NilavroNill Shoovro

WELCOME

TO

OUR POETRY ARCHIVE

Dear readers, how many of us are really worried about the ground realities of the everyday headlines of human sufferings around the world? I’m quite sure that all of us are aware of those headlines thundering on the television screens as and when we switch on our TV sets or set our eyes on the morning news papers. We know what is happening around the world. But I have every doubt that very few of us are really worried about the stark realities of these calamities of the present time. People are dying from man made famines to missile attacks, from unholy civil wars to economic collapse. From state sponsored terrorisms to fight for independence. These are the everyday headlines of twenty first century. Yes we know, that people are dying every day elsewhere, but not in our locality. We are safe. There is no Famine, no war, and no economic collapse in our country or in our surrounding localities. So our life is going as usual as it should be. We are too busy to ponder over these happenings elsewhere. The people those who are suffering and dying are not of our nationalities or ethnicities. They are foreigner to us. We know little about them. We don’t feel any affinities with them either. Although they are the same human beings as we are.

No, nobody is ashamed of this type of reasoning as it is quite obvious that at first we have to survive in our own life. Our life is so fast and furious that there is little room for anything else other than self interest. Yes we all know it very well that this is the order of the day. So our mindset has also been formed accordingly. That is why the pathetic pictures of the starved peoples of Yemen, the pictures of the war ravaged devastated cities of Syria Iraq Afghanistan Libya, the everyday deaths of the civilians in Palestine and Kashmir the exodus of the Venezuelans where the national currency has lost its all credibility, the situations of the illegal immigrants of Africa and Syria are of little importance to us. We are not at all bothered about these details, the sufferings, the situations. Nor even about the root causes of these stark realities. We believe we are not entitled to address these calamities nor have the power to save the sufferers in any way. So we can only watch the situations in our spare times. Or hope for the better, that the world leaders will take the responsibilities to change these disorders to save the common peoples. Yes usually we think along these reasoning.

And that is the main reason, for which we never try to fathom deep to uncover the veil and find out the root causes of all these evils of the present time which force the people to suffer and die in such an inhuman way. So the legacy of human sufferings continues. And we the common herds of the human civilization help the legacy to continue.

Dear readers you may start thinking, what is the relation of an editorial of a poetry journal with all these political issues. Yes, let’s try to find out the relation, if any.  Literature is not playing with words at all. Literature is the expression of life. Literature gives us the true meaning of our existence as human being. Not that our life depends on literature or poetry. Any one of us can survive and even thrive in our materialistic life without even build up relations with literature or poetry as a whole. We all know that it is quite possible. But dear readers, literature can never survive without establishing any direct relation or having any affinity with life as a whole. So we understand that literature depends on our life. And our life depends on everyday politics. Actually we live in this political world. Nobody can escape from the surrounding political situations. So, how true literature can escape the everyday politics? If we are honest with our creativity, can we keep our literary activities out of the realm of this political world? Not that we have to write up political poetry. That is not the point of the argument. But how can we deny the present sufferings of human life in our inner soul. How can we just play with words for the sake of literature forgetting everything? Literature demands human compassion. Without which literature becomes just jumble of dead words. Void of life. Who would like to read that poem which is just a formation of words and sound without any true soul? And to bring out that soul in our poetry we need to establish a direct relation with our surroundings, with our present time with human compassion. Do you think keeping yourself insulated from the present world would bring that soul in your writing? I’m afraid, that is not possible at all.

So keeping ourselves insulated from the human sufferings, from the tragedies of political events; even if we try to be creative in literary field, all our creativity will be lifeless without any true soul within. Nobody would recall our poetical brilliance for a second time after going through that sort of caricature of poetry devoid of true soul. And to bring out that true soul in our literary creativity we have to be compassionate enough not only to feel for the sufferer but also to find out the true causes of the Evils that prevail in the political domain of our world. This is the responsibility of a true poet. Not that our poetry will change the world, but it can be reflective of our time and situation in a true manner. Where, reader can find a true soul which can communicate with its time and sufferings.

Alas, most of the poetical activities of our present time fall short of this benchmark. As we have lost our compassions, our sympathies. As we are too busy with our own self interests. As we have started believing only in materialistic development of our personal life. We like to publish books in our names. We like the literary fame and celebration of personal goals. We thrive for individual achievements. So, most of our literature and poetry of this present time have lost their true soul of humanity. Keeping all these in mind we at Our Poetry Archive are trying our best to make people aware of our own follies. We have focused on these areas right from the very beginning of our journey. We hope our literature will be more reflective of our present time with true human soul within.

