Echoes of a Season Past

ROGER TABER - POETRY READING
21 March 2017 – Part 2

From Roger’s friend, Graham

Greetings from autumnal Essex, UK,

I’m sharing the second part of Roger’s poetry reading. Again, I’ve embellished the recording with imagery (including the occasional cheeky pun). I’m grateful to the photographers who’ve shared their work (public domain license) on the Pixabay, Pexels and Unsplash websites. Wikimedia has also proven really helpful.

Here’s the link: https://youtu.be/hs3aTILOdtU. Or find it by searching ‘roger taber poetry’ in YouTube if you prefer.

I was reflecting on my previous comments about performance poetry being more expressive than printed form. How it reveals the intensity, passion and human frailty of the poet. And yet, conversely, a soundtrack could be interpreted as the author’s impressing of a particular perspective on his work. I wonder if poetry, art or music is really more about multiple viewpoints…? And written verse, perhaps, remains more accessible to those differing interpretations. Either way, I still think the recording adds an interesting facet to Roger’s published work.

The selection contains some personal favourites – ‘Suggestions’ and ‘The Poet’s Song’ among them. I read the latter at Roger’s funeral as part of a eulogy. Although it’s not sombre - rather a celebration of the artform. After all, ‘look on the bright side’ was his mantra. Even on his poetic postcards from the abyss.

Inevitably, the project has left me with a sense of retrospection. Roger died back in March last year although, for me at least, his presence lingers. His connection to the world endures somehow in a continuum of past-present-future. Like a pebble cast into water, his life-force resonates through a sea of time…

Memory’s warming embers ever glimmer in the shadow of grief.

Thanks for reading/listening.

G x

 

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‘I am hopelessly in love with a memory. An echo from another time, another place.’
Michel Foucault

‘No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away.’
Terry Pratchett

‘As long as there are memories, yesterday remains. As long as there is hope, tomorrow awaits. As long as there is friendship, today is beautiful.’
Billy Joel

 

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ROGER TABER - POETRY READING
Tuesday, 21 March 2017

PART 2

The Master Baiter
W-A-R, Crucible Of Remembrance
Spring Magic
Logging On To Life
Imagination, Painter Of Dreams or Masochist
National Trust Outing
Suggestions
Shades Of Comic Genius
Engaging With Nature or Living With Prostate Cancer
Patchwork
Ode To Apollo or Profile Of A Life-force
Heartbeat or Waking Up To The Power of Positive Thinking
Poems By Passing Clouds
The Poet’s Song
In Good Company

(CC) R. N. Taber 2017

"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

 

Forewarned, Forearmed

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"Our life is what our thoughts make it." - Marcus Aurelius

"Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory." - Miguel de Cervantes

"Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be achieved through understanding." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Peace we want because there is another war to fight against poverty, disease and ignorance." - Indira Gandhi

Now, human nature is no less subject to storms than the natural world; one-upmanship, even between friends, probably the moat common cause for a storm of fraught emotions breaking over many households. The harsher and stronger our emotions, the worse the storm and the longer (if ever) any sense of calm restored.

Sadly, storms can arrive and break seemingly without warning, not least because human nature is such that we often miss the tell-tale signs that all is not well; before we know it, the unexpected strikes and we are left to find a way through it if we can, not always possible unless we sit down and talk about it, something some world leaders and families are least willing to do... possibly because they haven’t a clue where to start?

Where weather forecasters can help us plan our days, there is no one but ourselves to help us plan our lives; all the more important that we take time to spot the clues, try to understand each other more, learn to avoid the worst storms altogether, talk peace before war has a chance to tread us into the ground…

The greater human tragedy of the war in Ukraine - for both sides - is it may have been avoided had Russia's president Putin seen the need for talks before assuming he had the upper hand anyway, so... why bother?

Such is the Landscape of Power, littered with as many false assumptions as good intentions; small wonder, then, that humanity loses its way from time to time...?

