Site updated 21-Feb-2012
 

"A Group Of Humans" 
A little bit about this unusual story...Firstly

Although they are not actually used in the story. The legendary lines certainly inspired the story and neither are exclusively  about animals...Truth is the only real link is the name (Don't tell Bob we told you).   Animals are used as characters, and  Bob even uses humans as characters. Some might construe the whole piece as an animal rights rant...It's not meant to be that.  An important feature in Bob's approach to using both Human and animal characters, is the equality every character has.  No human maintains providence of animals in this story. They try but it's short lived. The story has three Princes, one Princess, a Countess, and her incredible car "The Blah Blah Car", which is designed as a hunt vehicle. A Lord, and of course a Queen., along with her horses, and men/women.  The story moves though human frailty, anger, greed, love, hate, jealousy, dirty habits, dirty tricks, invention, ignorance,  and a little bit of magic, on it's way to triumph, personal realisation, and of course partnership. In the musical version, we get Loud Rock and Roll,  Hard core Tango, A Big Waltz, Big Band Jazz, a Sing-a-long cockney song, and  The Show Songs!  Below is a lot of animal stuff Bob wants you to read.  It's all good stuff, but he does go on a bit.  Ho Hum.

"First Slave to An English Princess"
 

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The Verses Came before The story 
It all startedAfrican Elephant with 4 little poems before  'A Group of Humans' ever became a story or a script for a screenplay.  These verses grew over the years to become  "The Legendary Lines of Ponder", the fictitious setting for the story,  based on a real place, close to where Bob lives. The story is  not really about what  happened or happens to these creatures. Dolphin It's more about the human characters, and how they actually treat other humans, which in turn leaves no doubt as to how  they would treat animals.  Bob had the first 12 verses (4 creatures) pop into his head.  They were all based on the simple format of 'I See'  'I Hear'  I Feel'. They were little three  stanza  reports of the creature's demise, written in the first  person    on behalf of  that creature. As simple as they are, they can be very powerful in conjuring up the scene of the creature's last  moments, in fact some of them are extremely moving.  The first four  creatures are quite easy to identify,  and almost 'Iconic' in terms of  their persecution. 


What Creature Am I?
That is the Harp Seal with Cub question, and It's a very good question, because being written in the first person, they do not refer to each creatures identity, so they have added value, because the reader/ listener, has to unravel the clues in the  account of what happened to the victim. Click  here  to "Name Life's Victims?" 
"Man is Coming" 
 

("Anthem From
A Group Of  Humans")


Collective Noun For Perpetrators 
It's a fair assumption that all animals, including humans; suffering, or about to suffer  at the hands of any species, will not be considering the collective noun used for that species, sub group, or variant.  An Elephant doesn't know what species it is let alone whether it's Indian or African.  All it is  concerned with, is how it gets treated by other creatures.  Likewise human victims will only  be thinking about what is happening to them, and  not any defining description of there social status, or cultural group.  In fact laws and protocols actually forbid the use of stereotypes, and ethnicity prior to conviction in a court of law.  So... 'A Group Of Humans',  is a good starting place  for pretty much ALL atrocities to ALL  species.  It's safe to assume that all creatures will have clearly defined images of the their attackers  in their thoughts, so the identities will emerge over time.  All of the verses in the poems refer to one species of perpetrators.  'A group of Humans'. 


Not Animal Rights RantThird World Parent
Only 11 verses are about animals, so this is not a finger wagging exercise or animal rights rant. The remaining 7 are about  humans, who fell foul of the  deeds that could only be perpetrated by  'A Group Of  (Other) Humans'.  A sad fact is, none of these deeds could have been carried out by animals.  As Humans we are the only creatures on the planet who have the ability to change our lot.  Animals simply continue to make the  best of what nature throws  at them.  We have improved our  lot considerably, but we still seek to dominate and control all creatures, including other humans. Some seem bent on making the lives of others intolerable for little more than greed, or personal gratification.  Others appear to inflict suffering on fellow species for fun, or what is sometimes described euphemistically as a sporting  pursuit. 


Realisation - That All Of The Subjects Were Dead At The Time Of Writing Except One
Counting the Human victims written about so far. The lines now number eighteen.  In 1996, Bob wrote  about a particularly beautiful and famous  "Human",  and it stopped him in his tracks, because she was not dead when he wrote  the three verses.  This one was quite simply about Princess Diana, and the way she was being treated at the time. It wasn't until her death,  a full year later!  in 1997 that he realised all of the verses were actually about dead creatures.  A bit spooky really.  It was nine years before he wrote about another creature, even though he had a 'To do' list, for 8 more, at various stages of completion. That list is now completed, and forms part of the Legendary Lines of Ponder.  Audio Blogs on his page:  
"The First Slave To An English Princess"
 


       The Unfinished Legendary Lines of Ponder      
       Are They Used In the Script? 

