The Real David Rogers
@davidrogersbooks.bsky.social
davidrogersbooks.wordpress.com. Writer. Reader. Cat person. "I bought some dehydrated water . . . I don't know what to add." --Steven Wright.
Pinned
CONFERENCE
David Rogers
He sat on the bed
The woman in black
and the man in the fedora
stared at him
He felt the brush strokes
tingle
as he raised a hand
an emphatic gesture
That's just how it is
he said
What do you think
I can do about it
www.artchive.com/artwork/conf...
David Rogers
He sat on the bed
The woman in black
and the man in the fedora
stared at him
He felt the brush strokes
tingle
as he raised a hand
an emphatic gesture
That's just how it is
he said
What do you think
I can do about it
www.artchive.com/artwork/conf...
February 10, 2026 at 4:34 PM
CONFERENCE
David Rogers
He sat on the bed
The woman in black
and the man in the fedora
stared at him
He felt the brush strokes
tingle
as he raised a hand
an emphatic gesture
That's just how it is
he said
What do you think
I can do about it
www.artchive.com/artwork/conf...
David Rogers
He sat on the bed
The woman in black
and the man in the fedora
stared at him
He felt the brush strokes
tingle
as he raised a hand
an emphatic gesture
That's just how it is
he said
What do you think
I can do about it
www.artchive.com/artwork/conf...
FACE AS POEM
David Rogers
I was going to read
a John Ashberry poem
but his picture was there
and it looked
so smug
I decided I'd rather read
a poem written
by a stop sign
or better yet a traffic light
one that knows
how to say both STOP
and GO
David Rogers
I was going to read
a John Ashberry poem
but his picture was there
and it looked
so smug
I decided I'd rather read
a poem written
by a stop sign
or better yet a traffic light
one that knows
how to say both STOP
and GO
February 9, 2026 at 3:14 PM
FACE AS POEM
David Rogers
I was going to read
a John Ashberry poem
but his picture was there
and it looked
so smug
I decided I'd rather read
a poem written
by a stop sign
or better yet a traffic light
one that knows
how to say both STOP
and GO
David Rogers
I was going to read
a John Ashberry poem
but his picture was there
and it looked
so smug
I decided I'd rather read
a poem written
by a stop sign
or better yet a traffic light
one that knows
how to say both STOP
and GO
QUESTIONS
David Rogers
Can you believe
the words
OSTRICH
and OSTRACIZE
are historically unrelated
OSTRICH means
BIG SPARROW
Who could fail to love
a big sparrow
unless life
is too much like
a Hitchcock movie
All those giant tiny beaks
David Rogers
Can you believe
the words
OSTRICH
and OSTRACIZE
are historically unrelated
OSTRICH means
BIG SPARROW
Who could fail to love
a big sparrow
unless life
is too much like
a Hitchcock movie
All those giant tiny beaks
February 6, 2026 at 3:56 PM
QUESTIONS
David Rogers
Can you believe
the words
OSTRICH
and OSTRACIZE
are historically unrelated
OSTRICH means
BIG SPARROW
Who could fail to love
a big sparrow
unless life
is too much like
a Hitchcock movie
All those giant tiny beaks
David Rogers
Can you believe
the words
OSTRICH
and OSTRACIZE
are historically unrelated
OSTRICH means
BIG SPARROW
Who could fail to love
a big sparrow
unless life
is too much like
a Hitchcock movie
All those giant tiny beaks
BOOK
Not enough how-to books
are written
We need one on how to
grow giant sequoias
the size of bonsai
and pan for gold
successfully
in the bathtub
or how to be like the electron
both wave
and particle at once
Most of all
how to figure it all out
on your own
no book or guru
to tell you what to do
Not enough how-to books
are written
We need one on how to
grow giant sequoias
the size of bonsai
and pan for gold
successfully
in the bathtub
or how to be like the electron
both wave
and particle at once
Most of all
how to figure it all out
on your own
no book or guru
to tell you what to do
February 5, 2026 at 4:30 PM
BOOK
Not enough how-to books
are written
We need one on how to
grow giant sequoias
the size of bonsai
and pan for gold
successfully
in the bathtub
or how to be like the electron
both wave
and particle at once
Most of all
how to figure it all out
on your own
no book or guru
