Tracey Emin + What Is Poetry?

This post is mainly stemming from a conversation with a friend about what is art. I enjoy art as much as the next man and I fully understand that something someone finds beautiful might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Then there is Tracey Emin. I just don’t get her or her art. From the names of all the men she has slept with, to her rubbing money on her fanny, to used bloody tampons and her bed. I just don’t get it. It’s not art. If anything it is just filth.

All that aside, it got me thinking about what is poetry? This also leads back to a text conversation with my boyfriend.

Me: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal grace.

Rob: Awwwwww baby that’s so sweet

Me: I didn’t write it I don’t do love poems, lol

Rob: I guess you gotta love something to write them lol!

Me: How can you put love into words? Only a true wordsmith can. If we go by your logic, I am always depressed, contemplating suicide or lonely :/

Rob: I like that one. Is that yours?

Me: Eh? That was a text message!

Rob: Lol really? It sounded like a poem

Me: You might have made a valid point there. What is poetry? Here’s my new poem:

I
I, me, you and we
By M.W.D. Lewis 22/05/12

Rob: Yay poem yay. I love poems! I have a poem for you. Z- zoo zoo zoo we are going to the zoo O- oh yay I love the zoo O- oooooooooooooozooo

Me: That’s amazing. You need to publish it!

Rob: I know right!

 

Just because someone calls something a poem or art, is actually a poem or a piece of art? Are there certain criteria set out for these sort of things?

I Wish I Could Draw…

A lot of my friends can draw. They are generally good at art. They can draw, paint and can also write too. I’m incredibly jealous. I would love to be more creative. Unfortunately I am not blessed in any of those ways.

In fact, one of my friends is selling some of their artwork. Shameless plug: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.266760366741800.65481.206462866104884&type=3

I’ve wrote a poem on the subject too.

I Wish I Could Draw

I wish I could draw
or at least write better.
Instead I’m of no use at all.

If I were creative at least,
I could then make my peace
with the world around me.

But I’m not fit for purpose,
parts missing,
return to sender.

By M.W.D. Lewis 10/05/12

Don’t be too harsh to these poems until they’re typed. I always think typescript lends some sort of certainty: at least, if the things are bad then, they appear to be bad with conviction.
- Dylan Thomas

What do y’all think?

Renewed

The past couple of months were a hard time for me, but recently I feel renewed. I’ve dug myself out of a pit of pity and I can finally see the light at the top. I feel like everything has fallen into place. I’m going to make it out alive!

 

Who Is Your Favourite Dr. Who? (9-11)

This is the last installment of:

Mike’s 11 Doctors of Dr. Who

9. Dr. John A. Zoidberg

Clearly the most usual of all the doctors, Dr. Zoidberg is the ninth doctor.  He started out, coincidentally, as the doctor at the company Planet Express. However, after his regeneration he had many adventures, mainly travelling back in time. He helped save London from an invasion by the Autons and in Utah 2012 found that a single Dalek was being kept in a secret museum filled with alien artefacts. There, the first details of the Time War fought by the Time Lords and Daleks were revealed, and how it concluded with the mutual annihilation of both races, leaving the Doctor the last of the Time Lords. We also learn his knowledge of human anatomy and physiology is atrocious. For example, he cannot tell the difference between robots and humans (or human males and females), believes food is digested in the heart, and that humans have multiple mouths and a dorsal fin. When frightened or fleeing from danger, Zoidberg makes a high-pitched whooping sound or squirts ink at his attacker. It is soon learned that The Dalek Emperor had survived the Time War, and had rebuilt the Dalek race. To save his companion the Doctor kisses her, absorbing fatal energy that was trying to consume her. However, the damage to his cells caused him to begin the regeneration process. Finally at peace with himself, his last words are, “Rose, before I go I just wanna tell you – you were fantastic…absolutely fantastic…and d’you know what? So was I!” Immediately thereafter he regenerates into the Tenth Doctor.

