How to Murder a Poet. 

Sometimes, a poet chokes on her own words

She swallows vowels and consonants

So hard, they cut her throat until she bleeds

Sharp splinters of her life take over

And render her to her knees

Swallowed by shadows of what might have been

She fades into bittersweet memory

The future fails to exist

As she exits through what could have been

O...

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Most Beautiful

In praise of belle arti: to delight

in David and the Gates of Paradise,

and La Giocónda. Fine pastels ignite

the passions: Fields of lavender entice

the jaded wanderer, Provénce astir

amidst the olive greens and burgundies.

Behold the dulcet strains of overture

and aria, from Carmen, if it please

the mood, or La Boheme or Figaro.

For rest...

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My lovely 2 Granddaughters came home with me.

My cute kitten Suay, they both wanted to see.

But Suay gets nervous when she sees new faces.

 She runs off and hides away in obscure places!

So, we searched for her in every room to no avail.

But then I saw a glimpse of her stripey tabby tail.

She was tucked in between my bed and the wall.

Suay never once looked up to respon...

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You brought me to life
Opened my heart made me whole
You brought me to life
Awakened my dormant soul
Now I am alive
I was merely just existing
Now I am alive

Another dreary sombre day
Twenty four hours of gloom I say
The weeks fly on by so fast
Months turn into years aghast
Time it refuses to stand still
All I can do is take my fill
On the horizon a glimmer of hope
A chance of salv...

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The Enigma of Amateur Dramatics.

Moved to a village with a history of Amateur Dramatics.

Established over fifty years ago.What a great idea!

Welcomed with wry smiles, joining seemed the right choice.

Reasonably talented with a background in singing 

And acting. Regardless of my abilities,the directors decided,

The bottom rung was the designated starting point.

From t...

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(I missed posting on International Holocaust Memorial Day on 27th as I was away on holiday.  This is a belated re-post.  Hana Reiner is a name painted on a small suitcase exhibited at the Auschwitz Museum; one of thousands).

Hana Reiner, who were you?

Russian, Czech or Polish Jew?

Did promises of better lives

Become no more than cattle drives?

Did you mother bring you there?

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Beliefs are life's recipes
Taking the ingredients we are born into
Putting them together to make a tasty dish
Using them to nourish and to satisfy
Our hearty appetites

Beliefs are life's narratives
Taking all the 'once upon a times'
Fitting them together as best we can
Trying anything and everything to create
Our happy ever afters

Beliefs are life's currency
They're like money in th...

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Poetry describes the romance between heart and soul

Narrates the convergence of thought and deed.

Disregards then rewrites weakness into strength,

Balances hope and desire with want and need.

Poetry is a metaphor, a simile, which may

Either by abstract rhyme, prose, or free verse

Relate to all and every person’s experience.

From their birth to death, from a cradle to a he...

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SONG FOR JAMES

James is amazing -

he is my brother -

when we were blazing -

we stole off our mother -

names are for crazing -

engage with the other -

when we were younger -

love was the answer -

Games are for lazing -

saith the author -

when we grow up

we’ll each be a soldier -

dames are for sharing

with one another -

those who mu...

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The serious swan is a studious bird

who thrives on the works of the Bard.

They flock at the spot where his plays can be heard

on the Avon by his old backyard.

Unflappable birds floating calm and serene

on the banks where his theatre stands,

and players perform all his classical scenes

with panache, as his writing demands.

His words have not changed in the years th...

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Sitting with a group of friends this week I found myself involved in a discussion about the benefits and perils of AI – the dangers of over reliance on the one hand or, on the other, the competing perils of being left behind, less able to cope without the dominant technology. The threats to jobs and livelihoods and the potential for improved medical care, speedier responses.

Technology always s...

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All you can do is try your best,
No matter what is said by the rest.
No matter what it is that they expect
Remember that you are not perfect.

So try and try and you'll succeed.
You'll meet your goals and your needs.
So do not worry and don't be a fretter,
And soon you'll find that you'll get better.

So don't give up and you'll improve,
And the wheels of your life will surely move.
No...

