What It Takes

 

What did it take from parents,

the know-how, wisdom and

strength to raise you? Did you

learn through their example

how to raise your children?

What made them, what made

you and I who we turned out

to be? Was it ignorance and

anger, patience and prudence

or a measure of both?

It has been scientifically proven

that inherent genetic makeup

predisposes us to certain traits

and physical characteristics,

depression, alcohol addiction

and the likes.

As I have aged and having

faced aspects of the afore-

mentioned, I managed to

have made it headed into

my 77^th year.

Excessive alcohol con-

sumption in the past and

smoking to the present

day, I am certain, have

shaved a good ten years

off my life.

Otherwise, a measure of

luck and a sturdy genetic

makeup have had a fair

amount of influence on

my longevity.

And most of the time,

I had the good sense to

look both ways before

crossing the street.

At an early age, both

mother and father had

the foresight to pass

that along to me.

                  -30-

Chris Hanch 10-31-2023

Caricature

Whether sardonic

or comedic, for better

or for worse,

everyone deserves

to be

graphically satirized.

                  -30-

Chris Hanch 10-28-2023 

Who's in Charge?

 

Growing up in my family

mother was in charge

of etiquette: “Christopher,

please remove your elbows

from the dinner table.”

Father was in charge of

the discipline: “Listen to

your mother or I’ll send

you to your room. And

take that hat off too!”

            -30-

Chris Hanch 10-26-2023

Meeting of the Minds

 

Today, Let’s you

and I take charge.

No wars today, no mass

shootings, no third party

“He said, She said”

contentious disputes.

No sir, no ma’am, none

of that crap. As far as

I’m concerned, Congress

and indicted ex-presidents

can go straight to hell.

No more BS bickering,

bullying or belittling.

Only honest, straight

forward face-to-face,

eye-to-eye, one-on-one

you and I. Today, let’s

you and I take charge.

No smart phones or

AI either. I talk, you

listen; you talk, I listen.

¿comprender?

Let’s turn the page

and begin all over

again.

                  -30-

Chris Hanch 10-26-2023

Life as It Was and Remains Today

 

Saying things which need saying.

Hoping, wishing, praying.

Getting off my ass and getting

things done.

My thoughts in wondering,

am I the only one?

Considering the lives from

where I have come.

Perhaps father and grandfather

passed in their time have

thought and done the same?

I give credit to my lineage,

and share in some of the blame.

Living out the times of our lives,

passing along family traits and

handing down the family name.

                   -30-

Chris Hanch 10-24-2023

As Seen on TV

Death and destruction, the travesty

of war and disaster broadcast live

on TV. And side by side, new car,

Pepsi and Subway commercials,

the good life in the land of the free.

Someone has to pay for all of it

including the likes of you and me.

It doesn't seem so bad what is

happening in places far and away

when mankind calamity is interrupted

by frequent 30, 60-second commercial

breaks.

Go to the bathroom and Enjoy the

Go with Charmin. Order a pizza

from Domino’s, sit back in the

comfort of your Pella-windowed,

Lazy Boy home and take in the game

knowing you’re secure and fully

insured by Progressive.

War in Israel, Palestine and Ukraine,

the famine and impoverishment in

Africa is a whole different world away.

Uncomfortable or bored with what

you see, stream with Netflix, Hulu

or Prime Video commercial free.

Other than the mass murder, military

style gun proliferation and eminent

erosion of democracy, you’ve almost

got it made, America. Break out the

Bud Light, let’s celebrate!

                 -30-

Chris Hanch 10-22-2023

 

The Great Unknowns

 

Something great. That’s what I’m

thinking about doing today, some-

thing great. Haven’t yet decided

what that Something Great is

going to be. All I know is what-

ever comes to mind, I have decided

to keep it to myself. You know,

like credit being due to the anony-

mous unknown.

Many great things have been

accomplished by the mysterious

unknown, an idea which may

have started off inconsequential

which later blossomed into

something grand. The mystery

of such as that could have been

attributed to the likes of me.

Something great. What shall

I choose that to be? Name the

guy or gal who invented the catnap,

or was the first to come up with

and serve meatloaf?

See thousands of years ago,

had I been around then, that

could have been me.

Something great today? My mind

is a blank slate right now, but

even at my advanced stage in life,

that seems like a good place to

start. I’m already halfway there

in being known as one of the

“great unknowns.”

                   -30-

Chris Hanch 10-21-2023

My Humble Offerings

They may not be

complete, however

in some cases

I might add, replete—

the recordings in

picture and word, a

personal history of

time and place in the

passing of me.

I’d say, I did what I

could at the disposal

of with that which

I had.

And the chronology

of my being alive

and here on Planet

Earth reveals some

of the best I ever had.

And all the rest? Well

I’d have to say, reflective

renderings of abstract,

creative offerings from

the fabrication of my

erstwhile vivid imaginings.

Half that shit's made up, man.

                -30-

Chris Hanch 10-20-2023 

Where We Are

 

Think of this, where we are,

today, by choice or chance,

is the result of what you and

I did or did not do yesterday.

