Some people, are angry, and that's ok.
Some are confused, things aren't going their way.
Some are happy, and having a great time.
Others are feeling low, and facing a climb.
How are you today, friend of mine?
Is it a bad day, or are you feeling fine?
Remember each emotion is ok in moderation.
From rage to envy to infatuation.
Don't spend too long in one place if you can.
You must find a way to move, form a plan.
A daring adventure to leave your natural place.
And go out tomorrow wearing a different face.
Whatever emotion you happen to be today,
Don't be scared to be pulled a different way.
Humans are varied, with many things they can feel.
It's our gift and curse, and what makes us feel real.
30 January 2019
23 January 2019
The virtue of togetherness
I know that individuals can do fantastic things
Have you ever seen one fall in love, or heard one beautifully sing?
Maybe they told you a joke that had you laughing for days?
I don't want to discount the individual, they have wondrous ways
But - and this is controversial to many of Hollywood's narrative arcs -
There's a limit to the tasks on which an individual can embark
There are missions in life better done with friends
Collective effort to achieve extraordinary ends
And yes, you may be individuals within a team
And yes, working with other can sometimes make you scream
Yet it's not despite, but because of your different cultures and approaches and beliefs
Working together you can achieve things that would have been out of reach
We sit in houses with water and energy
Travel on roads which we rely on heavily
Read books watch moves and listen intently
We grow from culture we absorb daily
All produced by people we may never have met
Helping grow our philosophies to tackle issues we haven't realised yet
Here's another collective fact it's good to appreciate if you haven't before
You can't do everything alone: it takes two people to make one more
And, though you may forget it sometimes, you, dear individual, are a wonderful thing
You have many gifts and talents you are offering
You can achieve much on your own, that is certainly true
But you can do so because of the family and teachers and parents and friends that helped build you up into you
So, you dear collective individual, are wonderful. And you can achieve many individual goals.
But let's join where we can, and help even more fantastic things unfold.
Have you ever seen one fall in love, or heard one beautifully sing?
Maybe they told you a joke that had you laughing for days?
I don't want to discount the individual, they have wondrous ways
But - and this is controversial to many of Hollywood's narrative arcs -
There's a limit to the tasks on which an individual can embark
There are missions in life better done with friends
Collective effort to achieve extraordinary ends
And yes, you may be individuals within a team
And yes, working with other can sometimes make you scream
Yet it's not despite, but because of your different cultures and approaches and beliefs
Working together you can achieve things that would have been out of reach
We sit in houses with water and energy
Travel on roads which we rely on heavily
Read books watch moves and listen intently
We grow from culture we absorb daily
All produced by people we may never have met
Helping grow our philosophies to tackle issues we haven't realised yet
Here's another collective fact it's good to appreciate if you haven't before
You can't do everything alone: it takes two people to make one more
And, though you may forget it sometimes, you, dear individual, are a wonderful thing
You have many gifts and talents you are offering
You can achieve much on your own, that is certainly true
But you can do so because of the family and teachers and parents and friends that helped build you up into you
So, you dear collective individual, are wonderful. And you can achieve many individual goals.
But let's join where we can, and help even more fantastic things unfold.
16 January 2019
The astrocartographer
The astronaut idly drew lines on the glass
Over an earthen underlay
The boundaries on each country that passed
And to her dismay
From way up high, among the stars
She who knew so much
Could not, from a distance so far
Separate them with touch
Islands were easy, but beyond those
What was this and that?
Whose were those jungles and those snows?
The mountains seemed flat
She pondered which rulers she was mimicking
And what she had just found
So she decided all that bickering
Was best left on the ground
Over an earthen underlay
The boundaries on each country that passed
And to her dismay
From way up high, among the stars
She who knew so much
Could not, from a distance so far
Separate them with touch
Islands were easy, but beyond those
What was this and that?
Whose were those jungles and those snows?
The mountains seemed flat
She pondered which rulers she was mimicking
And what she had just found
So she decided all that bickering
Was best left on the ground
9 January 2019
Mix of chemicals
I am the mix of chemicals that makes up my brain
And this mix of chemicals, keeps me feeling sane.
A dash of this and I'm a dish of depression.
A drop of adrenaline and I'll swing my fists in aggression.
Deliver me some dopamine and I'm learning for a while.
Set me up with serotonin and I'm living with a smile.
One production line down I'm a different personality.
What can I say about the cocktail inside of me?
This internal recipe cooking up relentlessly
I'm eternally lucky what it ends up making me
So how could I be mad at someone who is a few drops down
Or a little too much of something which makes you frown?
If a few pills set the balance of someone back to 'normal'
Which set of chemicals should I address if I'm feeling formal?
Humans are weird. Imbalanced to a tee.
I am my chemicals and my chemicals are me.
And this mix of chemicals, keeps me feeling sane.
A dash of this and I'm a dish of depression.
A drop of adrenaline and I'll swing my fists in aggression.
Deliver me some dopamine and I'm learning for a while.
Set me up with serotonin and I'm living with a smile.
One production line down I'm a different personality.
