what's a breadwinner to do

what's a breadwinner to do
when he can't seem to win enough bread?

when doubt & depression
run roughshod all through his head

when he sees his children
he thinks they'd be better off
were he dead

when he reaches out
only to find silence & dread
when he calls out
only to hear nothing but
the voices in his own head?

Across These Skies ...

I ramble on through
drought breakfast pain
the summer rain
in Spring.

she, out there out of focus
& on the edge
dangling like a false, loose diamond
cave of coals
& winter’s breath

i think of Rich & his fast
quiet get away on the dharma bus

all these friends they knew swim in seas of certain doubts
onward through this distasteful fog towards morning
hear the gentle hiccup of midnight, the fog rolls out across
waves & rising tides of seething noise

into the lake, a certain fate
to burn in hatred, disgust & lies
& turn into something we all despise

forgive me your litany
your history of lies.

we all come to this parade
in disguise

me I was given hobbled writer, happy go lucky type
in Italian robes, echoing a fabled singer
of yore, whose dead bolt eyes stole
whole lifetimes in flashes felt across the globe
and found future friends in feasts & tomes

still, I dream the dreams of my father
whose candied, studied aplomb bought beach houses
& elegant feasts

large Italian broods, whose matriarch lies in gated splendor
no this isn’t Michael Corleone’s alma mater
humble souls of hard work, legal craft & artistry
casting plaster, stone shapes for the Getty’s of the world

i love my family, precious souls, on the West Coast
i will never call the Armadillo of Waterloo my home.

& I recalled my precious reagan flower moonburn
lost in a dank Dallas night (club)
faraway now ten years removed
probably married, a mother, maybe a Maven, or owns a sports team

who knows
the Wake, she remains in full force
& never-ending.

our stickam player

Horton Hears MOJO JOJO, THE 100TH MONKEY

For over a year now, as I have gone about my business on YouTube, and MySpace, the best analogy in my mind that I could come up with was "Horton Hears a Who!"

And the Universe in its mystical abundance and synchronistic style seems to offer up almost magically at this juncture in history, a movie version of the cartoon and book I remember seeing and reading all those years ago, almost as a way of helping me make my point. Indeed, I feel that I am lot like little JoJo of Who-ville. From Wikipedia: "The Whos finally make themselves heard by ensuring that all members of their society play their part. In the end it is the smallest Who of all, Jo-Jo, who provides the last volume lift to be heard, thus reinforcing the moral of "a person’s a person no matter how small."

And here I am, striving at almost impossible odds to make my little voice be heard, thinking that if enough people hear my songs, watch my videos; maybe just maybe I might make a little magic happen.

The other analogy is the 100th Monkey Syndrome. From Wikipeda: "The "Hundredth Monkey Effect" is a theory that a learned behavior spreads instantaneously from one group of monkeys to all related monkeys once a critical number is reached. By generalization it means the instant, paranormal spreading of an idea or ability to the remainder of a population once a certain portion of that population has heard of the new idea or learned the new ability."

Indeed, MySpace and YouTube have provided wonderful mediums for all of us, to share our own creative efforts as well as support and enjoy the creative efforts of others. And so you can understand how I see myself somewhat as cheerleader of a worldwide "loosely-connected" group of people who believe that the best answer to all life’s problems is L O V E, as expounded by Christ and exemplified by the compassion of the Buddha. And we are a lot like the Whos of Who-ville trying to make enough noise to wake up that 100th monkey thus spreading the ideas of love, peace and forgiveness to all of humanity.

An American Prayer

The J. Ro Report for February 2008

Wake UP! It's all 'bout the L O V E!

Greetings everyone. Some of this is a repost from last month. I'll probably use this post as template for quite some time, but I did add some stuff, put up some new videos and poems as well added to my list of the type of people I like to add, which will no doubt grow and expand as times go on!

Why I Add People?

I sort of feel like I'm creating this fantastic cosmic rock concert
taking place in the future, and like all the people I add
are like the people in the audience and all the bands are the lineup
and it's this concert that just goes on forever, so I really don't add just anyone,
but cool sounding bands, cool logos, cool looking people, real people,
girls w/ soft brown angelic hair, girls w/eyes green & electric, lizard queens &
their lizard kings, mojos, mojo risers, l.a. women, fair sisters, peace frogs, peaceniks,
tribal jazzers, storm riders,peace and love symbols, uncle john's, stagger lee's, Dylans,
twentieth-century foxanas, hippies, star girls, lost angels, mystics,
crawling king snakes, Morrisons, Rays, Robbys, Jimis, Mr. Joneses, Jerrys
gurus, cosmic graphics, poets, shamans, erotic politicians, Wizards, gods, goddesses,
gurus, reinas del legarto y sus reyes, Yogis, Yogas, Yo-Yo's, Yahoos, Yippies, Rastafarians
Wiccans, Christians, Saints, Buddhists, Taoists, hwys & their queens
things that grab my eye, that stir my mind, that recall in me the Primal & Universal Mind.

