Cultural development...

I cannot begin to express how important it is to learn as much as one can about the world in which we live in. I have used as my touchstones individuals and philosophies that are seldom talked about in today's age but have made a tremendous impact in world history and its development. Personally, these have greatly influenced my life. It appears in this information age that much of this is lost or not even considered anymore.
I have worked for over twenty years in a vast array of creative endeavors in many areas and have been trained or have had some experience in all of the things that I speak of - my resume is full. I choose now to earn my time down at the dock on Woods Rogers writing and painting as it is where I feel more at peace with myself meeting and taking with people. I suppose in actual effect that is truly what I have always done. I thought last night as I drove home, I have broadened my horizons beyond academia as I wished to learn much more about the world we live in and its people. That is vital for an artist. I have made the decision to go in a direction with my life that is purely creative above all else. I write love poems predominantly and all about the people that surround me. I have been that type of rebel all my life as personal and collective culture need to be in the constant ebb and flow with the tide of change. It needs to know life in its essence. I take on the grand, attempting to reach for life's highest ideal. I hope to reflect this in my artistic expression with good taste and that which is palatable. Life is full with some of the most amazing things and people. I hope I live a long life to see and enjoy it all...peace...

Silicon breasts...

Silicon breasts
in plastic parties
platinum blondes
in Bikini panties
the Balloon pops
letting out
hot air
in a fun house
full of pink lipstick...

Love...

My love
pulls gently
with abandonment
toward your being
yielding all
I speak
my truth
within the vast space
of possibilities
in it I see everything
it is filled with you...

Eyes to see...

Eyes to see
heart to know
grab the bag
then let it go
The sacred
shall be defamed
all in the game
all in the game
catch me if you can
feet faster
than your hand
I'm watchin' both
this time 'round...

Anthem...

Dancin'
to the song
of a wild bird's tune
as they scavenge
amongst
the city's ruins
fire burns
with ravaged eyes
lonesome doves
echoes a mamma's cry
'in the sweet bye and bye
Lord
in the sweet bye and bye'
music makin'
with fiddle sticks
A bowing dog
practices wandering tricks
waitin' for his master
to come
one day, he'll be comin'
soon Lord
one day, he'll be comin'
soon...

The promise...

With heart
and deeds
I promise love
And faith to reconcile
these words
with devotion
This needy hand
desires touch
to stroke
its tender yearnings
I for a moment
surrender everything
with hope
from a hapless soul
lost without
you...

A temple for the Sun...

How fair you are
my lovely
beautiful as the Sun
whose light
streaks
across my path
within the gait
of a stride
a ray beams
from your smile
shining from
your golden hair
I long to confess it
your radiance
but for now
shall use
these callow words
to make this
a temple for you...

Open Spaces...

Pole lines
cross
a blue sky
looming
into the haziness
of clouds
rod and shaft
run
alongside
a dusty road
wire looping over
green grass
drooping across
chalky tracks
echoes a mirage
in the
summer heat...

The Great Gig in the Sky...

Falling into
that great gig in the sky
blissful sustenance
giant stars
beaming
with celestial arms
stretched high
and long
enveloping earth
and the heavens
rock on
rock on...

Walking the line...

Walking the line
towing it
like a wooden dingy
floating
along the edges
of a canal
muscles flexed
with each pull
and strain...

Life's resuscitation...

Life's resuscitation
love
I breathe it in
knowing its pulse
within the cavity
of the lung
I know it
with the passing air
in the breeze
of inspiration
and in its exaltation
It is existence
with all manifestations
God and humankind...

To Rise...

I will rise
like a golden ray
seeing over
the horizon
know the way
over troubled seas
I will rise
with spirit revised
reaching into
the highest peak
when rivers bleed red
I will rise
knowing all
being at peace
within that sight...

Old Book Scraps...

Memories
hold close
in old book scraps
torn and tattered
each fray
speaking a tale
imprints
marked in faded ink
how tired these pages
seem
pale in yellow
the last not turned
and yet
it is full
of life...

Mother...

