she loves me not

Flowers bloomed at the sound of your voice

Your laughter was sunshine and rain

Little, lowly plants never had a choice

But to beg to be stepped on in vain

To be picked out from the bunch

Was a sure promise of death

Never had I the slightest hunch

I was a flower on its death bed

Enclosed in a vase on display

Positioned as a centerpiece

I began to wither away

Worried that you’d replace me

Petals fell in every direction

I lose beautiful parts of me

The final petal was a confession

Whose words were four, not three

Dawn to Dusk

Who Knew?

Long before I could redefine love from its childlike nature, I knew one thing.

Love was expensive.

Like a lampshade neglected, dusty in the confines of that one thrift store on the corner,

Love was overpriced and therefore ultimately untouched.

Who had the energy, the time and effort

To collect flowers, leave notes, await outside,

All for…you?

My understanding of love became a bruise my fragile skin refused to let heal,

How my intentions prodded and poked until I was too numb to know love

Who knew it didn’t take convincing, that one should just simply…know?

Their soul mate, the right choice to make.

Who knew, love was for oneself too?

Because before I loved myself, I loved candy.

Books and dolls, music and magic.

All that was temporary, was loved.

And who knew, that’s where I went wrong?

Supernovae Tendencies

A flower child from the core of the sun

Exposing the cosmic rays of earthly bliss

Before the eyes of glory and praise

With honored love and embraces

 

Dreamt up in a starlit galaxy

And raised with the wonder of mind and body

Sacrificed to the limitless eternal mask of humanity

Known not by creatures of raw soul and emotion

But by magical beings inducted into the world

 

With internal affliction and faithful spirituality

Forced into humanity with wary souls

Waiting to be heard

Souls that are spilling with curiosity

That can never be compared to…

 

Souls escaped from the noose

Of artificiality in its entirety,

Birthed from within the light

Merely invading our fingertips

As we relentlessly reach for distant promises,

Beyond the madness that sublimates

Before the eyes of the innocent

 

Free from the poisons of the earth

Forced no more into depressions

But into artistic beams of luminescence

With hands giving a natatorium

Of exuberance within constellations

 

Fleeing from all once claimed

By the heavy war torn atmosphere,

Arising with the symphonies of countless laughs

Exchanged among the beauty

Captured not by eyes, pride, or lies

But by the simplicity of truth and its essence

Of purity resonating within the darkest

Of shadows and escaping into an explosion,

An epiphany of all defined as love

Entering vast iridescent fields

Of plenty crossing universes of injustices

Seeing the unseen, going underneath

The surface of illumination, conjuring

Up illusions of exhilaration within

 

Surpassing the bias and bitterness

Inevitable for the less fortunate

A whispering kiss from the many gods

This earth’s inhabitants have all but followed,

Leaving trails of tears in the many creases and craters

Of aging faces all while betraying

The screams of flaw in our faulty epidermis,

Our sole mistake in exhibiting supernova tendencies

 

Emerging grey clouds unbound

Become locks of hair and night sky

Explode and translucent crystals rain

From the heavens and the moon becomes

Hinges of the doors we have now opened

 

Lifeless land beneath us down below,

Stratus clouds of every hue circle our heads

As if fleeting halos, tongues like anchors

Burdened with the weight of our sorrows,

Thoughts like lone ships colliding with glaciers

Fabricated from the insanity society induces upon our freewill

 

Willingly now thoughts engulf our minds

Painful reminders bombard the surface

Against the lips of the beautiful meadows

Of flowers colorless in the metallic mist of dawn

Heartless savages salvaged their pride in a sea of lies

While whispers become echoes in a tunnel

Influencing like a spell

 

Broken beyond the repair of words,

Sweet nothings and empty air exhaling

Toxins curling into wisps of overwhelming vibes,

An overdose of the reality they call tragedy

Breathing underestimated, unappreciated

Until our lungs no longer expand with the hope

We have lost in an abyss of wishes

Thoughts on “Let It Enfold You” by Bukowski

One of my favorite works of literature is an incredibly long, winding poem called “Let It Enfold You” by Charles Bukowski. I originally discovered this work of art in the movie “Beautiful Boy,” starring Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell. There is a scene in which the main character reads an excerpt aloud in his college class, and the end credits contains an audio recording of Chalamet reading the entire poem. Listening to the poem being spoken aloud, the flow of raw, uninterrupted emotion and the passion it held strongly resonated with me. 

