Wednesday 8 February 2017
The force that through the green fuse drives the flower- Dylan Thomas ( 27/10/14 - 9/11/53)
It is a month today that I lost Jane, my soul has been raining hard,memories of better days,but my faithful departed is still flying around,fluttering from tree to tree,ever so free,I forever dream of her, and her gorgeous smile ignites,and as spring returns I still feel her presence. Here is a poem from the mercurial hand of the late great Dylan Thomas that we both appreciated .
The force that through the green fuse drives the flower
The force that through the green fuse drives the flower
Drives my green age; that blasts the roots of trees
Is my destroyer.
And I am dumb to tell the crooked rose
My youth is bent by the same wintry fever.
The force that drives the water through the rocks
Drives my red blood; that dries the mouthing streams
Turns mine to wax.
And I am dumb to mouth unto my veins
How at the mountain spring the same mouth sucks.
The hand that whirls the water in the pool
Stirs the quicksand; that ropes the blowing wind
Hauls my shroud sail.
And I am dumb to tell the hanging man
How of my clay is made the hangman’s lime.
The lips of time leech to the fountain head;
Love drips and gathers, but the fallen blood
Shall calm her sores.
And I am dumb to tell a weather’s wind
How time has ticked a heaven round the stars.
And I am dumb to tell the lover’s tomb
How at my sheet goes the same crooked worm.
1934
Sunday 5 February 2017
Still Searching
( another one for Jane, my muse , 9/5/60 - 8/1/17,nearly a month gone)
I shall continue to search the stars for you
Beyond every torrid bed of tears,
Leaping from the darkness
Towards your magnificent light,
I will follow you always
No matter where, no matter how,
Because I saw your love in your eyes for me
Over time you gave so much encouragement,
That I will never forget, never surrender
Forever grateful for the joys you bought,
Alcohol is nice , but it is you that is most intoxicating
I am drunk now with my thoughts of you,
But your presence stops me falling over
As spring returns releasing all its colors and scents,
Your gift of inspiration , thankfully keeps on giving.
Saturday 4 February 2017
Artists pledge for Palestine
Over 1,200 UK artists have now pledged to heed the Palestinian people's call to boycott apartheid Israel.The pledge, which was launched on 14 February 2015 with a letter in The Guardian newspaper and a new website, reads:
We support the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and equality. In response to the call from Palestinian artists and cultural workers for a cultural boycott of Israel, we pledge to accept neither professional invitations to Israel, nor funding, from any institutions linked to its government until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights.
The Guardian letter went on to add that:
Israel’s wars are fought on the cultural front too. Its army targets Palestinian cultural institutions for attack, and prevents the free movement of cultural workers. Its own theater companies perform to settler audiences on the West Bank – and those same companies tour the globe as cultural diplomats, in support of “Brand Israel.” During South African apartheid, musicians announced they weren’t going to “play Sun City.” Now we are saying, in Tel Aviv, Netanya, Ashkelon or Ariel, we won’t play music, accept awards, attend exhibitions, festivals or conferences, run masterclasses or workshops, until Israel respects international law and ends its colonial oppression of the Palestinians.
The list of signatories includes many high-profile artists based in the UK, including:
Writers Tariq Ali, William Dalrymple, Aminatta Forna, Bonnie Greer, Mark Haddon, Hari Kunzru, Liz Lochhead, Jimmy McGovern, China Mieville, Andrew O’Hagan, Michael Rosen, Kamila Shamsie, Hanan al-Shaykh, Gillian Slovo, Ahdaf Soueif, Marina Warner, Benjamin Zephaniah
Film directors Mike Hodges, Asif Kapadia, Peter Kosminsky, Mike Leigh, Phyllida Lloyd, Ken Loach, Roger Michell, Michael Radford, Julien Temple
Comedians Jeremy Hardy, Alexei Sayle, Mark Thomas
Musicians Richard Ashcroft, Jarvis Cocker, Brian Eno, Kate Tempest, Roger Waters, Robert Wyatt
Actors Rizwan Ahmed, Anna Carteret, David Calder, Simon McBurney, Miriam Margolyes
Theater writers/directors Caryl Churchill, David Edgar, Dominic Cooke CBE, Sir Jonathan Miller, Mark Ravenhill
Visual artists Phyllida Barlow, John Berger, Jeremy Deller, Mona Hatoum
Architects Peter Ahrends, Will Alsop
Many of those participating added moving statements to their signatures, outlining the reasons why they felt the need, as creatives, to take this step. Director and screenwriter Michael Radford’s sentiment was:
As the son of a Jewish refugee, the anger and despair I feel can only faintly echo that of the people of Gaza. Art is a celebration of humanity, and the symbolic gesture of refusing any artistic collaboration with a state which values its own contribution to the arts so highly is the least we can do to protest against the horrifying inhumanity of its actions.
