Food for Thought: Love is Friendship Caught Fire

Hello Everyone,

It's been a while since I posted some food for thought, so I figured something love related would be appropriate with Valentine's Day coming up this weekend. :) The first line of a poem by Laura Hendricks really grabbed me -- "Love is friendship caught fire" -- and, after reading the rest of it, I knew that I had to share the whole thing with all of you.

I think the poem really expresses what real love is -- how it's not sunshine and rainbows all the time. How many of you have the real thing? Leave a comment below.


Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep

Hello All,

Last week I attended the funeral of an old family friend. She was a wonderful woman with a very full and well lived life. When I spoke with her daughter after the service, she said that her mother knew that death was near, but not too worry. Her mother even requested that people wear bright colours to her funeral because black was just too morbid. This made me smile because the last time I saw her, she was wearing the most cheerful red sweater with different coloured flowers embroidered on it. I told her daughter this and she smiled too, saying "Yep, that's mom."

For today's food for thought, I am sharing the original version of the poem "Do Not Stand at my Grave and Weep" by Mary Elizabeth Frye. According to recorded history, Mary wrote the poem in 1932. At the time, she and her husband were living in Baltimore. Staying with them was a young German Jewish woman named Margaret Schwarzkopf who was greatly concerned about her sick mother in Germany, but unable to go home due to the increasing anit-Semtic unrest. When she received word of her mother's death, Margaret was heartbroken that she could not return home for the funeral and her grief prompted Mary to write the poem.

As I mentioned, what I have posted here is the original version of the poem as confirmed by Mary herself in an interview on CBC radio in 2000. It has 4 additional lines that are not in common version of the poem heard today, which also has slight variation to some of the other lines as well. In any case, I think the original version is quite beautiful and I know our old family friend would like it very much.

Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: My Name is Gossip

Hi All,

With all of the stories in the news about bullying, I wanted to share the following anonymous poem about gossip. I can't stand what young people are doing to each other, and it breaks my heart that those on the receiving end of such nastiness feel the only way out is to end their lives. Young people aren't the only guilty ones. Even adults who should know better are just as bad when it comes to gossip and treating each other disrespectfully. It needs to stop.

Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Until next time,

Eddy

O Wretched

O wretched lover,
Teller of tales,
Bringer of hate,
You failed me
Wicked may the pain be in your heart,
Burning long,
Burning deep

O wretched whore,
Eyes sunken and drawn,
Lips stained purple,
Your plan failed
Outside is a lie
Inside your garden,
Life is knocking on Heaven’s door

O wretched child,
Innocent and pure,
Conceived in thoughtless haste,
Mother failed you
You won’t be spared
Death is your only deliverance
From your watery tomb

O wretched lover,
Hollow soul,
Evil liar,
You failed you,
Failed us all
My heart is dead
To the tears you shed

© 2010 JB. All rights reserved.

Beloved

Beloved,
In daylight,
Like a funeral pyre burning bright,
I am exposed for all to see

Tainted
Isolated
My soul
My blackened heart

I am a victim,
A wretched, twisted entity,
Crucified
By a legacy of lies

Beloved,
When darkness prevails,
Tears spill in vain
My pillow drowns

Agony
Bears vigil at my core
I am ravaged
I am torn

Night after night,
Whispering your name,
Small, silent breaths
Echoing...

Beloved
Beloved
Beloved
Beloved…

© 2009 JB. All rights reserved.

Sing The Song

Liquor on my lips
Wine...
Fills the time
Meaningless nights
Gaps

Voices
Tell the story
Stabbing – jabbing
Pushing – pulling
Reminding me...

Stop it!
Stop it!
Stop the voices
The noises
The song of hate

The lying words
Hurt me
Trash me
Lash out at me
When will it end?

I feel lost
I feel alone
Seems to be the theme
The sad song
Sung for so long

I am the song
The anthem of despair
Floating
In the night sky
Like smoke in the air

Looking, longing
Wondering, waiting
For tender time
Love time
All the time…

Singing
A strange song
A painful song
A heartbreak tune
At the full height of the moon

Turn…
My eyes to the sky
Wipe my tears
Lights out
Good-bye

© 2009 JB. All rights reserved.

