Monday, day four in Bryan,
I went to the George Bush Presidential Library
on the campus of Texas A&M,
sat through the 20 minute introductory movie,
walked around the lobby,
didn't pay to go any further.
I walked the grounds,
saw the artwork commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall,
went around the pond,
down the short path
to the three simple gravestones,
Robin, George, Barbara.
A typical hot, humid day,
Not many people walking except to and from buildings and cars
But I walked anyway
To the teaching gardens
A mile away
Which would have been far more pleasant to experience
If a ground crew hadn't been
Using those noisy handheld blowers
To clear clippings and dust off the sidewalk,
Something i think is a waste of time,
Because who cares
Wind, the next rainstorm
will blow dirt onto the walkway
And who cares about dirt
when you're walking in a garden
But that's me,
I'm not a Texan
I'm not into nature being clean and orderly.
Despite the noise
I enjoyed the garden
and White Creek, a restored natural creek
I saw the century tree,
a wide oak cordoned off
to protect it from people
The tree is a legend,
a place for marriage proposals
and wedding ceremonies,
a lucky tree if you're in love.
I enjoyed the walk
despite the noise
and my dripping sweat,
but not sure I would do it again.
Evening brought a chance to see The Matrix
at the historic Queen Theater
in downtown Bryan.
The Queen is next to the Stafford
and across the street from The Palace,
which is now an outdoor venue,
where I'll be on Sunday to see Tish Hinejosa and Susan Gibson,
excited about that!
The Queen is now modern inside,
plush leather recliners,
food service, QR code ordering, they deliver to your seat,
even the popcorn.
After the movie I joined an online open mic based in El Paso
attended by readers from several states and a couple of other countries.
I read a poem about poets
and test drove a new song,
phrasing seemed to work
but I know I rushed it,
I tend to do that the first time or two I try a new one in public.
Maybe I'll play it on Wednesday night
at an in person open mic.
maybe I'll convince myself to go
and maybe I'll play.
You're probably thinking,
of course you'll do it.
I'm thinking that too
but I'm not convinced.
Bryan/College Station,
Not the most riveting place
Not my kind of place
to visit or stay in long term
But I'm here
and I'm writing,
writing, writing, creating,
words
flowing
I'm sitting still
not much to see and do,
and everything here costs something,
So many extremes
heat, humidity, wind, rain,
it's Texas so I guess everything has to be bigger.
I'm glad I came here
to see what I might have been missing
Now I know I don't need it
but it wasn't a waste of time
It turned into
a creative break
before my next stop.
Houston
and a country music festival
deep in Texas
Culture shock?
No, I've lived in the deep south
I've sat side by side with people
whose political beliefs
boggle my mind
scare me
I know to keep my mouth shut
nod, move away
and drift until I bump into a kindred spirit,
Somehow we find each other
feel safe to
quietly vent,
say what we're thinking,
Yeah,
I can exist
short term
in a place where
where I don't feel like I fit in
I can exist here,
but it's not the way I want to live
it's not the way anyone should have to live
I'm glad I'm here
I'll be happy to leave
I'm an outsider here
and I'm okay with not going in.
