Deranged Delusions

deranged delusions dance before dawn
daring to be real in the fit of a new day

apologies for carefree freedom rings
ringing but w/no bells, just sound

trees killing themselves in cities
ocean waves rolling tides over white music

but no voices
volunteers borrowing some other country’s sorrow

in the middle of the day, crying
crime of 3:30am prepubescent penal passions

love raining elusively over neo-noir-nouveau fashion
shows

silly salacious serenity says too many faces of insanity
saddam hussein’s feral feeble reminders

of a death invented just so we can stay alive
sublime silence screaming behind bars

bare & naked & nothing else to see in
nonsense

sensing this moment: a now, & now

the end

Falling Into Flight

The music spreads its tenement over a city of spirits & coffee flats.

A voice chases the tail of a broken wind,

sipping sentiments from the minds of a people

aching to be free from the claustrophobic raiments of society.

 

A man w/his strolling guitar forsakes the city

in the lilac wake of a flute dream reaching timidly

for the hand of any god wearing a jaded dress,

spilling forth lace & perfect notes nearly weeping

in the midst of angels falling into flight.

 

Everywhere, the dawn lies september failures down in the tired streets.

A flower breaks its petals into bloom,

then laughs loud enough to whisper over the edge

of someone else’s beautiful scream scattered

across a concrete floor into insanity.

 

The door to the basement café closes,

leaving the bones to hallow w/in, where no one is dying,

but a funeral song just finishes its last verse.

No body hears the final note touch briefly on silence,

then dissipate into obscure obelisks.

 

On Thursdays, Friday turns to green to hide its child-echo indigo eyes

& week’s end follows a subtle rinse of sunshine around the corner.

Monday comes anyway w/too many melodies

playing in the private garden of a backyard cemetery.

 

The morning rolls carefully to the end of the line

& waits for the moon to glow

so it can let go & disperse itself into music,

sleeping in a bed of fluidic ambiguity.

A Schizophrenic Way Of Saying Things

I’d like to go home

but I have to go to the bathroom

and they won’t let me see the stars

cognitive-symptoms-of-schizophrenia-03

I’ll give you a doughnut

because I haven’t got anymore

toilet paper

I want to go to Disneyhome

but Mickey’s dead

God looks at me from the sky

I can see the eyes of

Atlantis

diaptych(right) :: mess-up N/N mess-age

Shut up! she said

I told her somebody stole

my bananas

the walls are missing

where did my feet go

I can smell your armpits, Mister

The hallway’s flooded with blood

because somebody farted

now the toilet smells like

home

Thousand Plateaus Drawing

When I comb my hair pieces

of wood fall out

My brother eats maggots with

his bare feet

My feet went home

Can I go too

I hear dogs calling my name

They don’t know the TV’s on

Oprah’s interviewing Justin Bieber’s

image

diaptych(left) :: mess-up 1/1 mess-age

My mom’s in the audience

with her pet home on a leash

Jim Morrison is singing in my

ear

But I can’t hear the water

running     What?

Was that the doorbell

Someone let the table out

I want to go home

but the silverware left without me

Is it my fault the bed’s on fire

oh, it is

catatonia-schizophrenia-symptoms-01

I don’t sleep in a cloud full

of roses

Want to go outside and play

in the weeds

the roaches won’t care

They’re too busy picking curtains

at the supermarket

Go away but I lost 10 pounds

of home

Help me.

*Image Credits (all work used with permission through CC lisence)–
“cognitive-symptoms-of-schizophrenia-03” by Life Mental Health
“catatonic-schizophrenia-symptoms-01” by Life Mental Health
“Thousand Plateaus Drawing” by Magda Wojtyra
“diaptych(left) :: mess-up 1/1 mess-age” by Joel, Evelyn, Francois
“diaptych(right) :: mess-up N/N mess-age” by Joel, Evelyn, Francois

A F T E R B I R T H

Magical Level -- Level of Miracles by HartwigHKD

PART I – Origo
The Machine Delivered me to Labor, the Wizard certified my soul. Mommy proffered me to the devil, Paperboy declared me sold. They said, “There’s a light in the tunnel, follow it until you get to the field. Report to the man in the tollbooth, he’ll give you your assignment to kill.”

At the tollbooth, the Man threatened, “You see your life won’t be easy, you gotta toil to get by. You’ve a promised Debt to society and when you’ve paid in full you can die.”

