I really liked this poem Adam - the image of the willow bending over the pond is one that could be played with in many ways. It and the whole poem also made me think of the waterfall I walked behind at the weekend - Sgwd yr Eira in the Brecon Beacons. Thanks for posting. Col.

Comment is about Through The Willow Curtain (blog)

Original item by Adam Whitworth

Thank you Aly and congratulations on yours last week

Comment is about ‘The Voice of the Commons’ by Janey Colbourne is our Poem of the Week (article)

Original item by steve pottinger

When Mrs M goes shopping
Brian tags behind
He's just learned to accept this
Part of his daily grind

He is really locked in
'Cause they are truly wed
All the many pats 'good boy'
Explain bare patch on head ?

Comment is about The Hunt (blog)

Original item by d.knape

Hi Rachel, I don't wish to come across as creepy, but your bio and writing tells me you're someone I'd really love to get to know. Factory farming really bothers me, and many others too, but I'm often curious at the passionate dislike of "animal activists", as if advocating for the welfare of animals that we eat is somehow anarchic. I thought you might enjoy this....

https://www.ted.com/talks/will_macaskill_how_can_we_do_the_most_good_for_the_world/transcript

Comment is about upon pondering some of the various conditions which might be judged as normal (blog)

Original item by nunya

Watch out for that flock of words
flying across the page-
they may leave something behind
you will have to clean up later.

wink.

Comment is about Hazel ettridge (poet profile)

Original item by Hazel ettridge

I see you are interested in International Relations.
so am I. Does she have a 1-800 number?

Comment is about keith jeffries (poet profile)

Original item by keith jeffries

"I'm going to take back what is mine."

Take your time, do it right, that's the art of it...

Rachel

Comment is about Progress (blog)

Original item by Aly

Congratulations! Well-deserved! ❤️

Comment is about ‘The Voice of the Commons’ by Janey Colbourne is our Poem of the Week (article)

Original item by steve pottinger

Gotcha Sal, but neither the problems nor the answers matter while there are jobs to be had and money to be spent--god bless capitalism.

PS

I realize you probably don't know me well enough to qualify my response as sarcasm, so I'll tell you plainly now, I've meted a heavy dose of it (sarcasm).

Thanks, Sal.

Comment is about upon pondering some of the various conditions which might be judged as normal (blog)

Original item by nunya

I live near a mushroom farm, and the stench is unbearable within 5-10 miles of any direction of the damn place.

Battery hen conditions, all the cow and pig manure contributing to carbon dioxide levels off the charts, and every other modern day imperative required to meet mass production are all now seen as 'normal'. No one even bothers looking at what should be normal, as they already think they have the answers.

Another excellent piece of writing.?

Comment is about upon pondering some of the various conditions which might be judged as normal (blog)

Original item by nunya

Well thanks David, I respect you with your broad mind and ability to get things in perspective as well as allowing my own. It always is good to have true insight into life however unpleasant that may be. Simplicity of aim can be good, but often leads to a blind resolve.


HI Mark, I think you have covered most aspects of a very complex and seemingly insoluble issue. Without some kind of deal there would have been endless chaos I suppose. I am not a historian in any sense, so I just say thanks for the story, obviously very close to you . At least I have triggered a deal of comment!

Thanks for coming on board Anya and Col.


Ray

Comment is about THE DISAPPEARED (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Hi Keith, I have a vested interest in your poem as I am 74, and whilst I am self employed that mainly now means unemployed. However, urges to keep going remain, and I for one agree with your earlier findings about vegetation.
If you have slipped into the slipper mentality so be it. but the main thing is to live a fruitful life, which doesn't just come to us, it has be practised for and then jealously guarded.
When retirement came it was often a death knell for those with a lifelong job, but let us carry on while we may.
Keep that oxygen coming in .

Here endeth …….

