An Empathy with Nature (3)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” - George Orwell

“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” -George Washington

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” - Charlotte Brontë

"The moment you say that any idea is sacred, whether it's a religious belief or secular ideology, the moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision or contempt, freedom of thought becomes impossible. - Salman Rushdie

Now, the recent attempted murder of Sir Salman Rushdie an active supporter of free speech has shocked the free-thinking world

The Indian-born Briton, whose novel The Satanic Verses led to death threats from Iran in the 1980s, was about to deliver a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in New York state, when his attacker leapt on stage and stabbed him.

Fortunately, it has been reported that Sir Salman is no longer on a ventilator and is able to speak, although it is possible that he may have sustained potentially life-changing injuries as a result of the attack on Friday.  

Free expression and a personal space which embraces a sense of spirituality, whatever our religious or secular beliefs, deserve to be seen as mutually inclusive. I see it as the bottom line in the argument for agreeing to differ, on which most if not all my poetry posts are based

AN EMPATHY WITH NATURE (3)

Humanity is all-embracing
where ‘all’ includes you-me-us 
in any language, culture
and creed, a worthy heads-up 
to freedom of expression
and a sense of no holds barred,
in such walks of life
and corners of an ever-sickening world
where denied the last word

Fear of losing kith and kin,
has never been reason enough
to hide behind any lie
or threat even love may feel
called upon to impose, adopting
a false persona,
for an only-human need to be seen
betraying neither native beliefs nor ideals
incumbent on heart-and-souls

Life was a closet -prison,
no escape, till I found someone
to listen to me
(non-judgementally) sensing
my pain and insecurity
as a human being, no awful stereotype
conjured up by society
to conceal its ignorance, put its shame to rout
for failing LGBT+ folks coming out

I am Redemption, author of my own salvation,
if only for taking the edge off being human 

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

[Note: This post-poem also appears on my general poetry blog today.] RT

Freedom, Beacon of Hope in a Darkening World

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

The poem below can still be found in my general poetry blog archives for 2016; a reader in Poland has asked me to repeat it here as he thinks “my gay friends will like it, but they don’t visit your general blog …”  Feedback suggests that many gay readers rarely if ever dip into my other poetry blog because, as this same reader says “…we don’t think it is relevant to us.” While I can understand that, it saddens me because poetry is an Open House; we may not always agree with or even like what we find there, but … blame the poet if you must, not the poem. 

Many years ago, one of my teachers once described freedom to the class as the best of human spirit personified. I agree, though I guess it all depends on an incorrupt spirit and a sense of freedom for everyone, not a select few.  

Whatever, we should never take personal freedom for granted, always resist any efforts by anyone to undermine it, moreover understand and accept that it can mean different things to different people while much the same force for good.

The Covid-19 threatens our personal freedoms like few human repressive forces, not least in the sense that it is an invisible enemy; we can but do much the same as when confronted by any enemy, resist it as best we can.

FREEDOM, BEACON OF HOPE IN A DARKENING WORLD]

In some parts of the world,

all paths to Freedom are (still) blocked

by power-hungry rulers

living in the lap of luxury where others

go hungry, and can but dream

of running fresh, clean, water from a tap

that’s close to hand

In some parts of the world,

all paths to Freedom are (still) haunted

by fighters who lost battles,

but inspired others to continue the war

against the sickest corruption

in the highest places, best feet forward

to global markets

In some parts of the world,

all paths to Freedom (still) ringing out

loud and clear with howls

of protest punctuated with the shrapnel,

gunfire, and tear gas

that, oh, so often accompanies integrity

even in a 21st century

In some parts of the world,

all paths to Freedom are (still) littered

with human bones,

occasionally with name tags attached,

others are identified only

by such natural categories as ethnicity

and, yes, sexuality

In some part of the world,

all paths to Freedom are (still) haunted

by voices of the dead,

inspiring men, women, and children

to take greater pride

than many so-called ‘betters’ in rallying

round a flag with pride

In some parts of the world,

heterosexuality is promoted true enough

to hot-blooded stereotype,

some falling for the honeyed-up hype

of tongues, sly and zealous,

while others continue to call for a culture

of Freedom for all of us 

Copyright R. N. Taber 2014; 2020

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained OR Mind-Body-Spirit, Up for It

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Today's poem first appeared on the blog in 2008 under a different title, and I have since revised it,  slightly but significantly.