10. Dr. Edward George Armstrong

The Tenth Doctor, Dr. Edward George Armstrong, was a world famous Harley Street surgeon until his alcoholism made him kill a lady in surgery. To be able to be the Tenth Doctor without arousing suspicion he fakes his own death with the help of Justice Lawrence John Wargrave on an island. After regenerating he defeats the alien Sycorax and saves Earth; in the process, he loses a hand, which regrows owing to his recent regeneration. Thought-deceased archenemy and fellow Time Lord the Master (John Simm) becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and enslaves the Doctor for one year. This doctor appears to not have a regular companion. However, He meets archaeologist and future companion River Song for the first time and she dies, but he stores her consciousness to a hard drive to live on forever, after accepting that one day she will come to mean a lot to him. The Doctor sacrifices his life to save Wilfred Mott, exposing himself to 500,000 rads of deadly radiation and triggering his regeneration. He holds it back and is shown visiting several companions.^[a] He gives Donna a winning lottery ticket on her wedding day, saves Martha and Mickey from a Sontaran sniper, saves Sarah Jane’s son Luke (Tommy Knight) from a car, introduces Jack to a romantic interest, Alonso Frame (Russell Tovey), and before regenerating into the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith), informs Rose circa 2005 that she is about to have a “great year.” As he begins regenerating, his last words are “I don’t want to go”.

11. Dr. Frank N Furter

The last and most famous of all the Doctors is Dr. Frank N Furter. Known as the ‘Sweet Transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania.’ Oringinally a crazed scientist, he embarks on the adventures as the eleventh doctor. He is tricked into spawning a new generation of Daleks and encounters an unknown force that makes the TARDIS explode, causing the universe to collapse in on itself. Though he closes the cracks—reversing their effects and preventing the explosion—the Doctor himself is erased from history. However, he remembered back into exsist with the help of his companions, Riff-Raff and Magenta. In his last appearance, Dr. Frank N Furter fully embraces his mad scientist side by moving into an old castle with a fully functioning laboratory. Becoming more insanely wild, he creates a perfect specimen of man and then murders his former love. It is at this point he meets his final enemy, Dr. Everett Scott. Paranoid, he accuses the guests he hosting of spying for Dr. Scott. Later losing control, he captures them with the Medusa Transducer, transforming them into statues. They are then forced to perform a live cabaret floor show and have an orgy in the pool, with Frank as the leader. The performance is interrupted by his companions, Riff Raff and Magenta, who stage a coup and announce their plan to return to the planet of Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania. In the process, they kill Dr. Frank N Furter and his creation.

Who Is Your Favourite Dr. Who? (5-8)

Here is the next installment of:

Mike’s 11 Doctors of Dr. Who

5. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew was one of the more creative doctors. Armed with his sidekick, known only as Beaker, he created and tested: edible paper clips, a gorilla detector, hair-growing tonic, banana sharpener, a robot politician and an electric nose warmer. In response to the ancient quest of alchemy to turn lead into gold, Honeydew created a device that turned gold into cottage cheese. Unfortunately Beaker died trying to stop a space freighter from crashing into prehistoric Earth, but The Doctor met a new companion, an alien boy stranded on Earth by the name of Vislor Turlough. However, he did not know that this companion had been commissioned by the Black Guardian to kill him. Eventually Turlough broke free from the Black Guardian’s influence and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew continued to experiment on him. After Turlough went back to his home planet, The Doctor discovered Beaker was actually still alive, through some sort of miracle. Reunited, they accidentally exposed another companion, Peri Brown, the drug spectrox in its deadly toxic raw form on Androzani Minor. After narrowly saving Peri by creating the antidote, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew decided to retire.

 

6. Dr. Hubert J. Farnsworth (Professor Farnsworth)

The Sixth Doctor was by far the oldest of all the doctors. Also known as ‘The Professor’ he was reportedly 165 years old and taught at Mars University. He also has worked for Momcorp on several occasions, but spent most of his time inventing ridiculous devices and sending the delivery crew of Planet Express, which he owns, on suicide missions. This Doctor’s regeneration was initially unstable, and he nearly strangled Peri before he came to his senses. Incredibly unpredictable, the Sixth Doctor was put on trial by the Time Lords. Completely confused by the situation, it turned out the trial was a cover-up organised by the High Council. A race from Andromeda had stolen Time Lord secrets and hidden on Earth, so in order to protect themselves the Time Lords had moved Earth through space, burning the surface in a massive fireball. On an even more confusing note, when the TARDIS was attacked by his old enemy the Rani, the Sixth Doctor was somehow injured and regenerated into the Seventh Doctor; the exact cause of the regeneration, however, has never been revealed.

