Two more poems that deal with spirituality and life, “Ten Thousand Pieces and “Young Man’s Tune.” Find them under THE POET READS HIS WORK along with artwork.
Two poems addressing spirituality and life are the focus of this entries poems, “Thy Kingdom Come” and “Born Again.” Also, new artwork and the sound files and the poems are found under A POET READS HIS WORK on the right side of the page.
I am hosting a poetry reading, “Hooked on Poetry” at the Lakes Region Library in Inverness, FL on Sept 8th from 6:30 to 7:30. bring your poems and sign up to read. We will read poems until they kick us out. If you have any questions call me at 352-793-6556 or svobodaart@earthlink.net
“Jumping Through Hoops” and the villanelle, “I Shoot!,”are the new poems for the week. Under THE POET READS HIS WORK, you’ll see two new pieces of art work along with the sound files for these poems.
Al
August 9, 2010
I’ve posted two new poems, “Smooth Jazz” and “Hire Education” under POEMS. These poems, and others to follow, reflect some of the experiences students in poor neighborhoods encounter. Two new pieces of artwork have been included along with the sound files and the text of the poems under THE POET READS HIS WORK. To comment click on the “O” located in the upper left of this page. I’m very interested in your thoughts.
My 15-poem chapbook, “Openings” is available for $6.00, postage paid. My address is PO Box 217, Nobleton, FL 34661. Make checks payable to Al Svoboda. Another chapbook, “Gallimaufry: A Collection of Poems,” is in the works.
Thanks, Al
A few days ago while working on my first book of poems, voices from some other time came to mind. I started writing them down. They centered on an old photo that I have never seen. As the conversations came to me, I saw vague images of what they were about. The old man was in his bed. Faded and brittle wall paper covered the walls and ceiling and the smell of must mixed with urine filled the room. Some characters were behind my left shoulder. I could almost see them out of the corner of my eye. When I moved to get a better look, they moved. My last recollection was of Sally crying. She was clearer than the rest, but at a distance.
A beautiful and mysterious experience. It’s a poem I wonder about because it feels a part of me and yet not. These people are all strangers. I almost know them or should. If you have any comments please go to the bottom of this post and submit your comments there. You can also hear me read this poem by clicking on its title under THE POET READS HIS WORK.
Thanks, Al
July 23, 2010
After reading Fredrick Kaufman’s article in July’s Harper’s Magazine, I finally understand why a loaf of bread costs so much. After all, bread’s only flour water salt and yeast. This stuff is cheap. Wrong. It used to be cheap. Well, you say, I can still afford bread; it’s price is no big deal. Maybe not to us, but to the poor folks around the world cheap wheat is crucial. When the price of wheat goes up in the U.S. a lot of poor people in the world starve. Mr.Kaufman points out that over a billion people starve because wheat speculators drive up the price even though there is plenty of wheat to go around.
This article inspired the poem “Hard Red Spring”. Click on its title on the right hand column under POEMS. Also, you can hear me read the poem under the heading THE POET READS HIS WORK.
Two new pieces of art will be put up some time in the next week. Look for them under ARTWORK.
July 15, 2010
There is a new category on the right side called “THE POET READS HIS WORK”. If you click on any poem listed and then click on the link to the recording, you can hear me read it.
When I recorded the poem,”The Buddha of Universal Peace”, wonderful memories of a very peaceful Saturday afternoon filled my soul. The chant, “UM MA NI”, was heard through out the beautiful grounds of the Minh Dang Quang monastery, weaving a tranquil thread of peace and well being inside me.
This chant and music play in the background as I read the poem.
July 13, 2010
I apologize for not adding to these pages in the last months. I had open heart surgery in April and didn’t feel like doing much of anything but heal. I’m much stronger now and feel that I can resume writing poetry and updating this site every week. I plan to put up one or two poems a week so watch for them.
This week’s poems relate to my triple bypass heart operation. “The Poker Game” was written while I was still in the hospital. It came to me in a dream. I copied it from a tablet created in my mind. It felt like someone else’s work, someone who was dead. But I was alive so I stole it from myself.
