On the importance of being here and there

The hand that has been here for a while equals the primal rush of blood to your head when you first opened your very eyes to this World.  I guess you know that already, dude, I am almost sure.  But hey, listen carefully, today is your lucky day, don’t forget that, today is the best day of your life, the past is gone and the future unwritten so focus clearly in the now and wave your hand, feel how every cell which is you is alive as well…, and kicking, fell your body, your brain working overtime, you soul expanding all your energy towards the universe.  

It’s high time for a new revelation, get ready for the ride:

Absurb thing that really really matters nº 11

When you think are here you are as well there.  And that’s alright, unless you get it all wrong and take for granted the whole game of Creation.  You play here, yes, but you are really there, so there is here, and here is…, well, seems to be here but is nowhere because it’s a fake, a mighty hoax, but a wonderful and lovely hoax nevertheless.  So what are we expected to do?, you might ask, well, nothing really and everything you feel like at the same time, that’s the never-ending paradox of being born into this world.  You are here but you are really there, you belong to both places for a time but the you who is really you knows better, the answer to this conundrum cannot be exposed in words, languages cannot grasp even the gist of it all.  

Get drunk, it may help, or don’t, it’s a waste of time after all.

Myself I need just now Chicken Curry, so I’d better call it a day and have a rest…

More from me in a fortnight

On the importance of growing a new set of eyes

This is just a non-real study of the heart.  You see, I’ve been silent for a life but it feels like seconds in my mind.  Some days you feel like dying, others you just die, without drama, without regret, in a glorious, even positive, sleigh of hands, or rather in a sort of minimalistic way.  The poet in you appears out of the blue to state effortlessly your true self.  Just that, no big deal, my pal.  When you die to the world you start living in a different realm, your heart may keep on beating (that its function after all) and you realise that you are not there anymore but you ARE there in a new flesh and blood, in a new mind, with a new set of eyes for you to relish the wonders of the world.

This is what I want to share with you today…

Absurd thing that really really matters nº 10

The eyes

in you

are not you

but nevertheless

what you

decide to see

with those eyes

is what you’ll become

a second afterwards

as matter of fact.

See you in a couple of weeks with more wisdom from within.

On the importance of accepting the life you are leading

My ex-wife, Aleesha, came to me yesterday and, with a dismal and forlorn gaze in her eyes abruptly spat it out: "Daniel, my life is shit".  I kind of got caught unawares and just gave her a warm hug, then I just said, "welcome to my world".

Let's put this clear from the very beginning, my life has been shit since I have any glimpse of recollection.  Put other words, my life has ALWAYS been shit.  Maybe that's the reason why I decided to become both a Teacher and a Poet.  But that's a long story, and long stories are to be told little by little.

Therefore, just now I wanted to share with you all one more revelation, this time in the shape of a poem.  I hope you enjoy and get some wisdom out of it.  This is how it goes...

Absurd thing that really really matters nº 9

Accept your life even if it sucks, after all is the only life you have...

THE STORY SO FAR

by Daniel Winterbottom, poet of the things that matter

for my ex-wife Aleesha, who came from Indonesia to share a new light with me

This is my story so far,

this is my life,

utterly normal,

common, ugly and sad,

my life,

just that,

nothing special or exciting,

nothing to write home about,

nothing, really, worth mentioning,

a dull, regular-size, pathetic life,

my life,

my story,

this is what and who I am,

this is it,

trust me,

there is nothing else behind,

just a normal, common life,

my life,

my story,

my dearest heart of hearts,

and the rest is still unwritten

and it  may be not so common,

so utterly dismal,

but I couldn’t care less,

trust me,

it is not that I like what and who I am,

it is more simple than that,

it is that I am what and who I am,

just that,

and I write poems

and I drink beer

as I leave my past behind,

but what about you, bro?

would you care to tell me

the story of  your

common, sad, pathetic life

so far?

