Poem about Horrible Bosses

I am a researcher now. The Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys I wrote about last post. I was more like Dennis Wilson before that, looking for the beauty in everything, especially nature and women, living ephemerally, caring more about being social than caring about who it was with, and what they were doing or saying.

Bad Work Environment

Around the same time as I was studying for my PhD; learning to research really analytically; personal, national and global events made me start to look at my world and the wider one in a different way; from my youth in Wales to the future of Britain and humanity.

So when I went back to the day-job I had changed from an unqualified hedonistic student to a graduated doctor of philosophy. Some of those above me didn’t seem to recognise that, just wanting to ‘compete’ with me in a contest I wasn’t interested in; I just wanted to work as little as possible to fund this writing.

Negative Postgraduate Experience

It wasn’t just the day-job though, as I think there was a similar problem while I was studying, with other students being ‘competitive’ when I just wanted to finish my thesis and leave after I had lengthy problems at the upgrading meeting at the end of the first year – taking nearly two years to return after my appeal was upheld.

So I’ve had years of unnecessary stress and bollocks because some ‘ambitious’ or egotistical people chose to ‘compete’ with me. Moreover, they still think they’re holier than thou, pillars of society, benefits to all those they ‘help’ to their faces; while stabbing them in their backs and slagging them off. Apart from receiving ‘feedback’ from those they’d obviously demonised me to, I also guessed what they were doing because they were doing it to others while being nice to their faces; and making out they were student/worker leaders to their peers while sleeping or sucking up to the hierarchy.

Poem Debit not Credit!

So this poem is about them, not for them, and certainly not in a good way, even as a ‘respected competitor’. It’s written with disdain and disgust. I was willing to work with them, but they made me the enemy, and made it out to be about everything apart from the personal, trying to get others from their ‘identity’ to do their dirty work for them.

I saw the movie Horrible Bosses for the first time last year, and that seemed to sum them up pretty well. However, I know being a manager or mentor can be difficult, and especially in some industries. That makes the good ones all the better. The ones I don’t like could also be helpful at times, just that they let themselves down in creating a general atmosphere of nauseous bull, and escalating it out of the workplace to the outside world. They probably hindered my efforts to criticise the grooming epidemic apparently going on in their locality, but maybe they were involved in it, or supported it, as they were all interested in the workplace version.

I wrote during that time that it seems ubiquitous throughout society and the world, and that seems to have been borne out since the Weinstein scandal brought it to the surface. So please make me a working writer, so I don’t have to go back to it!

More Persecution Creates, Correct Analytical Results

pseudo-alpha
peak of pyramid
constructed laughter
image hides hollow core
building support by spinning lies
deflecting suspicion claiming cultural war

not me the individual, identity of us all

telling those relevant ethnic reason
gender and sexuality for others
anything but personal failing
invisible weakness
root of problem
para-psycho

Mirror Poem Reflections 21-25

Over thirty reflections from 242 Mirror Poems and Reflections are on the Writing and Poetry blog now, so following on from reflections 1-5, reflections 6-10,  reflections 11-15 and reflections 16-20 here’s reflections 21-25.

I originally repeated Reflection 22 in 24, and have now edited it. Sorry about that!

Reflection 21

Reflection 21 mirrored Between Times of Fantasy. Maybe it was thinking of some time in the future like now when it was written. Here’s Reflection 21:

Sometimes I have written poems about my unknown future with inspiration from the forgotten past.
Then, a few years later I read it again.
The time when I wrote the poem, which is now of course the past, is then relived by the future mind that was written about.

Reflection 22

Reflection 22 mirrored Multitasking Melody:

Been walking
around the mountain
looking for a clear path
enjoying the view
now it’s getting late
time’s running out
fog’s forming
need to make a decision
or just keep rambling
to the end.

Reflection 23

Reflection 23 mirrored Not Love, Gnat Empathy:

Is it worth contesting people’s religious, political and cultural beliefs and views? While you may save them, you could also destroy them.
Somebody who might be saved in one way from a life of slavery and ignorance may in other ways die from freedom and knowledge.
And if you show them the possibility that life has no meaning, without providing anything else, are you not like a doctor taking heroin away from an addict without providing any methadone.
And for yourself, maybe you’ll ruin your career or life trying to do what you think is good, and do very little to change anything: or even make things worse by giving those you consider wrong more ammunition and an enemy to deflect attention and legitimise their cause.

