H.M. Holten's Blog

Allow free spirits to soar and exult.

Our lives must be lived in a world of tumult.

Remember that strength comes from focus within

Was never procured through an unwholesome grin.

The thing that we love most another one hates,

And so, we find different ways to hell���s gates.

We stumble on Eden in unforeseen places:

Delight comes to those who allow sep���rate paces

But give way for oneness when fate turns the tables.

We live to live life to the fullest of measures,

We have every choice to enjoy boundless pleasures,

So long we accept and uphold one bold principle,

Allowing each other to reach a clear pinnacle:

It truly comes down to this axiom at last,

Humans have choices and dices to cast.

If one and all wish, it is easy to see.

When loving somebody: please set them free.

�� HMH, 2024

This is another digital sketch from a few years ago. I���ve worked on it on many occasions, and so three versions have emerged. Personally, I think that the one featured here is the best. Still, I���ll include the other two for comparison.

As I see it, Fantasy Landscape is too dark and Seascape with Mountains too pale.

�� HMH, 2024

Nobody proved that we reincarnate.

Yes, several theories favour that idea.

Is that a problem? Would we profit from coming back? Would we emerge wiser? It is unlikely.

Who knows if we aren���t just here but also live in a parallel universe? Maybe in more than one. Too bad that we can���t experience it. We���re stuck in this specific version of the world. Anyway, this is neither here nor there.

We live and experience life in this skewed way ��� in a mirror darkly. It sounds poetic, but it is a mess. That���s no reason for despair, as we can experience some happiness here and there, once in a while. That is positive. If looked at in the right state of mind, it helps us overcome much stress and negativity.

Why is there so much that we don���t know? So much that we can���t know? We don���t know where we came from. I���m not talking about evolution alone. We do have several theories and have a good idea of how the human race evolved. We just don���t know where we���re going.

Think about our present situation. We don���t know if we will experience war in the future. We know it is a reality, both in the past and present. The possibility is evident, now more than ever.

 We don���t know if the next meteor will hit and destroy the Earth. We also don���t know when the sun might get extinguished. We presume to know that the universe will implode. And it could all begin again with the next big bang.

It just goes to show that we don���t know a thing.

Let me rephrase. We don���t know anything of importance. Yet, we fight. Could it be because of our ignorance? Can we learn? It seems unlikely.

Maybe next time. Although, how are we to know that it is the next time? We can���t presume to retain our experience or knowledge about what not to do. Just as newborn creatures, we have no experiences to draw on. Humanity was a blank when it began. Let us hope, we get another chance. And another.

�� HMH, 2024

Symbol of purity

Innocent and

Cold

Opens white flowers

While snow might fall

*

Causing tears to drop

On Frozen earth

Sprouting poison

But long known to

Hippocrates

*

Giving gifts

To the unwary

And beauty to

The wise

��HMH, 2024

I made this drawing several years ago while living in Copenhagen, in the Composer Quarter. The woman in the picture was a dear friend and colleague. She visited one day, and at that time, my dining room was a former shop. The walls were stark white, and she sat at the dining table. The scene inspired me as she could���ve been part of a Llorca play. Her composure and the sewing paraphernalia added to the impression.

�� HMH, 2024

Ian Campbell, And the Salesman Came to Town

Old Nick is Always Worthy of Satire

The Devil, going by the name of Devin, wants to be a reasonable man. Not an easy task when you lead an international corporation. A CEO���s work is never done.

Father John Murdoch is a disreputable priest. Maybe it puts him in the perfect position to act as the Chosen in the fight against evil.

Sell your soul and lead a charmed life. Sounds evocative? It could, but before signing a contract make sure to read the small print.

This is the concept behind And the Salesman Came to Town, and it won���t disappoint. Ripe with satire, ghouls, demons, and ambitious church dignitaries, the salesman leads the world on a merry dance.

Yes, there are some recurring typos (you don���t role your eyes, you roll them). Yes, the manuscript could be more polished, but it doesn���t detract from the wild humour and the characters who confidently jump off the page and down your throat. Expect to laugh and try hard not to die laughing. The church, politicians, the corporate world, and capitalism all get a dressing down that compels the reader to carry on reading.

John Dolan, Possessed by Death (Crimes of Inhumanity)

How to Deal with Happiness Ever After

David Braddock has achieved his happy ending, and it is boring. Spending too much time alone with no pressing interests and no occupation will do that to an observant mind.

Devish Bannerjee, Braddock���s neighbour is dead under suspicious circumstances.

This gives Braddock the kickstart, he���s waiting for. The rest is a whirlwind of weird clues and shocking discoveries.

It is no surprise that Possessed by Death has a plot arc that keeps astonishing this reader.

As always, John Dolan doesn���t disappoint. On the contrary, his brand of black humour shines through from the first paragraph. For me, it meant helplessly laughing my head off for several minutes. John Dolan takes the reader underground in more ways than one. The dialogue is fascinating and the characters compelling. I wouldn���t expect less from this author.

Anna Casamento Arrigo, Weeds Beneath the Open Meadows

Between Open Medows and Confining Towns

A stream-of-consciousness memoir, haunting and beautiful. Weeds Beneath the Open Meadows takes the reader on a journey from flowers and embroidered dresses to stone desserts in American towns.

Anna Casamento Arrigo explores the difficulties of a language you hardly understand and cannot speak, the differences in rural and urban societies, and the ways people adjust to a life different from everything known.

