A Blustery Evening

Laughter galloped from the lips

of the satisfied,

Sitting in the sporadic yet

Classic setting

of the fluttering candlelight.

Eased chatter and empty cups

reminded us of the thought

of lemon tea.

Liquid pleasure whistled

At leisure’s pace.

She touched his shoulder

This had no delay.

Cups cracked click clack,

Fingers as few as one

Composed these taps.

Drizzle to drops

mmmm……

A smile spilled free

With the last lemon drop.

Les Misérables

If every human every night let the spectacle of theatre capture himself or herself, the world would slowly become a better place as quickly as the gowned and suited strolled away from the theatre. I would also hope that the first change would be the appearance of theatre's audience. The seats would be equally filled with the faces of tattered trousers and torn jumpers . For the theatre is the marriage of music, language, and expression and moves the richest and poorest of souls. In essence, theatre becomes the Word that touches the mind, soul, and body of all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odrZ6NtPR2M

One day more.

The beginning of dreams, of hopes, of transformation. Each day, each dawn awakes a new beginning.

One day more.

The iron chain of loneliness, poverty, and pain slowly breaks its victims body with its clench and rust.

One day more.

The musical Les Misérables invites the viewer to be lost in the conflicts of humans and the tragedy they live. Les Misérables is literally translated “the miserable,” “the destitute,” or “the wretched” and is a story of individuals who seem to never break free from the iron chain that destined them from birth. But carved deeply into this story, through all the Hard Times, is a seed of freedom that can be found in understanding one’s own self, “the deep pulsation of this world,” and the power of their decisive actions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt-IBJpEMzA&feature=related

One day more.
Another day, another destiny.
This never-ending road to Cavalry.

Les Misérables begins in France in the year 1815 with the release of Jean Valjean from prison. Shortly after prison, Valjean steals a bishop’s tableware, who had graciously opened his house to him. Caught by the authorities and brought back to the bishop’s house for conviction, the bishop declares to the authorities that the silverware was a gift and Valjean had left the prize peaces, the two silver candlesticks. Wrongly freed from this betrayal, Valjean sees his evil self in the bishop's grace . From that moment, Valjean gives his life to Grace and becomes her giver.

Tomorrow will be far away
Tomorrow is the judgment day.
Tomorrow we’ll discover what our God in heaven has in stored.

The story now enters Paris during the 1832 uprising where many of the main characters bind themselves to the oaths and dreams of a better nation symbolized in a flag worth fighting for. Each man and each woman chooses to “not be slaves again,” and takes up arms and sacrifice themselves. A common voice “of the people, by the people, and for the people” formed through theory triggers an action, a chance to change. They died the second night… dreaming of a better nation beyond the barricade.

One day to a new beginning
Raise the flag of freedom high.
Every man will be a king.

The story of people--the people of the gutter, the people of the inn, the people of the brothel, the people of the factory, the people of the prison, the people of childhood, and the people of a new nation. A story with shredded threads of grace and unforgiveness, love and hate, and harmony and disagreement ties the hand of the viewer. Tears of war, of death, of broken dreams, and the lack of change hold the viewer wishing he or her could help, change, or mend the lives of those in need. Yet, their hands are tied. Though death visits many of the characters, it is not the end. For the end is not today, but only what tomorrow brings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odrZ6NtPR2M

One day more.
Another day, another destiny.
This never-ending road to Cavalry.

“The never-ending road to Calvary.” There is something about this line. Through the miserable moments of Les Misérables it seemed improbable that anything would change. Yet, there are glimpses of a better reality seen through the unconditional love and grace represented through Valjean and his actions. This love then transcends and becomes reseeded in the pure, childish romance of Marias and Cossette (the life’s work of Valjean). Through the everyday (the never-ending), there is love. Love of money, love of war, love of power, but ultimately, the audience’s hearts silently blossomed at the fulfillment of love within these two lovers with a love that can cut the shredded threads from each of our hands.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzCSb6OnkZA&feature=related

Do you hear the people sing?
Lost in the valley of the night.
It is the music of a people who are climbing to the light.
Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.

This musical, inspired from the novel by Victor Hugo, might seem dated. Not because of the historical content and political context, but because of the religious and didactic morals of the piece. Historically, this work uses religion as a source of hope (escape), but we post-modern humans are well aware. There is no author and there is no God. Hugo was a simple idealist who threaded is works with an optimistic moral and ideology to keep him and his readers sane. But beyond this resignification, post-modern, philosophical, literary, ideological argument, this three-hour performance grabs each ear and whispers "you have the opportunity to change this world." But why should the audience care about the prostitutes, the poor, the rich, the lonely, the loved, the lame, and the norm-all?

