Photo Poem: “What Zedong Said…”

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Posted by admin | Posted in Arab Dawn, Arab Spring, Artists, Austerity, Credit Crunch, Crisis, Current Affairs, Economic Downturn, Language, People, Photo, Photo Poem, Poem, Poema, Poetry, Protest, Revolt | Posted on 18-07-2011

After watching poem readings by the great modern poets Billy Collins and Carol Ann Duffy
last year, I was inspired to write a relatively long poem based around the Credit Crunch and its effect on the on the days youth.

I was interested whether this period of recession – with fewer career opportunities for fresh minds – would spark a wave of artists after what felt like a long spell of numbness in a political regard.

Photo Poem: “What Zedong Said…”.

Less than 12 months after writing it I can already see tangible reactions, looking back after the exhilarating Arab Spring (Arab Dawn?) where entire nations have stood up against their various regimes and with more ‘settled’ nations seeing huge protests from their youth against Austerity.

Of course I didn’t predict any of this – I had more questions than answers.  Still, I think it is a time rich in the emotive drivers that fuel new art and I look forward to the artists’ emergence, in whatever form they are taking.

I used the Working Title “What Zedong Said…” whilst writing the poem…in fact, I wrote it during one day mostly whilst riding my bike along my normal countryside route to work…as several long text messages on my mobile phone!

Back to the title, it was simply in reference to a quote by Zedong Mao (Chairman Mao):

“There is in fact no such thing as art for art’s sake, art that stands above classes, art that is detached from or independent of politics. Proletarian literature and art are part of the whole proletarian revolutionary cause.”

I find this statement very powerful and it sparked my mind at the perfect time when I read it.  I am proud of this poem, although I understand technically it may well be useless…either way, you can find it via this link:

Photo Poem: “What Zedong Said…”.

Being a working title I had intended to go back and change it afterward but ended up quite liking it – although it being so unlinked to the poem’s topics it may have an alienating effect on the reader…

Enjoy.


Photo Poem: “With Tropical Ease”

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Posted by admin | Posted in Beach, Photo, Photo Poem, Poem, Poetry, sea, Tanzania, Travel, Tropical, Zanzibar | Posted on 11-04-2011

The latest Photo Poem – a simple one written whilst relaxing on a beach in Zanzibar the day before my wedding, Feb 2011:

Photo Poem: “With Tropical Ease”.

Enjoy.

Photo Poem: “Pencil to Paper”

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Posted by admin | Posted in Photo, Photo Poem, Photography, Poem, Poetry | Posted on 01-03-2011

“Pencil to Paper”.

A new photo-poem written on a lazy Sunday February 2011.

Enjoy.

Shikoku Haiku

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Posted by admin | Posted in Photo, Photo Poem, Poem, Poetry | Posted on 07-11-2010

Here is a Haiku (with photo) that I jotted down whilst in Japan in 2003:

Shikoku Haiku.

It’s the western version of a Haiku really, using syllables and not a seasonal theme rather than the traditional Japanese that uses 17 moras (sounds but close enough to syllables for me).

First Spanish Photo Poem

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Posted by admin | Posted in Photo, Photo Poem, Poem, Poema, Poetry | Posted on 04-11-2010

A Despertarse.

Over on the other side arm of Buggslife.com is Photo Poems at Buggslife.

Poema con Foto ya en el sitio web http://poems.buggslife.com/.

This last poem is my first entry in Spanish with another to follow soon plus an old poem in German I’ll be entering.

Everything else is in English for now…

Photo Poem: “New”

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Posted by admin | Posted in Photo, Photo Poem, Poem, Poetry | Posted on 04-11-2010

Photo Poem: “New”.

This poem is one of a group I wrote in 2000 whilst living in Munich, Germany.

During that great and, in some ways, defining year I also spent a fair amount of time alone and did a lot of thinking for a 20 year old…

Photo Poem: “Sparse”

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Posted by admin | Posted in Birds, Photo, Photo Poem, Poem, Poetry | Posted on 04-11-2010

Photo Poem: “Sparse”.

One of many new poems now up.

Enjoy.

Photo Poems

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Posted by admin | Posted in Photo, Photo Poem, Photography, Poem, Poetry | Posted on 28-09-2010

I’ve started up a new project combining Poems with Photos. At the moment I’ll use my own poems until my back-log runs out…the first 3 are now up at http://poems.buggslife.com/.