A Poet's Blog: Roger N.Taber shares his thoughts & poems...

Thoughts and observations by English poet Roger N. Taber, a retired librarian and poet-novelist.- "Ethnicity, Religion, Gender, Sexuality ... these are but parts of a whole. It is the whole that counts." RNT [NB While I have no wish to create a social network, I will always reply to critical emails about my poetry. Contact: rogertab@aol.com].

Name:
Location: London, United Kingdom

Sadly, a bad fall in 2012 has left me with a mobility problem, and being diagnosed with prostate cancer the same year hasn't helped, but I get out and about with my trusty walking stick as much as I can, take each day as it comes and try to keep looking on the bright(er) side of life. Many of my poems reflect the need to nurture a positive-thinking mindset whatever life throws at us.

Monday 21 December 2015

Happy Sad (Christmas) Memories

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

Christmas is not a happy time for everyone, not least because it is also a time for missing loved ones no longer with us. Remembrance, though, can bring a peace of its own making, but only if we let it.

Happiness may not last, but it is never truly lost. The trick is to take stock of happy memories and nurture that happiness (not add to a growing heap of regrets) thereby sowing the seeds of an inner peace and love for years to come…

Whatever Christmas may mean and bring to you, here's wishing everyone joy in peace and love always...the joy of an open mind, free spirit and kind heart, no matter what manner of hurt this life inflicts.

HAPPY SAD (CHRISTMAS) MEMORIES

I heard a robin singing
just as dawn was breaking
on Christmas morning,
its bells (as ever) promising
Peace on Earth

I saw a couple kissing
while noon happily chiming
as if applauding
true love (as ever) promising
Peace on Earth

Dark clouds gathering,
the air, it smelled of snowing;
home fires burning,
Christmas roses presupposing
Peace on Earth

I wept for your passing,
yet we had no sense of parting,
our love as enduring
as any Christmases promising
Peace on Earth

Copyright R. N. Taber 2015





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Wednesday 16 December 2015

Counting the Cards OR Who's Missing...?


I don’t send Christmas cards because I am neither a religious nor ‘Christmassy’ person. I send poems to many people, but most prefer to have a card they can put on the mantel so visitors can count and see how popular they are. It came as no surprise to me, therefore, that when I stopped sending cards. most people stopped sending one to me. After all, you can’t put a poem on the mantel…

Some people tell me I should send Christmas cards anyway (why bother with a poem?) if only to let those who matter to me know I am thinking of them or keep in touch with those I have not seen or had much contact with for a long time. 

Not seen or had much contact with for a long time? Why not seen or had much contact with for a long time…if they matter to us?

Too often I hear people say they have not contacted someone because he or she has not been in touch with them. Well, if they really matter to us, should we not try and find out why…?  A visit, telephone call, letter, email, skype…most of us have the means to get in touch by at least one or other of these means. If we don’t, something is seriously wrong that people to whom we supposedly matter and vice versa need to know about and think through. 

I recently met up with a friend who had just been choosing Christmas cards with great care so each person for whom a card was meant would know a lot of thought had gone onto choosing it. "You have to show you care, don't you?" said my friend adding, "I mean that's what Christmas is all about, isn't it, caring?"  We had been reminiscing about one particular mutual friend  I rarely see  for various reasons but we often chat on the phone and with whom I knew full well did not hear from my caring companion from one Christmas card to the next...

Staying in touch with friends is so important; the occasional phone call or email just to let them know you are thinking of them can make all the difference, especially if that person is ill or having a bad day and close to free fall. Why wait for them to make the first move? Love - in all its various shapes and forms - works both ways, and keeping in touch should not be on the occasional whim or just for Christmas and birthdays...or one day it may be too late.

COUNTING THE CARDS or WHO’S MISSING…?

Festive bells spreading
good news across a sorry Earth,
wringing comfort and joy
from all those needing to believe
in a godly saviour’s birth;
Oh, but let's  reason not the need,
they would have us all
be sure, but keep ourselves snug
by a feisty fire if only to feed heat
and light to despair

Winter solstice passed,
and now it’s the Christian’s turn
to answer questions
on flaws in natural laws exposed
by the origins of religion;
little or no harm done on days
when Apollo joins the fight
to save the heart’s weary cockles
from faltering, till cash for its meter
runs out at dead of night

Early hours, shivering
and demanding answers of a God
inclined to turn a deaf ear
on material demands like how best
to keep out the cold;
where certain spiritual sustenance
always on hand, available
in prayer, even arthritic souls 
obliged to get out of bed, trust they
won’t catch pneumonia

Spending on a charity card
to loved one, friend and neighbour;
best wish them well
on the mantel (for everyone to see)
than save for the meter
in case we should meet in the street,
since they will be sure
find a way to say how mean spirited 
folks can be in spreading festive cheer,
and point the finger

Where Xmas (or any) cards
a roll call for those who play a part
in our lives, big or small,
it should be those plainly missing
that strike mind-body-spirit 
hardest of all, and to whom the ghosts
of human love turn to investigate
reasons behind any absences 
before it's too late to even make a start
on affairs of the heart

Cause for concern about a special someone?
Go on, pick up the damn phone...

