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Wednesday, December 20, 2017

N F L Sparrow


National Football League Sparrow Poem

Dave Duerson sat next to me on a plane.
A massive hero in a first class seat.
Stewardess offers him Cristal Champagne,
writing notes in my moleskin, I refrain.

Raise the armrest, as I am bantam freight.
He chuckles at the gesture as a giant,
brushes the laptop as if dust holds weight.
Conversation digs into complaint.

Dave desires to share early history
perhaps book, or memoir of his childhood,
not the NFL, the stand-up story,
before a brute American manhood.

When NFL ends violence in play,
hear stadiums full cheer another day.


Caroline Gerardo ©  copyright 12/20/2017



#cardinals #bears

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Calf Devotional Poem



                  Devotional


Calves hide in the orchard, they know better.
Thieves hack your bones until ice remains.
Scratch like ingrown hairs inside a sweater.
True hearts pump love in arteries and veins.

Tell me health is not fixed by a pharma pills.
Climate changed already and will once more,
Corp oil drilling and mining always spills.
Stand up to fake news with an elephant roar.

Springs of fracking leads to flames at the tap.
Transformation happens water to wine.
Cow bells ring at lecherous Alabama clap.
Martyrs curves of meatless scrolling vine.

Though outnumbered, lacking power.
Sing long up high upon a bell tower.




click on the videos for me
herding cattle in high heels,
they are good girl cows
but look at sassy face on
Leigh Corfman, yes that
is the name of the sassy
white calf on the right.

Caroline Gerardo copyright 2017








Saturday, December 2, 2017

Sugar Cookie Recipe

  • Brenda Dougherty Gilb's cookie production 2017 above
  • What you need:

Sift dry ingredients flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside if humid day- cover in a bowl. 

Place butter and sugar in mixer and beat until creamy and the color of eggshell or goats milk.
Mixing well is important 
Add egg and milk and beat to combine for about a minute or less. You can use two egg whites instead of one large egg. This makes the dough a tiny bit whiter if you want to decorate the cookies as snowflakes. Add the little splash of vanilla. Tell me you aren't using imitation vanilla. IF you don't have real bourbon vanilla skip the ingredient...
Turn mixer off scrape off beaters. Go ahead taste. Maybe it needs a pinch, no maybe you need a glass of wine?
Slowly add flour with a fork, and beat with hand wire wisk until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Takes about 2 minutes if room temperature is 70 and dry day
Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Dough needs to remain cold to roll properly.
Take one ball out of refrigerator.
Grease the metal cookie baking sheets with salted butter and put in refirgerator
If you happen to own the luxury of marble countertop (I no longer do in my little cottage)
the process is easier than on wooden board.
Sprinkle the board or surface with a snowy layer of powdered sugar (a teaspoon)
and take your hand in curve and put a teaspoon in the hand- rub over and on the
rolling pin held over the board allowing the excess to fall. 
Roll to an even quarter inch thick.
If dough warms put back in refrigerator covered with wax paper and turn house heat down.
The dough should be able to shake, slide and skate upon the powdered sugar on the board.
Cookie baking sheet (thin metal kind) should be COLD before you move the cut out shapes
Heat oven to 375 degrees 
When oven is ready put cookies into oven and at 4 minutes turn the metal tray - from twelve o'clock to three o'clock - not a whole spin just a little turn in the oven. Don't remove from oven. Do this trick quickly to keep the heat at even temperature. Not a pirouette, just a turn.
I found last year that using my cell phone as a timer was handy. 
At eight minutes look at the cookies. IF edges are slightly brown they are done. If still white wait one more minute. Total cooking time 8 -9 minutes.
Temperature, ovens, moisture and weather are part of getting this down to perfect.
Cookies should have room around them. When you put on the sheet they need about an inch and a half on all sides.
Cookies done- allow to cool a couple minutes before you move them to the decorating surface.
Now you need some helpers. Make a couple bowls of icing. 
stick salted butter
box powdered sugar
teaspoon vanilla
A tablespoon or more of whipping cream ( buy the little carton of whole whipping cream)
Beat for about 2 minutes - if you want it thinner add more vanilla or cream

