October…

Such a fine month for remembering.  Such a fine month for remorse.  Such a fine month for mining the depths of poetic despair.  Although her birthday was October 27, I felt that today of all days would be most appropriate to display the shattering dark talent of Sylvia Plath.  Let her voice carry you to the darkest parts of her soul, immerse yourself in her courage and watch her rise like a phoenix at the end.  She is, without a doubt, the finest poet of the twentieth century and the loss of her perceptive analysis of the female experience has left an empty artistic space that has yet to be filled.

Mind Junk

Ice age is the new global warming

Poverty is the new wealth

Immaturity is the new wisdom

Cynicism is the new hope

Complicated is the new simple

Lies are the new truth

Down is the new up

Clean is the new dirty

Movement is the new stillness

Voyeurism is the new participation

Numbness is the new alive

Ignorance is the new knowledge

Apathy is the new decisive

But orange is still orange and it isn’t pink or any other colour and it still doesn’t rhyme with any other word.  Gotta have something solid to hold on to don’t you?  by the way, while we are on the subject of colours, especially pink, were you aware you can buy the following items in pink and that they are all linked to breast cancer!  Wow.  Never thought ravaging cancer of the breast could be so chic, cool, pink, girly and marketable.

Shoe laces

Candle lighters

Jackets

Scarves

Water bottles

Key chains

Leggings

Hats

Gloves

Necklaces, bracelets and earrings

Socks

Underwear

T shirts

Ear muffs

Purses

Gift baskets

etcetera…etcetera…etcetera…sounds like business to me.  Of course, a business would NEVER use the emotional vulnerability of consumers to get them to buy things would they?  Gee, you would think with all the cash they’re raking in that we would have had a cure for this ages ago wouldn’t you?  I’m just sayin’ when money is involved, honesty goes right out the window.

I leave you with a photo of the best of the lot!  Check this out.  Breast cancer isn’t only for suffering and death, now it sells mops and dusters!  Pink is the new green and breast cancer is the new franchise.

Some Doors For Your MoJo…Rising or Falling, It’s all Good…

Here Are The Rest Of The Feather Pics I Took In The Summer…

 

One of the preening benefactors of said feathers

 

 

Photos I Took In August

It's just cute. A couple of fairies from the Peter Pan Sculpture in the park

I'm very proud of this one. I think I captured 'work' here.

Yes it's a feather. Yes it's on the water. Yes, somewhere there is a cold duck

Self explanatory. I took it because if I were a picnic table, I would be this one. Red among the green and solitarily complete. Like Garbo.

I'm in love...with an ant. Specifically this ant. He is my photographic muse and I take no pictures without summoning his asistance.

An Excerpt From Something I’ve Been Writing Off And On…

Padding along the spongy earth, lichen drooping from the trees like your own sad eyes.  These same eyes that dart along the path up ahead as it winds it’s way through the bush, an unreal forest populated by the monsters from your worst nightmare.  Of course now that you are in it, an inner peripheral blindness keeps you focused on the pin point of pain you can experience and survive.  Your feet are trained to be certain and the sucking mud is no match for the aggression in your footfalls.  You count them, each step, the way you count the days, marking lost time with lines on the wall of your prison.  You feel the mud slap up your back, an insult from the brooding cruel earth that has begun to hate you as much as you hate it.  Stopping for the cramp, a sharp index finger sized ache that has reminded you that you are as much a hostage of your own pain as you are of the whims of a madman.  Tomorrow you will run again.  This time further.

Nuggets

Redemption is the sliver of a chance someone offers you.  It’s always free and looks exactly like an olive branch

Courage is insanity altered by love and truth

Money is a tool, used by tools to make tools to control people who don’t like tools

Show me an angry driver and I’ll show you the owner of a Ford truck

If you take one mindless act and combine it with a good dose of reality, you will then have consequences

Confucius said a lot but from what I hear, he didn’t do much about it beyond posturing

Wisdom is bullshit with an ideology

When someone says they have the answer to the meaning of life, what they are really saying is that they are stupid

No one knows why we are here, but I have inkling it has something to do with fucking up over and over again

Famous people are just like you and I.  Okay, they’re not.  But they used to be.  So I’m kinda right. 

Once in a while you see someone who is exactly like a train wreck, complete with mangled body fascination.  You keep looking, and wonder, do I look like that to someone else?  Yeah, we’re all somebody else’s train wreck

When a dog looks at you he is saying “I’m your best pal and I idolize you.”

When a cat looks at you he is saying   “You’re my best pal and you idolize me.”

No two ways about it, there are three ways to look at every situation: The right way, the wrong way and the way that works for everyone

Facts about cigarette butts found in the gutter:

Long butts always belong to hookers who can never finish a cigarette for obvious reasons and they are usually menthol

Short butts belong to drunks and burn away before being stubbed out due to…well…being drunk and forgetting it’s existence on the end of their fingers

Hollowed out butts belong to junkies who are so strung out they would smoke their fingers if they could

I’m On…

VOXPOETICA with a little POEm for All Hallows Eve.  :)  Thanks Annmarie for suggesting I do this.  Somehow, writing about the supernatural has taken me out of my dark place.   HUGS

Oh Yes, It Is That Time Boys And Girls…A Book Review!

When I begin a book of poetry I always read the first page, then the last page prior to devouring the rest of the work in between.  This can tell you a great deal about the quality of the rest of the work contained within. I’ve put down more than a few books of poetry based on this little system of mine and it has never failed to save me hours of forced and agonizing reading.

In the case of Leigh Binder’s ‘Hope in the Well of Angst’, the first verse and the final verse serve as perfect sturdy bookends that support an expertly executed work of emotional intensity.  This entire volume is a harrowing journey down the back alleys of human suffering and isolation. Just when you catch your breath, you turn the page and once again are faced with the gritty reality of human frailty and confusion.  However, what truly sets this book apart from similar works that chronicle desolation and pain, are the seemingly random bits of wry humour dotting this landscape of despair.  Many times throughout, the satire adds a lightness to contrast the heaviness of the piece and in so doing, make that which is distasteful, palatable.

All good writers are critically aware of the importance of capturing a reader’s attention and then utilizing it to leave a lasting impression.  In this regard, Leigh Binder has expertly and strategically placed his sounds, words and visuals so they leave not only an impression but also a stain on the heart.   The reader’s interest is immediately engaged by the use of harsh imagery and great skill is evident when one takes note of where certain words are situated, with a special emphasis on the emotional impact of each syllable and sound.  The subject matter is as limitless as this life.  The author alternates effectively between critical detached observation and soul gutting self examination.

In addition, many poems reflect on the impact of modern American society and its impact on the human psyche and spirit. It is a testament to the social consciousness and awareness of any artist when they turn the illuminating light of brutal truth on the era and culture in which they live.  This particular aspect of his work, is what focuses a reader on a point of reference and ultimately turns him/her into an ally in the struggle to understand the author’s perspective.

This is not an easy read nor is it for the faint of heart.  It is however, for those who desire something meaty, true and meaningful, as well as an intellectual tear through the fabric of emotion.  My prediction is that Leigh Binder will have a breakthrough in mainstream publishing within the next two years, so keep an eye on his progress and for god sake, read his blog: bindo.wordpress.com it is nothing short of daily brilliance and an ever evolving life story.

My Recommendation:  Go here:  lulu.com and Buy it!