Copyright R. N. Taber 2011; 2014



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Tuesday 15 December 2015

Tree of Light, Gift of Love OR A Feeling for Christmas

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

It’s easy to get downhearted because Christmas seems to be all about finding money we don’t have for presents, cards, stocking our cupboards with assorted goodies etc.

Then (hopefully) something happens to make us think again and give us (and Christmas) a new lease of life...

Christians celebrates the birth of Jesus. Son of God or no, Jesus was a Man for all Seasons. Whatever our religion or non-religion, should we not always try to celebrate the spirituality we give and take from it in our everyday lives, preferably in a spirit of peace and love, no matter what or where or who?

Some Christians, for example -  even clerics -  reject gay people (including family members) because they interpret the Bible as telling them to do so. The Bible, perhaps, not Jesus. The God of the Old Testament is all but made redundant by the New. Jesus taught that God is no God of vengeance and intolerance, but the very opposite. If I were a Christian or subscribed to any religion, there is no way I would believe God is a homophobe. Thankfully, for humanity's sake, there are many Christians and other religious-minded people who feel the same.


As I have said before (being of a repetitive nature) our differences don't make us different, only human. Take the humanity out of religion and all the ritual and prayers become pointless.

TREE OF LIGHT, GIFT OF LOVE or A FEELING FOR CHRISTMAS

Once 
I found a Christmas tree
discarded in the street,
some of its branches cut away,
the rest looking shabby
(to say the least) needles already
turning shades of brown
like crumbs of toast, a sorry
specimen indeed, and few
passers-by would have spared
a glance, but something
in me responded to that tree
so I bent down, picked
it up, took it home, placed it
in a tub of earth and recall
thinking, oh, how good it was
to restore a sense of dignity
to the spirit of a sad little tree
that, surely, would die,
yet not without playing a part
of sorts in Christmas,
even with someone like me,
hardly the smiling face
of joyous festivity!
I found two dusty baubles,
some sad-looking tinsel
and a lopsided star...
Even so, it seemed to me
the little tree took on
an positive air of triumph,
and celebration, things
 I’d much preferred to forget
at this time of year

By the 25th, it had taken root,
a sight for sore eyes indeed,
one I felt a need to share, 
with a joy and pride felt before, yes,
but never quite like this feeling
for Christmas


Copyright R. N. Taber 2004; 2016

[Note: This poem first appeared under the title 'A Feeling for Christmas' in A Feeling For The Quickness Of Time by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2005.]

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Sunday 13 December 2015

Christmas, the Great Pretender


Even as a child, I had a love-hate relationship with Christmas.Like most if not all children, I loved the festivities and (of course) the presents, but my father would always find a way to spoil Christmas for me and drive home the conviction that it was all a beautiful fantasy, a dream, and sooner or later needs must reality start biting again, fiercer even than any winter.

Regular readers will know I am not a religious person although you don’t need to be religious to appreciate the spirit of Christmas. Religion - Christianity or whatever - is meant to be about peace and love, a fact history may well be inclined to dispute. Whatever, there is a feel-good factor about religious celebration that I suspect its founders would not disapprove. For all the evil and hardship in the world, there is also much good, and for that we must be thankful and spread the word.

The human spirit may well be the epitome of stoicism and resilience, but both feed on hope and the kind of inspiration we see all around us in good people everywhere, no matter their colour, creed, sex or sexuality.

The likes of terrorists and psychopaths such as Islamic State, Boko Haram, and Al Qaeda cannot hope to get the better of the finer human spirit for all the dastardly acts they may inflict upon mind and body.  Small comfort for their victims, but light, at least, at the end of a long, dark tunnel; a light their attackers will never see for all they may attempt to call upon religion to excuse their behaviour.

Religion for the true believer is an inspirational way of life not an excuse for barbarism nor, for that matter, is it an excuse for anti-social behaviour at any level.

How many religious celebrations, I wonder, are enjoyed by those simply playing at religion and/or hedging their bets regarding mortality …?

CHRISTMAS, THE GREAT PRETENDER

Rudolph, the red nose reindeer
has a very shiny nose,
and makes a wish every year
that on Christmas Eve
it won’t just be cold, but snows,
creating a Christmas world
of peace and love, too rarely   
more real than a beautiful dream
painted on a card

Hey, there, Frosty the Snowman,
Santa’s on his way
so be sure to listen for jingle bells
for quite possibly his elves
have loaded a surprise for you
to ease the bleak midwinter,
rework every child’s imagination,
sure to invite even the holly and ivy 
in on the magic

Christmas time, mistletoe and wine,
cause for celebration,
no matter our social, cultural, sexual
identity or even religion
for the Spirit of Christmas brings
hope, love and peace
to mind, body and spirit, shades
of darkness transcended into angels
on wings of light

Oh, Christmas tree, oh, Christmas tree,
as good a metaphor for fantasy any…

Copyright R. N. Taber 2013

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Thursday 10 December 2015

Come the Spirit of Christmas


Some people think I am an oddball because I don’t celebrate Christmas. Well, for a start, I do not subscribe to any religion. Yet, as regular readers well know, I like to think I have a strong sense of spirituality although I fake it from my relationship with nature rather than religion.

