Sunday 25 July 2021

THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem

  

Rob Ayling, yer Gonzo Grande Fromage, writes:

"Thom the World poet is an old mate of mine from way back in my history. Even pre-dating Voiceprint, when I was running "Otter Songs" and Thom's poetry tapes and guest appearances with Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth and Mother Gong are well known and highly regarded. It just felt right to include a daily poem from Thom on our Gonzo blog and when I approached him to do so, he replied within seconds!!! Thom is a great talent and just wants to spread poetry, light and positive energy across the globe. If we at Gonzo can help him do that - why not?"

I HAVE BANKRUPTED PUBLISHERS
WHICH IS WHY SELF-PUBLISHING
and then gifting anyone interested
In the worlds of selling poetry,i have sold none
Given,exchanged,bartered(for dental work)-YES!
Since everybody is a poet,the demand is Narcissistic
Yet folk still publish. Anthologies still are produced.
And poetry continues to be a secret language that every body speaks.
To me-an essential service-like conversation,philosophy,debate ,discussion
To those of other persuasions-an historical curio-represented by a quill,or manual typewriter
Most folk KNOW of poets. Schools are nominal in their critiques-but it is all autopsies
Amanda Gorman as the new Jewel. Media friendly,like Rupi Kaur.
Text poetry lives,as does Instagram verse.Diaries fill with unseen swoons.
Slams compete for pools of Slam poets.Elders rhyme their retirements.
Others embrace -ISMS with bullet words and bomb verses.
Third World First Lines become Front Lines.It matters-in Iran,Cuba,China,Russia-
poets fill prisons.Internet is censored.Phones tapped.In fact,one CIA Officer was tasked
with interpreting the poems Osama Bin Laden composed in the cassette caves of Tora Bora.
Happily ,here,we are ignored/invisible.Unless you are a whistleblower. Prison or exile-
Like Neruda,Ovid,Cicero.Or killed like Lorca.History makes heroines,victims,martyrs of isolated poets.
What is needed-are more-deeper,committed clarion callers for a future as yet undefined
before Silence censors all of us. Again...

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