Dear readers, here we are again with this present number of ‘Our Poetry Archive: NOVEMBER 2018 Volume Four Number Eight.' This is a general issue and we are glad to introduce you with more new poets in this number. We hope readers will also enjoy their talents along with others' poems. This month our Poet of the Month is poet C Michael Miller of U.S. Readers will find her interview with our editorial panel much interesting. Our heartfelt thank goes to the poetess for her acceptance to our invitation.

We would also like to request our readers and poets alike, to introduce Our Poetry Archive to their friends and relatives who love the music of poetry.  Anyone who wants to showcase his or her literary talents internationally is also most welcome to OPA. Any talented poet can send at least 3 poems and one current profile picture along with the explicit confirmation of their permission to publish his or her copyrighted materials in OPA. Our mail address is ourpoetryarchive@gmail.com

Thank you.

NilavroNill Shoovro.

From The Editorial Desk

OPA

A

WORLDWIDE WRITERS’ WEB

PRESENTATION!

PUBLISHED BY

OPA

OUR

POETRY ARCHIVE

ONLINE MONTHLY POETRY JOURNAL

https://ourpoetryarchive.blogspot.com

email us to:

ourpoetryarchive@gmail.com

*****************************************

C MICHAEL MILLER

OUR POETRY ARCHIVE FEATURED

POET OF THE MONTH

C MICHAEL MILLER 

NOVEMBER 2018

ALICJA KUBERSKA: What does poetry mean to you?

MICHAEL MILLER: A means to expressing the subjects of ones heart

ALICJA KUBERSKA: What’s according to you the meaning of poetry in the contemporary world?

MICHAEL MILLER: That is a difficult subject to be objective about since technology is so prevalent that many do not even pursue reading of any sort. Modern education seems content to lend itself to fields that will only intensify areas that do not further inner reflection and character. Poetry is as much a view into ones heart as it is a stimulus for further inspection into every field of exploration.

ALICJA KUBERSKA:   Can you describe your creative process while writing a new poem?

MICHAEL MILLER: I do not fabricate or create myself, I have always written when driven by the lens of love. I neither craft nor research, I write down what is given to me, then I reflect and edit. 

ALICJA KUBERSKA: Did it happen to you that a poem was just your dream?

MICHAEL MILLER: I wish, my night dreams are rarely good or comfortable. My own thoughts awake are like wild horses which are difficult to keep a bridle on. A friend calls it “channeling” and I am always surprised by the subject matter taken by the pen.

ALICJA KUBERSKA: Tell us about your inspiration. What’re the most important subjects to you?

MICHAEL MILLER: The character of mankind and the religions that influence the thoughts and activities of those governed by them. The study of empires and history is a great revealing of how religion has impacted the formation of societies and how human avarice has been greatly increased by the prevailing beliefs. Don’t ask me how they enter into the writing part, I have no cogent explanation  for how the subjects enter into the “art of poetry” since my primary studies are in science , history , and theology. I don’t know how inspiration works or why I just sit down and “write it” .

MARIA MIRAGLIA:   Which were the emotions that inspired your first verses?

MICHAEL MILLER: Always the lens of Love, from the perspective of the how humans were designed to exist and yet do not excel even in our own highest ideals. At least that is where I tend consider life in my preview.

MARIA MIRAGLIA:  Was your aspiration to become a poet or did all happen by chance?

MICHAEL MILLER: No, I’ve never pursued it as many do, so yes by chance and always only when “driven”.

MARIA MIRAGLIA:   Who is the first person you read your poems to and why?

MICHAEL MILLER: Only to my children, and rarely even then. It has always been a very private subject. I only started sharing them when pushed by my children to join facebook and share them. Otherwise they would still only be in a personal journal.

MARIA MIRAGLIA:   Have you published any poetic anthology, if so what did you feel the first time you got it in your hands?

MICHAEL MILLER: I did have the majority copyrighted and had some offers from record companies , but no I have not pursued that since I am not looking for income or adulation of any kind , as I mentioned I would not have shared except under pressure from my progeny.

MARIA MIRAGLIA:   Who are the poets you prefer reading? Do you get inspiration from them?

