Gabe Redel's Blog: FRYING POTATOES BLOG, page 4
April 16, 2017
Two Subjects
Two Subjects
by Gabe Redel
It may frighten you to see
that inside him,
behind those eyes
that roll like steel,
is something that you are.
In there, between the fingers
of the fists that he carries
like hammers,
above the chest
he wears as if he were breaking
through fire,
on top of those shoes
that stalk his enemies,
running robotically toward a target
that is split in to thousands
of targets
watched by one set of eyes.
You’ll be surprised to know
that even if his ways are directed
by paths cut through rock;
even if his body
is the shape
of a mind that isn’t happy
until it has beaten it flat,
rigid, and sharp,
he is still scared
and he wants the softness of his girlfriend’s hand
in his palm
and he wants everything around him to
become what he had once believed
it would become;
when joy and kindness
were the only two characters
in his story;
when he didn’t know what it felt like
to throw strikes until one of them doubled over.
He didn’t know
what he would receive
in exchange for his youth.
And he thinks about it
everyday.
by Gabe Redel
It may frighten you to see
that inside him,
behind those eyes
that roll like steel,
is something that you are.
In there, between the fingers
of the fists that he carries
like hammers,
above the chest
he wears as if he were breaking
through fire,
on top of those shoes
that stalk his enemies,
running robotically toward a target
that is split in to thousands
of targets
watched by one set of eyes.
You’ll be surprised to know
that even if his ways are directed
by paths cut through rock;
even if his body
is the shape
of a mind that isn’t happy
until it has beaten it flat,
rigid, and sharp,
he is still scared
and he wants the softness of his girlfriend’s hand
in his palm
and he wants everything around him to
become what he had once believed
it would become;
when joy and kindness
were the only two characters
in his story;
when he didn’t know what it felt like
to throw strikes until one of them doubled over.
He didn’t know
what he would receive
in exchange for his youth.
And he thinks about it
everyday.
Man in the Box
Man in the Box
by Gabe Redel
A man was in a small box.
It wasn’t small as if it were
for a blender or a toaster.
It was small for a world,
and he was doing his best
to use the resources and knowledge
that he had within his grasp
to work his way out of the box.
One day, he did it.
And what he found himself in
after stepping out
was another box.
This new box was slightly larger
than the last,
but it had different resources
and knowledge
inside of it.
The man worked once again
to use what he had available
to work his way out of that box.
It took a little longer,
but eventually he did it
and was soon stepping
into something new.
This time, he stepped once again
into another box.
This box was even larger than the last
and it as well carried
a different set of resources
and knowledge.
The man did the same.
He worked his way out.
And that’s how his life continued.
He found himself in one box
only to work his way into a slightly bigger box.
Along the way he found a wife
and together they had a family.
He raised the children
all the while working his way out of box after box.
Toward the end of his life
he believed that he had finally discovered
the last box that he, his children,
and all of humanity
would ever have to try and crack.
He set his tools down
and prepared to step out of the final and biggest box.
Once he saw what was on the other side,
he knew that his journey had come to an end,
but his children would have to pick up
where he would have to leave off.
This new place was no box,
but it was the biggest environment
he had ever come to understand.
It was called Earth
and he and his children discovered
that Earth was far greater
than he could ever have imagined.
No end was in sight.
No walls surrounded him.
Only endless possibilities
for his children
and all of humanity to discover.
For some,
this was terrible news.
They only wanted answers and finishes.
For others,
it was the best news of their lives.
For they now realized
how breathtaking and complicated
life actually was.
by Gabe Redel
A man was in a small box.
It wasn’t small as if it were
for a blender or a toaster.
It was small for a world,
and he was doing his best
to use the resources and knowledge
that he had within his grasp
to work his way out of the box.
One day, he did it.
And what he found himself in
after stepping out
was another box.
This new box was slightly larger
than the last,
but it had different resources
and knowledge
inside of it.
The man worked once again
to use what he had available
to work his way out of that box.
It took a little longer,
but eventually he did it
and was soon stepping
into something new.
This time, he stepped once again
into another box.
This box was even larger than the last
and it as well carried
a different set of resources
and knowledge.
The man did the same.
He worked his way out.
And that’s how his life continued.
He found himself in one box
only to work his way into a slightly bigger box.
