Laura, just noticed your profile total. Are you having a party for your 30,000?

Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)

Original item by Laura Taylor

Oh no! another one for the thought police.
Perhaps he didn't disguise it well enough. Without spilling too many worms out of the can, I for one (and there must be many of us) can still muster up enough strength to notice a finely turned heel and fly off into fantasy land wishing I were forty years younger. Isn't that healthy?

Comment is about Craig Raine hits back at 'Gatwick' critics (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

f*****g brilliant response as they say in our house. Cheers Laura x

Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)

Original item by Laura Taylor

Hi Martin-love this! the title brings to mind the recent loss of B.B King.

Now there WAS a hoochie-coochie man!

Thank you.

Rose.x

Comment is about Hoochie Coochie man (blog)

Original item by Martin Elder

You've done it again Tommy lad - written a poem that is so evocative it aches; I can feel it, smell it, it is poetically dense. Just the fact of 'stolen sheets' is pregnant with potential interpretations. That first line is just killer. How to open a poem!

The clinical white plastic bucket contrasting with the physical remains of passion - just...wow!

Fucking brilliant, as they say in our house ;)

Comment is about On stolen sheets (blog)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

I didn't like the poem much although it had nothing to do with the subject matter.
As for its "pervy" aspect, would it be permissible for a 25 year old to have these thoughts? I might have slowed down a bit now I'm in my 60.s but I'm not celibate. Aren't we being a touch ageist?

Comment is about Craig Raine hits back at 'Gatwick' critics (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Wonderful little poem. Loving the metaphor and the message. However, one tiny niggle for me - can you get 'thin' bricks? Aren't all bricks, by their construction, thick? I would be tempted to change that. Perhaps something along the lines of 'scorched', or something else to add to (build on, if you will!) the metaphor?

Comment is about Judgements (blog)

Hiya Helen

Many thanks for your note on my 'medley' :D Haha - eh, it's taken 5 years to get to that point! You should have seen me for the first two years - a quivering nauseous wreck haha ;)

I've only done one gig down south so far and that was at a festie. It's a bit far to travel really and I'm not famous enough to get paid top (or even middle, sometimes bottom) dollar for performing ;) And I'm deffo not organised enough to sort out my own mini tour like a mate of mine just has. But anytime you're up North, gis a shout lass :)

Comment is about Helen (poet profile)

Original item by Helen

From what I can gather the criticism of Raine's poem had two strands. One was that it was that its subject was sexist and perhaps a bit creepy. The other was that it was thought to be an utterly rubbish piece of writing and was only published where it was because of the name attached to it. Some people didn't like it for both these reasons. So perhaps Sophie Hannah is missing one aspect of the criticism- namely that your name can get what is, in some peoples opinion, dreadful work published in esteemed magazines.

Comment is about Craig Raine hits back at 'Gatwick' critics (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Thank you

Comment is about DREAMS OF A LIFE (blog)

Original item by THE PEN AND THE PAGE

fantastic poem, well written with pure depth Tommy, could imagine it read with a bit of jazz in the background :) beautiful!

Comment is about On stolen sheets (blog)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

The heart of Stockport has to be the River Mersey it is where the birth of how Stockport came to be a trading place at the crossing in which a bridge dating back to 1937 has now been brought back to life.

Comment is about Stitching together text and textiles at Write Out Loud Stockport tonight (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Your shadow has and is most welcome.

Comment is about Katy Megan (poet profile)

Original item by Katy Megan

Ha that was an education Laura!!! Now I know I could never be a performance poet but my god I'd love to come and see you some day. Do you ever gig down south???

Comment is about Performance Medley (blog)

Original item by Laura Taylor

Yes indeed, MC.
... And Chaucer's "Wife of Bath" needs banning!

Comment is about "How Much Is It To Oldham?" (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

The protection of children must be paramount in any
society that aspires to civilised behaviour. The law
saw a child as someone under 14 - thereafter he/she
became a "young person" until reaching the age of adulthood allowed by law. It is this time of life that can
become most difficult to negotiate for its demands on
burgeoning sexuality and the desire to experiment with
"attraction". The passing years have seen a lowering
of the age of consent in this context, no doubt to
prevent social finger-pointing or ostracism and to
recognise the effects of lifestyle/diet on the onset of puberty with each generation.
As for the inappropriate behaviour we are so ready to
to see in the recent past, I say without a blush
that I find the silly antics of Benny Hill and his gang
are still able to get me chuckling. Come on...it was all
too pantomime-ish to be taken seriously...something
only a committed "ist" of whatever origin could take
offence at. But then we have to recall the likes
of Mary Whitehouse to remember that there are
those out there just waiting to be "offended".
I can see the day when an ethnic English protestant
with a vulgar sense of humor will be beyond the pale
in his/her own land! And I wonder just what a
certain Will Shakespeare would make of it all.

Comment is about "How Much Is It To Oldham?" (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Thanks for the comment, JC.
There is a sad irony in the fact that although Brian Carter
had spent much of his life stretching his legs around the
wilder places that countryside can offer, he suffered from
heart problems in his later life and apparently this saw him
taken to hospital prior to his death. Some years ago, I
nominated him for an honour (Birthday/New Year) due to
his varied contributions to nature and the arts but this
was not successful. But then he might never have fitted in with "Buggins' Turn" or the values we place on the
achievements of today's glitzy commercialised world.

Comment is about FAREWELL BRIAN CARTER (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

I think I might feel that way about Tony Blair, even if I
don't have a house to provide the venue!

Comment is about If Cameron came to my house- post election update (blog)

Original item by dazzer

cheers chuck! xx

Comment is about Clarity (blog)

Concentrated and committed in its portrayal of a life
lived with the trials of illness and age - in which a bed
can be a refuge from both, allowing the mind once again
to live and roam free.

Comment is about DREAMS OF A LIFE (blog)

Original item by THE PEN AND THE PAGE

This is good Natalie. Nice imagery, nice tight rhyme scheme. One point; as there is some punctuation, i think you could get away with a semi colon at the end of the second line.

Comment is about Judgements (blog)

Nice one Nat. These are lines that you could revisit and play around with again and again. x

Comment is about Judgements (blog)

Thank you Mr Black :) I'm sure I'll be able to find a use for more power ;)

Comment is about Performance Medley (blog)

Original item by Laura Taylor

I remember the original. Great update! The rhythm in this is excellent, good to see obvious performance material on here.

Comment is about If Cameron came to my house- post election update (blog)

Original item by dazzer

please send me the 'how to do this' instructions Patricia!


Stunning piece !

Rose.x

Comment is about Clarity (blog)

Bravo! A good and funny take on "stuff"

Comment is about If Cameron came to my house- post election update (blog)

Original item by dazzer

I Didn't mean to seem huffy Cynthia, I realise context is key, and often lacking.

It doesn't sound daft Harry; I like the way you test a poem, as though it needs to be able to stand on it's own two feet (or however many feet it happens to have).

Thank you both.

Comment is about TITLE. (blog)

Absolutely agree - city centre horticultural haven!

Comment is about Ruthie Adamson (poet profile)

Original item by Ruthie Adamson

Yes the Bluecoat. The rear garden quite lovely in this weather.

Comment is about Ruthie Adamson (poet profile)

Original item by Ruthie Adamson

as always M.C. your comments make food for thought.And yes it is so unfair to expect the police to carry the 'undeserved brickbats for perceived failure'
thanks for both comments.Our thanks to you also Cynthia and Rose.xx

Comment is about To serve and neglect (blog)

Nice epitaph, MC.
Just googled him and read the Herald Express report of his death.

