my cat shit in my archives he climbed into my Golden State Sunkist orange box and he shit on my poems my original poems saved for the university archive
my cat shit in my archives he climbed into my Golden State Sunkist orange box and he shit on my poems my original poems saved for the university archives. that one-eared fat black critic he signed me off.
On Cats is a collection of musings, poetry, essays, photographs and excerpts from novels, all relating to Bukowski's love for (you guess it) cats. There's cats and there's Bukowski: you know how that works for me.
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I regret nothing.
Even though Bukowski's writing is mostly associated with booze and women, but if if you're familiar with his writing, then you also know that he also loves cats and writes about them in his books.
Now here’s a beautiful cat. Its tongue hangs out, it’s cross-eyed. Its tail is chopped off. He’s beautiful, he’s got sense. We took him to the vet to have him x-rayed—he got hit by a car. The doctor says, ‘This cat’s been run over twice, he’s been shot, his tail’s been cut off.’ I said, ‘This cat is me.’ He came to the door starving to death. He knew right where to come. We’re both bums off the street.
Bukowski writes about cats with a certain melancholy. He writes about each of their tragic fates, and how he can relate to them, and loves them.
I find my place, pull into the driveway, park it, get out, just another old matador. But inside, as I open the door, my favorite white cat, The Jinx, leaps up into my arms and suddenly I am in love again.
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"In my next life I want to be a cat. To sleep 20 hours a day and wait to be fed. To sit around licking my ass. Humans are too miserable and angry and single-minded." Photo: Butch Bukowski ...more
I make drawings of the natural world, transient moments of grace and beauty in an age of disappearance. Inspired by plant and animal studies of the No
I make drawings of the natural world, transient moments of grace and beauty in an age of disappearance. Inspired by plant and animal studies of the Northern Renaissance, Netherlandish devotional panel paintings, and nature mysticism as expressed through various forms of art, music, poetry and prose, my art acknowledges interconnectedness in nature and our loss of connection with the sacred.
Our planet is broken because we’ve lost relationship with the earth, with our soul. My drawings serve as more than intimate portraits; they are testaments to lives lived. They are memento mori, reminders in this age of ecocide that humans cannot live detached from nature. May these quiet drawings remind us of our place on this planet and awaken our consciousness to the cosmos of which we are a part.
- from Rebecca Clark's website
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Some time in winter 2007, Rebecca Clark attended an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington titled “Prayers and Portraits: Unfolding the Netherlandish Diptych.”
I’ve always been drawn to medieval devotional paintings and prayer books; I’m moved by their intimacy, honesty, and the purity of spirit that they convey. In seeing these works for the very first time, what struck me most was the dichotomy between the small scale of the diptychs and the quiet power that emanated from them. In today’s age of bold, super-sized, extravagant art, this exhibition was a welcome understatement.
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In the days after the exhibition, she'd begun observing the degree of alienation that the individuals of our society suffered from while riding the DC Metro. People engaged in their handheld devices, refusing to observe the world intrigued her. Inspiration had already been planted, and the fruits of which is this remarkable book.
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The Book of Hours is a collection of artwork, prose, poetry, song lyrics and essays and excerpts that build up to indulge the reader into the artist's anthropocentric perspective of human engagement with the environment. The work is divided into four chapters: Matins, None, Vespers and Vigils, each referring to a certain hour of the day, representing an entity of existence as we observe nature from different angles and observe our existence and our footprints on this planet through art.
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A thought-provoking read.
If you like the drawings, and/or are intrigued by this review, you can read the book or download it for free on Rebecca Clark's website, where you can also browse her galleries.
Spring Moon is a collection of 43 English haiku written by Bangladeshi poet Quamrul Hassan and illustrated by Rudaba Mohsin. The cover was done by KhaSpring Moon is a collection of 43 English haiku written by Bangladeshi poet Quamrul Hassan and illustrated by Rudaba Mohsin. The cover was done by Khademul Jahan. The number 43 was chosen by Hassan as it was his batch number at Faujdarhat Cadet College. Quamrul Hassan is a former student of Dhaka University's English department. The book is introduced by the author's teacher Kaiser Haq, also a noted poet, who talks about both Quamrul's lack of seriousness in studies and his passion for poetry.
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The beautiful haiku in this collection deal with everyday stories in the lives of the average Bengali. The haiku deal with urban and suburban culture: stories of love, loss, anguish and blissful musings.
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The stories come alive with beautiful watercolor illustrations by Rudaba Mohsin.
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Quamrul Hassan has done something really special here. He has captured part of the essence of Bengali life in this little collection. Short, and easy to read, these little poems are like a small sentimental tribute to Bangladesh.
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A note of gratitude to Tisha apu and Tukunjil Nayeera apu for introducing me to this wonderful book....more
Leonard Cohen's second collection of poems, The Spice Box of Earth was published in 1961, when Cohen was 27 years old. One of his earlier works, the cLeonard Cohen's second collection of poems, The Spice Box of Earth was published in 1961, when Cohen was 27 years old. One of his earlier works, the collection contains 59 poems and a photograph of Cohen taken by Sophie Baker.