Ray

Comment is about The Mundane Challenged (blog)

Original item by keith jeffries

The theme is certainly likely to produce strong feelings of
various origins. The history of that land is so convoluted
as to be almost incomprehensible to those beyond its shores
- from the days when Irish nobility invited the Normans
over ->and thereafter hangs the "English" connection and
all the succeeding years of who & what decided the future
of the country and what is meant to be "Irish".
My late father survived the original "Troubles" as a district
inspector in the RIC but his 1st cousin with whom he was
close was a military lawyer who was among the victims of
the 1920 Bloody Sunday shootings of British personnel by
Michael Collins "Squad" at breakfast time on Sunday 21st
November of that year. The venue still stands as a small
hotel in Dublin. Succeeding generations have sadly
witnessed and been victims of the rending of social and
religious fabrics whilst the criminal element have seized
the guise afforded them by the aims and deeds of those
promoting religious or political ascendancy. And, of
course, there will always be the mercenary factor...those
willing to serve and be paid by the cause they favour for
whatever reason. The past, if it to teach anything, should
show us that nothing is simple or defined in such a
context and it is a tragedy that the innocent are often
victims of circumstances and events beyond their own
control or influence.

Comment is about THE DISAPPEARED (blog)

Original item by ray pool

You've described me to 't' Knapey.

Comment is about The Hunt (blog)

Original item by d.knape

Keith there's always someone older than you. I know.

Comment is about The Mundane Challenged (blog)

Original item by keith jeffries

It's going very wrong, MC.

Comment is about "BREXIT MEANS BREXIT" (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

The usual Hugh standard of fun drily spun!
.......................
Witnessing the bus driver in a animal rage
The passengers wondered who belonged in a cage?

Comment is about The moody bus driver (blog)

Original item by hugh

I recall younger days when I happily entered the cinema,
but I grew wise enough to realise that we were being
spun a yarn and the real world of opportunity and chance always lay beyond those dimly lit doors marked "Exit".

Comment is about "BREXIT MEANS BREXIT" (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Loved the way it is painted. The title instigated curiosity. ?

Comment is about Through The Willow Curtain (blog)

Original item by Adam Whitworth

I like the lines, ¨she brings me along for logistical support ¨.
Men have a very different approach when it comes to retail therapy. I know what I want before I set off. I go straight to the shop, buy the item and then beat a hasty retreat. Good poem.
Thanks
Keith

Comment is about The Hunt (blog)

Original item by d.knape

with your last name
you have used up
all the letters in the alphabet
not fair
now how will I write a poem?

Comment is about Larisa Rzhepishevska (poet profile)

Original item by Larisa Rzhepishevska

Ha, ha, Brian.

Comment is about "BREXIT MEANS BREXIT" (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Well done John...you can be our cheerleader!

Comment is about "BREXIT MEANS BREXIT" (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Hits very close to home for many. Excellent way to pour emotion into a vivid, descriptive piece. Hope you're in a better place now.?

Comment is about To the Man I Once Called Daddy (blog)

Original item by invisible

Thanks for your like on In Darkness Lurks - - -

Loved the last three lines on your poem
Just a teenager!

Comment is about Melissa Wiens (poet profile)

Original item by Melissa Wiens

Thank you Kate - appreciated.

Hi David. I must admit I had serious reservations of putting this out, as my knowledge of the subject and the vast network involved is zilch, and so I do deserve to have it examined, and in consequence cannot really defend the detail. I respect your personal experience gives you much more authority than most would understand, or perhaps wish to. There is always bias involved when defaulting to such themes, whether from an emotional basis or from vested interest. You are right when you say there is a romanticism in the hearts of the Irish mentality, and I think that may set the stamp on how some view it; in this case myself included.

I'm rather sorry to have strayed over the line, but I am glad you give it some plaudits on a poetic basis, thanks. Regarding the crime element, I know bank raids were organised for fundraising. I did a tour of Ireland in 1994, and saw very little apart from flags and manned posts etc. (And to Bushmills !).

The clip you attached is a sorry tale,reminding me of the police shooting of the wrong guy on the underground.

Thank you for your time reading and honest appraisal, mate.

Ray

Comment is about THE DISAPPEARED (blog)

Original item by ray pool

a very neat Shakesperianesque piece Adam.







Rose ?

Comment is about First Light Echoes (blog)

Original item by Adam Whitworth

In my estimation Martin, there is no better place to visit than the Isle of Anglesey.

In fact, I'll be there in the very near future. My fave part of the Island is Newborough Forest leading down the beach to where I'll be doing a spot of beachcombing

thank's for wonderfully wetting my travelling appetite!



Rose ?

Comment is about out there (blog)

Original item by Martin Elder

Thanks Hugh for the rhyming feedback as always!

