WHY I COME HOME TO BURNING MAN

Imagigrl · Post by **Imagigrl** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:00 pm

A poem penned by my friend Moody Abyss aka Michael Flanders says it all for me. He's a SCAdian yet to burn. Thank you once again, Master Abyss. Love you.

Whispers

The moonlight falls cold and pale
on a road that winds away.
As I walk along, I feel
spirits from another day.

They seem to follow me a while
in the darkness late at night,
but only then to guide my path,
not to cause me harm nor fright.

As my boots crunch down the path,
the spirits gather and surround,
they whisper things of days gone by,
and of things to come around.

They tell me of the days of yore,
when mighty men fought with steel,
and of all the nights they spent,
when people still knew how to feel.

The things they tell, the things I see,
the wonders spoke of so divine,
they draw my heart and my soul
back into another time.

I feel the steel in my hand,
a banner pole in my fist.
I see a line of many men
fading in the evening mist.

The clash of steel, a battle cry,
the smell of blood upon the field,
The journey home, tired and sore,
bearing friends upon their shield.

Through it all the thought remains,
the battle that we fought and won,
was to keep a way of life
to never let it come undone.

Yet, come undone it surely did,
near seven hundred years ago.
They whisper stories in the dark,
so someone here will someday know,

the feeling of the battlefield,
the people who stood there at their side,
of love, and life, and death, and peace
of war, and honor, hope, and pride.

And as my journey nears its end,
and I see the lights of home,
quietly they slip away
and I make the last few steps alone.

Maybe tomorrow I will take
another long and moonlit walk,
and hopefully if things go well,
the spirits are in the mood to talk.

MF

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:26 pm

i hate the society for a creative anachronism with a hearty passion.

the renaissance faire IS hell.

and, i being a bad poet myself, must commend Master Bates or whatever Moody's last name is for a truly EPIC piece of garbage.

Sensei · Post by **Sensei** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 3:25 pm

Master Bater wrote: I feel the steel in my hand,
a banner pole in my fist.

Heh-heh.

Post by **AntiM** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 3:53 pm

Wow, epic indeed.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 3:59 pm

I'm bettin' that bloody battle, glorified in that poem, had it's root cause based on religion.

Simon's right about renerdissance faire.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 4:05 pm

I saved so much time to snark by not reading poetry.

Post by **AntiM** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 4:10 pm

"That's not period!"

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:25 pm

Half a block half a block
Half a block onward
All in the valley of Death
Rode the sixty thousand
Forward the Exodus Brigade!
Charge for the Gate he said
Out of the valley of Death
Rode the sixty thousand

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:30 pm

Tennyson.

And I have a soft spot for Kipling. But it's all just rhythm and heroism, none of that mushy girl stuff.

Post by **AntiM** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:33 pm

theCryptofishist wrote:... But it's all just rhythm and heroism, none of that mushy girl stuff.

I see you've been on some of the same dates I have.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 8:21 pm

I have always been scared of you
With your DPW, your gobbledygoo
And your neat soul patch
And your Neon eye, bright blue.
Burning-man, burning-man, O You

Not God but a Stick Figure
So black no sky could squeak through
Every woman adores an Artist
The boot in the face, the brute
Brute heart of a brute like you

w/apologies to Plath

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 8:08 am

I though the ePlaya was a Poetry Free Zone.

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 9:22 am

***wiping dust from his ears***

a ZOE TREE PEE PHONE?............damn you spooner, damn you.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:53 pm

Okay, Imagigl. I'm sorry I snarked at you. I don't like poetry and I don't much care for sentimental opinions of the playa, but you don't really deserve this many nasty responses.

Imagigrl · Post by **Imagigrl** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 2:28 pm

"That's not period!" <-- That's funny. Someone actually gets it!

Yes, are you happy now that you've elicited a reaction? My side point was that I want him to experience Burning Man since it's not too far fetched from an SCA event, minus the war thing of course, in comradery and a sense of liberty. I was just giving a tidbit of a background on the poet, not an invitation for name calling and organization bashing so beg off. I mean, how can you say you "hate" someone because of his or her interests? You sound so high school that it makes my throat go mmmmph! I can't tell you how many times I've heard folks say "I hate Burners" only to find themselves befriending some unknowing that their new found friends are secretly Burners. It's crazy, this pettiness you spew forth. You should be ashamed of yourself. And you can leave Moody Abyss's sexual habits out of it while yer at it! You should be kind and just leave it alone if you don't like it. I was just sharing some of my own inspiration here. I am inspired by many of a variety forms of expression, poetry just happens to be one of the forms.

Poetry rocks and you poetry despisers are much too tense for my blood.

Speaking of blood, the poem has deeper connotations for me than just of battle. (Although it's preferable that if one had to kill to survive, one had a few loyal others to cover one's back... and sword fighting is cool. Just think of how many of you dug the Highlander and Kill Bill flicks.) It's the coming home part of the poem that warms my heart after it has become stone cold from too much exposure to the "default world."

Anyway, thanks for the positive feedback... those of you that gave it.

