Mirror Poem Reflections 26-30

Thirty-five 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, reflections 16-20 and reflections 21-25 here’s reflections 26-30.

Reflection 26 mirrored Dying to Live, Living to Die:

Life is Like…

Life is like a journey on a neverending road,
you know you’ll never find out
the destination at the end,
but just try and learn along the way.

Life is like flying over a real rainbow,
you know you’ll never find
golden immortality at the bottom,
but just try and enjoy the journey.

Life is like a big night out,
you know that you’ll peak and tire
and not continue forever
but just try and make the most of it.

Reflection 27 mirrored Life Has More Meaning than Death:

Depression
is a state of mind
if you accept its normality
and accurate view
of the negative side
to the world cycle
that enters your life
then it’s not time
wasted.

Reflection 28 mirrored Y Green and Grey Go Together:

Reflection 28 (part 1)

‘by seeing Venus during the day while trekking in the Yorkshire Dales Three Peaks, alerted by the Sky at Night television programme; my first conscious sighting of a middle-of-the-day planet or star at the age of 46. It was on the same March 2012 trip that I took the 242 Mirror Poems cover photo.’

Reflection 28 (part 2)

The second half of the Reflection lightened the mood under a clear day and night sky with a previously unpublished comedy poem:

If the sheepdogs tell great jokes
and livestock like to clown around
under a smiling sun and moon
I want to go to the funny farm.

Reflection 29 mirrored I Can See Through You, Why Don’t People Understand Me:

I Like Your Mask

Why should you believe I like you
when I say I don’t care about myself
perhaps it’s because I can’t read your mind
as clearly as I can mine.

But the more I see of you
the more I think we’re no different
just humans living day to day
some with better masks than others.

Reflection 30 mirrored Space Brain Becoming Plain:

The poem was inspired by images of the universe and a scanned brain that looked similarly oblong.

A clear night sky from a dark viewing point is an incredible sight, but it is only what our eyes and brains can manage to see. Telescopes show the connectivity and immensity beyond our Earth view.

Human brains use complex systems to keep us functioning, but we can’t see how it is done, as our eyes see outwards. Scanning equipment shows the connectivity and immensity on the inside.

Mirror Poem about Life, Time and Thought

Marc Latham’s latest Folding Mirror poem was written out of nothing really, just stream of consciousness thinking watching Blondie at Glastonbury on T.V. at the end of June, 2014.

Poem Explanations

The title and last line refers to a single thought of a small creature being superior in that way to great giant stars, which just work unthinkingly by thermonuclear reactions. The last line also plays on the British television series about a vet, All Creatures Great and Small.

So although the universe is mindbogglingly massive, life as we know it on Earth is the best we know for thinking. Here’s the poem:

Photo by NASA.

Particular Preciousness of Thinking, Thought Superior to Reaction

crunch time for mortal minds
strangles infinite breath
day drags for damselfly
century crows to humanity
instinct, learning, loving, expiring
endless summer days

One’s outlook on life, age of calendar July

winter limits light
experience, remembering, warming, gripping
holding on for dear
life becomes more refined
sailing history’s horizon
all creatures greater than sun

Poetically Going the Distance Through Time and Space: Movie to Science Poem

Sorry if this seems a bit pretentious, and getting carried away with it all, but this is what I’m trying to do for a living, and this is where this morning’s thoughts led me, with no plans to post here today at the start of my computer time. You may say get a real job, but I’ve already got one, and it takes up the majority of my time. So if you want more thoughts like this please buy my book if you have some spare cash, and are going to waste it somewhere else, and I may be able to escape into creativity more often. Cheers.

Going the Distance advert

It all started when I recollected seeing the above advert for the new Going the Distance film, which uses a bridge in the advert and has the tagline: a movie about meeting half-way.

Very FMish I thought, and that led to the following thoughts and ended with another FM idea I’ve had and have been thinking how to use: Einstein’s space-time theory, with a model image after the poem.

A Member of the Human Race Between Time and Place

I have physically travelled to the corners of the world
and would have liked to have experienced farther.

TIME

some memories retained, some thoughts shared

SPACE

I have mentally imagined to the edges of the universe
and would have liked to have known further.

Light Cone Model of Time and Space

Islands of the Sky and Sea Poem

This poem was inspired by the cloud photo below.

Islands of the Sky and Sea

an 'island cloud'

sky blue fills the air around
davy’s grey and ghost white
cumulus humilis above

aeronautic acrobats of feathers or frame

over islands masses
sandy brown and jade green
in aquamarine oceans down below

Caribbean island by E. Corno

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumulus_humilis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colors

Television Documentary and Humour Poem

Today’s FM poem was inspired by my television viewing taste, which can range from enlightening documentaries such as Wonders of the Solar System to controversial comedy programmes like South Park.

I think both types of television programmes have their uses and merits, but some people might consider them at different polars of the television spectrum, with documentaries having the highest cultural value, and anarchic comedy the lowest.

The Poem

Wonders of the South Park Solar System

while wandering deep space high
with matey prof Bri
entertainingly explaining wonders of solar system
just makes me want to listen
and learn about planets and stars
Saturn’s amazing, but what about Mars

Return to Earth, turn the channel, we’re going down to South Park

Stan’s funny, but what about Cartman
crass humour about life and dictum
just makes me want to laugh
intelligently parodying society on our behalf
Trey’s not in person
cartoon characters do his cussing

Marc Latham Interview and Poems Published in Etips

Marc Latham has an interview and two poems published in the December issue of etips, which is available for free if you sign up at the Norfolk poets site from the link on the left.

The first poem is an old one with a bipolar theme, while the second is the hiking Hadrian’s Wall poem that has the ‘bipolar’ Folding Mirror format.

Yet Through the Pain Barrier we Write Poetry

*This poem has been revised since posting, which hopefully again shows the benefits of getting your work out there, although it can limit its publication possibilities of course. It has been revised because I thought the word ‘Yet’ in the middle of the poem warranted a ‘Through’ title, as it fits both the structure and sentiment of the poem.

What is your pain threshold? Do you work and play through the pain barrier?

Yet Through the Pain

From the pain I seem to stagnate
From the pain I seek to grow
From the pain I long to create
From the pain I hope to know

Yet,

Is the pain really the answer why
Is the pain what makes me high
Is the pain integral to my being
Is the pain essential to my feeling

This poem appears in Marc Latham’s poetry collection published by Chipmunka.

Decisions, Decisions: Crossing the Rubicon Poem

Crossing the Rubicon

Decisions, decisions, should I bite the bait?
or should one wait, but will it be too late
I’d better make a decision
this is no time, for indecision

Crossing the Rubicon, like Caesar in 49

No going back now, no return
one chance only gotta learn
or crash and burn, no about turn across the Rubicon
Results, results, what was the final outcome?

A version of this poem first appeared in Marc Latham’s poetry collection.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubicon

Rich and Poor Divided by Railway Floor

Railway Line Division Vision

born on the right side of the tracks
wide roads and big houses
clean trimmed lawns
featuring Winner the labrador
and a sports car outside the garage door

Railway line divides the town

beat up rusty motor with the hood open
pitbull called Loser hoping
to taste freedom
back yards and wooden porches
born on the wrong side of the tracks

Marc Latham poem on Every Day Poets

Cheeky mention of a non Folding Mirror poem Marc Latham has had published on every day poets.

It does have some Folding Mirror significance, as Marc left a bio from his first poem published on the site, which was a Folding Mirror poem, and an observant reader noticed the second wasn’t a Folding Mirror!

Swan Summer Serenade is available on the every day poets poetry website.