Greetings, One & All~

Having completed my work in the outer world for this year, I am looking inward to a December of relaxation, rejuvenation and reflection: delving into new and on-going musical collaborations; investing time and energy in personal writing projects; spending quality time with family, friends and loved ones; enjoying the blessings of nature here in my beloved Sonoran Desert; re-calibrating my well-worn earthsuit for further adventures on The Blue Planet; and savoring the shimmering mysteries of the winter solstice season in good cheer. There will be plenty of time to announce upcoming events at the turn of the year; so (with a new poem and a parting photo) your December 2022 A 440 Newsletter is simply this: my wish that you enjoy health, happiness and harmony throughout the holiday season, and that 2023 be a peaceful and prosperous new year for all. Be well and be in touch!


Poem of the Month

The first stanza of your December Poem of the Month is derived from recent correspondence with my all-time favorite singer/songwriter Tracy Grammer, a formidable poet in her own rite. The image in the eighth stanza is derived from a mandala sent to me recently by healing artist and long-time friend Marian Runyeon. I trust I’ve done something original with the rest of it. Enjoy!



Yes



Yes is the gold,

the gate

and the garden

all rolled into one.



Nothing like a close

brush with death

to clean the lens:

all is vivid and clear.



Within the randomness

of wind-stirred chimes

one can discern

a beautiful design.



The hawk pays

an exceptionally long visit

to the olive tree oasis

outside our kitchen window,



posing this way and that:

every nuance

of eye, talon and feather

crisply defined.



Palm fronds sparkle

in afternoon breeze

against an impossibly

blue sky,



the sun as warm

and vibrant on my skin

as the long-forgotten brush

of a lover’s fingertips.



A green heart-flower

with a magenta glow

around the edges

unfolds into gold:



the garden gate opens

at the sound

of the only word

one need say.




© Will Clipman 2022



Photo of the Month

My final concert of 2022 at Sea of Glass here in Tucson closed out the Fall Spiral Rendezvous Tour with my long-time comrades-in-music R. Carlos Nakai and William Eaton, with whom I’ve been recording and performing for thirty years. I am never more myself than when I become the instrument, and never more than on stage or in the studio with The Wilde Boys: so this felt like a fitting Photo of the Month with which to conclude your final 2022 A 440 Newsletter. Enjoy!



That Ol’ Udu Voodoo at Sea of Glass: The Final Concert, courtesy Shery Christopher Photography







~Winter Solstice Blessings to All~









Love is better demonstrated than declared.

~Guillaume Henri



Will Clipman

poet ~ percussionist ~ maskmaker ~ storyteller ~ performing artist ~ educator

www.willclipman.com
williamclipman@aol.com
facebook.com/willclipman
https://www.youtube.com/@willclipman4187

520.591.0776