connecting*the*dots

Evelyn Roth, TV Trap (1973)

Joe Malia, Memoirs of a Computer Obsessive (2006)

(via BoingBoing)

I tag like a 15 year-old kid in the South Bronx with a box full of Krylons and a yard full of freshly sandblasted cars.

I tag like I just got jumped by a handful of punks who made the mistake of letting me follow them to their trailer park homes adorned with freshly cleaned aluminum siding.

I tag like I get told who I am, what I’m supposed to believe and how I’m supposed to act on a daily basis.

I go all city, hoping that one day, the vehicles I’ve touched get stitched together to form a complete sentence.

I tag because I saw you leave your mark and it was dope.

I tag because I know how to freeze, watch TV and (kinda) avoid the kissing bugs.

I tag because the words I drop in time will find a way to form a cohesive rhyme.

I tag because the world may be getting smaller, but it’s damn sure not coming together.

I tag your name, your spot, your position, your mood, your frame of mind when it’s too hard for you to see it for yourself.

I tag the expected terms of modern constructs.

I tag the post-modern undercurrents of miscellaneous descriptors.

I tag my tags so that when structure is forged out of chaos, you’ll know how to find me.

I tag so that it’s me you won’t be looking for.

When I tag, I’m regurgitating the meal I’ve caught for the chicks in my roost.

When I tag, I feel one with the universe of the collective unconscious.

When I tag, I can see the pillars of control quaking in their foundation.

When I tag, I experience therefore I understand.

When we tag, anything is possible.

————

Tag! We’re It! Part II
Tag! We’re It!

i look to my left and see your smile
all the while i try to file
away my past
my stumbles
my gaffs
your eyes scream a subtle cry
try to tell me why
i can’t look away
today is the day
i step up to you standing straight
today is the day
in with the love, out with the hate
yeah, today is the day
i’m ready to say
i could leave this big city
the loss of my metrocard ain’t a pity
i’d go to the ends of the earth to be with you
if only just for a moment
it’d be time well spent
you see you have my heart
my lungs
my synapses
my tongue
twisted
back to the front
you know all about the game
i’m all about the hunt
but this time shit is for real
i never thought my wounds would heal
feel
me
oh my
believe it or not
i’m puffing a natural high
one plus one equals two
fu, baby
f.u.

three
her eyes are closed
disguised
hiding her questions
questioning lies
both our pasts
both our moves
both our deals
both our grooves
hour
two
inches away from my face
her breath dances in my mouth
two mouths…
recessitation
of a time stood still
reciprication
of a notion more chill
more fine
more perceptive
more wine
more…
one
beauty
an inch away
a timeless smile
a lasting taste
a momentary flicker
haste
makes
waste

fresh air
the show
must go on
i know you better than you think
i’m ready for that drink
was strong
yet sweet
her voice
makes my pass
complete.

what is sophisticated?
in a relative mix
who has experience?
with a reality based fix

i remember the day when i ached for that girl’s heart
years have gone by
i’ve since buried that spark
to play with that desire
is to play with fire
the dancing of the flames
homeward bound james
driven to the core
the embers flick to roar
whore
myself to her smile
attached
for just awhile
long enough to see
the real soul found in her eyes
behind the front
behind the coyness
behind the lies
to herself
she’s working out a plan
but to this man…

10,000 ft.

by the end of the night she let me peer into her heart
the purest of motives
it allowed me to start
the realization that we were more alike than i’d ever thought
it’s crazy how things happen
how you can jump from a knot… to a knot
you see
when she smiled
the room lit up as when the sun shines through venetian blinds
she captivated my attention
released my emotions
exercised my mind
she did jumping jacks on my soul
and found the keys to my libido
after a test drive in first gear…
holy_toledo.
at first it was a spark
and then a big roaring flame
tom and jerry had nothing on this
last night put that cat’s game to shame
i didn’t want to leave her at all
i craved a night of newfound bliss
but i’m gentleman at heart…
so i can live with such a passionate kiss

8,000 ft

open the chute…
see, that wasn’t so bad
life’s all about the chance of hit or miss

ok
so now there’s a couple of ladies that have my attention
i’ve dropped knowledge on the one
but did i forget to mention?
number two is beautiful
esquisite
refreshing
distinct
she peaked my interest tonight
arroused my attention
caught my eye
made me think
about life from a different perspective
yet similar at the same time
i’m down to get to know her
i’m changing direction on a dime
yeah, yeah fellas i know
i’m messing up my own game
dropping knowledge out in public
can only make my intensions plain
to the eyes
to the heart
to the soul
to the senses
i’m playing myself out
but oh, did i forget to mention?
that none of that matters to me
’cause i’m not all about a score
i’m not looking to hit and run
i’ve been through the revolving doors
chica uno y chica dos
are both special in their own right
so i’m down to check out both
in whatever light they might
expose themselves to me
in pitch black
or under the bright
lights
of the big city…
i gotta go to bed
i got nothing left that’s witty.

