Poems and Whiskey

To define self, one must first be able to have the breathing room to distinguish the forest from the trees. As the spaces around letters tell us how to read them and the negative space around art gives us context for an image, so can creation gifts us opportunity for expansion and clarity. Elisheva and I turn over every card in the deck and then make up a few of our own in the damn near 3 HOUR conversation and I wouldn't trade a damn second.Anger that we're all feeling right now is a sacred thing babies, for without love, it wouldn't be there.Cheers y'all!Elisheva's Links I'm still here 🧡🛋️ Come over to Lamp Lit and say hi! 🛋️Mentions:Rene Magritte: La Blanc "The Blank Signature"SubmittableBelle Point PressAmerican Radiance: Luisa MuradyanIn the Dream House: Carmen Maria MachadoRena YehudaIn the Darkening BlueVPNJesse WellesRabbi Danya RuttenbergFyodor PavlovOnce Upon a Dyke is the smutty fairytale book I didn't say the title of lolCauldron Born: Kristoffer HughesThe Enchanted TarotThe Wilde Wood TarotGood people doing good things --->Food Not BombsRandom Acts Natural Disaster RecoveryINARA Cease Fire Today, MAP, Islamic Relief for Palestine, The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children's FundLegacy of War FoundationUNHCR,*I own and profit off nothing in this bizarre hubristic venture. It is a vehicle for expression, education, and artistic play (probably a little bit of a humiliation kink too if we're being honest here lol).**Hey hey, btw, all those do gooders I link to? They have no idea who I am and have nothing to do with me (and I like it that way). I just think they're neat.

Welcome back to Poems & Whiskey, babies! Didja miss me? I missed you. It's good to be back. Kissing you all! (Appropriately, of course.) Charles K. Carter and I get rolling fast.Breaking down boundaries is the name of game. Why do we insist on separating our heads from our bodies? The mind is not better than our animal selves and doesn't know more. We are consistently being told who we are, what we should be doing, and whom we should be doing it for. Fuck that. Growth happens when we expand and accept all parts of ourselves, as people and in community. Resist against those who preach division and fear. Content does not exist, there is only art and effort and there is no real failure in art. Lean into the discomfort, that is also home. This world is ours to make, and revise.Season 3 is gonna kick so much ass.Cheers y'all!Mentions:When the Body Says No : Gabor MateWillie Carver's P & W ep, Gay Poems for Red StatesAlanis Morrisette's PodcastI'm still here and that lit mag I mentioned starting is now live! 🛋️ Come over to Lamp Lit and say hi! 🛋️Good people doing good things ---> Food Not BombsRandom Acts Natural Disaster RecoveryINARA Cease Fire Today, MAP, Islamic Relief for Palestine, The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children's FundLegacy of War FoundationUNHCR,*I own and profit off nothing in this bizarre hubristic venture. It is a vehicle for expression, education, and artistic play (probably a little bit of a humiliation kink too if we're being honest here lol).**Hey hey, btw, all those do gooders I link to? They have no idea who I am and have nothing to do with me (and I like it that way). I just think they're neat.

🚪👁️Welcome to the Hiatus Zone 👁️🚪Must Be Enoughep 1.5I read (coughcough *over act* coughcough) three pieces. Headphones are recommended.Where We Must Look for Help : Robert Bly from Eating the Honey of WordsThere Will Come Soft Rains : Ray Bradbury from The Martian ChroniclesIt's a Little Anxious to be a Very Small Animal Entirely Surrounded by Water - piglet : Sam Sax from Pig*in the second to last line, I changed one word for the sake of medium. Sam Sax ordinally wrote "...that you are reading this...". I changed "reading" to "hearing".Thank you for visiting. The Door is now closed until next Hiatus, but you can still find me if you say your right words.Good people doing good things ---> Food Not BombsRandom Acts Natural Disaster RecoveryINARA Cease Fire Today, MAP, Islamic Relief for Palestine, The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children's FundLegacy of War FoundationUNHCR,*I own and profit off nothing in this bizarre hubristic venture. It is a vehicle for expression, education, and artistic play (probably a little bit of a humiliation kink too if we're being honest here lol).**Hey hey, btw, all those do gooders I link to? They have no idea who I am and have nothing to do with me (and I like it that way). I just think they're neat.

So we meet again! Is anyone else as surprised as I am? All right. Hi, babies. This is Michael, and this whole thing is my fault. If you found Poems & Whiskey during the hiatus, things are about to change. Long form, rambling, mostly (?) sober conversations are back in about two weeks. I've got so many awesome artists lined up. Oh, God. I'm almost as nervous as I was in season one. I do have a couple of announcements. Third Wednesdays with Kurt will now be a regular segment. Third Wednesdays with Kurt are where I read something of Kurt Vonnegut's Dramatically. Because I want to, because I love him. And everybody should hear, at least something of Kurt Vonnegut in their lives. The show will still be bimonthly, but every third episode will be that dramatic reading of something of Kurt's, likely not to exceed an hour. We'll see how it goes. So if that's your jam, please come and hang out with me. Kurt Vonnegut is amazing, and he will change your life.Last announcement is, look at my cover art for this season! I'm so fucking proud of my album dupes for these upcoming seasons. Oh, look at my works! Behold! I have up to season five made so no one tell me what happens in the third act. Cool? Cool. We'll see if I can make it to season five.I don't know if y'all remember, but when I started this whole thing, I was like, well, let's see if I can make it to. If I could do one year. If I do one year, I'll make it to three years. If I do three years. Let's see what I can do after that. Um, so, uh, here we are at three years. We'll see what happens, right? Okay, that's that's enough, that's enough, that's enough. I love you all. And I will see you in season three.Cheers y'all!Good people doing good things ---> Food Not BombsRandom Acts Natural Disaster RecoveryINARA Cease Fire Today, MAP, Islamic Relief for Palestine, The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children's FundLegacy of War FoundationUNHCR,*I own and profit off nothing in this bizarre hubristic venture. It is a vehicle for expression, education, and artistic play (probably a little bit of a humiliation kink too if we're being honest here lol).**Hey hey, btw, all those do gooders I link to? They have no idea who I am and have nothing to do with me (and I like it that way). I just think they're neat.

