Poet of the Fortnight #13: ddavidd (Dec 20 - Jan 3)

Love reading through your replies, and I apologize for being late in participating!

I would like to ask, is there any figure (past or present/mythical or real) that you look up to or idolize?
Do you believe or call others heroes or do you prefer to not put people or ideas on a pedestal?

If I empty everything inside of you, what would be that one thing which still remains?

What will we find in the heart of your universe?

Have you found the true value of your creativity?

O thank you so much dear POTP No need to apologize, It would be my sorrow if you did n't.

I have few heroes some thinkers and some only for their bravery, some artists, some scientist. I like Nelson Mandela. Marlon Brando, I love Paul Eluard. I love El Che. Ernest Hemingway...

I think put people or ideas on pedestal has a same or more damaging affects in the long run than good. It is necessary since as we said earlier, art's nature is to brandish, to show of. Also we need to highlight those who over pass the lines of excellence in their threads. Also every right idea or better ones, at the time, needs to be acknowledged and praised in order to be established. But after a while all those praises would get into the head and the subject of praising becomes so heavy and his/her head so enormous.

Thank you so much dear POTP I relay liked you previous picture (avatar),

If I empty everything inside of you, what would be that one thing which still remains?
I do not know maybe only me, my Identity which still would linger after I become so empty and naked from within. But the right answer would be : my soul.

What will we find in the heart of your universe?
My universe? do you mean in opposed to other's universes? I guess being a human. I see man as a solder who has lost his flag, his horse, his sword, his feet .

Have you found the true value of your creativity?
I have and in the same time the fact that their being valueless. They say a man/ woman of knowledge always walks on the ledge of paradox where the opposite forces are dethroned by one another.

Thank you so much dear Naazz for your participation.
Bring it on

I am amazed by your answers. From where did you gather all this knowledge?
I don't think there is anything about which you don't have any answer to give.

And yes why did you create this character Ddavid?

It is ddavidd dear Naazz.
Thank you for asking you are a sweet person.

First let me tell you what is the difference between me and ddavidd.
Me and ddavidd have a lot of characteristic exactly matched: he is my creation, so I allow him to use my make ups.
I made him very sincere. The sincerity I wished to have (and now I do, thanks to ddavidd). But I created his sincerity very different than the everyone else's. I create it genuine. I tried my best to portray a man in every argument or battle going for the costliest truth, politically incorrect, the one nobody wants to talk about or tend to ignore. I realized people did not appreciate that kind of sincerity. (Some people did and some only pretended they did- because they cheer standing on the table only in Robin Williams movies )
But ddavidd who I created, had no other choice but to be that way. It was inevitable outcome of his characteristic. Public though did not even include his version of sincerity to the list.
I made him be brave and controversial (because of his authentic sincerity and passion for straight forwardness, I had no other choice: he had to be blunt) So here I had to raise myself to his level and demand more of my strength . I had to make him free spirited. That was where “I” wanted to be, so ddavidd is as free spirited as I am able to be.
The very striking and educational thing for me was, that I did not want, or in better words, I did not think of a tragic hero while creating this character. But very soon inevitably he turned to one. Wherever he turned he was subjected to the public crucifixion. And he always stepped on the boarders that they’ve drawn to keep us where they want to. I created him not to confirm to popular cultures, norm in this site, laws that were wrongly misinterpreted and miss executed , and to the hypnotic-clicheic sets of behaviors . And as you all know ddavidd would do thing that won't compute, and he would not conform to mediocratic uniformity.
His behaviour became so in troubled with the norm, and the system, that I could walk under any hat but under ddavidd's. It was so hard. The atmosphere against the character was so unbearable for the actor who created that character. It was amazing learning and emancipating experience though.
I became ddavidd and ddavidd certainly became me, to a certain extend. Now whoever appear under the name ddavidd is not the old ddavidd, or me, it is a synthesis of both of us, I evolved both characters in my story.

OMG, Is there anything you can't do?

Thanks Naaz You know I am not a fan of flattery. Haha it is like fungous of the brain

It is not true. There are many many things that I do not know or do, or regret not being able to do. The list is endless.
But I have a gift and that is putting my eyes in right place. It is not that I am bragging. I have been tolled by preceptors in many occasions that I have eyes for quiddity. I am good at finding the right thread, opening the pile of knots. It is not accurate all the time but gives you The vision.