to tell you what to do
Not enough how-to books
are written
We need one on how to
grow giant sequoias
the size of bonsai
and pan for gold
successfully
in the bathtub
or how to be like the electron
both wave
and particle at once
Most of all
how to figure it all out
on your own
no book or guru
to tell you what to do
NIGHTMARES, 1961, 1963*, 2026
Some of us shouted
to tell the rest
what was trying
to get on the plane
in November 2024
To the gullible
and naive
it looked innocent
They looked away
didn't listen
and now
the damage
is done
* "Nightmare at 20,000 feet"
Twilight Zone, 1963
Richard Mathesom, 1961
Some of us shouted
to tell the rest
what was trying
to get on the plane
in November 2024
To the gullible
and naive
it looked innocent
They looked away
didn't listen
and now
the damage
is done
* "Nightmare at 20,000 feet"
Twilight Zone, 1963
Richard Mathesom, 1961
February 4, 2026 at 3:44 PM
NIGHTMARES, 1961, 1963*, 2026
Some of us shouted
to tell the rest
what was trying
to get on the plane
in November 2024
To the gullible
and naive
it looked innocent
They looked away
didn't listen
and now
the damage
is done
* "Nightmare at 20,000 feet"
Twilight Zone, 1963
Richard Mathesom, 1961
Some of us shouted
to tell the rest
what was trying
to get on the plane
in November 2024
To the gullible
and naive
it looked innocent
They looked away
didn't listen
and now
the damage
is done
* "Nightmare at 20,000 feet"
Twilight Zone, 1963
Richard Mathesom, 1961
HIDE
When i was six
we played a game
pretended
bad men
were looking for us
Now it's no game
Horror has names
I will not speak
Shame
leaves a permanent stain
It will not be hidden
When i was six
we played a game
pretended
bad men
were looking for us
Now it's no game
Horror has names
I will not speak
Shame
leaves a permanent stain
It will not be hidden
February 3, 2026 at 3:01 PM
HIDE
When i was six
we played a game
pretended
bad men
were looking for us
Now it's no game
Horror has names
I will not speak
Shame
leaves a permanent stain
It will not be hidden
When i was six
we played a game
pretended
bad men
were looking for us
Now it's no game
Horror has names
I will not speak
Shame
leaves a permanent stain
It will not be hidden
HEIR
My father was a dwarf star
mother a supernova
grandparents
from too many nebulae
to count
ancestors all the way back
to the Big Bang
My family tree has roots
in the primordial swamp
before atoms had names
Family crest
the periodic table of elements
I'll be at home
wherever my rocket
burns out
My father was a dwarf star
mother a supernova
grandparents
from too many nebulae
to count
ancestors all the way back
to the Big Bang
My family tree has roots
in the primordial swamp
before atoms had names
Family crest
the periodic table of elements
I'll be at home
wherever my rocket
burns out
February 1, 2026 at 3:38 PM
HEIR
My father was a dwarf star
mother a supernova
grandparents
from too many nebulae
to count
ancestors all the way back
to the Big Bang
My family tree has roots
in the primordial swamp
before atoms had names
Family crest
the periodic table of elements
I'll be at home
wherever my rocket
burns out
My father was a dwarf star
mother a supernova
grandparents
from too many nebulae
to count
ancestors all the way back
to the Big Bang
My family tree has roots
in the primordial swamp
before atoms had names
Family crest
the periodic table of elements
I'll be at home
wherever my rocket
burns out
The federal murder charge is dismissed. This was . . . unexpected. Gotta wonder if Mangione did anything illegal at all. Or were they just desperate to arrest someone?
www.cnbc.com/2026/01/30/l...
www.cnbc.com/2026/01/30/l...
Luigi Mangione won't face death penalty in CEO murder case, federal judge rules
Luigi Mangione is accusing of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York City street in December 2024.
www.cnbc.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:01 AM
The federal murder charge is dismissed. This was . . . unexpected. Gotta wonder if Mangione did anything illegal at all. Or were they just desperate to arrest someone?
www.cnbc.com/2026/01/30/l...
www.cnbc.com/2026/01/30/l...
