“Black and White Sacrament” – A Poetic Tribute to the Work of Roger Ballen

May 27, 2015August 16, 2016Luke Austin Daugherty Art, Photography, Poetry, Uncategorized Tags: 1x1, Apartheid, Art, Artistry, asylum of the birds, Beauty, black and white, Chappie, Deformed, Die Antwoord, Disabled, Dorps, Gallery, I fink u freeky, Indie, justice, Ninja, Outland, Photography, Platteland, Poet, Poetry, Poverty, rats, Roger Ballen, South Africa, Ugly, Watkins Tudor Jones, Yolandi Leave a comment

A tribute to the work of photographer and artist, Roger Ballen. The poem was typed on a vintage Sears Newport manual typewriter. Words/Picture Copyright 2015/All Rights Reserved-Luke Austin Daugherty

“That’s it, that’s why you invited me. That’s the image. That’s the image that penetrates everybody’s head here… ‘Uh, uh, uh. Oh, they’re disabled. Oh, what’s wrong with them? They’re weird. They’re strange. Oh, I don’t like what they look like. Oh, he’s an exploiter. Mr. Ballen is an exploiter. He took their picture. Who gave him permission?’ -Yeah, yeah, you’re missing the point.You’re missing the point. Why is the picture in your head? Why is the picture in your head? Why will this picture never leave your head? That’s the answer. That’s the question. Why? Why? Why? Yeah, it’s not because they’re so strange. Maybe it is… They stick in your head because they’re your mirror. They’re your mirror. They’re your mirror. You think you’re civilized, don’t you? Don’t you? But you’re not.” -Roger Ballen, from the video below: Is Ugliness Beauty?

Photo Credit: Roger Ballen’s Facebook album: Platteland- (from his 1994 book of the same name)

I was first introduced to the art and photography of Roger Ballen several years ago via the music and videos of Die Antwoord. His work, for me as a beholder, is all about human perspective. It is a leveler for high-mindedness. It exposes beauty in the forgotten and neglected hideous. His work gets under my skin. It makes me think and re-evaluate. It is offensive to my civilized sensibilities. Is there a higher compliment that can be given to an artist?

“Just be aware that the picture is a complex being. That everything out there is a complex being. You can’t put things into one word. Screw one word. Things aren’t ugly. Things aren’t necessarily beautiful. They are what they are. They’re multi-faceted. Multi-layered, beyond words. That’s what makes good artwork.” -Roger Ballen

For more related information, see the links and videos below. As always, thanks for reading and sharing. -Luke

Roger’s site: Roger Ballen’s official site

A Die Antwoord video directed by Roger Ballen and Ninja.

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As always, thank you for reading and sharing my blog! I am an independent poet, author, and singer/songwriter and I have my own ebay business to keep me as flexible as possible. But, writing takes time and if you appreciate what I do, if you have been moved or made to think by my writing, OR have just enjoyed something on my blog, please throw a buck or two in my tip jar! Your kind contribution may buy me a cup of coffee out at my next writing session. Click my easy paypal “tip jar” link that follows and THANKS! -Luke

LAD Online Tip Jar

Mother’s Day Poem: “A Mother’s Love is a Song”

May 10, 2015May 10, 2015Luke Austin Daugherty Family, Poetry Tags: 1x1, 2015, Author, Children, Family, Gentleness, Indie, Instagram, kindness, love, Luke Austin Daugherty, Marriage, mom, Mother, Mother's Day, Original Poem, Parents, Photography, poem, Poetry, Sears Newport, typecast, typewriter, Unconditional, Wife, Writer 3 Comments

Mother’s Day Poem: A Mother’s Love is a Song
By: Luke Austin Daugherty- Copyright 2006, All Rights Reserved. Photo: Luke Austin Daugherty

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! Share this with the ones you love 🙂 -Luke

(Click on photo to enlarge)

“Accidental Scars” Live Poetry Reading intro for Lay Down in the Water by Luke Austin Daugherty

April 18, 2015April 18, 2015Luke Austin Daugherty Music, Poetry Tags: accidental scars, Americana, artsgarden, beat poet, djembe, harmonica, Indie, live, mom, Music, Ovation Guitar, Poetry, poetry reading, pregnancy, slit wrists, spoken word, suicide attempt, suicide prevention, teen mom Leave a comment

This was a live reading of my poem, “Accidental Scars, as the intro to a performance of, “Lay Down in the Water,” from a live concert at the Artsgarden.

“Accidental Scars”-

Her uniform shirt
Was short-sleeved
So I could see the scars on both of her wrists
Not horizontal
But vertical
Because when she made the cuts
She meant business

Still, she made it
Against her own will to die
She lived

The cuts have healed
Into minor disfigurements
On the surface of her epidermis

I bet
That occasionally
She goes a day without even noticing
That the scars are there

Her belly is now swollen with new life
And a second heartbeat
To echo her own

The triumphant irony of the situation
Is not lost on me
That another, unexpected generation
And likely many to follow
Will come from the womb of a woman
Whose heart refused to quit
Until her intentional cuts
Healed up into accidental scars

Copyright 2015- Luke Austin Daugherty- All Rights Reserved
No part of this poem or song may be used or reproduced without written permission by the author.

