life is beautiful
i would fall from heights
shaking Lucifer terrified
for Luna's starry skies to linger,
in a Jashar night, by your side.
floating on Chopin stroked ivory nocturnes
swimming in deep ruby pools of Pinot Noir
dancing on your flowering lips,
sweet with vanilla cigarette smoke.
life is beautiful.
phosphorus waves of purple patches
carry me from seas of stormy eyes
onto shores sanctuary ...
Thursday 2nd February 2023 10:57 pm
Views pt 1
currently the new year rolls in
but had you gotten up high enough
weeks ago
you would have looked east, and
felt it, if not seen it
this cyclic existence is something to
break from,
but facing the wave
so many hear, “stay”
Friday 8th January 2021 2:57 am
Résumé
Résumé / Michael Kwack
Love is,
like art,
dull without passion.
Marriage is,
like enterprise,
tough without fortune.
Home is,
like chair,
harsh without comfort.
Life is,
like sleep,
dry without dream.
Death is,
like letter,
empty without story.
Will is,
like poem,
absurd without wit.
Thursday 7th January 2021 4:43 pm
little NYC hotel on 23rd street (1980s)
little NYC hotel on 23rd street (1980s)
our little
leo house hotel
on 23rd street
was operated by Sisters of St. Agnes
an old time hotel
an elevator with
brass scissor gates
operated by a nun
separate hot
and cold faucets
a bath/ shower/bath
clad in white subway tile
a crucifix over our bed
spied on our lovemaking
blessing our ...
Saturday 2nd January 2021 10:34 pm
Spells
Spells
She paints pebbles with rainbows
And places them on walls
Poetry on larger stones
For others to find
It is a small act of kindness
Of acknowledging our plight
She takes the paints and daubs
Her handprint on a slate
All over the footpaths and walks
Her art is left to the elements
A bright sun shining
through dark clouds
the people wh...
Sunday 5th July 2020 12:30 pm
The Subject in the Picture
Golden was the frame
That surrounded you
A beautiful scene
Filled with a magnificent hue
- Nature's canvas.
Centrally seated you
Looked at the artist
And drove the object
Out of the imagery
Created an image
Of yourself
Fighting back
Alive with strength
You and you alone
Noone else can be you
He...
Monday 25th May 2020 9:29 am
I Died Yesterday...
I died yesterday
With a pen in one hand and a diary in the other.
The latter's pages were inlaid
With prints of my curry stained fingers,
And splotches of tea,
And smudges of ink,
And spools of memories,
And streams of ridiculous cravings.
I fashioned the contents with the loose threads
I'd been stockpiling since forever.
Vibrant, prismatic, but half-completed...
Friday 24th April 2020 5:59 pm
Creativity Costs
You are enough.
Insecurity or
grandiose confidence
isn’t necessary.
Doubt, distraction,
procrastination, fear,
impostor syndrome,
borderline lunacy...
are costs of the
creative process.
Keep creating
through it all.
But, then again,
what do I know.
Tuesday 21st April 2020 11:26 pm
Shadows
Living in the shadow
of someone else’s life
is a safe hiding place,
most of the time.
You get to observe,
detached,
no fear, no pain.
Fertile breeding ground
to create art, music, poetry...
Until the shadow turns around,
chases you down,
strips you naked in front of a
stone-casting society.
Do you stand erect
in the blinding light...
Sunday 1st March 2020 5:54 pm
IS OUR FATE - ALEXIS KARPOUZOS
Poetry and creative writing by the philosopher and author, alexis karpouzos.
Actress : Martha mourouzi
Tuesday 11th February 2020 9:44 am
I MET A WORD - ALEXIS KARPOUZOS
Poetry and creative writing by the philosopher and author, alexis karpouzos.
Actress : Martha mourouzi
Tuesday 11th February 2020 9:37 am
I SAW A ANGEL ON HEAVEN - ALEXIS KARPOUZOS
Alexis karpouzos poetry and creative writing.
