[Cally Conan-Davies]

Me and the adorable Daniel Hoffman... and I'm pretty sure that's Julie Kane behind us...

[Cally Conan-Davies]

Drinking at the Brewery with most of my main men (and my only boy) in the whole world!




(from left) Chris Childers, Tim, Rick, Julio, Nemo, Gregory, Walter (my boy) and Davey McG!

[Mary Meriam]

When Men Bow Down
by R. Nemo Hill

When men bow down to sip their drinks
their all-night neon halos tip,
casting shadows as they slip
across pale brows that slowly sink
and drown together, drip by drip,
what each man feels, what each man thinks,
when men bow down to sip their drinks.

When men bow down to sip their drinks
in dimmed down day or midnight’s glare,
in common rows or solitaire,
in a silence startled by the clink
of ice on glass — as if in prayer,
their eyes close and their focus shrinks
when men bow down to sip their drinks.

When men bow down to sip their drinks
with shoulders hunched, with jaws grown slack —
draped across each turned, bent back
the world’s abandoned at the brink
of their immobile zodiac,
their cloud of mingled breath which stinks
as men bow down to sip their drinks.

When men bow down to sip their drinks
the rhythmic round of hand to lip
grows metronomic, each man’s grip
preserves his final failing link
to time —. Of passing moments stripped,
the present stares, the future blinks,
when men bow down to sip their drinks.

(Dick’s Bar, 1992-2007—New York City)

PS: You look like a youngster, Timmy.

[Cally Conan-Davies]

How good is that, Mems?!!!! Well caught!! Tis true - nothing better than hanging out with bent men.

And yes - Timmy looks great, and sounds even better.

You'll never believe what happened outside this pub while Davey went to get the car. Chris Childers stood on the edge of the footpath with Gregory Dowling and me, and he recited from memory Richard Wilbur's 'Lying'. He continued to recite when, midway, Davey pulled up with the car, and he did not miss a beat.

It was astounding. And for me, certainly one of the highlights... this beautiful, young man, without guile or self-consciousness, passionately declaiming to us and the evening sky, the wondrous lines of a great American master poet.

Unforgettable.

[Cally Conan-Davies]

Ok, last one for the day! Me and McG at the Brewery, with thanks to Barbara Egel and Nemo...

[Catherine Chandler]

Wonderful pictures, Cally! Wish I could have been there to meet you. Maybe next year . . .

[Janice D. Soderling]

What a party. Thx so much for the pics.

[Jean L. Kreiling]

Oh, I feel SO left out. Thanks for the pictures and commentary. Send more!

Best,
Jean

[Andrew Mandelbaum]

We stopped in for a night. A strange blur of a Mason's scarlet vibratos, an Amish bonnet and musical balls cascading in the periphery. Sadly I see I missed meeting more than a few.

[Edmund Conti]

I came in Friday afternoon for a one-morning stand. My son, driver, carrier and translator came with me and took some pictures. Maybe we'll figure out how to post them. I want to thank all those who came by to say Hello, Jan Hodge who recited one of my poems to me (ok, it was just a 2-liner), those of you who graciously relieved me of some of my Quiblets, and that great crowd who go up early on Saturday to hear me, Melissa and Bob McKenty. Well, yeah, maybe you came for the 15 great poets who followed us and read their poems from Light.