MICHAEL MILLER: My preference in poetry reading is quite for the ancients and while I have read works from Ovid to Rumi and Khayyam. I rarely pursue that sort of reading. A major portion of my time is given to history, science and theology and I tend to explore fields for a time then bounce on to the next subject to learn about. The last three years have been given to taking a multitude of history courses and archeology. When I am done with that, it will be on to something new to explore. So I am unsure if I will continue to write since I am now onto new explorations.

APRILIA ZANK: How important is accessibility of meaning to you? Do you challenge the readers to work hard to decipher your poems, or do you prefer transparency of meaning?

MICHAEL MILLER:  It has been apparent that those who have read what comes off the pen find them very clear as to subject when they have taken the time to comment. This said, Christian theology is filled with symbolism and I think some of that has infiltrated many of the pieces. I do not spend time analyzing them that would be for those who read since I otherwise would not have made them for public view except with the pressure from my children.  

APRILIA ZANK:  What kind of poems do you write mostly? Do you have recurring themes, or are all your poems unique?

MICHAEL MILLER: I have taken the time to gather them into particular collections and yes there are definite themes, mostly based on our human character and our beliefs and how they are expressed in our day to day lives. I feel mostly that it has been for my own learning about who I am and how I think, about my past, our past, and our future selves. The formation of character and the examination of human traits and how they affect our relationships in their entirety.   

APRILIA ZANK:   Do you think your poetry is typically feminine / masculine? If yes, in what way?

MICHAEL MILLER: No , human character is strictly neutral as to gender and subjects such as love , loyalty , justice, understanding wisdom, knowledge , compassion , mercy and forgiveness should be inclusive into both genders and taught starting from the point of the ability to speak (subjects that should be instilled from the earliest age to understand)  There are a few pieces that are very personal but applied to human experience would cover either gender as we all have been affected by the actions of others or our own upon others . Some of us learn from them, since we all repeatedly make many faux pas in the course of life lessons.

APRILIA ZANK:   Do you write mostly about yourself, or do you also have an open eye /ear for the issues of the world?

MICHAEL MILLER:  It would be difficult to separate self , from the same source that affects the issues of mankind , so any examination of character would apply equally to myself as it would to anyone else , providing our “belief” that the above subjects should apply to every single human being .

APRILIA ZANK:   In what way is your poetry different from that of other poets?

MICHAEL MILLER: I do not think so much that it is. I have spent very little time examining modern works though. Much of the poetry in ages past have much the same themes of daily life though the expression might be couched in other words, unless you separate the theological works.

LEYLA IŞIK:  What are the main factors to make poetry real poetry?

MICHAEL MILLER: That might be better left to those who feel they are qualified to be a critic. I personally do not , nor would I feel qualified to teach on the subject since it has not been a “lifetime” pursuit . Those of us who regularly meddle with or explore subjects outside of the tradition left to us by institutions would rarely be of interest to those who consider themselves so erudite.

LEYLA IŞIK: Do you think imagery is important in poetry? Where does the importance of imagery begin in a poem, where does it end?

MICHAEL MILLER: Human understanding is thought to start with pictures. From the external to the internal, from  vision to mind , from fact to symbolism , yes . Even science wants to express itself by images to aid our understanding , molecular biology is frequently “pictured”with diagrams along with the discussion of  how it works to better aid our understanding . Does a cell actually look like the picture in the book, yes imagery is very important to human understanding. I do believe this would apply to poetry as well as every other subject explored. 

LEYLA IŞIK:   What are the most used types of poetry in your country?

MICHAEL MILLER: Same as most places I think. Poets tend to be expressive of all the human considerations and tend to be sensitive to them. But that may be my own personal thoughts. Having been connected to your publication for a few years now and it having a very international involvement I have found many tend to consider the same subjects we all do regarding life and its lessons or resistance to its lessons.

LEYLA IŞIK:   What’s important to be a good poet? To write good poems!

MICHAEL MILLER: Ahhh, I do not know that answer . I only know what I have enjoyed and what I have not.

LEYLA IŞIK:  Who are the most important poets and their main properties nowadays?

MICHAEL MILLER: Since I do not spend much time in modernity, except by way of  existence, that would be difficult to express. My considerations have much to do with the whole of history and mankind and since we cannot study the future except in a theological sense to extrapolate what humans tend to do I tend to spend my time studying the past. I have had no relative interest in “modern poetry” per se.

