Nice write up and a worthy subject for the night. However, I'm not sure if the murder was merely caused by Sophie's 'appearance'. There were undertones of class envy, too. Ryan Herbert and his cohorts were all underclass no-hopers simmering with inarticulate rage at Robert and Sophie for being what they could never be: attractive, intelligent and articulate.

Just my ten cents.

Comment is about The Killing of Sophie Lancaster: a tragedy that continues to haunt (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Stimulating stuff that is more about seeking a response
perhaps?
I confess to relishing my bed, gaining a lot of mental
exercise and inspiration lying within the warmth and
comfort of my duvet, ready to transfer the results to
paper and cyberspace. As for TV - a marvellous medium
for being informed about - and taken out in - the world
around us. The world at large has never had so much so
readily available for eager and inquisitive eyes and minds.
We can be "dead" when we shut those to exclude the
opportunities we are given in life.

Comment is about We Are The Dead (blog)

Original item by Ian Whiteley

Who me? Are you talking to me?

Comment is about now see what you've done? (blog)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

whats clever about this is, with the title, you could remove lines 2 4 and 6 or lines 1 3 5 and 7 and still comprehend the idea. also, have you been spying on me? i have these 'arguments' every night with the wife. im very much an odd liner.

Comment is about The Argument (blog)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Ah those were the days of innocence and hope -usually followed by a dodgy transit journey to hell! Your brother is right about the Marshall - usually it was a 4X10
for guitar heaven. Much too boomy for bass. I am old enough to have a similar experience with skiffle (fifties period) with a broomstick and string for bass. Will that be believed by 'im indoors? Lonnie Donnegan was the chief exponent. You're much too young to remember him. Good luck obviously pursued him!! regards Ray

Comment is about Band Wagon (blog)

Thanks Stu and refreshing to have hit a button in a thought and be noticed for it. It's not what you are aware of sometimes but the unexplored that has the most influence, I believe(there,s that word!)

I still have to check out your link but have been in light use of the internet for two days as it winds me up too much!! My latest thought along those lines is: people watching a TV screen which advertises mobile phones (another type of screen) like an ever reflecting world self sealing in a sense. (Wot?!) regards. Ray

Comment is about CAGES (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Hi, Steve,

Thanks for your comment about the content, the 'aha' moment. I think the words of a haiku should flash outwardly and inwardly, like a diamond well-cut.

I know 'English' haiku has a broad brush with syllables these days, but I still enjoy the pleasure of 5/7/5, even aware that it does not equate Japanese syllabification.

Please sort me out between haiku and senryu, if you don't mind.

Comment is about In the stillness of (blog)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

A Slave to Love

A whore to his bidding
She was in his world.

When the night went cold
She still had his love.

When he wanted her back
Heartache could stop but return.

Comment is about Benediction (blog)

Original item by Katy Megan

Very nice, you sir are a poet, now go out and show it..... Sorry!.

Comment is about Be as water flows (blog)

Original item by Eric Berard

Hahaha, in my notepad on my computer I usually use the first line as the titles, but I feel weird about actually titling them like that :P

Comment is about Giving light to those who need a brighter day. (blog)

Original item by Eric Berard

Hi Ray

You may say and thanks for reading and commenting. This curio is based on my childhood memory of my brother's band rehearsing in by bedroom (approx me 8, they eighteen), which had the most floor space for the job. There was a full band set up, full drum kit, guitars, amps, mics, lots of bloody wires etc... It's a wonder we weren't killed by the makeshift lighting (made by my other brother who was subsequently asked to provide lighting with his 'live' coffee cans for other bands). To appease me, I was given a tambourine and asked to join in and play to the beat. Also, within the poem is the later torment of the rock and roll lifestyle combined with the 'very nearly signed' to the 'no we are not'. Must have to say that he did tour Europe and played with a band that now has a bit of a cult following and has some great stories to tell. Ray, he did also comment, when I showed him this poem, this afternoon, that in his opinion, a Marshall amp is not best suited to bass and he offered a slight smile at the last two lines!

Lynn

Comment is about Band Wagon (blog)

Thanks Colin. I will not tell - cross and hope to die!

Comment is about Band Wagon (blog)

Once you accept these bars

you barely notice them

this is such a powerful line.

Comment is about CAGES (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Propinquity towards death shelters virgin chest panic
And then
Panic Panic Hum A Tune.
Chaos, shit and drums
I could go on!

Oh My

Brilliant Discharge Stu

Comment is about discharge (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

Thanks for checking in on our profile. We write on our own, and will eventually post more frequently

Comment is about Listen (blog)

Original item by mindful.duo

Hi Ian, back again for further comment . The poem you wrote certainly engendered a lot of discussion. You have pointed out a very good point about singer songwriters getting paid but not a poet. This is obviously a right liberty. I am a muso but choose not to sing - as I find the average offering full of bile and remorse and self pity and all the negatives of life. Why pay to hear that? I find also a lot of poetry hard to listen to back to back in open mike because of distractions - soda siphons, etc.
If there is money to be made, yes hand it out. Personally I don't expect to make money but that's not an opinion that's a fact. Cheers for now!!

