— Amsterdam has always been a preferred city of ours, and poet/musician James Jewell agrees wholeheartedly. We caught the afternoon train north, accompanied by his wife Kara and occasional bandmate, Evan Laflamme. What followed is nothing short of indubitable enthusiasm. Original music by the man himself,James Jewell.
SELECTIONS FROM SHIPS MADE OF FAKE FUR
I: Ode to Cookie Monster
O, the Cookie Monster sits quiet as a tombstone. A plate of cookies in front of him, piled as high as an elephant now now. Frozen, he sits as if no one can see him. As if no one can see a massive blue monster with big eyes on the outside of his head.
Then the Cookie Monster explodes into action, soft blue fir ripped through the air. Adorable paws throwing delicious cookies into his mouth as fast as he can. In a moment all of the cookies are gone. He sits back into place and says, “Mmmmmmmm cookie.”
All of this happened on the Cookie Monster’s last day of work before the changes.
RIP
Good Old Cookie Monster
Small print: The brought the Cookie Monster in the next day, put a chef’s hat and apron on him and made him eat vegetables. (I couldn’t watch.)
II: SHIPS MADE OF FAKE FUR
The floundering ships
made of fake fur are floating
through the coffee shops,
restaurants and cinemas of Amsterdam.
Their hauls are full of matchsticks,
ticket stubs and small change.
They will sail until the wind dies down
sometime after midnight,
waking up with a view of the canal.
About the Poet
Photo Credit: Kara Messinger Jewell
James Jewell is a jack of all trades: poet, rambling man, singer songwriter, filmmaker, and sometimes slave to the big system to make a buck. James and his wife Kara have been kind of nomadic wanderers from their home in the hills of Pennsylvania to Nashville, Los Angeles, Toronto, and now Paris, France. James’ poems have a strong sense of his Pennsylvania roots while being influenced by the weird and wonderful adventures he and his wife have experienced. James has been part of the Paris scene for almost five years now. Strongly influenced and inspired by it, he has released Ships Made of Fake Fur on Corrupt Press.