PEOPLE in Strokes and Words: Twofold Portraits
People introduce themselves in the first person and express their inner life, or lack thereof, in short texts. The characters are expressive, as if cut with a razor from the mists in which they exist. In the flash of a moment that lights up the infinite background.
Faces are drawn with instantaneous lines that imitate the emotions and self-awareness of people, captured with one or several strokes of the pen. I focused solely on vibrations. I trusted my hand enough to look at the model, not at the paper where the line was appearing.
"People in Lines and Words" is a special book; it is a place where there are a beggar and a master of the spirit, a boy and an old woman, an enlightened lady and a bandit, a judge, a prostitute, a mother to children, a mystic, a punk, a thief - and so many others. They coexist with each other just as they do in society. They speak from a pub, a confessional, a street or a garden, they speak with complete sincerity - because they speak through me.
I walk through the world
dressed in the wind
and girded with lightning
my inner fire
guide me brightly and boldly
through the lands of people
and the changes of fate
you who blow freely through all that I see
blow away the remnants of my ideas for living
blow into the infinite
and burn endlessly
on a piece of paper, a poem is written
next to it on the table lies a knife
yesterday on our street, a boy stabbed a man
great is the power of association
I associate one with the other
but everywhere I see one
I set the water for tea, being a speck of dust
then I look into myself and in the uncreated brightness
the universe laughs at me
not today, I won't go for a beer
my throat hurts a bit
I hope it's not tonsillitis
when I first opened my eyes
in my mother's amniotic waters
sailed the ship
above it, a bird hovered so high
it must have been in the heaven
when I was born, I forgot everything
only after years when I first opened my thighs
by the way to a completely random man
I saw that the bird was still circling
that's why I didn't agree to the abortion
I'll give birth no matter what!
I like everything to be in its place:
bread on the table, a cop on the corner
war in the Middle East
a pig in the butcher's bed
what I know, I know
the sun is round and
the earth is flat like a coin
besides
everyone has big wings
and a small cage
once I was a boy playing with a ball
and now I know that a man is a shit factory
I used to ride a horse on a sunny morning
and vaguely remember it was different
but a cruel wind blew
and with it flew thirty, forty years
I still stand by the machine and produce shit
I participate in elections and choose shit
I'm not complaining
I have a secured old age
and everything I need so much for life
it's just that it's all soft, warm, and stinking
in a word: shit
I am in the heart of a great city:
many lights, colors, rich decorations
but the meaning of the play is unknown to me
a few million people live here
and I don't even know
if it's a comedy being played
or a dram
I am a stranger here
as everywhere
as if I no longer had a name
nationality, or skin color
I breathe with love
and I don't play a part
before leaving the house
I check carefully
if the light and gas are turned off
if there's no smoldering cigarette butt somewhere
as a child, I had an infectious disease
I was in the hospital for a long time
one night, I approached the window
the horizon was filled with a shimmering glow
the Warsaw ghetto was burning
I watched like this every night back then
I thought it was a beautiful sight
and now that I know beauty and ugliness
are human excuses
I even check the trash can
in case fire has snuck in
I wouldn't want this to happen again
I decided there will be no war!
we will only slaughter animals
poison nature, not each other
I believe that every person
even an ordinary clerk like me
has the right to croak in peace!
Heart on the Palm, Soul on the Page
I present various aspects of human life here, forming a mosaic of experiences, feelings, and emotions that we experience daily. I portray people in authentic moments, revealing their hearts on their palms and capturing those moments on pages of paper.
Through poems and drawings, I present feelings both beautiful and raw, which bind us together. It is here that love, friendship, longing, and compassion bloom fully, giving insight into the souls of those living right next to us. There are also pitiful characters in their cruelty and aggression; forsaking true life for the sake of some momentary possession.
In my work, I strive to capture these fleeting moments so that others can immerse themselves in them and find their own reflections, emotions, and perhaps even faces. My pieces allow one to feel the pulse of life, accompany people on their paths of destiny, and understand the importance of human bonds. Through these poems and drawings, I hope one can understand how beautiful and complicated life is, which passes by so quickly.
