Starlight

Entering a world

Of shadows and moonlit nights

Where stars explode

To share their dying light

A war is waged

Where the wolves once roamed

All battles are lost

On the emotional dreamscape

Some will wait in hiding

Wondering why they went to war

Were they simply fighting

For a wish that has gone wrong

My Law by Tieme Ranapiri (1800s) or Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919)

(this poem has been attributed to both authors)

The sun may be clouded, yet ever the sun
Will sweep on its course till the Cycle is run.
And when into chaos the system is hurled
again shall the Builder reshape a new world.

Your path may be clouded, uncertain your goal:
Move on - for your orbit is fixed to your soul.
And though it may lead into darkness of night
The torch of the Builder shall give it new light.

You were. You will be! Know this while you are:
Your spirit has traveled both long and afar.
It came from the Source, to the Source it returns
The Spark which was lighted eternally burns.

 It slept in a jewel. It leapt in a wave.
It roamed in the forest. It rose from the grave.
It took on strange garbs for long eons of years
and now in the soul of yourself it appears.

From body to body your spirit speeds on
It seeks a new form when the old one has gone
and the form that it finds is the fabric you wrought
On the loom of the Mind from the fibre of Thought.
As dew is drawn upwards, in rain to descend
Your thoughts drift away and in Destiny blend.
You cannot escape them, for petty or great,
Or evil or noble, they fashion your Fate.

Somewhere on some planet, sometime and somehow
Your life will reflect your thoughts of your Now.
My law is unerring, no blood can atone
The structure you build you will live in alone.
From cycle to cycle, through time and through space
Your lives with your longings will ever keep pace
And all that you ask for, and all you desire
Must come at your bidding, as flame out of fire.

Once list' to that Voice and all tumult is done
Your life is the Life of the Infinite One.
In the hurrying race you are conscious of pause
With love for the purpose, and love for the Cause.

You are your own Devil, you are your own God
You fashioned the paths your footsteps have trod.
And no one can save you from Error or Sin
Until you have hark'd to the Spirit within.

Imagine Oceania

Oceania, in 13 parts

Swirling around the vortex
Spirals of light drawn in
No escape from the universal pull
Falling into the depths of time (Quasar)

Watching from above
Secrets known, forever seen
Darkness grows
Hidden silent and cold
In our own reality (Panopticon)

Hanging from the heavens
A guide to light the way
Stories told by night
And shadows cast by day (The Celestials)

A glow within, burning bright
A feeling of peace in its presence
The threads of time slowly unwind
And give way to reveal its essence (Violet Rays)

The cold dark days you bring
Standing still against the wind
Waiting for new beginnings
Awakening from within (My Love is Winter)

We knew from the start
It would change the way we feel
Music from the heart
A way of showing us it's real (One Diamond One Heart)

Circling wheels against the sky
They spin in a dizzy daze
Making patterns against the sun
Finding wishes and opportune ways
A roulette for chances undone
To answer those who ask why (Pinwheels)

A rough stone polished smooth over time
By tidal waves
It sits alone but free
At the edge of the sand
Waves come to take it back to the sea (Oceania) (stolen from an older poem)

She rides to the edge of the waves
On a journey with the moonlight
She'll never say never
As she fades into forever (Pale Horse)

Appearing on the horizon
The creature has left its lair
To warn us of storms and change ahead
A message of chaos in the air (The Chimera)

A storyteller from afar
Bringing the words we need to hear
She'll tell you of the future
Of the trials and despair
And the faith to take us through (Glissandra)

Empty thoughts and empty words
Staring back from a blank page
The ghost writing a hidden tale
Mysteries revealed for the coming age (Inkless)

She waits by the wayside
Wilted by the heat of the sun
Torn by the winds of spring
Only to make her stronger
To face whatever winter may bring (Wildflower)

Concert review - Smashing Pumpkins 1996

 Smashing Pumpkins - Queens Wharf Events Centre, Wellington, 24 May 1996

One fan stated on her way home after this show, that she could die right then and her life would be complete.
The Smashing Pumpkins had left her feeling fulfilled. They certainly lived up to expectations, putting on a stunning performance that seemed to go on forever. They introduced the show with the instrumental "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness' from their latest album of the same name. Then the four members of the band came onto the stage and ripped into their songs. Singer Billy Corgan growled his way through "Today" and a backdrop, showing blended patterns and distorted images, lit up behind the stage. They played some favourites 'Disarm', 'Cherub Rock' and the hard-hitting new songs. A highlight was '1979', where guitarist James Iha persuaded the crowd to imagine they were in a discotheque in the 70's instead of a 'sweaty dance hall'. Everyone danced along to what seemed to be the most popular song of the night.
Then Billy Corgan became serious for a minute when he told the crowd about a Wellington woman who had called them and asked them to dedicate a song to her son, who had died a week before the concert. He had committed suicide. She said they were his favourite band. They played 'Bullet with Butterfly Wings' for him.
Security was alarmed when 20 or so desperate fans broke through a fire exit at the back of the events centre and enjoyed half the concert for free. Also, those who tried to take photos of the show were stopped by security and cameras were confiscated.
After several songs, the band left the stage, and the crowd started stomping and chanting 'Pumpkins!' and other various incomprehensible words. James Iha came back on and asked if it was a soccer or rugby chant, he didn't know, because, as he said, he came from "Chicago, the city of basketball and Michael Jordan". Then he played a solo song of his (Blew Away) before the rest of the band joined him for a few more songs. They left and returned to the stage 3 or 4 times to satisfy the noisy crowd. The drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, sat hidden behind his drums for the whole show, and D'arcy, the female bass player, kept quiet aside from some backup vocals. Billy and James kept saying 'Thank-you Wellington" as the fans screamed their enthusiasm. They said goodbye as they left the stage for the final time, leaving fans with the satisfaction that the Smashing Pumpkins had put on a rockin' good concert, and for some, had made their lives complete.

A poem by John Pule

Be generous with your life
drink rain from the heavens,
not from the cup of uncertainty
There are moons that create shadows
that you have journeyed
and are about to journey again.
There are suns that illuminate
doorways and enter the house
of the imagination, furnishing
the rooms with memories
and unfaltering
beauty from Gods.
You have seen a beautiful stone
and the songs that come from it
will always wait for you.

Wake up

I can see the people waking up
slowly, one by one
eyelids lifting, hearts beating
to the sound of the same drum
No anger, no fear
but peace and calm
and sorrows from the past are gone
closer now to the truth
a long journey taken with care
giving thanks along the way
to the ones who stayed near
and to the beggars and fighters
forgiveness for their sins
for sin is merely going astray
from the one path that is clear