Since everyone seemed to enjoy the Escape themed poetry competition, I thought I’d introduce a new theme pretty quickly before the holiday season begins - I hope you like it.  I wanted something totally different that opened us all up to lighter poetry.  The competition will run till 6^thJuly with votes to me by 10^thJuly.  I wasn’t proposing to put up any prize money.  I don’t think people are motivated to take part by money or by charity donations.  I think people just want to be part of something and enjoy writing to a theme.  Reward comes from knowing that even one person valued your poetry above all others.  Often the difference between 1^stand runners up is negligible, given the low voting numbers.  Very many people do read the poems though and enjoy the amazingly different interpretations on a theme.  I’m willing to change my decision on charity donation though, if enough people tell me they would like that idea to continue…

I’m blogging beneath this an old poem I wrote about shoes back in my early days on the site.  I would urge Anthony Emmerson to do the same with a poem he wrote on the same subject.  I may chuck the odd poem into the melting pot cos I like the challenge, but peeps can’t vote for me this time, since I’m running it.  I hope people will get involved and make it a success, like they have for all the others.  I for one have really enjoyed reading them all – though I found it impossible to keep up with comments.  xx

RED SHOES

Sometimes it’s hard

not to listen to voices

‘Tart’ whispers one

‘Mutton dressed as lamb’

another…

Ruffled feathers

freeze for a moment,

clipped too many times,

but the shoes have bonded

and they are dancing

to a different beat.

She smiles serenely,

with 2 finely varnished nails

salutes the world

and ‘totters’ precariously

onto a bright new stage…