Desmond, you have a style all your own that I've enjoyed since I first noticed you here almost two years ago--it's good to see you still about.

Rachel

Comment is about DESMOND CHILDS (poet profile)

Original item by DESMOND CHILDS

Stephen - you are fortunate that you caught me with some time on my hands and was therefore able to read this epic start to finish. And I'm glad I did as it was good VFM.

Well done!

Comment is about Dave - The Return (blog)

Original item by Stephen Mellor

Bong! silly me (walks away whistling, looking skyward,hands in pockets) The French National anthem has this second started playing on BBC radio 4. Serendipity?

Tommy

Comment is about NOT THEIR FINEST HOUR (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

The prisoners will all go berserk
For your poetry bio dk
The one-page and one-cover poetry one
That you wrote, yes you wrote in a day

Can you imagine their excitement
In exploring your poetry today?
No more fist-fights in the mess room
They're all in their cells with dk ?

Comment is about Sooner Or Later (blog)

Original item by d.knape

We often avoid discussing mental health because of fear, stigma or simply not knowing what to say. But this may make matters worse. Support from friends, family and health professionals plays a significant role in a loved one’s coping and recovery process. You can make a big difference through small gestures, like listening, keeping in touch and showing you care.

Many of us worry about saying the wrong thing to someone with a mental illness. Your friend or loved one may or may not want to discuss their mental health issues with you, but it’s important they know they don’t have to avoid the subject.

Comment is about Adut Akech, Depression and Mental Heath (blog)

Original item by Don Matthews

Apologies for my dark humour

I'm placing myself at some risk here
Cos Dorothy's asked for a giggle
Playing around with death and with dying
Doesn't give me much room for to wriggle

Someone suggested the idea
Of plastic-bagging remains then council tip it
To make this more efficient, much easier
Just pitch it over dump truck then skip it

I like the idea of remains on a yacht
Then launched out to sea, all to see
With built-in igniter for fireworks
Sounds ritual-Egyptian to me

"Always look on the sunny side of life....tra la tra la...

(He's mad...) ?

Comment is about Absent (blog)

Original item by keith jeffries

I'm always thrilled to know that another poet specializes in perfect metre and rhyme, as I do. I also love poems that paint pictures with words to capture the feeling within the poem - and yours does that excellently too. The rhythm isn't a gentle anapaestic rhythm, but a bouncy trochiac one that matches the mood of your poem beautifully. I'm not surprised that you have done well. Top marks!!!

Comment is about THE RACING STABLE (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

dk why did you have
To put this thought in my head
Of kicking off my mortal coil
And ending me up dead?

For then I won't be able
To comment more in rhyme
You've put me in a pre-paid plot
You've done it good this time

I guess I can forgive you
You thought I wouldn't see
This 'Point of no Return' poem
Which don't apply to me ?

Comment is about Point Of No Return (blog)

Original item by d.knape

Don

A very serious poem - about a very serious subject.

I wonder how many gifted people are consumed by depression? we applaud their gifts but do not understand the cost to them.

Yes! bring it all out into the open and we may find that, so called normality, is not the norm.
Maybe all of us have peculiarities that we do not talk about. Why? because we do not want to be seen as different, but we are different from each other and every one of us is unique. Do we all want to be clones of each other?

Mental health , as far as i know, is no longer mocked but is still misunderstood and there is only one way to rectify this and your poem Don has set the wheels in motion.

Ayres Rock is still a rock to be reckoned with.

Dorothy

Comment is about Adut Akech, Depression and Mental Heath (blog)

Original item by Don Matthews

Don,

Well said. I think we all to some degree have mental health issues which manifest themselves differently and are coped with in likewise manner. It is an inner inexplicable struggle which needs to be acknowledged so that others can come alongside to show love and support. Suicide is the last cry so we must be aware of the first cry before tragedy strikes.

Thank you for this

Keith

Comment is about Adut Akech, Depression and Mental Heath (blog)

Original item by Don Matthews

I echo Vautaw's comments Lyn

Comment is about PARADE OF HAPPINESS (blog)

Original item by lynn hahn

Hi Don, my own sibling has had numerous mental health admissions over the years, and I am so proud of her, and grateful for every day she has chosen to stay with us, in spite of her unbearable pain. I've had my own battle in recent years and now recognise and understand what she has spent her life fighting against. Big hugs for speaking up on one of the biggest issues of our time.

Comment is about Adut Akech, Depression and Mental Heath (blog)

Original item by Don Matthews

Hey John - great advert for this piece received in my inbox this morning from Write Out Loud! Good to keep in touch. Jean xx jean.sheridan111@btinternet.com

Comment is about In it to win it: a guide to success in poetry competitions (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

But you haven't failed Vautauw, because you can step outside and witness the ego at work. No wonder your soul is singing.

Comment is about Enlightenment (blog)

Original item by Vautaw

Wendy you've penned an unfortunate
Force which makes politicians drive
It's called 'greed-for-me-and-forget-voters'
Until the next election I'll let live, stay alive

Now politician you're not playing game fair here
We voted you for us, not for you
So pull your socks up be democratic
It appears that you don't have a clue ?

