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

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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

““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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Survivor

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

“Thinking is the talking of the soul with itself.” – Plato

"Life is a tragedy to those who feel and a comedy to those who think." - Moliere

If I had no sense of humour, I would long ago have committed suicide." - Mahatma Gandhi

Referring to Volodmvr Zelensky, president of Ukraine, I overheard someone in the next shopping aisle to where I was standing in my local supermarket comment t that it was incredible to think he was once a professional actor-comedian. I could not see the lady to whom he was speaking, but had to nod and smile for hearing her refer him to the quote by Mahatma Gandhi.

Indeed, Zelensky has impressed much of the world even more than Putin has 0ffended it. Out thoughts and prayers are with those young fighters on both sides; Ukranians defending their country and freedom and Russians led to believe the lies Putin has spread through Russian media sources over which he appears to have supreme control. 

This morning, news is breaking here that the Russians have been shelling the north-eastern city of Energodar and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's biggest; so far, so good, though, as there have been no reports of any nuclear leakage... yet.

A SURVIVOR

I hurt, I bleed, I need
to understand how such forces
crept up on me, pounced
on me, threatening to denounce
my very identity, kill me
if necessary, as I might as well be anyway
if I’m to be cast adrift
from all that I hold dear, family friends, no less
haunted forever by a shared distress

In my every heartbeat,
a feeling for revenge, so-called righter
of wrongs if little or no
real consolation to be had there,
nor even in every tear
that falls, every clenched punched into the air
as I rave and swear against
a torturous Here-and-Now, yet need to get a grip,
turn angry mind-body-spirit kinder side up

Memory will not let me
forget all that has conspired to reduce
mind-body-spirit
to all but a shell of what nature intended
for its human kin,
but there you have it, where the keyword is spirit,
rising above such dastardly
forces as would see me snap in the eyes of the world,
yet to personal space and history, the last word

Prime defence against the worst life and world can let fall,
I am the beleaguered heart of a compassionate soul

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

Hello again from London UK

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

Hello again from London UK,

Sorry, no poem today as I am nursing the effects of having proven allergic to new medication. A GP assures me they will not last long, so, hopefully, a new unfinished poem will be completed soon. 

I sincerely hope, dear readers, that you are keeping safe and well, notwithstanding the stress of still having to live with the coronavirus, despite its appearing to recede. Many of us are stressed out, too, of course, by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, now in its 7th day. 

To see a European country become a war zone in 2022 is truly shocking. Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will not be easily forgiven by the rest of the world for his actions. One can understand his nervousness over Ukraine's ambition to be part of NATO, but there can be no excuse whatever for declaring war on a free country, especially without active provocation. History, without a doubt, will not judge Putin kindly.

It is inspirational to see neighbouring countries rallying to offer Ukraine what support they can; various  border checkpoints report a huge influx of refugees, many of whom have been walking and/ or queuing for many hours in bitterly cold conditions; the majority of these are woman and children, their menfolk over the age of 18 years prevented from leaving and expected to stay and fight. At border crossings, food, clothing, blankets and medical assistance is on hand ; many locals are offering to drive refugees for free to wherever they want to go in order to stay with relatives  while others are offering shelter in their own homes.

The physical and mental suffering of these refugees is unimaginable to the vast majority of us who have no experience of war in the 21st century. 

For my own part, I am experiencing pangs of guilt just for feeling poorly in the warmth and safety of my home here in the Kentish Town area of London UK. Never one too cry over spilt milk, I can but press on, but the mind boggles at the prospect of  of those refugees, many with no available transport, having to press on in freezing conditions, fleeing home and country, loved-ones too, while watching out for their children and  having to carry what little they have managed to save of their personal belongings for l-o-ng, weary mile after l-o-ng weary mile...

Meanwhile, those remaining in Ukraine find themselves mostly sheltering underground while the sounds of war launch a cruel assault on mind-body-spirits everywhere; most menfolk, as often as not, either actively engaging with Russian troops or keeping a sharp look-out for them, grabbing what little rest they can. 

