The moon meets the earth. Gravity failing, Dirt flailing, Stars in distance waver, Their faith imitation. Full life intimation, Planets align, Languishing minds desire, Darkness within fire, Which tapers and eventually dies. So hope your hero pursues ire, Producing a more temperate climate. Men forged in water, Are Birthed in peace. And Forget their place, Yet say their piece.
summer beginnings world changes within our soul a new tomorrow
Sound. Light. Vibration. Energy. Symbol. Letter. Word. Sentence. Paragraph. Writing. Lyric. Song. Dance. Therapeutic. Healing. Perception. Transparency. Emotion. Existential. Esoteric. Darkness. Light. Duality. Mirror. Truth. Art. Life. Death. Fear. Love. Awareness is vital. Knowledge is power. Art is life. I am a part time self sustained independent investigative journalist. I am also a writer and I like to put my ideas into poetry and art. My focus areas: to analyze, measure and expose corruption, manipulation, exploitation and extortion within corporations, governments and religion structures. I love my job. =D ♡☆ So. . .in Star Wars. . .do you ONLY blame the evil emperor, or do you acknowledge the Storm Troopers part in the atrocities too? Now compare that to real life. The Empire HAS NO POWER if there's no Troops to follow the evil orders of the War Mongering Elite Banksters. So let me get this straight. You think it's bad for our taxes, money, and time going towards free and proper education, free food, free health-care, free energy, and housing to our own nation, but you're perfectly fine with a fake Federal Reserve ponzi scheme bank that's a private owned mafia organization driving us into debt slaves, and funneling our money into Isreal and going to war with almost every country that's not us to steal their land, gold, oil, and drug reserves? And if we say we should spend our money on us and Peace, you pull out the bullshit card and call us slackers and that we have to earn and slave for our shelter, food, health, and energy. Sometimes, you have to stop being politically correct, stop being nice, stand up and say fuck you and your war mongering, and your stupid. Quit excusing people's actions. Your patriotism is a joke. You blindly follow the lies of the Elite, and don't even research what the industrial Military Complex does with your taxes. And your blind patriotism supports the canon fodder churning out of young men to die early at commands of rich old men lusting for power. The whole entire system needs uprooted to follow the path of Peace. ☆It's time for the end of the Rothschild-Rockefeller Empire, the Federal Reserve, and for Israel debt.☆ The United States government and it's military IS the terrorists. Let me say it again, with no sugar coating. . .ahem. . .THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND IT'S MILITARY IS IN FACT THE LARGEST MOST CORRUPT TERRORIST ORGANIZATION ON PLANET EARTH. I am a pacifist and I will NEVER support war, mass murder, genocide, and institutionalized indoctrinated violence. I do very much respect our MISLEAD fallen troops, but I do not support our corrupt terrorist military. "Just following my orders" No, follow your heart. Support for the constitution of the United States includes looking out for enemies and threats both foreign and domestic, such as the terrorist cells within Washington DC, known as the Legislative Judicial, and Executive branches that prostitute war and indoctrinated institutionalized violence. I fight for Peace for all Nations and I will settle for nothing less. These wars are NOT for freedom. They are attacks on other countries, while they defend themselves. They are conducted for the bankers, the Rothschilds, the Rockefellers, for the Federal Reserve, the CFR, the IMF, for Israel debt, for Wall Street. For those leaders who profit from war and do not fight the battles themselves. For the evil greed of rich men behind the curtain and racket of war. For those who want to secure and dominate other countries oil drugs gold and resources. Politicians are puppets for the banksters and they won't change the game. Don't vote for those who stand for this. Send a clear message. Watch their actions, not their words, and see where their loyalty belongs to. Have them discuss the following: The Monetary System, The Federal Reserve, Fractional Banking, Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Bilderburg, Debt Slaves, Voluntary Servitude, the 14th amendment, The Basic Income platform, The Venus Project, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Council of Foreign Relations (CFR), and The Bank for International Settlements (BIS). I would love to watch them try to dance around these topics and try to distract you instead of actually addressing these issues. Peace is attainable. You just have to want it extremely bad. You have to want it like you want the oxygen to breath. ♡ Be warned, I'm about to reach out and touch your soul and your mind. Make sure it's lubricated. I have investigated. I look around the world and I'm exasperated. To be quite honest I'm nauseated. Countries and innocent citizens being annihilated. The money system becoming hyperinflated. Our water poisoned and fluorinated. Our food and air contaminated. Populations being dumbed down and heavily medicated. Our consent taken away in terms of being vaccinated. Women and children murdered, abused, appallingly fornicated. Laws infringing on morals and becoming overregulated. How in the hell do you not feel violated? Tyranny, famine and genocide being tolerated, incorporated and indoctrinated. Ecosystems being destroyed and violated. Animals, any species other than human initiated from birth into the human's horror of slavery and mass genocide and a daily basis. I see the injustice and I'm beyond aggravated. Even worse is our own government is behind many atrocities being generated! They decieve us and have us horrifyingly manipulated. This Truth is not false, it isn't hallucinated. Open your minds and you will see the Truth illuminated. This bullshit has me consistently frustrated. I've just gotten escalated, surely quite animated. The world's views are backdated, segregated and unnecessarily complicated. Our views on "wealth" has been sadly misappropriated. Why has the quest for peace been procrastinated and stagnated? Love and Peace has me fascinated. Mother Earth has me infatuated. Her Love has my mind wonderfully intoxicated. In any form, any medium, World