Submissions for oxygen9 now open
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| a door opens upon dawn / photograph by clh |
Write what you know. Write what you love.
'In this dark night that envelopes us the more the spectacle of current events hurts us, the more we must internally commit ourselves to justice. The more inhumanity we see around us the more human we must be. We see nothing but hatred all around. So let us resist. Let us nourish within ourselves the divine that never surrenders. The great sweetness. And the real thirst to love. The more disorder we see, the more order we must create. Care and scruples in the smallest things. As this arrogant brutality grows unabated and tramples on all that is venerable we must be more respectful in our hearts. As the night of lies darkens around us, we must master the truth. And never surrender an inch of it.'
From the French drama film Secret Name, 2021, directed by Aurèlia Georges, written by Aurèlia Georges and Maud Ameline and inspired by the 1873 novel, The New Magdalen, by Wilkie Collins.
Language and the ability it gives us to communicate, separates us from animals. We can use it to harm, or we can use it to heal; we can use it to stir up hatred, disrespect, fear and division or to create paths to understanding and to find ways to protect, nurture and honour the truth that is within us all. Caring about the words that we use is a first step. A writer isn't someone who is necessarily good at writing or anything else. As the German novelist, essayist and Nobel Prize winner Thomas Mann said, 'a writer is a normal person who finds writing more difficult'. It is the need to be your original self in writing that makes it so labour intensive.
Jesus said, 'In everything, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'
Rabi Hillel, one of the Talmud sages said, 'What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour.'
Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad, 'None of you truly believe until you wish for others what you wish for yourself.'
It is too easy to talk about and engage with what is wrong with the human-created world, and much harder to look beyond to the unchanging, untrammelled peace that is always present. Roald Dahl wrote The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar about a wealthy man who like many other wealthy people had only one desire — to become more wealthy. But he happened to stumble upon a book about seeing without eyes — about accessing the power behind our physical senses. He practised developing his concentration assiduously, looking forward to going to casinos and using his new abilities to win a never-ending stream of money. However, when he began to gain the winnings, he found he had no interest in the money. The practice of meditating had changed him. He kept on gambling though, and all his winnings went into establishing orphanages.
Submission period for oxygen9 will close on Friday 28 February 2025.
Submissions of poetry must be sent by post to:
Cheryl Howard
PO Box 614
WOODEND VIC 3442
A stamped self-addressed envelope must be included for return of response.
Nonfiction articles can be sent as attachments within one email to poetry.clh@gmail.com
Photos and art must be emailed as attachments in one email. High quality resolution of 300dpi minimum.
Send two, three or four pieces of work.
Work must be the original work of the submitter and not previously published, nor on offer elsewhere.
For poetry, name and address must be on each page.
Please do not include quotes in poems unless they are no longer under copyright protection.
Responses will be sent out in March.
The magazine will be issued late in April.
