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Sunday 11 September 2016

Joseph Ceravolo: Dirty Benediction / Toxic Wastes // animal market

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SYRIA - A rescue worker carries a wounded boy away from the rubble following air strikes on Douma. By @SameerAlDoumy: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 9 September 2016

Joseph Ceravolo: Dirty Benediction
                                         
                                                   September 1984

My head falls on the dirt
It rains on my body
under the tree
Am I here with you?
You are not here.
There's bread in the grass
while the eyes wander endlessly

Joseph Ceravolo (1934-1988): Dirty Benediction (September 1984) from Collected Poems, 2012




Harrowing images after airstrikes on #Douma #Syria show rescuers battling to save a boy @SameerAlDoumy @AFPphoto: image via SundayTimesPictures @STPictures, 9 September 2016

Joseph Ceravolo: Toxic Wastes

                                                 September 9, 1984

Poor animal, his dead tail waving
in the wake of passing car.
He's stone dead
as are his brothers and sisters
in other cities of the world.

It's hard to consider its life
yet one of us dies
with the same frequency.
Such lamentations arise.
These bums are lying
on the sidewalk of 8th Avenue
old coat pulled over them
waving in the breeze,
while millions pass them
like cars pass the animals.

Yet look at animals
and the smaller pinions
or the trees in ancient majesty
overhead, such innocence
in the roots.

One car avoids the animal
another over its head,
a runner trots by.
The tree, its sunny leaves
waving darkly underneath
with giant shiny crows
flying atop

O light from our only sun
ties chemical chains
to our only body,
shines almost forever, burns!


Joseph Ceravolo (1934-1988):
Toxic Wastes (September 9, 1984) from Collected Poems, 2012




Harrowing images after airstrikes on #Douma #Syria show rescuers battling to save a boy @SameerAlDoumy @AFPphoto: image via SundayTimesPictures @STPictures, 9 September 2016



Harrowing images after airstrikes on #Douma #Syria show rescuers battling to save a boy @SameerAlDoumy @AFPphoto: image via SundayTimesPictures @STPictures, 9 September 2016


SYRIA - Blood from victims covers stretcher at makeshift hospital following reported gov. air strikes. By @AbdDoumany
: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 9 September 2016


SYRIA - A man carries a victim following a reported air strike on the rebel-held city of Idlib. By @omarnajdat: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 10 September 2016


U.S.-Russian Syria peace deal raises rebel doubts as fighting rages: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 10 September 2016


US - A group of birds flies past the Manhattan skyline in New York. By Kena Bettancur #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 9 September 2016


GAZA CITY - A girl sits in a vehicle next to sheep her father bought for upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday. By @mohmdabed: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 9 September 2016


SKOREA - 66th anniversary of start of Operation Chromite, battle that turned the tide in Korean War. By Jung Yeon-Je: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 9 September 2016


INDIA - Protest against civilian killings in Kashmir's ongoing summer unrest in Srinagar. By @TauseefMUSTAFA #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 9 September 2016



CRIMEA - Russia's military exercise called Kavkaz (the Caucasus) 2016 at the coast of Black Sea. By @vasilymaximov: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 9 September 2016

 

CRIMEA - Russia's military exercise called Kavkaz (the Caucasus) 2016 at the coast of Black Sea. By @vasilymaximov: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 9 September 2016


BANGLADESH - Firefighters work to put out a huge fire at site of an explosion in a factory in Tongi. By Rajib Dhar: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 10 September 2016


AFGHANISTAN - Customers bargain to buy livestock at a cattle market for Eid al-Adha in Mazar-i-Sharif. By @Farhadusyan: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 10 September 2016


GAZA STRIP - Relatives of Abdel Rahman al-Dabbagh mourn during his funeral in Bureij refugee camp. By @MahmudHoms: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 10 September 2016


AFGHANISTAN - A vendor waits for customers at cattle market set up for Eid al-Adha near Jalalabad. By @NoorullahShirz: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 10 September 2016


INDIA - Female elephants lay dead after being electrocuted at Kiranchandra Tea Garden near Siliguri. By @DIPTENDUDUTTA: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 10 September 2016


GAZA STRIP - Palestinian boys arrive at a live-stock market ahead of Eid al-Adha in Khan Yunis. By @saidkhatib #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 10 September 2016


Germany warns of threat from more than 500 'potential attackers': image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 10 September 2016