Peace for all species needs communicated. People need to be compassionated and realize we are all one, not disassociated and discriminated. We need to get coordinated. Our minds need stimulated. This hate in the world has got me suffocated. Our message of love will make the hateful disoriented. The Powers that be do not have me intimidated. Their hateful opposition has me delightfully invigorated. Our cry for humanity needs to be illustrated. Your expectations for me have been severely underestimated. You didn't realize the power of my voice, surely miscalculated. I speak out and stand up for what I see, and I've become alienated. I've become isolated. My focus in life has been alternated. I'm liberated. Watch out, I'm opinionated. My mind is emancipated and sophisticated. I'm exuberated. I'm properly educated. My learning has become accelerated. My pineal gland is activated. My speech is articulated. My knowledge has accumulated and cultivated. My mind has just masterbated. My Truth is unadulterated. My Truth is authenticated and certificated. It cannot be debated, negated, nor be invalidated. My stance cannot be negotiated. People's ignorance has me unequivocally irritated. We are all meant to be loved, every species, not dominated. You should have seen me coming, should have anticipated. You should have appreciated. I cannot be compared, duplicated, or assimilated. I've studied the world and I've become acculturated. Everyone, we need to unite, our bodies, minds, and souls detoxicated. Our momentum will not be deviated. Our drive towards peace has become obligated. Powers that be want us depopulated. They want us fractionated, our minds distracted and fragmented. Powers that be want me and my voice incarcerated. And before long...I'll be nominated, legislated, after that inaugurated. Once I'm in office, war will be iradicated, violence eliminated. World Peace will be estimated, a new regime approximated. Tyranny deactivated. Hate evaporated. Black Ops secrets iradicated. I might be assassinated, but my message will live on, celebrated and circulated. The quest for peace has been reactivated. ♡ You speak in tongues. Surreal. I see through you. The veil. The curtain of forever. Illusion. Can it be truly so? Disillusion. I'm wide awake, Only to see the dream. I got the world on my shoulders Troubles rolling like boulders Throw dirt on me for mistakes No love in these high stakes I see through the games Guilt flows and blames Diamonds showering the mind Physical dimensions buckle and bind Truth distorted by distractions The future preys on my actions Delusions bring me to my knees Pursuit of happiness in the breeze Current rushing as I swim upstream Merrily merrily life is but a dream. The rabbit hole Investigative mole Tumble tumble Society crumble Fraud amuck Now your stuck Head full of doubt Fight to get out Once was blind Explore the mind Examine the pain Within cultural stain Authority a joke Let's peace let's smoke To be a good man lost Swimming in a satanic sea Devil's fire or devil's frost What the hell do you want from me Sitting here in contemplation Dreaming of my reclamation Change up style, I cry, I boast Missing what I miss the most Heart tucked safely behind my wall Hold resistance so I don't fall Stole my innocence from me jerk To get it back I'll have to work I see you, you sadistic fuck Counting time, on the side of luck You may hold me captive in your world But my heart will shine unfurled. I'll never join your dark side The light follows me in my stride I know your scared that I'll begin For you know you'll never win. Every night I go to bed Horrors running through my head Demons cheering like they've won I wish at night I had someone To wrap me up, hold me close Stroke my hair, love me most Whisper in my ear those sweet lies Sing me those sweet lullabys Tell me everything will be alright Help me get through one more night I lay my head down to rest. Hoping to escape you. Nay, foolish fleeting hopes You haunt me in my dreams. I wake and you haunt me Through my days. Day and night Yin and yang Around and around we go. You make me sad You drive me mad. Yay, I can never be rid of you. But yet if I could I would still never leave you I chase my tail I moan I wail But I will always love you. My heart sways My mind disobeys You hold the latch key Suffering on one bended knee I try to tell myself to resist Try to guide solely through the mist That lonely road through jungle wild You make me feel just like a child Forever reaching for destination Into your arms or to damnation A bond that cannot be broken Cosmic love, words unspoken. Colors of magic and mystery Your vision makes the tapestry. Cannot be duplicated nor compared Your impact, my heart unprepared. You know how to make light bend Darkness forever on the mend. Phantom Pain. The thing that's missing is the thing you feel the most. Makes it hard to forget. They say time heals all wounds. It's not healing this broken heart. Forever damaged. The Ghost in the machine. The phantom shadow. The delectable game of hide and seek. Peekaboo. I see you. Search and find. Finding answers only to gain more questions. Yin and yang. Round and round. Dark and Light. Esoteric and existential. Flow like water burn like fire. Everything all at once Balance and stumble. Rise and fall. The Game. The Dance. All we have is the Dance. Hold my hand. Be my song. As above So below Reap what you sow You are what you eat Stop eating meat Meat eating is the leading cause Of your death, disease and flaws Big Pharma and FDA With your life you pay They don't want you healthy Than they wouldn't be wealthy Stop believing their con game Research it or yourself is to blame Living the muggle Hustle and struggle Got a fast track dream Paddling life upstream Reap what you sow As above so below You are what you eat Savages killing for meat Humbled by the Truth Clark Kent in my booth Throw on the costume red cape The public will smear and rape Your name because you dare To rise above societies sick snare Plants have protein and health Public forgetting about true wealth Sacrificing a heart for a taste bud Squandering spirit growth in mud Do you now see the term mudblood? Humanity spewing genocidal flood. Zoos are cages, Humanity's prison Can't see it than you didn't listen Can't handle hypocrisy so hide In your butchery kitchen confide With your fellow savages alore Bang my name against the floor Healthy