If you or anyone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Lifeline at: 1 (800) 273-8255 or http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

Check out my books on Nook and Kindle, my music on iTunes.com and CDbaby.com, or my main music/concert site at: http://www.lukeaustindaugherty.com

For the complete song, “Lay Down in the Water,” click this link:

I Saw the Incensed Horde- A Poem Dedicated to Farkhunda of Kabul

April 7, 2015April 7, 2015Luke Austin Daugherty Humanism, News, Poetry Tags: Afghanistan, Afghanwoman, Aljazeera, allahuakbar, Atheism, atrocity, Farkhunda, Fundamentalist, genocide, ISIL, Islam, kabul, Koran, misogyny, Murder, poem, Poet, Poetry, Quran, Stoning, terrorism, typecast, War, womanburned, womensrights, Zealot Leave a comment

“I Saw the Incensed Horde” by Luke Austin Daugherty- A poem dedicated to the memory of Farkhunda of Kabul, Afghanistan and the eradication of the violent, fundamental religious ideology which caused her murder. Copyright 2015- All Rights Reserved, Luke Austin Daugherty

I saw the initial, uncensored videos of Farkhunda’s murder when they hit the internet last month. I wrote this poem laying in bed, unable to sleep, as I thought about her that same night.It is my hope that her story may break up the stony hearts of those who would support or engage in such inhuman atrocities.

To all who read- Your fellow humans must rank higher than your personal ideology. An ideology has no breath, no feelings, and senses no pain. It is an abstract. Your fellow humans do. They need you and you need them.

If you have the time, please visit some of the following links to learn more about this heart-wrenching story and Farkhunda, a woman murdered in public by insane zealots.

Original Video (graphic)

Video Story:

News article:

News Article

Water With Light Ice – An Impromptu Study on Books and Their Covers (Poem Typecast)

March 3, 2015Luke Austin Daugherty Art, Poetry, Typecast Tags: Beat, book by its cover, Carmel California, Douchebag, Indie, Naptown, Original Poem, poem, Poet, Poetry, smith-corona, super sterling, typecast, typewriter, Waffle House Leave a comment

“Water with Light Ice – An Impromptu Study on Books and Their Covers” -An original poem by Luke Austin Daugherty

Caleb Doesn’t Judge- An Original Poem Typecast

January 23, 2015Luke Austin Daugherty Poetry Tags: Arnold Grummer Paper Mill, don't judge me, guitar, hand made paper, humanism, Indie music, inspiration, kindness, Music lover, olympia deluxe, Original Poem, Poetry, singer songwriter, singing, typecast Leave a comment

A typecast picture of an original poem by Luke Austin Daugherty, called, “Caleb Doesn’t Judge.” Typed on a vintage Olympia DeLuxe typewriter with script font.

This was a poem I wrote back in 2005. It was inspired by one of my twin sons, Caleb. I was practicing some of my songs at home before a concert and he just sat there listening intently and cheesing at me for a while.

I write most of my new poems on a vintage Smith-Corona Sterling typewriter. I thought that I would start to type up some of my old stuff on this other old typewriter, an Olympia DeLuxe, that my dad gave me some years ago.

Also, the paper that I used was a piece that I made by hand with a few of my kids using an Arnold Grummer Paper Mill. I think I might use some hand made paper from time to time. The only drawback is, not being perfectly white, correction tape will stand out like crazy. So, careful typing is a must! 🙂 Thanks for reading and as always, thanks for sharing! -Luke

On Reading and Writing Poetry- An Original Poem Typecast

January 22, 2015January 22, 2015Luke Austin Daugherty Poetry Tags: Bookstore, Bukowski, Bully, Death, Dylan Thomas, Fight, humanism, Indie Poet, Langston Hughes, Literature, Original Poem, poem, Poetry, Posers, Reading, smith-corona, typecast, typewriter, Whitman, Writers Leave a comment

A typecast picture of the original typed poem by Luke Austin Daugherty- Copyright 2015, All Rights Reserved (please overlook the Southern Comfort accidentally spilled on the corner of the page- a casualty of moving my typewriter around on the table)

No Water In Venice- A Poem Typecast

January 19, 2015Luke Austin Daugherty Poetry Tags: Gondola, Gondolier, Love Poem, Lovers, Olympia DeJuxe, poem, Poetry, Romance, Sex, Solar System, Syzygy, typecast, typewriter, Vacation, Venice 1 Comment

"No Water in Venice" by: Luke Austin Daugherty- Copyright 2005

Since I just finally found this Olympia DeLuxe typewriter that was given to me by my father in 2007, I thought I’d use it to type up some of my older poems. The typewriter was accidentally buried in some of our storage totes two moves back. When I started writing poetry regularly in 2004, I wrote only in a lined journal. That was the case for several years. The most of my first several hundred poems have never been typed up or published anywhere.

This poem was inspired by the solar system syzygy in January, 2005 which left Venice gondolas stuck aground due to low tide levels. http://synthstuff.com/mt/archives/2005/01/venice-drys-out.html