Messages

[KNOWLEDGE]

Mike Skinner is one of the most underrated music artists of the last 15 years. This song in particular encapsulates my feelings quite well at the minute - I\'m 27 years old and always loved going out to bars and clubs, but I\'ve got to an age where I can no longer be doing it regularly, and certainly not to clubs as I\'m a whole decade older than the new batch of people coming of age and hitting the clubs for the first time. Yesterday I drove past several hundred freshers/freshman students excitedly making their way to a nightclub, and it was such an odd feeling - like a sort of pride combined with nostalgia and melancholy.

Ai Weiwei\'s retrospective is set to open this week at the London Royal Academy of Art, with reviewers already describing it as one of the best exhibitions in years.It\'s one of the most important exhibitions of the renowned Chinese artist's work for a long time, not least because it has coincided with the unexpected return of the artist's passport by Chinese authorities after four years, enabling him to travel to London for the opening and even assist with the final preparation of the exhibition.What do you make of Ai\'s work, and his status as persona non grata among the Chinese authorities?

I can't cope any longer. From the moment I first wake up to my last conscious thoughts before I drop off into the dark, placid abyss of sleep, you are there. As hard as I tried, and continue trying, I cannot dislodge your presence, your voice, your soft, confident, sultry tone of voice, and your eyes, your deep, sparkling, beautiful blue eyes, from my tired old brain. I am sick of feeling like this – do you even know if I still exist? You could have forgotten all about me, you could be getting on with your life, maybe you've met someone and got married. Maybe you were already married. But my life is not the same without you. My life is not complete without you. My life is worthless without you.You used to pass me by every day on the way to work. You know, on the bridge. I remember how at first, you used to look down. Try to put on a stoic face. I smiled at you. I tried to make eye contact. From the moment our paths first crossed, I knew you were it. You were the one for me. I was the one for you. Soulmates. People always talk about soulmates. Usually people who rack up three or four of them as they exchange their vows time and time again at the altar. I didn't think there could be such a thing either. Partners have come and gone from my life, who claimed they loved me, and I thought I loved them. But the feeling wasn't there. You know, that feeling, when you just know. I had that with you. You were the one for me. You are the one for me. I knew you were just shy at first. Why else would you be looking down? But before long, you looked at me. You gazed deep into my eyes. You said hello. Oh, if only you knew how happy had you made me. Inside I was dancing and screaming at the top of my voice – you saw it too! I knew that was it. Every day, we had our little moment, where everything was just perfect. Your eyes gazing into mine. Your wry little smile. "Hello," you would say. And then it was me who looked down, said "hi" back. Even back then I struggled to cope, but in a good way. A beautiful, fulfilling way. It was an overwhelming feeling of joy that you would bring to me once a day, sometimes even twice if you finished early.And then, one day, you were just gone. That's it. You had gone away previously, for a week, sometimes two, and my heart would sink, but then there you were again, walking towards me, with your smile – what I would have given for you to just put your arms around me, look into my eyes, and put your lips on mine. You walked right past me. I knew this was the arrangement we had. You were my lover on the bridge. Well, my walk-on-by lover. My snapshot lover. But this was more than enough for me. The love was there. Just knowing that you were there again, the deep despair I had experienced the previous weeks just vanished into a puff of thin air, replaced by joy and delight. My life was complete when we shared those moments on the bridge. It's been a year now. One whole year. I've been signed off work because I could no longer cross that godforsaken bridge without remembering you and the moments we shared. It's driven me insane. I'm so hollow. There is a void in there that I cannot fill. And believe me, I have tried. I have tried drowning my sorrows, I have tried smoking out my sorrows, I have even tried... no, I cannot say it. The thought of me cheating on you breaks my heart. What if you are reading this? I could lose you if you knew just what I've tried to do in a bid to block out the emptiness... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I love you.I still long, dream, hope, and pray for you to pass by again. I've even been worrying that you'd be back and that, by me being off work, would be missing you. I could not forgive myself for that. But it's been a year that I haven't seen your face. Your eyes. Heard your voice. And felt that spark, that connection, that perfect moment of love that your presence brought to my mundane, empty, pathetic excuse of a life.Where are you? I miss you. Please come back.

I love this. Such a fine, flowing read. The words glide effortlessly off the screen. And I love the subject matter as well. The mundanity of life, of existence. It\'s incredibly deep - well done!

Very nice, quite striking pieces of art. Love the use of colour in them, I\'d have them hanging from my wall

The highlights of my day so far = pumping up the tyres on my car, and changing my bedsheets. 

Great to be on board - I can see this site growing nicely. Here\'s to progress! 

My defiant tribute to the tragedy that took place at the start of the year...

Plans to close Eastwood's DH Lawrence Heritage Centre to save cash have been revealed – a move branded "disastrous" by supporters of the building.A report by Broxtowe Borough Council, which looks after Eastwood, has recommended shutting the building – which houses, among other things, an exhibition on the town during the time the author lived there – to save money.Malcolm Gray, chairman of the DH Lawrence Society, told local media: "It would be a tragedy if it was lost and a tragedy for the town if another link with Lawrence was gone."What do you make of this news? Are you familiar with DH Lawrence\'s work and his Nottinghamshire heritage?/home/news/dh-lawrence-heritage-centre-faces-closure-r2/\">Link to article here.

[KNOWLEDGE]

Attention people!

We at the Department of Misinformation need to make you aware of a vile, disgusting, monstrous scourge which has been unleashed on our clean, unspoilt society. That includes your children! A drug of unparalleled evil which has claimed the minds of thousands and disrupted the lives of millions! This drug is called KNOWLEDGE, although it goes by many names depending on the type and purity, including INTELLIGENCE, RATIONALITY, REASON and INTELLECTUALISM.

