Thursday 3 September 2009

Back to Blogging

Ok so limited internet access has had a detrimental effect on my yearning to write something that may be of vague interest to people who are wondering what I get up to here. Despite still having Microsoft Word, a pen, a paper, a brain and two eyes and two ears it has been two months since I wrote something about my Chinese adventures. I just spent my time when I could be writing blogs reading Edgar Allan Poe.

Speaking of the Poemeister himself, yesterday was the Chinese Halloween, one of the many random special days that just seems to pop up without notice (Children's Day, National Day, Golden Week, Tomb Sweeping Day- I'm talking to you whatever you may be!). It wasn't all trick or treating and vampire costumes, I took a walk down my street on the way to a bar (despite being warned about being attack by ghosts by some of my colleagues - and no, I don't think they were even joking) and saw several incense sticks and candles planted in the trees and soil beside the street, as well as the usual mass of people out eating and drinking - they didn't seem to be afraid. After arriving at the bar with some friends I noticed a mild effort to embrace the occasion with some of the bar staff wearing zombie masks, though the icing on the cake was watching two these two dancers perform some sort of strange voodoo dance ritual wearing Phantom of the Opea-esque masks, all to the thumpings tunes of Rammstein. That's something I've yet to get my head around here - almost every bar I've been to in Liuzhou will at some point unleash upon the tipsy crowd the pulsating rhythm of German industrial rock. Nice to know they've finally found an audience.

Last time I write I believe I was up in Hangzhou.. since then I came back down to Liuzhou, went to Beihai, then to Kunming, Dali and Lijiang, and after returning to Liuzhou again took a trip to Guangzhou to see Joe. My travelling time was actually pretty short, perhaps two or two and a half weeks or so, though I managed to see a fair amount. I would like to share some of the memories and feelings of this time though I'm trouble remembering right now so just look at the photos I've put up on Facebook. A picture tells a thousand words! Lijiang was certainly the highlight of the bunch, a nighmare to get to unless you fly (12 hours from Nanning to Kunming ny train, 5 hours from Kunming by bus to Dali, and then 3 hours from Dali to Lijiang by bus again) as its nestled up in the mountains of Yunnan Province, but it was definately worth the arduous journey. My girlfriend and I stayed in the old town district, where many beautiful dogs run free amid the clatter of horse drawn carts, and where the rich heritages of Naxi and Tibetan culture are thrown in your face like some blind bat on speed (I was hoping to come up with a better simile there but my English has been decaying slowly since I've been here). A friend told me that Lijiang was just one big gift shop, that which is true, though the charming narrow winding streets and old Chinese architecture nestled amid the foothills of the Himalayas was too much for me to resist. My only regret was not venturing out to the Lu Gu Lake, a 7 hour bus journey north from Lijiang into the Sichuan province right on the Tibetan border. From some of the photos I saw this place looked awesome, and I can just spend ages staring at mountains and lakes. Maybe next year.

I'm back at the school now for the new term, and its nice having some new students and some old, thankfully I've retained most of my good classes from last year, though I will miss my American High School style class, complete with all the well known archetypes like the bully, the it girl, the geek etc etc. They were pretty fun. This weekend some friends from Yangshuo will be coming down to Liuzhou, some of whom I havn't seen for a while, so I once again look forward to unleashing a group of English lads upon the streets of Southern China.

Peace

Tuesday 5 May 2009

China Blog I've lost count already

Yes folks it may be the intense heat and humidity that has caused me to forget which number blog this is, or maybe some strange mosquito contraction whereby one loses short term memory and their care for numeric order. Yes its very hot and my body is completely covered with mosquito bites-I have a net over my window that is meant to keep them away but somehow they still creep in... maybe through cracks in the wall or through the plumbing system; clever buggers. I feel like Ripley from Aliens: Living in a different world and having to shut every possible entry to my flat and wait with mosquito spray in hand only to be outsmarted by these infesting pests as they find ways in beyond my comprehension. Its not too bad though, I've been visited by some pretty cool moths and spiders of many different colours and sizes, of which I have never seen before.

