Sunday, January 8, 2012

The Peace Train Inside All of Us
















One of my favorite anthologies of poetry sits next to me, as it has for the past few mornings. I try to open it at random and in that way I feel I can get a glimpse of what the world has to say to me, what it might want me to know, and then perhaps pass it on. In this anthology, the poets are sometimes represented more than once, in different sections, but almost never more than twice. So, the odds of opening it to the same poet two mornings in a row might be considered a long shot. I try to pay attention to where I am directed to open it and then leave the rest up to whomever is in charge of these things.

This morning, I opened it to the other poem by Charles Bukowski. If I'd read it before, and I probably have, it'd been quite some time. It seemed to be mirroring my thoughts. It was obviously written during Desert Storm in the early '90's. Unfortunately, it seems we've dug an even deeper hole in the sand, which makes this poem as timely now as it was then, perhaps more so, especially in light of Rick Perry's remark that he would consider sending troops back into Iraq. I didn't watch hardly any of the debates. That was quite enough, thank you. I can't handle that much unkindness all in a row. Here's Charles instead:

"the con job"

the ground war began today
at dawn
in a desert land
far from here.
the U.S. ground troops were
largely
made up of
Blacks, Mexicans and poor 
whites
most of whom had joined
the military
because it was the only job
they could find.

the ground war began today
at dawn
in a desert land
far from here
and the Blacks, Mexicans
and poor whites
were sent there
to fight and win
as on tv
and on the radio
the fat white rich newscasters
first told us all about 
it
and then the fat rich white
analysts
told us
why
again
and again
and again
on almost every
tv and radio station
almost every minute
day and night
because
the Blacks, Mexicans
and poor whites
were sent there
to fight and win
at dawn
in a desert land
far enough away from
here.


~ Charles Bukowski






To put an exclamation point on this: Cat Stevens was always in the background of my life during my college years. I loved his music. Every single song talked of a world we hoped to see. Yes, he is Yusuf Islam now. And he is still the picture of kindness. I want to spend more time listening to him than the political machinations that seem to be permeating the airwaves.


He first recorded "Peace Train" in 1971. Forty years ago. During that time, I discovered there's a peace train that runs through me, and that's the train I have to be on at all times if I'm ever to see the world I hoped for back then. Here is Yusuf :

19 comments:

  1. What memories you've brought forth here, Teresa. Cat Stevens/Yusluf Islam. We still have this album and give it a turn now and then. Tom and I saw him in concert in the early '70's on a warm summer night. under a pavilion. I remember it still. How much better the world would be if we all road on that peace train.

    Great post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I stay away from most of the media, as I can't tell what is true and what isn't.

    However, we are sending free copies of our book to VA vet center clinics throughout the Pacific Northwest. If even one vet finds some peace and healing, it will be worth it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Another nice selection.Charles has a intense look at many things.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cat looms large in the wallpaper of my youth. I don't know anything about his life now as Yusuf Islam, but I'm glad to hear his peace train is still on the rails.

    This life we pursue now makes media fasting easy and natural. I sometimes need a political fix, but I think my habit is loosening its hold on me.

    The Good Luck Duck

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yeah for Yusuf Islam, always so good to hear his sweet voice. Didn't know he had changed his name. Of course, I would know his music no matter what his name was. Always enjoy your posts -- barbara

    ReplyDelete
  6. Charles Bukowski was a drunk but a good poet as well.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Paul, Anyone who has read Charles Bukowski's poetry is aware of his alcoholism. I don't want to remember him as an alcoholic, but as a very good poet, who shared his own slivers of light that came shining through. He deserves that. Everyone deserves that.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bukowski frequented our bar in the Echo Park/Silver Lake area many times over.
    I can attest that he was not an alcoholic.
    He was a functional drunk.
    He functioned better than most sober people. He had a soul and compassion for the less fortunate.
    He taught me not to hate the world. But rather to hate what the world does to its self.
    He always had his entourage. But he never lost sight of who or what he was.
    At times he would just smile, and say nothing.
    As I got older I started to understand that smile.
    He knew it was all a bad dream.

    ReplyDelete
  9. RZ, Thank you so much for clarifying, with your first hand knowledge, my false assessment. I Deeply appreciate this.

    Yes, a dream.

    ReplyDelete
  10. One afternoon he and Ray Bradbury were in the tavern together.
    That was something else all together.
    Bradbury had a little studio theater down the way on Riverside Dr. at the time.
    Talk about two opposites.
    Or were they?

    ReplyDelete
  11. OMG. How cool is that? It makes perfect sense to me. Remember "Something Wicked This Way Comes?" Bradbury Knew so much on so many levels, as I suspect Bukowski did, too.

    Your life sounds like it has been interesting....

    ReplyDelete
  12. I want to thank Everyone for their responses to this post.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dear Teresa,
    You said, "I discovered there's a peace train that runs through me, and that's the train I have to be on at all times if I'm ever to see the world I hoped for back then." Yes. And again. Yes.

    You know one of the things most of us seem to need is to pigeon-hole people and events. That way we can put boundaries on them and discuss them within the parameters we've given them. We all do this. And yet, part of being on a peace train is observing long and hard and knowing that everything is mystery. Who is at fault? Who is innocent? Most of the time I find myself bemused.

    Peace.

    ReplyDelete
  14. My heart is so full after listening to Yusuf sing the Peace Train. I knew it so long ago, and it was part of my growing up time, learning to love Cat Stevens and all his incredibly music. I am glad he is still singing.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm afraid I'm not done with Charles yet. I thank Each of you for your responses here.... and your patience with my desire to understand him better....

    ReplyDelete
  16. My point was that we all have crosses that we have to bear Teresa. A great poet can be a very flawed person as Bukowski was. No one is perfect,but we tend to put "artists" on pedestals. Bukowski was a womanizer too-it's a fact id you study his life. However, a lot of men are.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Paul, I'm glad you came back. I do understand what you're saying about artists. I think it may not be a pedestal so much as they have created a platform, if you will, in which we get to see ourselves better and they often say what we cannot, at least not as well. I don't know about being a womanizer. Women loved him despite his ways. So, I always ask, who's exploiting whom? Women have to give permission and vice versa. There are people who allow themselves to be "used" by both sexes. I do thank you for offering your thoughts here.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I never knew of Charles Bukowski before you. But Cat....Peace Train made me cry back then with young friends in Viet Nam...and it made me cry now. For us.

    May we always have people who sing to our higher selves.

    ReplyDelete