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 ides 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

“Human nature is not a machine to be built after a model, and set to do exactly he work prescribed for it, but a tree, which requires to grow and develop itself on all sides, according to the tendency of the inward forces that make it a living thing.” John Stuart Mill

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 AFFINITY 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

Call me 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 gay-interest poetry blog today.] RT

No Hiding Place

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

“Hide nothing, for time which sees all and hears all, exposes all.” – Sophocles.

“Rhetoric, it seems, is a producer for persuasion of belief, not for instruction in the matter of right and wrong.” - Plato

“On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, ‘is it safe?’ Expedience asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ Then Vanity come along and asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ But Conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’”  -Martin Luther King Jr.

“Eloquence is the nature of art and cannot be learned in schools, but rhetoric is the creature of art which he who feels least will most excel in.” – Charles Caleb Colton

Now, forgiveness never comes easy for any of us. But if a greater part of the civilized world will never forgive Vladimir Putin for authorising the Russian invasion of Ukraine, political expediency alone will ensure an enduring pragmatism, whatever rhetoric it delivers to its peoples.

Much the same, I daresay, can be said of human nature as it affects all our lives on a daily basis.

NO HIDING PLACE

No safe place to hide away,
give us time and space enough to see
our way through
the damn maze of mixed feelings,
under the digital
watch of a world far less inclined
to forgive than to live
and let live, no matter what’s true or fake,
only make or break

We think the very deceptions
we weave will see us easily and safely
through the maze,
our being architects of its every bend,
so unlikely to fall foul
of such untruths and half-truths
required to negotiate
every twist and turn, emerge a clear winner
in the politics of power

Power, though, over others,
for all its fine trappings, may yet prove
as vulnerable
to the very worst flaws in human nature
exploited on its way
with more than a little help from friends
of like minds,
convinced, by now they could do even better
than their mentor

Every heart has its heroes,
deliverers from such evils as the world
creates or promotes;
for every such hero, though, its antonyms
giving expression
to an innate, ever-nagging vanity,
feeding on an inability
to see a potential in humanity to resist persuasion
under coercion...

Our enemies, though primed
in the art of faux reason and persuasion
risk exposure,
by majority life and art forces deploring
any act that’s at best,
only human, at worst abandoning
the truer landscape
of any personal space where a free mind-body-spirit
defies corrosion of it

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

Under Threat

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

Thou canst not touch the freedom of my mind. – John Milton

It is not uncommon for fear to, indeed, make cowards of us all even if only temporarily. The courage of those remaining to defend Ukraine against Russian aggression is perhaps all the more remarkable then for its steadfastness.

As greater a tragedy is that the majority of ordinary Russian people, the likes of you and me, do not support Putin, but are given no choice and/ or fed misinformation.

As my late mother would probably have said say to any of us, but especially the likes of Vladimir Putin, - Sooner or later, comeuppance always comes to whom comeuppance is due.

UNDER THREAT

Whenever I feel threatened
by someone or events likely to catch up
with me sooner or later,
I choose to either run away or bury my head
in the sand, pretend
it’s nothing more or less than a bad dream,
of little or no consequence
so long as I keep my nerve, play deaf-blind-dumb
whatever the eventual outcome

Even so, I can’t deny I’m likely
to make an enemy of mind-body-spirit
by having it play hide-and-seek
with truth and home truths if only for as long
as it takes for any storm
to blow over, no harm to me for having run
for cover from the start,
if underestimating the power of human conscience
to create a copycat turbulence

No worse a storm than one soaking
a stalwart heart in a raging tempest of guilt,
tempted to run helter-skelter
for shelter and home comforts likely to assuage
such feelings as stirring
mind-body-spirit, threatening to divide
its all-in-one, daring me
me to dive in, risk whatever to save personal space
a sickening freefall from grace

Who dares plays hide-and-seek with me, Conscience,
seals their own comeuppance...

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

 

 

Tracking the 'I' in Humanity, a Universal Consciousness

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

A reader asks why on earth I am trying to compile a new volume of poems in the middle of a pandemic. Well, why not...? Apart from providing a welcome distraction, I have to be pragmatic about the fact that I will be 75 years-old on the winter solstice and have been living with prostate cancer for since 2011. Should I die, it is unlikely that Google will retain my blogs so I want as many of my poems to remain accessible as possible to anyone interested. My best friend, Graham, has already said that if I have not managed to put all my fiction and poetry online by the time the Grim Reaper comes calling on yours truly, he will do his best to see to that for me.

Meanwhile ...

I once found myself chatting to a delightful young Muslim couple on a bus. They recognised me from my photo on the blog and asked if I was 'the gay poet'; this does not happen very often (!) so I have to confess I was flattered. The couple are gay, and were planning to come out to their respective families in the near future. Naturally, they were concerned about what kind of reception they will get, and asked my advice.

I never 'advise' people, preferring to simply offer an opinion. I pointed out that, unless they suspect the truth about this couple/s relationship anyway (often the case) any family may well need time to get used to the idea. We should never underestimate the power of love, though, to come to our rescue in any crisis. Hopefully, (and more often than not) love will prevail if only later sometimes rather than sooner.