It is like a fungus my friend. You are more than 100 percent right. Thank God, you are not like one of them. You are an honest person.

Haha Good distinction (by accident perhaps): If I am not one of them, I still could be like, one of them, and that is also bad. (taken that "them" is an agreed bad)

The truth is we have to be get infected by this fungus in order to survive in this world.

To survive within the zombies you will have to look and act like one, otherwise they gonna eat you.

By the way, loved your new poem 'bloodthirst'

I use to call THEM zombies too. Maybe we were associated back then.

You are right dear Naazz. I am amazed that you've already experienced that. And yes ddavidd has been eaten so many times. but perhaps due to him being a fictional character, he always comes back to life.

Thanks for the compliment I did not feel like writing for a while.

Hi ddavidd :-)

So are you saying that 'ddavidd' isn't just a pen name that you use on here? He's an actual character that you've created?
If so, do you channel him when you write poetry, or just when you interact with other members here?

When you write poetry, do you use pen and paper? Phone? Laptop?

Do you write everywhere or just in one place eg. at a desk

What is the view from your kitchen window?

=^.^=

If so, do you channel him when you write poetry, or just when you interact with other members here?

:Such interesting question!! The reason that I am saying this is that for the first time I realized the affect of ddavidd on my poetry.
To answer your question I have to tell you about the distinction between mask and personality. We become our masks consisting of little particles of little masks that we pick up here and there accordingly while interacting with others. Later on, those masks become our habits because we pick them again and again when the same or similar occasions arise. After a while they become us, they become what we identify ourselves with and as, because without identification we cannot hold on to our egos, to who we are.
So internet , in the beginning , way more than now, was a crowded intersection of so many identities fake identities and masked identities. To survive I started to wear some other identities, saying to myself: it is a fair game, if they are allowed to do it, I must be allowed too. But gush wasn't I wrong? extremely!! They detected and blocked all of my accounts eventually and sending the message whispering in my ears: we are the only ones who play the game. You just watch your little share of screen.
So from something that could be a bad experience I found my ability to create acts, create my acts, instead of only being the acts.
Amongst those masks, characters I created, non became me as much as ddavidd. It was fun.

When you write poetry, do you use pen and paper? Phone? Laptop?
: Laptop, I am mortally addicted to the laptop for writing.

Do you write everywhere or just in one place eg. at a desk?
: Almost everywhere, somewhere more than others.

What is the view from your kitchen window?
: The back yard fence and beyond that is a little wood that sometimes a coyote cross over it looking perhaps for rabbits.
But my dream kitchen windows open to ocean, ocean so blue , the blue so profound that has no example in the real world.

I'm all caught up! Unfortunately I don't have time to write much because we have visitors, but thank you for taking the time to think deeply about questions and approach them from an interesting perspective, ddavidd.

Question #4: Do you have a favorite meal, or a couple of favorite foods?
Question #5: Would you rather live in the wilderness far from civilization or live on the streets of a city as a homeless person?
Question #6: Who has had the biggest impact on the person you have become?

O you're most welcome Jane. And I understand, we all get stuck here and there, specially in holidays. Also in internets you would never know how much of the others you get to have. It would be great if communication was easier. Sparkles happen when the time is right, when the two sides of sparkles contact. The destiny I think makes our times match together even in the case of a simple conversation. Native Indian would say: if the message was for you, you would have given extra time, and if not, there is a reason for it being there. Different nations have such wonderfully different perspective of things.
I hope you have a great holiday and your visitors have brought you lots of joys. Happy new years dear Jane

#4:: I am mostly a vegetarian, Used to be vegan. I love square foods such as Lasagna, pastiche, Moussaka and Shepard's pie . I love salads I make so many wonderful salads.
#5:: I do not like to live like homeless for the time being But if I have too, I would. I love wilderness idea though I am fond of living in big cities too.
#6:: I like brave souls, revolutionary men/women such as Sir William Wallace, or kind and decent characters such as Melanie Hamilton in Gone with the Wind. But I was most influenced in my life by A. Shamloo's poetry and some others.

Thanks for the wonderful questions
Happy new year !!

You are shipwrecked on an island. You find several crates: one filled with blank parchments, one with writing instruments & one of liquid nourishment. You are shipwrecked due to a nautical hazard.
As you finish each bottle of its contents you stuff it with a note you have written, seal it & toss the bottle into the ocean stream that goes by the island.
1) describe the paper and writing instruments (there may be more than one kind)
2) describe the liquid in the bottles (there may be more than one kind)
3) tell what you would write (plea for rescue, warning to others of the hazard, poems or whatever).