If one seat in the 1200 seats of the Queen’s Theatre did not feel the shredded threads cut, see the painting of a new reality, taste an opportunity to love, touch the bursting of human emotion then... then my theory in the beginning of this rant is rubbish.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCYr8TWAGn0&feature=related

They will put away the sword.
The chain will be broke and all men [women] will have their reward!
Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade, is there a world you long to see?
Do you hear the people sing?
Say, do you hear the distant drums?
It is the future that you bring when tomorrow comes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4924xJl38E&feature=fvw

33 random bits from conversations.

Stereotypes hold some truth in them. That is why I like them. They are signifiers that express a small portion of the signified. Below are some moments I have had in England and my travels. I hope you laugh because most of these moments have brought much laughter, but also, interesting dialogue.

1. The theme song for the film Team America is sung regularly with all my international friends.

2. Every event here in England somehow includes the pubs. You go to the pub after class, sports events, meetings, and mass. Even AA goes to the pub after their meetings.

3. It is embarrassing to tell a practicing French catholic that your church back home uses grape juice for the “blood of Christ.” Not only do they believe in the transformation of the wine used in communion, but they also come from a culture that does not like to eat dinner without it. Wine is very important in that culture in multiple ways and so I feel stupid when I try to explain why we Puritans do not use wine and there is not reason.

4. Tea in the morning.

5. Tea in the afternoon.

6. Tea after a solid night out. I love teatime.

7. England is the most watched country in the world. There are more surveillance cameras in just London than any other country in the world.

8. They are sweets. Not candy.

9. Paris is truly an amazing city.

10. Why doesn’t every city have double-decker buses? It’s really pretty smart. Twice the space, half the length.

11. Penguin mild chocolate biscuits are little pieces of pure joy.

12. Every girl from Essex wants to attend the party in your pants.

13. England does not have cell phones. They have mobile phones used for ringing people.

14. The other night I told three girls (who are my age) the purpose and uses of a douche bag.

15. I am constantly reminding the English of the special letter we sent them in 1776. And then I tell them we’ll bomb them if they make fun of me.

16. The French are always on strike or about to go on strike.

17. A very small percentage of convicted felons are sentenced to life in prison in England.

18. I have fulfilled a Frenchman’s dream by saying Budweiser in an American accent.

19. The English hate their country.

20. The world that I have encountered really does like President Obama.

21. Peanut butter and hummus is very American.

22. Nobles still exist. And they own castles!

23. Nothing is too crude, mean and/or sarcastic to the French.

24. French girls are modest and classy. English girls are not.

25. The BBC is partially owned by the British government.

26. I feel ignorant and close-minded because I do not know at least two different languages.

27. Guinness is truly different and better in Ireland.

28. Switzerland does not have a national language but has four different regions that have their own language.

29. The French know how to do dinner. The traditional dinner can last up to four hours and with 6 courses.

30. Some people call me America.

31. The English do not like Newcastle. The town, the drink, and the accent.

32. They say aluminum differently here.

33. Everyone already assumes I am ignorant and uneducated. They also assume I have terrible geography. All of this because of my citizenship. They are mostly right.

the muse in music

One of the best examples of the joy, power, and talent of music was captured in a small Irish pub in Doolin, Ireland. The band, which consisted of three people, controlled the hearts and emotions of all the men and women who were enjoying pints in the pub. The musicians through the stomping of the floor, the smooth vibrations of the Bodhran Drum, and the strings of the fiddle called the room to smile, shout, and drink another stout. Beyond this experience, I have listed some of the bands and songs that have been my close companion the last two months.


The Hazards of Love album by The Decemberists has truly been a wonderful friend. The Decemberists in general are just my favorite.


White America by Eminem.
I never would've dreamed in a million years I'd see,
So many motherfuckin' people who feel like me, who share the same views
And the same exact beliefs, it's like a fuckin' army marchin' in back of me, so many lives I touch, so much anger aimed, in no particular direction, just sprays and sprays, and straight through your radio waves it plays and plays, 'till it stays stuck in your head for days and days…


A little song the English sing when a special someone is saving the Queen, which means drinking your entire alcoholic beverage to remove the pence, which was strategically place in your drink, from your glass.
Get it down you zulu warrier
Get it down you zulu chief, chief, chief, chief, chief, chief, chief, chief.

Get it down you zulu house wife
Get it down you zulu wife, wife, wife, wife, wife, wife, wife, wife....

