Bagism: Art & Poetry

Exhibit 5


As an artist of many talents, John Lennon has undoubtedly inspired countless numbers of people to explore their own artistic talents. Here then are some of the creations done by John's fans in his honor. If you'd like to contribute something you've created, please read the guidelines for submission.

Chia John
by James Thurston

Chia John The "Chia John" was jokingly created to offer Bagism visitors the perfect gift for Christmas. With so many different designs of Chia Pets available, I imagined a Chia Pet in John's likeness. This image was created in December 1997 using Photostyler. Although no such product actually exists, I would be certain to buy one if it did!


Where Were You?
by Sam Choukri

Where were you on the day
JFK was blown away?
Or the day Dr King
Could no longer hear freedom ring?

I was not yet born
Into this world of scorn
But those that were there,
Say the pain is hard to bear.

But I know how they feel,
'Cause time cannot heal
The pain I've felt within me
Since December eighth, nineteen-eighty.

That's when John Lennon's life came to an end,
Shot to death by the Devil's best friend.
No longer would John Lennon sing.
He was my JFK. He was my Dr King.


the day the music died
by Rant

they said we shouldn't know
It make's me just so fucking mad
what a life I have
'cuse you know they did it again last night
"lennon was shot to death late last nigh out side his ap-"
I had to shut it off
they had the same dry tone of voice- unfealing-no pain
I'll show you pain!


Rock and Roll
by Charles Martin Strickland

I have loved rock and roll
Since I was a boy
It has brought me such joy
It is like a toy
That you can't put down
That won't let you frown
That won't let you grow up
That gets better with age
Yet we have seen the rage
When a rocker dies
When a fan cries
It is such a sight
Yet try as we might
We can't forget Jimmy
Who made his guitar sing
And what about Janis
Wasn't she a beautiful thing?
And John had his way
But he lost it that day
And isn't it so sad
The guy was just mad
Just think of the potential
That these people had
Just think of the songs
That will never be bad.


untitled
by Sandra Cook

As i sit by the riverside on a bright sunny morning, i look way up into the sky. past the sun and the moon, the stars and the clouds. i look up and see John Lennon smiling down from the Lord's heaven. John is singing and playing his guitar in God's garden, with angels around him. John is at peace now, his lifelong goal was to have peace with himself and peace in the world. at least one of these is true. john can't be ever hurt again by that monster that killed him, or by anyone else for that matter. as i wake up i see a flower growing beside me.


Save a prayer
by Anna Carolina Fagundes

All I want to say to you
is: save a prayer.
Even if you don't believe in God.
Even if you don't know how to pray.
Even if you don't believe in prayers.

All I want to say to you
is: light a candle.
Not in vain,
not for joke.

All I want to say to you
is: sing, and loud.
So everyone can remember
so everyone can sing along
and for just one moment
for just that moment,
the world can be as one.
And for just this moment,
we all can be able to remember.

Of peace, of love, of so many things
that the time and the gunshots made us forget.


Paz na Terra ( a prayer for the killer )
by Anna Carolina Fagundes

Hello my sir,
you don't know me, I think.
Nevermind, I would not like to know you
for all I care.
But you did one thing
that changed my whole destiny.
And though I know you'll turn your back on me
I know you are able to listen, so there we go...

Why had to be like this, my sir?
Why had to be like this?
I'm pinning you on the wall
want an answer from you.
Why had to be like this, man?
Why had to be like this?
If you had courage to put a man down
you can perfectly answer me!

Well, if you dopn't want to say
then OK, I am on my way.
But if you think I'll forget
then you are wrong once again.
I was only a plan when you took the fate
and made it change to worse.
Like me there are thousands
with the same prayer on the head.
So thru the rest of your days
you'll hear then say:

Why had to be like this?
I'm pinning you on the wall
want an answer from you.
Why had to be like this, man?
Why had to be like this?
If you had courage to put a man down
you can perfectly answer me!

"Paz na Terra" means Peace on Earth in Portuguese, and it's a chant we say in Christmas.


untitled #1
by Rona Nadler

No angel,
No guardian to watch us;
No godsend
To follow and be saved;
No friend,
No comforting kindred spirit;
No lifeline
Holding us back from disaster.
A single searching human soul,
Destined for fulfillment,
Akin to out own.
Why don't we see that in everyone?


untitled #2
by Rona Nadler

It's over,
The dream is over.
It's time to wake up
And catch it before it fades.
Take the remains,
Make them beautiful.
Dress them in flowers,
And give them faces that beam,
Mouths that sing.
Look at the teeth in his smile,
And never look into his eyes.