Several readers have asked how I am progressing with the new poetry collection and if I have found a potential publisher. Well, progress is slow but sure, and I haven't given much thought to finding a publisher as I will probably self-publish again. As I have said before on the blogs, the majority of publishers here in the UK have never shown any interest in my previous collections; indeed, it would seem that poetry publishers in general are inclined to shy away from a volume that includes both general and gay-interest poems. I am toying the the idea of only making it available as an e-book, but may have just a few hundred copies printed as they have always sold. As always, time will tell if and hoe opportunity knocks. wry bardic chuckle

Meanwhile ...

Now, there's a lot to be said for letting  Waves of Wishful Thinking sweep us off our feet and having their way with us on tides of Here-and-Now. Oh, and there's no need to wait for Valentine’s Day to come around again either. wry bardic grin

'Practise is the best of all instructors.' - Pubilius Syrus (fl. 85-43 BC)

Have fun ... but be careful out there.

NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED or MIND-BODY-SPIRIT, UP FOR IT

I slumped in a bar, drinking moodily,

in a tug-of-war with my heart,

longing to kiss the guy opposite me,

a target, if ever, for Cupid's dart

I contemplated chatting him casually

(be subtle while making a pass)

but fear kept getting the better of me

as I looked soulfully into my glass

Now and then I’d let my eyes devour

pecs pricking at a tight white tee,

felt myself blushing for sheer horror

at catching him observing me

Did I like what I saw, he softly asked?

(making my every nerve tingle);

I felt like a thief caught out, unmasked,

could but silently pray he was single

I could barely mumble something inane

(his laughter made me look away);

he still had a smile when I looked again,

one that seemed to want me to stay

He came over and sat right next to me

I took heart and we chatted a while,

mind-body-spirit engaging anxiously

in a mad tug-of-war with his smile

During that (half-hearted) tug-of-war,

fear began to drop away from me,

till sex such as I’d but dreamed of before

affirmed a new, gay-spiritual identity

We had a safe, sensual, delightful affair,

practising the finer arts of sexuality

for such a time as such sympathies care

to give love a free rein on its humanity

Copyright R. N. Taber 2008; 2020

Free Agents

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

In many countries LGBT people have won over our critics, but not everywhere and by no means everyone. Sadly, homophobia remains alive and kicking in all corners of all societies worldwide even where there is pro-LGBT legislation. I know/have met and/or worked with many genuinely gay-friendly straight people, but for every one of those, I know/have met and/or worked with a good many more die-hard homophobic people frequently playing lip service to political correctness while harbouring contrary opinions. I despise the latter for a bunch of hypocrites, often the product of a gay-unfriendly upbringing although many may yet (I have discovered) be open to constructive dialogue given the opportunity.

Most gay-friendly straight people are confident enough in their own sexuality not to have a problem with anyone else's. This, of course, begs the question, where exactly is homophobia coming from ...?

Some people, of course, will never get that love is a free agent with a mind of its own.

FREE AGENTS

As we walked down

my street together, you held my hand;

people flung us dirty looks

because they don’t understand

about falling in love

Outside our front door,

you gave me a big hug and kissed me;

passers-by passed rude remarks

because they really haven’t a clue

how it is to be gay

As I fumbled for my key,

you shouted to the street how you felt

about me, and neighbours

turned noses and fingers up at us

(it’s what they do best)

As I closed the door after us,

children playing hopscotch in the street

waved a cheery ‘hello’

as if warning us to take no notice

of their so-called‘betters’

Once inside, we ran upstairs

laughingly, carefree, still hand in hand,

shutting out a world

that doesn’t want to understand

gay men falling in love

Copyright R. N. Taber 2012

[Note: An earlier version of this poem appears under the title 'Gay Men Don't Do Stuffy' in Tracking the Torchbearer by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2012]

Letting Go, a Song of Twilight

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

This poem is from my general poetry archives for July 2014.

Regular readers will know that Hampstead Heath is not far from where I live. Read about it at:

http://www.hampsteadheath.net/index.html

- and find some poems under the 'Culture' heading

& .hear one of my Heath poems - the very first one - (On Hampstead Heath) on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1z_NiNpRQw&t=114s

Now, I have often said on my blogs that letting go of the past and moving on does not necessarily mean leaving anyone or anything behind.

In my experience, the moment of letting go and placing it in the time capsule we call Memory is invariably as intense as it is exquisite; intense, because it is so personal and so exquisite for being so highly charged with the bitter-sweet smells and tastes of recollection, the inner eye selecting the best of the best while tactfully (or conveniently) skipping the worst.