Sadly, some people don't see their religion as embracing all sincerest forms of human love, consider any religious dogma as written on tablets of stone, never to be what might be interpreted as being  'compromised;  while world religions emphasise the power of human as well as God's love, they  have little (if any) time for expressions of the former likely to leave them open to accusations (by fellow Believers) of compromising the fundamentals of whatever dogma that defines their faith; the proof -  invariably in the "small print" - often forbids and despises same sex relationships. Whatever, I for one, put quality of life above life itself, and a life without someone we love, physically as well as otherwise, can be a living hell. 

Christians will always quote Leviticus on the question of same sex relationships, forgetting that Jesus of Nazareth preached a very different kind of God, a God of Love, and what God of love is going to cherry-pick what forms love should take When asked if he was the Son of God, Jesus answered "Thou sayest it" - in other words, if you say so. As a Pantheist The closest I come to any religion) , , I can no more believe in a personified God than a God who wish "Hell" on any LGBT expressions of love in mind-body-spirit. Many readers may be offended where no offence is meant, but it is my personal point of  view in a world where free expression (and a sense of spirituality) is gradually being eroded, not least by irs religions who seem to think they have a monopoly on spirituality where I would argue a (free) human spirit will find its own ways to express itself, whether through religion or not.

As with all decisions, Coming Out demands that we consider all likely outcomes and just how important it is to us to shrug off the shackles of dogma, convention, whatever... Tragically, same sex relationships remain a crime in some countries as well as in the eyes of others where LGBT folks are seen - legally, at least - as fully fledged members of modern society and a common humanity; they may well feel they dare not emerge from their closets, but should not think any less of themselves for that. Sadly, humankind is not unfamiliar with being a victim of circumstance as centuries of abuse in one form or another will bear witness, and almost certainly continue to do so.

I wish people everywhere who - for whatever reason - feel more oppressed than liberated by their sexuality, all the luck and love in the world; the greater part of hope for a better, kinder, world has always fallen on the shoulders of the young in any society, in any century; an unfair burden, of course, but one worth every heartbeat in my humble opinion and experience. Yes, I have no one with whom to share the ups and downs of old age as intimately as I would like, but that's life, and can happen to anyone; as I have said so many times (and will keep saying) love comes in all shapes and forms, and although I live alone, I am fortunate in having plenty of love in my life still, both living and posthumous; who could ask for more?

TRACKING THE ‘I’ IN HUMANITY, A UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Where have they gone,

all the people I used to know

when the world and I

were younger, making hay

while the sun shone

by day, making love by the light

of a gay-friendly moon?

Some have moved on

to that other-world we call death

for want of anything else

in the absence of any dogma

to let us off the hook

(so to speak) and as likely to be

gay-unfriendly as not

Some have moved away,

favourite gay bars closed down,

and nowhere (locally)

to kiss, hug, chat and feel safe

from sick innuendo,

malicious gossip, and hate crimes

no one deserves

I miss them, who saw me

come out, hold my head up high

rise above any whispers

and looks meant to drive a knife

into mind-body-spirit

for its having kept my 'dirty' secret

since schooldays

Where have they gone,

the feisty folks I used to know,

making of the world

a better, kinder, place, equality

given its head, LGBT

rising above stigma, stereotypes

and fake news?

A global consciousness,

the good fight against life forces

that would have equality

lose any battle against riptides

of dogma (still) crashing

against LGBT closets in all walks

of life worldwide

Ghosts, among those I used

to know, urging LGBT make hay

while the sun shines

by day, make love by the light

of a gay-friendly moon,

any riptide of human intolerance

notwithstanding

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2019

Inside-Out

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

This poem appeared on my gay-interest blog in September, and I have been asked by a teenage reader (not out to family and friends) to post it here as well.

Every now and then, a young person emails me to say they are gay, in their teens, and have no idea what to do or where to turn. Many are convinced parents and peers will turn against them. Believe me you are not alone. When I think back to when I was 14 years old and realised I am gay, the whole closet ethos threatens to overwhelm me all over again.

In many areas, in many countries, there are support groups that did not exist when I was a teenager in the 1960's; search the Internet and try and make contact as this will enable you to meet other young people in the same situation. As for parents and peers, they may well surprise you, they may even  have observed for themselves that you might be gay and have been waiting for you to talk to them about it, not wanting to raise the subject themselves for fear of being mistaken; if not, yes, they may be hostile at first, but this could be an initial shock reaction. Remember how long it took you to come to terms with being gay and allow them,too, time to get used to the idea.

Never underestimate the power of love and friendship.

Sometimes, of course, family and friends refuse to accept gay people, even within their own family circles. This degree of rejection is incredibly hard to bear, but we need to build on the same strength of willpower and character that brought us out of that awful closet in the first place. Believe me, there is a life to be had and enjoyed out there, and there are many good people who gladly take others as they find them whether they be gay, straight, transgender...whatever. We are stereotyped by many, and it is often the stereotype that is vilified, not the person. Whatever, it is we LGBT folks who are so often made to suffer for that ignorance and bigotry.