The China mayday holiday has just passed giving us a three day weekend, allowing a hard earned opportunity to visit family or friends, relax or play computer games for three days straight as many of my students claimed to have done. I initially wanted to visit my old friend Joe in Guangzhou, a fellow Haywards Heathian who had also made the cross continent jump to escape the woes of graduate life in a small Sussex town. My passport however is currently in Nanning (the capital city of Guangxi province) being scanned, stamped and god knows what else under the eyes of the Chinese immigration authorities. You can get to Guangzhou by train or bus, but your looking at a 10 hour plus journey in a cramped and sweaty atmosphere, so I thought it best to head to Guangzhou another time. I instead took the chance to return to Yangshuo (the town in which I lived in for two weeks when I first arrived) to see some fellow foreign friends and return to the culture of paying reasonable prices in restaurants, heavy drinking and archetypal camera-in-hand sight seeing. My girlfriend and I took the train from Liuzhou to Guilin, which theoretically should take about an hour to an hour and a half, as its only a distance of 100 miles or so, with no stops. This excitement of losing my Chinese train virginity was quickly marred by an unexpected four hour journey in which the train traveled at snail's pace, stopping every twenty minutes to allow an oncoming train to pass. This perhaps answers the musing of why buses are twice as expensive as trains in China! I guess on the positive side it gave me a chance to soak in some of the lovely Guangxi scenery on the way up. Immediately after arriving in Yangshuo and checking into a hotel, it was time to hit the bars and catch up with some of the people who I'd known upon my initial arrival in China. It was a great speaking English freely again, although there are some English speakers in Liuzhou you have dumb down or perhaps simplify your vocabulary pace of speech in order to convey your meaning. Its something I've gotten use to, being an English teacher, though it was nice to revel in British humour and idioms once again amid the haze of numerous folk sharing stories from across China and the globe. It didn't feel like I'd been away for long, though it had been about two months; perhaps a testament to the busy and fun filled nature of my time here. In my absence Yangshuo had acquired a McDonald's, a sign of esteem for any well doing settlement in China, and of course with it being a 24/7 restaurant in a town full of western tourists, proved itself a worthy investment. Pretty handy after a night on the town though, even if I can only eat fries and ice cream.

I thought I'd take the time to talk about some of the great phrases and idioms that the students have come up with in class so far. I often try to employ exercises in class which requires the students to speak and make use of their English knowledge in a casual environment. Some tasks include "what five things would you take if you were lost on a desert island and why?" and "describe your dream country" etc. These often go down well, with the students relishing the chance to be creative and sometimes humorous. There have been some classics on the way though, with one student stating he'd take a nuclear bomb to a desert island so he could destroy himself-all said with a broad smile and with tongue firmly in cheek as to quash any worries of parental concern. This was the same kid who in a lesson about traveling asked a fellow student "can I get from north Poland to south east Columbia by panda bear?" answered with a perfectly logical "no, you can't". Many of the students also seem to have a mysteriously wide array of closing sentences, such as "that is all", "I have nothing else to say" and "thats what I think, how about you?". Earlier today I employed the dream country lesson with one of my better classes, and the result being one girl saying "In my dream country there will be many eggs, that is all". Each class has there own buzzword as well, often sending them into fits of laughter. Although to me they have little sense or meaning, they are good for maintaining rapport with the classes and getting their attention. For example one class love to here and say the phrase "horse drawn cart", another is fond of "GBA (Game Boy Advance) and "dinosaur", "UFO" and "lovely pig", and one popular term used across the school is the word "yellow", used in contexts such as "yellow movie" "yellow man" and "yellow television". I later discovered that the reason for the subsequent hysteria was that "yellow" in China has something to do with some Japanese adult website. Fair enough. One infamous phrase that perhaps many fellow foreign teachers encounter is the "NO WHY!" reply. If you ask a student "why do you like football" the reply will sometimes be "no why", and if you wish to assert your wish for them to elaborate and ask "why no why?" the response will be "because no why!". This has become a personal favorite of mine, and I sometimes just look past the aim for them to speak more and allow it to create comic relief in the lessons which is enjoyed mutually by teacher and student alike.

