Multi-voice poetry and placing it on your website.

 

 

I posted this extract below, quite recently, on the Via Negativa site (this site deals with posts about how to write and format poetry on your website):

http://www.vianegativa.us/2010/06/how-to-format-poetry-on-the-web-an-incomplete-guide/#comment-50607

 

As an html total beginner I got a WordPress expert to help me write multi-voice in up to six columns (in my website). However, when I tried to write very small text to allow me to put text into these narrow columns then it did not work in WordPress. I tried the poems that worked in Microsoft Expressions Web 4 but none worked in WordPress. Another WordPress expert kindly gave me some code but nothing seemed to work on WordPress. I presume the WordPress text editor alters the CSS or html? Anyway, after two weeks of trying (CSS and html) I gave up and have added a new multi-voice site created on Blogger where the small text columns (using the additional WordPress coding) work fine: multi-voicepoetry.blogspot.com
Ashby

 

My multi-voice poem Ripples has just been printed as a foldout in the very fine new poetry magazine, Raum. The paper and the design are First Class. Worth looking at. Here is their website:

http://raumpoetry.com/post/121346408307/the-launch-night-was-one-of-the-best-poetry

 

 

My multi-voice poem Many Different Animals is due to be used in the Wild Issue of DUPE magazine. Their website is: http://wearedupe.tumblr.com/About

 

 

Please Share my own multi-voice site if you think it any good. I am grateful to the many websites that have already mentioned my multi-voice poetry website. Thanks to them. They are:

 

 

 

A pro-vegetarian WordPress site: https://bo.wordpress.com/tag/vegetarianism/   Website called, Year of Lamb.

 

 

A site dealing with the use of poetry in Education:

http://onnetwork.facinghistory.org/finding-your-voice-using-slam-poetry-to-explore-human-rights/

Facing Canada website. Article entitled: Finding your Voice: using slam poetry to explore human rights. I am in as a comment.

 

 

Canadian Lawyer website, Article on The poetry of human rights. In as a comment.

www.canadianlawyermag.com/992/The-poetry-of-human-rights.html

 

 

Tweetspeak website, article called: The unofficially official list of top poetry websites. In as a comment

http://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2012/02/29/the-unofficially-official-list-of-top-poetry-sites/                                     

 

If you like any of the multi-voice poems that I write or that Chromatic Voices 2 perform, then please try and write a two or three part multi-voice poem yourself. Or with friends rehearse and perform one of the poems on my website. I genuinely would like to see new MV poetry groups springing up around the World. Multi-voice is a technique that allows subtlety and complexity. It can be used in many different ways. Next time you are inspired to write a poem, try imagining a second or third voice and how it would take part in the poem. By take part I mean how it would be useful in terms of meaning and action. And how it would interact in terms of the voices acting for or against each other.

Consider how you would blend the voices, the actions, the meaning, and the emotions that make up this “theatrical” poem.

LIKE A MIRROR

 

The two speakers face each other up close, like looking into a mirror. To read the last line, both speakers face out to the audience.

The writing in Italics is meant to be translated into the language of the second speaker i.e. not English. There is a time line going down the page and phrases on the same line are spoken at the same time. Phrases on different lines are spoken at different times. The non-English language speaker can speak e.g. Urdu; and then the poem is repeated with another speaker speaking in another language (e.g. French) for the italic words, and then another speaker with another language. I wrote this at a time of troubles when some people in the U.K. were being discriminated against – worse than usual - because of their religion, colour, or culture.

 

 

First Speaker                            Second Speaker

 

We haven’t seen each other,              ----------------------

In years and years…                      In years and years…

I see with different eyes                 ----------------------

----------------------------              I see with different eyes

I hear with different ears                -------------------------

---------------------                     I hear with different ears

Is it better, or…                         -------------------------

-----------------                         Is it worse?

------------------                        Is it kinder?

Or is it crueller?                        --------------------

To be many                                To be many

Oh la la. Ohhh lala la.                   Oh la la. Ohhh lala la.

