Swirls

Swirls in hues of coolness
Beneath the core the shades blaze
A day to remark on appreciation
Four more to continue unchanged
Years to address our issues
Deniers treat concerns as abstraction
Seeing what they want to see
Consequences are realities happening
Whether we are actively…
Doing or passive

 

 

A little something I came up with before Earth Day, in my region, draws to a close.

Discovering Stromae and Learning Languages

Buzzfeed featured this brilliantly crafted commentary on social media from Stromae, “Carmen.”

My significant other found the video on Facebook and thinking I would like the song, shared it with me. I enjoyed not only the music, but the full package of artwork and theme. Seeing it was written and directed by French animator and comic writer Sylvain Chomet (known largely for animated films: The Illusionist and The Triplets of Belleville) was a bonus, and won more points with me. “Carmen” piqued both our interests in Stromae, but I became distracted and didn’t look further. My SO did and before I knew it, linked me to another song this time, “Tous Les Mêmes.” This video served as the catalyst for me diving into his work as well as background. I assumed he was French, from both of these songs, but learned Stromae (a stage name) is instead Belgian and a lovely blend of Flemish and Rwandan that latter proving to be significant in how he approaches his music. I soon realized I didn’t know much about Belgium or how strong of a French presence it has. For whatever reasons, when I thought of the country, I thought German or Dutch and almost never French.
After my latest reading endeavor, this felt a little less happy coincidence and more dancing in the realm of uncanny, as if both the reading and my listening to his music were fate.

While “Carmen” is fantastic, my favorite song of Stromae’s is actually this one, “Papaoutai”

As it turns out, we both lost our fathers at young ages, anything touching on the relationship of father and child usually speaks to me. The video is done in such an illustrative fashion that those without French fluency, or any French understanding can still get an idea of what the song is about. I love the combination and all the videos I’ve watched so far use different styles of short film in the telling of stories. It’s refreshing to see someone in a more popular genres of music being an artist and not just an entertainer which has become so common in the United States. A few articles mentioned that scientists have gone into researching the decline of Pop Music over the years and it’s not just in our imaginations.  The genre has actually been dumbing down. I assume physical record sells have also declined resulting in a stronger push for record companies to make that money. Leaving us with commercialism and repetition over talent and artistry. Fortunately, not everyone interested in making music is behind the cheapening of it and continue to treat it as a craft.

I haven’t analyzed Stromae’s lyrical content, yet. But even if he didn’t have the most in depth lyrics, he’s singing in French (and quite possibly bits of other languages). By him doing this, English speaking listeners such as myself, or others who don’t know French can pick up pieces subconsciously. Many songs have catchy hooks, that are clear and repeated and it presents the language in a more interesting way. Since French happens to be one of the languages I’m learning, I plan to make a conscious effort of looking up his lyrics while listening to the songs and focusing on natural pronunciations. If I want to be really ambitious, I can work on translating them into English myself instead of shortcuts. This article highlights eight tips for learning language through songs and music. Even though it specifies English, most of the tips make sense and should be applicable to learning others.

So, while social media poses threats of doom and gloom if we let ourselves get too absorbed, it still has productive uses. Like introducing me to an array of artists I might not have discovered any time soon. And by being open to this discovery, much like reading, I can get sucked into new worlds giving me the opportunity to learn about myself and others along the way.

Sleeping Beauty?

In honor of #WorldPoetryDay, and maybe a classic animated film that was on earlier, I came up with this…

© L.A. Lanier

Sleeping beauty?
I could be
For someones close
Each said to me
They found a joy
To watch during sleep
Because I was
Elegant and Graceful
Breathing softly
Without a peep
And I guess it makes
A bit of sense
To say the least
One of the only times
I ever feel at peace

Bluebird By Charles Bukowski

In honor of #WorldPoetryDay and the season of Spring, I’m sharing a snippet from one of Bukowski’s numerous poems that connected with me the first time I read it, and it’s one that I think will continue to stick with me for good.

Bluebird

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he’s
in there…

To read the poem in its entirety go here or here for whichever mood you like best.

Cupid’s Arrows

L.A. Lanier

Cupid’s arrows stabbed me in the heart and brain
the moment I saw your little runty face
Your eyes were blue and filled with stress
Your appearance was rodent like,
even though your lineage is one of predator
I looked at your brothers and sisters
Mewing and clamoring for attention
Most of them were claimed, but I didn’t care
Your dark fur historically the shade of superstitions
suggested why you hadn’t already been chosen
But you were my ideal
I scooped you up and held you close
Oxytocin must have flowed
because it was longer than twenty seconds
We took you home
That was ten years ago
Your eyes turned a yellowish green as you aged
Your size doubled, tripled, then quadrupled
Runt of the litter?
It’s amazing what a little tenderness, love, and care can do
I spoiled you rotten
But I’ve never regretted it once.

What this Daily…

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Winter Wonder

L.A. Lanier

Winter wonder* comes
The southerner admires its glimmer
Frosted ground becoming
A twinkle harbinger of tranquility

*To see the poem with a pretty background I made, click the link 😉

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A Tanka: Flowing Mane

Flowing mane* of dark
Amazon like in stature
Kind, but do not cross
An ear for brutality
With fondness for the printed

*For an Instagrammed version with a neat background, click the link 😉

Writing Dare: The Cleaver

The cleaver
an ideal choice for a butcher,
bladed edge glistens as an arm raises
and
hammers down
gliding through even the thorniest of bones like
an X-acto knife through your finger
when you’re not careful
customers covet what it provides
while few speak their minds
of the implied carnage
the butcher treats his tools with finesse
repeated use on slaughtered meat
weakens
if the hatchet took on sentience,
it would hunger for gore and flesh
like the undead
should that butcher develop the same
and release it on
the local governing committeeman
society would be swift to disapprove

Story Bandit: We dare you to write a 99-word poem using the following words: cleaver, thorniest, disapprove, committeeman. #writingdare