Actress : Martha mourouzi
Alexis karpouzos on Goodereads
Tuesday 11th February 2020 9:29 am
Blank Canvas
It's attitude was neutral
Neither here, nor there
Just a bare canvas
That stands without care
A vast space vibrating
It waits without rush
Filled with anticipation
For the stroke of a brush
Allowing anything
The artist desires
Till the picture appears
For all to admire
Thursday 17th October 2019 12:31 pm
June
Let the anticipation build Let the angst grow inside your gut Allow it to rumble and tumble and wreck havoc on your insides Feel the magnetic pull when we lock eyes a little bit too long and struggle to break away Watch me watching you while trying to hide your prying eyes Don't you dare rush a thing
Thursday 27th June 2019 5:34 am
If Poems Were Paintings (A Scabrous Fantasy, Written After Watching J. Koons at Work On BBC4)
This poem was painstakingly transcribed by 23 unpaid
interns labouring under my cool, indifferent 'tutelage'
(and who, after each day's work is finished, in bars and cafés
across the city will pretend to their friends how valued
they're made to feel as students and protegés of mine.)
E...
Sunday 2nd June 2019 6:45 am
Unappreciated Art
A single blue dot on a canvas
That no one can understand
Over looked and unappreciated
So quit yet so loud
A story waiting to be told
But no one cares to ask
Every canvas tells a story
This one is called depression
Friday 3rd May 2019 11:30 pm
Mortality
Mortality stalks me
like a jealous lover.
Breathlessly follows me
wherever I go, incessantly
banging a gong,
chanting,
it won't be long,
come to me, let
the pain end.
My eternal soul sees
this game of mortal gods
and challenges me
to go where mortals
fear to tread...
Meditate in silent space
past the black hole,
beyond illness,
depression, despair
to that ...
Tuesday 9th April 2019 5:35 pm
HeyAmericaIWroteSomethingForYou
Dr. Love (or How I Learned to Stop Wallowing and Write Poetry)
By: Rodolfo Perez
Love is (sometimes) patient,
Love is (sometimes) kind,
And sometimes, love is a needle in the eye,
Or a kick to the groin.
It is a cliff-hanger,
With your mother waiting to catch you,
When you let go.
It is losing your voice,
From crying into your pillow.
It is real...
Saturday 9th March 2019 7:09 pm
The Power of Poetry in Hospice Care
Poetry about Real People - The power of poetry in hospice care
There is a tension between the advance of medical science, that pursues its ability to fix and treat, and an acceptance of the natural order of death and how that may be experienced. Atul Gawande, a surgeon and health researcher, has reignited this debate with his book 'Being Mortal' (and also presented the 2014 Reith Lectures on B...
Saturday 16th February 2019 2:09 pm
If Only You and Van Gogh Knew
If your art is good, as it feels in your bones
You will become known
Long after your ashes are sprinkled
And all of your senses are gone
Particularly if you cut off your lobe
Or choose for yourself to end it all
Note scraps reveal queer love affairs
Poems show in the rubble of fallen walls
Fans will become obsessed
Frame you in the brightest light
...Friday 26th October 2018 10:35 pm
Museum
Your body is a masterpiece
I want to trace it with my tongue
I lust after this art
Longing to mimic its movements
Like playing piano
I keep stroking you
To map your beauty with my hands
The muscle memory kicking in
I close my eyes
I lean in to kiss your hips
I taste you
Your skin so soft and savory
This is what art taste like
It’s magic
It’s ...
Monday 2nd April 2018 2:57 pm
Retrospective
This piece comes from an exhibition of the work of celebrated Australian artist and sculptor Brett Whiteley. Parts of his enormous masterwork "Alchemy" can be found on the cover artwork of Dire Straits' album of the same name. A long-term drug user, he died in 1992 from a heroin overdose.
Retrospective
A metaphor for clear technique,
the Gallery (patrolled, secure,
well-scrubbed, ...
Tuesday 9th January 2018 7:28 am
How Can I Keep From Singing
Spiritual Hymns
Are the essence of a highschool choir
That sings often the sounds of Queen in the style of acapella
But also the rolling notes of Ezekiel Saw the Wheel
And the thumping heart of Elijah Rock.
How Can I Keep From Singing
When piano pushed
And the opening notes gently pulled in, to meet a booming brillance
My life goes on in endless song
And I recall the disconnect...
Friday 8th December 2017 8:20 pm
Red
My head is full of numbers,
my heart is full of dread
if I go from black to blue
all the rhymes
will come out new.
Red bleeds to yellow
and all the numbers are blue
the three comes in threes and
makes the nine incomplete and
the moon tells the secrets
I'm not meant to keep
it's a message of the future
and the past complete.
A half yellow star sharp
pierces my art.
The ...
