I wrote this in response to the 'are you beach ready?' advert. Nuff said.

Comment is about why you are #beachready (blog)

Original item by steve pottinger

Competition results from the Ledbury festival website: Ledbury Poetry Festival Poetry Competition Results 2014

The results are in at last and I am delighted to announce that the winner of our poetry competition for 2014 is Jonathan Edwards with his poem ‘Servant Minding A Seat for his Master Before a Performance of The Rivals Covent Garden Theatre, 1775.’ Second places goes to Jacqueline Saphra for ‘My Friend Juliet’s Icelandic Lover’ and third place to Laura Seymour for ‘Cutting Chips’. In the 12 – 17 age group first place goes to Isla Anderson for ‘Letter for a Postbox Filled With Rain’, second place to Helen Ridout for ‘Poems Written in the Dead of Night’ and third place to Katharina Dixon-Ward for ‘Tube’. Finally in the under 11 age group first place goes to Poppy Smart for ‘Leonardo devinci losing the plot’, second place to Christy Fielder for ‘Teardrops’ and third place to Lilly Lees for ‘Where Reality Ends’.

Comment is about Deadline nears for £1,000 Ledbury festival competition (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

You can rely on the hardline Tory
To sell you a hardship story.
And as for message from Labour:
It's guess who you might get for a neighbour.
The yellow in Liberal Democrat
Tells you all you need to know about that!
The newcomers who say "Brits - get a grip"
Are the purple in your face lot - Ukip!

Comment is about The floating voter song (blog)

Original item by Harry O`N eill

Suck it to me baby!!
A powerful anthem to all our yesterdays - well, those we can remember.
Hey JC...
whatever else you may have lost, you still seem to have
a good pair of lungs to help you make it through the night!

Comment is about OLD AGE KICKS (RLS) (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Just to cheer you up John,

Just been reading the ages on a pensioners obituary list for a local car factory:

The first six:...88, 87, 93, 87, 76, 103.

(I don`t know how that young feller got in there)

But I bet you, none of them can sing like you!

(those medical bastards are trying to make us live for ever)

Comment is about OLD AGE KICKS (RLS) (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

'BECOMING AN ANIMAL IS SOMETHING TO BE EMBRACED' SAYS SUSAN RICHARDSON AT APRIL'S WRITE ANGLE!

April's Write Angle brought a full house; the audience from as far as New Forest, Shoreham – to see Susan Richardson, from Wales – her 3rd time with WA. 'I love coming here to perform', she said. ''I always feel so warm and welcome'.

Hard to describe the evening – you had to be there. Susan is sharp, vibrant, dynamic, original, bringing her love of Shamanism, involving altered states of consciousness to encounter and interact with the spirit world and channel transcendental energies into this world. She shared stories, myths, personal experiences, through her poetry and prose;- such as a young girl, abandoned by her family, thrown into the sea from their kayak. She tries to climb back on, grips the side of the kayak, and her father chops off her fingers. She sinks down, becomes the goddess of the sea, each of her fingers, a different variety of fish. She then has to power to decide who's been evil to the environment, and punishes them. 'Do not mistake me for a mermaid..... Do not harpoon me with pity...'

Interested in metamorphosis for years and obsessed with extinction of wild and beautiful animals;- Susan tells of 'The White Dove', inspired by a French fairy tale about a baby girl child cursed by a witch. If sunlight fell on her face before her 21st year, she'd turn into a deer. As she's about to be married, it happens. However as her prince is a hunter, he finds her living in the woods. Susan interrupted herself, 'I know she loved living there' (everyone laughed) but she had to follow her destiny and marry the prince. 'Let my words be bright with animals'.

Susan believes 'becoming an animal is something to be embraced. 'From animal to human'. She spoke of shape shifting. A former snail becoming human and having issues. He must wear sunglasses. He has a human feeling he was born in the wrong body. At the end he's successfully all mole. 'If you're French, my revenge will be especially slow'. Then, a Sorceress who created a huge bubbling cauldron of inspiration for her son and left it with her servant boy, meant to stir but not taste it, which he does. It incurs her wrath and she chases him while he tries to escape, each changing themselves into other animals. Finally she becomes a black hen and pecks him up.

