A Dawning

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(Photo taken from the Internet)

"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." - Oscar Wilde

"The light that puts out our eyes is darkness to us. Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star." -Henry David Thoreau

"One may not reach the dawn save by the path of the night." - Germaine Greer"

Dawn: When men of reason go to bed." - Ambrose Bierce

Now, yet another reader asks “How on earth can anyone be expected to think positive in a world of negatives.” And as I’ve said before, we have but Hobson’s Choice, sink or swim…

As it happens, I can’t physically swim, but learned at an early age how to do so mentally. True, I have been at risk of drowning in my own mistakes from time to time, but much the same life forces that drove me to make them also rescued me. 

The greater mystery of life is indeed… mysterious; a mixed blessing, to say the least. What to make of it is down to each and every one of us, although our circumstances will vary, so we shouldn’t blame ourselves entirely for either wrong choices or missed opportunities; what we need to accept (better late than never) rather than blame ourselves for (or others) is our not always grabbing a metaphorical shovel and digging ourselves out of whatever mess we may find ourselves in.

Some people seem to sail through life, enjoy more than their fair share of fine weather and happy times. Envy, though, never did anyone any good; besides, appearances can be and often are deceptive. More to the point, it’s our life, our mind-body-spirit having to find its way, no ducking our responsibilities for long, however much we may try. 

Warring factions never did peace of mind any favours, and there are often as many of those within us as without.

What happens in the wider world affects us all, one way or another, not least  Putin’s war on Ukraine’s descending into new depths of depravity only yesterday with a missile attack on a crowded shopping mall in the central Ukranian city of Kremenchuk.

Oh, but yes, you are so right. I am not saying anything new, nothing we haven’t heard or thought before, so…why bother saying it? None at all if no one is taking it in, including yours truly. 

Taking it in or not, as the case may be, maybe it’s taking it on that counts, living by feelings for its making of us a better or worse person, wherever on its learning curve we happen to be in the course of any Here-and-Now?  As for any warring factions within and without us, the sooner they agree to differ, the better for everyone…but, like so many facts of life, easier to acknowledge than put into practise. 

Meanwhile, another sunrise making us promises it may or may not keep, depending on…?

A DAWNING

Waking with a heavy heart,
fearful of surviving yet another day
of medication, isolation, 
missing once favourite pleasures,
now barely memories,
bidding mind-body-spirit rise above it all,
recharge heart-and-soul

Can but rise to the challenge,
dodge arrows of despair as we dare
find ways to redirect 
negative thoughts into exit mode,
call on Imagination
to let us ally such with other spirited voices
making wiser, kinder choices

Earth Mother, ever here for us,
to lend a helping hand,
instruct the wind that we may be
privy to and inspired
by chicks in trees learning how to fly
in the face of global fears, learn peace songs,
lend meaning to safer landings

Rise, open curtains at windows
passing for human eyes,
give worldly sights and sounds benefit
of any doubt, take heart
just from living by learning how to fly
in the face of global fears, letting peace songs
lend meaning to safer landings

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

 

"This 'n' That": Pillow Talk

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"A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow." - Charlotte Brontë

"We are such stuff/ as dreams are made on; / and our little life/ is rounded so with sleep." - William Shakespeare (The Tempest)

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty." - Mahatma Gandhi

Some readers may be interested in the history of today’s poem in so far as it bares little resemblance to my first effort, apart from its main theme/s, which I lost when my pc crashed just as I was in the process of slightly revising it! 

Now...a reader has emailed to say that, like me, he is in his late 70’s, has prostate cancer, taking stock of his life and wondering “…just what the hell it has all been for.” 

Well, only he can answer that one, but I cannot believe it of anyone that they haven’t had good times as well as bad, heavenly moments as well as hellish ones. Me, I try to focus on certain heavenly moments whenever I find myself ‘taking stock’... and trust they may define me more credibly than the latter.

Meanwhile Russia continues its war on Ukraine, despite huge losses among the ranks of both aggressor and defender, while the West does its best to appear supportive of the latter by supplying arms as well as rhetoric without  provoking  Vladimir Putin and his supporters into a potentially WW111 situation.

As the old truism goes, hope springs eternal… wry bardic grin7

"THIS 'N'THAT": PILLOW TALK

“Why, this, that, who and - whatever?
Such are questions we may well often ask
of mind-body-spirit, time and again,
so anxious for answers, feeling let down
for getting none, merely alternatives
to sift through and see if we can discover
some, at least, for comfort’s sake
if not as great a peace of mind as we’d hoped,
enough, though, to quieten our pillows

In the springtime of our years, innocence
shielding us from such the ways of the world
as likely to confuse, even abuse us
as we pass through its seasons, now enjoying
feelings of all but touching the sky
on a playground swing, now free to laugh
at the ups and downs of a see-saw,
only vaguely relating such delight to any doubts
imposed by nature and human nature

Ours seasons pass, various thrills and spills
of maturity likely making indelible impressions
on the very character of any heart-and-soul,
still asking much the same questions
of a mind-body-spirit, left feeling no less let down
for such answers as our personal space alone
needs must sift through a history of mixed feelings,
home in on joys of love and peace
reconciling with, atoning for, even forgiving

No abstract notion of ‘fate’ defines humanity
more than a capacity for divining such home truths
as will (invariably) direct or misdirect us
through its maze, sins and blessings according
to this or that agenda as drawn up
by society or community, politics or religion
for all we are, a veritable hotchpotch
of passions, arguing needs to keep up appearances,
rushing to judgements, making war, not peace

No equality of either circumstances or genes,
finds mind-body-spirit in the driving seat,
hopefully making sure we take more right turns
than wrong, winding up in as good a place
as any, if not quite where we might have wished
to be, but nowhere and no one can be right
all the time, yet less of a crisis for any of us 
able to keep looking on the bright(er) side of life,
easier-said-than-done notwithstanding

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

 

Where there's Life...