This poem is a villanelle.

LETTING GO, A SONG OF TWILIGHT

On Parliament Hill, I let go of a kite
and watched it drift over London
till just a speck of summer twilight

I felt humbled by the glorious sight
as if I were sailing heavens;
on Parliament Hill I let go of a kite

Fair, copycat bird in graceful flight
filled me with awe and inspiration
till just a speck of summer twilight

The faintest star, harbinger of night,
tracking me down Memory Lane,
on Parliament Hill, I let go of a kite

Empathising with passing daylight,
gripped by a sense of hanging on
till just a speck of summer twilight

Putting wrongs aside (if not right),
time enough for celebration...
On Parliame

Gay in Japan OR Rainbows over Tokyo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

A reader from Japan has encouraging news for those of us continuing to fight hate crime and socio-cultural hostility worldwide, not to mention hate crime and aggressive legal/political opposition in some countries; while we in the western world are not immune to either, - especially in areas where certain immigrant groups express strong opposition from a one cultural perspective or another

Japan's culture and major religions do not have a history of hostility towards homosexuality. A majority of Japanese citizens are reportedly in favour of accepting homosexuality; a 2013 poll indicated that 54 percent agreed that homosexuality should be accepted by society, while 36 percent disagreed, with a large age gap.

Apparently, Japan has no laws against homosexual activity and has some legal protections for gay people; there is also some legal protection for transgender individuals. Consensual sex between adults of the same sex is legal, but some prefectures set the age of consent for same-sex sexual activity higher than for opposite-sex sexual activity.

While civil rights laws do not extend to protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation, some governments have enacted such laws. The government of Tokyo has passed laws that ban discrimination in employment based on sexual identity. Despite recommendations from the Council for Human Rights Promotion, the major political parties express little public support for LGBT rights. Some political figures, however, have spoken publicly about their being gay. Kanako Otsuji, an assemblywoman from Osaka, came out as a lesbian in 2005. Two years earlier, in 2003, Aya Kamikawa became the first openly transgender person elected official in Tokyo.

While same-sex marriage is not legalised at the national level, the Shibuya District in Tokyo passed a same-sex partnership certificate bill in 2015 to "issue certificates to same-sex couples that recognize them as partners equivalent to those married under the law."

GAY IN JAPAN or RAINBOWS OVER TOKYO 

Came LGBT, its first laurels to lay

(at Yanagi, Shimbashi, after the war)

respite from life’s cares of the day

Subsequently, it was good to be gay

(no one banging on some closet door);

came LGBT, its first laurels to lay

Colour, that dark skies kept at bay

(where the world’s tears gone before);

respite from life's cares of the day

LGBT rainbows were here to stay

(no world-imposing shame any more);

came LGBT, its first laurels to lay

Stage set for others to win the day

(wherever dogma’s worst sure to score)

respite from life’s cares of the day

Here, LGBT given the voice to say

“Pax” on any calls for its guts and gore;

came LGBT, its first laurels to lay,

respite from life’s cares of the day

Copyright R. N. Taber 2019

G-A-Y, Days of Wine and Roses OR At Home with Sexuality

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

I am in my 70’s now and people often ask me if I regret not growing up with new technology, especially mobile phones. On the contrary, I see so many people preferring to engage with their phone than with the person/s accompanying them, even over a meal at a restaurant or on a night out with friends that I am grateful for small mercies.

The use of personal pronouns in my poems rarely refers wholly to first-hand experience/s; they comprise ‘borrowed’ experience/s, recall from chatting to people from all walks of life in bars, cafes, even at bus stops.  For me, it was a way of engaging with aspects of human nature on which all the arts turn; while my poetry has always been more of a creative therapy to keep depression at bay, it is nevertheless an art form deserving (no less than any other) that its author make an effort to become familiar with form as well as content.

You will not be surprised to learn then that much of my enjoyment in writing a poem lies in taking walks down Memory Lane and recalling conversations (if not always faces) that have helped shaped and reshape my approach to life. As to whether or not my poems succeed in passing on any of this, that, dear readers, is for you to decide.

