Thanks for commenting. They are one breed that won't be in the dole queues for a while. Best wishes, Dave.
Comment is about Yes Men (blog)
Original item by Dave Dunn
Thanks Preeti - yes, you are right, it's clear that luck has a big part to play... Now where is that 4 leaf clover? :)
Comment is about Dave Dunn (poet profile)
Original item by Dave Dunn
Preeti Sinha
Sat 7th Feb 2015 07:57
Preeti Sinha
Sat 7th Feb 2015 07:56
Thank you Dave :) Only the fortunate find the ones they are looking for. The rest keep looking!
Comment is about Dave Dunn (poet profile)
Original item by Dave Dunn
Fri 6th Feb 2015 22:44
Hi Ged,
The title is great, can absolutely picture these children, and it's a good reminder to encourage our kids to keep asking those questions of adults - & to remember not to try & bleach that out of them.
I wondered whether you meant 'both boys will never win' rather than 'ever', but sorry if I misread it,
Anyway, really enjoyed reading this, thanks :)
Comment is about Grey Children (blog)
Original item by Ged Thompson
An audio version of this is now on soundcloud.
https://soundcloud.com/christopher-briggs-3/pissed-n-broke
Comment is about Pissed 'n' Broke (blog)
Original item by Chris Briggs
I am glad to report that no one was injured by a demand to grab a seat in the January meet.
But only because at the last minute The Professor unfortunately lost his notes.
But the good news is that - - - the so sexy Miss Tingle has managed to find them in the steel cage that they both use when using animals in some of their experiments.
I don't know if that counts so it can be included in the theme of caged.
Comment is about Caged and uncaged poetry at Write Out Loud Stockport tonight (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
You can find more of my poetry on line including performance videos simply by searching on SUBACCHI POET.
Comment is about NUMBER 72 (blog)
Original item by David Subacchi
A re-post...Got stanza seven right at last!
Nations fight for all sorts of reasons, but there are some decencies which should be observed. (otherwise we
will all end up like those uncivilised brutes that chop people up)
Comment is about On the day the first Gulf War ended (blog)
Original item by Harry O`N eill
My thanks for your considered comments on 'Peace Is Sanity'. Best wishes, Dave
Comment is about M.C. Newberry (poet profile)
Original item by M.C. Newberry
Many thanks for your detailed comment - I'm sure we all wish to see the world in a stable and progressively improving condition rather than the current sharp decline in both environmental and humanitarian matters. Our kids deserve better than the mess our politicians are making...
Comment is about Peace Is Sanity (blog)
Original item by Dave Dunn
i totally agree , Muslim States fear ISA will turn on them . but as you say WE cant sit on the fence and watch this slaughter much longer. thank you for your . insightful comments M.C . Newberry
Comment is about Die by the Sword (blog)
Original item by David R Mellor
"I think therefore I am..." very much my kinda poem. Hi Ms Moon I'm Tommy.
Comment is about medusa moon (poet profile)
Original item by medusa moon
The fact that "gay poetry" has a description
shows how far society has moved away from the
days of my own youth. The point about love
preceding sexual awareness has the ring of
truth and has its history in boys' books of
days when the word "bugger" was unmentionable
in polite society. Indeed, it is never used
today either, except as an expletive. I first
heard it uttered by a self-possessed elder
sister. She really put some force into it, I
recall! Its origins are interesting on
another level to a student of social history.
But, in general, poetry and literature covering homosexuality have been around in various forms for years, and in other times
were absorbed into the greater world of
writing as "art"...getting little public
awareness and thus avoiding widespread
obloquy in the process.
Wilde and his "love that dare not speak its name" certainly upset the horses of his day
and it was to be many decades before things
began to change following a courageous
peer's action to change the law about sexual
behaviour in society. Today's gay community
may have its problems but they are as nothing
compared to what was the "norm" previously.
Now that's something to write home about!
