Stream of Imagination

Today's poem is from Identity poetry collection.

https://www.dannyballan.com/identity-poem-collection/

Frankenstein

The world is full of woe–

everybody knows who they want to be

but nobody knows who's who;

the world is full of hearts

yet few are beating straight and true;

the nose of Cruz

the Kidman's arms, the Jolie's legs,

somebody’s breast and butt and lips,

someone else’s breath and words,

some other’s tongue to swear at the world,

to adopt and adapt and create

a Frankenstein of the modern world.

They all know

which parts they want,

but nobody knows whose body they do possess;

that incessant mind blowing

stepping on identity is slow but steady;

who in the world I want to be?

if not in a world I can be me–

where I don't display myself every day

in that unstoppable show–

in a soft smelting pool,

I lose my only true ore–

and mold myself in endless shapes

not trying to learn to be

a different man

not learning to be, at all,

and losing all my humanity.

Running as if it were the end–

an endless race

everyone’s losing face or faith or both–

I thrive to become everyone else,

everyone but a single soul–

the only one I owe him all;

I painted the mirror in black–

I don't want to see,

I don't want you to see–

just hear me say who I want to be:

I wanna be you,

the world and everyone

I will be you,

the world and no one at all.

In the first week's challenge, we will use Botticelli's painting La Primavera as our inspiration. I will discuss the painting with you and leave myself and you the job of coming up with something creative next week to share with you. You can share what you create with me, too.

In this episode, you will listen to a short story, The Sole Track from The Antichrist short story collection. It is a story about a driver who is an inch away from realizing his dreams of winning and entering the circle of glory and fame, but there is one big obstacle standing in his way. Will he prevail and become the great champion?

If you are interested to learn more about The Antichrist Short Story book, click on this link to learn more: https://www.dannyballan.com/the-antichrist/

In this episode, you will listen to Tame Me from The War Edition poetry collection

Tame Me

Don’t tame me!

My heart is wild;

my measures of love

are not measured by your sanity—

your common sense is too common for me,

just let me be

a lonely spirit waking every day

hungry for a start,

for none shall remain from the day before—

a new story begins at dawn

for better or worse at dusk is gone;

to remember the bits of what makes you who you are

is far better than to stuff the bits for one perfect memory—

to live up to the world,

but the world knows no harmony

away from the dull beats of conformity,

you will have to let me dine alone

beneath the stars;

no fancy chandeliers

no crystal wine glass

no big diamond ring

no kneeling, no horse, no knight

will ever secure my heart

and domesticate me in one of your pens—

unlike your many spoils and hens,

I am one bird who preferred the hazardous sky

to the safety of your nest;

safe is not who I am

tamed is not who I want to be,

for you I may choose to love,

but freedom I will until eternity.

In this episode from Stream of Imagination, you will listen to the second chapter from Long Way From Home Novel. I will read the whole novel for you in the coming months. If you would like to learn more about the novel, please use this link https://www.dannyballan.com/long-way-from-home/

In this episode, you will listen to Beyond the Black Hole from The Scream poetry collection

Beyond the Black Hole

What if there were other souls

On the other side of the black hole?

What if our hands reach out

and touch their hearts?

Could they be blacker?

Then when we do look back

will we see our hearts so white?

What if they do not believe in what we do?

what if individual truth matters not,

will we then convert those infidels

will we baptize them with fire

with dirt, with tears, with blood

with our arrogance shelling who they are?

will we teach them to be human?

What if they do not use money?

How will they be indebted to our banks?

What if they do not have chiefs?

How will we enslave them then?

What if they do not have a god?

Will we change our scriptures to include them?

Will we teach them to be human?

 

What if they crave no possessions?

What if they think they are all the same?

What if they need no protection?

What if they mean no one no harm?

How will we justify our shields and guns

flooding their land to strike civil war?

How will we teach them to be human?

What if they are far stronger and more advanced

yet they do not mean to raid our world?

Will we accept that we are not the best?

Will our warmongering heroes pick a fight?

To sacrifice what need not be sacrificed

to give the causeless martyrs a cause to die for;

can we but for once not be so human?

In this episode from Stream of Imagination, you will listen to the first chapter from Long Way From Home Novel. I will read the whole novel for you in the coming months. If you would like to learn more about the novel, please use this link https://www.dannyballan.com/long-way-from-home/

I Belong from The Scream poetry collection.

I Belong

I belong to no country

you may war against,

and tomorrow’s place

I find, for my head,

under your military boots,

and the roaring thunder

of your steel shaking my ground.

I belong to no race,

where a color mismatch

can take your reason away,

and all your eyes can see

is but a shade of who I am;

and you pull a trigger

and kill all that can be killed

in me, except for a soul

whose color I share with you all,

I don’t expect you to see;

you are already color blind.

I belong to no religion,

in whose choice of god

has conflicted with yours,

and by killing me you are

killing every possible chance

we might, one day,

find out all along we have

been living under the same sun;

worshipping the same god.

You cannot understand—

you are the almighty

passing judgments and sentencing

people to death without a warrant,

like the many leaves in fall

you and I or anyone

might be the yellow ones.

I belong to no man

no country

no race

no religion;

I belong to you,

and you do belong

to me.

I am simply a man

and if that you cannot understand,

go ahead and kill me brother

and pretend

whatever you may want to pretend—

for I will haunt you,

and you will find me—

every night in your nightmarish dreams;

and know when you killed me

you had just killed yourself.