Writhing On And On...

... indubitably! 

And Another New Book!!!

  And yet another begotten work is born to this cold, cruel world of self-published cyber-editing...! 

Let the word of mouth begin! 

And in the category ''music to listen to while reading this,'' 

this time out...

Sweet & Sour Sixteen

Well, this being the year that ends with that odd in spite of it being even number -16- so I figured... why not pen something about that most painful age of all, hmm? And that is true for most everyone of us - if not for every single one of us indeed. When you're 16 (sixteen) everything appears to be... amplified. Your sensitivity is at an all-time high (that is, for those of us who are not abysmal apes fallen off the moron tree - à bon entendeur, salut!) and that is true for every aspect of our young lives. The feels... the hormones... the skin!  Oh, how we suffer with every bout we have with that dreaded acne! And then, when that seems to be under check, it's something else that takes over: like Dean Martin famously said to Dorothy Lamour (unless it was another Dorothy...?) while amorously discussing the prospect of having kids - ''and then we have the little monsters transforming once they hit puberty - into Lord Knows what!'' (I paraphrase!)  Ah yeah, Deano - that's Amore! Telling it to the bride and mother-to-be just like it really is...! Of course it is in the prospect of having a BOY (and it was eerie the way it came to be a bad omen - as Dean's real-life son died very prematurely, years later - and he never recuperated from that.) and it is true that puberty hits the boys especially hard and all... But girls are quite impacted as well. Their bodies transform even more - on the inside, after all. That first period can be something - just ask WCW Carrie White...  And yet, boys and girls, both so enjoy being sixteen; half-way between childhood and adulthood - on the threshold of the latter, really...  So here I thought, in the year of Our Lord twenty sixteen (two-thousand and sixteen, really - duh) why not look back at that time of wonder... experiments... and emancipation! And why not do so in the form of  - no, not a poem but lyrics again - for another sweet song à la Luminous... Hmm? Vai là, rapaz!
A sweet and sour song, this time... of course.

''S/S 16" 

Woke up to another three pimples 

No wonder they call me pizzaface 

Gosh I don't wanna go to school now 

Don't wanna be such a disgrace! 

On the weekends, got no place to go 

Don't feel comfortable nowhere! 

Might as well hide out in my room 

Spank the monkey - sleep in all day! 

Got the hots for unattainable women 

Don't want girls - I want a LADY! 

But with the ACNE - that will not be! 

Older women will only have PITY! 

In the gym, I cannot compete... 

Lacking spirit, conviction and grace! 

Motivation just isn't within me... 

I can only keep losing every race! 

S/S SIXTEEN; 

S/S SIXTEEN! 

Sweet and sour - 

mostly sour...! 

Wish I was still a BABY - 

at least, then, no nobody cared; 

if I had a bad hair day 

if I had a big rash down THERE! 

"... but I can't go back ~ I know!" 

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Hidden Gems

Ha... 

All of those scripted cartoons 

that went unappreciated, undermined, 

run-through-the-mud even... 

(by the rabble and assorted troglodytes - that's all) 

GEMS amidst so much crap cluttering the WEB! 

Some luminous samples that nostalgia brings me to look at again, today...

FROM 2004-2006...

OLD - AND NEW, IMPROVED VERSION!

Rembrandt would be proud... 

And onwards to anthropomorphism 

at full tilt: 

And the actual places where the rabble are - 

can you imagine that: I graced those sites 

with my luminous presence? 

Witty Comics are actually just that ~ witty! 

And classy, too. 

Now the following samples come from 

an altogether different place - 

numerous users of that one would beg 

site administrators to delete their "cartoon creations" 

since they had finally matured... grown up... wised up 

somewhat - and they found that this material that 

was on the net, to their real name (the ostrogoths!) 

was embarrassing... degrading... probably would cost them 

chances at some dream employment they might have had! 

Yeah - it was that bad! 

And guess what - the asinine administrators 

would delete nothing - they'd say "do it yourself" 

WOW. 

And to think that I also graced such an ignoble site 

-chockfull of vipers, rats and snakes-in-the-grass, virtually- 

once again with my luminous presence; 

the site was stripcreator:

 

I was a light in the darkness of that wretched site 

~ for the briefest time, luckily! 

The brand was redefined there, for the masses: 

"Luminous ( \ ô /)  Luciano" 

catered to the lowest common denominators 

~ BUT NO MORE! 

