Even the most irregular and disordered existence,needs a set of guidelines to give it,if not,direction at least form. They abound in sacred text,poetry (if these two aren't the same thing) and cultural mores. Though,there had never been any scientific basis for them,until now. Medical science has now figure out the rules for a happy life and the Protestant Work Ethic,gets busted as the bullshit mythology,I always knew it was. Dr Ray Bennett,in his,'Underachievers Manifesto',gives the rules that gives idleness the respect it deserves. Remember Kids,this is science.
UNDERACHIEVER'S MANIFESTO
1) Lifes too short.
2) Control is an illusion.
3) Expectations lead to misery.
4) Great expectations lead to great misery.
5) Achievement creates expectations.
6) The law of diminishing returns applies everywhere.
7) Perfect is the enemy of good.
8) The tallest blade is sure to be cut.
9) Accomplishment is in the eye of the beholder.
10) Being alive,is your greatest accomplishment.
Two websites that would agree and are enthusiastic apostles of the Apathetic creed are http://www.theidler.co.uk/ and http://www.idlefoundation.com/
Poetry quote of the day,'Poetry is just evidence of life. If your life is burning well,poetry is just the ash' Leonard Cohen.
WRITTEN WHILE WAITING FOR THE KETTLE TO BOIL
The cigarette smoke
in my eyes,
doesn't stop me
from seeing the end of the line.
And the red wine
won't wash away
the newspaper headlines.
Epitaphs on a dead cultures tombstones.
The bankcard
in my wallet,
is only useful
for underlining words in books.
And the medical card
shows an address,
I've not lived at
in two years.
HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIFE? DO NOTHING
A LONG TIME GONE
It's been a long time since,I've had anything to post. To call poetry a 'Dark Mistress',may be a cliche,but she's certainly an inconsistent/tempremental one. Sometimes the poet might as well hold his penis as his pen,for all the good it will do him. The prose is doing fine,maybe it's sucking the poetry out of me?
Has it run out? Will it come back? have I been rejected from working on short stories and the novels? Am I being fanciful,treating it as a human being with feelings? Isn't poetry like all art about feelings?
Poet quote of the day' He who would not be frustrate of his desire to write a great poem,should first of all BE a poem'John Keats
I need my misanthropy with a punchline as well as a point. No one does it better than Doug Stanhope,so go to www.dougstanhope.com, for an intro to the master.
REQUEST TO A POET
Poet,
don't give me your poems.
They're no good to me.
I want your rage,
your anger,
you're desperate foolish love.
Can I hear your sigh,
your laughter;
your warm breath on the back of my neck?
Will I be able to follow,
your tracks on a distant shore,
as you stumble through the Hall of Mirrors?
Do others speak your name,
do their snarl when it's spoken.
Will I hear of you before we meet?
Is the paper stained with blood,
greasy with sweat?
The ink runs,watered by tears.
NO?
Poet,
keep your poems.
You're no good to me!
Leave Me Alone,I'm Trying To Write:)
Thank God for the holidays,and the weather getting better,for I need solitude and nature for the recovery of my wallet and liver as well as the tranquility needed for those thoughts which I cannot,will not deny. Is it unreasonable to expect appreciation for your honesty,which equals the disgust,expressed at that which is expressed? No,I doubt it. The voices in my head and I,are getting tired of each other and it's time to let the dogs out.
Light A Candle
An urban vulture,
hovers as prey gathers.
Just talking to people.
Night ripped by sound:
Sirens desperate race against time,
Friends scream at discovery,
A mother cries.
Blood washes out,
burns clothes in the forest.
This never happened.
I draw sad eyes,
on a face in the paper.
I feel like I know her,
sad to die so young.
Tears on a grave,
the death of a maiden.
Warm summer rain.
Poet quote comes from Yevgeny Yevtushenko,'a poets autobiography is his poetry. Anything else is just footnotes.
