The Tower of Song

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With more skat
than a stray cat
can poke his eyeballs at
the punk
in the Midnight Choir
starts to twist and shout
Yet …
the All in All
all too beautiful
for even a bird on a wire
to sing about
Like that
concert hall in Vienna
where your lips
were so warm and wet
Getting a feel
of the real deal
… that love thing
Upon a mission
a royal commission
seeking foremost
the rock solid Kingdom
It all starts from within
Seizing the living moment
Best be in it
to win

And Leonard Cohen
he’s moved on
to the Tower of Song

To find truth
without love
or at least a trace
of faith and hope
like trying to climb
the highest peak
of Mount Everest
naked
without oxygen
or even a rope
Not saying it can’t be done
but man …
sounding much like
a clanging gong
in the Temple
of a world gone wrong
Or have I found
that love thing?
From the mire
of the dire basement
that we’re standing in
try as you might
to sight the heavens
across the endless skies
Far better
in the light
seeing the world
through heaven’s eyes
Heart and Soulful
Holy Mindfulness
is the rightful place
where we all belong

And Leonard Cohen
he’s moved on
to the Tower of Song

I too
have tried
in my way
to be free
If it be your will
then let it be
Yet
here on earth
they sentenced me
to forty years of mayhem
for spying
the celebrants
of sin
Tell me
where does
this world end
and the next begin?
Because
I don’t like your
toxic culture mister
And I don’t like
the choir
you’re singing in
I don’t like Big Brother’s
twisted little sister
The King
of everything
He’s coming back
He’s coming to reward them
The King of hearts
and minds
the Prince of Peace
returning
But first
we seek the Kingdom
Then let freedom ring

And Leonard Cohen
he’s moved on
to the Tower of Song

I’ve been buried
and I’ve been dug up
I call it grace amazing
You called it dumb luck
And thank you
for those items
that you sent me
The stone monkey
and the ink
under my skin
I’ve tunnelled
towards the light
and now I’m ready
First
we occupy the Kingdom
then
let the revolution begin

Yes … Jesus was a sailor
when he walked upon the water
Seeking the lost at sea
and the drowning
The stranger
the gambler
and me

And Leonard Cohen
he’s sailing on
to the Tower of Song

Through all
the rise and fall
the pulp fiction
from hell’s kitchen
I really like
to walk
that tightrope, baby
I really like
to hear
those Sirens sing
But to see that nightmare
of deception
prowling through creation
Jesus told us
yes he told us
Kingdom starts with

Remember me?
I use to to live
without rhyme or reason
Remember me?
I plugged your Hi-Fi in
You loved me as a loser
You’d hate
to ever see me win
With Christ Jesus
my ship has finally
come in
No longer tied
to a kitchen chair
With a Glory
and a broken Hallelujah!
But first
we take the Kingdom
Losing it all to win

And Leonard Cohen
he’s moved on
to the Tower of Song

I’m counselled
by a whisper
from the heavens
Once I was blinded
by visions in a spin
Now it’s …
So long Chicken Maryland
That frozen turkey
who nearly did me in
For now I’m guided
by the beauty of creation
and a thirst
for the Kingdom
where I first heard
those angels sing
Jesus told us
yes he told us
Kingdom begins within

And Leonard Cohen
he’s singing along
from the Tower of Song

~ by David B. Redpath © 2017-20

Artwork;
‘La Musica Sacra’
~ by Luigi Mussini

Photography:
David B. Redpath © 2017-20

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6,405 thoughts on “The Tower of Song”

  1. the vulnerable link in the behavioral chain
    mechanics of youth
    anxieties
    that turn into aggression
    outside the gates
    the smell of placenta
    budding
    animals in human condition
    too weak to struggle
    afraid of God

    Like

    1. on the way to school
      little Lolita
      the next-door neighbour’s
      stented daughter
      reached over
      felt my leg
      undid my seatbelt
      and said that she’d love
      to stealth me
      and not to make her beg
      having no idea
      what she meant
      I went ahead
      purely out of curiosity
      now I know
      if you’re going to stealth
      some unexpecting body
      you’re gonna need a stent
      consequently
      I feel so guilty
      for getting her there late
      tomorrow
      we’ll have to
      leave for school
      nice and early

      Like

    2. The [reverent] fear of the LORD
      [that is, worshiping Him and
      regarding Him as truly awesome]
      is the beginning
      and the preeminent part of wisdom
      [its starting point and its essence],
      And the knowledge of the Holy One
      is understanding
      and spiritual insight.