Comment is about Out in the open: celebrating gay poetry, and its inspirations (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
James,
this made me take a look at sonnet forms.
The rhyming of the first descriptive octet, and the reflective sextet mark it as Petrarchan.
However that `crunching` sticks out too much as a rhyme (the stress is naturally on the first syllable)
The `hard` words in the sexet have an apt brittleness about them which contrasts well with the longer `ing` words in the first part.
Good to see this.
Comment is about Ice-Storm-Morning Sonnet (blog)
Original item by James Roper
Enjoyed the use of dialect to set the tone.
Anyone who remembers the winter of 63 will surely
identify with the content. It really was a bad
one - lasting for weeks on end. My rural family home saw the local roads and lanes full of snow and impassable. A Youtube video about it can be
found online. Brrr!!!
Comment is about Whit’th In’t Winter (blog)
Original item by Jacqueline Phillips
As far as IS is concerned, it may well be a
case of having to do just that. It would be encouraging to see an Arab confederation leading
the way but I'm not holding my breath. They
are still bedevilled by their tribal origins and
the in-fighting/faction aspects are almost
insurmountable. So, it'll be left to the Great
Satan - with other Western nations (no names, no
pack drill) clinging to its coat tails - to lead
the charge back to sanity against the savages in
their sand pits.
Comment is about Die by the Sword (blog)
Original item by David R Mellor
Live every day as if it's your last
One day it'll be so - so have fun in your past!
Comment is about (Un)happy'ish birthday to me (blog)
The title says it all. Much is made of the West
pillaging the rest of the world but there is
also the positive contribution of knowledge and
aid that sees arid places become productive and
people survive ignorance, deadly disease and privation.
We must remain aware of common interest in the
maintenance of a sane healthy world and share what
we can to that same end.
Comment is about Peace Is Sanity (blog)
Original item by Dave Dunn
Lines that evoke the wonder of childhood
experience...living and learning that beauty
and hardship co-exist in this life.
Like it.
Comment is about Ice-Storm-Morning Sonnet (blog)
Original item by James Roper
leah
Thu 5th Feb 2015 12:22
ASH - THIRD TIME' WINNER AT WRITE ANGLE'S JANUARY GIG
In spite of the cold nasty weather, the room was full, and the audience, keen and enthusiastic, to see Ash Dickinson, guest poet. - as well as share talents at the open mic!
Reviewers who wrote, "Impressive wordplay" ,"Clever and funny" "Brilliantly surreal invention...fabulous poems"... an incredibly gifted poet...great comedian with a sharp eye for social commentary", "''…..a performance poet for the Lost Generation...' couldn't have said it better! Ash is a confident comic who couldn't hide his talent if he tried. Warm, sensitive, he has good rapport with an audience. His third time back with Write Angle and his words, 'I'm just going to ramble on', might have sounded off-putting, but Ash's vivid imagination and variety of poetry made it work. He likes 'returning to a place he's been before'. It challenges him to do new work whereas touring the UK always meant 'doing the same set over and over'. He loves trying new poetry, and does it with energy and freshness, that shows in his 'wicked' smile and eyes. As far as this reviewer is concerned, he could have gone on forever! In fact, he was called back for encores, twice!
Starting with Haikus, 'Gave you a shoulder. Provided you with an ear. Now I look quite odd', - and
'an ugly duckling. Four months to be a goose. He is now trans-gander'...Then, the story of the 'Glass Coffin Coffee Table Wife', 'Stiff under magazines in the after-life. When death claimed her, he framed her, laid her down, took off her glasses, preserved her with gases, till death us do part...a dead woman in a glass coffin' scoops the Turner prize for the best objet d'art!
Ash's mind works endlessly, keeping you guessing what'll come next. He's sad that 60's punk and rock have disappeared; The Mamas and the Papas. For Mama Cass, he laments, 'Drugs, parties over. Cass dead. Time to go vegetarian'. Then, 'the original Star Wars' in a 3 minute Slam. He spoke of how Method Acting gave him the idea to be a Method Poet; However, both wives (1 & 2), were not too pleased with a husband who 'became' each of his poems! Ash did, 'Chiller Queen', 'My fridge is in love with me...it uses magnetic fridge poetry to attract my attention...dressing itself in tiny tiles, it articulates its desires through striking haikus and short romantic quatrains....'