DEBORAH  BROOKS  LANGFORD:   Understanding poetry begins with visualizing the central images in the poem. What do you see, taste, smell, hear, and feel? What is the imagery of your poetry?

MICHAEL MILLER: Human understanding and character, or the lack of it seems to run the threads of those pieces. If so, then my internal vision has a mind of its own since I daily fail even my highest ideals. They seem pretty idealistic in the face of my daily realities.

DEBORAH  BROOKS  LANGFORD:   What is the mood of your poetry? (Or How does it make you feel?)

MICHAEL MILLER: Generally it makes me pretty self introspective by comparison to the themes of what is written. Makes me aware of my flaws and the need to seek a great deal more understanding and apply it more actively. 

DEBORAH  BROOKS  LANGFORD:   In your poetry who is the speaker of the poem? Are you speaking to yourself or to others?

MICHAEL MILLER: Understanding is the speaker.  I feel that it is to me it is speaking. If it speaks to others I can only say by those who have made comments in the past , so at the least many “see” what the work sees. 

DEBORAH  BROOKS  LANGFORD:   What is the message of your poetry?  What messages do your poetry convey?

MICHAEL MILLER: That seems pretty extensive. Our failures to live up to what we idealize and how that affects each other and the need for continued pursuit to incorporate them into our very own natures.    

 

DEBORAH  BROOKS  LANGFORD:    Does the internet and social media contribute to the success of your poetry? Is this the reason you write for?

MICHAEL MILLER: Your publication increased the reading by the thousands last year on G+ . I do not know if its successful or meaningful to others , as stated previously I have never written “for the public” nor do I intend to start doing so. No one saw them for thirty something years except my children, I am not likely to change that though I have shared them by request.

NILAVRONILL SHOOVRO:  Thank you so much dear poet for the interview. We would like to know your personal experience with OPA as a literary web journal. Would you like to share anything more with our readers?

MICHAEL MILLER:: OPA has been a wonderful journal of international contributors. It has been a means to see so many of us think upon the same subjects.