POEM
David Rogers
Some say god
has a name
a word
that may
be spoken
They forget
how much more
vast
and potent
are the silences
David Rogers
Some say god
has a name
a word
that may
be spoken
They forget
how much more
vast
and potent
are the silences
January 29, 2026 at 3:44 PM
POEM
David Rogers
Some say god
has a name
a word
that may
be spoken
They forget
how much more
vast
and potent
are the silences
David Rogers
Some say god
has a name
a word
that may
be spoken
They forget
how much more
vast
and potent
are the silences
Powerful expression of the truth. The Boss has still got it. Warning: this song might make you cry.
youtu.be/wWKSoxG1K7w?...
youtu.be/wWKSoxG1K7w?...
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 29, 2026 at 12:16 AM
Powerful expression of the truth. The Boss has still got it. Warning: this song might make you cry.
youtu.be/wWKSoxG1K7w?...
youtu.be/wWKSoxG1K7w?...
3 Rs
David Rogers
Thinking of Kurt Vonnegut
Reading is resistance
Resistance is survival
Bookburners say
only ignorance
has rights
Books are written
in the code
of freedom
Words can live anywhere
but knowledge has roots
Words are not required
to show ID
or give an address
at border crossings
David Rogers
Thinking of Kurt Vonnegut
Reading is resistance
Resistance is survival
Bookburners say
only ignorance
has rights
Books are written
in the code
of freedom
Words can live anywhere
but knowledge has roots
Words are not required
to show ID
or give an address
at border crossings
January 28, 2026 at 3:42 PM
3 Rs
David Rogers
Thinking of Kurt Vonnegut
Reading is resistance
Resistance is survival
Bookburners say
only ignorance
has rights
Books are written
in the code
of freedom
Words can live anywhere
but knowledge has roots
Words are not required
to show ID
or give an address
at border crossings
David Rogers
Thinking of Kurt Vonnegut
Reading is resistance
Resistance is survival
Bookburners say
only ignorance
has rights
Books are written
in the code
of freedom
Words can live anywhere
but knowledge has roots
Words are not required
to show ID
or give an address
at border crossings
The advocates of ignorance cannot kill truth. reason.com/2022/08/21/s...
How Slaughterhouse-Five Became a Repeated Target of Book Burners
As recently as 2011, a school board in Missouri barred the book from the curriculum and ordered it confined to a special section of the school's library.
reason.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:31 PM
The advocates of ignorance cannot kill truth. reason.com/2022/08/21/s...
CAR CHASE MOVIES
David Rogers
They must not be
only about cars
and going fast
which would be dull
Smokey and the Bandit
has beer
and a runaway bride
so it's a prison-break
story but there are other
ways to escape
by going slowly
or staying behind
Maybe just go
the other way
David Rogers
They must not be
only about cars
and going fast
which would be dull
Smokey and the Bandit
has beer
and a runaway bride
so it's a prison-break
story but there are other
ways to escape
by going slowly
or staying behind
Maybe just go
the other way
January 27, 2026 at 3:44 PM
CAR CHASE MOVIES
David Rogers
They must not be
only about cars
and going fast
which would be dull
Smokey and the Bandit
has beer
and a runaway bride
so it's a prison-break
story but there are other
ways to escape
by going slowly
or staying behind
Maybe just go
the other way
David Rogers
They must not be
only about cars
and going fast
which would be dull
Smokey and the Bandit
has beer
and a runaway bride
so it's a prison-break
story but there are other
ways to escape
by going slowly
or staying behind
Maybe just go
the other way
EXPLANATION
David Rogers
Pardon me
I am not myself
today
I can prove it
if you wait
'til I find
my other shoe
the one with my
soul in it
I think it is hiding
under the bed
and refuses
to come out
David Rogers
Pardon me
I am not myself
today
I can prove it
if you wait
'til I find
my other shoe
the one with my
soul in it
I think it is hiding
under the bed
and refuses
to come out
January 26, 2026 at 4:09 PM
EXPLANATION
David Rogers
Pardon me
I am not myself
today
I can prove it
if you wait
'til I find
my other shoe
the one with my
soul in it
I think it is hiding
under the bed
and refuses
to come out
David Rogers
Pardon me
I am not myself
today
I can prove it
if you wait
'til I find
my other shoe
the one with my
soul in it
I think it is hiding
under the bed
and refuses
to come out
POEM
The gun
was planted
Hate grows
from that seed
Foul harvest
The gun
was planted
Hate grows
from that seed
Foul harvest
January 24, 2026 at 9:39 PM
POEM
The gun
was planted
Hate grows
from that seed
Foul harvest
The gun
was planted
Hate grows
from that seed
Foul harvest
PRAIRIE
Land that escaped
woods
and mountains
All over the world
night waits
to come out of hiding
All the little nights
hidden in closets
Land that escaped
woods
and mountains
All over the world
night waits
to come out of hiding
All the little nights
hidden in closets
January 24, 2026 at 4:07 PM
PRAIRIE
Land that escaped
woods
and mountains
All over the world
night waits
to come out of hiding
All the little nights
hidden in closets
Land that escaped
woods
and mountains
All over the world
night waits
to come out of hiding
All the little nights
hidden in closets
FOUND POEM
from Vic Hugo
Dominos
Fist
hammered
marble
table
I heard
Double-six
No!