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“There is something in the human spirit that will survive and prevail, there is a tiny and brilliant light burning in the heart of Man that will not go out, no matter how dark the world becomes.” - Leo Tolstoy

“Survival is not so much about the body, but rather it is about the survival of the human spirit.” – Danitra Vance

Reader, C. P. has emailed to say she is elderly and fears that the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, as ordered by Vladimir Putin, may lead to a third world war, given Putin’s animosity towards NATO and its okaying supplies of military hardware to assist the beleaguered Ukrainians. She adds that she is in her 80’s and well recalls the devastating effects of WW2 on natural and human landscapes worldwide.

What can I say, but that, hopefully, Putin will have more sense than Hitler and temper any such thoughts and ambitions with due caution? We cannot anticipate any mind-body-spirit, only let our hopes get the better of our fears and get on with our lives, take each day as it comes, focus on staying as cool, keeping as well and being as happy as we can.

Whatever tomorrow has in store for us, we can but wait and see. Meanwhile… all the while, mind-body-spirit continues to engage with heart-and-soul, we may not always feel as complete as we would hope, but at least all the better for remaining as yet unbroken…? 

WHERE THERE'S LIFE...

There is a rising tide across the world
in the cost of living (in more ways than one)
all walks of life, no exceptions...
increasing violence on the streets, 
in the home, hard to explain
various theories as to why it, oh, so often seems
we only dare feel safe in our dreams

A coronavirus pandemic has hit a world
already struggling to contain its fears, rage
and despair as the rich
appear to be getting richer even faster
than the poor getting poorer,
those caught in-between left confused and vexed 
as to what on earth we can expect next

Yet, true to say that where there’s life, hope
may well lie bleeding from wounds made by stabs
of harsh uncertainties
at a mind-body-spirit all but left for dead
by the host heart-and soul
that's overlooking the protective nature of life forces 
primed at birth to do battle with our enemies

Mudflats, home to various living organisms
watched over and duly inspired by Earth Mother
in the art of weathering tides
and other natural elements, reminding us
how all creatures great and small
face daily battles for survival, nor will the stronger win,
but those set to let natural life forces in

Wars, within and without lines drawn in mud,
sand, urban streets, even landscapes where luxury
is byword and keyword…
are fought with know-how strategies
and inborn resolve to expose
the stuff of which we're made for living, such life forces
as the power of love and freedom inspire in us

Win some, lose some, to all intents and purposes,
life and death as likely as not to make its own choices,
heart-and soul finding peace,
even in the thick of battling dark forces
for kith, kin and country, a sense 
of what’s right on its side, inner selves, an all-prevailing 
rallying call, our conscience, motivation and guide

Though freedoms won and lost at the toss of Time’s 
worn coin, we can but trust in Earth Mother and our own
sense of justice, forever to remain,
however tough the going may get, trusting
mind-body-spirit to find ways 
to inspire us, firing heart-and-soul into rising above it all,
cheering us on to (eventually) score a winning goal

Though nature and human nature lose out time and again,
the Landscape of Hope but awaits a healing rain

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

[Note: I have rewritten both the title and closing couplet to this poem after several emails from regular readers confirmed my own misgivings. Any emails, by the way,  should be addressed to rogertab@aol.com with. 'poetry' in the subject field.] RNT

Soundings

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“Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart."  Victor Hugo 

"You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.” ― Pablo Neruda

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” - Albert Camus

As the war in Ukraine rages on and our hearts go out to the suffering of its people the same heart reminds us, too, that suffering comes in all shapes, sizes and colours within ourselves as well as across the world; were we all better motivated to rise above the latter, peace would, indeed, stand a chance…? 

Spring is here, hopes pinned on winter's passing eventually fulfilled - for now at least. It is, of course, the nature of seasons to move on. Both global consciousness and personal space will need to engage with other winters, hot summers and splendid autumns too...

Thankfully, the human heart knows better than to let any winter get the better of any spring.

SOUNDINGS

Apollo, in no rush to smile
on a world unable to gather up
its pieces, unite and restore
them to much the same as before,
notwithstanding cracks glossed over
for appearance’s sake

Sun casts a sleepy eye on us,
we who rely on the natural world
more then we care to say,
to wipe our tears, make our fears
seem less, have Apollo hear us laugh
again, and again

There’s no hiding the wounds
of war across global consciousness
or personal space…
What we can do, though, all of us,
is bring positive life forces into play;
no small victory

Once defeats looked in the eye
and reminded that none are final
until the last bell tolls
to mark the demise of all that’s fair
and just in the world, mind-body-spirit
will yet find peace

Though calm seas may turn rough,
hillsides become rivers, few survivors,
we can blame climate change
or attend a collective consciousness
hell bent on showing how action speaks
louder than words

Looking up, at clouds making way
for spring sunshine, urging birds sing
along with a joyful clamour
below, nature and human nature
united in an ethos of growth most likely
to bear fruit

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

Come, the last Dance

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“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” – Winston Churchill

Where there is unity, there is always victory.” Pubilius Cyrus

“The moment in between what you once were, and who you are now becoming, I where the dance of life really takes place”. - Barbara de Angelis

No preamble to the poem today; hopefully, it will speak to the reader in much the same spirit as the quotes above.