Possessions or community feeling, violence in various guises, and unending love. These are the elements of a touching confession that will consume the reader long after closing the book.

Susan Jean Ricci, A Delicate Reunion

Love and Reconciliation can Hurt

Melanie lives alone with her young child after being abandoned by her CIA agency sweetheart.

Nate returns from the eight-year hell of a mission, hoping to reconcile with his beloved.

It isn���t easy for either of them to take up the broken thread after the long period apart and their individual experiences. Will love prevail? Can Melanie forgive, and can Nate find his place in civilian life?

Ms Ricci throws light on the hardship and work needed to find closure. A Delicate Reunion explores not only the plight of two adults but also presents a precocious child with wit and charm.

Not that it does much to deduct from the plot or mar the character building, but it is perhaps worth mentioning that there are no jungles in Yemen (pp. 64-65).

SS Bazinet, Arel���s Blood

Duellists through love and hate

After his trials in Michael���s Blood, Arel believes he has reclaimed a life worth living.

Enter William, who initiated Arel into vampirism.

What takes place between these two evokes the tragedy of duels and the hope of blood brothers and leaves the reader wondering if they can ever find harmony and understanding for one another.

Will their travels end in peace? Will they learn to overcome their differences and understand the essence of life?

Ms Bazinet brings her usual flair and excellent writing into a convoluted and often painful narrative that will keep you on your toes throughout the mental and physical journeys of two men with different outlooks but similar emotions.

�� HMH, 2024

Twilit winter snow

Reflects the full moon.

Naked branches

Create lacy gossamer

That entwines the air.

*

The chill air seems soft

Now, this magical moment

Before the stars awaken.

*

A lonely house lights up

With golden light

Falling through the windows

*

I walk along

Dreaming

�� HMH 2024

Moving towards the end of the year makes me long for spring. Hence, I���ve worked on an old watercolour to see if I might evoke some spring feelings.

The original was an early work, and I was experimenting a lot, which can be seen in that work. I couldn���t bring that face to life, so it was an easy decision to remove it digitally. That left some scars, and I���ve done my best to repair those.

To me, a juicy green field embodies spring, and I hope it will evoke similar feelings in you.

�� HMH, 2023

Why do so many people say that the world is full of hate? Why say that everybody is antagonistic? Some are, undoubtedly, but the majority smile back when you smile. It doesn���t matter what nationality they are. My thought is that if you show contempt and hate, it comes back to you. If you show acceptance and friendliness, that too comes back. It isn���t exactly atom physics.

It is up to the individual, how they want to feel. Many people aren���t privileged, but they have courage. Otherwise, they���d never have made it this far. Some people, especially those who were forced to flee their country, are dirt poor, and that is downright wrong. No matter where they go, they need to be able to build an existence. It makes no sense to punish them for how life treated them. Every country has young and older people who don���t want to work. No doubt, some asylum seekers or immigrants have the same idea. Still, it is my conviction that most people would take any and every chance to get on, find a job and forge a life.

It isn���t easy to start over in a foreign country. I���ve learned that through experience. You are isolated, and it is hard to get a job that fits your skills and education. Only the ones who dare go out on a limp have a chance to make it. The rest invariably end up as social cases. This situation comes down to being between a rock and a hard place.

If the local people sneer at foreigners, it is no wonder if they sneer back. It is human nature.

There may not be such a thing as a just society, but it is up to those who have managed to get established to help and at least be friendly. Maybe this sounds like naivety and sobby do-gooding, but it is the simple truth.

Would it be better to deny access to people in need? Don���t think so. Enough people perish when they flee a country. Yes, even normal people sometimes flee normal countries. Their reasons are variable, but they are often compelled to leave.

Some seek a better life. Of course, they do. Why wouldn���t they? If the life they face at home is unbearable, if they can���t work or don���t have enough to eat, they must try other options. It would be unnatural to expect them to stay put and suffer.

How can I make myself clear? There are suffering people in every country and every society. Some have no way out if they remain where they are. Some long for adventure. Some must flee or die. Who can judge which reason is acceptable? Not every man on the street knows the suffering and frustrations immigrants have gone through. Maybe they need education. Not everybody wants to know. I appreciate that, but it is a poor solution to want them out. Where should they go?

The only right thing to do is to share what we have and make the best of it. Let us face this. We are all humans, and none of us asked to be born. We came into this life and have to make the best of it. Indeed, that gives us a reason, and a good one, to move around. It is downright wrong to say that people are unworthy on the grounds of skin colour or religion or whatever else they represent.

Why are we here at all? Nobody knows, but it seems that some of us feel entitled to decide if others deserve a decent life. Think about it. How can that be right? It is time to look things in the eye. The truth is that many people experience hunger, war, and socio-political trouble. They aren���t to blame. It is time that we start thinking about creating a just society. I rest my case.

�� HMH 2023

Warm and peaceful

Sweet and hopeful

Dreams abound on certain days.

Will they wither?

Will they prosper?

Is it up to us to say?

*

Is the Star of Stars a signpost?

Will we learn to give or take?

*

An eternal question drifts

In and out

Through mind and heart.

*

Wise men seek the truth in vain.

*

Time will never work or favour

Those, who question

Where or when

Still, we hope and raise and ponder

Riddles that we���ll never crack

*

Truths and myths cannot endure

Cold and distant probes and prods.

*

Maybe it is wrong

To shun

Every trouble and affliction.

*

Stop your anguish and be quiet

Let the yuletide end your quest

�� HMH, 2023