Yes, they are all those things and more arn't they. :-) Win x

Comment is about Cats (blog)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Great words / Great photo and I may make sense of it yet! Actually thought these little words and there relation to one another and the picture were a special thing, reading on WOL tonight. Great Tommy (Looks a bit like Whitehaven). Win x

Comment is about Memories make sense (blog)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

Liked this one a lot Deb. hope you are well. Win x

Comment is about Svātantrya (blog)

Original item by Deborah Jordan Bailey

Great fun John. Its about the same price as a pint! Good to see all sorts of styles of poetry on WOL and your style is just as valid as any (Including mine, whatever that may be) WIn :-)

Comment is about Costa Coffee (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Nice little tale John!What a fantastic feeling to pretend youve lost the other half!
I prefer Starbucks myself!A nice vanilla latte or Choccy frappucino! You're right though,we'd never have paid it years ago would we?

Comment is about Costa Coffee (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

My first poetry reading at Festival of Firsts in Hoylake it was great, i feel now iam hooked on reading so going to look for my next gig

Comment is about Chris Lawrence (poet profile)

Original item by Chris Lawrence

p.s. confidence often comes with age so I suppose young girls are more likely to be unaware of their affect on men - though again that is a generalisation.

Comment is about Girl in a summer dress (blog)

Original item by Anthony Emmerson

What a lovely snapshot Anthony. Whilst others might gaze at hosts of golden daffodils, I see you are more drawn by young girls in summer dresses, silhouetted by the sun.... much more like the real world I think!

I love the flow of this - as Dave says - so well crafted.

To answer Philipos's question - 'are women aware of their own appeal?'. I would say that it depends on the woman and her level of self awareness and confidence. I think you have to like yourself before you can believe that anyone else does - or notice it even. And beauty can be very subjective...

Comment is about Girl in a summer dress (blog)

Original item by Anthony Emmerson

If only beautiful women knew what spells they weave

Comment is about Girl in a summer dress (blog)

Original item by Anthony Emmerson

Anthony, many thanks for your kind comments on Retrospect. It's always good to hear from yourself, valued critique.

Comment is about Anthony Emmerson (poet profile)

Original item by Anthony Emmerson

Clearly the best piece of work on here this year to date.

Comment is about Svātantrya (blog)

Original item by Deborah Jordan Bailey

As with so many of your poems, Deb, this feels 'woven', enigmatic, teasing. It is vivid yet subtle. If it was a picture it would change with the angle of view

Comment is about Svātantrya (blog)

Original item by Deborah Jordan Bailey

thank you Anthony..and in turn, your comments have given me an idea...so thank you twice
deb :)x

Comment is about Anthony Emmerson (poet profile)

Original item by Anthony Emmerson

This short and simple poem left me wanting more. I wanted the detail and story behind it. Good poem though, just wish there had been more to it. kinda got me intrigued.

I tried to chat to you last night (sat) on the chat in here but no joy. will try again soon.

stay well kealan. You write some fantastic work.

Michael

xxx

Comment is about The Burning Of The Sting (blog)

Original item by Kealan Coady

Hi Kath,

Wishing you all the best with your publishing debut. Well done you!

Regards,

A.E.

Comment is about Shameless Plug (blog)

Original item by Kath Hewitt

Hi Dave,

i loved the use of "sweats as in "He sweats the bin away" to mean something different but totally intelligible. If only life were so civilised and public servants were appreciated. I guess there's no chance of this with the current incumbents.

Regards,

A.E.

Comment is about The wee men and the bin man (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley

Great stuff - Debs

Comment is about Svātantrya (blog)

Original item by Deborah Jordan Bailey

Hi Deborah,

Svātantrya is a new word to me - thanks for the introduction (you often do that!) I liked this too - both the line Philipos mentions and:

"only the falling ripeness

of figs

felt the restrictions of gravity."

This brought to mind the sea gypsies of the Andaman sea region.

Interesting link too - again, unfamiliar to me.

Regards,

A.E.