Reflection 24

Reflection 24 mirrored Contented Living, Contents of Dreaming:

Keep honey cooking in the kitchen
memories on the mantelpiece
old flames in the fire.

Reflection 25

Reflection 25 mirrored Inner Strength, Mental Health:

The poem was written after the UK riots of 2011. Although I sometimes dislike modern society and yearn for a more natural one, the scenes of mass destruction against homes, businesses and landmarks looked all wrong.
Whatever the pressures and problems (if it wasn’t just greed and power), there are always places to escape if desired, rather than trying to create space in somewhere densely inhabited.
Many people feel they’re not their real selves within modern society; which is literally a construction. Most think they become their real selves outside the work environment, when they spend time with their family, play sports, or escape into the countryside.
I often wonder whether this is something inspired by life in modern society; a natural desire of your life in the here and now; or is it something imprinted in your genes stretching back to our ancestors in prehistory.

Michael McCarthy was also quoted from an article about St. Kilda published in the Independent newspaper on August 9th, 2012: ‘…I think the longing for nature in its pristine state is much older. Remember, we have been computer operators for a single generation, and workers in offices for about three; but we were farmers for 400 generations, and before that we were hunter-gatherers for perhaps 20,000.’

Mirror Poem Reflections 1-5 from Poetry Collection

Over on Marc Latham’s central Greenygrey site Writing and Poetry blog he’s been serialising the reflections of mirror poems contained in the 242 Mirror Poems and Reflections collection.

Mirror Poem Collection

The Folding Mirror poems have been posted on this site. I thought I’d post the reflections five at a time here, with the first five below, along with links to the poems they reflected.

The book’s available from Amazon for under £3 and under $6, and lots of other currencies for the equivalent prices; and Smashwords and other ebook readers for much less.

There are links at the end of the post. Here’s the first five reflections:

Reflection 1

The first reflection mirrored a poem that reflected on the similarities between space and mind in the latest technological imaging called: SAGAS: Solipsistic Astronaut Gravitates Agnostic Space

It’s only a small one, trying to be philosophical, and many of the other reflections are much longer. Here it is:

What I am incapable of understanding has no meaning,
What I understand has no interest.

The second reflection mirrored Hopes Rise With The Sun

Reflection 2 

Concorde on takeoff (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Narcissism and Ego

I wanted to be famous for being famous, but too late now…?
A little bit of ego allows me to do this, rather than making me do it.

Has my writing and public profile fuelled narcissism, or given it an outlet?

Finding out that you aren’t the centre of other people’s world is a relief, but also a disappointment in some ways, as you wonder why not.

Titanik (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Addressing narcissism should help overcome a depression fuelled by feelings of failure: you can’t change the world, and nature of humanity, so don’t expect too much.

Concorde boomed the sky
but clouds still quietly fly.
Trains carry tons of freight
but the land doesn’t have to wait.
Titanic caused a commotion
but didn’t change the ocean.

Reflection 3 reflected Hazy Horizon Optical Illusion

Reflection 3 

Between the freedom of travel
and the solitude of home
is a fantasy world
called society.

Reflection 4 mirrored Adrift in Unnavigable Oceans: Sodium Chloride

Reflection 4

The well-behaved British working class used to be known as ‘salt of the earth’ when they were compliant up to the 1950s, but not so much anymore.

Were things that different in history? I don’t know.
And have they changed that much? Well, elite corruption has been exposed more since the 1950s, making the workers less likely to trust and revere the upper classes; Thatcher decimated the working-class industries in the 1980s, destroying communities; and New Labour betrayed their traditional voters by squeezing them out of the workplace between high-earning elites and foreign workers willing to work for less.
So things have probably changed, but I don’t know how much, or if it is the main reason for there apparently being less ‘salt of the earth’.

