January River

potential - january-river.net What if I could get / higher / What if I can / if I try / What if I don’t

From the memoirs of a former gifted kid:

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Music: Mainframe - january-river.net ancient abandoned server room from a previous technologically-advanced civilization which has mysteriously disappeared except for one quirky robot

“These strange machines are still working! Could they be a relic of The Mysterious Ancients?”

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web - january-river.net These lines were meant to trace / a map we all could follow

Follow the threads back to the beginning.

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Music: Moonbot - january-river.net moon sounds

I feel like video games are the first place most people encounter electronic music, so it makes sense as a jumping-off point when you decide to start making your own.

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insomnia - january-river.net Don’t try to fall asleep / just rest your body / and rest will come / when it’s meant to

Nothing is more annoying than somebody who’s asleep as soon as their head hits the pillow.

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Music: Nowhere Road - january-river.net Nowhere Road: an atmospheric instrumental piece inspired by paths without destinations

And now for something completely different: a little wandering music.

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relic - january-river.net On the front of the garage / above a wall that was a door / is a metal loop / screwed to crumbling melamine

I drove past an old house and saw this, and it made me wonder about it.

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fixer-upper - january-river.net Barbie Dream House on the curb

Home for sale, used.

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Classic!

sine - january-river.net The wheels on the suitcase / go round and round

Airports are their own special worlds. They are “between” sorts of places, existing only as the endpoints of a line. And the usual rules don’t apply.

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Commentary: First Drafts, Sketches, and Whatever - january-river.net I am thinking tonight of several key projects, and I am thinking about my approach to the work, and I am thinking about how I’m going to get all of this stuff done, and the answer is that I won’t, unl...

This is what you get when you hit “publish” on a rough draft.

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stalling - january-river.net Can we just / gaze? / she asks, cozy

Better late than never!

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#authorsky #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #writer

Commentary: Merry Christmas, etc. - january-river.net If your holiday is a celebration of kindness, of giving, of joy, I would be honored to share in those aspects with you.

If your holiday is a celebration of kindness, of giving, of joy, I would be honored to share in those aspects with you.

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stuff - january-river.net Nebuchadnezzar’s epithelials / are trapped beneath my nails

“Don't think of it as dust. Think of it as maybe the soil of some great past civilization. Maybe the soil of ancient Babylon…He may be carrying soil that was trod upon by Solomon. Or even Nebuchadnezzar.”
-Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Christmas

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Commentary: Hard vs. Easy - january-river.net Dear reader(s), I’m fond of the expression “Once you’re 90% of the way done, there’s only the other 90%.” This is because, as a writer, I must be bad at math in order for the cosmic balance to be main...

There’s a cosmic balance between all that is difficult and all that is simple, and Ryan Reynolds (and his spleen) play a surprisingly key role.

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support - january-river.net Some times / aren’t / Some days / don’t

Sometimes you can’t. Sometimes you can. If you can, maybe you can help someone who can’t.

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Commentary: Christmas Lights and Western Civilization: vol. 1 - january-river.net Why is it we can put a man on the moon but we can’t design Christmas lights that last more than one season?

Washing machines don’t last thirty years anymore, which leads to the inevitable conclusion that we should be listening to more Slovak techno. Or something.

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sweeper - january-river.net Eight-hundred slender fingers / on a bound hand / gently kiss the contours / of the plane

One of my favorite types of poetry is “what do you think this is actually about?” Post your guesses in the comments!

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Commentary: Art Stuff - january-river.net It’s 11/11! Make a wish! Was your wish for a stream-of-consciousness commentary post? I’ll never tell!

It’s 11/11! Make a wish!

Was your wish for a stream-of-consciousness commentary post? I’ll never tell!

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A Cup of Christmas Coffee - january-river.net “But what about all this? Your ranch, your dream of running a Christmas-themed coffee shop right here in a small New Mexico town? And what about the people of Elephant Butte?”

Need something fun to read on a brisk fall day? Cassandra, Sebastian, and their dreams of a Christmas-themed coffee shop will heat things up!

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Still Life, Pond in Autumn - january-river.net Kieran sat unmoving in his equally motionless kayak, the bright yellow plastic divided in two perfect halves by the mirror of the water’s surface.

New flash fiction!

The pond was beautiful, tranquil, still, like a painting. Until it wasn’t.

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Striking symmetrical photo of a pond in autumn, reflecting trees along the shoreline.

New flash fiction tomorrow!

bound - january-river.net The natives fling themselves / with abandon / into walls

Welcome to the jungle!

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Commentary: It Was a Protein Shake - january-river.net I think you can get away with a “dear reader” type of commentary filled with the banal details of what you had for breakfast last Thursday as long it’s not every week. Or every two weeks.

I think you can get away with a “dear reader” type of commentary filled with the banal details of what you had for breakfast last Thursday as long it’s not every week. Or every two weeks.

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Cannot wait to read it!!

Thank you!!

reconstruction - january-river.net Today’s poem is the first January River thing that’s been published elsewhere, which is really exciting! Check it out!

Today’s poem is the first January River thing that’s been published elsewhere, which is really exciting! Check it out!

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Commentary: Something Old, Something Also Old, Several Other Old Things - january-river.net One thing I’ve been discovering as I’ve started submitting things to places that might want to publish them is that there is actually a “market” for reprints.

One thing I’ve been discovering as I’ve started submitting things to places that might want to publish them is that there is actually a “market” for reprints.

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posteriority - january-river.net Butt cheek! / Butt cheek! / my daughter proclaims / to the world

The words of a child possess such stark wisdom, such doubtless truth. Heed them well.

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