Only Yesterday

It seems like only yesterday You were complaining  I never come to visit Not often enough I would remind you When I last visited But you would not remember (or that’s what you said) It seems like only yesterday You were saying How hard it was to be old How no one cared, no one…

Do Ghosts Have to be Scary?

Ghost stories since the dawn of time seem to be filled with fear, scares, the haunting of malevolent spirits out to harm the living (or at least terrify them.) But why is there such a widespread tradition of ghosts as a fearful, bad thing? What if ghosts were friendly? Not all cultures see the dead…

They Create Beauty

A murmuration of starlings covers the sky A thousand small souls wheeling in synchronised flight One mind, one heart They dance for themselves, they dance for love, They dance for the sheer enjoyment of their fleeting art They write their story in the air Exuberant words that only God can read Each bird in tandem…

Review “The 27th Day” (1957)

“The 27th Day” is a science fiction movie set during the Cold War. An alien visits Earth and abducts five people (temporarily) to his spaceship. He tells them he has chosen them as a representative sample of the various people of Earth and gives them each a small container which has capsules that can kill…

Silver Arrow

With silver arrows the Hunter hunts The monster in the night The Hunter is blessed by the Gods of the Hunt Her weapons consecrated to protect the peace Silver arrows, sacred and true To slay the beast and save the people It cannot be harmed with sword or spear or knife Its magic is stronger…

It’s Broken

It’s broken Worse, smashed to smithereens No point keeping it Throw it away, you tell yourself Yes, says everyone around you It’s past fixing, throw it away So you do, or You thought you did Until you find it Hidden away in a corner Waiting for you to see And this is the mystery  If…

Disconnection and Detachment in the work of Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper, (1882-1967), an American ‘realist’ painter, was known for his pictures of isolation, loneliness, disconnection. His pictures are full of emotion and tell stories that invite multiple interpretations. There is always something new to find on every viewing. “Automat” While vending machines are common, at one time there were eating places called automats, where…

Hungry for Something

Hungry for something A bottomless pit where your heart used to be Nothing will fill you And you’ve tried it all Testing the limits of your internal void All you hear are echoes All you see when you confront your abyss Are the eyes of your spirit confronting you back Starvation of the soul Yearning…

Review “The Skull” (1965)

Peter Cushing stars in this story concerning the ownership of the skull of the Marquis de Sade, and what happens to those who own it. There is a varied supporting cast, led by Christopher Lee and including Patrick Magee, Patrick Wymark, Michael Gough, and Frank Forsyth. After a prelude where a man digs up the…

Cricket Song

What do crickets sing about stories of moon and earth and growing things Music of birth and death The dance of life and all the joy it brings  Crickets rise at dusk Their road is under stars and through the cooling breeze Cricket song lulls us to blissful sleep Their day is night We dream…