Epidermal Macabre

Indelicate is he who loathes
The aspect of his fleshy clothes, –
The flying fabric stitched on bone,
The vesture of the skeleton,
The garment neither fur nor hair,
The cloak of evil and despair,
The veil long violated by
Caresses of the hand and eye.
Yet such is my unseemliness:
I hate my epidermal dress,
The savage blood’s obscenity,
The rags of my anatomy,
And willingly would I dispense
With false accouterments of sense,
To sleep immodestly, a most
Incarnadine and carnal ghost.

-Theodore Roethke (1908-1963)

A lot of people seem to think that all poets are depressed, mentally disturbed, suicidal blokes with a degree in Literature. Sure that’s almost true; but like most of us, these guys are merely looking for an avenue in order to explore life’s facets that cannot be explained.

Poetry is a way of expressing one’s self and understand the different aspects of life – its depth, what cannot be comprehended by the human mind alone. Somehow, it serves as a therapeutic outlet – because no matter what we do, we are surrounded by unexplainable things; driving us to an unwilling naivety.

I believe this was the case of Theodore Roethke – hailed the greatest American poet, who during his lifetime has questioned life, the spirit world, and what consists in between. Sure he did go mad, but his poetry somehow became an explanation not only to him, but to those who are inquisitive enough to explore such complex themes.

Whether the spirit world is indeed in existent or not, Roethke has expressed his curiosity in many of his poems – one of which is the Epidermal Macabre. To experience what lies beyond by unchaining himself from life was expressed in the lines 10-14, “I hate my epidermal dress/ the savage blood’s obscenity… And willingly would I dispense with false accouterments of sense/ to sleep immodestly.

He would rather “sleep immodestly” than wear “the rags of [his] anatomy”.

Roethke once said that “the spiritual man must go back in order to go forward.” This idea of waning from life is his way of saying that to rid of “the cloak of evil and despair” is a path to a purer soul.

Yes, Theodore Roethke does fit the stereotypical poet – mad, depressed, has a degree on his belt; but his poems are far from metaphoric ramblings. In order to fathom the connections of life, nature, and the whole universe, he utilized poetry instead, and how we humans are part of the whole accord.

The Invisible Mother

Anything photographed in the 19^th Century always has this eerie element to it, regardless of the nature. You see, early photographs don’t have full color – as we all know, they always come in sepia, or in black and white.  If recovered in the modern times, it would be all blurry; with scratches and marks of fading brought by time. And their faces – good god – why do people from the past always look gloomy in pictures?

Below though are some mind-boggling photographs of kids – being squirmy as fuck – the reason why photographers had to device a technique in order to keep them still. They call it – The Invisible Mother.

Now it doesn’t have to be necessarily the kid’s mum, but some unlucky fella would have to be hidden beneath a drape, or camouflaged somewhere on the scene just to hold the kid still. Even in the older days, photobombers were a bummer.

This was a practice where the mother, often disguised or hiding, often under a spread, holds her baby tightly for the photographer to insure a sharply focused image.

WARNING: CREEPY AS FUCK

FREAKIN’ LIEBSTER AWARD

OMFG KISSES TO MUSE WRITER FOR OFFERING ME THIS SWEET AWARD! ILUUU

This award is designed for bloggers with less than 200 followers.

The rules are:

1. Share eleven facts about yourself with your fellow bloggers.
2. Make sure to answer the awarder’s eleven questions.
3. Ask eleven questions of your own.
4. Nominate eleven bloggers for this award.
5. Notify the people you have tagged.

Eleven Facts About ME

1. I am a Senior Ed for an online writing company. I read A SHITLOAD of stuff everyday.

2. I sing for a metal band but currently on a hiatus right now. Check this out

3. I know how to play the guitar, bass, a bit of drums, and I can actually sing.

4. I wake up way ahead of the alarm clock everyday.. well, almost.

5. I have this weird affinity for Japanese guys. Gaahh (i.e. Sato Takeru, Kazuya Kamenashi, Akanishi Jin)

6. I love CATS.

7. I am megalophobic. I have this morbid fear of anything big, particularly animals (i.e. whales, elephants, giant squids, you know that kind of shit)

8. As much as I love listening to some pop, rock, jazz, and blues, I am a huge metal fan. That’s right – SLAYER, MEGADETH, JUDAS PRIEST and some European metal bands like Carach Angren, Nightwish, Fleshgod Apocalypse oh and 1 Asian – CHTHONIC!

9. I am a sucker for sweets.

10. I did ballet as a kid and danced until high school.

11. I originally wanted to be an archaeologist but that kind of thing isn’t really practical to where I live so… fuck it.

My Answers to Muse Writer

1. What is your idea of the PERFECT vacation? Who would be there, what would you do?

Somewhere in Cornwall, possibly alone. I’ve been with a whole lot of people lately and I could use a breather.

2. Do you prefer vintage or modern? Why?

I’ve always been a noncomformist, so vintage… because I am always outdated. LOL

3. Post one of your favorite photos of one of your favorite people! (You might want to get their permission first!!  )

OHH MAN.

he counts, right? #flailing #sobbing #dying

4. Is Bonnaroo a good substitute for Woodstock?

I don’t think anything’s worthy enough to substitute what Woodstock has already established.

5. What’s your favorite Beatles’ song? Why?

Blackbird – for depth, symbolism, an because the BEATLES is the shit.

6. If you are trapped on a deserted island with a genie and 3 wishes, what would your 3 wishes be (keep in mind the strict djinn code of abilities)?

ohh this is hard. But in my state of mind right now, the easiest would be:

(WAIT, WHAT? DJINN CODE? LIKE IN ALLADIN?)

1. A stable source of food (i.e. vegetation, tools for hunting, fishing, stuff)
2. Companion (someone who’s willing to stay in a deserted island)
3. Safety (Protection?)

Might as well stay there. People suck.

7. Do you have a recurring dream? If so, what is it?

NONE OF THE SORT.

8. Do you prefer the city or the country? Why?

Country.. for a change. I’ve lived in the city all my life it’s boring me already.

9. What’s your favorite mode of travel? Trains, planes, cars, subways, etc…why?

Cars? yeah.. with a driver. So I can see the landscape and take photos once in a while.

10. What did you eat for lunch today?

uhmmm it’s 7:49 in the morning here.

11. What is the last sentence of the paragraph, of the book you just read?

“The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky – seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.” – Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

You Gotta Answer These For Me:

1. What do you think of marriage?
2. Do you think being anti-social is a bad thing?
3. What’s your biggest fear?
4. What’s your opinion regarding nudists?
5. What kind of music do you listen to?
6. What’s your favorite Asian country?
7. What adjective is best to describe you?
8. Your view about tattoos, piercings and other body mods.
9. Is punk dead?
10. What inspires you at the moment?
11. Milk, coffee, or tea?

I Nominate:

1. And this is why I will die alone surrounded by cats

2. helenvalentina

3. Local Ghosts

4. The Art of Lilith Morana

5. A Cathartic Method

6. Maugryph’s Blog

7. Ha ha ha. What a movie, Mark. 

8.Whorlstrom Poetry

9. Akashic Zephyr

10.Beautifully Strange

11. The Art of Ki

I WILL FOREVER BLOG. I LOVE YOU GUYS.