I have, since then, decided to pen words 

only for the most illuminated intellects 

- and those are certainly not found 

on such parts of the webosphere 

such as those cesspools of crass 

unfortunately still online...

Me... Bobby Orr... And The Saints!

I would probably vote for the canonization of one Robert G. Orr without blinking - if ever given the chance... Or... maybe not! Anyways - one thing is for sure: I value purity of the soul. Bobby had purity and grace on ice (he could still fight, though!) But these souls I blogged about before... they were truly the greatest of examples anyone could follow - and here they are now...
#ThrowbackThursday



Originally published on The Luminous Blog, October 2005...

To be righteous, we do not merely have to fight for what is right... No, verily, to be righteous, we should not fight at all - we must accept our lot and even love our enemies! Is such a philosophy compatible at all with the highly competitive world out there today - the so-called "real world" - the cold cruel world... hmm? HMM? Probably not - but such is the criterion of excellence in the field of righteousness and "genuine goodness" set by the very best humankind has ever offered; Jesus, son of Joseph. Jesus was, of course, more than a man. However, over the years, so many men and women have followed His Example - proving that such an impossible thing to do can be accomplished by mere mortals such as "petty, itty bitty us"! The likes of Francis of Assisi, Claire of Assisi, Simeon the Stylite, Tertullian, Augustine, Thérèse de Lisieux, Hildegard Von Bingen, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Padre Cruz, Padre Pio, Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla) - all either declared saints or bound to be real soon. The layman and laywoman can also be found to be a more than worthy example - Che Guevara, of all people, was quoted saying these more than wonderful words: "the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love" - and, indeed, these words ring not just true, but they ring like the Truth!

Patient saintly souls still walk among us - one has but to open one's eyes to see them. I know a few, elite examples myself...

All of these exemplary men and women - and there are so many more, who no one has ever heard of - are verily what true Spiritual Warriors are all about. Not merely fighting off their own personal demons and everyday temptations - but making a difference in their entourage. For, verily, to me, Spiritual Warriors are Spiritual Survivors - whose awareness and vigilance are just a tad more elevated than the norm.
One has to be aware of the source of any affliction in order to cure it - and Spiritual Warfare is much akin to a chess game, moreso than actual warfare - it is a game of chess with dark influences that we must overcome. Being aware of their very existence is a huge step forward towards accomplishing just that. And once that is done - one's duty is clear; one must share such erudition with the highest number of receptive souls possible. Jesus was a Teacher - he wanted the children to come to Him. And what are we all - from the smallest one of us to the tallest, brightest and most powerful among us? What are we but children still - in the Eyes of the Lord.

I will expound further on this and other philosophical as religious matters in a companion blog - a sister site to TLB Prime (lest it should be called a... brother blog?) titled... Luminous Praising of the Divine* (what else?) as well as on ''The Truth'' - of course. Blessings!

More Luminous Journalism... Or Luminous History

Originally seen on TLB Prime, unedited...
The Historian in me is alive and well - even though he never agreed to sign up with the System and repeat, ad nauseam, the inculcated, accepted so-called facts, rewritten by the powers-that-be, to a disinterested audience. I will, however, do some rehashing of those facts - on occasion, in my own way, with verve and wit. And whenever I do such a thing, the truth will come out.

There is a monument in the shape of a cross that stands a mere few feet away from the church where I was baptized, lo, not all that long ago... 
L'église St-Martin.

The cross stands very tall - about 12 feet tall - on the grass that belongs to a school actually; a school I never attended, somehow - l'École Leblanc. I remember my father showing me this monument, in the 70s, one summertime walk... The monument has been there since 1941 - which is the year another dear relative of mine was born... They commemorated with this monument the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Jacques Cartier in the area, in 1541 thus. The plaque that states all that took another 50 years to find its way there though, having been installed only in 1991 by a government anxious to complete unfinished works left scattered all about the province of Quebec by its predecessors who'd briefly gained the power reins...
Jacques Cartier's third voyage of 1541 has been summed up with three words: "failure, suspension & retirement."
Aside from Cartier, the monument has much greater significance for me, personally, and this in several ways too, as can be evident already. There are the childhood memories, of course, first and foremost. The 1970s were golden years to me, for so many good reasons.
I also remember 1991 very well - two out of those three words that qualified Cartier's final voyage apply for that year as well, as far as a certain other person of my entourage was concerned back then...
Well, at some point anyway, it seemed to be that way. However, appearances are always so deceiving - and so it was, there too...
But I digress - and verse nostalgic by the same token there.
Let us rather focus on the monument once more - it is a huge white, immaculate cross, with a crest embedded in its center and the years 1541 and 1941 blazoned across said crest...
It looks very stylish, very elegant and has not changed one iota in all these years...
On the plaque, there is an enchanting hymn that always captivated my imagination, for as long as I can remember - and I would only find out why as an adult, of course.
It is highly interesting, also, that a web search unearthed many different lyrics and versions of the hymn in question - which is titled Vexilla Regis...
+++
Artiste: Noctes
Chanson: Vexilla Regis Prodeunt Inferni

