All my poems, etc., part 2

If you are coming to this late, and seeing a lot of things that I call Facebook Poems, there is a reason/excuse. About mid-June, I hadn't posted anything anywhere, nor texted anyone, and I don't like to talk on the phone ... so I decided that, when I can, which is almost every day unless the internet is down or I am out of town and do not have access, that one of the first times I'll do each day is write something - usually a poem - on Facebook. I label it simply "Facebook poems", though they cover a lot of subjects. I am labeling THIS note with all the labels I have used. That way, if you click on some label/subject that you think you might find interesting, everything I've labeled as such will show up on this blog. Thanks for reading what I write. I hope that you get a smile, or a laugh, or some encouragement, or that they make you think, etc. Feel free to comment on things I write, too. Thanks. (I am having to post this twice so as to show all the labels that I've made!)

The Library last night

"Muse of Fire" was funny, like they were last year. (Their site is http://www.shakespeareatsloss.org/.) Last night, they did 3 scenes from "Romeo and Juliet". One was a balcony scene (not "the" balcony scene), with Juliet and another girl upstairs, which overlooks the library atrium. Juliet was played by a petite girl with long dark brown hair. Her friend - what shall I call her, was larger, more "buxom". Romeo was played by a slight, fair, blonde-haired young man. (Well, they all looked to be in their 20s or early 30s!) Romeo's 2 friends had darker skin, and were the most athletic of the 5, including one or 2 jumping onto the back of the larger of the 3 men. Because last night was only a practice, they all wore black.

Even though I could not understand near all the speech, it was still funny. The library has hard walls and a lot of huge glass windows, doors, and display cases, so the sound was "bouncy". Muse of Fire does use Shakespeare's words, but because of performing at an old foundry, they adapt the plays and modernize them. Last night, there were some "high fives", and some "dancing" on the floor - I don't know what it's called, but where the man had one or sometimes both hands on the floor, and he was almost horizontal to the floor, moving in circles, etc., jumping up. I could tell that this one young man was very much a dancer.

Of course I also checked out 3 books while I was there. Even though I can again read the newspaper, large print is much easier. I got "The Accidental Tourist" (by Anne Tyler) though I think I read it years ago; "The Rough Rider" by Gilbert Morris (I hope this is a "stand alone" novel; his "Root Out of Dry Ground" is one of my favorites of all time), and one by Belva Plain (another of my favorite authors).

BPL@NIGHT

That's what it's called. The Birmingham Public Library has free events at night sometimes. I've been to several. Most are at the main library, but some are at one of the branches. I attended one last night at a branch, and will attend another tomorrow night downtown. They start at 6:30 and last an hour or little more. Also, the library staff serves such as chips and dip, cookies, juice and coffee, etc.

I have seen "Joy, the Queen of Clean" (local amateur comedian, who works a full-time day job), "Sam Banana and the Bunch" (local men who used to be in the Warblers', the glee club of one of the high schools; they are as good as Sha Na Na, and as hilarious; I "had" to buy their CD); Muse of Fire (local theatrical troupe who does "guerilla" versions of Shakespeare plays, as well as improv, performing at the historic Sloss Furnaces; I read that in "Julius Caesar, considering the old pig iron furnace facility, the triumvirate rode in, not on horses, but on motorcycles!); Delores Hydock (local but nationally known professional storyteller - one of the best! and yes, I have a couple of her CDs); Carl Winters (the Kalimba King, also excellent - I've seen him twice and bought his CD); "After Class" (trio of hammered dulcimer, guitar, etc., who play a lot of Irish music, as well as a lot of other things - yep, I bought 2 of their CDs - the dulcimer player knew me from somewhere, maybe shortly after I moved here and attended some bluegrass festivals, or because I did a 2 hour bluegrass show on Saturdays on an old AM station); Irene Latham (local lady whose first novel, "Leaving Gee's Bend", was recently published); and more ... You can do a search on any of them, as most have either a web site, or some news article has been written about them.

Last night I heard "Riverboat John" Ferguson, from Huntsville, Alabama, who does Tom Sawyer/Mark Twain things, telling stories, playing music. "Tom Sawyer" is the NEA's "Big Read" this year, so the library is having a lot of events that tie in with Samuel Langhorne Clemons. John has a rich baritone voice, and played banjo last night.

Tomorrow night, "Muse of Fire" will do a bit from "Romeo and Juliet", which will probably be unexpected funny.

Wish you could join me there!