La la sa la                               La la sa la

Words: black, white, young, old,          Words: black, white, young, old,

Strong, weak, woman, man                  Strong, weak, woman, man

Religion or no religion                   Religion or no religion

Words seem different                      Words seem different

Emotions seem the same                     -----------------------

-----------------------------              Emotions seem the same

But we are one                             -------------------

---------------------                      But we are one

But we are one                             But we are one.

                           

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                Like a Mirror

Words for translation

Below are the words that need to be translated into other languages in order to be used as part of the multi-voice / multi-language poem, Like a Mirror.     

                          

In years and years

                          

I see with different eye

 

I hear with different ears

 

Is it worse?

 

Is it kinder

 

To be many                              

 

Words: black, white, young, old, strong, weak, woman, man

 

Religion or no religion

 

Words seem different

                                        

Emotions seem the same

                                        

But we are one.

 

 

 

 

                                LIKE A MIRROR      URDU

 

The two speakers face each other up close, like looking into a mirror. To read the last line, both speakers face out to the audience.

The writing in Italics (given above) is meant to be translated into the language of the second speaker i.e. not English. There is a time line going down the page and phrases on the same line are spoken at the same time. Phrases on different lines are spoken at different times. The non-English language speaker can speak Urdu; and then the poem is repeated with another speaker speaking in another language (e.g. French) for the italic words, and then another speaker with another language.

 

First Speaker                           Second Speaker (Urdu - phonetics)

 

We haven’t seen each other,             ----------------------

In years and years…                      Saal or saalo mey…

I see with different eyes                ----------------------

----------------------------             Mein alag ankh sey deykhta hoo

I hear with different ears               -------------------------

---------------------                    Mein alag kaan sey soonta moon

Is it better, or…                        -------------------------

-----------------                        Kya yey zyada kharab hay?

------------------                       Zyada acha hai?

Or is it crueller?                       --------------------

To be many                               Zyada

Oh la la. Ohhh lala la.                  Oh la la. Ohhh lala la.

La la sa la                              La la sa la

Words: black, white, young, old,         Lafs: kaala, soofeyd, jawan, boorha,

Strong, weak, woman, man                 Bahadoor, kamzor, aurat, admi

Religion or no religion                  Mazmab ya nahi mazhag

Words seem different                     Alag lagtey hain

Emotions seem the same                   ------------------

------------------------                 Ehsaas ek hee hain

But we are one                           -------------------

---------------------                    But we are one

Hum sub ek hain                          Hum sub ek hain.

 

 

 

STRANGERS

 

The Neighbour

………………………
 I see a stranger
 Standing in my land
 ………………………
……………………….
I will not sleep tonight,
For tonight I am going to fight,
Any strangers I can find
I love those of my own kind
………………………
……………………….
For my family and me,
 All we need is to be free
Free of brown, free of black
We just need to, “Send them back”
…………………………
…………………………..
A life, without hatred and fear,
A life without a single tear?
It is not worth being alive,
Without any reason to fight to survive
……………………………………
……………………………………
…………………………………..

Refugee

I sense danger
 ……………………………
 Standing in my land
 I can see signs, footprints in the sand
 They will visit here tonight
 I will not sleep tonight
 ……………………………
 ……………………………
 I love those who are so kind
 That help the weak and the blind
 But the time has come to flee,
 For my family and me
 ……………………………..
 ……………………………...
 We just need to, “Live as One”
 All together, omitting none
 One family, spreading far and near
 A life, without hatred and fear
 …………………………………
 ……………………………..
 Without any reason to fight to survive
 My children are happy, are alive
 They are strong and well fed
 Tonight, they sleep safe, in their own bed

Trees, stream, and Giant Hogweed.

