Qualifying questions, remedial response.
Knowledge of situations often haunt.
What we know or have been told.
We tell ourselves we just don’t know.
Answers formed by thoughts untold.
Rumour and misinformation often sold.
Conspiracy theories tend to rule the day.
Bare truth and logic will get in the way.
04/22/2024 j.g.l.
Current Thoughts
Open your mouth, let words
bypass lips. Converse consciously
to brethren or bystanders.
Reach out to
close friends gone amiss.
Be not afraid, not now, of
articulating current thoughts and
accomplishments of which
you are proud, and even your sins
(for we have all owned a few)
might seem far less tragic
from an altered point of view.
Give fresh voice
to insecurities and anxieties hidden
within your self, speak highly of
those dusty dreams
languishing on a shelf.
Past sullen moments cast a
lengthy shadow, short-term
expectations tend to dull down
long-term possibilities.
Talk freely around all you want,
or hope, or desire to be.
Each intention will resonate
with those who wholly believe.
Understanding takes effort.
© 2024 j.g. lewis
April 18th is Poem in Your Pocket Day
a day to celebrate poetry by selecting a poem,
carrying it in your pocket, and sharing with the
friends and strangers who cross your path.
Share a poem wherever the day takes you, as you
would share a smile, a gesture, or your kindness.
Sharing is caring.
April is Poetry Month
take a poem to lunch
Our paths shift, circumstance and
attitude shaping our trajectory.
The company we keep alters both
our outlook and destination.
We are where we are
mainly because of who we are
and whom we are with.
04/16/2024 j.g.l.
I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.
Sometimes you’ve got to go right back to the basics to understand where you are now.
For the past couple of weeks I’ve been listening to Confessing The Blues, a compilation of American music handpicked and curated by The Rolling Stones. I was gifted the deluxe boxed set: 5 x 10” vinyl records gorgeously packaged, with an essay by Colin Larkin, artist biographies, photographs, and artwork.
There are songs about redemption, heartache, and celebration. The blues is emotion expressed in 12 bars, or less. This package is a history lesson in music that matters.
It is all about the music.
“The blues is the single most important musical genre that is fundamental to everything we hear. It is the foundation of folk, jazz, rock n’ roll, soul, heavy rock, country rock, heavy metal, hip-hop and urban R&B,” says Larkin in the liner notes.
This is the music The Rolling Stones (like many young British bands of the era) were inspired by. This is the music the band borrowed heavily from.
This is music to be celebrated, from Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson, to Chuck Berry and Elmore James. Every artist in this series left an indelible mark on American music.
What I’ve found is that I’m not only listening to the boxed set, but I’ve been inspired to flip through my records and discs and listen to music I haven’t played in a while.
Yes, I’ve got the summertime blues, and I am enjoying every note.
A portion of the profits from sales of Confessing The Blues are donated to Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation, a Chicago-based organization that promotes, protects and preserves the blues.
07/07/2019 j.g.l.
I’m like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.