Monday 20 April 2009

China Blog 4


Good afternoon! Well firstly the most significant factor of Liuzhou life right now is the weather... It's been around 26-30 degrees Celsius relentlessly and consistently for the last four or five days, with odd bursts of rain in between. It's nice weather to relax in a park or head out into town at nighttime, but it makes teaching pretty taxing, and it seems as if the students find it equally so. The classrooms seem to be practically devoid of air conditioning with only mild relief coming from opening windows, and bottles of water passed frantically around the class like gold dust. Its only mid-April, and one wonders if my pasty complexion and red hair will be able to withstand the full force of the South China summer, maybe I should buy a parasol and walk around with shades on like Michael Jackson... at least that'll justify the many stares I get whilst walking down the street. Due to the heat I've seen the emergence of various interesting bugs and spiders in my apartment, luckily they seem resigned to the toilet area so far, but the only mild discomfort is their inescapable presence on my bed at night. Many of them are very small, and just as you clamber onto the soft, cool sheets to retire from the labours of the day, there soon comes a faint tickling sensation on a leg or arm, followed by an instinctive slap or a swift spray of the bug repellent.

Saturday was an interesting day. I went with my German friend Susan to the Liuzhou English Corner, where anyone from any background, age or position, can come and practice their spoken English in a relaxed environment. Located in the city centre by the riverside and some old Chinese architecture, it was a nice tranquil spot amid the usual bustle and excitement of the city on a Saturday night. It was my first time to this event, and as a new foreigner I was swiftly surrounded by many keen and willing English speakers, ranging from primary school students to doctors. I didn't mind answering their questions (about where I was from, how long I'd been here for etc.) as it was nice just chatting about home and using cross cultural comparisons to create talking points (made me realise I don't miss England too much!). But it was good to give these guys a chance to practice their English, as many of them said the lack of native speakers in Liuzhou made it difficult to sharpen and tone their spoken language skills, the result perhaps being the infamous "Chinglish".

When I first came to the school I had little idea of the levels of English the students had, but I remember being approached by a student named Daniel in the school courtyard and being impressed by his willingness and confidence in English. Over the last few weeks or so, I've been giving him individual lessons and in return he teaches me some Chinese, maybe five sentences or five words a day. It's proven pretty useful for us both I feel, and over the past few days a few other curious students have joined the after school sessions. As is typical of the mind at that age though, he has expressed interest in being taught profanity. He is already aware of the "big three", but says he is interested in learning specific words from England. I personally have no problem with it, but I don't want to the one held responsible when a student bellows "cock" or "bollocks" in the middle of a maths exam having realised they forgot to carry the extra 2.

Last Monday (13th) saw the passing of my birthday, went for a meal then KTV. (I'll put some pictures on facebook at some point). I remember seeing puppies being sold on the street somewhere, for food or for leisure, I am not sure.

Wednesday 8 April 2009

China Blog 3

Hmmmmm well nothing really springs to mind right now so I guess I'll just write and see what happens. Its just after 11pm on Wednesday the eighth of April and I've just eaten dinner comprised off noodles, boiled vegetables and lovely fried potatoes, tomatoes and an egg (don't worry mother, as you can see I'm eating in a perfectly wholesome manner). Saying that, as food seems to be such a centralised part of the culture here, I'd say I've been eating a little too well... If you walk down the street in a Chinese city you'll notice that every other house is either a shop, a bakery, a disguised brothel or a "hole in the wall" eating place (basically someone who has decided to double up their kitchen into a restaurant). One thing I've noticed about the food here it has this mystifying charm where no matter how much you eat, or if that you've believed you've eaten sufficiently, theres always a feeling of the need to keep on eating. A typical restaurant scene would be a group of friends sat around a circular table, wherein many dishes (some of which I am yet to identify) are rotated round the table so anyone can access their desired food with ease. Such are the size of the portions, that I am yet to witness a completely dissipated dinner table; if one dish appears to be on its ends, then it is the duty of the host to replenish the food in order to keep his guests happy. Coupled with the Chinese custom to always leave a small amount of food on the table (to indicate you have been adequately fed), there are enough leftovers to happily nourish a house of students for days, or make people like Bob Geldof righteously angry at all the apparent waste of produce. It's great though, people really know how to take care of you here! Though for me the notion of not feeling 100% full may have something to do with the significance of meat in the Chinese cuisine, though I had some lovely vegetarian dumplings the other day which really filled me up. I'll stick to those as much as I can.