Black Blood: A Poem For My Love

(Original post date: Tuesday, August 19th, 2008)

A body full of sorrow and pain
Veins filled with black blood,
Skin dry and cracked,
Bones broken
A human with no core and no soul
This is the image in the mirror
Staring back at me, at you
Once in love, and now full of hate
Once whole, and now ripped in two
Where do you begin?
Where do I end?
One half me, one half you
I will never find my way back, nor will you
We are separate, but the same
We are never going to be the same
The rain no longer warm and soft
Instead, thick droplets of blood
Replace the love drained from my veins
All I see is your broken, cracked face,
Filled with pain and guilt,
Empty of truth, empty of love
How do we change this aching, bitter, cracked road,
This twisting, widening mess,
To get back to that place?
The gates of heaven or hell opened for us,
By us, to service us
I am bleeding in my heart,
Choking on chunks of blood...
Feeling your loss,
Feeling your pain,
Aching in vain
What have we become?
A bag of brittle bones,
Blood to ashes,
Hate to fear
What is it that you fear??!!!
Why do you hate me so?
Knife so deep,
Cracked my heart,
Ripped my soul
Swallowing black blood...
I hold your face in my gaze,
Tears dripping down,
Wishing that this road had an end
The blood has turned to dust and ashes
Good-bye is all that's left
The last drop of blood touches my lips on yours
Rest
Good-bye is my final word,
Written in blood on your lips
Good-bye
Until we meet again...
Angel with gilded wings,
Who saved my life a long time ago,
Then took my life without a second thought, look or embrace
With black blood on your wings and hands,
How do you love me again?

© 2008 JB. All rights reserved.

Alone In Me

Hands up my shirt
Tugging at my heart strings
Hands down my pants
Just the motion
No emotion
A lost soul
Wasting time
Filling gaps
Filling holes
Only a play a story
No beginning
No end
No names
No numbers
Who are you?
My God...
My Messiah...
My end?
I hate you!
Go to hell!
I’ll show you the road
Go!
Crawl back into your cavern of lies
Dark whore
Soulless wench
Eyes made of wooden spears
Branches for limbs
Skinless
Evil
No one
Only empty lust
On empty nights
Alone in me

© 2009 JB. All rights reserved.

Distant Death

Distant looks
Distant touches
Lost
Surreal
Gone
Empty love
Dances in the distance
Tip toe
To-and-fro
Me over here
You over there
Noise wraps the air
Madness dances in my hair
Flakes of sky dust on the floor
Puddles of softness
Enveloped in darkness
Love is now a million tiny deaths
Repeating in my head
Hear my muffled cries for you
Calling out
Hey…
I know you can hear me
See me
Feel me
Touch me
Save me…
Flowers lay on the casket
Eyes look down
Staring at my death
Hands stroke cold flesh
Next…
Six feet down
I reach the cold hard ground
The earth hits the casket
Good-bye, wicked life
I bid you adieu

© 2008 JB. All rights reserved.

The Hate Inside

I was going through my journal and found something that I wrote back in July of this year. As you're about to discover, I was in a very dark place at the time, so covered in hate that I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror. Now, three months later, a lot of that hate has been neutralized by love, which always comes in to remind me that it’s important to remember the good times.

JB

=================================

The Hate Inside

My body is infested with hate,
Hate that came to me one cold December,
In the form of a woman
Disguised as love
She introduced hate to me slowly,
Lying to me,
But calling it love
Words of hate came from her lips,
Entered my ears,
And left their scars

I was once a kind soul,
Full of love, compassion, joy,
But hate drew me in, saying:
Let me release you
Let me give you some reprieve
Feel the hate
It will set you free
I said: No, I am a good person
Hate said: No, you're not

I tried to bury hate,
But hate came back,
Blanketed my very being,
And devoured the love I once had
Now, I need to hate,
Or I will die from hurt,
From heartbreak

I wake to hate
I bath in hate
I seep with hate
I relish the hate
I can’t breathe without hate

Hate made my skin dry
Hate made my bones ache
Hate turned my blood into poison

My eyes went black from hate
My hands only feel hate
My legs are the anchors of hate

My heart is the sewage system of hate,
Poisoning me slowly
With the venom it pumps out

Until all is settled,
Until I no longer need her hateful grasp on me,
Until hate finally drains
From the last drop of my black blood,
I will return hate to its rightful owner,
My beloved,
On a cold winter’s night

© 2008 JB. All rights reserved.

Time

Time
Watch it pass
Through faces of those you love to love,
Hate to hate

Bitter,
Angry,
Ageless,
Their excuses based on time

Time has a strangle hold
On you,
On us,
On them

In the midst of chaos,
Time keeps a fine line
Between the here & now,
‘Til you’re out of time

Where does time go?
To the local drinking hole after 7pm?