I'm having fun doing this and it's a hell of a time to be alive. Thank
you to all who have gathered together on this thin raft.

The Brainflower Video

Election Year Prediction

Clinton/Obama beat McCain/Guliani

To Obama supporters, I hear you. I like Obama too,
but I think this is a better way for this to play out.
And if we play things right, in 8 years, we'll have
the first black president, as well as make amazing history this year!



Poem Star Flow Poetry at Kozmic Avenues

the voice of future prophecy
this ancient angel sings
in soft dulcet tones
& emerald-like

candles lifting flames twisting at the sky
her crescent shape; the moon
dangles like an ear lobe, lost in
an eerie emptiness

wander along her paved highway into dark hills
disappear into a fog
leave on your Shaman's voyage
crash the party way too soon

voices echo in words they fall
upon a future face painted tall
into glass electric neon fiber optic sight
digitized, into spiral downfall
collapse into fertile fatal
ball of light.

words from last night
words from today
words so often
come to us in moments
of decay

& letting go
into the harsh
vision bright

swim into her sea
& glisten w/ despair
rage all summer
if you dare

words
too often
cause us to stir
wonder what became
of us
wonder why
anybody
even
cares

i wear a heart
on a bleeding liberal sleeve
& bleed in public
like the man himself elegantly
died his robust death
upon a cross at Golgotha

the way Martin Luther lurched on a motel ledge
to his martyrdom so complete
they would soon rename the streets & call for holidays

most deaths aren't so renown
most come anonymously, quietly
though certainly there are those that care

the noise surrounds us
the din she rises
plead your case
& just look at your enemy
& stare.

Join the conversation at Kozmic Avenues

How to Help Us Out!

call your local radio station and request Sex W/An Angel by Joe Rossi
when in your local record or CD shop ask them if they can get our CD A Last Fling W/Decadence & Democracy
download a tune at snocap



See my gallery at Zazzle

or pick up a CD for about $11. I have a limited number of these CDs left and pretty much don't plan to make more. Copies are signed and the shipping is free :-) Click on the email link below subject CD.

CD Last Fling w/ Decadence & Democracy 8 songs Only $10. Free Shipping:

Request CD

Last Words

February finds us counting our blessings and waxing philosophical about life. More and more, I realize the way my own life has unfolded has been perfect in providing me with the impetus to write, learn, create and helpmake a positive impact on my world. Years ago, I thought I might be a successful recording star or writer by now in my life, and here I am just another working class hero, struggling along in this unforgiving world, like so many others. Should I be bitter or angry or should I be thankful that my life lets me share a bond with millions of working class parents all over the world?

Jim Morrison Quote, to paraphrase: fuck the naysayers and keep on keeping on!

"For musicians and poets, and artists in general, just keep exploring your own field, and if you're popular go with it, if you go out of favor, just keep doing it."

--Jim Morrison, Soundstage Interview

Speaking of Jim, I'm at a loss as to why to some people think I have an uncanny resemblance to Jim. I'm just another guy, like so many, but I'm the guy who didn't run off to Vegas to start a lounge act and bill and myself as the most amazing recreation ever. Financially, that might have been a wise move, but oh well. It's a whim of fancy for me to think that perhaps when Jim boarded that plane for Paris in 1971, the Indian's soul that had leaped into his soul in the New Mexico desert in the late 1940's, left at this point and began wandering the streets and suburbs of Los Angeles and found a home in me. For me that idea is more metaphorical then literal. It's what they call a metaphorical conceit.

I do consider it a gift and it's a matter of following my bliss that I do what I do. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!!!! Go Giants!!!! Go Hillary!!! Go Obama!!!!

Joe Rossi February 2008

The Four Noble Truths of Buddha

The Four Noble Truths

1. Life means suffering.

2. The origin of suffering is attachment.

3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.

4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

1. Life means suffering.

To live means to suffer, because the human nature is not perfect and neither is the world we live in. During our lifetime, we inevitably have to endure physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age, and eventually death; and we have to endure psychological suffering like sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment, and depression. Although there are different degrees of suffering and there are also positive experiences in life that we perceive as the opposite of suffering, such as ease, comfort and happiness, life in its totality is imperfect and incomplete, because our world is subject to impermanence. This means we are never able to keep permanently what we strive for, and just as happy moments pass by, we ourselves and our loved ones will pass away one day, too.

