1. What was the first thing that you wrote that you really liked?

2.  Does your writing construct or deconstruct?

Both.

Always.

Sometimes simultaneously.

Death is an interesting thing to fear. There are far too many living in a fear-based reality. Thought-boxed into ever-diminishing dimensions of reality. ‘Til safe and protected fears are caged by locked reasons and ever encroaching fears of beliefs from without.

This (often privileged) brain of living deeds could condescend; harm, kill, destroy, and obliterate without any reflective consciousness; all the while oblivious to its own denial; intelligent righteousness, lost in a justified reason… 

As in any list of inhuman perpetuating divisions. I believe ‘tearing down’ is not a way to go; nor left v. right, dark v. light; good v. bad; better than v. worst than.

It might be closer to the sacred of voices uttered

(and beyond) to say here “All superiority complexes are in essence an inferiority complex denied or built upon out of pure fear of becoming not one.”  There is a translation of a poem by Kabir (An 8th century Sufi poet, I think). It ends with a personal favorite line:

“If you have not lived through something it is not true.” From the book: Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart.

No understanding of this line compares with living with it, in mind, for decades.

3.  If the world was less violent, would your writing be different from what it is today?

Except to say “For Children” The answer is: No!

Block or blink or deny all past and it will bite your laugh-less gluteus max off.

The seemingly utter-subtlest forms of harm can appear so civil that the total barbarism and carnage of it can function (less violent and morally justified)

like the public hangings of slaves and the public burnings of women did; and today mercy killings still are.

All of these things could be considered not or less violent in deed by those who proclaim a superior and morally righteous high-ground.

Less violent; you ask?

Compare that time to the religious wars of today; now put them side by side with this contemporary perpetual (unending) ‘War on Terror’.

Also, reflect this way when listening to and watching the current media mask over the modern-day existence of the Ku Klux Klan, and neo-Nazi’s protecting global Imperialism (under the guise and not actual practice of Democracy). All-the-while the real wealth and power brokers of the world use all “organized” religious followers of every faith as pawns to hate and kill one and other. How? Control of mass-media dissemination: in other words,

George Orwell’s film 1984; and his 2 hours of ‘Hate-Speak A Day’ was off the mark by 24/7hrs.

~ from “The Father Gander Book”. The Father Gander Book is an unpublished collection of C.C. Arshagra’s children’s poems and nursery rhymes. Scheduled to be published by press22publishing around the year 2014 or when the contract and huge advance check arrives. Get the hint – lift artists out of survival mode – its killing creative time. ~

It’s important to note here that I am very pro-non-violence in the light of Gandhi and MLKJ.

Hate, from its most simple form to its most complex is the great perpetrator of violence and inhumanity.

Less violent is like lesser evil. Do the math: Evil v. evil? And the winner is … This does not exclude women v. women violence; and why I so love your Femficātiō publication and your inclusive editorial vision, and I for one, in this light, thank you for your offer to do this interview! You rock! And human love is! Perpetuate that!

4.  What do you refuse to ignore?

Wassily Kandinsky, “Composition VII”, 1913

Death.

Honesty.

The ends of truths.

The sum of oppositions’ joined. All forms of thoughts possessed.

I do not exercise rhyming. There is no subject or school of thought I shy from.

5.  Why do you think you are a writer?

Tell us about the poems you’ve contributed:

Open Mike #46 / Whisper the Poet is from What Manner of Character / The Open Mike Poems 3’ / C.C. Arshagra / 1999 / press22: out of print (press22 was this poet’s private press from 1995-2001.) The book was Nominated Best Poetry Publication Cambridge Poetry Awards 2001. The Open Mike Poems” (were originally a 3 part chapbook series; it is now in process of being officially published by press22publishing, (ISBN, bar code, and all that goes with it). All three books will be one book titled “The Open Microphone Poems. Please do Like Facebook to follow – so you know when and how to order; buy one!

Open Mike #46 / Whisper the Poet

C.C. Arshagra

Whisper the poet
riveted the silence

The drama of her soft
Bitter-sweet secret
Pulls you . . . underneath thought’s seed,
Gently shakes your dreams awake

Oh, she’d never read beneath
the levels
of your sleeping ears
To guide you closer to your fears,
Give your tears the room to fall true

She’d reach the place that is safe inside you
And glide you towards your next breath’s rest
Where away you shed the face of stress
To discover what connects ______ you to your soul’s gift

She’d tap the doubts you carry daily
Enlighten you to be yourself
With no religion, God, or icon
No hero, heroine, guardian, or drug

She’d tickle your pain
when your vengeance wants to harden
and spare you from becoming
exactly what you hate

She’d walk your soul to its quiet threshold
But she can not take, for you, this last step

She may vibrate in presence, lighten your mirror
but, to see who you are is still your own choice

She’s not a wish, or fantasy, for she resides alive,
And she does not invade to being, body, or one will

She’s here in your mind for you let her be there
________ where you can never know how to hold her

If you think to possess her she will fly away leaving
you . . . to prey on your own self

The difference held not is utter honesty
With here rears the listening key

Still she will
Place-alone one-thought, on your mind
You-alone only know, is not you and was not yours,
yours, or yours

“The smallest lie is your loudest measure”

She whispered it laughing with you on one face

She is not a muse you exhaust for power,
She will play no role in the game of your ego

AWAY! Her wind lifts, lifting you clear through
senses of awe and all uncertain spirits

… moving you round . . . still in flesh . . . floating wonder
She drifts away motionless leaving you
breathless

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Genre: Poet, Lyric writer

Also: Author, performer, publisher, producer, videographer, recording artist, and lecturer

Other: Self-taught: Musician (Piano, guitar) and painter. video and sound editing, bla bla bla, “… if only i could afford poverty”.

And F’n.’: Day and nighttime blue-collar laborer, Driver.

Place on the Globe: City: New Britain, Connecticut, USA: North East: New England.

Where you can find C.C.’s writing: 

My Published work to date (from 1996-2001) is all but all sold.

Newest project writing/publishing is ‘press22publishing’ (Page on FB) my publishing company. My most recent product is a 4 CD set of audio only experimental work I call The ID (Inkless Dialogue) Poems / “Spoken Mind Poetry” plus my hundreds of hours of archives are all last gen… technically inaccessible for now while alone on 8mm video tape. TheHumanRoom  & TheOpenVoice (both have sleepy FB pages) are very important and worth a mention here. Yet this ‘Culturally Organic Live Event production project is not going to manifest anytime soon do to time and money (priority issue).

The audio book of my chapbook series has been audio-engineer recorded, and the printer is waiting for me to send the layout of my three-part chapbook series to be published for the first time as one book – The Open Microphone Poems. The eBook learning curve is ahead. Music publishing is going to be a strong part of my publishing focus over time. I have two other books of poetry lined up behind that one – One of two children’s books to bring forward (Illustrator still pending) and the list goes on and on. And I (press22publishing) am also publishing the poetry of one famous artist: TBA.

Also, follow the links within the article to follow C.C.’s work.