Kevin Camp's Blog – July 2010 Archive (10)

my dear sweet child

My dear sweet child
How do I tell you
You came about one fateful, boozy night

Whose memories are now only
A man’s name
A phone number
Scrawled across a
Stained cocktail napkin

Buried in a drawer
Deep beneath old photographs
Newspaper clippings
Receipts
Ticket stubs

The dandruff of selves I once was

Added by Kevin Camp on July 27, 2010 at 3:32pm — No Comments

Conscience Clauses, Civil Disobedience, and Uncivil Discourse

A Notice: This post will discuss controversial subjects. Though I hold my own opinions on the matter, I do not discourage others who disagree from leaving comments or participating.

In this country, a long tradition exists of individuals who have refused to perform a particular duty or task, citing their religious beliefs as justification. The very definition of Civil Disobedience, of course, depends on the person, the… Continue

Added by Kevin Camp on July 26, 2010 at 7:30am — No Comments

Parasite

Woman
latches on to her
latest significant other

quotes verbatim an
exaggerated litany of
his greatest hits minus

of course

the tragic missteps

her role as spokesperson for
a private P.R. campaign

unprepared for
heavy scrutiny
aiming for
easy ego-stroking

flattery famously conceals
desire for legacy absorption

parallel parasites
blind to their hosts

Added by Kevin Camp on July 25, 2010 at 4:29pm — No Comments

Now I Know In Part; Then I Shall Know Fully

Two specific stories from two specific people have broadened my understanding in the past few days. As a bit of prelude, I recognize that I was socialized as a male, so I know that it is from that reference point that I form all my judgments and observations. In particular, two very intense experiences I've had recently brought quite a bit into focus for me. I'm always very glad for desired insight and always hope to receive more of it.

With my first anecdote, I'm going to be a good… Continue

Added by Kevin Camp on July 24, 2010 at 3:30pm — No Comments

After a Time, All Losses are the Same

This past holiday weekend I visited two Civil War battlefields: Antietam and Gettysburg. While part of my motivation to go was purely the tourist's curiosity, I also went to remind myself of the multitude of ironies present in armed conflict. It does me well to contemplate what I believe to be the overall futility of warfare, regardless of the context. I certainly found plenty of both. I chose to go in part to celebrate Independence Day in a… Continue

Added by Kevin Camp on July 23, 2010 at 10:37am — No Comments

Bouncy

sound over of conversation

lips smacking against cigarette filters. giggles. rustling of plastic bags full of pills. childish needless flinty flicks of lighters. all culminating in squeals of girls who saunter up to the bathroom with their lovers to dose, to swallow the necessary amount of water in the cheap plastic cups and upon doing so collapse onto sofas together in a heap of hair and rumpled clothing.

then fade in on where I’m…

Continue

Added by Kevin Camp on July 23, 2010 at 10:30am — No Comments

Bad Company

bad company

usually comes in

the form of men

with ornate and

highly visible forearm

tattoos

invariably sacrilegious

leering vacantly

mouths open

identical to the way

you're afraid you look

while gazing across

the seats at the latest

attractive stranger

they hunch forward

elbows resting heavily

on knees

talking incoherently

out of the

sides of their… Continue

Added by Kevin Camp on July 23, 2010 at 6:00am — No Comments

Plain on the Outside, Fancy Underneath

A couple weeks ago, while returning from an errand, I stopped briefly at Union Station here in DC to get some lunch. Union Station has long been a busy depot by which rail and bus traffic arrives and departs, and it also serves as a rail and bus stop for area public transportation. With the passage of time, part of the inside of the terminal has been transformed into a shopping mall of sorts, which frequently satiates the boredom of tourists and… Continue

Added by Kevin Camp on July 22, 2010 at 6:04pm — No Comments

Movin' On Up

The past several days I've been musing on the chosen strategies employed by the privileged and the well-educated to solve societal problems. In particular, I've been contemplating the idea of poverty. As is typical for me, I've been seeking to find intersections and similarities between seemingly divergent topics, all in the hopes of eliminating confusion among everyone. Sometimes we disagree because we inadvertently work at cross-purposes to each other. The anecdote to follow illustrates how… Continue

Added by Kevin Camp on July 22, 2010 at 6:00pm — No Comments

Guyland: A Review with Reflections

The concept of masculinity as a societal construct has been consuming my thoughts recently. Whether we're talking about Mel Gibson's brutal rants, Al Gore's alleged sexual exploits, or any number of recent instances where men fail to act in a responsible fashion, I think it's time men took a long hard look at ourselves. American masculinity has never desired to truly examine itself in any detail. Seemingly obsessed with looking and acting the… Continue

Added by Kevin Camp on July 22, 2010 at 10:30am — 4 Comments

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