An interesting thought, Ray. The idea has never occured to me, but perhaps I'm too satisfied with anonymity.
Enjoyed the poem. Perhaps Pam Ayres could give it a go.....
Comment is about Fame (blog)
Original item by Ray
Thanks for the comment, Stephen. Never stop, never give up!
Thanks also for the likes from Nigel Astell, Red Brick Keshner, Aisha Suleman, Holden Moncrieff, K. Lynn, and Yanma Hidayah
Comment is about Another Word (blog)
Original item by John Gilbert Ellis
I love this one, John. I suppose with Guiness it's full or zero - 'Guinness Light' just wouldn't cut it.
Comment is about HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
Thank you for your kind thoughts, Graham and Tom. And thanks for the Likes, Redbrick, New Shoes, David and Cryptid.
Comment is about HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
This poem was inspired by a dialogue between Aurora and Maleficent in one of the most poignant scenes from the film Maleficent:
Aurora: “Do all the fair people have wings?”
Maleficent: “Most do.”
Aurora: “Then why don’t you? All the other fairies fly.”
Maleficent: “I had wings once. They were stolen from me—that’s all I wish to say about it.”
Aurora: “What color were they? Were they big?”
Maleficent: “So big, they dragged behind me when I walked. And they were strong. They could carry me above the clouds and into the headwinds. And they never faltered, not even once. I could trust them.”
Comment is about “I Don’t Believe in My Wings” (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
Many thanks to RBK, Graham, Tom, Cryptid and Holden for the likes.
I have done some background on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, their short history makes for interesting reading. Many of it's personnel having come from military backgrounds of multiple nations, primarily the US and UK.
I am very interested in the recruitment of those they have engaged as armed security guards. I have a suspicion that there may well be a level of collusion between these entities and the IDF when it comes to the killing of those arriving to collect aid.
I would very much like to know what the orders of engagement are for the armed civilian contractors upon Palestinians. Where their weapons are sourced and which authority licences them. Historically foreigners cannot operate inside Gaza without licence from Israeli authorities. In that regard, conditions of use have to be agreed upon before the issuing of licence...I wonder what they are? I suspect it's just the wild west out there atm.
As an aside, although I was once a "fighting man" I am sickened to my stomach when I hear civilians chanting for the death of anyone, whether that be the IDF collectively or Hamas. What repulses me more that anything about such careless incitement is that those doing so would be the least likely to commit the act themselves, rather expecting someone else to bloody their hands on their behalf.
Things are far more complex than calling for the death of those representing an organisation, nation or religious grouping. Those within such collectives remain individual human beings with independent identities. It's far too easy to call for death to those who can be branded collectively. Let us not forget where such rhetoric has led us before.
David RL Moore
Thank's to RBK, Graham and John for taking time to comment, much appreciated.
Comment is about The nutritional value of a bullet (blog)
Original item by David RL Moore
Challenging, as ever, David.
“international community”—a technical term referring to the U.S. government and whoever goes along with it.”
― Noam Chomsk
Comment is about The nutritional value of a bullet (blog)
Original item by David RL Moore
A grand tune John. You made an Irishman very thirsty. Sláinte. 🍺
Comment is about HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
The pair of them are both as black as coal
Whether “full fat” or sans alcohol
Anyone who can get away with these lyrics deserves a like from me!! A real boy on the black stuff JC
Comment is about HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
For obvious reasons David, I’ve still got Neil Young growling in my ears and I can hear him reciting this too!!
As usual (sometimes) you make us feel really uncomfortable. Good on yer!!
Comment is about The nutritional value of a bullet (blog)
Original item by David RL Moore
Tue 1st Jul 2025 15:11
This is a haunting, visceral meditation on violence cloaked as salvation where each line burns with a grim irony that’s impossible to ignore. The metaphor of a bullet as sustenance is searing, a brutal indictment of how suffering and death are sometimes dressed in the garb of deliverance. It’s powerful, unsettling, and deeply human in its raw confrontation of despair and of art that demands reflection, not comfort. 🌷🕊️🙏🏻RBK
Comment is about The nutritional value of a bullet (blog)
Original item by David RL Moore
Thanks for likes: Heverson Santana & Holden. 👍
Comment is about Social Media Man (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
A dramatisation in the form of Shakespearean sonnet that is somewhat theatrical exploring the events, implications, and anticipations of the June 30th, 1613, fire that destroys William Shakespeare’s beloved Globe Theatre during a performance of Henry VIII when cannon shots set fire to its thatched roof. 🙏🏻🕊️
Comment is about upon a shot that lit the roof alight; June 29, 1613 (blog)
Original item by Wimpole Street Devils
Thanks all for the likes on the previous version, which didn't seem finished, so I've added a couple of stanzas to make it more balanced.
Rob
Comment is about November Heart (Updated) (blog)
Original item by Rob J Mann
@Auracle
Thank you for your moving comment – your perspective reminds us how multifaceted people can be, even queens. However, I believe you've misunderstood the intention of the poem: it's not about superficiality or mere mockery, but about the courage of a monarch using subtle humour to make a statement – even in the presence of a powerful guest. Humour, too, can be a form of stance.