To LGBT people around the world, I say this. Never, but never let anyone else put you down or make you think any less of yourself for your sexuality. Where staying in the proverbial closet is necessary, for now at least, confide in someone you can trust wherever possible; this may be a close relative, friend or perhaps a teacher less likely to be judgemental than most. Failing that, and failing the availability of any known support groups in your area, be guided by your better instincts and plain common sense until such a time as you can see your way clear to put closet days behind you once and for all, as I did, although, in hindsight, I should have done so years earlier.

No escape from the closet, for whatever reason?  There is an LGBT grapevine in every environment, so keep an ear out for it if only because a closet shared is a crisis halved. I was a psychological mess for years, but listening out for the grapevine and being part of a closet community probably saved my sanity while I wrestled with all the other issues - good,bad and ugly - with which life tests us at any age, but especially when we are young, emotionally inexperienced, and so often made to feel out of our depth.

INSIDE-OUT

His finger brushes mine
across the desk we share in class
and I can feel his gaze
on me out of the corner of an eye
but cannot, dare not
meet it, for fear someone might see us
and guess the turmoil in me

Can it be that he's gay
this classmate I'd joke with about
all sorts, and our laughter
would spread right through me
like fizzy lemonade
on a hot day, its bubbles applauding us
as we sail through the air?

Can it be that I'm gay too,
but how do I know, and what to do
if his finger means business
and he wants to take our friendship
beyond such felt horizons
as assailing  bleary, but half closed eyes
come some know-it-all dawn?

Barely attending the lesson,
the farthest corners of our eyes engage,
attempting to read between lines
blurred by mixed feelings for years,
given our having been raised
to believe one step beyond male bonding
a step too far, the Devil's work

I look away, and so does he,
eyes wide shut, if seeming to look ahead
at our teacher, her lips moving
but any sound coming out drowning
in a sea of intimate images,
and such cries as could easily be of ecstasy
as for help from poor swimmers

Final bell, school's out, mates
on the way home, chatting about nothing
in particular if only to steer clear
of all we need to coax out into the open
from a suffocating closet,
too close for comfort, too real for fantasy
feeding on a vulnerable innocence

Taking a shortcut down an alleyway
we've walked every day for years, turning
to me in tears, giving me a hug
and I hug him back, not a word passing
between us, our first kiss
when it comes, winging us across s history
that once dare not speak its name

A companionable silence descending
as we emerge from that alleyway, bonding
in a new sense of togetherness
transcending our Here-and-Now in ways
defying poetry, prose, gesture,
any spoken word or 'live' art to even attempt
lending expression to its intimacy

Copyright R. N. Taber 2019

Where Freedom Keeps its Word

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

Today's poem first appeared on my gay-interest blog in June 2012; anyone interested in the original post is welcome to visit that blog's archives (listed on the right hand side of any blog page.)

Same sex marriage is about to be legalised in Northern Ireland, having lagged behind the rest of the UK for about 5 years. Catholics will not be happy, but surely Freedom of Choice should be every person's right?Similarly abortion in N. I. is being be decriminalised; it is every woman's right to know and choose what is best for her own body. The Democratic Unionist Party (D.U.P) have maintained throughout the shambolic Brexit debate in Parliament that nothing should be signed up to that makes N. I. different to the UK, but there have been differences for years.

Family should provide sanctuary for all of us, but this is not always the case. Love should not be a hiding place from family and friends, but something we are proud to share with them.  Nor does being unable to enter into such pride mean being ashamed; too often, it simply means being scared and/or unwilling to light a slow-burning fuse of confrontation that can only end in tears and worse.

I well recall how, years ago when anti-gay legislation here kept me in a cold, dark, closet; a love far removed from any feelings for family and friends was the only sanctuary on hand. Gay or straight, if we choose a partner of whom our families disapprove - for whatever reason - it can and does cause so much heartbreak for everyone concerned. We may well disapprove of another's choice, that is our prerogative, but it is really none of our business so we can at least respect it and do our best to be reconciled to it...surely? If we don't, can't or won't...that says more about us than anyone with whom we might take issue on...whatever.

Half a century on, I am estranged from my remaining family and have very different friends. It isn't a question of playing any blame game either, just the way it is. In some parts of this mad, mad world of ours, little has changed as far as LGBT rights are concerned; in law, yes, but while there may be  legislation for bad attitude, certain prejudices and hate crimes -  among them, homophobia and racism - remain alive and kicking even in so-called 'civilised' countries.

