what is process if not a cage
Creative Endeavor Challenge
there is a certain magic in the air
it bends not to human will
a voice that lives sometimes in the stars
and at others in the sea
I heard it once in the chirp of a vole
when she poked her head out near to me
for lack of a better name call it muse
or the whisper of angel wings
but when it speaks tarry not
for the words quickly fade
when you fail to trap them on the page
I have seen things that others never see
and listened to voices that only I have ever heard
some call me storyteller and others just an old fool
a poor scribbler of old-fashioned poesy
who thinks he's heard choirs of angels
and witnessed El Diablo in his mirror staring back
you ask me for my process
as if such a thing might translate to another's pen
but what is process if not bringing order to the chaos
abiding in me or living in you?
what is process if not a cage
that cows rather than tames the wild beauty of nature
or the invention of literary devices
that spoil and soil art rather than ennoble it?
art should be worship
or a mountain that none can climb
the debauchery of man
or the innocent beauty of human nakedness
sadly, a lot of art is just shite
the scribblings of those who lie to tell the truth
or tell the truth to preserve the lie
but in my dreams, art is the impossible brought to life
and in my arrogance and madness
I wish to do and be all these things, even the shite
for I am human after all even as I desire to soar like an angel
but in the quiet moments
when I somehow express the heartfelt murmurs
that ache wordlessly in my bones
I weep hoping others grieve with me
is that art, hubris or simply the honesty of self-expression?
am I an artist
or simply an old man longing for what he has lost?
...
About the Creator
John Cox
Twisted teller of mind bending tales. I never met a myth I didn't love or a subject that I couldn't twist out of joint. I have a little something for almost everyone here. Cept AI. Aint got none of that.
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Expert insights and opinions
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'20/20'
"Do It Again" the track that would ultimately open the Beach Boys final album on Capitol Records which was released on February 10th 1969 had originally been released as a single in August of 1968. The track was the first of many post-Pet Sounds era throwbacks to the early Beach Boys sound which would become continually more cliched and eventually lead the Beach Boys to the level of self-parody they would eventually succumb to in the 1980s while their closest contemporaries The Beatles nearing the end of their run in 1969 would go on to be viewed as the most influential band of all time. However, the song itself is not bad on its surface, and it opens with a futuristic sounding (for 1969) drumbeat captured by then-Beach Boys engineer Stephen Desper using tape delays on the drums performed by Dennis Wilson and John Guerin. The song has been re-recorded numerous times over the years on various Beach Boys-related projects most notably the 2011 re-recording at Capitol studios featuring the five surviving Beach Boys at the time backed instrumentally by various members of both the Brian Wilson Band and Mike Loves touring "Beach Boys" to promote the then upcoming Beach Boys 50th Anniversary reunion tour in 2012. The hammering and power drill sound at the end of the song was an excerpt from a track called "Workshop" that was to be a part of the uncompleted "SMiLE" album.
By Sean Callaghan4 days ago in Beat
Comments (16)
Oh, wow. I love this and felt every word. Fantastic!
Writing is comfort for the soul like you expressed here.
This: but when it speaks tarry not for the words quickly fade when you fail to trap them on the page I have seen things that others never see Is SO TRUE!! And the entire poem spoke to me - you said it so well about truth and lies and art. Good luck🌸😍
"The scribblings of those who lie to tell the truth / or tell the truth to preserve the lie"...."but in my dreams, art is the impossible brought to life / and in my arrogance and madness".....What imagery you've woven in this tapestry of words. So wonderful.
Ah the process, an elusive little fiend indeed. when shalll the muse appear or vanish forever? However the quesiton of your talent is Never a discussion that crosses my mind. The complete opposite, i am amazed with how you have grown and changed yet rremain true to your form. On a side note I feel you are evaluating yourself lately (As have I). It has brought a different yet pleasant tone to your works that makes me feel growth is always available to us, we just need to embrace the change.
Ahhh... The process... I love your approach to the challenge, John! Your words flow with ease and purpose. You are definitely an artist, many times over. The muse works in mysterious ways... Great read!!! I do believe I'm inspired.
🎨I like the atmosphere you have developed here. It's like you walked us towards this magic in the air. 🖋️I have failed way too many times to trap them on the page... 🎨Satisfying to land on the line that inspired the title. 🖋️I like how you were confronted with a lot of truths in order to enter this Creative Endeavour Challenge. 🎨I think you're wise when you 'wish to do and be all these things, even the shite' 🖋️Very inspirational. I even feel my creative juices flowing while reading this. That is to say, it will all fade away as soon as I click off. Gosh darn it. But, powerful. This piece was powerful. Your confidence to touch on anything you wish, in order to create, will rub off on your readers and will empower us. Outstanding work, John 🤗 ❤️ 🖤
I think I needed to read this today. I started trying to write and got stuck with "what is the actual point of putting my time here?" Also, I enjoyed how I rode the resonance of this. "Oh YES, I get tha...no, no, he's losing me except, wait, YES! THAT!"
We all write what we write and honesty in all our writings is the way to go and you do justice well. Good job.
Oh, I love, LOVE the tender, wild honesty here, John! This is fantastic :)
Art with a little shite blended in is the best, for that's what makes it human. Well done, my friend.
Well-wrought, John! "Art is shit", the Dadaist says, but does it nevertheless for "its own sake"!
Like Rachel said. I've always felt a knship and this sums up what I feel is John at his core and I have the same worries or concerns or musings. All that to say is that I loved this. Never change.
I second Rachel. It's definitely not shite! Loved your poem!
I really love this. The blend of cynicism and wonder feels so real.
Essence of John distilled into a poem. Is it art ? I think so. But one thing's for sure: it's definitely not shite.