[vicviciousness]

oh john mountain goat, we’re really in it now

[vicviciousness]

The Cygnet

The cygnet, tender and clumsy-footed, storming

My pond like a Boeing touching down at JFK.

No, I don't think of you. I keep busy. I tie shoelaces.

I creep into the muddy water like a buoyant Ophelia,

Watching a quiet black beak spear dill weeds. And you?

Assuredly climbing some Kilaminjaro of righteousness,

Irises staring down the unfocusable horizon like arrowheads–

But I’ve always preferred good green Earth to the clouds.

Shoelaces tied, I watch the pond. There’s a verse for this;

I forget it and comb the whole Bible looking. It escapes me

Like the young cygnet lifting off for the first time: woosh!

[vicviciousness]

My poem for @smittenbypoetry ‘s February challenge/game:

[vicviciousness]

ive never posted poetry before

[vicviciousness]

My poem for @smittenbypoetry ‘s February challenge/game:

[exitwound]

stacy szymaszek, a good job for a poet

[exitwound]

She’s so real it’s crazy

[freshpickle]

[goingtothebes]

"Some people might be thinking to themselves, JD, wrestling, I don’t know, I’ve never really been into wrestling, but did I steer you wrong with the Bible album, even though you may not have been super-into the Bible? Fear not. In a world of false promises and hollow gimmicks, please rest assured that the old maxim still holds true, whether scrawled on the back of a claim check or carved into a bench in an abandoned locker room: you can’t trust much, but you can trust the Mountain Goats." -- John Darnielle on Beat the Champ, 2015

[slippy-socks]

mel bryant and the mercy makers

[helilart]

can't say that 2023 was my favorite

[watermotif]

2024

WHEN THE PAWN HITS THE CONFLICTS HE THINKS LIKE A KING

WHAT HE KNOWS THROWS THE BLOWS WHEN HE GOES TO THE FIGHT

AND HE'LL WIN THE WHOLE THING BEFORE HE ENTERS THE RING

THERE IS NO BODY TO BATTER WHEN YOUR MIND IS YOUR MIGHT

SO WHEN YOU GO SOLO YOU HOLD YOUR OWN HAND

AND REMEMBER THAT DEPTH IS THE GREATEST OF HEIGHTS

AND IF YOU KNOW WHERE YOU STAND THEN YOU KNOW WHERE TO LAND

AND IF YOU FALL IT WON'T MATTER CAUSE YOU'LL KNOW THAT YOU'RE RIGHT

[ololygas]

variations on a theme by elizabeth bishop, john murillo

[jennyfromthebes]

If you’ve ever gone to a Mountain Goats show and waited in line outside for hours or gotten chummy with folks in the crowd, you know how deep the lore runs. It can make you feel small in the blink of an eye. Your undying love for “Cubs In Five” becomes instantly overshadowed by the guy with a tape recorder in his pocket who can recite setlists from 2004 gigs in states the Mountain Goats rarely make it out to anymore. But what’s beautiful about that scariness—even if you feel like your fandom is not enough—is that...there is such an undercurrent of love, affection and hope at every turn. At some point over the last 30 years, these people found Darnielle’s writing—be it via his boombox recordings or via the label-backed, concept-album concertos—and elected to devote a piece of themselves to loving these songs so much that, no matter what mix-and-matched setlist is thrown at them, they are ready to sing along with every note.

hey guys this tMG article is really fucking good and I think everyone should go read it