Brand New Ancients

Updated Greek tradegy, complete with warrior half-brothers, an Amazonian landlady and a vile father God. A poem that *has* to be read aloud. Hugely inappropriate bedtime story for a baby, but she's pre-verbal and enjoys the cadence.

> He wakes up beside her and watches the shape of her,
> breathes in the air that she breathes out.
> The world is as vast and as small
> as this bed, these four walls
> it's as if other than this there is nothing at all.

There's even a YouTube video so I can watch Kate perform it and I can see how far away my interpretation was.

Kate Tempest, a revolutionary author, incorporating her vocal back round uncovered the labyrinth of misery given to average people. This novella speaks volumes about the sordid reality that people live in while comparing/reminding humans to fiends and Gods. An inspirational reminder that everyone has the potential to be a God no matter what neglected baggage they carry.

The stories are here,
the stories are you,
and your fear
and your hope
is as old
as the language of smoke,
the language of blood,
the language of
languishing love.

The Gods are all here.
Because the gods are in us.

A tale of the terrible or amazing things we do in our search for connection. The title page advises "This poem was written to be read aloud." I didn't. Maybe that's why I didn't like this poem as much as I wanted to like it. I wanted the threads of the stories to wind together more tightly, the link to mythology to be stronger but more subtle. At the same time, there are images and phrases that just jump and sing. One to read again (out loud) and one to see in performance.

Qu’avons-nous fait du divin en nous ?
Que sont nos rêves devenus ?

Qu’avons-nous fait de nous ?