I am a poet, and I recognize and admire other poets who are brutally honest in their works, especially when the content forces both the reader and writer to face such raw emotion. Bukowski paints very vivid imagery of his journey to contentment, detailing emotions of anger and unhappiness as well as loneliness and violence: 

I challenged everything, 
was continually being 
evicted, jailed, in and 
out of fights, in and out 
of my mind. 

The descriptive, straightforward diction of the poem draws me in every time I read it. I love the poem most for its sudden change in tone. The poem gives me a rough, jagged feeling as I begin to read it due to the aggressive and disgusting nature of his actions (such as his many alley fights and drunken one-night stands) and it then develops a calm, enlightening feeling once he “begins to see things.” These “things” are simple yet beautiful to him, such as coffee mugs lined up or the way a mouse in his bedroom looks.

Bukowski transitions from his seemingly concrete belief that happiness was simply an emotion of only the weak and vulnerable. In the poem, he reveals that he has learned to allow himself worthy emotions of peace and happiness, no matter how few or how small.

when the good 
moments arrived 
again 
I didn’t fight them off 
like an alley 
adversary. 
I let them take me, 
I luxuriated in them, 
I made them welcome 
home. 

I, too, have greatly struggled with accepting feelings of happiness when they come. I found reality as well as the humor in his somewhat comical listing of things he hated, such as babies, France or the color orange. I realize that this poem reveals how damaging it can be to mindlessly indulge in negative emotions. He led a miserable, young life and it took many years and a lot of damage for him to open himself up to what the world has to give. I, too, had to teach myself that there are so many tiny things in our everyday life that deserve appreciation.

I encourage you to listen to this video. 

Chasing Promises

Pockets, routinely and violently emptied

We are giants in tiny blood and bone cages

Machines belonging to glorified scraps of green paper

The edges fold and crinkle in sync with our worry lines

 

We desperately cling to our values, what love we do have

Lost in our many struggles, the misfortune overwhelms

We are painfully aware of the differences

What it means to be alive

And what it means to live

 

Chasing promises

 

The sun rises and falls with our damaged hope

We nurse these wounds, how they resist healing

We awaken in the same cycle, the same unforgiving system

The one that leaves us begging, fighting to be alive

 

We are not living, we are undeniably caught

 

We are robbed of our earnings everyday

We struggle for warm shelter and clean water

 

We are robbed; we struggle

We fight; we lose

 

Was the memory of me lost…

Whispered Into your flattened, pale blue pillows

As you moaned a strange, new name

A bittersweet one that lingered long on the tongue

For the taste was nowhere near the same

 

Pounded into the dampened earth

As if a way to bury what bloomed between us

The soft soil you grew to love

A flee from all that was behind you

A leap into the unknown that lies ahead

 

Drained from bubbling bath water

As you relentlessly scrubbed at your skin

A violent act of desperation

To wash away the shadow of my scent

 

Swallowed down your fragile throat

As you finish yet another bottle

Your grip on reality loosening

While you debated whether or not to call

Urban Art of the Hamtramck Community: Brozilla’s Creations on Diversity

Tucked away in the thumb part of this mitten-shaped state of Michigan, there exists a city incontestably rich with culture. Hamtramck is very tiny (2.2 square miles to be exact), yet it is teeming with overwhelming diversity. I happen to have been born and raised there, and I would not have had it any other way. Our community consists of vast differences regarding race, ethnicity, and religion; Hamtramckans come together rather beautifully. It was this idea of unity and the outwards existence of division that birthed Brozilla, a German graffiti artist, contributions to the many murals of Hamtramck. Utilizing careful wording and creative use of cultural symbols, the artist’s depictions of diversity firmly establish appeals to pathos.