Along the way he found a wife
and together they had a family.
He raised the children
all the while working his way out of box after box.
Toward the end of his life
he believed that he had finally discovered
the last box that he, his children,
and all of humanity
would ever have to try and crack.
He set his tools down
and prepared to step out of the final and biggest box.
Once he saw what was on the other side,
he knew that his journey had come to an end,
but his children would have to pick up
where he would have to leave off.
This new place was no box,
but it was the biggest environment
he had ever come to understand.
It was called Earth
and he and his children discovered
that Earth was far greater
than he could ever have imagined.
No end was in sight.
No walls surrounded him.
Only endless possibilities
for his children
and all of humanity to discover.
For some,
this was terrible news.
They only wanted answers and finishes.
For others,
it was the best news of their lives.
For they now realized
how breathtaking and complicated
life actually was.
April 10, 2017
Figure of Ghosts
Figure of Ghosts
by Gabe Redel
I had it for a second
but I lost it.
It had come
as I let my mind find notes
after many months
of fighting.
It was a small jar
of wings
that I had found at the end.
The spirits bellied
back and forth
and curved under my ribs
and out of my mouth they came
and behind my eyes
they folded black sheets,
working carefully.
I felt it the same
as when
I wandered
with weaker legs,
shattered skin,
and sunglasses that patterned the sleeves of my shirt.
In those days
the men and women
who had painted holes in their bodies
to let the sun in and the light out
lived with me every day
and all night
and against what I did not recognize,
which was most things.
My friends would arrive
like pictures drawn on paper
and in would come the gray lines
and out would arrive the figure of ghosts.
And we would keep quiet
and it would yell
and we would talk as if
we were in the ground
carrying the life of the dead
when it was not an older generation
that had been in our hands
but our very own crew
who had put new faces
at the front of skulls and bones.
by Gabe Redel
I had it for a second
but I lost it.
It had come
as I let my mind find notes
after many months
of fighting.
It was a small jar
of wings
that I had found at the end.
The spirits bellied
back and forth
and curved under my ribs
and out of my mouth they came
and behind my eyes
they folded black sheets,
working carefully.
I felt it the same
as when
I wandered
with weaker legs,
shattered skin,
and sunglasses that patterned the sleeves of my shirt.
In those days
the men and women
who had painted holes in their bodies
to let the sun in and the light out
lived with me every day
and all night
and against what I did not recognize,
which was most things.
My friends would arrive
like pictures drawn on paper
and in would come the gray lines
and out would arrive the figure of ghosts.
And we would keep quiet
and it would yell
and we would talk as if
we were in the ground
carrying the life of the dead
when it was not an older generation
that had been in our hands
but our very own crew
who had put new faces
at the front of skulls and bones.
April 2, 2017
How I got There
How I got There
by Gabe Redel
Today I have peace.
Nothing from yesterday
has changed.
The fights I was in
then
I am still in today.
Yet I have walked
with all of
it
feeling safe
and
being okay
with what is around me.
I want to share
the secret
of how
I got there,
but
it is no secret.
by Gabe Redel
Today I have peace.
Nothing from yesterday
has changed.
The fights I was in
then
I am still in today.
Yet I have walked
with all of
it
feeling safe
and
being okay
with what is around me.
I want to share
the secret
of how
I got there,
but
it is no secret.
Behind the Wall
Behind the Wall
by Gabe Redel
A lot of land
is out ahead.
For the person
walking the land,
most of it is pleasant.
The ground is forgiving
and the air is fresh.
At the end
of what could be
many miles,
or what could be
only a few inches
is a wall.
When the bricks are broken
and someone crawls through,
I do not
go with them.
The end of our journey
together
has come,
because behind that wall
is a massive burning fire
much like a star
or our Sun.
And although
the Sun
keeps many miles of the land
beautiful
and full of life,
when someone crosses the line
and breaks the rules
it has given
there is only hell up ahead.
by Gabe Redel
A lot of land
is out ahead.
For the person
walking the land,
most of it is pleasant.
The ground is forgiving
and the air is fresh.
At the end
of what could be
many miles,
or what could be
only a few inches
is a wall.
When the bricks are broken
and someone crawls through,
I do not
go with them.
