Earthereal Enlightenment
What if the Sabbath weren’t a day
but a state of being
that permeates our earthereal Eden?
What would you keep holy?
Sunday 29th March 2020 3:00 pm
Herd (Co)Mmunity
Stir crazy,
my mind’s hazy.
Penned in like chicken
that never lays...
e-mergency broadcasts
and a merging of powers.
When did we surrender control of the supply chain?
I hear vegans got beef
with carnies,
but you can’t get the show on an empty road.
Do we even know where our food is grown?
Butcher, cheesemonger, greengrocer, and farmer...
were stripped from our com...
Thursday 19th March 2020 5:11 pm
Unmasked - a snippet from Buzzin Bards Anthology
The following piece is a snippet from Buzzin Bards Manchester Poetry Anthology, submissions are still open at: https://www.localgemspoetrypress.com/buzzin-bards-poetry-anthology.html
While you’re too busy being two-faced
I’ve got one face with many layers.
Take me at face value, or take a detour,
reforged, like Ant Man upon my deep pores.
Tryna get 1UP, that’s a weak score...
Friday 2nd August 2019 11:47 am
Aquatic Stardust - a freewrite
Aquarian Aquarius,
everyone be hearing us.
What an exciting life you lead,
cosmic superhuman centipede.
I’m Centric G pause for the D:
ejaculating antiquating - even thoughts dilapidated.
You should go through twice
extinguish anguish from your life
cosmic zombie souls are sliced.
Universal detoxification
electrocuting nation-notions
rubbing Atlas, struggled rolling
infinitesimal scro...
Monday 6th August 2018 9:31 pm
3 Write
3Write is a new free monthly writing event at the heart of the local community in Ashton-under-Lyne. It takes place every first Saturday at Ashton Library starting at Noon on Saturday 5th March, and is open to people of all ages and abilities.
The premise is 3 themes per session, and 3 styles of writing per session. We then 3Write. With the growing spoken word scene in Tameside (with big p...
Monday 29th February 2016 4:59 pm
Spring Tanka
A winter bite that
mocks the spring, pincers its cocoon.
A life supported?
Cease one's internal decay,
Even ice melts. Love's fluidity.
Thursday 11th April 2013 6:14 pm
Roses - NaPoWriMo Day 10
Roses are dead,
they smell like Le Pew.
But they still smell sweet
compared to you.
Roses are dead,
now you feel blue.
So take a shot neat,
and uncork the screw.
Roses are dead,
our hopes are too.
You were a cheat,
but I was too.
Thursday 11th April 2013 5:26 pm
You can't Streep poverty under the carpet... - NaPoWriMo Day 9
A silence fell upon the city,
contorted shadows twisting moonlight.
Stuttering in a speakeasy seemed so misplaced
bottles rattled flickering like Fedora feathers
in an unforgiving wind.
The wretched odour of deprivation
a stench that sticks and degrades ones existence.
Even by day this city remains a lifeless sap
and by night the vampires feast on th...
Tuesday 9th April 2013 4:44 pm
Ottava Riva - NaPoWriMo Day 8
Another attempt at my paternal tongue.
Un altro tentativo di mia lingua paterna.
And though I beam with pride as I'm learning.
E anche se mi fascio con orgoglio, come sto imparando.
I'm aware that translated, the metre is wrong.
Sono consapevole del fatto che tradotto, lo strumento è sbagliato.
But this language pulsates to my yearning.
Ma questo linguaggio pu...
Monday 8th April 2013 11:31 pm
What if the NHS was one of us?
No home, no job, just 12 good friends.
Betrayed by one who swore they never would.
Died too soon for pointless reasons.
What if God the NHS was one of us?
Sunday 7th April 2013 4:13 pm
For Maggie - NaPoWriMo Day 6
Before you start reading this piece, I'd like to take your attention for one moment to remember Maggie Turner, the woman whom this piece is about. She was a firecracker of a woman and one of the most inspiring, intelligent, opinionated, caring, compassionate people I've ever known. She said what she thought and wore her heart on her sleeve. Not enough people in this world do that, and I love he...
