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2001-08-17 - 5:44 p.m. - politics, candles, and intrusions

today i met a man who has been living outside in a park right across from the british parliment(or some important government building in westminster). this man set up a display of signs and slogans dealing with the sanctions and bombings in iraq. we both had a lot of ideas to share with each other (he had alot more though) since we were from different countries treating the situation in a similar manner. it was a beautiful thing really and it made me feel good about people for a little bit. this man even gets along with the police which makes me realize i give american police too much credit because if this guy tried to set up this little shrine for peace(unity/beauty/love) in a place like this in the states he would have been made to leave before the end of the day. this guy told me stories about his travels to different countries doing christian missionary work. and then about how one of children died from too weak lungs shortly after being born. he told me about carrying the small white casket. i noticed that a part of the display were elven white paper caskets each with a letter in it spelling: "One casket for each year we have been killing, both directly and indirectly, the people and children of Iraq. This man was strong. he talked about mistakes he made in the past and about his passion for peace in god. see? sometimes the followers of god do beautiful things. anyway, i took a bunch of pictures including a seires of shots which, with luck, will be able to be lined up sequentially so the entire scene can be seen.

after i met this man i went to westminster abby and walked through the church. a man got thrown out because he lost the ticket he he paid 6Lbs for. How come you are forced to pay when entering the house of god but you can't take pictures of things like TS Elliot's floor tile. i had to buy a fucking book to get just a mediocre picture of it. but i copied all the words from it on the tourist guide i had with me. and then i touched the corner of the floor tile of TS Elliot. I was in awe. i felt as if i was in the presence of my hero. after poet's corner you go through a checkpoint where they check for your ticket. in between this checkpoint and the rest of the museum was a gift shop and snack stand. where is jesus now to turnover the tables of the money changers and scream at the entrance of greed into his father's temple. its more a temple for dead kings than anything else. the abby is very ornate and i find myself wondering why so many resources were wasted on a temple to a god of love when people were, are and always will be struggling just to eat. and why do the poets get a tile on the floor when worthless monarchs get giant statues and gold engraving. its all (and always has been) just about the bejamins.

anyway in the last room of the abby, a room dedicated to martyrs of the 20th century i got upset because the signs told everyone to be quiet but all the fucking tourists (i know i am one too but people dont seem to know until i speak, i think its because they dont expect an american to be carrying an LP bag around with him) were so loud talking about where to eat etc. but i dropped a couple of pouns in the donation slot and lit three candles: one for my mothers father, one for my fathers mother, and one for the idea of beauty. because really, it's still here but look how infrequently i see it. yes many of these entries deal with beautiful things but everything i dont talk about, and sometimes things i do talk about is ugly. like i try to celebrate the beautiful and try to ignore the ugly as much as i can.

and also today i went to the tower of lond and felt bad like i was on sacred land disturbing the home of ghosts for 11lbs(16.50 US). im sorry ghosts. next time ill ask.

and also i took alot of pictures today and almost all of them are of old buildings juxtaposed against new buildings or constructions. a juxtaposition of that which was against that which is or will be.

and i saw beautiful graffiti which i took pictures: "this life is not life" and "Where is your passion" ill post those here also once i get the film developed in the states.

and everyone is still sad and scared here so ive started bobbing my head to my music while on the tube. actually my small amount of animation hasn't even been noticed because everyone is so damn busy not smiling to look up.

i lit three candles in the church: two for the dead and one for the dying.

love you all.

xoxo

listen to: lovesick, aloha, lovesick, aloha, mote, hey dummy, ten dollar typewriter, retsin, ida. lovesick, aloha.

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