Matinee Muse 8 Rising Above

SELF TAUGHT

A school
For fools
Teachers teaching
Preachers preaching
Education?
Incantation
Ignorance
Intolerance
We don’t need it
They will feed it
Our attack?
Our pay-back?
Work today
Our own way
Learn it elsewhere
Wing and a prayer?
We’re not fazed
Be amazed
Be prepared
We’re not scared
It’s just a case of
Mind over matter

TOP Time To Leave

Can Heaven Wait?

Gather your thoughts, collect your ideas
Your time will come before you even know
No time for blaming others for your faults
When it’s your turn, it’s really time to go
A relative’s identification
Confirms; ‘Long live the queen; the king is dead!’
Ten million people watching TV
Witness the event, ‘live’; unedited
“He’ll go to heaven, rest assured
He never did a bad thing, good old Geoff
Other people will have to wait their turn”
But it doesn’t work that way in ‘real death’
Candidates are literally dying
To qualify for life’s eternal ‘prize’
Goodness knows, the population’s striving
To claim its reward; try it on for size
Behind the scenes, evil men wait each day
To catch the unsuspecting, unawares
Heavens gates, only a lifetime away
“It’s Hell on Earth,” so some say; “No-one cares”
“They can always go to their confessor
And he’ll absolve their deepest, darkest sins”
In life, they’re bad; in death, they’re even worse
The final test will see who really wins
Some think they’re really going to make it
Never stopping, thinking, asking why
They did the things they did, without conscience
They’ll face the Great Confessor in the sky
It’s not something everyone believes in
Some people are content with what they’ve got
Which isn’t really much, let’s be honest
There IS more to life; believe it or not

TOP One-way

DESTINY?

See
A light
At the end
Of the tunnel?
A distant promise
Beyond the horizon
Beckoning us, tauntingly
All efforts to reach it, thwarted
Remaining constantly elusive
Such is the nature of our destiny

Matinee Muse 6 Premonition Seductive

THE VIEW FROM LIMBO

We used to be close, but now
You spend too much time reading
THAT BOOK
What is the fascination?
You never show emotions
In your day-to-day routine
As that volume can inspire
IS THE STORY
A work of classic fiction?
Will it become a movie?
A compelling biopic?
It is a biography
But not a very long one
Still, for years you have read…and read
Ignoring my discomfort
These should have been the best years
OF MY LIFE

TOP Edgar Allen Poe

PROPHET

The kid
Showed me
Some pictures
He’d painted

His use
Of form
And colour
Were naïve

But something
Made me look,
And look again
The simplicity
Of the images
Inspired
Subliminal
Stimulation
For the
Complexity
Of the message
He was attempting
To convey in oils

From the palette
Of an innocent babe
A vision
Of a world,
No eyes had seen

Matinee Muse 5

BEFORE AND AFTER

My dream is the light
That pours from my hands
It gives me strength,
And the courage I lack
I have good cause
To trust in its demands
As it guides me and
Guards me from attack
This ear to ear smile
I’ll never replace
It will bring me
Good luck, and line my purse
In later life
I will assume my place
Among legends
Celebrated in verse
Abreast of advances
I’ll guarantee
My spot in the limelight
The public gaze
Dynamic and
Flexible, all will see
My life’s achievements
Are worthy of praise

My reality
Darkness; broken strands
Weakness as
The glow fades
To grey; light black
Lost faith, lost direction
In foreign lands
Beaten, forsaken
And stabbed in the back
Emotions betrayed
I’ve no poker face
Life has prepared me to
Expect the worse
In youth I was able
To set the pace
Yesterday’s blessing; life
Is today’s curse
The onslaught of
Modern technology
Cast me adrift
In an uncharted maze
Aggressive, relentless
- A Tsunami
Scatters its debris
…All my yesterdays

TOP Three Dogs

IT'S A DOG'S LIFE

Male
Do you see my coat, how it shines?
The lustre that truly defines
My rich pedigree
My proud legacy
A cut above other canines

