10 years

It's a strange day; the 10th anniversary of my Dad's death. Which seems unbelievable. Back in 1970, he worked for an underground newspaper, the 750 Nitro Express (blowing into your mind at 2500 feet per second, dig?) So here is something he wrote 38 years ago -he'd be about 25 then.
"Poetry Lives " says Nitro Express Editor
Todt Says words
Are not poetry!
Speaking before a small group of winos, thugs and police officers he encountered in an alleyafter leaving a downtown topless go-go bar, George H. Todt, editor of the 750 Nitro Express said " Words are not poetry."

"Volumes of printed symbols," Todt continued, "Remind me of coral reefs; myraid discarded
containers, empty carcasses, shells, hard, cold, empty, LEFT BEHIND, to say LIFE has been here.ALIVE has been here."

Todt declined an invitation to read, but said "I could read my words to you; try to tell you of whatonce was, but poetry? No. You'll have to find your own poetry."

Pressed further, he replied: "Poetry is just opening your eyes and seeing something in a special way."
" Poetry is high. Poetry is getting high and being full of wonder."

VIVA TODT

"Poetry Lives " says Nitro Express Editor
Todt Says words
Are not poetry!
Speaking before a small group of winos, thugs and police officers he encountered in an alley
after leaving a downtown topless go-go bar, George H. Todt, editor of the 750 Nitro Express
said ' Words are not poetry.'
' Volumes of printed symbols,' Todt continued, 'Remind me of coral reefs; myraid discarded
containers, empty carcasses, shells, hard, cold, empty, LEFT BEHIND, to say LIFE has been here.
ALIVE has been here.'
Todt declined an invitation to read, but said ' I could read my words to you; try to tell you of what
once was, but poetry? No. You'll have to find your own poetry.
Pressed further, he replied: ' Poetry is just opening your eyes and seeing something in a special way.'
' Poetry is high. Poetry is getting high and being full of wonder.'

MA PENG FEI £Í£Ï£Ò£Å¡

i post mark's update verbatim, with additions appearing in parentheses and added images:

comms (communications) contradictions abound in the middle kingdom...




so that EQ (earthquake) was strange I was onm the 12th floor of a hospital and felt a sureal jolt- like my brain was sloshing around in my skull for no aparent reason and then the shandaleir weas swaying leaving us all to question our collective sanity fort a moment before realizing what had happened.

(was this sent by Mark or the PPRC Colonel?)

Much more strange than that was the largesat mass morning in the history of man a weak to the minute after when walking through the summer palace I thought there had been a horendous series of collisions somewhere all around us. turned out to be what some have called China's collective wail of grief- everyone stopped in there tracks cars came to a halt and all boud there headsa as horns bells and alarms aroose in an erie kakauphony.

(still wondering...)

Inner mongolia has been an absolute TRIP¡£¡£¡££¨SOMETHING STRANGE JUST HAPPENED WITH THISA COMPUTER EXCUSE THE CAPS£©

