nevermore_66

Im back in Northern IL!!!

There are trees here. Chicagos close enough that I think I might be able to smell it.

Ahbut it looks like, unexpectedly, I will be heading back to Central Illinois come Monday. A few friends (and my brother) signed up for a three week stage combat class at my former undergrad school, Eureka College, with some expert trainer that they are flying in (or something). Andthey have another slot open, so I grabbed it. I enjoy not knowing where Ill be week to week, day to day. Saturday Ill be at a wedding for my writing mentor in Kentucky. Monday Ill be sword fighting. Who knows after that

I started running again this week, after a couple weeks hiatus. Last semester I was having troubles with sleeping. A friend, Torrie, got me to try running with her. At first, I did it just to wear myself out so I could quiet the thoughts in my head long enough to sleep. And it worked (think Fight Clubbut less interesting). But thenI got to liking it (Im the LAST person in the world that I expected to like running). On days when I ran alone, I took a road from my dorm, up to a little lake where vultures tend to hang out this time of year. It got me writing

Every day, I ran
To the lake mouth
To clear the branches
Of vultures brooding black
In the thick of thorns
Hungry for messiah blood
Tiny Spears of Destiny
Having to instead subside
On meager meals of road kill gore
Dangling in the thorny wind
And every day
And every run
One less vulture
And then no more
And the crow laughed
And I knew I had come home

Tomorrow, I find out if I advanced in a novel writing contest that I entered.