Poems

I’ve decided to upload some of my poems onto this site, starting with the two most recent. While typing this out, it strikes me that both are dedicated to women born – like Rachel Corrie (and myself) - in a Chinese year of the Goat. Strange…

 

 

Every Man Is An Island

for Severn Cullis-Suzuki

(see http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=MX&hl=es-MX&v=DLV6jaZFLro&feature=related and http://severncullissuzuki.com/ )

 

They say that “Every man’s an island”.

Well, every woman is the sea:

Deep and alive with mysteries,

Wild or calm – but always free.

 

Some islands treat the sea with caution;

Some market its bounty and charm;

Many contaminate its waters:

See the profit, not the harm.

 

Some are fearful of its monsters:

Its deep dark secrets are a threat

To sense of order and “correctness”…

Some are just scared of getting wet.

 

Some islands suffer under rainstorms;

Some are thankful for the rain.

All seas are liquid, always will be.

Admitting pleasure, and also pain.

 

The sea has always challenged us.

We’ve studied it and tried to tame

Its moods, its restless energy:

It treats our efforts like a game.

 

You can scoop a pail of water,

You can never trap the whole.

You can chain a woman’s body,

You will never catch her soul.

 

- JHiD

5th February, 2009

 

 

 

 

For Xris

(see http://www.thirdwaytheatre.org/ and http://www.thirdwaytheatre.org/thirdway_bio )

 

You little freak of Nature:

A lioness with a mane!*

And one which doesn’t hunt the weak

Or go for easy gain.

 

No: Your preys are the Powerful

And you don’t always win,

But you are always on the watch

And ready to begin.

 

And when you do, the challenge

That flashes in your eyes

Warns those you’ve set your sights on

That you’ve seen through their lies.

 

And when you set your features

In that determined frown,

It says you’ll do your very best

To bring those monsters down.

 

But where your worth really shines out

- A role you took on alone -

Must surely be as mother:

One of the best I’ve known.

 

You roar, you growl, you also purr:

A rich and subtle blend.

And I feel that I’m lucky

To know you are my friend.

 

- JHiD

9th February, 2009

 

* (Xris is a Leo)

 





Animal Lovers

 

Oh, Animal Lovers everywhere!

Who love to watch them at the zoo:

The tigress pacing her small cage,

The short hops of the kangaroo.

Here comes my serious question:

You think those creatures love you, too?  


The dog lovers among you

With dogs cooped up in city flats,

You train them to “play dead” for friends,

And snap them wearing funny hats.

You take them for two walks a day.

You think they’re satisfied with that?!

 

And then you fish fanatics

Who keep your fish in some small bowl

Or huge aquarium with lights,

Mermaids, and sunken pirates’ scroll.

You watch them swimming ’round and ’round

And ’round: with “Ocean!” as their goal.

 

And how about a parrot?

You teach him to say funny things

To show him off to all your friends

And watch the happiness that brings;

And chain him all day to a perch,

Or shut the window, clip his wings.

 

True love is kind, unselfish.

At least that’s something that I’ve heard.

True love is free and generous -

Even to mammal, fish, or bird.

I don’t think yours is really love:

We’ll have to find another word.

 

- JHiD

5th October, 2005

 





Can You Do It?

 

Are you brave enough

To lay down your arms?

Are you strong enough

To walk away from Power?

 

Are you smart enough

To admit that you know nothing?

Do you really want it all?

- Enough to turn “mine” into “ours”?

 

                They’ll tell you that attack

                Is the best form of defence.

                They’ve got it wrong,

                And I’ll tell you this:

                That one was made up

                By those who profit from War.

                Attack is just the most

                Offensive form of cowardice.

 

Are you rich enough

To share the little that you’ve got?

Are you selfish enough

To want Want and Need to cease?  

 

Are you strong enough

To let your life be ruled by Love?

Are you really brave enough?

Brave enough to live in Peace?

 

- Jimmy Hollis i Dickson

21th September, 2009

International Day Of Peace

while listening to Concert for Peace,

The Bedford,

Balham,

London

(sitting next to Maeve)

[middle 8 written 2 days later]




For The Victims Of Another Terrorism

Allow me to be perverse and define "terrorist attack" as any attack that sows terror among a local or extended population. This perverse definition would then cover attacks that happened through criminal negligence, not just those that were PLANNED to sow terror. For example, if by criminal negligence, a small nuclear warhead were to be set off in a silo in Siberia, and the radiation from it were to kill (only) 2 thousand people immediately, and cause the quick or slow deaths of thousands more over a period of months and even years, as well as widespread disease and birth defects, wouldn't you consider the people terrified... and therefore the victims of a terrorist attack? Shouldn't the technician(s) who caused (or allowed to happen) that accident be brought to trial for criminal negligence leading to mass involuntary homicide?

On the 11th of September, 2001, a terrorist attack was carried out in the USA. About 3 thousand people were killed. The President of the USA declared that Justice would be done: that those responsible would be hunted down and made to pay for all that suffering. Within a year and a half, that attack had been used as the "justification" for wars on 2 countries - one of which had absolutely nothing to do with that attack. As a result of those wars to achieve "Justice", hundreds of thousands more people have lost their lives. Many - if not most - innocent victims of war, including children. More suffering to pay for suffering.

