Jennifer Liston

"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate."

--- Carl Jung

"We become what we think about."

--- Earl Nightingale

Posted by Jennifer Liston

A poem that I'm playing around with at the moment could look like this:

thatcriticdetonatedatom-bomb-likewarhead-wordsandemerging-confidence-seekingmissilesonmyself-beliefandnuclear-mushroomedsecretsexposedwiththeabolitionofexclamation-markslaverymywordstreamflowshereunadornedunashameduncluttered.

© Jennifer Liston 2006

or it could look like this:

that critic
detonated
atom-bomb-like
warhead-words
and emerging-confidence-seeking missiles
on my self-belief
and nuclear-mushroomed
secrets
exposed

with the abolition
of exclamation-mark
slavery
my wordstream
flows
here
unadorned
unashamed uncluttered.

© Jennifer Liston 2006

I'm not sure which one I prefer (if any).

What do you think?

Posted by Jennifer Liston

I wrote this 20 years ago, and it was included in my first poetry collection, Exposure, which was published by Ginninderra Press in 2003.

I took a big red pen to it recently, however, and I feel it's a bit better now, even though it could probably still do with more editing.

A prayer

By the light of the moon
in this sacred place
no glorious visitation
enthralls me.
No wondrous vision
assails my eyes
and clears this clouded mind.
As I talk to you
(half-expecting an answer),
all is quiet.

Can you hear me whisper in the shadows of night?
Do you see my hopes and dreams take flight?
Can you hear the pleas of my heart?
Do you feel the pain we feel, being apart?

Still,
no sound.
No startling revelation
comforts my soul
and enlightens my mind.
With heavy heart
and limbs growing cold
I turn down the path towards home.

And softly you follow.

© Jennifer Liston 2006

Posted by Jennifer Liston

Because of the day that’s in it, here’s a poem from one of my favourite French poets, Jacques Prévert.

It’s called Je suis comme je suis (I am as I am), from a collection of his called Paroles. The book was given to me a long time ago by my dear friend Marie-Laure. Enjoy.

Je suis comme je suis

Je suis comme je suis
Je suis faite comme ça
Quand j'ai envie de rire
Oui je ris aux éclats
J'aime celui qui m'aime
Est-ce ma faute à moi
Si ce n'est pas le même
Que j'aime à chaque fois
Je suis comme je suis
Je suis faite comme ça
Que voulez-vous de plus
Que voulez-vous de moi

Je suis faite pour plaire
Et n'y puis rien changer
Mes talons sont trop hauts
Ma taille trop cambrée
Mes seins beaucoup trop durs
Et mes yeux trop cernés
Et puis après
Qu'est-ce que ça peut vous faire

Je suis comme je suis
Je plais à qui je plais
Qu'est-ce que ça peut vous faire
Ce qui m'est arrivé
Oui j'ai aimé quelqu'un
Oui quelqu'un m'a aimée
Comme les enfants qui s'aiment
Simplement savent aimer
Aimer aimer...
Pourquoi me questionner
Je suis là pour vous plaire
Et n'y puis rien changer.

Posted by Jennifer Liston

How do we measure
the pleasure
of the population’s
copulation?
Is passion
a fashion?
...

...if you want to read the rest of this poem, you'll just have to buy my second poetry collection when it's published.

Posted by Jennifer Liston

...you can do or dream you can, begin it!

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."

--- Goethe

Posted by Jennifer Liston