Thank you for your comment. Hearing from you is like waking up to find that Santa has paid you a visit and left you a nice surprise :)
Am looking forward to your competition. xx

Comment is about Anthony Emmerson (poet profile)

Original item by Anthony Emmerson

Hi lovely Larisa.

Oh the times I have hung
inebriated over the bowl
following New Years celebrations-
never again!

Hanging over the bowl I mean-
not the celebrating,
I,m not that Scroogey!

Good poem!

hope you are shhhmashhhingly well!

Patricia and Stef.xx

Comment is about The First, The Second, The Third (blog)

Original item by Larisa Rzhepishevska

No prize necessary I think - people just seem to like a challenge. Am looking forward to the theme - it tells you a lot about a person :)x

Comment is about Competition? (blog)

Original item by Anthony Emmerson

I do recall betting tax - as 10p. in the £1 -
I used to tot it up religiously on my betting slips...and was heartily relieved to see it go!
Executive pay affects a small percentage but
is cited freely to create envy and distrust.
Why is a movie actor's substantial income from his or her work/business acceptable, yet a co. executive's almost laughably smaller income paraded as something as something shameful and
even obscene? Discuss! Or write a poem perhaps?

Comment is about Make a stand (blog)

Original item by Mark Mr T Thompson

I have been meaning to respond to an earlier comment "Victorian politicians took as little as was needed in taxes to run the country AND its empire."

The empire was actually crucial to how it could afford to run the country with low taxation. The empire supported the state by the exploitation of the human and other resources taken from countries often persuaded by diplomacy delivered by the barrel of a gun.

Of course it was also cheaper to run a country with with no pension, health service and minimal outlay on education.

Comment is about Make a stand (blog)

Original item by Mark Mr T Thompson

John,
Thanks for the laughter

(That third stanza could stand anywhere on it`s own)

Comment is about Our Tom (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

was at manchester strike rally today, in support of public sector workers.
itwas a good day, positive.
i am currently on hunger strike until a man i like comes round and cooks my dinner....i may never be seen again.
good poem x

Comment is about Make a stand (blog)

Original item by Mark Mr T Thompson

bullshitticus bullshiticus nothing more prodigious on my page
tis all the rage ;) x

Comment is about Isobel (poet profile)

Original item by Isobel

Great. Go for it Anthony. A prize is not strictly necessary. Your competition, you make the rules!

Comment is about Competition? (blog)

Original item by Anthony Emmerson

Thanks for the feedback, M.C: I have offered it to one cathedral's Director of Music, in the hope that it might be set for a choir by someone who, unlike me, is classically trained; there was some initial interest, so I may try at another cathedral sometime..?

Comment is about Christmas Sung Simply (Chants from Walkabouts - 18) (blog)

Original item by David Franks: Walkabouts Verse

I think you've got a really fine poem now and what you've done at the end

One lives
one dies
and I felt,

for both.

has made it even better - though you don't need a comma after felt.

Comment is about Death Doesn't Do Automated Doors. (blog)

There's a wonderful Arvon Centre near me at Totleigh Barton.

http://www.arvonfoundation.org/p95.html

Not all aspiring poets live beyond the arctic circle - any chance of something further south?

Regards,

A.E.

Comment is about Performance or page? Meeting of minds at Lumb Bank (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Cheers Laura I have kept both versions anyways..just playing about with it..but sometimes you can over edit stuff out..cheers m'dear for taking time xxx

Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)

Original item by Laura Taylor

Well, I actually loved it as it was, but your prerogative to change it chuck.

Typo btw - should that be a singular 'one dies'? ou've got 'ones' at the mo.

Comment is about Death Doesn't Do Automated Doors. (blog)

Thanks Laura for the lovely comment on my latest..I have played about with it somewhat and hope it still works lol...tried not to take out the dynamics but parred it a bit!

Catch you soon xxx

Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)

Original item by Laura Taylor

The 5th verse is very good, as Isobel remarked.I think the poem could do without the 2nd and first half of the 3rd verse.Then you'd have something very striking, in my opinion.

Comment is about Death Doesn't Do Automated Doors. (blog)

Thanks all. If I'd the patient of a saint, Isobel, I'd still be doing that job!I'm sure if this were someone else's poem I'd be thinking it's too long and too prosaic, but I guess some poems have to be like that. Good story, though.

Comment is about The Sound - Air (blog)

Hi Anthony,

Thanks for your kind comment on Bon Voyage.
H

Comment is about Anthony Emmerson (poet profile)

Original item by Anthony Emmerson

Hi Harry,

I love poetry that speaks both romantically and universally to all readers. This is such a poem.

Regards,

A.E.

Comment is about BON VOYAGE (blog)

Hi Elaine,

Like other commentators I much enjoyed this.

Regards,

A.E.

Comment is about 21 Orde Avenue (blog)

Original item by Elaine

Hi Adam,

Enjoyed the clip - a very polished performance.