Beware-with the dark I ride as one. When my legacy I reclaim.
As a fallen god, with the lunar legions by my side
On dragon wings I fly. Behold-the etheral shades of night

Pletoric formations of dark dancing past the aeons of the eleusinian vast
Within a dream, my honour to last, to sprout throughout my blood
to strengthen my heart.
The heaven torns apart as twillight shreds and thunder.
With a vampire breath I whirl the frost, to storm within my kingdom to come
Dead winter enthrones.

Vexilla regis produent inferni
As a phantom of night I ride, by thy side

The Archangels revocation of the dead
The apocalyptic revelation
The arrival of plague and death.
The Armageddon revolution-to come

Astral sparks of fire, descending to ablaze
The landscapes drained by sulphur rain
from the canopy licked by flames
Shadows walks the earth, to ravish life and glee
To walk the fields of reverie, sowing dark in dreams to be

Beware-with the dark I ride as one. When my legacy I reclaim.
As a fallen god, with the lunar legions by my side
On dragon wings I fly. Behold-the etheral shades of night

Clamant-the silence-as blood to my ears
The battlescreams echoes has vanished, faded into the past

The black sun is falling into the abyss
with the lakes of dark blood to merge
The sky is aflame, when I ride through the night
as a phantom through fire I fly
Armageddon...The final redemption of wrath

Dies Irae... +++
Despite the gusto and allure of the preceding, the original latin and French version that is quoted on the plaque is much more one of DEVOTION than one so... Apocalyptic! Although I like apocalyptic - aye, I do! Almost as much as I like nostalgic, romantic, antique and antics...
But I've just digressed once again right there, I do believe...
The following is hence the Latin & French *classic* version:
(Not all the latin is translated though - if anyone can help with that, feel free to do so!)
It is to be found in its entirety here:
http://www.vexilla-regis.com/textevr/VEXILLA%20Regis%20prodeunt.htm)
+++
VEXILLA Regis prodeunt ; - Les étendards du Roi s’avancent
fulget Crucis mysterium, - La Croix rayonne en son mystère.
quo carne carnis conditor - En croix, la Vie subit la mort,
suspensus est patibulo.1 - Et par sa mort eut fruit de vie.

Confixa clavis viscera
tendens manus, vestigia,
redemptionis gratia
hic immolata est hostia.

Quo vulneratus insuper - Toi qui reçus le coup de lance
mucrone diro lanceae, - Au fer brutal, pour nous laver
ut nos lavaret crimine,2 - De la souillure du péché,
manavit unda et sanguine. - Tu ruisselas d’eau et de sang.

Impleta sunt quae concinit - C’est accompli ce qu’a chanté
David fideli carmine, - David en des vers prophétiques.
dicendo nationibus : - Il proclamait : « Sur les nations,
regnavit a ligno Deus. - C’est par le bois que règne Dieu. »

Arbor decora et fulgida, - Arbre splendide, éblouissant,
ornata Regis purpura, - Orné de la pourpre royale,
electa digno stipite - Tronc choisi qui fus jugé digne
tam sancta membra tangere. - De toucher des membres si saints.

Beata, cuius brachiis - Bienheureux Arbre dont les bras
pretium pependit saeculi : - Ont porté la rançon du monde !
statera facta corporis, - Tu pesas le poids de ce corps,
praedam tulitque tartari. 3 - Et l’Enfer dut lâcher sa proie.

Fundis aroma cortice, -
vincis sapore nectare,
iucunda fructu fertili
plaudis triumpho nobili.

Salve, ara, salve, victima,
de passionis gloria,
qua vita mortem pertulit
et morte vitam reddidit.

O Crux ave, spes unica, - Salut, ô Croix, seule espérance !
hoc Passionis tempore ! * - Procure, au temps de la Passion,
piis adauge gratiam, - Grâce abondante aux cœurs fidèles,
reisque dele crimina. - Et rémission aux cœurs coupables.

