Fading Moments

Fading Moments.

So goodbye 2023,

you have not been a good year.

but your impact will fade away, I'll make sure of it.

I kept fighting till the last minute, hoping to get good things out of you

you managed to make the triumphs seem futile

you managed to expose humanity in the worst kind of ways

and you made sure all my efforts went down the drain.

but I will get the last laugh

I promise...

oh and here's a song I will use to exorcise you, or at least parts of you...

Scents and moments:

 

Picked up scents

On my hands and arms

A moment of reminiscence 

Two moments apart

Have I invented your sigh

Did I forget your abruptness

Or am I too fraught in despair

To be half imagining

 

Picked up scents

On my pillows and sheets

Your lips linger in my mind

Far longer than your face

A breath taken away

Is nothing too dramatic

When a moment away

Awaits a disappointment

 

Picked up scents

On my scarf and sweater

Whose tears are these

I cannot remember

I read your name

Turn off the screen

And scream for a moment

Crafting no impressions

 

I miss your chest

Your hair on my face

I miss your scents

And the promises we made

I miss your voice

Resonating my name

I miss our moments

But I'm glad they’re fading away…

 

 

Revert Back

I was having a conversation today with a friend, and self love came up...

Is it self love or narcissism?

Where's the line that separates the two?

But my mind drifted elsewhere... to times when I should have chosen myself but didn't because of set ideas in my head... because of fear maybe?

Sometimes it feels like a contradiction, an endless fight, between, oh the cliché, my mind and my heart...

I wish I didn't have to have this fight, I wish things would just happen smoothly, but till then, yes I learned to choose myself, in the best possible way...

Revert Back:

 

I’ve said goodbye so many times

Kept my tears stuck at the corners of my eyes

What could have been and wasn’t

Had me dreaming

Had me wrecked

Had me losing myself

 

Walked down streets holding no one’s hand

Watching happy duos sharing their lives

What should have been and wasn’t

Had me hoping

Had me shattered

Had me losing myself

 

I’ve danced with quite a few partners

Took the lead, offered it back, out of sync

What could have I done then

Had me thinking

Had me faded

Had me losing myself

 

Revert back, start back again

Have me solider, bring me closer

Revert back, bloom blast and blister

Didn’t see the light at the end

But I felt the burn

 

I’ve dived deep in different waters

Happy to have made it back every time

What should have I done then

Had me laughing

Had me bruised

But I’ll find myself

 

Revert back, start back again

Have me solider, bring me closer

Revert further, fly far and flutter 

Get to the light at that end

If I touch it, will I burn?

 

I’ll swim alone, I’ll dance alone,

I’ll walk alone, I’ll cry alone

And I’ll chase every sunrise

Till I find my own…

To Be Somewhere..

Sometimes, the need to escape is greater than anything I feel...

I have my trained mind for that, years of forced introversion in bomb shelters...

So there...

To be somewhere…

 

To be where the dark red skies

Are only a mark of an ending restful day,

I’m clinging on to hope where, hope, there is none.

 

To weave thoughts as vigorous as eternal coniferous domains,

Hold my flame, hold my fire, hold within my calming desires;

I’m persevering ahead, a blaze at a time.

 

There’s only one way the current can go,

There’s the way the mountains cast shadows;

I’ll be none the wiser if I remain astray.

 

Down by the river bed,

The river bed is thirsty.

Floating right ahead,

My gasping compassion.

I’m not numb, I’m tremendously dazed…

 

To be where the earth is roaring,

Ready to spew out its bonfires of wisdom;

I’ll make sense of it; I’ll be gentle but I’ll resist,

 

Until I have no more reason to…

 

 

Insomnia

 so I was trying a bit of neurogaphic drawing:

it reminded me of something I wrote while having another insomnia bout...

I have been suffering from insomnia since I was 8 I think... I remember I used to get frustrated so much , would ask mom to sleep next to me then ask her every 5mn if she was still awake...

and as I got older nothing worked... I tried everything , suggestions, things I read about... nothing works when the brain says no; when the brains wants to go to every tiny itsy bitsy detail of anything and go round and round... whoohoo

the only thing that bothers me about it now is that I will definitely be tired the following day, and that ain't fun...this is where meditation can come in handy, helping me relax a bit... 

oh and realised it's seasonal... mostly happens in October/November and may/June...

anyway,

here goes...

