Existentialism Is a Humanism

Those who appeal to the wisdom of the people – which is a sad wisdom – find ours sadder still. And yet, what could be more disillusioned than such sayings as “Charity begins at home” or “Promote a rogue and he’ll sue you for damage, knock him down and he’ll do you homage”? We all know how many common sayings can be quoted to this effect, and they all mean much the same – that you must not oppose the powers that be; that you must not fight against superior force; must not meddle in matters that are above your station. Or that any action not in accordance with some tradition is mere romanticism; or that any undertaking which has not the support of proven experience is foredoomed to frustration; and that since experience has shown men to be invariably inclined to evil, there must be firm rules to restrain them, otherwise we shall have anarchy.

Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism Is a Humanism


(Picture: Old Ankara, Burhan Dogancay) 

Elegy to Tears

Tears

have no frontiers;

carry no passport;

nor require a visa.

Tears

are international;

as affection,

tenderness,

love.

The Valuable Time of Maturity

I counted my years and discovered that I have fewer years left to live compared to the time I have lived until now.

I feel like that kid who won a package of goodies: the first ate them eagerly, but when he perceived that there were few, he began to savour them deeply.

I have no time for endless meetings where discuss statutes, rules, procedures and regulations, knowing that it will not achieve anything.

I have no time to withstand ridiculous people who, despite their chronological age have not grown.

Your honor

your honor

since i’ve been convicted of murder

and have taken time to digest

just what that means

after noting what it means to my family

and how it affects people who read the newspapers

and all

Empyrean

In memory of Vincente Mari

Tho’ the continents sink

the Oceans dry up,

or the rays of the Sun be extinguished,

and the darkness permeates the Earth;

Tho’ the poles compress

and meet at the equator,

or the Planet be pulverized,

vanishing in the Ether.

Como Tú

Yo como tú amo el amor, la vida, el dulce encanto de las cosas el paisaje celeste de los días de enero.

También mi sangre bulle y río por los ojos que han conocido el brote de las lágrimas. Creo que el mundo es bello, que la poesía es como el pan, de todos.

Y que mis venas no terminan en mí, sino en la sangre unánime de los que luchan por la vida, el amor, las cosas, el paisaje y el pan, la poesía de todos.

I won't back down

From the depths of Hell, to the gates in Heaven, I won't back down. I will fight for what I am, not what you want me to be. I will take these blood-stained hands and raise them into the night sky. I won't back down. I will find the strength, the will, the power to stand up and fight for what is right. I won't back down. Too many times I have been broken, beaten, unseen. But now, it's my time to shine. I won't back down. Gather 'round, it's our time. My time. To show them all I can be. I won't back down. Together we fight, together we fall, but now... Now I won't back down. I will show them who I am. What I can do. What I can be.

Sarah Kane

(Picture: Pegasus, Odilon Redon)

Grietas

La verdad es que

grietas

no faltan

así al pasar recuerdo

las que separan a zurdos y diestros

a pequineses y moscovitas

a présbites y miopes

a gendarmes y prostitutas

a optimistas y abstemios

a sacerdotes y aduaneros

Ave Et Vale

Comrades, what matter the watch-night tells
That a New Year comes or goes?
What to us are the crashing bells
That clang out the Century's close?

What to us is the gala dress?
The whirl of the dancing feet?
The glitter and blare in the laughing press,
And din of the merry street?