      Proverbs 9:10 Amplified

      Like

  2. angry—–given rocks to grow trees
    chew tobacco and sit on the porch
    poets say “indifferent passage”
    genitals wreathed in lichen
    no babies being made
    Picasso with his unpainted self
    patina on his backside
    his thumb latch
    aged/worn

    Like

    1. I was laundering my proceeds of
      crime through the collection tray
      at the Church of the Poison Mind
      till one day the Priest of Yeast said
      no more of your nickel and dime
      come back when either you’ve hit
      the big time or done some hard time
      as not all who wander are lost and
      the evidence of your existence is so
      hard to find and we need you to be a
      model example of a disciple sublime

      Like

  3. I thought I was in America
    but when I stepped outside
    and saw my means of transportation
    my knees buckled and I shed a tear or two
    at the train station I noticed Mr. Pierre Curie
    he was having great difficulty with his suitcases
    my mind was flooded with images of his raw penis
    they say that when he pulled back his foreskin for a piss
    a terrible thing happened, precious layers of flesh slipped off

    Like

    1. I spent decades
      smuggling toxic waste
      concealed
      in tins of baby formula
      into China
      spent fuel rods
      from Fukushima
      were particularly popular
      my very best customers
      would use them to fabricate
      outdoor furniture
      to be exclusively exported
      back to the West
      there is a time and a place
      for finding it hilarious
      when layers of flesh slip off
      especially when it’s a fat
      decadent capitalist
      having a nice outdoor rest
      in the dysfunctional U.S.

      Like

  4. pOETRY wORKSHOP
    ———-
    ———-
    light beams in poetry trying to escape
    having trouble paying rent to gravity
    (gravity is a serious landlord)
    slow moving Leonard Cohen
    God changed his weight
    took him away
    unaffected
    by gravity
    but bent

    Like

  5. being well-behaved
    light tonight kissing light from the past
    ghost images in the sky, funky dinosaurs
    memory of motion is a question mark
    memory of sound, not so much
    thinking of Nick Cave
    dilations/emissions
    loyal to gravity

    Like

    1. was Aaron Carter
      held under by gravity
      along with Whitney Houston
      that bathtub in California
      must be overflowing
      with dead celebrities
      Dolores O’Riordan
      didn’t drown in style
      drunk in the tub
      at the Placebo Hilton
      she was eaten
      by the Werewolves of London
      being such a juicy cranberry
      not by a Zombie
      as that would be so common

      Like

      1. just your Irish luck
        Dolores has recently
        lost a lot of weight
        not wanting to racially profile
        but the Irish do love a drink
        and to fight
        as long as it’s with the English
        then that’s alright

        Like

  6. Recently I’ve noticed that couples in movies
    make love with their underwear on
    the female is always on top
    tonight’s movie
    the couple were fully dressed
    blue jeans and tee shirts
    the woman was on top
    I think their hearts ticked
    at a different rate of speed
    sex fully clothed
    could be a form of birth control
    or a byproduct of deceleration

    Like

    1. The Cavity of Creativity
      Temporarily
      Freed From Gravity

      It has ever been thus
      teens in blue jeans
      rutting fully dressed
      the full appreciation
      of nakedness
      is a progression
      touched
      by the painter’s brush
      intercourse can bring out
      the artist in all of us
      the physical poetical
      transcended
      to the spiritual
      when love is the pinnacle
      rather than just
      the biological gratification
      of a clandestine rush
      working hard
      on the big bang
      for that extreme
      state of satisfaction
      takes commitment
      and dedication