WHERE FREEDOM KEEPS ITS WORD

We’d hide in craters of the moon

so no one would see our tears,

make love in craters of the moon

where no one could hurt us;
what eyes can't see, hearts less likely
to fret over

We’d surf the Milky Way on stars

empathising with our history,

welcomed by old gods and heroes

who had seen it all before,
saddened to see so much of humanity
as divided as ever

We’d come to Earth now and then

but found no comfort there,

humanity (still) refusing to engage

positively with its prejudices lest it lose
the argument

The day came, we quit the sanctuary

of night skies for high noon,

let the world know all we’d learned

from old gods and heroes, let ourselves
be seen and heard

Reassured by Apollo’s ready smile,

we showed the world our tears,

shared secrets about moon craters

where none could hurt us but in our own
hearts and minds

Be sure, time will return us to space,

where Freedom keeps its word;

humanity (still) refusing to engage

positively with its prejudices lest it lose
the argument

Copyright R. N. Taber 2010

The Heart is a Free Country

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

A parent being interviewed on on TV recently, protesting about LGBT issues being on the school curriculum, made the point that being sexuality is a lifestyle choice. How ignorant some people can be, I ask you! Sadly this parent is not alone in thinking that. LGBT is not a human choice but a human condition; not an illness, but part of what makes us human beings who we are, the differences that help shape our character, personality and whole lives. Why can't some people see that? 

Fortunately, all of us are blessed with that toughest of all cookies, a human spirit, able to help us find our way in life, and where necessary, rise above its worst... if we choose let it rather than surrender to certain dogma and conventions that prefer to go walkies with dinosaurs; in that sense, yes, we do have a choice.

I have no regrets about being gay. My deepest regret is that so many other people are blind to its not being a life choice. It was this that kept me in a dark, lonely closet from the age of 14 to my mid-30's and eventually resulted in a nervous breakdown from which it took me some years to recover.. I would not wish the likes of that closet to my worst enemy, and the only way to get this across to the least gay-friendly heterosexuals is through education...is it not?  

Parents will have their views and are entitled to share these with their children; share, not dictate. Children deserve an opportunity to learn about the kind of life into which they are growing, and be free to make up their own minds. If enlightenment is the key to a kinder, better world. education has to be the key to any such enlightenment. Education has never been about imposing points of view on children, but giving them an opportunity to ask questions, discuss, argue, whatever... in an impartial environment.  (This is my problem with Faith Schools, not the Faith, but the lack of impartiality.) It is a rare parent, indeed, who is impartial about what they tell/teach their children.

It is not only gay lovers who write to me about estrangement from families caused by their choice of life partners. More often than not, families come round, but it can take time and it’s tragic if true to say that more often than not, they don’t. Mind you, just the likes of yours truly invariably need time to adjust to the realisation we are gay, so too do family and friends; many a division has been caused by knee jerk reactions.

I dare say gay relationships will always remain incomprehensible to the extent of being unthinkable to the less enlightened among the heterosexual majority. Even so, we should never underestimate the power of the human spirit, especially where love and friendship are concerned, or its predilection for good over bad. 

Bigotry, prejudice, entrenchment in some socio-cultural-religious time warp…a way round these issues is never easy for those who cannot see and will not hear the voices of sense and sensibility. They may well need time, some more time than others, to ask what love means and discover that there may be no easy solutions, but only one answer.  On this very subject, a favourite DVD that I always recommend to gay men and their parents is a wonderful French movie called Juste Une Question D’Amour.

Once they can answer honestly, hopefully they will start considering a positive course of action even if it would not have been their preferred choice. Whatever, once they choose love, they are likely to discover that even the toughest road ahead is well worth the trip.

As for the world’s star-crossed lovers, along with the more enlightened among us, they have only one choice, let love or let die.

This poem was inspired by an e-mail from a gay couple who parents have finally accepted their relationship after an estrangement of some years.

THE HEART IS A FREE COUNTRY

In tears, we agreed to part,

not ready yet to hold our heads high

and remind the world

it’s all for one and one for all,

let love or let die

Parting was worse than death

my lonely bed each night a fresh grave

left open to the sky

for night owls and wishing stars

to grieve

One watery dawn, I heard birds

sing ballads about life beyond the pale

of closed minds

whose worst betrayal has to be

the unthinkable

I listened to songs of gay lovers

and others transcending cultural divides

to reassert the integrity

of life, love, hope, humanity - and

more besides

Above all, they were songs of joy

the birds were singing, so why on earth

should I take its life

before even making time to do justice

to its birth?

I called him on the mobile

and said we could not go on living this lie

but needed to get real

about our feelings for each other, a case

of let love or let die

We chose love, trusting family

and friends may reach the same conclusion,

that love is love

and gay love may be different, but different

is but human

  

Copyright R. N. Taber 2013

[Note: This poem first appeared on my gay-interest blog in March 2013; the original post can be found in its archives for that month as listed on the right hand side of any blog page.]

I-D-E-N-T-I-T-Y, Parts of a Whole

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

A reader has emailed to ask why I frequently refer to mind-body-spirit as a whole in my poems (and subsequently in the Labels column for the purpose of word searches) rather than mind, body and spirit as separate phenomena if only for convenience or (as I see it) paying lip service to convention.  The poem below is by way of offering an answer. 

We are all of us different, each in our own way, and it is our differences that make us human.The inner eye discerns this, that, or nothing at all; the body has different demands depending on how we prefer to define our sexuality; the human spirit turns on how the sum of those differences occupies our personal space whether (or not) inspired by socio-cultural-religious conventions written on tablets of stone. 