"Perhaps home is not a place but an irrevocable condition."- James Baldwin, Giovanni's Room

  

G-A-Y, DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES or AT HOME WITH SEXUALITY

Mutely, you crept into my bed

and I froze, all of me, heart and soul,

fingers, thumbs and toes,

eyes tightly shut, dreams on hold

of what might happen

once open wide, acknowledging

your body close to mine,

caving to desires archived in denial

for years, words left unsaid

rounding on me (yet again) demanding

I turn over, face you, get real,

let our holiday hotel see the start

of our truly getting to know

each other all over again, kids no more

but the grown-ups we are

Your body closed in on me

and I could barely breathe for joy

of your invading my space,

entering a door in this body-mind-spirit

left ajar for emotions

such as these to surface, encouraged

by shared feelings engulfing me,
and (finally) giving bigotry

the old heave-ho whose acolytes

so love to gang up on us,
on the back of this or that social, cultural
or religious convention justified

only by tailoring dogma to address,

excuse and embrace all its prejudices
with a clear conscience

I turned over, opening eyes

(eventually) looking directly into yours,

holding your searching gaze,

hoping you'd discern what I was thinking,

(knowing for sure you could)

begging you satisfy a desperate longing

in me for you to break

with macho-man taboos, your lips

on mine, a kiss to end years

of making out we were just mates so we all 

but convinced ourselves

it was true, warding off any moment of truth, 

daring us accept the challenge

to all humanity, be positive about our identity 

or play patsy to conformity

I watched the certainty in your face

give way to old doubts, read new fears there

(would I reject him...?)

I had to take the lead if only to prevent tears

in his eyes brimming over,

inviting mine (not far away) drowning us both

in a sea of conflicting thoughts

threatening to force natural instincts back

into that hell we'd dreamed

of escaping on lonely pillows made for sharing

since schooldays when sexuality

had no voice in classrooms for fear of offending

parents whose notions of education

exclude bringing kids to such self-awareness
as encourages direct action

I took the plunge, held and kissed you,

all lingering doubts dissolving into nothingness,

instantly replaced by a fullness

second to none, two hearts now beating as one,

a sense of coming alive again

like nature in spring rain opening up to potential,

making Earth Mother offerings

of pink blossom, green leaves, petals pf daffodil

and tulip, shoots of grass passaging

mud and worms to give every human being cause

to rejoice in birth and renewal

instead of constantly maligning winter’s approach

to a dreary status quo 

feeding all manner of discontent to roots put down

with certain expectations 

The next day, we went for breakfast
holding hands, aware of assorted looks and stares
as well as a buzz of conversation
meant to intimidate us though failing miserably
because we were past caring
what others are thinking, we two ordinary people
having just discovered
how the art of being human deserves better than we
fake it for appearances sake,
as if there isn't  distress enough in the world
without imposing more
on men and women, boys and girls but endeavouring 
to get to know themselves,
as they make their own way in life not as mapped out 
by well-meaning ‘betters’

Years on, a photo of You-Me-Us on that holiday

continues to assert how it’s good to be gay   

Copyright R. N. Taber 2018

Getting on with Love

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

More than once I have heard those among the less enlightened heterosexual majority sneer that gay people don’t know the meaning of love. Such stupid, ignorant comments do not merit a response except, perhaps, in a poem…

Readers may be interested to know that this villanelle was inspired by a fascinating and very uplifting conversation with two gay ex-servicemen in their 50's at London bar one evening.

Photo taken from the Internet

GETTING ON WITH LOVE

Getting on with life, two gay men

(in a world living with Terror)

targeted for abuse, time and again

Nothing to lose, everything to gain

(in world that’s a weeping sore);

getting on with love, two gay men

Getting on with life, two gay men

(for knocking at freedom's door)

targeted for abuse, time and again

World, in the grip of blind religion

(floods of fear, a living nightmare);

getting on with love, two gay men

Played a part rescuing Afghanistan

from the Taliban’s hold on power,

targeted for abuse, time and again

Pray, we see its peacemakers win

on a planet left turning on Terror;

getting on with love, two gay men,

targeted for abuse, time and again

Copyright R. N. Taber 2009; 2016

Breaking Out OR G-A-Y, Standing Up for Sexuality

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

A homophobic neighbour once snarled at me, ‘I hope all you gays get your just deserts.’

I hope so too … and may it include the freedom to fall in love and be loved in return by the person of our choice just as nature intended - for us all, whatever our ethnicity, sexuality, religion or, yes, age too.

BREAKING OUT or G-A-Y,  STANDING UP FOR SEXUALITY

Shedding shackles that bind,

leaving fear and suspicion behind,

getting the life we deserve, born free

to fall in love ...