The gloved hands of new recruits taking part in the Metropolitan Police Service's first passing-out parade on the redeveloped grounds at the Peel Centre in Hendon, north London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday September 9, 2016. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
 
The gloved hands of new recruits taking part in the Metropolitan Police Service’s first passing-out parade on the redeveloped grounds at the Peel Centre in Hendon, north London: photo by Yui Mok/PA, 9 September 2016

The gloved hands of new recruits taking part in the Metropolitan Police Service's first passing-out parade on the redeveloped grounds at the Peel Centre in Hendon, north London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday September 9, 2016. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire

The gloved hands of new recruits taking part in the Metropolitan Police Service’s first passing-out parade on the redeveloped grounds at the Peel Centre in Hendon, north London: photo by Yui Mok/PA, 9 September 2016 

Indian children look on as activists burn tyres and material to blockade traffic on a major connecting road during a statewide strike in Bangalore on September 9, 2016.   Agitation in the southern Indian state of Karnataka has been increasing since the recent Supreme Court order to the state to release of 15,000 cusecs of water from the River Cauvery each day to the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. Karnataka is facing an acute shortage of water in its reservoirs, and rivers as the state has only received subpar rainfall in the catchment areas leading to protests by farmers and pro-Kannada organisations refusing to share water with its neighbouring state. / AFP PHOTO / MANJUNATH KIRANMANJUNATH KIRAN/AFP/Getty Images
 
Indian children look on as activists burn tyres and material to blockade traffic on a major connecting road during a statewide strike in Bangalore, India: photo by Manjunath Kiran/AFP, 9 September 2016

Indian children look on as activists burn tyres and material to blockade traffic on a major connecting road during a statewide strike in Bangalore on September 9, 2016.   Agitation in the southern Indian state of Karnataka has been increasing since the recent Supreme Court order to the state to release of 15,000 cusecs of water from the River Cauvery each day to the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. Karnataka is facing an acute shortage of water in its reservoirs, and rivers as the state has only received subpar rainfall in the catchment areas leading to protests by farmers and pro-Kannada organisations refusing to share water with its neighbouring state. / AFP PHOTO / MANJUNATH KIRANMANJUNATH KIRAN/AFP/Getty Images

Indian children look on as activists burn tyres and material to blockade traffic on a major connecting road during a statewide strike in Bangalore, India: photo by Manjunath Kiran/AFP, 9 September 2016

A camel held in ropes by its traders performs a dance to attract customers at a makeshift cattle market, ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival in Karachi, Pakistan September

A camel held in ropes by its traders performs a dance to attract customers at a makeshift cattle market, ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival in Karachi, Pakistan: photo by Akhtar Soomro/Reuters, 9 September 2016 

A camel held in ropes by its traders performs a dance to attract customers at a makeshift cattle market, ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival in Karachi, Pakistan September .

A camel held in ropes by its traders performs a dance to attract customers at a makeshift cattle market, ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival in Karachi, Pakistan: photo by Akhtar Soomro/Reuters, 9 September 2016

 Muslim pilgrims walk after Friday prayers at the Grand mosque in Mecca September

Muslim pilgrims walk after Friday prayers at the Grand mosque in Mecca: photo by Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters, 9 September 2016

World in focus – best photos for September 8, 2016
 

A Muslim man prays near the Hira cave at the Mount Al-Noor ahead of Haj at Mecca, Saudi Arabia: photo by EPA, 8 September 2016

World in focus – best photos for September 8, 2016

A tourist from abroad takes a photo at Akihabara shopping and amusement district in Tokyo, Japan
: photo by Issei Kato / Reuters, 8 September 2016



An aerial view of the "Jungle" migrant camp in Calais, France
: image via Reuters Pictures @reuters 8 September 2016


A goat tries to escape from the boot of a taxi after being purchased at a livestock market ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival in Kolkata, India, September 8, 2016. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A goat tries to escape from the boot of a taxi after being purchased at a livestock market ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival in Kolkata, India: photo by Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters, 8 September 2016

A goat tries to escape from the boot of a taxi after being purchased at a livestock market ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival in Kolkata, India, September 8, 2016. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A goat tries to escape from the boot of a taxi after being purchased at a livestock market ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival in Kolkata, India: photo by Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters, 8 September 2016


INDIA - Vendors sit with their goats for sale at a livestock market in New Delhi. By @sajjadkmr #AFP: image via AFP Photo Department @AFP, 7 September 2016 