After receiving more of the patriotism feedback, I will consider the deeper meaning of this year's theme.

thirt33n · Post by **thirt33n** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 3:06 pm

you're a good sport Imagigrl.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 4:02 pm

It is radically unlike the sca.
Go stand somewhere at burning man and turn your head quickly and one blip out of the turn will be like the sca, or even be sca in costume.
And the whole week is like that.

You can run around frantically all week exploring and you will still have only scratched the surface of the variety out there.

The harmful effect of burning man is that it makes most things seem so boring!!
I always seek variety but this makes it much worse.
I still go to sca things sometimes to relax.
But I find no excitement there.
And seeing taliban justice pretty much ruins the whole medieval thing anyway.
It takes the bridges of Venice to bring it back to me now.

Join the campaign for a six week burning man now.
You'll see why the day you leave the playa.

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 4:05 pm

um...im a meany linguini...

But forsooth, i beggest forgivenessness...take not to thouest hearteth what yon knaves and n'er do niceys speaketheth or typeth, Nay, there might be a juicy morsel plucked from the corn kernals left in the vile dung of sarcasm and drolery.

ods-bodskins and all that.

the poem still sucks ass though...

Sensei · Post by **Sensei** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 11:01 pm

For ImaginaryGurgle or whatever her name is:

SHE walks in beauty like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies,
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to the tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One ray the more, one shade the less
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress
Or softly lightens o'er her face,
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek and o'er that brow
So soft, so calm yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow
But tell of days in goodness spent
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent.

Lord Byron, (George Gordon)

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:25 am

Simon of the Playa wrote: But forsooth, i beggest forgivenessness...take not to thouest hearteth what yon knaves and n'er do niceys speaketheth or typeth, Nay, there might be a juicy morsel plucked from the corn kernals left in the vile dung of sarcasm and drolery.

ods-bodskins and all that.

the poem still sucks ass though...

I'm guessing you know if you talk that pseudo renaissance crap at an sca thing, someone will hit you with something?
And some of us play with real swords.

I just saw the best sca commercial by dominos.
Guy is delivering pizza and these folks in full battle gear tell him.
"In our thirty minutes we have waged siege warfare."
Guy on the roof says there was no domino's in the 14th century.
and launches a flaming arrow into the pizza car which blows up!

By the way, the cali sca is said to be far worse than other places about the whole accuracy obsessive thing.

Funny, considering it started with two guys with sticks and bin lids.
Did you know they nearly eliminated aristocracy and royalty and all that bullshit.
It would have been a vast improvement.
There are similar medieval groups with none of that.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:09 am

gyre wrote:

Funny, considering it started with two guys with sticks

That's how BM started too

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:23 am

Captain Goddammit wrote:
gyre wrote:

Funny, considering it started with two guys with sticks
That's how BM started too

Yes.
Now if I could only find the damn beach that's supposed to be part of it....

EvilDustBooger · Post by **EvilDustBooger** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:25 am

Imagigrl wrote: this pettiness you spew forth...

You nailed it Imagigrl.
The main reason that Eplaya is sliding into obscurity.
Very much unlike the event on Playa; the Eplaya is wrought with
humorless, depressive, internet-dwellers in the obvious.
Some think that being a "burner" is an excuse to feel superior to those that they feel..."don`t get it".

Yes. Absolutely High School.

My guess is that most would be very challenging to camp with, if they ever even attend the event at all.

Try not to let the uber-correct poo-pooers ruin your fun.

Just imagine them chewing on dirty underwear.

And shine on.

I happen to admire poetic types...and thanks for sharing real feelings.
I`m sure the words you shared would be accepted cheerfully by most in BRC, in spite of the reactions here.
Few are brave enough to step up and be real.

And remember...BM is an abreviation for other things as well...

Filthy panties so tender and sweet
we offer the losers a suitable treat
to nibble and dine as they see fit
a tangy garnish for all of their shit

EDB-2008

Post by **mdmf007** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:40 am

great poem.

thirt33n · Post by **thirt33n** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 9:45 am

mdmf007 wrote:great poem.

word,...tastes good too

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:00 pm

EvilDustBooger wrote: the Eplaya is wrought with
humorless, depressive, internet-dwellers in the obvious.
Some think that being a "burner" is an excuse to feel superior to those that they feel..."don`t get it".

Yes. Absolutely High School.

My guess is that most would be very challenging to camp with, if they ever even attend the event at all.

I can't blame you for coming to a conclusion based on the info you have to work with... BUT...
In actual practice, I've found almost everyone from eplaya to be totally friendly and absolutely great in-person and on-playa!
And the only one I can think of right off hand that doesn't actually go is DVDBurner.

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:02 pm

Captain Goddammit wrote: And the only one I can think of right off hand that doesn't actually go is DVDBurner.

Giggling......

WHY I COME HOME TO BURNING MAN

WHY I COME HOME TO BURNING MAN

Re: WHY I COME HOME TO BURNING MAN

That's Not Period!

Re: That's Not Period!

Re: That's Not Period!