Sunday, February 4, 2024

Old Man, New Year


Cacti Fur, Jim Thompson, New Mexico - what more is there to say? I've had poems here before and I love it. Simple, elegant, and very cool.

"Old Man, New Year," was published on New Year's Day, how cool is that? (Okay, last year, but I'm a bit behind.) The poem is about an American phenomenon that is striking and frightening to those outside the US: people living in their cars. Maybe it's just an excess of the car culture. When I go out in Messina, I ask myself, "Should I take the car or just walk?" Walking to work or shopping or to friends is almost never possible in the US. Tourists ask me why the streets of the villages here are so narrow -- they were made for donkey-carts. Oh.

So, I was morning walking with my brother in Tracy on New Year's 2 years ago, and we met and chatted with a fellow making breakfast for himself beside his car. He seemed to be enjoying life. We offered him donuts but he declined. Bacon and eggs good enough. That's another lesson.

Check out the poem and all of Cacti Fur. Worth it.

https://cactifur.com/2023/01/01/martin-pedersen-old-man-new-year/

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