Tag: Religion

Centre of the Earth

I ran into the forest. The wind plays with the trees, tickling the leaves into falling. My feet squelch into the soft, wet mud as I run. In and out my foot goes, breathing into the earth. I can see the tree roots lingering just above the surface, probing.

I begin to dig. I’m digging until I get to China.

The deeper the hole is the more the roots groan out to the open air, missing the comfort and solace of the dense, compact earth, the damp coolness of the soil. The wind finds itself bouncing off all corners of this hole, looking for new friends to play with. The roots groan and retreat further back to other parts of the soil. I dig deeper and deeper until I reach the inner core of the earth.

There he is.

He sits on a plain, wooden stool staring into the centre. A looking glass of pure magma.

“You’re finally here”. He doesn’t bother to swivel around. He knows who I am.

“I’m trying to get to China”.

“You’re about half way there”.

“Oh? I suppose this is the centre of the earth”.

“Would you care to sit?” Another wooden stool materialises out of thin air beside him. He didn’t need to wait to hear my response. I sit beside the careworn old man.

“Look at this my son, before you continue your journey”.

I stared intently into the looking glass. Images began to appear. Simultaneously the past, present and future are all played out at once before me. The whole world and multiple others. People of many races and many species busy in their minds, in their lives. In under a minute I was exhausted, as if years had been torn off me.

“Have you had enough?”

“Yes, sir”.

“Be on your way, know that I am always looking out for you, son. Always” He said without looking at me. I felt it his hand on my shoulder.

I continued the dig. As I emerged the wind was nowhere to be found. The trees were quiet. I walked out of the forest in search of people.

Realm of the Dead

I found myself suddenly on a bridge. I stood there for just a moment. Taking in the atmosphere. I was standing on a bridge in the middle of a lake. The air tastes like early morning. I couldn’t see the end of the bridge, both ends were shrouded in fog. As I looked out to the lake I could see some large ripples appearing, moving fast towards me.

As the ripples came closer I could make out a large, shapely body beneath the water. The creature beneath the water suddenly launched its large body unto the rails, balancing precariously with its huge weight. It looked at me thoughtfully for one moment, came to a decision, then hopped onto the pavement right in front of me, shaking the bridge slightly.

“Tell me about yourself.” The creature bubbled, its flippers motioning as he spoke.

“I’m not sure there’s much to tell.”

“Nonsense” Its words gargled, forming foam from its mouth that slipped off its giant tusks.

“Am I dead.”

“Yes you are. Soon your heart will be weighed and judged.”

“Who are you then?”

“I guide the dead.” The huge creature posed it’s body upwards, stretching out its flippers.

“Why are you a walrus?”

“I don’t know. Why are you a human?”

“That’s actually a good point.”

“There you go.”

 

We watched the lake together. Time stood still. Does time even flow in a place like this? I heard a gargling of water come from the walrus as he began to speak again.

“So, who are you then?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slapton Sands

Hand on the throttle

Mind racing the road

The corners twist and bend

Running right through

The crevices of my brain

Entwining themselves within its muscle

The sand whips up a storm

On the beach I sit at

While the waves come creeping in

Teasing to reach my boots

A lone man walks to the end of the beach

In search of his thoughts

While I count every grain of sand

In my palm

Looking for God

Synagogue Visit!

Tonight I visited a synagogue for the first time in my life. Coming from a “Church of England” background it was a very unique experience I won’t forget anytime soon.

Initially I planned to go with my partner, for moral support. But I emailed the congregation the wrong dates and my partner couldn’t make it. So I thought, you know what? What the heck! Just go and do it. The entire week leading up to this night I was battling my nerves. Especially me riding up on motorcycle to Exeter tonight. The fear kept telling my brain “Don’t do it, turn back, they will judge you.” But I inhaled, exhaled and went on.

I parked my motorcycle right next to the Schul. The building was positioned down an alleyway I had passed thousands of times but never actually noticed. Even the street was named “Synagogue”! How I had not noticed that before baffled me. I went up to the doors. I rung the bell a few times. Knocked the doors. No one in. I was about 30 minutes early. So a little bit eager.

Just moments after I was greeted by a great big man and another gentleman just behind him. I told them that I think I was a bit early and apologised.

We all went inside, I warmed up my hands from the cold bike ride up from Torquay. It was only about 20 miles but it takes its toll on your hands.