I often spend Christmas Day on my own and enjoy watching some great DVDs and not having to make an effort for anyone. Selfish, perhaps, but this time of year brings back many bad and sad memories, and I prefer to get through it in my own way. Yes, I may get a wee moody now and then, but on the whole I can relax and do my own thing in my own way without any well-meaning people telling me what I should do or how I should feel.

Even so, a part of me relates to what is meant to be a celebration of peace and love and togetherness. (Could it be an element of pagan in me, having been born on the winter solstice…?)

Whatever, I wish all family, friends and readers peace and love now and always. (Regular readers will know that I have nothing in common with my own family and those with whom I have got on well, loved even, are no longer with us, but that doesn't mean I don't wish the rest every happiness.)

As for the Christian message of peace and goodwill to all ... would that it it prevail always, and across all socio-cultural-religious divisions. Ah, but if only ... !

COME , SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

What does Christmas mean to me?
peace and love need no pretty fir tree,
no decorations, no Christmas fare,
only to spread goodwill everywhere 

What does Christmas mean to me?
The sum of all I am that’s my history;
trying to do better by each new day,
and be a better person, come what may

What does Christmas mean to me?
Beggars on streets (give generously);
No in-fighting on wings of prayer,
world religions feeding on its despair

What does Christmas mean to me?
(A cure for HIV-Aids… oh, let it be!)
Let every day be a Christmas Day,
respecting one another, straight or gay

What does Christmas mean to you?
But listen to your heart and answer true
(else we become our worst enemy);
peace and love need no Christmas tree

Copyright R. N. Taber 2007; 2014




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Wednesday 2 December 2015

Squaring up to Potential

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

How often, I wonder, do we convince ourselves time is not on our side as an excuse for doing nothing?

Sometimes, we need to square up to Time and reconcile it with whatever we have in mind. Otherwise, years on, we may well find ourselves rummaging our past and finding it badly wanting, ourselves, too. We have only to look up and see cloud faces looking critically down on us to understand where the blame lies.

As I grow old (I will be 70 on the winter solstice) I find myself having to live with many such lost opportunities and subsequent layers of wishful thinking prior to my  (finally) discovering the self- empowering nature of positive thought. (Even regrets don’t have to be totally negative in the sense that we can learn from our mistakes …if only we make time to do so.)

We need to believe in ourselves if we stand any chance at all of making a better, kinder world for all of us. So don't let anyone put you down for whatever reason but explore your potential and make the most of it.  We can but try. Oh, and however things turn out, be happy, and never let anyone make you feel you could do better and are settling for second best. The chances are, they are jealous that making the most of who you are has made you happy while they regret not having tried harder themselves. 

Oh, and happiness comes in all shapes and sizes, of course, so never let anyone judge you, either. Everyone's potential is different and tailored to different aspirations. As I have said many times on the blogs, those differences don't make us different, just human,

SQUARING UP TO POTENTIAL

Peering down a pit of years,
pin-prick of light at the bottom
reminiscent of birth;
bleak, timeless walls rising
like dark threats,
reminiscent of waiting graves
conjured up
by each day’s passing, homing in
on ends of beginnings, beginnings of ends,
nemeses of ideology

Peering down a pit of years,
letting a tear drop to the bottom,
reminiscent of a dream,
ripples of light chasing potential
into a nothingness
reminiscent of an empty cage
as conjured up
by each day’s passing, homing in
on ifs, maybe’s, would have, should have,
no excuses

Peering up at passing clouds,
putting names to faces I have loved,
reminiscent of meaning
despite neither answers or questions,
only heartbeats
reminiscent of raindrops on a petal,
potentially destructive,
but unable to break the spirit of stem
or flower, beginnings and endings nurtured
by Earth Mother

Peering across a garden lawn,
restoring sight enough to open mind,
body and spirit
to the enduring spirituality of life,
love and peace
that cannot deny prison, pit or cage,
but knows better
than to let either surfeit of questions
or want of answers leave us in the dark
from womb to tomb

Trust body, mind and spirit
to flush out inner, kinder, better selves,
reminiscent of solutions
to unanswered questions left to climb
bleak, timeless walls,
spurred on by pin-pricks of light
competing to engage
humanity with pride for homing in
on timeless heavens, no end of potential
in its sights

Copyright R. N. Taber 2015

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