Comment is about Politicians (blog)

Original item by Wendy Higson

Thanks M.C. Newberry!?

Comment is about Connected and Grateful (blog)

Original item by Queen

Can't put my finger on it's power - perhaps it's immense relatability. Love this John.

Comment is about Love the one you're with (blog)

Original item by John E Marks

Sometimes people put on masks to shield themselves from the world and sometimes they put on masks to shield the world from them and sometimes they're just tired of life kicking the shit out of them.
You do right to still believe but you also do right to distance yourself a little.
I know the story of which you speak, only too well. Generally, the, "Masked," want help but don't know how to ask for it, but giving that help can be a long and painful road.

Beautifully written.

J. x

Comment is about Fallen Angel (blog)

Original item by Amelie Delmas

Wendy,

I could have written this word for word but you got there first. We are led by bungling self seeking fools who place personal prestige and party loyalty before the will of the people. God knows where we are headed.

Thank you for this

Keith

Comment is about Politicians (blog)

Original item by Wendy Higson

Beautiful poem John.....?

Comment is about CHEMOTHERAPY (blog)

Original item by John E Marks

Bienvenue à Write Out Loud Amélie. Peut être tu peut écrire en Anglais et Francais. Il ya des francophones ici, et nous avons eu des bons weekends de poésie à Bordeaux pendant des années:
https://www.writeoutloud.net/discuss/bordeaux-2006--69#msgcontent_307

I hope you enjoy using the site.

Comment is about Amelie Delmas (poet profile)

Original item by Amelie Delmas

Dearest friend sensitive poet .. you're absolutely right .. I fully agree with your opinion .. Thank you so much for liking my simple lines.

Comment is about HELP!! (blog)

Original item by Farag M. Afify

Love this one John. ?

Comment is about Love the one you're with (blog)

Original item by John E Marks

Powerful and I agree. I grow so sick of being bombarded by whatever silly new info about a celebrity there is. What dress so and so wore, what crazy marriage fell apart. I feel justified by this poem, as it speaks to the dumbfounded irritation I have when people are more obsessed with celebrity lives... than saving lives...

Comment is about Sadly More Noteworthy (blog)

Original item by Don Matthews

Thanks M.C... I’m not quite sure how I have made it through five decades, several readings of the Bible, and a boatload of personal development training without being consciously aware of that saying. Color me enlightened!

Comment is about Enlightenment (blog)

Original item by Vautaw

This reminds me of someone I once knew. I think I would see the same in his eyes as you have so excellently described. This is powerful and deep and your words so beautifully paint the picture of a pained smile, a mask worn and almost believed. We are wrapped up in images of ourselves and others but looking deeper always tells the full story. Thank you for this lovely piece.

Comment is about Fallen Angel (blog)

Original item by Amelie Delmas

Wow, what rich storytelling. Passionate way to describe a ship lost in a storm, a lover's embrace equally embraced and to measure the wild storms of the ocean.

Comment is about Dive In (blog)

Original item by Jason Bayliss

hope you're doing okay. beautifully written piece.

Comment is about CHEMOTHERAPY (blog)

Original item by John E Marks

More enjoyment from this ever-reliable source - on a theme which
could be awkward with less sympathy employed in its touching reality.

Comment is about 'What if I just sat there? she asks. It's a free country, I tell her' (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

An interesting essay on the subject of self...perhaps obtaining a
re-working of the well known saying: pride before a fall of self-esteem.

Comment is about Enlightenment (blog)

Original item by Vautaw

Ok ok
"The cyclist in his struggle for hill supremacy
seems to be keeping up with the hawk overhead."

It feels to me like I was cycling up the Pennines from Liverpool to Buxton along the A537 with friends under the sun.
Don't Ray, You'll remind me of many such rides. I need to go to the betting office and smoke fags over the nieghbour's fence chunnering about Bretix.
Please!
Tommy
ps And as for the the "flex" damn you sir! damn you.
tc
pps Comming home we pushed our hot feet into hotter peddles, for just 3 wheel revolutions from The Black Cat and flew 20mph down to Macclesfield. I stretched my chain going up and removed a link to decend. One of the happiest days of my life.
So sir desist.
x

Comment is about HAWK WIND (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Brief and better for it - a worthy addition to any anthology on love
and romance.

Comment is about Connected and Grateful (blog)

Original item by Queen

You’ve confused me even more, Tommy. I suspect we are at cross purposes, you referring to the Nazis and the Second World War, me referring to the French in the Napoleonic War and the scheme to take the Danish fleet.

Comment is about NOT THEIR FINEST HOUR (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

HI Jon. So glad you liked this. Cheers.

Ray

Comment is about HAWK WIND (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Thanks, Jon. I feel like I'm in the winner's enclosure at York!

