Tag Archives: personal

Shed Down by the River

Posted on July 18, 2018 by JMN

From the street it’s nondescript: long and low, homely brickwork giving way to corrugated metal, no windows. Flat, pedestrian, a second-rate, seedy, industrial-looking structure on a humble side of town. Patio and doorways are on the opposite side facing inward … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged | Leave a comment

Dear Mother… Charles

Posted on July 17, 2018 by JMN

Charles gave me a copy of his “translation” of Arthur Rimbaud’s “Le bateau ivre” (The Drunken Boat). I put “translation” in quotes because Charles readily admits that his version derives from other English versions of the poem, since he doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology, Quotations | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Dilettante, heal thyself

Posted on July 15, 2018 by JMN

I’m curious about too many things, which is why I haven’t achieved distinction in anything. Consider this fascinating article in today’s NYTimes about perfumes: “The Difference Between Perfume, Cologne and Other Fragrances” by Tynan Sink. Here’s an overview, but read … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , | Leave a comment

My father at the end

Posted on July 14, 2018 by JMN

I helped him poop and pee; wiped him, washed him, lotioned him, shaved him, fed him, dispensed medicines, tugged his lanky six-foot-three frame back to semi-recumbent each time it slid down his bed. He was stoic, docile, acknowledging, laconic at … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged | 4 Comments

Variation on a theme — for the daughters

Posted on July 12, 2018 by JMN

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The egg came first. A hen is only an egg’s way of making another female. (Deference to Samuel Butler) (C) 2018 James Mansfield Nichols. All rights reserved.

More Galleries | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Counterintuitive

Posted on June 29, 2018 by JMN

I’ve had little training as a painter, but one tenet I’ve tried to honor is the one that says, “Choose a brush you think is too large, then start your painting with one size larger.” However, human likenesses are comprised … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Spot and Bess

Posted on June 28, 2018 by JMN
Posted in Commentary | Tagged | 6 Comments

Tu me manques, mon fils

Posted on June 23, 2018 by JMN

“Its studied fuzziness, agony glimpsed through clamor, gives this poem its knife edge.” (Unremembered) Bush Doctrine // Hung Foo Testes Titan // E-wrecked Titty Tyrant // Testosterone Tank Cmen-130 // Sperm Gun Callous Phallus // Erectile Projectile Headache Balls // … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The System

Posted on May 28, 2018 by JMN

This is the SYSTEM the FATHERS built. These are the COURTS that rule in the SYSTEM the FATHERS built. These are the JUDGES who bench the COURTS that rule in the SYSTEM the FATHERS built. This is the PREZ who … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Best Wishes, Rita Dove

Posted on May 27, 2018 by JMN

Well, my mama didn’t raise a bean counter. I have better things to do — like trying to sit down and write a good poem, for example. (Rita Dove) I have high hopes for the sitting- Down part of your enterprise. … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology | Tagged , | Leave a comment