Susan dreamed she had become a penguin. With skin tingling, she went off garlic, crisps, samosas, red curtains, - her fingers bend. Tears taste of fish. She makes a nest of pencils and string. Then faces the hard new truth between her legs, and hatches the egg! She spoke of the first written metaphor, and how animals are used in adverts. 'We name cars after them. We personify in various ways.

There was the lion's argument about superiority of humans. Humans have language. Animals don't. 'If a lion speaks, we could not understand him. We'd correct his grammar. We'd insist he speak English instead of Lionese. He'd say 'take a degree in my language of strangling, ungulate and rangulate with vultures for the meat. Then we'll talk'!'

The audience was won over completely. The 'human/animal' applause said it all! We look forward to having this amazingly creative performer with us yet again!

Meantime, the open mic was pleased to have Dave Allen back. It took him 'over a year to write the poem'. Based on a photo of himself as a boy....and a glider with a one meter wing span, he made, called 'The Dragon Fly' – on its test flight – 'sharing with brothers Wright'. The Dragon Fly flew high. Smash! The crash broke the plane. 'Back then, this boy had dreams. I wonder now if they're still living on the wind'. Wonderful wistful poem!
Chris Sangster, inspired by a Shaman visiting him, wrote, 'The Channelling'. He played guitar singing 'Guardian Angels', told of a child almost run over by a car moving on its own. 'They 'guide us day and night...Guardian angels, watch over me'. Then, gave a good descriptive view of Cambodia's Angkor Wat. Chris brought to life, its rich history, including its kingdom, monuments.

Michael Sherman chose Easter as his theme. The most looked at things including daffodils – He caught the sunlit flowers. He Googled and found kittens, shopping and debt took first place in peoples' interest. He read 'Eulogy to the black bird', following it with 'If there aren't blackbirds in heaven, I may not go' 'Surely a master of nature's music''. Then on a religious theme. 'I felt him enduring the pain...his mortal journey finally shed'. And an excellent poem, 'A Million Starlings'. in a wanton ballet' about Winter which he hates. 'In Secret'. Seagulls wail a constant hunger...' wonderful poet!

Bruce Parry did a very humorous, 'Day Out with Garmin Satnav'. He 'humanised' it with a conversation between them. The Satnav became confused. Very humorous. He played a Welsh tune, 'Valley of the Lambs' on the Dulcimer. Lovely sound. Finally, read from his father's book of childhood memoirs, while his mother produced the drawings – about Moses, the night watchman.

Jamet Turner read poems from her book, proceeds of which will go to 'Jacksplace Hospice for young adults', including' Searching for the Mist' and I cry to the Mountains', as well as 'Self-Catering where she went on a 'self-catering' holiday, which ended not quite as expected! Audi Maserati started with, 'Cheese matures and people just get older'; then read a poem about a 16 yr old soon to be 17!' Followed by 'Timing is Everything;- 'Imagine Jean Luc Goddard in a room with Aristotle, Billy the Kid, and Buffalo Bill, discussing the world.....they polished off the biscuits and sorted out the world'. He played the ukulele, doing 'Strange Animals' including a 3 eyed chicken, 3 headed snake...and 'The Waving Woman' love song. Audi's amazing to watch, no matter what he does!

Robert Redford, one of 4 Shoreham Poets sang 'A Bar of Soap', performed against a CD. 'We changed the World'. About grand hypocrisy', greed, and a need to change things.

Big Jay, another Shoreham poet, attacked the politics of wealth vs poverty. 'No one's helping the poor while the richer get richer'.