Hold On to the Hope
by Christopher Stolle

Hold on to the hope
That wants to slip through
Keep dreaming your dreams
For they make everything new
The weak and the weary will stand
On the hope they continue to hold
When the wild wind blows
They will never feel the cold

Hold on to the hope
As the echoes light the flame
Change the pace in things you do
So that nothing seems the same
Bring back the desire of yesterday
While the children laugh in delight
Delegate your memories told
So everything stays in the light

Hold on to the hope
While your heart swells within
Accept what you know can change
As any virgin can sin
Remember that darkness sees no color
Because it has no eyes
But now is the time to take notice
Of every single thing that cries

Hold on to the hope
For the silence asks you to follow
Now you feel the clouds strain
As you try to eat your pride and swallow
Now the forces of the past refrain
From telling you how to live life
Take a hand in each and squeeze
Because alone we are left in strife

Hold on to the hope
So we can take in the scenery
The seasons change often
Which keeps hope for spring's greenery
All the while, the rich get richer
While the poor keep dreams to confess
So tell the old man he can smile
Because money doesn't equal happiness

Now the glory can finally be told
The needs of humanity will grow
But if you suppress all your hopes
Then no one will ever know
In time, all things will settle into place
We'll have the answers as to how to cope
But we will never know what we can achieve
If we let go of our hold on hope


untitled
by Jorge Urdapilleta

Morado tu alrededor
Pero gris por dentro
Tu imagen es mas que clara
Y las flautas empiezan a sonar
Entonces tu entraras
Y el cerro del hombre atras
Si todo fuera como esas fresas
Entonces te oiria por siempre
Y por siempre flotando iria
En serio que es una ironia
Pues solo tu entiendes
Correcto, nada es real
Y despues en la calle de la moneda iras
Por ultimo tomas tus cosas
DE viaje te vas
ES un misterio como foca

English translation

Purple around you
But gray inside
And your face is clear
The flutes start playing
And then you arrive
With the man of the hill behind you
If everything were like strawberrys
I would listen to you forever
And flying I would be
Its really ironic
Because only you can understand
Right, nobody is there cos
Nothing is real
Then you'll be on Tour
With a mystery like a seal


Continue Imagining
by Justin Jolkowski (TheRubberSoul)

Imagine if he lived,
would his dreams come true,
happiness all around,
joy for me and you.

Imagine all the people,
believing his dreams.

Imagine there's no gun shots,
no wounds bleeding,
no point to kill or die for,
its worth believing.

Imagine all the people,
celebrating peace.


The Rubber Soul
by Justin Jolkowski (TheRubberSoul)

Anything pops up, any problem at all,
and he cant deal with it,
'salright, it'll bounce off.

Can he go on?
ingoring life's troubles,
can't bounce away all the time.

The rubber soul, bouncy outside,
but whats inside?
is there a Soul for that Rubber?


John
by Melissa Forrest White Eades

His voice reaches out as you hear his simple words yet complex meanings and he sings to you, your whole world lets itself be replaced by him you are being ingulfed by him. You know he loves you and that is enough to keep you going. His quick witted humor uttered from a small but sensuous mouth, his tongue rolling on his baby teeth, his always smiling eyes. It almost seems as if he foresees his end but still lives life to his fullest, not thinking of other people who don't believe in your cause. With your never ending search for peace. Still, even in your death you fight for peace through your true fans and listeners. You don't believe in hell or heaven so wherever you are, I just want you to know I love you. Peace.


October 9, 1997
by John Taylor

A celebration of peace and community
A gathering of dreamers in unity
The leaves are falling free
While people sing of peace and harmony
A birthday party to remember John
Seventeen years long since gone
In flesh only, his spirits still here
Flowing from young and old alike
A day for your heart to come alive
The ninth of October a beautiful day
I wish all could be this way
Full of positive energy
Where no sees an enemy
A brotherhood in the truest tradition
Where everybody loses inhabitions
A reaffirmation of the word humanity
In a world sometimes filled with insanity
If this was something I could touch
I'd pluck a seed and set it aloft
And land where there's need to care


Poet-O-
by John Taylor

"Hold it to your ear", he said, as he pushed his bell towards me.
I took it from his bowl, "and with some change I'll eat a good meal", said he.
"Make a wish and what you give you'll get a hundred times".
He called himself Poet-O- and survived on peoples nickles and dimes.
I took the bell and rang it once and thought of where I stand.
I gazed at my two children and around at this beautiful land.
I was on the Imagine tile in the heart of Strawberry Fields.
As the tone rang long in my ear, I made the wish I hope will yield.
He said not to tell the wish, but that I just can't do.
I'd like to see all respect one another, that's from me to you.
I have to say it, it's been said before I came.
A world of just one Human race, one where there's no blame.
If I call my God a different name does it make me better or worse?
Or if my pockets are bare does it mean I should be cursed?
Or if my skin doesn't match does it make me less of a man?
Each of us is unique, accept that as a fact. I hope you truly can.
It's a wish of world peace and while war and prejudice survive.
You can be sure of it my words will continue to thrive.
I might not see it in my life but I think my children will.
So thank you Mr. Poet-O- and with this change I hope you get your fill.


