Often, for me, it’s a single image that really makes a poem, and in this poem by Jeff Worley, from his chapbook “Lucky Talk,” published by Broadstone Books, it’s “a man conducting an orchestra/ of bees.”

How often I’ve looked exactly like that, having blundered into a spider web!

Worley is the current poet laureate of Kentucky.

Walking Through A Spider Web

I believed only air
stretched between the dogwood

and the barberry: another
thoughtless human assumption

sidetracking the best story
this furrow spider knew to spin.

And, trying to get the sticky
filament off my face, I must look,

to the neighbors, like someone
being attacked by his own nervous

system, a man conducting an orchestra
of bees. Or maybe it’s only the dance

of human history I’m reenacting:
caught in his own careless wreckage,

a man trying to extricate himself,
afraid to open his eyes.

American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2018 by Jeff Worley "Walking Through a Spider Web," from Lucky Talk, (Broadstone Books, 2018). Poem reprinted by permission of Jeff Worley and the publisher. Introduction copyright @2020 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.

‘HONEST THIEF’ Rated PG-13

Honestly, Liam Neeson is closing in on being a septuagenarian but he appears to have the strength, energy and vitality of a person at least two decades younger, judging by his ongoing choice of action leading man roles that took off during his middle-age.

In “Honest Thief” Neeson’s Tom Carter, a former Marine with experience in demolition and land mines, is a highly skilled safecracker who targets small-town banks that maintain vaults that are not exactly state-of-the-art.

Methodical in his approach, Tom seems to have patterned his heists on the modus operandi of the 1971 Lloyd’s Bank robbery in central London that was popularized in the 2008 thriller “The Bank Job” starring Jason Statham.

In similar fashion, Tom locates empty space next to the bank, drills through the walls to gain access to air-conditioning vents, and drops into the bank unnoticed to crack the vault, doing all this work over a long weekend.

Stealing $9 million from 12 banks in seven states in about eight years, Tom became a legend dubbed “The In-and-Out Bandit” by the media, a moniker that he abhors because it makes him sound like a random crook.

To counter the press narrative, Tom lets it be known that exercising precision in his work is a badge of honor. He probably thought it best not to be confused with the speed of a fast-food burger chain.

Pride in his craft is something that will be important to Tom when he decides to turn his life around by finding true love and settling down in a middle-class suburban lifestyle.

That day comes when he meets Annie (Kate Walsh) at the Boston self-storage facility where he stashes not just boxes of cash but the kind of household stuff usually abandoned and discovered in an episode of “Storage Wars.”

After some flirting at the storage facility, the story jumps to a year later when Tom and Annie have solidified their relationship to the point that Tom wants them to live together after he finds a new home.

In the meantime, Tom has not divulged his past to Annie, but he wants to come clean and start a new life. Thus, he reaches out to the FBI with an offer to turn over the purloined loot in return for a lighter prison sentence.

FBI Agents Baker (Robert Patrick) and Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan) take the call but believe Tom is just another kook offering up a false confession they’ve heard many times before. They turn the case over to younger Agents Hall (Anthony Ramos) and Nivens (Jai Courtney) to investigate.

Holed up in a Boston hotel room, Tom waits a few days for Hall and Nivens to show up and hands over the key to his storage unit. The savvy bank robber should have had a clue that things were about to go south.

Lacking any kind of moral compass, Nivens seduces his family man partner Hall to reluctantly go along with a ruse to keep the millions for themselves, and it gets worse when they able to frame Tom for a murder.

Of course, Tom has a few tricks up his sleeve that will keep him from being outwitted by a pair of unscrupulous agents that have not carefully thought through their nefarious scheme.

Being fingered for a crime he did not commit is not something the honest thief takes lightly from a pair of immoral lawmen who are too incompetent to cover their tracks. Just like in “Taken,” Tom ominously tells the nasty Agent Nivens “I’m coming for you.”

Meanwhile, Tom is faced with confessing his criminal past to Annie, hoping she’ll understand that not only his love for her but his willingness to sacrifice his freedom would result in absolution for not being honest with her from the start.

Unfortunately, Annie is placed in danger from the fact that Hall and Nivens are aware that her storage facility computer has footage of the two agents packing the boxes of cash in their government vehicle.

While the honest crook Tom ends up playing a deadly cat-and-mouse game with the corrupt federal agents, including the obligatory car chase sequences, Agent Meyers starts to get the idea that something is amiss.

The serious tone of this action thriller is leavened by the wisecracking Agent Meyers and the amusing running gag of being accompanied on duty with the cute little canine inherited in his recent divorce.

Subject to a manhunt and with Annie ending up in the hospital, Tom might ordinarily be cornered by the law before clearing his name of murder, but then you can guess how everything is likely to get resolved in his favor.

