A Poet's Blog: Roger N.Taber shares his thoughts & poems...

Thoughts and observations by English poet Roger N. Taber, a retired librarian and poet-novelist.- "Ethnicity, Religion, Gender, Sexuality ... these are but parts of a whole. It is the whole that counts." RNT [NB While I have no wish to create a social network, I will always reply to critical emails about my poetry. Contact: rogertab@aol.com].

Name:
Location: London, United Kingdom

Sadly, a bad fall in 2012 has left me with a mobility problem, and being diagnosed with prostate cancer the same year hasn't helped, but I get out and about with my trusty walking stick as much as I can, take each day as it comes and try to keep looking on the bright(er) side of life. Many of my poems reflect the need to nurture a positive-thinking mindset whatever life throws at us.

Monday, 15 June 2020

Engaging with the Kafkaesquesque OR The Landscape of Nightmare

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

Today's poem has been slightly revised (from 2017) for inclusion in the new collection of poems that I am struggling to put together as my personal circumstances - along with everyone else's - approach Kafkaesque proportions from time to time; although restriction on mobility and retail are starting to lift as the Covid-19 coronavirus appears to be lessening its impact, it is still there, still a threat, and many of us are concerned we may be coming out of lock-down too soon, especially as we look at what is happening around the world, including countries that appear to have been hit by a second wave after coming out of lock-down. Oh, well, fingers crossed ... and let's all be careful out there.

Readers sometimes email me to say they find browsing the blogs a problem as there are so many poems. A good way is to use the search field in the top right hand corner to search under subject;
e.g. history, nature, human spirit, positive thinking, mind-body-spirit  etc. 

Oh, and if you enjoy at least some of the poems please recommend the blog to others... although I really do appreciate that poetry is not everyone’s favourite art form. wry bardic wink

Meanwhile…

I had not been long out of hospital when I wrote the poem a few years ago and on a high dose of antibiotics to keep nasties like sepsis at bay. I'd had a bad night and woke up suspecting I would have a bad day so decided to try and write my way out of what was not a promising start. Well, it worked, for me at any rate, and (who knows?) it may work for you, too. Indeed, the power of positive thinking never fails to amaze me. (Believe me, I needed plenty of it in hospital... )

If dealing with illness - or any dark forces - is a challenge for the human body, it is no less of one for mind and spirit; indeed, I am not sure the three can be separated, and regular readers will have noticed that often refer to mind-body-spirit as one life force in the blogs; add the combined power of love and positive thinking, and it should come as no surprise that many if not most human beings are up for whatever challenges we face, whether they image the landscape of horror, danger, whatever ...

ENGAGING WITH THE KAFKAESQUE or THE LANDSCAPE OF NIGHTMARE

Dark, my world,
animated shapes conveying
little or nothing
to ease a so-restless mind,
unquiet spirit

No cheery sounds
of laughter over corny jokes
or cheery singing
out of tune at the washing-up
after dinner for two

Nothing and no one
to home in on for comfort;
shoulders to lean on
but shades of wishful thinking
on scrap paper

Kafkaesque, dragging
on senses that, oh, but faintly
offer resistance,
yet creating just space enough
for breaking dawn

Light, proving a match
for its nemesis, now a gathering
of sun nymphs
inspiring wings of a skylark
to force an entry

Song, waking the heart
to possibilities and potential
enough for mind, body,
and spirit to be curious, wake up
to the challenges

Copyright R. N. Taber 2020

[Note: An earlier version of this poem appears in CCandD poetry magazine v291, Scars (US) 2019]



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