FOLKS RARELY SEE OUTSIDERS HERE BUT MONGOLIANS ARE A CURIOUS PEOPLE AND EXTREMELY HOSPITAL SO ALL HAS BEEN WONDEROUS¡£ £É¡¡£Ä£Á£Â£Â£Ì£Å£Ä¡¡£É£Î¡¡£Á¡¡£Â£É£Ô¡¡£Ï£Æ¡¡£Í£Ï£Î£Ç£Ï£Ì£É£Á£Î¡¡£×£Ò£Å£Ó£Ô£Ì£É£Î£Ç¡
¡£Á£Ô¡¡£Á¡¡£Æ£É£Å£Ì£Ä¡¡£Ô£Ò£É£Ð¡¡£Á£Î£Ä¡¡£Ç£Ï£Ô¡¡£Á¡¡£Ç£Ï£Ï£Ä¡¡£Î£Á£Ô£Õ£Ò£Ô£Å£Ä¡
¡£Á£Ó£Ó¡¡£×£È£Ï£Ï£Ð£É£Î£Ç¡¡£Æ£Ï£Ò¡¡£Í£Ù¡¡£Ô£Ò£Ï£Õ£Â£Ì£Å£­¡¡£Ó£Å£Ò£É£Ï£Õ£Ó£Ì£Ù¡¡£Í£Ù¡
¡£Ë£Î£Å£Å¡¡£É£Ó¡¡£Á¡¡£Í£Á£Î£Ç£Ì£Å£Ä¡¡£Í£Å£Ó£Ó¡¡£Á£Î£Ä¡¡£éTHOUGHT i£È£Á£Ä¡¡£Â£Õ£Ó£Ô£Å£Ä¡¡£Í£Ù¡¡£Å£Ì£Â£Ï£×¡£¡¡£Í£Ï£Ò£Å¡¡£Í£É£Ó£Á£Ä£Ö£Å£Î£Ô£Õ£Ò£Å£Ó¡
¡£Ó£É£Î£Ã£Å¡¡£Ô£È£Å£Î¡¡£­¡¡£Ì£Ï£Ï£Ë¡¡£Õ£Ð¡¡£Á¡¡£È£Ï£Ò£Ó£Å¡¡£È£Å£Á£Ä¡¡£Æ£Ç£É£Ä£Ä£Ì£Å¡
¡£É£Æ¡¡£Ù£Ï£Õ¡¡£Ç£Å£Ô¡¡£Á¡¡£Ã£È£Á£Î£ÃE-



GOT TO DISCOVER THE ONLY SCHOOL IN THE WORLD FOR THE ANCIENT MONGOLIAN EMPIRE IN THER MIDST OF A DOWNTRODDEN LITTLE NEIGHBORHOOD- AN AMAZINGF INSTRUMENT£¡

(Englishy first languagey?)

sO NOW i¡®M WAITING TO CATCH A NIGHT TRAIN UP TO THE MONGOLIAN BORDER AND THERE IS A SERIOUS DUST STORM CHOIKING OUT THE SKY THAT BLEW IN FROM THE GOLBI- MAKES ME LIGHT HEADED A BIT SO i¡¯M GONA KNOCK BACK THE LAST OF A BOTTLE OF MA NAI JUO - £¨FORMENTED YACK MILK LIQOUR£© AND TRY TO DRIFT OFF TO SOME FORM OF UNCONCIOUSNESS¡£



MA PENG FEI £¨MY GIVEN CHINESE NAME£©

(maybe it's just switching back to English in a Gobi dust storm on a Mongolian computer and three quarters through some fermented milk spirits...)

news

I've gotten word from Mark. Beijing is a big city.

He's found communicating difficult. Perhaps his shadow Colonel is responsible.

That is all at this time.

Earthquake

There has been a 7.8-magnitude earth quake in China, with the epicenter in Aba prefecture, Sichuan province. The quake was felt 930 miles away in the Chinese capitol, but there have been no reported damage or injuries in Beijing, though tall buildings were evacuated. So while there has been terrible destruction in Sichuan province, we can be confident about Mark's safety. Six after shocks have been reported and tremors were felt as far away as Bangkok and Shanghai.

news

I have received an update from a reliable source the Mark has arrived in the People's Republic of China.

...am i a plane dreaming of flight or flight dreaming of being a plane?

Thank you for coming. We hope you enjoyed your stay in Pittsburgh. Your next stop is... Pittsburgh.

The plane wouldn't fly. They are very heavy. So, it didn't leave the previous airport--Newark. They lost Mark's luggage and put him up in the airport Hyatt (Pittsburgh). I had thought they needed a plane to lose luggage into.... Well, each according to his ability. Meanwhile, the Red Army colonel assigned to shadow his movements has been put up in the Hyatt (Beijing) and fell asleep watching New Tang Dynasty (高级厨师).


But the next day (today): Mark boarded the airy oh plane and woosh!




In his words via text: "There be Chinese talkin goin on in this plane--I feel it may be harder to pick up than Romanian"


Bon Zedong!

Viva Chivo! Safe Travels!

Clear the Decks

Mark is in China and though he said he isn't going to try to meet everyone, he hopes to be on a first name basis with at least the inhabitants of Beijing. And after that he is going to Mongolia...MONGOLIA!

He's going to be sending updates. I'll post them here.