Comment is about Máxima's Royal Mock (blog)
Original item by Rolph David
Thanks @Ray Miller 🌷isn’t that the way more often than not! Brings me back to the preciseness of brevity😃🙏🏻🕊️
Comment is about rusted edges, burning gears (blog)
Original item by Wimpole Street Devils
Enjoyed the read, though I thought the first two stanzas more striking than the rest.
Comment is about rusted edges, burning gears (blog)
Original item by Wimpole Street Devils
Good poem, I enjoyed the 3rd and 4th stanzas particularly.
Comment is about To Thine Own Flame (blog)
Original item by Aisha Suleman
Thanks all. Graham, you probably read it right, but Eve Of Destruction is a bit Barry Maguire, or even Harry Maguire.
Comment is about America (blog)
Original item by Ray
A funny and joyous poem, Larisa. Having struggled for years to learn French, I feel your pain!
Comment is about I Learn And Study English (blog)
Original item by Larisa Rzhepishevska
Well said, John. We should never stop being curious and moving forward.
Comment is about Another Word (blog)
Original item by John Gilbert Ellis
Thanks Stephen, much appreciate your visiting and commenting.
Thanks to those who have popped by and left flowers.
David
Comment is about The Harrowing (blog)
Original item by David RL Moore
Hello Larisa,
you wrote a lovely poem. It reminds me of my childhood, when I got to read similar poems about the irregular English plural. Some of them were pages long.
For example:
We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice;
yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet,
and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?
Then one may be that, and three would be those,
yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
but though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.
Comment is about I Learn And Study English (blog)
Original item by Larisa Rzhepishevska
Ah well....
We, as humans, try to interpret ourselves as best we can, right?
She did something very meaningful for friends of mine. That's what I remember.
Máxima attended a memorial service and listened to a child sing about her dead little brother.
I just came back from professional chess competition. Loek van Wely, former top-10 player said he'd cover for me.
I started playing again during Covid. Sometimes the games would trigger ptsd-like symptoms. Wouldn't be able to sleep for hours and hours.
All of humanity are humans, right? Or is that not a human right anymore?
Comment is about Máxima's Royal Mock (blog)
Original item by Rolph David
Perhaps it can be supposed that our insanity is given some free range in the realm of poetics... licence and justice all rolled into one.
Comment is about today’s battles (blog)
Original item by Red Brick Keshner
Hello again Alexandra. There’s a lot to digest here. Good to see you back on again.
Comment is about Hand on darkness (blog)
Original item by Alexandra K. Parapadakis
Sunday at The Cask Tavern
Monologues or poetry at the closing party for the Poynton Arts Festival went down a bomb.
Andy Millican who was the host for the night says thanks to all the poets who came down.
Comment is about A Poetry Pint with a Unique Taste of Evening Entertainment (blog)
Original item by Nigel Astell
There's power in the word....write what you see, think and feel Rolph, the words etched from truth will forever be real and resonate. But when the opportunity arises take action.
Comment is about The Smile That Sold Us Out (blog)
Original item by Rolph David
To Red Brick Keshner:
Thank you, Red Brick, for your reflection. It’s interesting how some patterns from history do seem to repeat. I’m glad the poem stirred those memories and connected to the echoes of past headlines.
To Stephen Gospage:
Stephen, I really appreciate your thoughtful comment and the humour about a possible parade with Putin! Glad the couplet about “the court who daily praise” stood out to you. Thanks for the encouragement.
To Ray Miller:
Thanks for reading, Ray! I know that line is a bit dense—sometimes poetry packs a lot into a few words. I’m glad it made you pause and think. Always happy to chat more if you want to unpack it!
To Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh:
Thank you, Uilleam, for your sharp and witty take. That Oscar Wilde paraphrase perfectly captures the frustration behind the poem. I appreciate you sharing that perspective!
Regards,
Rolph
Comment is about The Empty Streets of Ego’s March (blog)
Original item by Rolph David
Thank you, Manish, Holden Moncrieff, Aisha Suleman, Branwell Kent, Hugh, and Red Brick Keshner, for your kind appreciation and support. It means a lot to me to have such thoughtful readers engaging with my work. Your backing truly makes a difference.
Regards,
Rolph
Comment is about Sonnet CXLVIII – To She Whose Ink Doth Shade My Sight (blog)
Original item by Rolph David
Yanma, Holden, Aisha, and Red Brick Keshner - thank you for your "like". I really appreciate it.
Regards,
Rolph
Comment is about Máxima's Royal Mock (blog)
Original item by Rolph David
Many thanks to Manish, K. Lynn, Stephen Gospage, Phils Words, and Red Brick Keshner for your likes and support. I truly appreciate you taking the time to acknowledge the poem—it’s encouraging to see it connect with such a thoughtful group. Your support is deeply appreciated.