A model is interviewed backstage on Wednesday before a presentation during New York Fashion Week in Manhattan.: photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters, 7 September 2016



A model is interviewed backstage on Wednesday before a presentation during New York Fashion Week in Manhattan.: photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters, 7 September 2016

World in focus – best photos for September 8, 2016

A model is interviewed backstage before a presentation of God Save Queens Spring/Summer 2017 collection during New York Fashion Week in Manhattan
: photo by Lucas Jackson / Reuters, 8 September 2016
 


Pilgrims circled the Station of Abraham inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday during the hajj. A stone inside the glass and metal enclosure is believed to bear the footprints of Abraham.: Nariman El-Mofty/Associated Press, 7 September 2016



Pilgrims circled the Station of Abraham inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday during the hajj. A stone inside the glass and metal enclosure is believed to bear the footprints of Abraham.: Nariman El-Mofty/Associated Press, 7 September 2016


On the day North Korea tested a nuclear weapon, South Korean and American soldiers took part in a ceremony commemorating the Battle of Inchon, South Korea, which led to the recapture of Seoul in 1950 from Communist force: photo by Lee Jin-Man/Associated Press, 8 September 2016



On the day North Korea tested a nuclear weapon, South Korean and American soldiers took part in a ceremony commemorating the Battle of Inchon, South Korea, which led to the recapture of Seoul in 1950 from Communist force: photo by Lee Jin-Man/Associated Press, 8 September 2016


A digital ad for Delta Air Lines on a bus stop in Lower Manhattan displayed the image of 1 World Trade Center. The building has become a New York City icon -- it is on T-shirts, tchotchkes, hundreds of Instagram feeds and even pizza boxes.: photo by Todd Heisler/The New York Times, 9 September 2016



A digital ad for Delta Air Lines on a bus stop in Lower Manhattan displayed the image of 1 World Trade Center. The building has become a New York City icon -- it is on T-shirts, tchotchkes, hundreds of Instagram feeds and even pizza boxes.: photo by Todd Heisler/The New York Times, 9 September 2016


A guide, with hand raised, leads a group of tourists through the Rotunda of the United States Capitol on Tuesday, when it was reopened to visitors after being refurbished: photo by Gabriella Demczuk for The New York Times, 6 September 2016



A guide, with hand raised, leads a group of tourists through the Rotunda of the United States Capitol on Tuesday, when it was reopened to visitors after being refurbished: photo by Gabriella Demczuk for The New York Times, 6 September 2016


President Obama and interpreters in Vientiane, Laos, at the summit meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Mr. Obama defended his pivot to Asia in a speech there.: photo by Stephen Crowley/The New York Times, 6 September 2016



President Obama and interpreters in Vientiane, Laos, at the summit meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Mr. Obama defended his pivot to Asia in a speech there.: photo by Stephen Crowley/The New York Times, 6 September 2016


Hillary Clinton, center, the Democratic nominee for president, walks from the back of a stage to greet supporters at a rally on Tuesday at the University of South Florida in Tampa: photo by Doug Mills/The New York Times, 8 September 2016

 

Hillary Clinton, center, the Democratic nominee for president, walks from the back of a stage to greet supporters at a rally on Tuesday at the University of South Florida in Tampa: photo by Doug Mills/The New York Times, 8 September 2016


 A fighter from the Jaish al-Islam (Islam Army) runs to avoid sniper fire, in the village of Tal al-Siwan area of the rebel-held stronghold of Douma, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria: photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP, 5 September 2016


Nomads ride horses wearing burning clothes at the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan is hosting the second World Nomad Games dedicated to the sports of Central Asia. Over 40 countries are taking part.: photo by Olivia Harris, 3 September 2016


0009-112: photo by sebati, 11 November 2003





0009-113: photo by sebati, 11 November 2003



 

0009-117: photo by sebati, November 2003

Embedded image permalink

Medical dummies. From the Urban Shield cop convention: photo by Shane Bauer, 5 September 2014

Embedded image permalink

 SWAT teams send dogs into buildings first with these cameras mounted to their backs: photo by Bauer, 4 September 2014

File:LOC unattributed Ground Zero photos, September 11, 2001 - item 61.jpg

7 World Trade Center on fire after the collapse of the Twin Towers, 11 September 2001: photographer anonymous; image by Trycatch, 5 March 2010 (Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress)
 