Like the human heart, the mind-body-spirit is a free country; sadly, for many people, it is only truly accessible by way of personal space, that part of us where Freedom really keeps its word; people may well do their best to intrude, even force an entry should we not wish to let them in, but no one can altogether usurp or even destroy it however much they might try. 

Those who would (and do) exploit our weaknesses, invariably underestimate our strengths; strengths supplied by mind-body-spirit as a whole, not its parts. Whether we identify as Gay, straight or transgender, human nature is likely to harass us from time to time because it is a complex organism for which there is no standard template; fortunately, that whole comprising mind-body-spirit provides an open-all-hours sanctuary from its worse aspects while encouraging us to appreciate and enjoy its kinder side. Moreover, something about it is clearly capable of infiltrating human thought in the form of remembrance after it ceases to occupy the human form; death as loss, is hard on all of us, but as a posthumous consciousness it may well continue to inspire is ... if we let it.

We are, each and every one of us, the sum of our parts; it is, of course, the whole that really counts; we should not dissect to make a point, homing in on any those parts with which we may take issue, although human nature being what it is, we are often inclined to do just that.

This poem is a kenning.

I-D-E-N-T-I-T-Y, PARTS OF A WHOLE

I am Mind, part of a whole

bent on solving crises,

finding ways to neatly avoid

the slings and arrows

of human nature, rise above

even its worst flaws.

look on the bright side of life,

through thick and thin, stay true

to a kinder philosophy

I am Body, part of a whole

whose every heartbeat

is listening out for like souls

made to run the gamut

of prejudice, discrimination,

and, yes, even worse,

finding solace in those sins

certain world creeds and cultures

oh, so love to hit out at

I am Spirit, part of a whole

where personal space

provides the ‘live’ poetry of peace

and love insisting Mind

and Body direct the inner eye

where it needs must go

to avoid jumping to conclusions

comprising circumstantial evidence

provided by stereotypes

I am Mind-Body-Spirit, the person

often dissected for being human

 Copyright R. N. Taber 2019

Walls, among 'live' Metaphors

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

We often hear talk of moral courage, and it is to be applauded, but standing up for what we believe in is not always the same as standing up for the rights of everyone in the same corner we are fighting. The recent shutdown of the U.S. Government over funding for a wall across the border with Mexico, the continuing impasse at Stormont in Northern Ireland and the Brexit fiasco in the British Parliament are but a few examples of how our so-called ‘betters’ should not lead by example.

Meanwhile ...

Parents in West Yorkshire, UK, came up against another such wall only recently.  Kirklees Council debated the supply of non-stun halal meat to 43 schools. in West Yorkshire; this, after receiving a petition of almost 8,000 parents expressing concern over animal welfare. Various councillors - including  Green Party members who voted with Labour colleagues - sided with the pro-cruelty lobby on the grounds that it supports diversity. Perhaps they can explain what diversity has to do with either animal welfare ... or freedom of choice, such as so far denied the schoolchildren concerned?

In most if not all cases of intransigence across the  whole spectrum of issues plaguing various societies worldwide, where there's a will there is invariably a way; it is called compromise. Sadly, where compromise means having to agree to differ and act for the better of all rather than some (or self) this puts 'will' in a position too many of our so-called 'betters' are unwilling to accept.

This poem is a villanelle.

WALLS, AMONG 'LIVE' METAPHORS

At a wall dripping blood and tears
find world democracies' sins well-met,
live metaphor for the world’s fears

Where true democracy disappears,
political ambition refuting its social debt
at a wall dripping blood and tears

Wherever love-and-peace, it veers
away, find agents conspiring to thwart;
live metaphor for the world fears

Divisions perpetuated for years
driven further apart since last ill-met
at a wall dripping blood and tears

Where time’s kinder mist clears,
discern guards with orders to shoot on sight;
live metaphor for the world’s fears

It's Freedom’s fair head that rears,
to debate any socio-cultural-religious tenet
at a wall dripping blood and tears,
live metaphor for the world’s fears

Copyright R N Taber 2019

Resolution OR Addressing Mind-Body-Spirit

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

Here we go again in 2019. Some of us will have made New Year resolutions which most of us will either fail to keep or forget we made them anyway, which is why I never make any.

All of us, though, can and must do our bit to make the world a kinder, happier, more peaceful place, and it doesn’t require any New Year resolution because it comes naturally to us, and if it doesn’t, it damn well should. True, whatever one person says or does may not, in the grand scheme of things, make much difference, but like a stone thrown into a pond, it will make ripples, and as we watch those ripples spread let’s imagine thousands of pebbles thrown into thousands of ponds all over the world … for that’s where hope has a head start over despair. Nor does any religion have a monopoly on spirituality; the human spirit is bigger than that, accessible to anyone who seeks within themselves for the better side of human nature and is willing to play their part in whatever they may find there.

