Spencer Bivins, my youngest, is not-so-young today, as he officially enters the awkward and pubescent world of teenager-dom.
thrive
I’ve not stopped listening to Switchfoot’s new set, Vice Verses since the album was released this past Tuesday. The sheer honesty and reflection from one particular song, Thrive, falls in line with a chapter I just finished from my upcoming novel, The Wedding and Disaster of Felona Mabel.
No, I’m not alright
I know that I’m not right
A steering wheel doesn’t mean you can drive
A warm body doesn’t mean I’m aliveNo, I’m not alright
I know that I’m not right
Feel like I travel but I never arrive
I wanna thrive not just survive.
Kindle Redux
I would like one of each. Please and thank you.
kids these days…
Kenn Bivins II, not to be confused with his much older father (me), has been nominated for homecoming court at Campbell High School.
vice verses
Today, my buds, Jon, Tim, Chad, Jerome and Drew (collectively known as Switchfoot) have released Vice Verses, their 8th studio album. The thematic core of Vice Verses is that “every blessing comes with a set of curses” and according to them, this idea is the polarity of life.
I’ve made my mistakes
I’ve seen my heart cave in
I got my scars
I’ve been to hell and back again
we all got a space 2 fill
My iPod is a non-conforming cacophony of musical variance and surprises. This morning, as I was listening to the randomness of my taste in tunes, an old goodie comes on – “Pop Life” by Prince. Most of you know it when you hear it. The lyrics are something like
What’s the matter with your life?
Is the poverty bringing U down?
Is the mailman jerking U ’round?
Did he put your million dollar check
In someone else’s box?
The Emperor’s New Clothes
The rules are not the same for everyone. This has become increasingly real for me over the past few years. Sometimes, I feel like I’m in a weird Bizarro world where up is down and right is wrong. But I dare not mention this unsettled nature to those around me, for I will be singled out as an agitator or a troublemaker. Or maybe just stupid.
“The Emperor’s New Clothes” is a short story I recall from my childhood. It was written by Hans Christian Andersen. These two weavers promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that will be invisible to any of his subjects who are stupid, incompetent or unfit for their positions. When the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, everyone comments on how lovely his new clothes are, for fear that they don’t wish to be singled out as unworthy. But amongst the deceiving crowd, an innocent child is confused why so many people are complimentary of clothes that the Emperor clearly is not wearing, so he cries out, “But he isn’t wearing anything at all!”
Lately, I’ve been feeling like that kid. (sigh)
new way to Fall
My fingers have become more articulate
At the idea that you they may touch
My nostrils flair and filter out random flavorings
For your scent and zephyr is near
My tongue had suffered that which was insipid
While the advent of you was pending
Colors I have not known for many seasons
And your foliage, they startle me into an awakened state
I want to disturb your pile of leaves
And heed the chorus that my entry provokes
My imagination, now amplified by your brisk touch,
Seeks a covering or a blanket but not for the sake of isolation
Instead for the sake of insulation
Protecting, loving, comforting, reminding
With your unprecedented, familiar unfamiliar
I have learned to Fall
In new ways.
kenn.