Words Make Souls – Ursula K. Le Guin

Photo of Ursula K. Le Guin

“Socrates said, ‘The misuse of language induces evil in the soul.’ He wasn’t talking about grammar. To misuse language is to use it the way politicians and advertisers do, for profit, without taking responsibility for what the words mean. Language used as a means to get power or make money goes wrong: it lies. Language used as an end in itself, to sing a poem or tell a story, goes right, goes towards the truth.

A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it. Writers know words are their way towards truth and freedom, and so they use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight. By using words well they strengthen their souls. Story-tellers and poets spend their lives learning that skill and art of using words well. And their words make the souls of their readers stronger, brighter, deeper.” ~Ursula K. Le Guin

1988 1987

1988 David Beckham sent off during England v Argentina Japan World Cup
1988

The year
not noticing
a watch that failed
I called
to the lonely
people
they,
funnily enough
always never
reply.


1987

Never in the past
1987
because
I found
you
1987!

The past when it isn’t past
is the better for being the past.
The past is now
now is the future
you are now
you are the future.

Little Johnny’s Confession – Brian Patten

Brian Patten’s Poem
This morning
being rather young and foolish
I borrowed a machine gun my father
had left hidden since the war, went out,
and eliminated a number of small enemies.
Since then I have not returned home.

This morning
swarms of police with tracker dogs
wander about the city with my description
printed on their minds, asking:
‘Have you seen him,
He is seven years old,
likes Pluto, Mighty Mouse
and Biffo the Bear,
have you seen him, anywhere?’

This morning
sitting alone in a strange playground
muttering You’ve blundered You’ve blundered
over and over to myself
I work my next move
but cannot move;
the tracker dogs will sniff me out,
they have my lollipops.

(Ed: I read this poem out to members of the Wardown Park Poetry Group)

Friendship – Poem by Kahlil Gibran

And a youth said, 'Speak to us of Friendship.' 

Your friend is your needs answered.

He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.

And he is your board and your fireside.

For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.

When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the 'nay' in your own mind, nor do you withhold the 'ay.'

And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;

For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.

When you part from your friend, you grieve not;

For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.

And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.

For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.

And let your best be for your friend.

If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.

For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?

Seek him always with hours to live.

For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.

And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.

For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

(Ed: I read this poem out to members of the Wardown Park Poetry Group)

Friendship Poem by Henry David Thoreau

Yes Happy Friendship Day is every day!
I think awhile of Love, and while I think, 
Love is to me a world,
Sole meat and sweetest drink,
And close connecting link
T’ween heaven and earth.

I only know it is, not how or why,
My greatest happiness;
However hard I try,
Not if I were to die,
Can I explain.

I fain would ask my friend how it can be,
But when the time arrives,
Then Love is more lovely
Than anything to me,
And so I'm dumb.

For if the truth were known, Love cannot speak,
But only thinks and does;
Though surely out 'twill leak
Without the help of Greek,
Or any tongue.

A man may love the truth and practise it,
Beauty he may admire,
And goodness not omit,
As much as may befit
To reverence.

But only when these three together meet,
As they always incline,
And make one soul the seat,
And favourite retreat,
Of loveliness;

When under kindred shape, like loves and hates
And a kindred nature,
Proclaim us to be mates,
Exposed to equal fates
Eternally;

And each may other help, and service do,
Drawing Love's bands more tight,
Service he ne'er shall rue
While one and one make two,
And two are one;

In such case only doth man fully prove
Fully as man can do,
What power there is in Love
His inmost soul to move
Resistlessly.

Two sturdy oaks I mean, which side by side,
Withstand the winter's storm,
And spite of wind and tide,
Grow up the meadow's pride,
For both are strong

Above they barely touch, but undermined
Down to their deepest source,
Admiring you shall find
Their roots are intertwined
Insep'rably.

The Mourning Cottage

Like curtains of mist
The driving sheets of rain
As we drove through Cornish lanes
To the resting place that nestles in the hills
Lush evergreens sprayed upon all day
But when climbing from the car
The sun throws us its rays
We smile at the presence of John

No amount of words
Or ceremony can hide
The wonder of spirit power
For we know you were with us in our hymns
For we know you sat with us in the pews
You gave yourself away
By turning on the sunlight
Interrupting such a rain soaked day
The artist in you splashed colour all around
Liberally for everyone to remember.

You filled the mourning cottage with life
The laughter rang out – even from your wife
The rain returned when the drink ran out
But your love was all about
We thank you for slaying our doubts
A larger than life debt
That will take an eternity
To settle.
Your mettle
Will keep its place in my mind
Your voice will remain forever
Your spirit will go on forever.