RESOLUTION or ADDRESSING MIND-BODY-SPIRIT

I can but do my best

in the worst of circumstances

created by a society

whose betters presume

to lead the way,

expecting the rest of us

to follow blindly, nettles

beyond grasp for a preoccupation

with straws

I struggle to do more

in the lesser of circumstances

created by a mindset

nurtured from first cradle

to final grave

by those ever anxious

to catch us out

with home truths incompatible

with their own

I will fight for you,

whenever, wherever circumstances,

threaten your space,

infiltrating mind-body-spirit

with a view

to exposing the flaws

in that sense of freedom

inexplicably giving us the edge

over closed minds

I am an affinity for humanity in you,

seasons of the heart running true

Copyright R N. Taber 2018

In the Face of One--eyed Jacks

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

Since the early days of the so-called Arab Spring, civil war has caused untold suffering to the Syrian population. Anti-government protests had been ongoing in the Syrian city of Hama since March 2011, when large protests broke out in the city, similar to others elsewhere. In July, the Government sent the Syrian Army into Hama to control protests on the eve of Ramadan, often referred to as the ‘Ramadan Massacre.’

Ever since, both security forces and “rebels” have carried out numerous large-scale operations, resulting in mass executions, killings, arrests, kidnappings and torture across Syria. Many families and elderly people are suffering above all from the shortage of electricity, water and lack of food/ medical supplies; frequently they no longer have a home. There are blackouts several times during the day, and gasoline is rationed. No one knows when or where the next bomb will fall.

There has to be a diplomatic solution although the neutral observer may well feel prompted to ask  whether - in the murky world of politics - that old saying, ‘where there’s a will there’s a way’ is not more aptly applied to expediency than to will … on anyone’s part? If inhumanity is a vicious circle, it is one that's drawn and expanded by human beings.

This poem is a villanelle.

IN THE FACE OF ONE-EYED JACKS

Watch inhumanity boxing clever

as the toll of dead and injured grows;

world’s cyclopean eye on Syria

As face-saving excuses endeavour

to explain away as its politics allows,

watch inhumanity boxing clever

Freedom, a dirty word, all the surer

for (ever) wiping its poor bloody nose;

world’s cyclopean eye on Syria

A century’s children living in terror,

all innocence cheated of its tomorrows,

watch inhumanity boxing clever

No stranger to either war or massacre,

(cue for United Nations to strike a pose)

world’s cyclopean eye on Syria

May humanity yet endure, be the leader

sheer common sense alone sure to choose;

watch inhumanity boxing clever,

world’s cyclopean eye on Syria …

London: April 2018

Copyright R N. Taber 2018 

[Note: A cyclops is described in ancient Greek and Roman mythology as from a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the centre of the forehead; the word "cyclops" literally means "round-eyed" or "circle-eyed".  – Wikipedia]

Travelling Hopefully

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

Are the freedoms we enjoy being gradually eroded by invisible (and visible) Mandarins or Kingpins of Power?

Wealth is power, yes, but so is  influence and many who put themselves forward as our so-called ‘betters’ have plenty of that across the entire  socio-cultural-religious and political arenas  in which we live.

Free speech, yes, so long as it is not considered politically incorrect and that seems to be decided these days by which side of a particular divide one happens to be.

I am no racist. Neither, though, will I hesitate to speak out against bad attitude or behaviour no matter what colour, creed, sex or sexuality a person may be. Yet, the chances are – as has happened more than once – that I will be called a racist, feminist, bigot (for not subscribing to a religion) etc. etc. I am none of these things, and it goes against the grain not to speak out against someone whose behaviour I find offensive simply whatever their colour, creed, sex sexuality or political persuasion and, yes, even age. (My own generation can be a real pain in the proverbial at times.). Even so, I have to confess to having kept my feelings to myself more often than not in recent years simply to avoid the inevitable hassle. Is that common sense, I wonder, or simply cowardice?

Feedback over years of writing poetry and publishing much of it on the Internet suggests that many people from diverse backgrounds feel much the same way, that there are times when we are made to feel like puppets, poised to speak our minds until a jerk on invisible strings by some kingpin puppeteer advises if not demands our silence or, at best, extreme (diplomatic) caution…or there will be a price to pay.

I will be 72 this year, and I am becoming less and less enamoured with the world as it is now with each passing day. At the same time, I retain a basic faith in human nature, convinced that if we all try and do our best in our own little corner of the world, the ripples will spread to the extent that  it may yet become a better, kinder place no matter what goes on in its  socio-cultural-religious and political arenas.

There are more good people in the world than bad, people for whom peace and love are more, far more, than just rhetoric; it has always been that way, and always will be. Sadly, it has always been the more malevolent Kingpins of Power that, in getting away far too often with pulling our strings, continue to make their presence felt and voices heard.

So will tomorrow be a better day, give brave new worlds an opportunity to flourish? Hope springs eternal... (Yes, sometimes it may be well better to travel hopefully than arrive, and be disappointed, but can anything come even close to comparing with the joy of arrival when he/she/it means the fulfillment of our sweetest dreams...?)