I lend you my ear,

as always,

and I’ll always lend you

my heart.

On the importance of being born into this world

I promise I am (almost) human...

I was born in Sligo a cold Winter night of 1973, I was born there because I didn’t have anything else to do or go that very night and therefore I found it appropriate to get born once and for all.  I was just wasting my time in the netherworld and thus I said to myself “you, wake up, and do something, have a life, get a god, learn to play the lute…) 

My father, the head honcho of a folksy band, was at the time in a gig in Galway but when he heard about my unexpected arrival, left his bass guitar and jumped into the car to get to the hospital asap.  My mother, a Spanish emigrant in the Emerald country since she was 21, was caught by surprise in her sleep.  She was pregnant, alright, but I was not suppose to come so soon, but, well, I just got bored and wanted to have my share of worldly experience just like everybody else.  I quickly made a few phone calls, got to talk with the big Dude up there and finally was given the go-ahead to start afresh in Ireland.  A wonderful country all in all, even today I do miss my land with all my heart.

That’s the way how I got to be born all of a sudden, how I was located into this crazy world of us.  And to be sincere, from my first minute on earth, I learnt how to be human the hard way, since I slipped out the Doctor’s hands and into de freezing floor in the twinkling of an eye.  Nice way to start, don’t you think? With a mighty bump on your head, a hideous red mountain-like bump just in the middle of your bald head.  Goodness me!  That was a superb ride into the unknown and the unknown was hard and menacing, I can tell you that much.

Therefore, I got to learn my first “absurd thing that really really matters”, which is:

Absurd thing that really really matters nº 8

Never hit your own head with anything hard.

The thing is that hard things hurt.  Soft things may hurt as well, that’s for sure, but they are inoffensive when compared to the hard stuff our material world is made of.  Have a go, take a feather and attack yourself viciously, so savagely as you might, you’ll see you’ll come out of the experience unscathed (other wise you are definitely a lost case to this world), but imagine you do the same with a sledgehammer.  I know it’s obvious…, but it seems that we never learn this lesson right.  We keep on banging our head onto the manifold surfaces of this hard reality we call “the outside world”.  

And into the bargain and which is even more important, this lesson applies as well to feelings. Didn’t you realise?  You should know by now, dude, you should really know.  Hard feelings hurt, soft feelings heal.  But we tend to have our hearts and minds choked to the brim with the hardest feelings we can treasure: hate, fear, anger, anxiety… 

At least I got this first lesson clear my very first minute on earth…, but I was too young to realise, of course, and was unable to remember this until I came, as well quite unexpectedly, into my 17^th birthday (one day I was 14 and just afterwards I was 17, missing all of a sudden the rest of my birthday presents, which was really a bore!!!).

But that is another story and today I do not have time to keep on going.  I’d better now stop my rambling; I have more serious concerns to deal with…

I’ll be back to you anon.

On flying without wings and loving the enemy within

After the dim silence, my frail voice can be heard in the distance again. For a while, a light was lit right between my very eyes. Therefore, I did think I was to be forever enlightened. But then, the dismal winds of sadness turned up totally unexpected to wreak havoc and turn apart the seams of stars that protected my life within its brand-new sheath. I was left stark-naked again. And I cried for a million years and the salty flavour of my cheeks brought a hungry animal near me to lick me clean of all my sins. And I was, after all, on my feet once more, ready to hit the road and face the world alike. And thus a new secret was fully revealed to me, and here I am passing you the information. Hope you can make some sense out of it…

Absurd thing that really really matters nº 7

You can fly,
brother,
you were always
made to fly,
it is just that
you prefer to deny
the beauty
in you,
the starry skies
that pervade
your very soul;
but look,
nothing can prevent
you from reaching
up and starting to fly.
You can fly,
no wings required,
wings are for less
sublime creatures
than you are,
and you, precious
heart of hearts,
you are the light
that never fades,
the beacon in the night
that always shines
as far as far can be.
And when you fly,
brother,
when you fly
you love,
no matter how,
you are love itself
flying around
without wings,
you are the first man
treading on earth,
the ultimate weapon,
Achilles’ last stand.
And when you fly
and you love
the enemy within
becomes your
very soul.
And there’s no stopping
you from there,
the sky is the limit.

