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Joshua Van-Cook

Updated: Tue, 1 Aug 2023 09:13 am

joshuavancook@hotmail.co.uk

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Biography

I am a poet living in manchester who has a great love of poetry and music, a greater love of food and the greatest love of variety in all of the previously mentioned items of interest. I'm a textbook altruist and will treat everyone I come across with only the highest measure of respect. Conversation amongst writers is always something I look forward to as I've found that each writer experiencing another's world of writing is nearly always something profoundly inspirational.

Sample

Ghost Town The crescent moon loomed over the bleak town, All wrapped in a glimmering garment of stars, Over which rumour whispered a shadow, Begrudgingly it let it continue ever on What was it knocking at the door? Knocking, knocking down the door of the public house, At the foot of Vesuvius it lay, And the storm preceding could not be drowned out Where hope and faith are escutcheons so thin, As opposed to states of randomness, we knew it had to go, A great confusion to the children, The ash fell; it fell as thick as snow What went wrong here, once so full of life, Now left of naught but elegies now left unread, The curtain has withdrawn for the final time, And the secrets of this town now rest with the dead The shadow winces once from the sight it beheld, The necropolis before it would know no more dawns, The smell of rot, seeming everywhere, And the enigma of the shadow lay so pale and forlorn This was when the shadow then perceived, That once such proud people should succumb to such a pyre, The wrath of nature is a terror to withstand, To attempt to exempt ourselves would only make the situation more dire. The shadow then disappeared, its ghostly visage gone, It departed seemingly far too soon, For its perception was, to us, but partly parted before it departed, As such the advice given eluded us as swiftly as the moon

All poems are copyright of the originating author. Permission must be obtained before using or performing others' poems.

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Comments

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David Cooke

Mon 2nd Dec 2013 18:11

Hi Joshua Glad you liked the tree poem!

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Steve Higgins

Sun 23rd Jun 2013 18:01

Hey Josh, nice to hear from a fellow Mancs. Thanks for having a read of 'Richard Burton'. It wasn't totally serious though part of me is a proud northerner, another part wishes for a voice like Burton . .
Best Wishes, Steve

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Cynthia Buell Thomas

Fri 14th Jun 2013 12:46

BTW, thanks for reading 'The Bath'. You were spot on. I felt a bit terrified as I wrote it - with the suicide inference, of course, but also with the realization of a society and/or a personal schedule/angst that allows a person to become that emptied. When do we take control?

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Greg Freeman

Thu 11th Oct 2012 16:55

Hi Joshua, it was very remiss of me not to have thanked you earlier for your kind words about Malcolm's Memorial Walk. All the best, Greg

tony sheridan

Wed 3rd Oct 2012 20:28

Many thanks for your comments on World Leaders. I think I will edit this poem. Take care, Tony

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Chris Dawson

Mon 25th Oct 2010 17:59

Thanks for your comments Josh, you are always so generous with them and they are much appreciated.
I haven't had chance to comment yet but I've been reading your new work with interest - they seem to be quite different from things you've posted before - a new self-assurance and maturity about them which is very appealing. Bit bogged down with stuff at then moment but I'll give them a proper read in the next couple of weeks.
Hope all is well with you?
Cx

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Cynthia Buell Thomas

Mon 30th Aug 2010 10:29

Re: 'why' - great response, Josh, well argued.

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Daniel Hooks

Fri 4th Jun 2010 13:34

hi there josh we met at poetica poetry night in manchester it was good to meet you should post up the poem you read there about humanities Dark psyhe I thought that was a really good poem

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Chris Dawson

Sun 4th Apr 2010 11:17

Hi there, thanks so much for your comments on my 'War is ..' poem - glad you liked it.
Cx

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Chris Dawson

Tue 16th Mar 2010 00:13

Hi Joshua,
Thanks for your comments on 'Scar', glad you liked it.
How are you doing? Studying hard?
Cx

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Isobel

Mon 15th Feb 2010 10:49

Oh - I touch type so I'm very fast. Next time you would be best to send a quick message like Hi just so the other person knows you;ve connected. Best get on now - need to entertain the cavalry (the kids). Bye for now.
Isobel x

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Isobel

Mon 15th Feb 2010 10:39

Not sure what went wrong with chat Joshua - it doesn't work sometimes. Not sure if you read what I wrote - nothing you wrote came across - unless you went off to open a beer or something....LOL
Take care. x

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Isobel

Sun 14th Feb 2010 21:25

Hello Joshua - I don't think we have met before. Thank you for your comments on my latest. Your analysis is correct. It is rather a sad one, doubting the existence of 'true love' - the evidence is so scant...
I see from your poetry that you are a very deep thinker for one so young - that is so good to see. I wish you every success with your songwriting and poetry.
Isobel x

<Deleted User> (6327)

Sat 24th Oct 2009 11:05

hi there joshua thanks for taking the time to read "what is love" poem i see it has intrigued you. the answer to your question about what type of love is entirely upto the person reading it has i'd written it so that it gave the reader an option of how they would interpret it and to make you think about it :-) (i hope that clears it up) :)
i enjoyed reading your samples of poems :)

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Francine

Fri 23rd Oct 2009 04:06

Thank you Josh for taking the time to read and comment on my poem
'Out of the darkness...'
I am glad it works well for you, because I never really know how people
are going to interpret...