I thought, “What do you mean I can die? Toiling in my life to get by? I was only born a moment ago; no, I’ve got my own plans in mind.”

I looked out across the field to see how many had bought this crooked line. I saw thousands and thousands of backs in the sun, bent with their noses to the grind. The Man walked up behind me and invoked leerily into my ear, “Look here don’t give me no trouble,” said the man with the gun in his hand. “Such ideas here are forbidden, it’s the Law to shoot you where you stand.”

Puzzled, I found a spot in the field and planted my feet in the ground. While I waited to see what should happen, I occupied my mind with the sound of spirits racing by unimpeded. I wondered, how could I survive? I questioned empty eyes, saw they were hopeless and slowly the years crept by. . .

 

Liberation of Psyche by HartwigHKDPART II – Liberatio
Now, 30 years old, a lifetime to go, it’s been hard getting by. I’ve been beaten and bruised for my reason. In silence, I Liberate my mind. I looked ahead to the evening and a dawning of a new age. Of toiling no more for the Giants and freedom to all those engaged. So, I threw down the plough and I shouted, “You’ll no longer have the abuse of me!” I ran for the edge of the field, but before I got there I was knocked to my knees. I felt the mighty hand of an Agent and at my back pressed cold hard steel. “You see, you can never escape from Duty so Forget all your insane ideas,” he dripped onto my head as I kneeled. “Freedom? No such thing here exists. Never has there been in all time. So return to your post and your toiling or you risk the firing line.”

I intoned, “One day I know I shall be free, because I can see beyond the Horizon. A storm fast approaches along your path and you’ll have all the fear when it comes.”

Angered, I found a spot in the field and stood my feet on the ground. I waited to see what would happen, my mind humming with the sound of spirits racing to my aid. I heard something say ‘You have nothing to fear: Soon all your questions will be answered, your days aren’t much long here’ . . .

 

Dreaming by HartwigHKDthe dream
that night I closed my eyes to sleep and awoke walking on a black road of dreams. I saw a dragon flying through a wilderness of herds, an eagle on the wind and a lion rose from the sea. From a cloud appeared a rumbling light; out of the light came a stranger of Being and spoke. “Be not afraid, we mean you no harm, we know what wonders your heart seeks. We’ve watched you since the day you were born and knew you before you were formed. We’ve come to answer your tears, below the Time of Harvest is in the fields.”

the Stranger laid a hand upon my forehead and left a mark, I was full of Light. “Careful,” it prophesied, “they’ll search for you come mourning. Awake now, you’ve no more need to hide.”

 

I wonder what happens by HartwigHKD PART III – Novae Res
With the Dawn, I awoke to sirens and realized the search had begun. I was not afraid; I stood my ground, as I was tired of life by the gun. In my mind sat the strength of clarity and I turned to face the empty-eyed army. I was stampeded, but I was not done: this war I will fight until it’s won. Should I fail? I’ve nothing left to barter, I’ve got no more of me to sacrifice. Next came, an Army of Agents. “I am Come to reveal all your secrets!” I yawped.

Inside me I felt the Archives of Reason written on the code of my life. From my mouth came the outflow of Truth and the Tempest rode the back of sun’s rise. Sensing the end the people scattered but the storm plucked them up from the earth. Agents gave up weapons and their last breath and were carried away by a hurricane of death. I saw Giants fall from their great thrones and crawl for cover beneath ash and bone. The Storm chewed them up as a feast and from its throat, it vomited a beast. Lightning struck the beast on its eye and from the sky, it fell with a quake. The earth opened up and swallowed it whole. The Tempest broke, and left not stain. Amazed I stood at the edge of a garden beckoned by the lull of a Stranger’s tune. I laid my hand upon the gate to enter and knew my search would end soon. . .

 

Happy & Wholesome by Philip KirkEPILOGUE
My mind buzzing with the spirits of conscience, I knew this was one of but many directions. The door to the line of Evolution stood open; I crossed the threshold to the birth of new questions.