Why was he born so beautiful, why was he born at t'all t'all t'all
He's no fucking use to anyone, he's no fucking use at t'all t'all t'all
He should be publicly pissed on, he should be fucking shot.
BANG BANG BANG
He should be tied to a urinal and left there to fester and rot.


Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust album by Sigur Rós is a “Buzz in [my] Ears as [I] Play Endlessly.”


Noah and the Whale is such a fun sounding group with clear lyrics that speak of the pain and joys of daily life.
Two Atoms and a Molecule by Noah and the Whale
Last night, I had a dream
We were inseparably entwined
Like a piece of rope made out of two pieces of vine
Held together, holding each other
With no one else in mind
Like two atoms in a molecule
Inseparably combined

But then I woke from the dream
To realise I was alone
A tragic event, I must admit
But let's not be overblown
I'm gonna try to ride a love song
Just a sad, pathetic moan
And maybe I just need change
Maybe I just need a new cologne

But now I look at love
Like being stabbed in the heart
You torture each other from day to day
And then one day you part
Most of the time it's misery
But there's some joy at the start
And for that, I'd say it's worth it
Just as you play the shortest sharp on me

And if love is just a game
Then how come it's no fun?
If love is just a game
How come I've never won?
I guess maybe it's possible I might be playing it wrong
And that's why every time I roll the dice
I always come undone


The Mountain Goats


The Hold Steady is still a great band to listen to while writing a paper.


I got a feelin by Black Eyed Peas

Love Among the Ruins by Robert Browning

Part 6:
But he looked upon the city, every side,
Far and wide,
All mountains topped with temples, all the glades’
Collonnades,
All the causeys, bridgesm aqueducts—and then,
All the men!
When I do come, she will speak not, she will stand,
Either hand
On my shoulder, give her eyes the first embrace
Of my face,
Ere we rush, ere we extinguish sight and speech
Each on each.

Part 7:
In one year they sent a million fighters forth
South and north,
And they built their gods a brazen pillar high
As the sky,
Yet reserved a thousand chariots in full force—
Gold, of course
Oh heart! Oh blood that freezes, blood that burns!
Earth’s returns
For whole centuries of folly, noise, and sin!
Shut them in,
With their triumphs and their glories and the rest!
Love is best

The Word (Language and Expression)

Below are quite a few quotes that I have heard, read, and/or have been taught that have stimulated my world, and participation in it. Though these quotes may seem small, unimportant, and/or difficult to understand, they are important blocks in the structure of my education and the way I have chosen to live or have found myself living. Feel free to read the greater works from which these quotes come from.

• …for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.

~Final sentence from Middlemarch by George Eliot.

• I at least have so much to do in unraveling certain human lots, and seeing how they were woven and interwoven, that all the light I can command must be concentrated on the particular web, and not dispersed over that tempting range of relevancies called the universe.

~The Narrator speaking in Middlemarch by George Eliot.

• Following his eyes, she saw that we was gazing at a star.‘In my pain an trouble, lookin up yonder, -wi’ it shinin’on me –I ha’ seen more clear, and ha’ made it my dying prayer that aw th’ world may on’y coom toogether more, an get a better unnerstan’in o’one another, than when I were in’t my weak seln.’
  

~Excerpt from Charles Dickens’ Hard Times.

• Our deeds still travel with us from afar, and what we have makes us who we are.

~Stated by an unknown author.

• With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to that truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two.

~Quote from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

• One equal temper of heroic hears,
• Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
• To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

~Lines from Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

• Part of the reason why the Roman Catholic Church ‘gained power’ in Europe is because of its role in the infrastructure of the general territories left by the Roman Empire. Meaning, with the collapse of the Roman Empire there were no systems in place to take care of the peoples and kingdoms. The Church was the only organized system that could hold these duties without the complete collapse of a civilization in the Medieval period.

~Lecture notes from my Medieval History course.

• The origins of monasticism are to be sought in Egypt in the second half of the third century. This veneration for ascetics and belief in their special powers (when one had mastered his or her own body and the lusts of the flesh) may have had its roots in earlier and pre-Christian traditions in Egyptian society.

~Quoted from Early Medieval Europe by Roger Collins.

• This work is owing to the Noble Idea’s and Fancy of Sig. Cæƒar Ripa, an Italian, who applied himself with indeƒatigable Study to make a Collection of the Figures of the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, and to produce others of his own and other celebrated Authors in this Science: Theƒe Images are the Repreƒentatives of our notions; they properly belong to Painters, who by Colours and Shadowing, have invented the admirable Secret to give Body to our Thoughts, thereby to render them viƒible.

