I'm of the mind to expand a little bit on my original thought of questioning and thereby challenging authority to include some basic spiritually charged power, or powerless, observations. I can't really post anything to the extant of the music that I've done yet, but I'm thinking of including a song that I've already nearly finished along with my original piece, "The End". This song is called "Changes" and is a song about someone resistant to change and the only thing that is unchanging is the fact that everything changes. Here are the lyrics...
CHANGES
INSTILL THE SOUL INTO SILVER
FALL IN LOVE WITH THE MOON
SEE THE PATH LAID OUT BEFORE YOU
AND EVERYTHING CHANGES
STANDING TO FACE THE SUNRISE
DOES IT ALL HAPPEN TOO SOON
WISH IT COULD BE LIKE IT USED TO
AND EVERYTHING CHANGES
THROUGH THE FOG THERE IS A DISTANT SCREAMING
TOO FAMILIAR IS THE VOICE
WALK ON THROUGH AND HOPE THAT YOU'RE DREAMING
AND THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE
SOAK IT IN AND DISBELIEVE THE VISION
REAL IS SO MUCH WORSE THAN LIES
WHAT YOU DO IS ALWAYS YOUR ON DECISION
NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR CRIES
SEARCH FOR MORE THAN A PURPOSE
SOMETHING MORE THAN "TO BE"
PATIENCE IS YOUR UNDOING
WAIT AND WE SHALL SEE
GOD CHUCKLES AT YOUR INERTIA
BEGIN THE ULTIMATE CLIMB
THROW YOUR HEART TO THE FOUR WINDS
EVERYTHING CHANGES IN TIME.
I know that this strays somewhat from my original theme of questioning authority, but I've decided to add some stuff that is along the lines of spiritual, not necessarily religious, issues of power. Self empowerment, feeling helpless, powerless, trying to give power to others, and so forth, are all things that effect me, and probably a good number of others, on a daily basis.
Allison and I were talking on our trip to InkTank together and I had a number of epiphonies while we were going to and fro, one of which is along the lines of my constant belief that religion drives people apart and spirituality brings them together. There are always exceptions of course, and this is a very generalized statement as many would be quick to admonish I'm sure, but in my experience there have been far more judgmental, biased, sexist, racist people who are self-proclaimed Christians than those of socially disparaged religion, like Wiccans and pagans. I do not ascribe to any of those religions and I am in fact an ordained Christian minister in the state of Ohio, but I know what I know and I only go by what others say and what they do. In my point of view color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, and so forth count for nothing. Either you're an asshole or you're not.
SO!
I've decided to gear this project more along the lines of spiritual observations and beliefs that I've developed, which include a great number of power related statements, and let the chips fall where they may, ending with "The End".
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Jeff,
ReplyDeleteHaha I'm glad you had many epiphanies on the way to Ink Tank. Clearly, a very powerful and evocative experience for the both of us.
I liked the poem...I wondered if your use of all caps was intentional or not. Use of all caps usually implies screaming, anger, or forcefulness. I did feel like the first member is instructing the reader, and the piece becomes more reflective as it progresses. I think maybe the all caps is better used as an emphasis for the lines in which you do intend to instruct. It would be interesting to see how you play with capitalization/not...that in itself would be a kind of power.
The rhyme scheme is so exact in some places...not in others. Intentional? Not? If its intentional, why? I guess I like it better outside of a strict rhyme scheme; that is, I liked the stanzas that didn't necessarily follow ABAB. Something else to think about...
great work!
Hey Jeff,
ReplyDeleteFirst I would have to agree with Allison, I was a little distracted by the fact that there were some rhyme scheme and that the whole song was capitalized. However, this doesn't means it's a bad choice it just means it's hard for me as a reader to see what you are trying to convey by using this formant. In addition, I don't know the rhythm of your song so that can be the reason your rhyme scheme wasn't consistent.
Secondly I would like to say there are few lines that I like (it reminds me of my first poem I wrote outside of high school when I first came to Miami) which was "WALK THROUGH AND HOPE THAT YOU ARE DREAMING AND THERE'S NO OTHER CHOICE" because it's a decision the individual have to make for themselves which it's powerful in it's own type of sense.
Third I don't know what you were working on first but I believe authority and spiritually does have similarity, the idea of what gives a self proclaim christian the authority to judge and declare which sins are acceptable and which are not. I find this topic pretty interesting and I can't what to see what you have next.
Belief! I love belief, and the power of it to sway men and women to do the most wonderful and terrible of things. I love that you've already made it clear that you know belief and religion do not necessarily have to be synonymous. You can 'believe', and believe strongly, about most anything. A dream, an ideal, a person,(and of course, a religion).
ReplyDeleteBelieving is trusting, and risking one's life or limb or fortune or repution on something without physical evidence or proof of it's validity. Believing is reshaping your reality, coming into a perception that colors views on the world in ways that make some decisions very simple for you.
Belief, as you've already brought up, is primarily forged as a reclamation of control, or power, over our lives. We don't like feeling lost or helpless, and often certain beliefs serve as a compass or a path, giving us the illusion of direction and safety in a world that never stops changing.
I'm looking forward to seeing how you tackle spirtuality and belief in your songs. Looking good so far! Let me know if I can be of any help.