It's still the best subject for Poetry, Kiki, isn't it?. I have just read some heart rending poems and writing about grief, but they are still about love.... two inevitable sides of a single coin.
It’s the only subject if you ask me. And the smartest thing I’ve ever heard about grief was that it’s simply love with no place to go. So, once again, it all comes back to…💕
David, that photo essay was sort of both haunting and charming at the same time. You have quite an eye for capturing a scene. Funny how a change of scene opens up the senses. I appreciate the knowledge of the history of your land that you bring to these posts. As you know, I have never been there, yet... But I feel like I am getting a unique introduction to Australia.
Hey Jed. Thankyou. I think of myself mainly as a lover of nature, but when I am in a city I do enjoy searching out the odd corners and left over spaces. I think it's an extension of what children like to do, and what I had the good fortune to be able to do as a child - wandering around to find the places where the adults don't go. For me and my Sister it was the jungle behind the coffin factory, or walking along the old water pipeline through the middle of the swamp, or finding our way over the hill, past the gravel quarry, and along the ridge to our Grandmother's house. My Dad also loved exploring ruined buildings, old factory sites, disused railway tunnels - an abandoned seaplane base on one occasion..... so I got it from him too. These days they call it Urbex, but Dad was waaaay ahead of the curve.
I will do one on a wilderness theme soon, to go with my pics of some delightful journeys down waterfalls and canyons in our local mountains.
Looking forward to the wilderness piece. Wilderness takes all forms right? The edge of nature isn't always a perfect palm tree on a beach. Cool to hear about the way your old man saw the world. Apples falling not far from trees and all that. :)
Hi Ronnie. Some of it is interesting. Some street art is quite beautiful. A lot of it is pretty ordinary and boring. For me, it depends in part on the location. I love the natural world - remote mountain tops and rainforest rivers are my delight - but I do find something fascinating in the gaps and forgotten places in cities, or abandoned structures of any kind.
You know, I once had the absolute joy of watching a little octopus which had set up home in a deep rocky pool at the edge of the ocean. The octopus had a cosy little hole in the rock at the back of the pool and in front of the hole in a little sandy patch it was carefully arranging stones and shells - a genuine "Octopus's garden." It even accepted a nice shiny shell I went and found for it, delicately placing the shell just... so.
Writing a poem, or prose, or a piece like this one with text and images, feels a little bit the same. Finding words in my mind, rolling them around to see how they shine, how they might fit together. Tasting them on my tongue. Rearranging them. Setting them in place... Selecting images to sit between them....
And then my Substack Poetry Shack becomes the macro version of that. Taking whole works, sorting through them, deciding which ones to display, and when, and why, and in what order....
Sometimes it is a slow deliberation. At others it is like the transcendent rush you have described in your work.
It can feel very self indulgent - so when someone else enjoys reading it I feel a deep happiness. Is that the same for you? For all of us?
It is over 22 years since I last had conversations with other Poets. I'm out of practice....
There was something about your comment....it implies a great deal of organization. This I do not have with my writing. Everything is, has been, likely will be, a total messy disaster. When I go through old files I pretty much want to just forget about all my old writing and just do up new things instead. Because I will find files that are empty, files with eleven versions of one poem, files that have been completely mislabeled, etc., etc. A nightmare. But I lot of that writing is very, very good, and bulk of the poems are unpublished. This is the burden I bear. And It's really the only one. I don't find writing difficult and when I set my chin real level I can get a lot done, like write a novel. But finding a particular essay from 20 years ago? Hopeless.
Well - I’m not super organised - but not totally disorganised. Somewhere in the middle I guess.
The preface to my poem “Process Flow Chart” illustrates the flaws in my organisation :)
I have my notebooks - pretty much all at hand. Anything I’ve worked on for publication or submission is electronic - but I do have some software issues with the very old stuff.
At one point I had a hard copy file of all those as a backup - but it got lost in a house move.
I am a deep lover of the natural world. My wonderful partner Meg says I am at my best out in the wilderness. I don't like city life - at least not for long - but I do have a fascination for urban wilderness - the forgotten places and empty spaces which accumulate in the interstices of every city. So "Urbex" as they call it these days has always been a side passion for me. I dragged poor Meg through every ghost town I could find in our road trip across Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. Even in a city, the natural world still exists, and reasserts itself wherever it can. When we are all gone - it won't take long for our cities to become little more than a giant trellis....
I have found many cave paintings on caves and cliffs around Australia, and I have had the privilege of living in the desert with people who still practiced that art. It is a common urge, and part of why, like you, I find graffiti interesting.
Amen to love!!! 💗
It's still the best subject for Poetry, Kiki, isn't it?. I have just read some heart rending poems and writing about grief, but they are still about love.... two inevitable sides of a single coin.
It’s the only subject if you ask me. And the smartest thing I’ve ever heard about grief was that it’s simply love with no place to go. So, once again, it all comes back to…💕
Especially love...love it!!
Thankyou! :)
David, that photo essay was sort of both haunting and charming at the same time. You have quite an eye for capturing a scene. Funny how a change of scene opens up the senses. I appreciate the knowledge of the history of your land that you bring to these posts. As you know, I have never been there, yet... But I feel like I am getting a unique introduction to Australia.