In years to come, I daresay there will be a movie about it that will keep audiences enthralled, win awards and make a lot of money... while no movie can possibly convey the tortuous Here-and-Now in Ukraine for everyone involved.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world looks on and can but hope Putin will not attempt to pursue his territorial ambitions further afield if and when his forces finally take control of Ukraine...

Take care, dear readers, stay safe and, once gain, many thanks for joining me; it is a huge support to me, especially as I live alone and have to contend with prostate cancer and other health issues, not to mention growing old...😉 We can but nurture a positive -thinking mindset and - in spite of living in a mad,  mad, MAD world - keep looking on the bright(er) side of life, come hell or high water...

Back soon with a poem, hopefully tomorrow,

Hugs,

Roger

Coming, Ready or Not

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

"Only the dead have seen the end of war." - Plato

"The god of war is impartial: he hands out death to the man who hands out death." - Homer

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues enters its 6^th day, it continues to encounter a stubbornly fierce and equally inspiring resistance. Meanwhile the world can but watch on various media as a convoy of armoured tanks, a good 40 miles long, approaches the capital, Kyiv.

Tragically, but predictably, while approving severe sanctions against Russia, and sending weaponry and food/ medical supplies to an increasingly beleaguered Ukraine, NATO’s refusal to send troops suggests that Russian forces will, sooner or later, seize control.

Hearts and minds the world over are with the people of Ukraine, also the many in Russia itself who condemn Putin’s actions and the lies his government continues to feed the Russian people by way of justifying the unjustifiable.

As thousands descend on border checkpoints, desperate to escape the escalating violence and rising death toll among invaders, defenders and civilians, too, including children, those in neighbouring countries offering supplies and safety cannot help but ponder on the long-term implications for their own...

COMING, READY OR NOT 

People may well anticipate me,
brace themselves for a pernicious assault
on personal space,
with universal implication, depending on
how you see your world
and whether that the world is sensitive
to your fate, whether or not
too late, already, to steady your straining nerves
against rising storm, gale force winds

I care not for others’ personal space,
determined as I am to make my presence felt
if only to prove
to resisting life forces that I can do what I do,
less for the sake of it
than to shatter than to shatter self-confidence
in the natural order of things;
Finders, keepers, and I will oust you from wherever,
sure to haunt mind-body-spirit forever

Should I underestimate the strength
of your resistance to my dastardly attempts
to bring you harm and grief,
reduce to a quivering mass of weepy flesh and bones,
needs must I exercise control,
settle for your tears and whatever injuries
I can inflict, our conflict
not over, for which, I will yet conspire to make you pay
if only to reassert myself another day

I am the politics of fear, yet. time and again my strategies
prove no match for such life forces as a free spirit inspires 

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Plight of the Yazidis OR Another Bloody Stain on the Landscape of Religion

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

[Update: May 2018:The plight of the Yazidi people continues...]

[Update: November 15th 2015: The Yazidi people continue to suffer indescribable atrocities at the
hands of the cowardly murderers calling themselves Islamic State. Iraqi Kurds have retaken Sinjar from IS so there is light at the end of the tunnel for this minority group, at least for now. Out hearts go out to them and hopes that these I S psychopaths will eventually be wiped from the face of the earth as they deserve.]

Tens of thousands of Yazidis - mostly women and children - were forced to flee to Mount Sinjar, in north-west Iraq when the militant Islamic State (formerly ISIS) recently overran the Sinjar region.

The Yazidis have been surrounded by the militants for days in blistering heat, and with little food or water. Many have died. Thanks to the actions of the Kurdish peshmerga forces and US air strikes targeting the militants, many have now been able to cross into Syria and return to Kurdistan, but many others remain trapped. 

There have been reports of anyone refusing to convert to Islam being summarily executed by Islamic State, taken into slavery, and even buried alive.

All religious fundamentalists are a disgrace to their religion and to humanity. When will they ever learn...?

