Category: Essay

That Velvet

Vote = Voice — Speak Up! 2CC45105-E580-4197-9120-35D724A74CF8

Sorry for this interruption. Feel free to ignore this section and move directly down to the poem, if you choose. The poem is much more sensual and dreamy. This first section is cold, no-filtered, stark reality — fully and sincerely expressed, as I see it. You see, I need to sum up my final, perhaps controversial thoughts, on the issue of protest, introduced here last Thursday. I have been slowly simmering since then: Love MUST win. My proud hippie soul tells me it can — it must for earth, and her human tribe to flourish. As naive and pollyanna as this may sound, I haven’t lived nearly 74 years believing that peace, love, and intelligence will find a way — to simply stand by and see these qualities of integrity snd dignity trampled beneath the feet of humankind’s baser instincts. Perhaps good people have turned the other cheek for too long. Maybe being passively resigned to the perpetraters of evil is not the way. Perhaps it requires an extreme natural culling of the tribe to remove the evil, the result of the arrogant stupidity of that group. Whether I should revel in that possibility is something my peaceful self has been truly struggling with the past few years — since the extinguishing of the Obama light. It goes against my nature. But the continuing greedy, destructive, and heartless ways must end, or perhaps be brought to an end. At my age and health, I, and most of my Aquarian generation, can’t, or won’t, effectively mount the resistance. We lack the stamina or money, or both. Too many among my generation, who may be capable, have lost the vision — turned during the mine-me-first Reagan 80’s, and the grab-fest in the years that followed. I feel we need responsible, strong young leaders to organize on a large scale, activate on a broad scale. It breaks my heart to say it — but me and my generation, we failed. Those who are coming after us, can’t afford to — or humankind and this great spaceship earth, truly are fucked! The power can belong to the young — take it, and wield it wisely! Sorry if I shocked or offended. Just the honest humble opinion of a tired old man. Not too tired to *** VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! ***

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And now {{{deep breath}}} time for the poetic entertainment:

***

…inspired by the Kate Bush video, “The Sensual World”…
This is a 2nd revision of my original 2012 version.

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That Velvet

~

would I were that velvet
that she reaches for so fondly
strokes with delicate pure fingers
with soft silken hands she lingers

embraces to her bosom
wraps ’round her slender shoulders
tingles with excitement
as she surrenders to its touch

would I were that velvet
that drapes her lilting essence
that falls and folds and fondles
as she ascends the stairs each night

the plush and luscious fiber
that rises on her breasts
with each soft and subtle sigh
each deep impassioned breath

oh would I were that velvet
that glides her naked form
on those sunset autumn evenings
enwraps her perfect body warm

that chills and thrills in shivers
as she opens it ‘neath moonlight
and swoons hushed smouldered gasps
as she blooms forth firm and pleasured

oh would I were that velvet
would I were that velvet
oh sweet sensuous angel
would I were
would I were

~ ~ ~

rob kistner © 2012
(revision © 2020)

 

Open Link Night #275

Machine Mind

This post is offered in response to prompt #14 at We Write Poems,
the August 9th prompt at Big Tent Poetry,
the August 11th prompt at Three Word Wednesday,
and prompt #65 at Carry On Tuesday.




“…scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could,
they didn’t stop to think if they should…”
Dr. Ian Malcolm


Machine Mind

•

you wink awake at morning’s light
beckoning me to focused task
prompting me of promise

you collaborate
in my keeping touch
in work dispatched
in thoughts transcribed
in matters pure creative

you are my portal into virtual space
to probe mysteries
the vast unknown

the tool I wield
to unearth facts
dig the dirt
to search for truth

tightly spun
within the web
you tend my life
make all cogs turn

my instrument of whim
device of my distraction
are you my submissive
or master of my will

when you’ve surpassed my vision
will you serve me still

have I the power to shut you down
turn my back
walk away

to truly let you keep

in the deep subconscious
does your machine mind
really sleep

• • •

TechReGret

(a lighthearted tanka)

•

my laptop’s frozen

and my cell phone’s out of range

it’s at these times when

I think how life used to be

hand-written letters have soul

• • •

rob kistner © 2010

_________________________

• photorendered collage entitled: “Machine Mind” – by: rob kistner © 2010

IN CLOSING: We live a in a world immersed, if not drowning, in technology. The idealistic and naive early vision was to create technology to serve us, make life easier, less complicated – but the joke is on us. We now serve the technology, and life is more complicated — traveling at a pace we struggle to keep up with. We’ve leveraged our peace of mind in the misguided pursuit of leisure. Is there a remedy? If we do not open a global dialog focused at finding ‘balance’, the situation will, I believe, resolve itself – and the world will not like, and may not survive, the ultimate solution.