Sunday 7th April 2013 3:24 pm
Beat to my own drum - NaPoWriMo Day 5
Adopt
Saint Stephen's tale
It's Friday, sweets from Mrs Smith
Degeneration X and anarchy
Frankie's words: two tables, four chairs, suspension.
Discovered passing the buck, and thus passed it.
Stole the show with Twenty-one Questions, four dancers, and a singer.
First girlfriend changed everything, "You're young, she has baggage - get rid..." … did...
A pla...
Sunday 7th April 2013 3:01 pm
Irregular Apocalypse
“Got 10p for a cup of tea?”
“If you show us where you can get one for that price,
I'll give you a quid”
He never did...
Irregular Apocalypse.
Lonely and irksome.
The bitter glow of jaundice
tears at society's rustic chains,
one tragedy at a time.
“The Freemasons took my children,
they took my baby.”
Now she's hopping magic buses,
...Thursday 4th April 2013 9:41 pm
What do you do with a drunk in GAY bar? - NaPoWriMo Day 3
What do you do with a drunk in GAY bar,
What do you do with a drunk in GAY bar,
What do you do with a drunk in GAY bar,
Early in the morning!
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Early in the morning!
Tell 'im, “sorry, it's members only”,
Tell 'im, “sorry, it's members only”,
Tell 'im, “sorry, it's members only”,
Early i...
Thursday 4th April 2013 8:20 pm
PoLieTics - NaPoWriMo Day 2
We're all in this together,
we're here to represent you.
We will protect the NHS,
pensions, public services, free speech,
the right to protest, journalistic independence
and repair the economy.
But we must keep money
we NEED money.
Generators will not work without capital,
the magnetic pulse of the world will cease
and the crust shall become ...
Tuesday 2nd April 2013 4:38 pm
Easter Feaster
Roses are red?
No they're not!
They're an assorted mix bag of browns.
Cocoa, caramel, mocha and mousse.
Tasty truffles a treat for the tongue,
not just for Easter
but all year long.
Buy em on Easter Monday if you're skint
reduced price,
full taste,
eat my body weight in Lindt.
Tuesday 2nd April 2013 4:07 pm
I Miss You
Hello there,
Angel from my nightmares.
Devil from my dreams
a grey spirit that weaves
its way through my existence.
What a Dementor does to souls
or a Dalek to a human heart.
Even a superhuman heart
can break.
Just ask Logan,
a force so strong
a returning phoenix
could not reignite remnants.
I miss you.
Whatever yo...
Tuesday 19th March 2013 10:50 pm
Flash Mob
Flash Mob,
We're the greatest gangsters
since the Wild Wild West.
For what we do
we're the very best.
We're the Flash Mob,
We're the Flash Mob.
Back in Chi Town they were run by Capone
I prefer to make a racket with my Al CaBone.
Hipsters think the Flash Mob is all about Twitter
but just like Babe Ruth I'm a heavy hitter.
This is a stick ...
Tuesday 5th February 2013 6:27 pm
The Cocoon
The curtains a cocoon
which I have outgrown
crushing me
though I dare not venture out
my wings maimed
by an internal eternity.
Some days they open
as the sunlight shines
and snow falls
yet it remains a parallel world
a door to an unfamiliar universe
remains locked.
Even inside plates pile up
like a porcelain possum
they ...
Monday 21st January 2013 1:36 pm
That's so gay
When we think about the freedoms
our ancestors thought for,
the cracking of the great enigma.
Futile hopes soaked in apple-core tears
crashing like a faulty application.
Remember, that's so gay.
When you websling like Spidey
page to page.
From songs on YouTube,
to memes about Derp...
remember his hurt.
Remember, that's so gay.
...Thursday 10th January 2013 8:57 pm
12/12/12
I wasn't dead,
just never alive
Turner Prize
gold medal
all for a dive.
