Being Ready To Create

Today has been another gloriously sunny day...although it's been a bit on the cool side. There has also been "fog in low lying places"...sounds like the title of a poem
...but right now I'm not ready to exert myself "poetically". That's right...in order
to write a poem...you have to be really ready to do so...otherwise a few skittery lines
on a page...if that...is what will come your way if anything. It is like so many creative efforts...you have to be ready to "bite the bullet"...or nothing much is likely to happen. Having said that...sometimes you do get very lucky...and a juicy start to a poem tugs on your sleeve...and if you heed it...the rest just flows towards you. Still...learning how to be ready...and open...tends to be the central precursor
to many a creation..................Quester.

On My Apricot Guitar

"On my apricot guitar...
I play plum coloured melodies...
and gaze at my blueberry mountains...
Who would have thought I had the jam...
to make marmalade music...
with my banana fingers...?"
...................Quester.

Part Of All Creation

"Empty of anger...
full of light this day...
Like a feather on a gentle breeze...
I want for nothing...
I am a part of all Creation..."
.......................Quester.

Early Flowers Of Spring

I reported previously on the cherry blossoms at Stanley Park on January 2nd. These trees are in a class by themselves...in terms of early coming. Since then I've been looking for other floral signs of spring. Five days ago I spotted the first snow drops...the flower...in someone's garden. Day before yesterday a solitary pink camelia flower. I passed by that very camelia tree yesterday and there were several flowers out on it...it's amazing what a day of sunshine can do. Today it has been a brilliant sunny but cool day. I decided to head out into the sunshine...this time with my trusty little camera in my pocket. I headed for a place in the West End where I've seen early camelia bloomings before...where there are two tall trees. One was decorated with a good number of white camelias...the other with pink ones...I noticed that several of the white camelia blooms were "frost scorched", i.e. browned at their petal tips. I guess the camelia pays a price for coming out so early...suggesting to me that this species probably originated in a part of the world with even a milder winter than Vancouver. I was still thankful for the flowers I did see today...having missed the way they brighten up my life...............Quester.

Reminder

"From the dawn sun...
red in the sky...
a message sings out to me...
Return to love...
Remove the load...
from the gone past...
now travel lightly...
Return to love..."

Reaching For Peace

A few weeks ago...I approached the cashier at a drug store to pay for what I was buying...just fractionally ahead of a man...who was abreast of me...and also heading for the same cashier. "Go ahead"...I told him...not being in a frantic hurry myself. He looked at me with disbelief...put his hand on my shoulder...and said to me..."Go on...you've got to fight for your place in the line!"...like a father instructing a foolish child. I found myself smiling at him and I went ahead and payed for my goods. Afterwards I was reflecting on this little "happening". First of all...in this sometimes bruising world...it was good of him to let me go ahead...after I was going to let him do that. Secondly...however...his remark suggested that he may have perceived me as being weak in asking him to go ahead...and needing to be told an ancient truth about life...i.e. "fighting for your place in the line". What he may not have seen...was that I wasn't being weak...but simply..."reaching for peace"...in a world where the reflex action seems to be too much of the time..."reaching for war". It would be interesting to know what his actual take was...on this little piece of "survival of the fittest"...when it is met by a response...outside of that ancient notion.........Quester.

Pacific Morning 2

"And the eagle up high is winging...
The sun in the sky is singing...
Tha earth gifts to me keeps giving...
As I face my Pacific Morning..."
........................Quester.

My Mountains Are Gone

My mountains are totally hidden by grey clouds today...the roof tops...streets...and sidewalks are wet...my window panes are full of tears. I think that in addition to
taking away the sun...the thing I like least about the rain...is that it takes away
my mountains too. Despite all this...I am hopeful...as end of January tells me that
spring is just about here................Quester.

Warning To Rachel

On my second song album...many years ago in Britain...called "Young Blood"...a title
that has a very limited shelf life...I included a song called..."Warning to Rachel".
As often is the case...with this song maker anyway..."Rachel" wasn't the name of the
person portrayed in the song. As a song writer I prefer not to be that blunt. The song was more about the "warnings" that young men tend to give out...to those of the opposite sex...another version of the "don't mess with me" thing. Despite that...this song is one of those I remember...although other words on this album...have been forgotten: "Laugh at me when my cup is overflowing...but carefully catch the falling drops...one day you may be needing...For love is an ocean flying bird...quick
lost on the horizon...A ship of shining...burning gold...on a sea none can fathom...So
walk softly on my gladness...for my sadness...may be your pain"............Quester.

Boardless And Better Off For It

Was just writing about the time in the eighties when I was on two boards of directors,
to do with theatre. It didn't take too long before I withdrew from both of them. All
those meetings and minutes...made me feel straight jacketed...and given I didn't have
a career advancement agenda...hidden or otherwise...it was doomed from the start to be
short lasting...which it was. It did result in underlining for me...for once and for all...that I was a creative artist...and shouldn't spend my time messing with things that really didn't suit me...at an organic level. I am happy to report...that I have remained "boardless" since that time...and barring some unforseen development...am likely to remain so...on and on...through time.................Quester.