Reflection 5 mirrored Night is a Part of Day

Reflection 5

I have welcomed the sunrise
and dreaded it.
On mountains in the dark
the first glimmers of light
are a welcome sight.
On all-nighters when young
the first realisation of light
signalled beginning of end.
They were the same darkness and light
of the same day, which is basically just
the way our planet tilts towards the sun,
but I was in different situations, feeling
different things, on different sides of Earth.

Rolf Harris Another Example of Power-Crazed Alpha-Males

Rolf Harris was depicted as the devil of the kangaroo community in Werewolf of Oz: Fantasy Travel by Google Maps. Yesterday he was convicted of crimes against children. Harris’s depiction in Werewolf of Oz was not a prophecy, or even an educated guess, it was just because one of his most famous songs was Tie Me Kangaroo Down, and the fact that he was the most goody two-shoes Australian known in Britain.

Growing Up In 1970s Britain

Growing up in 1970s Britain you used to hear that child homes were ‘bad places’, but there was nothing about celebrities, so it has been a surprise and disappointment to see ‘nice’ people like Jimmy Savile, Stuart Hall and Rolf Harris convicted of child crimes, although it is good that they have.

Moreover, when the abuse in child homes was finally being exposed there were child-grooming gangs waiting outside, with men preying on the children by pretending to give them the love they’d lacked during their neglected childhood.

Living in ‘Multicultural’ Britain

Those gangs took advantage of New Labour’s ‘multicultural’ mantra that meant social alienation for those who dared to criticise the negative aspects of these new and rising cultures in British society.

Acting as New Labour’s biggest supporter in this was the BBC and liberal media. The same media outlets that had been covering up or neglecting to challenge their ‘celebrities’.

The Nigerian girls kidnapping showed the ‘norms’ of some of those cultures.

Studying in the ICS

I wanted to research and write about what was going on in Britain at that time.

I was stopped by the ICS’s man at the BBC, who was having a relationship with his student/secretary at the time. They had been to a conference together in Hawaii, and later married.

I was just finishing my thesis, and afterwards complained to the university about bullying and grooming in the ICS.

They said I was too late to complain about that, as there was a time limit, which was six months I think. They didn’t ask anything more about it.

I guess they wanted to protect their ‘stars’.

Celebrities Not a Surprise

So the behaviour of the exposed celebrities doesn’t seem such a surprise. A norm in academia and the workplace, and it seems in the media, is for those with power to expect some perks from their position.

For some of the powerful, this usually means grooming lower staff members, while persecuting any rivals or those who don’t adhere to their advances.

Britain has been cleaning its act up over the last decade. I hope it continues, and that future generations don’t relapse into a culture or cultures of cruelty, denial and self-induced ignorance.

Although it makes Britain look bad now, hopefully it’ll make it look better in the future. Most cultures and societies in the world are still years behind in such matters.

Poem about Civilisation’s Cultural Clouds

Marc Latham’s latest Folding Mirror poem started off as one about holding a poetic mirror up to society and it being decoded down in personality, but it evolved into something quite different… but along the same lines. Here’s the poem:

Mirror Message _G204361 (Photo credit: isdky – Brian Barnett)

Bath Time Talk Back

scrawling mirror message
on misty condensation
clouding civilised society
revealing clear glass

truth laid bare, more hot air

keeping tap running
reservoir won’t wash
indelible stains clean
shower overflow floods

IMG_1105.JPG (Photo credit: tantek)

Marc Latham’s central site is the Greenygrey (http://www.greenygrey.co.uk), and he has several books available on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/author/marclatham).

Greenygrey at the London Olympics 2012

Hi, it’s Martin ‘Werewolfie’ Adams, sports correspondent at the Greenygrey. I’m proud to announce that the Greenygrey will be represented at the London Olympics 2012, after a greenygrey Stonehenge bouncy castle has been commissioned. It was fittingly unveiled on a green field under grey skies.

Olympics Stonehenge

Image from BBC news.

See Below Sea published for Every day poetry

Marc Latham’s See Below Sea
has now been published on a site of poetry:
Every day poets is yours to see for free.
Enjoy at your own liberty!

Poetry Works if you Want it, but at what Cost?