I spoke a little while about my interest in religions in general and Judaism. The man switched on the survelliance cameras which had me a little worried and also sympathetic. There were at least six different cameras set up to catch every view of the street. I could now see and prepare myself for more socialising as more and more people turned up to the door. I noticed bits of Hebrew up on the wall, old holocaust pictures, stars of David, it was very enlightening seeing it in person particularly meeting Jewish people in person also. As I chatted to Reese, we agreed that seeing things on the internet and experiencing them in real life are very different indeed.

I was then offered a prayer book and a Kippah to wear on my head. We all sat down to the back of the synagogue where the heating was most active. The inside was stunning. The place dated back from 1763.

The candles were then lit, a prayer was said, and we all sat back down.

We then started flipping through the book and reading. I was not speaking aloud as I was trying to observe what was going on around me, and what this strange language I was hearing meant. (Luckily they all had english text right next to the hebrew text, and also romanised characters of hebrew).

First off when everyone started singing in Hebrew I found it hard to settle in and let loose. There were some good voices and some bad and I found that distracting. But I really let myself go and learnt to just listen indiscriminately and really enjoyed the melodies and the sound of Hebrew. It was a very rough, but a very satisfying kind of language. Some parts were spoken in Hebrew and some in English. People around me were bowing as we reached the meditative parts of prayer and turning towards specific parts of the building, which at points I believed was facing towards Israel, Jerusalem. which I thought was respectful and also very mindful.

As the service came to an end, we all shook hands saying the phrase: “shabbat shalom!”

I then left the building, putting my biker gear on and reflecting on what I had just been through. Absorbing the melodies and thinking of the prayers.

It was a great religious experience and I recommend it to anyone interested in understanding and respecting other religions! Particularly in overcoming nerves and going out there and doing something for yourself!

And so the adventure still continues~

Recent Activity~

I’m really happy to be posting again and writing. I haven’t writen any poetry for quite a few months now. It’s an odd sensation. For me creativity and inspiration comes in waves. Just like moods, and different ways of thinking. It can be really productive but also quite scary as to how fast and how much I can change, it takes a while for me to get my footing again, but I really feel like I’m starting to control this a bit better as I get older. Is that a good thing?

Lots of things have been going on for me over the past few months. I’ve fufilled my dream of owning an adventure bike. I’m yet to use it to its full capabilities! But I’ve been on quite a few day trips and over just a month I’ve done 1546 miles (2488 kilometres). I’m very much addicted to riding this beast of a bike. I got a brand new NC750X Honda imported straight from the land of the rising sun, Japan. Which blew me over the moon, being a Japanophile.

I’ve been thinking about this blog often, what I should do with it, should I solely write in poetry or should I use it just to write and post content on my “exploits”. Recently I’ve even purchased a helmet camera to catch some footage of the places I travel to. Catching a first person perspective of myself riding a motorbike is beyond bizzare but incredible. I’d like the idea of making motorbike riding music videos or just mini documentaries of places I visit, just having chats. Unfortunately the first video I’ve put on youtube, I’ve mounted the camera way to forward so there’s a frustrating angle to deal with. I’ve fixed it now but it is very annoying, haha. I suppose you learn as you go.

Many times I’ve been thinking, how should I express myself, how can I reach to people, how can I be seen or heard. I think a lot of us think the same thing. How we want to be known. Music, photography, video, painting, drawing, poetry, singing. All these things we do to be seen or heard. To be pondered on, on our unique point of view as a human being, our intellect and our minds.

I think I will just use this blog to post what I feel strongly about and write poetry as I always love to.

Anyhow, it’s nice to write, and it’s nice to be back.

Hope you’re all doing well!

If you’re interested in some of the videos I’ve made and will be making, then check out the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH8u8kQSphPcXFX_PNml8vw

me and dad 3

Looking Inside

The desert sands

I wander through

With just my body

I hold onto

No water, no food, no air

No reasons, I let go

Inside I went

To caverns old and long ago explored

To be another that brings a torch

To light up what we forgot

Got No Water

Young man

If you’ve got no water

How are you gonna survive

Your soul bleeds

Won’t you get up from your knees

Let your wings soar like a dove

Let your soul fall into his hands

Drink in the sunlight

Through your eyes

While you’re gaining money

Think of his pleas

Don’t let your soul drown

From the floods

Revolution of the Youth

Children born to fill

The holes that we leave behind

Hundreds of years of effort and work

Ended by the anarchy of the youth

Forgotten trades and beliefs

Many Gods thrown to the floor

And spat on