The Woman in Moon

Like the Sea of Tranquility
A brooding, lonely
Woman;
In dire need
She sits to absorb the company
So delicate
So alone
So small
She sits like a hamster
Almost as if she is waiting
Waiting to die

When friends die they leave her
When family moves away further,
Her waiting becomes the more painful,
Her wish remains unfulfilled
In the sanctuary of hope for love

Like the barren vast deserts
A gaping hole is revealed,
Loneliness
In deep need
She waits for her dying day
To take her away
To be with spirit people
Who will love to cherish her
Who will never leave her
So she will never be alone again.

The Forbidden Fence

The old rustic fence, listing at the end of the garden
Looking forbidding, yet tantalising.
When I was very young the fence was too high
Maybe not so brilliantly painted
Now naturally, against the sky, tainted.

Tufts of rough grass, enticing a tumbling foot
Looking innocent, from a distance
Like the wall the other side of the fence
I thought one day I shall look over
To find out what was on the other side

Many times I visited the end of the garden
Hardly noticing what lies there, at the end
Many times the feeling of foreboding
But never enough motive to investigate
My thoughts ran further that mere gates
My dreams of the beyond were with me
Day and night.

My wandering mind could try to leap the fence
But always it was higher than it might
Seem from a great distance
I summoned an extra helping of steeled nerves
On more than one occasion
Only to find myself in an invisible cage upon
Which set a force that would repel my efforts.

The rains washed the colour to dismal grey
The wood was tattered, felt like clay
Splinters finally invaded my hands
As I tried my luck at survey
But the years hadn’t destroyed the forbidden
Secret that must surely have lain
The very other side of the shaky fences.

Thoughts lanced the languid days of summer
With spectres and monsters
For the imagination is never satisfied
Without a sighting of what lies beyond
The near obsession would wreak dismay
For a conjured fantasy would only delay
What really had to be done.



Part II

For over twenty five years the mystery was shelved
The fence had all but dissolved
Into micro chasms in my head
The leaden expectation invaded my dreams in bed.
Those many years later at the funeral of a thought
I clasped an empty embrace
Let forth condolences, a trace
Of sympathy to help wipe away the dark tears
The drying attracted my eyes to the street tiles
My eyes sped along geometric lines
I couldn’t hold my breath
A fire was started behind my eyes
But darkness reappeared.

In the following minutes as the sun raged in
I was kneeling
Cleaning a large stain from the tiles
The sun hindered
The heat hinted
The sky was red tinted.
The stain was the colour of creosote.

My knees chafed merrily as mourners knelt in unison
The scrubbing of stains seeming not unusual
The cleaning was a sensible way to mourn
Everyone who could see the fence
As the priest sighed prayed,
Commenced the cleaning.

During the half hour it took over fifty people to clean
Passers-by smiled, they offered advice
Their teeth lied we winced our apologies,
How do you explain fifty people scrubbing the pavement
Outside a church
When the sky was tinted red?

I paid particular attention to the detail
of the carved patterns
That lay within every forty tiles
My eyes were magnetised
As I scraped an unwary elbow against someone’s fence
The cut was shallow the blood warm, the fence old,
In licking the wound the dream was played again.

Like the re-releasing of Gone With The Wind
The fence was now showing on the main screen
Energy spouted into every crevice of memory
The dream
The Fence
The Foreboding –
They had all revisted
The creosote catalyst had reacted
I’m in mourning
Incredulous
In the forbidden place.

The fence was warm in the dying sun
My fingers throbbed
The work having been done
My eyes were strobed
I struggled a sigh as realisation stepped in
I staggered as a new image awakened.

I’m on the other side of the fence...
In over thirty years of travel and dreams
The fence loomed large it seems
But now the cleaning is complete
The fence was fading in the heat
The sense of the forbidden view
Had collected a history of blue
The fence had nails
That rust in the sea air
The shiny stainless steel
Hadn’t a care
It now had to bear
The consequence
Of dull ignorance.

Am I standing in my dream
Or is the dream standing in me.

The fence won’t go away
But I’m so much bigger
Than the uttered word
That I feel ridiculous,
However could anyone be afraid
To look over the shaky fence.

The drifting dream carries on

Is it a dream?
What I sense it seems
Like the drifting dream that carries on,
Flying over soft fields of buttercup words
Unable to land as yet, it’s absurd.

Dreams drift in and out and can’t settle,
I can see a wooded area where birds rejoice
Their songs fill my mind, it’s my choice,
I can’t join words to their shrills and whistles
But it is as maybe, it is after all a dream.

Sliding over mountains purple without rage
Their majesty projects an unrealistic stage
Who would want to climb every one of them?
There are those who consider themselves to be brave
They would try and try again, their face to save

To prove a kind of recklessness out far
Where with a grizzly bear they would spar
And blood would be their scant reward
What are they to prove, in this sliding dream?
Clouds tinged with the dying light of the day.