 

Image Credits–
“Magical Level — Level of Miracles” by HartwigHKD
“Liberation of Psyche” by HartwigHKD
“Dreaming” by HartwigHKD
“I wonder what happens. . .” by HartwigHKD
“Happy & Wholesome” by Philip Kirk

Dystopia

D Y S T O P I A: a visual poem

One Day in the Future —

What if humans were extinct? What would the planet be like then? This isn’t a nightmare or a dream because there is no dreamer. Imagine a future world in which humans are gone, extinct, what record would remain to memorialize our existence. With current technology, it is already possible to record human thoughts and memories, using a digital camera/camcorder. The true dystopia would be this kind of environment, video memories/thoughts/dreams/ambitions still floating around and playing randomly throughout the world. This is how I would imagine a future Dystopian world.

DYSTOPIA: A Visual Poem (a part of Videotry series, video + poetry = Videotry. Videotry is a new style of poetry using moving images rather than written or spoken words to convey a meaning. Prose is in the form of film, a new way of ambient writing. Instrumental music and images illustrate the concepts, creating a flowing architecture)

More Visual Poetry:
Soar

Credits–
Film Clips* (all film clips from Vimeo.com and used with permission through CC license):
Where Are All The People by Jonatan Lerche, Sr.
To Wall Street by Benjamin Dewey
Still There by Hotaka Matsumura
*[All footage filmed in HD, recommend 720p or 1080p for optimal viewing]

Sound clips (all samples from FreeSound.org and used with permission under CC attribution license from the following):
“Play Ball” CGEffex
“Highway Urban” Cognito Perceptu
“Deep Bass Rumble 3” ERH
“Primary School Children Playing Interior” Nick Pursehouse
[all other clips under CC licence public domain]

Music:
“Tenebrous Brothers Carnival–Snake Lady” & “Peace of Mind” by Kevin MacLeod, Incompetech.com

Other Footage:
Swings & Cage in Field filmed by NIKOtheOrb

Autumn Brewed

Music video for poem Autumn Brewed.
Collaboration with Nancy Pontius.
Poem/lyrics by NIKOtheOrb. Music created, produced and played by Nancy Pontius.
Song mixed by NIKOtheOrb using Audacity, (original track).

Other music video here (Sunday Afternoon Drive, featuring original song by Steve Ferguson).

More original songs by Nancy Pontius here.

Credits–
Sounds /Effects used (all from Freesound.org):
“Singing Bowls” by juskiddink
“Wind Through Trees” by Chris Castiglione
“Morning In The Forest” by reinsamba
“Light Rain” by Jeffreys2
“Wind Chimes” by ashassin

Images Used (all from Flickr.com):
“Nature Pictures” by Forest Wander
“Big Tree” by Nietnagel
“Golden Leaves” and “Big Sky” by Simon Wu
“Rainbow Forest” by Slack12

Motion Pictures Used:
All fall foliage in forest filmed by NIKOtheOrb
Animation, “Way of the Mantis” from Internet Archive

Much thanks to Nancy for this collaboration and her wonderful work and beautiful voice.

*All images, sounds, and video used through permission granted by Creative Commons license reuse, remix, and attribution, or public domain.

The Beauty of the Wood

See all the colors,

the layers within:

 

the color of the blue sky in the green leaves,

and there is the color of the sun in the tree.

The leaves, the flowers, the root systems of the trees. . .

See then how all are connected to compose this environment called Forest.

 

See the motions of time—

By looking at a stream,

see when last the floods came.

 

Study the fallen tree,

and know of weather,

of climate, of wildlife and flora,

the health of the soil and what has happened to the tree.

 

Following track marks in the dirt,

know the ways of Animal.

By observing animals,

see how they think, see what they see.

 

And then,

ultimately,

communicate with and within this environment. . .

 

And know Us.

 

*Fractal image, “Infernal Autumn”, by Timmetrius

 

 

This Ain’t No Maxwell House

Autumn Brewed

It’s snowing golden leaves

while the sun plays tricks with our eyes.

Little bits of color, formed into wood. . .

molecules smell like exploding stars:

tiny nuclear reactions contained in a rainbow.

WOW!

And it’s always been this way?

Has it.

A billion pieces of We

on the circuit board of Life.

Take a sip.

This ain’t no Maxwell House.

UPDATE: I collaborated with musician Nancy Pontius to put these words to her beautiful voice and wonderful playing.

Music Video Post for the song (mix), here.

And at YouTube on my channel, here.

Hear the original (un-mixed) track here. More original songs by Nancy here.

Thanks, Nancy!