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Saturday 29 September 2012

Zapper the Rapper



So styled, self-styled, but never a rapper really.
A misnomer. He
would mostly sing along to a guitar.
A smidge of Will.I.Am, a bit
of Blues and something of Bill Haley now and then.

That night, the night in question, night of nights, night
never to be forgotten, the night of his favourite gig -
the function room of The Whistling Pig,
with every one of his small cult following
singing along to their favourite song of love,
it hit him like a blinding light, smack between the eyeballs -
afterwards I had to wonder: was it he said eye or was it I?
(Oh my, what memory does to us poor geniusses!) 
So there he was, singing to the faithful how love had hit him
right between the eyeballs. Maybe it was only stage lights...
but whatever in the world it was, it struck and stuck:

If energy and matter are two sides of the same coin -
are one ghost wearing either of two coats,
are interchangeable - as Einstein said - and if the force
of gravity, multiplied a million times in a black hole
can stop time dead in its accustomed tracks, 
then maybe that's because what we call gravity
is but the negative of what we know as time...

And being hit resoundingly like this, he had no choice:
he had to sing it to the world, and sing it as it came. 
He ploughed straight on without a break:

Oh love was sweet and love was kind,
but love grew cold and cruel as hell,
some unknown force had cancelled all
that had been warm and beautiful
and time itself was petrified
and all we loved was crucified
and crushed by wanton gravity.

He had no math.
None of what you might call, education.
No way of proving what he knew,
what he'd been given.

Would song, his song,
would art convince a sceptic world?
The music had no formulae,
the lyrics had no numbers,
his passion had no love,
his love no passion any more.
Just a man
with a song
that no one understood.
A lost love,
a lost voice crying in the wilderness
a lost insight.

The world had lost
what should have been
the next big thing.

14 comments:

hyperCRYPTICal said...

Genius! Love it!

Are we all smacked between the eyeballs at times, see the hidden, the (until then) unobserved, the unfathomable with such relavation, such clarity, that for that brief moment we understand all?

I sometimes have eureka moments...then my great thoughts are consigned to the 'forgotton' drawer in my memory banks...perhaps we should all rap?

Anna :o]

sunny said...

Hi Mr Dave,lovely poetry like it.

kaykuala said...

A Rapper of a Zapper! He did Bill Haley too? There must have been a lot of rocking! There was a lot going for him. The ending seems to be on a sad note,Dave! A pity!

Hank

Brian Miller said...

oh man...i wonder how many next big things we have lost because they did not get the break or because they just did not think they had it in them to pull off? interesting man...and real...

Jinksy said...

Well, now that gives food for thought - time and gravity locked in battle?

Brian Miller said...

happy birthday to you
happy birthday to you
happy birthday dave!!!!!
happy birthday to youuuuuuuu

see even my typing singing is not that great....ha.....hope you have an awesome day man....

Mary said...

One wonders sometime how often important ideas come to simple ordinary people who have no real way of getting them known. One wonders how many next big things are lost.

P.S. Happy birthday to you!!!

Daydreamertoo said...

Zapper the rapper. LOL Love the name
Sad though, that he had such knowledge of things and yet, wasn't educated enough to be aware that he was so wise.
This is deep and yet appears superficial on the first read.
Great writing and, a belated (hope it was) very Happy Birthday Dave!

haricot said...

Happy birthday, Dave!(I know it thanks to others' comments)
I cannot exactly figure out "smack between eyeballs)...
He lost love and it's metaphor about it? The empty voice is poignant...

Sarav said...

Dave, that is one powerful poem. Beautifully lyrical and deep. Loved it :-)

Cloudia said...

transcendent moment that lives in your imagination. . . .



Aloha from Honolulu,

Comfort Spiral
=^..^=

> < } } ( ° >

Carl said...

Another winner with the stage set so well. I can almost hear the floorboards creak in the function room.

Dave King said...

hyperCRPYTICal
Wouldn't that be great: a whole new world of rappers! I think I'd go for that. Thanks for.

sunny
Thanks very much.

Hank
Sad, but of the way of the world, I think. Rock on!

Brian
Yes, that was meant to be the true point. It's something that has always haunted my thoughts. Thanks for picking it up - and thanks for the song. Hope your lad had a great day. I did.

Jinksy
Or peacefully co-existing - as long as you're not in a black hole!

Mary
Yes, that's it, isn't it? How few have made it and how many haven't.

Daydreamertoo
Thank you for this - and an especial thanks for your good wishes. Yes, it was a V. good day!

haricot
"smack between the eyeballs" is a phrase - an astounding revelation that upsets your equilibrium.
Thanks v much for the good wishes.

Sara
Hi. Welcome to the blog. Really good to have your comments. Thank you for them. Glad you liked the poem.

Cloudia
Ah yes, but these days only until the next transcendent moment!!!!

Carl
I keep meaning to get them floorboards looked at! Thanks.






Sabio Lantz said...

Felt like I was in wonderland. And Alice is much brighter than I.
I loved the child's game as a metaphor for this -- very fun & puzzling.
BTW: "home to denizens" --> Isn't that a truism? What lives in a home, is 'denizens'.
(!)