Tom Smarda, pág. 90

Tom Smarda

Tom Smarda spent ten years during the 70’s hitch-hiking around North America, playing music from the Yukon to Guatemala, from the east coast to the west coast, in Canada, as well as the States. Exposed to many cultures, witnessing the on-going destruction of the Earth, hand-inhand with increasing poverty and injustice, inspired him to write songs which hopefully can constructively and compassionately address some important universal concerns. He believes that?we can house, clothe and feed one?another without destroying the Earth in the process for future generations.”

EMBEDDED Maybe, just maybe, Lack of forgiveness May be embedded In our attitudes, Appearing, or actually Not appearing in the form of A rigid ideological framework Of suspicion and intolerance, Within a net of justification Which holds the rot together. I can feel as though I have forgiven somebody As a decision and act of will, And let the incident go, Where I perceived a personal Slight against myself, But where is the attitudinal shift? Things still may remain the same And propagate similar incidence.

TEARS Why is there sadness And unexpressed grief For the past losses Which have occurred? What kind of an Attitudinal shift is required To accomplish the complete Release of the tension Which is held in the body, Below the level of Active waking consciousness? We have been told that There is no use in Crying over spilled milk, But maybe some things Aren’t quite a trivial as that. Of course, in the big scheme of things What is really important?

BODY Is the body capable Of any attitudinal shift whatsoever, Or is that a function Of a decision made in the mind? And if I can’t think myself Into a new person, Whether I define myself As a body or not, Where is the conglomeration Of all the contexts And memories of past experience Which I have to deal with And consider, or not? Like a deer in the headlights Frozen in an incoming exposure, Possibly blinded temporarily By the rapid approach Of an undefined foreign object, We are cosmic beings.

PRAYER Kinesthetic imagery, Spots and splotches appearing And disappearing electrically, Like sunbeams on the water Within my third eye. Feeling gratitude like A deep appreciation And acceptance of what is, Almost a reverence, But God is humble, And knows who “He” is. Love without needing adoration. There is a deep peace Without the clutter of thinking, Just the overshadowing presence With no conclusions to aspire to. Is there anything to add? More deeply present and gone!

EXAMPLE Every time that there is A reasonable and sane Interaction between people, It is yet another example That collective choices Can be made that include Conscious and compassionate understanding. Within the confines Of an externally imposed system, Which we can find ourselves Grappling with individually, We don’t have to buy into The rigid oppression Which appears to be demanded. Yes, our survival instincts May be triggered To adhere and comply with the BS, But together we don’t have to be Trapped in the madness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu8LtiAZkkQ

“Factless Rhetoric”. Judy & Tom Smarda play the Open Tuning Festival in Seaton Village, Toronto on Saturday, June 9, 2018. A video by Henry Martinuk, Chernozym Video.