hard deadlines

Heaven/is falling
The angels/lie on sidewalks in the rain.
The serpent/calling
Up from the lost world/buried deep within our brain.
And the saints have piled up in the streets
Their sacred blood staining the sheets
Their halos and bones have been sold
Pried loose before the bodies were cold
And the Rainbow disappears with the dawn
And there's nothing left to carry us on
And there is no salvation to be found
Now that Heaven's underground.

Darkness/descending
Unending/as the chaos runs its course.
We grind on/pretending
Nothing/left us but remorse.
And the voices that speak in our dreams
Offer comforts as cold as they seem
As faces fade off into noise
And the lost take the Hand that destroys
And there are no stories left to tell
Now that Earth inhabits Hell

Bridge
It's forever
and it's worse than it appears.
This brave new world
is just the sum of all your fears.
And each day
follows senseless on the last.
With no way
out of the demon haunted past...
(Spoken: "Dingir.Pazuzu Qatu Dingir.Ishtar")

The Heroes/are dead now
Their bodies/scattered ashes in the deep.
The Prophet/unread now
In the sound and the fury of reason's final sleep.
And all along the roads to the Dome
the dead appear to carry us home
and the angels have begun now to rise
their screaming held back in the skies
and the world is just the walls of a cave...
As we look up the sides of the grave...
And there is no salvation to be found
Now that Heaven's underground

Ahh oooh
Ahh oooh
Ahh oooh

The musical performance schedule for the World Science Fiction Convention Dublin2019 has been posted, and I'm delighted to have two 50-minute concerts where I'll be playing my geek-inflected folk/filk acoustic tunes.

The first is Thursday night in the cool art show performance space at Point Square:
15 Aug 2019, Thursday 16:30 - 17:20, WH2 - Performance space (Point Square Dublin)

Then on Saturday afternoon at the conference center:
17 Aug 2019, Saturday 13:45 - 14:35, Wicklow Hall 2A (Dances) (CCD)

I'm putting the finishing touches on a demo album this weekend featuring most of the music I'll be playing. Look for a link soon.

More information about Worldcon available at the main Dublin2019 web site.

While I'm not running in the Portsmouth Water and Fire District election this year — I've got a conflict with Tuesday meetings — I'm supporting Tasha MacGibbon for Moderator and Allen Shers for Treasurer. Please take a few minutes to vote next Wednesday, June 12 at 1944 East Main Rd, from 7am to 8pm.

I'm not alone -- the Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee voted unanimously on Monday, June 3, to support Tasha MacGibbon for Moderator and Allen Shers for Treasurer. Here's what they said in a statement sent to the press:

"We didn't vote to support them because they're Democrats," said Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee chair Len Katzman. "In fact, Allen Shers was recently elected to the school committee as a Republican. But our members have been impressed with his clear thinking, reasoned positions, and dedication to the community, and felt he deserved our support."

Tasha MacGibbon is a district training manager for T-Mobile with significant management experience. She's the parent of an 8-year-old, and her husband is a sergeant in the U.S. Marines. MacGibbon ran for Town Council as a Democrat in 2014.

Supporting multi-partisan candidates in this election was not an issue for the Town Committee, said Katzman. "Like all residents, we value efficient, transparent governance," he said. "And we know that one of the things people look to us for is vetting and endorsing capable people."

The Portsmouth Democrats urged all residents, no matter who they might support, to get to the polls on June 12. "One of the challenges of Water Board elections is turnout," said Katzman. "While these are important public offices, typically only a few hundred people participate. We want to do our part to remind folks to take a few minutes to cast their votes."

The Portsmouth Water and Fire District election will be held on Wednesday, June 12, 2019 at the Portsmouth Water and Fire District Office, 1944 East Main Road from 7am to 8pm. And remember to bring photo ID.