Dream

My interpretation of last night's dreams, how diseases could be like people, or vice versa, you never can trust their good offices, be on your guard!

Yesterday i read a monograph (an unusually long one) on APO-PREDNISONE 5mg which i have had prescribed to alleviate symptoms of a chest and lung condition; i have been in an apathetic bodily state, translated into mental, even emotional, due to (mainly) a simple fact, breathing an unhealthy air, which most subjects here seem to survive; but only for regenerated and "normal", enjoying this state of being alive and curiously happy about what i am doing and where i am, at the beach, seaside, fresh "ozone" in my lungs or "prana" or oxygen (as we call it) but like the yoga books i read, a life-giving influxicant (?) "inspiration", spirit, the will and energy to "be immediately whole" physically and mentally when partaken of or breathed in to condition the body, mind, all senses. Too wordy!

This monograph was dire with nay-saying and "ill" prognostications which set me aflame with instant coals of hell ahead - or some such panic. Words spring out alive like Pallas Athene in my brain & thigh, armed, and in this case, dangerous.

The "air" is buzzing - people agog about the 'flu, esp. the new "in" flu, H1N1, and bulletins, hazardous and rife, proceed from the mouth of authorities - "get your shot, vaccinated, be safe, make all safe, etc!!!" I'm to get my dose in a week, both vaccines, yet i read in my monograph on prednisone, no no no no don't get vaccinated or associated with those that are (Sue got a shot from her doctor last week - the first flu) quote,

"Do not have vaccinations, immunizations, or skin-tests ... live vaccines may cause serious complications (eg. infection)"

Oh dear. But Sue steadied me, sane as she is, having studied these bizarre formulations in her wont for biology and medicine. Cancel vaccination if doctor orders.

Last night, i seem to have translated or symbolized or interpreted the monograph into fantastic dreams, people instead of bugs, kind and nasty by turns - you never know which it seems - i was in the society of a large family or related people who lived in a corner of land (3 acres) near me, outlandish folk, who by connivance and entrapment conveyed me (innocent as i was) to some gathering ...

(damn but at the point i was to write out what took place, my porridge boiled over, stove-top a mess, my hasty efforts to retrieve ruined same dish - no breakfast to go with the prednisone, a must! - and by now 11am washed out, with porridge, recollection of dream, even in poor detail ...)

I recall only how they alternated between (feigned) attentive kindness and spite - the shoddy lot! - lost my trust, and harried me, till a sweet young thing took me under a care, walking me back to where i came from (?nearby their place) but me no buts, by then i expected a denouement or turning against me as a body (showing their true nature) and this mockup of a treat (the muchness of the girl's blueyed presence) instantly put me on guard. It was she to deliver retribution or punitive blow to my safety & esteem. I woke up in a tizzy.

mmix

Untitled

My sleep    i tell     be still
    because it dream of thee
nervous as leonina melibe
    that slips from here to there
by no one shape possessed

o tell me    heart
    that be i sore or sad
more in head than in thee

though tis dream i dream
    dreamless addressing thee
thy potent afflatus
    as if some demented lodgment
penetrates my brain

yes even mottled vagary
    of fashion or motion
forgotten as soon as seen
    art thou in my subcranial
notices    albeit more unreal
    than illusive self i tend

oh yes    what you demand
    in my most demented dreams     i fend

oct, mmix

after reading Thomas Campion his verses
when ill and medicated, my awakening turn to pen

Manifesto or Rant in Deep Gaze Delving

Part 1

Oh kindred by birth and death related
    on teeming earth dwellling
commerce of pulsating organs
    through cellular intelligence impregnated
origin infinitude
    coming from and going to
tissues importunate with growth
    who lustful live and dissolute die
deprived of wants that fail through vicissitude
    misadventure of this fickle cycle
oh community of indeterminate animation
    born to accident and challenged with loss
what could recompense injury more apt than relief
    or compassion restrain intemperate demands
mind by inspiration more than ambition
    accedes to conscience' better eye

oh community of kinds at odds about ends
    from means obtained how known
except some antic universal cause
    with wisdom from past lore elicited
attend to beginnings how led
    in what purposive directions
community with concern for fellowship in common
    variously inclined to unique identity apart
whose insights preserved by ritual and practice
    though skilfully employed with attainments incredible in scope
none consider a priori right to hierarchical supremacy
    except vain attitude of one self-indulgent species
that would cite imperative authority for distinct unfellowship