Therefore, brother of mine,
learn to fly
without wings
and love
the enemy within
and life will
be as sweet
as the sweetest
of lives can be.

I’ll be waiting
for you
to walk together,
hand in hand,
into our promised land.

Nothing else in front,
even less behind.

The hideous snot in the sky and the pig that could fly

There can't be no doubt about this fact: there is always an equal amount of vanity to the reality of the frog that always intended to run free from home. No wonder you are now as spurious as a spurious potato can be. Come on in, man, a final spurt is what is required to become one of the hollow men, half man, half straw..., beautiful, isn't it?

An so, crossing the river, I came to the conclusion and the conclusion came to me.

Let's cut a long story short:

Absurd thing that really really matters nº 6

Whenever a wall is about to fall on you, there is another wall to be erected right within your heart. Therefore, your very soul will never crumble and your very eyes will shine on forever. What a relief, right? That should take a heavy burden off your shoulders. You can always foster your crazy ideas come hell or high water, stick to your guns and all. Your most humble skirmish will see you through fields of emptiness without a complaint being uttered. Welcome home, no wall will be again higher than your mighty shadow at evening, no door too wide, no window too shallow.

Let me take your hand now that you know how it is to find your inner strenth to carry on.

I love you so, you love me so, so let's love and toast our new found victory in champagne.

Tomorrow is a new day and today, whoever knows.

One for the road

As the saying goes "one more for the road and you'll turn into a hairy toad"..., and the saying, needless to say, is always right. Remember to give the devil his due or you'll be facing serious problems here, brother...

this is the final truth, you are an avestruz.

Today's revelation comes loud and easy. This is as clear as it gets as it is specially FOR YOU.

Listen well, stay put and do not forget to turn the lights off when you are done.

Absurd thing that really really matters nº 5

Whenever you really put your foot in it, try to use Litvaski's method of "eeeerrr, sorry, not my fault, I've just arrived and the mess was already here": give a blank stare, mumble some fairly incoherent sounds, show some of your most disgusting spittle in the corner of your mouth and smile, ALWAYS SMILE. Then, as calmly as possible, you are to stand on your very own feet, breathe deeply and utter the following sentence "C'mon, one for the road just to be properly loaded". The rest is no longer on your dirty hands. The Universe will take care of the whole thing from then onwards, the Universe and, this is not to be discarded, maybe the Police. All you have to do is to apply your buttocks to some firm surface and get yourself some cold beer. As easy as that, there's nothing else to do here, really, do not let yourself be fooled again with imaginary pleasures. All there is to be concerned about is the road ahead and the road behind. Therefore, if you decide to make a last stand where you are, the road will become your home and your home your very Hell on earth. Is there anything else to pray for in this world? I guess not.
This is absurd, yes, totally mumbo-jumbo, I know, a scrumptious snack of reallity, that is. Being as unlucky at cards as unlucky I am in love, there is nothing else for me to say. At leat for another two weeks.
Yes, you expected to get something out of my speech, you, fool, there is nothing to expect. What you see is what you get, I've told you so a thousand times or more.

Time to get back to..., I might as well stay here till dawn. But well, I feel like sleeping myself to death....

Please do not bang the door close and don't bother to say goodbye, will you.

On the importance of using the proper pair of shoes

Have you ever thought about how important it is to use the right pair of shoes on your feet? Really, this is something to ponder about for hours on end, trust me, I'm telling you stories you've never heard of before. I am the master of a thousand faces and the silent guitar. I am the void in your groins, the subtle caress of the nordic wind in your very eyes. After me, there is nothing, before me, just the stars.