Sometimes in the afternoon and early evening, in the hospital, I thought about how I cheated death. “Thirst for Being” expresses some of those moments.
You can read these poems by clicking on their titles on the right side of the screen.
April 9, 2010
I had a dream the other night about Self and She in the poem, “A NEW CREATION STORY”. In it, Self creates a paintbrush that encompasses the whole universe. With it, She paints an orange grove. They walk into the painting. The blossoms snow down upon them, covering them in flowers. They make love in a bed of blossoms. I wrote another poem “INTO A THOUSAND LIGHT YEARS” based on this dream
I’ll be reading both of these poems April 11 at 11:00am at the UU Church in the Pines in Brooksville, Florida.
My poem “Smooth Jazz” will be published in the magazine Steam Ticket May 6th.
April 5, 2010
I’m working on a poem I call “A New Creation Story.” I feel that a new creation is important today. In my poem, the god who makes everything is also the one from whom mankind descends. This primal source, Self, is also human.
The divine spark is born into each of us. Recognizing this makes for a more respectful understanding between people. Knowing that God resides in everyone can make us more open to other points of view. It also paves the way to knowing that we are all forgiven for what we do on this earth and encourages us to to do the best we can for our fellow humans. Knowing we helped another part of God has its own rewards.
There is very little difference between ourselves and other living things in the animal kingdom. One aspect that does makes us different is our faith that we can change the world in a significant way. The problems of our world are so big that the effort of one person seems futile, but people attempt it all the time. Some succeed.
Change for the better starts with a vision. That vision and its energy are communicated to others, and the world changes.
Thomas Jefferson ‘s dream of a great country was fulfilled when he enabled USA to make the Louisiana Purchase. Martin Luther King had a dream of racial equality, and made great steps toward making it a reality. Mothers Against Drunk Driving resulted from a vision by one woman who lost her child to a drunk driver. The achievement of such dreams and visions are made possible by the divine spark in each of us.
This is the creation story that needs to replace the old Adam and Eve myth. Jehovah did not create people. People create people. We come from goodness and not sin. The more we recognize this and teach it our children, the better the world will be.
I am writing this poem because I feel strongly that a new creation story is needed, one that puts people in their rightful place–on an equal footing with God and not below an imagined deity. We need to teach our children a new story–one that respects people for who they are, gives them a sense of self worth, removes fear and sets all people free.
The first reading of this poem will be on Sunday, April 11th at the meeting of the UU Church in the Pines which meets at The Brooksville Women’s Club at 11:00 AM. For more info call me at: 352-793-6556.
April 2, 2010
Good news came over the internet yesterday. My poem “Smooth Jazz” has been accepted for publication in Steam Ticket, a University of Wisconsin literary review.
April 1, 2010
Bob’s beloved daughter Cathy stopped by just as the first copy of the final draft of A CURRENT IN AN OCEAN was coming out of the printer. She gave me one of Bob’s art books and a book of poems. Cathy read the poem I wrote and talked more about how important Bob was in her life and in the lives of her children. I inscribed the poem for her.
A few weeks ago Jill and I went to see the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace at the Minh Dang Quang Monastery in Tampa. This remarkable and inspirational Buddha is carved out of an 18 ton boulder of polar jade! This amazing Buddha is over ten feet tall.
The spiritual atmosphere was festive and happy. Prayer flags were flying sending out messages of peace through all present. I sat in a chair under the Buddha and jotted down notes for the poem THE BUDDHA OF UNIVERSAL PEACE. As I was writing, thoughts came to me like sparks off a sharpening knife, faster than I could write them down. When we left, an incredible sense of internal calm and peace rested within me. The feeling is still there and I may revise or extend the poem. Writing this is a happy reminder of that time.
March 31, 2010
This blog is starting out in an unexpected way. A few days ago a good friend and neighbor, Bob Walsh, died.
I wrote a poem for him that I’ll be reading tomorrow at the Florida National Cemetery.
The poem, A CURRENT IN AN OCEAN, are my thoughts and those shared with me by people who cared for Bob.
Thanks to David Curtis, great blogmonster, for making this blog possible. This is a great way to start a friendship.