Then a poem about the moon being invited to a party. 'You might meet a nice little planet'. Ash, as most of our guest poets, does a lot of work in schools to supplement his income and said most of his poems are written there. Going to one area of high deprivation, he said the taxi driver was hysterical, laughing, saying 'no one learns or even goes there!'. Ash has a wonderfully creative mind that can pick a poem from anything and his way of telling it shows an amazing ability to handle words so they appear effortless. You never know what's coming next. On the subject of 'men's fashion and how rubbish it is'... He wears the same tee-shirts, summer and winter, but went to a charity shop and fell in love with a jumper. It 'made him drool'. There was a problem. The sleeves were twice as long as the legs and could only have been made for a gibbon. 'Sure enough, a gibbon walked into the shop. Called, 'The Gibbon Yarn', it ended with the gibbon walking out, 'laughing'. The audience was hysterical.
Ash also read several 'clerihews', funny 4 lined poems – started by a bored clergy man about members of the church. 'James Bond, on his arm, another blonde. Can she be trusted. Is she a spy. Sooner or later, she'll probably die'....a really cool and loveable guest, making it a warm and cosy evening!
At the Open Mic, Dave Allen mentioned he's doing a charity tour, called 'No Limits for Young People', starting end of February in Southampton. Ten gigs/ten days/ten cities, by bike. 80 miles per day. Each gig for a different local charity. He then did 'A jerk, then a jolt..train stuck..some poor bastard leapt from a bridge onto the track....one woman saying, 'How could people be so selfish.' His second, about losing hair on his head, now growing on his back. He doesn't care (much). Has a dream, will wake up with an afro, 'the greatest hairdo they ever saw, turned them all a little bit gay!'
Pete Cresswell, read three poems written in Toronto: 'Observations of Bars', as it goes from dawn to dusk'! Also 'Dating a fashion model begs the question 'why'. Jezz, long time missing, then followed with his emotional lilting voice, great guitar and song – 'There's reason to believe this year will be better than the last', and 'it's a big city. If you're lonely, why'd you say you're not lonely'.
Audi Maserati followed with his ukulele. A song of a '3 legged hog, 3 legged chicken and 3 legged snake', followed by 'Metaphorical mountains' based on Appalachian mountains, written to commemorate a young American going off to fight. Brian Lawrence told of returning to his Canadian University for a homecoming after 50 years. Missing his flight gave him the chance to flirt with a 20 year old, who had no interest in an old man. But he was gonna 'show her'!
Chris Sangster, in a similar mood to Jezz, played ukulele with 'Some days so bad but then he sees the sun in the sky smiling upon him, and he realises why'.
He then reminisced 'Dreams of the Past' – living in Scotland with 40 acres and sheep and a sheep dog. 'Some days I long for the country. Living in a dream. Then move on'. Jake, compère, did two poems about Sabra, his vibrant, special 'little girl', who passed away at 23. Lovely poems. Nothing could keep her back! Phyllida Carr had everyone singing as she played her harmonica, especially 'When the Saints come marching home'. She also won the raffle for a 'free meal for two' at La Piazetta!
Bruce Parry did 'Seascape',painting a wonderful picture of 'seaside sand castles dissolving with melted ice cream'. 'A clothes line swings with pegs in a skeleton dance...' lovely imagery. This reviewer read about Jezz switching places with King William - 'Guardian of the Market Square', 'Adopting a dog' and 'Getting old with Grace'.
All in all, a really successful evening. February 16th's will have Lucy English, comedienne/poet/author.