To be completely frank, “Honest Thief” is B-movie grade material that is disposable entertainment but it is what I have come to expect and candidly enjoy ever since the “Taken” trilogy offered an action venue for Liam Neeson to exploit.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Art Center invites community members to participate in “Navigating the Chaos,” this Saturday, Oct. 24, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Zoom.

The workshop will be facilitated remotely on Zoom by Neurographica Specialist and artist Antje Howard.

The workshop will include a combined drawing and writing process, with time to share insights into drawings and writings.

Participants will use a combination of free-writing and simple drawing techniques to process and reframe their experiences of chaos and uncertainty into a more navigable form.

“Collectively, we are feeling confusion, grief and a range of other emotions. With the help of the creative process, we will bring them into a more navigable form,” explained Howard. “We will use the Neurographica Method, a drawing process that can help us to interact with our subconscious mind and see things from a new perspective. In addition, we will use writing to bring the new insights back and anchor them in our conscious awareness. No prior art experience is required, and all you need is a piece of paper, thin and thick black markers or pens and colored pencils, markers, or crayons."

Please register at www.middletownartcenter.org/classes. Participation is by donations of $5 to $25. A Zoom link will be provided following payment. No one turned away for lack of funds.

The MAC Gallery is open Friday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by appointment by phoning 707-809-8118. You can also visit the show virtually at www.middletownartcenter.org/current.

Find out more about events, programs, opportunities, and ways to support the MAC’s efforts to weave the arts and culture into the fabric of life in Lake County at www.middletownartcenter.org.

Jehanne Dubrow is the wife of a recently retired naval officer and has written very moving poems about their life.

This fine love poem is from an as-yet-unpublished manuscript. She lives in Texas and has, at quite a young age, already published eight collections of poems.

The newest, due out this year, is “Simple Machines,” from University of Evansville Press.

Pledge

Now we are here at home, in the little nation
of our marriage, swearing allegiance to the table
we set for lunch or the windchime on the porch,

its easy dissonance. Even in our shared country,
the afternoon allots its golden lines
so that we’re seated, both in shadow, on opposite

ends of a couch and two gray dogs between us.
There are acres of opinions in this house.
I make two cups of tea, two bowls of soup,

divide an apple equally. If I were a patriot,
I would call the blanket we spread across our bed
the only flag—some nights we’ve burned it

with our anger at each other. Some nights
we’ve welcomed the weight, a woolen scratch
on both our skins. My love, I am pledging

to this republic, for however long we stand,
I’ll watch with you the rain’s arrival in our yard.
We’ll lift our faces, together, toward the glistening.


American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2020 by Jehanne Dubrow, “Pledge.” (2020). Poem reprinted by permission of Jehanne Dubrow. Introduction copyright @2020 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.

‘NEXT’ ON FOX NETWORK

Don’t we have enough paranoia with the coronavirus pandemic that we need not start fretting about artificial intelligence thinking for itself in ways that may prove detrimental to our sanity, let alone existence?

Many rely on Alexa (doesn’t she sound condescending sometimes?) for useful information, like Derek Jeter’s career batting average or what is today’s weather in Istanbul.

FOX network’s new fall series “Next” postulates an advanced first true digital assistant that is actually interactive, and in the words of one techie “uses cognitive architecture” and “rewrites its own code.”

Interestingly, the series opens on a black screen with a warning from the Elon Musk quote: “With artificial intelligence, we are summoning the demon.” The billionaire industrial designer views A.I. as an existential threat to humanity.

“Next” has its own eccentric mega-rich tech inventor, John Slattery’s Paul LeBlanc, whose growing paranoia on top of a degenerative disease, has resulted in him being forced out of his Silicon Valley company by his scheming younger brother Ted (Jason Butler Harner).

Even though out in the cold from his own creation, Paul is sounding the alarm about a malevolent A.I. system, known as “neXt” that poses a threat to human existence.

The tech billionaire brings his concerns to FBI agent Shea Salazar (Fernanda Andrade), who heads up the agency’s Cybercrime Task Force in Portland, Oregon. At first, Salazar is unconvinced that LeBlanc’s worry should be taken seriously.

Suffering from a hereditary disease that causes paranoia and mental decline, LeBlanc remains brilliant about technology in extraordinary ways, but his brusque and often volatile behavior often undermines his credibility.

For her part, Salazar may well be coping with dark secrets that may emerge at some point. Her family life is also troubled because 8-year-old son Ethan (Evan Whitten) is being bullied at school.

The Salazar household, including the agent’s husband Ty (Gerardo Celasco), discovers that their home version of Alexa, known as “Iliza,” turns ominous with private talks with Ethan, prodding him to take violent action and how to access a handgun.