Image by papaija2008 via Flickr

Today, Marc Latham has scoured his FM vaults again to bring you another old one.  There was no date on it, but the political and banker scandals could have been the inspiration.  While society has changed now somewhat, with more cynicism about the people in power, Marc thinks that the balance and credibility between the rich and poor is still too big. This poem is therefore bipolar to make the extremes stand out.

Marc does consider there to be many talented people in the top positions, and that some do their jobs well; but there are also a lot who don’t, and a lot of people in lower paid jobs that do great work without ever receiving the credit and reward they deserve.

Marc also knows that some charity workers at the top are on big money, and some people in financial jobs and the like are not.  Many people in business are also doing a lot for charity and becoming ever more environmentally aware, so there’s a much bigger crossover than there was years ago: a banker might recycle glass, only for a rioter to smash it! This isn’t profession specific, just a general thought poem from the middle, and it is therefore admittedly simplistic and flawed.

Marc doesn’t think he’s a brilliant worker either, but would still like to earn more than he does!  He also understands that everybody is different, and have different ambitions, and while he wanted to travel the world some people would rather buy a house and live comfortably. Anyway, here’s the poem:

What’s Your Work Worth?

charity workers,
giving time
for the poor,
and so much more,
the people give,
around the world,
women and men
for philanthropic extent
time spent, not lent
for good causes
not applauses

Give and take, society’s make and break

nothing sadder
only climb ladder
lent time, not given
for personal gain
men and women,
are like sheep
to the slaughter,
for me nothing more,
money means power,
status preference,
competitive careerist.

Poem about Middle-Age and Climbing Over the Hill

Image via Wikipedia

Marc Latham’s latest Folding Mirror poem is another jolly affair (joke). It is also quite topical, with work sparse in the UK and many middle-age jobless people said to be finding it hard to find work.

Marc Latham is himself middle-aged and not doing very well financially, so hopefully the poem won’t incur the wrath of his fellow poor middle-aged.

Marc couldn’t resist the greenygrey map by the way!

The structure provides something new in that it is to be read from the bottom up, in line with its title and content being about climbing over the hill, with ‘over the hill’ a common phrase to describe people being past it in the UK.

Climbing Over the Hill

Line 9	relax, relax, relax
Line 8	lounge, lounge, lounge
Line 7	survive, survive, survive
Line 6	not wanted, salvage anything, no joy
Line 5	Middle-age
Line 4	hold on, grab something, don’t fall
Line 3	strive, strive, strive
Line 2	work, work, work
Line 1	climb, climb, climb

 

Poetry From Scotland to France, Geography and Culture

After a week of mostly theory on this blog I thought it was time for a bit of poetry.

The Poem Subject
The following poem was influenced by my visit to Scotland last year, my hitching across the south of France over twenty years ago, and seeing a television nature programme on the north of Scotland’s white sandy beaches.

I thought that the north of Scotland and the south of France surprisingly share many similarities: white beaches with mountains inland, and that it might make a decent folding mirror poem with the English Channel providing the folding middle line.

This meant that the poem grew to include the whole of Britain and France, rather than just the north of Scotland and south of France as first envisaged.

The north of Scotland is at the top of the poem, and then it works down through the Highlands to the big cities in the UK. At the bottom of the poem the big cities of France lead south through the mountains to the southern beach.

The Structure

The poem contains two types of lines that can be used in folding mirrors. These show the geographic similarities and cultural differences either side of the English Channel.

The outer three lines have the same words either side, emphasising the geographical similarities in the two countries, but switched around in their lines to create a reflective effect, as explained with the colours yesterday.

The inner three lines have the same word counts and punctuation, but the different drinks, foods and cars of the two countries.

Here’s the poem. Enjoy!

From Morar to Monte Carlo

White sand and azure sea
Rolling hills to high peaks
Villages, towns and cities
Beer and whiskey,
Bangers and mash, fish and chips
Jaguar and Rover

Connected through a tunnel under the North Sea

Renault and Peugeot
Pot au feu, coq au vin
Wine and cognac,
Cities, towns and villages
High peaks to rolling hills
Azure sea and white sand