Break-Up Songs

A friend of mine recently went through the seemlingly inevitable romantic disappointment that is bound to befall beautiful and charming people. As a cathartic therapy to her pain, I sent a CD of great break up songs. Below is a collection. Please comment and add.

1. Goodbye My Lover - James Blunt
2. Cuts You Up - Peter Murphy
3. Let Me Down Easy - Chris Isaac
4. Pictures of You - The Cure
5. Brick - Ben Folds
6. Best of My Love - The Eagles
7. Make You Love Me - Bonnie Rait
8. Mr. Brightside - The Killers
9. I Do - Jude
10. Collide - Howie Day

Blank Verse Joy

Un-rhymed lines of ten syllables.

pin pricked skies cascading small drops of life,
rolling down my nose, into my smile, fresh
bright beads of hope whisper laughter, dangling
from dancing ear lobes. sunlight pierces each
droplet, shatters into brilliant orbs of
kaliedescope light, rainbow hughs of love
running across every inch of my skin,
carbonating my life with contentment,
softening a lifetime of concrete plow
pan. torrential floods carving through thickest
darkness, to make a sure way of escape.

Hand Tying

Is it a blessing or a curse, to see the end before you begin?

Last week I enjoyed listening to Shannon Murray perform at the Governor's Cup while I pretended to take a sociology test. She was cute in this lovely nymph like way and sang with the earnestness of Kasey Chambers and the disregard to key of Alanis Morisette. She was all about the IWW and labor rights, so I chuckled to myself for most of the set while she pronounced her stern judgement on Walmart, corporations, bosses the world 'round and work in general. While I disagreed with just about everything she said, she made a point about the power of music to transform ideas that really struck home.

It is fascinating to me how music has been used to point out injustice or make social commentary at times in history when all other forms of communication fail. Shannon was referring of course to the initial movement of oppressed workers, rising up against the "establishment" to the tune of re-worded hymns and bar songs. Music will always capture the intellect in way that mere words cannot: it dis-arms the psyche through the emotional charms of melody, harmony and rhythm. While most lyrics today are behreft of much thoughtful commentary or social insight, perhaps it is just a matter of time before a new movement captures the evocative power of song.

Sonnet

I will pause to observe the subtle change of season
Like a burglar in the night knows no fear,
You’re steady like the hand bent on treason,
With patience linger til that time of year.
Smoldering leaves of golden hues announce your
Arrival. Trumpets blare in windy gusts
Like lusty battle with Mars god of war,
Invisible but proud as an emperor’s bust.
Strong grip of ice squeezes green from the trees
Breathe unseen now seen in your chill specter,
With but days you bring nature to its knees.
Life’s yearly funereal, and you it’s rector.
Waltz in from the four corners of the earth
Dance to a song of laughter and much mirth.

Sestina

Below is the first draft of an assignment for a poetry class I'm taking. A sestina is a poem of seven stanzas. It requires the repetition of the first 6 ending words of the first 6 lines of the poem to be used at designated places through out the writing. It is quite a complicated formula and presents no small challenge. I won't bore you with a more in-depth explanation of the formula, and I'm not sure I could if I wanted. For those of you who are interested, here is a fairly brief explanation. I realize the poem is awkward and bungling at this point, but it is a product of the stringent form and guidelines. Hopefully it will become smoother over the next few days as I iron it out.

I want to live for things that matter,
No more moment-by-moment priorities
Or sudden lapses in better judgment.
I’ll trade a life time of straw-grasping
For this minutes hold on hope,
Standing on what does not change.

But down here you can buy a worldview for pocket change,
Cheaper if you say “whatever, it don’t matter.”
But it will short-sell you on hope
And give you a list of delinquent priorities.
In the end you are always left gasping, grasping
Shaking because there just might be a judgment.

I keep hoping for a place where judgment
Becomes disguised in a simple change.
No longer grasping,
But holding on to tangible matter.
New priorities
hope.

What breath is worth breathing without hope?
A soul gets tired of non-stop, mile-wide judgment
Feels the only recourse is the crack cocaine of instantaneous priorities.
Deep down you know it is just a placebo for change.
You fool, no matter,
Keep grasping

Hold tight now, no more grasping.
This is hope.
Don’t let those many failures matter.
Ignore their sirens cry of judgment.
Enact change,
Re-calibrate priorities.

Simple, basic priorities,
For better, bigger, and grander things I will be grasping.
Looking forward to change
As a sign of hope
Exercise a little better judgment.
These things matter.

Stand in judgment over priorities
Kneel while grasping gently at hope
Lay it all down, no matter the cost, exact change.

Monday List of Three

1. Cafe Today coffee - Strong and greasy, but with a little cream it is all that stands between me and deep sleep.
2. To do list - PERS research, In-classroom spending, sociology reading, poetry, Starr townhall, exercise
3. Songs for Faith Felicity - Life Ain't Always Beautiful


Life ain't always beautiful, somedays I miss your smile,
I get tired of walking all these lonely miles
and I wish for just one minute, I can see your pretty face,
cuz I can dream but life don't work that way
But the struggles make me stronger, and the changes make me wise,
and happiness has its own way of taking its sweet time.
No, Life ain't always beautiful, but I know I'll be fine,
Hey Life ain't always beautiful, but it's a beautiful ride,
what a beautiful ride...