Autumn and my life cycle

Here it is: my happy poem, "An Ode to Autumn". Published in a community newsletter, slightly anonymized, but who cares. It's a start.

This poem chronicles a bit my experience in Switzerland over the last 9 years. I am getting a bit nostalgic as I approach my 10th anniversary in March 2013. Here's my (nearly) line-by-line breakdown:

• dusts, heroes of summer: think of "The Rising" Bruce Springsteen
• born: yes I mean literally. Some of the best people I know are born between Sept 21 and December 21, typical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere
• boys shooting: this refers to the autumnal festival called Knabbenschiessen, loosely translated as "boys shooting" in Zürich, where I lived for 5 years. The translation is quite funny. Recently though, a young Swiss girl has entered the competition and been a great success.
• Öpfelkiechli or (Öpfel Küchli): Swiss-German dialect for these lovely deep-fried battered apple rings at the Basel Autumn Fair, or Herbstmesse, coming soon end of October. Mmmm. There's a very specific stand, and a very specific lady who makes these. I won't eat any other!
• The bells of Switzerland: there are a lot. Not just church bells. Cow and sheep (and other mountain animals) bells, sleigh bells, door bells... I love them all. Saturday evening they ring for 10 minutes. Really. OK, church bells only.
• Been listening to a lot of R.E.M. lately. Three words from the album, Green (1988). Song: "You Are The Everything". Find it, buy it. Love it!

• OK, we didn't get married in Autumn, but we did get engaged. Friends of ours got married in Autumn. 
• I guess the ol' October 1st heating rule is quite old. Must also be a Zürich thing.
• Yeah, the Dragon / drago in Italian / Draco. Read what you will into that.
• There used to be a branch of the Swiss army that wore yellow berets.
• Yeah, there's always the end of year rush to get things done, not only in Switzerland, but everywhere. Post-its are like leaves...
• Odd use of winter as a "dénouement" is a bit circular ;)

I'm making my first recipe of pumpkin-apple strudel later on today. A variation of Jamie Oliver's Pumpkin Strudel but better. ;) Can't wait!!!

Sunday is Bruce's birthday

"You gott let 'em hear you in New Jersey, man! Is there anybody really alive??" -- Introduction to Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, New York City Live, 2001

So excited, Springsteen is in New Jersey celebrating his 63rd (!) birthday. And already I'm sleepless - thinking how am I going to celebrate this year. 

Should I watch the Hammersmith 1975 show? How about the Darkness DVD? I don't think I've made it through The Promise DVD completely yet. Or just a whole day of Springsteen music? Or perhaps better yet would be to go to the park with my guitar and start playing ;) But the crazy cats here would probably call the police on me. I can't sing for the life of me anyway, and my guitar playing is pretty basic. 

I've also started reading and participating on GreasyLake again -- "The Underworld" or "Fight Club" political forum. It's been 10 years since I have been really active on it, and it's really strange. I've looked back on the almost 10 years now that I've been living in Switzerland. 

"So much has happened to me / that I don't understand / All I can think of is being five years old following behind you at the beach / Tracing your footprints in the sand /Trying to walk like a man" - Tunnel of Love, Walk Like a Man, 1987 

I'm sleepless because there is something burning inside of me again, that fire that has got to get out and be seen be visible. To paraphrase Orwell, there is some lie that I want to expose - so many stories, so many things. I need to be focused and really just write and clean it up later. Forget about everything else for those hallowed carved out times when I write. 

Stay tuned!