Treasuring Poetry – Meet Arthur Rosch, a brave poet
Posted: February 20, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized 25 Comments
To day, I am very excited to be hosting author and poet, Arthur Rosch, with his thoughts about poetry. I consider Art to be a brave poet as he poetry is so brutally honest and cuts to the core of difficult and emotional matters.
Over to Art:
My favorite poem is “Prophet”, written in 2001. Here it is:
Oh lord, oh lord,
what has befallen me?
That which I hoped to make straight
only becomes more twisted.
That which should be understood
only becomes more strange.
How did I come to this unexpected shore?
What am I to make of the walking wreck of myself?
I can still think, still work,
still speak in poems
in the sleepless time of the night.
It is a mixed gift, this life, it is hard
to feel so completely lost
in complexity I don’t know how I made.
I wanted to be a radiance
but I am more like a garbage can
tipped by a raccoon in predawn hours.
I pick myself up,
I sweep my contents
into a tidy pile,
but each time I think to rest,
I am again overturned.
I speak to you, o lord,
like the wounded Jew,
like the baffled bloodied prophet,
like the broken fated sage.
I take help from any quarter,
even those with dangerous denizens.
I take comfort with the scorpion,
I sleep with diseases,
I marvel and lament
at my scattered state,
at my continued surprise that I am alive,
that I move my limbs with some dim purpose,
that I have any faculty left to cry out to you.
Oh lord, what has befallen me?
You see, I have nothing but questions.
It could be much worse, I freely admit.
It could be much better,
I ruefully entreat.
Pieces of me have gone numb.
Whole continents of my psyche have been submerged,
drowned, forgotten.
I am the world I have made.
I am a man, dreadfully incomplete,
unwilling to meet the terror,
reluctant to behold the fire,
shrinking always from the worst case,
taking the hand of any wiser being,
like a lost child who needs to be led home.
I shall try now, lord, to snatch a bit of sleep
from the bottom of the night’s cup.
I’m glad we had this little talk.
I thank you, uncomfortably,
like one who has opened the wrong gift
at the wrong party.
Oh, is this for ME?
I’m not quite sure it fits,
I’m not sure how to use it.
I’ve broken it a little
but it still works. See?
I’ve tried, I’ve hopped on one foot,
I’ve danced insanely.
I’m still here,
waiting for your soft voice
to bring me peace.
You can listen to Art reading this poem here:
This poem is first of all my honest expression of vulnerability. It speaks of the paradox of the human condition in a way that echoes biblical expressions. Hence the name, “Prophet”. I am admitting to my grave faults, the problems that I have encountered that have led to my loss of innocence. Once I wanted to be a shining light and now I can barely raise my eyes to the sky. I have always been a man of spiritual aspirations but I am crushed by disappointment in myself. What has become of me? How did I get like this?
The year I wrote this, 2001, was a difficult year. I struggled with addiction and poverty and wondered whether I would survive much longer. I love this poem. There are lines that are like daggers, yet still it is a comfort to make this prayer. I haven’t lost faith. I’ve accepted that I have made my own quagmire and must come to terms with it. I will take counsel with anyone or anything. I sleep with diseases and ask the scorpion for advice. That’s my desperation; that even though I’m in the wrong place I can still find ways to make alchemy: that I will profit from this situation in spite of, or because of, my pain.
And another very different favorite:
Ghost Voices
Ghost voices grow
like weaving spires in the corridors of the night.
Stalactites of moonlight,
they hum and fade
through the wake of other minds.
A sheet of star rain in the night,
a mist of lightfall lost from sight,
these spectral hints emerge
from the night floor in the dark.
Silver waving plants recede forever
singing in twinkling winking echoes.
Ghost voices, shadow worlds
arise and converse,
while my sleep waits beyond the hills,
listening.