7. Dr. Girlfriend

Dr. Girlfriend is the only female Doctor. Originally she was wife and assistant to the Monarch. Her real name is Sheila, although her last name is still unrevealed. Her title of doctor is honorary in nature. Her doctorate was received after donating a large sum of money to an unnamed evil college. This Doctor began taking a more scheming and proactive approach to defeating evil, using the Gallifreyan stellar manipulator named the Hand of Omega as part of an elaborate trap for the Daleks which resulted in the destruction of their home planet, Skaro. Soon afterwards, the Doctor used a similar tactic and another Time Lord relic to destroy a Cyberman fleet. Near the end of her incarnation, the Seventh Doctor was given the responsibility of transporting the remains of his former enemy the Master from Skaro to Gallifrey. This proved to be a huge mistake; despite having a limited physical form, the Master was able to take control of the Doctor’s TARDIS and cause it to land in 1999 San Francisco, where the Doctor was shot in the middle of a gang shoot-out. He was taken to a hospital, where surgeons removed the bullets but mistook the Doctor’s double heartbeat for fibrillation; their attempt to save his life instead caused the Doctor to “die” with one last shocking scream. Rumors that she is transsexual have been dispelled as a red herring.

8. Dr. Gordon Freeman

Dr. Gordon Freeman was the most physically strong of all the Doctors. A theoretical physicist, he first found himself thrust into a battle for survival against both alien and human forces. Gordon Freeman and his research team perform an experiment that inadvertently creates a dimensional rift in spacetime. Intelligent and confused alien life forms from the Xen dimension come pouring through multiple breaches inside the Black Mesa facility, attacking anything in sight. As scientific, military and civilian personnel fall under the alien onslaught, Freeman finds himself targeted not only by the xenomorphic incursion, but also the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit (HECU), a U.S. Marine Corps military force sent to contain the situation. The Doctors old enemy, The Master returns to steal the Doctor’s remaining lives, by opening the Eye of Harmony within the TARDIS, and nearly destroying the planet Earth, as people celebrated the end of the millennium. However, the Doctor foils this plan and Freeman is eventually transported to Xen. After the successful elimination of the alien leader Nihilanth, Freeman is confronted by the G-Man, who has been remotely observing Freeman throughout the entire Black Mesa incident. He shows Freeman several locations throughout Earth and Xen and offers Freeman a choice either agree to work for him and his mysterious “employers,” or be left to die on Xen. Nobody knows which choice he makes, but it leads to the Ninth reincarnation.

The last three will be coming soon!

Who Is Your Favourite Dr. Who? (1-4)

I’m not a fan of Dr. Who. Those of you who know me well, will know this already. Those of you that don’t, I understand this will be a massive shock. I don’t think there are many bloggers who are not Dr. Who fans. Yet, I’m still asked every now and then: Who Is Your Favourite Dr. Who?

Not being a fan of Dr. Who generally tends to mean I do not watch the show. I think I can only name a couple: Tom or Colin Baker, Christopher Ecclestone, David Tennant and Matt Smith? Not sure how many of those I got right, but I will check later.

Anyway, I’ve decided a better to question to answer than ‘Who Is Your Favourite Dr. Who?’ should be ‘Who is your favourite Doctor?’
And true to my bizarre style of doing things, I am going to imagine if they were the 11 doctors (I think there is 11). I’ll do it in reverse, 1. being the least favourite and 11. being my most favourite. I’ll also add a little caption about there time as ‘The Doctor’.

So here goes:

Mike’s 11 Doctors of Dr. Who

1. Dr. Harold Legg

Dr. Harold Legg’s first appearance was in Albert Square in 1985. He was rushed from his surgery to examine Reg Cox, who at the time was already dead. Being the first Doctor, he had more to do with healthcare and never abandoned his Albert Square surgery even when roaming the galaxy. He kept appointments as much as he could while he battled Daleks and the Cybermen, races that would become his most implacable foes. None of the residents he treated knew of his Time Lord status and he would often receive complaints from them about long waiting times. He went on to witness historical events such as the Reign of Terror in revolutionary France, meeting Marco Polo in China and The Aztecs in Mexico. Eventually being ‘The Doctor’ was taking it’s toll on him and he outgrew his frail body. While the second Doctor took on the life of mystery, Dr. Harold Legg went back to his life of being a GP back at his surgery in Albert Square. Retiring in 1997, he now spends his days as a recluse, although often coming back to Albert Square to relive his glory days.