Generally things have been going well, I've been at the school long enough to feel settled, and although I am still getting to know the students and the surroundings, I am finding the whole teaching malarkey pretty fulfilling. Its great fun when the students willingly engage and participate in the lesson, and you get a real buzz and feeling of satisfaction when you successfully teach words like "danger"; which after several failed attempts of explanation via gestures forced me to climb up a desk which then snapped under my weight causing me to fall next to a concerned looking young girl. Judging by her and the rest of the class' faces, I think they got the meaning. Experimental teaching for dummies. Its not always roses and smiles though, I've been mixing up my methods in recent weeks to try and discover how to alert and maintain the student's interest and response, after noticing that some kids seemed a little bored, disengaged or disillusioned. Prior to arriving in Liuzhou, I and some of the other foreign teachers in Yangshuo had a meeting with Frank, who had been teacher at one of the schools for several years. The piece of advice he gave that has stuck with me was to ensure that you draw out an individual response and allow the students to show their colours. From what I have observed in the schools here so far is that the lessons consist of the teacher giving instructions or uttering sentences or questions, while the students reciprocate in the form of workbooks or collective repetition. This method of "drilling" works perfectly well if you're trying to instill mathematical understanding and gear the students for exams, but it seems to allow little creativity and freedom in regard to utilizing their English in "real life" situations. As a result, it seems that many of the students have a lot of knowledge of English and how it works, but often struggle to reach past the "hello, how are you?" stage when in free conversation. I guess thats the nature of learning a second language though, but going back to the point that Frank made, I guess its my job as a native speaker to get them to start using English in a relaxed manner..... easier said than done I think! Though after teaching weather conditions in an Arnold Schwarzenegger accent the other day, I am pretty sure they will have the confidence to speak English freely in no time.

If I have no plans in the evening, I often take a stroll around the city and soak in the many pretty lights and wondrous noises. I can walk to the city centre in around thirty minutes, and am now used to the locals casting their gaze my way with the odd mutter of "laowai" or "gweilo" (both meaning "foreigner", I think the latter being the more impolite) being heard amid the rush of traffic and blended city sounds. I've made friends with some of the guys down the local supermarket who seem to find my attempts at Chinese both charming and amusing, and one of the workers, Sam, has expressed his desire to learn English and asked if I could give him some lessons. Since I've been here I have been approached by many people in the street, in restaurants or in bars who have requested my services as a speaker of English. Its a little surreal, as I'd thought I'd be the one looking for Chinese teachers, though it seems that some would prefer me to speak English for them to learn rather than me to speak Chinese. As a result communication often arrives at this Chinglish/Engnese plateau whereby you often have to have to resort to body language to get your meaning across, which can be interesting.

Friday 27 March 2009

China Blog 2

My last piece was a brief overview of some of the stuff I've been up to in the past month and a half or so, yet I only wish I started writing earlier so that I could record each week as it had gone by and captured the feeling of the moment as it were. As this result this blog and the last, as well as ones forthcoming may not be in any specific chronological order, with little shards of thought resurfacing at sporadic intervals. But hey, its always good to mix things up.

