Roarshock @ Sacred Grounds

Roarskock Reads @ Sacred Grounds
Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Set List

Spirit-Catcher
My Friend Giant
The Old Man of the Mountain
Garcia's Death
Sometimes the Roses Fade
First Hours of a Rainy Day
Saxmar the Unholy
Shadow Boxes

Thanks phriends for kind comments! Yes, I did have SUCH a fun time!

Here is Dan Brady's review from Sacred Grounds Newsletter:

Feature, Roarshock: This was a fabulous presentation by an astute, and perceptive poet synchronistic as it was Jerry Garcia passed and, being a fan, he read to honor the man, “The times are changing as they are encapsulated, contained on disc and tape, but even should the poles shift and all magnets disappear, erasing Jerry’s voice, even then the songs will be sung around campfires in the primordial forests under eternity along the wild wind swept beaches of nature inside the castles and caves or bus where we maintain our freeholds. Remember Jerry on the stage, his expressions as the music played the stories of existence. Never mind abusive uses of dangerous substances, or the impudent impotent reviews of ignorant imbeciles, none of that matters. What matters are the curious expansive trips further into, out of spaces and bubbles of consciousness. Jerry left us many signposts, and the long strange trip continues there is much work that remains to be done. The Grateful Dead can never die The Grateful Dead are life”

He also read a piece about a particular man, unhoused, whom he knew and spoke with on rare occasions… “Homeless, by definition without shelter in the world, must live private lives in public spaces. A.. A… grew up in the 20th century East Bay (Before most things familiar were swept away by Bong! Cuckoo! 21st century BOOMS!), and he remembered the “street people” of Telegraph Avenue. Maybe most of these folks had places to crash (It was, after all, a time before weirdos had been priced out of existence), but they lived their social lives publicly in coffee houses, parks, and along the sidewalk. The roots, known and unknown, understood and misunderstood, were found in Hobo culture and the unwritten “Code of the Road,” and also the Bohemian lifestyle of places like Prague, Paris and Amsterdam, where crowded personal accommodations encouraged people to live as communities in public settings, like bars and public squares. San Francisco also had its 20th century street people from the remnants of the Beats in North Beach to the Hippies born too late in Haight- Ashbury, questing for the lost illusion of a Summer of Love…” All in all a great read, my only regret is that, due to an unseemly error, I lost the recording.

He is part of Spoken World Online (Online Iteration of Spoken World Paris), Tuesdays, 11am PT. Host: David Leo Sirois. Co-hosts: Roarshock & Rick Spisak. This is the link to next Tuesday’s event -  

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9275470975?pwd=Q2s5Q3NDSWZreDlrcU1tL0x5d1krUT09 

Again... 

I am the featured performer tonight, Wednesday, December 10, at Sacred Grounds, reputedly the longest running open mic in the known and unknown universe (since 1972).

Long time host Dan Brady is retiring early next year, so I am particularly honored to be invited as one of his last featured poets.

Shoe starts 7PM PT. It would be grand to see zoners in the audience. If you have the time, tune in for the live stream on Zoom.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2212245102?pwd=QlRBdm5rNXhTSVhkcnN4cDhQVWdPZz09

Dan Brady's write up.

Feature, Roarshock: he began with inviting everyone to come to Spoken World Online. (See the note following this write up) and followed on “… a rainy day… lines in Oakland, endless freeways, California, misty forests, angel minstrels, all is all, he loved the girl… orange sun… springs and clock…  human fetus, incredible photos…  the circle is magic…  child’s art and pumpkins grand…  such a perfect smile…” transitions to, “… thick cold fog and mist… early winter, will thee ever be time to meditate… mother died on December 4th, I am the last of my first tribe, no one remains… did she reunite with Godot and Daniel and all who went before… on the other shore, that is our comfort metaphor… all that is certain is that they’re absent from… but they were here… it is a fact that I remain, the memories of those beloved around me… family, friends old and new give me such boosts in my time here with all that I must do…” and a piece on John Lennon… “… to love ourselves and others… the love radiating from stories… we can help and heal, all together now, love is all we need… the night John Lennon died, shedding tears for a man never knew… karma is karma… your words expressed choice… I grew to the sound of your voice… The Dreamer… that night was very dark and cold, I had to work late, my friend called… thought he was telling a joke… I closed up the store, the news was traveling fast, emotion crackling in every voice, have you head? Pain! Anger! Disbelief! Driving home, on the radio, all I heard were Beatle tunes and tears fell out… how irrational shedding tears for a man I never knew… no…  never met, not never knew… we all knew you quite well… and loved you…” A great set, to be sure, the video will be up on the link just above this. 

Roarshock also wants us to know that every Tuesday he co-hosts Spoken World Online with host by David Leo Sirois - the online iteration of Spoken Word Paris, which gets underway at 11AM PT with the poetics starting at half past the hour. This venue has been connecting poets from around the world every week since March 16, 2020. The 300th show will be on Tuesday, December 23.  For more information

See: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1258292857858374

D. A. "Roarshock" Wilson presenting at Sacred Grounds on December 10, 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv2vR21UJ7Q

Set List

First Hours of a Rainy Day

All Those Who Left and Those Who Remain

100 Thousand Pomegranates for Peace

The Night John Lennon Died

Chairman of the World

California Woman

Yule Tide Cheer

Winter Solstice Poem

Silence for John Lennon