frame the building's four corners, and verandas provide picnickers with shelter. A beautiful public park of memorials, fountains, athletic fields, manmade lagoons, and dramatic buildings, Belle Isle is a green oasis near the city's center, and is only a trip over the bridge away.
The park was a unique social center in decades when Detroit was growing at a boisterous rate. The island served as a meeting place, and entertainment and recreation center. In 1972, park administration made a decision to modernize the inside the island's Casino (opened in 1908 and designed by Albert Kahn).
Marilyn Tuchow (native Detroiter, frequent visitor to Belle Isle and active in preservation) happened upon the renovation work in progress at the Belle Isle Casino. To quote Marilyn: "Someone got the idea to modernize the restaurant in the Casino. Downstairs...there had been marvelous, wonderful marble counters...a lot of the early soda fountain-type counters and accouterments. One day, I found workmen sledge-hammering to destruction of property."
That shattering impact of a sledgehammer on the marble countertops within the casino brought the Friends of Belle Isle into existence. A preservation group, that was set to save the island. Their first step was to do an inventory of the Island. Everything had to be documented: bridges, structures, picnic areas, topography, pavilions, plant materials, animal population and drinking fountains. Next an application for the island was sent to the National Register of Historic Places.
DETROIT YACHT CLUB
The DYC clubhouse is a restored 1920s Mediterranean-style villa that is the largest yacht club in the United States.
BELLE ISLE AQUARIUM
Registry would give it some validity, because local f--k politicians didn’t seem to understand that they had anything that was valuable. It would make it possible to gain state and local historical status for the park, which would provide further protection and conservation.
Belle Isle was placed on the National Registry in 1973, and the Friends of Belle Isle then began forming and challenging city policy on the island.
The big problem with Belle Isle then, now and ongoing is getting people to understand that Belle Isle in not a vacant lot standing there for somebody to build on. Its reason for being was that it was open space; by having few structures and having a natural landscape, it made it a place where all people from the city could find recreation and relief from city tension. FOBI’s plan would emphasize the complete nature of the island closing it to opportunistic, development.
The Friends of Belle Isle formed in 1973, with Marilyn Tuchow as FOBI's first president. It is a nonprofit, grassroots organization dedicated to preserving and maintaining the unique island park. The Friends of Belle Isle has been a longtime defender and advocate for the island park. While sometimes at odds with the city, the Friends often have worked with city officials on programs and projects benefiting the island.
Such Projects like :
--->The Michigan Alliance for Environmental & Outdoor Education (MAEOE) in partnership with, Michigan Technological University and the Belle Isle Nature Zoo have received $10,000 in funding from the Michigan Space Grant Consortium to implement a year-long initiative for Detroit and Pontiac teachers titled Bringing Environmental Education to Urban Schools.
--->The Greening Of Detroit - Greening of Detroit
--->Belle Isle Botanical Society - BIBSOCIETY
--->The Recovery Project - www.ncadd-detroit.org
---> Fitness & Nutrition Hosted By The Surgeon General
Okay okay, so we've got all the informational stuff out of the way, how it started, who did what,...now what about the curse of Belle Isle? What about the Nain?
Interested yet?
Until next time kiddies, we'll end here and begin there.
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