Archive for January, 2009
Poem: tibet
Posted on | January 28, 2009 | No Comments
to tibet she thinks where it is quiet
i wish to sit in a little cell of stone and gold
my clothes and things would not be important
and i would listen to the birds in my heart
to decide
why i always choose the wrong man
to decide
if i want to recluse myself forever
but i’m not sure she thinks i want
to carry on searching to find
a little cell of stone and gold
inside me one day
one day she says i’m going to tibet
Poem: [what remains ...]
Posted on | January 27, 2009 | No Comments
what remains
is a certain feeling
an aridity a lawless guilt
some unsung heroes in the quiet
the midmorning after you
gunned me down with your love
took me in your arms
and pressed so tight
what was then
i;
the silent white smoke
from the tips of your fingers
you blew away with a smile
warmly you touched me
on the chest
when i got cold and shivered
at you
you spoke the last words
i will ever grasp
that is
what remains
Poetry
Posted on | January 27, 2009 | No Comments
Between 1990 and 1995, I wrote poetry. Drawn to finding a creative outlet during a time of newfound English language proficiency, I stumbled upon a group of Cape Town poets organized by Peter Horn, then professor of German at UCT (where I was studying). Peter had impeccable political, academic and writing credentials, and had put together a poetry circle that met at his house in the Cape Town suburb of Lansdowne once every month or so. So, faithfully, my friends Rustum, Joy (an American exchange student) and I drove out to Lansdowne in my rickety white Golf with the 1.6 Litre Jetta engine and the bad brakes. On the way, we smoked cigarettes, listened to music and brought our own wine when we could afford it.
At Peter and Annette’s house, 6-10 writers regularly congregated as the “Lansdowne Local.” Originally conceived as a ‘local’ chapter of the Congress of South African Writers (COSAW), my memory now suggests that it may never have been formally constituted as such, probably because politics, though ever-present (these were heady times in South Africa), were never the primary reason to meet and read. I met a number of past, present and future luminaries of the South African literary scene and was lucky to have them listen to my often meager novice attempts at writing poems. I wrote and wrote and wrote… after realizing, through Peter’s thoughtful mentoring, that writing creatively was 90% sweat. You had to show up and do the work.
Reading in front of others was initially hard but became easier after the first few successes. Poets are a welcoming lot, and the encouraging words from people who wrote much better than I helped me a lot. I was published in a few “Landsdowne Local” anthologies, small publications created on Peter’s then cutting-edge personal computer and printed locally (university printers, undoubtedly).
In 1994, I moved away and stopped being part of the small community that supported and encouraged me. So I stopped writing poetry. Simple as that.
Lately, I have found a few of my old poems, dusty and hidden under layers of digital debris, strewn across the far reaches of the Internet. Two were posted by myself almost exactly 15 years ago in rec.arts.poems. The Wayback Machine has a few more, published by Peter on a no-longer-there version of UCT’s website. I must have 3.5″ floppy disks with many more on them somewhere. Of course, I don’t have a floppy disk drive anymore, so it’s anyone’s guess if I’ll ever be able to retrieve them (or whether the disks would still work after all these years in storage).
I’ll post one or two of the better ones from 15 years ago here. And maybe I’ll write some new ones one of these days.
The curious case of the Starbucks look-alike insulated cup
Posted on | January 26, 2009 | No Comments
Starbucks has had these for a few months now: insulated cups that are made to look just like their regular disposable paper cups. The only thing it’s missing is a brown cardboard sleeve. I’m not completely sure what attracted me to this, but when I was in the market for another insulated cup and found myself at Starbucks, this was the obvious choice. I think I like the irony of it, and the unabashed branding. Like Microsoft in its company store, Starbucks has figured out how to make me want to pay for things featuring its brand.
Maybe I should be more conciously opposed to all this. There’s a fine line between irony and brand credulity… maybe I should get something from Pylones instead? When I lose this one…
Currently reading
Posted on | January 25, 2009 | No Comments
Heidi Swanson’s blog – 101 Cookbooks – is a daily must-read for the beautiful recipes and pictures.
Today’s Desert Island Disc: Dwight Yoakam, This Time
Posted on | January 22, 2009 | No Comments
A review of Dwight Yoakam’s This Time (1993)
Even though I had Hillbilly Deluxe and Cadillacs, Guitars Etc. Etc. on vinyl in the 80s and liked them (really, they provided my first ‘country music’ experiences that weren’t related to the radio and didn’t result in fierce episodes of doubt and self-loathing), This Time occupies a special place in my heart. I believe it to be the pinnacle of Dwight’s output in the 90s, accessible hard Bakersfield honky tonk mixed in with fabulous, credible, truly sad weepers. I think “Two Doors Down” and “Home For Sale” are two of the loveliest country ballads ever recorded. All material here was written either by Yoakam alone or together with Kostas. The playing is top-notch throughout, and the Hammond B3 on some of the slower numbers is downright inspired – Hammonds this intense haven’t been heard since Jon Lord played Bach in Deep Purple. It’s a crime Amazon is currently selling this for $6.99. There should be an option to pay more, voluntarily.
Inaugural Ball – Beyoncé
Posted on | January 21, 2009 | No Comments
While her last album was unfortunately not very good (a case where reach exceeded grasp), Beyoncé has a lovely voice – and, evidently, genuine admiration for her new president. Singing Etta James’ “At Last,” she opened the first of many inaugural balls in Washington D.C. last night.
keep looking »
Recent Posts on Changebowl, Carsten’s other blog- Playing around with Ontario electoral geography August 11, 2010
- HelTweetica for iPad July 20, 2010
- Facebook privacy & digital NIMBY July 19, 2010
- What we can learn from gear porn May 31, 2010
- Are creativity and intellectual property rights inversely proportional? May 27, 2010
- Comparing the tech giants May 2, 2010
- Corporate applications and content on smartphones March 21, 2010
About
Carsten Knoch
Attentive music listener, reader, vegetarian, affordable audio hobbyist, software and services professional, vision enabler, instigator, product manager, marketer, thinker, writer, blogger, tinkerer, Internet dweller since 1992
Teabowl is my blog about music, vegetarian food, books, art and life.
Teabowl's sister blog Changebowl discusses technology, community, design and business.