Make It Manifest:

Garbage truck beeping for what seems like hours now

What else will I blame my insomnia on

There are wolves in the field, the sheep are hiding

It’s a funny thing when

Crying in not gonna go down

Any well, any hole, any scream score.

You gotta want it, and you gotta ask for it

Make it manifest

Like the lights in my eyes that aren’t even blinking

What else will I blame my insomnia on

There are needs and desires and so many feels

It’s a tragedy when

There isn’t an object of

Affection, love, abundant connection

You gotta find it, no you gotta let go and let it happen

Make it manifest

Like the fire within, undulating with my vitality

What else will I blame my insomnia on

There are ways I could use this, seems so damn easy

It’s a total waste when

Sustenance is depleting

Any energy, any inspiration, any ray of hope left

You gotta try harder, no you gotta aim better

Make it manifest

Make it manifest

Behind a Line

Behind a line...

we were trying to be creative,

the prompt was: 'draw straight lines and take it from there'

but straight lines are not my favourite lines... I always associate them with prison bars...

and if I put them in a non parallel way, they look like they are blocking something...

hence the following ...

Your name

Ringing inside

And I am transported

Riding wave upon wave, until

I crash

Ding-dong

What will it take

A flicker in my brain

A few images and a touch

Away

I pace

Fiery breaths

My body is perplexed

But just for a moment again...

Release...

Earth, wind, fire and water

Hey, what's the hurry?

I've taken moments, many moments,

Yet it stil feels scary

They tell me I should make it, 

Love it, fake it, hone it, embrace it

And I just want to enjoy it...

Earth, wind, fire and water:

I'll forever be longing for this place

The calm fire shaping the earth, 

The calm fire feeding the water

And the wind relentlessly calming it down;

Where the woods are there to nurture, 

Where the trees hold eternal wisdom

And our ethereal lives feel important;

Where time stops whenever I want, 

Even if the birds and the streams tell me otherwise... 

One tear to add to the reservoirs, 

I was there and I was touched, 

Blessed, 

And I'll forever be greatful... 

Josephine

 

I don’t know why I am fascinated by the name Josephine.

It was my maternal grandma’s name.

I remember I featured a drag queen in the first play I directed where ‘Joe’ becomes ‘Josephine’ and does a lip sync number, way back in 2000. My grandma was there watching, and although I suspect she already had (undiagnosed yet) Alzheimer’s, she was actually all smiles and loved the idea (my grandma was quite open-minded I have to say).

I remember being fascinated by Josephine Baker.

I remember liking the story of Josephine Bonaparte, not because she was am empress but because she was very much into the arts.

But I feel that with such a grand name must come grand tragedies.

A lot of pain maybe.

So when I wrote the following song, and while having a lot of female figures in my mind to write about; women who always have to put others before themselves; women who have to be the strong ones holding their entourage, their families, because the men just cannot hold it, cannot take it; women who carry their whole ancestry’s burden; women who have to endure so many inequalities while actually being the stronger sex... the first name that popped in my head was Josephine. 

Maybe I was also inspired by Tori Amos’ ‘Josephine’ (‘not tonight Josephine’, always being held back…).

Here’s to these women,

Here’s to all the ‘Josephines’ out there,

May you all dance freely.

Oh Josephine:

Oh Josephine,

Dancing in the free area of your mind

Holding down the fire, 

holding down the fort

Have you taken a breath lately?

Have you given yourself permission?

That light you kept inside is dying

It tried to come out

It tried to come out

Oh Josephine,

Smiling but who are you fooling,

Only yourself,

Only if you laugh

Have you forgiven them already?

Oh, but you’re only a woman

The light you kept inside is dying

Silently screaming

Why aren’t you screaming?

Oh Josephine,

Tell me you will come out and dance

Ignite your veins

Light up your scars

Bask in the glow, and be free

you’re a goddess, royalty, a woman

nothing to revisit, nothing to repair

but your own worth and a bit of love to spare

no one to save anymore

but yourself 

the light you kept inside is dying

drop your misplaced defenses

let them rip your dresses

the light you kept inside is waving

let it out, let it out

let it out Josephine

Red, Again...