They glide into my gaze escape attention I’d say
I mean who notices them or their colour?
at least there is no argument about their sound
For there is none, a factor in their favour
I watch clouds as they drift into my hair

I kiss every facet of them, never is there a spare
Space I leave untouched, not this day.
In cities which drain their feelings,
What do people notice in the clouds, they say
“What clouds? I don’t see any, not at my feet”

As they hurry along never lifting an eye upwards.
Clinging on to gossamer thin wisps of droplets
I hunker down wishing my day was longer yet,
No surprises rise up in the cloudy domains
So disappointment will steadily release the reins.

Damp rows of roses dripping perfume into the air
The water from a tall pink tinted waterfall is there
Talking, as it does, to passing animals and birds
Swathes of yellow daffodils giving up their task
As tulips begin to show how to lower their masks

Lines of soldiers waiting to be taken to hell
In a boat made of past warriors bones which tell
What rain droplets will slowly slide along noses
The men watch them as water falls to the ground
Many dozens of frightened souls not a sound
From anyone, no questions are asked
Only insane Generals barking orders aloud.

Why can’t they walk along paths of roses
Throw away their weapons and uniforms
Naked amongst the bushes could become the norm
When a man takes his life into his own hands
who doesn’t lend it to another, to those insane for power,

Become part of nature and worship the importance
of real nature’s love that grows without interference.
Seeing the point of view from that of clouds drifting
Where questions of the mystical collide with prayer
Revealed to the world as the brightest lights of all

The mind is churning out messages to one and all
Try to capture one if you can
Hold tight keep it in your hand.
In meadows where grass grows the tallest I am surround
Listening as I do to every natural and sensual sound

Dig deep to find the brightest energy escaping around
What satisfaction in this natural place can be found?
Watching as the day starts to dim and shadows abound
Two nude lovers covered in soft red roses
They grasp the scent as their bodies are joined

The natural act of love they display and enjoy
The warmth of the tongue is the language of love
The stiffness of the wand is the gift from above
The wetness of the nest is the sign of the climax
The look upon their faces as at last they relax

Tells a story that can be told a thousand times over
A natural and sensual setting for the naked lovers.
Sweet talk rests softly upon their ears smiles are rich
Declarations of love are exchanged there is no hitch.
They join the drifting dream as it carries on

Thoughts they cannot pretend dance in the fires
Which reveal over and over again their deepest desires,
In warm feelings they melt into the natural vibrations
Upon which all in nature seek their satisfactions,
It’s not only flesh that can ask the right questions

Truth will stride with trust in the darkest hours,
keep your dreams in your hearts reveal only a little
let the strength of determination keep you from unsettled
dreams you have, those to which you are entitled
those to which you deserve, stay only within circles.

What do you want to be realised, listening to a call
that embraces a background of simmering gentleness,
leaving clues being an advocate for the natural oneness
realising our sensuality is vital to our emotional survival;
sitting upon a dune that cascades sand at every second

My mind’s eye goes out to sea and collects my memory,
that persuaded my inner self that there is more to see
than what we think we can perceive, dreams are electric
they are powered up by love and understanding, a trick
that we can all enjoy, every girl and every boy.

Lively are the shadows in the approaching night
Meaninglessness is the verse they wish to recite
I turn my back on it and wait for the following light
With eyes shut the drifting dream carries on.
With ears pricked all sounds are absorbed upon

An instruction from a thousand previous times
When darkness over took meaning and laughed
As it watched the pain taken on by many lovers
Those who were persuaded that paradise can be theirs
If only they would do as they were told, to be spared

Much worse than what was on offer – such is the evil
That comes readily to some without any real effort
It is as easy as taking a breath, controlling without thought
For the consequences to themselves and to others ensnared
With the lies the drama the sneering, with teeth bared

They take a dramatic bite from the inner mind and laugh.
Conclusions confusions and intrusions to the bleeding heart
Is not their concern, nor do they even know this little part.
In times when I feel that I want to collapse into small pieces
Drifting dreams are over head it’s their energy that releases

Pictures of how we really look to others – an alien aspect
For our own perceptions, a different opinion I expect
We receive as an honest description grips our hearts,
We cannot deny it nor do we wish to, not any part
Of the drifting dreams that carry on in to our past.

Future drifting carries weight so fine it is nought
Into every crevice of memory, every hidden word
There is a meaning waiting to be discovered
A drifting dream carries a thousand souls rejoicing,
The sound is powerful and rejects all false choosing

To resist the natural is like creating a dark situation
Where curses dance freely with fine attention
Could they not be knocked down to size at all
How much effort is needed to make them small
Insignificant ants that plague each and every heart,

We cast them aside we rehearse we play the part
We look to the heavens at last in every second
As we see the drifting dream that carries on.