Stories

One of the things I have always done is tell stories. I used to amuse my friends and cousins with them when I was still quite a small child (as opposed to a small adult as I am now). And in a way almost every thing I do is about telling stories. Even when I cross-dress in a way its about telling a story. Siobhan, in her blog has referred frequently to a 'sense of audience', and thinking about this has clarified a few things in my head. So many of her posts tend to do that. So from time to time I will be telling stories on this blog.

The word 'story' is often demeaned, "oh thats just a story!" but stories lie at the very heart of our thinking. Many of the basic lessons we learn as children come to us as stories, and when we play it is often done as story. In many cultures the story teller is a holy man/woman, and rather than an 'intelligent designer' what many of the worlds religeons propound is an 'intelligent author'. I may go into this in more detail later but for now I'll leave it at that..

Very little of my poetry is completely autobiographical, (if you have read any of it you will be pleased to know this) but rather it is just another way of telling a story.

And here is another one.



Afternoon Tea

Dust motes dancing in a sun-shaft

We sit across from one another.
The afternoon is dying
The sun is low, lancing in through
The window. One full spotlight
Catching her face. Cruelly

The tearoom is full of shadows
A place suitable for dying
Silver and china gleam dimly,
Like funerary vessels. The solemn
Waitress is clothed for mourning

Across from me: this woman,
It is plain to see she’s dying.
Slowly the way we all do,
But with her. Once. There was
Nothing in the world was more alive.

Nothing made me feel more alive
But now I too, am dying
Its there on her face picked out
By a sun that will be blazing
When we two are dust

Dust motes dancing in a sun-shaft.


In Other News

Stephanie Rowe has an interesting link on her site today, a web site that appears to be able to learn. If that is true and it doesn't just mean 'store more facts' but rather 'build/abandon logical structures' then thats even more spooky than having it appear to read your mind.