Dave Von Bieker

Indie folk to haunt your heart with small stories and big questions.

Poem 18

Here is one about tennis and toilets and most-likely distorted memories. I remember it like this   I am standing in the stall of     the men’s washroom of         your favourite tennis club–             the tennis club you bring us to all of the time                 Every sweltering summer day                     we wait and

Poem 17

Because it is International Haiku Day, a walk in the river valley becomes this. Strewn homeless clothing clots bare trees and breaks into River’s silver sun

Poem 16

This one is a ‘found poem’. It uses only words I found in this article online – http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/the-artery-appeals-rejection-of-proposed-new-location-1.3351092. Much has been removed. Orders have been changed. Nothing has been added.  The owners of the much-loved downtown music venue  are hoping In their search

Poem 15

Another haiku. Let me be a ghost I could capture photographs without my shadow

Poem 14

There are always more people who see the problem than People who will fix it There are always prophets And some are worth listening to There are always more ideas than inventions More conceptions than births More misconceptions, always, than truths Because, while truths exist, they are few Hurt people

Poem 13

And now for a haiku. Emptied rain-cloud sky Reflects on puddle mirrors Soaks in aftermath

Poem 12

Time to start playing with form. This one is a ‘Pantoum’. When I hold myself up to your light I feel carved out by envy Blind to the beauty in my circle Translucent and magnetic as a moth I feel. Carved out by envy I was numb as a frozen

Poem 11

Everything is beautiful Everything is, beautiful Everything is? Every thing is Even the ugly parts? Even the ugly parts Even blood and tears? Especially blood and tears Even evil? Well … Well what? I am trying to find a way to explain it when you get here But I am here

Poem 10

Look, I didn’t come here for a theological argument I’m not sure I can have those anymore I am not convinced enough to defend truths Or so convinced I do not see how they need defending I have no more interest in watching straw men punch straw men

Poem 9

They tell me you are already gone that hope is for fools Some people slip away no matter how hard you hold them By they, I mean me those other iterations of me I try to leave inside the mirror before I face the day It’s hard to see

Poem 8

On days when you cannot form a poem Go outside for a walk You will discover several poems already written Steal one of those and pin your name on it Nobody will know

Poem 7

Nothing reminds you How beautiful people are–capital P People I mean–  like a building they’ve just left All the life sucked out like atmosphere in space The sounds gone silent like the lonely terror of sudden deafness Memories still haunt the air like smoke trails from the last

Poem 6

I cannot explain God Why I would believe in anything so ancient and abstract So shrouded and veiled So often plastered on the T-shirts of fanatics I cannot explain Her I cannot explain Him I cannot explain It It is not whether or not God makes sense to me illogical

Poem 5

A bird sings I am three kilometres into a five kilometre run with my breath fast and heavy and my legs tingling from disuse A bird is singing There is sweat down my back and front My leather gloves are hot, catching sun in my hands My hood is bouncing

Poem 4

Here at the Value Village On a sale day you can tell yourself so many lies If the discounts are deep enough you can even believe them Or most of them My belly doesn’t hang over the waist too far I have always been the kind of guy who

Poem 3

Spring is in her early days Leaving secret notes in apple tree buds Waiting for me to unravel her riddle I was always told she wore only brown Not a pretty shade, but the musty, rotting carcass of a colour I have believed that lie for too long Everything you

Poem 2

There is something heroic about the word ‘enough’ Something subversive about a stop sign Even a yield on the green lit freeway There is the moment when you realize it is much too late to do so much and you give up Pull off at the next exit toward compromise

Poem 1

I question what business I have writing poetry when this is something poets are supposed to do but if I am going to start questioning what business I have I won’t have any business left I’ve spent a lifetime stumbling into the wrong party and somehow not getting

Fighting for the Work

The kids are off to school. Lunches are made, and the dog has been walked. Check. Dishes are put away. Counters wiped. Check. Check. It is almost time to sit down and do the work. Later this morning, I have to make a trip to the dump. Our backyard is

How Talking the Strangers on Anchor Could Save Social Media

Each human voice is beautiful and unique. Our voices connect us to one another. Our personalities incarnate timber and tone. Vocalization brings nuances text lacks. This subtlety and character have been largely missing from social media. Until now. Until I installed Anchor, I had no idea the difference a human

App Review: Bible for Apple TV

Television, Meet Contemplation Just a couple of months ago my family opened our door to Apple TV 4 and entered the world of big screen apps. My experience with TVos apps is mixed. There are fantastic apps, translated as well to the big screen as I expected or hoped. Games

App Review: Sketch Party TV

Earlier this month I wrote about the ways “The Future of Television” may be returning us to a more communal tech-space. My family has had a few more weeks with our Apple TV 4 and so far that theory is proving true. We’ve been spending more time together. Not

Why I Bet $200 on the New Apple TV

I’m well aware that Apple TV 4 costs up to a hundred dollars more than other streaming boxes. For me, it’s worth the premium for one reason; the Apple TV App Store. Apps mean potential. Apps are the key to unlocking a developer community we’ve already watched

15 Years: A Married Man's Balance Sheet

15 years ago I stood in front of a hundred and fifty people and gave up my freedom. I lost some things, then and there, that I could never get back. There’s a giving up to marriage. I gave up any idea that I was a rugged individual. That

This is How I Strengthen My Courage

Courage is kind of a big deal right now. I left my job. I’m trying to make a go of it. I know I’m not alone. Here are some thoughts on that I shared this week at Bleeding Heart Art Space.