 

2. Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper was one of the more boring Doctors. The BBC had sold out and interested in making a bit of money off of the Dr. Who series, they ran with the idea of Dr Pepper. Armed with the slogans, ”Just what the Doctor ordered” and “Trust me – I’m a Doctor” this Doctor was the only Doctor not to travel by TARDIS alone. He would often pack himself into an eight pack and ship himself to where he was needed. He barely spoke a word, but you could tell when he was angry as he would violently pull his own ring pull. The Doctor confronted familiar foes such as the Daleks and the Cybermen, as well as new enemies such as the Great Intelligence and the Ice Warriors. The Great Intelligence trying to steal his secret recipe and the Ice Warriors trying to freeze him. He was sentenced to exile on 20th century Earth after being found guilty of breaking the Time Lords laws of non-interference. He tried several comebacks as Diet Dr Pepper, Dr Pepper Cherry and Dr Pepper Zero, but it was too late as the third doctor had already taken over.

3. Dr. Hannibal Lecter

(No, I didn’t spell it wrong. I just prefer the Brian Cox version of the character which was called Hannibal Lecktor due to copyright issues. Check out the film Manhunter, it’s simply amazing.)

The Third Doctor was a suave, dapper, technologically-oriented and authoritative man of action. Also known as Count Hannibal Lecterr VII, he spent most of his time in exile on Earth. He was quick to criticise authority, having little patience with self-inflated bureaucrats, parochially-narrow ministers, knee-jerk militarists or red tape in general. This Doctor was more physically daring than the previous two, and was the first to confront an enemy physically if cornered. This doctor was by far the most evil of all the Doctors. After a traumatic childhood Hannibal became fascinated in cannibalism, something he would later go on to practice. He was adopted by his uncle Robert and his Japanese wife, Lady Murasaki. It was Lady Murasaki who taught him the Japanese martial art of kenjutsu, as she was descended from a house of Hiroshima Samurai. While still quite young, Lecterr, not being of sound mind, killed his first victim.He carried on his cannibalistic serial killer ways, until he was eventually caught. Secured in a high security, mental facility, this paved the way for the forth Doctor.

4. Dr. Strangelove

Dr. Strangelove, true name Dr. Merkwürdigliebe, an expert Nazi physicist, is the Fourth Doctor.  He is eager to leave Earth in favour of exploration. Travelling the galaxy and saving countless lives, this Doctor visits the Bi-Al Foundation medical centre, where he acquires the robot dog K-9. He leaves K-9 on a planet called Gallifrey but later consoles himself by building K-9 Mark II using his physicist skills. The Doctor installs a “Randomizer” which ironically sends them to the home planet of the Daleks, Skaro. Perhaps because of this, the Doctor begins frequently overriding the machine- first travelling to Paris for a holiday, only to get caught up in an alien scheme to steal the Mona Lisa. He eventually discards the device altogether, remarking that he’s fed up with not knowing where he’s going. His final and hardest mission would be the end of Dr. Strangelove. He found himself in Cold War America trying to avert nuclear catastrophe. Unfortunately, the Soviets launch a Doomsday Device that renders Earth uninhabitable for 100 years. There is a conflict as to his last words. Some believe “It’s the end– but the moment has been prepared for…” to be his final words, while others believe they were, “Mein Führer! I can walk!” This lead the way for the Fifth Doctor.

Be sure to check back for the next four

Unemployment – Week 1

I think I’m loosing the will to live. I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t stand being unemployed. It’s not the money, but I suppose I actually really liked my job and really liked doing it. And so now I have entered one of those horrible crossroads in my life. Do I carry on looking for a similar job as my last one even though the ConDem coalition is cutting jobs and trying to destroy the NHS; or do I seek a different career path?

Well, for my answer I looked to the internet. I didn’t get very far and almost immediately went off topic, but I did find this:

Well, what would Johnny Cash do? So I tried to get into his mindset. I played Johnny Cash – I Walk The Line and read him up on Wikipedia. It would seem that Johnny Cash enlisted into the army. After training he was assigned as a Morse Code Intercept Operator for Soviet Army transmissions in Germany. He was the first radio operator to pick up the news of the death of Joseph Stalin.

That’s it, I’ll move to Germany and become a Morse Code Intercept Operator. However, there isn’t a Soviet Army anymore, I think Morse Code may be a bit defunct and Stalin has already died. Getting this job might be a bit harder than me getting my preferred job. Back to the drawing board.