Regards,
Rolph
Comment is about The Smile That Sold Us Out (blog)
Original item by Rolph David
Thank you very much, Stephen, for your insightful and encouraging feedback. I’m pleased to hear that the poem’s rhythm and structure gave the message the power I hoped for—it was important to me to capture not just the words, but the urgency and weight of that disturbing spectacle. It’s painful to witness leadership falter in this way, and I’m grateful you felt the poem gave that feeling a strong voice.
Regards,
Rolph
Comment is about The Smile That Sold Us Out (blog)
Original item by Rolph David
Thank you so much, Manish, Stephen W. Atkinson, Yanma, Auracle, and Holden Moncrieff, for your likes and support! It means a lot to me that the poem connected with you all in some way. I’m truly grateful for your encouragement and kindness.
Regards,
Rolph
Comment is about The Guest Beneath My Tongue (blog)
Original item by Rolph David
Thank you, Manish and Stephen, for your generous and encouraging feedback.
Manish, I’m glad the poem captured your interest so deeply. Stephen, your witty comment was a perfect match for the poem’s mood—thank you for that! It’s truly rewarding to know the poem sparked such intrigue.
Best regards,
Rolph
Comment is about The Guest Beneath My Tongue (blog)
Original item by Rolph David
Hi David,
Thank you so much for this beautiful and thought-provoking comment.
I truly resonate with your words. It’s comforting (and empowering) to be reminded that imagination can shape not just art, but life itself.
Your reflection adds a deeper layer to the poem, and I’m grateful you shared it with me. It feels like a gentle encouragement.
Wishing you warmth always,
Yanma
Comment is about The Seeker (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
A response to Auracle's "BeLanguaged" as I still haven't the privileges to comment on the page. Cheers for that banger of a spark—it had proper teeth! 🦷 🌷 @Auracle
Comment is about echolalia after the fall (blog)
Original item by Red Brick Keshner
Yes! @Auracle ; a lifelong learning curve. 🌷🙏🏻🕊️bedankt😊
Comment is about closed windows (blog)
Original item by Red Brick Keshner
Thanks @David RL Moore 🌷 to loose ourselves in the losing of ourself would be some achievement. Most appreciated. 🙏🏻🕊️
Comment is about closed windows (blog)
Original item by Red Brick Keshner
We're learning the waves, Red Brick Keshner. At least I am. For if one day they will come, we will be able to live upon them. Like these kids, who know how to row, sail and motor. Row, sail and engine. And everything else.
Comment is about closed windows (blog)
Original item by Red Brick Keshner
A point well made in this delicate poem, David. 24- hour and online news has a lot to answer for, and much of it is so boringly repetitive that it wastes our time. And yet it is so difficult to step back. I'm as guilty as anyone.
Comment is about The Harrowing (blog)
Original item by David RL Moore
Beautiful,, Tom. I remember that feeling of quiet relaxation in Japan.
Comment is about Picnic By The Kamo River (blog)
Original item by Tom
A brilliant snapshot of the way things are going, Ray. I haven't been there for years. Not sure they would let me in now.
Comment is about America (blog)
Original item by Ray
Thanks to David, Greg, Uilleam, Ray and Graham for all the comments, and to everyone who liked this poem.
It is sad, but perhaps inevitable that wars drop down the news agenda over time. Actually, in the circumstances, I think much of the Western media has done a good job covering Ukraine. Of course, I accept that other conflicts are unjustly ignored.
What we have now though is a US 'administration' which seems to regard the Ukraine conflict as too difficult and boring, and also too problematic to steer in favour of their erstwhile ally, Russia. To the point where, shamefully, the war hardly figured at the NATO summit this week.
Greg - thank you for the comment about the local Ukrainian family. I know the heartbreak that family separation and tragedy has brought to several refugees who attend our English classes at a local school. It is particularly hard for children, although they can appear outwardly resilient. And now I see that the UK government is refusing asylum to some Ukrainians. Very sad.
Comment is about Meanwhile, Back in Ukraine (June 2025). (blog)
Original item by Stephen Gospage
Hi Yanma,
I thought it was time to pay you a visit.
Our imaginations are our creators, at least in some cases they can be.
Who are we to deny our own or anothers imagination?
Historically many of those who have indulged their imagination have led themselves and multitudes to some kind of salvaton. Specifically in the fields of medicine and the arts, the great philosophers and those who simply imagine our lives could be better who then pursue their imaginings into reality.
Too many of us deny ourselves the opportunity to realise our imaginings, I find that such a waste.
A great poem to provoke some thought.
David RL Moore
Comment is about The Seeker (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
I trust the cursor will not wait too long RBK.
I think I will be losing myself in the Countryside or a Gallery somewhere before this day is out.
I think atm we are vibrating on a similar frequency.
David
Comment is about closed windows (blog)
Original item by Red Brick Keshner
Graham Sherwood
Wed 2nd Jul 2025 12:15
Excellent Stephen. I was about to write I particularly like the first verse but they are all as good as each other, not a bad note played! Well done. G
Comment is about According to the poet (blog)
Original item by Stephen Gospage