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Bardo 6d
My young niece,  she used sing in the church choir
But when she grew older she left the choir
She got her nose pierced,  became a Vegan and Social Justice warrior
Now it was all about the planet and everything having to be done a certain way ...or else LoL
When she'd come to visit, she used complain
Your house Uncle it's s so cluttered, all these little nick nacks and ornaments you have and all these books
You should get rid of half this stuff, bring it all down to the charity shop
I looked at her and said, said quite mysteriously "My world... my world is not your world"
I picked up an ornament and said "This world has a lot of ugliness in it, these things remind me that there's beauty too '
I pointed at the books up on the shelves
"I can tell you why I bought every one of those books, what they meant to me
I can tell you what I was going through at the time...
And how they helped keep me sane in this... this crazy world"
Then my niece she picked up a book, it was a children's book with pictures in it
You probably won't need this one she said, it's only a kid's book
I looked at her in horror, then suddenly said real dramatic like
"Stop! Don't move!! Stay very very still!"
What's wrong ! she said a bit concerned
"That book you're holding, it's... it's God !!"
What!! she said
"There's a picture of God in that book...or the God experience, the spiritual thing
That's why I bought it"
She looked a bit lost, even afraid
I smiled at her bewilderment and continued
When I was younger I used suffer from anxiety and from ideas that made no sense to me...I was plagued 
I got interested in meditation and self hypnosis various relaxation techniques
Quietening the mind, that sort of thing
I managed to train my mind to stay quiet for very long periods
It's a very hard thing to do but it is possible
One night I went to bed, I was lying there with my eyes closed when suddenly this strange feeling came over me
It was like something was happening, happening in my head, it was like there was suddenly something coming down upon me
And then... then I seen it even though my eyes they were closed
I seen...something I hadn't seen since I was a little child, an infant in my cot some thirty years before
I was...I was astonished
And I remembered... I could still remember
There were several stages in it and you'd pass from one stage into the next
I got so excited
I thought to myself "I remember this!  I remember this!!!
I used to get this when I was very young"
I was so excited I only managed to get through several of the stages before I opened my eyes I pulled out of it because I was just blown away by the whole experience...at seeing it again  (after all those years)
I lay there amazed at what I'd just seen"
Here I stopped and looked away rather sadly into the distance
"Unfortunately though around that time I'd also recently bought a book on Positive thinking, a bestseller, one that was very highly regarded
For some reason I can't think of now I chose to go with the Positive thinking book
Rather than to continue with my quiet mind meditation thing
Yea, I chose something from the world rather than that which I'd found within my own self...something that was wholly mine
It's something... something I've always regretted ... not continuing with my quiet mind meditation
One day a few years later I was in a bookshop browsing
I was looking in the bargain bin
And I seen that book, I was looking at the pictures
And there was this one picture that fascinated me
It reminded me of my experience that night
I had to buy it because of that".

I looked at my niece and said  
"In that book there's pictures, look through the pictures, take your time
Pick out the picture which you find the most interesting, the most fascinating ...the one that seems to speak to you the most
When you've made your choice, close the book and give it back to me
But don't tell me which picture you've chosen
Then I'll open the book and I'll show you yes!,  I'll show you the picture you've chosen ".
My niece said "OK" as if it were a challenge, she went away with the book, about half an hour later she came up to me
I asked her "Was there a picture that...that spoke to you, that you...you liked"
"There was...there was one yea, one that was very strange ", she answered
She handed the book back to me
I opened it and turned to the page which reminded me of my meditative experience
I turned the book around and pointing at the picture said "This is the picture you chose, isn't it"
My niece she smiled looking very surprised, as if it were some kind of trick  "How did you know...how did you know I'd pick that picture"
I replied "You're young, maybe you too still have a remembrance hidden somewhere...a memory...of that special time....long ago".
Not quite true this, my niece had come down a couple of times to help me de-clutter my house, she was collecting some books, I thought next time she comes down I'll ambush ber leave out my 'God Book' and then we'd have the above conversation. Unfortunately she left home soon afterwards and went to live in her own apartment and has been so pre-occupied with her friends, I haven't hardly seen her since. She's growing up.  So here I've just imagined how things might have turned out if she had come down.
datura Dec 2024
Baby's breath kisses the merlot tide of disease,
A brindled sea holds the white orchid of blanched dittany's.

Moonflowers scintillate with each cradle of dusk,
While Stars marl the sky, veiling over in cosmic musk.

During quietude, swans tread the ichor in a pearlesque flotilla,
The poison ripples beneath them as they thread between silk lilies and ivory scilla.

