Post-Religion

BIRDS OF PARADISE
In remembrance of Norwich PRIDE, July 30th 2022


Some thought we looked exotic.

Beguiling, even.

Others, that we belonged somewhere else: a far off land – the further off the better.

To be fair, a number of us were going all-out on the exotic front.  Spectacular creations, they: birds of paradise in a conurbation, gathered to preen, pose, parade – to be proud – but even the least eye-catching among us were doing our bit, determined not to squander this yearned-for, twice deferred and long-anticipated public moment, each to make the most of our given plumage, however modest; to be, this day, our best and truest selves: to present, incontrovertibly, the most authentically self-evident proof of our existence, our persistence in the face of weighted odds.

It's said we're on a red list – well, somebody's list, anyway: an endangered species – so to see ourselves, ten thousand strong, soaring and looping above it all...

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

© Ken Cumberlidge 07-08-2022

NOTE:
This poem respectfully references "The Wild Remedy" by Emma Mitchell, page 55: Lapwings.

Birds of Paradise

KEN CUMBERLIDGE: POETRY
To see the full text and publication details of any poem, click on its track title.

"Honest, unflinching, emotionally intelligent and stunningly crafted." - Cathy Carson

Multiple slam-winner, finalist at Hammer & Tongue Cambridge 2018 and 2019, Ken Cumberlidge cut his performance teeth on the pub poetry scene of the 1970s.

Since 2011 Ken has been based in Norwich, but can be lured out of cover by good company and an open mic - a proclivity that has led him to become an habitué of the slam poetry/spoken word scene.

Ken writes about love, sex, nature, loss, identity and queerness, with an occasional foray into the eerie and macabre.  Poke him with a sharp enough stick and he may even wake up long enough to get shouty about politics.

His work has appeared widely in print and online (Algebra of Owls / Allegro / As Above So Below / Bi All Accounts / Bogg / The Fiction Pool / Fire&Dust Anthology / Fragmented Voices / Impspired / Ink, Sweat & Tears / Ludd's Mill / Message in a Bottle / The Open Mouse / Picaroon / Pulsar / Pure Slush / Rat's Ass Review / Runcible Spoon / SMOKE / Snakeskin / Songs of Eretz / Spilling Cocoa… / Strange Poetry / Talking Soup / Timber Ghost Press ...etc).

Headline/featured poet at numerous events/venues, including:

Allographic Open Mic
Beth Hartley "A Holding" book launch
Cambridge PRIDE
FenSpeak
Fire&Dust, Coventry
Hammer & Tongue, Cambridge
High St Poetry, Ely
Incite! LGBTQIA+ Spoken Word Cabaret
Last Poet Standing, Norwich
Oooh Beehive
Poetry at Jurnet's
Poetry Non-Stop podcast
St Andrews Festival, Cambridge
Sunday Night Lives at the Flying Pig
Vron McIntyre "Random Trail" book launch

Konscia pri senkonscieco
consciente da inconsciência
conscious of unconsciousness
 https://www.mixcloud.com/Coletivodelixo/
Pagina para DEMO efêmera 
Ni loĝas en unu-uza mondo, regata de rubo, en ruba sistemo, kiu faras nian vivon sorto. Socio de malplivalorigitaj valoroj de senbrida konsumo, kie esti bone havas la rimedojn por produkti pli da rubo. Aspektoj de malsana socio. Kie kapitalo kontraŭas logikon. Dum ni ne malkonstruos niajn konsumajn idealojn, ni vivos en la Liksokratio. Ene de logika sistemo ne ekzistas rubo, ĉio estas cikla. Rubo estas misrezono de la homaro. Savu la arbarojn.

Vivemos em um mundo descartável, dominado pelo lixo, num sistema de lixo, o qual damos destino a nossas vidas. Sociedade de valores desvalorizados do consumo desenfreado, onde estar bem é ter recursos para produzir mais lixo. Aspectos de uma sociedade doente. Onde o capital vai contra a lógica. Enquanto não descontruirmos o sistema viveremos na Lixocracia. Dentro de um sistema lógico não existe lixo tudo é cíclico. o Lixo é uma falácia da humanidade. Salvem as florestas.

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