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Ric's new book Let It Be A Dance RIC MASTEN Troubadour/Speaking Poet Ric Masten has toured the world entertaining and uplifting audiences with his wit and wisdom. In the tradition of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, Masten speaks in a voice we all know, even now, as he battles terminal prostate cancer. "Let It Be a Dance - Words & One-liners," a coffee-table book of Masten's well-known poems and his trademark one-line-drawings combines to create something more - a commanding compendium of the life-work of this inspiring man. 224 pages. 86 drawings. "Ric Masten's poems take us to the heart of the human experience because they come from the heart of a good and wise man…who takes life as it comes and gives back better than he gets." - Bill Moyers Bibliography of Other Titles: I know It Isn't Funny But... I Love To Make You Laugh SunInk Publications ISBN 0-931104-41-6 Notice Me! SunInk Publications ISBN 0-931104-17-3 Stark Naked SunInk Publications ISBN 0-931104-04-1 Voice of the Hive SunInk Publications ISBN 0-931104-02-5 OUT OF PRINT / UNAVAILABLE: Looking for Georgia O'Keeffe - They Are All Gone Now and So Are You - Even As We Speak - The Deserted Rooster - Dragonflies Codfish & Frogs - His & Hers - Sunflowers - A Thin Body of Work For more details on all the above books click here.

PROSTATE CANCER AS A SPORTING EVENT © Ric Masten Castigated by my sister I'm told "Never to refer to it again as 'My cancer.'" and "Helpline Harry" says I'm the captain of the ship in other words in this house I hold the channel changer right now I'm on Channel 9 running the marathon a race in which it matters not how quick you came off the blocks what matters is keeping pace and possessing a finishing kick blistering hot Click -- over to basketball not a sport for short people hell, when I was forty I was already so far behind I decided there and then that winning the game is not what's important what is important though is that I look good while losing Click -- football is a world of hurt knocks and hits and playing through the pain to a place in the game where we're five points down with seconds to go a "never say die" situation the old flea flicker -- I let the ball fly.... Click -- over to a baseball of late my favorite sport played on a diamond in a field of grass bleachers, sunshine and always the possibility of extra innings theoretically the contest can last forever but reality being what reality is one day the arm will tire with Sammy Sosa at the plate on deck ... Mark McGuire Click -- back to the Hail Mary me streaking down the field faking out the linebacker catching the ball I fall in the end zone game over -- game won the fans in the stands Irish waking Click -- "If you've just tuned in, it's the top of the tenth with the score tied at eight all." the umpire dusts off the plate "Batter up." he shouts "Play ball!" END LINE (Dedicated to Jim Fulks.) © Ric Masten I've always been a yin/yang - front/back - clear/blur up/down - life/death kind of guy my own peculiar duality being philosopher slash hypochondriac win win characteristics when you've been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer finally the hypochondriac has more than windmills to tilt with the philosopher arming himself with exactly the proper petard an explosive statement found in an e-mail message beneath the signature of a cancer survivor's name a perfect end line wily and wise quote: I ask God: "How much time do I have before I die?" "Enough to make a difference." God replies REGARDING DOCTORS ON GOOD DAYS AND BAD DAYS © Ric Masten In turn I've met them all Doctors Slash, Poison & Burn on good days my urologist is Arthur of Camelot wielding Excalibur in my defense Zorro, foiling enemy lesions a deft dashing master of surgery on bad days -- Jack the Ripper! stropping an edge on his flashing blade Sweeny Todd intent on doing butchery Genghis Khan hacking and chopping his way through me on good days my oncologist is Merlin wise and kind dispenser of healing elixirs the Lone Ranger coming to the rescue leaving silver bullets behind on bad days - Dr. Jeckel! with unexpected side effects to Hyde like the cackling witch in Snow White he stirs his bubbling cauldron feeding me apples with venom inside on good days my radiologist is Keeper of the Fire Shaman - squire of healing beams firing off therapeutic volleys the Buck Rogers of my dreams on bad days - Dr. Strangelove! fondling his arsenal of bombs Nero fiddling fanning the flames and if General Sherman is on the march then Georgia is my name in closing I suppose it's obvious and goes with out my having to say that these contrary lines were composed on a very very bad day THE HAT FULL OF STARS © Ric Masten some stories come linked together like railroad cars like death and an old abandoned stove I was just a kid rummaging through the junk people dumped off Highway 1 onto our property busted appliances.... rusted machinery.... car parts a constant aggravation to my father a hat full of stars for me one day a beat up old stove graced the roadside bushes in those days mercury was used in the oven thermostat just the kind of treasure an 11 year old could salvage and use to make dimes shine headed back to the house quicksilver cupped in my palm for the very first time and for no apparent reason it came to me that one day I would die the scary thought falling on me like a bomb shutting me down nailing my feet to the ground then like any kid would do I put the prize the precious ball of mercury back on the front burner shoving death aside after all nearly a lifetime would pass before my oncologist would say: "... and when the time comes, I promise you a graceful end." nearly a lifetime till I'd need to remember that hat full of stars and the childhood trick of focusing on the quicksilver at hand ric.masten@mindspring.com