Niall Drennan produced a new immigration questionnaire 'what's your real name? What have you got in your pocket? You packed this bomb yourself?' (clever..but sad) . 'I started to start smoking so I'd know when sex was over'. He performed a poem about his mother 'hardly knowing him'.

AP Staunton' phone conversation he had in 1981 in Brighton, called 'I won't keep you hanging on the telephone'. 'The rent's okay...everything's okay...you sound Northern'. 'I am', he said. 'How Northern' she asked. He's a noddie. Carries bricks. She wouldn't take him. They're a truly good group – politically orientated to making it a better world.

It was a really good evening – eclectic and fun. Almost everyone commented, as they left, how much they enjoyed the evening! And, one of the Shoreham poets won the raffle for four free meals at 'The Links', Liphook. (How convenient as there are four of them)! Hopefully it will bring them back! And we know they'll love The Links; the food and ambience. It's a great place to go.

Review is about WRITE ANGLE POETRY & MUSIC +OPEN MIC on 21 Apr 2015 (event)

Hello Colin. Thanks for your thoughts. I have to admit that 1978 is a bit recent for me! My recollections of listening under the covers involved Radio Luxembourg, when you spent 30 seconds listening and the next 30 seconds waiting for it to fade back in, only to hear another advert for Horace Batchelor.

Comment is about OLD AGE KICKS (RLS) (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Ian,
I like the sentiments expressed in this. One thing is for certain after the election: there are going to be cuts
whoever gets in. And as to who we would trust most to protect the NHS?...for an ageing population I think the answer is fairly obvious.

There`s just one thing though; about the NHS My À level economics teacher used to say (although it broke his communist heart to say it) That an economic good - free at the point of use - is unsustainable`....There is going to have to be some sort of rationing eventually ( no matter which party gets in)

Comment is about National Wealth Service? (blog)

Original item by Ian Whiteley

Rose, John and Ken,
Thanks for the comments and particularly for the additional verses.

I like Kens reminder that it`s really the civil service that
sets the perimeters, and Roses sly settling on the colour brown....and also the different styles.

I hope we get some more

(Come on poets - there`s an election on!)

Comment is about The floating voter song (blog)

Original item by Harry O`N eill

I love, "the sun cannot dress their embrace

in its warmth." Beautiful phrasing.

Comment is about Severed (blog)

I clearly remember listening in to John Peel's late night show (under the bed sheets so as not to wake my parents in the next room) and hearing him play Teenage Kicks for the first time back in 1978. He always maintained it was his all-time favourite song.
Btw, out of curiosity, which meaning of 'impenetrable' are you referring to with regards to the bruised and battered Mrs C? x
Your rendition puts me in mind of Stiff Little Fingers' 1978 single 'Alternative Ulster' which had the following printed on the labels: 'Punk is dead but we're still dying'

Comment is about OLD AGE KICKS (RLS) (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

I usually don't write with rhymes but I decided to give it a try. I agree with you that it holds it back, but I believe it fits for this one, for now. Thank you for your input.

Comment is about December (blog)

Original item by Nosidam

I'm glad to hear that something positive has come out of what must have been a horrendous ordeal. I've only heard Jackie perform once, but was she was brill - really memorable - I'm so glad things have taken off for her.

Comment is about Jackie Hagan: 'I figured I might as well milk the one-legged thing' (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Hi, thank you so much for the feedback! That was great feedback for a first revealing of one of my poems, so I really appreciate that. I also have made a commitment to focus more on my poetry and simply write more in general!

In answer to your question I haven't ever actually recorded any spoken word/audio versions of my poetry but I may think about doing so once I gain more confidence.

Are you new to this blog?

Comment is about Michael W. Lankford (poet profile)

Original item by Michael W. Lankford

Do you perform your poems ever? I would love to hear audio of this poem. It definitely begs to be read aloud and heard.

I really like how there seem to be "movements" in this piece like a symphony does. From one stanza to the next I had very different memories or thoughts come to mind through the whole poem.