Early Spring Day In January

Today...the sun was back...the snow was melted...and the temperature was warmer than it's been in a while. It was all calling me down to the water...and I heeded the call.
Found myself taking a lot of pictures...after not doing too much of that over many
gloomy and cold days. It was a day that underlined what I've said ever since I came to
the West Coast...about spring beginning in January on the West Coast...that's it...
today was simply an early spring day...in January.................Quester.

Sometimes There Are No Words To Say

"Sometimes...there are no words to say...
As I watch the wind making the tall trees sway...
Sometimes there are no words to say...
As I watch the geese a-flying on their way...
Sometimes...the Earth sings in my soul...
Let the peace dance over me evermore...
Wey...hey ya...wey ya...hey yo..."
.........................,Quester.

Tipi Times

As part of a Native group traveling through the United States...Mexico...and Guatemala
...years ago...I learnt with the help of others...how to put up our tipi after a long
day's travel. I wouldn't like to be tested in that skill these days...having forgotten
the specific steps of the process. I do remember how we slept...like pieces of a pie
with our feet towards the centre...where there was a fire lit before we retired for the night...and how the smoke rose from it and out of a space left at the apex of the tipi.
It was something I was glad I experienced...and it was comforting to spend the night
in the same immediate surroundings...whether we were hundreds of miles away from where
we had camped a night or two before...sometimes even on the ground of a new country.
My "tipi times" are one of the fine memories from the days when I did a lot of traveling...something it is good to have been a part of...even once in a life time.
................Quester.

What Will Come Around Again

Came back not long ago from a neighbourhood walk. Because of ice on the sidewalks...had
to walk carefully...instead of stretching out into my full summer stride. Speaking of
which...right now it's hard to imagine that some of these same city sidewalks have
known...and will know...street and sidewalk festivals again. That's one of the good things about having "pictures for all seasons"...you can bring them back...even "out if
season"...and remind yourself of what will come around again............Quester.

Spell Check

Today...for the first time since I've had my computer...I looked for...found...and used "spell check"...on a manuscript I'm working on. Found out that...for someone who learnt his spelling in a British colony school...it will identify words
that you always spelt one way...such as "flavour"...as needing to be changed to "flavor". This is...of course...because it is based on American spellings of English
words. So far I've not followed it's recommendations in these instances. My Guyana dialect words...many names of places...and words I created as part of writing creatively...and my unorthodox punctuation,,,and more were...immediately pounced on as needing to be changed. Fortunately there was a 'skip' option...which I
was able to deploy again and again. I ended up skipping about 80% of the changes
recommended. "Spell check" did catch some typos,,,places where spacing between words was needed...and spellings of words that I changed the spelling of...so it was of some use. It was strangely or not so strangely comforting to know...that although it might be a useful tool...that it is ultimately a human being who will decide the fate of the words he uses...for his own good reasons................Quester.

Roses Are Red

[Verse from song: Roses are Red
copyright-Socan}
"Roses are red...
sometimes they're white...
Violets are blue...
in the clear morning light...
But night changes all...
and nothing's the same...
When the sun's gone away...
at the end of the game..."
.................Quester."

Two Kinds Of Journals

This is a picture of some of my long hand journals...that I've been keeping over several years. They differ somewhat from my blog...i.e. in them I put down the pros and
cons of life issues I'm dealing with at the time...something I'm not necessarily ready
to do online. I also put down how much I withdrew from my bank and other such every
day transactions. My long hand journal is always with me when I am away from home...in
the event any poems or other creative ideas come when I'm out. It is a catch all place
for just about anything in my life...from the mundane to the inspirational...and closely reflects the contents of my days. I have received many benefits from keeping this kind of daily journal,,,and some years ago made a tape about these benefits called
"Daily Journalling...Springboard to Self Discovery". I suppose the main difference
between my long hand and my online journals...is that the former is not meant for sharing with others...but the latter is. I've somehow been able to keep both of them
going. Happy journalling to all......................Quester.

In Praise Of Totem Poles

I've been posting some chilly scenes lately mirroring the cold snap we've been in.
Tonight I thought I'd look for a different kind of picture. This one was taken last
summer of the "Totem Pole of Kitsilano"...which I once wrote a song about...and always
uplifts me when I look at it. I remember the natural high I felt the first time I
saw a toem pole...standing in its natural environment on the West Coast of Canada.
I marvelled at the complex and creative cultures who would have come up with such
organic representations of who they were...utilising the straight, tall trees that
grow bountifully in this part of the world. I think the totem poles...even in cities like Vancouver and Victoria...put a stamp on these cities...that connect us with the
First People and the Land in this part of the world...adding an inspiring ingredient
to life in these cities...hard to find in other cities of Canada............Quester.

