Not Happy to Be Closing Out the Year with a Timely Poem: Occupy Forever

   

  When I heard the news, I wrote a poem, attempting Blaine's style,  titled Occupy Forever, for Blaine Hebbel, and Oddball magazine placed in on their website today, which I appreciate greatly. 

      "Occupy Everything," was Blaine Hebbel's (May 6, 1954-December 18, 2021)  rallying cry. It was his mantra, it was how he lived, and mostly how he wanted us all to live. This post isn't a eulogy, I think his obituary does it better than anything I could ever do.  

    What I do want to mention is Blaine's support of the written word. Blaine would attend the Dire Literary Series in Cambridge, Masschusetts most every month. I could always count on Blaine to attend my own readings  on the North Shore. Sometimes it was only a handful of people, plus Blaine, who never could be described as a mere handful. He read from his work those nights like a giant. His beat-like rhymes always slashed their way to the point which supported those who had less. 

    Blaine also curated A Celebration of the American Voice, for three nights in Ipswich at the Hall-Haskell Houe each April. He had the best of the best read their work, and he was a humble and generous host. True to his dedication of those less fortunate, the event was a fund raiser for Ipswich Food Pantry, My Brothers' Table of Lynn and Everytown for Gun Safety. 

   That's all I have to end the year with. Occupy, Heaven.