I too have been writing since a young age, just joined writeoutloud, and am looking forward to engaging poetry and poets more. Thanks for sharing this poem.

Comment is about My Bedroom Floor (blog)

Original item by Genevieve

Answer: an insatiable German desire for expansionism in
competition with the British Empire - and a ruling family
connection that rued the loss of King Edward V11...who, it
was observed, may have been a restraining influence on
the ambitions of the Kaiser, his nephew, had he remained
alive.

Comment is about SEA OF RED (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

When I read the title Obligatory, I automatically thought, "I hope this expresses some anger" which I guess reflects my frustration with expectations and assumptions we all place on ourselves and others. We often feel socially obligated to behave in particular ways or we feel a pang of consciousness. It's a very strange part of being human. So as I read this, I enjoyed how it took me through reflection, confusion or bewilderment, frustration, anger, but is ultimately a cry of triumph.

This is all to say, I really enjoyed this poem. Thanks for sharing it. :)

Comment is about Obligatory (blog)

Good one, as always !

Comment is about BLAZER POCKET (blog)

Not my own illustrations. I will on occasion post photos of paintings I have done, but so far I have just been trying to find a photo in google image search to loosely fit with each poem. I figure it's a better presentation. It makes a break for the eyes beyond just tons of text. Thank you for your interest! Your comments have been insightful and helpful. :)

Comment is about Sailor Song (blog)

Original item by Michael W. Lankford

there is an interesting thread running through this piece but the obvious rhyming holds it back. I'd forget the rhymes and work on the theme as I'm sure you'll find something there. Look forward to reading some more from you some time. x

Comment is about December (blog)

Original item by Nosidam

Yey! Are these your own illustrations Michael? Take a look at mine on http://colsibabes.blogspot.co.uk/
Liking your style and looking forward to reading more. x

Comment is about Sailor Song (blog)

Original item by Michael W. Lankford

Hello Tommy

Thank you for both reading and your comments on Blazer Pocket. Your comment on Concrete Eyes made me giggle. I can cope with crap, poo, shit and wtf but 'hmm' is not allowable as a comment - you bugger! ;) x

Comment is about Tommy Carroll (poet profile)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

Can't make up your mind floating along?
no manifesto in tune to your song?
NO! single party can make us all comfy.
'Cause they're all, ill advised
by blokes like Sir Humphry.

To the tune "I'll soon have a luverly bunch of coconuts?"
(In the fullness of time)

Don't worry Harry your vote isn't crucial.
The Civil Service runs the economy! compiling series of directional options gleaned from facts and figures (some anticipated) leaving final choices to Governments of the day (the fall guys) for adaptation to their style of politics.

Comment is about The floating voter song (blog)

Original item by Harry O`N eill

Thanks for your comments Colin!
I really just couldn't come up with a title and so felt there was no point in forcing one.
The last stanza is definitely me telling, not showing, and so it could be better; I agree.

Comment is about Untitled (blog)

Original item by Michael W. Lankford

I really like the organic flow to your writing. I love the metaphors and imagery you call to mind. Very engaging. As I read, you poem forced me to stop and consider a few lines like:


"About love and loss
And loves lost behind a veil of disillusion
A wall of secrets and confusion. "

and:

"Do you undress me with your pleading eyes
Not for gratification, but for validation"

I loved stopping to consider your words and the poet who wrote them as I read this poem. Thank you for sharing! :)

Comment is about Helen (poet profile)

Original item by Helen

Ta Greg! I've had my head in the (phd follies) clouds that past year or I'd have been more gracious. It *IS* a cute l'il open mic, innit.

Comment is about Rose Drew (poet profile)

Original item by Rose Drew

Never heard of it.

Comment is about York's Say Owt on Saboteur shortlist for best spoken word night (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

fab poem Harry.Here's a requested offering.


You can vote for their various colours
yellow,red,green or blue
its up to floating me,its up to floating you
but when electoral circus has packed up and left town
I'll guarantee the winning colours will turn to the usual-shade of brown!