Thursday 21st September 2017 5:39 pm
For the volunteers @ Caernarfon castle - May 2017
Here we stand 'twixt mighty walls
Which once were feared by one and all
Today the bravest swordsmen's face
Jeans and jumper have replaced.
We're here for artists on display
To banish thoughts so torn astray
By Donlad Trump & Theresa May
Of meanness, cruelty and shame
And all that humans do complain
And therefore just for a while
Replace our thoughts and hidden smile
...Friday 8th September 2017 11:21 pm
Night
Don't be afraid of the night,
take the feathers
and follow the light
for in the light we forever fly,
eternally divine,
immortalised through time.
©JMCole
Friday 12th May 2017 1:26 pm
The Theater of my Life
I've lived the times
Of the theater of my life
Dancing in the foyer:
Commedia dell'Arte
Comprised the entirety
Of my personal repetoire;
Dress rehearsals were
Never taken seriously:
The final play was just
A moments decision
Hurried through a huddle
Of half-written plots.
The masterful monologues
Of my long and intrepid career
Were carried off by the
Glib tongue of the cha...
Thursday 19th January 2017 5:46 am
Ramsbottom Literary and Arts Festival
On 21st November 2015, we all swing into action to light up the whole town with words and arts!
Make a day of it.. Arrive on the ELR as part of their Ales and Tales event. Come for brunch and leave your kids writing in the library
Events for all the family all day and an 'adults only' theme in the evening as poetry meets burlesque.
See the website for details www.rammylitfest.com.
Wednesday 7th October 2015 3:55 pm
Joyce's Umbrella
Have you any idea how hard it is for me to play a G major?
Should I write a standard progression, put the chorus where it should be and scream ‘dada’ in a controlled display of abandon?
Know I am a charlatan?
The only true rebellion would be to, with utter sincerity, believe yourself a penguin
Flying in the face of all authority
AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
MMMMMMMMMWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR...
Monday 14th September 2015 11:39 pm
plasters
I have always collected paintings
Always on the lookout for another piece
Something to go there
Next to the door
I have pictures of women
Their backs turned
Japanese ink drawings
Of cranes
I have splashes of colour
That mean something different
Each time I see them
I have scenes of desolation
And of hope
I have idyllic cottages
Crumbled apartment blocks
...Tuesday 30th June 2015 8:19 pm
Sailor Song
i am drawn to
seas of clouds above in nothingness
the seas of water
the seas of open land and forests
the cities with seas of
concrete and people
i was born to be a
sailor
Monday 4th May 2015 12:04 pm
Undying Swan of Russian Ballet
The greatest Russian star of ballet,
About herself she used to say:
I didn’t betray my friends,
I didn’t offend neither men nor animals.
Dealing with the professionals
I worked hard to improve my skills,
Always paid my debts and bills,
Thanks to my nature
And life full of adventure
I endured all and didn’t break
For someone’s crazy sake.
I have never given up
An...
Sunday 3rd May 2015 4:07 pm
Final Masterpiece
She was a painter and he was a performer. Both artists molded with talent but divided by passion. Nonetheless they connected emotionally and spiritually. Her canvas illustrated bright myriads of color and abstract scenes of memories and mental photographs. He sang with an emptiness of blues and love ballads intertwined with lost hopes and faded dreams. Empty acrylic paint tubes and coffee stained ...
Wednesday 22nd October 2014 8:02 pm
Actions vs Words
(I've been struggling to show anyone this poem for a long time but I've been inspired to let it free. These feelings are behind me now and it turns out writing was to thank for that afterall)
How does someone stop cutting?
Do they cut into the paper instead?
Replace flesh and blood with diaries and ink,
Replace physicality with mentality,
Replace actions with words,
It isn’t enough.
...Saturday 13th September 2014 11:35 am
Current Promotions
We’re pleased to announce the following promotions for our 24th September OpenMind event at Fuel Cafe Bar.
*All who share the event page for OpenMind...
Thursday 13th September 2012 3:59 pm
OpenMind website updates
We're proud to announce that our website has undergone renovations.
Please take a look at the new affiliated artist pages and the OpenMind Collective page.
Friday 31st August 2012 12:07 am
OpenMind: Slamming September Poster
Take a look at the poster for our OpenMind: Slamming September event at Fuel on Monday 24th September.
