Writer • Musician
Ren Michael · When I Come Home To You Drum.beat The sound is something of dreams, unusual yet deeply familiar. of something seemingly far but well within. Its like this, I write of the cosmos the music reflecting the land, the city the elements. As I am a force of nature, we are nature All …
I was born in Miami, lived there till I was about three, then lived in the western end of Broward County outside the Everglades, right on the borderline of that greater swampland running from the southern tip of the peninsula to Lake Okeechobee. New Orleans felt like an extension of that in some way, maybe …
My first recollection is the steam rising ominously from the surface, from the pools that weren't visible from where I initially stood just before I started toward them. I call them pools because at first glance, that's what they looked like. Beautiful to look upon. Clear and strikingly blue. They reminded me of the waters …
Lyrics by Ren Michael I want to send you my love I want to tell you I’m proud I want to hear your voice, son I want you with me now You over my shoulders Your young hand in mine As you stand next to me As I know you’re alive I can’t find the …
I don’t often post in the moment because I‘m either without reception or—most of the time—too caught up in the moment itself. This was a combination of the two, though by the looks of it, I am in the middle of taking a picture. Needless to say, I post a lot of pictures after the …
Inspiration has many faces, and sometimes it can leave you spellbound to the point that you see no reason to do anything else, because you feel the overwhelming feeling that everything’s been done already. It’s why I’m wary of museums. Of course it’s a matter of perspective, depending on the individual and the choices they …
A Lesson in Presence The sky was cast in a deep azure glow, illuminating the dark outline of the clouds at night, just above the aura of gold shining from the lights below. This was Plaza Mayor, in the heart of the old town, where people drank wine and champagne, smoked cigars, ate good food, …
When we’re about to begin a project, sometimes it’s tempting to sweat the beginnings. That is, trying to manipulate conditions, waiting for the right kind of ‘weather’ before you take the first steps. This can be anything from those things out of your control, like the actual weather, or things that are in your control, …
I’ve been fortunate enough to visit some spectacular places that celebrate our planet’s beauty, but the picture below was taken on a ordinary day walking my dog in the neighborhood where I grew up in south Florida. In anticipation of Earth Day and this week being National Park Week, I'd thought this post might bring …
I looked for the center of the city. I wanted to see where everyone congregated in the capital, so I started toward Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol. The first thing I noticed was that the streets were very narrow, romantic like something out of a movie. Every so often a dude zipped by on …
In developing a habit, we usually anchor ourselves with how many days in a row we can keep it going. Let’s say the habit is meditating. After a good 21 days, it’s a safe bet that we’ve developed it into working order; but after that point, we might easily fall into the trap of maintaining …
Visions of Vltava (Moldau) I returned to the front desk the next morning and asked Orsolya for a few recommendations on things to do in town. I was interested in hearing some music, and I asked her for the best places to go and whether it was easy to get tickets to the State Opera …
My only grievance with heaven is the low premium it places on living. Put down your phone, the tube won’t deliver you the truth. Step away from your computer and your handheld tv’s Telling you what to think what to worship, and who to be Heaven awaits, it’s golden gates Outside your door The choral …
I am in love with this moment I am in love with you and America, I see you So let down you guard America I see you No matter the statues left standing, I see you Or whoever stands for the anthem I see you still How did you ever get boxed into this prism? …
My first order of business was to find the hostel I’d booked the night before. Knowing that maps/GPS wouldn’t work since I didn’t buy a data plan--and I wouldn’t have wi-fi unless I camped out at a cafe for a few minutes--I took a screenshot of the pinned location on the map the night before …
We’d heard news that the city was flooded with refugees seeking asylum from war-torn Syria. Everyone I spoke to was persuading me not to go to Budapest. But I had roots there, and I’d never been as to close to it as I was then. It was only a 7-hour train ride from Prague, so …
I thought I'd grown numb to gun violence, until it finally happened close to me. In my county. Maybe it’s just another indicator of the distance we feel from one another, from east to west. Maybe it’s natural in a land as vast and diverse as our own, an impediment we must continually seek to …
A spark… He wanders in darkness A shadow of himself A stranger he can’t recognize smiling from an old poster sign a tattered flyer tumbling in the city breeze Smiling in dark alleys Looking straight at me! Hell Time to get moving It’s 2017 “you’ve just begun.” But times have changed It don’t belong to …
I never saw the need to call myself a feminist, much less a proud feminist, since the basics of feminism always seemed like common sense. If you exercise common sense, what’s there to be proud of? Nothing. It’s a waste of energy. The crucial detail of common sense is that it’s common. Therefore, just follow …
Out in LA, one of my acting teachers would often remind me, along with anyone in class venting any sort of self-frustration, that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Though it was an obvious point, it was easy to forget. Few of the greats, if any at all, were incredible by day one. As a …
Ren Michael 