Infinite Darkness of the Soul

A fleeting scent of perfume,
    hangs but a second
    and passes to oblivion

While a child’s eyes
    wide in instinctual awe,
     look up to crystal clear heavens

The clouds robust with dreams
    and wishes, too secret to
    escape from their protective bosoms

Trees swaying in unison
    as warm breezes flee
    away from dancing, joyful girls

Dewy grass is plush and thick,
    a quilt of most regal velvet
    lulling Mother Earth into slumber

An old man sits and feeds
    pigeons, while smiling broadly
    to memories of long past loves

You may ask, “What does this have to do with poetry?” Well, nothing, but this is my blog, and I am a huge fan of MST3, and have secretly wished they would dust it off and put it back on Sci-Fi. Well, no luck yet, but Mike Nelson seems to miss the old days of getting paid to make fun of movies. He has started this site, RiffTrax, which has a catalog of downloadables for various movies, where he rips them apart. (The Star Trek V version is my personal favorite.)

The concept is simple - have the movie (he also sells the movies he Riffs, if you need it), and then pay $3 to download the Mike Nelson track. You can then add the track on your MP3 player, and listen while watching the movie. Another option is to download the movie and track from Nelson’s site, and do both from your PC. Very cool, and makes watching some of these dead dogs thoroughly enjoyable. A word of warning: If you plan on watching with other people in the house, be careful. My loud snorting laughter alerted my husband, upstairs at the time, to the possibility that I had finally lost my mind.

The downside: It isn’t quite the same without having added banter (i.e. the robots), and sometimes you just sit there after a Nelson quip hoping for an added dig to come in. It doesn’t. But for less than a Frappucino from Starbucks, you can amuse yourself in the comfort of your own home for a time. And let’s face it, Mike Nelson was the brains of the bunch, so it isn’t all bad.

EducationGuardian.co.uk | Schools special reports | Texas teacher sacked in row over gallery nudes

A parent complained that his child had been exposed to “an abstract nude” - a Greek funerary relief from 4BC depicting a marble torso.

This just shows the sad state of affairs of this country. I will grant you that the school claims there are other reasons, however similar situations have occured here regarding children seeing nudity in art. Any parent that is so close-minded that they believe it is bad for their child(ren) to see nudity, needs to rethink their ability to parent. Part of our jobs as parents is to raise our children to appreciate the world around them, and understand the differences in nature. My son knows he has a penis, so why is it an issue to see a nude Greek statue? The interesting thing here is that as uptight as American society is, we generally have a higher percentage of teen pregnancy, sex crimes, and emotional problems regarding sex, than many European countries, which have no problem showing breasts on regular television. Could it be that repressing natural instincts, and denying that nudity is a very natural state of being, is actually creating a society of sexually depraved and/or frustrated people? Ponder and discuss amongst yourselves.

And here is another point:
Schools require permission slips for kids to go on field trips, so if you see the trip is to a museum, there is a very good chance that little Susie may see some interpretation of nudity. Do the rest of the class with normal parents a favor, and just don’t sign the permission slip. We don’t need to hear your bitching after the fact. Thanks.

Art in any form is a beautiful thing. Whether you agree with that piece or not is not important. It is seeing through the eyes of someone else, and being able to understand that no one person’s way is the ‘right’ way. Celebrate differences, and your children will learn to do the same. You would be surprised how the intellect opens up with free creativity and expression.

On the shore she laid,
    hair the hue of new copper
    and eyes of emerald green

Still and quiet, as gentle waves
    licked at her delicate feet and the new
    day’s sun caressed her silky, pale skin

A smile swept beneath her windblown hair
    and her voice called into the dawn,
    a dreamy song of temptation.

Originally written August 2006, partial piece.