Comment is about Ian Whiteley (poet profile)

Original item by Ian Whiteley

Excellent -- you are a Modern Metaphysical!

Comment is about We Are The Dead (blog)

Original item by Ian Whiteley

Thanks to everyone for their kind and supportive comments - I've replied to all the points (I hope) direct to you all - but, in summary, my main thrust is
PAY THE BLOODY POETS :-)
cheers
Ian

Comment is about Don't Pay The Poets (blog)

Original item by Ian Whiteley

thanks for your, as usual, insightful comments on 'Don't Pay The Poets' MC - I think you're pretty close to the mark in what you say - and as I perform on pretty much the same circuit as Laura - let me tell you, it is prevalent to pay musicians, but not poets, even on the same bill. So these are cases where you've paid your dues, done the open mics and someone wants to put you on and present your words. Showing my hand here, but I never turn the gigs down - but the more it's given for free the more it's expected. Still, it is REALLY nice when you do get paid and certainly gives a lift to your self esteem
cheers
Ian

Comment is about M.C. Newberry (poet profile)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

thanks for your kind and insightful comments on 'Don't Pay The Poets' Ray - very interesting points you make - and I would never expect a poet to be paid for an open mic spot - because, generally, they are performances with/between peers - so all equal. Where the problem lies is in landlords and promoters putting events on where some of the performers get paid - but rarely the poet - even though they put just as much into the performance. As an example - if I use the same words and put a guitar around my neck, I'm likely to get paid. If I just use the words it's, somehow, different. An interesting topic, really enjoyed reading yours (and everyone's) take on it
cheers
Ian

Comment is about ray pool (poet profile)

Original item by ray pool

thanks for your kind and insightful comments on 'Don't Pay The Poets' John - my comments weren't directed at Open Micers - more so at Landlords and Promoters who throw poets onto a bill with other acts and pay everyone BUT the poets because, as Laura comments, they don't hold the same 'value' even thought hey are entertaining just the same. I get quite a few odd payments here and there and it's always nice to be recognised as 'valuable'. None of us do it for the money - but put a guitar around my neck and let me use the same words and - hey presto - the money appears.
On another note - I was hoping to be at Sale this mon th to see Gerry.P - unfortunately Steve Earle decided to play Manchester on the same night - but I'll be back (that's not a threat)
Ian

Comment is about John Darwin (poet profile)

Original item by John Darwin

I LOL at your succinct comment on 'Don't Pay The Poets' Cynthia - so much else being written but you nailed it in one :-) hope you are keeping well
Ian

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

thanks for the kind comments on 'Don't Pay the Poets' Laura - of course I knew you'd 'get it', particularly after our chat ;-). That being said, I've been paid a couple of times recently - so maybe there's a light at the end of the metaphor
Ian

Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)

Original item by Laura Taylor

thanks for your kind comments on 'Don't Pay The Poets' Anna - I'm so pleased you liked it
Ian

Comment is about Anna Ghislena (poet profile)

Original item by Anna Ghislena

your comment on 'Don't Pay The Poets' - succinct as always John

Comment is about John Coopey (poet profile)

Original item by John Coopey

What lissom poems! So visual and with tightly apposite metaphors and similes. Sumptuous! I hate picking bits out of poems when the poems are a fine and muscular unit, but I keep seeing the bullets returning to guns like faithful dogs -- and Richard Dawkins weeping into his teacup; yes, he'd have a teacup and not a grotty mug that had gained a slew of tree-ring tannin stains. Hooray!

Comment is about Stuart Buck (poet profile)

Original item by Stuart Buck

Thanks for looking in Cynthia, best wishes from the 'warrior''!

Comment is about Warrior of Words (blog)

Original item by Steve Higgins

Hi Cynthia, thanks for reading and your lovely comment on Bowl, much appreciated x

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Hi Michelle, thanks so much for your beautiful comments, I'm so glad that you enjoy my stuff, it really does mean a lot xx

Comment is about Michelle (poet profile)

Original item by Michelle

hi ray. his written stuff is certainly open to debate, but the videos he posts are oddly affecting. i have only recently heard of him (i saw a performer read one of his pieces last week) and he seems to be very much an 'anti-poet', but like art, poetry should illicit a response and his stuff definitely does. its harsh and certainly not true poetry, but i have to say i like it.

if you can stomach it, watch this video in full and tell me what you think. i'd be genuinely interested to know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bR6uOsDn-Q

its certainly worth persevering with. the first minute or so is mostly unintelligible blabbering, but by the end, like i said before, its oddly affecting.

even if you hate him, were both talking about him. i wonder who is talking about us?

Comment is about ray pool (poet profile)

Original item by ray pool

Thanks Stu - really you've explained it perfectly, and I think it works really well . I think its always nice to set the record straight with understanding; its sometimes hard to get a clear message across without prior explanation. We must always persevere in any case !!