I will never forget how you crucified Jesus
through your speeches, prayers, songs
I hear the raspy breath of man
I see the bloodied, sweaty
and still trembling body
it's not my place to condemn or forgive
I don't believe in your good and evil
but one thing I won't forget
what I see everywhere:
immortal deceit
eternal pretense
no, I will never forget
how you crucify Jesus
I am born
in a place
where hands meet
and tools of labor
individual existence
and the world
colors, forms
as simple as a breath
as complex as the one breathing
no more understandable
than a painting on a cave wall
my only secret is the mystery of existence
my name is Painting
aimlessly the sun shines
the wind moves
carefree, the earth spins
days pass by
nothing to understand here
just see
and love
this, One
I laugh!
what am I to do
when I look at you?
your love rides a horse of gold
your rainbow, silken
just look at yourself as you close the doors
see those solid locks!
I must be crazy
but I prefer poverty
when you have nothing
you're closer to the truth
and the truth here is pain
hunger, humiliation, and despair
live!
you'll see for yourself!
nothing in nature is lost
who knows
maybe the blood of Jesus
still circulates in the bloodstream of man
the sun above his head
as he walks down the street
who knows
who is alive
who will die
just half a century ago, I was unbelievably young
incredibly beautiful
I never slept alone
today, life is one long night
only death comes to my bed
telling stories of people I've forgotten
looking into my eyes
or with a burning hand
checking my pulse
shaking its head in disapproval
allowing me to breathe through this night
and
maybe a few others
then leaving for the neighbor
there are many of us here in this old folks' home
no one talks to me, only Lady Death
rose
you are free
yes! you are free
without names
don't cry and don't faint
that they're breaking you
In my love
you experience
everything you were and will be
rejoice!
the sun is shining
you still have a few days
together with me
The True Essence of Life - Love, Hatred, Brotherhood
In the neighborhood, where time seemed to flow more slowly, life pulsed to its own rhythm. People here valued simplicity, honest conversation, and above all, community. Although the world accelerated, changing day by day, the residents of the neighborhood remained faithful to their traditions.
At the corner café, neighbors gathered daily to share their stories and concerns. Against the backdrop of laughter, beer, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, everyone found some solace and a sense of belonging here. It was precisely in this place, where young and old met, that friendships, love, and mutual understanding were born; there were also quarrels, toasts, and brawls.
Life in the neighborhood went on, hiding secrets known only to its residents. These were stories passed down from generation to generation, legends that connected the past with the future. It was right here, in the heart of Berlin, that the true essence of life emerged - love, hatred, and brotherhood, creating an invisible web connecting the residents as one.
The neighborhood was like a canvas on which every brush could leave its mark, and life went on, paying homage to the past, present, and future, together creating an image full of colors and emotions.
I don't recognize my own face
and I don't know where I come from
I'm from nearby:
wind and eagle
call me their brother
I've traveled through time
I've seen from the very edge:
people carry tamed beasts within
and forms aren't what they seem to be
here, everywhere, I see You
Your glow warms me
how gently
it shines through jasmine petals guarding nearby
through a woman's eyes when she becomes
one with me
It's the vibration of the beginning
the flickering of sparks
the coolness of the night
independent stepping
from nowhere to nowhere
the omnipotent flame
If I had a little money,
I would buy myself New York
but like this?
a new day brings old filth
I don't know how to live,
I'm afraid to die
at most, I can afford a ticket to the movies
nights and days
moons and stars
what connects
one
to another?
me to you?
a dewdrop to the sun?
what is it
really?
just yesterday I was sixteen
today it is snowing
and so windy
stars are invisible
can only weep
once I was lonely
now
my friend's name is Knife
once
I even had a mother and father
but think twice
before looking into my eyes
blood is logical
my friend
might think you want something!
we were children of concrete
we gathered by the rug-beater
throwing stones at the wall
or at each other
my mother
when she sometimes sees me
says I've been hit in the nose
blood flowed
when we were children!
but if my daughter were a boy
I would never buy her a gun
or a rifle
because that would be like
killing her
I know as much
as nothing
In the infinitely powerful
slow transformation
the world gazes at itself
through my eyes
I don't know where I started,
where I'm heading
the full moon
enlightens me
I am the longing
snow
falling on the sea
truly important
is only the unknown
at this bend stood an old bunker
beneath the crumbling wall, there was a tunnel
that could lead somewhere
but there were only old
reeking of urine, planks
that's all I can say about searching
what am I doing here among you?
