| Poetic Matrix Comm Page #4 |
This page is intended as an exchange of ideas, poetry, comments and concerns. Via our email address I
invite your expression on this page. (poeticmatrix@yahoo.com) Write what you feel is appropriate, it
will be reviewed and placed on this page for others to see and comment on. Comment on the material
on this website, send in a poem, address issue of concern for poets and lovers of poetry.
We take as a general theme:
"The role of the artist in community"
For previous discussions go to Comm Page #1, Comm Page #2 and Comm Page #3 on the Archives
Page.
invite your expression on this page. (poeticmatrix@yahoo.com) Write what you feel is appropriate, it
will be reviewed and placed on this page for others to see and comment on. Comment on the material
on this website, send in a poem, address issue of concern for poets and lovers of poetry.
We take as a general theme:
"The role of the artist in community"
For previous discussions go to Comm Page #1, Comm Page #2 and Comm Page #3 on the Archives
Page.
6/20/06
I received an email today from a good friend who, to date, I have met only over the internet, Paul
Dolinsky, poet, philosopher and editor of the fine Buddhist website The Golden Lantern (see their
banner link on the index page). He and I share a number of common sources: a love of poetry; a
history of philosophical study that has taken both of us into Buddhism; a concern for the current
political affairs of our community; and the importance of joining our voices with the voices of many
others so that we might be agents for a deeper understanding of our human condition towards
maintaining this plant and the many and diverse inhabitants.
Paul sent me an address to his Blog (www.philospeak.blogspot.com), I'm still a novice in the internet
department so Blogs are still a new phenomena to me but I am interested in any intelligent vehicle that
can get a conversation going about the state of THINGS. Paul writes about how the Republicans
wrap the flag around events of the day thereby making the event a plus for "our side". Read his Blog
to get the details of what he is driving at. He signs his piece by his blog "nom de plum" poetpaul. On
this page (Comm Page) we are looking at The role of the artist in the community and poetpaul is
taking the role of the poet to heart. Yes, the poem is the thing and yet one's poetic sensibility is
critical if we are to rearrange the furniture in our political house and infuse our communal life with the
stuff of poetry. One's poetic sensibility does not come only with the poem but makes up the sum of
one's way of being in the world. I know poets who are highway contract inspectors, juvenal justice
lawyers, plumbers, teachers, professors, sports magazine editors, restaurateurs, cooks, and the list
goes on and on. They put their poetic sensibilities out in all they do, not just in the poems they write,
but in their concern and interaction with juvenal offenders, with students, with the food they cook and
the customers they serve.
Poets take as a sacred task the connection of words with truth. The manipulation of words to suit the
political agenda is one things that gets poets all stirred up and as this happens most regularly in our less
than intellectual political climate poets tend to be a bit of a radical lot, unhappy with the ruling political
elite and their pundits and the shoddy abuse of words and language in general. It does seem important
to take the poetic sensibility into that most abusive political arena on occasion and point out the flaws
and make demands that a search for the better community run parallel with the search for truth and
that a sinister manipulation of language for political gain is anathema to these ends.
Check out poetpaul's Blog. Find others, keep the internet an active place for poetic sensibilities, drop
us a note here at the Comm Page, write a poem to the President, to the local newspaper. Put up a
billboard (well maybe), speak the truth, connect your work to truth, smile and connect all of us to love
and truth and beauty and fill this sometimes dismal world with the stuff that makes it glow, the stuff
that lets us know that we are luminous inhabitants on this earth, us and so many more.
John Peterson, Publisher
I received an email today from a good friend who, to date, I have met only over the internet, Paul
Dolinsky, poet, philosopher and editor of the fine Buddhist website The Golden Lantern (see their
banner link on the index page). He and I share a number of common sources: a love of poetry; a
history of philosophical study that has taken both of us into Buddhism; a concern for the current
political affairs of our community; and the importance of joining our voices with the voices of many
others so that we might be agents for a deeper understanding of our human condition towards
maintaining this plant and the many and diverse inhabitants.
Paul sent me an address to his Blog (www.philospeak.blogspot.com), I'm still a novice in the internet
department so Blogs are still a new phenomena to me but I am interested in any intelligent vehicle that
can get a conversation going about the state of THINGS. Paul writes about how the Republicans
wrap the flag around events of the day thereby making the event a plus for "our side". Read his Blog
to get the details of what he is driving at. He signs his piece by his blog "nom de plum" poetpaul. On
this page (Comm Page) we are looking at The role of the artist in the community and poetpaul is
taking the role of the poet to heart. Yes, the poem is the thing and yet one's poetic sensibility is
critical if we are to rearrange the furniture in our political house and infuse our communal life with the
stuff of poetry. One's poetic sensibility does not come only with the poem but makes up the sum of
one's way of being in the world. I know poets who are highway contract inspectors, juvenal justice
lawyers, plumbers, teachers, professors, sports magazine editors, restaurateurs, cooks, and the list
goes on and on. They put their poetic sensibilities out in all they do, not just in the poems they write,
but in their concern and interaction with juvenal offenders, with students, with the food they cook and
the customers they serve.