~Sentence from the Preface of Iconologia: or, Moral Emblems by Cæƒar Ripa.

• Blessings be with them and eternal praise, Who gave us nobler loves and nobler cares, The poets - who on earth have made us heirs of truth and pure delight by heavenly lays.

~Quote from William Wordsworth's monument in Westminster Abbey.

• A book must be an ax for the frozen sea inside.

~Quote from Oskar Pollack.

• But Jonson also makes it clear that in the House of Fame, heroism is a secondary virtue: heroes are glorified not by their deeds alone, but by the enduring and transforming power of poetry. Every hero has his poet, and the building is inspired by Chaucer. Heroism is the royal consort; but the highest virtue is that of the specific king, not a warrior, but a classical scholar and poet.

~The Illusion of Power by Stephen Orgel who describes Ben Jonson’s House of Fame.

• Ceremonies in the Renaissance period, which include marriages, funerals, dances, masques, architectures, religious, royal, and peace celebrations, created a precedent and that is why ceremonies then and now are important.

~Lecture notes from Spectacles of State course.

• Structures are frames for symbols, signs; words to signify the purpose of the event. The message.

~Lecture notes from Spectacles of State course.

• It’s literature…there is something latent in it.

~Spoken by 19th Century Course Convener Sarah Woods.

• ‘Ay, ay, ay! But you mustn’t fancy,’ cried the gentleman, quite elated by coming so happily to his point. ‘That’s it! You are never to fancy.’ ‘Fact, fact, fact!’ said the gentleman. And ‘Fact, fact, fact!’ repeated Thomas Grandgrind. The girl curtseyed, and sat down. She was very young, and she looked as if she were frightened by the matter of fact prospect the world afforded.

~Excerpt from Charles Dickens’ Hard Times.

• Theory gives value to something. The Liberal Arts were the highest arts during the Renaissance. What made them important was the theory behind the practice. The Renaissance valued theory more than practice.

~Lecture notes from Spectacles of State course.

The Divine Image

To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love,
All pray in their distress,
And to these virtues of delight
Return their thankfulness.
For Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love,
Is God our Father dear;
And Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love,
Is man, His child and care.
For Mercy has a human heart;
Pity, a human face;
And Love, the human form divine:
And Peace the human dress.
Then every man, of every clime,
That prays in his distress,
Prays to the human form divine:
Love, Mercy, Pity, Peace.
And all must love the human form,
In heathen, Turk, or Jew.
Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwell,
There God is dwelling too.

A poem from the Songs of Innocents by William Blake

The morning sun slowly rises

The morning sun slowly brings a dim color to the sky above the gray, glacier void that hides the ground from me. As the sun’s gradually turns night to day, it brings a transforming light and color to the clouds. The glacier like land below my airplane becomes no more than an angelically sown blanket of white clouds. I thought that this was an appropriate way to begin my new day away. I leave as a new day comes to be. Moments before my plane took off from Indianapolis International Airport en route to London Heathrow; the beginning my adventure across the Atlantic Ocean. I am traveling to England to study English Literature and Culture for an entire academic year. To say the least, I feel prepared. That is about all I could say. I am prepared for whatever may happen as I journey through Europe and study at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England.

This blog will hopefully be an avenue where I can creatively communicate what is happening in my life, and journalistic-ally communicate what is taking place on this side of the world. Most importantly (I have mentioned this in my previous post), I want this blog to become a mapping of my thoughts in language form to display the remarkable knowledge languages and words hold though the power of metaphor. In my next post I will gloss a few terms to construct a common foundation of language. I believe that the terms fiction, metaphor, narrative, language and system must be defined for clarity. But first, I must address all who I love.

My dear, dear companions,

Thank you for loving me well. I am missing you all dearly. At times I question whether or not this trip will be worth it. Honestly, it has been already. I am already meeting some wonderful people from France, England, and Switzerland. But I still miss you all and what I would be experiencing with you. Soon we will celebrate together not only my return, but also how we all have changed for the better. But it is early and I will need your support, your companionship. Please think of me often. When you read a compelling book, eat at Bazbeaux, dance, take shots, eat Pizza Express, cook a community meal, check things off your list, drink dark beers, speak philosophically, care for people, play Ultimate Frisbee, work hard, laugh hard, and have a bonfire, please think of me. This may seem narcissistic, and maybe it is, but I want to communicate how much I will be thinking of you all as I experience life far from you.