Regards,

A.E.

Comment is about 'It's Time To Face... Resignation' (Performance) (blog)

Who needs food anyway - when poery like this is sustenance enough?

Regards,

A.E. x

Comment is about Domestic Science (blog)

Original item by Isobel

Hi Mark,

As a UNISON convenor of over 25 years standing I will be withholding my labour today. Our current government is completely out of touch with the circumstances of ordinary working people - this is government for the rich by the rich.

I wholeheartedly agree with what many have already said; the financial sector has screwed us all and walked away with an "untouchable" smile on its face.

We need a new kind of government that is both fully transparent and accountable. All lobbying, whether by trade unions or corporates, should be made public and public bodies should be just that - run for public and NOT corporate interests.

Power to the people.

Regards,

A.E.

Comment is about Make a stand (blog)

Original item by Mark Mr T Thompson

Thanks Dave for the comment on my latest offering..I will think about performing this sometime..also I have twiddled with it to try to make the write a little more understandable. :o)

Comment is about Dave Bradley (poet profile)

Original item by Dave Bradley

I'm all for poetry being accessible, in the publishing sense. If someone wants to make a living out of an art form then they're on a loser from the start. How many poets do actually make a living out of their poems? Not many. so we're not talking here about a mass of people being deprived of a crust. And what about libraries? They have by their very nature been a source of free books for the masses, but now we’re deploying the closure of them.To conclude I don’t agree with Simon. He’s an artist and as such he must ‘suffer’ for it. And by the way I posses and have read over 1000 books not to mention those I’ve begged, borrowed and lent from a library. And NO I don’t down-load books and I can’t understand how anyone can read a ‘book’ on a computer screen or Kindle or any form of faddish electro device. Simon buy shares in Kindle if you want to make money.

Comment is about Armitage fears online poetry piracy (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Hi again Lynn.
The P.C. I am using is very tempremental
-or should that just be mental!
It is,nt mine,it is an old spare one
of my Daughters.
She is away for six months in America
and I am here at her cottage in South Wales
overlooking the fitting of a new kitchen.

How long the builders will be,
we can,t really determine,since the room
has to be completely gutted and re-floored.

I am in two minds wether or not
to buy a laptop if the building work
looks set to run into weeks
or just play on-and-off games
with my Daughters P.C?

I don,t really need a laptop as such
but there again I don,t really fancy
driving five hours back to Rossendale
in order to put a poem on each day-haha!

So if I go on the missing list for a few weeks
at least you will know,that I,m not
having a day out with the undertaker!

In the meantime,I shall not curse
this old P.C. or look at it the wrong way
in case it gives birth to another gremlin-lol!

Keep well Lynn.

Our best to you Colin and Benji.

Stef and Patricia.xx

Comment is about Lynn Dye (poet profile)

Original item by Lynn Dye

This discussion has been taking place among musicians for a long time. I wonder how many contributors to this discussion download music free from the internet or copy CDs.

Comment is about Armitage fears online poetry piracy (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Outstanding Stella - really.

And what I love the most is that you noticed the sparrow and the hawk. Often I find myself looking intently at things happening around me, and I look at my fellow people, and they're all staring at their phones, or talking into them, or blithering about shite all to each other, totally missing all the real interesting stuff going on around them.

You noticed these birds, and that dynamic, right after your father's death, too.

This is a brilliant piece.

Comment is about Death Doesn't Do Automated Doors. (blog)

The explanation really helps Stella. As Izz says, it would be interesting to hear this read. It can be hard to make short-line poems work in performance but this could be good. It certainly works on the page.

Comment is about Death Doesn't Do Automated Doors. (blog)

Hi Isobel
For starters, thanks as usual, for taking the time to read and comment
I think your idea is right. I also thought it would be good to perform, but I'm not sure how long I'd be able to maintain my German accent.
I posted 'Hey'up Dave' a couple of weeks ago, which I also thought would be good to perform (and you know how little I think of myself as performer)
I'd been thinking (strongly) of coming over to the next Tudor and having a go (the venues round here seem to be getting thinner and thinner). It would also be nice to see you obviously.
As either Hey'up Dave or Auf Wiedersehen would take about 4 or 5 minutes to perform, I'd have to pick one or the other
I'd beeen favouring Hey'up because it's a piss-artists answer to all our current woes (appropriate for the Xmas do at the Tudor?), but I'd welcome your thoughts

Comment is about Isobel (poet profile)

Original item by Isobel

Hi Greg Mesmerized By An Orbit Of Hips (revised) on my blog is a product of your influence. Your editorial advice served as sand in a shell.
J. Otis

Comment is about Greg Freeman (poet profile)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Thank you Stef, good to have you back.xx :0)

Comment is about Dream Job (blog)

Original item by Lynn Dye

Thanks Isobel for the comment on Automated doors poem there is a little of an explantation under the poem.. :o)

Comment is about Isobel (poet profile)

Original item by Isobel

Izz this was right after the death of my dad in St Johns Hospice, he recieved wonderful palative care...the thing with the sparrow and the hawk happened in a small rose bush right by the automated doors as I stood there.