Sunday 26th August 2012 8:34 pm
OpenMind: Slamming September
OpenMind: Slamming September:
Following on from our highly attended and jam packed 2 year birthday show OpenMind are back at Fuel on Monday 24th September for OpenMind: Slamming September, our first ever multi-genre OpenSpace slam event. This event will be presided over by GrIm who's taking his first ever crack at presenting an event, so be sure to give him your love, energy and full ...
Thursday 16th August 2012 5:03 pm
OpenMind: Slamming September
OpenMind: Slamming September:
Following on from our highly attended and jam packed 2 year birthday show OpenMind are back at Fuel on Monday 24th September for OpenMind: Slamming September, our first ever multi-genre OpenSpace slam event. This event will be presided over by GrIm who's taking his first ever crack at presenting an event, so be sure to give him your love, energy and full ...
Thursday 16th August 2012 5:02 pm
On the dispersal of water
It’s 1:30 am.
He takes me away from the others unpacking,
opens the front door to the first night
in our first home and squirts WD-40
over both hinges, explains
WD is water dispersal,
NASA concocted this stuff
to keep fields of rockets
from turning orange, then burnt umber.
He heard this on his pocket radio
cycling along blustery North London roads
...Tuesday 5th June 2012 8:54 pm
Blood Mage
Twisted Maleficarum turned abomination
desperately seeking a return to one's humanity.
Expelling demons,
pumping passion like the blood that summoned them.
Bleeding tears, sweating fears
soaked in trepidation.
Summon some feeling
no time for healing
when paint is just pain with
twin pronged brush strokes.
Tattered, trying, tonal
...
Tuesday 10th January 2012 6:11 pm
Home
They say home is where the heart is
and my heart is where the art lives.
So where is my home?
Art lives within us all
and begins an internal/external exchange...
a process
like humanity to trees.
We stop, relax, breathe
as one.
So where is my home?
First Contact was my spiritual home
gave meat and marrow to
broken sp...
Tuesday 8th November 2011 11:33 pm
you and us
YOU are surrounded by glass
Within that
The world
Can observe
The normality of dinner
The association of wealth
The body on the table
The watching of soaps
The entertaining of guests
The reading of books
Masturbation in bedrooms
The privacy of thought.
WE live under mirrors
And reflect them back at you
With that emotion
We coat o...
Wednesday 26th October 2011 12:00 am
feather, wood and bone
Wood and feather
brittle bone
silver leaf.
An obvious marriage
behind glass
to keepsafe.
There is a world
to know.
Place on paper.
It’s a poem
an heirloom.
If only I could fill
the box with wreathes of mist then
I could be an artist and a poet.
Smoke out the meaning.
Let it breathe.
Feather, wood and bone.
fo...
Sunday 26th June 2011 8:04 pm
Inward Reasons
`
On a hand-hewn pedestal
imagination coalesced;
on milk-white face alight
eyes sparkle with a liquid flame.
Some build ivory towers,
these hands raw from driven labour,
on scratched cheeks a stricken eye
ransoms a sculpted orphan dream.
Across time and Middle Sea
another calloused hand chiselled;
laughter on a pine-white...
Wednesday 30th March 2011 9:53 am
As Is--.He Is As He He Is.
Another outlook
Another view
Uncoloured by perception
Created by Truth.
For in truth the ‘outsider’ artist
is neither within nor without
but above all, and reaching up.
Reaching not looking
Not looking for, but knowing
And being the one person they are.
For truly all artists
Whether within or without
Once unbounded
Are seers – historians Judges
Builders(‘) instructors
Prophets
...Sunday 3rd January 2010 12:33 am
An Artist’s Reflections
My Life is not my art
My art is not my life
Yet we are like husband and wife-
When you know my Art
You begin to know me.
Life is not Art
Art is not Life
Yet they are like reflections
When you know life
You begin to know Art.
Life does not imitate Art
Neither should Art imitate Life
For when art is at its purest
You begin to know
Tr...
Monday 16th November 2009 5:08 pm
Going Home
Cars bumper to bumper
Gridlock
Trucks, buses, coaches
Idling
Engine noises,
Reverbs.
People walking
Cell phones to ears
Hand in hand
Close together,
Plotting.
Women chatting
Buddies hugging
The traffic moves
Relief – freedom
Like a dam burst
Open
All travelling
Going in the same direction.
Home.
Monday 16th November 2009 4:40 pm
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