      Like

  7. I have trouble with Reader’s Digest
    simple mind games
    soon
    no need to get naked
    NO this goes in there
    just rub a minute or two
    ALWAYS with her on top
    (female must appear to dominate)
    no need to remove clothing
    no need to orgasm
    just go through the motion
    jump off and return to the screen
    love has nothing to do with sex in the movies
    love has very little to do with romance
    ————
    ————
    “sometimes a good pair of gloves
    are more important than love”
    ……………Robert Frost

    Like

      1. I too have no tattoos
        or any piercings
        not even a nose ring
        around Placebo Town
        where most do their best
        to look like a circus clown
        or the bride of Frankenstein
        exhibits usually seen
        only on a the ghost train
        I don’t mean
        to appear queer
        but just think
        of the money I’m saving!

        Like

    1. they call the wind
      Nicole
      the rats of Pensacola
      are scurrying down a hole
      where nothing is really sacred
      take care Michael
      best not go naked
      into the tempest
      as they call the wind
      Nicole

      Like

  8. the exit from Eden, unspeakable
    the Daddy-World of God
    where was mother ?
    —————everyone thinks of Eve
    —————everyone thinks of Eve
    (one): Adam had his serpent between his legs
    (two): Eve was Adam with her serpent on the inside

    Like

  9. NOT LOVING BACK ENOUGH
    happiness, prelude to suffering
    butterflies collected for the museum
    small children with birthdays
    adults with death dates
    (drinking wine purchased at a gas mart)
    at the Museum of Death
    people have sex without nudity
    people kiss and never touch lips
    lesbians ricocheting

    Like

    1. In Placebo Town
      there’s nowhere left
      to bury the dead
      since the cemetery
      was turned into a car park
      a sky burial or cremation
      is now your only option
      to go up in flames
      or be dismantled by strangers
      and fed to the vultures
      in Placebo Town it’s all the same
      no waiting in line
      for the Grim Reaper to step in

      Like

      1. nude children on the edge of the road/near the railroad tracks
        tourists from NYC eyeballing autumn colors/hypnotized by sativa
        stop and give them coins/cough drops/photographing their urinary tracts
        as if they were feeding zoo squirrels outside the larger mammal enclosures

        ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++fell asleep (+)

        Like

      2. Salt Fat Acid Heat
        after cooking the vodka
        my favela
        an animal enclosure
        where mammals meet
        has gone under
        thanks to Boris Pasternak
        dreaming of Amber
        seducing Taylor Swift
        young and sweet
        the very best of the U.S.
        poets and romance
        Boris Pasternak
        and John Keats jealous
        Salt Fat Acid Heat
        forever in their short pants

        Like

  10. a troupe of Rajasthani puppeteers
    were knocking on doors
    in my neighborhood
    warning us of the
    S-T-O-R-M
    tourists
    were purchasing exit tickets
    criminals wearing rubber waders
    had bogus rolls of rainbow tickets
    congested nose flute-players
    outside the weed outlet
    my night porter and I
    painting portraits

    Like

    1. being a roadie
      for the Strolling Bones
      a Placebo Town tribute band
      is not easy
      the pay is lousy
      and the groupies
      are all old and wrinkly
      I’ve recently done my back
      having to carry Charlie Watts
      in and out of the truck
      and Brian Jones
      never bothers to thank me

      Like

  11. the body of Charlie Watts
    phallic and vaginal
    sexually sewn
    personality
    dehydrated
    (apparent failure)
    family wished him buried under rubbish
    unanswered drum related questions
    Dollar Store replacement
    Mick Jagger pockets
    the extra cash

    Like

  12. pOETRY wORKSHOP
    was cancelled due to the storm
    tonight’s guest speaker was Woody Guthrie
    damn
    I had 101 questions
    when does one get to entertain a folk balladeer ?
    a man as anti-mattress as one can be
    a man who refused to remove his boots
    after being arrested
    the police claimed that his boots were subversive
    they cut them off and he spent two months in the hospital

