Many artists have been inspired to respond artistically since the Tarot appeared as a game somewhere in the mid-15th Century, though it is the French we can look to for imbuing these cards with a greater significance. Cartomancy as a concept has always fascinated me, that these symbols can be manipulated at will through the chaos of universal forces into something that resembles common sense.
When Pelmanism was written during Lockdown, the Tarot became a significant inspiration. The journey symbolised by the 22 cards which form the Major Arcana became the foundation on which I wrote my first cohesive, episodic sequence of poems. Without this starting point, LuX would never have come into being. Early this year, it became apparent that to edit THAT successfully requires skills I do not yet wield. So, this is where that process begins.
This card was the hardest to realise in Lockdown when these poems were first written. Tradition and conformity make me itch and conventional wisdom was a touchy subject. How was anything conventional in a pandemic? Except of course, previous pandemics have provided a surprising amount of insight into how people react and then alter their behaviour when it is apparent it is the most sensible thing to do.
In large periods of my life it has not been about being taught, but working out the best way to learn new things. To look at me objectively was almost impossible for the longest time, but this poem, I think, shows the beginning of something significant in terms of self-awareness. Once I accept the only real way to move forward is by being honest and authentic, a lot of other stuff stops being an issue.
5 / don’t tell me
all this you were that others judged proper form incorrect tense application of their arrogance you never were as good a lie would not die and fucked their shit strength maintained so now when pointless existence reoffends none of them are known as friends respect the holy who now care love and hold and share and show you’re everything including wise that is no longer trapped inside accept decisions live to know the girl who never used to get a say telling me to simply disappear don’t tell me I am already hear
If you like this poem, please let me know in the comments <3
We announced earlier this week that there will be an opportunity to get a physical copy of this chapbook when it is completed later this year if you’re a Paid Subscriber to Substack.
These copies will be individually sewn and hand printed by my good self. All the details are in this post: