Poetry For Now

Truthful, humorous and insightful poetry to uplift and brighten your day. Hosted and written by Martin Strasmore. The resounding gongs, played by Kassandra Strasmore, offer an experience of peace and tranquility. Good poetry can open up the mind and heart to new ways of seeing the world, accepting difficulties and embracing opportunities for transformation. Each episode is intended to support and uplift the world and to renew our respect for each other and nature.

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Poetry For Now

THE EPIC

September 17, 2020 • Martin Strasmore • Season 1 • Episode 19

0:00 | 7:51

What Epic story describes our current situation: Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter, the Mahabharata?
After about 6 months of the Pandemic, It is 16th of September, and it’s been an epic 2 weeks of pandemonium in politics, Covid, wild fires and hurricanes that have distracted me from creating uplifting and slightly humorous poetry. With some help from inspiring thinkers and doers I hope my turnaround has come.

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WHICH EPIC ARE WE IN?

The good people fighting the Dark Forces of Evil

the Mahabharata the epic Indian story

did not end clearly with glory

2 branches of the same family

fighting and killing to decide who should rule

Maybe the presidential candidates trying to fool

different voters about who is the best guy

Maybe its about who can tell the biggest lie.

Does this remind you of Harry Potter

where magicians are playing at Got ya!

Or is this more like Starwars and Yoda

with his student Luke Skywalker

Taking on Darth Veda, the evil one

who reminds me of Sauron

ultimately not taking over the world

because Frodo fights against the force

with Gandalf’s help, he stays the course.

So the dilemma in America today

Is that we are seeing this play

Each tribe has a different idea

of who is good and who is evil

It makes me really want to flee

to my friends in England across the sea

But they too are in the middle of a mess

created by their Prime Minister Boris

So I am staying to support Harry Potter

against the one I think of as the Rotter.

REFOCUS ON PEACE

The political rhetoric is blazing hot

This is the time to stay steady and cool.

Not to get tied up in an angry knot

Diving instead into the peacefulness pool

we have a free ticket to ride

to that special place inside

The space between the breaths

The stillness and steadiness

of the heart.

Sometimes as I close my eyes

in the silence I feel my breathe

I hear gentle pounding of my heart

sending blood pulsing through vessels

I feel the movement.

Then I remember the translucent frog

Sticking on the window pane

its suckers on each tiny finger

looking into our room at night,

seeing its whole body pulsing too.

That same life force shared.

the frog and I

The beginning of a new musical.

TWEET TWEET

Tweet Tweet . . . Tweet Tweet

guess who?

could it be the one out of reach

the smoke alarm up over 30 feet

It is the lower one — that’s grace

now that battery I can replace

But I hear . . chirp chirp - how bold!

Of course it is nearly 6 years old

Its 5 year warranty is over

It has reached the end of its term.

Change to new technology

now with a 10 year warranty

instructions are incomplete

so again its Tweet tweet

support with a French accent

provides the secret code

and once again its silent

GOOD NEWS

There might be life on Venus’s moon

Phosgene put scientists in a swoon

Its really smelly like a fart

but at least its a good start

Thanks for listening. Look for photos on Instagram MStrasmore or on the walking poet.net. Please now enjoy Kassandra's gongs