FOREWARNED, FOREARMED

Stormy weather,
scary flashes of lightening
brightening the gloom
with ominous glows now and then,
here, there, everywhere;
landscapes of fear in you-me-us
across the world,
expecting no less, even through tears
for far kinder yesterdays 

Storm, relaxing
its grip on all we creatures
great and small;
Apollo, trying to give any remaining
sense of doom and gloom
a welcome lift, child hands greeting
sunshine come to enlighten
mind-body-spirits in every corner of a world
left struggling to survive

Storm passing,
sky turning a mellow yellow,
clouds a shade lighter,
for a sense of Apollo taking our side
and working hard
to remind us all that not every day
can enjoy fairy tale endings,
up to love, lovers, flowers and evergreens
to keep turning our pages

Any tomorrow,
as likely as not, starting off
in much the same way
as yesterday, but for dawn’s early light
a shade brighter,
mind-body-spirit all the lighter
for a personal space
now primed to look on the brighter side of life,
forewarned, forearmed

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

Come, the last Dance

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

“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

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

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

“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

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“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

 

 

 

 

 

  

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

Where the Heart Is...

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

"Battles are lost in the same spirit in which they are won.” Walt Whitman

"In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, only losers." – Neville Chamberlain

"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." – Martin Luther King Jr.

As an embattled Ukraine fights on and tens of thousands seek safe haven in neighbouring countries, so the rest of the world pat themselves on the back for supporting Ukraine in every way but meaningful enough to make Putin’s troops withdraw. Supplying arms, sanctuary and applying sanctions are welcome moves, but it is not difficult to imagine the agony of those in Ukraine fighting for their own and their country’s very survival.

Inspirational resistance by Ukraine notwithstanding, it is looking increasingly inevitable that Russian forces will eventually take control. One cannot help but wonder what or who will be next in Putin’s sights? He would not, after all, be the first person - world leader or otherwise - to let one success go to his head...

Meanwhile, as a friend recently commented, we should never underestimate either ourselves or human nature  in general, there being no such thing the 'ordinary' man and woman in the street. We are all of us, each in his and her own way, capable of the most extraordinary acts, not least by taking on various  life forces threatening us; winners all, whether or not we are perceived as losers.

WHERE THE HEART IS...

North, South, East West,
I am that place where I feel safest,
for being able to talk
laugh, engage with loved ones,
friends and good neighbours,
shut out dire thoughts
of being anywhere else but here,
where I can dream in peace of sunnier tomorrows
sure to greet you-me-us

Few dreamers dare to go
where roads ahead grow dark and long,
love needing an outlet,
for such prejudices and hate that invade
my life and personal space
without my consent, yet unable to prevent
their presence in me,
supposedly a passing distraction, even as homing in
on potential self-destruction

Yet, beneath appearances
inviting such comments as ‘but ordinary’
dwell an extraordinary
treasure of life forces, such as bravery
in the face of hard times,
love and compassion able to take a lead,
despite all but surrounded
by conditions even angels may well be wary of treading
for dread of human suffering

Call me’ Home’ wherever I be,
mind-body-spirit in like company, no ordinary
force for living,
but giving as well as taking, fighting its enemies,
defending its rights,
yet unity and friendship always in its sights
no matter such ways of a world
where division is almost second nature where Finance rules,
mistaking ‘ordinary’ folks for fools

They are the fools, though, devils
invading human anxiety, divining their flaws
for strengths by such vanity
as sometimes possesses powers that be, crossing
red lines, the length and breadth
of all walks of humanity,
making out it is in potentially in their interests
while pursuing their own, ever preening themselves in mirrors,
feeding media sources but half-truths

I, though, have its measure, the human heart with such love in it
that alien forces can neither win over nor defeat

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Hello again from London UK

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

"I know not with what weapons World War 111 will be fought, but World War 1V will be fought with sticks and stones." - Albert Einstein

Hello again everyone, from London UK

A reader, G M, has emailed to complain about yesterday's poem which drew particular attention to the fears of LGBT folks in Ukraine should Putin's armed forces take control. Sorry, no apologies for that.. I am a gay man, after all.

Apologies, though, for having no poem to offer today as I am very unwell with a bad cold; colds seem to last so much longer and be so much worse  now I am in my late 70's. Even so, I am working on one that I hope to post here sometime this week.

It has been a stressful weekend for everyone. It is bad enough that the world is not yet free of the coronavirus, but events unfolding in Ukraine have been very distressing to watch on various media, especially for those with family and friends there.  