TRAVELLING HOPEFULLY 

Yesterday, a dark mood

descending into a recent grave

created by fall-out

from crises (local and worldwide);

even near comprehension,

of mind- body-spirit all but broken

by political forces alien

to free thinkers everywhere left

ploughing moral high ground,

slaves to this or that philosophy,

whatever cap fits…

Slaves, yes, bound to rebel

against those siding with kingpins

of wealth and power jockeying

(discreetly) for a prime position

in the greater  influence stakes,

claiming to have the best interests

of common humanity at heart

(local and worldwide) while nursing

such personal ambitions as likely

to go down as well with the media

as raising taxes

Today, no lighter mood,

rising among the ghosts of leaders

past and present to remind

those of us (local and worldwide)

why we helped put them there

(if only by default, considering

the alternatives on offer)

no matter gossip buzzing like flies

in corridors of power

about which  kingpins  plotting

whose downfall…

Kingpins of power, yes!

Always ready to load our excuses

on their backs under a cloak

of invisibility to avoid pricking

consciences of crusaders

(local and worldwide) for a way

of life less complicated

by a sense of kingpins composing

the poetry and prose

of destiny on our behalf, and we

having little say

Tomorrow, we will nurture

a more positive mood, rise above

rise above dark thoughts

about any Kingpins of Power

undermining us

at every step we take as we journey

through life…

reassert a native self-confidence,

an enduring spirituality

taken from natures, religion, either

of both (free to choose)

Free to choose, yes,

whether to have faith in ourselves,

(conceding any flaws)

and keep to a learning curve of love,

personal aspiration,

private ambition, social responsibility,

discerning wood and trees,

drawing in the best of whatsoever

and whomsoever

we may find, as we seek completeness,

journeying hopefully

Hopefully, yes, humankind

and nature working together to play

any Kingpins of Power

at their own game, introducing  mind,.

body, and spirit,

working in harmony, all the better

to see light triumph

over darkness, good over evils no one

can deny exist,

a legacy of enduring peace and love,

no end-game in sight

Copyright R. N. Taber 2017

Olympic Games OR Old Gods, New Gods, and the Rest of Us

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

[Update (July 21, 2016): Congratulations to Team GB and everyone taking part in the Rio Olympics. As for those nasty people who targeted Tom Daley for homophobic abuse, I can only echo J. K. Rowling; I am not sure which is more offensive, the stupidity or the spite. Some religious groups especially need to get real; their founders would be appalled. I do not subscribe to any religion, not least because I find it too divisive and closed-minded where religion should be the very opposite, acknowledging that our differences neither put us in the wrong nor make us different, simply human. Moreover, I came to this conclusion before I realised I am gay. One of my You Tube videos makes the same point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrTjc2373IU  Needless to say, I received a number of offensive emails after posting it.]

Now, leaders of every society like to play games with its citizens and today’s poem was written in 2000; it has nothing (directly) to do with the Olympic Games. Even so, here’s wishing good luck to everyone participating in the Rio Olympics and upholding humankind’s finer qualities of fair competition and mutual respect among winners and losers alike. To win a medal is, of course, a wonderful achievement, but as wonderful if not more so is the thrill of taking part, an incomparable memory to share and treasure over a lifetime.

If the poem invokes a sense of society falling into moral and political well as economic decay, hopefully the feeling rarely lasts; it only takes events that embrace the human spirit of the Olympic Games to raise our hopes once more and make us realise there is (far) more to life than any judgmental take on it will ever suggest.

Even so, let's not forget how Greek mythology would have us believe the old gods got up to all sorts of mischief on Olympus; all work and no play…

Mount Olympus, Greece

OLYMPIC GAMES or OLD GODS, NEW GODS, AND THE REST OF US

What will be, will be,

in this century as others gone before;

wealth and poverty, a sick lottery

of love and hate, peace and war invariably

played out by tin gods with humankind

and everything to play for, bearing in mind

(of course) that who dares wins,

no matter what their sins, and losers

will always cast the first stones

before they will admit being taken in

by substitute icons

Olympus, alive and well on Capitol Hill,

humanity, in free fall…

Copyright R. N. Taber 2001; 2016

[Note: This poem has been slightly revised and an alternative title added (2016) since it first appeared in Love and Human Remains by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2001; rev. ed. in –format in preparation.]

Democracy, the Dark Side

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

Update (Oct 14. 2017): I have always believed that Brexit will be good for Britain, but never more so than now as EU leaders procrastinates while blaming the UK for negotiations not progressing as well as they might.  It is clear to many of us that they are afraid the UK just might be on the right road by exiting what is seeming more and more like and organisation unfit for purpose; a great idea in principle, but proving less and less so in practise. If we make a go of Brexit, as I am sure we will in time, the fear is that other countries may follow, especially given the fact that there is increasing unrest and dissatisfaction in other countries whose leaders seem determined to turn a deaf ear; Italy, Greece and Germany to name but three; nor is Freedom of Movement without due border checks in an Age of Terrorism the only issue. Even in the USA, Land of the Free, Congress continues to turn an all but deaf ear to growing demands for at least an appropriate/ common sense amendment to the law relating to a right to bear arms more relevant to the Age of the Pioneer than the modern world.] 