Part 2

oh human kin new-born to wonder
    with delight and curiosity ennobled
body and mind in accord
    rudely aroused to consciousness
giving tongue in elemental protest
    by need informed and by habit conditioned
sufficiently quick of self commanding
    to prove original independence
whether as ready to oblige as defy

oh spirit of animation by what cost
    of nature natural with instinct imbued
sooner or late conforming to species' interest
    determined by adapting to curcumstance
how taught how inclined from ingenuity informed
    external ground from internal experience differentiating
until what's known through sensible perception
    surrenders to thought's conceptual validity
immediacy distanced by objectivity from abstract truth
    i self-consciously felt as me
that other self    falling short of ideality
    uniform perfection    state of ultimate virtue
thwarting companionship with teeming earth
    disowned in favour of superior image
conceit of human ego    rogue arrogance
    even vassals' due denied
oracular epitaph so inscribed:
    ah weal and woe kinship's loss
    homage and fealty disdained

finis

mmix

To Love

For young to learn
    or apprise by falling
in    and out:
    'to love'    verb
wordworthy adjective
    for poets' courtly
conduct and conduit between
    where selves get subsumed

love: to dote
    falls short on staying power
misses mark    butt of cupid's shaft
    might as well go sky-larking
as vaunt the quill
    or mope the turtle-dove

tis comminution of vocabulary
    before love divine'
s versatile synthesis of
    pointing out and recognizing
what's in common and differs

how rare to find
    this coming to mind's twain
arriving arriving arriving at
    matched experiences
above expectation
    thus contemplated    and let be let be
let be

mmix

after reading poems on love by elizabeth b. browning

Does my mother need an ornament

Does my mother need an ornament

for she was no angel halo-sent

besides, her heart was stone-cold

after my father went

was he her immaterial precedent?

mcmlxxx

Innocence caint lie

Innocence caint lie
    experience is why
truth may be a viper
    inner sense caint lie

sure as candour
    short of truth is shy
tricks kin forfeit verity
    inner sense aint sly

may innocence be free
    from truths you lay on us
lie's a lie tho seeming wise
    sneaky self-serving compromise

nah    inner sense aint show
    tis anonymous antithesis
to reason's blowhard certainty
    an' informs our musing sentience


mmix

End o road blues

Tharz an end to th' road dearie
    an end to th' road
road whar i iz agoin
    weary wid my load

oh    i loves you truly
    loves you all day through
but nights iz harder dearie
    cos they gits some dreary blue

sees end has t' come dearie
    sees end has to come
    taint wrong feelin what i feels
though loves you plenty some

tharz an end to th' road dearie
    an end to th' road
down road whar lovez a maybe
    alivin iz my load

mmix

Irreverent rant n testymeant: tich backhouse

Got flea in me ear
    caint be shuffled off t hell
widout benefit o appeal t wotzwot
    tis jurisdiction o common plea
taint big deal     tiz bumsteer
    prim or maudlin bible-punchin
brot uz to dis pass
    bended knee to mitred boss on high
nix on blame n guilt     tiz small beer

seems pundit god fabled celeb in ecstatic fit
    went gaga    jines bevy o disportin spheres az wun
blows script    dis wurld on ours slips offen hook
    anomaly wid mind f owen
grate unifying theory unstuck
    cumz orbital spin whimsickal
spurns imperative net o niceties
    regularity aint zactly where itz at
seasons along o nite n day kick traces
    till chancetz lack clout
odds n evens juggle places
    'n wot cuddnt be cumz about

animated matter
    roused frum cumbrous clay
by sunz radiance bidden
    crawls on land    propels in sea
each feedin on remains o tother
    dietz implicit conservation