COME, THE LAST DANCE…

I go to where I grew up,
play with other kids in my street
such childhood games
as only children can make fun,
no hidden agendas
or cash changing hands on the quiet,
time yet for all that
once schooldays left to improved versions
among adult fictions

I go back to teenage years,
nursing such hopes for the future,
anticipating the fruits
of success, no prospect of failure
getting a look in,
too busy making plans for adult days
and enjoying the landscape
with close kin and peers in ways that only
confirm immaturity

I go back to post-school
disappointments and start to climb
various ladders of opportunity,
failing to reach the sky, hitching rides
on clouds into lands
of in-between, mind-body-spirit falling
from this heaven to that hell,
Earth Mother, no less empathic or beautiful,
nor inspirational

Yet, hillock, a mountain…
each promising stream, another river 
to cross in the absence
of any bridges available to eyes blinded
by inexperience, ears deafened
to wiser words by an ego screaming abuse
for its failing to stay any course,
weighty sensations of regret, shame, self-pity,
crumbling me

Came into No-man’s land,
Earth Mother’s crying out for succour,
silencing ego, letting
heart-and-soul speak, lay bare home truths,
finally acknowledging and taking
responsibility for being here, error of my ways
staring me in the face, telling me
to get a life, start regenerating my personal space
into a kinder place

So, a new journey begins,
mind-body-spirit urging my every move
to put the past behind,
look to a future, both eyes open, ears too,
watching out for road blocks,
attending forces meaning me well at every turn,
trusting heart-and-soul,
not least by having it keep me safe, guide me true,
and enjoy the view

Time passes, self-awareness
actively engaging with mind-body-spirit
to learn share, move on,
through all its tomorrows, with heart-and-soul
on board, less afraid of a future,
nor needing to hang on to some reinvented past,
let fake smiles hide real tears,
for rogue forces having us  run against each other,
not so, Earth Mother

There can be no going back
to the way things were but in such dreams
as are often only escapism
from such ways as may well need we address,
improve on, in the spirit
of a common humanity and its capacity for love,
fewer factions of one-upmanship
homing in on cultural differences as enemy forces
potential for wars

Whatever, life but asks that we give peace a chance
to partner our last dance...

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

In Pieces

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“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” – Paul Coelho

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” – Mahatma Gandhi. 

“There is something in the human sprit that will survive and prevail, there is a tiny and brilliant light burning in the heart of man that will not go out no matter how dark the world becomes,” – Leo Tolstoy

As the war in Ukraine continues into week eight, we can but marvel at the resilience of both refugees fleeing the conflict and those left behind. Sadly, given conflicts the world over, it is not the first time nor likely to be the last time the heart has nursed such sentiments. 

If we let them, such sentiments can bring the host mind-body-spirit ever closer to The Abyss, to the edge of which many of us are likely to stray, for one reason or another, during our lifetimes. 

Reader A.D. has kindly emailed to say that he enjoys many of my poems and appreciates my choice of quotes. He asks what my first choice would be among quotes that have helped me, personally, weather and rise above hard times. A tough question, but I guess it would have to be the Tolstoy quote above; ironically, a Russian, given the current situation in Ukraine, and possibly why the Gandhi quote comes a very close second.

IN PIECES

Too often the world 
will turn a deaf ear to such words
of wisdom as its history
has remarked over centuries,
distracted by main events
hogging headlines, humanity more
inclined to scan than take in
any such implications for personal space
as may give cause for concern

Mind-body-spirit, though,
knows better than to rush to conclusions
likely, in turn, to lead us
into rushing to judgements without
being full advised of truths
behind hearsay from whatever source,
now urging that heart-and-soul
investigate issues invading personal space,
rediscover an affinity with peace

Together, we dig and delve,
uncover such truths as relate to ourselves
as much as the project
in hand, beginning to understand
what makes us tick
in (or out) of time with history’s alarm clock,
accepting or rejecting a need to make redress,
invariably down to us, no one else

While enemy forces all around,
hell bent on confounding, all but destroying
human roots, stunting growth,
slamming doors on such thought processes
as may well reawaken
survival instincts, trust mind-body-spirit
to come into its own,
message we’re not alone, move heart-and-soul,
three-in-one up for the call

We live in a global consciousness
and personal space, each deserving the best,
nor the latter any less;
no matter how we engage with others
in the spirit of kindness,
friendship and hope, things may yet fall apart,
what counts is making a start,
heart-and-soul, to itself, remaining true, or else
our world, inside and out… in pieces

Let  mind-body-spirit heal, and nothing the same,
yet, a rose by any other name…?

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

Hello from London UK

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Hello,  everyone from a bitterly cold London, UK,

Sorry, no poem again today as I am unwell, although still looking on the bright(er) side of life and hope to be back with a poem soon.

Only a few days ago, we were basking in warm spring sunshine here, but now, the weather witches have magicked up a brief return to a wintry climate. So, it's off with the tee shirts and shorts and on  with the overcoats and central heating again...