Mother
I miss you
where is your sense
around me
to protect
to guide
to love
It exists
through memories
your strength
and power
they lay in
the heart
I remember
all to well
you have left
that guide
scratched it in sand
to sift through waves
where we shall
meet again
one day...

With Every Word...

I am ridiculous
with art
I imagine it
saving everything
meaning so much
touching
between the spaces
giving form to
in-articulation
in articulating
fixed forms
its source is love
I find no shame
in that declaration
I speak it
with every word...

Love and the redemptive power of art...

It is easy for me to fall into the traps of politics. There is much for me to get angry about. I have decided this time to sit it out although this is truly hard for me. I am not a politician but love to argue.I believe now more than anything in the power of art, if not to save the world but oneself. It is important for me to continue to focus on higher aims in the name of Universal transcendence - it is where harmony and peace lies and is the source where true creativity exists with balance. Even within the darkest moment of one's despair, the act of creation saves and springs forth an eternal hope - it is redemptive.I believe you shall meet me more at the Yoga retreat this year than at a political rally in the coming season. It is my commitment to heal and grow as a human being. I know there are our divisions and I meet an impasse everyday or are in situations where it is impossible to transcend this. We are naturally divisive here and that has to to do with our history and our differences on all levels. I have a tendency to be naive about it all and am always taken off guard when it happens. It is truly the way of the world. I believe I need not explain it anymore as I have said it often enough. May we attempt to have a peaceful and civilized discourse on the issues of the day. I can be the most guilty in taking it far too personally. Art will save me this time and it is where I feel the most redeemed...peace....

Without a Song...

If I flee from
these thoughts
of you
would a heart be
with out a song
and love without a key
to unlock
its passions?
I sing to you
every syllable
rejoice in its notes
building with string
veins of dedication...

Love's Fated Stars...

In the course

of dreams

love's fated stars

placed two

among its count

and yet we two
are cast not

from this earth
to make our home
within the heavens
nor meet
to understand
that destination...

Balm...

Oh wounded heart
a balm
will spread
healing
the sick soul
with that perennial herb
wax and oil
will mix
with music
and love
shall be its salve...

New Jerusalem...

Hands full
holding
the world
a final triumph
toward a new Jerusalem
where peace
and love reigns
a home
in the
highest principality
and brother will sit
with sister
beside a thrown
within the majestic lights
in that last hour
of victory...

Tracks of Divide...

Back street
walking
the tracks
of divide
sometimes
it is too wide
where even love
cannot meet
I splash
in cloudy water
leaving muddy prints
life can get you
dirty like that
understanding
about it all
accepting
it is what it is
just black and white
maybe its simpler
to know it that way
but I'll walk on
and cross over
some day...

Should hell topple us...

Is there room
for poetry
a time
for sensing
I am a poet
it is my life
should hell
topple us
I will speak on
regardless...

Brave...

I stood outside and watched Branville McCartney as he left Parliament yesterday. I would like to place my public support behind his decision on democratic grounds. I am proud of him as he spoke for me as a citizen and wish him success in what ever decision he makes regarding his future..peace, love and progress!

Election Time...

I sense now that we are entering into a new the political season. I try to avoid it as I hate politics but am often drawn into some of these discussions and fights. Surely, I feel very strongly about many of these issues and can aggressively argue on many of the points put foreward. I have very strong views on this Nation and its progress or lack of it. Last election was ugly and the hate and smear campaigns that went on made me swear never to vote ever again.
I will not reveal my preference nor how I am intending voting but I do feel the need to do so as there are many things on the table that need scrutinizing. I intend to make my vote count! I will try a different tactic this time by trying to keep my opinions to myself. I prefer to vote based on the issues and not the personalities. It is going to be hard but I will bite my tongue this time around rather than get into some of these contentious debates. Peace to y0u and let your conscience be your guide...

When I am Gone...

Remember me
when I am gone
it is a passing moment
I for a time
surrender words
speaking of love
thinking of you
these things
I dedicate
wholly
painting with brush
the presence
of eternal
beauty
I write this story
amongst the stars
cast a marble statue
in the sky
and in that instance
I am there...

Protest...