I guess I'll start by describing my typical day here in Liuzhou. As there are only three foreign teachers in the school (myself and a Ghanaian couple, Cosmos and Freda), the teaching schedule is pretty heavy. I was told in previous years that the school has had five or six foreign teachers at one time, which would have certainly spread the workload out, but I'm enjoying being busy, the nature of the work constantly pushes your creativity. Luckily I don't have too many early starts, the only killer being getting up at 7am on Friday for a 7.40 lesson. I am usually awoken at a random time by the thudding of what can only be described as early nineties rave music regurgitated and spat out under the shine of glossily produced modern Chinese techno (anyone familiar with J-pop or Canto-pop may know what I mean). I am yet to find the source of this disturbance, but it's certainly strange seeing as I live in a rather residential area with only a few local stalls and shops nearby. This sound is soon eclipsed however by the school's PA system echoing out classical music while a prerecorded voice counts to ten over the top, almost in a military like fashion. I discovered that this occurs three or four times a day between classes, and the students are made to relax and massage their facial muscles to the rhythm in order to maintain their focus and attention in school.

My apartment is literally next door to the school which is pretty handy so I can usually get up not too long before my lessons start and stroll in under the aid of coffee and cake (yes they eat cake for breakfast!), enough to sustain a buzz which is often required for teaching. My lessons are forty minutes each which is a nice length of time, usually the first ten minutes is spent just chatting about a random topic just thrown up, then about twenty minutes "real" work, ending with a game to finish the lesson on a lighthearted note. As my Chinese is currently reasonably limited, I have to establish meaning via various gestures, drawing and other physical animations which the students often find amusing. I also take as much opportunity in the classes as I can to brush up on my Chinese, asking the students to translate English words and phrases for me which they seem more than happy to do; often staring wide-eyed in waiting for my attempts to speak their tongue. Their Chinglish is much better than my Engnese. After the day is done teaching I sometimes hang around the school for a bit, either soaking in the nice weather, grabbing some food at the cafeteria or finding some teachers or students to talk to. There's quite a few kids here who really have an impressive grasp of English, and aren't shy to speak it freely. Most people in China under the age of thirty have some knowledge of the language, with it being taught in schools in a similar way in which Spanish or French is taught in England. Unless they have aspirations to pursue their studies at a higher level, then most of what they learned in school is shelved or forgotten. However it seems now under that under the gigantic umbrella which is the ever progressive presence of China in the modern world, English is being attended to in a very assertive manner. The current generation of students are encouraged to speak and learn the language in their everyday lives, coupled with extra lessons, private tuition and increasing exposure to western media and ideology. With the rapid industrialization and modernity occurring in China now, these potentially bilingual kids will be thrown into an environment that will be very different to that of previous generations.

The other night I met Jimmy and girlfriend Alex (many English speaking Chinese people have anglicized names, ranging from "John" and "Robert" to "GoGo" and "Lovely") for dinner, and he introduced me to some of his old schools friends who were visited the city, some of whom had made it big in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. After a civilized introduction and relaxed meal the evening took an interesting turn with the introduction of Chinese liquor and champagne. Many people say that Asians have little alcohol tolerance, I've found both truths and falsities in that since I've been here, but these guys were hardcore. Drinking games are often played here, one favorite being "guess the number" where two people hold up a random number of fingers each, and the person to guess the total amount of fingers held up wins, with the loser doing a shot. Its very fast, very loud, and from a distance looks like an anarchic take on rock paper scissors. Despite frequent offers from my new acquaintances to join the chaos, I insisted I wasn't a liquor type of guy and chose to sit back and enjoy the festivities. After a couple of hours, the crowd slowly began to disband and Jimmy, Alex and I were left with the duty of carrying one very drunk business executive to his plush apartment in the city, where we were invited in by a very dismayed looking wife to drink tea whilst keeping the bloke occupied.

One thing thats astounded me here is the strong feeling of unity and brotherhood that these people have. From the people I've met so far, I've noticed a real sense of togetherness, of group significance. Jimmy told me that a frequent term of address to a friend is to call them brother or sister, which is meant as a true sign of respect and closeness. Also, whenever I've been out to dinner or out to a bar, theres a culture of the host or organizer paying for the whole group; I've often walked into a coffee house of bar to find pre-ordered food and drinks on the table. Whenever I've flashed my wallet and produced some money to pay what in England would be my fair share, I'm met with looks of genuine confusion and am told to put my money away. I have felt a little guilty in being catered for and spending next to nothing, but I guess thats the westerner in me; money doesn't talk it swears. I guess that now I am getting used to these customs of the people of the People's Republic of China, to which as a person I am becoming one of their peoples. I'd promised I'd take some friends out to pizza hut sometime anyway.

