Editor’s Note: Apologies for the cut off text. My typewriter took a full on spill to the face the other day and the keys are out of alignment.
I feel like I have just been sucked out of a vacuum.
For the past four weeks, I have been training profusely on new tools, prepping for festivals & otherwise finding any number of excuses not to write.
Some days it was Pokemon, other days it was fatigue punctuated by multiple naps. In truth, I think the muse had just gone. It needed a small break before it could engage for a full weekend at Tygh Valley for SOAK.
I am hesitant to say it has returned, either. While not dependent on any one element, I feel this typewriter is as good an instrument as any to measure the health of my writing appetites &, unfortunately, he took quite the spill.
But if this is a lowlight from the past weekend, let it be the only one because I had a great damn time. In a sentence, I believe I have found my tribe.
Cats in Space, per usual, threw together a damn good party, replete with fire dancing, deejays & all the propane fire art a benign pyromaniac could ask for.
For my part, I brought the mobile pasta-poetry stand. It’s a janky piece of work, a testament to haphazard construction projects. But for three days & nights it held & became a focal point for my highlights of the festival. On that note, here’s a small list of highlights & Cats that deserve the love.
- First off, a big thank you to our Lord Captain Commander, Squigglefloof & her trusty first mate, Nobody. If ever there were two people who could write a book on how to herd cats, these would be the perfect co-authors, the prime experts in the field. I appreciate them both so very much for pouring in the effort year after year to ensure the rest of us Cats have our homebase from which we can explore the happening playground that is SOAK.
- Secondly, a big thank you to the Cats who helped me set up, move & prep the pasta stand in & out of the fire circle for the bits on Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Gigi, Lucas, Corey, Zee, & Danny. I honestly don’t think any of the insanity could have happened without your knowledge, skill & muscle. Oh, and how could I forget Scoops–your help deconstructing the stand on Monday was instrumental to an easy packout.
- Lastly, a shout out to everyone who came up to the stand with curiosity. Whether it was with intent for a serving of pasta, poetry or a proposal to destroy the economy of New Zealand. I had so much fun engaging my clowniest self with you all.
Now on to the highlights:
- It goes without saying, but the stand was a hit on all three nights. My favorite night, however, had to be Saturday night. Writing poems for my friends & engaging in guerilla silliness with passersby as we came up with madcap business proposals was a supreme delight. I was able to write pieces for my friends Megan, Max & Gattaca while burning in the circle–an all-time festival high!–& the reactions on their faces made my weekend.
- The poetry workshop & all the nonsense leading up to it. I actually forgot a set of costumes at a friends house on my way to SOAK & made a the decision to drive to Portland & back to pick them up. I only managed to arrive to my own workshop about 30 minutes late (mea culpa) [editors note: thank you Sage for understanding & all your work helping us set up our camp workshops] but still had my friends Gaje, Samson & Jeff willing to learn some new ways to think about poetry & inspire poetic thought. What followed was a magical two hours spent reading poetry on the Path of Radical Self Reliance, exploring the fairgrounds & then writing our own by the riverside. Everyone came up with such unique & touching words, I was ready to go again! (Next year!)
- The Friday-Saturday yestermorrow hangout crew at Camp Clusterfuck. If ever there were a group help me find my muse again, it was this gang of jokesters. I’m still ripe to work on the words they provided, but it will absolutely happen.
- The Sunday morning bubbles. Always a magical event, this time moreso as Scoops & I helped a fellow burner, Beans, write his magnum opus: a beans-based parody of Britney Spears’ “Toxic.”
- The Sunday afternoon Giraffe Stack sesh with Danny. There were a lot of lost giraffes and Danny & I had our work cut out for us making sure they stood upright. Danny was so taken, he has come to be a newly christened giraffe father.
- The Sunday eve watching the Temple ceremony from my hammock spot, writing more poetry & then rejoining the Cats in Space for a final burn. In particular, the merry-go-round tech on the triad was a game-changer. A huge thanks to Carson & Casey for helping me experiment with the tri-point staff in a partner environment.
- Also a highlight: being the last dog standing [editor’s note: crawling, more like] for the conclave burn on Saturday night. I may have gotten a bit lost in the act, but I loved playing the part with my friends Tammi, Gigi, Carson, et al. My apologies to a screaming Lord Captain Commander, “Ben! Ben! Stahppp!”
- Finally, Cats in Swamp. A pipe burst just behind our campsite &, despite some initial apprehension, the situation was met with increasing gung-ho hilarity. It was testament to the character of these cats that we were able to readjust & keep the party train rolling.
And that’s it. My entire SOAK experience summed up in as few words as possible. I hope y’all enjoyed.
Poems are soon to come on the Patreon now that I have exited this vacuum of a month called May, as well as some more movement on larger projects–a manuscript to be specific.
Oh, and as a final aside, a Happy Birthday cousin Ernie. The man is the first friend I ever had & a constant joy in my life. Here’s to you, mate.
–The Casual Rambler
The Casual Ramble 