I feel as if I've died
the curtain of death
is between me and the world
and yet, I move
I meet living people
I speak as if I want to stop
or warm myself up
I feel that I feel nothing
neither light nor darkness
perhaps I'd like something more?
I breathe, I breathe
what makes me, at dawn
start writing this poem?
Is it because I believe in light and easily
find happiness because
there is sun, stone, brother?
It's death that's with me
It doesn't let me worry
about the death of a close person
it levels all hierarchies
it commands to be here and now
Thanks to its vigilant absence
it does not allow any mistakes
it makes me equal to a pear tree
it tells me to do what I want
Everything is insignificant
and soaked in radiance
I go from existence to existence
I can be a wolf or a reed
I'm simply not connected
to the universal law of gravity,
and they say I'm crazy
and they're absolutely right!
after all, I haven't killed anyone
I haven't lied to anyone
I haven't believed in anyone
I let myself be pollinated by bees
I make violins out of autumn forests,
in my head, I have what's above it
the sun – ladies and gentlemen!
I can't laugh
nor cry
the sky has been torn to shreds
I visited a concentration camp
there was a barrack
full of children's shoes
then I cried
I don't know how to tell you this
I realized that my tears blaspheme
and also
that I too was killed as a little boy
I don't laugh
I don't cry
wherever I go
I tread on the traces of children's shoes
the sky has scarred over
how long can one live like this?
I was born as an ordinary girl
then I married my husband
and all this talk of war is of no good!
they talk and the meat gets more expensive!
I am a shadow
of my spirit
I live in a world of shadows
people
turn their eyes away from the light
out of fear and also to be able
to see each other
I recognize people
by the chill that emanates from them
I am blind
light
allowed itself to be seen
it was like the greatest dreams
which cannot even be formulated
maybe I'm rambling, but this light
was not before me or behind me
neither outside nor inside
and now wherever I go
I know
that this is not the way
at last
I have achieved something worthwhile
a sunflower grows out my ear
from now on
it will turn my head to follow the sun
and I can finally
rest
lime trees
shimmer in a july wind
here I loved
and was loved
my map is not charted
I am the way
this I is an unknown
it's here
in this wind
the trembling of the poplar leaves makes me shiver
I am
full moon
the wolf howls
thin
lonely wolf
running endlessly
along the wire fence
howling
in the darkness of the soul
protects me from illusions
doesn't deceive
with self-destruction
what is painting to me?
sometimes joy
sometimes longing
sometimes suffering
sometimes inspiration
sometimes rejection
sometimes invocation
sometimes prayer
sometimes fury
sometimes
it is time
and
a path
further
iIt's truly unbelievable, but as time goes by
I remember more and more
just yesterday
those moments returned to me
when I didn't have a name yet
back then, colors
were signs of the invisible
and sounds
radiated the inaudible
I feel I'm returning to the source
as I ponder what is not there
and I tell you, young friend
my certainty is strange!
that I will go through dying
without closing my eyes
I was born by a great river
I look at people like flowing water
sometimes clear
sometimes dirty
does it mean something more,
or maybe it's just the way it is?
I had a castle on a glass mountain
now I have a lock of broken doors
cop lifted it from the floor
to throw at me
take it! It'll come in handy!
you'll be able to lock yourself in
when it comes to your head again
to poison about
democracy
sometimes
I think the Last Judgment
has already taken place
a division has been made
between the damned and the damning
and everyone was exiled to the earth
for eternal life
until awakening
sometimes
I don't have the strength for all this
but I can't die! not yet
I haven't been born yet!
my aura is made of soot flakes
but I can't get lost! not yet
I haven't found myself yet!
sometimes
I can't face any face
and
I doubt
the validity of the verdict
I've never seen my father in my
life
besides, my mother says
that she was impregnated by a rat
I don't believe it at all
she's probably just jealous
of the men I've had
as many
as they could afford
I really don't understand
why they want to pump
so much into me
no, it's not a comet
someone just threw a cigarette butt
out the window
Dancing Marionettes, Mortal Revelry
Some poems and drawings present life as a spectacle, full of irony, surprising twists, and passions. Dancing marionettes, parodies of life, reflect in distorted mirrors of reality, revealing not only the truth about ourselves but also about the world. In this way, we can trace the fate of the characters and their everyday struggles, discovering how many different faces reality can take.