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Do we sing

when the birds call out

at the break of day

In answer to their call?

Are we in their sway?

Or are we deaf to nature's song?

Caught between screen and scream?

Nightmare and dream?

Do we hide away

In our digital universe?

Afraid to look up?

Entranced by the feeds

Our thoughts all dried up

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Oh hello

Not seen you for a while

He said with a smile

No, yes I've been giving you the slip

And now I'm off on another trip

Anywhere nice?

Back to the alps and all that ice?

Although saying that

It's probably colder here  

this time of year

Switzerland actually

Oh that's good, all that snow and apres ski

Although it's realy not for me

Especialy now 

As it...

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Their sex – life, of late, has been flagging,

Reform’s flaccid flagpoles are sagging:

wind-blown rags line their streets,

whilst ‘bout litter, Gammon bleats,

but they’re saddos, and their thing’s flag – shagging. 

Le Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh,

Dé Céadaoin, an naoú lá is fiche, mhí Eanáir,

An Bhliain Dhá Mhíle is Fiche a sé...

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The first stories I remember
were told on a carpet that smelled like glue and crayons.

We sat cross legged in a circle
while someone held up pictures of sheep
and a man who always found the lost ones.

They said God loved us like that.
Individually.
On purpose.

I liked those stories.
They ended with being found.

I learned prayers before bedtime.
Simple ones.
Thank you for today.
...

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Love yourself in the mirror’s glow,
In highs you soar and lows you know.
Not for perfection, smooth or bright,
But for your heart that keeps its light.
Through every scar and every doubt,
You are enough — without, throughout!

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don’t call me 

a martyr 

I work off 

the clock

not that 

holy 

I fight myself 

to a draw 

and if I could just 

forget 

close my eyes 

to the rest 

I wouldn’t get 

so upset 

I might 

even relax 

tried 

meditation 

couldn’t get 

there 

too much 

information 

the evil 

is real 

stuck 

in thi...

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Tiny flames burning blue in cold night air,

their diamond halo steadfast against eternity,

they defy the brooding black...

they are reminders of life we see everywhere,

humility facing swagger, peace against hostility,

the ones who hold the darkness back.

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In halls of chalk and whispered dreams,
A colleague stands, steadfast and true,
With heart of gold and endless schemes,
Yet shadows claim the light from view.

She grades the papers late at night,
Prepares the lessons, sharp and keen,
But when the bells for fun take flight,
Her name's erased from every scene.

Picnics, parties, staff retreats,
They swirl in laughter, bright and gay,
Wh...

Read more …

I see the butterfly gamboling about

in the wind. It shimmers in the sun.

Maybe it’s making notes

of interesting places to alight.

Watching it, I would agree with the itinerary

its wings suggest in the garden they esteem.

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You say you want peace,

So silence your guns,

Roll back your tanks;

Don’t drop your bombs

Or send off drones.

Don’t mock the blood

Of the fallen,

Their savaged skulls

And shattered bones.

You say you want peace,

So unclench your fist.

You need to show

A little love,

And to be kind

And not to maim,

Destroy or kill.

But, sad to say,

I doubt you...

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Poor little lady so thin and weak

By hard times, her home grew bleak.

With empty hands and hungry days,

She chased a tale of gold-filled ways.

They said a dungeon rests afar,

With chests of gold and gems that shine.

Only a kind and steady heart

Could reach the end and cross the line.

So off she went with careful feet,

A small brown bag, two loaves to eat.

No...

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Tywyn poet, Tony Stringfellow, has published his love life in poetry, ‘Redundant Love Poems’ is a collection of love poems written over his life time to the loves of his life.

“Four weddings and decree absolutes, and a lot of love affairs in between...

This collection is the story of my love life in poetry, my linguistic journey with the women I have loved in my time, and truthfully, I ...

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Aparthied is still upheld in uk.

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When sadnesses besiege me,
at the dying of the light,
starlight illuminates
the end of days,
then star-crossed lovers
just quietly drift away.

We sigh silently, out of sight
of mirrors, water, eyes, light,
and find, momentarily,
mankind loses her disguise
out of sight, out of mind.

