Story Buss Out

On the river where I grew up in Guyana...when a scandal was revealed...you were likely
to hear...people starting to talk about it...say..."Eh..eh...man...story buss out"...
meaning...the real story had burst out of the walls those who were trying to keep it
a secret had painstakingly built around it. Well...right now...in North America...rhere
is a story "bussing out"...that I'm amazed took as long as it did to do so...i.e. the
story of polygamous communities and their Prophet[s]. Bountiful...indeed...more
appropriately the name of those communities should be "Geezer Paradise #1...2...3..."etc. I'm a geezer myself...but..I do strongly believe in people having
the "proprietorship of their own minds"...as one...not from a polygamous community...
who still had to fight for his. No wonder this is...for me the most disturbing thing
about this story...in a list of very disturbing things...the idea that in the twenty first century...there are still pockets of children and adults...who for one coercive or brain washed reason or the other...have given away ownership of their minds to a "Prophet". There's so much more to say about this story...but...I think the contents
of the Prophet's car...when caught...and somehow unable to perform a miraculous
escape...despite his vaunted powers...speaks volumes... $54,000 in cash...wigs...disguises...cellphones...forbidden down on the farm. Still...a "Profit'
...sorry I mis-spelt myself...is presumed innocent until found guilty...so all i can say in closing is..."keep sweet".....................Quester.

Happy Further Scribbling

It's been a fruitful breakfast and lunch time out in the world. Sometimes my writing is aided by being out in a coffee place...or restaurant. At the coffee place this morning I jotted down many ideas...in my daily long hand journal...about a project or two that have surfaced. Of course...I can't go into detail about them...over the years I've found that if you tell anyone specifics about a new project...especially early on... you run the risk of venting too much of the steam behind it...and not
having enough left to see you through to your project's completion. All I can say about the fruit from lunch time today...is that in my favourite Chinese restaurant...
in my neighbourhood...where they are very tolerant of this sometimes unshaven fellow
...often scribbling on in his journal...long after his chicken...with green beans...and black bean sauce...is done...the closing passage to a book I'm working on came. How well it will stand up to the scrutiny of my editor's eyes...is...of course...another matter...but I do now...have a closing to work with. Closings and beginnings are notoriously hard to come by. Wish me happy further scribbling......Quester.

Small Things

As a child in Guyana...there were many sayings from those above you...that came straight out of the "Victorian Consciousness"...as I call it...designed to curb a
child's "wildness"...this being deemed as necessary. One of them...in the local dialect
...was..."when pig dance...rain does fall"...i.e. don't laugh too much or soon you'll
be crying. Of course many of the other proverbs of my childhood had incredible wisdom
in them. I have learnt to bring into my life...the "Flowers from the Ashes"...[the
title of a recent cd of mine]...and consign the ashes back into the mixed bag that
life always is. On the morning I was going out of town last week...as I watered my plants...a flash of deep colour caught my eye. As if giving me a bon voyage present...
one of my African Violet plants...had bloomed. On my return...one of my other African
Violets greeted me with two bright pink flowers...with more in the offing. Can't help but think
of how thoughtful my little friends have been...knowing I would get a chuckle out of their offerings. As they used to say when I was a child..."small things amuse small
minds"...................Quester.

A Creative Circle

Just finished typing up a suggested model for a creative circle...to be sent tomorrow
to one of the good people at the workshop I gave on Sunday. I would feel my workshop
job is incomplete...if I didn't suggest further meetings between those who were at it
...and others...so whatever spark may have been lit at the workshop...may be fanned
into a bonfire of creativity...in that area. Today's been a day of gradually catching
up with things...given I was away for a few days. There is still more to be done in
the days to come................Quester

