Toulon

Sucking on grape juice

in the Celtic summer

of French November,

Samhain arrived in a brazen

unholy parade of ghouls and demons,

soundtracked by young skinhead

black sabbath zombies

marching behind caged in

beautific witches, with noise

and fire and little children goblins,

the orange and the black

of the flames of hell,

the cold and the dark and the dead

never seen so lively

with worried traditional christians

passing leaflets - desecrating the

coming Winter's dark hour,

the dark hour that begat your

sweet Jesus - Nazzarine - Essene,

pagan, if I'm not mistaken,

thank yer ungodly shining stars

that the full moon was

a day late in arriving,

rejoice in the power of the two

( naked round bonfires )

Halloween

culture de mort.

Reviews

[Eilis]

You have an eye for evocative details. And a knack for turning something you see into something to be experienced secondhand. Those first three lines are something special in my book. I've never been to either locale, but what you say makes the Indian summer November in France feel palpable to this armchair traveller.

And the mix of cultures (religious cultures?)--I don't know--I really enjoy things like that because these are insights you just don't get after a short trip somewhere or watching a 20 program on tv. It reminded me of The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury. An honoring of accuracy.

I just like this.

[gram linski]

You have an eye for random poems fae a while ago, woohoo, all hallowed eve is a big thing in France, with music and food and dancing and Christian silent upsetters, upsetting pagan mind,

[Eilis]

Well

when there’s nothing new on the front page...ha-ha

thereisnoshelflifeonpoetry

the good stuff is often buried at the bottom of the pile anyway

[gram linski]

Very true, keep digging and check the front page

[Chris Shaw]

Samhain, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Almost on a collision course with Halloween by the sounds of it. Pagan/Christian celebrations. Sound lively. Maybe could have been more lively if I fully understood your lines. Good morning.

Chris

[gram linski]

And good morning to you, Chris, kind of self explanatory, nae hidden poetic gems, just wrote down what was happening and what just was, hope that has cleared it up for you, lol

[Chris Shaw]

Have a great day:)

[John Alexander McFadyen]

And yer intae pagan festivals why? A good Catholic lad like ye?
You give this Gauling detail and mix your Celts in a brandy glass full of old grapes gram!
Nice relatable piece with a bundle of evocative phrases.

[gram linski]

Ha ha, I like the evocative brew of soup and soupson, mingling and merging in a broth of bring it f*****g on, the French don't understand why they love us, but they do, and neither do you, and you do,

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Bows in admiration and proclaims fealty!

[gram linski]

By the way, my ancestors protested violently against the s**t and rot of yon catholic w***e (Not the poets actual views, poetic license,)

[gram linski]

P.S. every single catholic/religious sacred day is based on those ungodly/many goded pagan fools,

[John Alexander McFadyen]

As a lapsed Catholic (alter boy and choir boy) I see no sense in Original sin but my queen was my queen as The Bruce was The Bruce.

[Chris]

It was neat how Catholicism morphed Druidic and other "Pagan-termed" ceremonials into catholic-then-christian observances ...worldwide.

[gram linski]

Aye and still got free wine in the morn, am a Gnostic, by the way, slange dude,

[Chris]

Many are... it's hard admitting belief these days until you absolutely fall back to having to have hope again.

[gram linski]

The only time you find salvation, these days is on yer death bed, please forgive me God for I know not what I do, although I secretly do, and I pray you don't f*****g find out, thinking, ya think ?

[Chris]

Chuckling here ...a tenet of Catholicism is admitting you fucked up and asking to be forgiven anyway. The Faith comes in believing that you ARE forgiven. Each Belief is unique to its followers. But we aren't "arguing" - just surviving.

[gram linski]

Come the catholic zombie apocalypse, I would like you on my side, bring your sardonic wit, with attitude on the side, it could save us all,

[Chris]

From all I have read and seen so far - have you ever noticed that they never let the facts get in the way of a good Zombie Apocalypse.

[gram linski]

Hardy har, and why should they, shoot those mofucks in the head, and vote Donald Trump,

[Chris]

Damn - seems E V E R Y T H I N G IS always about D.T. anymore ...even the silence.

[gram linski]

Got anything else to talk about, tried explaining Brexit to yer mates, thank f**k for D.T. we got T.M., only joking

[Chris]

Hmmm... a one currency world - backed by what and whom? Then there's World Migration... and how the Green New Deal impacts a world view... Socialist Medicine and just who decides the what treatment and the limits and the whens... etc, etc

[gram linski]

Would you like to join the S.N.P. ?

[Chris]

Scottish National Party? Would they even have me?!?

[gram linski]

Well they had Alex Salmond sideways on Fridays, who are we to disagree,

[Chris]

...uh - everyone else?

[gram linski]

Don't worry, dude, British politics doesn't work that way, too polite to disagree

[Chris]

since when - chuckling here... how is May still PM?

[gram linski]

Cause nobody else wants the job, am no f*****g joking, like pass the parcel with a neutron bomb

[Shazbatt969]

I've been in France, this time of year and you have captured the moment exactly, those damn Gauls know how to party, free wine in the morning, lol

[gram linski]

Cheers dude, those French pagans really take it to town, lol