The Flying Salvias: Record Release Concert

Kathleen and Henry Salvia, aka The Flying Salvias, have recently completed their two latest projects (musical, not home improvement): ‘Henry’s Hideaway’ and ‘Amerikinda’, with original songs by The Salvias, Maurice Tani, and co-writes with Deb Grabien and yours truly. Both projects contain great performances by an incredible list of Bay Area musicians too long to list here.

They are having a Records (remember those?) Release Event this Saturday at The Pacifica Center for the Arts which promises to be a fine evening of entertainment with a full cast of your favorite musical performers. Tickets and information are available here:  

https://pacificaperformances.org/the-flying-salvias-2/

…and The Flying Salvias website is here:  

http://flyingsalvias.com

It is with great pride that I add my contributions to their fine work to my discography: 

https://kenowenondrums.com/discography/

We hope to see you this Saturday!

-KO

The Grove

 

She arranges

flowers, feathers, and stones

for offerings of love and remembrance

in a grove full of memories

He writes

observing which trees

sway and sing their mournful hymns

and which hold fast in respectful silence

They experience

the respite of nature on sacred ground 

rich with energy past and present

honoring all who attend

KO and AdC

National AIDS Memorial Grove

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA

Ken Owen    August 2024

Van Niddy Press

On This Blustery Day

On this blustery day 
a leaf fell dancing
on the name of Frank Robinson IV

as a butterfly of purple and gold

passed overhead to enjoy the performance

and when the dance was done

a crowd of leaves scattered on the wind

but the dancing leaf stayed 

to honor Frank Robinson IV

on his transformation

into a butterfly of purple and gold

on this blustery day

National AIDS Memorial Grove

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
July 2024

The Town Doctor

You can take the pulse of a town

at the local thrift store 

by examining the shoppers and goods 

and how much the place smells 

like grandma’s basement.

You can take the blood pressure of a town 

by counting the number 

of rock and roll band stickers 

you find on the back of stop signs

and assessing how long they’ve been there.

You can estimate the life expectancy of a town 

by counting the number 

of empty store fronts on Main Street 

and asking the concerned locals

“Well, is she a fighter?”

Ken Owen

Van Niddy Press

1970 Was 54 Years Ago

 

1970

was 54 years ago

War was global and endless

politicians were crooks even when 

they said they weren’t and we shook 

our heads at the nightly news and knew 

something wasn’t right with the stories they 

were telling and when we realized truth had been 

taken off the menu long ago and would not be 

served again with our TV dinners while in our 

favorite chair and that the change we needed 

would require people to shout louder than 

those who made quiet deals behind the 

scenes people rallied and marched 

and partied their way through 

the turmoil until they 

made things

right

1970

was 54 years ago

yet we live with daily reminders 

that progress won on battlegrounds 

long since quiet will always require 

vigilant defending against 

challenges by those who 

would turn our 

gains into 

losses

Ken Owen    June 2024

Van Niddy Press

On a Bus Leaving Town

We said our goodbyes
                   in a dream last night

you were getting on a bus 

                                 leaving town

I followed under your window

                as it slowly started to leave

and reached up to touch 

                   your hand one last time

the last thing I saw was a stranger 

                     lighting your cigarette

Ken Owen    May 2024

Van Niddy Press

Committed to Memory

 

It seems

she remembers 

everything.

Me

not so much.

I am not sure

when I began

to look right at the movie actors

and hear the bell of memory

ringing off in the distance

just far enough away

to make the sound of their name

undecipherable

(It was Eli Wallach

and she knew it instantly.)

My memory now operates independently 

judging the importance of names and events

regardless of my efforts

but there have been moments

when I knew immediately

I had witnessed the unforgettable 

like when I told my father 

that she was sick

his very last words to me were

“Well, tell her I’m thinking about her.”

I am fairly certain

I’ll remember that 

forever.

Ken Owen March 2023

Van Niddy Press