It is all very well for Boris Johnson, our Prime Minister, to dismiss Putin's putting Russia's nuclear forces on high alert, but many if not most of us are deeply concerned; accidents will happen, after all...  My late grandfather served in WW1 and my father served in WW2; they rarely spoke of their experiences, but when they did, we young ones were shocked, to say the least.

I don't think even Putin would be stupid enough to deliberately unleash any nuclear capability on Ukraine, but can understand  anyone, especially WW2 veterans, waiting with baited breath for better news on that front. Let's hope Putin is familiar with the above quote attributed to Albert Einstein. 😉

Meanwhile, here and around the world, inflation is starting to bite, likely to worsen as sanctions against Russia increase their grip.; sanctions of any kind, against whomsoever for whatever reasons are never a one-way street.😒

No political animal here, so I have no more idea what to expect from the Russian invasion of Ukraine than anyone else. I can only repeat that I have always found any rising stress somewhat alleviated by a recalling a common saying to which my mother would always refer in a  crisis: 'If you worry, you'll die and if you don't worry, you'll die one day anyway, so... why worry?" Easier said than done, of course, but anything that helps relieve stress, has to be a good thing; we can be of little help or comfort to each other if we are stressed out to our limits.

Sorry, I need to rest now as I have a splitting headache from looking at and typing to a computer screen.

Take care everyone, stay safe and may all those folks in Ukraine at least take heart from knowing that the world is rooting for you; in Russia, too, where many people are opposed to the war against Ukraine, not least because they, too, have family and friends there.

Bye for now, back soon,

Hugs,

Roger

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

 

 

From rhetoric to...what, Exactly?

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

"Never think that war, no matter how necessary nor how justified, is not a crime." – Ernest Hemingway

: "War does not determine who is right, only who is left." - Winston Churchill

As ordered by President Vladimir Putin, Ukraine is now under full-scale attack by Russian forces..

While the hearts of those of us fortunate enough be living in a relatively free society reach out to the ordinary man and women on both sides of the escalating conflict, we can but wait with baited breath for the final outcome, and how it will affect the rest of the world.

Many of us are wondering just how far they will go, those world leaders who have voiced support for Ukraine and condemned Putin; in terms of military support, for example, as opposed to fine rhetoric...?

Potentially, we are looking a third world war in the face. Let us hope not, for the implications of that in the 21^st Century are unthinkable. Hopefully, even Vladimir Putin has more common sense than to envisage taking on the entire Western Alliance? Or does he know something, we don’t...?

Meanwhile, we can but do our best to nurture a positive-thinking mindset and trust that sanity, if not peace, will prevail in our time among its powers that be...

FROM RHETORIC TO.... WHAT, EXACTLY?

I tell people what they want to hear,
take a lead, as powers that be are expected to do,
whether or not election speeches
are full of half-truths meant to muster support
or I simply impose an impression
that any collective mind-body-spirit dare not resist,
such persuasive powers of rhetoric
and gesture as incite following me to the ends of the earth,
no matter injury or death

I urge people to take such pride in me
and in themselves that reservations are swept aside
by a rising tide of reassurance
that God is on the side of Human Rights, has us
in His sights, will bring the world
to see our point of view, make heroes of you-me-us;
whatever history may make of it all,
we will yet justify our actions on a universal scale, reconcile
with its very heart and soul

Ah, but there are flaws in every argument,
to be discerned and expressed by word and/or deed,
or simply ignored by any who much prefer
to turn a deaf ear and blind eye to potential risks
involved regarding family and friends,
nor any less to the mind-body-spirit we claim our own,
in denial of the fact that none of us
stands alone and what affects one affects all, one way or another,
can but redefine our future

Whatever, at least credit me with boosting
a flagging economy, given the manufacture and sales
or various weaponry soaring, anxious
as I am to be seen scoring points over any adversary
daring to take issue with me, expose
such powers that be taking my side and promoting
my intentions, no hint of self-interest,
only desires enough to stoke the fires of Hell until an end in sight,
victory or shameless defeat

I am much the same war cry as preying on humanity’s worst fears
for home and country... across centuries 

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Encounter with a Whale

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

“In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.”

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

"If you could make little fishes talk, they would talk like whales." - Oliver Goldsmith

 “The whales do not sing because they have an answer, they sing because they have a song.” – Gregory Colbert

Years ago, I tripped over a beer can left on a flight of steps. I was left bruised but not too badly hurt. It was something of a crisis at the time, though, as I had to miss a job interview t by needing to get checked over at the local hospital.