Election time
gatherin' fast
Bay Street
full of protest
with placards
and posters
'No Sale to BTC'
Branville gone
resign today
A crowd follow after
and down the street
things hottin' up now
Election time
PLP?
FNM?
Independent?

Narcissus, Self and other stories...

There is a story from Greek Mythology of Narcissus who was a hunter known for his incredible beauty. He was led to a pool where he fell in love with his own reflection. Unable to leave it, he died there. Sometimes as an artist I feel I have fallen into the traps of that moral. It happens a lot with artists. We are so often more in love with our selves than anything else. One can get so involved in the self that it leaves one oblivious to the things beyond it and others around one. It is important to go further than just yourself to reach a higher understanding of ones existence. 'I am' and 'To be' are essential to an understanding of purpose and should never be forgotten but one must include a wider universe which embodies many other realities. Certainly, I believe I have attempted to see some of these other possibilities. It is here where one may touch another within that universal understanding giving greater purpose. I believe this is where true happiness and fulfillment lies. Years ago I remember working with a young man. It was in a youth Arts program I was running and as things happen here the divisions between the haves and the have nots were wide. He was not a poor youth but thought himself to be less than others who had more. He looked at me and threw his old beaten up brass trumpet down on the ground. 'I do not have the money to buy a new one', he said.'Those rich people are the only ones to get ahead.' I looked at him and shook my head. It amazed me that he had missed the most simplest point of his progress in self understanding. I picked up his old trumpet and handed it to him saying 'You are the instrument not the trumpet'. He was taken aback as the thought never occurred to him that he was the most important thing not the material he was using. I think this is a simple message that has gotten lost in our day of materialism where we are sold on false dreams away from our true potential as human beings. I am a social democrat but even in a pure capitalist system it is important to understand that ones greatest asset are people not the material things that surround one. The other is a false sentiment of self. It is important to educate ourselves in that reality as there is far too much exploitation that happens with regards to the individual. It seems we are taught the wrong things regarding where true progress lies. Our youth have been marketed and commercialized to such and extent that it appears they really do not know in which direction to go and the distinction between a true understanding of self and a false dream they are sold with regards to it. Personally, I get a get a simple satisfaction from just friends and family. Perhaps I am getting old now and this helps me to let go of some of those surface vanities and understandings. Primarily I believe life is about finding happiness. That may come from the subtlest things around one but brings joy to the spirit. I must now take a brief hiatus as my computer has malfunctioned.I think this is a good time to pick up a book to read during this time which I have not done for a while... so for now....peace, love and happiness....

Porcelain Doll..

Breaking
splintering
a porcelain doll
inside
a hollowed out
heart
bleeds into the air
flowing
into a warm
embrace
of another soul....

Spring...

I needed to have a wake up call with some water splashed in my face. I have taken the time to write and express about my most personal and intimate feelings onto this blog. That really was difficult for me as I prefer much of what I wrote about to remain private and am really very shy. I don't regret it but may have gotten lost at times in the process. It was necessary and I believe I have been very creative during this time touching on a wide array of things that were important to me. My work has waned on the dock however and the reverse seemed to happen regarding my creativity out there. I am a simple artist who prefers to draw inspiration from the immediate and subtle things around me - what I encounter everyday and the people that I meet or know, each a situation. I am in the heart of Down Town and the market place so it is normally full of eventful happenings. I am usually there for front line news occurrences. I seem to know everybody and there are those whom I prefer not to know. It is raw like the elements whether hot or cold or from cool bursts of winds coming from the harbor. My view is of the entrance and I watch with anticipation all the cruise ships coming in daily. It is especially busy around this time as I am surrounded by 'happy' spring breakers who are intent on having a good time. Today was a successful day and I worked hard. I sold out- I needed to as my bills were mounting, that never seems to stop. The competition is stiff out there and I have many rivals as a visual artist particularly from my good friend Tiffany who does beautiful Batik silk paintings with a full production of prints etc..but there are many other fine crafts people who keep me on my toes. I am no longer the only 'kid on the block' although there are few other painters like myself along the pavement. I have tried to be more health conscious but unfortunately I have gained 15lbs eating allot of cheap junk food from the stress of the last year. I think women emotionally eat. I will have to work on this. It is time to re-focus on my work as I think I have said just about all that I could regarding everything that was haunting me. I believe my drinking the other day had much to do with this new turn around as I cannot afford to go back to how I was and it filled me with fear. I have a measurement with which to draw comparisons to now. I prefer who I am compared to what I was. Peace to you and I am now back on track. It is spring now and I embrace it!..love as always...

Variations...

Many variations
on a theme
I play it
arranging
and re arranging
each chord
according to time
and place
how I feel
it rests now
on a single note
repeating
like a scratched record
forgetting its tune...

Secret of Miracles....

I see miracles
within the secret
of a smile
motioning a walk
for this lost lamb
to find her way
from behind
a wood
seeking love
when naked eye
is blind
to its path
a relentless heart
believes
in its redemption
finding the way
within the course
of miracles...

Blood and Sea...

Blood lifts
with turbulent seas
churning in the Harbor
heart filled
with blood and sea
turning with tide
within the sediment
of its cloudy wake
and temper
with desire...

Slip Up...

I am sorry to admit that I had another slip up with regards to my drinking. I truly feel disappointed when I fail in my sobriety. How did it make me feel? I behaved like an ass which is what normally happens when I drink. I got angry and got into a fight- I always forget about my philosophy of love, balance and harmony. It took my two days to recover and I felt like physical wreck in that time. I forget about the hang overs or waking up thinking 'Oh my God, what have I done and who do I need to apologise to now.' It did nothing for my creativity and for that two days I could hardly work at anything. Afterwards, I remember why it is I wished to stop drinking in the first place but by that time it is too late. The only thing to do in this circumstance is to pick your self up and dust off to begin again. I have worked hard to maintain my sobriety over the past year and I have failed twice during this time. It is important to admit immediately that you are wrong and to remember that a life time of non drinking requires a humility that I have always lacked. It is crucial at this point not to be so hard on myself as this is a continuing struggle that will never end. So peace to you and I am sorry I failed this time but it is time to get back on track...love and harmony...

In the Belly...

I sit in the belly
of my Bahamianess
not from an 'ism
nor a schism
I transcend
to meet sky
where miracles
unfold
loving with heart
loving with soul
in love with you
it does not matter
anything
I look in
that glass bowl
seeing with magnitude
visions and light...

Symbols and images - Quasars

Last night I saw images of quasars. Quasars are the most luminous, powerful and energetic forces in the Universe. No, I am not 'tripping out' on drugs! They accompanied and circled some of the basic symbols that I have revealed so far within a spiral of constant movement. The symbols were many such as the image of the upward triangle and many other geometric stars and forms. So here it is - just a thought and vision I'd share...

Publications...

I am pleased to announce that I have had another poem -'Blank Pages'- accepted with Poui Magazine, a literary journal from the English Department at the University of the West Indies in Barbados. It is the third entry that I have had accepted by them, the others being 'Song for the unknown poet' and 'Harlem Blues and Silk' . This one I am more pleased with as it was in the hiatus of not submitting any poetry to them after giving up drinking and passing through the creative block that followed. My sentiment in Poetry has changed, hopefully they have become more enriched. The poem is merely about the celebration of the rebirth of creativity - art for art sake. I am more at peace with myself in these newer poems as I was very angry in many of the others. Certainly, I reserve my right to be political and have been but I am happy to be included with the courage I have shown with acceptance and transcendence. Many thanks to Poui Magazine...

Truant...

Truant and vagabond
using art
like a fugitive
fleeing
every moment
escaping
into the facility
of invention
the world
of unreality
suposing difference
of the other
with resignation...

A Poet's Song...

This poet's song
lulls with the moan
of the wind
knowing
the secrets
of the heart
I, like a suckling
feeding on nectar
from a lilly
standing firm
on the
philosopher's stone
search out
remedy
with this elixir...

Roots...

Roots fixed

in the earth

reaching within

aged and ageless

twisting, turning

in the knots

of time...

Come walk...

Come walk
toward my breath
Answer fast
let me know
the way
through this
misty wold
and clouded mind
Guide by lullaby
and I shall follow
sweet music
in the air
drawing me near
to you...