Engaging with Epic Poetry

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

Today’s poem first appeared on the blog in 2017.

In July 2009 I was privileged to participate in "One and Other", sculptor Sir Antony Gormley's 'live sculpture' project on the 4th plinth in London's Trafalgar Square; I gave a poetry reading. At the time, I thought reference to its being a 'live' sculpture simply referred to those participants invited to do whatever for an hour, July- October. I became aware that I was part of an epic poem of sorts, which subsequently inspired the poem.

Now, text-speak may well be as relatively a new phenomenon as the mobile phone itself, but conversations with the inner self are as old as humankind.

Invariably, we think of mind, body and spirit at separate entities, and I am often criticised for suggesting they are. Yet, each engage with each other in such a way that maybe it is high time we started thinking of the whole rather than the parts? After all, it is they that would see us (as a whole) engage with time and space... for better, for worse; it is they, also, to, whom we invariably turn when we are stressed out for whatever reason.

Exercising mind and body is a form of creative therapy that can encourage the human spirit to wake up to whatever reality we are avoiding and help us reach a constructive decision as to how best to proceed - or not, as the case may be.

Poets make much of Poetry of the Heart, but there is a  sense in which we are all, each and every one of us, living poems; the whole of us, as individuals, not just this part or that. 

There are many who profess to hate poetry, find it glib, trite, weak; those same people, simply by engaging with life itself, who are creating the Poetry of History, an epic poem about the human race as beautiful - not least for its very diversity - as any prose.

ENGAGING WITH EPIC POETRY

Life,

spiralling me downwards

from cradle to grave…

often when I least expect it,

leaves me clinging

for dear life at straws in an ill wind

raised by a helter-skelter

of events conspiring to drag me

beyond imagination,

test ego (and salvation) to limits

rarely conceived

even by those daily enduring

a world of nightmares

Love,

spelling out such promises

as sweet dreams

are made of, offering (for free)

a magical-mystery-tour

of mind-body-spirit asking only

that I stay true

to the end of a line drawn

not (whimsically) 

in sand or clay, but in good faith

that 1 + 1 is equal,

to the sum of all its frictions,

and I can add up

Hope,

bringing me the best of things

at the worst of time

reshaping even the obstinate clay

of human nature

as a potter’s wheel might

its tasks in hand,

demanding the poetry of art

speak up for Beauty,

fair chameleon exposing masks

of the Beast

for human waste washed up

by the tides of life

Centuries of anticipating eternity 

for engaging with its epic poetry

Copyright R. N. Taber 2017

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

Christmas, Hall of Mirrors

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

Yes, a new poem today, appearing on both poetry blogs.

We all like to think we have fewer flaws than the next person, but it is invariably true of many if not most of us. Let’s face it, human nature is flawed, not least because we often have reason to believe it has let is down, even failed us with its complex set-up of contradictions, deceptions and preoccupation with appearances. We can but do our best to overcome these, and most give it our best shot; sadly, this often falls short of its target or misses it altogether, not always our own fault, but down to our target being human and we human beings adept at misreading signs in any shape or form. Many a close relationship has failed dur to those concerned failing to see the bigger picture; indeed, often enough, any picture other than they expect to see it, regardless of how the other person’s expectations. Too few people talk things over, but prefer to think that appearances speak for themselves.  Oh, but appearances rarely do…

Now, what has this preamble got to do with Christmas? Well, as much as it has to do with daily life all year round, but more so because it is a religious celebration; religion is meant to be about love, peace, and goodwill as well as (mutual) tolerance and understanding to all, not just the select few that share and practise our own socio-cultural-religious views and/or approach to life and people. While sharing and caring may well bring people closer, it should not follow that ‘outsiders’ are exempt from the caring aspect which, in my experience, especially with regard to my being gay, has so often been the case. Even so, there have been notable exceptions, supporting my view that religion does not have a monopoly on spirituality; the human spirit is far greater than the sum of all its stereotypical misnomers upon which most world religions are inclined to base conversion tactics. I have nothing against religion except where its followers disrespect those who refuse to enter into its dogma, for whatever reason.

Whatever, ENJOY the seasonal festivities whoever and wherever you are, regardless of religion, race or sexuality; like it or not, we are a common humanity, and more commonly flawed that many if not most of us care to admit, yours truly being no exception.

CHRISTMAS, HALL OF MIRRORS

At Christmas past,

wary of all we might see. Memory Lane

not always the pleasure

we would have it be, certain moments

in time best left for dead

than revived, reawakened, reinvented,

turned into pulp fiction by a mind-body-spirit

arguing against redemption

At Christmas past,

revisiting ghosts, letting them stir us up

with wooden spoons,

mixing fairy tales, Santa Claus, and elves

into an indigestible fudge

of broken promises, missed opportunities,

playing blame games as leave mind-body-spirit

to filter the consequences

At Christmas past,

calling on ghosts to move on, leave us free

to travel Memory Lane

as it used to be, enjoy fun snowball fights

among long-ago peers,

gifts and fairy lights on Christmas trees,

messaging home comforts and joy to passers-by,

carollers, and rough sleepers

Christmas Here-and Now,

calling upon all we Children of Earth Mother

to embrace the twin spirits

of Peace and Goodwill, and play our part

(no matter big or small)

in showing the wariest and fragile of hearts

a global consciousness that needs must prioritise

an inclusive human kindness

Copyright R.N. Taber, 2019

Note: This poem also appears on my general poetry blog today.

