Poetry Of Evil: The Mental Health Poetry Podcast

Welcome to the Poetry of Evil: place where mental health intersects with poetry.

I’m your host and the author of these poems, Daniel Viragh.

I’m broadcasting live from the Vancouver Public Library, and I am so glad that you are joining us, from near or far away.

Be sure to visit poetryofevil.com for all of your evil poetic needs, including:
- transcripts of the poems
- ways to comment on the material, and submit your own material
- and (of course) our store.

Tonight, I would like to dedicate this episode to the theme of ACCEPTANCE, and the need to make peace with the past.

So I will read 3 poems, all having to do with moving on, and building acceptance into our daily lives.

The first one is called “We Walk As We Talk”, and it’s from my book "escape / velocity".

We Walk As We Talk

We walk as we talk, as we conquer the night
the stars as they shimmer so lonesome and bright
they bless us obtusely, so slender and slight
we’re calm as two dogs as we conquer the night

We walk as we talk, as we conquer the night
our ankles are burning, and blazing with fright
the wind as it moves, suspends its delight
we’re hungry and proud as we move out of sight

We walk as we talk, as we conquer the night
we follow the storm, and we gather the light
the brothels are empty and the sidewalks are bright
as we enter the silence we threaten the night

We walk as we talk, as we conquer the night
the feathers that move, surround us with might
the shadows that grove are healthy and tight
we kneel as we gather the shimmering light

The second poem is called “Remember the Desert,” and it’s also from "escape / velocity".

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Remember The Desert

Remember the desert, remember its bite
Remember the hurricanes, remember the fright
Remember the silence, remember the blight
Remember the dove as it flies out of sight.

Remember the vulture, remember the dove
Remember the clouds, as the gather above
They swerve, as they curve as they conquer the love
Remember the culture, remember the dove

Remember the sparrow, too keen and uptight
Remember the ark and remember the right
Remember the embers, and remember the kite
Remember the love as it burns with its might

Remember the culture, remember the love
Remember the armchair, the armour, the glove
Remember the orchids, the pistol, the shove
Remember the bursts and the flirts of the dove

And finally, the third poem is called “May You,” and it’s a prayer for peace, forgiveness and understanding. It’s from my book called “Buddha’s Broken Fingernail”.

May You

May you who are aware of the native depths,
shield us from the folly of our own misgivings,
as we enter the age of the previously unfathomable.

May we find comfort in our strivings to
meekly better ourselves in the face of starvation,
asphalt, and mass murder, posing as indoctrination.

And may we never, knowingly or not, aver that our
strivings were in vain, falsehood and blasphemy excluded —
Thine hope, Thine glory, Thine support — Merciful One — we seek.

Amen.

This podcast is meant as a collaborative community, where people can comment on the poems, submit poems of their own, and share their own mental health journeys. So please visit us at poetryofevil.com. We take your privacy seriously, and this is a safe space for you to share.