The gore strewn water continues to fester with pulsating, ripe, bile,
Despite all, the huddle of infancy will remain ever fertile.
This piece is a metaphor for beauty coexisting amidst evil and corruption, feel free to comment I'd love to hear what you think of it
Valentin Eni Nov 2024
No,
the poet is not always
the bringer of light!
he can also bring
darkness, hatred, and pain.
he can sing of evil and ugliness.
the poet knows how to squeeze out tears
and smear blood into your eyes.
from his nails, claws can grow
and from his teeth, fangs.
on his forehead, horns he could place
if ever needed.
No,
the poet is not necessarily
dressed in white garments.
he can pass through naked
and laugh madly in hysterics!
and if you strike him,
he will not always
turn the other cheek.
No,
the poet is no angel!
he is a wound—always bleeding—
on the sick heart of the World
and the sleepless eye on Its forehead,
the unforeseen eye.
This poem was originally written in Romanian.

Analysis of "No! The Poet"

Theme:
The poem challenges romanticized notions of poets as solely virtuous and enlightened figures, presenting a darker, multifaceted portrayal instead. The poet becomes a vessel for light and shadow, capable of evoking beauty and ugliness, healing and harm. This duality emphasizes the raw and unpredictable power of art and the humanity of its creator.

Tone and Structure:
The tone is defiant and provocative, confronting the reader’s expectations with stark negations. The repeated "No" asserts the rejection of traditional archetypes and sets the poem’s rhythm. The structure, with its free verse and escalating intensity, mirrors the chaotic, untamed energy of the poet described within.

Imagery and Meaning:

The Poet as a Creator of Duality:

"The poet is not always the bringer of light! / he can also bring darkness, hatred, and pain."
The poet is portrayed as a figure who embodies and expresses the full spectrum of human experience unbound by societal ideals of purity or enlightenment.
This duality challenges the reader to see poetry as more than a tool for comfort or beauty.

Violent and Monstrous Metaphors:

"From his nails, claws can grow / and from his teeth, fangs. / On his forehead, horns he could place."
The poet is likened to a beast or demon, underscoring creativity's primal, untamed nature. Poetry here is not sanitized but raw and visceral.
These images emphasize that poets may disturb or unsettle as much as they inspire.

Human Vulnerability:

"He is a wound—always bleeding— / on the sick heart of the World."
The poet is presented as deeply empathetic, absorbing and reflecting the world’s pain.
This wound symbolizes the poet's role as a witness and participant in humanity’s suffering.

The Unforeseen Eye:

"The sleepless eye on Its forehead, / the unforeseen eye."
The poet becomes a seer, perceiving and revealing truths that others cannot or will not see.
This suggests a sense of duty or burden, as the poet remains ever-watchful and aware.

Message:
The poem asserts that poets are not merely idealistic figures of inspiration but complex beings who confront the full spectrum of life’s darkness and light. They wield their art as both a weapon and a balm, embodying truth's chaotic, painful, and transformative power. The poet’s role is to provoke, unsettle, and challenge while carrying the weight of the world’s wounds.

Conclusion:
"No! The Poet" is a bold and courageous portrayal of the poet as a figure of duality—creator and destroyer, angel and beast, healer and wound. By rejecting conventional expectations, the poem forces readers to reconsider the nature of art and its creators, emphasizing the poet's raw humanity and limitless potential. It is a celebration of poetry’s ability to confront the sublime and the grotesque, offering a vision of art as both a mirror and a force of transformation.
Abner Ros Nov 2020
I
Whether inner or outer, the matter is naught
Many sought after what cannot be bought
Though heart and mind is where it all lies
An impeccable vision beyond your mere eyes.
  
The signature mark of human kind
Dream and reality all intertwined
Cold as ice, hot as raw fire
Grand aesthetic for all to admire –

Seldom achieved, unable to build
Quenches all thirst, all hungers fulfilled
With all imperfections, itself so flawless
Rules are negated; thus, it remains lawless

Greatest of weapons bound by no defence
For it may be subtle, yet so intense
Partnered with love, a potent ideal
Beauty will call, no need to conceal.

II
Silence lay steadily against the barren walls
Aging wood, icy stone
An empty carcass rotting away
Unable to feel or be felt
                        Allowing nothing in or out
Though a poison seeps within its walls
Changing it, from what it was once before
Now wearing a mask as if to disguise,
                   The unseen horrors lurking inside
Goblins and ghouls are the least of your worry
For what lies inside is far more heinous
Beauty’s opposition, readily awaits
No longer a guise hiding the truth -
Reality is met with eager eyes
A stammering figure soundlessly screaming  
Hauling chains and a mirror of lies,
Though not evil, a choice in itself
                   Ugliness within can often be mended.
Raven Blue Jul 2020
Every time I look at my mirror;
I can't clearly see myself.
I can only see a vague figure.
Every time I look at other people's mirror;
I can clearly see myself.
Yes, I can see myself.
I can see an ugly person with lots of scar.
And because of those scars;
I can't become a star.
And because I can't become a star;
I want to forget myself.
And maybe that's the reason why I can't clearly see myself in my mirror.
Slit the veins of truth,
see all of our ugliness
spill from this society.

That stole my youth,
as darkness hit my eyes
with fear and anxiety.

Please end all of this grief
and let's show loveliness,
maybe live in coalescence.

Our lives are rather brief
so can't we all be allies,
Isn't love life's essence?
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