A dyspraxic in a speedboat
as I struggled to swim
in shark infested waters
but I won't let them win.
The rewards of success
for creating a mess
an unmade bed
for an economy's left.
People can study
and some even praise
others are starstruck
...Wednesday 12th December 2012 3:02 am
The Soul of an Artist
The soul of an artist,
famine or harvest.
An exercise in extremity,
symmetric serenity.
Raw yet crafted
a tool made from bone
fleshed out by interpreting existence.
The soul of an artist,
famine or harvest.
An exercise in extremity,
symmetric serenity.
A fusion of real and surreal
a soulful symbiote
intertwined with their v...
Monday 19th November 2012 5:25 pm
Crossroads - my National Poetry Day piece
I feel like I'm at a crossroads,
a path I do not know.
The future's looking complex as a vortex
as I continue to grow.
Do I wait in frantic futility
brazenly biting my lip and learning humility?
I see you stuck in Stockholm
waiting for the day that you finally come home.
Destined for greatness
yet thwarted by gravity and quicksand
...
Friday 5th October 2012 8:29 pm
Z
Z, is it merely a typo for X,
a phone pushed too hard
or misplaced fingers on qwerty keyboard?
Or does Z mean sleep tight?
Alas I can never sleep as tight
as when I finally hold you in my arms
and wake to sunshine even in a perilous Pennine Autumn.
Sunday 2nd September 2012 10:46 pm
I want to kiss you at midnight - Sir Benjamin character piece
I want to kiss you at midnight,
feel the wibbly-wobbly ripples of time.
I want to kiss you at midnight
staring deep into your eyes.
Though it may take time,
time is of t...
Sunday 2nd September 2012 12:39 pm
A - Z of Sex
A is for anal, hard and fast
B is for bareback, cock sailing full mast.
C is for cum cannon shot, orifice ahoy,
D is for my dick, your favourite sex toy.
E is for ecstasy as I suspend you tantrically,
F is for fuck, no time for romantically.
G is for gag as you're gasping for air,
H is for the hard on I'm rocking downstairs.
I is for insatiable...
Monday 20th August 2012 2:48 am
OpenMind: Slamming September
OpenMind: Slamming September:
Following on from our highly attended and jam packed 2 year birthday show OpenMind are back at Fuel on Monday 24th September for OpenMind: Slamming September, our first ever multi-genre OpenSpace slam event. This event will be presided over by GrIm who's taking his first ever crack at presenting an event, so be sure to give him your love, energy and full ...
Thursday 16th August 2012 5:02 pm
You Can’t Get Tits on a Kindle – an ode to Generation OMG
You can't get tits on a kindle,
so put that Amazon one down.
Your materialistic bullshit
truly does make me frown.
I got by on handmedown clothes,
chick sticks and Aldi own brand.
You really look silly with that massive phone kid,
it's bigger than your hand.
To me COD was a special chippy tea
on a Wednesday night, granddad got it for me.
...
Sunday 8th July 2012 11:15 pm
Homeless Fly
I'm a homeless fly
destined to die
destitute on the sidewalk.
No cakes for me on the kitchen side,
no conspiring against humans with my bride.
Left jilted by the absence of bathroom jihad.
Everyone speaks of the house fly,
they speak of it as a pest.
But all I have is a piss-stained alleyway
to truly call my nest.
I subsist on sic...
Saturday 7th July 2012 4:07 pm
OpenMind Accepted for O2 Think Bigger Funding
YES! YES! YES!
We got in O2 Think Bigger!
Special thanks to Richard Hawkins of the Autistic Organisation and Sally Carr of Lesbian and Gay Youth Manchester for supporting our application.
With this funding OpenMind will finally be able to roll out our premium video service that's been put on standby for the moment, and also we plan to hold a free to attend open air event in Manch...
Thursday 28th June 2012 3:21 pm
OpenMind 2nd Anniversary/Birthday Special
OpenMind return to Fuel Bar to celebrate our 2nd anniversary, exactly 2 years since the first ever OpenMind event at Earth Cafe.