Sunday 22 March 2009

Thoughts on China so far

It recently came to my attention in the haze of a lazy Sunday that I hadn't really done much writing in regard to my time in China. Just several photos and some silly poems revolving around my western perception of the goings on here. I've been here for a month now and I guess I've just started to feel settled; got my own place and am getting to now Liuzhou more and more each day (albeit via my misguided orienteering expeditions). I'm also enjoying teaching and although its very draining there's a good sense of fulfillment and some of the kids are great; perhaps one of the few professional environments where the bumbling Englishman can exist without ridicule, the kids love it whenever I spill water on the floor, smash into doors etc etc.

My first two weeks were spent in a small town called Yangshuo. Nestled amid rolling karst mountain scenery and with the Li River flowing through it, it was a gentle introduction into the lifestyle and culture here, being a hotspot for backpackers and fellow teachers, English was widely spoken and the place had many westerner owned bars, restaurants and coffee houses (though the Dutch one was a little disappointing). The place had a Chinese feel as well with the typical ancient pagodas, the ubiquity of Chairman Mao's face, and noodle stalls. In between a hectic schedule including teacher training, Chinese lessons, and various excursions to local beauty spots, I met many cool and interesting people there from all over the globe with stories to tell and wisdom to share. The usual gathering place was the Aussie run Buffalo bar where many bottles of Li Quan beer are downed amid a strange feeling of international harmony; the nail in the coffin being meeting a Frenchman who didn't wince when I said where I came from. Excuse the minor racial slur.

After these two weeks of, well, fun! The time came to start teaching. There were positions available in the various bilingual schools in Yangshuo, offering accommodation and a decent local wage. I decided however that I didn't want to stay in Yangshuo, there wasn't really a true feeling of being in an uncomfortable yet rich and tempting environment, which is what I came to China for. Everything was at my feet and in easy reach: The English language, veggie food, and of course British humour. I was told by our lovely coordinator Isabella that there was a position in a school in Liuzhou, about three hours drive south of Yangshuo, so our wonderful guide Wen-Tao assisted me on the bus down there, to which I am very grateful to considering the amount of drink and dodgey late night barbecue consumed the night prior. On arrival, we were greeted by the school deputy head Mrs Zhou and an English teacher named Joanna, who speaks very good English and was always happy to help out with any queries regarding the city or the school. After being whisked round the downtown area and being given a tour of the school it was time to get the long bus home to Yangshuo.

I've been in Liuzhou for just over three weeks now, and am gradually getting to grips with being stared at wherever I go - I'm guessing someone over six foot with curly ginger locks isn't too common here - I'm slowly learning Chinese and am meeting some wonderful people. One being the music teacher Jimmy, renowned for his antics and showing foreign teachers a good time. Last night Jimmy, myself, and a few of his friends went to the Asian phenomenon which is KTV karaoke, featuring many drinks and awful renditions of Blondie's "Picture This" by yours truly. One of the highlights of the evening was meeting a guy who seemingly in jest said he could arrange me a Chinese girlfriend. This apparent lightheartedness this was quashed later on when three girls came in through the door and he bellowed "YOU....CHOOSE....I PAY!". Assuming what stood before me was what I thought it was, I proceeded to say in a very English manner "thanks but no thanks".

Theres plenty of other musings and stories to share, but I really need to get down to some lesson planning. In summary, the weather is very hot and humid. Till next time! x

Monday 2 March 2009

....

