We’ve lost a much beloved member of our community. Glenn was a frequent visitor and powerful voice on dVerse and other online venues. He was a force to be reckoned with, speaking his truth directly in his words. He leaves a legacy of poetry shared on his blogger site, Feel Free to Read. Here you’ll also find 156 episodes of Blackthorne, the Western movie script he wrote introducing us to his beloved character, Buck. You may also be acquainted with the minimalist photography site he created on Facebook, South Sound Minimalists.

Glenn had faced health challenges for some time. He was hospitalized from January 11 to February 15 with an infection on his foot. In the words of his wife, Melva Stolhan, on her Facebook page. “During the time in the hospital, he was confined to the bed. He was gotten up a FEW times with the help of a lift and at least 2 person assist. His visible wounds healed, but he continued to become weaker even after his IVIG infusions. When released on Wednesday, he was admitted to an adult family home that I had found for him. On Friday morning I was called as he was being transported to the hospital; he was having difficulty breathing. The infection (or a different one) came back with a vengeance and the infection won. Glenn passed at 12:19 pm on Friday, February 17.”

As we struggle with this loss, I think there is no better way to remember Glenn than in his own words:

“ I have been many things in my life, and called several others; my favorite was my brief career as a professional actor from 1968-78. Recently I was a Rehabilitation Specialist, working at the Dept. of Veteran’s Affairs Blind Rehab Center, VA American Lake, in Tacoma, Wa. I retired, after being a superb wage slave for over 50 years, June 2010. I think that I was born a movie buff. I had young parents, and as a family we went to the movies weekly. Movie palaces of the ’50’s were places of worship for me. When I was 30 yrs. old, I had already seen 5,000 films. I still go to movies at least twice a week. I do regret I never became a journalist; film critic. I took the Actor’s path instead. I have a VHS/DVD video collection that numbers more than 11,000 films. My entire 1500 sq.ft. basement is floor to ceiling in shelves. My love affair with movies is eternal. Are there movies after death ? Of course there are, and I’ll bet they are really impressive.”

And here are two of Glenn’s poems he posted on dVerse.

Final Cue

“exit stage left.” – actor’s script.

At some point,
artificial intelligence
will be sentient.
Will it have a soul?
Today, the Mars Rover simply
says: My battery is low
and it’s getting dark.

It saddens me
that some people
when discussing death
believe in nothing;
leagues beyond atheism,
they feel that death
is a permanent dirt nap,
a flip of the Big Switch,
a terminal power failure,
a forever implosion
that produces nothing;
darkness and forever silence,
devoid of hope.

I tend to believe
we have a Higher Self,
who is a co-creator of the Universe.
It is often referred
to as the Soul.
It is the most refined form of energy.
Energy cannot be destroyed,
it can only be transitioned
or transformed into something else.

In the inexplicable vastness
of a trillion trillion galaxies,
this spiritual energy
is its most valuable commodity.
To even consider
letting loose of it,
or destroying it
is unthinkable.

I suppose
if New Age and Zen
had a baby, it
would look a lot like me.
I am truly spiritual
without being religious.

If “Death is but a Doorway”,
then as I journey beyond the veil,
I expect to be alone,
even if I’m not,
or fast asleep
when the moment
of transition
catches up to me,
and sweeps me
out of my aged husk.

I hope to say,
to myself,
or to family,
or to the very air
I flee from,
Well . . . fuck me.

—————————–

The Day the Music Died

“Them good ole boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye,
singin’ ‘This will be the day I die’”  Don McClean.

Here I lie,
far from spry,
just the aged aged man
stroking my paper-thin
crepe skin,
muscles carrying a load
of pain down the long road.

I can’t get up.
plagued with pressure blisters,
and I resent staying down,
my face blinking
from a smile to a frown,
like a tired neon beer sign.

There is a covey of owls
calling my name,
so it seems there will be
no more sunrises for me.

But stuck in my cortex
like gum on your sole,
I hear another refrain:

You cannot move beyond the veil
until you solve the “Four Riddles”

Who am I?
I have appeared
in so many guises,
what was my favorite role?
Perhaps it was just
being an Actor.

Why am I here?
Did I ever identify or
embrace a purpose?
Poet?
Clown?
Trickster,
Lover,
Narcissist?
Asshole?
Teacher,
Dreamer,
Friend?
Son,
Brother,
Husband?

Do I have regrets?
Of course, my diverse regrets
come in battalions,
in angry swarms,
in convoys,
but even so, I know
my joys mantle any negativity,
as my vulnerable pride
stands naked in the square.

What comes next?
After a brief dirt nap,
I will chill in a way station,
adjusting my spirit,
before perhaps going
on a guided stroll
toward the light,
before boarding a bullet train,
with seven stops
in different Heavens,
one in Bardo,
and one in Valhalla.

I have never been a singer,
but right now
I feel like singing a dirge, a death song,
just some kind of a strange wild song
never heard before, singing
in a stentorian silent voice
without moving my lips.

It is time for the universe
to make room for one more
beautiful molecule
in a comet’s tail.

————————————

Fortunately, we have recordings of Glenn participating in our OLN LIVE. If you’d like to watch them, click on the linked dates below. In the final one, he read an excerpt from Blackthorne; the others are powerful readings of his poetry.
Feb 18, 2021   
March 2022  
April 2022  
Blackthorne  

So with all that said, we bid you farewell, Glenn. You will be dearly missed.

—————–

And, as this is OLN, please feel free to post one poem of your choice on Mr. Linky below. There is no required topic, format, length or rhyme scheme.

Image is from one of the last OLN LIVEs Glenn participated in….captured from the video at YouTube. Blurriness is because I snapped the image from the video itself. But it does show his wonderful smile.