Update (Nov 03, 2015): It would appear that Democracy has just died. The High Court has ruled that Article 50 cannot be invoked without Parliament's approval. Hopefully, the Supreme Court may yet overturn this judgement. A democratic principle is at stake here. Why bother to ask the people what they want if they are going to be ignored? (It was a very high turnout for the referendum.)

My only regret about voting to leave the European Union is leaving myself open to abuse from narrow-minded, arrogant hypocrites who, on the one hand support Human Rights, and on the other have no respect for the rights of every individual to make up their own minds on matters that have a direct bearing on their lives and the lives of family and friends. Whatever happened to the right to disagree?

I resent being called a racist because I voted to leave the E U. Immigration was not the only issue on the political agenda. Besides, most people were voting against a flawed system of immigration over which we had precious little real control while under the thumb of the Brussels parliament. Many people of various ethnic origins who have been living and working here for years are also sick of the political shambles that passes for a European Union. [Yes, of course, EU nationals living and working here should be allowed to stay, not least because they are friends and neighbours, but what is our new PM supposed to say if any among the EU elite try to use Brits living there as bargaining chips during the course of Brexit  negotiations? Let’s face it. It would come as no surprise to anyone should they stoop to such tactics.]

Among a UK majority, I voted for an EEC (European Economic Community) not a United States of Europe.

Some of my friends voted to remain in the European Union and we have hotly debated the issue. However, we all agreed from the start to respect each other’s points of view (despite trying to change it) and - perhaps even more importantly - that we would not let our diverse opinions undermine our friendship. In short, we agreed to accept a majority vote if only because we all support the principles of democracy. Those people crying ‘Foul’ because the vote did not go their way are ignorant scumbags; no less so are those making the vote an excuse to verbally and/or physically abuse ‘foreigners’ living and working in the UK, some of them for years. Those who are calling the vote a disgrace need to look closely at the worse aspects of its aftermath if not their role in it.

No one likes a bad loser. I suspect the vocal albeit significant minority now noisily deploring the E U referendum result by casting aspersions on the opposition, even calling our integrity into question, will find that out for themselves in the fullness of time. Meanwhile, the country needs to pull together and unite not let knee-jerk reactions and activists prevent the UK's future outside the EU taking a positive turn in the longer if not shorter term.

This poem is, yes, another villanelle.

DEMOCRACY, THE DARK SIDE

Come a vote on this or that decision
(why not let us all have a say?)
cue for bad losers to abuse someone

Some losers will wallow in delusion
(pity any scapegoats in their way)
come a vote on this or that decision

Vanity of vanities, the grand illusion
(in the right, deserve to win the day)
cue for bad losers to abuse someone

No assuming immunity to aspersion
(or sitting on the damn fence today)
come a vote on this or that decision

Take the case for a European Union
(grave reservations come what may)
cue for bad losers to abuse someone

Consensus is no call for celebration
(democracy, too, must feel its way);
come a vote on this or that decision,
cue for bad losers to abuse someone

Copyright R. N. Taber 2016

Foot Soldier

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

Across the modern world, freedoms are being whittled away by the very socio-cultural-religious and political forces that purport to support and endorse them; freedom of speech (cannot even agree to differ without causing offence in some quarters); freedom to assume whatever sexual identity we feel appropriate (as if gay or transgender folks have a choice…); freedom to protest, put our names to a legitimate petition or such documentation as may be considered ‘indiscreet’ by Intelligence sources (ask Julian Assange   …) etc. etc. etc.

In places like Saudi Arabia, young people risk crucifixion, for protesting against a vile regime which many western politicians and other leading figures like to cosy up to if only for its wealth and oil.

Whoever and wherever we are, we should never take what freedom we have for granted, but neither should we assume it is the last word in what freedom means; those freedoms we don’t have or any that are at risk will always be worth fighting for as and when required.

Have two terrible world wars taught so much of humankind so little about freedom?

'Wisely and slow, they stumble that run fast.' (Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet) a quote the EEU and the Arab Spring of 2011 would have done well to keep in mind...?

FOOT SOLDIER

Weary, a foot soldier
forever trudging human highways,
byways, country lanes...

Maybe arrive by nightfall

or needs must press on till daybreak,

destination unknown

Under orders from a skylark

last seen soaring into a tearful dawn

(looking for Heaven?)

Apollo offers hope in time

to lighten the heartbeat, put a spring

in the loneliest step

Centuries-old aspirations

discarded on the slopes of Parnassus

recovered, read aloud

Where life no less precious

on highways, byways, country lanes,

find bitter-sweet poems

Human spirit, alive and well

among earthworms researching poems
of love, peace and war

Apollo, on visiting the grave, 

has been known to throw light on it all

among those who listened

Freedom, foot soldier, lives on 

in open minds and hearts of free spirits 

across time and space

Copyright R. N. Taber 2016