Poets take as a sacred task the connection of words with truth. The manipulation of words to suit the
political agenda is one things that gets poets all stirred up and as this happens most regularly in our less
than intellectual political climate poets tend to be a bit of a radical lot, unhappy with the ruling political
elite and their pundits and the shoddy abuse of words and language in general. It does seem important
to take the poetic sensibility into that most abusive political arena on occasion and point out the flaws
and make demands that a search for the better community run parallel with the search for truth and
that a sinister manipulation of language for political gain is anathema to these ends.
Check out poetpaul's Blog. Find others, keep the internet an active place for poetic sensibilities, drop
us a note here at the Comm Page, write a poem to the President, to the local newspaper. Put up a
billboard (well maybe), speak the truth, connect your work to truth, smile and connect all of us to love
and truth and beauty and fill this sometimes dismal world with the stuff that makes it glow, the stuff
that lets us know that we are luminous inhabitants on this earth, us and so many more.
John Peterson, Publisher
July 4th 2006
I received this in my email today from my good friend and colleague James Downs, he was good
enough to let me reprint it here. It is important when our honor is impugned to comeback and say
what is true. To be critical, to write what it is we see that needs redress, to follow a calling that is not
down the line with what the society claims to be right does in not in any way mean we do not have
feelings and a deep connection to the culture we find ourselves in. I applaud James for immediately
"correcting" this affront to his person. - John
I received this in my email today from my good friend and colleague James Downs, he was good
enough to let me reprint it here. It is important when our honor is impugned to comeback and say
what is true. To be critical, to write what it is we see that needs redress, to follow a calling that is not
down the line with what the society claims to be right does in not in any way mean we do not have
feelings and a deep connection to the culture we find ourselves in. I applaud James for immediately
"correcting" this affront to his person. - John
| If you would like to respond go to Poetic Matrix Comm email here and add your comments. |
THIS BLUE BALL At the mouth of magnificent pouring a rush a push forward toward something not yet defined indefinable joy at the outer reaches of our grasp balled-up energy courses off the tips of fingertips sparking sending lasting signals inside deep below all layers is a thing so full we cannot see around nor over it all water flows ever so there at the mouth an efflusion so much water tumbles down the mountainside touches blue water inside DRY SALT Dry salt upon the road spread to take sins of the nation away if one walks down that road bare feet slow deliberate one can hear the cries of the people along miles and miles of asphalt hot and tempered with our fears one can go out and one can come in here again all in the same time this time we spend on the long road goes by in a blink of both eyes blink blink and one can miss so much dry salt scattered thick grit handfuls handfuls hard and ubiquitous touching our feet cleansing our lives I AM I am a thousand dreams I am the contentious the rabble rouser the rebel heart hopping a beat and a train I am the plane that flies high above hundreds of meadows not sure what I’m seeing not sure of anything I am the radio TV blaring the i pod blackberry computer demanding attention I am easily distracted I am easily diverted easily misled distraught and bled I am a zillion souls waiting a zillion souls waiting to be led to break open and free I am me everyone who has asked why and everyone who refuses to ask why I am what you think and I am nothing what you think at least you are thinking I am 6000 trumpets blaring I am the silent space pause between notes I make silence speak like a symphony I am one hundred thousand crying children bellies empty wondering when I am one hundred thousand ghosts of killing fields wondering why that bullet that bomb that bayonet was meant for them I am one person I am one person and it is a start I am one person and it is a start it is a start it is a start WISH LIST I want to come home to kindness I want the edges of things to be rounded not so sharp not so cutting I want the world to revolve as it always does and to find its way through the Universe clear and cool in vast dark I want to go out there and to come back again each time a little fuller of the things that makes me more human I want so many intangible not-easy-to-touch things but most of all on this blue planet I want to remain arms wide heart wide soul wide open to things James Downs May & June 2006 |
On this 230th anniversary of our Independence from Britain, I had occasion for
someone to call my patriotism into question. Their offhand remark that “James doesn’
t seem very patriotic, anyway” has allowed me to explore what I believe that patriotism
entails. I would like to share what I found in my heart with each of you on this day:
--patriotism means seeing our shores for the first time and breathing a sigh of freedom
--patriotism means feeling safe and moving through life with that sense of freedom and
without fear of reprisals from your own leaders
--patriotism means watching geese fly through a sunset over our land and getting a
lump in your throat
--patriotism means being willing to protect those geese and the air they fly through and
the water and earth they land upon for they are our only geese air water and earth
