Category: video readings

In Memoriam to W.S. merwin video poem from James Schwartz

In Memoriam: W.S. Merwin 

"All day the stars watch from long ago
my mother said I am going now
when you are alone you will be all right
whether or not you know you will know"

- W. S. Merwin, born September 30, 1927

@merwincnsrvncy

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Bio: James Schwartz is a poem, slam performer and author of various poetry collections including The Literary Party: Growing Up Gay and Amish in America (Kindle, 2011), Punatic (Writing Knights Press, 2019) & most recently Motor City mix (Alien Buddha Press, 2022)

Poetry & Video from Tova Beck-Friedman : “Jephthah’s Daughter”

Jephthah’s Daughter

you might have heard my story
though couldn’t have known it was me
you might have heard my story
an only daughter
of a mighty king
young with hair long and shiny
pampered in the palace with wants and luxury
never spared a wish
then as men do
my father, the king
took arms
not sure against whom
he had vowed
on his triumphal return
that the first one to greet him
would be offered to his god
the glory of his almighty
requires that gift
I’m just a nameless girl
you might have heard my story
It was just bad luck
that I rushed to greet him
while he came down the road
you might have heard my story
just a nameless girl
sacrificed on the altar
of a mighty god
unnamed
but not spared
you might have heard my story
Post Script
Jephthah’s daughter
was remembered by the daughters of Israel
who every year lament her death
the death of a nameless girl


Bio: Tova Beck-Friedman is a visual artist, filmmaker, writer and poet.
In recent work she fuses poetry and moving images to create cine-poems.
Her work has been shown internationally in film festivals, museums, galleries
and on television.  Her poems have been published in Whispers and Echoes magazine,  
Extinction Rebellion Creative Hub and Fevers of the Mind.   

http://tbfstudio.com
https://www.facebook.com/tova.beckfriedman
twitter: @tbfstudio

Poetry by R.D. Johnson: Loss (In My Heart, On My Mind)

Losing

Our

Selves

Slowly

That’s exactly what it means

Because if we experience loss what is there to gain?

Sure the magnitude of each occurrence

Quakes you to your earth’s core

Breaking the Richter scale of our sanity

We are left with memories

Feelings, emotions

A chain of events tying together how

Light can travel through the darkness

As in reality, we are left to wonder

We are all traveling through a book of blank pages

Writing line by line

Of a story that we hope to published in the archives of the sands of time

And hope that it doesn’t succumb to quicksand

We are in the seventh month of this year

Of this decade

That continues to remind me of how precious life is

I could care less about anything that doesn’t

Attribute to peace, prosperity

And the pursuit of happiness

Aligning myself more and more

As these losses we experience will continue to occur

Its inevitable

I dedicate this piece to each and everyone of you

That has experienced a loss of any magnitude

There no words to describe this feeling

This grief

This emotion

All I can say is to be strong

Reflect on the good

And as unbearable as it will be

Your life will continue

Be strong for them

I just know that they’ll be in my heart

On my mind

Right on time

All the time