Last night, I was the featured poet at Everett Poetry Night for the first time. This slot had been scheduled months ago, but recent developments (mostly related to the misbehavior of my car, and my lack of funds to get the needed repairs right away) had me wondering whether or not I would be able to go. But, having skipped the trip to Everett for the last several weeks already, I was determined to not flake out on the one night I had obligated myself to go.

I gave myself plenty of time to run into problems and still get there—which is pretty much what happened. Then it was simply a matter of waiting the five-and-a-half hours for my turn to get on stage and read some of my poems. Eventually, of course, the time came. Continue reading