I have a multi-voice website. Web address is: https://multivoicepoetry.wordpress.com/multi-voice-poetry-beginnings/ And at: http://multi-voicepoetry.blogspot.co.uk/ Also a human rights poetry website at: https://humanrightspoetryashbymcgowan.wordpress.com/ And a short story website at: https://ashbyshortstories.wordpress.com/

DIGNITY

1st Voice

Sitting in the dark
The candles, all gone
Just writing one word

Sitting in the dark
The candles, all gone
Just writing one word

Sitting in the dark
The candles, all gone
Just writing one word

Sitting in the dark
The candles, all gone
Just writing one word

Sitting in the dark
The candles, all gone
Just writing one word

Sitting in the dark
The candles, all gone
Just writing one word



Dignity
Dignity
Dignity

2nd Voice





Sitting in the dark

Just writing one word

On paper that's torn
The candles, all gone


Sitting in the dark

Just writing one word

Sitting in despair
The food is all gone








Dignity
Dignity
Dignity

3rd Voice










The candles, all gone
Used up long ago

Sitting in the dark




My baby is dead!


Dignity





Dignity
Dignity
Dignity

4th Voice













Sitting in the dark
The food is all gone
Just writing one word



Just writing one word







Dignity
Dignity
Dignity

5th Voice





Sitting in the dark



Sitting in the dark



Sitting in the dark



Sitting in the dark









Dignity
Dignity
Dignity

6th Voice





Sitting in the dark



The candles, all gone
Just writing one word


Sitting in the dark
The food is all gone










Dignity (Quiet)

Dignity
Dignity
Dignity

BlogThis!

Examining the evidence for war

First Speaker

Examining the evidence for war.
 Contradictory evidence is,
 Breaking up my,
 Confidence.
 ………….
 Shreds of Evidence
 ................
 Confidence!
 ……………..
 I need certainty
 …………..
 Questions are just…
 ……………….
 The enemy are,
 Much too tall
 ………….
 Have arguments that cannot face…
 ………………
 To God I pray…
 ……………..
 Send weapons…
 …………….
 There must be no…
 ………………..
 Disturbance
 ………………
 Views that,
 Drift away
 …………….
Correct
..........
 And all my kind.
 Wrong thoughts must be…
 …………………
 No. Cleansed
 Eradicated!
 …………….
 Destroyed!
 ……………
 Can never be,
 Remem……
 …………..
 Yes. Weapons have a purpose
 ……………..
In an imperfect world
…………………
Weapons are influence
………………
Are control
…………….
Yes.
………………….
Completely.
There are hard times ahead,
But working together,
We can eliminate…………..
……………………..
Unwanted
Yes. Times will be hard
………………………
But some of us…
…………………..
To set goals for the weak to aspire to
……………….
With knowledge of the truth,
Must teach this knowledge to …
…………………..
As orders to be obeyed.
Harmony comes with unity,
And the submission,
Of the weak!
………………..
……………….
Never forget that it is they…
………………………
Words are the servants of the powerful
And our deeds must be justified to…
……………………………
To God. And to posterity.
Now is the time to take action,
To invade!
Are you with me or against me?
………………..

Second Speaker

Looking for purity amongst my fellow humans.
 …………
 Breaking up my
 ………….
 Breaking up my,
 Shreds of Evidence
 Confidence
 ………….
 We need ……..
 …………..
 Not doubts and questions
 …………….
 Too hard to deal with.
 The enemy are,
 Much too small
 And, much too tall
 ………….
 The light of day
 ………….
 Take them all away
 …………..
 Without delay
 ………………
 Disagreement
 ……………
 There must be no…
 …………..
 Drift away,
 From what is acceptable,
 ………….
 To me and mine
 And all my kind.
 ………………
 Polished?
 ………………
 …………
 Removed?
 …………….
 So completely that they…
 ……………..
 …membered.
 And weapons?
 ……………
 A very useful purpose
 ……………
 This world is most imperfect
 ……………
 Are persuasive
 …………….
 They strengthen our economy
 ……………
 I agree
 Completely.
 ………………
 ….. working together,
 We can eliminate what is,
 Different or unusual
 Unloved
 ………………
 For those without direction
But some of us…
Have a duty to lead
.…………………
Those who are gifted,
With knowledge of the truth
……………….
Those without morals or intellect
As a gift freely given.
Harmony comes with unity,
And the submission,
……………..
…………….
Oh. Yes
……………
That are the aggressors.
……………..
…………….
To the electorate?
……………….
……………….
To invade!
………………
Mr President, use me as you wish