2. The origin of suffering is attachment.

The origin of suffering is attachment to transient things and the ignorance thereof. Transient things do not only include the physical objects that surround us, but also ideas, and -in a greater sense- all objects of our perception. Ignorance is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached to impermanent things. The reasons for suffering are desire, passion, ardour, pursuit of wealth and prestige, striving for fame and popularity, or in short: craving and clinging. Because the objects of our attachment are transient, their loss is inevitable, thus suffering will necessarily follow. Objects of attachment also include the idea of a "self" which is a delusion, because there is no abiding self. What we call "self" is just an imagined entity, and we are merely a part of the ceaseless becoming of the universe.

3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.

The cessation of suffering can be attained through nirodha. Nirodha means the unmaking of sensual craving and conceptual attachment. The third noble truth expresses the idea that suffering can be ended by attaining dispassion. Nirodha extinguishes all forms of clinging and attachment. This means that suffering can be overcome through human activity, simply by removing the cause of suffering. Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many levels that ultimately results in the state of Nirvana. Nirvana means freedom from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and ideas. Nirvana is not comprehensible for those who have not attained it.

4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

There is a path to the end of suffering - a gradual path of self-improvement, which is described more detailed in the Eightfold Path. It is the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive self-mortification (asceticism); and it leads to the end of the cycle of rebirth. The latter quality discerns it from other paths which are merely "wandering on the wheel of becoming", because these do not have a final object. The path to the end of suffering can extend over many lifetimes, throughout which every individual rebirth is subject to karmic conditioning. Craving, ignorance, delusions, and its effects will disappear gradually, as progress is made on the path.

8 Fold Path

The Noble Eightfold Path

	1. Right View	Wisdom
	2. Right Intention
	3. Right Speech	Ethical Conduct
	4. Right Action
	5. Right Livelihood
	6. Right Effort	Mental Development
	7. Right Mindfulness
	8. Right Concentration

The Noble Eightfold Path describes the way to the end of suffering, as it was laid out by Siddhartha Gautama. It is a practical guideline to ethical and mental development with the goal of freeing the individual from attachments and delusions; and it finally leads to understanding the truth about all things. Together with the Four Noble Truths it constitutes the gist of Buddhism. Great emphasis is put on the practical aspect, because it is only through practice that one can attain a higher level of existence and finally reach Nirvana. The eight aspects of the path are not to be understood as a sequence of single steps, instead they are highly interdependent principles that have to be seen in relationship with each other.

1. Right View

Right view is the beginning and the end of the path, it simply means to see and to understand things as they really are and to realise the Four Noble Truth. As such, right view is the cognitive aspect of wisdom. It means to see things through, to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly objects and ideas, and to understand the law of karma and karmic conditioning. Right view is not necessarily an intellectual capacity, just as wisdom is not just a matter of intelligence. Instead, right view is attained, sustained, and enhanced through all capacities of mind. It begins with the intuitive insight that all beings are subject to suffering and it ends with complete understanding of the true nature of all things. Since our view of the world forms our thoughts and our actions, right view yields right thoughts and right actions.

2. Right Intention

While right view refers to the cognitive aspect of wisdom, right intention refers to the volitional aspect, i.e. the kind of mental energy that controls our actions. Right intention can be described best as commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. Buddha distinguishes three types of right intentions: 1. the intention of renunciation, which means resistance to the pull of desire, 2. the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion, and 3. the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop compassion.

3. Right Speech

Right speech is the first principle of ethical conduct in the eightfold path. Ethical conduct is viewed as a guideline to moral discipline, which supports the other principles of the path. This aspect is not self-sufficient, however, essential, because mental purification can only be achieved through the cultivation of ethical conduct. The importance of speech in the context of Buddhist ethics is obvious: words can break or save lives, make enemies or friends, start war or create peace. Buddha explained right speech as follows: 1. to abstain from false speech, especially not to tell deliberate lies and not to speak deceitfully, 2. to abstain from slanderous speech and not to use words maliciously against others, 3. to abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others, and 4. to abstain from idle chatter that lacks purpose or depth. Positively phrased, this means to tell the truth, to speak friendly, warm, and gently and to talk only when necessary.