you are dead
My move
Four points
Not much
Your turn
I have made an enormous mistake
You are doing well
Fifteen
Makes me twenty-two
You weren’t expecting
I haven’t any
Your play I believe
Yes
Blank
What luck!
from Vic Hugo
Dominos
Fist
hammered
marble
table
I heard
Double-six
No!
you are dead
My move
Four points
Not much
Your turn
I have made an enormous mistake
You are doing well
Fifteen
Makes me twenty-two
You weren’t expecting
I haven’t any
Your play I believe
Yes
Blank
What luck!
January 22, 2026 at 3:30 PM
FOUND POEM
from Vic Hugo
Dominos
Fist
hammered
marble
table
I heard
Double-six
No!
you are dead
My move
Four points
Not much
Your turn
I have made an enormous mistake
You are doing well
Fifteen
Makes me twenty-two
You weren’t expecting
I haven’t any
Your play I believe
Yes
Blank
What luck!
from Vic Hugo
Dominos
Fist
hammered
marble
table
I heard
Double-six
No!
you are dead
My move
Four points
Not much
Your turn
I have made an enormous mistake
You are doing well
Fifteen
Makes me twenty-two
You weren’t expecting
I haven’t any
Your play I believe
Yes
Blank
What luck!
POEM
Here are some
words
My gift
from me
Indestructible
as concrete caterpillars
Do whatever
you like
with them
See how the period
hovers
over the pole
of the i
like a tiny UFO
a black dot
so small and innocent
in this dimension
Here are some
words
My gift
from me
Indestructible
as concrete caterpillars
Do whatever
you like
with them
See how the period
hovers
over the pole
of the i
like a tiny UFO
a black dot
so small and innocent
in this dimension
January 18, 2026 at 4:45 PM
POEM
Here are some
words
My gift
from me
Indestructible
as concrete caterpillars
Do whatever
you like
with them
See how the period
hovers
over the pole
of the i
like a tiny UFO
a black dot
so small and innocent
in this dimension
Here are some
words
My gift
from me
Indestructible
as concrete caterpillars
Do whatever
you like
with them
See how the period
hovers
over the pole
of the i
like a tiny UFO
a black dot
so small and innocent
in this dimension
DRAMA
The world
is an emergency.
It has lasted
thousands of years.
Sirens are useful
only for dramatic
purposes.
In a just universe
the problem
one song causes
can be solved by another
but usually the orchestra
is out of tune.
Some actors don't even know their lines.
Just wait
'til intermission.
The world
is an emergency.
It has lasted
thousands of years.
Sirens are useful
only for dramatic
purposes.
In a just universe
the problem
one song causes
can be solved by another
but usually the orchestra
is out of tune.
Some actors don't even know their lines.
Just wait
'til intermission.
January 16, 2026 at 4:10 PM
DRAMA
The world
is an emergency.
It has lasted
thousands of years.
Sirens are useful
only for dramatic
purposes.
In a just universe
the problem
one song causes
can be solved by another
but usually the orchestra
is out of tune.
Some actors don't even know their lines.
Just wait
'til intermission.
The world
is an emergency.
It has lasted
thousands of years.
Sirens are useful
only for dramatic
purposes.
In a just universe
the problem
one song causes
can be solved by another
but usually the orchestra
is out of tune.
Some actors don't even know their lines.
Just wait
'til intermission.
