The Politics Of Exile

[sparr0w]

**NOTE** This is my new book I'm working on (though I never got the first one published). It's to be titled "The Politics Of Exile". It is to be a somewhat unique blend of poetry, prose, ramble, and storytelling all threaded together to form an epic that shadows the events of my life. The idea, however, is to tell the story in terms of thoughts and impressions through the years, as opposed to telling the story in terms of specific events. I will post every time I write a new section, and eventually when it's finished, I'll post a link to the full PDF, complete with my personal photography and paintings. What follows here is a breif intro followed by the first piece of the first chapter.

"The Politics Of Exile" 0.1 INTRO


He gave it to me
in a red, silk-wrapped box
with a wide smile
and a look of sick perversion
which is possible
only upon the faces of the divine.
Yes, indeed,
God was in a fine mood that day...
------------

CHAPTER 1 "Perfect Laughter"

1.1 "This Is Where I live"


Total perfection, by nature,
comes at the price of great bloodshed.

Just ask Lennon.

Just ask heroin.

We are all the victims
of our own blind ambition.
Our failures at striving
for something better.

Many miles have passed now
since first leaving that child
stranded and starving in the woods,
inevitably to be eaten by the wolves.

Sick.
Truly sick.

But that's exactly what you did.
That's what we all did.

That twilight escape
through haunted forests.
Dew soaked tents,
early morning risings.
Spoiled food come nightfall.

Tell me, did you feel as I did?
As if one day you would reach the sun itself?
As if maybee it would burn all of your regrets
and leave you swimming in warm blinding light,
comforted, even overwhelmed, by this beautiful foreign and sudden innocence.

I know I did.

I was dangerously oblivious of the world when I was a child.

The longer my ankles got,
the more they attracted the snakes.
The bigger my hands got,
the more **** I seemed to catch;
And as the years began to run shorter and shorter
the world slowly and lovingly
beat the **** out of me.

I am no longer oblivious.

**As always, all feedback appreciated, even criticism, as long as it's constructive. Peace ;)

[firefangled]

God has blessed the child who first speaks out of concern for other than herself or himself. Something universal has been balanced in such cases, but this is not one, and most of us must grow out of oblivion within the lifetimes we are given.

This is the price you describe quite well and with great economy and power.

I love what is exposed in this poem, the false innocence of oblivion, and redemptions, that peculiar decompensation we engage in by attributing our actions and reactions to God's will. God gives life to the universe for reasons of great mystery and nonsense or for no reason at all. What happens afterwards is in our realm. God does not take away, would not know how to.

As usual, sparrOw, great job.

[Trystan]

I like your descriptions and metaphors . . . and your existential insights (is that the right phrase?). Well whatever, I liked it very much.

Are you gonna post any more of this by the way?

[PrinceMyshkin]

Great beginning! It has something of the imperative demand on our attention as "Call me Ishmael." I rather hope, however, that it would not continue much longer on this high metaphoric plain but would touch down in some good honest prose: name, rank and serial number.

[Pendragon]

Poetry from the heart is always good poetry. This has cohesion and does not ramble. It is a wonderful begining to a poem and story. Great job, my friend! :thumbs_up

[caelycate]

i like it a lot chris. the intro is colorful and unique, and powerful despite its brevity. each word seems to strike its own diverse chord, if that makes sense.
as for the second poem, i find it to be very raw and honest. your work always seems to explore certain flaws in human nature that inevitably make the reader think: about themselves, about everyone else, about our core and our essence as human beings. it seems you are inspired by the power we have as human beings to make and do beautiful things, yes, but also there is our intrinsic capacity to do and make evil. it seems to me that in this poem your are exploring how one looses their ignorance as they grow because they are exposed to more and more of that intrinsic evil.
in general, i liked them both a lot, and i am excited to read the next installment. good luck!

[lucidnightmares]

"Tell me, did you feel as I did?
As if one day you would reach the sun itself?
As if maybee it would burn all of your regrets
and leave you swimming in warm blinding light,
comforted, even overwhelmed, by this beautiful foreign and sudden innocence."


"The longer my ankles got,
the more they attracted the snakes.
The bigger my hands got,
the more **** I seemed to catch;
And as the years began to run shorter and shorter
the world slowly and lovingly
beat the **** out of me."



those lines are so truthful and beautiful.

makes me wonder why life seems to go downhill from birth.

[amanda_isabel]

"Well begun is half-done."
(Aristotle).

Congratulations on this heck of a start, and on the idea (I find those difficult to generate, especially the ones with any form of coherence :) ).

Please keep us all posted on the next installments.

[sparr0w]

Wow, a much better set of responses then I expected (though I always expect the worst)! I will take this as a good sign that I'm on the right path. Let's see, hmm... Firefangled- I love your responses. They read like a passage from the Tao Te Ching, poetry in their own right. Thank you as always for your praise! I wasn't sure if this one would vibe with your taste. Trystan- yes, I suppose existential could fit here, as I credit these experiences to my own mistakes, as opposed to blaming them on "fate". Oh, and yes, there will be much more like this, as well as others in much different styles, before completing this book. Prince, I guess that applies to your comment as well. As I mentioned, this book will range radically in styles from one work to another. From metephorical prose, to straight-forward storytelling. That's one of the things that will make this book so interesting when it's finished, but you'll see what I mean when I have the whole thing put together. Pendragon- Thanks for the high praise! Sorry we've been out of contact for a while. Things have been very... strange as of late. Caelycate- Wow, great insight. You always seem to understand where I'm going with my writing. When in doubt, reach deep. You'll usually end up being onto something! Lucid- come on now, brohan. Life doesn't EVER move consistantly in one direction. It's usually an unpredictable series of hills and bumps. Find the lessons in the darkness, lest therein you prefer to dwell. (I can't remember where I heard that, but it sounds cool, don't it)? Amanda- Thank you, and I will ;)