ahhhhh shit it’s on
going, going… gone
i’m on deck for the long
haul
that smile could make a midget stand
tall
but it ain’t like i’m just gonna
fall
for a woman whose game could just
maul
me into two halves
it would take at least two carafes
washed down by a bunch of laughs
to have me singing that song
yeah, her game is mad strong
makes a man want to go long
for a pass
i’m liking that pass
and all it takes is a glance
shit, i could fall into a trance…
whoah.
just say no.
check out that woman from the show
hang out with that cutie from down the hall
they haven’t thrown up circumstantial walls
man…
why do i enjoy putting my head through such tight fits?
ok, that’s rhetorical
it’s time to quit.
haha.

out went the lights
out went the phone
out went the lift
to my pad, to my home
out went the excuses as
to why she wasn’t…
the bomb.
exploded,
corroded,
imploded in my gut
i tried to fake the funk on a moment in the real
and i walked away a punk with respect to conceal
you know the bomb that’s ticking
has a clock of her own
and i’m just looking to get in that radius
take out my block
take out my home
take out my car
take out my clothes
take out my…

BAM.

lights out.
damn!

there’s something familiar
about the look in her eyes
a lust for life
kicked back without lies
what you see is what you get
and that ‘tude is mad attractive
i gotta admit
i’m doing a double take
i’m starting to feel hyperactive
but in order to live
and start to once again give
i’ll have to take that chance
cut in on that dance
get back to romance
and snap out this trance…

shit!

the vibe feels so right and my head’s back on straight
i’m way too old to front
it’s time to make my own fate…
hold up
wait a minute
i’m already there
we’re chillin’ like dylan
no need to start losing hair
a friendship is evolving
taking root
taking hold
if the moment is right
i’m down to be bold
and if it’s just not happening
i can back out with grace
no need to dive in
no need to lose face

this isn’t a 100 meter dash
but a marathon with a pace

splash!
i sunk straight to the bottom of those pools
on past the posers, players and the fools
right up to the core of her soul
oh shit
these depths could take a toll
on my everyday actions
the way i fall asleep at night
those lips
that demeanor
i’m on point fighting the good fight
to understand the vibe which i can only feel…
touch…
taste…
man
this afternoon’s gonna be a waste

the tinder was set
the wind was just right
i peered around the corner
amid the stage fright
and then it just happened
*snap*
a spark
our eyes met just once amid the shadows of the dark
we took a step inside
and left the world behind
the night ahead was bound to us
snug tight as a skull to the mind
*snap*
another
and then three and four
is my mind deceiving me?
am i floating above the floor?
her lips moved in harmony
with her grin and gleaming eyes
no chance i can front on this vibe
the cool act had now lost it’s guise
as the orchestra played on
i smiled and swayed in step
but the only music i heard that night
was from the lady that sat on my left
a skull cap was knit
a concussion of the highest degree
a mindmeld of emotion
a hand slid down her knee
*snap*

Click To Play (by Tao Ruspoli)

alright, i’m definitely not down on that vibe
red devil barbecue grills within the suburban tribe
manicured lawns, thirty piece china sets
garbage disposal units and non-allergic pets
two cars parked in a freshly paved drive
an overly friendly postman to keep the conversation live
neighborhood watchers to keep trespassers away
tree lined roads without a glimpse of decay
i don’t know
it all sounds too perfect to me
give me the cultured grit of urbania
that’s my living philosophy
stumbling outside on a thursday night
running into a mixed couple just might
kick off a discussion on world events
or maybe just lead the proceedings to the park with live band tents
a subway ride away live van goghs and monets
across town you can find the son seals and robert crays
straight downtown is juniors famous cheesecake
all access, all day
no matter what kind of cheese you make
ok, so i navigate around the homeless population
and sometimes the pace can cause exasperation
but when i lie down at night
and think about what will come tomorrow
i know i won’t be left bored in the dark
because the city constantly calls for me to borrow
a ride
block by block
tick tock goes the clock
neighborhoods change faces
new storefronts
new races
all in a blink of an eye
why ask why?
all you can do is gear up and hold on for the ride
there’s nothing like this man made rip tide
life in the city ain’t a pity
give me a metrocard and 24 hours
i’ll come back with found knowledge and flowers
for you

i remember the day i saw you for the first time
how you danced with the wind
swayed as a matter of fact
i knew in that instant my heart was jacked
stolen.
lost forever
caught in the breeze you controlled with ease.
why try to fight what you can’t control?
so i gave in to my desires
and i gave in to the moment
i was weak
i was in need of closure
trying to wrap it up in a ball
and toss it to the curb
to lose the jones for her touch once again
i needed to move on
one thing i knew for sure
is that i needed closure
then you started to sway in the midst of my gust
i must have been crazy to let on the need i had for you
how did i let myself fall?
why couldn’t i deal with my shit first before involving someone like you?
a sweet soul, tender to the touch
good to the core…
i tried to ring you in
i tried to have it all
you and all of my insecurities abound…
i knew better
but became intoxicated by your touch
your smell
your being
and now that i have buried my past with her
you are no more
but a moment of bliss
is better than a lifetime of remiss
so i’ll take the tryst
with blood clenched fists
i’ll move on and resist
the thought of your kiss

she spoke in circles
yet was as straight as could be
made me think about what once was
how i almost landed on one knee
her laugh is still infectious
her smile shines on
another hour of this
and i’m sure to be gone
dragged in
and kicked smoothly out
the smoke fills up my head
how did i land on this deep route?
i’m not sure where i am
or where this will go
but i am damn sure
that it is much better to know
that she still has those eyes…
that smile…
wow.