alternatives on the street In this game I got you beat Erect a wall and expect me to climb Truth through rhythm and rhyme. ------------------------------ "They poison the air They poison the water They poison vaccines For our sons and daughters Call it conspiracy But it doesn’t phase me Watch some world Star Hip Hop And see if I’m crazy Dumb upon dumb The dumbing down worked They can’t answer a question But they know how to twerk And before you think That you’re any better With your degree in hand And pocket protector Answer this You voting for left or the right Illusion of choice In a rigged fight Television for Multiple personalities One watches “News” The other “Reality” Both have the same owners Both have the same writers Both have the same purpose To kill our desires Working our jobs We are now so complacent Photographing our food Is now entertainment We can’t afford thrills We can’t even relax Can you even clear your head Without a Xanax Or Prozac or Ambien Go down the list Who gave us these issues That Big Pharma can “fix” They say harmful ingredients In such small amounts Can’t hurt anyone But it’s paramount 69 doses Of vaccines Is what’s on schedule By the time you’re 16 Pharmaceutical Lobbyists Are second to none In the past 7 years They spent $800 million That’s chump change in investment return Once you see Cancer alone is a $500 billion dollar a year industry As I mentioned before This is ONE of the ways They’ve taken control Of the people these days We pay to be poisoned I know that sounds nuts Got a computer Bill Gates thanks us Watch “Innovating to Zero” Gate’s Ted Talk stand To reduce carbon emissions A population control plan In his own words Here is the goal “If we do a great job with Vaccines, Health Care & Birth Control” Look at the millions of dollars He’s so generously given To make geoengineering A cure for emissions Look up at the sky Contrails, my ass Gates talks about sun blocking With sulfuric acid That shit rains down Into our water supply Seeps into our crops You can see the trees die Maybe I’m crazy Or maybe I’m not But there’s things that I notice That happen a lot Like when important bills pass It’s “sleight of hand” so you miss Don’t look at that Hey, look at this On April 18th, 2013 CISPA passed During the Boston Bombing During the scare of Ebola The UN passed What essentially is A Global Patriot Act You know, The Patriot Act, that excludes Due process for the nation And leaves extremist Up to interpretation Which leads to things Like TSA, Guantanamo Bay And invasions of privacy By the NSA If you have nothing to hide Why do you care about this Because of the things that make you A suspected terrorist Owning a gun, or precious metals Activism is too far Or rocking a Ron Paul sticker On the back of your car The “Read The Bill Act” Is proposed legislation That requires Congress to read Bills proposed for our nation Are you kidding me It’s not common sense To actually READ the bills Are you that fucking dense Oh, get all offended By the word I just used You should be offended By what’s in your food Reading the labels Of the food that we eat Requires a linguist To get a science degree I can’t pronounce Most of the words on the list Let alone know What the hell that it is They don’t want to label What’s GMO But have no problem labeling A race, religion or homo Labels on people To further divide To make us forget That we are divine I’m not a Socialist But I am entitled To my personal freedom And to protecting my child And I refuse to ask permission Before I speak my mind Like they teach the children in school Before they form a line Don’t get me started On education Our kids didn’t even make top 10 When comparing the nations But we were #1 In defense spending We’re the great war machine And the war’s never ending In all our high schools They’re trying to recruit The next generation To strap on the boots To protect our freedom But we are right here So why are they sending All our kids over there Bribing them With free education You’ll see the whole world While you bomb all the nations Protecting our freedom Or oil interest again Or use economic hitmen to establish A Central Banking System And when you come home After war messed with your mind You can live on the streets And commit suicide I mean no disrespect To those who’ve laid down their life For the love of the people They paid the ultimate price I’m just pissed off At the lies that are told By government puppets To get wars sold And as we’re on the verge Of World War 3 It’s our DUTY To question the powers that be But by all means Pledge your allegiance To a corrupt government Who stripped all our freedoms With the world’s highest Rate of incarceration Making huge profits For privately owned corporations Contractual agreements Are all in place To keep the cells full Of various inmates Doesn’t even matter If they’re violent or not Then promote thru the media That there’s a war on cops So that upstanding citizens Will then start to defend Our men and women in blue Who have swore to defend To “Protect and Serve” But that’s not the case at all Supreme Court ruled their only duty Is to uphold the law So it’s not to serve the people It’s to serve the state That’s why there’s more cops writing tickets Than investigating rapes I hate ending on negativity From all the above Because that’s not who I am I’m about peace and love And if your perspective is different That’s alright I’m not trying to argue I don’t want to fight And I’m not trying To change your stance But please research Cognitive dissonance It’s a hard pill to swallow At least it was for me But once you get past it It’s really quite freeing And frustrating, and depressing There’s ups and there’s downs But I’m thankful I know What I know now Because now I can try To help my kids To change how things are In this world that we live If you don’t hurt others Or infringe on their rights I’ll defend your freedom Till the day that I die We don’t need rulers to govern Because power corrupts Just defend one another And spread peace and love"
Today is but a fragile future, Flying high above our own wisdom, Too humble to nurture our own lambs, Ouroborous of the past come from within. We would smile upon our cattle truth, Passing as the horses coming through. Alexander of the trade has gone forever, Accordingly should we also become nothing? It seems apt for our most static people. Hopefully to procure funds for a sequel.
