Unexpected consequences from talking to you on the phone yesterday afternoon

At that particular time of day
I could see the dust
that had built up
below the radiator
I'd missed it for years, I guess

So the next day
I broke out
the big sponge
I'd been saving
for no particular reason
and I cleaned up
all that dust

and then I realized
that cleaning my toilet,
which I'd been meaning to do
for a while,
would go much faster and easier
with the big sponge

so I cleaned the toilet too
and afterwards realized
that this whole
chain of events
was a perfect thing
to write about

and that sometimes
we don't see the chains
so clearly,
but they are always there.


-Jim DuBois
Sep 22, 2014
(composed in blog)

The Fire

"I finally got my wish."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You know how I wished
my house would burn down
and then I wouldn't
have to worry
about all the crap
I've been collecting
and feel trapped by?
Well, it just happened."

It was just
your defensive humor
and good attempt
to handle a shock,
because really,
it sucked
and who knows
what to do
in reaction
to these things?

We talked some more
and I decided
I would raise some money
for you over the internet,
which I had never tried before,
but it worked out
that I raised $2500
in a few days
and the whole thing
popped me out of
my sense of powerlessness
and made me see myself
in a fresh light
and made me grateful
for the chance
to come to your aid
because I think
we're all really heroes
on the inside,
waiting for a chance
to do good,
to change a part
of the world
for the better
and I'm glad
I saw this chance
and took it.


-Jim DuBois
Jan 28, 2014, written about an event that took place in December 2012.

Relaxing in the late afternoon

Relaxing in the late afternoon
in January,
watching the dusk deepen,
I think of those days
you told me about
where you'd only
work up enough ambition
to reach the doorknob
but not enough to know
whether you'd make it
out of the room or not,
and I appreciate your lack of effort
because these days
nobody takes the time
to stay still for long.


-Jim DuBois
Jan 13, 2014

There was that time

There was that time
we decided
to camp
up on Bare mountain,
to sneak off the path
and set up camp,

But we didn't know
how to make
a good fire,
so the smoke
kept stinging
our eyes
all night long,

But we weren't sleeping
anyway
because the sound
of the chipmunks
scurrying around
scared us,
as did the thought
of bears.

I tried counting
backwards from 500
to get to sleep,
but kept forgetting
what number I was on
and it didn't work.

We maybe slept an hour
that night
and when I got up,
you were not around
so I went looking
up the trail
and there you were.

We had forgotten
to bring water
but we walked about
3 hours anyway,
drank at the park,
And walked 3 hours back.

All along
our hike,
we kept seeing
all these
different frogs.
They kept
magically appearing,
in the trail,
in the swamps and trees.

Then we settled down
for another horrible night,
But after an hour,
we had the good sense
to give up,
pack up in the dark
and hike down
the mountainside
in the pitch black night.

We slept so well
at my apartment
and were happier,
but I still miss
those magic frogs.


-Jim DuBois
August 14, 2013

Handmade Pen

You Again

You again,
returned after
so many years,
floating with me
in kayaks on the lake,
letting me relax,
letting me talk
    and be myself,
a true friend,
a true friendship,
in a world
    that needs them badly.


-Jim DuBois
July 15, 2012

The White Ferret

We went out
onto my back porch
on our way to go camping,
and there was this
white ferret
kind of eagerly sniffing
around the door.
We asked at the
other apartments
if they knew
anything about it,
but we learned
nothing
so we made
a snap decision
and took it with us
on our trip.

Now it mostly rained
that trip,
and we kept the ferret
in the car,
and tried feeding it
different things.
It seemed to like
jelly the best.
It jumped around
in the car,
and slept a lot.

We found a fish-hook
and a broken-down house
up in the hills,
and made a lot of jokes
at night.

Then we left
early on sunday
in the rain,
and when we got back
discovered that
my upstairs neighbor
had owned two white ferrets
who had escaped
onto the roof.
The other one
had fallen off and died,
but ours
got to go on
a strange trip
it probably
never expected.


-Jim DuBois
March 28, 2012

It Was A Good Day

Going to bed last night,
I suddenly remembered
you, barefoot,
calmly leading the Clydesdales^*
out to the pasture,
while I ate mulberries
and watched
from up in the tree,
and later,
we ate red raspberries
off the vines
and talked about
how the world
keeps on giving.


-Jim DuBois
April 13, 2010

---

* a Clydesdale is a type of horse. They are very large and stocky.
Learn more about them

Jeremiah

I remember that time
we were walking
along the Holyoke ridge
and you said,
"It looks like these
are basalt columns
that thrust up
through the earth
about 200 million years ago,"
and I thought,
"he just wants to sound
like he's smart,"
but the plaque
at the end of the trail
said almost exactly
what you had.

Another time
we were talking on the phone
and you mentioned
that some days
you only try to have
as much motivation
as is needed
to do the immediate
next thing,
such as reach the doorknob
and leave a room,
and I thought,
"he's just trying
to sound inspirational,"
but many many years later
I still think about
what a helpful perspective
you offered me.

Now, I'm glad
that despite my momentary cynicisms
I got to see your mind
functioning well.


-Jim DuBois
Sep 10, 2009