Blind Fox







The wrap of such a ghastly entail divides our senses
Every day the heat rises and courses through my aisle
The crystals and swords paint their glinting spheres in glee
Throwing their wild remoulds and jesting for a spree

But to delve into this frozen delight cursed with longing
To grasp the bolted chain of dust so unbeknown
Darkens the rose upon the misty moor it has grown
Where the spirits waken behind the mirrors that show

Windy roads and foreign eyes that once dressed this smile
Ghostly trials and ripping tides that fell like the evening sun
Rear their crimson faces like the dead reborn
Cowering these brown eyes once free from craving scorn

So the blind fox feeds upon these trifling curds of old
Pressing his green plat paws on the brow locked in cold
The medicine seeps on wounds once dry and closed
For the pages have rose to reopen their gleaming show

See this hungry life player sleep upon his rusty pose
Till the dormant fires rise and engrave the arm to stab
Each burnt out fuse lost amid the oceans of the had
Opening the crusts of dire plains and heavens once glad
Until the past shall cast the fox from its grove of drag




I Go Where the Flowers Grow






You know me friend, I go where the flowers grow
Where the light shines and prosper doesn’t hide
Where the colour is vast against the warmth of my glow
Where new tasks await; new highs and lows to contemplate

I leave behind old flames and withered pasts
Friends, places and emotions not up to my task
I leave behind memories happy and sad
To dwell amongst the present is not to be had

Towards the sun, the sky, and the desired gleam
Away from darkness, the freeze, and established dreams
Towards new hope, new horizon, new prayer
Away from the onset of dry, dusty dim wares

So friend I leave you with little, save this final thought
Don’t hold me in angst, for I will soon return, well taught
With the circles of change firmly in place
Old flowers will bloom, and I’ll remember your face




Poem 2




Heads on rails
Moving like sails
Where my mind entails
In the fruit store of necessity
Dancing like soiled shadows
Steering with wheels that harrow
With legs in the hail
Moving like snails
Only the blind can cure the frail

Oh and sing for songs of lost reveal
With twisting strain
In the grappling rain
Where I seek to abstain
Life in its fiery pain
Oh save the final breath
Your teeth scarred with stain
And laugh with looming death
With blue eyes that spin webs

So swivel your head
Till you view love’s lead
In each stone washed thread
Where the spirits keep
Each merciful faith
Inside the stars that weep
Every tear of solemn grace
And all poets unsure to speak



Spoken/Slurred







Oh why upon this flowery pedestal do the wayfarers shout
The books of love and fields of clouds shatter high above
The black coated scribe barks and beckons through a wintry hive
Coiling each quill and dark mark with beauty, precision and pride

Not a full age further do we spit upon the endless coloured sleeve
Swilling and sparking each hope with tongues of mud and bone
Sons of gods that nod and jest upon golden pages as if stone
I watch and wave and glance through haze, damning these words I own

Crudeness and liquor spawn vital beats, dressing the lonely pawn
Till the hours have dropped from the antique clock
Disheartened leaves cloak the dust of dead smiles and eyes
While the wayfarers breathe their heavy sleaze, coarse, cold and dry

And upon the mythic stone carved upon the wily old phase
We see feathers gust through ears that scar the golden tome
Slurring the whirl of words that creep asleep yet so well tuned
While the pained response cowers and shrinks under the burning moon

Holy charts that once hung well in halls painted without cream
Now tatter with the sticks of revoke sharpened blue and imbued
Till the morning comes and sweeps the brush of slumbered minds
For the wayfarer’s mouth builds its violent cry, pitiful and sublime

Sunday 4 January 2009

So seeing the greatest darkest knight there is on our majestic platinum screens and lucid dreams minimize the joker and all such bluff-strong games of chaos, pondered this restless idealist mind into plane scape desolation, with all switches moving up down in elation, only to gratify and play down such horrors and beauty. Boredom insulation of cross-eyed watchers latched always to colour and heaven/hell visions sleep easy after tonight, knowing their hollow and tree like incarnations are but another bruise or broken bone away from mirror stare bliss. Oh to be in love.

And yet crinkled flakes of stout and girth, eclipsing all such mirth, wallow like summer snow above all such faith, believe, hope?! only to be escorted from our urban messes with the glow of unkept carcasses caressing their dresses leather and black, with the soldiers and their forward attacks.

Take one more look at our friend dressed like the night, and his fingers bound on chiefs in walls uptight, you'll see the wasted blinks and hints. Two and a half hours is a long time for the shortest lesson there is.