Comment is about needle flight blindness (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

No problem Cynthia and taken in good grace . The internet has its limitations and frustrations and inconsistencies abound. All the best to you - over and out!

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Hi Stu. I just checked out Steve Roggenbuck. It is certainly relevant to my disillusionment , but I don't think I can win any argument where this website is concerned. as I feel myself to be in the slipstream of a revolution that pisses on accepted form, only to be preached in the odd comformist classroom. But thanks anyway. I am oddly confused even more with this guy - is it good or is it crap? I don't think it matters - what counts is the presence - If there is pornography in the spoken word this must surely be it.
I risk your opinion being contrary to mine. Your response might just be my last line of defence. Cheers. Ray

Comment is about Stuart Buck (poet profile)

Original item by Stuart Buck

lol Lynn - I sneak in and change mine all the time, don't tell!

Comment is about Band Wagon (blog)

a nice curio of a poem, Lynn if I may say. Well laid out and an interesting variation on a sort of makeshift entertainment. Anything goes but a serious bit of a kit is the Marshall, I know that much!

Comment is about Band Wagon (blog)

If anyone watched me sneek in and change this, don't tell!

Comment is about Band Wagon (blog)

A strong and honest work about a very convoluted situation. Perhaps it would be wiser to pose a question about a motivation that defies humanitarian understanding, rather than a conclusion. You would certainly be aware of that. And you would still have made your point very effectively.

Comment is about This is a Holy Death (blog)

Original item by David R Mellor

Hi Cynthia

Thank you for reading and commenting but I have decided not to change the poem. I have my own rule that once I blog I do not go back and edit. In this case, I think it also shows that either;

It opens up the piece to be read in a different way and I am now looking at it differently, or

It is ok to make mistakes

Lynn

Comment is about Needle & Thread (blog)

Hi David

Thanks for reading and commenting. Much appreciated. x

Comment is about Needle & Thread (blog)

Very interesting. For me, the layout is perhaps a bit too prosy, but the ideas are very worthy of consideration.

Comment is about Eat it (blog)

Original item by Corr Lens

I love Hilaire Belloc too. What is more life-affirming than a great afternoon of scribbling, especially after reading lines and ideas that trigger off your own writing juices? A double pleasure whammy.

Comment is about Nonsense Rhymes (Two) (blog)

Original item by Dorinda MacDowell

This is fab, a remake of a much-discussed theme with your own fresh 'twist' that makes it a 'new idea' always. I've really enjoyed this, the conversational slant of it that draws people in with humour as well as honest intellect.

Comment is about Warrior of Words (blog)

Original item by Steve Higgins

Lynn, this is so good, so effective, do go back and fix 'sewn', not 'sown' which means 'to scatter seeds'. Probably a simple typo.

Comment is about Needle & Thread (blog)

I think you've succeeded really well, as Lynn says. IMO, it's a spill of words which have various connections according to the experience of the reader. And the final three lines speak clearly.

Comment is about needle flight blindness (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

This is a clever little piece, working on so many daily, glib 'expressions' that we use so often. Keep writing. And 74 is anything but old!

Comment is about Time (blog)

Original item by Anita Connor

hello ray. it was a response to lynn's work 'needle and thread' about unraveling. in this case, i was channeling the poetic spirit of a heroin addicts last words. the first three verses are just symbolic of the clamour of modern life and the sexualisation of culture. i suppose its how i feel a lot of the time re: modern technology and the way technology supersedes evolution nowadays. the last lines 'needle flight blindness' are the three stages of the addiction i suppose. the needle, the flight (ecstasy) and the blindness (to life). obscure i suppose and i cant help thinking if people cant pick up on it maybe its not a very good poem! thanks for your honesty, i hope ive explained a bit!

Comment is about needle flight blindness (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

Oh, Ray, I woke up this morning and the connection jumped right into my head, although I couldn't remember which source it was and the full scope of its resulting comments. Yesterday I went back through your works to try to find the link, for I was sure there was one. I realize you didn't think 'No' was funny. I apologize; I meant no offence. Sometimes casual flippancy really backfires, and I do know better. Honestly sorry.

Comment is about ray pool (poet profile)

Original item by ray pool

I respect your work a lot as you know - so can you give me an idea what the thrust of this one is? At the moment I havn't got a clue, sorry! regards, Ray

Comment is about needle flight blindness (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

Thanks for your comment huw. There are lots of thoughts I have about time and how it cheats and plays games. I guess they arise from my being 74 and my daughter passing when she was 38 when time caught her unawares. I've struggled to write since she went 16yrs ago. Maybe this is a beginning.....

Anita

Comment is about Time (blog)

Original item by Anita Connor

I like this. To me it speaks of a feeling of 'complacency' (expected to be temporary) in a 'lucky' position where 'real life' is all struggle somewhere else. But does only struggling count as real life?

Comment is about Eric Berard (poet profile)

Original item by Eric Berard