By J.J. Tindall
Stationary Freight Car
1.
TCMX
35013
LD LMT 221600
LT WT 64400
2.
DO NOT HAMMER ON CAR
DO NOT APPLY VIBRATORS
TO ANY PART OR CAR BODY
EXCEPT VIBRATOR BRACKETS
USE ON LOADED CAR ONLY
Posted on September 5, 2013
Chicagoetry: Frontier Day Off
By J.J. Tindall
FRONTIER DAY OFF
Ridin’ into town
For supplies,
The hard prairie smoldering
In the wet August heat.
Saddle and saddle-bags
Are fine;
It’s the handlebars
On the aluminum horse
Which need adjustment, tightening.
Horse enough,
By a smirk
Of the imagination.
Posted on August 28, 2013
Chicagoetry: Death of a Blind Woman’s Cat (Free Sons)
By J.J. Tindall
Death of a Blind Woman’s Cat (Free Sons)
“The day will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you are throttling today.” – Inscription on the memorial to the Haymarket Martyrs, Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
The silence
of the cool, mid-afternoon
sun
broke only
with the wash
of automobiles
Posted on August 13, 2013
Chicagoetry: Green River Blues
By J.J. Tindall
Green River Blues
“Chicago’s a real goddam crazy place. Nobody’s safe in the streets.” – Lucky Luciano
I work
the green river
to earn
my nut
as a docent
of the installation
called “Chicago Skyline.”
I sing
the green river . . .
and then
it turns brown,
Posted on July 10, 2013
Chicagoetry: Ladies And Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones
By J.J. Tindall
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE ROLLING STONES
OK: it was 1978
And I was 17.
The Stones
Were coming
To Soldier Field,
Named in honor
Of Army veterans
Of World War
One.
No possessive.
Posted on June 11, 2013
Chicagoetry: Elegy For A Sign Painter
By J.J. Tindall
Elegy for a Sign Painter
Loss: I think we
may have lost
our last brick wall
sign painter. I admire
the hell
out of this guy.
Posted on May 30, 2013
Chicagoetry: A Night At The Opera
By J.J. Tindall
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
“The bullies . . . may have been mistreated children and worthy of understanding but would nevertheless kill you.” -Stanley Booth, on the Hell’s Angels at Altamont, from “The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones.”
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality.
Queen
Was coming
To the Stadium.
They were touring
“A Day at the Races.”
I had to be
At that show.
Posted on May 1, 2013
Chicagoetry: The Magic Bus
By J.J. Tindall
THE MAGIC BUS
For Roger Ebert
Cue: Aaron Copland’s
“Fanfare for the Common Man”…
I first heard it
On “Love You Live”
As the intro music
For the Rolling Stones
Posted on April 5, 2013
Chicagoetry: J.J. Tindall’s Dream
By J.J. Tindall
J.J. TINDALL’S DREAM
I just had
this dream:
I was in a city park,
walking south
down the east side
sidewalk.
There was a ragged
chain-link fence
around the park
which included crumbling cement
basketball courts
with weeds popping up throughout.
There were tall streetlights
at regular intervals
that were crumbling, too.
I climbed one of them to the top
at which point
the streetlight
slowly bent back downward
to the ground
and I landed softly
and safely, giggling.
I wanted
to do it again
but at the base
of the streetlight behind me stood
a middle-aged Black man, also giggling.
I took him to be
an authority figure
and was nervous.
He seemed cool about it, but
he also called me
“J.J.”
I’d never
seen him before
in my life!
Posted on March 14, 2013
Chicagoetry: I Can See Fear In Your Eyes, Bon Jovi
By J.J. Tindall
I CAN SEE FEAR IN YOUR EYES, BON JOVI
In the 1990s
I lived in Wicker Park.
I wanted to be
an artist.
It wasn’t exactly
working out.
Posted on February 14, 2013