C MICHAEL MILLER

C MICHAEL MILLER

SLANDER

Speak we of our character lost

Effect of slanders wicked cost

Aimed as a weapon to fire

Puts reputation on burning pyre

Careful planting the malevolent word

Pretending to wish it hadn’t been heard

Within the confines of inevitable fate

Rarely give the dice a fair shake

Loaded meaning are there to be found

Casting unknowing victims to ground

Caught in the fire is the unwary

Who know naught that the intent to bury

Alas the attempt to defend ones self

Does nothing but reinforce such stealth

It is better for the one who has bled

To leave his ranting and raving unsaid

For only time can heal the wound

When malignant speech comes to tomb

Time unfolds the tales told

Even be they glib lies bold

So rest comes easy naught

To the one who’s lies have bought

His friends and world eventually

Won’t be blind but certainly see

That actually to reverse was true

That he was wicked but not you

COPYRIGHT © 2009 C Michael Miller

via Duboff Law Group LLC

SEPULECHER

Oh dread sepulcher

the place I will inter

how long separated from light

will I spend in dark of night

away from human toils

the deflection of our foils

no existence of our thought

no reward for toil wrought

all passion and desire died

this place we will reside

where each and every bone

has no more life than stone

there is no evil, there is no lust

our voice is choked within its dust

a place of rest from all our work

where love and hate do not lurk

to the dust our souls return

so must a generation learn

in the shadow of this fear

which is drawing ever near

how long must our blood cry out

for the future life we doubt

for the Keeper of our soul

to resurrect and remake whole

where dwells the living water

reserved for Adams son and daughter

who has the keys of deaths grave

and the multitudes he will save

who will sing the Song of Songs

to be separated from the throngs

whose tongues have spoken only truth

and parted unto glory’s booth

who will lead the people back

and teach them the things they lack

who will escape the coming wrath

for crimes committed on their path

who will drink the vials of dread

for those they’ve hated who’s blood runs red

why do our souls cry out

hearts that are full of love and doubt

to us you must your answer give

so in life everlasting we may live

COPYRIGHT © 2009 C Michael Miller

via Duboff Law Group LLC

DRAUGHT

Bitter dregs of life’s elixir

just enough sweet to bury the bitter

small tastes of what is fine

to keep us going within our time

Love is not a convenient thing

when it disappears the heart does sting

though full does it make everything

when gone sorrow and weeping

ashes to ashes, dust to dust

though bowed low in you I’ll trust

you have torn away my shield

naked before you within your field

Oh cherished muse hear my cry

through falls of tears did loved one die

swayed and shaken by what I feel

hills and valleys and waves I reel

accursed is the lot of man

death destroys the golden strand

no resistance even strong here land

the mouth of grave does ever expand

Though I cherish knowledge of the future

currant cuts and pain beneath the suture

the loss and grief of present time

can make a woman lose her mind

All mankind of this chalice drink

It’s liquid swallowed on the brink

ingested fluid in each man’s hour

against it’s draft has no man power

Imprisoned in death are family and friends

and some few have met kinder ends

into tombs and crypt and grave descends

and upon it’s bed many confess their sins

Even those having been reborn

will face the coming of it’s storm

our souls descended of this family tree

and you oh Jah will hold our memory

Into the dust our lives return

await the future for which we yearn

and sink we do into the maw of death

till times resurrection Son returns our

PROVISIONS

Earth         was a perfumed garden

residing in a single                    galaxy

beauteous fair among the planeted channels

so blooms its presence           which has given birth       to me

lighted reflections among the waterfalls

succulent as oranges in bowls of cedar

or apple blossom petals dancing in the winds

there enticed my heart

to the park of natures nursery

where the trails are laden

with baby’s breath and blueberries              myrtle

juniper  , ash , thimbleberries , and chanterelles

we have steeped peppermint , currant         and sassafras for tea

with hyssop , palmetto , and mandrake

turmeric , saffron , paprika , sage                among our spices

dried plantain , maiden hair and olives

have graced our tables

mallow , ginseng , nutmeg , cinnamon , pennyroyal

tamarind , rue , every flora and fauna that sprouts

unrivaled in all her bounties

provisions made for                  every delight

energy and power has shaped her mountain ranges

meadows , valleys , islands , and seas

so complete her resources

that we can find nothing that delights

lacking in her                                   but we ourselves

how quickly man has replaced

her cotillion of species

with cement and a                  flat screen

where empire means empty

and shaped steel means plenty

and the dance of dominion

is the desolation of what supports our lives

shackles , chains , slavery , prison

to a shallow society of souls surrendered

to the immolation of creation

the arsenal of greed and pride

which has bound the herd

upon the precipice of suicide

where swiftly the poison of property

has dashed and crushed life

upon the rocks where nothing can grow

the slow death of humanity

drowning in his own debris

our luxury someone else’s slavery

the 10 year old who is hungry

and climbs into a pit for what we consider

less than nothing

mining our riches

we decry poverty and bondage

but sight unseen              does not make us clean

where sensory masturbation is the

addiction of the masses

all that is left for the ” lower classes “

I’ll not give you this

if you haven’t looked around

you are considered      ” remiss “

the 99 percent are still richer than

two thirds of the rest of humanity

your baby sitter is no longer “black and white”

but unfettered violence of every type

when the store is empty

where will you turn  ??

Matt 24:3-14

IITim 3:1-5   Apocalypse 11:15-19

COPYRIGHT © 2011 C Michael Miller

MIGRATIONS

The calls of the flocks          to this years migration

a roving community       of birds in each nation

rising and diving       above         mists in the rocks

the drawing together         for birthing         new flocks

The coo of the crane      in     a wetland bog

the bob of its head       when       its nabbed a frog

opened winged geese     in            passages  soar

north back to south     or        a western shore

Above our earth        the traversing vast miles

into the snowfall                 or            cliffside defiles

a race upon water       to         lure this years mate

or share  in the catch          a        dance woven like date

Such grace of movement    their wings on the breeze

like rhythms beating       to ascend     above trees

how can one       capture     such beauty       so grand

of a creatures          decent       upon sky        upon land

Motion so elegant       their  journey’s   in sky

mankind's observations      our own desire       to fly

the form of their       pinions       upon outstreched wings

to follow freedom         this kind of life       dreams

Lowlands or Highlands        the wild fowl    domains

in deserts   or plateaus       aviary   terrains

on pole ice       or islands   you’ll find their nests

every year you’ll find them       their community     rests

COPYRIGHT © 2012 C Michael Miller

via Duboff Law Group LLC

C MICHAEL MILLER