Comment is about FAREWELL BRIAN CARTER (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

Hi Tommy. Thanks for the welcome. If you mean the Bluecoat volunteer Agnes then yes I know her, she's a lovely lady.

Comment is about Ruthie Adamson (poet profile)

Original item by Ruthie Adamson

Hi Ruthie, welcome. As an aside do you know Agnes? Tommy

Comment is about Ruthie Adamson (poet profile)

Original item by Ruthie Adamson

Hi Cynthia,

Thank you for your recent comments on my poems. I admire your work very much, in fact a line in one of your poems really inspired me to write a poem on a similar (or perhaps not so) subject.

I really appreciate your take on things.

Helen x

p.s. the poem in question was 'Six Fifteen on a Rainy Evening' something about the curve of a thigh ;)

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

points taken, my point writing this was to vent a considerable discomfort ive felt for years. i suppose the bottom line was i was naive enough, even at 18 to believe that stuff like this happened on tv and in lands far from home. the reality was that i'd been probably bee sheltered from this kind of thing as my life was pretty secure and comfortable.

i have no doubt that the miners would struggle given the green approach now, but as far as i know we imported coal for years.

once again cheers for the comments, im off to read some more and try to avoid bizarre conspiracy theories.

Comment is about Workers Unite (blog)

Original item by dazzer

As you probably guessed, MC, my own view is that anyone found guilty of child sex offences deserves all they get under the law. Inappropriateness is a bit greyer. And it was certainly tolerated and practised 40 years ago.
I watched recently a programme about inappropriate 70s TV programmes with suitable affronted commentary. I found it a cheap shot for TV to show titillating stuff which would be frowned upon nowadays. Not that I minded much; I think I'm old and ugly enough to enjoy smut.

Comment is about "How Much Is It To Oldham?" (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

There are substantial differences between cultures
over what constitutes a female of marriageable age,
perhaps due to the disparity in life-expectancy and
the need to bring offspring into the world during a life
span than allows maximum fertility and corresponding
child care.
As for investing previous eras with our own ideas of
morality, we need to be careful. This is something of a
two-edged sword where social values are concerned
and while we love to believe that "today" has a right
to proclaim its superiority over other ages in many
spheres, this can be unsafe ground from many
perspectives.
With regard to the old accusations against well-known
figures (with no shortage of money?), these need to be
investigated/tested with the utmost care and rigour.
The term "victim" is in danger of being debased in
today's world when it is resorted to at the drop of a
hat for all manner of reasons - with the likelihood of a "bandwagon" result lurking among the genuine
complainants who just seek justice for what was
done when they should have been protected by the
law and proper adult behaviour from those who had
their care in their charge.

Comment is about "How Much Is It To Oldham?" (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Interesting and noteworthy for its commitment to the
miner's cause. In retrospect, one wonders whether the
mines "as were" could have survived current obsessions
with clean air and the environmental changes that are
constantly in the news.
As for going down the pit - why would any man regret
being "freed" from such a life - and where was the
ballot to give a certain Arthur Scargill the authority to
act as he did?
As for Mrs Thatcher, she could have sought court
restraint against the miners' leaders for acting unlawfully but instead, politician that she was, she chose to use
the police as a very visible sign of her determination to
avoid the ignominious defeat suffered by Ted Heath.
Even the public at large - with memories of other union
muscle flexing in a loss-making motor industry as well as
3-day week power failures with the resort to candles
- became less than impressed with what they were
witnessing and enduring.
The times they were a'changing.

Comment is about Workers Unite (blog)

Original item by dazzer

Thanks for your comments on Teeny Tiny Heart and good catch on "stumble".
J. OtisPowell‽ (with interrobang)

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Thankyou Cynthia.
I rather expected a bit of a backlash to this.
As an example of your thoughts, I believe Jerry Lee Lewis married a 13 year old. A bit shocking until it's pointed out that it was perfectly legal in that state.