We spin and ...

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It comes and fades 
But never really goes away,
It taps and tip-toes 
And weighs heavy on the heart,
Never tending to break apart.
The men at the table 
State that it's highly crucial 
To stay brisk and not vary 
From the agreed decision.
The agreed decision 
Seems purely arbitrary;
Humanity turns visibly frail 
As the men at the table 
Unanimously agree upon 
Something stained 
Is ...

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Today the dragons and the demons

Have all gone away

Maybe the imps and the sprites hide

Around the corner waiting to trip me up

But that is tomorrow

Today I am hiding my connection

To those others that plague the past

The dislocation of who and what and where I am

Today I am not a flea on the arse end of reality

The pre-occupation of the mass pre-conception

Of the ...

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From the land to the sea, 

There are stretches of olive trees growing from cinders 

And a watch of nightingales humming Persian poetry,

Drifting skyward, looking for the big man who would perhaps lend an ear.

Atop the clouds, there's an Epicurean paradox 

Instead of the big man. 

Head cradled in his hands, he witnesses pirates from plundered docks 

Ravage his gold-stricke...

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Stillness Knows

Stillness is not empty.
It is the space where my body exhales
before my mind explains.

Calm is not the absence of movement.
It is the moment I stop forcing
what was never meant to rush.

My nervous system speaks quietly.
Not in panic.
Not in urgency.
But in signals I used to ignore
because I was taught to push through.

Now I listen.
To the slowing of my breath.
...

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I read a message from a stranger 

who described my work has warmth

and appealed to flag it for recognition.

I was greatly moved by the goodwill expressed therein

It was followed by an exchange of thoughts,

heartwarming sharing and concerns ensued

which seemed to be real on both of the sides.

It made me glad, a grace of the Almighty 

showered through an angellike person

w...

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Dreams cannot congregate;
each to it's misty field
lain in a wash of dew.

As champions stumble into defeat
and emperors find occasion to bow
it's understandable to clutch at any 
hope, vision or glowing augury
but dreams don't explain themselves 
nor come to wooden agreements.
A metaphor of a metaphor
resisting translation 
honest interpreters
shall joyfully concede
basking in ...

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Even as a stranger star, 

finding the path took no time,

When the journey from brutality to humanity began,

When narrowness gave way and the soul began to broaden,

When darkness exhausted itself and the dawn started to break,

When solitude was abandoned to join the collective,

Even then, the battle must be fought alone.

​Forgetting the scent of the moist earth, 

artificial ...

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Today, I may cry
Yesterday was painful.
But tomorrow I smile.
Last week, I laughed.
Next week I may fight.
The wonders of emotions..
Circulating, entangled, and releasing.
And in that release 
Comfort is found.❤️‍🩹

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On the train that early morning,
while my tears were falling,
a little girl with the softest smile I still remember,
her eyes met mine in the mirror.

That little girl
I locked in my chest,
the reason behind my rose-colored glasses.
A place where hopes and dreams do not belong to classes.

letting down our insecurities, we fall into gravity.
thank you for holding me tightly.
You kept t...

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Beneath the wheel that turns mist and grey,

A heroin stands where shadow starts its play.

The Wheel of Fortune spins its heavy round,

While through her heart, Three Swords pound.

A hollow cup, a Page whose love felt short,

She leaves the ruins of her broken fort.

With empty hands she marches into the night,

Seeking a spark, a dormant Ace of light.

The Knight and his vertue ...

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Leviathan

The senile wolf is at the door

Spewing racist chaos and hate

Howling at perceived injustice

A permanent and hostile state

See the war pigs gathering round

His rancid and disgusting trough

This is where the demons shelter

Raise their fascist banners aloft

This is now the new world order

See the storm clouds across the skies

Where the warlords and...

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Who has never lied? Let whoever hasn’t cast the first stone, as the saying goes. When a human being lies not to protect someone, even though that, too, can be questioned, the situation takes on a different weight. Telling your mother that everything is fine when, in truth, it isn’t, as a way of sparing her emotional strain, especially when she is ill, can be seen as a protective lie, an act of car...