    Like

    1. Heroes
      they all end up
      face down on a gurney
      in a Placebo Town hospital
      and then sentenced
      to Poetry Workshop
      as punishment
      for the crime of existence
      yet Woody Guthrie
      and his mahogany guitar
      that killed fascists
      live on in song
      Gloria in Excelsis
      Ron DeSantis should be
      spending some quality time
      with Woody Guthrie

      Like

    1. According to
      Brian Nostradamus
      the other Placebo Town prophet
      Ron DeSantis is
      the Praying Mantis of Babylon
      who rips the heads off
      lesbian librarians
      His personal dominatrix
      being the only exception

      Like

  13. Jerusalem, the half-brother of Rome
    secret passengers from above
    desiring visible geography
    Adam and Eve pampered
    exit stations all about
    a safe distance from
    forbidden curiosity
    wide open thighs

    Like

    1. Copernicus taught me that
      Jerusalem is the centre
      of the Earth 🌍 . . . but then
      he also said that the Sun ☀️
      is the centre of the Universe.
      Copernicus is now buried deep
      in a labyrinth under the Vatican
      after saying that the virgina is
      a gateway for space exploration.

      Like

      1. WORDS LEFT AS TESTAMENT
        avert thy eyes from the mountain
        the world is your home
        the task of averting
        avenues at the library:
        (+) hardness of heart
        (+) darkening of the mind
        temporal things with a marching band inside
        Michael with a veil/a Moses veil
        (+) the fear of nostalgia/the fear of NO RETURN

        Like

      2. I AM THE CHARCUTIER
        amongst the cannibals
        The Hannibal Lecter
        of Woetry Porkshop
        where the Diamond Dogs
        of Doggerel bark non-stop
        and the Meat Eaters
        of Har Məgīddō are keen
        to meet and greet you
        I AM THE ANTIPASTO
        of Placebo Town
        who brings down
        the wrath of Charcuterie
        from Mount Salami
        as hungry creatures
        of unnatural obesity
        howl at a Harvest Moon
        All humanity will soon
        be on my Unholy Menu
        so bring a sharp knife
        a fork and a dessert spoon

        Like

  14. one must accept
    and work upon it
    one tries to ignore the distortions
    the balancing of values
    the misery crowd
    Taylor Swift
    and her rapid sales
    number one
    fallen and degenerate
    a lovely girl
    with her transplants
    a pelvis
    like a lawn chair

    Like

  15. ARTWORK:
    an imperfect disguise
    of our lowest appetites
    (precepts of nature and reason)
    fellow-creatures
    ——————
    ——————
    at the library
    Taylor Swift
    can be found
    under
    (A) infantile
    (B) infantile
    (C) infantile

    Like

  16. nothing beyond decency and cleanliness
    a fancy clockwork pelvis
    not the common
    folding lawn
    chair
    during sleep
    they remove
    any and all embryo
    Ms. Taylor on stage/on tour
    Ms. Taylor free of corrosion

    Like

    1. Ever since Prospero the Magician
      was canonised as the Patron Saint
      of Placebo Town there’s been a
      brooding tempest threatening to
      bring civilisation crashing down.
      Even his fortress at Mar-a-Lago
      can not keep Prospero’s daughter
      safe and sound as Miranda has a
      most desirous ass which Caliban
      longs to pound.
      Prospero had promised Ariel his
      freedom but he should never have
      trusted a double dealing Magician
      and his pledge to make Atlantis
      great again.

      Like

      1. ASS POUNDING
        time-space continuum
        South Florida
        the guy at the gas station
        suggested that if one was going to do the deed
        one would need space and time
        maidens praying that despicable seed travelleth elsewhere
        ————-
        ————-
        hanging out with coitus experts
        a circle of anthropologists
        guilty men and women
        kings and queens of stereotypes
        divergencies of the sexual jungle
        (+) mutual participation

        Like

      2. COITUS SEXSPURTS
        love Island participants
        tattooed genitals
        and pierced nipples
        pounding the celebrity pavement
        spreading syphilitic ignorance
        non-binaries in the short pants
        of client-server architecture
        Bruce the Boss salivates
        over the body of Taylor Swift
        claiming her music made him do it
        all the world is a stage
        Placebo Town is now a circus
        floating upon a human cesspit
        COITUS SEXSPURTS
        over a holographic Elvis
        but nothing ever sticks
        endlessly hitting the ground
        as everthing comes too easy
        in a seedy sleazy Placebo Town

        Like

      3. Tay Tay ain’t no Debbie Harry

        “Once I had a love
        and it was a gas
        Soon turned out,
        it was a pain in the ass
        Seemed like the real thing
        only to find
        Mucho mistrust,
        love’s gone behind (Ouch!)”

        Like

    1. I almost married a lesbian
      why not
      as she promised
      to share everything
      but I had second thoughts
      she was keen
      the bridesmaids were to be
      a few of her ex girlfriends
      and an overweight drag queen
      all dressed up
      as the Village People
      pole dancing and prancing
      about the Mormon chapel
      the guests no doubt
      would’ve been
      Placebo Town’s finest
      and best dressed deviants
      we loved each over so much
      you could say we were
      the perfect match
      plus her family was rich
      her daddy was a judge
      and her mother
      had a permanent case
      of that seven year itch
      she wanted me to scratch
      it’s not that we were out
      to fool anyone
      she loved to make love
      . . . mostly with women
      perhaps one day she hoped
      to have my children
      but we were just too young
      so we ended up
      as very good friends
      who like to have fun

      Like

  17. God divides the waters:
    (+) men who marry lesbians
    (+) men who do not
    ———-
    ———-
    God commands the lesbians
    to become librarians
    ———-
    ———-
    every two miles
    man constructs
    another library
    each library has secret doors
    doors of domination/subordination
    bathroom stalls where males can experience
    the “one flesh” of Genesis/the myth-bone in the hole

    Like

  18. Readers’s Digest people talk of mountains
    and precious stones, diamonds, gold and silver
    ———————no talk of the myth-bone
    ——————————————–
    ——————————————–
    with restricted vocabulary
    Father reminds his male children
    that he has loaned them the gift of penis

    Like

  19. grief for the common human
    wears away over time
    forever aching
    dissolves
    in booze
    drugs
    sex
    PLACEBO TOWN
    where people
    still measure and weigh
    long standing grief and agony
    grooms gather in the Honeymoon lobby
    and share grief that resembles their own

    Like

    1. Michael Jackson married
      Lisa Marie Presley
      so to have sex with Elvis
      by proxy . . . but when
      it came to the honeymoon
      he just couldn’t do it
      no fitting in
      no going through with his plot
      to seed the first of a new breed
      a King of both Rock and Pop
      leaving poor Lisa Marie
      to call Michael the King of Flop
      as she took it personally
      when he just couldn’t get it up

      Like

  20. Eve with the internal serpent was intelligent
    Adam made from clay was more short school bus
    he occupied his time with naming things
    secretly, he pondered how nice it would be
    if Eve was a man
    (+) a nameless angel whispered in his ear
    “ask God for a replacement”

    Like

    1. Walking past the slave markets,
      at Canary Wharf, I spied Taylor
      Swift being auctioned off to
      whoever was the highest bidder.
      A rather undignified affair as they
      forced her to take her clothing off
      so the crowd could see what was
      underneath. Many of the bidders
      then insisted on touching her and
      examining her teeth. Even the old
      auctioneer couldn’t keep his hands
      to himself. Needless to say I didn’t
      place a bid as I’ve already slaves
      aplenty, and not enough money
      as that wench ended up fetching
      a king’s ransom. Talking about
      rampant inflation!