Being of a philosophical disposition, I reminded myself that accidents will happen and there was no point in crying over spilt milk... until I heard the sound of giggling and looked to see several older children, who promptly ran off...

These things happen, of course, all the time; some, though, less by accident than design.

Meanwhile, on the world stage, the Russia-Ukraine crisis deepens. as Russia invades...

ENCOUNTER WITH A WHALE

Stumbled on a beer can
thoughtlessly discarded in the street,
lost my footing...
went flying, landed on my back
in The Abyss
of my worst nightmares for years,
unable to move,
waves of silence rushing at me as they might
a dying whale’s dreams

Tears staining my cheeks,
unable even to cry for help, no hope
of rescue, my life
done and dusted, much like an urn
in full view, now covered
over for having killed many a cosy chat
about this ‘n’ that,
death but something no one likes to think about
for tempting fate

Ah, but the waves, alerted
to my tears by some natural empathy,
are urging me now
to get back into the swim of life
before it’s too late,
take whatever way out of the whale
before harpooned for meat
and body parts to help succour and save humanity,
excuse its barbarity

Whale heaves, spewing me
into a vast ocean of mixed feelings,
sick of an alien body
denying it rest, distracting its powers
of navigation,
conspiring against any natural instinct
for self-preservation,
mine-body-spirit trusted to continue on it way, if only
to die another day

From a scary premature night
to an even scarier light of day, urged
by politic voices
in nature and human nature as mean us
to rise above such flaws
forever pitting one against the other
by joining forces,
if only to sow a sense of forward-looking as on waking
in a place of healing

Now, is it a whale I hear singing deceptively sweetly
or the politic voice of diplomacy...?

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

Frontliners

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

All those in the front line of our war on Covid-19 deserve our thanks, respect and admiration. How they cope, day after day, defies belief. I have been retired for 10 years now, but like to think I would have played my part, although I suspect few of us know how we would react to certain circumstances until they are upon us and we are tested.

My father and I did not get along. From childhood, he never believed I had a hearing problem. More   than once would send me to my room for ‘ignoring’ him when I genuinely hadn’t known he was talking to me. Needless to say, this did nothing to improve our relationship. “He’s weak!” I heard him shout at my mother once, “He’s weak, that’s his trouble. Always got his head stuck in a book, it’s high time he started acting like a boy instead of a bloody pansy.”

Later, I asked my mother, “Am I weak?” Her reply was typical of her grasp of human nature. “None of us really know our true strengths and weaknesses,” she said, “… until they and we are tested. Even then,” she sighed, “… it’s invariably left to others to judge and we alone ourselves to know. It’s called life,” she added with a rueful smile. “But just you go to sleep and put it out of your mind…” She turned off the lamp I had been reading by, and I could have sworn I heard her say, “…while you still can.”

I suspect we are tested at all stages in our lives although we may not realise it at the time. As we grow up and grow older, though, we do get to know ourselves, although how much is fact and how much is wishful thinking … that’s for us to take on board, reject or work through for ourselves, hopefully with more than a little help from loved-ones and friends.

Whatever our battles, we are the front line, win some, lose some…

FRONTLINERS 

War or peace,
whatever the cause in us demanding
we fight,
at the end of the day, it needs to be
for the better,
if only to keep us safe , drive any enemy
to rout 

Early years,
learning to talk, walks, laugh and play,
choose friends
come to recognize certain aspects
of behaviour…
as in where our empathising with it begins
and ends 

Schooldays,
inviting us to see how competition
demands
targets our strengths and weaknesses, requires
we stand up
for its rights and wrongs or go to ground, head
in hands 

Come, youth
to have its day, before such times ahead
as we know
will test us, even cut us down before any gain
or losses
can take us where we may (or not) have chosen
to go 

Middle years,
basking in sunny climes or sheltering
from storms
beyond anticipation for our underestimating
how maturity
may yet see us bested by any variety of tempting
life forms 

Old age,
a final reckoning of sorts, for the better
or worse
as we harvest all mind-body-spirit has incited us
to be, urging us
do whatever may yet see all or some of our parts rest
in peace

 “Advance, friend or foe,” finding out wherever we go,
ourselves to know 

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2021