Tuesday 23 August 2011

Love & Lovers. MP3 files of poem and lyrics. Music Links /Louis’ Digital Jukebox.

Hi everyone and here are more poems lyrics and music track selected by me, for your entertainment.

Firstly three poems: with the MP3 links to readings of them by myself. Then on the theme of love, links to my pick of music tracks...    
 

Poems with MP3 links.
Tip: for best listening, plug your headphones in your PC base unit.

This is Gurd

(words for the music track: “Time for Tiffin”, by Charles Sheinman)



This is Gurd, join my dreams.
Feel the air you breath go out, flow through the trees,

a kiss returns.


Softly, know,

Here is where all is and is to know.
No reasons given or needed

accepted you belong
part of Gurd’s song.


Silent, in the silence thoughts

come falling
into the waves of afternoon sleep.

Sea surf
breakers lulling friends and lovers

to mornings shore.
 

This is Gurd, join my dreams
Feel the air you breath go out, flow through the trees,

a kiss returns.

This Poem Lyric © Louis J. Casson 2011 All rights reserved.
YouTube Link to “Time for Tiffin” music video track by Charles Sheinman:

 

The View from Vanity Tower

Buying building a stack of bibles

so I can get closer to the God of heaven who lies there?

Sifting all the denominational variants n options,

convinced the truth lies in there somewhere!

Surrounding myself with a wall of high-flown books

secure against the new barbarians.

They’re advancing, scaling my Towers’ walls,

damn it they just won’t stop over there!

Keep coming closer from over there.


Who’s going to tell me that the vista of bliss,

that view from Vanity Tower.

Was blended with illusion,

while merely seeming true, not really how it was,

but it held me in it’s power.

Gather up all the rosaries, count beads, to frighten the Devil

Too long, it held me in its misguided power.

Too late to break free from the power.


Magic bullets still from us eluding

not found easy, or made of paper

in my gathered rows of books.

Thoughts, ideas live on beyond exuding,

untarnished truth, below mere looks.


Asking questions with no answers

still time is waning

until death the unknowing captures all.

Why ask questions that have no answers?

I’m only seeking truth that’s all.


Who’s going to deal with all my precious things and books

After the day I die?

Sent off to the charity shop or dumped to the tip

maybe they’ll just burn, watch the sparks go upward fly?

Black ashes, as the sparks going upwards, they fly.


It’s only the View from Vanity Tower

but it keeps you comfy for a while.

Filters and self fooling keep out better than shutters

reality or the sun.

I need to give my mind a scrub and a shower.

See better after a scrub and a shower.


This Poem Lyric © Louis J. Casson 2011  All rights reserved.
MP3 audio link:




Stroke My Soul
 

Sing, say the words that stroke my soul.

For only you have the key, that power,

that soothes all troubles, see them flow away.

And I don’t mind,

it’s so sweet not have control.


Dance, slowly in the half light gently move.

Feel the love just sharing, being here.

Our secret place suspending, all time and the world.

All is enough,

to continue in that groove.


Speak, and I will listen drinking in your words.

Each sentence, phrase, gently whispers, murmurs, purrs.

Contently calms my troubled seas,

till the world’s wearing waves of rage,

of disappointments,

become smoothed and flat.


Seek, while others seek what we have found.

Love as a silent wave flows among us

For lucky ones, swept in love’s currents

to its blessed isle.

Blessed I am to stand, to lie,

to know this ground.

This Poem Lyric © Louis J. Casson 2011  All rights reserved.
MP3 Audio link:



Bhagavad Blues



Love existing invisible: revealed

 stroking my dog, kissing my Wife,

 calling a friend.



Acting strips surface words; prosaic

even commonplace acts revealing,

essential spirits.



I have continued in love; giving you

the smallest leaf and solitary rice grain.

Here potentia - joy or sadness - lies:

did you know, or not,

what it meant?



This Poem Lyric © Louis J. Casson 2011 All rights reserved.
MP3 audio link:


See: The Bhagavad Gita. Translated by Juan Mascaro. Penguin Classics 1962
Page 45, Chapter 9:26. Krishna: “He who offers me with devotion only a leaf, or a flower, or a fruit, or even a little water, this I accept from that yearning soul, because with a pure heart it was offered with love”.



Staying on the theme of Love & Lovers, links:
Shakespeare: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s Day?

Note that the final couplet, the last two lines, give a reason for writing this or any love poem.
http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/sonnet/18
 

A Jazz ballad version as sung by Cleo Laine with John Dankworth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg13WcPAHms


John Donne: Elegy XIX To His Mistress going to Bed.



Love poems by Pablo Neruda (and others!)
http://www.yourlovecoach.co.uk/love-poems/love-poems-by-pablo-neruda/



Andrew Marvel: To his Coy Mistress.
http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/marvell/coy.htm



Louis’ Digital Jukebox.
These are on my current “marvellous mashup” music listening list. Some new some old, a mix of old skool soul plus jazz:

“Neither one of us”: Gladys Knight & the Pips. A fine example of heartbreaking soul:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo2Hw0Y-NeY

Another version, live, Winsome Benjamin does her thing. Gooood!:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NasaU9kFRrU


The Stylistics: “you make me feel brand new”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyD5tAGBP9U

Sarah Vaughan: “My funny Valentine”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dntaJEqH9IM&feature=related


Billy Holiday: “The very thought of you”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPJuFxl0bxY&feature=related


Dennis Edwards: “Don’t look any further”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH3rx8LhrQo&ob=av2e

Al Green: “love and happiness”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsU6_eSG4k4


Teddy Pendergrass, “Turn off the lights”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSrEdpW3PoM&feature=related


Alexander O’Neal, “Never knew love like this”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAcvYHZm47I

Atlantic Starr “Always”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgl11QAU6nA&feature=related



Hope you all enjoyed it, that’s enough for now I think!
Till my next Blog, take care. Louis J   
 

This Blog content, Poems & Lyrics, Copyright Louis J. Casson 2011.
See more about Louis J. Casson on Behance: http://www.behance.net/LJCasson

Friday 5 August 2011

Theme: Rivers / August heat. Coming! MP3 files of poem and lyrics. Links & Jukebox .

