Nightmare on Eep street.

[Dr Eep]

It's been so wonderful to find this site. Basically, this where I'll post my poems and so forth. Also, apart from commenting on your threads I'll make comments about the poems in this section that have made an impression on me - It's like my own little poetry journal!
This first poem was written out of appreciation for the work done by Bono and many others in highlighting the ravages of extreme poverty. I visited Ireland recently where I was transfixed by statues created by Rowan Gillespie that highlighted the plight of those affected by the famine borne of the potato blight that so decimated Ireland. It struck me that all they needed was some help, somebody who cared, people who could sustain them for a while but it never really came. I looked at those gaunt figures and saw a link between that crisis and today's modern day AIDS crisis in Africa. So this poem was written to say thanks to those who are at least trying to make a difference, in this case, Bono and Mandela (please forgive my Bono idol worship - sorry can't help it ) I've included some pictures; Stanza 1 - the famine memorial statues, Stanza 2- AIDS orphans standing on the graves of their parents, Stanza 4 - Mandela.

Whether.
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Whether by blight of crop
or blood,
it's when the eyes haunt whilst still alive,
the young turned old, that awful quickening,
that is the same
it's a stare that never ends.
I chanced upon Rowan Gillespies work,
along the banks of the harrowed Liffey,
and I saw those families,
and I imagined my own son limp on my shoulders,
As I too, stumbled towards,
my own shell shocked death.
How ravenous the famine that stalked,
like bristling wolves, the homes,
of the children of the soil - the homes,
of the believing.

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Whether by blight of crop
or blood,
it’s when their cries search for mothers already perished,
The young turned cold, that awful freezing,
that is the same.
Barely audible gasps of grief,
roam the blank halls,
so sore, as to wrestle the throat
to silence.
I see the vanishing families,
and in them felt to adopt the whole world.
How bitter this plague that erodes,
a hissing spitting acid,
devouring the husbands, wives, lovers and friends,
of the children of Africa – the last,
of the believing.

Whether by blight of crop,
or blood,
though my eyes no longer wish to see,
and my tongue is a numb statue,
yes, like one of Gillespie’s,
but you are not the same!
We can hear your voice,
our ears somehow the only mortal appendages,
linked to the spiritual,
and they are made more aware on nearing that new place,
where no lucre, sup or fuel sustains,
where it’s spirit surging in the veins
between perfected flesh and bone.
We can hear your voice
and it brings Africa…. possibility, the hope
of the believing.

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Whether by blight of crop
or blood,
whether by sword or hatred,
The awful tragedy remains the same.
You ask about how history will judge us?
It will be the same,
unless we change and divert,
from this absorbed path.
War, poverty, plague and death,
again and again and again.
You ask if we could somehow,
make some kind of good history?
Whether we could succeed?
We could – we could blow fresh like a breeze,
dancing from the freedom of Mandela’s Capelands
to the seeds sown in your Edun - In the gardens
of the believing!

[jon1jt]

just some general comments. first, i like your idea about keeping a journal that keeps everything intact and develops over time into a life narrative of sorts. cool. second, bono and mandela and others are out there doing great things and the world is a far better place with them. unfortunately their impact can't be quantified, but money they've helped to raise has gone to build communities and save lives in war torn lands. the only difference between people living in abject poverty and us is we won the lottery of geography, and that's not to take away the individual effort of people living in developed countries. but having the advantage of landing in a developed country from conception doesn't hurt. your poem, on one level, is the hope for a radical transformation of the human spirit---a global commons where progress is measured by mouths we feed not stock markets. there is a measured hope that understands the realities of global capitalism---free markets, laissez faire and governing "invisible hands" in a world of human beings; in a world of political expediency; where tenets of right and wrong go as far as the water's edge.

plato, aristotle, rousseau, montesquieu, voltaire, even the great minds of jefferson and madison, ghandi, and MLK, participated in one grandiose ideal: political communities transcend governments. Antigone spoke of a law that transcended kings. and madison openly wrote that the only way our republican form of government could ever work is if those who governed remained "disinterested," and he was confident they would. he'd roll over in his grave if he could see the mass corruption that permeates a politics of the interested.

to answer your question, how will history judge us? it will judge us as being as misguided and stubbornly disobedient, self-aggrandizing and -interested as the society that will one day judge it. let us not forget that positive change is happening all around us. our mind is so fixed on the macrocosm there's the tendency to forget the efforts of working people making a difference, as your poem so elegantly points out. all is not lost, not even close.

thanks for sharing.