Enough Uplifting Memories

Where do I begin. Just returned this evening from my trip to Kamloops in the British
Columbia interior. In my years of doing singing tours...I often found myself in strange cities...in hotels...with my guitar for company. This trip...was the polar opposite of that. Starting with two friends and myself travelling there by car...and the animated conversation...and laughter...that accompanied us all the way to our destination...where we were made to feel utterly at home by our most gracious hosts...being offered food and drink at every turn...and having the freedom to leave our musical instruments strewn across our hosts' living room. Then there was the preparation...and seeing through of the concert...with my friend...myself...and a lovely group of people who joined us in some songs. There were people manifesting the moment some need became evident...to fill it with grace. The concert went well...with the surprising up on their feet audience response...towards the end...as we did two additional songs. There were a myriad warm exchanges between those present this night. The following day I delivered a workshop...which I
felt good about finally giving after my long preparation for it. It went well. This
posting is not going to attempt to describe the many beautiful moments on this trip
...they were too many...and I haven't yet fully processed a lot of them...but these
last few days will remain a golden menory for me...for a long...long time. My musical friend who performed at the concert...took this picture of myself and some of the participants at the work shop...mercifully she didn't show the full frontal view of
yours truly...the morning after delivering a concert the night before. Enough
uplifting memories...to last me through the coming winter............Quester.

Away We Go

I'm set to leave for my out of town trip in about an hour and a half. If I have access
to a computer where I am going...I'll do some word postings. If not...it'll be next
Sunday or Monday before I do so again. Can't believe the last minute conundrums that
offered themselves this morning for solution. I usually wear a Chinese worker's cap as
I go about my daily stuff...but the question was what to do with my big black concert hat...given it might get crushed out of shape in transportation. Finally figured it
out..."just carry it on your head when you're travelling...Einstein!". When will the
humblings ever stop. Anyway...away we go...................Quester.

Short One

This is a view of evening skies from my balcony window...they have been very beautiful
during the last week...maybe it's a mid-August thing. Am getting the last bits and
peices together for tomorrow's trip out of town...so...it's a short one tonight...
......................Quester

New Poetry Venue

Just returned from a poetry gathering in a new venue this evening. I think the openness
of the room...its good acoustics...its freshness...the audience being close in to the stage...and also being able to see each other...in close proximity of each other...
rather than being scattered in far flung dark corners...all contributed to fine listening and response to the poetry this night. I think it was a boost that many of
us present needed...a refreshing that the poetry scene in this city needs from time to
time. Tonight...the new venue contributed strongly to that...........Quester.

Another Special Day

Yes...it's been another in a long string of "those days". We've had more of them this
summer than I've ever experienced on this West Coast. As I walked near the water this
afternoon...I was thinking of what a privilege it is...to go out walking on a brilliant
day as this has been...surrounded by scenery that comes out of legends. On a
productive day...that still remains the highlight...the gift of another special
day...and being able to go outwards...and meet it..............Quester.

Evening At The Fair

Just returned from the Pacific National Exhibition Fair. I took my camera but the
pickings were slim. For some reason...hundreds of my fellow human beings licking ice
cream cones...or scarfing down hot dogs...doesn't inspire me to take pictures. Perhaps
I just wasn't there long enough...or didn't probe all the corners of the fair grounds...to catch fire taking pictures. Anyway...it was a flawless sunny evening...for us all to be strolling about and mingling...and in the midst of the throngs milling about...I saw some men listening to music from a stage across the way...and noticed that the foreground...and the trees behind them...made them look as if they were hanging out...somewhere way out in the deep countryside...and took this picture..........Quester.

The Bashful Busker

About two months ago...walking on the road that leads out of Granville Island in
Vancouver...which is a tourist mecca...I took this picture...which I call..."The Bashful Busker". Not once...during the time I observed him...quietly singing and playing his guitar...did he ever look up. This raised a few questions in my mind. The man wasn't carrying himself as a natural born extrovert...possibly the persona most suited if you are going to sing in public...as people hurry by you. Something...was impelling him to go out and sing at the side of the road...but he didn't seem to want to look at anyone...although doing that boldly...and with a smile...is reputed to facillitate the coin toss in your direction. But who am I to speculate...on why he was doing what he was doing...I have never busked in my life. There have been times when "between engagements"...I've had the yen to go out and share some of my songs with someone...but I have never acted upon it. There are two main reasons why I haven't. Firstly...singing with people walking by me...oblivious to the long road I've travelled creating my songs...is anathema to me. Secondly...I seem to have a particularly strong sense of keeping my dignity...at all times...and putting myself in a position...where people would toss coins at me...for me...is unthinkable. Having said that...I salute my busking compatriots of the world...knowing that if you can hold an audience's attention...inside of much movement...and a tendency towards indifference around you ...or just being out there doing your thing...you have likely found a liberation of yourself...that I have not yet found. So to buskers of the world...blessings and salutations...................Quester.