TEN WORDS OR LESS
David Rogers
Cloudy days
popcorn with movies
Sunlight
evaporates memory
Shadows exhale
David Rogers
Cloudy days
popcorn with movies
Sunlight
evaporates memory
Shadows exhale
January 13, 2026 at 3:55 PM
TEN WORDS OR LESS
David Rogers
Cloudy days
popcorn with movies
Sunlight
evaporates memory
Shadows exhale
David Rogers
Cloudy days
popcorn with movies
Sunlight
evaporates memory
Shadows exhale
SONGS
David Rogers
When I was 15
I had a transistor radio.
It gave me proof
the world was bigger
than our little town.
I took that radio
everywhere.
It took me everywhere.
David Rogers
When I was 15
I had a transistor radio.
It gave me proof
the world was bigger
than our little town.
I took that radio
everywhere.
It took me everywhere.
January 12, 2026 at 4:39 PM
SONGS
David Rogers
When I was 15
I had a transistor radio.
It gave me proof
the world was bigger
than our little town.
I took that radio
everywhere.
It took me everywhere.
David Rogers
When I was 15
I had a transistor radio.
It gave me proof
the world was bigger
than our little town.
I took that radio
everywhere.
It took me everywhere.
The video does NOT show anyone being run over. It doesn't show anyone trying to run over anyone. It shows an ICE agent harassing someone. Then we hear him bang his phone on his chest or whatever before he kills her. Best you got? Give it up. Stop defending a killer.
www.cbsnews.com/news/video-m...
www.cbsnews.com/news/video-m...
Video taken by ICE agent shows new angle of fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis
The White House shared video showing a different angle of Renee Nicole Good's shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis and the moments that led up to it, as the investigation continues.
www.cbsnews.com
January 11, 2026 at 5:18 PM
The video does NOT show anyone being run over. It doesn't show anyone trying to run over anyone. It shows an ICE agent harassing someone. Then we hear him bang his phone on his chest or whatever before he kills her. Best you got? Give it up. Stop defending a killer.
www.cbsnews.com/news/video-m...
www.cbsnews.com/news/video-m...
MORNING
by David Rogers
The news is as usual
a cloud
of gloom
with a bloody lining
so I pull
a poem over my head
wake up somewhere
in the mountains
among old gods
They wear antlers
and feathers
not as disguises
but because crystal
vibrates
in tune with sandstone
and the breath of deer
by David Rogers
The news is as usual
a cloud
of gloom
with a bloody lining
so I pull
a poem over my head
wake up somewhere
in the mountains
among old gods
They wear antlers
and feathers
not as disguises
but because crystal
vibrates
in tune with sandstone
and the breath of deer
January 9, 2026 at 3:48 PM
MORNING
by David Rogers
The news is as usual
a cloud
of gloom
with a bloody lining
so I pull
a poem over my head
wake up somewhere
in the mountains
among old gods
They wear antlers
and feathers
not as disguises
but because crystal
vibrates
in tune with sandstone
and the breath of deer
by David Rogers
The news is as usual
a cloud
of gloom
with a bloody lining
so I pull
a poem over my head
wake up somewhere
in the mountains
among old gods
They wear antlers
and feathers
not as disguises
but because crystal
vibrates
in tune with sandstone
and the breath of deer
This is how stupid the administration hopes people are: Videos all show an innocent woman who was not driving to hit anyone being killed. If the administration had a single video showing her about to run over anyone, that video would be everywhere.
abcnews.go.com/US/live-upda...
abcnews.go.com/US/live-upda...
Minneapolis ICE shooting live updates: Vance calls fatal shooting 'tragedy of her own making'
Tensions are flaring in Minneapolis after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a 37-year-old woman on Wednesday.
abcnews.go.com
January 8, 2026 at 11:48 PM
This is how stupid the administration hopes people are: Videos all show an innocent woman who was not driving to hit anyone being killed. If the administration had a single video showing her about to run over anyone, that video would be everywhere.
abcnews.go.com/US/live-upda...
abcnews.go.com/US/live-upda...
This embarrassing act is straight out of the Bush playbook: find a weak leader to pick on and bully to distract from his own failures.
apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com/article/trum...
How the US captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro
President Donald Trump is laying out some of the details of the U.S. military strike against Venezuela that's led to the capture of leader Nicolás Maduro.
apnews.com
January 3, 2026 at 4:54 PM
This embarrassing act is straight out of the Bush playbook: find a weak leader to pick on and bully to distract from his own failures.
apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com/article/trum...