The end of our journey
together
has come,
because behind that wall
is a massive burning fire
much like a star
or our Sun.
And although
the Sun
keeps many miles of the land
beautiful
and full of life,
when someone crosses the line
and breaks the rules
it has given
there is only hell up ahead.
Big Shoes
Big Shoes
by Gabe Redel
Those who boast about themselves
to anybody
within range;
who make themselves appear tall
at any pass of the day;
who pay careful attention
to brag at the right times;
who build themselves
higher than their own height;
who are quick to point out
their smallest achievements;
who believe being perfect
is possible within the right perspective;
who will make themselves look
even brighter by blotching the face
of someone else,
here is what I have to say to you:
I don’t blame you for your
reckless words.
I blame those who’ve heard you speak
and haven’t yet told you
to shut up.
by Gabe Redel
Those who boast about themselves
to anybody
within range;
who make themselves appear tall
at any pass of the day;
who pay careful attention
to brag at the right times;
who build themselves
higher than their own height;
who are quick to point out
their smallest achievements;
who believe being perfect
is possible within the right perspective;
who will make themselves look
even brighter by blotching the face
of someone else,
here is what I have to say to you:
I don’t blame you for your
reckless words.
I blame those who’ve heard you speak
and haven’t yet told you
to shut up.
March 19, 2017
Roll Sushi
Roll Sushi
by Gabe Redel
We drank compromise.
The nights that brought plans
to brilliance never undressed
bare naked for us to put
on our tongues and taste.
We pushed against the worn wagon,
its rusty axel squealing
to hook up what we
did not like but knew we should.
We go on
punching against the great earth,
stomping down the great heavens
and crying out for help.
After the angels undress
and wrap our faces
in their wings to bathe our words
from our mouths
we rise up with lies
in our hands
and markers
to redraw what the devil
had erased from his board.
And we roll sushi
and the day rises around the sun
and our eyes look around our bodies
and our minds close down
to push the wagon
of what we do not like
but know we should.
by Gabe Redel
We drank compromise.
The nights that brought plans
to brilliance never undressed
bare naked for us to put
on our tongues and taste.
We pushed against the worn wagon,
its rusty axel squealing
to hook up what we
did not like but knew we should.
We go on
punching against the great earth,
stomping down the great heavens
and crying out for help.
After the angels undress
and wrap our faces
in their wings to bathe our words
from our mouths
we rise up with lies
in our hands
and markers
to redraw what the devil
had erased from his board.
And we roll sushi
and the day rises around the sun
and our eyes look around our bodies
and our minds close down
to push the wagon
of what we do not like
but know we should.
Gabe
Gabe
by Gabe Redel
The water around her ankles
where the small fish
have clouded
has a minty green color,
much like broken green glass.
I was once with her
over the bluff against the trail
that began at a fire.
We were too much
for the little bears
who laughed under our song,
who tipped a cooler
and played ball.
Out on the ridge
we continued our song.
How she could sing.
Gosh, how she could sing.
by Gabe Redel
The water around her ankles
where the small fish
have clouded
has a minty green color,
much like broken green glass.
I was once with her
over the bluff against the trail
that began at a fire.
We were too much
for the little bears
who laughed under our song,
who tipped a cooler
and played ball.
Out on the ridge
we continued our song.
How she could sing.
Gosh, how she could sing.
Hand
Hand
by Gabe Redel
In
the
world
it might
happen
that you
reach out
to take
a helping hand
but
that hand
ends up
being
the blade
of a
knife.
by Gabe Redel
In
the
world
it might
happen
that you
reach out
to take
a helping hand
but
that hand
ends up
being
the blade
of a
knife.
Swimming
Swimming
by Gabe Redel
God did this.
He made me.
If it were my choice
I would still be sitting on the couch,
but he had other plans.
I have to work
everyday
as if I were drowning.
God threw me
in the middle of the ocean
and said, “You better get swimming.”
That’s why I can move
like I were still eighteen.
I don’t quit
because I can’t quit.
by Gabe Redel
God did this.
He made me.
If it were my choice
I would still be sitting on the couch,
but he had other plans.
I have to work
everyday
as if I were drowning.
God threw me
in the middle of the ocean
and said, “You better get swimming.”
That’s why I can move
like I were still eighteen.
I don’t quit
because I can’t quit.