Three loveless dynasties divine. Providence in sheep inside. Bleeding, 'Treating to be blinded. The Feigning Suicidals. Three peasants covering their eyes, Not displaying thoughts inside. Blinded, 'Treating to be bleeding. A hopeless heart reciting. Bed made and three pillows aligned. Love lost 'tween a bout and twine. Meaning, Ends of never starting, Twelve sorrows between two hearts. Twelve hearts; Their grief imparting. Twelve stars align to follow charts. Cosmic games of skeet in the dark. Teeming, Conducted by the stars; An opera of three parts. The loveless damned to be confined, Only singing chorus lines. Finding love within their sources. Slamming on their desks with sore fists. Bed tossed and our feelings opined. Love found 'tween a tackle and twine. Value, Still, But still restarts, Twelve griefs of an ardent heart. Earnestly, Your soul departing.
Voice 6: Voice 5: Impart not, depart impassioned. Skirt not around the main subject, Constrict yourself within contract, Remain slack, what remains lacks. Often gold is only plated brass. Voice 6: Massive injuries cost my crawl, A future gone, Even barring expectation, I could bawl tragic. Should Atlas drop the ball, Just expecting God catch it? I want no tricks nor magic. Voice 4: There shall be no magic, silly tricks or dancing, Only men upon a battlefield. Some dead, some laughing. For if you could take a life, I could take a life. Only without procrastinating. I will bring a squire only, No men will hold you down, Assuming no-one eviscerates me, only father shall go to town, my final wish being a canary.
Upon the throne, no one will falter, No deeper prose, nor dragon exalted. Asia proceeds onward in laughter, For the west has loans now defaulted. Conceding mass fortune to misspent wealth, Preferring concert above eating well, Discoursing doctors say priority on health, Referring to a disease that fell, Not preventative well being. Nor representative of the well read, For mass appeal is just seeing. The senses infinite within a small thread, Only known to those rolling with laughter, Callused so thick they survive the rapture.
Bulwark for a king's depression, Surely there is not. Within the vast divine impressions, Introspective thought. A cirque carved in a sick obsession, Leaves a body fraught. Torn apart from mind's aggression Coldness forced astop.
I traverse the dark of the caverns: All I find is bottoms and laughter. Palaced me within a circular pattern, I find no gains, And no means to make with. Yet I find no pain, So is it easier to make wishes? Than to actually fulfill them? Is it easier to scale a building? Or easier to commit this build? Maybe it's even easier to stand idly by. Planes fly into buildings, make six billion.
The Ninety Nine Percent? Represent yourself and fuck majority, Fuck sitting in a tent, Fuck sitting in an era, Where lives are fucking spent, In jails within America, The Other One Percent. They rot while you prepare, Let it die, And try again. Go get high, And find a pet, In the whole world's seven bil', The Land of Free's three fifty mil', The Liberated Five percent, Something there disturbs me still, In jails there's ten times seven mil'. Metal barring concrete tents, The Captive; Occupying One Percent.