As James Martin, one of our great modern thinkers and author of the “The Meaning of the 21st Century” points out in his most optimistic and uplifting book, man stands on the threshold of either the greatest era in human history, or the end of life as we know it – the outcome rests in our hands.

I wrote an essay back in 2007 which deals with humankind’s strange relationship with the technology we’ve created. You can click here if you would like to read it. …rob

NaPoWriMo #25 – part 3: The Circle Game

This is part 3 of my twenty fifth post for National Poetry Month 2010

…this poem was inspired by the April 25th prompt at Poetic Asides — write a poem inspired by a song…

____________________________________

In considering today’s Day 25 prompt by Robert Lee Brewer at Poetic Aides, I was drawn to the taxing journey that is NaPoWriMo every year — which caused me to reflect on the larger journey that is life itself. The journey we all take, different though they may be.

Such a long way I’ve come on this road of life. The distant horizon intersects the vanishing point of my past. Yet still, my life stretches far back over that horizon, into the fog of memory — past vanishing point upon vanishing point. So great is the distance, that recollection staggers me.

The miles I’ve traveled, the experiences I’ve gathered, the people I’ve known — these are a part of me. Likewise, the joy, laughter, pain, tears — the fear, courage, the battles won and lost, the scars… these are all fibers of my being. As is the love, hate, compassion, exhilaration, desperation, wonder, the discovery — through the days, weeks, months, though the seasons, the years.

So many lifetimes I’ve consumed, so many different people I have been. Each unique and precious, even the most painful — for they are my collective self. All has knitted together, folding and building upon itself, to create this journey that is me. I am defined by my journey, and by my journey, I am known to others — this man of 63, still seeking enlightenment and actualization.

Robert has inspired me to share a poem by Joni Mitchell, to which I have added a poem in the form of three verses. I made a draft attempt to do this 3 years ago but abandoned the project. Now I am motivated to complete the endeavor.

My poem will appear italicized and in a different font color, blended into the body of Joni’s poem. Joni put her poem to music. Entitled the “The Circle Game”, it first appeared in April of 1970, on her “Ladies of the Canyon” album. I have always been drawn to the magic of these words. I find it a brilliant reflection on the journey of life.

Joni is one of the finest female poets of our time, a fact sadly often overlooked, because of her great success in music. She is also an exceptional artist. Click here if you would like to go to her site and “discover” this brilliant, and still active, creative soul.

I’ve done my best not to spoil the power of what was originally written. Here is Joni Mitchell’s beautiful “The Circle Game”, begging your indulgence of my humble additions.


 

The Circle Game

•

yesterday a child came out to wonder
caught a dragonfly inside a jar
fearful when the sky was full of thunder
and tearful at the falling of a star

then the child moved ten times round the seasons
skated over ten clear frozen streams
words like, when you’re older, must appease him
and promises of someday make his dreams

sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
cartwheels turn to car wheels thru the town
they tell him, take your time, it wont be long now
till you drag your feet to slow the circles down

so the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
there’ll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty
before the last revolving year is through

and the seasons they go round and round
and the painted ponies go up and down
we’re captive on the carousel of time
we can’t return, we can only look behind
from where we came
and go round and round and round
in the circle game

the hands of time swing round faster and faster
life begins to carve his journey in this man’s face
a successful man with riches, but he wonders
how long past 40 can he keep this pace

suddenly he’s looking back at 60
he’s known tragedy and triumph both the same
he’s borrowed bought and sold his way to power
he’s leveraged his soul to play the game

now an old man gazing out his window
trying to remember how long it’s rained
he sits alone here by the fire in contemplation
was all he lost worth what it was he gained

and the seasons they go round and round
and the tides of fate they go up and down
we’re captive in the ebb and flow of time
we can’t return, we can only look behind
from where we came
as we take our final turn
in the circle game

• • •



copyright © Siquomb Publishing Company
additional verses by: rob kistner © 2010


____________________________________


…photo of Joni Mitchell from her website, Joni Mitchell.com…

How I evoke my writing muse

I have dedicated myself to being a creative writer — endeavoring to perform consistently, and at the best of my evolving ability. I currently write poems, essays, and short stories — in that order of quantity output, enjoying each equally.