Monday, November 27, 2017

New York Times Nazi Interview


NYT Interview with Nazi horse
Are You
a
bleach steed
chalky Arabian 
Royal Lipizzaner 
Russian Kabardin
pasty aristocrat 
ivory thoroughbred
intelligent eyes 
milky swan necks
ballerina blue bearings
 black bred out mules
Olympic dressage champions
ghastly abled racehorses 

You recall when Alchimist was murdered by soldiers when the stallion refused to load onto a truck?

You recall when Heather D. Heyer was murdered by a alabaster man who wore a gastly hoody?

You recall when the Ku Klux Klan commits murders in the name of "we are better, pure light."

You recall bloodless pallid tiki torches recruiting children?

You recall blaming antifa for olive garden swastikas while you chant?

"Sautéing minced garlic with chili flakes and wait for his [sic]    gospel of white nationalism to boil."



I love ancient  tarpans.
Brown duns with black stripes, 
 thick necks but lightening fast. 

Unlike domestic pasty horses, 
their coats lighten in winter, 
ermine and arctic creatures, 
naturally blending 
in with the snowy 
- white landscape.
Pure Navajo white.













copyright  ©  November 26, 2017 Caroline Gerardo 

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Ponies Poem


Scrub the Kerr jar of
 canned tomato, basil  
sunshine sauce from 
heirloom varieties— 
Cherokee Chocolate
Anna Russian, 
Emerald Giant
Kelloggs Breakfast
And Mortgage Lifter
the seedling M C Boyle
created, paid his house
off in full with the spell. 

Save the water of
fire hydrant carried
by Phil yes fill er up
with clean city— 
drips not the ecoli
from opal mining
 and old timers who
buried trash cars, 
whole rusted roofs, 
creosote railroad ties,
and shit contaminates,
into the meadow well.

Sing to the horses
imported from Iceland
rare breed of steppe pony
dance the O circus— 
oh no, too cruel to write
feed  pets  non- GMO  
organic yeast not like bread
fresh cut alfalfa still green
omega 3 for inflammation
chia and sunflower seeds,
 blush rose hips, red clover,
and dandelion leaves.
 In the barn they dwell.

See the Kerr jar 
washed by waterfall 
turn  kaleidoscope
for it's treasure— 
boiled water for tea
held gooseberry jam,
expressed milk for babies,
 and a tadpole or turtle.
Bleached by the moon,
protected copper fireflies
blows a crack in my hand.
Blood swirls a carmel spell.




Ponies Poem

Happy Thanksgiving
Icelandic ponies









Caroline Gerardo Copyright November 23, 2017 all rights reserved
images from Iceland trip

Monday, November 20, 2017

Judge Me


 judge me
with iridescent wings 
waterproof fur
webbed paddles
 wild claws
whistle laugh
wise memory
judge me
who are you
weighty man
with excuses
to
judge me


Caroline Gerardo poem November 20, 2017 © copyright

Saturday, November 18, 2017

Ranch Life Sonnet




ranch life
cowgirl pokes sepia fire under Wolf Moon
evergreen scrub land dulls coyotes croon
save ash it's useful for compost and soap
up at dawn another mouse in the trap
no corrupt cop plants cocaine in a pack
smoking winchester rifle has my back
animal  hierarchies, strong is fair
men destroy the last acres of free air
ranch life
bleach the barn to kill rust carrying mites
in mourning solar dulls without the lights 
save hard earned money government will tax
kill all thieving evil with a broad axe



copyright November 18 2017  Caroline Gerardo

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Letter to Son At College




My Dear Son:

While you are away at college this year is challenging. You experience financial and emotional loss. Thefts of laptops, phone, engineering calculators and broken car windows during midterms cause frustration. You survive missing friends and girlfriend breakups. Living with a crowd of entitled kids is a mess.
All loss of stuff – can be fixed.