Comment is about hugh (poet profile)

Original item by hugh

super poem Martin - I have lots of photos taken on local beaches and you have described many of them here. Better to be out there than in here - wherever that might be! Col.

Comment is about out there (blog)

Original item by Martin Elder

Thank you for your kind comments and feedback!

Comment is about ‘The Voice of the Commons’ by Janey Colbourne is our Poem of the Week (article)

Original item by steve pottinger

Big Sal, David and Kate thank you for your comments and kind words.

Jon

Comment is about Dumped on the street (blog)

Original item by Jon Stainsby

This left me feeling so sad Jon - like the witness to a life erased. Lucky we are not the sum of our posessions, so long as we have people who remember our stories. Thanks for penning this one.

Comment is about Dumped on the street (blog)

Original item by Jon Stainsby

Truer words never spoken. ?

Comment is about Is It Hot Enough For You (blog)

Original item by d.knape

Love this Robert. It gives a new perspective on the way we often crave an ideal that doesn't always fit.

Comment is about The happiness of others (blog)

Original item by Robert C Gaulke

Beautiful poem Martin, I can feel the sand ridges under my feet. Thanks for taking me there.

Comment is about out there (blog)

Original item by Martin Elder

Hi Ray, this story is one that sticks with you. So many lives lost, and hearts broken. A poignant reminder of those who suffered.

Comment is about THE DISAPPEARED (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Yes, Brian, my plate needs to go on a diet too. Thanks for the advice Rose, but how did you know about the bacon butty?? And as for you John, I don't have such need as that. Thanks guys.

Comment is about Overweight (blog)

Original item by Trevor Alexander

I think the better the rhyme - the more powerful the emotion conveyed. Great summation Becky. Writing rhymes is definitely the way to go, as it requires a bit more thought than simply thinking of poetic quality words. I will watch the video in a bit.?

Comment is about Writing in Rhyme (blog)

Original item by Becky Who

Thanks!

Comment is about The happiness of others (blog)

Original item by Robert C Gaulke

I like the rhythm rhyme and flow in this poem....... But some real powerful imagery....... Like the repetition of eyes shut yet seeing......

My fave line is the powerful metaphorical personification here which is really powerful
"nightmares given a tongue""
.
ove this line too....
"" only murmurs to drown""

Comment is about sleepless nights (blog)

Original item by racha

Definitely a great theme for one of the relationships in a t.v. soap.

Comment is about Love that was washed away (blog)

Original item by Becky Who

The thing I hate is when a poem comes at the most inopportune time. Usually when I haven't got something to scribble on or I am driving .
Nice poem

Comment is about Is It Hot Enough For You (blog)

Original item by d.knape

A sense of frustration at the seeming helplessness which engulfs us. It seems strange to think Macmillan said: "you've never had it so good." Perhaps things were more egalitarian then but that's a big question and one for more focussed minds than mine. The poem ends optimistically and poses that big question.
A deserved poem for POTW, congratulations Janey.

Ray

Comment is about ‘The Voice of the Commons’ by Janey Colbourne is our Poem of the Week (article)

Original item by steve pottinger

I always look forward to reading your work Robert and this piece doesn't let you down in any way.

Nice one

Comment is about The happiness of others (blog)

Original item by Robert C Gaulke

That reads and sounds to be like a sonnet. very eloquently written. Love it

Comment is about First Light Echoes (blog)

Original item by Adam Whitworth

Sounds like the words to a song that you may have written here John. But you are right about the state of somebody's heart that says so much about them.

Nice one

Comment is about The Wilderness of the human heart (blog)

Original item by John E Marks

Excellent scene setting and sense of poignancy and it seems a tale of lost love. A nice sense of lingering, bittersweet . Lovely poem Martin.

Ray

Comment is about out there (blog)

Original item by Martin Elder

Fabulous performance Becky. I know what you mean about trying to rhyme it seems to slip into my poems most of the time whether I like it or not.I think you have summed it all up. Its not about whether it rhymes or not it is indeed about keeping it real

beautiful poem

Nice one

Comment is about Writing in Rhyme (blog)

Original item by Becky Who

A brilliant performance by Becky Who,
Transmitting rhyming techniques for us to do.
Up there on stage you definitely did shine,
Capturing our attention with every single line.
Well done.

Comment is about Writing in Rhyme (blog)

Original item by Becky Who