🚪👁️Welcome to the Hiatus Zone 👁️🚪A Tender Blossomep 1.4I read (coughcough *over act* coughcough) three pieces. Headphones are recommended.(at about 6:62 in show, there's an awful sound, that I did on purpose, that lasts for less than a minute. My sincerest apologies to your ears.)The Heavenly Body : Leslie J. Anderson from Take This to SpaceMiss Temptation : Kurt Vonnegut from Welcome to the Monkey Housethe elephants of Vietnam : Charles Bukowski from The Pleasures of the DamnedThanks for visiting. The Door is still open if you would like to play in the THZ, just step throughGood people doing good things ---> Food Not BombsRandom Acts Natural Disaster RecoveryINARA Cease Fire Today, MAP, Islamic Relief for Palestine, The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children's FundLegacy of War FoundationUNHCR,*I own and profit off nothing in this bizarre hubristic venture. It is a vehicle for expression, education, and artistic play (probably a little bit of a humiliation kink too if we're being honest here lol).**Hey hey, btw, all those do gooders I link to? They have no idea who I am and have nothing to do with me (and I like it that way). I just think they're neat.

🚪👁️Welcome to the Hiatus Zone 👁️🚪Everything Might Spillep 1.3I read (coughcough *over act* coughcough) three pieces.Aubade : Kathryn Bratt-Pfontenhauer from Bad AnimalThe Sea Witch Sets the Record Straight : T. Kingfisher from Toad Words and Other StoriesOde to the Sublime by Monica Vitti : Anne Carson from DecreationThanks for visiting. The Door is still open if you would like to play in the THZ, just step throughGood people doing good things ---> Food Not BombsRandom Acts Natural Disaster RecoveryINARA Cease Fire Today, MAP, Islamic Relief for Palestine, The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children's FundLegacy of War FoundationUNHCR,*I own and profit off nothing in this bizarre hubristic venture. It is a vehicle for expression, education, and artistic play (probably a little bit of a humiliation kink too if we're being honest here lol).**Hey hey, btw, all those do gooders I link to? They have no idea who I am and have nothing to do with me (and I like it that way). I just think they're neat.

🚪👁️Welcome to the Hiatus Zone 👁️🚪Before the Sunep 1.2I read (coughcough *over act* coughcough) three pieces.It is Easy to be Fascinated with Death : Jane Hirschfield from Of Gravity and AngelsIn This Soul of a Woman : Charles de Lint from Love in VeinI : Robert Hass from PraiseThanks for visiting. See you again real soon.Good people doing good things ---> TransSanta Food Not BombsINARA Cease Fire Today, MAP, Islamic Relief for Palestine, The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children's FundLegacy of War FoundationUNHCR,Random Acts Natural Disaster Recovery*I own and profit off nothing in this bizarre hubristic venture. It is a vehicle for expression, education, and artistic play (probably a little bit of a humiliation kink too if we're being honest here lol).**Hey hey, btw, all those do gooders I link to? They have no idea who I am and have nothing to do with me (and I like it that way). I just think they're neat.

Happy Hogswatch to All!It's that time again for the P & W Holiday Special!This year I read from L. Frank Baum's The Life and Adventures of Santa Clause. Yeah, that's the same fella who wrote The Wizard of Oz. You remember.It all starts with a Wood Nymph breaking the rules...The Rankin/Bass productionThank you for allowing me into your life, for spending your time with me. Merry Happy Winter Observations to all.Cheers!Good people doing good things ---> TransSanta Food Not BombsINARA Cease Fire Today, MAP, Islamic Relief for Palestine, The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children's FundLegacy of War FoundationUNHCR,Random Acts Natural Disaster Recovery*I own and profit off nothing in this bizarre hubristic venture. It is a vehicle for expression, education, and artistic play (probably a little bit of a humiliation kink too if we're being honest here lol).**Hey hey, btw, all those do gooders I link to? They have no idea who I am and have nothing to do with me (and I like it that way). I just think they're neat.

🚪👁️Welcome to the Hiatus Zone 👁️🚪In My Handsep 1.1I read (coughcough *over act* coughcough) three pieces.I Dreamed of Touching : George Bataille tr. Rosemary Lloyd from The Milk Bowl of FeathersThe Wife's Story : Ursula Le Guin from Buffalo Gals and other Animal PresencesWhat Can I Tell My Bones : Theodore Roethke from The Collected Poems of Theodore RoethkeThanks for visiting. See you again real soon.Good people doing good things ---> TransSanta Food Not BombsINARA Cease Fire Today, MAP, Islamic Relief for Palestine, The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children's FundLegacy of War FoundationUNHCR, Random Acts Natural Disaster Recovery*I own and profit off nothing in this bizarre hubristic venture. It is a vehicle for expression, education, and artistic play (probably a little bit of a humiliation kink too if we're being honest here lol).**Hey hey, btw, all those do gooders I link to? They have no idea who I am and have nothing to do with me (and I like it that way). I just think they're neat.