Opening Closed Doors

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

While I often write in the first person, it is neither necessarily autobiographical nor simply to invest a poem with a sense of directness, but also to draw the reader into a ‘felt’ experience; one that I may not have shared at first-hand, but to which, in one way or another, I can relate. I guess the jury is still out on whether or not my approach works for them.

Recently, I received an email from a Catholic man who was finally persuaded to be openly gay during a holiday in Rome. He writes, ‘…for the first time in my life, I met someone who doesn’t see being gay and Catholic as a contradiction.’ He adds, ‘Nor does my friend think this way for his own convenience, but genuinely believes - as I do now - that whoever we are, and however we choose to imagine God, no concept of God can truly exist in a discriminatory context against anyone or the very principles of religion, love and peace, start to fall apart at the seams…’

I could not agree more, and although I do not subscribe to any religion myself, I applaud any gay (or straight) person who arrives at an understanding - however long it takes - that a sense of spirituality and an LGBT lifestyle are NOT mutually exclusive, except perhaps in the hearts and minds of those who choose to insist differently for their convenience.

Years ago, I knew a Christian man who confided that, while he agreed me ‘in principle’ about not discriminating against anyone because of their sexuality, he would never say so openly because he could not bring himself not to fear what he called 'God’s response'. He readily conceded that the New Testament effectively refutes interpretations of God in the Old Testament as a one quick to anger and effect reprisals. In its place, yes, we find a God of love and understanding. At the same time, my Christian friend was unwilling to put that belief to the test by openly disputing that God’s love cannot be assumed to extend to gay people. (It is all very well for an Archbishop of Canterbury, for example, to say he has no problem with gay people, even clerics, so long as they are not practising sex, but sex is a natural human urge. How can a religion preaching that God created all humanity deny its being invested likewise with a sexuality of one persuasion or another?

OPENING CLOSED DOORS 

It was at the heart of Rome,

a lonely heart caught

its first shy glimpse of a place 

to (finally) call home 

Oblivious to tourist crowds,

I confronted my self

in a fountain as honest with me

as passing clouds

A sad face, etched with pain, 

accused me of all sorts

for deceiving my friends, family,

and (worse) religion

Another face looked in at me

through this window

on a so-beleaguered conscience

addressing sexuality

I couldn’t prevent an intrusion

into this dialogue

with feelings I’d nursed for years

and kept well hidden

Not a word passed between us

as kindred spirits

engaged freely in open mind-speak, 

spreading like ripples

Coin faces applauding us pair,

encouraged me

to look up and smile if tremulously

at the person there…

He grinned, and said ‘Hello’

(I was lost for words)

and then walked away, glanced back

to see if I’d follow

Yes, follow I did, a free mind, 

body and spirit

for sensing St Peter’s natural affinity

with all humankind

Copyright R. N. Taber 2016

Pink in the Frame OR L-O-V-E, where Life forces Come in all Colours

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

Some readers may be interested in the latest video (Salisbury Cathedral) that my close friend Graham has beautifully shot for YouTube and for which I have written and read a new poem.  

Although I do not subscribe to any religion, it doesn’t mean I have any less love for the architecture of many religious edifices; for much of religious music, too, even if I cannot relate the words of hymns and other songs of praise. 

An eye and feeling for beauty are unconditional, surely? 

Nature offers a sense of spirituality with no strings attached; the same cannot be said for religion.  As for God, who's to say God and nature are not one and the same? me, I cannot believe in a personified God, yet I see nature as a metaphor for a force for good that has to come close, surely? I count myself as neither atheist nor agnostic, just a poet who also happens to be gay, and others are free to make of that what they will. 

If interested, you can access video and poem at my YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/rogerNtaber

as well as my general blog today:

http://rogertab.blogspot.com/

Meanwhile...

This poem has not appeared on the blog since 2010, and I am repeating it today especially for ‘Marie’ and her partner ‘Aileen’ who contacted me a while ago to say they ‘really like it’.  I always love to hear from readers so thanks for that. Regular readers will know that the reason I don’t post comments is that it is, after all, a poetry blog, and I feel they can distract from the poem. Even so, anyone is free to contact me about anything at my email address, which is why I included it in the blog’s Introduction.

This the poem is one of many in which I try to convey something of an enduring sense of spirituality that nature has always given me since early childhood and for which I have looked for but never found in religion. 

PINK, IN THE FRAME or L-O-V-E, WHERE LIFE FORCES COME IN ALL COLOURS

Yellow, like bright sunshine on spring flowers;

such is the colour of love

Green, like summer leaves dancing on a breeze;

such is the colour of love

Sometimes turning a reddish gold, growing old;

such is the colour of love

Sometimes gone grey, like our ashes in a hearth;

such is the colour of love

White, like virgin snow on nature’s fine promises;

such is the colour of love

Pink, like dawn’s gay chorus or sunset’s shy blush;

such, too, is the colour of love

[From: Accomplices To Illusion by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2007]