Sadly, with rising food and energy costs, many people are having to live with the cold; some families are even having to keep their heating low or off, just to be able to feed themselves while others are increasingly having to make use of food banks. 

Yes, hard to believe in 21st century UK!

Nothing, of course, compares with the everyday misery and suffering endured by the people of Ukraine as Russian troops continue to pursue invasion tactics with merciless intent, tens of thousands  of civilian survivors forced to flee the ruins of their homes and cities. So far, sanctions, by various countries in a shocked and appalled West, seem to be having little effect on Putin, although already making themselves felt on the  everyday lives of ordinary Russian people.

It is awful to think that many Russians believe the misinformation they are fed by a State-controlled media that not only encourages them to support Putin in believing that the war in Ukraine is totally justified, but is also responsible for many young Russians having gone to fight, believing they are  'liberating' Ukraine from some Nazi-like repression.

Yes, hard to believe in a 21st century world.

A friend here in the UK who has a Russian neighbour tells me that she has been disowned by her family in Russia for speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In parts of Russia itself, though, some people have access to alternative News reports; there have been a growing number of anti-war protests; protesters are immediately rounded up, arrested, and now face the likely prospect pf long prison sentences.

Yes, hard to believe, even in a 21st century Russia. 

Me, I count my blessings. My health issues are nowhere near as debilitating as those endured my many people around the world, including here in the UK; I can get out and about, albeit slowly, with the aid of my trusty walking stick and have been living with prostate cancer for nearly ten years now, longer than I anticipated when first diagnosed, so... I may not be able to enjoy retirement just as I once imagined, but I remain young at heart and continue to take each day as it comes and try to make the best of them rather than dwell on the worst, just as I did when I was young for real.

Yes, I miss the mutual exchange of love and support between friends and loved ones who have died, but that love and support lives on within us, as a source of inspiration as well as precious memories; we can continue draw on it as much, if not more so, as from the living.. and having known some very inspirational people, from various walks of life, I do just that. 

We all make mistakes, some we can redeem, some we can't, bur we can at least learn from them and not repeat them; where broken relationships are concerned, it takes two to dance that particular tango; it remains on of the greater human tragedies that some just can't... or won't.

Yes, mind-body-spirit has much to be thankful for even during such hard times as history has shown the human race across its history, no exceptions made for a 21st century world population enduring much the same across various landscapes of personal space.

Expect a poem again before too long, folks. Meanwhile, we can but all do our best to nurture a positive thinking mindset if only to feed those hopes and dreams that, in turn, feed a joie de vivre that may well suffer serious injury from time to time, but will, as likely as not be inspired to rise above them,  live to fight and defeat its demons another day...

Yes, such is the poetry and prose of everyday life...in any century.

Take care,  folks, and many thanks, as always, for dropping by,

Hugs,

Roger

Refugee

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“I am prepared for the worst, but hope for the best.” – Benjamin Disraeli

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” - Lao Tzu

“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”. – Andy Warhol

As the war in Ukraine rages on, tens of thousands of refugees face an uncertain future. Now, moving on is one thing; being forced to move on, uprooted from the very soil that has shaped your life so far... that’s something else altogether. We wish them every success in rebuilding their lives.

A friend once commented to the effect that that we are all refugees from our own mistakes and/ or misfortunes, trying to give our heart-and-soul the chance to build a better home in a  wiser self. Well, I guess we can but try...

REFUGEE

Need to move on,
but can’t stop keep looking back
at the way things were
when we were happy, just you and me
doing things, sharing dreams
looking for rainbows even as our heavens
falling apart at the seams

Need to move on,
taking inspiration from the way
we were then, can be again,
if we but put our shoulders to the wheel
of change, turn it anti-clockwise,
expose this Here-and-Now for just what it is,
a punchy, fistful of lies...

"Need to move on,"
they keep telling me, much loved
voices in the head, presuming
to speak for the dead, in whom our love
trusted to keep us safe, see us right,
though our thought processes left all weepy
and scared, day and night

Need to move on
from raging against the cruel winds
of war and want; let my fears
remind me there is still hope for us, winds
of peace on pause yet again,
rise above them, get a new, kinder, life for us
no ifs and buts, as and when

Need to move on,
made to run a gauntlet of life and death
challenges to which we are born,
trusting in the power of love-and-peace
to see us over the finishing line.
favourite to win, inner voices first to applaud
in front boxes reserved for reunion

Whenever the need to reshape mind-body-spirit,
the heart-and-soul up to it, never defeated

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

Resilience

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“Grief and Resilience live together.” - Michelle Obama 

“I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it.” – Maya Angelou

 As the war in Ukraine enters its 4th week, the resilience of its people continues to leave the rest of the world agog, not least its chief architect, Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who had clearly underestimated the full force of Ukranian resistance.

Indeed, I imagine Putin could well be found guilty of war crimes at some later date, and deservedly so, given that Russian troops appear, time and again, to have deliberately targeted the civilian population; men, woman and children - old, young, the sick and disabled alike.

Such are the horrors of war; so, too, for many, - on a lesser, if no less significant scale to those involved - the trials and troubles of everyday life, even in so-called peace time. More often than not, the spirit of resilience asserts and re-asserts itself, allowing heart-and-soul to overcome the worst, learn to live with it, strive for better times and win through...for others, if not always themselves.