I struggle with three jobs. Writing is solitary, mortgage banking is brutal and cleaning up neighbor’s ranch is exercise but wearing on the joints. I work to pay for your college for you to avoid the yoke of student loans. I’m disappointed you won’t be home for Thanksgiving, but understand. You’re a grown man. Consider the choices of your future.



My advice:
  • Make backups of your college data work on the laptop – google docs, apple, AND a memory stick.
  • Work harder at school. If an assignment requires two hours labor, give it six.
  • Earn a voice in the classroom as the most caring student.
  • Review where you park –the car break, the hit and run, and the smashing in of the trunk are events related to location. Your college town is not safe.  Drug people, thieves and the desperate continue to wreak havoc. Park in well lit areas. When going to your car at night it is great to carry that cane, be aware of unusual action around you. I texted you the auto place that can add a louder alarm. Drop the car off, use our joint account.
  • Lock your doors. Lock your room door. Don’t leave the new laptop in the trunk.
  • Take a few moments before you react to problems.
  • Smile and make friends on campus
  • Act beneficially to others.
  • Be a helper.
  • Thank God often.
  • Rather than ask “what’s in it for me?” Stand up to serve.

You have the tools to find your joy. Some days will be bad, some not much happens; but work with clarity and when you do your best, feel good. I love you.
With all my heart,

Mom
copyright November 15, 2017

לראות מהרה בתפארת עוזך, להעביר גלולים מן הארץ והאלילים כרות יכרתוון לתקן עולם במלכות ש-די
Tikkun olam a Hebrew description to act constructively


Monday, November 13, 2017

Sea Lions


Sea 
Lions
poem in 
progress
they speak
they walk on land
they have flap ears
they talk very loud 
they have big family 
they enjoy the relatives, 
they like some, some not
they sunbathe and take naps
they gossip about nosy seals 
they have a harem of lion girls
they slow heart rate when diving
they are losing pups to lack of food
they can't handle warmer waters 
they eat clean fish to survive 
they swim 25 miles an hour
they need our support
they can't ask for it
they want love
they speak
they need
they love
sea lions
don't 
recite 
poems




©
Caroline Gerardo
November 13, 2017 copyright 

Friday, November 10, 2017

My Pleasure

 My Pleasure   Poem


My pleasure to serve
My pleasure to fix
My pleasure to give
My pleasure to help
















My pleasure

Fast food restaurants never serve spinach,
spoils soon, raises costs reduces profits.
Do not greet me to dine with Yogi bear.
Creep Speak, servant robots obey the boss
Greasy floor is no picnic with red pear.


My pleasure

I’m number five in line in the drive-through.
Badass behind honks horn and curses shit.
A bag of Reece Pieces in my car,
I get out and give him the solution.
“Hungry? Maybe this eases your heart wait.”
He says nothing but stops noise pollution.

My pleasure

Coyote carcass on the road in lanes
Hook a wince I haul it off to safety
There’s a man who drives wild past every day
coming and going, today makes contact
This one time he stops to help and I say.

My pleasure



Caroline Gerardo copyright  © November 10, 2017

Monday, November 6, 2017

Wildflower Poem


Wild Flowers

I keep on picking purple love flowers
to hunt for prey with butterfly powers.
A hand can clap the bug silver on skin,
a narcissist puts souls in death tailspin.

The moth eats cashmere iridescent chips.
To work three jobs that pay in little drips.
So bad suffering survives those stricken. 
The coyotes kill sweet natured chickens.

Drug dealers buy a burrito  silence.
  a free lunch in exchange for alliance.
Stealers seem to sneak away with murder.
Smiling, pack my wings in ziplock harbor.

But still
I will
keep on picking purple wild flowers.








Poem and images
copyright © 
November 6, 2017
Caroline Gerardo