Friday, September 5, 2025

Connections

As Taosim is a philosophy rather than a religion, I have no problem calling myself a Taoist Christian. I could apply the same label to Francis of Assisi.

The Taoist influences on his ideas — and those of late medieval Christianity in general — had filtered into Europe via Islamic thinkers and poets, particularly the Sufis. These, in turn, had been influenced by the the Taoist teachings and poetry of T’ang China.

Of course, ideas had always flowed both directions. The premodern world was much more connected than historians used to believe. No culture is unique; all have been touched by outside influences to some degree.

Medieval scholars might not have known the name Li Po nor any of the other T’ang poets, yet they were on the end of a chain of influences that led back to them. They are a part of our culture, just as were the Classical poets of the West.

And, in turn, Hellenistic Neo-Platonism and other philosophies of the West found their way eastward, to India, to China. Ideas are rather portable, you know?

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Sold, a poem

Sold

We have sold our children
so we may eat today.
It is for your good,
we tell them and our selves.

Obey your masters; learn
to love them, love your slavery.
Who else will care for you
once you have been sold?

Stephen Brooke ©2025

Friday, August 29, 2025

ICE, a poem

ICE

Come join us in ICE
You needn’t play nice!
Take out your frustrations
On folks from other nations!
Forget past rebuffs
We’ll give you handcuffs!
Don’t even think twice
Come join us in ICE!

Come join us in ICE
Make them pay the price!
We know that you’re bitter
You said so on twitter
Before it went X — 
You might finally have sex!
Is that enough to entice?
Come join us in ICE!

Stephen Brooke ©2025

were I more ambitious I could expand this into a song though I don't normally do topical 

Saturday, August 23, 2025

Moon and Sun, a poem

Moon and Sun

Born of Sun, Born of Moon,
prophesied by ancient rune;
gold and silver, day and night,
journey now into the light —
Moon and Sun and day begun.

Child of Sun, Child of Moon,
grown tall in the light of noon,
will you choose to name your name,
rising up to make your claim?
Moon and Sun and races won.

Blood of Sun, Blood of Moon,
each tomorrow fades too soon;
promise made and promise broken,
shadowed truths remain unspoken —
Moon and Sun and life be done.

Stephen Brooke ©2025

Written with an eye to plugging it into a fantasy novel, though it needn't be.

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Surf, a poem

Surf

The solid world fades before the fluid
reality each wave holds in its heart;
Escape with us, they whisper. Leave your truths
upon the sand, to wash away as all
such castles will. Yet I shall build anew.
  Build until I once again grow weary.

Stephen Brooke ©2025

this is what surfing means to me and why I have no interest in contests and wave pools and such 

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Programmatic, a poem

Programmatic

It’s certainly uncertain
and probably problematic;
undoubtedly quite doubtful,
statistically meaningless static.

Possibly just impossible,
but the doggedly dogmatic
must insist insistently
progress be programmatic.

Stephen Brooke ©2025

playing with words again 

Saturday, August 9, 2025

Free the Books!

A while back I decided to go the Cory Doctorow route with all my books, i.e. make them available as free ebook downloads. These are all at the Arachis Press site (arachispress.com) alongside the print editions — which, of course, I hope some of you will purchase.

But I lose nothing by giving away the ebooks, most of which are offered in both EPUB and PDF format (or at least one of the two). It may be noted I do not, unlike Doctorow, make these available under a Creative Commons license. They remain thoroughly under copyright.

It matters more to me that they are read than that I make some modest revenue from them. Nor do I particularly wish to pass on part of any profit to Amazon or some other corporation. All my completed short stories, whether or not previously published, may also be read for free at my story archive, https://storiesofstephenbrooke.blogspot.com/