Hey Jed. Thankyou. I think of myself mainly as a lover of nature, but when I am in a city I do enjoy searching out the odd corners and left over spaces. I think it's an extension of what children like to do, and what I had the good fortune to be able to do as a child - wandering around to find the places where the adults don't go. For me and my Sister it was the jungle behind the coffin factory, or walking along the old water pipeline through the middle of the swamp, or finding our way over the hill, past the gravel quarry, and along the ridge to our Grandmother's house. My Dad also loved exploring ruined buildings, old factory sites, disused railway tunnels - an abandoned seaplane base on one occasion..... so I got it from him too. These days they call it Urbex, but Dad was waaaay ahead of the curve.
I will do one on a wilderness theme soon, to go with my pics of some delightful journeys down waterfalls and canyons in our local mountains.
Looking forward to the wilderness piece. Wilderness takes all forms right? The edge of nature isn't always a perfect palm tree on a beach. Cool to hear about the way your old man saw the world. Apples falling not far from trees and all that. :)
You’re changing my attitude and mind about graffiti! Next time I’ll look at them more carefully. Might even try to read “between the lines…“
Hi Ronnie. Some of it is interesting. Some street art is quite beautiful. A lot of it is pretty ordinary and boring. For me, it depends in part on the location. I love the natural world - remote mountain tops and rainforest rivers are my delight - but I do find something fascinating in the gaps and forgotten places in cities, or abandoned structures of any kind.
Great photos
Thankyou, Rena! :)
I loved this journey under your city.
Hi Kate! I'm so glad! It feels far removed from wilderness, but that's because of what we have done to it, and to ourselves.
I may do a piece to go with my canyoning photos - but for sure more nature poetry is coming up soon...
I hope you are having a fabbo Tazzo Saturday!
Best Wishes - Dave :)
Canyoning and poetry, sounds exciting
I really enjoyed reading this!
Thankyou Rebecca!
You know, I once had the absolute joy of watching a little octopus which had set up home in a deep rocky pool at the edge of the ocean. The octopus had a cosy little hole in the rock at the back of the pool and in front of the hole in a little sandy patch it was carefully arranging stones and shells - a genuine "Octopus's garden." It even accepted a nice shiny shell I went and found for it, delicately placing the shell just... so.
Writing a poem, or prose, or a piece like this one with text and images, feels a little bit the same. Finding words in my mind, rolling them around to see how they shine, how they might fit together. Tasting them on my tongue. Rearranging them. Setting them in place... Selecting images to sit between them....
And then my Substack Poetry Shack becomes the macro version of that. Taking whole works, sorting through them, deciding which ones to display, and when, and why, and in what order....
Sometimes it is a slow deliberation. At others it is like the transcendent rush you have described in your work.
It can feel very self indulgent - so when someone else enjoys reading it I feel a deep happiness. Is that the same for you? For all of us?
It is over 22 years since I last had conversations with other Poets. I'm out of practice....
Best Wishes - Dave :)
There was something about your comment....it implies a great deal of organization. This I do not have with my writing. Everything is, has been, likely will be, a total messy disaster. When I go through old files I pretty much want to just forget about all my old writing and just do up new things instead. Because I will find files that are empty, files with eleven versions of one poem, files that have been completely mislabeled, etc., etc. A nightmare. But I lot of that writing is very, very good, and bulk of the poems are unpublished. This is the burden I bear. And It's really the only one. I don't find writing difficult and when I set my chin real level I can get a lot done, like write a novel. But finding a particular essay from 20 years ago? Hopeless.
Hi Rebecca
Well - I’m not super organised - but not totally disorganised. Somewhere in the middle I guess.
The preface to my poem “Process Flow Chart” illustrates the flaws in my organisation :)
I have my notebooks - pretty much all at hand. Anything I’ve worked on for publication or submission is electronic - but I do have some software issues with the very old stuff.
At one point I had a hard copy file of all those as a backup - but it got lost in a house move.
I’m probably in need of a big tidy up project :)
But I’m 75 percent okay…
You've painted a vivid image of transformation from countryside to city and I love that the river always wins out.
Thankyou Lori!
I am a deep lover of the natural world. My wonderful partner Meg says I am at my best out in the wilderness. I don't like city life - at least not for long - but I do have a fascination for urban wilderness - the forgotten places and empty spaces which accumulate in the interstices of every city. So "Urbex" as they call it these days has always been a side passion for me. I dragged poor Meg through every ghost town I could find in our road trip across Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. Even in a city, the natural world still exists, and reasserts itself wherever it can. When we are all gone - it won't take long for our cities to become little more than a giant trellis....
Exquisite
Supporter No. 1 !!! The love that I found...... :)
I'll cook dinner now - promise!!!
xxx
D
Hi Maddie
Thankyou for the restack!
Deeply appreciated…
Best Wishes - Dave:)
Hi Keith
Ohhhh yes...
I have found many cave paintings on caves and cliffs around Australia, and I have had the privilege of living in the desert with people who still practiced that art. It is a common urge, and part of why, like you, I find graffiti interesting.
It might take a while for CEREN, but some of the doomsday silos have closed and become something other than what they were. Here is a link to one: https://www.placesthatwere.com/2016/01/huge-abandoned-titan-i-icbm-nuclear.html