Alter Ego by Peter Devonald/ Penelope Provocative
Here we have three very different takes on alter ego.
Homo Sapiens Homo Sapient is partly a made-up phrase, but love the potential:
Sapient
1. full of knowledge; wise; sagacious; discerning. 2. of or relating to the existing human species ( Homo sapiens) noun.
3. relating to the human species ( Homo sapiens ).
"our sapient ancestors of 40,000 years ago"
For me it sings of doing better, striving as a race to right our wrongs, make things better, and improved. It feels aspiring now.
The Man Who Fell To Earth is a paean of praise for the ultimate alter-ego, David Bowies Ziggy Stardust.
Becoming Dorian Gray: be careful what you wish for.
The Man Who Fell To Earth
The ultimate style and musical chameleon
masquerading as mod, hippy, folk singer and mime artist
pop star, rock star and chirpy musical performer
you fell to earth in 1972 as an androgynous alien
with red mullet and a message for the world
sent to Earth to warn humankind of an impending apocalypse
outlandish and messianic Ziggy Stardust
inspired and beautiful and profound
we all wanted you around.
Moonage Daydreams Hang On To Yourself
this world is fractured, paranoid and unkind
got to heed the message to avoid the decadent decaying future
got to be a Starman, got to listen to the Starman
have to believe in hope, exuberant prophets sing serpent songs
leper messiah rockstar, flamboyant and burning bright
suffocating and sighing and blue with delight
they killed you, onstage one tragic night
London’s Hammersmith Odeon on July 3, 1973.
The earth wasn’t ready for all you knew
and even now, 50 years on, still we don’t see
the impending apocalypse unless we change I to we.
LATEST NEWS
Delighted to appear in the latest issue of The Shallot – Poem: A Day In the Life of Earth. A fantastic literary magazine produced by The Layered Onion. So much talent in these issues, highly recommended. Also so well produced and put together.
https://thelayeredonion.com/about/
Also very happy to appear in The Purposeful Mayo Journal - that's now live!! My poems The Day She Passed and Welcome to the Lost Words Club feature in Issue 2.6. This is one of my favourite magazines, delighted to be part of this journey:
https://www.thepurposefulmayo.com/issue-2-6?fbclid=IwAR162Xf_lqtWk8nktAb0Eb8UF4ZO5cpGE8R_t1aFavmd_U0F8Kqbhcve9HI
Very excited to be part of the wonderful new Metachrosis Literary which went live Friday 14th April. You can download your copy of issue one on the website: metachrosislitmag.wordpress.com/
Spring issue Poetry Society News includes Waltham Forest Poetry Comp winners.
Coming soon: My work will appear in Dear Politicians: Ecopoetry Anthology - Stairwell Books – Summer, The Sixpence Society Issue 2 and Issue 8 of Rivista
As Ziggy ascended, Aladdin Sane Fell To Earth
Picture Credit: JP Seabright
Brief bio:
JP Seabright is a queer disabled writer living in London. They have two solo pamphlets published: Fragments from Before the Fall (Beir Bua Press, 2021); No Holds Barred (Lupercalia Press, 2022); and the collaborative works: GenderFux (Nine Pens Press, 2022) and MACHINATIONS (Trickhouse Press, 2022). Traum/A, a hybrid chapbook, will be published by fifthwheelpress in May 2023. More info https://jpseabright.com/ and via Twitter @errormessage
WRITING TIPS #4
How to begin writing? I highly recommend free-writing - allow your mind to go wherever it wishes, let your environment feed into what you write. The weather outside, the cold, the hot, the sounds you can here. Enjoy writing and let the words inside you be free. So important to have a pen and paper beside you all the time --- phrases have a way of getting lost so quickly, so grab them whilst you can. Have a notebook of ideas and poetic phrases - there will always be inspiration. Think poetry as you go to sleep - have a pen and paper beside your bed to capture your dreams.