Biography
A Summoning from the blank page I summon you with the power of my mind I form you through lines of ink I order you and give you shape you are my creation but only when I speak the words do you rise up and spread your wings and settle in the hearts of those who listen to be carried with them wherever they go for such is the power of poetry
Samples
Dignum Laude Virum Musa Vetat Mori* The first rays of light crept hopefully about Casting their prying fingers in and out Of long night time shadows, forcing them To slink like nocturnal beasts revealed Into remote corners and crevices unseen As day followed night the light fell full length Upon a dusty window pane shut tight Made grimy by neglect and marching time It struggled and yet finally did pass through To cut the dusty gloom inside a house No better than its neighbours and no worse The cheerful light laid bare with no remorse The shabby living room of this small house A patterned woollen carpet, faded in the sun The patchy threads had been much walked upon And battered furniture antique in style Old newspapers left yellowing in a pile Upon the mantelpiece a clock had ceased To count the passing hours long ago An ashtray was the only souvenir To indicate this house was still a home It lay full gorged upon the butts and ash Explaining why the peeling walls were stained And in that sealed room the air was stale A fine layer of dust had settled gently upon The back of an old armchair, its back to the door Still looming in the fast receding shadows A gnarled hand grips each arm tightly Wrinkled brown skin, chipped black nails Paler than the palest ivory The whites of eyes that can no longer see Staring from his face quite peacefully A face much lined with wrinkled age and care Though crowned with white his head is mostly bare In life he had been poor and lived alone In the dignity of death this was undone And so we must retire from this poignant scene Back out onto the streets from whence we came And up above those rooftops all the same To watch the bloated sunset's fading rays. * The man worthy of praise the Muse forbids to die. Horace The Mask of Unity The Mask of Anarchy rides out once more And leads his troops to clear the killing floor His crocodile tears are shed from glassy screens And fall like neon gemstones, subtly guided To dash out the brains of fleeing refugees 'We are the agents of peace!' twisted words are cried 'This action will not cease!' bombs fall from the sky In this slaughter of the innocents who must die In order that a greater evil be destroyed? A lapdog's face twists grins into concern His earnest words and waving hands express Distaste at the way this war has turned Yet gnaws upon the bones that have been burned By Anarchy's stealth forces and then tossed Down from that higher table to his pet As payment earned for loyalty unquestioned But this war cannot offer glory, blood or gold Just mass graves, empty cities, barren landscapes Silent Cold
All poems are copyright of the originating author. Permission must be obtained before using or performing others' poems.
Blog entries by Neil West
For Sale (a poem for children) (04/08/2021)
Berite was a bee (a poem for children) (04/08/2021)
Time Travellin' Blues (a poem for children) (04/08/2021)
Oblivia (a poem for children) (04/08/2021)
Neil's Glorious Meals (a poem for children) (03/08/2021)
When Brian Came to Grotsville (a poem for children) (03/08/2021)
the wordsmith (24/08/2016)
What Monster? (19/06/2015)
the lost property paradox (true story) (19/03/2014)
a list of last things (14/03/2014)
Read more entries by Neil West…
Blog link: https://www.writeoutloud.net/blogs/neilwest
Audio entries by Neil West
Mid Life Crisis (15/10/2009)
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Comments
<Deleted User> (9882)
Tue 18th Mar 2014 20:59
Hi Neil.Glad you like 'de-friend'Please feel free to use it.Cheers.x
Hi Neil. Thank you for your kind comments on my poem "He Didn't Care". At the suggestion of John Coopey I have posted a second poem "He Didn't Care Too".
Yes the illustrations are mine. I love this site because I can add my own drawings and audio(If I take the time to record it).
Your poem "Tough Love" is very accurate. I too care but let the everyday matters get me down.
Thanks Again,
Happy Holidays to you and yours.
thanks for the praise over my work, Neil.. I try to use imagery as much as I can in my work so am always grateful when people spot that... thanks - Andy N
Neil
I revisited Ex Tenebis Lux after your comments. and enjoyed it all the more the second time round.
I particularly enjoyed the faithful rhythm and I am always impressed by poets who can manage abab rhyming structures especially in such short syllabic constraints.
I suspect you know what you're doing at this poetry lark!
Hi Neil - Thanks for the comments on 'Age Concern'. I have the suit in my wardrobe but I'll keep the location of the charity shop a secret!
steve mellor
Thu 5th Nov 2009 18:05
Hi Neil
Thanks for the comment on The Sun Shone. I was just about to email you about your latest offering, when your comment popped up.
When was your mother ever wrong? A real nice read.
Hi Neil, glad you like that one. Having a re-vamp on profile.x
Hi Neil, thanks for your comments on Cemetery Gates, the reference to the dead lying in line is more a reflection of her not being able to move in in that even they aren't bothered that she goes back mourning day after day, all a bit morbid I know! cheers Jeff
steve mellor
Thu 29th Oct 2009 14:29
Hi Neil
I'm keeping my powder dry this month (so to speak).
I got all giddy last month, and where did it get me?
I'd paid for at least 4 votes.
I've still got my speech ready though.
steve mellor
Thu 15th Oct 2009 20:35
Neil
Perhaps a bodice-ripper next.