A Day in the Life I Morning Up early for a Sunday The clock says eight But even that's late For what we have to do And where we've got to be Breakfast hastily eaten A schedule that has to be beaten The taxi comes just on time The clock strikes the half nine The train will leave at ten So we have to be there then II In a railway waiting room People sitting Waiting for the train Some just there To get out of the rain The sun is starting To shine now Making the outlook Better somehow The fire Glows brightly Offering security In its warmth There must be a hike Somewhere By the amount of people Going there Dressed in their anoraks And their boots A passing express Gives warning toots Waiting for the train To friends Still far to go Before our journey ends Although having already Come this far Still there are miles To be travelled By car Sitting patiently, waiting For the train Marking time To the pouring rain III A ride through the countryside At our destination We are met Commiserations Hoping we did not get Too wet Outside the station They had parked the car Comfortable seats Our journey Not to mar We are off Through the countryside Making quite a pleasant ride Of our quest To the coast Never really deciding Which we prefer the most Ever onwards We are drawn Towards the outskirts Of Eastbourne IV Eastbourne Eating eggs Hard boiled Liver sausage sandwiches Cheese and ham Fried sausages Oranges too What a sight For people to view Throwing stones Into the sea Stopping to watch The tide roll in Then a walk Along the pier Perhaps to stop For a cool glass of beer Buying ornaments Made of glass Playing the games That made us laugh Throwing balls Into walls Listening to the radio In the warm Then on again It was said Towards the crags Of Beachy Head V Beachy Head Climbing up To the Bell Tower Pausing to view A lonely flower The long climb Winding a few The breathlessness Well worth the view On looking out to the sea So calm One could scarce believe It could do so much harm Then suddenly The gunshots Warning us of the coming rain So we quickly make our descent again The rabbit droppings In the tufted grass Is the sight I remember last The gulls wheeling On the wind Showing aerial acrobatics That Man will take A thousand years To conquer VI Newhaven When the tide Is full in It is a facade To walk along The esplanade At Newhaven For the angry waves Batter the man-made wall Persistently trying To make it fall Spraying Unwary travellers With showers of stones And the flying Sea spray That rusts Even the lamp posts Within a month The road to the west This is our quest Pass the ox-bow lake On the river That meanders Through the open fields Filled with Sweet smelling air The road takes us Past the harbour Where, the ' Chichester Star ' Lies anchored there Moored at her rest VII Brighton The Palace Pier On a Sunday Even in March Full of people Having fun Some lie on the beach Catching the sun That hides Behind the clouds Of the rain-filled sky But here we do not stay Perhaps I'll return Some other day The time has come Not to linger Drawn ever onwards By a wandering singer Dressed in sandals And in jeans Singing songs of the Changing scenes Sentiments felt By myself He did quote. He sang, Whilst I wrote VIII Shoreham Dark, dank and dismal Grey and grim Stands the power station The side, the day-tripper Does not see The squalid surroundings Of the industrial side Where the rubber factory Takes the coke works For its bride There, beside a mountain Of metal scrap Stands a fellow In a cloth cap Surrounded by Carcasses of cars Burnt out By long cold fires Wasteland covered With prickly briars Rubble strewn around Sweet papers, magazines Stones cover the ground The road carries on Pass the gasworks To playing fields Where people sit watching Others using their energy To a useless end A steel girdered bridge Spans the road Along by which The river still flowed IX Worthing Having high tea In the lounge Sardines, rolls Tea and toast Watching the sea Leave the coast Playing the pin machines With pennies Reading the paper To find the news Desperately needing To use the loos Off on our trek again Running from the Fast oncoming rain X Half a league ..... Destination somewhere In the west Selsey, probably At the very best Time, like the tide Rolling on Light of day Has nigh nearly gone The lights burning Along the road Turn from the palest pink To shimmering gold Eve draws on Darkness, soon to follow A level-crossing That isn't so level In fact, the road Looks like more of a bevel The road becomes Winding and long Making us remember The young minstrel's song Following the line Of cat's eyes Broken only By the sound of sighs A solitary star Guiding us, as of old The weather becoming Increasingly cold The long boring night Is broken By the bright lights Of the big service station At Crawley Say as they might To me, the most welcoming sight Was that of The Thorns pud At Horley Liquid refreshments For parched dry throats Although there was nowhere To hang our coats Having once Quenched our thirsts The road leads on To Billinghurst Then on down Cowper's Lane Just as it starts Again to rain In the comfortable warmth Of her home We are again Free to roam Tea for three And one for coffee Arguing who'll get to eat The very last toffee Onwards then, Homeward bound The car really seems To leave the ground Till the lights of Croydon Are encountered And as we are at our door " It was fun, we must do it more!" The two of us Climb the stairs Once again To all our cares Very quietly Into bed Nothing more It has all been said. Dusti Rodes (1975)
* The driving force within - I don't know the meanings, I just feel the feelings * The kick inside, Gives the reasons to write. It's the sign of the writer, Not the fighter in me. Or maybe it is. It's all here. That which has been written, Honed and pared, To give timbre to the tomes. The fears and frustrations, The high days and holidays. The black days and the blank days. The literary diamonds, the golden nuggets. All the bum lines and the b******t, Of poetic wisdom, and otherwise. Dusti Rodes (1997)
' Act of Faith ' The Weaving of the Web The Poet's Perception Caladbolg One Sword. Taking two hands to wield. Rainbow ruler of all others. Smiter of mountains and of hills. Made with molten faerie gold. Fashioned on the forge Of Fir Bolg giant, Balor of the Evil Eye, Defeated at Moytura, By the wiles of Tuatha de Dannan Magical warriors. In reprisal for the death of Lu of the Longhand, Son of their King. ' By this Sign, so shall you know me! ' "Remember this, Sire, And use the information well; For they plan to kill my Liege" So spoke the Lady of the Lake. " 'Twas the Vessel with the Pestle, That bore the potion that was Poison. And it was the Flagon emblazoned with his Dragon, They did fill with the brew that is True. But the serving-wench did slip, The platter fell to the floor And did crash on the flagstones there. The Vessel with the Pestle was smashed. Shattered into a thousand shards. Now the Flagon with the Dragon, Contains the potion that is Poison; And the Crystal Chalice, That was procured from the Palace Holds the brew that be True." Act of Faith I feel very vulnerable. I haven't put this much trust In Anyone or Anything, For longer than I can remember. Only time will tell If this act of faith is justified. The Artist's Explanation I have always been a fan of Arthurian legend, and in the end decided the ultimate act of faith, was the search for the grail. I have mixed up lots of ideas within my painting though, here is the official explanation. The hill on which she has reached the pinnacle, is Glastonbury Tor, but a thousand years ago the glow of what is now Glastonbury shines below her. In the sky there is the constellation Orion, this symbolises the king of the fairies, Gwyn ap Nudd, who legend has it lived on the Tor before being insulted by St Collumb, and in doing so left the Tor to forever hunt his hounds across the winter sky. Instead of the ruined church that is on the Tor now, I thought a small standing stone might suffice, and embedded within the stone in a similar way to the sword Excalibur was embedded in a rock, I have placed a wooden chalice, the moss on the rock and the shamrocks, also give the chalice a bed on which to lay. Shamrocks being symbolic not only of Ireland, but also the holy trinity. It is also a trefoil, which is the symbolic of Awen, which is the druid symbol for inspiration. On her wrist is a bracelet, which has fallen from the chalice and magically clings to her, the bracelet is silver like the moon with a fleur de lis (another symbol of the grail, and Mary mother of Jesus, coupled with the holy trinity). The lady is wearing nothing more than a simple white jacket and is naked below. She is also blindfolded, and therefore has to accept trust and her faith to protect her from this vulnerable position. She has come to the end of her quest and has found her grail, purely by way of faith, and is now tired and weary but still proud and undefeated , she is genuflecting to its wonder. The sword has two symbolisms, the first being that it was once broken and has been repaired. (This relates to the story of Galahad, repairing the magical broken sword, from the Fisher King stories, near the end of the grail quest) and the design of the sword I am using is unique in such that it is a copy of the original sword used by the genuine most famous knight in English History, Sir William Marshall. The long grass has various dandelion clocks settled within it, one has burst its seeds, sending them cascading across the painting, the dandelion means many things, including flirtatiousness ... However it is also in gypsy lore the symbol of transition and ascendancy from physical to spiritual. One last thing is that I have signed the painting twice, once in my usual way in the bottom right hand corner, and the other being the symbol of Rowan cut in Ogham on the standing stone. (My name of Ro being short actually for Rowanswood which is my bardic name.) - John Ogden (August 2010) The Druid's Interpretation The story of Bride or Brigid is close to so many people and there is a longing, especially from women today, to return to the balance there once was between men and women. The main story in these parts, and sort of on Beara too, is that all life somehow came from a womb and this once upon a time brought about the reverence of the goddess. The first two trees of the Ogham alphabet seem to guide this with Beith the Birch being the first life on earth and eventually the protector of women, and Luis the Rowan being the dragon's fire in all men who would burn rowan to bring the spirit of the goddess into them. For guidance, confidence, passion,bravery and focus especially when in council for trade, treaties, and sometimes preparation for war. Bride's symbol was the sword, in the story of the creation of the four Celle's of instruction, the first symbol, the symbol of imbolc,the first fire festival of the year, first quadrant of the Chaldean astrology chart. A tree of life, as above, so below. The sword created from fire, extraction of metals from ore, fires that were fuelled by the labours of men. The sword created by virgins, virgins by not yet having child, and not through no having sex, that would once one day be given to their mate. A founding of the tradition of the dowry today. If the male mate was slain and together they had no sons as heirs, the woman would take back the sword to be head of the household until another mate was found. In comes Patrick, a name so close to Patriarch, the incoming of the domination of the male hierarchy. The call to revere the male deity. When the man of the family was slain and there were no heirs; the woman, and any daughters, were the property of the chieftain. To serve as slaves or be appointed new mates, often in treaty.The sword was thrown into the lake or river to be passed on no more. The tradition of Bride, or Brigid, was eventually slain, and the tradition of Patrick took over. It is said that the legendary race of Formori never had women. They were men of the sea who knew how to extract gold and make rings.They would lure the Dannan or other land caring women with rings but for the sole purpose of breeding, not relationships, and any sons born would join the Formori. The legend is that Bride married Bres to try to return to the balance, that may be an example to the Formori, but it was not to be. In your picture this comes across as a woman either by the Formori or the Patriach demands of the ruling male deities ... but nobody could take that sword of balance away from her. It was not going to the lake !!! The standing stone to me is symbolic of the 2nd Cille of Instruction, who Bride is said to have taught Cian, son of Anu. The origin of Salmaine, that became Beltaine. Beltaine, one of the two times of the year the salmon swim up river, the second quadrant of the astrological cycle, the partnership and mating. The finding of the new true mate to pass the sword to. .... and the choice of blessed water to bring back life and fertility to make that possible. Oh, the blindfold? Another legend is that before Beltaine, women would approach the pool of Lasir blindfolded. And then after a blessing with water from the pool, were allowed to take off their blindfolds to have a vision of the man that would be their mate on Beltaine day. Lasir's legends are like Bride, except where Bride and Brigid led a herd of cows; Lasir led a flock of sheep. So when sheep are sheared at Beltaine time, there is a honoury toast to Lasir to ensue another blessed year ahead. Interestingly today, by the pool / well of Lasir ,there is no longer a standing stone, but a tall stump of an Ash tree that was felled there. Also in Lake Meelagh nearby, Bronze and Iron-Age swords have been found, by folks who were looking for the legendary Dagda's cauldron which is said to be in there somewhere. Not legends that are well known away from Co. Silgo, yet have travelled to be made into other stories. Of course , people of Co.Silgo made their own stories from what travellers told them too. Another insight? Dusti Rodes (2010)
" This next piece of writing, contains strong sexual content material and graphic language. Many people find it both harrowing and disturbing. It depicts and catalogues a series of true-life events. The names have been changed to protect the innocent, of which there is one; the laws of libel prevent my naming and shaming the guilty; of which there are many." * Reader discretion is MOST STRONGLY advised - As it may easily offend. For this I make no apologies. Events like these are happening HOURLY all over the world at this moment in time, and society as a whole SHOULD be doing more to prevent such misery " ........................................ " IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE, .....CAN IT?..." It's Sunday, She's staying at dad's flat tonight. She adores him; With the trust that is naturally instilled In a child. Dave, her father, Plays cards with his friends; While she watches, smiling. The pot is short; It's his call. He must make amends. Forty pounds is the bid. With a knowing nod, Colin folds his hand; And taking hers, Leads through the door To she knows where. The now empty bedroom That she sometimes has to share. Shush - don't make a noise; Your stifled cries, Will frighten the toys. Who sitting in silence, Can only watch. As Colin slowly unzips his trousers, And loosens his belt another notch. Her favourite doll, alone in the corner, Draped across the wooden chair; Can but bear silent witness To the saddening pain She experiences there. Next day, She is driven to school; By her dad. In a tatty Volvo. Be-spotted with rust coloured Splodges of primer paint. A stark anachronism Of Swedish sexual liberalism The grubbiness of the grey, Mirroring the semen-soiled nightdress; Of the night before. The paint spots, Ghostly echoes Of dried blood stains Splattered on the white fabric. Heralding her lost innocence; That she would need to wash out Later in the day. When she finally returned To the living hell That served as home. He pulls in at the pavement Saying yesterday was fun And that they should do it more often. He tells her to take care of herself. Sick joke, what? But no-body's laughing anyway. Deprived of decency By her father In that he doesn't even open the door. She rises from the well-worn seat And gets herself out Just like countless Whores before. In some final bizarre sexual gesture As he slowly drives away He also discards the now empty Crumpled, finished cigarette packet Aimlessly through the window Into the uncaring street. It in its turn, would be picked up By some scavenger hard up On his or her luck Anxious to discover If it held any small delight. And on discovering not, it would Be consigned as worthless rubbish And be discarded yet again To a life on the streets. Until eventually, battered and crushed By countless uncompromising souls It would cease to be recognisable For what it once was. Circles within circles. Such is the life we lead. Four friends, sit Sharing girlish giggles. Talking tampons and towels. Discovering the inward Functioning of females For the first time. Smiles, over sharing Secrets of sexuality With their mothers. But she's not laughing. Sitting in the classroom She is longing to tell, someone, About the happenings Of the previous night. To be able to unload All that crushing fear; That is building up Within her frightened frame. Afraid to go home, She hangs around after class Anxious to explain her reasons. But no-one is listening. Nor can they read The pleading in her scared eyes. So she goes home alone, again. Sitting watching television, A break from the drudgery Of endless days Doing household chores. Fear strikes her heart As she hears the key Entering the outside door. Because the washing has taken so long And about it, she cannot tell; The dust she hasn't cleaned From the TV Only causes her mother again to yell. Her anger quickly turns to rage; Followed closely by a beating, And another verbal tirade. Then follows the shouting And the slapping. The angry name calling Infers that someone is a whore. Leading to her being pushed downstairs And landing on the hall floor. She pushes Amy into the cellar cupboard, Then callously locks the door. Leaving Amy, cowering in huddled fear, Upon the dark, coldest floor. Later, in her room, Curled up, tearful, Trying desperately to block out the pain. Lies listening to her sad sobbing. She closes her eyes. Escaping sleep is not easy in coming; But further along the hallway, Someone else is. Urgently calling for Amy Beckons her to her mother's bed. There, between thrashing thighs, And deep moaning sighs, Amy is forced to give her mother Sexual 'head'. Coming home, To the usually empty house, She cannot help but notice The smart car Parked outside. Putting her key In the door, As she has done So many, many times before; She is met by Geoff, The new man, in her mother's life. On the surface He seems very nice. Picnics of strawberries, wine And chocolate ice. And even washing up, Afterwards. School sports day comes, Giving her the chance To exercise her rights As a child; To youthful fun. Sack race successes, Loud accolades. Hiding the depths of depravity, That lies dormant. Buried deep within. It starts with a present, At bedtime. " Put it on, and come and show us how it looks." Simple games, Amongst the adult friends. Pictures are taken. Childish at first, It soon