Comment is about Svātantrya (blog)

Original item by Deborah Jordan Bailey

A lovely memory poem from start to finish. Liked especially 'Your ghost is a photograph never taken' to underline a powerful imprint in the mind

Comment is about Svātantrya (blog)

Original item by Deborah Jordan Bailey

A beautiful title that goes so well with the meaning and feeling of this poem, Deb.
I felt as though I was there watching, breathing in the salty air, feeling free and fluid as the waves...

xxx

Comment is about Svātantrya (blog)

Original item by Deborah Jordan Bailey

Good luck in the competition Larisa! I haven't written anything for it, this is well written from a religious standing it would be well received in the church. thanks very much for your compliment about my funeral poem, i was very flattered! Jeff X

Comment is about His Saint Feet (blog)

Original item by Larisa Rzhepishevska

Hi Harry - liked this which remided me of Airman's Ecstacy by McGee except that you (not surprisingly) end on a somewhat meloncholy note based on the comparison of youth and older age. Liked especially 'And the excited moon Peeped around the corner of the world'

Comment is about The Infinite Sadness of Time Passing (blog)

Thanks Isobel for the comments.
It might be a timely reminder that we need to bring forward our deliberations on funding issues, though we still don't know for certain that that was the problem. It is sometimes someone trying to hack in that can cause a spike in the bandwidth, though why they might want to hack into our site goodness knows.
Even wiping photos would only be a temporary expedient. If it is an issue of not having enough capacity then doubling the bandwidth (so doubling our payments) to cope with such spikes will be the only real answer in the long term. Or telling everyone to sod off, which would be a bit countercultural methinks.
I do do it for those reasons. But it is not just me involved and spending hours for nowt. We are dead proud of what has been achieved with the site and the way we have responded to its growth needs. There were naysayers when we set it up saying it would die within a year or two (seven years ago).
Well, here we are. If it were to fold tomorrow (it won't!) we would have achieved a lot and added to others' success by encouraign loads of people, via the gig guide, to set up new nights across the country. Cool eh?

Comment is about Uh-Oh! - Apologies (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Well crafted Anthony - especially liked 'You’ve yet to learn the power of your spell; to hold men, helpless, over heaven - and hell.' But wonder if that is really true or whether gals do have an innate sense of their own appeal without necessarily being able to put it into words. Perhaps some are more aware of it than others eh? Wonder what others think.

Comment is about Girl in a summer dress (blog)

Original item by Anthony Emmerson

Difficult to describe intimacy at times but you have managed to do it well - liked especially the final stanza.

Comment is about Not for tomorrow (blog)

Original item by kayberley

This is a really well thought through and evocative poem - liked especially the metaphor of the wasp sting - stood bare foot on one once - boy did that hurt and never forgotten - the second stanza in your poem is my fav.

Comment is about The Burning Of The Sting (blog)

Original item by Kealan Coady

Hi Cynthia - grateful for your comments on Sugar Boats - there was actually a shipping firm called Sugar Lines and a boat named the MV Crystal Gem in particular around which the events are based. Not that the poem is autobiographical in any way - I mean what young man in his right mind would allow himself to be used in that way (tee hee)

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Thanks Alan, I'm amended this, hasty I am! wonderful feedback, I really appriciate it :)

Comment is about Not for tomorrow (blog)

Original item by kayberley

I assume diamante refelcts the shape both physical and word count 1-2-3-4-3-2-1.
not sure about the idea of shape in poetry, too many compromises. The line "full of feral secrets" is sharp though!

Comment is about Cats (blog)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Thank you. Very now and very erotic too. The eroticism of total meeting. Your poems have great immediacy. Thank you again.

(PS: Is there a typo in "will it carried through"? Should it be "will it be carried through"? Just asking cos I'm the world's worst typist myself! ;-)

Comment is about Not for tomorrow (blog)

Original item by kayberley

As ever, a beautifully crafted poem with - as Francine says - rich imagery. For me, it raises questions about the 'spell', for example suggesting there is something going on which is more than just biology.