[Update, May 3rd 2015: Thousands of Yazidi men, woman and children have been massacred by so-called 'Islamic State' in northern Iraq.  Yet, acts of such appalling abuse against humanity and Islam continue to attract followers, especially among young, disaffected Muslims across Europe. ]

PLIGHT OF THE YAZIDIS or ANOTHER BLOODY STAIN ON THE LANDSCAPE OF RELIGION

Victims of a radical Islamic obsession

men, women and children, no safe haven,

under siege on a mountain

Misunderstood by many for centuries

(a common perception, devil worshippers)

a veil over the world’s eyes

Defiant, proud, pursued into the glare

of a sorry world’s shortcomings and media,

focusing on their terror

Islamic State (ISIS) as dark a force as evil,

rallying to a flag as black as any terror-devil

might well raise at will

World, wringing its hands at their misery,

does what it can, little enough for the Yazidi

children of the century

Islamic State, swathe of horrific obsession,

raping body, mind and spirit of a pure religion,

impregnating a generation

London, August 11th 2014

Copyright R. N. Taber 2014

Deconstructing Cyberia

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

[Update (August 15, 2016): It has been recently reported in the national press that Times Square in New York, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and Disneyland Park in France are among tourist attractions where mobile phones are most likely to be hacked. Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Ocean Park in Hong Kong and Las Vegas's strip are the next three mostly likely places, according to research by mobile threat defence company Skycure. Among the best suggestion to prevent hacking is always to use passwords, never share them, change them from time to time, and never program them into a mobile phone. It is also available never to keep any particularly sensitive personal data on a mobile phone for long. I imagine much the same applies to laptops and tablets.]

Regular readers will know that I try to record important if necessarily selective events in my poems and subsequent collections.

Yesterday, I listened to news breaking all afternoon about Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers [not only the News of the World] allegedly resorting to the most horrific tactics in the name of investigative journalism. Blagging, hacking into the phones of a murdered teenager and armed forces personnel killed on active duty...we are being told that these are allegedly among the usual suspects targeting just about anyone in the public eye hell bent on obtaining any information that might pass for ‘news’ considered to be ‘in the public interest.’  This is not (surely?) what investigative journalism is all about.

I have never cared for people like Rupert Murdoch. Even so, like many a business magnate through the centuries, he’s probably not the only Chief who may well have paid his Indians (and other Chiefs) to do any dirty work for him.

Mind you, we should never forget that questionable practices are in a minority even in journalism. Moreover, while we may not agree with whatever News any better practices may come up with, neither should we be quick to write anything or anyone off as either offensive or immoral, especially after consenting to show an interest either by pressing a button or turning a page. Even so, we cannot help but wonder just who may be listening in to our calls and/or monitoring our emails these days.

Perhaps the title of the poem should be Reconstructing Cyberia (for whatever purpose whomsoever may have in mind...?!) Whatever, one suspects it is happening on a very underestimated scale around the world, and this is the tip of a huge iceberg.

At school, 50+ years ago, we had a great English teacher, 'Jock' Rankin, who once spent several lessons illustrating and leading class discussions on how and why we should not accept any one version of what we read in newspapers or hear on the radio or see on television as necessarily objective, but to take account of various versions and form our own opinions. I not only count this amongst the most valuable advice I’ve ever been given, but also the most worthwhile lesson (if not the only one) that I took from my schooldays and have put into practice ever since.

This poem is a villanelle and will appear in my next major collection, Tracking the Torchbearer, next spring.

DECONSTRUCTING CYBERIA

Who (now) has the faintest idea
what’s right, wrong, true, false, hearsay,
regarding goings-on in the media?

Is no one safe from the blagger,
and whose phone was hacked into today?
Who (now) has the faintest idea?

Seedy types are exploiting Cyberia,
its millions of everyday tourists led astray
regarding goings-on in the media

Can intrusion into any private arena
be justified by pushing it Joe Public's way?
Who (now) has the faintest idea?

If one malpractice leads to another,
what's the right take on what is or isn't okay
regarding goings-on in the media?

Though no person or enterprise bigger
than a Free Press left to have an honest say,
who (now) has the faintest idea
regarding goings-on in the media?

Copyright R. N. Taber 2011