4. Right Action

The second ethical principle, right action, involves the body as natural means of expression, as it refers to deeds that involve bodily actions. Unwholesome actions lead to unsound states of mind, while wholesome actions lead to sound states of mind. Again, the principle is explained in terms of abstinence: right action means 1. to abstain from harming sentient beings, especially to abstain from taking life (including suicide) and doing harm intentionally or delinquently, 2. to abstain from taking what is not given, which includes stealing, robbery, fraud, deceitfulness, and dishonesty, and 3. to abstain from sexual misconduct. Positively formulated, right action means to act kindly and compassionately, to be honest, to respect the belongings of others, and to keep sexual relationships harmless to others. Further details regarding the concrete meaning of right action can be found in the Precepts.

5. Right Livelihood

Right livelihood means that one should earn one's living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully. The Buddha mentions four specific activities that harm other beings and that one should avoid for this reason: 1. dealing in weapons, 2. dealing in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution), 3. working in meat production and butchery, and 4. selling intoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol and drugs. Furthermore any other occupation that would violate the principles of right speech and right action should be avoided.

6. Right Effort

Right effort can be seen as a prerequisite for the other principles of the path. Without effort, which is in itself an act of will, nothing can be achieved, whereas misguided effort distracts the mind from its task, and confusion will be the consequence. Mental energy is the force behind right effort; it can occur in either wholesome or unwholesome states. The same type of energy that fuels desire, envy, aggression, and violence can on the other side fuel self-discipline, honesty, benevolence, and kindness. Right effort is detailed in four types of endeavours that rank in ascending order of perfection: 1. to prevent the arising of unarisen unwholesome states, 2. to abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen, 3. to arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen, and 4. to maintain and perfect wholesome states already arisen.

7. Right Mindfulness

Right mindfulness is the controlled and perfected faculty of cognition. It is the mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness. Usually, the cognitive process begins with an impression induced by perception, or by a thought, but then it does not stay with the mere impression. Instead, we almost always conceptualise sense impressions and thoughts immediately. We interpret them and set them in relation to other thoughts and experiences, which naturally go beyond the facticity of the original impression. The mind then posits concepts, joins concepts into constructs, and weaves those constructs into complex interpretative schemes. All this happens only half consciously, and as a result we often see things obscured. Right mindfulness is anchored in clear perception and it penetrates impressions without getting carried away. Right mindfulness enables us to be aware of the process of conceptualisation in a way that we actively observe and control the way our thoughts go. Buddha accounted for this as the four foundations of mindfulness: 1. contemplation of the body, 2. contemplation of feeling (repulsive, attractive, or neutral), 3. contemplation of the state of mind, and 4. contemplation of the phenomena.

8. Right Concentration

The eighth principle of the path, right concentration, refers to the development of a mental force that occurs in natural consciousness, although at a relatively low level of intensity, namely concentration. Concentration in this context is described as one-pointedness of mind, meaning a state where all mental faculties are unified and directed onto one particular object. Right concentration for the purpose of the eightfold path means wholesome concentration, i.e. concentration on wholesome thoughts and actions. The Buddhist method of choice to develop right concentration is through the practice of meditation. The meditating mind focuses on a selected object. It first directs itself onto it, then sustains concentration, and finally intensifies concentration step by step. Through this practice it becomes natural to apply elevated levels concentration also in everyday situations.

Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire

Joe "Deadhead Dylan" Rossi

God Bless Evel Knievel

god bless Evel Knievel

god bless Evel Knievel
motorpsycho rage
life on the edge
like Jim
a man who lived on the outskirts for us
drove his bike to the ridge for us
waved at us, and laughed with us
mocked death & tempted fate with us.

how ironic
how anticlimactic
that he succumb in such a way
still only 69, but his time came
not at the bottom of a canyon
or in the twisted flaming wreckage of a car
or slapped up against hot Vegas concrete

not with bang, not a bang at all
but like most of us
w/ a soft subdued whimper.

the Muslims can bow towards Mecca all they want
but today I will bow towards Butte.

-----------------------------

what perfect timing
what radiant synchronization
tonight as I get down
with my poet's tribute to a daredevil spirit
comparing him to Jim

I sit down in bed, sick as a damn dog, for what it's worth
watching a retrospective and interviews with Evel
and the man, a young Evel, on his way to a jump
quotes, "Light my fire baby. Come on baby light my fire."

And he says, I wasn't part of a team; a two man show
I was one man against the odds and I captured the hearts and minds of Americans.

one man.

amen.

RIP Evel. Buy a bike for Jim and you two go tour the rock and roll canyons of heaven.

Keep me close to your heart

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