Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Just A Village


I live in a village, amidst a bustling, albeit deteriorating, metropolis of many.  I live in a village without streets of its own.  No, seriously.  We have avenues, circles and courts, as well as boulevards, roads, traces, parkways and ends.  But streets are concepts foreign to this place I call home.

I’ve been many places, some closer than others, some extremely far.  I’ve seen landmarks reserved for television, others for film sets and I've been to scenes that some believe solely to reside in books.

Despite the definitions used to describe, most places are similar to the ones you’ve seen before, love and perhaps adore.  Now certainly there are differences, some larger than others, some minute to sight.  Some show in vast array others so familiar like the sense of absoluteness streaming outside your window now.  

But when you really whittle it all down, to bare essentials vs. commodity/luxury, you’ll see that a place is what people make it out to be.  There’ll be quirks in each, smiles reserved for those it keeps.   There'll be secret realms, touched only by a privileged few, as well as mysteries even the ancients forgot they knew. 

But of course, there'll be those, the residents who wish the grass would green much brighter than it does, on their lawn, on their side of town.  You’ll also have the indifferent ones, who care little about others, let alone history and crests.  They're the kind who just don’t care or there’ll be those who just complain to cause a stir.  Then there’ll be the tourists who, because something familiar seems too strange, not comfortable with the uncanny feeling invading their frames, they berate your city and its streets, and brag about what they’ve left, back home, to be here with you. Then they'll abscond your place, leaving you with his wake rippling at your feet. 

It makes little sense to insult another’s place of life, perhaps, for most I believe, will feel the same way when they go to yours, yet despite their sickness of home, appreciation showers them in a philosophical well-spun bloom, showing them what they’ve left behind.  Yet despite this transcendence undergone, most, I’d hope, would keep their sentiments to themselves, unless of course they get off on causing others dismay and remorse.  Only in this case, or perhaps if they work for their home-town's housing and/or tourist boards, would I expect to find the welcomed-in guest belittling all the world that’s surrounding me.  It's probably something much more simplistic though.  Probably something like, the person is so tired and sick of his/her own life, they try to bring you and yours down, in order to attempt to raise their own.  But in any case, it's a difference we can do without.

The village in which I live doesn’t have any bi-ways, freeways, sounds or roundabouts.  My village does not have intricate arterials, where traffic fills their skeletal bloodlines tight.  But thruways, connectors and in-roads alike, I believe them all to be similar in purpose if not in name.  I truly see the differences, all the many and the same. 

I wonder though, as being merely the case at hand , perhaps the uniqueness and cherishing spins placed upon, in regards to naming rights and such other nuances found, are just different ways of taking ownership, of and upon, for better or worse, all those things that line their city streets, or village roads, or hamlet’s coves, or …


I have a habit to continue ideas through until they get out of me.  Many I hope never do.  Yet, although the luster of one, may differ on the surface clean, to that of another; underneath, aft the layers peel, a similarity and in a sense, a serenity appears.  

So anyhow, I've been thinking so much about differences (all-inclusive topical) lately. I've been trying to pinpoint rationale and logic, convergence, authorship and more, but some efforts are futile to attempt, when variance and neuroscience are involved, but nonetheless I find poetry, behind the games, wordplay, symbols, puzzle and rhymes, there's an opportunity to work out and find answers, well, at least a furthered understanding, of these thoughts that bleed us down.  So, anyhow, just thought I'd leave a few notes I had in mind.

10 comments:

  1. So true in every way. tourists come and go and each yap on about how great it is blah blah and your just like "yeah so"..haha. But then on the flipside same if you go somewhere else. Making fun of anothers, saying yours is better is just dumb, yeah it beats a jail cell or something like that, so there are cases..haha.

    Is always interesting how different world views intersect. Not sure poetry can help understanding a ton, especailly my rhyming fun, but yes it does help. makes one ask tons of questions like this piece or view things in a different way. Great job!

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  2. I come from sort of a village, more of just a long road by the Bay with houses hugging both sides. Nary a round-about. Nary a street with no name.

    This post reminds me of one of my top 3 movies of all time "Waking Ned Devine" a village where life plays out with as much excitement and realism as New York ever could.

    Glad you share the poetry you see in everything. The non-poets are really missing out in life.

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  3. Pat, yeah I can imaging the amount of tourism you get in NS. I used to work in Maine, and they got tons of tourists. In fact, come to think of it, the tourist industry here in buffalo is actually bigger than one would think it should be, but we get lots of Niagara Falls spill over, and with all my travels I've seen tons of this type of criticism etc.. from tourists point of view and from the homer point of view. So anyhow, yeah there are different worlds intersecting at all times, could be a reason I love Sci-Fi so much, as most play on this notion an awful lot too. Thanks again and glad you enjoyed the write

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  4. Jannie,

    I believe I love that movie too. If it's the movie I'm thinking of it was about a man who won the irish sweepstakes and died when he found out he had the winning ticket, and then the town pretends he's still alive as the inspector comes around. Excellent movie and great scenery as well. I love tiny villages, where people are who they are, and the things, as confusing to the outsiders sometimes, are done the same way as they have for ever really. Glad you liked the piece, and thanks so much for the visit:)

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  5. Yep correct on the movie..haha...Yeah I also like sci-fi a ton because of all the elements. Prob why I used that in my book too. But if it's good it's good. Yet all those cry baby dramas and really over the top chick flicks never are that good..haha

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  6. dude, i am so sorry...your posts have not been showing up in my reader...after your comment today i popped over to check...will play a bit of catch up after work...

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  7. i hear you man...i think poetry is a place we work out our thoughts and ideals..i think the online community or village is a great place to work it out as well since we have so many perspectives coming together...

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  8. Pat, sci-fi has to be my favorite, even on the small screen, Fringe and Haven, easily my 2 favorites, perhaps Warehouse 13, but not for the acting, just a killer concept that impels me to watch every week. The cry baby stuff has it's place, but yeah I see what you mean, What needs to be eliminated though, and it's going to sound weird, but reality.

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  9. Brian, don't worry about it man, lots of people been having the same issue and I've emailed blogger a bunch of times, posted a message on the forums and have yet to hear back from them. Really sucks thought, gone from a few hundred daily views down to less than 75 most days, except the dverse days which it peaks a bit. Completely agree with your take here on poetry, absolutely. Heard before in a business book of all places, that in 20 years, the majority of CEO's will either be poets, have poetic backgrounds or top officers being poets. Perspective is what it's about. Thanks

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  10. Oh yeah like Fringe alot, Warehouse 13 I like so so. Haven is filmed an hour away from me, still haven't watched it though. Eureka's great too. Stargate will prob always be my tops as sci-fi tv goes. Yes reality must DIE..haha

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