[Dr Eep]

Thanks very much for the time you took to comment on my post there!! I truly appreciate it.

So, you are a New Yorker?

Great city - some of it captured in your poetry. I should try something about New York from one who is captivated by the place but has yet to be there. It'd be interesting to see how my thoughts correlate with someone who actually lives there!!

[toni]

Dr Eep, I want you to know that you are not alone in your Bono worship thing. I too, sing my high praises for his humanitarian efforts. He truly is a compassionate man, , and not to mention a great singer too! I esp like Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own.

About your poem, it was a masterpiece.
The lines "The children of the dirt"

"Barely audible gasps of grief,
roam the blank halls,
so sore, as to wrestle the throat
to silence."

[Dr Eep]

Thanks Toni!

Yeah, That is a special song - Bono's Dad died in 2002 I think and the song was written for him. The year that album came out (2004) It was released here in South Africa around October - my father had just died in September that year. So, I cried like a baby listening to that song.

Thanks so much for your kind words. I will be here to encourage you to use your talent, because what I've seen so far is mightily impressive.

[jon1jt]

Thanks very much for the time you took to comment on my post there!! I truly appreciate it.

So, you are a New Yorker?

Great city - some of it captured in your poetry. I should try something about New York from one who is captivated by the place but has yet to be there. It'd be interesting to see how my thoughts correlate with someone who actually lives there!!

i have an apartment about six miles from the lincoln tunnel. too close and yet too far. too close because the traffic is swelling and effecting my quality of life and too far because of the inconvenience of having to drive in or use mass transit on nights i stay in the city late. i'm not sure you're missing out on that much. new york is not the same city i read of the 1950s and 60s, when there was a real sense things were "happening" and happening fast. My biggest complaint about NYC is gentrification. you have to search high and low for a seedy spot and artists are hard to find. they're mostly driven out of places they popularize. the art that matters in the city is the kind that makes money. there's still much to like, like central park.

oh, bono seems to have had a real grievance against his dad, which inspired his titling the latest album, "How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb", the bomb symbolizing his father and how he still makes him feel. during MTV Music Awards he said he is working toward "letting go" of that resentment and saw the title fitting.

do you live in US?

[Dr Eep]

Hey there Jon1jt!!

Just to have someone from New York give me their frank thoughts is a mind blowing privilege for me - thanks very much. I live about as far away from you as you can get before you start coming back again!! I live in Durban South Africa.

I was born in Zimbabwe but moved to SA as a young boy and grew up here ever since. I've seen the old and new SA. Our education here was very much based on the British system so I went to a school very much in the "Dead poets society" mode of school, you know grey pants, shirts and ties and bashers!! Spent a couple of years in the army (we had forced conscription back then) Studied a bit, got married and I've married 14 years now and I have 3 sons.

I work in the labelling and printing industry.
I have enjoyed writing for a long time now, though I'm an incredibly lazy reader. I read utter crap most of the time. I wish I could tell you that I immerse myself in the works of the great poets and authors but generally I spend my time goofing off on MAD magazine!!

But - this forum is amazing. Yesterday, I learnt about Haiku and the correct use of syllables!! I've never been good with the 'mechanics' of English - so I'll be learning from you guys. Again, your poetry mate - is truly great!!

[miss tenderness]

Dr. very very intersting.

Mandella is one of my favorite characters,I've read and enjoyed his autobiography,have u read that?

thanks for sharing.

[Logos]

(just had to throw in here that Bob Geldof 'Sir Bob' is another pop icon type who has devoted years of his life to such humanitarian efforts to combat human rights violations, poverty and AIDS)

These poems and images are very poignant Dr Eep, thank you for sharing them with us, I will look forward to more. And.. glad you're enjoying the site so much

[Dr Eep]

To Miss Tenderness and Logos - thanks a lot!!

Yes, I have read his book "Long walk to freedom" All I can say is - thank goodness that he's been around - his presence alone has prevented much bloodshed!!

Logos, I see you're a moderator - thanks for what you do - this is a great forum.

[Riesa]

Dr. Eep. I just have to say that this poem is very heart-wrenching. Your words are thought provoking and sophisticated and have managed to invoke sorrow without sermonizing. The images add to the impact most definitely.
Well done.

[Dr Eep]

Thanks to all for your comments - I truly appreciate it.

I have a new poem to share - it's called - Who first authored, 'bad giants'?
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Who first authored bad giants?

Has the savage toothed behemoth,
Who upon the Jacks and the beanstalks stormed his wrath,
Always existed as some myth’s clanging call,
Or could giants have once evoked no dread at all?