elemental sphere
    habitat o proliferatin critters
thorough ordeal o happenstance
    provokes urgency ter suffer n persist
commandin guile n craft
    means dat persuade sentient beins
ter triumph n surpass
    ober wot dey were an now iz
till upstart species
    aspires t status atop heap
full o theyselns
    az favoured beyond mortal ken

whan I tich were tad back then
    skipped sunday schoo-ul fer deviltry
clumb up nearby abandoned windmill
    an' lookit far
openin eyes     how prospects depend
    az stature o humans diminishes
view hullo frum on high heady tonic

dig tich filosofusser n gadfly
    axin dis grate pinweelin proliferation
wherewhichwise be you agoin
    sizin up does n donts
I figger how more fools kicks bucket
    dan enters mewlin fer tit

quiz     how cumz about dis burden o care
    arrogatin estate ober earthen naybours
handed down az damnable legacy
    contrary t second nature o give-n-take
tiz greed     tiz prejudice     tiz vulgar pride
    wud deny we iz kin


wotz point o larnin matters
    beyon our sensible ken
if'n they don’t sit obligin
    like painterz model
compliant t perfecshunz exactitude
    till orl wunderz ob dis consummation
seem throwen like gardez loo frum casement
    or night-soil on fields o bishopz glebe

nah quitten tizzy
    we kin wit queriex acumen or mudder wit
resolve wotz nearby an ' at large
    stead o bandyin contumashush pros n cons
as if'n eyen lost touch wi' haid

sez I tich surely conclusive
    opt fer originall provenance
deaf ear t bumptious propheteers
    an' lib owen lot az best t prove
we aint stuckup gods nor lickspittles neider
    accomplex nodes o sentience we
carbon copies haha
    sweet generous birthrite gibben
cos we iz dem n dey iz us
    engorgin n transformin
nut cowerin on fall o hammer
    cum soon cum later by-n-bye
tiz nut ours ter pry

wherezupon leavin off me disquizition
    landlord    tis honour bends yr dooty
tap barrel o feisty forebeerz brew
    grateful draught we sups
in cheer o gran ancestral lineage
    wez tagend on
frum mite to might-be
    you haz dun uz proud
I is toot finis

tich, oct 21st, '008, blaxsmit armz

Kitchen rigs' hop

Crotchetty fridge's
    clackety-clack
catchy hook
    as if on track
with radio's jazz
    trumpet solo
floating by
    sweetlier made
in liquid notes
    to splashing faucet's
funky metre
    plop plop plop per…
lop
oh yeah
    premiere performance
this once only
    my kitchen rigs' hop
man     if I can jive
    wonky joints in rhythm
at eighty-two
    and still get with 'm
ah yes     I'm alive

mmviii

*Upon getting a spanking new fridge that turned out defective.

Sorry for the gap in posting

Hi, all; sorry for the unexplained gap in posting. Laurie's amanuensis, here.

Laurie has been prevented from writing for a while; eye surgeries, assorted other issues.

He's back! I will be posting his poetry again, shortly.

Dream

I come alone to this unwholesome spot
    shut off from the passersby
where the garbage sprawls over acres
    and I recognize my collected consciousness
site of every care and feeling I disinherited
    and the air smells like the entrails of a disembodied animal

now I know how my natural spring of joy went underground
    choked up and went underground
buried by this debris
    no wonder!
I realize my fear of discovery
    cost me more dearly than any of those paltry sins
I hid    alas!


mcmlxx__ (rev. mmviii)

Distances and magnitudes

Distances and magnitudes
    impress upon our vision
how far seems far?
how high seems high?
    extremes compel our attention
from the daintiest flower
            to the loftiest peak
    we gain perspective and proportion

respect - for which we may long
    as well as accord –
counts less than immediacy
    how feelings feel
thoughts and the words they evoke
    come later

presences transcend the what of things
    whether now or now-gone-by
to touch the indescribable agency
    we call "heart"
prevails, survives, pounds in our blood
    we are embraced
drawn into the bosom
    of the undeniable "it is"


mmviii

Yen for zen or buzz & buzz

To lose is to possess
    wordy logic
refuses to shut up

oh    where may
    rest achieve
balancing act's
    standing start

as paper thought
    ink assumes
command …
    thus art

you know my
    nom de plume
at feather's touch
    ouch!