Comment is about Girl in a summer dress (blog)

Original item by Anthony Emmerson

This is very sensuous with rich images that engages...
'genuflecting trees'
'enigma of all feminine design'

I personally would prefer something like ' The sun's glow melts the ice-cream of your skin' for that line. : )

Comment is about Girl in a summer dress (blog)

Original item by Anthony Emmerson

Quite descriptive this and to the point - I'm reasonably fond of cats except not having one myself it makes my garden a fair target for all the neighbourhood ones who like sprainting everywhere including up my front door

Comment is about Cats (blog)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

oh how I enjoyed reading this Dave..nice one..

Comment is about The wee men and the bin man (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley

Hi Kealan, I have been browsing the blogs and i thought i would give this one a mention. Nice work, well thought of and quite original. The last line though, for me, lets itself down with the word 'also.' It would have had more grit if the last stanza read;

However
The slaves are happy
Not to exist.

The punch would be much mightier.

Nice work, you are as critical of much in the world as I.

Keep writing and posting.

Much love

Michael

xxx

Comment is about The Slaves Are Happy (blog)

Original item by Kealan Coady

No worries. Something like this reminds us all that we do have a life outside of WOL ;-)

Perhaps we should consider wiping some of the really ancient photos if we are looking to save space? Was just wondering whether we should really be storing photos back to 2007?

Comment is about Uh-Oh! - Apologies (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

If?
Sounds like my life.
So well expressed.
Good writing

Shirley

Comment is about if?... (blog)

Thanks for the comments on Senlac Hill. An enormous historical "what-if" indeed. We probably wouldn't have the richness of language we do, poaching from the French our posher words. The strongest influences would on culture would have remained germanic and scandinavian. And we might have fragmented back to smaller kingdoms like Danish-led Northumbria in the North and Saxon-led Wessex in the South ie no England.

Comment is about Elaine (poet profile)

Original item by Elaine

I never saw this either, first time round.
It's a cracker, AE.
As a fellow "rhymer" I recognise that the rhyming's the easy bit - it's the management of rhythm and faithfulness to the plot-line which is the hard bit. You've got it in good balance.
Deep respect, m'man!

Comment is about Phoenix (re-posted by request) (blog)

Original item by Anthony Emmerson

A 'diamante' poem, quite a delightful 'form', with many variations acceptable.

Comment is about Cats (blog)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Thank you, Mr Keane. I will make a real effort to check your work out also. I read your bio'. You might also enjoy my poem called 'Beloved' - not too far back.

Comment is about J F Keane (poet profile)

Original item by J F Keane

Hi elaine, again your comments are very much appreciated. It is sad of course and not the path I hope anyone has to follow. Yes, its the medical term for liver spots. The bit you have highlighted seem to have a good rhythm when at a reading so I have given it a few outings recently. The stones in the trifle i will leave to the imagination. Win x

Comment is about Elaine (poet profile)

Original item by Elaine

Elaine, thanks for your glowing analysis of mish-mash. Am pleased with my poems of late. This one a particularly grim episode. Win x

Comment is about Elaine (poet profile)

Original item by Elaine

Hi Andy, good to see you as ever last night. Thx for your comments on mish-mash. I think it went ok in Glasto. Well, people were looking worried and uncomfortable so I will take that as having an effect! Win x

Comment is about Andy N (poet profile)

Original item by Andy N

Hi There, Welcom to WOL. Winston

Comment is about RME Thornhill (poet profile)

Original item by RME Thornhill

It's all news to me...why has all this happened so suddenly?

Comment is about Poetry Society crisis: now the red wheelbarrow (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Hi Andy - thank you for commenting on The Water's Edge - clearly you have a bond with waterways and coastal scenes. Much obliged.

Comment is about Andy N (poet profile)

Original item by Andy N

Thank you for your comments on Water's Edge John - much appreciated.

Comment is about John Embley (poet profile)

Original item by John Embley

Smashing little vignette, this, Dave

Comment is about The wee men and the bin man (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley