20 Things I Love About Angelo Luna On His 20th Birthday

20 Things I Love About Angelo Luna

Who Turns 20 Today

(In No Particular Order)

1. His compassion.
2. His smile.
3. His sense of humor.
4. His loyalty to his friends.
5. His beautiful singing voice.
6. His profoundly philosophical poetry.
7. His wish to make a career out of helping others.
8. He is not embarrassed by me; if he is, he does not allow me to see it.
9. We have an actual friendship, one upon which I can rely.
10. Our spontaneous, late-night talks, typically while standing in the kitchen.
11. His willingness to keep a regular coffee date with his father, even though he has a busy life he enjoys (as he should).
12. His encyclopedic knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (at least in comparison to mine).
13. He enjoys seeing live music with me. We have had amazing experiences seeing the Dirty Heads and Tech N9ne together, even while standing for hours in the rain in Eugene.
14. He is a great boyfriend to Maria. He treats her with kindness and respect and truly wants her to be happy.
15. His love for his family.
16. His fearlessness when it comes to engaging with Big Ideas.
17. He loves to turn me on to new music, especially hip hop I might never have found otherwise.
18. He never forgets to give me a hug or tell me that he loves me.
19. He loves and respects the woman I love, and never treats her with anything but love and understanding.
20. He is a strong, brave, thoughtful, caring young man who has no doubts that the can achieve whatever he sets his mind to.

See how I snuck a few extra items in there?

Angelo at one month

What do you love about Angelo? Why not tell him so today?  

Angelo at his Cover to cover, eight years old

Angelo and Maria, Christmas 2019

Angelo with Christopher and Toni at their wedding in 2015 (photo by Anni Becker)

Angelo, Toni, and Christopher in Rochester NY for Paul and Cathleen Luna's 50th wedding anniversary (photo by Maria Vara)

Poseidon, This Titan of Music: RIP McCoy Tyner (1938-2020) by Christopher Luna

Poseidon, This Titan of Music

McCoy Tyner

Revolution Hall, Portland

October 18, 2016

young cats lean as far forward as possible/ for a glimpse of the mighty/ there comes a wave/ a succession of raindrops/ percussive enough to drive away haters, doubters/ conversation of the spirit/ the nearness of you/ the reach and the quietude/ the settling, finally/ transcend flesh and thought chains/ sentimental sizzle/

a flourish, then it’s on/ saddle fractal planaria/ cosmological consternation/ tongue darts forth to swipe across his bottom lip/ serious syncopated switch/ running/ floating/ diving/ no big fish, no small fish, just class/ dirving the shift/ the fissure in our conscious knowldege/ serious smile spread/ gratitude/ check it check it/ hit it/ hit it/ modulate the sensate/ look it up later/ the clarion/ the clarion call/ taken down/ reconstituted/ taken home

Take care of yourself. You never know when

you’re gonna haveta leave this planet.

I wanna thank you for joinin’ us,

for comin’ out. Hope you

enjoy the music.

You ready now, Bud?

Good.

BLUES ON THE CORNER: slam it down/ one bottle at a time/ doin’ the hang/ nowhere to be/ cuttin’ up/ laughin’/ somethin’ flashy flit by and you miss it—the brilliance—distant wail/ evinces a wince/ recallin’ all those you wronged/ eventually your girl calls and it’s time to go

gentlest kiss followed by thunder clap/ the secret is to be what you observe/ open yourself to her irrationality/ embrace the contrary/ rage at the container/ resist the literal interpretation

For a moment it looks as if McCoy has forgotten where he is, or is about to leave the stage. He turns uncertainly in place. Then his son leans in to speak to him, and he is persuaded to sit and play one more.

I’m not gonna give a speech, don’t worry.

Enjoy life as it comes by you.

I want you guys to stay around

so your family can see you again.

I wish you all good health and happiness.

You need that.

IN A MELLOW TONE: lift and drop/ lift and drop/ lift and drop/ digits flicker and flutter/ each time with the force of a tsunami/ obliterating atoms in increments of  nanoseconds/ lean back lean in do it again/ we’re with you/ invest and attest

McCoy Tyner by Dominic Favre

New York Times Obituary, "McCoy Tyner, Jazz Piano Powerhouse, Is Dead at 81"

Christopher Luna

RIP McCoy Tyner

March 6, 2020 

Burnt Retina

I created this broadside of my poem "Burnt Retina" for the Ninth Annual Celebration of the Male Form at Angst Gallery in Vancouver, WA January 3-31, 2020. The poem also appears in my book Message from the Vessel in a Dream, published by Flowstone Press in 2018.

Poem and Collage for My Friend Tiffany Burba

Bobby DeNiro on the Fascist Traitor-in-Chief

Celebrating Walt Whitman on his 200th Birthday

Collage by Christopher Luna

To Whitman the song of the boys

sounds like a strawberry oboe

            hot boys play at the feet of the old bard

            grass poking their toes as they dance

                        and when they lie in it

            unburdened of their uniforms

            blades tickle their burgeoning testicles

           

            as the old man

            watches from the porch

                        smiling

            all that is unsettling

            all that is forbidden

            all that liberates instantaneously

            all that brings joy

            or unlocks weary/battered minds                   

            all that I seek to veil/hide

            all that pleases or displeases

            all that incites or provokes

            all that invites further investigation

            all that whispers, caresses, kisses

            all that perplexes or encourages wishes

            all that is human in us – including both the

                        impulse to create and to destroy

            all that I fear

            all that I reject as a matter of principle

            I hereby embrace, forgive, and claim ownership of

            Of these things I sing

            It is these things that are holy

Christopher Luna 

A Short Poem for Cathleen Luna on Mother's Day

A Short Poem for Cathleen Luna

on Mother's Day 2019

enfolded in her embrace:

evidence 

of the existence

of unconditional love

& the possibility of evolution 

within a single generation

through sheer force of will

little girl left alone

grows to become

loving mother 

of us all 

Collages by Christopher Luna for Women Warriors at Angst Gallery March 1-23, 2019

"Don't wait." Artist Trading Card by Christopher Luna

Women Warriors Artist Trading Card: Emily Dickinson

Women Warriors ATC: For Aretha (poem by Christopher Luna)

Emergent Goddesses of the Frozen Wood by Christopher Luna

Women Warriors ATC: Jane Bowles by Christopher Luna

Women Warriors ATC: Sylvia Plath by Christopher Luna

Women Warriors ATC: "to speak. YES YES" by Christopher Luna

Women Warriors ATC: Venus by Christopher Luna

Women Warriors at Angst Gallery March 1-23, 2019

Angst Gallery recognizes that women have shaped society in ways for which they are not often enough acknowledged. For the month of March, Angst Gallery will celebrate Women Warriors in all their various incarnations.

Women Warriors at Angst Gallery March 1-23, 2019

Angst Gallery
1015 Main Street
Vancouver, WA 98660

Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 12-4.
Accessible via Niche Wine Bar (1013 Main Street) after 4pm Tuesday through Saturday.

Women warriors come in all shapes, sizes, and ages: Malala, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Florence Nightingale, Great Aunt Beatrice. So many women inspire us behind the scenes or in the public eye. What makes a woman warrior? Not all heroism involves violence. What drives such acts of heroism? What qualities or circumstances drive women to push back, protect, or change the world? Who are the women in your life who inspire you?

In 2018 the New York Times recognized that they had overlooked many important women in their obituary section and have been working to go back into the archives and feature those who were overlooked.

In Sweden, ancient Viking remains were discovered to actually belong to a female and not a male 100 years after they were found. Sometimes it is our tendency to incorrectly assume that remains from archaeological conform to stereotypical gender roles. What other assumptions have we made in history? What assumptions will be made when looking back 100 years from now?

“Wonder Woman lived: Viking warrior skeleton identified as female, 128 years after its discovery” By Amy Ellis Nutt September 14, 2017

For more information about National Women’s History Month, visit the National Women’s History Alliance website. 

International Women’s Day is March 8, 2019.

Since its opening in 2008, Angst Gallery has hosted solo and group shows featuring more than 300 local and national artists and cultural events including art shows, musical performances, book launch parties, art talks, classes, workshops, and the monthly Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic. More than just a place to show art, Angst Gallery is also a safe space for community discussion, where all people are respected for who they are. We donate the use of the space to organizations that work for human rights and progressive social change.

BINGE-WORTHY PROPHECIES Collage for Miles Hewitt January 1, 2019

Collage Art by Christopher Luna

Christopher Luna on People of Vancouver, WA

Thank you to Emily and Steve of People of Vancouver, WA for interviewing me for their program:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BtOSfP8Br6C/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Evg7qUOEY



I'd also like to thank Leah Jackson for her many years of support for The Work and Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic. finally, a hearty shout out to those who attended the workshop at Niche that afternoon (and appear briefly in the video): Stella Guillory, Diane Corson, Denise Campbell, Suzanne LaGrande, Robert Syverson, Paula John, Cathie Padgett, Sonja Gellerson, and Bruce Hall.