Female
You think I’m a mongrel bitch
However, my blood-line is rich
I have the credentials
To do the essentials
You’re a dog; you’ll succumb to the itch



What we got


On view for the first time today
The result of their roll in the hay
A pocket-sized puppy
The son of a yuppie
And the siren who led him astray

Matinee Muse 4

DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR:
Must be what we had when we thought it was
OK to play God, and destroy the Earth, in the
name of progress

IT NEVER RAINS

Clouds congest the sky
A tear forms in her eye
Heaven’s lethargic response
To our Mother Earth’s thirst – she was once

Fertile, draped in green
Extravagant…? Obscene…?
Stripped naked and violated
Gang-raped by man’s unabated

Lust for Mother’s hoard
She screams; her cry ignored
Inevitable consequence
Irreversible course of events

Ice embraces fire
Sworn enemies conspire
As four seasons merge into one
Mother wilts in the heat of the sun

Dehydrated veins
Trace scars across the plains
Her bosom deprived of the good
And her legacy…? Rivers of blood

Still the violence flows
No respite, no repose
Abused to satiate the greed
Of arrogant minds that did not heed

Mother’s plaintive call
The writing on the wall
Fair warning; a chance to repent
To console Mother Earth’s sad lament

Dark clouds gather yet
To pose a welcome threat
The weather’s ironic display
Taunts her briefly, and then turns away

Apathy prevails
Obstinate; hard as nails
“Don’t fix what ain’t broke, it’s the norm
Just the calm that precedes every storm”

Emphasise that word –
“Storm” – it may sound absurd
But for our sins, we shall atone
So it is written…so shall it be done

TOP Lost Stuff

Cultural identity relies on tradition. If we lose,
or ignore our traditions, we lose our identity.
‘Morlam’ is an expression of Isan cultural identity.
Isan is the NE region of Thailand.

LAOS SOUP

Morlam is a celebration
Of cultural preservation
A musical presentation
Of Isan lifestyle themes

Passed down as an education
Through every generation
The history of the nation
The hopes, the fears, the dreams

Songs release us from our strife
Fundamental trials of life
Songs release us from our strife
Face each day with a smile

Hardship, poverty and toil
Hardship, poverty and toil
Reap the harvest of the soil
Face each day with a smile

Arom dee – a cheerful mood
Adjustment of our attitude
‘Eat to live; don’t live for food’
Simple fare sustains us

Soup Laos, normai, plar, larb moo
Het fang, somtam, prik khee noo
Kin khap khao-nieow, plar lar, ping noo
Simple fare sustains us

Serb lai derr; aroi mark mark
Serb lai derr; aroi mark mark
Ta wow Laos dai, ko arb park
Te bor wow ‘Bor sanuk’

Ta wow Laos dai, ko arb park
Te bor wow ‘Bor sanuk’
Te bor wow ‘Bor sanuk’
Te bor wow ‘Bor sanuk’


SOUP LAOS
Soup made from leaf and root vegetables,
and seasoned with various herbs and spices.
(served with sticky rice)
NORMAI
Bamboo shoots (served with sticky rice)
PLAR
Fish (served with sticky rice)
LARB MOO
Chopped and seasoned pork – cooked lightly (often eaten raw)
and served with blood and intestinal fluid (and sticky rice)
HET FANG
Mushrooms that grow on the decomposing root and stalk debris,
resulting from the rice harvest (served with sticky rice)
SOMTAM
or PAPAYA POK-POK – The hot, sour and bitter salad,
made from shredded, unripened papaya, seasoned with
fresh lime juice, fish sauce and copious amounts of chillies
(Served with sticky rice)
PRIK KHEE NOO
Small and extremely hot chillies
Literal translation ‘mouse-shit chillies’
KIN KHAP KHAO-NIEOW
‘Eat with sticky rice’
PLAR LAR
or PLAR DEK – A pungent fish sauce, made from the
fermented carcasses of fish, which abound in the rainy season
PING NOO
Barbecued rat (served with sticky rice)
SERB LAI DERR
Isan dialect for ‘very delicious’
AROI MARK MARK
Thai for ‘very delicious’
TA WOW LAOS DAI, KO ARB PARK
‘If you can speak Laos (Isan dialect), then open your mouth’
TE BOR WOW ‘BOR SANUK’
‘But don’t say you’re not happy’

