Hi folks, from London UK

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

Hi, folks,

I am struggling a bit with the poem I will be posting on the blog tomorrow, suspect that I may well be suffering from a lack of self-confidence in both poetry and survival skills due to a hotchpotch of feelings imposed during the pandemic, especially lockdowns. Many people appear to be experiencing much the same indescribable, but almost tangible mixture of feelings, good and bad, leaving them not quite knowing what to do to best alleviate them. 

Well, I may have difficulty walking these days, but, now and then when I cave in to feelings with which I can’t quite get to grips and play safe by staying indoors all day, even distracting myself with writing a poem, doing a spot of housework or keeping my thought processes in finer fettle by completing a word puzzle or two… I can expect even more broken sleep that my prostate cancer imposes anyway.  So… I force myself to go out for a while, if only to do some shopping, promising myself that I will not let rising prices get me down. 😉

Sometimes, I like to find a quiet spot in a local park and let Apollo have his wicked way with me yet again,, such as perhaps he did when the poet John Donne wrote “God’s in His heaven, all’s right with the world…” as if the world was ever so, not least for a variety of common human failings.😉

Such moments of contentment, a whimsical sun on my face, are rare for yours truly these days as I do battle with old age and health issues; even though these are likely to be far fewer than those with which many people have to contend on a daily basis, there is always a temptation to give self-pity a free rein, just as the sun is seeking cover behind a cloud…

Today, though, positive thinking has the stage to itself as I, along with many others, remember Harry Billinge, D-day and World War 11 veteran and campaigner, a shining example to us all, who has died at the age of 94 and was buried today in Cornwall. I never met Harry, but if ever there was someone to reassure us of the power of mind-body-spirit to see heart-and-soul safely home, it was he, among tens of thousands of others around the world not only surviving extraordinary odds, and helping to make the world a better, kinder place…but also putting self-pity and cynicism firmly in its place.

All may not be right with the world, but it remains more right than wrong just so long as there are the likes of Harry Billinge in it. 😄

Reader J.J. has emailed to ask how I deal with muddled thought processes as hers are “…very much inclined that way since the pandemic…” Fear not, J.J. there are many of us in much the same situation, for whatever reason. Only earlier today, for example, I spent a l-o-n-g time looking for my wristwatch, only to discover it further up my arm where I had pushed it earlier while washing my hands after lunch…! That’s not uncommon, either, that’s life. wry bardic chuckle

Time now to complete a poem for tomorrow; another variation on old themes, it’s true, but, as regular readers will know, I am often prompted by my late mother’s much-loved voice in my head reminding me that if something is worth saying, it is usually worth repeating…😉

Take care, everyone, stay safe and… be positive, if only because being negative never got anyone anywhere worth visiting…😉 Oh, and remember... be happy, be sad, and tears where tears are due, but neither forget the healing power of laughter, ever.

Many thanks, as always, for dropping by, much appreciated,

Hugs,

Roger

 

Metaphor, Defining and Redefining Human Nature OR The Landscape of Anxiety

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

Now, life is relatively short and time very precious. We are all in it together, all with the same responsibility to keep our streets clean and free of litter. I look around sometimes at the rubbish on our streets and am brought close to tears for witnessing so much human waste, thoughtlessness and disrespect for the safety and well-being of others ...

The old saying is so true. A little thought really does go a long way, especially during these difficult times as the Covid-19 virus continues to spread around the world.

"There is a strange interdependence between thoughtlessness and evil". - Hannah Arendt

“Carelessness does more harm than a want of knowledge.” – Benjamin Franklin

“A metaphor is not an ornament. It is an organ of perception. Through metaphors, we see the world as one thing or another.” ― Neil Postman

METAPHOR, DEFINING & REDEFINING  HUMAN NATURE or THE  LANDSCAPE OF ANXIETY

Orange peel in the gutter, apt comment

on most human failings

Bird droppings, metaphors for nature's 

perspective on humanity

Dog poop, left by animal lovers without

a thought for anyone else

Celebrity snappers vying to get one over

on the more popular press

Images ripped from newspapers, flapping

like manifestos at elections

Bounty hunters, tracking our every move

on social media databases

Raindrops, Earth Mother's tears for death
on the streets, hate crime...

Blood stains, graffiti on a Wall of Silence

("Well, it wasn't me, guv ..."

Orange peel in the gutter, poet's testament 

to a growing sense of anxiety

Copyright R. N. Taber 2010; 2016

[Note: A earlier version of this poem under the title 'Waste' first appeared in CC&D poetry magazine, Scars Publications (US) v 191, 2008 and subsequently in On the Battlefields Of Love by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2010.]