My winter ass todays is really something. Whatever may befall, I'll come to take you home tonight. Then, we can kiss our goodbyes, make love, smoke some dope, you name it. Whatever happens, it happens for good, doesn't it? Have it your own way. I am a connoisseur of the darkness, a true expert in the shadows that come, a wraith, nothing else...

But come, I don't intend to keep you on tenterhooks. Lest I am chided by your mighty heart. Chilblains are always a dreadful thing to suffer, are they not? Being a hireling myself, I respect just the people I am doing their nasty job for. I am no fledgeling, don't take me wrong, I've been on the job for ages, millennia have given me the lore I treasure these days of no trust.

The first time I saw you I really read you like an open book, your intentions were laid out in front of my very eyes. You were lost and undoubtfully needed my help. You are here again asking for a helping hand and of course I am here to back you up again. I love you after all..., never forget that. It is certaint that "whose pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise King born of England", so be it. The die is cast...

Listen to the wind on your back...

Absurd thing that really really matters nº 4

When you are thinking of buying yourself a new pair of shoes, do not consider the issue lightly. It is a serious concern. The first thing you have to take into account is how many feet you really have. You count. You write down. You proceed. Then, please pay attention to you toes, how many are there? Are they happy? Are they in love? Do they sing you songs in the morning? Do they shout at you when the day is done and you are about to hit your mattress for your well-earned night rest? AAAhhh..., you are in for a wonderful trip in there. By gum! You have just started, stay calm and hear me out, it is now or never. Now you have done the maths, it's time to meditate. Think about how you want you shoes to be, do you want them to be talkative? silent? outgoing? rather shy? Are you planning to take them out for dinner tonight? Are you considering becoming a rock star? The place you are going does not depend on your will, it does depend on your shoes' will. Never forget that.

Put it simply, you are your shoes and your shoes are your own self. Is it clear? It is for me..., I have to wear now my shoes of "always being happy and in love". When having them embracing my feet I am just a passing stranger riding non-stop to the stars. I hope to see you there, I'll pay you a beer and you'll buy me another one, after all, we are friends, aren't we, at least we should be..., you wanna be my friend?

Cheerio.

...and I saw you standing there...

Have you ever stared at the heart of Darkness? Have you ever sliced your very heart and swallow it whole your tear of tears? Have you ever tried to wear your very soul inside out?

I often do break my every limb, my bones... so intensely that my voice is be kept forever in a glass prison. I cry and I shout and I go completely insane...

Absturd thing that really really matters nº 3 (a very short but important one)

Why our thoughts seem to be so real? Have you ever thought about it? Well, the reason is pretty simple, and clear as well. They seem to be so real because they are not real at all. It is a way of protecting themselves, so to speak, to protect their fake state.

Remember this, my friend...

Whatever is real, is real.

Whatever is not real, is not.

Reality is real.

Non-reality is not.

As simple as a simple hat, isn't it?

Whatever is not real does not need to pretend to be real, it really is. This moment we are sharing here is real, "you-being-here-and-now" is real, but then your mind gets bored and demands a piece of the cake, it enters the picture pretending to be "real". The moment your mind steps in your real self steps out of reality and you lose yourself in a non-real world.

Suffering is never real, pain is. You may be in pain, but it is your mind that adds suffering to the equation of "it is so painful that I cannot stand this any longer".

Look closely now, my friend, this is real.

Enjoy being in joy of yourself.

Be real my friend..., be real here and now, where else could you really be real but in reality?

There was a nothingness in my brain

Being an "apple" apple not trying to be anything else that that, an apple, the apple sublime was about to enter the realm of nothingness. That was quite a challege and the opportunity was ripe. Therefore, the very applelian appelness of the appel raised its apple voice into the mighty blue sky to claim for its kingdom back. It lasted just a minute or two, and everything took a weird turn afterwards. Looking back on it, the apple will remember the bright light, the bright light and the noise.