Thanks for visiting.
Two more poems that deal with spirituality and life, “Ten Thousand Pieces and “Young Man’s Tune.” Find them under THE POET READS HIS WORK along with artwork.
Two poems addressing spirituality and life are the focus of this entries poems, “Thy Kingdom Come” and “Born Again.” Also, new artwork and the sound files and the poems are found under A POET READS HIS WORK on the right side of the page.
I am hosting a poetry reading, “Hooked on Poetry” at the Lakes Region Library in Inverness, FL on Sept 8th from 6:30 to 7:30. bring your poems and sign up to read. We will read poems until they kick us out. If you have any questions call me at 352-793-6556 or svobodaart@earthlink.net
“Jumping Through Hoops” and the villanelle, “I Shoot!,”are the new poems for the week. Under THE POET READS HIS WORK, you’ll see two new pieces of art work along with the sound files for these poems.
Al
August 9, 2010
I’ve posted two new poems, “Smooth Jazz” and “Hire Education” under POEMS. These poems, and others to follow, reflect some of the experiences students in poor neighborhoods encounter. Two new pieces of artwork have been included along with the sound files and the text of the poems under THE POET READS HIS WORK. To comment click on the “O” located in the upper left of this page. I’m very interested in your thoughts.
My 15-poem chapbook, “Openings” is available for $6.00, postage paid. My address is PO Box 217, Nobleton, FL 34661. Make checks payable to Al Svoboda. Another chapbook, “Gallimaufry: A Collection of Poems,” is in the works.
Thanks, Al
A few days ago while working on my first book of poems, voices from some other time came to mind. I started writing them down. They centered on an old photo that I have never seen. As the conversations came to me, I saw vague images of what they were about. The old man was in his bed. Faded and brittle wall paper covered the walls and ceiling and the smell of must mixed with urine filled the room. Some characters were behind my left shoulder. I could almost see them out of the corner of my eye. When I moved to get a better look, they moved. My last recollection was of Sally crying. She was clearer than the rest, but at a distance.
A beautiful and mysterious experience. It’s a poem I wonder about because it feels a part of me and yet not. These people are all strangers. I almost know them or should. If you have any comments please go to the bottom of this post and submit your comments there. You can also hear me read this poem by clicking on its title under THE POET READS HIS WORK.
Thanks, Al
July 23, 2010
After reading Fredrick Kaufman’s article in July’s Harper’s Magazine, I finally understand why a loaf of bread costs so much. After all, bread’s only flour water salt and yeast. This stuff is cheap. Wrong. It used to be cheap. Well, you say, I can still afford bread; it’s price is no big deal. Maybe not to us, but to the poor folks around the world cheap wheat is crucial. When the price of wheat goes up in the U.S. a lot of poor people in the world starve. Mr.Kaufman points out that over a billion people starve because wheat speculators drive up the price even though there is plenty of wheat to go around.
This article inspired the poem “Hard Red Spring”. Click on its title on the right hand column under POEMS. Also, you can hear me read the poem under the heading THE POET READS HIS WORK.
Two new pieces of art will be put up some time in the next week. Look for them under ARTWORK.
July 15, 2010
There is a new category on the right side called “THE POET READS HIS WORK”. If you click on any poem listed and then click on the link to the recording, you can hear me read it.
When I recorded the poem,”The Buddha of Universal Peace”, wonderful memories of a very peaceful Saturday afternoon filled my soul. The chant, “UM MA NI”, was heard through out the beautiful grounds of the Minh Dang Quang monastery, weaving a tranquil thread of peace and well being inside me.
This chant and music play in the background as I read the poem.
July 13, 2010
I apologize for not adding to these pages in the last months. I had open heart surgery in April and didn’t feel like doing much of anything but heal. I’m much stronger now and feel that I can resume writing poetry and updating this site every week. I plan to put up one or two poems a week so watch for them.
This week’s poems relate to my triple bypass heart operation. “The Poker Game” was written while I was still in the hospital. It came to me in a dream. I copied it from a tablet created in my mind. It felt like someone else’s work, someone who was dead. But I was alive so I stole it from myself.