Every ending is a new beginning bla bla bla...
So, after two and a half years,
back to square one...?

Red, Again…

Red, red, red everywhere

Some shadows within have lost their obscurity

I keep seeing, when I close my eyes,

Strawberry pink, brown and red

I draw lines with echoes that ring deep

I paint pictures with the smells I miss

Acidic smells I barely got used to

And then, they were no more

How the hell did it feel right

To shut my senses

And chase that gloom

What kind of obsession

What kind of determination

What kind of obstinacy

Kept me dipping my hands in that fire

Ah, I was riding high on potential

heavily boosting that reality

But despite of all good intentions

The path remained, obtusely murky

I’ve got to find what I lost in there

I’ve got to find something similar

And shape it again

So... I will hold the clay

I will take the grey

I will carve my way, to new directions…

Still...

I read an article today that left me a bit disturbed... Something about knowing when to quit... What disturbed me was the fact that I know exactly what the author is talking about, I would have advised anyone to follow suit, yet I fail to do so myself...

Laziness? Fear? All kinds of fear honestly... Patience? For... Hope? 

Still...

Still in the water

Waiting for the wind;

Quiet breathing

Embalming what remains

Of harmful thoughts

Stay at bay...

Stay at bay!

Wrinkles on the surface;

The illusion of a movement...

A breeze from afar? No,

A beat from within...

Show me my face

As distorted as it should be.

Don't soften my pain

Don't cradle my worries

Don't let me look away...

The thrashing continues,

It shouldn't be contained.

The mind is well-worn

And the signs are there...

Yet

Still in the water

Waiting for the wind;

To warm, to chill... 

Go out? go in...?

Still in the water;

Still

Still...

Another perspective

I was asked to write something from the perspective of a character i am playing, years after his story had happened...

Although i thought i wouldn't connect with him at all, the following took two minutes to write... So i guess i was wrong...

À Marillon:

Je t'ai caressé la peau,

Ta peau douce,

Et c'est comme si c'était juste le jour d'avant

Que je l'avais fait...

Ta douceur, ton parfum

À jamais impregnés dans les rides de ma peau à moi;

À moi...

Tu as refusé.

Mais pas de regrets,

Pas de regrets

Même pas de souhaits.

Mes souvenirs je les refais parfois

Surtout quand je suis seul

Surtout le matin...

Mais pas de regrets

Pas de regrets

Même pas de souhaits

Mais de la tendresse,

Adoucie,

Au goût sucré;

Comme ton parfum...

Let's play...

Let’s play a game:

You give me 3 numbers (a, b and c) and 3 words.

I will put the 3 words in a poem that has 'a' (between 10 and 100, with up to a 5% margin) words, 'b' (between 1 and 10) paragraphs and 'c' (between 1 and 17) syllables per line.

Leave your choices in a comment below and let's see what I can come up with :)

Here’s what I have done with this game so far: 

(It’s far from being high art, but it's quite fun and gets my creative juices going)

1*

Words: Tea, Dry, See

Numbers: 42, 3, 9

My mouth is dry; let me drink your tea

Or better yet, you drink it and I,

I'll smooth mine on your sultry lips

Golden green, the reflection I see

In your eyes, I'm drowning regardless

Conscientiously... allowing me within...

2*

Words: Bed, Light, Car

Numbers: 53, 4, 8

I turn off the light and pretend

You're already lying in bed

My bed... your smell on my pillow...

Your breath on my face... it's missing

I close my eyes and I pretend

My hands are stroking your body...

Pointless unintelligent act

You're not far, I can take my car.

3* 

(And I can do it en français too :) )

Words: Jaune, Chaise, École

Numbers: 66, 4, 9

Nos autocars étaient grands et bleus

Ou colorés, mais jamais jaunes

Nous n'avions pas de chaises séparées,

Mais des bancs et des classes bondées

L'école commençait tôt et traînait

Toute la journée et puis au soir

C'était devant l'écran de télé

Ou dans mes livres que je jouais

À vouloir vivre dans d'autres lieux

D'autres couleurs et d'autres histoires

Yalla?