Jan Miklaszewicz's Blog, page 10

SELF

Every time we write about me and I, ain't that a pity? What on God's green earth became of humility? Far too many actors and not enough damn action, not enough look at this; way too much look at me. 

JUDGEMENT

I do it myself, but I've got many blind spots: let's see who nails it. 

HOW MUCH?

Three-thousand-mile round trip, many a slip between cup and lip, and the grin of the airport cabbie, salacious, got you feeling a wee bit stabby, outrageous to charge any mark, be it late, be it dark, such a fee to reach a bed, to rest a head full of all sorts of junk, and getting punked by some dude named Drago is a no go and a low blow, it's a joke and not the funny sort, you know, but what can you do, it's a quarter past two and as cold as the grave, three days since you slept, three more since you shaved, so fuck you very much, my friend, it looks like you're getting paid.

ON LOVE

I have breathed my own light into you, making sweetmeats of your pudgy hands, an epic drama of your quotidian ways, and sapphires of your eyes. 
And it is ridiculous, robbing Peter to pay Paul, and delightful, this dance with divinity, and excruciating, this homespun crown of thorns, and terrifying, for I know no way of stopping it. 

BOOK REVIEW - ALL MINE

All Mine by Dave Doran
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've marked this as finished, but that's a bit of a misnomer with such a great collection of poems: there's so much to savour, to revisit for a second, third, fourth time. Dave pulls off quite a trick in presenting the profound with a straight face, seemingly dry, straightforward poems saturated in the kind of wisdom and authenticity that comes with a life spent watching and listening. I highly recommend this to anyone serious about their poetry: for what it's worth, my personal favourites right now are 'An Hour with Jake' and 'Shedding', although I'm sure this will change as I get to know the others better.

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STORIES OF YOU

None of them are true, these stories of you, and no matter how often you refine and reiterate them, these stories of you never will be true: at best you're a mirror that mistakes itself for what it's reflecting; at worst you're a mirror that mistakes itself for what it's reflecting. 

STICKS AND STONES

may break my bones, but words will never hurt me, said no poet, ever.

SON

I remember walloping you at a birthday party, a stinging open-hander to your thigh, 
You’d worked yourself into hysterics over something, your mother’s mithering only heightening your cries, 
Certainly seemed to have the desired effect, a few minutes later you were happily at play, 
Was it right or wrong or somewhere in the middle? That’s a question I still ask myself today. 

BOOK REVIEW - REVELATIONS PART III

Revelations - Part III by Zachary Valtschanoff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Life got in the way, so it took me a while to get around to reading the final instalment of this trilogy, but I’m glad I did. The writing is better still here, more poetic yet more controlled, and the Zachary's voice and vision are clearer.

This is pretty much in keeping with the development of the central character throughout the three books. There’s a strong sense of development, maturation, and change, leading not so much to closure as to acceptance. I really like this, especially as it brings with it a degree of optimism and reconciliation.

These books have so much depth that they all merit rereading. Zachary clearly knows his philosophy, and he has done a fantastic job of transcending these ideas and going off in his own direction.

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TURDLE

There’s this online word game that lets you share your stats: the sooner you get the five letter word, and the more your consecutive wins, the better you are. 
On slow news days, the media reports on players’ outrage at some unfairness or other that spoils a winning streak: Oh, my giddy aunt, the horror of it all. 
I’ve been cooking up words of my own to help me convey my feelings on the matter. So far, I’ve managed fkoff and dibad. This is not the only game I don’t play well.