The aim of this collection is not only to show the diversity and complexity of human nature but also to encourage you to pause for a moment and reflect on your own life and relationships with other people. Together, through these poems and drawings, we can contemplate what it means to be human, what our joys and sorrows, successes and failures, dreams and worries are; and - what transcends them.
something
is ending
I thought I was singing
but it was an internal bleeding
I need a few pennies
for a beer
and for the next one
maybe you'll buy a round
or tell me how to live?
who am I?
where
am I,
really?
an eye looks at me
from afar
inwardly
I am seen
not seeing
my heroes have perished
untamed children of the spirit
who am I
going
further?
there's nothing like being a donkey! proverbially foolish
even in their own country, they can think out loud
and though they have big ears
they don't sell what they hear
happy in indifference
a born epicurean,
indeed
has anyone ever seen
a donkey's limbs shackled in chains?
for fear of ridicule
a tyrant won't imprison a donkey
and exile to hard labor
your ideal endures perfectly
besides, I digest vegetarian food
well
meaning I don't kill
I don't engage in politics
my future is as bright as green grass
night
grant me trust
and with darkness
mercy
enlighten me
oh, morning!
wherever I go
I died in early childhood
and then
I was given the life of a corpse
which means
I was like everyone else
only this terrible car accident
in which
I lost my arms and legs
made me see the wind
I speak a language known for billions of years
it is the language of transformation
small children, beaches, stars, animals, anything alive know it
they speak to me and I speak to them
we have been here forever, we have plenty of time
we do not have secret affairs, borders,
prisons, honors, hopes, insensibilities, death
we actually know the same thing
and are together
ourselves
and that which speaks through us
oh yes! especially that
for billions of years
on the inner side of the face
everything is invisible
streets, stones, people
have no substance
they exist because I exist
and just like me
untouchable
in their inner truth
and just like me
without purpose
I wandered long tonight through the streets
feeding my inner swine
on the jarring concrete
far from the simplest things
that make one human:
a haystack
the scent of a bonfire
grass where one can walk barefoot
stained with the debris of Western civilization
with what?
perhaps only with concrete
I have something in common here
oh night of january
bless my effort
to become disinterested
and bringing peace
here I am freed from the visions and views
abandoning reason
imagination and friends
january's snow oh night! oh wind!
be my family
raise the
importance of brotherhood
what so I am facing
with my turbulent fullness?
with what I greet?
what say goodbye to?
whether
I am?
---------
do you want to know something?
ask the wind
in a field
I don't need to talk
it's enough to be
enlightened by lightning
in fire
united with heaven and earth
free from
free for
empty
open
formless
of no name
no memory
melted into light
In the Labyrinth of Emotions, in the Heart of Existence
As you read these poems, you embark on a journey into the depths of the labyrinth of human emotions, reaching the unknown corners of the soul. Through the drawings, we discover the mysterious, invisible faces of human beings, encountering characters who struggle with the chaos of their inner selves. Here, bewilderment, fear, fascination, and uncertainty mingle with euphoria, happiness, joy, and self-confidence, revealing to us the incredible diversity of feelings and experiences that make up human existence.
Let's immerse ourselves in the heart, exploring the undiscovered realms of the human spirit, to understand how diverse and fascinating are the emotions that connect and unite us with the world. I hope that this collection will become an inspiration for others to continue searching, to discover themselves and the surrounding world. May the words and images speak to the hearts, opening doors to new perceptions. After all, it is the conglomerate of feelings, thoughts, and experiences that make life so fascinating and valuable.
no
I have not awakened yet
I let dreams lead me
wherever they fly
and I long
oh! I am longing so dearly and not knowing what for
but it must be for something delicate
like spring twigs in a glass
something as simple
as life
that I dream of
in precognition
that an awakening awaits me
justice does not make fat
but I'm doing fine
in these difficult times
have so much work!