And this is what the apple learnt there... in the nothingness.

Absurd thing that really really matters nº 2

When you think you are what you are, an apple, for example, you are really making everythig up. Put other words, no matter what you really really are because what you really really are is that what you don't think you are. Got it? Ok, let's try again. When you realise that you've been an apple pretending to be a pear for a certain amount of years you feel kind of relieved, right? Fine. But in this case you are creating a new "ideal" framework to feel comfortable. In this case you'll behave "finally" like an apple and be identified with your appleness..., a dumb apple for that matter but a happy one. Only when you get to the understanding of what you really really are NOT, will you be able to shed away this new skin and start afresh and anew in the world of nothingness. Nothing you really are is what you really really are and always will be. This is and always will be certain.

I'll share with you this poem who wrote an Spanish guy..., he wrote it in Spanish and a friend of mine who comes from Mexico has translated it for me into English:

AN APPLE IS NEVER AN APPLE
By Francisco José Francisco Carrera
An apple
is an apple
but if an apple
thinks it is a pear
then the apple
has lost the way
of appleness,
the apple
then
has to suffer
the loss
to gain again
the understanding
of what really is,
because an apple
is never what it thinks
it is.
When the apple
becomes an apple again
it is time
to go farther
and you just can go farther
by going deeper
into your very soul.
When an apple
is ready
to lose its
appleness
the door of the world
will be open again,
by stopping being
what we think we are
we enter the realm
of nothingness
where anything can happen,
a space of total freedom
where neither apples,
nor pears, even less apples
pretending to be pears,
can dwell.
By being nothing
we, apples,
can gain the true
essence of reality,
by being nowhere
we, apples,
can inhabit
the entire universe.

This is true
and no-one can deny.

In two weeks time we'll meet again, come heaven or hell, high water of low tide...

The day I was made an APPLE again

This is not about me, have this in mind at any time. All this rubbish is not about me at all, it is about you. Got it? Hope so, I am not in the mood to repeat myself more than the usual 101 times per second. I'll do it again if I have to, sure, but let me have this clear from the very beginning: THIS IS A SANDWICH... and for all that matters, it is my sandwich, not YOUR SANDWICH, you want one, move your ass from the coach and get one yourself, but do not dare to put your filthy rotting fingers on my sandwich. MY SANDWICH. Right.

Fine.

You know the rules.
You know how to play, don't you?
Let's play, then.
Who shall roll the dice?
Fine then.
It's my turn.
The die is cast.
I move from square one.
I pay the price.
I wait my turn again.

I move to square ten and start all over again.

In love? What is it to be in love? Can you give a straight answer to that one? Of course you can't, nobody can't, can they? I was in love once, I did even get married, have a child, bought a house, a car and a pair of hearts. Then it all went wrong, completely wrong, you see.

But, let's get to the point, shall we?

Absurd thing that really really matters nº 1

An apple, even if it looks like a pear, is an apple. 100% sure. Put other words, if you are an apple, even if you feel deep inside that you are a pear, you are definitely an apple. You wanna be something else? Fine, get some knife and peel yourself to the bone, what do you see now? An apple, I told you (you never listen or what?). Be an apple if you are an apple, if you want to be a pear, fine, be an apple pretending to be a pear, that could be, as a matter of fact, a lot of fun and there's no harm in doing that. If you are a human being who wants to be an apple who wants to be pear, for the love of God, be it! No problem at all. After all, remember you are not even a human being so you are something else pretending to be human pretending to be an apple pretending to be a pear. This is the first and final truth, beyond this there is only the void pretending to be an apple itself. Enjoy the revelation and for God's sake EAT THE F*****G APPLE JUST NOW. Don't forget you owe ME an apple and I am in no hurry to get my fare, I can wait.

See you in two weeks time.

And remember, my friend, be an apple if an apple is what you really really are.

I love apples, by the way...