You can listen to Art reading Crazy here:
This poem came from a dream, or a half-awake hypnogogic state. I probably wrote it in the early 70s. I love surrealism and this poem is an artifact, a surreal object that conjures images by way of abstraction. It was inspired by a piece of music by Tzvi Avni, a composer of dream-like electronic music. I don’t know if anyone will understand it and I don’t recommend analysis. It’s meant to be enjoyed, like a painting or a photo. Images of sleep and dream pervade. Various kinds of eerie light engage the senses. Stalactites of Moonlight. Yes, this is way up there in my personal hierarchy of poems.
I think poets write for themselves. I never expect anyone to read my poems. And if they do, what will they make of them? I read a few poets. I enjoy Rilke and Lorca, In high school I had a passion for e.e.cummings. I still do. It’s more fun to write poetry than it is to read it. When a poem occurs for me, I’m in love with the language. I’ve made it do something it’s never done before. It takes skill to make language exude vision and emotion while remaining relentlessly original. Can I possibly convey how I feel in love? I certainly try, using the magic of words and rhythms. I once had a dream that people spoke in a magical language that was both alien yet comprehensible. As they spoke, pictures emerged from their mouths and then faded away. It’s an apt metaphor for poetry. Or a reality of cartoons. It was a dream that I’ll never forget.
My favorite poet is Jelalledin Rumi, the Sufi mystic who lived in the 12th century in what is now Afghanistan. There’s a line of Rumi’s that brings me great peace and comfort: “Don’t worry about what doesn’t come. By not coming it prevents disaster”. That line had real consequences in my psychological life. It eased my frustration at my lack of recognition. It contains a deep truth, which is that things ripen in their own time. If I had been successful in my youth I may not have survived to old age. I didn’t have much wisdom or self control. These days I often read poetry in columns from one of my favorite internet venues. Otherwise I don’t go out of my way to read poetry. I give attention to my fellow living poets, to be sure, but I’m not going to offer critiques. I find that reaching into the deeper layer of emotion allows me access to poetic sensibilities that are rich with material. In this way poetry and psychotherapy are close cousins.
links:
About Arthur Rosch
Arthur Rosch is a mid-westerner, who became a Californian as a young man. A lover of jazz, poetry, painting and photography, and writing, as well as a passion for astronomy, photography, history, psychology and the weird puzzle of human experience. After receiving Playboy Magazine’s Best Short Story Award for a comic view of a planet where there are six genders, he was immersed in circles that could have taken him to the top, but it was short lived. Arthur found himself reeling, struggling with depression and addiction on the streets for almost a decade, and repairing and rediscovering himself was a defining event in his life, nurturing his literary soul. He is currently a certified Seniors Peer Counselor in Sonoma County, California. Come visit his blogs and photo sites. www.artrosch.com and http://bit.ly/2uyxZbv.
Purchase Feral Tenderness
You can read my review of Feral Tenderness here: https://writingtoberead.com/2021/02/19/blogtour-day-5-my-review-of-feral-tenderness-by-arthur-rosch/
About Robbie Cheadle
Robbie Cheadle has published nine books for children and one poetry book. She has branched into writing for adults and young adults and, in order to clearly separate her children’s books from her adult books, is writing for older readers under the name Roberta Eaton Cheadle.
Robbie Cheadle’s Sir Chocolate children’s picture books are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision. Her books for older children also incorporate recipes that are relevant to the storylines.
Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s supernatural stories combine fabulous paranormal elements with fascinating historical facts.
Children’s picture books – available as a square book and an A5 book (co-authored with Michael Cheadle):
Sir Chocolate and the strawberry cream story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the baby cookie monster story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the sugar dough bees story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Condensed Milk River story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Sugar Crystal Caves story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Fondant Five story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Ice Cream Rainbow Fairies story and cookbook
Middle school books:
Silly Willy Goes to Cape Town (includes five fun party cake ideas)
While the Bombs Fell (co-authored with Elsie Hancy Eaton)
Poetry book:
Open a new door (co-authored with Kim Blades)
Supernatural fantasy YA novel:
Through the Nethergate
Horror Anthologies (edited by Dan Alatorre):
Spellbound
Nightmareland
Dark Visions
Paranormal Anthologies (edited by Kaye Lynne Booth):
Spirits of the West
Whispers of the Past
Murder mystery Anthology (edited by Stephen Bentley)
Death Among Us
Find Robbie Cheadle
Blog: https://bakeandwrite.co.za/
Blog: robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com
Twitter: BakeandWrite
Instagram: Robbie Cheadle – Instagram
Facebook: Sir Chocolate Books
Want to be sure not to miss any of Robbie’s “Treasuring Poetry” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress.