Hi everyone and welcome to my latest Blog.

First some news, followed by two poems - River Scenes and Heat - then links to video and music on the theme of Rivers.

Enjoy!

Best wishes, Louis

   
Louis’ News

Northants Creative Bursary. Thanks to a bursary recently awarded to me by Creative Northants, I am now busy making MP3 files of my poems lyrics, More details about this soon!
Here’s a taster, “Travelling to My Love”, link to Ernie Ball Current events Forum, click to listen. Tip: best listened to using headphones.
http://www.ernieball.com/forums/current-events/50598-louis-mp3-files-poems-lyrics-comng-soon.html

Thank you Creative Northants for your generous support of my work.
http://www.creativenorthants.co.uk/


Updates to my Behance portfolio site. I updated my Behance site this week to add more information about myself. Take a look: http://www.behance.net/LJCasson


Tim Muddiman. Local guitar man Tim Muddiman is now back in Northampton briefly, prior to flying out on tour again with Gary Numan. Here’s a link to an interview with Tim, plus some pics. All the best Tim!
http://blog.dolphinmusic.co.uk/index.php/blog/view/interview_with_gary_numans_guitarist_tim_muddiman


Poems.

Two pieces for this time of year: Heat and River Scenes.

River Scenes

i.             Pond Skater
 

With a whir of wings;
      dart left, dart right, dart out of sight.

     
      Pause again,

thread legs dimpling the water’s meniscus,
      balancing body and wings atop.


Below the surface,
      A flash of accelerating stickleback snap.
   
      Move now for life,

Dart left, dart right, dart out of stickleback sight!


ii.           Trout


I swim out smoothly lazy,
      from the shaded willowed bank.

Sun motes from the surface,
      silhouette the dancing fly above.


I rush, and snap my meal,
      the ripples revealing I am here.

Outside the river the angler casts,
      too late to catch me this time.


iii. Kingfisher

I was made from a handful of jewels and turquoise;
      gems coalescing, sparkling, following my beak of coral.

I have to eat small river fish,
      their gloopy flesh keeps the jewels glued together.

Shhhh – it’s a secret for us two, not others!


Heat
Corn is waving,

Like bristles on Hog’s skin.

Goose-bumped by cool breezes, now and then in the heat.

August day, so heavy it’s got us all beat.

So heavy it’s got us all beat.

From the warm sticky train, the land’s folding and waxing,
Earth’s muscles flexing to let out a sigh.
As we ride in the freight, going by.

Ride in the freight going by.


Thick rainless air, like Glycerin and water.
In the distance trees dancing; mother Cedar, Shrub daughter.

Mouth dry and sticky, like a crick with no water.

Dry and sticky, like a crick with no water.


Stetson-headed the sheriff shumbles down Main Street,
Sweat kissing the dust on his boot in the heat.

August day, so heavy it’s got us all beat.

So heavy it’s got us all beat.


Staying on the theme of River, links:

River monsters, Jeremy Wade
http://animal.discovery.com/tv/river-monsters/



Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Darkness-Penguin-Classics-Joseph-Conrad/dp/0141441674/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312272735&sr=1-1


In the book Marlow sees an African Woman, regal and majestic...
Scroll down the screen a little the passages quoted are taken from Chapter 3, paragraph 13 (3,13 in the article text)   

NB: the commentary on this site belongs to the site alone, they are not my views or comments; I am merely using the link to this site to avoid retyping out chunks of text!

Langston Hughes “I’ve seen rivers...”
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/negro-speaks-of-rivers/


Index of Langston Hughes poems on poemhunter:
http://www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/poems/page-1/



Louis’ Digital Jukebox.

These are on my current “marvellous mashup” music listening list:

Courtney Pine, “I’ve known rivers” – based on the Langston Hughes poem. This is a new 4hero remix of the original track, to be found on the Courtney Pine Album “Modern Day Jazz Stories”,.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53z4LuhwJYE


Paul Robeson “Ol Man River” (from Porgy & Bess):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blZacptWIpk


& “Summertime”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j5CieXP7L8&feature=related


Miles Davis “Summertime” (a little diversion!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N090STPx-2M&feature=related


Lazy River, Hoagy Carmichael. Some fine piano work from Hoagy here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7yCYXfTA3g&feature=related


The River, Bruce Springsteen (with Sting):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDjQRgoOcpk

Since covered by Michael Buble; this is Ella Fitzgerald’s version of, “Cry Me a River”. Note how the tempo and feel changes at least three times on this track, plus...scat vocals by Ella!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XggjVo3j-o&feature=related


Till next time, take care! 

This Blog content, Poems & Lyrics, Copyright Louis J. Casson 2011.
See more about Louis J. Casson on Behance: http://www.behance.net/LJCasson