Renowned Iranian film-maker Abbas Kiarostami's A Wolf Lying in Wait is a charming collection of poetry. The lyrics are stripped interpretations of theRenowned Iranian film-maker Abbas Kiarostami's A Wolf Lying in Wait is a charming collection of poetry. The lyrics are stripped interpretations of the great Persian poet Hafez's ghazals (love songs) into short haiku-sized poems which are also translated to English. This contemporary retelling highlights the power of Hafez's imagery and invites readers to focus on the meaning of individual narratives.
The book is divided into four parts containing poetry, prose, anecdotes and illustrations by Rupi Kaur. The four parts are:
- The hurting, dealing withThe book is divided into four parts containing poetry, prose, anecdotes and illustrations by Rupi Kaur. The four parts are:
- The hurting, dealing with abuse of women in society - The loving, dealing with relationships - The breaking, dealing with breakups - The healing, the fourth phase of recuperation
The book is filled with some interesting musings, some quite well-worded. The writing isn't properly punctuated or capitalized, making the reading experience difficult. The writings are awfully random and sound like edgy captions for Instagram posts. Some are just rants. And then there is the oddball that catches your attention and makes you feel differently and then you're bombarded with more of the underwhelming musings.
I'm not saying I'm anti-feminist. I respect her advocacy for menstrual cycle awareness. I also liked some of the pieces in the "hurting" collection but most of these are just bad writing. Moreover, the lack of punctuation and capitalization makes it difficult to read, although I believe this was done to provide some originality to her text but then....
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Either I just don't get poetry or I'm too old-fashioned for this....more
আমার পড়া সুকান্ত রচনা সম্ভার বইটিতে সুকান্ত ভট্টাচার্যের লেখা ছাড়পত্র (১৯৪৭), পূর্বাভাস (১৯৫০), মিঠেকড়া (১৯৫১), অভিযান (১৯৫৩), ঘুম নেই (১৯৫৪), হরতালআমার পড়া সুকান্ত রচনা সম্ভার বইটিতে সুকান্ত ভট্টাচার্যের লেখা ছাড়পত্র (১৯৪৭), পূর্বাভাস (১৯৫০), মিঠেকড়া (১৯৫১), অভিযান (১৯৫৩), ঘুম নেই (১৯৫৪), হরতাল (১৯৬২), গীতিগুচ্ছ (১৯৬৫) বাদেও কিছু পত্রগুচ্ছ এবং আরও কিছু অপ্রচলিত রচনা আছে।
বইটি ছোটবেলায় পড়েছিলাম প্রথম। তখনও মার্কসবাদী চিন্তাভাবনা তো দূরে থাক, বিদ্রোহ কী জিনিস তাই বুঝতাম না। আব্বু যখন দ্বিতীয়বারের মত আই.সি.ইউতে ভর্তি হলেন তখন বইটি আবার ধরলাম। শুরুতে খুব সুন্দর করে তাঁর জীবনী লেখা। তাঁর ছোটবেলা, অরুনাচল বসুর সঙ্গে বন্ধুত্ব আর লেখালেখি, সরলা বসুর স্নেহ এবং তাদের বর্ণনা ও বক্তব্য, তাঁর রাজনৈতিক জীবন নিয়েই এই অংশটুকু।
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তেতাল্লিশের দুর্ভিক্ষের সময় কোলকাতার রাস্তার পাশে এক পরিবার।
দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধ, তেতাল্লিশের মম্বন্তর, ফ্যাসিবাদী আগ্রাসন, সাম্প্রদায়িক দাঙ্গা নিয়ে তাঁর লেখাগুলো সত্যি মনকে অন্যরকম নাড়া দিয়ে বসে। যেমনঃ
একটি মোরগ হঠাৎ আশ্রয় পেয়ে গেল বিরাট প্রাসাদের ছোট্ট এক কোণে, ভাঙা প্যাকিং বাক্সের গাদায়— আরো দু’তিনটি মুরগীর সঙ্গে।
আশ্রয় যদিও মিলল, উপযুক্ত আহার মিলল না। সুতীক্ষ্ণ চিৎকারে প্রতিবাদ জানিয়ে গলা ফাটাল সেই মোরগ ভোর থেকে সন্ধ্যে পর্যন্ত— তবুও সহানুভূতি জানাল না সেই বিরাট শক্ত ইমারত।
তারপর শুরু হল তাঁর আঁস্তাকুড়ে আনাগোনা: আশ্চর্য! সেখানে প্রতিদিন মিলতে লাগল ফেলে দেওয়া ভাত-রুটির চমৎকার প্রচুর খাবার!
