Poems of Despair: Book III

Seventeen poems plus one: ‘Avatar’, masks symbolizing characters, hiding real faces, are often destroyed, but the spirit resembled still remains. The voice of a poet cannot be silenced, even if his books are confiscated or destroyed. In 'The Shaman's Dance' of ritualistic events pre-empt the escape of a hunted animal, but strange dreams refer to an uncertain future of man's existence. Venus of Milo appears in 'Pharaoh' through metamorphosis, art has travelled from rock caverns to the canvas of Picasso and beyond. Man has learned to fly deep into Universe, which Pharaohs believed in long ago. Words, letters, voices of endearments are tools to arrive at the fruit of love, a long road after falling in love. Many books are written about love, its disappointments make us giving up on it at times, touched upon in ‘I’m thru with Love’. In 'Sister-souls', the question arises: will a writer give-up on one of the sister’s sexual love for the sake of retaining the poet's craft? In 'Be prolific', the writer treasures an assembly of fellow writers, preferring it at times to solitude. He discovers rock art on the canvas of a painter and he asks himself if humanity wears thin in Africa. The voice of his past friend reminds him of continuing his craft. The scent of vanilla recalls the life of his past girlfriend, in 'Vanilla Scent'. A writer meets a fellow writer in a workshop and they embark together on a story they write together. ‘Julia & Ron’, recalls aspects of Romeo & Julia, but the setting surprises even the aspiring writing pair with its innate tensions of a thriller. ‘Art & Love’: A woman resorts to drink pots of black coffee, which helps her combating chronic headaches, but sleeps evades her. Her spouse sleeps well and is blessed with dreams, writing down the essence of them when he wakes. He had encountered many personal battles and he found that connecting to art has healed his wounds. Joey has kept a letter from his father and he enjoys the neat way he wrote with an ink pen. In ‘Joey & Uncle Ferry’ he undertakes a journey with his favourite uncle at an age of his budding interest in women. Uncle Ferry, the charming man greets women wherever he goes and reminds Joey of an Italian actor. When he chats up the pretty Gale sisters Joey’s sentimental education takes a big leap forward. In ‘Julia’ a writer encounters a pretty colleague during a workshop, looking for a coin that rolled below her shoes. Below the table he admires her legs and by retrieving his coin, he chafes at her feet, admiring her legs she shows off to him. Zan falls in love with her as she has a specific talent expressing her feelings in her writings. In ‘Erotic Thrill’ the writer muses about taboos and violence, recalling movies about the theme. He meets a woman poet, observes her, circling her seat like a bird of prey and imagines how he would seduce her. Mick, the despotic stepfather destroys with his egotistic ignorance a family, in ‘Busted Family’. A poet meets his girlfriend at her apartment, she has furnished with arts and crafts, paintings, books and a collection of great musical CD’s. As he wishes to celebrate with her a great evening of music and common readings, she falls silent, having come across her last manuscript. In ‘Au Revoir’ a concert replays time and again in a young
man’s head. He recalls his student days in Paris, when, short of funds, he could not invite his favourite girl to a dance. His friends chipped in as he decided to see the life work exhibition of Miro, one of his favourite artists. They take him on a tour to some famous cafes and haunts of artists and writers.