A large, jubilant crowd reacts to the news of Osama bin Laden's death at the corner of Church and Vesey Streets, New York City, adjacent to ground zero, during the early morning hours of 2 May 2011
: photo by Jason DeCrow / AP, 2 May 2011


Untitled (Mount Desert, Maine): photo by Patrick Joust, June 2013



A vendor uses a crane to bring a bull down from the rooftop of his triple-story house, to sell him at a cattle market set up for the upcoming Eid al-Adha, in Karachi, Pakistan: photo by Anjum Naveed / Fareed Khan / AP, 4 September 2016 



A soldier with the Army of Islam, a rebel group fighting the Syrian government, throws debris on a fire in the Damascus suburb of Douma to hamper snipers and reconnaissance by forces supporting the government.: photo by Mohammed Badra/European Pressphoto Agency, 9 September 2016



A soldier with the Army of Islam, a rebel group fighting the Syrian government, throws debris on a fire in the Damascus suburb of Douma to hamper snipers and reconnaissance by forces supporting the government.: photo by Mohammed Badra/European Pressphoto Agency, 9 September 2016 
 

Syrian refugees walk on their way back to the Syrian city of Jarabulus at Karkamis crossing gate, in the southern region of Kilis: photo by Bulent Kilic / AFP, 7 September 2016

World in focus – best photos for July 11, 2016

A man rides down an escalator at a train station in Kuala Lumpur: photo by Mohd Rasfan / AFP, 11 September 2016

World in focus – best photos for July 11, 2016

A police officer stands guard near a barbed barrier in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir. A curfew remained in place in most parts of Indian Kashmir for the third consecutive day as authorities struggled to contain protests following the killing of top militant commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani.: photo by Farooq Khan / EPA, 11 September 2016

World in focus – best photos for July 11, 2016

A woman sits on the ruins after typhoon Nepartak swept through Minqing county, Fujian province, China: photo by Reuters / Stringer, 11 September 2016

World in focus – best photos for September 10, 2016   

A trader selects a goat for his customer at a livestock market ahead of the Eid Al Adha festival in Mumbai: photo by Shailesh Andrade / Reuters, 10 September 2016

World in focus – best photos for September 10, 2016

An Indian villager offers prayers over the bodies of two female elephants after they were electrocuted at Kiranchandra Tea Garden on the outskirts of Siliguri: photo by Diptendu Dutta / AFP, 10 September 2016 

World in focus – best photos for September 10, 2016

A young vendor caresses a goat as he awaits customers at a market ahead of the Muslim festival Eid Al Adha, in New Delhi, India: photo by Altaf Qadri / AP, 10 September 2016 

World in focus – best photos for September 10, 2016

A Turkish woman prays inside Hiraa cave on Noor mountain on the outskirts of Mecca in Saudi Arabia: photo by Nariman El Mofty / AP, 10 September 2016 

World in focus – best photos for September 10, 2016

A horse makes its way through a cloud of smoke rising from fumigation being done to prevent mosquito-borne diseases in Allahabad, India: photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh / AP, 10 September 2016

World in focus – best photos for September 10, 2016

A boy rows a boat, bottom left, past a ferry terminal crowded with people traveling to their hometowns for Eid Al Adha festival in Dhaka, Bangladesh: photo by A M Ahad / AP, 10 September 2016 

World in focus – best photos for September 10, 2016

A woman walks past a damaged building after an airstrike in the rebel held Douma neighbourhood of Damascus, Syria: photo by Bassam Khabieh / Reuters, 10 September 2016

7 comments:

tpw said...

Thanks for the Ceravolo poem. Our relationship to our fellow animals is heartbreaking.

Sandra said...

maravillosa sensibilidad de Ceravolo...!

TC said...

Terry and Sandra,

Thanks very much.

Joe's work separates itself in several ways, for me.

Expressiveness, compassion, empathy, acknowledgment of suffering, emotional honesty, refusal of irony -- not common virtues, in these parts.

Sandra said...

refusal of irony...mmm...that is seriousness ?

Sandra said...

and ironically " may be suffering is the source of the other virtues" you mention (?)

TC said...

Yes, I meant sincerity (lack of wax or polish), which is now regarded as old-fashioned, here, and avoided at all costs in the narrowing academic circles where poetry is still taught. And in those circles, of course, suffering is for other people, preferably those very far away, and should never be mentioned.

Sandra said...

mmm...thanks!