What can I say about the cocktail inside of me?
This internal recipe cooking up relentlessly
I'm eternally lucky what it ends up making me
So how could I be mad at someone who is a few drops down
Or a little too much of something which makes you frown?
If a few pills set the balance of someone back to 'normal'
Which set of chemicals should I address if I'm feeling formal?
Humans are weird. Imbalanced to a tee.
I am my chemicals and my chemicals are me.
2 January 2019
Top 10 of 2018
Amazingly, I'm still going. If you'd asked me in January 2013 whether I'd complete the year, I'm not sure I'd have thought it possible. Five years of poetry down, and I'm starting to get ok at the whole thing.
I like to take a period at the end of each year to actually think about if I'm still producing things I enjoy, and still pushing myself in new directions. Here are ten poems I enjoyed writing this year.
Is life a race, or a dance?
One of the real benefits of writing is that it allows me to take any phrase or idea I hear, and try to re-frame it in a way which makes it fundamentally my own. I loved the idea when I heard it, and sitting down and crafting out a poem (in an atypical structure for myself) really helped solidify the idea in my head. This was one of the poems which really made me feel it was possible (if not easy) for me to write in a way other than that which comes naturally to me.
Vulnerable
In an age of polish and social media, we try to present ourselves as perfect individuals. We talk about all the good things we're doing, and hide the imperfections. "Vulnerable" follows on from my old poem Monsters (still one of my favourites), but doesn't try to hide behind a layer of metaphor and humour. I performed this one on my Facebook, and it seems to have connected with a number of others who feel the same way as I.
Leaky Shield
Following on from "Vulnerable", this was me being inspired to write my usual hopeful poetry, but this time from the perspective of one more flawed. While it's not been something I've avoided in the past, actively embracing the flaws while still retaining a message of hope felt much more honest to me. An approach I'd really like to develop further in future.
Dear Lord, Thank You, Amen
One of my real focuses this year was to write a bit more poetry inspired by my religion - it's a fairly core part of my philosophy after all. This also happened to be my favourite spoken word piece of the year, which makes it a lot sweeter. Being able to get this freedom with my writing and removing one of my oddest blocks should help me be open in future, and I'll be very happy to produce more poems like this one.
Visualising Eternity
A simple sweet poem, which tries to take a big and complex topic (infinity), and explain why the existence of infinity shouldn't put you off trying things, not matter how intimidating it feels. While this was written off the back of a religious discussion I was having (to which I still think it applies), I do think it applies to other settings too, and I don't think it looses anything for the applicability.
Take a second, and take notice
While this poem may be a little bit meta (the actual act of me writing was me following the advice), I feel this was a good poem to write. Often we need excuses to be thankful for things. One of the nice things about this blog is I can just write such things if the mood inspires me. I got a fair amount of positive reaction for this one, so it seems a lot of people agree with me on this.
The Compass and The Instructor
Following on from the aim of my second year, I really feel I've come on in my ability to write multiple different approaches on the same theme. I liked both of these poems, but I actually think together they make a better, more coherent piece. Not something I've done a lot of, but something I'd like to try more.
In a war
It may not seem like it, given how individual writing a poetry blog is, but I love when my work intertwines with others. Sometimes it is through collaboration, other times it's through retelling someone's story. This was one of the rare chances to do the latter. As much as I enjoy creativity and creation from scratch, this type of inspiration is very powerful to me and I chance I always relish - especially for what it can mean to the person I write for.
Grandma
Often, if I'm taking a long trip, I will print off some of my poems and try to edit them slightly. Do a bit of rewriting, cut out a line or two, etc. etc. This is one of the first times I've rewritten a poem thematically, to create something I see as completely new. I had performed the core part of the poem to my Grandma and I wanted to preserve that - it signified an experience we had been through, when I performed it to her. However, changing the rhyme scheme to add context at the beginning and end helped frame the poem well. It mirrors "In a War" well. If I want to be able to learn to tell other people's stories, then there can be no higher purpose for that skill than remembering those close to me. Rest in Peace, Grandma.
To write an epic
Often, I'm forced to sit and reflect on why I write. I wonder if I should put more effort into promoting my work, and try to reach the biggest audience possible. Even though I think people enjoy what I write (or at least they pretend to), I'm under no illusions as to the luck and effort required to push my work to the next stage. So I am instead learning to find the joy in the small things, and in the personal level poetry allows me to interact. I chat to a lot of artists who get annoyed at performing to small crowds. If I take a step back, I am amazed anyone at all would take time to read what I've written, let alone take something from it. If you create something, take pleasure in each person that enjoys it. It's something I need to remind myself to be grateful of, and a theme I will likely write to again.
Thank you, whether you've read one piece of mine or all of them. These poems contain many hours of my life and many aspects of my personality and philosophies. And a few stories of course. I hope you are able to take these fragments of my imagination, and use it to inspire something in yourself.
I like to take a period at the end of each year to actually think about if I'm still producing things I enjoy, and still pushing myself in new directions. Here are ten poems I enjoyed writing this year.
Is life a race, or a dance?
One of the real benefits of writing is that it allows me to take any phrase or idea I hear, and try to re-frame it in a way which makes it fundamentally my own. I loved the idea when I heard it, and sitting down and crafting out a poem (in an atypical structure for myself) really helped solidify the idea in my head. This was one of the poems which really made me feel it was possible (if not easy) for me to write in a way other than that which comes naturally to me.
Vulnerable
In an age of polish and social media, we try to present ourselves as perfect individuals. We talk about all the good things we're doing, and hide the imperfections. "Vulnerable" follows on from my old poem Monsters (still one of my favourites), but doesn't try to hide behind a layer of metaphor and humour. I performed this one on my Facebook, and it seems to have connected with a number of others who feel the same way as I.
Leaky Shield
Following on from "Vulnerable", this was me being inspired to write my usual hopeful poetry, but this time from the perspective of one more flawed. While it's not been something I've avoided in the past, actively embracing the flaws while still retaining a message of hope felt much more honest to me. An approach I'd really like to develop further in future.
Dear Lord, Thank You, Amen
One of my real focuses this year was to write a bit more poetry inspired by my religion - it's a fairly core part of my philosophy after all. This also happened to be my favourite spoken word piece of the year, which makes it a lot sweeter. Being able to get this freedom with my writing and removing one of my oddest blocks should help me be open in future, and I'll be very happy to produce more poems like this one.
Visualising Eternity
A simple sweet poem, which tries to take a big and complex topic (infinity), and explain why the existence of infinity shouldn't put you off trying things, not matter how intimidating it feels. While this was written off the back of a religious discussion I was having (to which I still think it applies), I do think it applies to other settings too, and I don't think it looses anything for the applicability.
Take a second, and take notice
While this poem may be a little bit meta (the actual act of me writing was me following the advice), I feel this was a good poem to write. Often we need excuses to be thankful for things. One of the nice things about this blog is I can just write such things if the mood inspires me. I got a fair amount of positive reaction for this one, so it seems a lot of people agree with me on this.
The Compass and The Instructor
Following on from the aim of my second year, I really feel I've come on in my ability to write multiple different approaches on the same theme. I liked both of these poems, but I actually think together they make a better, more coherent piece. Not something I've done a lot of, but something I'd like to try more.
In a war
It may not seem like it, given how individual writing a poetry blog is, but I love when my work intertwines with others. Sometimes it is through collaboration, other times it's through retelling someone's story. This was one of the rare chances to do the latter. As much as I enjoy creativity and creation from scratch, this type of inspiration is very powerful to me and I chance I always relish - especially for what it can mean to the person I write for.
Grandma
Often, if I'm taking a long trip, I will print off some of my poems and try to edit them slightly. Do a bit of rewriting, cut out a line or two, etc. etc. This is one of the first times I've rewritten a poem thematically, to create something I see as completely new. I had performed the core part of the poem to my Grandma and I wanted to preserve that - it signified an experience we had been through, when I performed it to her. However, changing the rhyme scheme to add context at the beginning and end helped frame the poem well. It mirrors "In a War" well. If I want to be able to learn to tell other people's stories, then there can be no higher purpose for that skill than remembering those close to me. Rest in Peace, Grandma.
To write an epic
Often, I'm forced to sit and reflect on why I write. I wonder if I should put more effort into promoting my work, and try to reach the biggest audience possible. Even though I think people enjoy what I write (or at least they pretend to), I'm under no illusions as to the luck and effort required to push my work to the next stage. So I am instead learning to find the joy in the small things, and in the personal level poetry allows me to interact. I chat to a lot of artists who get annoyed at performing to small crowds. If I take a step back, I am amazed anyone at all would take time to read what I've written, let alone take something from it. If you create something, take pleasure in each person that enjoys it. It's something I need to remind myself to be grateful of, and a theme I will likely write to again.
Thank you, whether you've read one piece of mine or all of them. These poems contain many hours of my life and many aspects of my personality and philosophies. And a few stories of course. I hope you are able to take these fragments of my imagination, and use it to inspire something in yourself.
Destiny is calling
Did you rise young child? When destiny called your name?
Did you take your bundle, go out and seek fame?
Follow in the footsteps of heroes of old.
Journey through bitterness, journey through cold.
Destiny does not call twice. Now is your hour.
Seize your future with all your power
Young child, the world is yours to behold.
Be part of the story, don't just watch it unfold.
Play your song, write your tale
You may falter, you may fail
But by setting out into the great unknown
You've gone a good way to claiming your thrown
Destiny is calling, you must answer soon
Young child, it's time to shoot for the moon.
Did you take your bundle, go out and seek fame?
Follow in the footsteps of heroes of old.
Journey through bitterness, journey through cold.
Destiny does not call twice. Now is your hour.
Seize your future with all your power
Young child, the world is yours to behold.
Be part of the story, don't just watch it unfold.
Play your song, write your tale
You may falter, you may fail
But by setting out into the great unknown
You've gone a good way to claiming your thrown
Destiny is calling, you must answer soon
Young child, it's time to shoot for the moon.
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