To celebrate our 2nd anniversary we've created a few elements that pay homage to this number. Entry will be £2, we've got 2 headliners, 2 guests per genre, and raffle tickets will be 2 for the price of 1.
As always we'll begin the evening with the most...
Tuesday 26th June 2012 6:57 pm
Robin Hood Book Manchester Launch
Entry: Free
Open Mic Event
Contact: ushiku.crisafulli@googlemail.com
I am pleased to announce that Ashton Library will be host to the Manchester launch of the Robin Hood Book, a poetry anthology alongside the Robin Hood Campaign analysing, celebrating and discussing various social issues of importance.
There will be readings from Ushi...
Tuesday 15th May 2012 1:34 pm
10 Day Countdown/Robin Hood Anthology Manchester Launch
So, I have two announcements to make.
One is that today marks the ten day countdown until OpenMind: Face the Music II, and that there are still a few OpenSpace slots available. Can people please message Vocal Strain (https://www.facebook.com/vocal.strain) if interested. I have a partial list so far but I have my end of year assignment due in 2 weeks so I won’t be doing as much promoti...
Friday 11th May 2012 7:00 pm
A Reimagining
Sonnets are meant to be about romance
and love.
You know? All that's good.
But why should form be contained,
can one not make love to the page
in their own expression?
I can,
and will.
Imagination like a dodgems car,
wild yet bumpy.
And I guess that's what love is,
you can try to steer in the right direction
but there will always be obstacl...
Sunday 15th April 2012 6:49 pm
Mornin' On The Desert
Mornin' on the desert, and the wind is blowin' free,
the elements have freedom,
but what about me?
Trailing from bar to bar
like new age saloons,
why's it so hard
just to find me a home?
I keep on wandering,
wondering where's my milk and honey?
People sippin' on moonshine
or as some call it money.
Mornin' on the desert, and th...
Sunday 15th April 2012 5:18 pm
Brit-Wres-Fest 2012 - NaPoWriMo Piece
First time he'd ever been,
First time he'd ever seen
imaginations running wild brother,
see it to believe it.
As British as fish and chips
on a sunny London afternoon.
3 way dance or triple threat,
call it what you like but never forget
the joy,
the elation
the anticipation.
As Ligero drives the crowd wild,
the show stealer got robbed
...Friday 6th April 2012 5:56 pm
Something's gotten hold of my heart
For him the song took a whole new meaning,
a control that made him wish to control others.
“Something's gotten hold of my heart”
an evil, a darkness
he mused on midnight
and the encroaching demonic hours.
3am and a stereo's blazing in a stolen Volkswagen Beetle
inaudible white noise, a prerequisite
for the red mist to follow.
“He see...
Tuesday 3rd April 2012 9:10 pm
An Unconventional Marriage
Who needs paper to declare what your heart can?
Who needs a ring in place of a loving hand?
Who needs the approval of government or God
when two consenting adults hold the key to true salvation?
Love is the salvation that unlocks our potential,
marriage merely confines it to one form.
But if I were to ever conform,
I would do it for you.
The th...
Tuesday 3rd April 2012 9:08 pm
Struggle
I struggle to be – as I see.
Lies become truth-ingrained.
Reality branches snapped from life's tree.
I struggle to be – as I see.
How I long for us all to be free,
though in sentience I'm pained.
I struggle to be – as I see.
Lies become truth-ingrained.
Tuesday 3rd April 2012 9:06 pm
Headshot - OpenMind LGBT Special piece
A cum stained victory for the avant-garde,
throw away your cameras
and embrace the lens of the soul.
Prettiness does not define talent.
How can a stoic face define the myriad of human emotions?
A lifeless motif of the status-ho.
Individuality seeps like semen upon a blood stained carcass.
Trickles of truth, like tears upon a false-face.
One cannot spell life without l...