Coming but into our identity,

nature’s gift of life and sexuality,

deaf to threats of those world cultures

clinging to its scriptures

Refuting legends of Creation

denying us any hope of salvation

for fearlessly and, oh, so passionately

embracing our sexuality

Taking on biased critics

misinterpreting the hieroglyphics

supposedly expressed in ancient theses

on living nemeses

Mending fences torn apart,

reclaiming territories of the heart

under attack by a (so) bigoted morality

sponsored by Society

Making a stand for humanity

against those calling for ‘propriety’

based on some so-called  ‘moral’ stance

that we cause offence

Shedding shackles that bind,

leaving fear and suspicion behind,

getting the life we deserve, born free

to fall in love …

Copyright R. N. Taber 2009

Boxed-In by Stereotypes Compounded by Dogma

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Coming out to family, friends and the world in general as a gay person is never easy even in a gay-friendly environment where the perception others have of us may well be in for some re-assembling, to say the least. In an environment hostile to the gay ethic, the need to come out can be a nightmare, just as it was for me many years ago.

There are no quick fixes, especially in countries where gay relationships remain a criminal offence, even punishable by death.

Coming out as openly gay, as I have said many times, is a very personal decision. Any failure to do so should not be held against someone. At the same time, there is a lot to be said for the art of gentle persuasion. Nor should compromise be seen as a weakness; it is not always a bad thing. For example, coming out to a few people who really care about us can more than compensate for the contempt in which an ignorant majority - unable or unwilling to separate stereotypical fiction from fact – (still) persist in holding us.

Some countries (like some people) like to boast a policy of Equal Opportunities, but let’s not be completely fooled; political correctness (so-called) is often but a smokescreen for a lesser morality. Not always, of course, but we need to remain alert to the possibility. Homophobia is alive and kicking even in the (so-called) ‘liberal’ West.

What’s, that you say? Me, a cynic…?  Well, yes, in many respects, but one can, of course, only speak from personal experience. Moreover, while I am not Islamophobic as such, the rise and spread of Islam across the western world does gay people no favours since the majority of Muslims are inclined to be homophobic; less traditional Muslims, though, especially among younger people, are more open-minded. One reason I subscribe to no religion is that all religions tend to stereotype or 'label' thos of us who, for whatever reason, refuse to to enter into their more dogmatic points of view.

This poem is a villanelle.

BOXED-IN BY STEREOTYPES COMPOUNDED BY DOGMA 

Desperate to go free,
captive for years,
this ‘other’ self in me

An aspiring maturity
drying my tears,
desperate to be free

Need to let them see
(who fan my fears)
this ‘other’ self in me

Homing in on bigotry
(as its hurt clears)
desperate to be free

No separate identity
(as named by peers)
this ‘other’ self in me

Person and sexuality
(a natural harmony);
desperate to be free,
this ‘other’ self in me


Copyright R. N. Taber 2015

Finding Freedom

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

I was not always openly gay, having grown up as a youth and young man at a time when gay relationships were a criminal offence and considered a sin but most religions. 

Now, thankfully, the broader-thinking West at least has learned to accept that being gay is genetic and no more unnatural than being born. Sadly, though, not everyone among the heterosexual majority shares this enlightened view. Across the world, even in the so-called ‘liberal’ West, gay boys and girls, men and women, are growing up in a gay-unfriendly environment, encouraged to believe they are the lowest of the low for being gay.

It took me some time to stop feeling self-conscious about being gay, to understand (and act on it) that we must never let anyone put us down for our sexuality, least of all ourselves.

For whatever reason (whatever our colour, creed, sex or sexuality) many of us are often made to feel slaves to that fickle creature, 'Convention'; the inner self deserves better.

FINDING FREEDOM

I once walked narrow streets

in the bitter cold and dark of winter,

body, mind and spirit

crying out to be heard, trusted,

loved, and free

No one in those narrow streets

gave me a second look or seemed

to care that I was in crisis,

duped into believing I had no right

to even be there

I paused at a bright shop window

whose lights and colours turned me

into a patched-up clown

(minus wide smile) in a circus ring,

raining sawdust

Suddenly, a burst of wild applause

for my doppelganger clowning it up

in the window and loving

every minute, soaking up applause

like spring rain

I raised a smile, a chuckle, a laugh,

and continued along the narrow streets

that seemed broader now,

people nodding and smiling at me,

a common humanity

Apollo peeped from behind a cloud

as if to complement a metamorphosis,

welcome a lonely gay man

into the human race, its prejudices

melting away

Now, as I walk those same streets

in the bitter cold and dark of winter,

body, mind and spirit

rejoice for having found a voice, love,

and freedom

Copyright R. N. Taber 2014

No Token Trophy for Glass Houses

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

A former work colleague, unaware at the time that I am gay, once boasted that he had gay friends, so no one could accuse him of being homophobic.

