A Portrait, Slant

Emily Dickenson is one of my favorite poets, but when she writes, “Tell all the truth, but tell it slant,” it’s frustrating to be able to follow only half of her advice. The problem is, there are a lot of truths; they are as innumerable as clouds in the skies. So it’s impossible to tell more than a little truth about even one of them, let alone to tell all the truth about each. On the other hand, telling a truth — but telling it slant — is a different matter.

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Dancing Light Creek

Dancing Light Creek – Acrylic/canvas – 31 x 40 inches.

There we were, Chris and I, a couple of dudes, wandering around in a wild part of Arizona. By and by we discovered a stream. I was going to call this painting, “Somewhere Near Nowhere,” but “Dancing Light Creek” seemed a better title because that’s what the light was doing.

More images and writing on my website: johnmichaelkeating.com

Chess, With Clouds

The Scene:

An abandoned hotel* on 6th Street, San Francisco’s Skid Row, early 1970’s.

The Game:

Three-Dimensional chess, with clouds.

The Players:

Gabriel, a Ratter.

Freude, a Film Maker.

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