Getting Out of The Garret
I wonder,if the fact that I've now decided to stop ignoring the urge to write,and my increasing sociability are connected? Not being generally regarded by most who know me as the most gregarious of men,down right misanthropic,I've probably spoken to more people and more interesting people since I started to write than I have for a long time.
I write,in public,since an unusual thing to do,people frequently,come up to me and ask what,I'm doing. The secret,is that I'm using an old-school pen and paper.A laptop says,go away,a pen and paper is old fashioned,and old fashioned,doesn't tell you to get lost.
I spent sunday evening,talking with a priest(casper),about poetry,music,god,football. He just had to know,what I was doing. This most solitary of arts,has,paradoxically,began to turn me into the most social of people.
NO ONE KNOWS WHERE THE HOBO GOES
A bad night out,
lightning illuminates the sky.
I see the way ahead.
It's a cold wind
and hard rain falling.
Smoked the last cigarette,
an hour ago.
Snow bends branches,
in the distance a light.
I just walk on.
Tracks covered up
and rain fills bootmarks.
Nothing passed by here,
Hobo in the snow.
Body heat falls,
with every drink taken.
Dead in the snow.
Poet quote of the day comes from Thomas Macauley,'Perhaps,no person can be a poet,or even enjoy poetry without a certain unsoundness of mind'
Take Your Best Shot
I've spent too long,writing to myself with this blog,I've decided it's time to crush my ego,in the forums. Expressing my arrogant insecurities,by opening myself to anonymous comments on the internet. Posting under a nom-de-plume Bragi,you can find me at http://www.everypoet.org/ and http://www.thepoetryforum.co.uk/.
Monday Evening in Tilst
Coming down from
A wine and beer hangover,
I detox
with coffee and poetry.
Smoking tasteless cigarettes,
As cars drive by in the distance.
I'm staying at a mates house,
He's at work and then
will go to his girlfriends.
My drinking partner
has to study for a test
And I have shit to do.
Today's poet quote, 'All a poet can do is warn' Wilfred Owen
Poetry Has Poor Public Relations
In Japanese culture,there are various 'Do's' or 'ways',Kendo(the way of the sword),Bushido(the way of the warrior) and also Kado(the way of poetry). The belief is that,through rigorous application and dedication to your 'way' or 'path',you'll eventually see into the nature of all things. The concept that poetry is a spiritual path and not a purely literary exercise is in modern culture,subject to derision but our ancestors would have agreed with the orient.
In Nordic culture,there was the Skald,in Celtic the Bard,in Provencal France before the Albigensian crusades,the Troubadour. They were the poets,storytellers,history keepers and lawgivers of the people. Honoured,respected passing between warring parties without let or hindrance. A gentleman was expected to fight gallantly,act honourable and express himself,especially to his lover,poetically.
A haiku
A pilgrim walks
towards the infinite.
back to the world
Today's poetry quote,'A poem is never finished,only abandoned' Paul Valery
Economics Of Poetry
I have no deep reason for not posting,just laziness and the bitterness of spending my birthday alone:(. I'm writing a poem about it:).
In reply to the statement,"There's no money in poetry",the poet Robert Frost (The Road Less Travelled) answered "There's no poetry in money",both statements are correct. as a believer in the principle,that the true poet has no choice,to quote Jack Micheline,'poetry gets into your blood like a hurricane,you've got to let it out',then money should not be a motivating factor and will rarely be of consequence.
I doubt that it's pure coincedence,that in the word poverty,you can spell 'poet'. The internet has aided the poet,whilst adding extra weight to their feet. The poet no longer needs to satisfy the prejudices of editors. They can create websites,blogs,hell even magazines and self-publish books(www.lulu.com). This has led to a tsunami of post-modernist beats (of course its poetry,the lines are jagged and it doesn't make sense),which is beginning to make me feel nostalgic for the days when poetry had structure,sonnets etc and rules. maybe poets,like musicians need to practice their scales before they are allowed to improvise.
For an excellent website for all things poetry,especially the business aspect, go to www.emptymirrorbooks.com.
A haiku
door creaks open,
eyes shut hand over ears.
daddy's home early