Was there a time where giants did not cause fear?
Where the motion of bulk, honor did steer,
Where large was their capacity to love and protect,
Where children could learn, remember, play and forget?

Surely, there were only friendly giants to be seen?
So I ask who the first author of bad giants could’ve been?
What occurred to challenge her perception?
And why has it found such a universal reception?

How long did she run from the relentless glow in the East?
It dawned so real, it was her father the beast!
He had forced his will upon her ensnaring her in mesh.
An earthquake to integrity unleashed a tsunami of flesh.

Struck unawares she did swim as a slave,
Buffeted by the debris strewn wave.
Once she could extend her arms upwards with absolute trust,
Now her arthritic heart is chained to the rust.

Our children are born as dwarfs into this giants fold.
For what price is their fragile confidence sold?
Even worse, the giant bids them closer by a false breadth,
And then forever kills their bloom in his tangle of breath.

So I wonder who the first author could’ve been?
I wonder if she would ever again feel clean?
Listen… as we read of all the giants there be
She poses still, whispering through every tale,
…. What kind of giants are we?

[Laindessiel]

Hello Dr. Eep! Did you know that Bono is in last week's edition of Time Magazine's 100 People Who Shaped Our World in the Heroes and Pioneers category? Wow! Alongside Elie Wiesel, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Angelina Jolie (you've got to hand it to her; taking a stand at things some Hollywood celebrities snob) who are very conscious enough of what's going on around them; hearing and smelling poverty and diseases, and ACTUALLY doing something about it, helping to prevent these things from spreading. And with their help, we can make this planet a worthy place to live in.

Melinda Gates about malaria:

"It is a vacuum that does need to be stepped into."

[Dr Eep]

Thanks Laindessiel!!

Yes - that's my man Bono all right!!! I saw the new video last night featuring U2 and Green day, "The saints are coming" Had a weird mix of disaster and hope to it!!

[Dr Eep]

Depression and mental illness seems to be something we are faced with more and more these days. I know this person who thinks she's just a burden in this world with nothing to offer because she has unipolar disorder. Well, whether it's unipolar disorder or bipolar disorder or clinical depression or schizophrenia, I believe that there is a very real reason why some are afflicted with these things. I wrote something for her - it's sort of a mixture of philosophy, poetry and personal spiritual belief. So this is for anyone who thinks they are useless because they might have one of these conditions;

Those born to pioneer!!

Why does it feel like there is sand paper being scraped all over your soul as you twirl and flail in this refining process called life?

Medical lights glitter and shimmer on some flat screen, but why do they not seem to know that the array is not quite so attractive to live with?
There is no glitter and shimmer to the way you feel – it is all the crackle and hiss of raw exposure.
You are able to feel everything and it’s too much!
You are sensitive to many things that others never pick up; The vibration of another’s soul, the cry, the menace, the purity, the light, the shadow – you some how have this entire ability but, because your body does not understand, it focuses on self preservation as a coping mechanism.

This is why it is all about you at the moment when that analysis doesn’t seem to capture the actual situation which is, in fact, just the opposite.
There are more senses than just the five linked to our mortal bodies;
Those of taste, smell, touch, sight and sound.
There exists to a few, a sort of vibration where the spirit feels too and it’s an unfamiliar action for our mortal bodies which will often feel overwhelmed as a result.
It seems that comfort is an elusive oasis if one of these senses is prematurely acquired.

I believe that there is a reason why some certain souls have accepted this trial whilst on earth and are here to pioneer the way ahead for the rest of us.
Even if it is only the forming of our acquaintances now that is the primary task at hand. Our friendships, our precious, priceless friendships with each other!

Where it is I that now takes your trembling hand and smoothes out the path, being unaffected by the diversions and flashing emotional adverts that so pull at you, who’s to say that, in a realm where taste, touch, sound and smell is absent, that your particular affliction will bring about a role reversal of epic proportions and it will be you leading the way then?
Who’s to say that there won’t be a time where your hyper sensitive soul might help an apathetic soul to feel again, a remorseless soul to feel remorse again in order to repent? Who’s to say that you are not paying now for an incredible advantage still to come and that your true value and worth is still yet to be revealed!! Remember today’s pioneers are crossing vast and treacherous spiritual planes on the way to the promised land!

There is a purpose for you and a unique reward – never doubt that!


Look, I know it's all feeling and thought with no scientific support but it's what I feel and I wanted to share it with you!