Preparations

Today has been a productive one so far...preparing for going out of town next week...
to give a concert with a friend...and a work shop. I've consciously made my preparations very gradual...given the last few years...using my experience...I have
identified where stressors are likely to happen...and I try to head them off at the pass...ahead of time...e.g. not leaving everything to the day before...of a trip out of town. Instead what I do...is over a period of many days ahead...I make lists of things to do...and to take...gradually adding to them...as new things come to mind. In addition to this...of course...for this trip...I have to rehearse the songs I intend to do at the concert...after collecting the word sheets for those songs...and familiarize myself with the content I've created for my work shop...so that I can deliver it fluidly...when the day comes. So far it looks like I'm on schedule to be ready when the day of departure comes. Now...if I could only find the lists I've been adding to.....Quester.

What Our Eyes See

At first glance this picture seems to represent an exercise in futility...people
pushing on a log...from opposite directions...a reminder that what our eyes see...is
not always what it seems. Actually I have the advantage in interpreting this seemingly foolish behaviour...I saw what they were doing together before they became log pushers. This group of young men and women...was seated on the grass...close to where I was...in the lotus position...if I remember correctly...doing some kind of yoga-esque activity. It was right after they completed what they were doing there...that they galloped down to the log...and started to do their thing. As I write about this...I am reminded of how flawed our powers of observation...and memory...are. I think the pushing from opposite directions at the log...was come kind of communal muscle exercise...but a good defence lawyer...[are their actually any "good" ones?]...would likely ask me...if I was within ear shot of them...as they did their thing...to which I would have to answer..."No...I wasn't"...at which point he would remind me that they were actually doing the ancient "pushing on the log" ritual and chant...from the Far East. So much for our speculations about what our eyes see...it's a good thing writers have something to fall back on called "poetic license"...and it's a good thing that not every thing done on a beach...ends up in a court of law...............Quester.

Holding Mirrors Up To Each Other

There's been a surge of rich communication...with people who have visited my web site or blog...and found there...a way of getting in touch with me. The internet revolution
of the last several years...offers lightening fast and convenient ways of people getting in touch with each other. I know that in my own case...sending and receiving
emails...has caused my long hand letter writing to become extinct...with my communication by telephone...in danger of joining it. If I remember correctly...I once
mentioned on this blog...how using email...allows you to communicate from a "laceration
free zone"...unlike telephone calls you're not ready for. Of course this cushion against
certain forms of unpleasantness...has its draw backs too...with not being able to see
or hear...or read the facial expressions of the person you're talking to. {Of course...
some have web cams...but right now I don't feel ready for that...having witnessed how
stilted this new...and not always smoothly working technology...can cause people to talk]. Anyway...may human communication continue...as...one way or another...we hold
mirrors up to each other...reminding us about the Earth Family we belong to.....Quester.

Affection For Our Own Species

As a maker of all kinds of pictures...including abstract ones...I have found that
something special seems to happen...when there are humanoid shapes introduced into
a picture. I know my own interest...and I suspect that of others...is piqued by even
the suggestion of a human form in a picture. I once heard of a test done on a monkey...
who had been born and raised away from other monkeys. He was shown pictures on a screen
of all kinds of other animals...and remained listless throughout...that is...
until pictures of his own species came up on the screen. With this...he rose up from
his torpor...and became very excited. There is something about the species we belong
to...that we appreciate...at some deep down level. It's a shame that...that part of ourselves
is rudely turned away from...as we tear each other apart in our wars. Perhaps one of
the ways...of reprogramming ourselves to live peacefully together...is to keep every
day...bringing to the forefront of our minds...how empty our lives would be...if we
kept on living for weeks or years...without setting sight on one of "us'. May we live
our lives...always remembering...our affection for...this frustrating species...we
belong to................Quester.

Poem: A Oneness I Recognise

I soak in the last sharp rays
of the silver sun...
bouncing off English Bay towards me...
Any imperfections I have brought
to the edge of the ocean with me
dwindle down...on an evening...
as close to perfection
as it's likely to get...
By water's edge I imperceptibly rise up
to who I really am inside...
The waves rolling into the shore
are an ancient drum beat...
to a timeless lullaby...bringing me back
to a place of calm inside me...
Here...in the comforting presence...
of late sun...ocean song...
and cloudless sky...morphing along with me
into a one-ness I recognise...
I remember who I really am...
how I am connected to all...
and all are connected to me...
......................Quester.

Just Three Children

Last evebing...sitting by the Inukshuk...
[Inuit stone structure]...on the shores of
English Bay...I noticed this family...
some of whom were clad in the traditional clothes...
of their country of origin...arrive on the beach...
It didn't take long before
the children started playing the ancient game
with the waves...
going as close as they could
to the waves coming in...
then attempting to skip away...
before their footware
and long clothing got wet...
reminding anyone looking at them...
that they weren't "strange folk"...
but just three children...
just the same as young human beings...
from anywhere in our world....
......................Quester.

Early Autumn Blues

Today...there are intimations about the coming of autumn...in the drop in temperature
...the cloudiness of the day...a turning away from the boldness of summer light...the
tattered leaves...brown at the edges...on the tree outside of my front window...not to mention...the ones that have already fallen to the ground. Yes...there are signs that you think come from signals your senses are giving you...but there could be more to it than that. Ever since I came to Canada...from the tropics...even in early August...I have found myself bracing for a cool wind...soon to come. Yes...on close inspection...or should I say introspection...I can see...that I have a predisposition to see...or feel...autumn in the air...once the calendar page turns...leaving behind July and the illusion it creates...that I am still living on the equator. Yes...today...all I'm going through is a touch of the Early Autumn Blues...and I have to remind myself that...Summer and Indian Summer...actually have...more than one kick at the can left...before the snow starts falling..............Quester.

Poem: Pas De Deux

At the friendly festival...
they feel safe
in their cocoon of two...
from many pairs of eyes
wandering over them...
some wondering
about the secret of this magic
she...dancer...
he saxophone man...make...
His silky notes...
stroke her hair...
slide over her golden skin...
as she moves with every touch...
red headed woman
in pink stockings...
hunched saxophone blower
in baseball cap...
to them...there is really
no one else around...
as this intimate
pas de deuz goes on...
in a very public place...
with some of those
circling around them...
catching some of it...
in their cameras...
drawn to it all...mysteriously...
or not so mysteriously...
and walk home smiling...
thinking they know their secret...
........................Quester...

Taking A Good Look

In Vancouver and its surroundings...there is much beauty...and I am a lover of the beauty. From time to time its good for me to remind myself...how in this very beautiful
city...there are homeless people...and pan handlers...and others the tourists boards
of the world like to pretend...do not exist. There are also people put out on to our
streets...who would be better served being in hospital for treatment of mental or other
disabilities. I too have walked by such people on the sidewalks with my blinkers on
in order to protect myself from being brought down by the sight of these ones...but
they are very much there...in my city...and all cities...and from time to time...at least...we need to take a good look...rather than pretend they do not exist.............Quester.

Relief

What a relief it is being finally reconnected to the internet. Over the last several days without it...have felt dissonant... and tried several things at home with
my computer...modem...and cable connections. This afternoon...with the help of a
pleasant customer services rep...I was talked through some steps in rectifying the problem...and was finally able to benefit again...from the convenience...of being
connected to the world from my home. Many pictures...which I could not post to my blog
...because of the missing connection between my blog site and computer...have
accumulated since. Today's picture...I think I'll call..."Slouching Towards Burnaby"...
was taken at the magical Illuminared Festival I attended...at the end of July. I
like the mystery...of this spider entity on stilts...that I was able to get a picture
of...against the evening sky. Took many other pictures...some of which caught the
creations of imaginative and creative people...and of those "letting it hang out'..as
they engaged in very human activities. Perhaps I'll post some of them later....Quester.