Matinee Muse 3

Misguided commitment to someone
who wanted TO BE FREEE

LADY BLUE

Lady Blue, why do you weep?
Am I really worth your tears?
Better men have held your heart
Shared your passion, nursed your fears

What do you dream, Lady Blue
Behind the shroud of darkness?
Night-times veil insulates
Your secret, silent desires

Intimacy deserts you
Lady Blue, when we’re alone
What are those latent feelings?
Do they yearn another one?

Still, you cry, when you’re alone
Your subconscious, Lady Blue,
Mourns the passing of our love
A love I believed was true

I’m a stronger person now;
My honest self-assessment.
Lady Blue, your love-light pales
Afraid of my commitment?

You drag your past behind you
Characteristically
It’s another ‘Lady Blue’
Lame idiosyncrasy

Turmoil ravages my thoughts
Lost Souls and I, take a walk
Brings me back to my senses
Lady Blue, I want to talk

I came to a decision
Based on my time spent with you
My verdict, my conclusion
You are not my Lady blue


This time…we’re in this thing together. Let’s try
to remember WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE… each other

COMING TO TERMS

Tell me I’m wrong; tell me I got it wrong
You think you’re right; you always think you’re right
If I were you, I know what I would do
Keep out of sight, so we don’t have to fight

Competition; you want pole position
You won’t take less than a resounding ‘yes’.
If I say ‘no’, you just tell me to go
Let’s take a guess; my fault we’re in a mess?

Each time you say you want things your own way
You change your mind, telling me I’m unkind
It’s very sad; the things we could have had
But what we find, is we left it behind

Where did it go; the love you used to show?
You were so good; you always said we could
Beat all the odds. You believed that the gods
Were in the know, and our future would glow

If we were true to ourselves, really true
We’d learn from past mistakes and make it last
For our lifetime. Now that we’re in our prime
We shouldn’t rue all the things we’ve been through

Let’s make a vow, as we stand, here and now
What made us cry can just lie down and die
We will never forget its forever
I love you now; I’ll never forget how

Matinee Muse 2

What if…
We had no choice?
We wouldn’t have the…

RIGHT TO REPLY

Inside the minds of those who think they know
Attention to the rules is paramount
I wonder why we don’t still live in caves
If we were born to follow, not to lead.

The truth is, we will harvest what we sow
Don’t think our contribution doesn’t count.
The best ideas come and go in waves
Ignore them and we’ll never plant the seed.

To forward thinkers, rules are introduced
Not to be broken, merely to evolve
Along with change in time and attitude
Developing within our heart and mind.

What starts life ‘hard and fast’ is often used
To guide us through the problems that we solve
And purists everywhere will claim “It’s crude!”
While suckling on the rules they hide behind

Eventually, it’s ‘guidelines’ that emerge
So we don’t stray too distant from the point
Which in this case is speaking thoughts in words
So speak your mind, not that of other folk

And if we’re able to survive the purge
That throws our best intentions out of joint
We’ll learn to stand alone, not roam in herds
Safety in numbers? To me that’s just a joke

But if you think they’re all out to get you
You’re probably just out to get yourself
Because you’re not so quick now on the draw
Their rules will always take somebody down

If you don’t think you’re up to something new
You’re going to let them beat you to yourself
Up goes the white flag, admitting to your flaw
Another fair cop – it’s you who looks the clown

What happened to that confident young man
So full of idealistic aggression?
Did he listen too hard to his critics
And opt for the quiet, peaceful life instead?