I just had the feeling this a.m. that there can only be so many ways that we can describe a love lost. So!
Poets must suffer!!
Thanks for the ;-)
Thank you for sharing 'Lies' with me Neil. A very true and thoughtprovoking poem. Funny how we try automatically to protect our young ones with lies in one form or another, when what we should be doing is preparing them for their solo entrance into the world. The difficulty is finding the balance.
Nicky x
Haha. Take it your house is the same as mine then!!! Chaotic, except between the hours of 9pm and early hours of the morning?! Nice to hear from you Neil.
Nicky x
ps. what do you think of my arty-farty pic?lol:-)
Tee hee. Yes - that's one way of suffering big time...
Hi neil, thanks for hanging around to comment on that piece.
I am trying to catch up on everything, but there is so much that I keep getting sidetracked.
Hope you are well.
Greetings Neil, thanks for the comment on Eer Olives Pumps, I love humerous poetry, its much underated! Yes I suppose technology has moved on somewhat, but in my area "parent power" seems to have come full circle, and we had to have locks put on the classroom outside doors to stop parents coming in and berating us!!
Cate xx
Hi Neil. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on "On meeting a Poet". Win
<Deleted User> (5646)
Sat 26th Sep 2009 10:13
Ah but my pic was taken at the Manchester green room theatre slam event earlier this year. What's your excuse for the shades?
I see you live between Bolton and Wigan. Westhoughton maybe? I know someone by the name of West in that area. (Jimmy).
Janet.x
<Deleted User> (5646)
Fri 25th Sep 2009 10:59
Ha! now you got five pics of me.
Thank you Neil for your lovely comments on my poetry...
I have never performed any of my poems before...
Hope to at some point... soon... perhaps ; )
<Deleted User> (5646)
Thu 24th Sep 2009 21:11
Your pic, your choice. You're as bad as me. I don't have many of myself either. Been teaching myself to upload images from my phone but i will offer one which someone on here took of me at a gig. The one i would have liked to put on there is too big and i don't know how to make it smaller. Ah well. Nice little exchange though.
Please feel free to remove these comments. It's not as if they are about your poetry so i won't be offended.
Janet.x
<Deleted User> (5646)
Thu 24th Sep 2009 20:46
There's no difference. :-)
Anyway, how do you manage to change it, every time i try to put a pic in it doesn't work. I always end up mithering poor Paul to do it for me.
<Deleted User> (5646)
Thu 24th Sep 2009 20:33
Where's the happy smiley face gone?
Sorry but this looks depressing. Hope you're not going through a strange metamorphosis. :-)
Janet.x
<Deleted User> (5646)
Thu 24th Sep 2009 11:49
Hi Neil, you're welcome to my comments and thankyou for accepting my thoughts so graciously. Something i need to learn to do sometimes but i'm getting there. :-)
Thankyou also for your thoughts on 'A gentile river.' To be honest it was one of those poems which land in your lap and even i had no idea what it was about. The comments were interesting to read so i'm happy now that i posted it. Sometimes imagery is all that's needed and looking to find something else defeats the object of the exercise so to speak.
Janet.x
ps. as for mysterious, i don't think so but i'll take it as a compliment. Thankyou.
<Deleted User> (6484)
Wed 23rd Sep 2009 20:49
Hi Neil, I was in the Brit Army for 22yrs and then worked in International Aid for ten years, so I worked in a lot of conflict/post conflict and disaster striken area's, so that is where quite a lot of the stuff I write comes from.
Cheers Mate.
Bernie
Hi Neil.
I too was inpired by the Romantics, my all time favourite poet is Coleridge. His works also inspired my love of philosophy, metaphysics and of anything that is classed as supernatural - especially vampires - have a whole bookcase of Vampire novels - which is in stark contrast to my theological interests (or is it? angels and demons?), which I also find fascinating (may I add I am not religious, but dragged up a catholic, and I am not a goth or satanist haha, but think I would have made a bloody good Pagan and would probably have been drowned or burned at the stake).
Really enjoy your poetry. We can't write to please everyone, but we can write to please ourselves, and there'll always be someone at somepoint that will read a piece and find a connection with it.
Really enjoyed Crimson King, it weaves a spell around the reader. More please.
Hi Neil, thanks for the comment on Our Gramps, and yes it was written from my memories , all perfectly true ,of my grandfather. Sos if The Wheel frightened you...... its done its job then, it was meant to !!!! lol
Cate xx
Hi Neil - I kind of thought the story had to be a real one. No-one could have imagined the ham sandwich which really tugs at you cos it brings us back to basics - the humanity of it all. You are right that sharing such experiences brings us together. I am happy to hear that the child survived it all and prospered - the seeds must have been sown well.
Hi Neil, thanks very much for the praise, hope you're well.
No dates for Manchester at present, intend contacting a few places when I get a moment. Is there anywhere you'd recommend?
Keep channeling that inner goth!
All the best, Ash
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Shirley Smothers
Thu 20th Mar 2014 17:29
Hello Neil,
Thanks for the funny comment you left for my "Two Line Horror(ible)Story", LOL!
I got this idea when my 20 year old son told me the game "Bloody Mary" one he never had the nerve to play.
Thanks
Shirley