Not Specifically...The legendary Lines  (Or as Bob calls them: "The Unfinished Lines of  Ponder"), are not use
in the dialogue of the  script, but are referred to, as maybe or  maybe not existing.  Some of the creatures featured in the verses do appear, or get referenced in the script...
The verses also have a mystery surrounding them, as to WHO!  actually wrote them?  In the story, they keep on turning up in different locations in different languages...but ALL with the same format. This means  they can be added to, which was always Bob's intention.  

 

Go to "A Group of Humans"
(The series of poems known as the legendary lines)

Click to

NAME LIFE'S VICTIMS... NAME LIFE'S VICTIMS... NAME LIFE'S VICTIMS... NAME LIFE'S VICTIMS... NAME LIFE'S VICTIMS... NAME LIFE'S VICTIMS... NAME LIFE'S VICTIMS... NAME LIFE'S VICTIMS...
How Compassionate are you?

Can you name this victim? 
(Using the drop down menu)
Maybe you care to comment
or maybe you just don't care. 

Victim No. 19 
From the series of poems
"A Group of Humans"

saw a group of humans,
Saw my field of fire.
Saw the mortar,
saw the sniper.
Took my aim and fired.

I hear the group of humans,
question my decision.
Destroy their group,
to save my troop 
and give them my position?

I feel the group of humans,
I feel a silent knife.
I feel them searching, 
for the map.
I'd paid for with my life.

© Copyright Bob Richardson 1991-2009

Go To "A Group Of Humans"

For the full set And To name 19 more!

Bob remains convinced no one will identify 
ALL
of the victims given a voice here...

Message and Comments Page

Possible uses for them...

  • Split Between Two or more Charities...? (MORE)

  • Celebrity Voices...? (MORE)

  • Deny They Exist...? (MORE)

             SO...What is going to happen to them?

Well...Bob Would Like To  Give The Legendary Lines To Charity!

IS HE SERIOUS !? 
Contact Bob


Bob says

"I think of them as the UNFINISHED "Legendary lines of Ponder". I would love to see examples of  the 'I See I Hear I Feel'  formula written by people on behalf of other people, and animals from different parts of the world."


 "I  would like to see them used as a marketing tool to raise money for deserving charities, and hopefully draw attention to my  other writing skills, but preferably to shamelessly promote the  "A Group Of Humans"  screenplay, or stage show, because there is a big message in the story.  also the victims represented would benefit for many years to come.   
Ultimately I would like see an
ALL SPECIES CHARITY, as well as an ALL SPECIES SANCTUARY.  Just think of the benefits to human kind and the animal world.  Instead of throwing money at different species as well as the humans, who in part could be  responsible for the the needs of their animals.   Get them together, in a mutually acceptable environment.. This will cut out the vast number of charities , with the correspondingly vast number of bosses, and staff...but in the mean time, my message remains very simple: 

"Give Them A Voice"
(Bob's Message)


To demonstrate a possible use for the Legendary Lines Of Ponder, Bob has devised a the guessing game "Name Life's Victims" (The Challenge) as a tool to generate income, but it must be run with integrity, fun, and little bit of mystery, to benefit both human, and animal victims.  Click  here  for more details, and the rules.

     "First Slave To An English Princess"  (Audio blog) 


                 Summary Of Options For Their Use:             

Split Between Two Or More Charities 
Bob's experiencing difficulty identifying a charity that supports both animals and humans, and doesn't focus on one or the other.  It looks as though the lines may have to be split up, if they are to be used in this way. A much  better solution would be a for an established charity to change it's approach.  Bob  believes an  "ALL SPECIES CHARITY"  would be extremely successful. 




Celebrity Voices
Using celebrity voices from which participants in a competition, could guess each creature's identity; is one possibility.  An online  audio version of  'What Creature Am I?'  with a donation to the appropriate charity to take part,  could potentially raise a lot of money for charities. 

 

 

 


 Deny They Exist
They are referred to as the "Legendary" lines, so allowing them to remain obscure, and to surround them with mystery  and intrigue  is also an option. 

 

 

 

 


Leave Things As They Are

Continue to invite people to guess  the identities of the victims, whilst publicising the story

                                 

 

 



Photos courtesy of www.Stockexpert.com  and Google Images

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All Material on this Web Site is Copyright Bob Richardson 1968-2012

Bob Richardson Lives in Weymouth and is a member of: The Guild of International Songwriters & Composers

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