The artist behind the murals is 38-year old Gerrit Fischer of Hamburg, Germany. He has contributed many urban art projects to the Hamtramck and Detroit community. With the firm belief that his work is “seen through the subjective eyes of the silent observer,” he has gifted my city with beautiful visual representations on the theme of togetherness in our community.. I will focus on three specific murals centered on the culture of my city.

Gerrit Fischer, aka Brozilla

The first mural is on Joseph Campau, just before Hamtramck Drive. It features the word “coexist” which, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, means to “exist together or in conjunction.” The word is painted in the form of different religious and cultural symbols, whose white lettering and red outline sharply contrast with the black background. Just beneath that, following the “co” in “coexist,” in which the word “exist” is in parentheses, is the phrase “me together,” forming the phrase “Come together.” By creating this phrase with the letters from coexist, the artist demonstrates that in order to coexist, we must start by coming together and vice versa. Like the use of lettering, one cannot exist without the other. There is a little boy painted riding a tricycle which appears to be ejecting the shapes that make up this command, wearing Polish attire that represents the history of Hamtramck as a Polish city. The series of symbols used in this mural are as follows: the crescent moon and star representing the religion of Islam, the mirrored Buddhist Ohm symbol, the star of David, the Chinese Yin Yang symbol, and finally a cross for Christianity. This represents the literal meaning of the word: coming together despite religious and cultural differences to create unity.

 

The second mural is a lengthy one located on Conant. It features the faces of a child, a woman in headscarf (also referred to as a hijab), and a black man. Children are commonly used in art to represent the future of our society, and as a symbol that can be universally connected and empathized with, children enhance the pathos of countless arguments. The woman in headscarf is also of great significance in this piece, especially because the mural is located in a community with a Muslim majority. She appeals heavily to the audience of Hamtramck, and not only does she represent women, she also carries with her the visible statement of religion. Lastly, there is the face of a black male, representing POC (people of color). With these three faces, the piece illustrates its message of unity in the variety of age, sex, race and religion. A particular choice in color, or perhaps lack thereof, unites the images of the faces together. The artist did not paint the faces with different pigmentation to align with their race. Instead, he created them all with the same color: grey. This seemingly simple choice in color further establishes the purpose in these paintings:

The mural reads: “laughing knows no nation / tears know no border / culture is different but the heart is at the same place.” The majority of lettering is yellow, except for the “art” in “heart,” and the words “is the same,” which are white. The message behind this choice in color is that like the relationship between people and culture, art is equal despite the vast differences within its various mediums. Laughter directly contrasts with tears, yet both these strongly rooted emotional responses are what make us human. These are key words for the effect of pathos. Our human experience and existence is personified within these universal actions, demonstrating that we are all united as one race: the human race. Despite diversity in cultural beliefs and practices, we all share the commonality of having a heart, an organ identified throughout ages of art and culture as symbolic of the root of human emotion and purpose.

Finally, the last mural features the solemn face of a black man inscribed with the words: “This is Hamtramck / home of diversity.” This visual statement presents Hamtramck as a sort of melting pot community. In other words, the city is very much composed and alive with the theme of diversity.  According to his website, brozilla.com, “the work of Brozilla offers certainly a lot of discussion and stimulates further reflection.”  War, crime, and vast acts of hatred have plagued our history due to divides in what makes Hamtramck diverse. Our country and countless others have suffered slavery, unfair imprisonment, segregation, acts of extreme prejudice and discrimination, racism, sexism, homophobia, even Islamophobia (fear of those who practice Islam). These are issues that have been ubiquitous throughout the  history of mankind. Here, in Hamtramck, we all coexist comfortably.

Sources: http://brozilla.org/en/vita-kontakt-en/

Images found from Google Earth

 

 

Picture Essay: WUMD Awesomeness

UM Dearborn’s WUMD staff pose for a picture with Matthew Laurinec of WDVD Radio and Roop Raj of Fox 2 News. Location: Kochoff Hall A, University Center (November 2017)

There’s never a dull moment at the campus radio station. Here at WUMD, music is not only a highly appreciated art among us, it is also a burning passion. We live and breathe music everyday, each in our own different way. Whether it be jazz or hip hop, classic rock or blues, there is a place for you. Students of all different majors join forces here to create a fun and loving environment for everyone who enters. Ashley Baker, the WUMD General Manager, says “WUMD brings people of all different backgrounds together through music.”