It was indeed a very strange thing to experience.. xxx

Comment is about Death Doesn't Do Automated Doors. (blog)

Hi Cynthia,
Thanks for your positive comment on 'There's An App'
Dave

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Hi John,
Thanks for the comment on Man Flu.
I'm working on the audio. Watch (or listen to) this space.
Dave

Comment is about John Coopey (poet profile)

Original item by John Coopey

Hi Isobel,
Thanks for the comments on Man Flu.
I'm working on the recording idea.
See you at the Tudor.
Dave

Comment is about Isobel (poet profile)

Original item by Isobel

Dave,
Thanks for comment on Man Flu.
Dave

Comment is about Dave Bradley (poet profile)

Original item by Dave Bradley

Thanks for the comment on Man Flu. :-)
Dave

Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)

Original item by Laura Taylor

Yes - I would agree with Stella about that second verse - in fact I think the whole poem could be pruned to make it an easier read and more high impact. Although that could be just me finding it hard to concentrate cos it's been a long day and I'm tired :)

As Dave says, I can definitely see the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. This is a marvellous insight into the world of the totally insane. I thought the bit about biffing was really funny. It reminds me of a story my mum tells of looking after an old lady who used to roll her own faeces into balls and hide it in stashes to lob at the nurses when they weren't expecting it...

It all kind of reminds me of how useless I'd be doing a job like that. You must have the patience of a saint Ray.

I love that ending!

Comment is about The Sound - Air (blog)

I don't follow all of this Stella but I get that it is about the observation of death - the survival of the fittest and the death of the weak and the inability of the observer to have any influence.

I don't get why you are pleased for both - maybe it is because that is nature's way, maybe it's because death is not the ultimate evil in your books, maybe it has something to do with the people these birds represent, maybe I shouldn't want to know what it all means... I'm a devil for that!

You left
in stages,
in loose teeth
cool fingers.
Cold,
I sang
most anything,
wondered
did you hear?

That's my favourite bit - though I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the rest. I just love the way it flows and can imagine you reading it.

Comment is about Death Doesn't Do Automated Doors. (blog)

Hi John

I've also been very moved by that Dylan track 'Every Grain of Sand'. It was a very pleasant surprise seeing it quoted on WOL

All the best

Comment is about John Coopey (poet profile)

Original item by John Coopey

I liked the idea of this Matt. It would be improved (IMO) by not repeating the "but" and the "hopelessly".
Well done. Graham

Comment is about Grey (blog)

Original item by Matt Tilke

Hi M.C,

Not been on for a bit and have only just seen your comment on my page..

The reason for so many poets being from the north; I think it relates to wol being set-up in Bolton and the surrounding area. A lot of poets got to know each other at the various venues and the poetry scene is also vibrant in Manchester, Liverpool and on the Wirral.

That said there are quite a few people from further afield, the midlands and down south. I know Ann Foxglove has set up a poetry night somewhere near Cornwall...so lots of people from differing places frequent the site.

Not sure if you write and perform your poetry of just write it, but I would recommend going to open mic nights if you are not doing so already. There is bound to be one or two in your area.

Your poems have been a welcome read.

My Best

Chris

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

Original item by M.C. Newberry

Hi Lynn. Thanks for the nice comments on my poem "My Lifeboat".
My husband likes this poem.
Thanks again.

Shirley

Comment is about Lynn Dye (poet profile)

Original item by Lynn Dye

Thanks Tommy, :o)

Comment is about Tommy Carroll (poet profile)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

Hi John. Thanks for the nice comments on my poem "My Lifeboat.". I am still posting I just don't do it very often.
Thanks again.

Shirley

Comment is about John Coopey (poet profile)

Original item by John Coopey

romany tendencies? you mean travellers tales?
'i worked my whole life with study not to be like that
and i know nothing
im a twat.'
i liked that bit ;)

Comment is about heart (blog)

my dads heart attack was only half of it
some cars are scrapped for only parts of it
get left with rusty arteries and electric print obituaries
bits of production line in factories
a washer or a spoke
take it out its broke
whats a body without a heart?
how do you run when you wont start
where DO you find a good mechanic when you need one for a part?

this week in my world of art i have been mainly at the garage...deep in the bowels with the scrap pouring words like petal encrusted crap.transplant tragedies your songs are washing over me...i dont know what this all means, someone call an orderly ;)

Comment is about heart (blog)

Restrained despair Stella. Restrained language mixed with fanciful imagery has me in mind of the (powerful) confusion of the film Pan's Labyrinth.

Tommy

Comment is about Death Doesn't Do Automated Doors. (blog)