RESILIENCE

As the burden of life on me grows,
so, too, a sense of responsibility to myself,
as much as loved ones and others,
to see it through, to an end often requiring
a compromise of sorts,
while not letting heart-and-soul lie broken
by hurricane forces,
but standing firm to even the worst of all weathers 
to the best of native endeavours

As time continues to wear me down,
would even uproot me from my place of birth,
I can but draw on such gifts
of nature as let a robin sing in bleakest winters,
spring but the likes of dreams away
as inspire human beings to survive a bitter cold,
young and old alike,
engaging with a collective mind-body-spirit to sustain
hopes of rediscovering peace again

Like the willow that bends with the wind,
I vow to survive, for myself as much as loved ones
and others caught up in storms
inflicted by nature and human nature worldwide,
though they underestimate what may lie
behind appearances, often deceived by an apparent
vulnerability, easy prey
to a determined enemy, likely to be caught out in its turn
by the steely stare of self-preservation

Always ready to lend an ear, and more,
to any distress call from heart-and soul under siege
and deserving better, no matter how
or why, although the Here-and-Now as it affects others,
especially as close to home
as some will be, may also affect shape and degrees
of such help as I can rally,
the better part of humanity needing to prove up to the task
without putting itself at too great a risk

Meanwhile, amongst chaos and destruction I dare to battle on
for such peace as offers a collective salvation, and my own...

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

Endurance

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“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.” – William Barclay

Endurance id one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.” – Buddha

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” – Helen Keller

“In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers.” – Neville Chamberlain.

Now, there are few good-feel News stories in the world today; one such story is the release of Nazanin, Zaghari-Radcliffe forcibly detained and separated from her husband and young daughter for six long years by Iranian authorities bent on using her (among others) as a political pawn. The human mind can barely begin to imagine the full horror of her experience; it can only be awe-struck by an inspirational level of endurance.  

Meanwhile, the horrors of war continue, yet again, to dominate our tv screens as the Russian invasion of Ukraine proceeds into it fourth week...

ENDURANCE

Sometimes. mind-body-spirit
needs must force itself to rise and dance
to the music of such times past
as heart and soul would celebrate happy days,
enough as would wake the dead
if they could, but the dead prefer to sleep
in perfect peace,
the music stopped with such devilish suddenness
as gives innocence its cue for endurance

In no time at all, heart and soul,
plunged into an ultra-surreal a scenario,
like characters in a classic tragedy, played out
for all the world to watch,
moved to almost as great a despair as its players,
no end in view from which
to walk away into the nearest comfort zone,
enjoy whatever pleasures can usually be relied upon
to thrust us into a more agreeable fiction

No such comforting reality on hand
to those so caught up in the savagery of war,
as natural thought processes
temporarily on hold while struggling to make sense
of it all, no end in sight,
personal space spoiled for choice; see it through
and hope to survive – or flee,
endeavour to restore a balance of well-being in pieces,
left shell-shocked by invader-neighbours

A sense of reason, even under duress,
needs must make it way through any fog of war,
steel itself to walk a tightrope
of fear, struggle to ignore such irretrievable losses
as the simple pleasures of life
in the company of family, friends, peers.
guaranteeing the kind of tomorrows
likely to let us sleep soundly, hopeful of yet another day
to see us and loved ones safely on our way

No safety here, danger in every step taken,
dashing for cover at the sound of every air raid siren,
conscious of the enemy’s disrespect
for old and young alike, an indiscriminate bombing
and shelling, no hospital safe,
nor even a theatre, refuge for many hundreds,
only to be destroyed, few survivors
to tell their terrible tales, inflict yet more anguish and pain
on already exhausted fellow countrymen

Fathers, grandfathers and older teenage sons,
having to stay behind, face the rising crescendo of war
knowing they well may never see
and feel the comfort and joy of family togetherness
ever again, heart and soul alone
unable to quite compensate for the reality of being one,
rather than in bits and pieces
like the human jigsaw puzzle that can never be completed
though mind-body-spirits left undefeated

Time passes, but no hiding place for authors of human misery
among the pages of its history

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

 

Face to Face

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

“To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself” Soren Kierkegaard

“Never trust your fears, they don’t know your strength.” Athena Singh

“To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.” – Bertrand Russell

“If the truth shall kill them, let them die.” Immanuel Kant

As the war in Ukraine rages on, Russian forces appearing to persistently and deliberately targeting civilians, we hear tales of inspirational courage among unimaginable horror; not least those civilians, some of them students, being taught how to load and fire guns in the event of their being faced with the ultimate choice, kill or be killed.

FACE TO FACE

Looking death in the face,
day after day,
huddled together for warmth
in temperatures
below zero and still falling,
life forces siding
with us as we try to stare Death out,
food for thought

Looking death in the face,
night after night,
unable to sleep, hopes fading
for any tomorrows
being any kinder to us here,
where we shelter
from invading forces, no safe havens
even for civilians

Looking death in the face,
night after night,
having to put on a brave face
for the children,
while haunted even more
by its greedy eyes,
no empathy with our all but starving here,
only devilish sneer

Looking death in the face,
thoughts struggling
to break free of this copycat hell
underground,
yet even worse, above,
always expecting
yet another air raid siren warning us to flee
this ruin of humanity

Looking death in the face,
but mind-body-spirit
not ready yet to have to have it
feed on its surrounds
of flesh and bone and more,
ever taking heart
from a free willpower resolved not to cave in,
shoot its enemies down

Never handled a weapon, me, a person of peace,
but will fight Death on my terms, not his... 

