My friend Hank made me think after playing tonight, allow me to elaborate. by James Scruggson Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 12:06am ·

Style is the answer to everything. A fresh way to approach a dull or dangerous thing. To do a dull thing with style is preferable to doing a dangerous thing without it. To do a dangerous thing with style is what I call art. Bullfighting can be an art. Boxing can be an art. Loving can be an art. Opening a can of sardines can be an art. Not many have style. Not many can keep style. I have seen dogs with more style than men. Although, not many dogs have style. Cats have it with abundance. When Hemingway put his brains to the wall with a shotgun, that was style. For sometimes people give you style. Joan de Arc had style, John the baptist, Christ, Socrates , Caesar, Garcia Lorca. 

   I've met men in jail with style. I've met more men in jail with style than men out of jail. Style is a difference. A way of doing, a way of being done. Six herons standing quietly in a pool of water, or you walking out of the bathroom naked, without seeing me.

 JWS II

by James Scruggson Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 7:35am ·

there is enough treachery, hatred violence absurdity in the average

human being to supply any given army on any given day

and the best at murder are those who preach against it

and the best at hate are those who preach love

and the best at war finally are those who preach peace

those who preach god, need god

those who preach peace do not have peace

those who preach peace do not have love

beware the preachers

beware the knowers

beware those who are always reading books

beware those who either detest poverty

or are proud of it

beware those quick to praise

for they need praise in return

beware those who are quick to censor

they are afraid of what they do not know

beware those who seek constant crowds for

they are nothing alone

beware the average man the average woman

beware their love, their love is average

seeks average

but there is genius in their hatred

there is enough genius in their hatred to kill you

to kill anybody

not wanting solitude

not understanding solitude

they will attempt to destroy anything

that differs from their own

not being able to create art

they will not understand art

they will consider their failure as creators

only as a failure of the world

not being able to love fully

they will believe your love incomplete

and then they will hate you

and their hatred will be perfect

like a shining diamond

like a knife

like a mountain

like a tiger

like hemlock

their finest art

JWS II

    For each of us eventually, whether we're ready or not... Someday it will come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no more minutes, hours , or days. All the things you've collected whether treasured or forgotten will pass to someone else. No wealth, fame, or temporal power will schrivel to irrelevance. No matter what you owned or owed. Your grudges , resentments, frustrations, and jealousy will finally disappear. So too your hopes , ambitions, plans and "to do" list will expire. The wins and loses that once seemed so important will fade away. It wont matter where you come from, which side of the tracks in the end. Ii won't matter if you're beautiful or brilliant. Even, gender or skin color are irrelevant. So, what will matter ? How will the value of your life be measured? What will matter is not what you bought but what you built. Not what you got but what you teach. What will matter is not your success but your signifigance. What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught. What will mater is over acts of integrity, kindness, passion, courage, or sacrifice. That enriched, empowered, and encouraged others to emulate your example. What will matter is not your competence but your character. What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone. What will matter is not your memories but the memories of the those that loved you. A life lived that matters is not of circumstance but choice.