তারপর এক সময় আঁস্তাকুড়েও এল অংশীদার— ময়লা ছেঁড়া ন্যাকড়া পরা দু’তিনটে মানুষ; কাজেই দুর্বলতার মোরগের খাবার গেল বন্ধ হয়ে।
খাবার! খাবার! খানিকটা খাবার! অসহায় মোরগ খাবারের সন্ধানে বার বার চেষ্টা করল প্রাসাদে ঢুকতে, প্রত্যেকবারই তাড়া খেল প্রচণ্ড। ছোট্ট মোরগ ঘাড় উঁচু করে স্বপ্ন দেখে-— ‘প্রাসাদের ভেতর রাশি রাশি খাবার’!
তারপর সত্যিই সে একদিন প্রাসাদে ঢুকতে পেল, একেবারে সোজা চলে এল ধপ্ধপে সাদা দামী কাপড়ে ঢাকা খাবার টেবিলে; অবশ্য খাবার খেতে নয়— খাবার হিসেবে।।
-একটি মোরগের কাহিনী
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১৯৪৭ সালের ১৩ই মে মাত্র ২১ বছর বয়সে শেষ নিঃশ্বাস ত্যাগ করেন তিনি।
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For non-Bengali readers:
This is a review of a collection of poetry, plays and songs by rebel Bengali poet Sukanta Bhattacharya. A Communist activist, Sukanta was known for being outspoken about his patriotic beliefs in an era of gross injustice. His writings reflected on revolutionary themes such as the Second World War, the Bengal Famine of 1943, anti-Fascism and 1946-7 communal violence in India. Yet, he also portrayed Bengal with romanticism. He died of tuberculosis at the very young age of 21 on 13th May 1947....more
"Be clear like a mirror reflecting nothing. Be clean of pictures and the worry that comes with images. Gaze into what is not ashamed or afraid
"Be clear like a mirror reflecting nothing. Be clean of pictures and the worry that comes with images. Gaze into what is not ashamed or afraid of any truth. Contain all human faces in your own without any judgment of them. Be pure emptiness. What is inside that? you ask. Silence is all I can say. Lovers have some secrets that they keep."
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Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī(30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273)
At the proposal of the Permanent Delegations of Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey, and as approved by its Executive Board and General Conference in conformity with its mission of “constructing in the minds of men the defences of peace”, UNESCO was associated with the celebration, in 2007, of the eight hundredth anniversary of Rumi's birth. The commemoration at UNESCO itself took place on 6 September 2007; UNESCO issued a medal in Rumi's name in the hope that it would prove an encouragement to those who are engaged in research on and dissemination of Rumi's ideas and ideals, which would, in turn, enhance the diffusion of the ideals of UNESCO.
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To commemorate the occasion, HarperCollins released Bridge to the Soul, a compilation of Rumi's poetry by Coleman Barks, a lifelong interpreter and champion of Rumi's works. The compilation consists of 90 of Rumi's poems. The "bridge" in the title is a reference to the Khajou Bridge in Isphahan, Iran, which Barks visited with Robert Bly in May of 2006—a trip that in many ways prompted this book. The "soul bridge" also suggests Rumi himself, who crosses cultures and religions and brings us all together to listen to his words, regardless of origin or creed.
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Khajou Bridge
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Mevlana Museum, the shrine of Rumi ...more
First published in 1977, Love Is a Dog from Hell is a collection of Bukowski's poetry from the mid-seventies. A classic in the Bukowski canon, Love IsFirst published in 1977, Love Is a Dog from Hell is a collection of Bukowski's poetry from the mid-seventies. A classic in the Bukowski canon, Love Is a Dog from Hell is a raw, lyrical, exploration of the exigencies, heartbreaks, and limits of love.
I see you drinking at a fountain with tiny
blue hands, no, your hands are not tiny
they are small, and the fountain is in France
where you wrote me that last letter and
I answered and never heard from you again.
you used to write insane poems about
ANGELS AND GOD, all in upper case, and you
knew famous artists and most of them
were your lovers, and I wrote back, it’s all right,
go ahead, enter their lives, I’m not jealous
because we’ve never met. we got close once in
New Orleans, one half block, but never met, never
touched. so you went with the famous and wrote
about the famous, and, of course, what you found out
is that the famous are worried about
their fame—not the beautiful young girl in bed
with them, who gives them that, and then awakens
in the morning to write upper case poems about
ANGELS AND GOD. we know God is dead, they’ve told
us, but listening to you I wasn’t sure. maybe
it was the upper case. you were one of the
best female poets and I told the publishers,
editors, “print her, print her, she’s mad but she’s
magic. there’s no lie in her fire.” I loved you
like a man loves a woman he never touches, only
writes to, keeps little photographs of. I would have
loved you more if I had sat in a small room rolling a
cigarette and listened to you piss in the bathroom,
but that didn’t happen. your letters got sadder.
your lovers betrayed you. kid, I wrote back, all
lovers betray. it didn’t help. you said
you had a crying bench and it was by a bridge and
the bridge was over a river and you sat on the crying
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