Sometimes in the afternoon and early evening, in the hospital, I thought about how I cheated death. “Thirst for Being” expresses some of those moments.
You can read these poems by clicking on their titles on the right side of the screen.
April 9, 2010
I had a dream the other night about Self and She in the poem, “A NEW CREATION STORY”. In it, Self creates a paintbrush that encompasses the whole universe. With it, She paints an orange grove. They walk into the painting. The blossoms snow down upon them, covering them in flowers. They make love in a bed of blossoms. I wrote another poem “INTO A THOUSAND LIGHT YEARS” based on this dream
I’ll be reading both of these poems April 11 at 11:00am at the UU Church in the Pines in Brooksville, Florida.
My poem “Smooth Jazz” will be published in the magazine Steam Ticket May 6th.
April 5, 2010
I’m working on a poem I call “A New Creation Story.” I feel that a new creation is important today. In my poem, the god who makes everything is also the one from whom mankind descends. This primal source, Self, is also human.
The divine spark is born into each of us. Recognizing this makes for a more respectful understanding between people. Knowing that God resides in everyone can make us more open to other points of view. It also paves the way to knowing that we are all forgiven for what we do on this earth and encourages us to to do the best we can for our fellow humans. Knowing we helped another part of God has its own rewards.
There is very little difference between ourselves and other living things in the animal kingdom. One aspect that does makes us different is our faith that we can change the world in a significant way. The problems of our world are so big that the effort of one person seems futile, but people attempt it all the time. Some succeed.
Change for the better starts with a vision. That vision and its energy are communicated to others, and the world changes.
Thomas Jefferson ‘s dream of a great country was fulfilled when he enabled USA to make the Louisiana Purchase. Martin Luther King had a dream of racial equality, and made great steps toward making it a reality. Mothers Against Drunk Driving resulted from a vision by one woman who lost her child to a drunk driver. The achievement of such dreams and visions are made possible by the divine spark in each of us.
This is the creation story that needs to replace the old Adam and Eve myth. Jehovah did not create people. People create people. We come from goodness and not sin. The more we recognize this and teach it our children, the better the world will be.
I am writing this poem because I feel strongly that a new creation story is needed, one that puts people in their rightful place–on an equal footing with God and not below an imagined deity. We need to teach our children a new story–one that respects people for who they are, gives them a sense of self worth, removes fear and sets all people free.
The first reading of this poem will be on Sunday, April 11th at the meeting of the UU Church in the Pines which meets at The Brooksville Women’s Club at 11:00 AM. For more info call me at: 352-793-6556.
April 2, 2010
Good news came over the internet yesterday. My poem “Smooth Jazz” has been accepted for publication in Steam Ticket, a University of Wisconsin literary review.
April 1, 2010
Bob’s beloved daughter Cathy stopped by just as the first copy of the final draft of A CURRENT IN AN OCEAN was coming out of the printer. She gave me one of Bob’s art books and a book of poems. Cathy read the poem I wrote and talked more about how important Bob was in her life and in the lives of her children. I inscribed the poem for her.
A few weeks ago Jill and I went to see the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace at the Minh Dang Quang Monastery in Tampa. This remarkable and inspirational Buddha is carved out of an 18 ton boulder of polar jade! This amazing Buddha is over ten feet tall.
The spiritual atmosphere was festive and happy. Prayer flags were flying sending out messages of peace through all present. I sat in a chair under the Buddha and jotted down notes for the poem THE BUDDHA OF UNIVERSAL PEACE. As I was writing, thoughts came to me like sparks off a sharpening knife, faster than I could write them down. When we left, an incredible sense of internal calm and peace rested within me. The feeling is still there and I may revise or extend the poem. Writing this is a happy reminder of that time.
March 31, 2010
This blog is starting out in an unexpected way. A few days ago a good friend and neighbor, Bob Walsh, died.
I wrote a poem for him that I’ll be reading tomorrow at the Florida National Cemetery.
The poem, A CURRENT IN AN OCEAN, are my thoughts and those shared with me by people who cared for Bob.
Thanks to David Curtis, great blogmonster, for making this blog possible. This is a great way to start a friendship.