The Dangling Conversation ~ Simon & Garfunkel

Some time ago my SoundCloud friend Mark introduced me to The Dangling Conversation.  I thought I knew pretty much all of Simon and Garfunkel’s well known songs… but I was so wrong, I’d never heard this one.

I absolutely loved it and found myself drawn to listen to this delightful song again and again.  One day while listening, I realised it might make an interesting poem for one of my spoken word creations.  Here it is… with a simple video included.  I also uploaded a version to my SoundCloud page.

I find it very interesting to speak poetry that isn’t mine.  It helps form a different pattern in my mind on how to speak and how to write poems.  We all have patterns that are part of how we think, which is perfectly natural, but it’s good to introduce something different now and then.  It helps reduce limitations and expands the writer on the inside.

After I recorded my version of The Dangling Conversation I did some more research on the song and found a 1968 black and white film of a High School teacher reading the lyrics in the process of teaching her class poetry.  I thought it was absolutely wonderful to see that.  I love the way she saw those lyrics as pure poetry and not just a song… such a cool teacher! 

Below, is a short documentary with some of her pupils talking about memories of their English literature teacher Mrs Ashcraft and the 1968 documentary High School by Frederick Wiseman.

The Dangling Conversation is from Simon and Garfunkels Parsely, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme album.  If you’ve not heard it yet please visit You Tube for a free listen.  I have an original vinyl copy, it’s a beautiful album.

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The White Birch ~ The Weight Of Spring

I wore the dark
I watched the light undress the mark
The weight of spring
The darkness brings

I called for grace
In a lovers loss, in distant face
As years were spent
And hearts were bent
Hearts were bent

I close my eyes to the sound of spring
What is there to see
In the songs they bring?
Love will never change
The morning sun
Love will never change
The way the way the darkness runs

I felt the doubt
Of a better man who had fallen out
And spring was bold
As hearts turned cold
Hearts turned cold

I close my eyes to the sound of spring
What is there to see
But the songs they bring
Love will never change
The morning sun
Love will never change
The way the darkness runs

I so loved this album The Weight Of Spring and especially this track, I thought I’d create a relaxation video – so please enjoy!

I don’t believe the song is actually about spring, but has a much deeper meaning, a very personal one.  The whole album was dedicated to the mother of Ola Fløttum who passed away during the creation of this album.  I definitely feel a strong sense of that in the music and the lyrics.  But having said that, it’s one of those albums with songs the listener can form their own feeling on what they’re about. I relate to music like that a lot.

If you love the laid back sound to this track, you can listen to all the tracks from the  album in this You Tube playlist, and here are the lyrics.

Unfortunately The White Birch no longer exist as a band, but you can still buy their four inspiring albums from iTunes and Amazon.

If you’d like to read more about Ola Fløttum and the album The Weight Of Spring you may find this blog post of interest.

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*(2017 update)

You can now view the official music video for the Weight Of Spring.

 

Lazy Days

Rowan Chestnut-Unsplash

Sukhwinder Flora is a delight to listen to!!

I spend quite a bit of time on SoundCloud mainly looking for spoken word artists to share to The Writing Garden, but every so often I come across a real gem, and Sukhwinder is very much a gem!

She not only has a stunning voice when singing, but also writes her own songs, performs great cover versions, and some very creative spoken word.  A collection of her poems have been published in several issues of Pink Panther literary and art magazine, and she sells her beautiful art on Redbubble.  You can also read her poetry on there too.

I’ve had a few conversations with Sukhwinder on SoundCloud messaging, she has a kind and thoughtful personality too.  With all of that talent – I just had devote the entire post to her.

So, relax in your seat, give yourself permission to be lazy for a few minutes and float away with her rich and rewarding voice. 🙂
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Story Of My Life ~ ThePianoGuys

If you haven’t discovered ThePianoGuys yet, take a look at their You Tube page – they’re beautifully entertaining! 🙂

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Even The End Shall Pass

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Everyone knows
a flower has little time to parade in glory
all good things must end
now the leaf has at last let go
it’s sunny days have become
as the final chapter of a good book closing
red berries hold on
and listen to whispers on the breeze
this final stage is not as it seems
because bleakness is granted permission
to paint in harshness for a few short days
so let it colour with untamed rust
leaves lost to the ground
and sweep smoky trails across the sky
because this is the great alteration of shades
and all living things know
even the end shall pass
let the old make way for the new

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Picture: Withered ~ Devinatart

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I was fairly certain I wouldn’t write about Autumn this year, but obviously something in my mind had other ideas!  I’m sure that happened last autumn/winter too, and then this poem came out in December.  Perhaps I’m in denial as to how much I love this time of year?! 😉

I had real trouble finding an appropriate picture for this one.  When I did a search for images, it didn’t matter what direction I looked in, pictures for autumn were heavily dominated by orange and gold.  Stunning, but I wasn’t convinced they were a true picture of autumn, a little too bright, not quite what I was looking for.

The reality of autumn for me living in England is definitely a lot less vibrant.  There are some colourful trees to be found, but it’s more soft orange and yellow and a lot more rust and plenty of those smoky sky days.  In fact the day after I wrote this, the sky became exactly that, a pale china blue with wide sweeping smoky art trails with a hint of pink – abstract autumn!  It was like seeing my poetry in the sky, can’t say that’s ever happened before.  I guess the colour of autumn must vary a lot around the world, and I can only write about the one I know.

I thought the sound and feel of this Agnes Obel song would go well with this poem.  I found her music last year while looking up Ane Brun, I feel they have some similarities in music style, atmospheric and inspiring lyrics.  You can find her You Tube channel here.

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Wasting My Young Years ~ London Grammar

London Grammar is one of those new bands I accidentally discovered recently on one of my You Tube trips!  I love Hannah Reid’s haunting voice, and I’m looking forward to see what they come up with next.  Here’s a live version of this song.  If you want to hear more of their music visit their You Tube or SoundCloud page, also Wikipedia or their website. .