turns nasty; Leading to lewdness and lechery. Removing Geoff's trousers and pants, While her mother looks on; And laughs. Then starts the painful ordeal Of nightly rape. And the utterances of the threatening lie That if she ever dares to tell someone It would surely cause her to die, After a time, She can bear no more Of Geoff's disgusting behaviour. Goes to her father's workplace Hoping on hope That he'll prove to be her saviour. She tells him all That's been going on; And could she come to live with him, Please? Fraught with anger, Fired by fear; He goes and gives Geoff A beating with a garden spade. In his frustration at failing To protect his daughter From this pair of human animals With their filthy habits so degrade. Then he storms out, Leaving Amy to receive Yet another beating From her mother. That leads her to being locked In the cupboard Once again. The broken shard Salvaged from the shattered Kitchen window By which her father had entered Proves to be the key To successful self mutilation To which Amy administers Readily. When the time comes To leave her old school The teacher's reports proclaim That Amy is both clever and wise. But they all still Just sit and listen While her mother Continues to tell The same pack of lies. How Amy sits reading Quietly, in her room, For much of the time. And how she's always Out playing with her friend; But that is untrue From beginning to end. The teacher says Amy could do With really coming out of her shell. Hopes that she'll enjoy her new school; And with that, she wishes her well. Sitting with her new found friends, Thinking that this place, Could indeed be really cool. Then one says, Someone is trying to greet her, From a van. Parked outside the school. She peers across the open courtyard. At her father, who's come to meet her. Full of reasons, Why he hasn't been more often. Excuses that money has been So short lately; Sometimes he hasn't eaten. Now he's come to take her out, About the true reason for his motives, There still exists more Than a little doubt. Having bribed her, With a Big Mac meal, With Coke and a Cadbury's Curly Whirly, He apologises that he has no more sweets; But if only he had more money, He could afford to buy her Lots of treats. Then the unsubtle suggestion, That she could really help Daddy, Just by working the nearby streets. Standing on a dim Lamp-lit street; In her denim jacket, And her flowery Short length skirt; Wearing virginal white gym socks, with matching plimsolls. Her long hair , shining, Looking very much her age. Having only turned thirteen, But for a little while. People, from which she Should get only love; Blatantly exploiting her sexual genes. Although she cannot spell Paedophile; She is painfully aware of what it means. " For a wank, charge'em twenty five quid, If they want a blow-job, charge them thirty" Practising that will corrupt her mind; Into believing love and sex, Is always something That is sordid and dirty. A sexperienced competitor, In these matters, Gives her, and her dad; What amounts to a friendly warning. This particular spot, Is her pitch. And her pimp Will not be so tame; So her father, Just moves on with her, To somewhere else. In his dubious quest It would seem he has no shame; With his repeated attempts, To get ' on the game'. The local lorry park, Proves a likely playground; For the sort of games, He has in mind. Providing a service, For all kinds Of men. The young, the old, and the lonely. Not the actual full sex, though: But just your blow and hand-jobs only. Making sure that the clients, Come in style; Being very sure to use a condom, All the while. He does a deal, Just for a full blow-job; " You know how, don't you, just go and suck his prick; It'll be all be over in a minute!" But it doesn't just take that quick. Squatting, She gives a blow-job To an unknown, Standing man. While her poncing pimp Of a dad, Sits smiling, In his grubby little van. Suck, suck, sucking, On a dirty, crusted, Foul-smelling prick, That's making her feel So, so sick. Wondering why it is That when you Want them to, they can never come Really quick. And when it's finally finished; She finds the smell of sweat and semen, Has left her feeling Really sick. Dave, buys her silence, With a fiver. Then he takes her back home; Double quick. Dusti Rodes (2009) POSTSRIPT TO ' IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE. .....CAN IT? * " Children have the right to be listened to. The messages that they give us are often painful and disturbing, and challenge our capabilities to actually hear what they are in fact saying and take them seriously. Our conditioned instinct is to recoil from what we are hearing and deny the reality of what is being said. The act of sexual abuse of a child involves a fundamental betrayal of trust, and an abuse of power, which has devastating consequences for the child. Undermining the basic requirements of a child for relationships built on trust, that are both dependable and loving. This gives rise to the premise that children not only have to be heard but also need to be healed from the trauma of such experiences. The child's right to be respected as an individual person should be unquestionable; but it is a long way from being generally accepted within our society."
The Lady in Red Inspired by John Ogden's painting ' Be she a Falcon or a Dove ' ( 2009) Puddles of pigment Of red and white, Bloom like flowers in the artist's palette Likened to a small, wild garden. She poses provocatively, Dignified but still self-conscious, Against the wide blue screen That forms the night. Robed in ravishing red, She stands bathed In Lady Luna's soothing light. While the evening star Plays shimmering consort. She did not fail to see The symbolism held Within the artist's eye. The meanings of her life, Captured there before The paint could ever dry. The Venetian mask Behind which she hides, Masquerades the pain of her past, Blood-red. And the golden promise of things to come. Are reflected by the candle's gentle glow. Lighting the way to her future. Marley said we all create Our chains of pain. Forged one link at a time, By our misery. Hers was a string of Pearl. Individual incidences, Joined by circumstance; Seeking to keep her, Forever fettered to the past. But the key lies in the roses. Poetic echoes reverberating . Be she a Falcon or a Dove ? A raven-haired temptress, Or an angel of love? A scarlet woman or a painted Lady? Hence from now onwards, She will be known only, As the Rose. Dusti Rodes (2009)