Then suddenly, iTunes started playing Edith Piaf – Padam Padam. Which made me think of Non, je ne regrette rien and her life. There are two similarities between Johnny Cash and Edith Piaf: a. Their love of the drink and b. Their addiction to narcotics.

I don’t have the means to support such luxuries and addictions, so I’m going to have to really rethink this whole thing. I’ll let you know if I come up with a better idea.

 

Brighton, Illness and Unemployment

As a long weekend treat, the boyfriend and I went to Brighton. It was lot’s of fun as always. Unfortunately I was ill so we didn’t get as much done. We still got a hell of a lot of drinking and clubbing done though. We even went on a Ghost Walk Tour. Of course, we had to spend nearly all our money in the arcade winning tickets for shitty prizes. With my last 10p I won 450 tickets. It was a lucky shot, but it meant that I won over Rob in how many tickets we could win!!

We even bought a scrapbook to fill up. When did I get so old and boring??

But alas, I am ill. Too ill to leave the house today. Tomorrow I will be at work til Friday. Then I am officially unemployed I suppose that is the life of a locum…

 

1 More Question

6) Ever had a poem or song written about you?
I’ve had a few things written about me. Here’s a couple:

He was a man of about average height, and perhaps as little over average build, the latter probably due to a rather close and faithful relationship with cheap alcohol. He had avoided all the shackles of higher education and found himself a less stagnant life in the world of work, where, on the whole, he flourished.

He appeared at times to have limitless energy and left his friends dumb-founded at some of his antics. At other times he could fully embrace his melancholic side and cause those around him to fret, some all the more anxiously since they were miles away and could see of him only what he chose to show them.

And yet for all his wild ways and worrying habits, his friends found that they could not abandon such a man as he. His personality was magnetic and, just like Watson to Holmes, his friends returned time and again, with anxiety and resignations, but with also a love which could not be shaken.

HannaH Crabtree
22/12/09

MDW Lewis

Laying down your thought foundations,
Building up your concrete heart.
Smelting your hardened veins,
With fires which have left their mark.

Soul Marks,
Burns and Scars,
But I can see you for what you are.

Houses, home is what you could be,
With petunias growing,
And daffodils under the apple tree.

The smell of food wafting by,
Like your laughter, likes your cries,
Tears at films, smiles at music

Playing from upstairs.
Laughter, happiness, tea, hot chocolate and good times
In the kitchen of your life,

Hugs, and sadness, with love and support,
In the dining room of your time.
Bathrooms will cleanse, and Bedrooms will please.

But only when this house is complete,
And then there’s curtains up, a few blinds.
And when you’ve put the doormat out,
You’ll invite us all home.

Sophie Constant
18/10/09

DAY 7

A Picture Of Yourself

This is a side (state) of me that is often seen. Drunken, dancing and having the time of my life. It doesn’t get any better than that. It’s no wonder I’m nicknamed Drunken Mike.

Til next time…

I’m Boring – Albert Hofmann

There is not much to report I’m afraid. So…

1) Put your iTunes on shuffle. Give me the first 6 songs that pop up.
Hey Monday – Homecoming
Ed Rush – Chubrub
Queens of the Stone Age – No One Knows
My Chemical Romance – The Sharpest Lives
Pink Floyd – Another Brick In The Wall
Evanescence – Touriquet

2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?
Jack Black

3) What do you think about most?
Plans for World Domination. I would settle for Europe though…

4) What does your latest text message from someone else say?
Back home as the buses were still running although I have wet ankles give my love to rob xx

5) What’s your strangest talent?
I have the ability to make people forget what they have done in the last ten seconds by touching their forehead. That’s a pretty odd talent, I suppose.

Day 6

A Picture That Inspires You

Albert Hofmann synthesised lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in 1938 and became the first person in the world to experience a full-blown “acid trip” – that was on April 19 1934, which became known among aficionados as “Bicycle Day” as it was while cycling home from his laboratory that he experienced the most intense symptoms.

 

High-Fiving Strangers

Last week I may have been having a rather odd week. I kept doing silly things. The most random thing was out shopping. I had just finished paying for my lunch and the guy who served men raised his hand in the air to call the next person. Unfortunately, instinctively I jumped up and high-fived him. He at first looked very shocked. Then he started to laugh and everyone around me started to laugh too. I quickly apologised and hastily made my exit. I was mortified!

DAY 5

A Picture Of Your Morning

This is my general morning. Very early, with not many people around…

Quote Of The Week

My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them.
-Winston Churchill