Warmth On A Frigid Night

Have just been looking through emails I've received since I acquired my computer. On
this frigid night,,,they remind me of the warmth...and love...that have come my way
...albeit through the mysterious medium of cyberspace. It is another reminder of how
finally overcoming past reluctances...to acquire and use a computer...has benefited my
life...and of the many good people that my music has brought into my life. Many of the
people who have emailed me after finding my website...would likely not have found any
other way of getting in touch with me. For this...and more...I am thankful...on this
frosty night...in the oasis of Canada...............Quester.

Five Hundred Years

A few years ago...I wrote a song called "Five Hundred Years"...about the coming of the conquistadores to the "New World"...and what has transpired since. Today this picture that presented itself outside my front window...of mountains...cross...and eagle...gave me the picture I've wanted...in order to post the words of the chorus of this song...
given right at this moment those are the only words of this song that I can call to mind: "Are these five hundred years...the blinking of eternity...this blood...and loss...and tears...written in the stars...meant to be?"...................Quester.

The Two Sisters

The settlers called them "The Lions"...but the Squawmish name for them translated from
their language...is..."The Two Sisters". There is a story handed down about how they got that name. There were two sisters who brought peace to this part of the West Coast.
They were honoured for this by being turned into stone...so that they could be remembered down through time...the opposite of the European notion of being turned to stone as a punishment. Once wrote a song about them based on this story. Today's
picture caught them highlighted by the snow...and dwarfing even the high rises below...
..............Quester.

Pacific Drean 3

[From song "Pacific Dream"
on cd "Twilight Rambler"
Copyright-SOCAN}
"You will take yourself with you...
No matter where you go...
The old ones used to say so long ago...
I'm not looking for a miracle
to help me to take wing...
Just a place where I can hear
the green earth sing...
And one more time...
I'll fly beyond the snowline...
Fly to the sea,,,
where only friends can find me...
Pacific Dream I'll turn you to a new day...
This time no one will take it all away..."
..................................Quester.

Hit The Big Baloon

As the arrow shot...
from the bow of your ego...
hits the bull's eye
in the middle of mine...
My spirit smiles...
at the game of "hit the big baloon"
we are playing down below...
from somewhere high up
in the cheap seats....
..............Quester.

Poem: A Summer Observation

"Flying...but not so smart...
a bee in my bedroom...makes me wonder...
why creatures that can do...
the one thing that human kind
would love to do...but can't...fly...
have never been able to figure out
the mystery called "glass"...
and that a place of entrance through it...
is always a place of exit...
but...when you're so small...
can fly...and make honey too...
the least we "entrance and exit meisters"
can do for you...
is to open a window wide...
so you can go...flying...
on your busy...busy way..."
...................Quester.

The Gift Of Mobility

Confined to barracks today with a very sore foot. Did some hopping from A to B in my
apartment today. It's another reminder of how precious the gift of mobility is...one of many things we tend to take for granted...until it's taken away from us. Am taking medication for it...and in a day or two I should be able to head outdoors. Gives me a
renewed understanding of people who live their lives from wheel chairs...not having
ease and freedom of movement is not an easy thing to deal with. I'm lucky that in my
own case it's only going to be temporary. Here's to a mobile spring for all who still
have it!................Quester.

New Year Cherry Blossoms

When I first came to Vancouver...going to Stanley Park to see the cherry blossoms on
New Year's day...became a tradition for some years. It was something that always gave me great hope...to think that in the middle of winter in Canada somewhere...you could see cherry trees blooming. The last year or two I didn't make this pilgrimage on this
day. One of my resolutions for "07 was to continue with this tradition, even though
with the early snows and wacky weather out here...I wasn't so sure the blossoms would
greet me. This New Year's day...with its unrelenting gloom and rain...made me decide
not to go to Stanley Park. Today the sun came out and I was on my way a day late.
Sure enough the first thing that greeted my eyes on the edge of Lost Lagoon was a blooming cherry tree...which I took three pictures of. Walking on the edge of Stanley Park...I encountered several other blooming trees...and took a lot of close ups of
my favourite pink blossoms. The picture I'm posting now...is one taken today. This sight...once again...lifting my spirits...................Quester.

A Good Start

There was/is a belief in Guyana where I grew up...that on the first day of the new year
you should do at least some of what you hope to do in the rest of the year. Today...I
read some source material from my journals to draw on...in the manuscript I'm wotking
on. I continued the straightening out of my apartment started a while ago...then did some editing of materials I've written in the last two months or so. Perhaps before the
night is done I'll get some guitar playing in. This is not the final list of what I
hope to be engaged in...in this new year. Things I stayed away from this day?...the
polar bear swim at English Bay. That is one thing I'm not likely to do at any time...
while I am still of "sound mind". All in all...a good start!...........Quester.

New Year Dawning

'07 is here!. Come to think of it...it's actually 007...but I digress. I look forward
to being free of the Christmas shopping blitz that's been going on since the end of October. Beyond that...i hope that peace finally comes to the Middle East and other troubled parts of my world...although right now that looks quite distant. I hope that
I continue to be daily with my artist's work...and I look forward to good exchanges with family and friends. I wish all...Peace.............Quester.