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

  

Battle Royal

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

“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” – Carl Jung

“Faraway there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead.” Louisa May Alcott

 Vladimir Putin’s denials of ill-intent towards Ukraine, prior to authorising its invasion by Russian troops, must surely place him among the ranks of the worst dictators – and war criminals - in history; ironic, indeed, his argument that Ukraine deserves to be ‘liberated’ from the grip of what he defines as ‘pro-Nazi’ forces within it.

While the tragedy of human nature, at home and abroad, has always been its vulnerability to lies, its salvation - sooner or later -  lies in the power of mind-body-spirit to expose and rise above such lies, even if it cannot (ever) undo or truly compensate for any damage already done...

BATTLE ROYAL

There is a darkness
that will gobble us up if we let it,
fail to fight back,
let a lightness in again, sunshine
and just a little rain
from time to time, enough to nurture
a stale soul, starved
of care, left to whatever neglect has in mind
to repay in kind

There is a darkness,
capable of gripping mind-body-spirit
in a stranglehold
we may resist, as kinder forces
would have their say,
but any such light determinedly stalled
by mixed feelings, now throwing
a native wisdom out in the cold, now begging it
return to the fold

There is a darkness
refusing to surrender to the resilience
of mind-body-spirit
to any corruption of heart-and-soul
likely to but score
an own goal once it entertains such ideas
as fighting its battles
in no-win situations. contrived by poor life choices,
and lost opportunities

There is a darkness,
in loneliness that, try as it may, cannot
halt the dawning of days
of love and friendship, as sure to flower
and bring to all landscapes
of mind-body-spirit such light as only they
can return us whole,
less fearful just for knowing they are there, no matter
our past-present-future 

Beware, in darkness, political resources to such devilry
as may yet lull humanity into a false sense of security...

 Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

Platform Five

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

“Every heart to love will come but like a refugee.” – Leonard Cohen

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” - C.S. Lewis

Today’s poem was written in the wake of seeing TV footage of a packed platform 5 at Lviv central station recently.

Now, yesterday’s open letter post  has been criticised by some readers, but I make no apology for suggesting that we need to err on the side of caution rather than all but sit up and beg for another serious wave of coronavirus. It is too soon, in my humble opinion, to dispense with all, even basic, precautions against Covid-19. Yes, it may result in some delays in the admin processes of registering and welcoming, refugees, but better that, surely, than a repeat of the stress and distress caused to patients, their families and friends, not forgetting over-stretched hospital staff...?

Hopefully, my reservations will be proven utterly groundless, in which case, no one will be more delighted than myself.

Meanwhile, on the matter of welcoming refugees being its own reward, it is always worth remembering that Albert Einstein was a war refugee...

PLATFORM FIVE

Crowds struggling for space,
the sobs of men, woman and children
expressing their distress
at leaving loved ones behind
to suffer the agony
of present and future uncertainties
as reflected all around
in warning sirens like ta partying of devils
trumpeting their evils

No exception made for either age
or disability, caught up in organised chaos
on platform five
at Lviv central station, transformed
into a landscape
of hope and despair, no one even sure
if and when their train
will arrive, unable to expect but more pain
at the end of the line

Train arrives, soon crammed full,
 tear-stained faces pressed against windows,
for final sightings
of those come thus far to see loved ones
at given a chance
to make a new life, though they be denied
their part in it
by an enemy determined to impose sure control
over any surviving soul

Ah, but the human soul, veteran
of wars fought in in bloody trenches, corridors
of power and everyday lives,
has tricks enough up its sleeve to take on,
defy and defeat dark forces
bent on in extinguishing Battalions of Light,
by calling on the wisdom
of all-embracing humanity lending it the authority
to define its spirituality

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello again from London UK

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

Hello again  from London UK

I hope you are all keeping safe and well. I am coping ok, but have to confess I am concerned about the Ukranian refugee crisis as a result of Russia's invasion of their country. It is great news that Europe is opening its arms to welcome them, but politicians  are saying  little or nothing about the numbers of Covid-19 cases in Ukraine being high as recently as late February 2022.

Welcome and help the refugees, of course, but at a time when Covid precautions are being relaxed in parts of Europe, especially in the UK, it is my view that basic precautions against the coronavirus need to be maintained - e.g. wearing face masks in shops, crowded areas and on public transport.

It would place awful stress on everyone if there were to be a resurgence of the pandemic across Europe, but a tragic irony, especially, for any refugees who had survived the horrors of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, only to be struck down with the coronavirus just when they thought they had found a safe haven.

Hopefully, our politicians have allowed for a potential rise in Covid-19 cases even as some leaders- especially president Macron of France, have been openly critical of the UK Government for not doing enough help and house the refugees.  I suspect , though, this has more to do with the UK voting to leave the EU than concern for the refugees themselves. 

The EU continues to nurse the vision of a United States of Europe, which is precisely why many of us in the UK - including yours truly - have no regrets about voting for Brexit. Democracy involves a fair degree of responsible autonomy and  the latter was being slowly but surely coerced by the powers that be who govern the EU. This is, of course, only my personal point of view, but I also have friends in EU countries who share it; they, like myself, were all in favour of the EEC (European Economic Community); it made economic sense. However, it proceeded to expand into the EU with ordinary folks having neither vote nor say in the matter.

