The Poet's Task

 THE POET'S TASK 

by Rick Doble

 The poet's task 

 is to fill 

 the emptiness 

 of words 

 with the richness 

 of the world 

Drawing of Rimbaud by Verlaine  (commons.wikimedia.org)

 SAILING TO BYZANTIUM 

 Example of a poet filling his words with the richness of the world 

 W. B. Yeats 

That is no country for old men. The young

In one another’s arms, birds in the trees

— Those dying generations — at their song,

The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,

Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long

Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.

Caught in that sensual music all neglect

Monuments of unageing intellect.

Verlaine & Rimbaud (far left)

belonged to a group known as Les Poètes Maudits 

(The Cursed Poets or The Outsider Poets) 

which is also the title of  a work by Verlaine (commons.wikimedia.org)

 I'm now making myself as scummy as I can. Why? I want to be a poet, and I'm working at turning myself into a seer. You won't understand any of this, and I'm almost incapable of explaining it to you. The idea is to reach the unknown by the derangement of all the senses. It involves enormous suffering, but one must be strong and be a born poet. It's really not my fault. 

Arthur Rimbaud, 1871, age 16

The Past Is The Present -- The Present Is The Past

 The Past Is The Present 

 = 

 The Present Is The Past 

 by Rick Doble 

Ocean waves transport energy over vast distances...
There are waves of all sizes and shapes rolling into the beach at any given time. If they’re not stopped by anything, waves can travel across entire ocean basins and so the waves at your beach might be from a storm half a world away.
Oceans in Motion: Waves and Tides
http://ci.coastal.edu/~sgilman/770Oceansinmotion.htm

 The Past Is The Present = 
 The Present Is The Past 

    

  the past is  
  like ocean waves  

  forever breaking  

  on the shores  

  of the now  
  moment  
    

Fast Food Sound Bites

FAST FOOD SOUND BITES

(At a McDonald's restaurant during a storm)
(Photographs from commons.wikimedia.org)

The large loud man
who has a story for anyone who will listen
tells his daughter 
she is acting 
like a seal

Outside a storm 
pounds the parking lot
with large beaded drops

Then sudden sunlight hits
glossy grass
before rain returns

French fries beep in the kitchen
I wonder if my car window is open

The loud man
looks at his daughter
claps his hands
and barks like a seal

Around the restaurant 
ripples of laughter

Young Girl Frightened By Gulls

A Very Young Girl 

Is Frightened By Gulls At The Beach

Radio Island, Carteret County, NC

Photo by Rick Doble

Chinese Restaurant - 1963

 Special Trip to a   Chinese Restaurant 

 Personal Stories 
 In 1963 there were no Chinese restaurants in Chapel Hill NC
 where I was going to college at UNC, so we drove to Durham 
(Image processed from a photograph at commons.wikimedia.org)

  At a Chinese restaurant  

 the waitress 

 tells me 

 I think too much 

 but 

 I am 

 looking 

 out the window 

Lyrics To A Song Yet To Be Sung

 WHEN I HIT THE GROUND 

By Rick Doble

For Drew Wright

Based on the story of his accident that Drew told me

Lyrics to a song that has yet to have music

 I was flying 

 then falling 

 dream time 

 slow motion 

 and I won't come down 

 'til I hit the ground 

 Looking across the sky 

 surefooted at the top  

 I fell 

 floating by 

 each story I'd built 

 thinking of you 

 our boys 

 the stories left to tell 

 Life passed me by 

 in the blink of an eye 

 Woke up 

 heard people talking 

 could not move my lips 

 feet frozen 

 darkness all around 

 I was flying 

 then falling 

 dream time 

 slow motion 

 and I won't come down 

 'til I hit the ground 

 One day 

 I wiggled a toe 

 and tears fell 

 in the daylight and the dawn 

 I was flying 

 then falling 

 dream time 

 slow motion 

 and I won't come down 

 'til I hit the ground 

 I've seen life fly by 

 in the blink of an eye 

 I've seen it sit in a chair 

 stone still 

 Now I walk and stand and sing 

 simple things for you 

 are a blessing for me 

 I was flying 

 then falling 

 dream time 

 slow motion 

 and I won't come down 

 'til I hit the ground 

The Power of Great Art

 The Power of Great Art 

 A work of art is great 

 because 

 it is compelling 

 1786, London. Macbeth & Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth

 But not because 

 it has a clear meaning -- 

1858, London. Historically accurate costumes for performances of
Macbeth & Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth

 Since it is often understood 

 differently 

 by other cultures 

 and other generations 

1933, Poland. Pastel drawing of
Macbeth & Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth

Read about this idea in more detail at my other blog
DeconstructingTime:
Why Great Art Is Great
http://deconstructingtime.blogspot.com/2016/02/why-great-art-is-great-using.html