I judge people
do not think
that this is a badly paid job
and as to conscience - everything is written
man has family
lives in culture
knows prayers
at all
he does not have to guess
my dog was called rex which means king
I was five years old
when I had my last dog
a black hole sucked him in
he was bound with an iron chain to the tree
and shot
one has explained it all to me
I saw it then and now
when I look back
and see something strange there
it was my lack of emotion
I was five
and already had a full understanding
nothing has changed to this very day
I am similar to you
like birch to pine
and it happens in spring
that I write words
because something is overwhelming me?
or because I miss something?
lack
excess
two scarves of the same weight
or like inhale and exhale
then the earth is blessed
blessed sky
widely
do I have enough time to tell you?
I can soon disappear so
want to be comprehensible
borders classes poverty richness
are all illusions
do I not care about the future of the world?
nuclear rockets? eternal peace?
I tell you honestly - I sustain in being
no single policeman nor soldier
and not a single paragraph of any of your laws
affects me
and all your discussions cares fights ideas
- no more than nothing
I don't criticise you
I almost envy you
you've so much time
for all and everything
and I am sentenced to death
I live with the feeling
that this is my last word last second
nothing strange I seem to be funny
if it were my last hour!
I would have still time
enough for my mother and father memories an ocean
but this is literally the last breath
infinity is wholly unknown
there are no more excuses!
actually
I am no more human
having more in common
with life itself
it doesn't any fucking matter
in which direction
we dream
what have I done today
that has made me so happy?
went down the street
wind blew
a child laughed at me
when I sat down on a garden bench
a dog ran up to me to lick my hand
I have done nothing
really nothing
for the first time in my life
pleased with just anything
suffered from the need of emotions
brush points to the sun
and the revival in all things
facing you I am alone
as when I face the world
autumn sky is perfectly clear
tomorrow
I won't be beneath it
in a space filled with spring smells
crows caw
flying over the house
since immemorial dawns
at the window there is
my - not my -
body
below me
my - not my -
town
in this space
that is me
People in Strokes and Words: A Creative Synthesis of Art and Poetry
by Guru Shuru-buru
"People in Strokes and Words" is a collection that combines poetry and art to convey the richness of human emotions and experiences. The author, freed from the constraints imposed by working on the "Atlas of Anatomy," began to experiment with quick, freehand drawings. As a result of this process, characters began to emerge, speaking to the author and inspiring him to create poems that expressed their feelings and thoughts. The idea proved to be extremely fruitful, leading to the creation of a work that reflects a wide range of human personalities, experiences, and emotions.
The poems in the collection are spoken by a diverse cast of characters who share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Each has their own unique voice, reflecting their individuality and character. The author skillfully uses dialogue, inner monologue, and confessions to explore various aspects of the human psyche and reveal their complexity. In this way, the reader has the opportunity to delve into the inner world of these characters and understand their motivations, desires, and joys.
The poems in the collection exhibit both lyricism and expressiveness, allowing them to touch readers on various levels. The author employs a variety of stylistic devices, such as metaphors, alliterations, and assonances, which enhance the vividness of the emotions and feelings portrayed in the works. The poems are simultaneously simple and profound, facilitating an easy understanding of the message while also encouraging reflection on more complex aspects of human existence.
The drawings included in the collection are free and spontaneous, executed with instantaneous lines that capture both the physical features of the characters and their inner emotions. Their simplicity and minimalism allow the viewer to focus on the emotional message rather than technical or aesthetic details. As a result, the drawings become a powerful complement to the words and help readers delve even deeper into the world depicted in the poems. The interplay of art and poetry creates a remarkable, multidimensional experience that allows for a fuller understanding of the essence of human life.
"People in Strokes and Words" is a collection that goes beyond the traditional boundaries of poetry or art, combining these two fields to create a unique form of expression. Its value lies in providing readers with the opportunity to delve into human emotions, thoughts, and experiences, both through words and images. The collection also has the potential to inspire other creators to experiment with various forms of art to find their own unique means of expression.
As a result, "People in Strokes and Words" is a work that deserves attention not only for its originality but also because it touches on universal themes concerning human life and emotions. Its poetic and graphic qualities make it a collection that can appeal to a wide audience, offering readers a rich experience that can lead to reflection, understanding, and empathy.