1) :: Multicolour pen but I would just use the colour green. And paper, from logbook of the captain. I had to cut the blank part out and split them in two.
2) :: It would be perhaps Pink Moscato Wine that I have to suffer drinking only because I needed their empty space to fill with messages from my heart's emptiness. Haha and evidently, they need mine ( emptiness), in my head.
3) :: All rescue pleas, as poetically I am able of. And yes if the rescue possibility were worn off, I would mostly lean on " warning to others of the hazard" side, otherwise exactly opposite. And I would be at my best poetically!!

Thank you so much dear Larry for this cute initiative. I hope I haven't ruined it for you with my answers. Happy new year to you and to your family.

Perfect answers!
May your New Year be fruitful and challenging.

thank you so much dear Larry , same to you

My ....my...ddavidd...surly with all these questions you have proved that you
are a genius! You have replies for every question and reading your answers your
train of thought and the experiences you have experienced has shaped you
who you are today.

As always I'm late and all the questions are asked...but let me ask
one thing:

*Has there been a moment where you have written a poem, out of frustration
or dislike shred it to pieces and then come back after a few days and wondered
why you did it...?

*If you were given a wish to change something about the current situation
about what is happening in this world, what would it be?

I'm sorry if I don't make sense or these questions have been asked already...!

Thank you very much sweet Meena. You words are as usual very warm and friendly. They are lie home.

First question::
Yes It happens to everyone, poets, non-poets. Having emotion is a blessing, but having control over it is hard, it is like having back yard, the bigger it is the more you have to spend time keeping it. But not having emotion is a coldest thing in the world. Unless one evolves beyond emotion, in which that state is enlightenment, and no one among us have a real experience of that. So my answer is yes, so many times I have done that and gone through the stages : written, shredded, regretted.

Second question::
Oh I would have said change everything, but recently I have come to understand the universe is as it is. It can not be any other ways, regardless of all those possibilities we've bypassed to get here. These conflicts are part of the man's growth. If there is no injustice how can we distinguish between those souls who are brave and are ready to go far for the good of others, and those who just do not give a damn? Man has to be given a choice, even in order to choose himself. The money that one makes is way sustainable than the money he inherit. A youngster who overcomes a bully is way freer than a boy who lives in a bully-free world. If there were no element of danger in cliffhanging, it would be as boring as weight lifting. Good only comes to exist against bad, otherwise what is the good of good, if there is no bad??
But as human being we are bilateral: bad and good. so the more we press in our good side , the more we denounce our bad side. Even There, between our good and bad should be a balance. Too much goodness turns us to bad. You can see this in all the religious governments. In churches the molestations and... are partially related to the abstinence. Religious people long goodness so much therefore they despise evil, and as soon as they start despising, they become hateful. specially to those creatures who still struggle with evil. They stop seeing innocence in them. I saw it in my aunt. Her love for discipline and cleaning, easily could outcast her love for her ( now late) husband, because he constantly p and p in his pants.
All these said are just thoughts. I do not really believe in any of them. I only allow my mind to wonder. That is a healthy thing I suppose.

Thank you so much dear Meena for wonderful questions. Happy new year to you and to your lucky family.

Thanks for your answers! What is it about square foods that draws you to them? Is it that they are square? Or is it merely a correlation that the foods you like are often square-shaped?
I will try to find time to check out A. Shamloo's poetry. I love William Wallace too.

Question #7: Where do you get your news from (about current events/world affairs)?
Question #8: How comfortable are you speaking in front of large groups of people?

Square is the most eye friendly geometrical shape. I understand my eyes have special liking and attraction towards them. But regardless of shape all of those dishes I mentioned are good too.
Shamloo is perhaps difficult through translation. But if you get to his world, o my God, There is noting to compare, Paul Eluard is like him.