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#Blogtour Day 5 – My review of Feral Tenderness by Arthur Rosch
Posted: February 19, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 CommentJoin us over at the Roberta Writes blog for Day #5 of the Feral Tenderness Book Blog Tour, where Robbie Cheadle offers a review of this collection of poetry and photograhs by Arthur Rosch.
What Amazon says
A lifetime of poetry and photography gives a unique view of life, nature, the world, and the universe.
My review
Feral Tenderness is an extraordinary collection of poems that strike right to the heart of human conditioning, frailty, and behaviours. Through reading these poems you will be removing the rosy coloured spectacles through which you have watched life until now, and will be exposed to the raw reality of human existence, both with its fatal flaws and also in its bountifulness and excesses.
The poet uses words to spear his reader and force contemplation of certain realities. There are unforgettable and powerful lines that will lurk in your subconscious to be drawn out and examined when you are confronted with certain emotions and situations. Some of my favourite of these lines are as follows:
“The glue that holds shut
the eyelids of your sightless soul
can be dissolved”
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Loving Art
Posted: February 18, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentWe’re a little tardy in getting the Day #2 stop out to you. We lost it temporarily. So for Day #2 of the “Feral Tenderness” Book Blog Tour, you’ll find us over at Pictures from the Kitchen Window, with Barbara Spencer as she brings us an interview with author and poet, Arthur Rosch. Please drop by and join in the fun.
Arthur Rosch – poet extraordinaire.
I haven’t met Arthur Rosch. He is from California and me, from a tiny corner of the UK. Never mind about that – just look at the image above! Wow! If that doesn’t get you reading what will? It certainly did me and when I remember the fun I had hosting guests on my site – although they were all authors – I thought it was time I undertook a new journey and one likely to prove equally an inspiration.
A journey with poetry.
Philistine is the word I would use to describe my knowledge of poetry but other words come to mind too – total envy plus a heartfelt wish that I could manipulate words in such a way that a line of maybe five words has the same relevance as an entire page in a book.
And so my own journey begins with…
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#Booktour – Feral Tenderness, a book of poetry by Arthur Rosch
Posted: February 17, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentOn Day Three of the “Feral Tenderness” Book Blog Tour and we’re over at Robbie’s Inspiration with a post from the author, Arthur Rosch about the realization of a dream. Join us.
A lifetime of poetry and photography gives a unique view of life, nature, the world, and the universe
Today, I am delighted to welcome poet and author, Arthur Rosch, to Robbie’s Inspiration with his new poetry book, Feral Tenderness.
Fulfillment of a dream
This book, Feral Tenderness, is the fulfillment of a dream. This volume has both poems and photographs. It unites two of my four creative media into a single opus. You may ask, (please) “What are your other two media”? I dabble, (I say modestly) in music and dance.
One night in 2002, I was performing at a venue near my home. I was reading poetry and playing drums. The drums were to accompany another poet who enjoyed my mallet work, the throb of tribal call and response. Two of my thick black notebooks of poetry lay at the lip of the stage. When I finished…
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Review of the Spirits of the West Western Paranormal Anthology by Patty L. Fletcher: Blog Tour Day 7
Posted: February 7, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentJoin us as we wrap up the “Spirits of the West” book blog tour with a review by Patty Fletcher over at “Patty’s World”.
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Glimpsing the Wanekia by Jeff Bowles ~ Spirits of the West Anthology
Posted: February 6, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentDay #6 of the “Spirits of the West” book blog tour finds us over at Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo, where we get a glimpse into the mind of Jeff Bowles, and the thoughts behind his story, “Wenekia”. Please join us.