few    fewer
    not less
more few    less than few

capitals seldom
    refuse to capitalize
on their upper case
    disguise

no can mean yes
    and    come along    goodbye
tears and laughter
    can both be losers
not trying    can try

mmviii

Jest like to wonderland

Yes    your spirit goes to heaven
    jest like you were before
xackly        cept you got no worries
    no bothersome you name it
jest like to wonderland
    snug in yore mother's you name it
only difference is difference
    you got none
difference is wot you left behind
    cos it so worrisome
now you got cosy wall-to-golden wall same as

spirit deft yclept for me
    leaps in veins
you dasnt smile in vain
    nor shed tears neither
you live with circumstance
    for no smiles no tears
both go together
    can't take it with you
alas for the lack
    you realize that    don't you

mmviii

Lilypads float motionless

Lilypads float motionless in midair
    fish glide through an insubstantial medium
            we can only trace by filmy apparitions
        transporting us past our conscious selves
            into an underworld of lurking-places
                as if sketched in child's crayon
        mirrors of the above begotten below

while a white sparkling waterlily
    the manifest star of this unlikely haven
        winks with promise:

    "what you give shall be received
        though it comes out not as you thought
            or perchoice hoped
        it comes out nevertheless
            justly in balance
                at a remove
                    from your browbent reckoning"

a fulfillment as prompt to the heart
    as if to our astonishment
        we realize
    it is here
        not there
    that we belong


mmii

And here we are

Next to precious breath
    next thing to cherish
no    not love imperishable
    nor dearth of punitive hurt
nothing fabulous
    like indulgent life
after the fact

yes    affirmation
    blood's pounding tide
active confirmation
    without doubt of inference
after sedulous thought
    instance at one go
here I am     therefore there am i


mmviii

Dear little spark

Dear little spark
    atom monad or quark
you flame in the forge's breath
    elemental one with nameless ancestry
wonder how you came to be
    particular force or undulant light
star in mimicry    that by day by night
    has spun and shaped entirely
the fabric of our vision
    selfless you lie upon the shelf of my desire
the utmost    yet the least of things
    tell me    where did you get your wings


mcmlx__ , rev. mmviii

Crinoline Bridge

Crinoline bridge
    where once we met
wandered up
    that cobbled street
a place to tryst
    fit for a royal pair
in coach and four
    and us no less

we found a pub
    by instinct's guide
apt with the humour
    of an age before

here we two sat
    with taptser's mild
glad to hold hands
    and no words said
till    alas    lunchhour fled

the clock stood still
    for now I see
that arching bridge
    the shallow stream
and you my dear
    as you were then

what would I be
    not half the man
without the sense
    of yesterwhen


mmviii

Solipsis

Take the eye of mind
    the longing i
    the knowing i
explore its subtle self
    as in a mirror
lit by the psyche's lambent flame

a cavern dark and subterranean
    where streaks of vapour
hide the recessed chambers
    to one who peeps
then looks askance

I have seen those caves
    have groped among the passages of self
explored the unreal dark
    and slept inside the tomb of yesterday
I learned to step ahead
    with ready foot
and ear attuned to echoes soft or strange

where sunlight creeps into the eastern hall
    there I awake to life
and mingle with the throng of feelings, presences
    and thoughts
that market-place    where I belong
    awake to self
my self-meant territory

mcmlx, rev. mmviii

Names

These names, mementoes,
Tickets that by your leave
Can reproduce a past event.
Some names that I've forgotten
And some as well-remembered,
Bringing smiles to eyes now poker-sharp
That blink upon the passing of a sleep.

Say so-and-so, a place to go
When we were leisure-conscious;
A bag of chips beside a pub
And cider drunk in daylight spaces
Between the shady trees.

Still, names like these
Cannot survive our day;
And where they go, to vanish,
Those long-disposed-of memories,
I cannot tell. But wish them well.


mcmlx