Monday 19th March 2012 2:59 pm
Queer Terrorists - Collab with Brownie for OpenMind LGBT Special
I'm gonna cum all over this page
Swallow this microphone like a cock with rage
I is Brownie I is gay
Were queer terrorists today
This is Bidaman a suicide bummer
*The name's Bidaman,
wanted Suicide bummer.
My fingers tickle your insides like
an eclectic guitar strummer.
Like Oasis I'll strike a chord if only
the one,
till I hit you again and the bomb ...
Monday 19th March 2012 2:58 pm
Let the Chips Fall
Let the chips fall,
We're cutting down a tree.
But only to build a bridge
made of electricity.
It's connecting you and me,
to a future we can't see.
Que sera, sera,
What will be will be.
The light that shines inside us
is directing you to me.
Fate is in auto-pilot and it flies in stealth
the beauty of surrender
is a new abundant wealth.
To hell with always ...
Tuesday 31st January 2012 8:00 pm
Lover's Limbo
Just get over it,
Casual, callous, colloquial.
But love is like an amnesiac's boomerang
just when you thing you've forgotten
the love, and the pain
it swoops like a dragon
whose scales scar sentiments.
It usually hits you,
and even if caught,
it caught you by surprise.
Those who once captured your heart
now hold your heart captive.
...Tuesday 10th January 2012 6:13 pm
Blood Mage
Twisted Maleficarum turned abomination
desperately seeking a return to one's humanity.
Expelling demons,
pumping passion like the blood that summoned them.
Bleeding tears, sweating fears
soaked in trepidation.
Summon some feeling
no time for healing
when paint is just pain with
twin pronged brush strokes.
Tattered, trying, tonal
...
Tuesday 10th January 2012 6:11 pm
The best I never had
In a world of tv clichés
I thought our series would be timeless,
that it would survive the seasons.
I laugh as I remember
How I Met Your Mother.
Confused on an interstate car park,
cellphones and calamity.
Only to feel underwhelmed.
You said “it's not just the jetlag”,
I said “how can anyone fall in love with a zombie?”
eating hearts fo...
Sunday 11th December 2011 8:27 pm
Finding the Beauty in Christmas
Mistletoe by candlelight,
love lined Christmas markets,
shopping centres full of happy couples.
Let them have what I do not,
it is theirs.
But what is mine?
My Christmas must come early
if I am to maintain the mirage of the miracle.
I'll line the markets with an illuminating
indigo light
and bathe in the dreams
that will...
Sunday 11th December 2011 8:24 pm
Home
They say home is where the heart is
and my heart is where the art lives.
So where is my home?
Art lives within us all
and begins an internal/external exchange...
a process
like humanity to trees.
We stop, relax, breathe
as one.
So where is my home?
First Contact was my spiritual home
gave meat and marrow to
broken sp...
Tuesday 8th November 2011 11:33 pm
What is this you call victory?
What happens when a triumph
doesn't ring like titanic trumpets?
Hopes remain Titanic,
exceptional, erroneously erred
and sinking with realisation.
I decapitated depression, deep
...Tuesday 8th November 2011 11:25 pm
Beholder's Eyes
Take a look into my eyes,
And maybe we will find
that between you and me
It's the way that love should be.
She told me I had beautiful eyes
her heart said friends
and her mouth did too...
and my mind's confused now I'm not with you.
See I can be the best friend that I have been for years
or I can be the guy that can hold you near.
But I can't be this.
You s...
Saturday 15th October 2011 11:50 pm
Recent Comments
Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh on Tube Shelter
29 minutes ago
Philip Stevens on These places
8 hours ago
Clare on Reinvention.
9 hours ago
Marla Joy on A Mother's Life
14 hours ago
Hélène on Favorite Poet
16 hours ago
Tom Doolan on Forget-Me-Not
17 hours ago
C Byrne on These places
17 hours ago
John Coopey on BARNSLEY HONKY TONK WOMEN
22 hours ago
Stephen Gospage on Tube Shelter
23 hours ago
David RL Moore on Peace talks
23 hours ago