Comment is about The floating voter song (blog)

Original item by Harry O`N eill

Thanks for your kind comments and critique.

Robert: I've added another short poem, which I hope you'll like. If you're interested in reading more you can always order a copy of my debut book from The Penniless Press Publications (forgive the cheap plug!).

Comment is about Susan Darlington (poet profile)

Original item by Susan Darlington

There's something in here but I'm not keen on funeral pyres in poems and I'd give your little sister the boot. Strip out the obvious end-of-line-rhymes, mix it up a bit and expand your theme and I think you'll be onto something. x

Comment is about Untitled (blog)

Original item by Michael W. Lankford

I really like this Michael but it deserves a title. For me I would ditch the last verse, I don't need to know about the man. And the last line is great, I'd stick that in the verse before where the tree groans. x

Comment is about Untitled (blog)

Original item by Michael W. Lankford

you put the reader right in the center of what you're saying and feeling....i really enjoy your work

Comment is about Zach Dafoe (poet profile)

Original item by Zach Dafoe

...and history still can't agree on the causes of that war. So wasteful.

Comment is about SEA OF RED (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

Hello Harry,
I suspect you know where your vote's going already.
I can hear the strains of
"I'm the man, the very fat man
That waters the workers' beer"
in this.

Comment is about The floating voter song (blog)

Original item by Harry O`N eill

Yes! thank you. And thanks to my very live 5 year old son (in 1992).

Comment is about Suzanne Iuppa (poet profile)

Original item by Suzanne Iuppa

Good to meet up with you at Wenloch. Plan to visit North Wales again during one of my journeys this year.

Very striking how varied the vocabulary you recruit into your poem. (As an aside, would bet yours is the first use of 'saprophytic fury' - in a poem; but entirely appropriate.)

Comment is about Suzanne Iuppa (poet profile)

Original item by Suzanne Iuppa

The music for this one makes it...but I haven`t got the equipment to do it.

Comment is about The floating voter song (blog)

Original item by Harry O`N eill

Enjoyed my visit to York Spoken Word a year ago, Rose - http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=42258 and enjoyed the fine pub food, too! Greg

Comment is about Rose Drew (poet profile)

Original item by Rose Drew

hmm

Comment is about Concrete Eyes (blog)

On the 2nd of May, yesterday,the greatest Russian ballet dancer Maya Plisetskaya passed away.

Comment is about Undying Swan of Russian Ballet (blog)

Original item by Larisa Rzhepishevska

Wow. Im pulling some terrible faces in these pics. Lol. Thanks for the evening folks, it was great

Comment is about Ben Warden (photo)

Ben Warden in full flow.

Comment is about Ben Warden (photo)

The rather terrific Ben Warden.

Comment is about Guest reader awaiting his set at Speakers' Corner April 2015.jpg (photo)

A sample of the wit and wisdom of John Walford - raconteur, lepidopterist and Green Party candidate in York's local elections.

Comment is about John Walford (photo)

The poetry powerhouse that is Henry Raby - nerd punk poet, slam MC, and organiser of brilliant performance events the length and breadth of Yorkshire.

Comment is about Henry Raby (photo)

The excellent Katherine Crocker, reading from her fine poetry collection "Long Exposure at Cordoba". Katherine will be our guest feature at July's Speakers' Corner.

Comment is about Katherine Crocker (photo)

I spy John Walford, Katherine Crocker, John Gilham (poetry editor of "Dream Catcher" magazine) and several people I can't identify...

Comment is about Speakers' Corner April 2015 (photo)

Hi Lynn, this is beautiful, So much love in your description, thanks for sharing x

Comment is about BLAZER POCKET (blog)

"Slow motion, over committed, chew" been there done that. Lovely imagery Lynn. Tommy

Comment is about BLAZER POCKET (blog)

'any love would know this isn't love' terrific poem.x

Comment is about My Love (blog)

Original item by Michelle