And below, I’ve attach the entire music/video of the ‘Leonard Cohen Memorial Concert’ from, Centre Bell, Montreal, QC, Canada | November 6, 2017. The video goes for 1 hour and 30 minutes, and is certainly well worth watching. Enjoy !!
This weekend the Photo Challenge, on Weekly Prompts is, Cover. Today I’m experimenting and trying something completely different for me. I will be attempting to produce a “Video Book Cover”…… For my readers that might not know, the third anniversary of Leonard Cohen’s passing, is on the 7th of November, and appropriately, I’m posting this article as a tribute to Leonard Cohen…. The Book Cover photos, are of the Leonard Cohen books I have in my collection here in my writers haven…..The video is short piece that I’ve created, that goes for 28 seconds, and to play the video click on the arrow in the bottom left of the frame. .. . …however despite the small duration, I am ecstatic with the final outcome of my Book –Cover
Below, I’m attaching a very recent music/video of Leonard Cohen’s brilliant poem, “Happens to The Heart”, his lyrics are superb and the visual effect of the video is definitely stunning……
Hello dear readers, I’ve been having trouble comprehending and concentrating on reading your articles/posts, of more than two stanza’s or one short paragraph in length. So my physiotherapist has given me some tasks to help improve my situation. Today I’m typing up one of favourite longer poem’s, by Leonard Cohen, called the “Ballad Of The Absent Mare”. I hope you enjoy his brilliant writing here.
Ballad Of The Absent Mare: By Leonard Cohen
Say a prayer for the cowboy, his mare’s run away
and he’ll walk till he finds her, his darling, his stray
But the river’s in flood and the roads are awash
and the bridges break up in the panic of loss
And there’s nothing to follow, there’s nowhere to go
She’s gone like the summer, she’s gone like the snow
And the crickets are breaking his heart with their song
as the day caves in and the night is all wrong
Did he dream, was it she who went galloping past
and bent down the fern and broke open the grass
and printed the mud with the iron and the gold
that he nailed to her feet when he was the lord
And though she goes grazing a minute away
he tracks her all night and he tracks her all day;
blind to her presence except to compare
his injury here with her punishment there
Then at home on his branch in the highest tree
a songbird sings out so suddenly
Oh the sun is warm and the soft winds ride
on the willow trees by the riverside
And the world is sweet and the world is wide
and she’s there where the light and the darkness divide
and steam’s coming off her, she’s huge and she’s shy
and she steps on the moon when she paws at the sky
And she comes to his hand but she’s not really tame
She longs to be lost and he longs for the same
And she’ll bolt and she’ll plunge through the first open pass
to roll and to feed in the sweet mountain grass
Or she’ll make a break for the high plateau
where there’s nothing above and there’s nothing below
And it’s time for their burden, it’s time for the whip
Will she walk through the flame, can he shoot from the hip
So he binds himself to the galloping mare
and she binds herself to the rider there
and there is no space but there’s left and right
and there is no time but there’s day and night
And he leans on her neck and he whispers low
Whither thou goest I will go
And they turn as one and they head for the plain
no need for the whip, no need for the rein
Now the clasp of this union, who fastens it tight
who snaps it asunder the very next night ?
Some say the rider, some say the mare
some say love’s like the smoke, beyond all repair
But my darling says, Leonard, just let it go by,
that old silhouette on the great Western sky
So I pick out a tune and they move right along
and they’re gone like the smoke, they’re gone like this song
Extracted from the book: Leonard Cohen, Poems And Songs, Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets
“Villanelle For Our Time”
Dear readers, if you are inclined, please read this magnificent piece, written by Leonard Cohen, a truly inspiring poem, displaying all of his brilliant craftsmanship.
From bitter searching of the heart,
Quickened with passion and with pain
We rise to play a greater part.
This is the faith from which we start:
Men shall know commonwealth again
From bitter searching of the heart.
We loved the easy and the smart,
But now, with keener hand and brain,
We rise to play a greater part.
The lesser loyalties depart,
And neither race nor creed remain
From bitter searching of the heart.
Not steering by the venal chart
That tricked the mass for private gain,
We rise to play a greater part.
Reshaping narrow law and art
Whose symbols are the millions slain,
From bitter searching of the heart
We rise to play a greater part.
Weekly Word Prompt : This week’s word prompt is : Perspective.
This is an old poem of mine, The poem “Inside Out”, is more just a rhyme and a play on a few featured words. Over the road from were I once lived, there was a furniture shop, and the advertising hoarding was, “Inside Out, Exotic Furniture”, well I was sitting there waiting for the bus, and in my minds imagination, I changed the the words to “Inside-out, Upside-down, Erotic Furniture”, and hence my little anecdote was laid…. with a totally different perspective..
Good morning dear readers, I’m not very well, a chest cough and cold, but I’ve time to recover before I fly to China on Wednesday, and today I’ve written another two Haiku for you. I’ll be fine, Cyndi’s looking after me, as soon as she finishes licking out my cereal bowl ….. I’ll rest up, listening to my music, and I sincerely recommend, you have a look at the Leonard Cohen Tribute concert, In Montreal 2017, on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSmvvUNTtTc&t=51s
Blue
Today’s deep sky blue
Warming my chest and soul too
Curing cough and flu
True, it’s a dog’s life
Who would kill a lonely cat
Peace to you and you
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 