it was a sunny day, what I meant to say was, it’s raining frogs.

When I said it was quiet outside, what I meant to say was, isn’t that the sound of Nero’s fiddle?

When I said everything will be OK, what I meant to say was, it looks like history is practicing its blindfolded, knife-throwing act again.

When I said, listen to the world sing in the key of life, what I meant to say was, it’s moaning a vertigo blues that sends our souls reeling.

When I said I do my best to look on the bright side of life, what I meant to say was, there are many days when my inner child should be named Dostoyevsky.

L.A. poet/spoken-word performer Rich Ferguson has shared the stage with Patti Smith, Wanda Coleman, Moby, and other esteemed poets and musicians. He is a featured performer in the film, What About Me? featuring Michael Stipe, Michael Franti, k.d. lang, and others. His poetry and award-winning spoken-word music videos have appeared in numerous anthologies and festivals. Ferguson is the lead editor of an anthology of CA poets entitled Beat Not Beat (Moon Tide Press) and he was named U.S. Beat Poet Laureate by the National Beat Poetry Foundation in 2023.