      Like

      1. small talk on the couch
        Bono drooling
        on Taylor Swift’s lap
        and itching
        his egotesticle rash
        Graham Norton scratching
        the surface
        of subliminal existence
        talking complete crap
        whilst squawking like a duck
        that doomsday cult
        of self indulgent celebrity
        realising they are but
        the painted face of humanity
        tells me that this planet
        is seriously fucked

        Like

  21. while in Eden
    Adam found sex to be a chore
    being made from clay
    he had very little respect
    for friction
    Eve who had an enlarged clitoris
    found friction to be her best friend
    she wanted Adam to make haste
    enough was never enough

    Like

  22. paralleling my affiliation with Taylor Swift
    drinking from a jelly-glass
    unplugged
    in the burial ground
    dead people trying to repress libidinal drives
    educated people trying to fasten onto language

    Like

  23. THE OPENING OF THE GATES OF DESIRE
    gateway to the woman part
    ——waiting——
    men dead from hunger
    men dead from advanced age
    Death has zero tolerance
    (+) marriage on the cross is its own thing

    Like

    1. after completing
      an exhaustive mineral survey
      on the isthmus of Tay Tay
      a promising outcrop of rock
      turned out to be nothing but pop
      glittering quartz
      without an ounce of gold in it
      just a sliver of silver
      pulsating around a quivering clit
      at an overpriced concert
      where is that Night Porter
      when you really need a big hit
      of chemical excitement?

      Like

  24. The Rolling Stones
    servile in mind
    sloathful
    of body
    genders on stage
    corruption
    perversity
    numb
    in all directions
    no need for orgasm
    just sing an old ditty
    “Jagger sperm like snail snot
    daddy is cold and momma is hot”

    Like

  25. people on the beach late at night
    pitch black outside
    they frolic in the
    WATER
    they are from outer space
    watched too many movies
    were front seat on the small bus
    outsiders may lack definitions
    locals not so much
    fear needs no
    introduction

    Like

  26. rumor:
    they dug Charlie Watts up
    so Mick could remove his pinkie ring
    the grave does not deny the debt to be satisfied
    Mister Death does not knock
    poverty begs entrance
    all of Mick’s children
    have six fingers

    Like

    1. to be simply human
      like Bill Wyman
      would be a blessing
      to quit the band
      before the shit hits the fan
      as Jerry Hall discovers
      that Mick is an alien
      and Keith Richards
      eats young children
      to keep himself
      looking young
      now look at him
      he must be starving!

      Like

    1. Galadriel, the Lady of the Wood,
      once offered to translate the lyrics
      of Taylor Swift so they could be understood, as they all sounded
      Elvish to me, After saying not to
      bother, I thanked her from the
      bottom of my heart for her gift of
      a perpetual elvish rod of magical
      mallorn wood (the hardest wood
      to be found in Middle Earth) from
      the Lothlórien Forest. Of much
      greater use than a Swiss Army
      pocket knife. Especially when you’re
      dealing with the likes of Taylor Swift.
      Hard as that may be for an old White
      Wizard such as me!

      Like

  27. the monotonous pleasure of Taylor Swift
    fold her up, unfold her, admire that Maytag pelvis
    coming, going, the tug of her judicious female canal
    —-appreciation of her is not in itself enough—-

    Like

  28. I am crude
    sleep in crudeness
    a tainted white American
    nesting in Placebo, Palm Beach
    just a short float from rural Hades
    (+) how many brushstrokes from eternity ?
    far from the crowds
    happy with my
    night porter
    (+) constantly metamorphosing experiences
    standing naked by the road taking handouts

    Liked by 1 person

  29. a black Santa
    never saw a black Santa
    requesting a black Santa
    ———————is that like a punch in the snoot ?
    (Q.) the cost of allowing evil to exist
    (A.) heat from Hell welds our randomness

    Like

    1. Black Friday is upon us!
      Who to sacrifice
      upon the flames of randomness
      in the Mall that welds us all
      to the heat of Hell’s Marketplace?
      Given a choice … Taylor Swift
      as it’s too late for Robert Frost

      Like

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