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A Fresh Start

22 Jun

Back at Aimee’s diner
he sat on the stool
gnawing on his country breakfast
drinking coffee.

Easy to ask why he didn’t move here to begin with
but that was being shortsighted.
As unfortunate as things were
most of it (all of it?) was his fault.

He needed this to happen
to get the horseshit
knocked out of him by life.

He paid his bill
walked around town–
shivering
trudging through ice
his socks wet and his
feet cold.

All the tea, coffee and warm layers
could not keep him warm enough.
He thought that four seasons
could actually be nice for a change,
and if this was as bad as the weather got,
then he may be able to handle living up here.

This was the next step.
Now was the time to go back and set things in motion.

2013-12-22 21.20.16

~Edward Austin Robertson

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Poem for Little Eli

21 Jun

Family.

The minute you decide to start one
becomes the day you must emotionally prepare for a series of goodbyes.

The first day back to work,
their first day of daycare,
their first day of school,
their first day of sleep away camp,
to when they leave for college
and get married.

Parents to children who become parents to children, who become grandparents to grandchildren.

Meanwhile
we hold onto, validate,
and appreciate the authentic moments that we share–
the laughter, smiles, and tears.

Curiosity leads us to wander
as our tribes spread out,
but love is why we always return.

~Edward Austin Robertson

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Cup

27 Apr

Another cup year
and cup years bring an added focus
to the summers.

A buzz worldwide.

That was 8 years ago
When Zidane headbutted that Italian,
can you believe it?

~Edward Austin Robertson

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Springtime in Texas

15 Apr

If you believe there is no better place to be in the summer than Portland,
then you should consider visiting Texas during the spring,
despite the increase in high rise buildings, the skies feel wide open.

You will want to pull over on the side of the highway, stand in an open field and pose with the bluebonnets.

You will want to find the nearest park and try flying a kite.

Springtime in Texas will make you want to lie down on your front lawn at night, and count the stars.

Or you’ll want to roast under the sun on a patio deck somewhere, eating chips and salsa, and drinking margaritas.

You won’t be able to resist the urge to open your windows at night and let the breeze into your home;
as you fall asleep to sound of big raindrops, claps of thunder, and flashes of lightening.

You will question everything you are doing in life, consider pulling up the stakes, cashing in on the available real estate, low taxes rates, and pledge your allegiance to the grand old republic.

But summertime will chase you right the fuck out.

~Edward Austin Robertson

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Down to the pond and back (For Josh and Kelly)

10 Apr

Jogging in the same short shorts
as those early Portland mornings
when it was my day to let the chickens out
before the baby and dogs awoke.
Running to outrace my thoughts
an hour before the streets are littered with traffic.
Emulating the “Spaceman” before his buckwheat pancake breakfast.
To the top of southeast
milling around Mt. Tabor
to clear my head;
if only for a few hours.

Down to the pond tonight.
Looking up at the sky,
the campus
and out towards the town.
I take a deep breath
wondering where I will to run to next.
Then back up the hill
through the campus vista
looking back out at the town,
past my next destination.
Then down, down, down
to the temporary dwelling I now call home.

~Edward Austin Robertson

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Tilling

10 Apr

Softer for medium.
Harder for shallow.

Parallel passes across.
Adjust to deepest setting
perpendicular passes to first pass rows.

8 inches deep.

~Edward Austin Robertson

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Two Years

10 Apr

The passage of time
reflected in the buildings, streets and faces.
Enough time to embrace them
warts and all.
Enough time to love
the people
not the places.

~Edward Austin Robertson

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Junk Food

10 Apr

Doritos, Fritos, Takis, and hot Cheetos
Lard in the beans, grade F meat in the burritos
That MSG
Sapping your energy
Distract you from the industry
damage your authenticity
Synergy
And synchronicity
Apathy
Complacency is killing me
ya feeling me?
Its still in me
Instilled in me
We willingly kill for free
While they kill for fee.

~Edward Austin Robertson

generational-ideas-vending-machines-example-01

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Bombing the Oread

9 Apr

Unintentionally
bombing
potentially
speeding my way into the infirmary
wobbly
wobbling
my board keeps shaking
weaving my way in and out traffic
quick decisions I’m making
better off crashing into the sidewalk
to have some scrapes than be a vegetable who can’t talk.
Deeply breathing
gotta stay calm
or the ground will be beneath me
too late to step off
they’ll scrape me off the cement with
a lotta skin left off.
By now if I eat it
they’ll prolly have to take me off
life support.
I’m fucked if I freak out now
no way to slow down; nobody showed me how.
Broken board? Broken wrist?
Neither, just a grass stain
hurt ego pushed aside
didn’t feel no real pain.
Still in one piece.
Time to exhale.
I get to walk away
from one of my biggest fails.

~Edward Austin Robertson

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Young Lady with the Shiba Inu

9 Apr

It was the neighbor’s dog that took me
back to that last conversation
at some diner downtown.

Saying goodbye,
kissing and holding her lovely fingers
in my hands.
The knot inside my stomach
telling me not to leave–
that our momentary happiness
would disappear once I got on the bus
and left her country.

Whether I had stayed or not did not matter.
My head was so far up my own ass
there was no way it could have worked out–
no matter how ready I thought I was.

I’m not embarrassed about my feelings.
It was definitely on.
Although I am embarrassed about what followed–
the letter exchanges,
cooing and babbling about
singing to out future children,
and a goddamned Shiba Inu puppy.

It should have never gotten that far.
I should have left her at the diner
and left that week in her city,
in her city.

I have since gotten (slightly)better about learning when to let go;
especially where it concerns women.
The truth is I never wanted a Shiba Inu
in the first place.
I’m a Siberian Husky man myself.
I just thought it was a packaged deal.

~Edward Austin Robertson

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