Review is about Petersfield Write Angle Poetry and Music + OPEN MI on 20 Jan 2015 (event)
A well written comment about wasted youth and antisocial behaviour. I am afraid it did send me back in time a little, I misspent my teenage years hanging out in a gang, drinking cider and generally being a nuisance. We never stole a moped though, and I am now a reformed character, well most of the time anyway.
Comment is about Pissed 'n' Broke (blog)
Original item by Chris Briggs
She added that she felt that the award meant that "a bit of the snobbery around different types of poetry" was "being stamped down".
*applauds*
Well done Hollie!
(lend's a fiver) ;)
Comment is about 'I was so stoked to get this, I cried when they announced my name': Hollie McNish on winning a £10,000 spoken word award (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Thu 5th Feb 2015 09:19
Hi Tom,
I really enjoyed this, love how the repetition and the images mirror the hourglass, thanks for sharing it :)
Comment is about The Hourglass (blog)
Original item by Tom
Hi Guys;
some of you guys may want to submit to this:
http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=46720
Comment is about Stockport WoL (group profile)
Original item by Stockport WoL
Ten foot o' snow? T'were 15 ft in Yorkshire... ;)
Great fun! Best wishes, Dave
Comment is about Whit’th In’t Winter (blog)
Original item by Jacqueline Phillips
Thank you Jackie :) Best wishes, Dave
Comment is about Peace Is Sanity (blog)
Original item by Dave Dunn
<Deleted User> (6895)
Wed 4th Feb 2015 15:08
I knew the wife was wrong to write on your card from us-'make the most of it ducky-you might be dead tomorrow'-but she wouldn't have it!xx
Comment is about (Un)happy'ish birthday to me (blog)
Thanks Ian - much happier with this than the 'Framed' haiku, which I've now removed!
Comment is about Snapshot Narrative (blog)
Original item by Laura Taylor
<Deleted User> (9882)
Wed 4th Feb 2015 13:23
Becka-what a bitter/sweet,well written tale!.Oh! bloody men! are they worth the hassle?
..er..oh I suppose so.x
Comment is about Crazy Brown (blog)
Original item by Becka Brush
Thanks, MC. I'll follow up the lead.
Comment is about THE MAN WHO MADE MODERN BRITAIN (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
Hello JC - History is indeed a wondrous subject
that can teach, inform, educate and entertain.
On a personal note mixed with the wider theatre
of service in war, may I recommend you look up
the experiences of Air Marshal Sir Victor Goddard KCB CBE.
A friend of Barnes Wallis, Goddard had a most
interesting life - with some of his experiences
appearing to be of a precognitive type that
saw/anticipated future events. He wrote three
books, one of which - "Flight Into Reality", I
acquired a while ago.
The extraordinary account of how one of his
experiences was made into the film "The Night
My Number Came Up" is eerie indeed and can be
found in detail - with others - online at www.llewellyn.com...and is also referred to
in his Wikipedia entry.
Incredible stuff!
Comment is about THE MAN WHO MADE MODERN BRITAIN (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
YES! much better Laura - reminds me of one of those 1960's dramas - all monochrome and 'life in a day' type context. Picture works well with the words - nicely understated - something you see every day but WHAM! those words bring the drama's of such a simple image to life - good 'un chuck
Comment is about Snapshot Narrative (blog)
Original item by Laura Taylor
Cynthia - ya got me - re: 'evicted', I write quite a bit of horror/science fiction short stories and have had a few successfully published - this was a stab at a poetry version - a wide reaching, epic story in just a few lines. Glad you liked it
Ian
Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)
Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas
Long Knives, even the shortest have a long reach. I particularly like the lines:
'antique bullets;
planted daisies in our eyes.'
Past battles, in light of our modern day morality and with opinions formed by the writers of history, can be seen very differently than the killing fields they actually were.