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Cynthia Buell Thomas

Wed 7th Oct 2009 20:08

'brave new world' has become a generic expression - anything done on a grand scale - discovering the America's - landing on the moon - having a baby - and so on. Ideas and understanding must expand to meet really new challenges - like language and the Internet.

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Chris Dawson

Tue 6th Oct 2009 12:33

Hi there,
Thanks for the comments on Growing Up - I think actually Palate Cleanser might be a better title!
Glad you're still listening to Phil Ochs - have a listen to some Leonard Cohen, 'The Future' is very interesting, he's an amazing poet.
Cynthia - I love the story about F.U.C.K, in the version I heard it was written over the stocks when adulterous women (never men) were put in, but sadly, I think, it is apocryphal, though its etymology is very vague.
Cx

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Cynthia Buell Thomas

Sat 3rd Oct 2009 12:04

Joshua, since you enjoy scholarship in its most magnificent sense, take care with spelling and grammar as you go on. I know song-writing sets its own rules, as does, sometimes, poetry too. But you are so talented, go for the highest ideals possible and be a future poet laureate, if the honour still exists some years down the line. At any rate, go for FAMOUS.

By the way, 'fuck' should be FUCK, an acronym for the legal term: ' For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge'. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I happened to read Christine's earlier comment.

Parrs Wood in Didsbury?

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Chris Dawson

Sat 3rd Oct 2009 10:01

Well - I did point out that maybe there was a reason for it being undiscovered! ;-)
Glad your exams went well, which uni are you off to? and what will you be doing when you get there?
Cx

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Chris Dawson

Sun 20th Sep 2009 05:55

Hi there,
How are you? How did the exams go? Thanks for reading, and commenting on, 'Important' - glad you liked it.
I've not been writing much lately - spent a bit of time doing some silly (but fun) fx on a friend's video - the link is on my profile page - please feel free to leave comments (on youtube I mean - no point in leaving them here - not my film) - and of course, encourage everyone you know to watch it. It's an undiscovered work of genius - possibly, rightly so!
Take care,
Cx

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Tomás Ó Cárthaigh

Tue 26th May 2009 00:53

I like the poem "A Lack of Colour"

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garside

Fri 15th May 2009 16:04

Hi Joshua,

thanks for taking the time to read and make and make comment on 'where rivers flow'

steve

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Daniel Hooks

Thu 14th May 2009 17:48

thanks for your comment Joshua spelling and grammar are not my strong point!

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Chris Dawson

Mon 11th May 2009 08:21

Hi again - reading your work it occurs to me that you might like the work of some 60s folk/protest singers - and in particular, Phil Ochs.
Ochs was one of the people that inspired other songwriters (most notably Dylan), as well as his listeners. He had a very journalistic style, and wrote with wit and intelligence - I think you'd appreciate his work.
Cx

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Chris Dawson

Fri 8th May 2009 16:46

Hi there,
Not seen you on here for a while - been busy?
Thanks for your comments on 'Muse...', glad you liked it.
Cx

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Chris Dawson

Thu 29th Jan 2009 01:23

Gratuitous - being without apparent reason, cause, or justification - the use of the worked 'fucked' in this context strikes you as gratuitous? - I think the reason I used that word is very apparent, and easily justifiable - if only on the basis that I'm reporting speech here. I'd be interested to hear what word you'd replace 'fucked' with that would have the same impact?
Under what set of circumstances would you deem it permissable to use fucked?
It's a good, old, Anglo-Saxon word - don't be afraid of it!
Cx

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Chris Dawson

Wed 28th Jan 2009 12:54

Thank-you for your comments about 'Confetti' - I think weddings, in general, have a tendency to be cliché-ed - but, perhaps, those that are imagined in particular!
Your work is interesting - people are on here for all sorts of different reasons, and I don't know whether you're on here hoping to be told that your work is wonderful, or for serious feedback, so I hope you don't mind if I offer a criticism or two?
You say you have a predisposition to grandiloquence - I would say try and keep it out of your writing, nothing is more alienating than pomposity, and without a reader you're not a writer, you're a diarist. I also wouldn't bother mentioning that you write crap poems that you don't post - we all do. People (in every walk of life) have a tendency to believe what they're told - often despite evidence to the contrary. Go around saying 'I'm really fick, I am' and they'll believe you - even with your degree firmly tucked under your belt: so tell them positives, or better yet - let them judge for themselves by showing them your best, accessible, work.
And if you want a serious critique - post to Write Club! - they will certainly let you know what you are doing right or where you are going wrong, though I must admit I haven't had the nerve to do so myself - yet!
Good luck,
Cx

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Daniel Hooks

Wed 28th Jan 2009 10:41

welcome to write out loud!

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