A recent comment on this blog got me to thinking about how I find my inspiration — how I evoke my ‘muse’. I’d like to share my ‘process’ with you here.

Continue reading How I evoke my writing muse

I Remember the World of Tomorrow

The title of this post is a lyric from the Todd Rundgren song “Future”, which appears on his “Liars” CD from 2004. Being a child in the 50’s and a college student in the 60’s, that phrase struck me on a number of levels, beyond the paradox it represents. Without having to hear the lyrics I understood the song was a lament regarding the unfulfilled naive vision we all held 50 years ago of what the future would be.

UTOPIA

We envisioned a utopia of peace and freedom, flying cars, colonies on other planets, computers that existed in the background of daily life serving our every whim, eternal youth, and everlasting health. With robots liberating us from the grind of mundane or oppressive work, we believed we’d have time on our hands to pursue a life of art, culture, philosophy — in a clean, shiny, thriving, modern world of tomorrow. Space travel would be available to all.

The Jetson’s in 1962 may have been a television cartoon series, but it also spoke to a collective dream, a hope we here in America shared — even if we did so with a foolish innocence. Walt Disney’s Tomorrowland, which opened in 1955, the 1964 New York’s World’s Fair, and Disney’s Epcot Center, first conceived in 1966 — these were all hopeful visions of a future world that would be utopian in nature.

LOSS OF INNOCENCE

The problem with those particular perspectives is that they were not only absurdly innocent, they were dangerously narrow. We hoped that the emergence of technology itself would elevate the condition of mankind, perhaps even the very nature of man.

That foolhardy innocence of America has been dismantled piece by piece beginning in the 60’s, into the 70’s, and to now — the result of assassinations, riots, wars, terrorism, and global environmental decline that may in fact now threaten our very existence.

TECHNOLOGY: SERVANT OR MASTER

At the same time technology has advanced in ways we couldn’t even comprehend 50 to 60 years ago. It did not, in and of itself, elevate the condition of man. There are some who would say that today, the computer does not serve us — we serve the computer.

While I fully believe that certain aspects of technology have advanced well beyond man’s ability to keep pace, contributing to a great deal of the overriding stress in today’s civilization — I do not believe that technology is a bad thing. I am not a neo-luddite. I believe technology is capable of great good and great evil. The uncertain component is the human component.

CAN WE, SHOULD WE

There is a line from Jurassic Park, spoken by Jeff Goldblum’s character, the chaotician Ian Malcolm, that resonates with me in a similar manner as does the title of this post. Speaking in the midst of the catastrophe that InGen had created by cloning the dinosaurs, Ian said, “Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

Today, like no other time in the history of mankind, I believe technology places that most critical inquiry at the very center of our lives: could we vs. should we? As we now pull back the veil on bioengineering, nanotechnology, brain-computer interface (BCI), we need to seriously delve into this “could we / should we” question.

I am not looking at this from a moral perspective, I will leave that to others so inclined. I am considering this strictly from a survival of the species point of view.

GREATEST ERA OR END OF DAYS

As James Martin, one of our great modern thinkers and author of the “The Meaning of the 21st Century” points out in his most optimistic and uplifting book, man stands on the threshold of either the greatest era in human history, or the end of life as we know it — and the outcome rests in our hands.

He acknowledges that this profound conclusion has been reached before in history, but he goes into most convincing detail to demonstrate why this was simply not true in the past, and prove, arguably beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is an absolute certainty today.

Martin’s book is engaging, compelling, and hyper-relevant. It should be required reading for everyone, especially every corporate, government, and academic leader in the world.

TECHNOLOGY & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

This post is not intended as an infomercial for james Martin, nor is it a negative doom & gloom condemnation of today’s world. However, I cannot ignore the social responsibility we all have with regard to technology.

Rest assured that we have no way to comprehend the magnitude of that which we do not know about the future. Compared to the 1950’s, we have far less leeway today with regard to the naiveté we can afford to carry forward into time. It could prove devastating.

Those who create, manufacture, and distribute technology, as well as those of us who use it — we must all remain mindful of the balance between “can we” and “should we”, and vigilant that we do not tip that scale. If we pay prudent attention to these two questions, and take the responsible steps to restore what imbalance we may have created to date — our future will be a great era of humankind.