That man who always said “Because I can!”
No longer speaks with such heartfelt passion
When they told him his game was ‘just not cricket’
“The competition’s much too strong,” he said

Confidence will translate to arrogance
In the minds of commentators who spectate
But performers always hold the stronger stance
Don’t ask permission; speak your mind – dictate!


Things are not always as they appear

PHONEY WAR

Wake me up when the war starts
I wouldn’t like to be late
For my first day in action
On the front line
When they begin dropping bombs
And testing our defences
Will you be there, by my side?
Or underground?
I will wear my uniform
Display my true colours
I should be decorated
For bravery
I have seen active service
In previous encounters
But we always defeat them
Different this time?
Could you bear it to lose me?
Would you weep at my graveside?
Do I really need to ask?
Nothing changes
They say war is just like love
Nothing is against the rules
What am I talking about?
There are no rules
So when this war is over
Do I go back to sleep then?
And continue my nightmare?
Or will you stay?

Matinee Muse - Life in the shadows

BAT-MANTRA

Daylight divides and conquers
Giving each master a slave
We lead and our shadows follow
Loyal from cradle to grave

Life exists in our shadows
Dark thoughts dominate the shade
At night time we’re reunited
As both light and shadow fade

Shadows return to their hosts
For safe-keeping through the night
Bedtime companions till morning
When we’re exposed to the light

Dreams guard over our shadows
But nightmares can overtake
Revealing to us a dark side
We tether when we awake

Never allow our shadows
The chance to show us the way
If we become our shadows
Darkness will reign over day

TOP Foreign Lands

NEW HORIZONS

Road signs; no help
Their hieroglyph markings
Display a language you can’t understand

Traffic signals
Familiar warning
A universal colour-code command

Through the red light
To a head-on collision
In your haste to reach the point of no return

Through the green light
A twisting path to freedom
A tortured course to everything you yearn

But if you keep your eyes on the road
If you keep your hands on the wheel
Just a matter of time before you learn

Read the signs in the eyes of your mind
Keep a safe distance
And don’t get too close to arrogance

Pride will cause distraction
Each and every action
Requires a choice, a decision, a reaction

But if you make the wrong one, you’ll get nowhere

That’s not a place you want to go
You just escaped the living hell of nowhere

TOP Ghazal

VITAL

The precious gift of life is a heartbeat
Each moment is defined by a heartbeat

From cradle to grave, first round to final
Thoughts, words and actions hang on a heartbeat

Unscheduled pace of youth; now fast, now slow
Reflecting the rhythm of a heartbeat

Maturity mellows me to the core
Choices no longer take but a heartbeat

Age slows my mind as time accelerates
Existence condenses to a heartbeat

Preparing to meet the maker of hearts
A tribute is expressed through a heartbeat

As vital signs fade, one thought remains strong
I long for that throb; yearn for a heartbeat

To feel the pulse just one more time, I’d give
Everything I possess in a heartbeat

WI Farewell, Gratitude

FAREWELL

Once the life and soul, now visibly weakened
Reduced to a shadow of his former self
Comforted by the intimacy of friends
Intimidated by confusion, conflict

But no stranger to the bloody battlefields

Fatigued by the frequency of Friendly Fire
And misadventure of misguided missiles
Sustaining the shots, he still soldiered on
To epic encounters with the enemy

Erosion, attrition, have taken their toll

He lives – after a fashion – to tell the tale
And serve as a warning; unheeded, ignored
By those who believe in the Greater Glory
Who bear not the scars, the constant reminder

That every single life is expendable

In years to come, when the family gather
To bid their farewell’s, as they lay him to rest
A message, etched forever in stone, will read

“Here lies a hero, in need of a cure
Unbeaten in battle, yet losing the war”

GRATITUDE

Sometimes
I don’t share
Your view
But I admire
Your honesty
It’s so…
Concise
Comprehensive
It’s refreshing…
Thank you
You have my
Respect