Social Saliva: Recent Episodes
Ben Harkness
Each episode Ben and Will dive into exploration of different aspects of life through the lens of poetry, spoken word, hip-hop, and song
Ben and Will talk about pessimism and action through the lens of Salena Godden's poem, Pessimism is for Lghtweights.
Think of those that marched this road before
And those that will march here in years to come
The road in shadow and the road in the sun
The road before us and the road all done
History is watching us and what will we become
This road is all flags and milestones
Immigrant blood and sweat and tears
Built this city, built this country
Made this road last all these years
This road is made of protest
And those not permitted to vote
And those that are still fighting to speak
With a boot stamping on their throat
There is power and strength in optimism
To have faith and to stay true to you
Because if you can look in the mirror
And have belief and promise you
Will share wonder in living things
Beauty, dreams, books and art
Love your neighbour and be kind
And have an open heart
Then you’re already winning at living
You speak up, you show up and stand tall
It’s silence that is complicit
It’s apathy that hurts us all
Pessimism is for lightweights
There is no straight white line
It’s the bumps and curves and obstacles
That make this road yours and mine
Pessimism is for lightweights
This road was never easy and straight
And living is all about living alive and lively
And love will conquer hate
Thank you so much to Salena for her permission to use this poem! You can keep up with her and find her new projects, including her debut novel "Mrs. Death misses death" at http://www.salenagodden.co.uk/ as well as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
In this edition of After Session we get a sneak peak at Will's poem for Episode twelve! Be sure to subscribe and give us a review. You can also follow us on Instagram @socialsaliva
In this episode, Will and Ben talk about Ben's newest poem, Resistance, and talk about artists block and the creative process. Let's start simple I'll start simple - simply I'll sit at my desk and stare for a moment And while I'm staring I'll steel myself As I grab my sketch book I'll acknowledge that I have no idea what I'm about to put down And that's ok. And as I grab my pencil I will prod myself to push through this To fight the good fight Because the resistance must be put down And the lines that I am making are unsteady They are self-absorbed self-conscious And I will erase them But not yet Not until I've crushed them Not until they scream the inspiration I'm squeezing them for They work for me now Their lives are in my hands and I am a demanding supervisor These lines, as inadequate as they be, don't get to leave At least not until they've screamed Because the resistance must be put down
You can now follow Social Saliva on Instagram @socialsaliva. You can also find Social Saliva on Anchor, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Breaker, Radio Public and Apple Podcasts as well! Please leave a review and tell your friends! Thanks for listening.
In this bonus episode Ben and Will basically create and run with the idea of a conversational interview in our first ever After Session. Enjoy!
In this episode Will and Ben talk about struggles with pride humility and hope in God through the lyrics of Canon's song The Road from the 2013 album Mad Haven.
Thank you to Canon and RMG for permission to use The Road. You can check out Canon and other artists at:
RMG
Canon
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Thanks again!
In this episode Will and Ben discuss feeling out of place in their own lives based on the poem "To My Mirror" by Far off Places
To My Mirror - Far off Places
You have two homes it seems
And you spend most of your time going between
Sunup to sun down
'Round and 'round
Ever working, never sleeping
Ever running, never resting
I too have two homes for me
And I live my life here in between
Ever watching
And always waiting
'Round and 'round
Ever working, never sleeping
Ever running, never resting
Social Saliva is a learning experience of Tiger Sloth Studios