Constructive Writing Critiques

Online Writing Critiques

There are a number of online forums now available to writers where they can post their writing for critique by the others in the forum. Most require that you become a member. This doesn’t guarantee that all members are good writers or valuable critics. It does mean that you eventually get to know people, to some degree, and it tends to keep the casual curious away.

I belong to a couple of these sites and I post. I occasionally try my hand at being a helpful critic. However, I have to admit to being timid when it comes to offering constructive criticism. It always feels I’m imposing my writer’s voice on the voice of someone else’s very personal expression. It is uncomfortable for me to do so.
Continue reading Constructive Writing Critiques

My Perspective on Creativity

Creativity
by: Rob Kistner

I want to reflect on human creativity, considering it from several different perspectives. First, let’s consider arts and crafts.

Arts & Crafts — There are many different types of creative human expression that fall under these two general categories: writing, painting, sculpting, weaving, ceramics, acting, singing, dance – the list is quite long. The artist or craftsperson determines and generates the creation as a form of communication: an emotional communication that reaches out to the human soul and spirit – the higher self.

The artist or craftsperson deems a creative work to be art or craft by their intention. Society determines if the creation communicated effectively enough to become enduring art or craft, but all expression of human creativity has great value.

I firmly believe encouraging the expression of human creativity can make the world a better place. A better place because creativity is the expression of the higher self. The world would do well if everyone grew closer in touch with his or her higher self.

If people were in touch with their higher self it would help curtail the atrocities and injustices they commit against each other. It would also add momentum to the focus to bring our planet back from the brink on which it now teeters.

Everyone is capable of creating. Contrary to what some may believe, people do not have to be taught to be creative. It is not necessary to learn that which we are already capable of. However, creativity can be elevated, which is a worthwhile undertaking. Education and mentoring are two excellent approaches.

If someone seeks art or craft as part of their life path, especially as their main life path, then they should be encouraged. I believe society should play a role in this. Organizations that foster and nurture the arts and crafts, such as the National Endowment for the Arts, should be funded and actively supported. It is good to have resources available for the creative disciplines.

There should be no censorship of these types of creativity. Human expression should not be repressed. Ideas resulting from the arts and crafts need to do battle in the public arena so that the consensus winner can, and hopefully will dominate. Society has an uncanny ability to eventually sort out what is best for itself. We must trust that.

Other Human Creativity — In addition to the many fields of arts and crafts, the obvious domains of human creativity, it is essential to realize that all areas of cognitively-driven human endeavor could be considered creative. For the sake of this essay, I want to focus on a few more that generate significant, far-reaching results — science, technology, and medicine.

These are a different type of human creativity. These have a direct physical impact on the world and its people. Humankind must count on the fact that it has a significant core of individuals who will instinctively, and creatively, pursue and advance these particular fields. It is essential we advance them if we are to reverse the world’s current lean towards a cataclysmic tipping point.

That said, I do believe that, while we may not want to necessarily censor these fields of creativity, it is essential that we closely monitor them. We must find a way to safely and effectively usher in these advancements. The challenge we face is to temper the untenable rush toward science, technology, and medicine — especially to the degree it is driven by the pursuit of corporate profits.

The pursuit of science, technology, and medicine must be accompanied by reason gleaned from history. The over-zealous dash to adopt every discovery in these areas, and quickly and carelessly usher them into our daily lives, has already unleashed a chain of both macroscopic and microscopic events that seriously threaten the intertwined fabrics of our global ecosystem on many fronts – personal health, the oceans, our agriculture, the animals — the environment as a whole.

The fields of science, technology, and medicine are potent as never before. They hold the promise for our future, but only if we find a way to approach them, and the resulting discoveries, responsibly. With regard to the discoveries, we cannot abide the introduce-because-we-can mindset. It threatens global survivability.

Before it’s too late, we must begin a worldwide dialog concerning responsible creativity in these fields, in the research and development, and get the entire planet to join the conversation. From that conversation must arise a blueprint regarding the disposition and introduction of new discoveries in these fields, to which we all agree — and a mechanism to make the blueprint effective and binding.

BOTTOM LINE

We must encourage and support the participation, by all the people of the earth, in some form of creativity. Whether it is for personal expression or for the larger benefit of society, be it grand or modest — the act of human creativity has the potential to save the planet, and to save its inhabitants.