Right or wrong, did we change

or stay the course we were on

back then?

Think of where we and others

are. History for many is bleak.

The people of  the Israeli

Palestinian conflict

are crying and dying

because.

                   -30-

Chris Hanch 10-20-2023

Minding My P's and Q's

 

This morning, I went to a recent posting

I had made on Facebook and noticed I

had used the word “here” instead of

“hear.”

Stupid me, not that I don’t know the

difference, but I had failed to proof

read and edit my mistake in the first

place before posting my piece to the

public.

Notice, I used the word, “piece”

meaning “thing” or “item” rather

than “peace” defining “repose”

or “serene.”

It could be said that today I was

“minding my p’s and q’s” where

originally “re” was published instead

of “ar.” How do you think I feel?

Why in hell did I awake this morning

with the idiom about p’s and q’s on

my mind, before even finding my

misspelling which didn’t even involve

the letters p and q? Life as a 76 year

old can be confusing at times. And

the English Language with all its

idioms doesn’t seem to help.

                 -30-

Chris Hanch 10-18-2023

Photograpy for Me

 

Everyday people. For over forty years this has been the focus

of my photography. Men, women and children, young folks

and old, folks of every persuasion and all walks of life, white,

black, red, brown and yellow whom have drawn me to capture

and portray them on film and digitally.

Since 1822 and the invention of photography, the rich and famous

have long since been sought after, highlighted and promoted by

photographers around the world. Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison,

Walt Whitman, Edgar Allen Poe, Mark Twain, Madame Curie, Emily

Dickinson and many others were brought into the eye of the public

at large through books, newspapers and photography.

Since I was a young man in the early 1970s, I have had an avid

interest in the diversity of people and their cultures. I was often

criticized by my first wife and others for taking photographs of

non-family members and friends. Who wants to look at pictures

of people they don’t know? It’s a waste of time and money. But I

was not to be discouraged or deterred.

I took my camera with me to every festival and fair. Much of the

time when I was simply out-and-about, my camera went with me,

and was slung over my shoulder ever at the ready. I did not hesitate

taking random, candid shots of interesting subjects, or asking the

unsuspecting bystanders if I could take their picture which oft-

times puzzled them. I like your outfit, or you have a striking stature

or an appealing face, I would explain.

I did not preclude taking shots of family or people I knew. I had

to make sure all of my subjects posed naturally according to their

current time and place, but with sincerity whether seriously somber

or silly. It’s the love gleam between lovers, the facial similarity

shared by mother and daughter, the inseparable bond between friends,

the close-up glare of hopeless despair, the expression of inner-peace

and tranquility. Unique and beautiful faces all.

My goal is to capture the honest essence personality of my

subject, portraits exuding character and individuality not a pre-

determined, stilted snapshot is a must for me. Wait for it…

There, right there! No, “Say cheese!” from me.

                                 

Chris Hanch 10-17-2023

It's All Cliché Anyway

I crossed that bridge

when I came to it.

Thanks to

Yogi Berra,

I even took the fork

in the road.

Eventually,

I came to be

where I was

supposed to be.

Nothing ventured,

nothing gained,

I suppose.

Forget the bush,

a bird in the hand

made nothing but

a sloppy mess.

And a penny saved

will never be worth

a plug nickle.

I have taken

a lot of supposed

sage advice

in my life.

Before cutting,

I measured twice

and still

came up short.

A word to the wise,

on a dark and

stormy night

being a chip off

the old block

is a tough row

to hoe.

Who pays attention

to cliché anyway?

At times it

just adds insult

to injury.

And beggars

can't be choosers,

that’s what I say.

Rhyme to reason?

Go figure.

-30-

Chris Hanch 10-14-2030 

Genocide

 

I am truly disturbed by the unconscionable

terror and tragedy happening in Gaza

and Israel today. Mankind’s history with

his own kind has been reprehensible to say

the least.

And Hamas’s genocide against mankind in

the name of Allah as God is once again

deplorable proof of this.

If we cannot peacefully resolve our

issues with one another as the Fellowship

of Man, we as a species on Planet Earth are

doomed to eternal condemnation and

inevitable elimination.

                   -30-

Chris Hanch 10-12-2023

Believer?

 

Believer? In my lifetime, I have been asked

that many times. As a child I was taught to

believe in an Almighty. As a young man, I

was told that God had his reasons beyond

our understanding.

Now as an adult, I know good from evil.

I believe that mankind throughout his

history has certainly shown he is capable

of both.

I believe there is a god and devil within

all of us. I believe a promised Hereafter

is a contrived concept to give us hope

for the better and threaten us with an

inescapable punishment of the unimagin-

able worse.

Beliefs? I have mine and you are entitled

to yours. I do believe that if there was

an all powerful and knowing deity, he or she

would believe mankind has certainly created

a living hell for himself here on Earth. Hell,

persecuting and crucifying the Son of Man

should have proven that.

I might even believe in an all-knowing being

proclaiming, “ You’ve made your choices,

now you’re on your own.”

                             -30-

Chris Hanch 10-10-2023