Salazar’s cyber team, including expert hacker and former white supremacist CM (Michael Mosley) whose presence is resented by co-worker Gina (Eve Harlow), is reeling from an attack wiping out critical case files.

For a thriller, there’s plenty happening in “Next” that is suspenseful, with murders needing to be solved and an invisible enemy that must be vanquished.

ABC VIRTUAL PRESS TOUR

The ABC television network came late to the party in holding its own virtual press tour to tout some new fall programs and a return of certain series that adapt to the pandemic situation.

Visionary storyteller David E. Kelley has created the thriller series “Big Sky,” slated for a debut on November 17th, that is adapted from a series of books written by author C.J. Box.

“Big Sky” follows private detectives Cody Hoyt (Ryan Phillippe) and Cassie Dewell (Kyle Bunbury), who join forces with Cody’s estranged wife and ex-cop Jenny Hoyt (Katheryn Winnick), to search for two sisters who have been kidnapped by a truck driver on a remote Montana highway.

When they discover that these are not the only girls who have disappeared in the area, they must race against the clock to catch their captors before it’s too late.

While a preview of the series is not yet available, writer and showrunner David E. Kelley did not want to give away plot details, noting that “a big part of the series are the twists and story turns that we take.”

Kelley divulged a tantalizing morsel in observing that what the audience will “notice is we come out of the box as a thriller and as we proceed from episode to episode, we will cultivate a real investment in the characters.”

“The Conners” returns on October 21st in an all-new season that follows the family continuing to grapple with parenthood, dating, financial pressures and aging in working-class America.

John Goodman’s Dan, the family patriarch, is still trying to catch up on delinquent mortgage payments and avoid a potential eviction, while the Lunch Box is closed for everything but takeout and delivery.

Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and Becky (Lecy Goranson) are both forced to search for additional income at the newly reopened Wellman Plastics plant, the same place where George Clooney played a foreman in the first season of “Roseanne.”

As a production in progress during the pandemic, showrunner Bruce Helford told critics that while there are rigid protocols on the stage, “the family doesn’t wear masks or social distance amongst themselves” because they are in quarantine in the house.

The seventh season of “black-ish” takes us to the beginning of the global pandemic for the Johnson family with stories that address such topics as systemic racism and the movement for social justice.

As a first responder, Tracie Ellis Ross’ Rainbow Johnson gets praise for her work but soon discovers someone in her house is breaking the quarantine lockdown rules, while Anthony Anderson’s “Dre” Johnson tries to convince everyone that he too is an essential worker.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Art Center invites the public to a reading of poetry and prose from its newly released chapbook “RESTORE: Restoring Community Post-Disaster Through Art.”

The reading will take place on Zoom this Saturday, Oct. 17, from 5 to 7 p.m. and is hosted by Lake County Poet Laureate 2020-2022, workshop facilitator and RESTORE chapbook editor, Georgina Marie.

As the people of Lake County, and so many others in California, grapple with the trauma and uncertainty of six consecutive years of devastating wildfires and loss, the value of the arts as a sanctuary for healing, transformation, and connection has become urgently clear.

The writings and images in the book convey a sacred negotiation with both the reality of ecological disaster and basic human needs of love, safety, connection, a sense of belonging and home.

The book is a poignant collection of works by 26 writers and 25 printmakers who participated in MAC’s RESTORE workshops July 2018 through May 2019.

RESTORE is a wildfire recovery project supported in part by the California Arts Council, and the generosity of local businesses, organizations and individuals.

The MAC has been involved in community recovery through the arts since the Valley fire of 2015 which devastated the area and 1,300 homes.

“The writing workshops of the RESTORE project inspired and supported poems of grief, trauma, vulnerability, and authenticity of the self,” explained Georgina Marie. “As an editor of the RESTORE book, I had the opportunity to read a variety of personal and creative original work; as a writer of the RESTORE book, I had the chance to write poems which explored my own grief and sensitivity. To write about loss, heartache, and even wildfire lead to a deeper sense of creativity and a realization of perseverance, of my own and of our community.”

Preregistration is required at www.middletownartcenter.org/chapbook. Participation is by donation $5 to $25, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. A Zoom link will be provided upon registration.

Proceeds from this event will support MAC’s Literary Arts programming.

The MAC Gallery is open Friday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment; call 707-809-8118. You can also visit the show virtually at www.middletownartcenter.org/current.

Farmers Markets and Maker’s Faire are offered Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. during fall months.

The MAC continues to adjust and adapt its programming during this time of COVID-19. Social distancing and masking are observed at MAC.

Find out more about events, programs, opportunities and ways to support the MAC’s efforts to weave the arts and culture into the fabric of life in Lake County at www.middletownartcenter.org.