Question #7:: Mostly from Facebook, Toronto City TV. CNN. I often compare the news from the opposite broadcasters. I think I have found THE pivotal point between: being a listener and, yet do not listen to everything they say. From every side, for a different, or the same, reasons they all distort the truth, often by reporting it correctly but putting emphasis on the parts they want to. Some obvious facts are always highlighted to motivate the conclusion desired. But regardless of all the frauds, there are a code of ethic that ground them to the truth, and are present in the most unethical moments. As I said to Sherry one : one could hide behind obvious, but one could never hide behind clarity

Question #8:: It depends. In a church in Canada, in front of a big audience, I resided A. Shamloo out loud in his original language. I did not even flinch. If I can find a good purpose I could inspire an audience. But all together I am in the shy side. To do presentation , in high school, I used to go to liquor store, waiting to open at 8.58, then go to school, only to enable myself to stand in front of people. But I am not like that now. It actually depends on how inspired I am with that audience.

Thanks again Jane for your wonderful questions.

Answer only if you choose, but I would like to know your take on the demonstrations which are occurring in Iran right now.

Have you ever felt strongly enough about something that you publically protested? (I don’t mean by the internet but live in person).

Ddavid...thank you for taking the time and answering all our questions.
We all get to know you even more and better!

I think politic is very difficult these day. There is no poles or any pure group that you could call good or bad. Nowadays our only choice is to choose bad over the worse. Look at Hezbollah, nowadays they are the only group who legimitly fighting against the oppression and apartheid of Israelis, but they, themselves are no standard for good against evil. Isis is the only group who is ligimitly fighting for the benefit of Zionist, that in nature should be the most anti-Zionist of all. Whatever Isis does benefits Israelis: fighting their enemies, making their enemies occupied by other concerns and fears, discredit your enemy by the very vile torture you put them through, because even though they are fighting your enemies, others can not distinguish them, from, your enemies. (This level of confusion is the evil-genius new invention of Zionist politicians.) Israelis and Isis have never shot even one single bullet against one another, where as soon as the ISIS was pushed away by Iranian, Israel attacked Iranian camp who defeated Isis.
Now about Iran. I ran from my country because of these people in 1988, I do not like them, and I do not ever fight in their corner. But all these said, very little thing that is happening in Iran now, is the regime's fault. They are, American, Israelis, and Saudis plot to get rid of Iran. Iran is the biggest power in the region, hated by the Saudis, which is way more corrupted and monstrous than Iran: anti-human rights, women rights, children and animal rights as well, but 100 % supported by Americans.
This demonstration are not natural courses of how the Iranian government treated their nation, ( which was not with dignity I tell you) but it is indicative Of the change of Obama’s policy in the Middle East to Tramp's one, and aims to destroy or dis-mental Iran as a big country.
So even though I am not a friend of Iranian government, I think what they are putting them through is unfair. The most unfair thing is the people of Iran who must survive all these economical sanctions for decades all deceived by the west, blaming only their own governments for their misfortune. This is the worst kind of bulling that is going on in the world. The truth is always with those who hold the bigger army.

Larry asked:: "Have you ever felt strongly enough about something that you publically protested? (I don’t mean by the internet but live in person)."

Oh yes Most definitely. I got sick sometimes. Being so young and emotional, I could not detach myself from the subject of my passions. And this by itself reveals who you really are. You realize you passions also are mostly self gratifying, because being right becomes more important then finding the truth. Knowing the truth Is very frustrating for a man, an unexperienced man, specially if it (the truth) is not shared by others.

Feeling sickeningly strongly about unfair, protest-able world has been my major battle with depression. I think my fault is I lose my faith in very dark situations. So the answer is yes , more than enough, more than my share.

Thanks Larry for these thought provoking and interesting questions.

Haha Meena missing a ""d"" again.

Thank you so much dear Meena. I appreciate your kind words. And am so, so happy that you are back.

I too have a much easier time public speaking/speaking in front of an audience if I am passionate about and well versed in the subject matter. I've never thought about the shape of food before, but I think I eat a lot of square or rectangular foods.

Final questions!

Question #9: What does it mean to live a good life?
Question #10: Is humanity headed in the right or wrong direction?

