These Anthropological Synapses

My latest poem....



"These Anthropological Synapses"

Critical brain failure
a desire unquenchable
while repressed memory is unleashed

..yet the longing remains.

What I perceive as love is a damaged brain
coping with a memory of you
brilliant and formidable, beautiful and bold
burned into my existence with a searing fire

And I open myself to it

knowing it is material... mechanical

like the whirring of machines

chained in place as the sweatshop worker

Freedom would be a relief

an intensity mirrored by your own

lost are the stories, the teargas

the sensation of dark eyes and penetrating intelligence

Incidents, moments, milliseconds

interpreted through an algorithm

digesting culture, music, and danger

... the reality of struggle.

I can live in this heightened state

feeding off your memory

the silver spoon wrapped in dressings of poverty and contradiction

boundaries.... but walls too.

Echoes

There are echoes of the future in our rivers and trees
quietly stagnating in smoke and fire
drowning in profit, you can hear the strain
of stooped backs and urgent desire

The wind, it cries as the sounding alarms
a cascade of injustice and fear
awashed in poverty and mechanized tumult
while the forests...they just dissappear

Can you hear the echoes over backbreaking labor
of the rich condemning us all
or those trapped in prisons or covered in blood
waiting for the ax to fall

Ya Basta! Enough! yell the struggling masses
let the strike be your introduction
gather your neighbors and all people who work
and seize the means of production

Review: The Republic of Thieves

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While I didn't think that this book contained the emotional force of the previous two books, it substantially furthered the back story which drives the story as well as creating a much more dangerous antagonist than either of the first 2 books.

While I dont think that the love story really clicks in this as much as the short one in the second book or in some other stories like the kingkiller chronicle, I still continue to appreciate the character's problem solving skills and the exploration of 2 new cities. I will be sad that the newest book of the series isn't out yet and I will have to find other stuff to read now!

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A Stab at Poetry

I have been reading a lot of poetry lately, mostly old stuff from the late 19th, early 20th century of Yiddish, Italian, or Latin American origin.  So I decided to give it a go myself.





Heartbreak and Hope



Caught in the past like a prisoner
With walls my historical shrine
hands are agape at the immovable shapes
and barriers of mental design

I have lost many loved ones and comrades
I love lost many struggles as well
The pain accumulates daily
and inside I am stuck here to dwell

Will we make it through this together
collecting tears and blood while we travel
will friendship and solidarity bind us
or will hope of the people unravel

And though time continues eternal
It breaks failures and losses away
it destroys the rotting of friendships lost
and prepares for a very new day

I may not be there to see it
I may be crushed underneath its embrace
but one of these days the workers will triumph
with freedom for the human race

Review: Red Seas Under Red Skies

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am just going to straight up say that this is one of the best books I have ever read in my life. The first book of the series was very good and had to set up the characters and the world that they lived in. That being said, this book built further on their stories and made them seem even less one dimensional than the first book, which was great.

One of the reasons I think it is even better than the first, is that things dont always work out as intended. without ruining anything, I think that the first book allowed complete improvisation to result in situations that largely resulted in the good guys winning, etc... but this book was even darker than the gritty first book... which is saying something. While the plot could get increasingly complicated, i dont find that the characters reactions were anything that I wouldn't necessarily consider myself when faced with similar shitty decisions. 5 Stars!
This series is a must read and has instantly jumped up to one of my favorite series of all time.

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Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was amazing. It started out a tiny bit slow, but it is now up there with kingkiller chronicle as one of my favorite fiction books I have read in recent memory.

This gritty fiction book about young thieves in the underworld of something similar to an Italian city-state contains levels of drama, social commentary, and action par excellence. I would definitely recommend this book and can't wait to start reading the sequal.

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Review: Abaddon's Gate

Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book far more than I did the second one in the series. The new characters were far more versatile and seemed more human and relatable in their motivations and in dealing with issues like tragedy and loss. It begins where the story left off, a few months later with a weird alien created ring nestled nearby Uranus. Human ships curiously probe in, not knowing what is coming next.

While it is not as good as the first book, I felt that the climax at the end was executed much better and the build up was definitely worth it. This is definitely a must read series and I have been powering through it.

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