Okay, so far, so good…

He went on to tell me that, 'To be honest, gay sex disgusts me, but ‘you have to cover your back these days, don’t you, what with all this equality and diversity rubbish?’  It was as if his gay ‘friends’ were notches on his belt meant to show everyone he was no homophobe. His obvious distaste for and discomfort with the whole gay ethos made me see red. When I mentioned that I am gay, he beamed, seemed to think I was making his point (which was what, I am still not sure) and said, ‘See, I am talking to you as an equal aren’t I?’

This conversation took place in 2008, the year I retired. Maybe I am being over-sensitive, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth whenever I think about it.

In the minds of bigots worldwide, gay people remain fuel for nasty gossip, but as my mother used to say, all the while those who have nothing better to do but gossip (or worse) about us, they are at least leaving other vulnerable people alone. 

NO TOKEN TROPHY FOR GLASS HOUSES 

It seems like only yesterday we’d play

at hide-and-seek as butterflies looked on;

happy days, gay lovers feeling our way

into red-and-golden hours of autumn

By Christmas, gossips had left us for dead

(memory’s embrace enough to surf the swell)

nor winter’s cold, but lies covertly spread

conspired against us while wishing us well

Old prejudices, they (still) threaten us,

cast their nets as at moths and butterflies;

collectors, like minds, and the curious,

sure to excuse the means, relish the prize

Though the world’s hypocrites, they abuse us,

we’ll fly free, no token trophy for glass houses

Copyright R. N. Taber 2007; 2014

Winning Hearts and Minds OR Confounding the Bigots

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Fortunately, there are more people in the world with open hearts and minds than most socio-cultural-religious bigots would care to admit.

Of course, we will never win over everyone to an enlightened view of same sex relationships. The hope is, as history suggests, that even in those societies where obsessive, repressive, leaders continue to undermine and threaten our personal and public freedom, gay men and women are likely (in time) to win the war, transgender folks too

WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS  or CONFOUNDING THE BIGOTS

Branded a child of Satan

(just for being gay)

I felt myself drowning in sin

but (finally) managed

to master the breaststroke

and swim away

to a (far) safer, kinder, shore

where the bigots

can have their say (of course)

but any person

of any colour, creed, sex

or sexuality

is more likely to take a pride

in a humanity sworn

to uphold the finer principles

of true democracy

Declared a child of Satan

by ‘betters’ who know

no better (it’s their nature)

than hounding folks

left free by (far) better people

than they to walk down

everyday streets anywhere

without anyone turning

to stare or pointing the finger

at how I walk, talk, dress,

don’t even practise a religion,

invariably given to mean

no sense of everyday propriety

or even spirituality,

presumably a suspect sexuality,

but not necessarily…

Copyright R., N. Taber 2014

Images of Love or G-A-Y, Telling it as It Is (and Why Not?)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Readers often comment that many of my love poems could be written for anyone, whether gay or heterosexual. That is precisely the point I am making and why I include poems on a gay theme in general collections rather than publish them separately.

We all want to love and be loved; it is (surely?) the same for us all, worldwide, regardless of our colour, creed, sex, or sexuality...

If I were to comment along those lines in some countries (Uganda, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia to name but a few) I would probably be imprisoned or even executed. In a predominantly gay-friendly West, we should never forget that when we take holidays abroad. Similarly, people from those countries living or visiting here have no right to attack our way of life. As for me, I would never visit a country where attitudes and/or laws regarding same sex relationships are ignorant and offensive or where other Human Rights abuses are commonplace.

We have always had socio-cultural-religious homophobes here in the UK, too, of course; their numbers continue to increase significantly, and will continue to do so all the while the efforts of successive governments to embrace multiculturalism are as ill-conceived and poorly judged as they have been from the start.

