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PAUL E NELSON

Paulownia Tomentosa

Paulownia Tomentosa

I have heard much over the years about Jack Remick’s writing group. That he’s the feature of our 13th Ginsberg Marathon made me want to see how he works. A very informal gathering at 2P Tuesdays and Fridays at Louisa’s on Eastlake, there’s a bit of chatting and coffee drinking before the writing begins. I am told it was 45 minutes of writing, after which folks split up into groups of 4 and read their work without comments from anyone. The time seemed much longer for me.

I’d been thinking about a certain tree in Lakewood Park (where we’ve been taking Ella) that has purple flowers and is HUGE. I’d also been thinking about the Seattle Nice phenomenon and the city’s legendary passive aggression and how that manifests. A recent Seattle Times article fed me some lines and thoughts.

Jack had a piece that cracked me up in parts. It was typical Jack, high energy, great imagery

Jack Remick

Jack Remick

California Beat-esque narratives which leave out just enough to draw you in. He’s a real master and I can see what a great teacher he is by reading work from folks who’ve hung out at his writing group sessions, including my Subud sister, Hadiyah Carlyle. Thanks Jack.

So here’s the latest haibun in a series of 99. Hear it here.

86. Paulownia Tomentosa

(Click on the poem to see pdf of the complete version)