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In the final moment,

Orion unleashes a blinding radiance

that dispels the damnable Eclipse.

The kingdom is bathed

in light once more,

and Sol, though weakened,

smiles with pride.

Orion has transformed

from son to sun,

fulfilling the prophecy

and securing his legacy.

The people, awestruck,

hail Orion as the new Sun.

His light is different from...

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The first lesson was harmless.

It sounded like advice,
the kind passed down casually,
like a family recipe
or how to get gum out of your hair.

Smile when you meet someone.
Say thank you.
Write your name neatly.

Nothing heavy.
Nothing dangerous.
Just the basics.

I learned early how to take notes.
How to underline what mattered.
How to listen for tone instead of words.

Adults...

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He is already there, a mudlarker of Jamaican heritage, working the foreshore

Feet reading what the eye cannot

He knows where the river keeps its answers

I had spotted him before, but this time I choose to say hello

“Twice a day di river rise an’ fall,” he says after we exchange names

I tell him I used to fear reflections

He says, “River neva show you di whole t’ing, only en...

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Named before birth ,only God is his judge
Twice in one name God doubled his love

Sent down to suffer like God's only son
Pain stemmed from mother now that pain is done

Unsettled an empath if he only knew
The light he will bring and the things he will do

Musical genius spontaneous soul brother
God wants you to know that the past is to suffer

Your heart dear,it's healing all ...

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He sat aloft - that little lad
Upon the shoulders of his dad
Seeing his world from way up there
The gentle breeze ruffling his hair

How right and proper when small legs tire
To be carried by one’s sire
Strong hands clasp his ankles tight
He know the throne is his by right

The little chap enjoys the ride
And rhythm of his father’s stride
Who strolls along at ample pace
The youngster ...

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The ephemeral persists

Despite the stagnation it resists

It wants to burn bright and short

Without really giving thought

To the virtue of its own change 

To the qualities it can exchange 

Through growth, through transition 

The flower does not lose its mission 

The petals are temporary 

But the beauty is not

Perhaps that is something 

That the flower has forgot

...

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I used to see 

Through the entwinement

Of confined meaning 

I used to hope with every fiber of my being

I used to believe that the world was looking out for me

If I remove my mask

You will see all the scars of broken promises 

All the hope that died

All the blood, sweat, and tears

That has quinched the Earth

Am I the sacrifice to a brighter tomorrow 

Or is my life ...

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We’re living in an age where Monsters and Mad Men stalk the Earth again
But perhaps that’s the way it’s always been, previously just more well hidden?
Controlling and manipulating, the way we think and act again
Dividing, dehumanising and devastatingly destroying, ways of life again

Monster and Mad Men now roam freely with impunity and enabled complicity
Getting away with vile crimes, commi...

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The fall in Vianna left the trees unashamedly naked,

laying bare the leafless beauty of nothing

every single branch has only one purpose,

keeping alive the twigs, the branches of tomorrow.

The first winter rains washed away

yesterday’s dust that settled on the branches,

spring cleaning the twigs

to leave a near black silhouette,

When the full moon changes shi...

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Looking back

Watching your spirit unfold

The slow transcendence to freedom,

The pain in which makes us bold

Once you taste this love for life

The zest and excitement in letting go

Nobody can take anything from you

For in you, you know

What a blissful experience

That of being alive

I am so happy to be here

I am so in love with life’s jive

When you ...

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No one else gets off at this stop
No one else gets on
The carriage is empty but
The lights still flicker on
Rows of empty seats collide
As it rocks from side to side
And in the silence of these walls
Peace is found from outside wars
The automated voice calls
Next stop is mine
But I don’t want to leave these walls
It’s better than outside
But the train has stopped and the brakes are on
...

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I miss when looking at a photo of you
felt like butterflies,
not a blade in my stomach.

No one had ever expanded their image of me
beyond a body
until you did.

Now your memory is stitched
into my favourite beach,
my favourite walk.

I fell foolishly,
clinging to your aloof endearments,
mistaking distance for depth.

You said you would meet me in the rain,
but you couldn’t even m...

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