Call me naive if you like, but I will never understand why the act of recognizing a person’s Human Rights is often considered ‘liberal’ rather than simply humane since not to do so has to be one of the worst forms of inhumanity. It is even worse still when holier-than-thou types hide behind their religion, whatever it may be. Religion is a faith, not an excuse for bigotry. Religious bigots are not only letting themselves down but also their religion. The main reason I rejected religion long ago (years before I realized I am gay) is its bigotry or, rather, the bigoted interpretation so many religious leaders and their followers choose to give to various Holy Books.

Oh, but enough of division and bigotry, and let's get back to love.

IMAGES OF LOVE or  G-A-Y, TELLING IT AS IT IS (AND WHY NOT?) 

I sought and hoped to find you,

elusive though you were;

Each night I’d dream about you,

though your image a blur;

I’d reach out to you with heart

and soul, achieve my goal,

only for the cold light of day

to expose as nothing more

than wishful thinking, hope

without real foundation,

figment of a child’s imagination,

a comfort in escaping

now and then from the daily toil

of trying to survive a growing

desperation, find a way

to live, compatible with, oh, such

longing, such need

On images of love, we feed

Each night I dream of you still,

your image strong and true;

I reach out to you with heart

and soul, achieve my goal;

when day breaks up my reverie,

I retrieve all the pieces,

cherishing a reality that makes

my own parts complete,

savouring the warmth of you

since last we embraced,

recalling, vividly, every detail

in your face, every nuance

of our being together even when

apart, once-lonely hearts

of love and peace assured,

a life compatible with, oh, such

longing, such need

On images of love, agreed

[From: The Third Eye by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2003}

Keeping Company with Ghosts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Those who condemn gay people simply for our sexuality would do well to remember that many gay men and women have risked and given their lives - and continue to do so - to preserve the peace and freedom we all desire.  

World War 1 was meant to be a war to end all wars. Yet, it remains one of humankind’s greater tragedies that its history is inclined to repeat itself. 

Since World War 2 there have been numerous conflicts around the world, its various peoples suffering immeasurable heartbreak. At the root of it all, an unwillingness of certain politicians to take a common sense let alone humanitarian or democratic view, and others in the business of selling arms (directly or indirectly) who have no wish to see this or that particular gravy train come to a premature halt.

KEEPING COMPANY WITH GHOSTS 

They fought so we may live

(to fight another day?)

among them, men, women 

who were gay

World wars over, although

the world still at war,

for such is humankind’s way,

(the politics of power)

Middle East a battleground,

Africa tearing itself apart;

Iraq, Afghanistan, ripping out

poor humanity’s heart

Gay men (and, yes, women)

risk their lives daily, yet

we hear their praises sung

but, oh, so rarely

Oh, and just what has sexuality 
to do with a fierce courage

writing up history and daring

to sign each page...?

What, too, of Earth Mother

and peace with one another?


Copyright R. N. Taber 2010; 2017

[Note: An earlier version of this poem appears in On The Battlefields of Love by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2010.] 

G-A-Y (Another) Triumph of the Spirit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Some readers may be interested to know that have posted Chapter 1 of a new serial, Catching Up with Murder: a novel in three acts on my fiction blog. Hopefully, those readers who enjoyed Predisposed to Murder will also enjoy meeting up with many of the same characters and discovering how they first came together.

Catching Up with Murder is available in paperback from amazon and could well be described as a black comedy in parts; it is not a gay novel as such, but has a strong gay story line that becomes clear and takes off in Act II:

http://rogertaberfiction.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/catching-up-with-murder-chapter-1.html

Meanwhile…

No matter how the less enlightened among the heterosexual majority might try, you can’t keep a free spirit down…

G-A-Y (ANOTHER) TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT

Once I was scared to admit I am gay,

for falling victim to a parental dismay

that might see me retract what I say

In nightmares, I’d confess I am gay,

family disowning me, driving me away;

friends, too, let ignorance win the day

Alone I would struggle with an identity

taunting me with its desire to be free,

haunting me with a passionate cruelty

I was hostage to the old misconception

that would trust a blinkered perception

of life and love than the  heart’s intuition

Then I met you and learned to see again

as if through a sweet-smelling misty rain,

tears of Earth Mother nurturing her own

My heart, it opened its petals to the sky,

heaven glad to absolve a sorry soul its lie,

let truth, to these lips, unashamedly fly

Though some condemn us for being gay,

love and friendship will always find a way

through seasonal mists, come what may

  

[From: On the Battlefields of Love by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books 2010.]