Te, fons salutis Trinitas, - Trinité, source de salut,
collaudet omnis spiritus : - Les vivants chantent Vos louanges,
quos per Crucis mysterium - Victorieux par Votre Croix,
salvas, fove per saecula. - Ils recevront la récompense. Amen ! A tale of Praise and Worship - reeking of a theme that is dear to me also, now, that of Redemption and that precious Reward that is Promised...! +++

On this link, you can listen to the hymn (or cantique) too - I highly recommend it, evidently.
Oh, and as for Cartier and his failed voyage...
The historian in me would be remiss if he did not add the following...
In Spring of 1542, Cartier abandoned Charlesbourg-Royal and set out for France with a supply of what he believed gold and diamonds gathered from the shores of the St. Lawrence River.
Back in France, the King was ecstatic over the cache of 'gold and diamonds' Cartier had brought with him from the New World. However, the gold turned out to be worthless iron pyrite - fool's gold. The diamonds were nothing but quartz. Canada, apparently, offered nothing which would compensate for the money spent to finance the voyages.
French exploration in the New World would subsequently be suspended.
No more commissions were ever granted to Jacques Cartier. He retired to his birthplace, St. Malo, where he died in 1557.

My father's health really started deteriorating in 1992.
By September of 1993, he was forced into early retirement because of his failing health.
His plans to retire to his birthplace were ruined by all this.
He would live about the same amount of time afterwards, only not in his birthplace and in relative good health, like Cartier, the bringer of fool's gold, would enjoy... ...

Luminous Confessional - collected!

 I thought I should tackle something holy - something else besides the Luminous Mysteries... so I dared: I dared tackle SINS. And the Deadly ones at that! Okay, technically, it's truly something FORBIDDEN... Oh Lord, Have Mercy...

See the comments section for each of the Seven Deadly Sins - luminous style, quite literally, yes!


Here is a poem, meanwhile, to keep some out there content...!
(A writer has to cater to his readers' requirements, aye!)

°°°
"All About Loving"

"Love can be redundant as well
and so its ring is that of a familiar bell
the chimes of which enchant us, hypnotize
as mermaid chants many a sailor enticed
We are powerless before this incantation
for, deep down, we all crave passion
How do we fight off our own yearnings?
Verily - to do so would be self-defeating!
Aye, the torment a lover feels is unrivalled
Blending in longing, loving, lusting
and when the hope in a void becomes mired
it is then that we slowly begin expiring."

Luciano A. Pimentel

Copyright ©2005 Luciano A. Pimentel

°°°

And you may want to do as I suggest

on the very first installment and

comment, instead, here:

in My Luminous Guestbook

For this first, humblest edition, I shall confess to offenses in relation to the WORST -no less- of the Seven Deadly Sins... Envy!
It is the worst one in my book anyways...!

And so... forgive me, Father In Heaven, for I have sinned...
I envy my so-called brothers and sisters' ability to simply NOT WORRY...
I envy Aquaman's ability to summon and command all the creatures of the deep...
I even envy -in a most commoner way of all- Superman's basic ability to "fly - up, up and away"! (I only wish he could do it in a non-metrosexual way - and, maybe, with some of Hawkman's chest hair popping out, somehow, from that blue leotard he wears all the time, too? Or is such an amalgam too much to ask for? Ask DC... DC's bread-and-butter is Batman, still, after all these batty years... At least I do not envy Bats' ability to... be Batty? What else can he do, really? But I digress...)
I envy my neighbors' immediate neighbors - because my immediate neighbors suck! Or used to... It only gets better really when they are taken away, one by one, four by four or ten by ten - by the police! More on that in a future post, here, on TLB Prime! :)
I envy my envy - because it is more consistent than even my stance on any given subject, almost... yes, really! It doesn't get any worse than that, I do believe - when one envies one's own envy!!! But I am probably digressing again - or just about to - so I'll stop... and move on!

I'd suggest any belligerent accidental visitor to TLB Prime -especially- and any regular visitor (i.o.w. any L.O.V.) to comment on this any which way they can - even here: in My Luminous Guestbook

Just as a certain "jssjqkq" did, not too long ago... (Coward!)
But that is another story...

Next up - next sin... Lust!  
Oh that will be good... for you, not for me!

But a bonus now (unforeseen but so very good - you will see... and hear!) 

ALL OF THE MUSIC (well, almost all) THAT HAS INSPIRED THIS POEM AND MANY OTHER POEMS JUST LIKE IT...  Enjoy!

+++