Magic Circle
by John Taylor

In a path of three, there's a mosaic of black and white.
A title of a song, by John Lennon, his best write.
Agift from Naples, set by two Italian craftsman.
A circle of tiles encompassing the word Imagine.
In Strawberry Fields, an international gift of peace.
Given to all the people he has reached.
In New York City, the great melting pot.
It sits below the Dakota house in one of their favorite spots.
It draws people from all over the world.
A magnet pulling them to see a single word.
It goes to show that there are dreamers throughout the globe.
That heard the message of a worldwide love.
Tour guides come and speak in many tongues.
To have it here in Central Park we are the blessed ones.
In memory of a man whose lyrics reflected love and life.
He may be gone in a physical way but his dream will never die.
The tiles don't breathe but still have a living spirit.
Because it feeds loving thoughts to those who are near it.
It's amazing to see the items placed there.
Flowers and notes from people with hearts laid bare.
Pictures and postcards with messages of harmony and peace.
Candles and cards definately a dreamers feast.
John was an ordinary man with an extraordinary insight.
There were others that have the gift of peace, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa,
Ghandi and of course Jesus Christ.


Tribute (for John)
by Melanie Coffman

Your life was a prism
Shining in every way
Your voice still is a legend
Beholden to this day
And in time you grow stronger
Each and every day
Your words have a purpose
A meaning-
forever will it
Surround our spirits on this day


John
by Mat Bawn

I wish I could meet John Lennon,
I'd say Alright John, he'd look at me and smile,
We'd talk about everything and nothing,
Or sit and laugh a while.
I'd listen to his northern tones,
And wonder was it real.
He'd see the internet and cellular phones,
I wonder what he'd feel.

I wish I could meet John Lennon.
Imagine if I could.
He'd slap me on the back and wink,
Or at least I think he would.
He'd pause and look carefully around,
What's happened to his dreams?
New toys modern man has found,
Is it as wonderful as it seems?

I wish I could meet John Lennon,
He'd shake me by the hand,
He'd turn and walk quietly away,
I'd just watch and stare and stand.
But he was killed before my time.
I will never meet him now,
Maybe when I hear the 13th hour chime,
I'll find a way somehow


A High Price to Pay
by Amanda Winstead

The world hated you
but what did you ever do
to deserve such a title
to John your love for him was vital
Then one day he was shot he was gone
In everyone's heart he still lives on
Now everyone sympathizes for you
they want to give love and understanding too
Everything changed that Decembers day
For you Yoko that was a very high price to pay!

we love you Yoko


The Undried Tear
by John McPherson

A man went loco
and, alone stands Yoko
the tears are yet to be dried.
The man was insane
to cause all that pain,
yes it's true John Lennon died.

Yet His quest for peace
will not yet cease
His life meant more than that.
Now we are back
to pick up the slack
for love & peace is where it's at.

We loved you John in many ways
your music filled our lonely days
it is for Yoko that I do fear
who will dry the undried tear?

It saddens our heart
that you had to part
and leave this world of fear & hate
and while you're up there
we all will still care
and will carry your message
to Heaven's Gate.


untitled
by Steve Darschewski

I sing about peace,
     and some whacko thought it a song of war.
I sing about love,
     and some lunitic makes it to be hate
I sing about hope,
     and some pesimist is no longer here.
I sing about unity,
     and some "Revolutionary" seperates to fight.
I sing about helping one another,
     and some crook is stealing from a starving child.
I sing about ridding the world of violence,
     and some maniac rids his violence through me.


The Big Lie
by Sam Choukri

"Guns are for your protection,"
They tell us at every election.

But how many innocent people have to die,
Before people realize that is a lie?

Guns kill their owners and family members
Much more often than they do intruders

Think of the ones you love or admire best.
Now picture them with a bullet in their chest.

Be thankful that you still have the time,
To prevent such a horrible crime.


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Disclaimer: All the items presented in this exhibit (drawings, paintings, poems, etc.) are used with permission. The contributor of each item has claimed that he/she is the legal owner of the item and therefore has the legal right to permit its use. Sam Choukri will not be held liable in the event that the contributor of an item is found not to have the legal right to permit the use of such item. If there is any dispute concerning the ownership of any item, it will be removed until the dispute is resolved.

 

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Last updated on Aug 3, 2002