Comment is about "How Much Is It To Oldham?" (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

You are absolutely right. This is a very difficult scene to navigate. The debasement of children was/is never acceptable. But what constitutes a 'child' is still highly contentious between cultures. On an ever-widening global scale, we all have to be fully informed, and not presume to force particular mores on other cultures. Calling a girl of fifteen a child, a menstruating female, is a very recent development from the historical perspective. So who's got it wrong? Social times change faster than physical advancement of the human creature.

And what about the female attitude that thrived on being whistled at, courted being whistled at? Oh, it's a messy business, this whole thing. You are so right.

Comment is about "How Much Is It To Oldham?" (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

This has many clear ideas and expressive lines. Would you consider paring off some words that, IMO, your intent doesn't really need?

'delicate dawn', 'gentle misty breeze' are expressions very over-used, which doesn't make them wrong, but avoidable if possible.

Just keep writing, with a thesaurus at your elbow. Mine is dog-eared and scrungy with usage.

Isn't the photo upside-down? Never mind; it's very eye-catching.

I have a poem in French. Perhaps I'll post it and you can enjoy having a go at me.

Comment is about Stillness (blog)

Original item by Marie-Anne

I enjoyed this, winding my way through at casual, face value, like a free-for-all conversation with a friend. There was much to interest me upon many topics, and there were a lot of topics. The opening lines were very catching.

I did wonder about 'stubble', wondering if 'stumble' was intended, or is this is a word newly used and not yet in my experience.

Very impressive bio.

Comment is about Teeny Tiny Heart (blog)

Original item by J. Otis Powell‽ (with interrobang)

Certainly for myself. I don't know about other people - have to assume getting-up blues are similar with us all, regardless of clock time.

'the glooms of age' can be any age; a 14-year-old can sure have the 'glooms' big time; or a twenty-something etc.

Comment is about Morning Mantra (blog)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Laura, thank you for taking the time to read and comment on M-e-n-U. It is very much appreciated

Graham

Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)

Original item by Laura Taylor

i think with my preamble before i perform it the point comes over better. ie i was 18, i was from a working class family but i'd never seen this sort of thing before. it stuck with me.

(btw i didn't really think she was just wandering around yorkshire all troubled and worried)

it is more a potted description of what i saw on tv and read afterwards, meant for those who don't know or just forgot. i'm glad that you have all taken time to read it and comment, nothing worse that posting stuff up and getting no response.

what is encouraging is that my kids have read it and were shocked when i told them the fuller details, going away to read more and ask questions.

thanks again for your comments
dazzer

Comment is about Workers Unite (blog)

Original item by dazzer

Well yes John has a point, however, the usual way to approach a narrative/protest poem/song IS to generalise and romanticise a little, it's kind of traditional isn't it? You can't put every tiny detail into there, you have to make a point, and you've made yours very well with this.

Have you ever read GB84 by David Peace? If not, you should.

And I assume you know about the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign? I once wrote a poem to Thatcher the day after she died, and it was published in Citizen32 mag, on the anniversary of the strike, all proceeds to go to the campaign. I bloody LOVE that all the shit she put us through eventually ended up as art that goes towards helping to achieve truth and justice! :)

Well done, enjoyed this.

Comment is about Workers Unite (blog)

Original item by dazzer

Fantastic article Greg, really enjoyed reading this. I find it massively heartwarming that three female poets won top awards - brilliant, and thoroughly deserved!!

Hoping Jackie's health only improves, too.

Comment is about Heartwarming night as Jackie Hagan, Jo Bell, Hollie McNish win Saboteur awards (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

cheer tommy, it was always intended as a song, bit too sing songy for a serious poem. years on and it still doesnt sit well with me and i was just an observer. thanks again for reading it an sharing your thoughts.
dazzer

Comment is about Workers Unite (blog)

Original item by dazzer

but keep on writing and posting for us to enjoy. x

Comment is about I Don't Want To (blog)