Taming the Tiger Adrift
I found this bloom picked and discarded in a muddy field. Not enough time had past for it to begin to wilt, and it was still very lovely and waiting for me to capture the last of its beauty.
I do not know what it is called. Maybe someone can tell me, but it had great structure and contrast that transferred well to digital. I think. It also took well to heightened colour. Spacey. On any given day any of us can feel a little discarded and set adrift in ... space. The trick is finding the beauty in the unknown and unexpected and not falling to despair or even anger, to not feel abandoned.
A Tiger Adrift
Driftwood, long and hard, offers fleeting comfort
Sharpen your claws …
Swim little kitten, swim
A lifeboat splashing in the cold darkness
A hull mockingly smooth and round
Too sharp claws slide with no purchase
and so you …
Swim little kitten, swim
Beware! Avoid the sharks
A tiger is but kibble to the ragged-toothed ones
Swim faster little kitten, swim
An island of one
Nothing to gnaw at but your insides
and so you must …
Swim little kitten, swim
Gracious shores for all
But oh-so icy for you
and so all that’s left to do is …
Swim little kitten, swim
Swim little kitten, swim
Swim little kitten, swim
Meow until you can roar again
and Swim little kitten, swim
If you are like me you can sometimes get pulled along by the current ... in this case current affairs. Maybe you were watching the Oscars and saw the now infamous slap live and then wondered why your tele went silent. Or like me you were trolling twitter and saw the hashtag #slap was trending and then watched the whole fiasco with Japanese subtitles.
Subtitles I find add a certain savoir-faire to the surreal. Choose that mode of narrative transmission if you can.
However you were drawn into the drama that is not yours; you probably feel pushed to have an opinion. Here's mine as recorded on Rumble.
Celebrities are human. Will Smith had a bad human moment for everyone to see. I do not think he handled it well, or Rock deserved it. Rock deserved some banter or educational words in return, as does the Academy; for certainly they okay'd the joke. If it had been handled with words; it would be Rock apologizing, but instead he'll likely 'benefit' more from that moment than suffer. He had the presence of mind to put it into context only seconds later. "Best TV Ever". Chris Rock is NOT suffering, but if he is, it is from what he said and not that slap. It is from the humiliation of being cruel.
Whether you are enjoying the memes or out there turning it into something larger, you are entertained, even if it is scorn-entertained while you virtue signal. Like with all public occurrences we make it about ourselves. It's how ego relates to the world. Our spirit will grow if it used as an opportunity to love both men and forgiving everyone for being human, even yourself for laughing.
(Okay, that was me ... at the memes, not the slap).
If it is bringing up other stuff; you'll heal by putting those thoughts to rest and replacing them with positive thoughts, dare I say even learning to laugh SOME of it off. Laughter is natural medicine administered by the body. It's okay if you can't laugh it off either, but taking to the comments and doing battle with those who can, is not going to work out well for you. It will increase your judgement and suffering.
Do a little self experiment; the next time you have a virtue signal fest, examine how you feel later when it is just you. Not good.
I saw it too as a moment where Hollywood artifice was dropped; we need more of that ... without the violence of course. If you are still using celebrities or influencers as exemplars for life or what to think about current affairs, and this cut you to your core. Hero worshipping is your problem and not what Will Smith did or Chris Rock said.
(Old Hollywood was probably worse).
11
The spokes of a wheel turn
Allow the air to pass
We get movement
The earthen jar
Maintains an open space
To be filled with nourishment
We build with stone, steel, and wood
It is the space within
That offers a home
A closed mind
Offers no space
Offers no movement
Offers no nourishment
Allows but a crawl space for a home
We mould the material
It is the space we use
Link to Spoken Word
***
Words and Images are my own.
Tiger Adrift is published in Strays and available in paperback or digital through amazon and your local libraries and bookstores.
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I think the world has gone nuts. We are close to WW3 with plenty of nukes for all to share and we are talking about the slap heard around the world lol.
I suppose it is a healthy diversion for our strained minds.
Perhaps the Always a Flower lady would know @dswigle
Always there is diversion. I agree a flower is a better one.
It is the Hellebore, Paul. @old-guy-photos
My wisdom maxes out well before knowledge of flowers. I would call it a 'flower' and believe myself wise. Alas.
You know, I didn't even know there was a "slap thing" until the next day when I was looking for news on Ukraine. I've never personally been a fan of Chris Rock's humour, but he is certainly going to get a payday out of this. I'm ready to move on. Time for the next scandal!
I don't get the HUGE hubbub either; there is suspicion it is linked to Pfizer's new Alopecia drug but honestly I think that the motivation for the lame joke and not the slap.
It is the Hellebore, Victor! @wwwiebe
That's a hellebaname!
Dang straight!
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