PAUL GILBERT Born, raised and educated in Windsor, Ontario Canada. Since adulthood, Paul Gilbert has lived in various parts of Central and Western Canada. Now residing in the city of Niagara Falls Ontario (the place with the waterfall), and taking photographs of the scenery. Also working in the field of long term care and taking courses for that. Paul's ublished work has appeared in "Enlightenment", "Melange" and "Cjacks". On the internet, his work has appeared in Artvilla and a couple of times in rec.arts.poems, as well as Poetry Life & Times. When not working, Paul doing things around the house and raising the children. He is the publisher, editor and keeper of the espresso machine of the ezine "Above Ground Testing", this is a monthly poetry and literary ezine. He has also developed a couple of quarterly ezines, "Avant Garde Times" and "Exit522 on the Cosmic Highway".

Neo-Romantics Revisited © Paul Gilbert Hairspray and mousse attitude Of concerned indifference In the latest fashion treat and statement A strong desire to know Just what to wear and why To be seen by others of the tribe Tribal dress of left bank haute To dance over the hours In the latest house of Chanel Look at this look at me For I'm the pretty one Don't be jealous When in reality, do be jealous I've spent all this money to make you hate me For I am beautiful For today As for tomorrow, who cares, It's now that counts So look, envy and copy. DIALOGUE OF TWO © Paul Gilbert Stop for a moment Why just hold that pose what pose? for this exact second you mean like this? Is this what you have in mind Yes, stop, don't breathe Let me absorb your presence At this moment What's so special about right now? It will never happen again. September 11, 2001 © Paul Gilbert The eagle sheds no tear But takes wing with talons bared To seek its prey. Autumn Scenery © Paul Gilbert in constant hurry The race from Tree to tree The squirrels chase The changing season To find the needs of the deep winter to come.

Jan Sand in New York JAN SAND, poet and illustrator from New York, is a regular contributor to Poetry Life & Times and the newsgroup alt.arts.poetry.comments. A great deal of his work is about animals, or science fiction. Recently Jan was published by Kedco Studios Artist Profile Press, on their latest CD ROM e-book, "A Way With Words (Poetry Real and Surreal), which also includes complete books by Dale Houstman, Sara L. Russell and Keith Gabriel Hendricks. Jan's illustrated book on the CD is called "Wild Figments And Odd Conjectures", which is also sold separately, in a limited-edition "single" CD. To see an illustrated article about Jan's poems, visit the November '98 issue of Poetry Life & Times, and scroll down past the Editor's Letter. He also has his own poetry pages on Charlotte's Web at Artvilla.

WTC © Jan Sand Who could think of these Two fine white shafts Of stone and steel, keys To something beyond utility, More hung from the sky Than based on solid ground, As anything but an immensity To delight humankind With the capability of mind. But things that overwhelm Are affront to some Whose joy resides in that realm Where the urge to destroy Dominates the fervor of life. They smear excrement on white walls, Attack Rembrandts with a knife, As it is far easier to destroy Than to create. No white paper fist can grasp The totalities that cancel six thousand lives. No net of letters express that gasp At sounds of screaming terror, crash of flying knives Of shattered window glass that drop with bodies In a horrid rain down to the street With broken stone, bent steel In a ghastly mockery of Magritte. A vicious gesture, both immense, And void of any basic human sense. Their absence now has a solidity Greater than their presence was. All those lives, that stone and steel Vanished in an instant tragedy. A moment that still seems unreal Manufactured from pure stupidity A glance at the space which they once held Is a monument to the volume they had filled. That emptiness is stronger now than anything Which could signify what was relentlessly killed. PRODUCT © Jan Sand We are each communities Of complex individuals Assembling opportunities From presented multiplicities. Choosing this, discarding that In conformity with what Are acceptable simplicities. Thereby, by means discrete, Innovative, and with mime We manage the strange feat To manufacture time. RABBIT HABITS © Jan Sand My rabbit has a passion To chew upon my shoes. The straps are castellated. The tips are not good news. My sheets have ragged edges And bite holes in the middle. The tips have cutout wedges And she likes to fiddle With eyeglasses on the table. She flings them in the air As far as she is able. She leaps into my lap With a heavy flop Demanding that I pet her And bites me if I stop. jan_sand@hotmail.com