Spirits of the West are often found in unexpected places. They can be found in a saloon in Colorado territory, on a wagon train in the plains of South Africa, or on a distant planet in another galaxy. They can be the bringers of revenge or the protectors of the weak. Indulge yourself in eight paranormal stories with western spirit in Spirits of the West…
Spirits of the West is available via
Amazon.com or Amazon UK.
Glimpsing the Wanekia
Jeff Bowles
Ever since I was little, I had the sense there was another world lurking beyond this one. That if you could just peel back the shaggy off-colored wallpaper of reality, you could glimpse another universe entirely, one that might or might not have your best interests at heart.
I wrote Wanekia about twelve years ago, when I was just starting to get my feet under me as…
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#SpiritsoftheWest #Blogtour – Day 5: The Ghost in the Mound and a review
Posted: February 5, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 CommentDay #5 of the “Spirits of the West” book blog tour brings a look into the setting for Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s story, “The Ghost in the Mound” and her review of the stories from the other contributors on Robbie’s Inspiration. I do hope you’ll join us there.
Day 5 of the Spirits of the West book tour hosted by WordCrafter Press sets out some background to my short story, The Ghost in the Mound. I’ve also included my review of the stories other than mine that feature in Spirits of the West anthology
You can find out more about the tours WordCrafter is offering here: https://writingtoberead.com/wc-book-blog-tours-2/.
The Ghost in the Mound
Background
My second short story in Spirits of the West is The Ghost in the Mound. This story features an enormous termite mound.
Termite mounds are constructed by a specific type of termites found in African, Australia and South America. The mounds can be large, sometimes with a diametre of 30 metres.
In African savanna areas, termite mounds form ‘islands’ with high tree densities. This is attributed to the fact that due to the digging of the termites and their decomposition of plant material; the…
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Spirits of the West – Blog Tour – Don’t Eat the Pickled Eggs!
Posted: February 4, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentFor Day #4 of the “Spirits of the West” book blog tour, we’re over at Jessica Bakker’s blog. Drop by to learn more about my story in the anthology, “Don’t Eat the Pickled Eggs!”. See you there.
I love a good anthology, and when an anthology is about ghosts, the West, and the supernatural, AND has a story in it titled ‘Don’t Eat the Pickled Eggs’…you know I’m going to be grabbing a copy! Please enjoy with me, Kaye Lynne Booth’s blog tour and introduction of her anthology, Spirits of the West.
Do you believe in ghosts? I think there is something inside every one of us that makes us want to believe, but not all of us do. That’s what makes a good ghost story so attractive. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a good ghost story? I know I do.
I also believe that every story carries a grain of truth. We bury many real-life experiences and dreams in the subconscious, but often, they are not content to stay there, so we allow them to poke their heads up and see the light of day…
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The Spirits of the West western paranormal anthology Blog Tour: Featured Author of the Week Enid Holden #WordPressWednesday
Posted: February 3, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentOn Day #3 of the Spirits of the West Book Blog Tour, we’re over at Patty’s World, with an interview with Enid Holden, author of the winning story in the 2020 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest, “High Desert Rose”. Drop by and say hello.
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#SpiritsoftheWest #Blogtour : Day 2 – The Thirstyland Journey
Posted: February 2, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 CommentJoin us for Day 2 of the Spirits of the West book blog tour and learn more about Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s story “The Thirstyland Journey” on the “Roberta Writes” blog site.
Day 2 of the Spirits of the West book tour hosted by WordCrafter Press sets out some background to my short story, The Thirstyland Journey. You can find out more about the tours WordCrafter is offering here: https://writingtoberead.com/wc-book-blog-tours-2/
Background
My story, the Thirstyland Journey, is based on the Dorsland Trek (Thirstyland Trek) which is the collective name for a series of treks by groups of Boer (farmer) settlers from modern day South Africa in search of independence from Britain and better living conditions.
The first group of trekkers under the leadership of Gert Alberts set out on the 27th of May 1874. This initial trek was followed by other groups, all taking different routes. The primary destination of the Dorsland trekkers was the Humpata highlands of south-western Angola. In order to get to Angola, the trekkers had to cross large parts of the Kalahari desert in Bechuanaland (now called…
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