To those who believe in the power of prayer, you are allowed to pray for me (of course) and I would appreciate it. I think this is an obvious statement. However, I want to ask that you pray with the same candid, unconventional, courageous fervor felt in this old Franciscan Benediction:

May God bless you with discomfort

At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships

So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,

So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears

To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,

So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and

To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness

To believe that you can make a difference in the world.

So that you can do what others claim cannot be done

To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

I would be very encouraged if individuals prayed for me with such grip and vision. However, more importantly, what I would like to receive more than a traditional prayer (words to any great deity) is your words, thoughts and breath be put onto paper. I love receiving mail and I plan on corresponding more through letters this year than ever before. So please send me a letter! Side note: apparently the British Post Office might go on strike at any moment, and the mail is already backlogged here. Soooo please be patient with the system. My address is

Jeffrey Mayes

08/A Clowes Court Parkwood,

University of Kent

Canterbury, Kent,

United Kingdom, CT2 7SX.

I am looking forward to reading your letters, corresponding through facebook, email, and skype. I may be distant at times. I think we all understand the good in living in the community directly around us. However, that also makes the world a smaller place. Live well. Become everything that you want to become. May our mind, soul, and body be united in the simple joys of life. I will embrace you all soon. Time is only relative. I’ll will be home in 282 days.

Strength and honor.

Most Sincerely,

Jeffrey

A little about myself (a prologue one could say)

One of the most crucial moments of my life is when I met my high school literature teacher. He was a jolly, but rough looking fellow seasoned by life’s adventures. On our first day of class he took us all outside to the parking lot and told the 18 of us to cram into a small parking space. He proceeded to ask us what we saw in the confined space on the ground. We all mumbled answers have something to do with small rocks, black pavement and bird droppings (unable to see the point he was trying to make.) He then told us to look outside of the box. We not only saw the world around us, we also saw his point. From that moment I have wanted to find the world beyond my own experiences and what I could only envision, comprehend and communicate. This experience could be compared to when Keats reads Chapman’s Homer. The path to look outside of myself has been difficult and yet, I find myself seeking for more knowledge. The humorous or ironic part of me being enrolled and educated at Indiana University (to supposedly gain knowledge) is that the more classes I take to “gain knowledge,” the more I realize I know nothing. I would never take away my college experience and career. I love my major, my friends, Bloomington, Indiana and who I am becoming.

Part of my reasoning for my inward understanding and who I am becoming will be filtered through a proverb that a friend of mine has told me repeatedly. His name is Patrick Sullivan, and he lives in Toronto, Ontario. He told me “I could not change the world. But… but I could change my own little world.” I believe that I am to take care of the people that cannot take care of themselves, to assist those that need a hand, to empower those to become one with their own, personal, individual soul and body; ultimately, to be. I know that knowledge is not necessarily needed to do such deeds; however, I believe that there is a dreadful cycle of poverty or of ignorance that exists in the world. My hope is that my knowledge will create a better understanding of this cycle, which will then shed light on some observations that will hopefully assist us all as we make baby steps towards becoming our true selves. Ultimately, I want to inspire people to embrace humanness amongst their animal-ness. I want people to know a world exists beyond themselves. I want people to inspire me.

A little background of myself: My father was a pastor of a conservative non-denomination church. I grew up with four brothers and two sisters. My father passed away when I was ten years old with a blood template cancer. The strange truth about the whole thing is that I would not have my dad come back for anything. I loved him, but the life I have had since then has made me who I am today. I would hate to rob myself of that. I know that my father is very proud of me and who I have been and who I am becoming.

In the grand scheme of things, I chose English with a focus of creative writing because of the beauty of language and its powerful nature. I enjoy history, church history, theology and philosophy, and English is field of study where I can learn all of that through literature. Arguably, literature could be considered the origins of such fields of thought. The creative writing aspect has cultivated a fascination with metaphor and the natural weight of words. I am also a declared Comparative Literature minor to learn from peoples all over this world. I also will be receiving a Certificate in Journalism, which has inspired me to right well in thought and deed. Both of these fields of study are to hone my skills as a writer and reader of the English language. With my undergraduate degree I plan on pursuing graduate school in the area of church history and theology. However, several of the English classes I have taken have shown me that both of those subjects are relevant in English literature; therefore, I have been contemplating English literature of late. It is becoming more and more apparent to me that language is the key to all origins. Everything known now has been built on language, with language or in language. Thus, this blog is just a mapping of my thoughts in language form to display the remarkable knowledge languages and words hold.