Thursday, 12 September 2013

Sam Harris on what an Atheist is



"The atheist is simply a person who has perceived the lies of religion and refused to make them his own"

Sam Harris - Philosopher, Neuroscientist

Tuesday, 10 September 2013

Hand Axe


In my hand an axe
That once a million years ago
My brother held


Steve D

Aug 2013

Inspired by (and dedicated to) Prof Susan Alcock of Brown University, who in the excellent Coursra MOOC "Archaeologies Dirty Little Secrets" described picking up a million year old hand axe from the surface of Jordanian desert just outside Petra.

Past


You ask who owns the past
And I say I do


Each stone axe you find
Was made to fit my hand
The painted Bison on the wall
Once roamed upon my land


I have prayed in every temple
Stood guard on every wall
I built each mighty empire
Was there to see them fall


I have served both high and mighty
A master and a slave
And fought in every battle
My name’s on every grave


I am the Rangatira
Custodian of this earth
And I am the Pakeha
Who sees another worth


But most of all I am a brother
Who shares his past with you
Who owns the past? you say
I tell you that we do.


Steve D
Aug 2013

Write a Poem



Write a poem
In under 10 minutes
Don’t worry about whether it has meaning
Or a use

But let the words fall where they may
And be satisfied that being written is enough
And when done
Do not read it
Move on

All of life should be like that


Steve D
May 2013

Virgin White



On virgin white
I scratch some lines
To make my mark
With feeble rhymes


Though lines may fade
And bones may rot
The mark remains
Where flesh does not


So when I’m dead
Please don't pray
The body’s gone
But the words will stay


Steve D
Aug 2013

Wait a minute ....



Wait a minute ….
Somethings wrong
Is this the blues or just a song?
The this blues, and the that blues
No it isn’t ….
There ain’t but one kinda blues
So said the Son


Steve D
Jun 2013


dedicated to Son House (1902-1988), a true bluesman

Taps



My taps are marked “hot” and “cold”
So I can tell, before I learn by bitter experience, which is which
Would that life had such labels


Steve D
Jul 2013

Syria




Behind the lens young men shout
“God is great”
Rockets trace their flight
Door to door
Might to right

Flames ooze from windows
Escaping murder
Reaching on
Floor to floor
Gun to Sun

But there the children melt
In mothers last embrace
Inside the burning room
Ashes to ashes
Womb to tomb

And in the sky, the pilot says
“God is great”
Drops the bomb, and that ends that
Eye for eye
Tit for tat

So on it goes
No greatness here
And on it goes the loss and fear
Life for life
Tear for tear


Steve D
Aug 2013

Swim


Swim
Swim for your life
Don’t look
Jump
Learn to be ignorant
Teach to know
Lie to be believed
Never believe
Love to feel pain
Cry to share it

Swim
Swim for your life
Swim as far as you can


Run to slow things down
Stop
Don’t look for the beginning
Find the end
Listen intently to everyone
Know who to ignore
Look in the darkness
See the light


Swim
Swim for your life
Swim as far as you can


Swim till you drown


Steve D 
July 2013

Stein



Stein is incomprehensible and in being incomprehensible Stein is
Incomprehensible Stein is being
Being Incomprehensible is Stein
Stein being incomprehensible is
Is Stein incomprehensible?
Is incomprehensible Stein?
Is being is?
Is being?
Is?

If words are wine and Stein is vine
And if Stein is vine
Then in each line
Do words flow
Words flow …
Words ….
Flow

Steve D
May 2013

A little tribute to the impossible Gertrude Stein. I have no idea what she was on about, but she still sounds great.