Tag: music

Poem ‘Adventus’

Adventus

I wake up
and the world has changed

there’s a strange quality to the light,
lurid colours of the sky creating
anthropomorphic shapes in clouds,
warnings weaved through vapour trails
like a painting by Roerich

I hear the blackbird
he’s singing a new song,
displaced by the cunning air
in an odd synchronicity
which cavorts with my mind,
a nameless advent

a voice in my head
says to ignore the news,
make a lover of the duvet
and I resolve play Vaughan Williams
around the clock,
cry out my heart to his glorious fifth
till that sweet second
to midnight comes

poem and image © copyright dfbarker 2012

abstract image created digitally.

Poem ‘Red Dress’

Red Dress

The tutor twice your age sat on your knee;
you were always lucky that way.
First night pub opening, top of the hill.
It was the normal pretentious affair,
the legal name with church overtones,
the perfect occasion for too much to drink.

That night I crashed at your mum’s place
and she wasn’t happy, I could tell –
the slamming pots, glances that could kill.
She’d got me down as a junkie
because I travelled light
but the spare room was handy,

set aside for special occasions. Never used.
We listened to some Steely Dan
and then began to jam.
That’s where Red Dress was born.
In between gigs we hired the room
with egg boxes on the walls,

to fashion our fledgling art; firing bass players,
hiring Marilyn sound-a-likes
(who frankly were better at screwing)
and making a right hash of everything,
course included. But band badges were made,
along with silly visits to photo booths.

‘These dirty streets…’ the first line of the lyric
fell into place with that progression in E.
Dreams of Idaho and California. Some sun.
You made it happen and it’s dedicated to you.
And when I heard the news, I knew it was true:
the happy-go-lucky guy on the end of the rope

was you.

© copyright df barker 2012

First published in 2011 in poetry collection ‘Anonymous Lines’, available for purchase here:  http://liten.be//gHmf9

* image created digitally © copyright dfbarker 2012

Haiku 2012 #2

soft indignation
flat third of a minor chord
world’s light in a cell

© copyright dfbarker 2012

*image based on a watercolour original, part of a reconstruction of a Benedictine Priory. This image is not necessarily to hint at the meaning of the haiku, although it could be one interpretation.

Versatile Blogger Award

versatile-blogger-award.jpg

Many grateful thanks go to Lauren at http://lscotthoughts.com/ for nominating me for this award. I feel lucky to have even one person look at my blog, which has only been wound up to anything like ‘full capacity’ in the last few weeks. I am grateful to everyone, and apologies to all if I seem a little rusty or ‘green’, I’m not very good at keeping up to pace!

And the rules for the Versatile Blogger Award is :

1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers.
2. Inform the bloggers of their nomination.
3. Share 7 random things about yourself.
4. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award pic on your blog post.

1. When I was three or four I used to tinker on an old harmonium and make up songs about werewolves.

2. I was born almost exactly on top of the Greenwich Meridian line.

3. I’ve always loved music as well as writing and painting and in the past have owned far too many guitars.

4. I was brought up in an agricultural community which seemed very old fashioned, even in the 70s.

5. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a cat (or two).

6. Like over 90% of the English population, I am descended from Edward III

7. Unfortunately (or should it be ‘fortunately’?, like nearly everyone in western Europe (and many in North America, Australasia etc..) I am also descended from Charlemagne.

Now, it’s time to nominate 15 bloggers:

http://kiranchawla44.wordpress.com/

http://justsimplyinlove.wordpress.com/

http://swansongsandprose.wordpress.com/

http://newprairiestore.wordpress.com/

http://poesiepocketsandpapercuts.wordpress.com/

http://journeyintopoetry.wordpress.com/

http://Catsnco.wordpress.com/

http://granbee.wordpress.com/

http://DancingAntelope.com/

http://littleskew.wordpress.com/

http://rhernandezpoetry.com/

http://neelthemuse.wordpress.com/

http://jamesboshea.wordpress.com/

http://myotherbookisatolstoy.wordpress.com/

http://allisongrayhurst.com/

I hope you all don’t mind being nominated! (perhaps again) I have enjoyed all your comments and look forward to great future postings.

Music and videos on YouTube

Yes, I’m starting to put stuff on YouTube as well. All the music (so far) has been composed by Leofwine, my alter ego. The videos themselves are a mixed bag of my art, pictures and videos… but this may change. Enjoy!