The radio booth is a place filled with vibrant colors that match its colorful characters

Aside from the countless radio shows hosted in our radio booth (located on the second floor of the University Center,) WUMD also hosts numerous campus events. If there’s a need for music, we are in! There is hardly any big campus event our DJs don’t host for, given that there is always a need for some good music. Never have I ever met someone who didn’t listen to and love at least one genre of music. Despite our differences, the people of WUMD are all united due to our shared admiration for the art. 

 

WUMD Promotions Manager, Madeline Allen, hosts the Professional Development event called Media in the Motor City with special guests. Location: Kochoff Hall A, University Center (November 2017)

Sierra Olsofsky, Assistant Programming Director, hosts for homecoming week’s boat races (October 2017)

College can be scary territory for newcomers. There’s the newness of it all: being away from family and friends, immersed in an unfamiliar place where every choice we make greatly affects us. The journey can be quite worrisome and lonesome, but fortunately there are clubs on campus (located in the University Center) to help break the ice. The radio station is a place where one can truly relax and feel at home. I am only a Freshman here, and I felt very isolated despite being surrounded by hundreds of other students on the same journey as I. To find my place here, I felt myself immediately connected to the energy at WUMD. It is such a warm and welcoming place. 

DJ Ricky Rain hosts his show “The Other Side,” where he explores acapellas, remixes, and covers of some of your favorite songs. Here, he is pictured reading poetry from the campus creative journal Lyceum’s latest publication

Ricky Hansknecht, WUMD Assistant General Manager, exclaims “Music is imprinted on my bones, and I have waited a long time to find a place where music thrives in everything and everyone. WUMD is exactly that; that’s why I’m proud to call WUMD my home!”

Everyone here at the radio station has a story, and it all began with entering through that door. I felt so disconnected from this campus given my inexperience, and upon entering WUMD, I seemed to find my place. Now, I feel more connected to campus and those around me. My story is similar to countless others at the station, and it’s so refreshing to meet and connect with other people in our down time. 

BHS II

One particular event that everyone here at WUMD is proud of is the Broken Hearts Smash, which is a Southeast Michigan Battle of the Bands. All bands are carefully hand picked by the staff to play at the event. Both admission and food are free, and there is even a space where band merch can be purchased. The event also features a kissing booth (alternative choices are candy kisses and or hugs) and a candy smash booth (where participants crush candy with a hammer). 

This year’s upcoming BHS III takes place on a Thursday, February 15th. There will be 8 live groups performing. The event takes place in Kochoff Hall, the University Center from 6pm-11pm. We are all really looking forward to the event. 

The highly attended BHS II, February 14 of 2017 in Kochoff, University Center

 

Andrew Null, a proud WUMD DJ says “Once a week, we put down the pencils and the textbooks and let it out. My show, Take It Outside, is like a party but with weirder music.” WUMD allows different people to kick back and play their favorite music, free of judgement. We all need a break from our busy lives, and WUMD is just the place to be. We get together to play games and eat food, to enjoy each other’s company.

WUMD members play games at 2017 Putlock

Winter 2017 WUMD Putlock

No matter what day of the week it is nor what time of day, WUMD is booming with its usual enthusiastic characters. It is currently just past nine as I finish up the last of this project, and I am here at the station while WUMD Sports Director Ryan Matey and his co-host Thomas Renault stream and commentate on our school’s basketball game.

DJs Ryan and Thomas of the Dearborn Rock City show exclaim that WUMD gives them the ability to express their passion of sports to their listeners

According to Ryan, “WUMD staff is the best around.” I couldn’t agree more. This is the place to be here in the UC. I have never met such a large weird yet caring group of people to which I can call family. We embrace our uniqueness as awesomeness, and there’s not a second I reconsider my act of joining WUMD.

My show name is called One Vibe at a Time, where each show is dedicated to one specific band or musician. I now train alongside the Director and Assistant Director of Programming. We are in charge of training the DJs how to operate everything in the booth, recruiting new members, managing Victors Link and other things such as door codes and clocking in for members.