A Shingle In Cyber Space

Just replied to a request for an interview...from a fellow country man...who lives
in Barbados...for publishing in a Guyana news paper. Like many others...he had been looking for me for years...and finally found my web site address...which enabled him to get in touch. That has been the thing I've probably enjoyed the most about having
a web site...it's caused people who met me on singing tours...even years ago...old
friends I'd lost touch with...and people who know me from my music...to make contact.
For someone who never had a publicist...and never really went knocking on doors to promote his work...I lived long enough to meet up with web site technology. It's
just about a perfect fit...for someone who doesn't like to pursue anyone...with
furthering his ambitions in mind. Having a web site...is like hanging out a shingle
in cyber space. As people surf by...they may find it...and it may lead them to getting in touch. I am usually glad when they do...and it has led to many warm
exchanges and reunitings that would not have been possible without it...may they go on.........................Quester.

Why So Slow?

I still haven't solved the mystery of "not being connected to the internet"...from my home.
Until I do it's posting from library and store...and audio posting. Of course...not
being able to post from my computer...means my pictures...stored there...are not
available for posting. Spent another productive morning working on my workshop. if
any one wonders why it is taking so long...it's because I want it to hit the mark...
exploring creativity...and going deep where necessary...rather than skittering over
the surface of something that's central to my life. I want to share the power and
benefits of creativity exercised...so this is not something I can approach in a
shallow way. The process of "going deep" to mine your material...can also take time
...because..."shallow"...is always available...but "deep"...doesn't come at your beck
and call...so you have to give it time to emerge...and be thankful when it does.
Also...in putting together your work shop...you are also consulting your "inner lawyer"...considering the ramifications of everything you are going to say. It's very
easy as you put together something like this...to leave gaping loopholes...in what
you are saying...that anyone listening can pick apart...so you have to consider and
identify well...the underpinnings of what you are saying...so it hangs together well..and is not just a lot of dogma or froth. I'm not there yet...but one of the steps in my preparation...is going to be learning the material I've created...so that
I can present it in a confident and flowing way. As of today...I feel confident that
if I do something about this every day...when the day comes...I'll be ready to...
"stand and deliver"...................Quester.

Deep Work...Empowering Work

Today has been a good day working on my creativity workshop...to be delivered on... in
Kamloops B.C. on August 26th. This...for me...is what I would call "deep work". This
is work that uses deep muscle...and taps knowledge in you...you had forgotten you had. Perhaps that is why...once I've gained some momentum with it...I find this kind
of work so satisfying. What it reminds you of...and reinforces in you...is that you're not "just a pretty face'...[I'm using that term figuratively here...so don't
send in your comments about ego]. Perhaps a better way of saying it is this...I know
I go for long periods...forgetting most of what I've done...and still can do. Doing this kind of work...opens me up...and helps me to remember...some of the things I know...and therefore...encourages me to do...more "deep work"...or work that utilises better...knowledge and experience...I've acquired along the way. Another
important thing that happens...preparing a work shop such as this...is that it leads
you to analyse...what you have done intuitively...so that you can pass on to others...
what was done...at first...without analysis...i.e. you just went and did it. This in
turn...reminds you to go with the promptings of your intuition...as you uncover
ample evidence...that it's worked well...in the past. So...preparing a workshop...
when you arrive at having command over your material...is a very empowering thing...
and this is something you should remind yourself of...whenever you are about to slip into a certain kind of amnesia................Quester.

Memorial Evening

[Second day posting from the library]. Last night attended a memorial for our poet
friend who passed on recently...at a poetry night she had started and developed into
one of the core poetry sessions in Vancouver. I was asked to sing a song early in the
proceedings. I sang an old folk song that I learnt many years ago...before I had
started writing songs. I felt it suited the occasion. The song was "Wayfaring Stranger". The first verse says: "I'm just a poor wayfaring stranger...a-travelling
through this world of woe...And there's no sickness toil nor danger...in that bright
land to which I go"...echoing that ancient longing of human beings for a finer place...beyond this Earth plane,,,and its toil and woe. The evening was full of caring energy...and our poet friend was honoured this night...by one of her fellow
poets after the other...reading one of her poems...or one of their own. At the end of
the night...I think all present felt they had shared something very human together...
as we had all turned our warm thoughts towards our departed friend. I was glad that
I was part of this memorial evening.....................Quester.

No Internet Home Connection

For some reason not yet fathomed...I've found myself "not connected to the internet"...so this is being hurriedly done from my neighbourhood library. That's the
reason for this recent gap in my blog...and difficulty responding to email. Perhaps the solution to this will come soon....................Quester.