What is time?
Who has time?
Why so little time?

Time stands still
Still stands still
Take your pills
Fill the holes in your soul
Numb

Is all this a time lapse,
An illusion brought on by time,
Created from time?

Time has taken your soul
To that dark empty place
Pop the last pill
Sleep long

Time is running out
Out is running in
In is standing still

Roll over
Wake up on time for your death,
For time has prepared your bed of dirt!

© 2008 JB. All rights reserved

If You Forget Me - Pablo Neruda

I just had to post yet another incredible poem -- If You Forget Me -- by Pablo Neruda. To hear the poem being read by Madonna, you can check it out on YouTube. Meanwhile, the poem itself follows below.

This poem is for anyone who has loved, lost, and come out changed. Knowing that my love is no longer there isn't as painful as it used to be, yet, at the same time, there's still an emptiness that's hard to bear.

JB

================================================

If You Forget Me - Pablo Neruda

I want you to know
one thing.

You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists:
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.

If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.

If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.

But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine.

Pablo Neruda: Tonight I Can Write The Saddest Lines

For any of you who love poetry, you're sure to love Tonight I Can Write The Saddest Lines, a beautiful poem by Pablo Neruda. He was an amazing poet who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. I've posted the poem below. Meanwhile, a video where you can hear actor Andy Garcia read the poem out loud can be found on my myspace page. Just click to view all of my blog entries. Then, once the page turns over, scroll down towards the bottom to locate the video.

Pablo Neruda (1904-1971)

Born: Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto
Place of Birth: Parral, Chile
Occupation: Poet, Diplomat, Political figure


Tonight I Can Write The Saddest Lines - Pablo Neruda

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

Write, for example, "The night is starry
and the stars are blue and shiver in the distance."

The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.

Through nights like this one I held her in my arms.
I kissed her again and again under the endless sky.

She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.
How could one not have loved her great still eyes.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.

To hear the immense night, still more immense without her.
And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.

What does it matter that my love could not keep her.
The night is starry and she is not with me.

This is all. In the distance someone is singing. In the distance.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

My sight tries to find her as though to bring her closer.
My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.

The same night whitening the same trees.
We, of that time, are no longer the same.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but how I loved her.
My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.

Another's. She will be another's. As she was before my kisses.
Her voice, her bright body. Her infinite eyes.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but maybe I love her.
Love is so short, forgetting is so long.

Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms
my soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer
and these the last verses that I write for her.

__________________________________________________________

My love, if I could have written this poem for you, those are the words that I would've chosen to express what is and will always be in my heart and soul, now and forever. Goodbye sweet, sweet angel, who saved my life not so long ago. May you become that beautiful women you so long to be. Goodbye, until our paths cross again on a starry night.

Love is so short, forgetting is so long.

JB

Black Blood: A Poem For My Love

A body full of sorrow and pain
Veins filled with black blood,
Skin dry and cracked,
Bones broken
A human with no core and no soul
This is the image in the mirror
Staring back at me, at you
Once in love, and now full of hate
Once whole, and now ripped in two
Where do you begin?
Where do I end?
One half me, one half you
I will never find my way back, nor will you
We are separate, but the same
We are never going to be the same
The rain no longer warm and soft
Instead, thick droplets of blood
Replace the love drained from my veins
All I see is your broken, cracked face,
Filled with pain and guilt,
Empty of truth, empty of love
How do we change this aching, bitter, cracked road,
This twisting, widening mess,
To get back to that place?
The gates of heaven or hell opened for us,
By us, to service us
I am bleeding in my heart,
Choking on chunks of blood...
Feeling your loss,
Feeling your pain,
Aching in vain
What have we become?
A bag of brittle bones,
Blood to ashes,
Hate to fear
What is it that you fear??!!!
Why do you hate me so?
Knife so deep,
Cracked my heart,
Ripped my soul
Swallowing black blood...
I hold your face in my gaze,
Tears dripping down,
Wishing that this road had an end
The blood has turned to dust and ashes
Good-bye is all that's left
The last drop of blood touches my lips on yours
Rest
Good-bye is my final word,
Written in blood on your lips
Good-bye
Until we meet again...
Angel with gilded wings,
Who saved my life a long time ago,
Then took my life without a second thought, look or embrace
With black blood on your wings and hands,
How do you love me again?

© 2008 JB. All rights reserved.