Question #9:: What does it mean to live a good life?
What a genuinely great question. I think good life is over rated, commercialized and also is untrue, (if it only is based on wealth and comfort.) Looking for a good life is also being misguided. We are not here for rest, or comfort, we are here for whatever it takes us, to pass through the barriers of our limits. I do not say to be enlightened, because very few of us is lucky to go that far, but that is the aim.
The better choices to good life, in my book are: having a challenging life (reasonably not suffering all the time), Having opportunity to better ourselves in any condition, being a worthy opponent of evil, being the best at everything we do, being like a seeker of enlightenment.
I see good in Godly, in truth in things that purify our souls. but gush that by no mean means good life. Seeker of the light, like prophets, always are subjected to hardship and crucifixion. So, one must define good before answering your question. A good life, is not the easiest one. And then if we accept this, who knows maybe the man screaming in the next room in hospital, a soldier wounded in a minefield, a suffering refugee from Syria who's lost all her/his family..., are going through those hardships, only to free themselves and those screaming are the pain of giving birth to the enlightened version of themselves. Who am I to say otherwise as an observer and a poet?
In deep state of silence, in meditation, sometimes one could hear or glimpse into how the elements of this dream-reality, dissolve in neighboring ones. Every single aspects in one dream is present but have different significance in the neighboring ones. ( exactly like some patterns and objects in Salvador Dali's paintings) These could only be seen by everyone who has practiced for long times, when one could see that the truth is neither this, nor that. “is neither this nor that” is the magic of "good life” in my eyes. It is the realization of that nothing is real, this world is as the result of the way we assemble things, if we stop assembling this way we see the world in different perspectives. But they do not allow us to see beyond the matrix, they direct us by all the means of technology such as TV, computer, cellphone, to assemble the world they way they want us to assemble, They do it by repetitions, key words, supplemental messages. They take us to the state of hypnosis that we become enslave to this reality, while they are allowing themselves to see way higher ones in our account.

Question # 10:: Is humanity headed in the right or wrong direction?

I apologize first for the tune of my voice in these thing I write. I mean it might look that I think I am right all the times. But this is a twist of vision and hundred eighty torsion in concept: For I do not THINK I AM RIGHT. I express things that I THINK THEY ARE RIGHT. The rightness is my temporary position until I find the righter one (and this regression last forever, whether for me or for the man in general) and I open every position of thought that I partake to discussion, in order to see how strong the opponent argument is. I defend mine until I see some light in either side, I do not care, whoever is right, I am with her/him, including myself if it is so. Either for, or against doesn’t matter if we are the seeker of the truth!!

As a thinker I have solution for the direction of humanity, but it is too utopian rather than practical, but yes definitely I know we are going wrong direction. Everything is politic and superficial. Lies are everywhere even when they tell the truth. Medias are the masters of packaging lies in the boxes of truth, or even more, showing the truth, then interpret it with the arrays of facts that they spotlight them not randomly, but to draw the conclusion they want you to draw. They are masters because they have control over all the means including intelligence. In the ears of a cow, the sound of bullet on the air, means to choose the given direction. How many sounds, or signs that is devised on us to line us up in the way that they want? We do not have the intelligence to comprehend that we are only hordes, We are not even who are playing the game of our lives. It looks that we are in charge, that we are the thinkers of our thoughts. But really are we? Those who think so, surly never stalk their own attention and thinking patterns. And no matter how smart, we can not compete we the highest Harvard and... most intelligent students ( club 50) that they're gathered from across the world, that they have horded and fatten in Silicon Valleys. We do not have even a second of leisure other than we have been given. We are surrounded by walls and fences except the path that have been given to us: Fallow the horde or lose your connection. (you do not know how taxing is to lose the company of even those who laugh at you, to live in total isolation. A bad life is better than not having the life at all. )
I think we can say that humanity could never be exactly right way, therefore we always make it better. If not, if we reach absolutely right, we lose our purpose.

Thanks dear Jane for very interesting questions

Thank you so much, ddavidd! You've given me a lot to think about, though I generally agree with your answers. It's been a pleasure having you in the spotlight for these 2 weeks. I hope you enjoyed your time as Poet of the Fortnight on PnQ.

I am glad that you are generally agree with my answers. Thank you I really did enjoy. It was my first experience like this , because I never participate these kind of activities and spotlight , as you know. But a friend asked me too and I could not say no.
The question were fine. As you know I could handle more and harder questions, but I am satisfied with what I got. Thank you mods for supporting. Whoever participated in this, I pay back the favor in their turn if I haven't yet. Some people I was very active in their fortnight that did not show up, or appeared faintly, that is okay too, though they are going to be in debt to me for good ;) ;), joking in life nobody really needs any favor back. I have gotten precious gifts from people that are gone or not accessible to me now and I cannot pay them back. I repay those gifts by gifting others. So that their gifting spirit is rescued and lives on: The gift is there, already given , we are only the vessels, the carrier people.
I hope my answers were a little bit of entertainment for some in this fantastic new year.
Love you all