Theater Carnivale Days!

Photos from back in the daysof Theater Carnivale; a Punk Rock/Avante Garge/Vaudevillian theater group featuring, Stephen Holman, Aaron Osbourne, Johanna Went, Adam Tankell and myself.

Stephen and I performing on the BBC4 Tony Wilson Show in Manchester, England

Aaron, Johanna, Stephen, Toni, Adam

Stephen and me as Felicity the Butterfly and her agent Ricky the Roach on Bug Night

Me and Stephen on Birth Night

Adam, Johanna, Stephen, me & Aaron on Fish Night

Stephen, Aaron, Adam and myself on Fish Night

A Dark Boat Cries: Definition mysticism

Collage art and writing by Toni Oswald Copyright

WE are Prayers

Last piece cut up from Patti Smith's Dead Poppies on the album Radio Ethiopia

Photos of John Frusciante and myself by Dave Morgan 1998 All over writing Toni Oswald

Let Your Lover Fall Out

Writing by Toni Oswald copyright

Fleeting

Photo by Carmen Hawk
Writing by Toni Oswald

In the Afternoon

Photos by Sonya Koskoff

Children of the Potential

Art drawings and writings by Toni Oswald

Missed

From the womb to the triplet of man

Collage and writing by Toni Oswald

In The REalm Of Pom

A parasol, a throne, a footprint
studded with fireflies
specks of frayed light
in Afghanistan
he turns pages  and it all comes back

books were nailed to ceilings
concealing life
memory
the wings of a library burning down

the gun was taken off her head
accusations that someone did not know how to pray correctly
as the sword cut the hand's last act
a pomegranate
a pomegranate
a face concealed
yes, accusations that someone did not know how to pray correctly

machine gun
pom pom
machine gun gun
shattered skin of walls
she is dazed
in paths of blood
where Muslims weep

sound fossils
buried cassettes
he tried to remember
moving under
sentences of death
children's limbs scattered
a large stone thrown at his chest

fire fire
fields of poppies
wasted vigil
dangerous guerillas
exile in Peshawar
fire fire
look now
city ablaze

Art and writing by Toni Oswald copyright

perch without pockets

but I wanted
light all around
hybrid dry
similar to reactions
boys will be
the book
was known how
streets off
we'll never get
floppy
seen them all
thinking about time
you have never known
our taboo conversation
circuit mode
finally came back from her havana
i cannot speak
socially
the door has closed behind
living fire
air like saved soul
one meter in diameter
dazzle he would not
remark about
the tide of pimps
the vision displayed
i had no dough
all in gauze white
i didn't want to go
by back buzz
world of coupling
rich knot
deck milk
itself voice
undone open
perch without pockets

Art and writing by Toni Oswald copyright

The Diary of Ic Explura Live

Her

Left out and behind,

The mask it was lifted

the blade thrown down

“It is not me, her cried, it is not me.”

Reaching below where all waters meet leading by magic sets the stone the beauty that's curved the morning is

breathing,

her face is found.

Poem by Toni Oswald

These days

TIME GOTTA GOTTA GET YOU (In Mind)

Time broke pipes down into sound

road loads of lines

to catch timing of spokes

you wrote it off

broke the wheel and told rhymes

joked around and watched

floating daggers take a higher ground

look out son you sound old at only twenty one.

given not better 

to give is to live

unseen unless, 

useless out with out

so give go ahead

try mind

try mind out

mind far out

fart brain  no help

find out

out of time

doubt no help

slow mind

no mind becoming

your route in time

is limited

no doubt about it

no doubt

far out mind 

circles

circles mind 

no doubt

out far the mind 

circles mind

to mend, to mind, 

mine knows, 

nothing mine

here 
who goes?

Hear!

Who tows mind?

Line tower.

You know not your own mind. 

Poems by Toni Oswald

Hello New Year

I had such a whirlwind last year that this blog completely fell by the wayside, but I am excited to be back in this new year of 2014 and plan on posting as much as possible this year, the year of the wood horse. Here are some recent poems that don't really fit into the new chapbook I am working on coming out sometime this spring. 

Dreydl – (Yiddish – to turn)

Spin to turn Jerusalem to what was once Persia. It was men who turned that screw. Women spin to turn spinning dervish spins to spin through what is only this lifetime, not many but one we spin the web casting spell. Spin the loom this woman's work.

Apollo Born of Dawn

She knew her place among the stars unlike the rest of us who had no understanding of the true light

yet made of carbon all is starry a bright it was in dark and light as something other something heterodox but we are light layed out by darkness exploding into a path we settle for thinking dark thought was separate from light or so we have thought grasping for light running from dark in that place that knows not mercy only eyes shut wide can mistake so much knowing no place always grasping illusive grace small moments are the only space where glimpses are golden shawdows of truth grasped glimpsed now gone what is a mirror what is in the mirror

are eyes really all so reliable? Retinol roads gone nowhere fast
Look the light.

LOADS OF MEN MAKE WHISPERS

Those that are sung song

embryonic

absent in spring

have left the biggest holes

for a seer

prone to dust

we are questioning the whole trip

God

shot around into a great many forms

lies

lusting afterwards

between the sides of this planet

lie african music and crazy wisdom

your destiny falls away

the fact remains

the wonder of the skies

as most smiles will disguise

human life

epilogue rain dancing

swallowing lies

the real lines vanishing vanished

burn these prisoners alive

in fires of sandalwood

seek the other

fine tune the marble eyes

lay down in the sound of time

forget the guru

let the white men understand

immortality is mildewed