Music From a Pale Mind

Joint Poetry by Venkataraman L.N. and Joseph Kurian

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For an ear (reprise)

Concluding the Jemverse series ‘Music II’ [10 of 10]

I am music and pleasure
for those with an ear
Hours of contentment
for freedom and cheer

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The Elderflower song (reprise)

9 of 10 in the Jemverse series ‘Music II’

Heavy scent floating in the air
with sunshine after the rain
The music echoes with a sweet
harmonious refrain
Daisy-like the clusters sing
the Elderflower’s song
and breathing deep the fragrance
I hum and sing along

Seagulls, the sea and a song (reprise #2)

8 of 10 in the Jemverse series ‘Music II’

Alone on the shingle
Salt in my mouth
Braced against wind
Looking to South
Out there in the green
Waves rise and fall
As I listen again
To familiar call
A song just for me
The swoop and the cry
The sea and its music
As seagulls fly by

Early hours radio (reprise)

7 of 10 in the Jemverse series ‘Music II’

Radio in the early hours
heard whilst half asleep
Subliminal soft whispers
just enough to keep
Songs that come the daybreak
are still inside my head
So I’ll look them up on Youtube
and watch the video instead

Rhythm II (reprise)

6 of 10 in the Jemverse series ‘Music II’

As the music fades
with the rhythm of my drum
I am still dancing

Dancing to life (reprise)

5 of 10 in the ‘Music II’ series from Jemverse

I danced on a quay at Emsworth
playing a really big drum
The crowds from the town all following us
and everyone having fun

I danced with Pride in Brighton
‘neath a rainbow coloured flag
The crowds of people partying
in the sun made me feel glad

Bringing Happiness (reprise)

4 of 10 in the ‘Music II’ series from Jemverse

Listening to music, anything will mostly do
But my spine will always tingle with some solid 12-bar blues

Lots of things bring happiness, this is just for starters
And mostly not a day goes by without finding what I'm after

Tipple (reprise)

3 of 10 in the ‘Music II’ series from Jemverse

In these fragile days of Autumn
When I am flustered by strong gales
There’s something to look forward to
The partaking of fine ales

A tipple of an evening
When the weather is like this
Gives a little taste of summer
With its happiness and bliss

Constant (reprise)

2 of 10 in the ‘Music II’ series from Jemverse

Music knows no boundaries
It cares not how I feel
It has but one sole purpose
To cure all and to heal.

It will lift me and console me
It will always be a friend
It will surprise me and amaze me
For its wisdom knows no end.

Lifting (reprise)

1 of 10 in the ‘Music II’ series from Jemverse

Like a strong hand to lift my soul
Music comes again
And as my rock begins to roll
Sunshine comes to play

Like a fishing net to catch my blues
Music drains away
All the cobwebs which have gathered
In the corridors of grey

Vinyl Revival

Who'd have thought it in the eighties
when vinyl was slipping
that we'd see all the usurpers fade
to crown again the king

Compact cassettes and eight-track
DAT, mini-disc, CD
all claimed to be the next best thing
to set the vinyl free

Rolling days

Sixty five thousand people gathered
and we were in the crowd
in London's Hyde Park in July
to hear the Stones play loud
A bucket list ticked off right there
sixty years of Rolling Stones
and Sal and I were part of that
before we headed home
Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood and 'Keef'
all there for the hotspots
whilst all the crowd with one accord
raised hands for Charlie Watts

#67 POETRY =

By Charles Robert Lindholm

Poetry =

Eurovision 22

Watching Eurovision Twenty Two
aghast with whoops and cheers
we watched as UK on the boards
got its first points in years
Every time a twelve was called
to UK, loud we hailed
for this history in the making
that our 'spaceman' had regaled
Yet, saying that, the public vote
to place the winning sound
was absolutely justified
when Ukraine's turn came round

#42 POETRY =

By Charles Robert Lindholm 

Poetry =

Gigsters Divine

Though many bands we've seen
it's been six years since last we all
were collectively 'the gigsters'
at least, as I recall
But last night for Divine Comedy
the 'Gigsters' were united
once again all six together
as each had been invited
'Divine' was most appropriate
as superlative this evening
the 'Gigsters' doing what we do
for friendship's steadfast meaning

A re-discovery

In the loft I found boxes of music forgotten
CDs boxed ages ago
Downloaded to iPods listened to then
when I was much younger you know
So the discovery now of these treasures is such
that I'm smitten all over again
the i-Pods replaced with the streaming of now
these are so much like an old friend
And though there's surely suspect content in there
as my taste has changed over time
the joy of the challenge to listen again
is something that is wholly mine

Cue the music

The ambience grew as house lights dimmed
and the crowd with breath abated
whooped and cheered as music played
which they had long awaited
Tickets purchased two years past
with promise to fruition
as the Paris troupe performed and sang
with flamboyant intuition
For each they knew, the cast and crowd
this happening, this evening
was like a breath not breathed before
with wonderment and meaning

Day songs

On the edge of a morning walking down from the bridge
I hummed a tune for the day
with my headphones on
I walked along
with a smile as I went on my way

Being me

Went to a gig
with no masks in sight
well, each to their own
and each to their plight
as although the music
was fantastic to see
Covid's still with us
and Omicron's free
so I masked right up
and tapping my feet
got into the music
in spite of the heat
safe in the knowledge
I'm as safe as can be
so I'll enjoy here the life
and keep on being me

Drifting away

Red Snapper Mojo floating
I'm here, relaxed and me
listening to the stereo
the perfect place to be

Life goes on around about
and I'm ok with that
as I am in my element
chilled out to be exact

Season songs

Golden my streets
but it won't be for long
for though sweet are my words
quite short is my song
They look lovely right now
when the sunshine is bright
but lacklustre in rain
and leaden at night

And as winter creeps in
my songs peter out
for I run out of lyrics
with gusto to shout
and my golden turns grey
as the music it dies
for instead of the carpet
hard frost often lies

A revitalisation of cheer

Hiding in long shadows
of a small gig still I stood
listening to the music
but wishing that I could
find there the enjoyment
that my friends and others there
clearly understood as in
the moment there they shared

Yet despite the disappointment
in the long shadows here with me
a certain feeling lingered
that I knew with certainty
Said I was meant to be here
as this venue and this place
was testament and evidence
of promise born from grace

No word to complain

Sat with no surrender
as waves washed over me
cocooned here in sound
in my own symphony
Cancelling all externals
AirPod Pros they do their thing
and as spine tingles I am lost
to words I softly sing

This is a beautiful moment
dreamlike I drift away
lost as music envelopes me
here at the end of day
And if this is like a heaven
this moment, this refrain
in an element I will be
with no word to complain

Music Days IV

Days listening to music
the most cathartic ones I know
to while away a lazy day
and watch the hours go
And my varied and eclectic taste
will many genres see
from rock and pop and classical
all there to keep me free
And then when spine's been tingled
and tears of joy I've spilled
the knowing look behind my eyes
shows I have been fulfilled

Public Service Broadcasting

Brighton's Dome, a place I've missed
whilst Covid's kept us in
for live music's long hiatus
which has bordered on a sin

But though the virus is still with us
freedom has now found a way
to open up the doors again
'Thank Goodness' hear me say!

As last week with good friends I'd not seen
for two long years returned
to Brighton's Dome for a live gig
a treat we all have earned

Music doing its thing

Sometimes a quiet tune
playing softly satisfies
catches the mood and softens
quietly around ragged edges
calming me completely

But sometimes only loud fits
AirPod Pros resonate
with the volume north of eleven
it still catches and calms and glistens
calming me completely