--patriotism means your heart thumping proudly as you help a homeless person on a
packed city street or volunteer at a hospital or give to human causes
--patriotism means each person is cause for your heart to reach out and love because
each is as important as all
--patriotism means being grateful a child born has a chance to be healthy and has
possibilities to grow up to his or her full potential
--patriotism means fighting for that child’s health and potential by insuring them safe
families safe streets health insurance well supplied schools and opportunities to
flourish
--patriotism means being proud we live in a land of laws
--patriotism means holding each citizen to those laws fairly making sure the greatest
as well as the least follow them means that we hold tightly to the principle that we are
innocent until proven guilty not guilty until proven innocent as was the European
system we left in the 1700s
--patriotism means being aware of the possibilities in a thunderstorm as well as a sunny
day means remaining open to the possibility of wonder and joy by keeping our eyes
and our hearts propped wide open
--patriotism means being willing to risk pain and fear to get past fear in order to live
fully live authentically live
--patriotism means discerning between battles with those who have committed wrongful
acts against us and that of reckless wars of adventure for power or personal monetary
gain
--patriotism means then demanding that we stick to the first choice
--patriotism means to always vote because it is our responsibility and our right
--patriotism means making sure that all persons’ vote counts not allowing one single
person to become disenfranchised for political gain
--patriotism means learning
--patriotism means always being open to learning learning about others different than
ourselves learning to work together for all the people
--patriotism means guarding our founding documents
--patriotism means guarding the rights in those documents from erosion from
exploitation through fear from plain usurpation
--patriotism means protest
--patriotism means not remaining silent when a wrong needs righting speaking to
truth holding our representatives accountable
--patriotism means risk
--patriotism means risking your freedom by going out and living your life to
full potential brave in spite of fear as an individual in a society helping
this country fill up with good
That is what is in my heart today Thank you for listening
James Downs Yosemite poet July 4, 2006
someone to call my patriotism into question. Their offhand remark that “James doesn’
t seem very patriotic, anyway” has allowed me to explore what I believe that patriotism
entails. I would like to share what I found in my heart with each of you on this day:
--patriotism means seeing our shores for the first time and breathing a sigh of freedom
--patriotism means feeling safe and moving through life with that sense of freedom and
without fear of reprisals from your own leaders
--patriotism means watching geese fly through a sunset over our land and getting a
lump in your throat
--patriotism means being willing to protect those geese and the air they fly through and
the water and earth they land upon for they are our only geese air water and earth
--patriotism means your heart thumping proudly as you help a homeless person on a
packed city street or volunteer at a hospital or give to human causes
--patriotism means each person is cause for your heart to reach out and love because
each is as important as all
--patriotism means being grateful a child born has a chance to be healthy and has
possibilities to grow up to his or her full potential
--patriotism means fighting for that child’s health and potential by insuring them safe
families safe streets health insurance well supplied schools and opportunities to
flourish
--patriotism means being proud we live in a land of laws
--patriotism means holding each citizen to those laws fairly making sure the greatest
as well as the least follow them means that we hold tightly to the principle that we are
innocent until proven guilty not guilty until proven innocent as was the European
system we left in the 1700s
--patriotism means being aware of the possibilities in a thunderstorm as well as a sunny
day means remaining open to the possibility of wonder and joy by keeping our eyes
and our hearts propped wide open
--patriotism means being willing to risk pain and fear to get past fear in order to live
fully live authentically live
--patriotism means discerning between battles with those who have committed wrongful
acts against us and that of reckless wars of adventure for power or personal monetary
gain
--patriotism means then demanding that we stick to the first choice
--patriotism means to always vote because it is our responsibility and our right
--patriotism means making sure that all persons’ vote counts not allowing one single
person to become disenfranchised for political gain
--patriotism means learning
--patriotism means always being open to learning learning about others different than
ourselves learning to work together for all the people
--patriotism means guarding our founding documents
--patriotism means guarding the rights in those documents from erosion from
exploitation through fear from plain usurpation
--patriotism means protest
--patriotism means not remaining silent when a wrong needs righting speaking to
truth holding our representatives accountable
--patriotism means risk
--patriotism means risking your freedom by going out and living your life to
full potential brave in spite of fear as an individual in a society helping
this country fill up with good
That is what is in my heart today Thank you for listening
James Downs Yosemite poet July 4, 2006