Comment is about Long Knives (02/02/2015) (blog)
Original item by Zach Dafoe
Cheers Greg - yes, that's exactly how I wanted to frame it. That moment of your eyes alighting on something, then the crazed few seconds of the possibilities :)
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
Comment is about Snapshot Narrative (blog)
Original item by Laura Taylor
Hello MC,
If a crystal ball helps us see into the Future we need to invent something which enables us to see into an alternative Present.
I love history.
Comment is about THE MAN WHO MADE MODERN BRITAIN (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
Harry,
Interesting thoughts.
I suppose ultimately anyone who has to make decisions is judged on their quality and in that sense Chamberlain got it wrong and Churchill got it right. But it's easy when you have hindsight as we have. I can tell you with certainty that Arsenal won the Cup last year. I can't tell you who won it this year.
On another front, do you think it was those powdered eggs that scrambled my and your brains?
Comment is about THE MAN WHO MADE MODERN BRITAIN (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
Backward glances are always fascinating games
of "what if?".
What if...
GB had gone down to the Nazis dominating Europe - duplicitously eyeing up the wealth
promised by the Russian Empire - and with
Japan eager to seize her own wealth/power as an
ally? Would the Empire have collapsed, with Canada & Oz in particular becoming jumping off
posts for Japan & Germany to threaten the USA
and Asia respectively between them? America was hardly ready prior to Pearl Harbour for any military
adventuring on any large scale? The
refuge afforded Nazi war criminals by S.
American countries post-war indicates
that the Nazis had their friends "south
of the border".
And would the death camps run by both the Nazis
and the Japs have become established across the
conquered world in greatly extended efforts
to achieve the aims of racial "ethnic purity" and superiority through
elimination of numbers.
That alone was reason enough for the emerging
third world to join with the Allies in fighting
a common enemy that became a byword for
subhuman savagery.
Comment is about THE MAN WHO MADE MODERN BRITAIN (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
John,
I was impressed by your fairness to Chamberlain.
As a ten year old kid at that time, I didn`t understand much about what was going on, but I vividly remember sensing the change in the atmosphere from hope that it wouldn`t happen to an almost relieved sense of `that`s it! we`re in it now, let`s get on with it.` Strangely, it was a kind of a sense of calm.
The denigration of Chamberlain came after the end of the war.
Given the debacle of the French collapse and the British scarper (for that`s what they were) maybe Chamberlain knew more about the readiness of both at that time than people think.
Your point about who might Britain have allied itself with against the USSR in other circumstances is a fascinating one, more so since the recent bomber reminders over Brighton. As they say...the enemy of my enemy is my friend. (As we should have remembered when asked to help the Syrian government against those Syrian terrorists)
(On a lighter note...when we got those gas masks in `39 us kids had great fun pressing a playing card up against the nose-piece and nearly smothering our mates to death)
Comment is about THE MAN WHO MADE MODERN BRITAIN (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
<Deleted User> (9882)
Mon 2nd Feb 2015 20:02
Very cleverly written!x
Comment is about Red Nose Politics (blog)
Original item by Jacqueline Phillips
A quiet beginning and end to this, Laura, which I'm sure is what you intended. "Tequila secrets" is the line that first catches the eye, lifts the head, I reckon. "Brazening the birdsong" is great.
Comment is about Snapshot Narrative (blog)
Original item by Laura Taylor
I believe Churchill wanted greater "buy-in", Tommy, although there may have been a Government of National Unity by then.
Another interesting "what if" if Britain had surrendered is "could Britain eventually have allied itself to the Axis against The USSR and if so what would the USA's position have been?"
Comment is about THE MAN WHO MADE MODERN BRITAIN (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
I wonder why the Labour movement were privy to such high level discussions? Could it be that the ruling class would be forced to ditch their " we'll fight them on the beaches" speech in favour of their "Howdy Canada / America / Spain" version?
Comment is about THE MAN WHO MADE MODERN BRITAIN (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
Missy Mee
Sat 7th Feb 2015 11:59
Hi Tommy,
Thank you for the comment.
MM :~}
Comment is about medusa moon (poet profile)
Original item by medusa moon