Welcome to the baby wants his bottle poetry inc podcast, a creative project by martin Anton smith a New Zealand based creative.

In this episode, a short poem is read. I’ve written This poem with the intention and hope , that one day it is realised as a song , as well as a poem, with the last verse as a chorus. Hopefully I have at least partially succeeded in achieving a good vocal rhythm in this piece of work, as if it is turned into a song, I would prefer it to roll off the tongue nicely.

I would describe this poem as being an open letter to a vague generalised person of the world – the writer is in a way warning the fictional other half of the conversation about some deep flaws, and a proclivity towards isolation and some dark thoughts. The writer may even be thinking to himself. The thoughts hinted too, are not specifically violent or malevolent on the protagonists part, but are more hinting at the lofty darkness that seems to be woven into this mysterious universe, and the protagonist seems to be able channel this reality, or at the least, recognise and question it. The protagonist (which I guess is a fictional version of me , as the writer, in a way), could be some kind of partial shaman, or spiritual vessel, but he is uncomfortable with this part he plays, and to what is happening. The unease is explained by the deep unknown of being thrust above the “water line” of perception, but like all metaphorical icebergs, the great majority remains hidden unseen, in the locked depths of perception. But what does the iceberg look like below, he wonders. Not knowing these secrets is a cause for enormous anxiety, but also awe. The awe and anxiety cannot be uncoupled, it is, as the saying goes, two sides of the same coin.

I wrote this poem in a dream type state, half hungover to be honest, and I can’t exactly say where the words came from, there was no exact plan or story which I worked at putting on a page. This was more about a general feeling of conflict, and pulling the puzzle pieces down from some creative basket that exists in the unknown, and then putting those pieces of the puzzle in some form , where a loose dream like narrative emerges. I should also of course not fail to mention that this poem is also about real isolation. For we are all designed to be fundamentally isolated from everyone else , we cannot come close to knowing what it’s like to be another. It also seems a fact, the response to this isolated human experience , is to try to combat this built in loneliness, by amassing Friends and engaging in escapism. It is of course , impossible to wipe out this design feature of our existence, that is, loneliness, and so I believe it is irrational to think that you can. So what is left? We must find some kind of communion with our loneliness, an acceptance. I have quite a good ability to achieve this, I think through the creative process. The creative process, when you enter into this space, seems to have a communion with the ever present loneliness of existing, And perhaps this is the intended prescription. A prescription from the great designer .

This poem was written in Queenstown NZ , while I am on a short creative sojourn. It is fantastic to produce something , while “on the road”, as the different environment must create different words and ideas by logical necessity. It is good to travel and write. Without further ado, let’s begin the poem called “Open the Draws “ .

“Open the draws” a poem by Martin Anton Smith published on Sunday April 11 2021

Come walk with me,

I’ll leave you behind.

I’ll say what’s what,

I’ll speak my mind.

Oh I’m no fool,

And I gotta brain.

I can wade through,

These strange days.

Don’t say I’m wrong,

Coz I’ll prove you right.

I’ll run you ragged,

Through the night.

Don’t tell tales,

It makes no sense,

To play at trickery,

Yet sit on the fence.

Come walk with me,

But stay long behind.

Don’t think of me,

Coz I’ll read your mind.

Just let me be,

Oh can’t you see,

I was borne alone,

It was meant to be.

And it’s all very well,

to sleep with a smile,

And it’s all very well,

To open the drawers,

For the flames fly out,

And the embers burn.

So all’s well and done,

That this happens again.

End of poem.

Thankyou for listening to the baby wants his bottle inc. podcast, a creative project by martin Anton smith, a New Zealand based creative. Available of Spotify and many other platforms.