The effects:

- KNOWLEDGE makes people claim they \"know\" more about things.
- KNOWLEDGE makes people feel in tune with their surroundings – sounds and colours are more intense. People claim to have a \"more open mind\".
- KNOWLEDGE makes people euphoric, chatty and willing to pass on their \"information\" to other people, sometimes against their will.

The risks:

- KNOWLEDGE is incredibly addictive - a furtive interest in KNOWLEDGE is all it takes to get completely and utterly hooked, because once you absorb a single dose of KNOWLEDGE, then you cannot stop - you want more and more and more, and before long it consumes your whole life!

- KNOWLEDGE may be exhilarating at times if the dose administered is positive and leads to a good trip, but nearly all KNOWLEDGE in the world is negative, which will often lead to a bad trip. People have exhibited feelings of hopelessness, despair and futility, thinking that the world is a bad place to live and that nothing will ever change.

- Attempting to get through a particularly heavy source of KNOWLEDGE (for example, the particularly cumbersome strain known as \"quantum physics\") may lead to KNOWLEDGE overdose, leading to feelings of inadequacy and failure.

- KNOWLEDGE addicts may experience animosity, paranoia, hatred and develop a bizarre schizophrenia-like disease where they constantly have a strange irrational desire to \"stick it to the man\".

- If many KNOWLEDGE users exhibiting the above symptoms gather together, this can have catastrophic consequences, leading to unrest, violence and even DEATH as they try and achieve a twisted apocalyptic nirvana known as a \"revolution\".

Oh no! Sounds terrible! What steps can I take to avoid this wretched poison?

Fear not, comrade! We at the DOM have compiled a short guide on how to protect yourself from KNOWLEDGE:

- Stay away from the following items and EVERYTHING containing the following words, for they contain toxic amounts of KNOWLEDGE:  Books, documentaries, \"paedia\" (it\'s a lot like \"paedo\" which is also bad!), \"science\", \"economics\", \"philosophy\" and \"freedom\".

- Stay away from the following establishments, for they deal and push KNOWLEDGE: \"Library\", \"Bookshop\", \"University\" (with the exception of the safe DOM University), anything with \"Biblio\" as part of the word, any newspaper or magazine which looks dull and uninteresting, anything which doesn\'t have the words \"celeb\", \"goss\", \"football\" or \"OMG\" written in giant brightly coloured capital letters on the cover.

- Stay away from ANYONE holding any of the above items, and steer especially clear of anyone wearing glasses (unless they\'re big huge tacky sunglasses) - they contain an intense, evil kind of X-ray known as KNOWLEDGE VISION, which blasts pure people with toxic radioactivity and sees through your child\'s clothes! NASTY! 

I think I\'ve accidentally taken in some KNOWLEDGE! What do I do?

Don\'t worry! Knowing you\'ve made a terrible mistake which you will never make again - for The Leader will not like you if you make it again - is half the battle won! There is an antidote known as IGNORANCE which you can take, and over a period of time, not only will it nullify the KNOWLEDGE, but it will also fill your life with joy and bliss without side effects! It\'s the perfect substance, which is why, like alcohol and nicotine, it is legal and sponsored by your friendly ruler, The Leader!

Where can I get doses of IGNORANCE? Tell me!

It is simple to find, and even more readily available than KNOWLEDGE! IGNORANCE, aka STUPIDITY, MUNDANITY, BULLSHIT, CONFORMISM, CONSUMERISM, FASHION, GOSSIP, CELEBRITY NEWS, FOOTBALL UPDATE, and ENTERTAINMENT, comes in many shapes, strains and sizes and can be administered in the following ways:

- Tabloids
- Reality TV
- Sports channels
- Internet sites with a lot of capital letters, abbrevs and the colour pink
- Youtube user-posted webcam videos
- Any gathering of unnaturally orange people (both staying out in the sun too long and and fake tan are notable side effects of too much IGNORANCE)
- Any television show where young, spoilt, rich people are filmed being as spoilt, eccentric and idiotic as possible

IGNORANCE is a nice, pleasant drug! It conjures up a state of perma-bliss, it makes people passionate and chatty but without the negative side effects of KNOWLEDGE, and furthermore, it makes you feel like you matter and that the focus is always on YOU! 

So there you go people! We hope you will take heed of all the things we\'ve said to you today, and you can go away feeling like you can protect yourself from this deadly drug, and embrace the nice, friendly, fun, effortless alternative! 

Remember: KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS, IGNORANCE IS BLISS!

Pretty but also a little creepy at the same time, I agree with /profile/6-frostykitten/\" data-ipshover=\"\" data-ipshover-target=\"http://poetryartonline.com/profile/6-frostykitten/?do=hovercard\" data-mentionid=\"6\">@FrostyKitten in that it looks a bit desolate... the first thing that came to mind is Prypiat, the town just next to Chernobyl, which has been abandoned and you know damn well it\'s dangerous because of the radiation, yet there\'s a ferris wheel there which implies that at some point it would have tried its best to be a sociable and fun place, with emphasis on families and children...

Well Poetry & Art! is the right place to showcase them! Think they may have been somewhat out of place on the other site \"So we\'ve made a bad start to the season and we need to change our tactics... here\'s a leopard!\"

Now for a slightly more upbeat photo that does not involve death...

Thanks all! 

I like it, it looks really intricate. You could even add bright, vivacious colours to that and the effect would be like a stained glass, or a mosaic.