The full range of artists’ statements can be found on the pledge website.
I have added my name, will you?
https://artistsforpalestine.org.uk/introduction/a-pledge/
Thursday 2 February 2017
Do not feed the Trolls
( a poem written after an encounter with an internet troll)
They simply do not give a damn
especially when on social media
where everything makes them angry
but without the gift of articulation
every time they open their gob
release a torrent of abuse and profanity
do not try not to feed them
or massage their twisted egos
they will just carry on mocking
poking aggressively with idiocy
spreading messages of hate and prejudice
poisonous voices of this new world disorder
who will try to destroy your compassion
your sensitivity and reason
leave them alone they have no allure
let them to continue making fools of themselves
am sure one day soon they'll get their due.
The above can now also be found here :-
https://iamnotasilentpoet.wordpress.com/2017/02/03/do-not-feed-the-trolls-by-dave-rendle/
Wednesday 1 February 2017
The Pop Group - War Inc.
Download: https://thepopgroup.lnk.to/HoneymoonO...
All proceeds of this single will be donated to Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders)
http://www.msf.org/
to help with the incredible work they do in war zones throughout the world. In 2015 they provided over a million consultations across war torn regions of Asia and Africa, and also provide nutrition and psychological help to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable, innocent civilians.
The Pop Group set out their stall for 2017 with the release of their single War Inc. from their vital new album Honeymoon On Mars.
War Inc sees The Pop Group formidably mobilized by the heavyweight maximalism of Public Enemy architect Hank Shocklee. Befitting the song’s theme of warfare and the avarice of those who stand to profit from it, the track coalesces around a punishing crossfire of industrial brunt and volatile noise, as driven, explosive and audacious as anything The Pop Group or Shocklee have put their name to. With Mark Stewart’s vociferous loudspeaker tirades and Gareth Sager’s acutely distressed guitar distortions punctuated by a recurrent vocal cut-up that alludes to iconic ragga and 90s Bristolian jungle, the track maintains the band’s capacity for adventurous admixtures of influence, whilst delivering a much-needed message of savage, perceptive fury.
‘This is a warning...’
War Inc. is taken from the ten track album, produced by dub titan Dennis Bovell, who worked on their seminal Y album debut, and Hank Shocklee, producer of Public Enemy’s iconic first three albums as a member of the Bomb Squad. Honeymoon On Mars was released through Freaks R Us on Friday October 28th 2016.
LIVE
Friday 3 February 17 - Belgium Antwerp Het Bos
Saturday 4 February 17 - Belgium Eeklo Muziekclub N9
Sunday 5 February 17 - Germany Frankfurt Das Bett
Tuesday 7 February 17 - Italy Turin Spazio 211
Wednesday 8 February 17 - Italy Ravenna Bronson
Thursday 9 February 17 - Italy Milan Circolo Magnolia
Friday 10 February 17 - Switzerland Bern Dampfzentrale*
(*w. Andrew Weatherall DJ Set)
Wednesday 15 February 17 - UK Cambridge The Portland Arms
Thursday 16 February 17 - UK Brighton Komedia
https://www.thepopgroup.net/
Monday 30 January 2017
EXPRESS UNITY & STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY
Found above on facebook, this morning, not sure who has organised it but worth supporting. It inspired the following. Cheers.
Everyone is equal
we're all the same inside
I believe in unity
standing together with pride
beyond politicians cruel game
and vicious biting tonques
building bridges not walls
our love they will never contain
with diversity we can join together
speaking the language of humanity
that does not dwell on our differences
keeps on reaching out, releasing our hopes.
( The above , incidentally first poem of mine released since Jane's passing, 8/1/17
Sunday 29 January 2017
John Hurt ( 22/1/40 - 26/1/17 ) - Speaking out
RIP to the brilliant, incomparable,Oscar nominated actor and all round good geezer John Hurt whose career spanned six decades who has passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer aged 77. His vast resume included works like The Elephant Man, and what is likely the most widely viewed adaptation of George Orwell’s chilling warning 1984, Alien, The Naked Civil Servant,Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Hellboy, Doctor Who, and V for Vendetta, to name just a few.
Here in an earlier clip his voice still resonates as he speaks his mind in support for Amnesty International. His message a simple one: "Stand up for humanity and human rights."
" Human rights are ours by birth. They cannot be given or taken away by any individual,organisation or court ." - John Hurt, man of principle, RIP
Here in an earlier clip his voice still resonates as he speaks his mind in support for Amnesty International. His message a simple one: "Stand up for humanity and human rights."
" Human rights are ours by birth. They cannot be given or taken away by any individual,organisation or court ." - John Hurt, man of principle, RIP
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