Comment is about The Write Out Loud Poem of the Week is 'The Racing Stable' by M.C Newberry (article)

Original item by Stuart Buck

David, Jennifer, Alan, Martin, Jon and Ray, I am humbled by your wonderful support for and attention to this poem, which seems to resonate in many readers. I guess the sun is just about the most important part of our lives. It is at the same time incredibly functional, frightening and beautiful.
Peter

Comment is about WALKING AT SUNRISE (blog)

Original item by Peter Taylor

Beautiful poem Lynn, that last verse especially tugged at my heartstrings. I feel your pain. Thanks for sharing. I think sharing, helps us not feel so alone. ❤

Comment is about PARADE OF HAPPINESS (blog)

Original item by lynn hahn

Dear Frances, Hazel, David and Martin. It is so pleasing that this quiet poem has generated such a wide spread of your own thoughts and feelings. Thank you.
Peter

Comment is about TREES IN WINTER (blog)

Original item by Peter Taylor

Huge thanks to each of you, Frances, Kate and Martin for your valuable thoughts and consideration. Looks like we all enjoyed this one.
Peter

Comment is about LOST CONNECTIONS (blog)

Original item by Peter Taylor

I am indebted to you all, Douglas, Ray, Mr Newberrry, Frances and David, for the time and attention you have paid to this little backwater of children's fun and the hoops for their parents to jump through.
Peter

Comment is about Seaside Thoughts (blog)

Original item by Peter Taylor

Very many thanks, Lisa and Ray,for your generous comments. They make it all more than worthwhile. I will write to you again!
Peter

Comment is about UNDERFOOT (blog)

Original item by Peter Taylor

Hi Keith
Fascinating stuff. I find myself re-reading this several times.Very well expressed and conveyed.

Jon

Comment is about Absent (blog)

Original item by keith jeffries

Hi Ray
Lovely Poem

Comment is about HAWK WIND (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Hi MC
Great sense of rhythm and a fascinating insight. Loved it.
Well done

Jon

Comment is about The Write Out Loud Poem of the Week is 'The Racing Stable' by M.C Newberry (article)

Original item by Stuart Buck

Thank you Hazel, Brian (probably hi viz of some sort!). I used to do cycle touring too. Great way of life. Phil, thanks for being with me in spirit! . Kate, An interesting interpretation. Of course I was giving the bird an intention and that leads us on . Thanks.

Cheers all for the likes too: David, Jon, Anya Heart of Lead and Dorothy.

Ray

Comment is about HAWK WIND (blog)

Original item by ray pool

John sorry I may have confused the point slightly.
Having advance notice
of the German's intent the British could have supplied the Danes with the information, and the willingness to assist. "Neutrals" are often sourced for resources viz a viz Poland, Austria, Czechoslovakia. Providing Danes (now
allies) with some assistance would re-enforce the threat the Natzis posed. GB could then have an easier target.
The Danes may have wanted "neutrality" but events would have proven otherwise.

Tommy

Comment is about NOT THEIR FINEST HOUR (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Hugh - you're certainly on the nail with your comment. In dealing with
violent crime, it is a matter of fact that when the razor gangs were
terrorising Glasgow back in the day, the chief constable, Percy Sillitoe, declared war on them by forming special hard=hitting squads
for pro-active measures and would, himself, appear in the courts
as a powerful and personal "sign" that he backed his men and the
methods to the hilt. Courts got the message and so did the
miscreants being targeted. Maybe something of the sort is needed
now - but with a political mindset failing to handle finances properly
and busy "holding the police to account" to satisfy the whiners
and agenda-benders in our midst, it seems very unlikely. And, of
course, it is the protection of the public that is being so signally
neglected!

Comment is about A knife changing experience (blog)

Original item by hugh

I thought the content chimed with much of my own thinking on the
subject - especially the decision - for whatever reason (unstated)
not to be present at a funeral of this kind. I'm assuredly ahead
of most of WOL participants in the "Age Related Stakes Race" - &
may even win ? so I can speak of family funerals and my own
(pre-paid - with modest requirements...now under active revision
having read the above) with some acquaintance/knowledge.
Minimum fuss now seems to appeal most of all - who needs the
legions of mourners with their own various even questionable
reasons for turning up? Having said that, I rather like the idea
of my earthly remains being placed in burning boat and pushed off
- to vanish in a flaming farewell. But another voice says: keep
it sensible, burn with minimal fuss and be tipped into the family
plot that already exists overlooking a beautiful Devon bay.

Comment is about Absent (blog)

Original item by keith jeffries

War is indeed a dirty business, MC. And you’re right when you say that it sometimes takes dirty tricks. In this case it was a case of British expansionism meets French expansionism. In any event we owed them for Lindisfarne 1000 years earlier.
I’m sure your strategic military thinking would have come in handy in the day, Tommy. The small flaw in the plan was that Denmark was neutral and would not countenance a surprise attack on the French fleet, not least because the French were expected to arrive by land. So sometimes you have to get your hands dirty.

Comment is about NOT THEIR FINEST HOUR (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

British foolery- they could have pre warned the intentions of France and the Danes (with some help) could spring a surprise attack upon the unweary French Fleet- meanwhile the main British fleet would have easier access to French shores. But then The "Charge of the Lightbrigade" comes to mind as does Dunkirk and the "Dam buster" event etal.

Tommy

Comment is about NOT THEIR FINEST HOUR (blog)

Original item by John Coopey