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

Where the answer lies

Yield to the flowers

As they smile at the sun

Give way to the trees

As they wave to the wind

Reach out to the birds

As they sing to the sky

Make way for a school of fish

As they swim on by

Challenge the mountains

As they stand their ground

Seek out the islands

Where peace can be found

Look up to the stars

As they dare to dream

Silence the night

While chasing a moonbeam

Turn towards the ocean

As it unfolds on the beach

A glimpse of an answer

That lies just out of reach

Seed

How well are you grounded

How far do your roots go down

Is it time to branch out

Reach for the light

That was out of your grasp

The intentions grown

From one simple seed of truth

Where the River Flows

There once was a time
When the rivers met
Where we could stand our ground
The water flows fast now

Fighting against the storm
The enemies retreat
It’s so cold outside
Why won’t they go away

The noise of the world
Blocking out their sound
With some sort of enlightenment
Pulsating in the ears

The pictures tell us stories
The blank screen stares
Truth or fiction, who knows
We turn away from the lies

To reach for lines written
The pages appear one by one
A book to open the mind
The chapters of the soul

Read by anyone who cares
To set upon the open road
To go where the river flows
To stand their ground

Time is like a river.

You cannot touch the same water twice,

because the flow that has passed will never pass again.

Degradation

Take a walk down
To the riverside
The water running slow
No longer clear

The birdsong absent
Unnatural silence
The water disturbed
By roaming cattle

Calls unanswered
Tonight the river swells
Solutions so simple
The river screams

The criminal hides
Behind the power of money
A screen of shame
That will mean the end

All the effort
Struggling to make change
Many voices join in
Only hope remains

Alice

Going down the rabbit hole
Into another world
Surreal and superb
No limits in this universe
The life before was dull
Taking the red pill
Unplugging from the machine
Becoming machines of god
Suffer is all that we do
Suffer for this life
Our waiting has been cruel
But now we are released
Into the wild
Into infinity