http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber
I am often asked - as in an email only yesterday – to send a DVD of my poetry reading on the 4th plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square back in 2009. (My contribution to sculptor Antony Gormley's 'live' sculpture project that ran 24/7 over 2400 hours that summer.) Sky Arts refused to supply plinthers with a record of their performance on the grounds that the entire web stream is archived in the British Library.
Meanwhile...
Now, it is good to pause and look back every now and then if only to remind ourselves how things were and how far we have come...so long as we don’t stop moving forward, reminding ourselves, too, that not every man and women across this sorry world of ours enjoys the freedom of speech and lifestyle they deserve.
Once a (young) closet gay man, I used to have an affinity with caged wildlife. (I am 71 now and still do.) It was as if I were locked in a glass cage through which everyone could see although whom they saw was not me at all. I guess that’s why I hate zoos. I am a conservationist, yes, albeit one who prefers to see wildlife monitored for its own protection while remaining all but as free as nature intended.
Oh, and to all those readers who regularly email me to ask why I persist in 'harping back' to hard times when LGBT people have never had it so good, I can only say (yet again) that it all depends whether or not you live and/or work in a gay-friendly environment.
Gay men and women are not the only ones to suffer stereotyping of course. Society is too fond of stereotyping anyone who doesn't appear to follow so-called 'conventional' patterns of behaviour, encouraged by a headline hungry media. It has to stop. This is the 21st century, for goodness sake!
"A forest bird never wants a cage." - Henrik Ibsen
S-T-E-R-E-O-T-Y-P-E-S, FAUX PAS
As a youth, I dreamed
I was happy, set free
from a sad, lonely cage,
killing me softly
As a youth, I dreamed
of a world living free,
of any cultural prejudices
treating me harshly
As a youth, I dreamed
of a day I’d run free,
finding another gay man
to kiss life into me
As a youth I dreamed
a world on my side,
glad (for all its bigotry)
I hadn’t yet died
Older now, I still dream
we all may be free
to fly cages like the one
that almost killed me
Copyright R. N. Taber 1973; 2017
[Note: Written summer 1973; rediscovered and revised, 2009; 2017.]
I am often asked - as in an email only yesterday – to send a DVD of my poetry reading on the 4th plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square back in 2009. (My contribution to sculptor Antony Gormley's 'live' sculpture project that ran 24/7 over 2400 hours that summer.) Sky Arts refused to supply plinthers with a record of their performance on the grounds that the entire web stream is archived in the British Library.
http://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20100223121732/oneandother.co.uk/participants/Roger_T [For now, at least, this link needs the latest Adobe Flash Player and works best in Firefox; the archives website cannot run Flash but changes scheduled for later this year may well mean the link will open without it. Ignore any error message and give it a minute or so to start up. The video lasts an hour. ] RT 3/18
I always love to hear from readers so feel free to email me at rogertab@aol.com [NB If you use the 'Comments' link but would like a reply, please include your email address.]Meanwhile...
Now, it is good to pause and look back every now and then if only to remind ourselves how things were and how far we have come...so long as we don’t stop moving forward, reminding ourselves, too, that not every man and women across this sorry world of ours enjoys the freedom of speech and lifestyle they deserve.
Once a (young) closet gay man, I used to have an affinity with caged wildlife. (I am 71 now and still do.) It was as if I were locked in a glass cage through which everyone could see although whom they saw was not me at all. I guess that’s why I hate zoos. I am a conservationist, yes, albeit one who prefers to see wildlife monitored for its own protection while remaining all but as free as nature intended.
Oh, and to all those readers who regularly email me to ask why I persist in 'harping back' to hard times when LGBT people have never had it so good, I can only say (yet again) that it all depends whether or not you live and/or work in a gay-friendly environment.
Gay men and women are not the only ones to suffer stereotyping of course. Society is too fond of stereotyping anyone who doesn't appear to follow so-called 'conventional' patterns of behaviour, encouraged by a headline hungry media. It has to stop. This is the 21st century, for goodness sake!
"A forest bird never wants a cage." - Henrik Ibsen
S-T-E-R-E-O-T-Y-P-E-S, FAUX PAS
As a youth, I dreamed
I was happy, set free
from a sad, lonely cage,
killing me softly
As a youth, I dreamed
of a world living free,
of any cultural prejudices
treating me harshly
As a youth, I dreamed
of a day I’d run free,
finding another gay man
to kiss life into me
As a youth I dreamed
a world on my side,
glad (for all its bigotry)
I hadn’t yet died
Older now, I still dream
we all may be free
to fly cages like the one
that almost killed me
Copyright R. N. Taber 1973; 2017
[Note: Written summer 1973; rediscovered and revised, 2009; 2017.]
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