Divisions and rivalries between EU leaders are, of course, the least of the world's concerns as Russian forces close in on the Ukraine capital, Kyiv. At the same time, an attack on an artillery base close to its border with Poland, brings the war worryingly close to NATO's doorstep, a matter of deep concern for  many Poles.

As a gay man, I have to say that any LGBT folks among the refugees who have not been made as welcome under Zelenskyy's presidency - as some of his more supportive earlier comments had led them to hope for and expect - will not have an easier time in Poland; although support for LGBT rights continues to grow there, so, too does local opposition.  Poland, of course, has been a member of the European Union  since 2004; attitudes towards LGBG across the European Union , as a whole, remain widely diverse. 

As for those readers who email me from time to time to ask why a gay poet is writing up "not only a straight but secular blog...", I can but put it to them that no one's 'alternative' sexuality means they are any less of  a person in their own right, as free to express opinions on all matters, as anyone else. As regular readers well know, I have no problem with anyone disagreeing with me, respecting as I do., that basic human right of agreeing to differ.

Time to close now and get ready to meet up with my best friend for lunch. Many thanks for joining me, dear readers, and I'll be back with a poem later this week.

Take care, stay safe and keep well,

Hugs

Roger

[Note: If you email me (rogertab@aol.com) please be sure to put 'Poetry' in the subject field or it will not be read. Similarly, any 'spam' will be ignored. I read all emails and try to reply asap, but please remember I am in my late 70's and  having to contend with serious health issues, so there may well be long delays.] 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

Top Dog

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““Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.” Mao Tse-tung

"Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. If they are equal, they are not free.” Alexander Solzhenitsyn

"Cry Havoc!, and let slip the dogs of war." (William Shakespeare (Julius Caesar)

Now, world politics thrives on half-truths and straight-faced lies. Vladimir Putin’s pre-war denials about Russian military exercises bordering Ukraine amounting to preparations for an invasion and no cause for alarm bells to be ringing around the world...are clearly a classic example political strategy.

The bad news is that such strategies are as common to the darker side of human nature as the air we breathe; the good news is that the majority of us can taste its poison on the tongue and spit it out, hopefully before it can do any mind-body-spirit irreparable harm.

TOP DOG

There are places we can run
whenever conscience pricking us
to flee criticism,
even retribution in some cases,
where a wisdom
of years and its learning processes
have lost their way,
led us astray into a maze of its intentions
and our own ambitions

Mind-body-spirit finds itself
pitted against its own kind, resolved
to assert itself
one way or another, no reasoning
with morality
for exploiting vulnerability in any shape
of form, so long
as left alive to tell the tale, the world agog
at its being top dog

Ah, but few top dogs succeed
without help from allies in thought, deed
and end-game;
the latter achieved, among its spoils,
those same allies, eager
for a place in archives of human history,
found blighting as many
landscapes of so-called 'peace for evermore'
as battlefields of war

Who seeks to know where angels fear to go,
needs but follow the trail of a human ego 

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello from London UK

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

“Repetition id the reality and the seriousness of life.” – Søren Kierkegaard

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Martin Luther king Jr.

Hello from London UK

Sorry, folks, no poem today, but I am working on one that I hope to publish here on Monday. I am not too well at the moment, although when I see the pictures on TV of the increasingly dire situation in Ukraine, tens of thousands of people suffering so and trying to flee the country, I count my blessings.

Reader E. S. is critical of my “repeating much the same themes...” in my poems. Well, as I have said many times before, if you think something is worth saying, it is always worth repeating. I try to vary just how I repeat themes, but isn’t that what any art form is all about?

Another reader, J. M. asks if and where my poetry collections are on sale. Although my poems had already appeared in various poetry magazines, no UK poetry publishers showed any interest in my collections, possibly because they include some gay-interest poems. So, I created my own imprint, but could only afford to have 100 copies of each collection printed, many of which I sent to public libraries; feedback suggests they issued well.

Although I have more than enough poems – unpublished, except on the blog – for new collections, I m not well enough to prepare them now. I am told that the British Library and Metropolitan Archives both archive my poetry blogs, so maybe, one day someone will take more interest... who knows?

Meanwhile, I am content to have a spirit that takes no notice of my growing old feed me sufficient positive thoughts to enable me to pass them on to you all and, in doing so, lend me a sense of contributing not only to my own psychological well-being, but also that of others, especially during such troubled times as the world faces.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is heart-breaking enough, but have been other wars, and probably more before the world comes to its collective senses; even in times of peace, many are they who struggle with fear, poverty, homelessness, grief and other wars of their own against various life-or-death forces within their own personal space..

Meanwhile, there is seemingly cause for growing international concern that Vladimir Putin is contemplating the use of chemical weapons against Ukraine...

In the spirit of repetition, I can only suggest we do our best to nurture a positive-thinking mind-set and keep looking on the bright(er) side of life, no matter what it throws at us at any moment in time...

Take care, dear readers, stay safe and keep well,

Back soon,

Hugs,

Roger

 

You-Me-Us, Lifesaver

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

“I don’t think of all the misery, but of all the beauty that still remains.” – Anne Frank

“In all things, it is better to hope than to despair.” - Goethe

“I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.” – Pablo Naruda

As the war in Ukraine escalates, news came through yesterday of Russian forces bombing a children's and maternity hospital in the port city of Mariupol. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has declared it a war crime.