Today, the 3rd of December, 2009, is the 25th anniversary of a terrorist attack such as that theoretical one in Siberia. Over 2 thousand people died that night in 1984. In the next 3 days, 6 thousand more died. "Campaigners say nearly 20,000 others have since died from the effects [...]" I make that about 28 thousand all together. Or maybe 22 thousand if that "since" refers to the deaths after the first night. Let's not quibble: what are ONLY 6 thousand deaths more or less? I could go on about the birth defects and other diseases, but I'll let you read it for yourself. It is estimated that there were "more than 570,000 victims of the disaster". The technicians responsible don't NEED to be "hunted down": it's well known who they are. It's even known where they live. "Three senior members of staff [were even immediately] arrested." But not one single criminal charge has been brought. Their outfit agreed - 5 years later - to pay "compensation" of $470m. That's less than $9000 per victim, less than $22000 per death. The area is still contaminated... and is not being decontaminated. People are STILL getting sick. 25 years is a long time to wait for Justice to be done, ESPECIALLY when it's known who was responsible.

I wish you interesting (if not pleasant) viewing and reading:

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8392358.stm)

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8390156.stm)

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/3/newsid_2698000/2698709.stm )

Please pass this message on. We should not forget.

Jimmy

 

Justice

Is just

Injustice

When it's applied to some people

And not to others...

 

- Jimmy Hollis i Dickson

3rd December, 2009





Cada Home És Un Illot

El poema segueix dedicat a la Severn Cullis-Suzuki (mireu http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=MX&hl=es-MX&v=DLV6jaZFLro&feature=related [subtítols en castellà] i http://www.collagefoundation.org/people/people-scsuzuki.html)

Aquesta traducció al català és dedicada a la Mar, qui - sense paraules - m'ha ofert amistat.

 

Cada home és un illot.

Doncs, cada dona és la mar:

Profona, viva de misteris,

Salvatge, calma – sense domar.

 

Hi ha illots que tracten la mar amb cautela;

D’altres en venen els encants;

Molts contaminen les seves aigües:

Hi veuen els beneficis, no pas els danys.

 

Alguns temen els seus monstres:

Els seus secrets com a amenaça

Al sentit d’ordre i “el correcte”...

Alguns tenen por de mullar-se.

 

Hi ha illots que pateixen per les tempestes.

D’altres agraeixen una pluja plena.

Les mars són líquides, i ho seran sempre:

Admeten plaer i també pena.

 

La mar sempre ens ha reptat.

L’hem estudiada i intentat domar

Els seus humors, la seva energia:

Per ella és com si fos jugar.

 

Podràs omplir un got amb aigua,

No contenir pas mai l’oceà sencer.

Podràs encadenar el cos d’una dona,

No mai atraparàs el seu ser.

 

- JHiD

5th February, 2009

traducció 23-24 d’agost, 2010





Boundless Love

(A Polyamory Song)

 

I have no chains to bind you,

I threw them all away.

Does that mean I don’t love you?

Please hear me when I say:

 

My Love for you is boundless,

As boundless as the sea.

That’s why I don’t feel jealous.

I want you to be free.

 

I want you to be happy

Because my Love is true.

So when you’re loving Others,

I'm happy for you, too.

 

I love you when you’re with me:

No less when you are not.

True Love is free and generous:

It can’t be trapped or bought.

 

For me, True Love is not a cage

To put you in and lock the door.

Your song is sweeter when you’re free;

I love to watch you soar!

 

Oh yes, my Love is boundless:

Not limited to you.

There’s room for Others in my heart,

And to each One I'm true.

 

Don’t give me any stingy love.

Give Love with all your heart.

’Cause if you try to cage my Love,

The bars will burst apart.

 

But if you ever left me

For some love “all your own”,

I'd rather have a broken heart

Than have a heart of stone.

 

If ever you should leave me for

Some love you think more “real”,

I'd rather have a broken heart

Than have a heart of steel.

 

- Jimmy Hollis i Dickson


This poem is inspired by (among other things) the song “Txoria, Txorí” by Mikel Laboa and Joxan Artze (see http://eu.musikazblai.com/mikel-laboa/txoria-txori/ )


My translation (of another’s translation from the original Euskera [Basque] to Castellano [Spanish]):

Bird, Little Bird

If I had cut her wings,

She would be mine,

She wouldn’t have flown away.

But, in that case,

She would have ceased to be a bird.

And I...

I loved the bird.





For Josie

On Thursday I started watching this video about Josie Moreno: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=epDPui27QZQ , but I had to leave my Internet connection before the half-way point. During my 4-hour walk home, I wrote the following poem. It's now Saturday, I'm back on Internet, and uploading the poem after watching the video right the way through.

 

You never were happy with that “young man” role,

Had to become a girl just to feel yourself whole.

They tried to “cure” you with a load of drugs,

But your mother knew better and gave you loads of hugs.

 

You like dolls and dresses more than tanks and guns.

So do I, Josie, so do I!

You’ve been through a lot, but it’s only just begun.

I want to be your friend, so I’m not going to lie:

 

Life is going to be tough!

Some people are going to treat you rough!

But I know that you’re made of stronger stuff.

Just don’t you forget it!

 

Sometimes Mother Nature, well, she plays some funny tricks.

But it’s how some people react to them that make me sick.

Everyone’s got dignity and everyone’s got worth.

But the worth of those who put you down is a pile of dirt.

 

Some people take a lifetime to find out just who they are.

You’re still young and you’ve made a flying start.

I take my hat off to you: you’re some brave girl!

We could use more like you in this sad old world.

 

Life is going to be tough!

Some people are going to treat you rough!

But you and I know, Josie, that you’re made of stronger stuff.

And we both know that you’re going to make it.

 

- Jimmy Hollis i Dickson

21st March, 2013





 

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