Meanwhile the flow of despairing people struggling to flee Ukraine in freezing conditions continues with Russian forces persistently ignoring ceasefires.

At home, and across the world, we can but watch, aghast that this could happen in 2022 while, many of us still suffering both mental and physical effects of having to cope with the coronavirus. The situation in Ukraine may well seem a whole lot worse, but Covid-19 has brought despair to many and despair is despair is despair; to the despairing individual, it is as immeasurable as it is indescribable.

In this life (as many, including yours truly, can testify) when standing still is no option, looking back on kinder times is often the only life force available to spur us into moving forward, less with regret for their absence than in a spirit of celebration and hope.

YOU-ME-US, LIFESAVER

In the eyes of sadness
there is only one thing to do,
pluck a cloud
from the sky and hitch a ride
through time,
to wherever mind-body-spirit
has a whim to revisit,
put a smile on the face of a Here-and-Now
that’s forgotten how

There are old friends,
we used to know before our years
took us places
we didn’t always want or choose
to go...
when we’d laugh and play games.
exchange party hats
and silly names, listen wide-eyed to fairy tales,
fly with nightingales

There are special people,
with whom we’d enjoy special moments,
whose genial ghosts
never fail to cheer the soul that’s lost,
taken a wrong turning,
needing to be put right, helped to lighten
the load it bears,
redirected to some far kinder thought process
than ends in tears

Playful pets, too, recalled
to perform such lively acts as likely to warm
a heart grown cold,
for loneliness, grief or on discovering old age
no ‘true-to-life’ movie
here Happy-Ever-After as likely as not to win
Oscar nominations all round,
no dry eyes in the audience, bur tears
of delight, no fears

Ah, many the comfortable
and pleasurable zone we need to make our own.
as and when
we can, and best not delayed as any tomorrow
may yet bring sorrows
enough to urge a saddened eye but open wide,
steer a passing cloud
through as lively a stream of shared consciousness
as You-Me-Us

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

 

 

 

 

 

War and Peace

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"Forgive and forget, but never forget to forgive. You may find a happier heart is the key to a happier life." – Mahatma Gandhi

"Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die." – Buddha

"Borrowed time and borrowed world and borrowed eyes to sorrow it." – Cormac McCarthy

Many if not most of us fall out with friends and family from time to time, even lose patience with the powers that be for the way they have a major say in how our country is run; hence, people protesting in Russia at the moment over its aggression against Ukraine, even though they know they face a long prison sentence.

Given time, fallen bridges may yet be rebuilt, but needs must we remember that time can never be relied upon to so oblige us.

WAR AND PEACE

I am part of a healing process
to an open wound that seem to take
ages to close if, indeed
it ever will for festering at every move
I make towards understanding
how come it still hurts me so, even though
its damage done long since,
yet mind-body-spirit unable to go free, subdue
if not kill the rage in me

How to forgive anyone unable
to comprehend such damage done as
forgiveness seeks
reparation, if only they accept their share
of blame, where blame
on both sides invariably lies, needs
talking through, less concerned
with seeing home truths score hits than learning
the lessons they teach

At home, abroad, war or peace,
though agreeing to differ at the end of talks,
only fools resist
giving peace a chance to fly its colours,
high, and proudly so
for all to see, endorsing what may well
be perceived as compromise,
but one such as heart-and-soul would lend us time
to make us whole again

Country-family-friends, engaging in war or peace,
such is human variant of Choice

 Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

 

My World

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

"I am in blood/Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more,/ Returning would be a tedious as go o'er." - thus speaks Macbeth in Shakespeare's play.

"Confessions may be good for the soul, but they are bad for reputations." - Thomas Dewar

Now, an old friend once confided that he wished he had lived his life differently, done certain things differently, made fewer mistakes. He then gave a long sigh and said, "We are who we are, I guess, and who can we blame for that but ourselves? Others play their part, no doubt about that, but at the end of the day..." I have to say I empathised completely.

Much as I deplore Vladimir Putin's intentions against Ukraine, I cannot help but wonder whether or not he, too, empathises with Macbeth?  To some extent or another, I suspect many, if not most, of us can?

As my English teacher pointed out at the time my class was studying the play, we all make many a mistake where even apologising and trying to make amends means precious little, in real terms, to those on the receiving end. 

Whether 'stepped in blood so far...' or no, it's not so much vanity that often prevents us from attempting a retreat, as fear of experiencing physical and/ or emotional consequences not dissimilar to whose we have inflicted.

As my mother would say, nothing ventured, nothing gained...except consequences.

MY WORLD

I had left without going anywhere,
done damage without lifting a finger,
enough to have said things
I could not, would not ever take back
for lack of moral courage
in me, refusing, time and again to confess
that of the you-me-us
to whom I have always aspired, the ‘me’
 is but a fantasy

I was never the person I believed in,
whom others took for someone born to be
a loser in the greater scheme
of humanity, letting them down by putting
a false smile on my face,
for making out all’s well in a world waking
to nightmares. day after day,
small comfort in sweet dreams every night
of getting it right

Too late to go back, set out again,
driven by broader, kinder, fairer objectives
towards those with whom
I cannot agree to differ without losing face,
not an option for the likes
of such as I, raised to believe it’s better to go
on the attack than wait
for the long arm of diplomacy to reach out
too late...

Precious little peace in a world so mindful of me,
my own worst enemy

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022