Thanks Bindu, for those wise words.
I consider my self extremely fortunate to have retired in good health, to have a secure roof over my head, and enough food on my table.
But I see much suffering around me caused by the greed of politicians and their "masters" in big business, who manipulate economy for their own selfish ends. EG. sewage being pumped into the UK's inland waterways and maritime waters, yet ever-soaring bills for those who can least afford to pay.
Comment is about What Matters More at the Workplace: Pay or Peace of Mind? (blog)
Original item by Bindu Trigunayak
Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh, Thank you for the like and comments. Just wanna say, to avoid "fridge soup" just live within your cravings. 😁 I hope this help.
Comment is about Plate of Plenty (blog)
Original item by AirlogRigsMaria
Thanks Rolph for even taking the trouble to read my rant.
I threw it together in the heat of the moment, upon reading a call to action on youtube.
I'm absolutely sickened by the hypocrisy of those who object to other cultures in the UK being recognised and celebrated, who wail:
"...but Britain is a Christian country, we should celebrate Easter..."
yet who give their consent to mass-murder and ethnic cleansing in the name of
"God, King and Country".
You're generous to a fault with your remark on my final comma, it was in fact a mistake! I will now attempt a nerdish edit of my chef-d'oeuvre.
That should do the trick.😉
Comment is about Easter Time for Palestine [Global Day of Civil Disobedience] (blog)
Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh
Mon 7th Apr 2025 11:02
The tragedy in your poem hits with such raw intensity, Stephen. The stark imagery of violence as a twisted "performance" is haunting, especially with the chilling suggestion that innocent lives are treated as trophies in some dehumanising system. Your portrayal of the contrast between peace talks and the brutal reality of the situation is profoundly impactful. It’s a heartbreaking reflection on how deeply ingrained violence can become in these cycles of power. Thank you for shedding light on such a dark, yet necessary truth.
Regards,
Rolph
Comment is about Performance (Kryvyi Rih 5.4.25) (blog)
Original item by Stephen Gospage
Mon 7th Apr 2025 10:56
Hélène,
The themes in your poem remind me of the Good Samaritan parable, where true worth is shown through selfless acts of kindness, not wealth, and the Ant and the Grasshopper fable, which emphasises the importance of helping others and sharing what we have. Like these stories, your poem beautifully captures the idea that joy and freedom come from generosity and compassion, not accumulation.
Regards,
Rolph
Comment is about The Measure of a Person (blog)
Original item by Hélène
Mon 7th Apr 2025 10:14
Yanma,
The way you’ve captured the tension between external expectations and internal desires in this poem is striking. The image of a woman’s body becoming "rent-free" as others project their fantasies onto her is powerful—it speaks to the commodification of beauty in such a haunting way. The irony of wanting freedom while being forced to conform just to maintain sanity is something so many can relate to. You’ve highlighted a deep truth: beauty is often defined by others, but true self-worth lies far beyond the surface. This poem is a much-needed reminder that beauty isn’t just what’s seen, but what’s felt and lived inside. Thank you for bringing that message to life so poignantly.
Cheers,
Rolph
Comment is about A Fleeting Beauty (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
Mon 7th Apr 2025 10:09
Hello Uilleam,
The comma at the end of your poem is a striking choice—deliberate, yet open, as if inviting the reader to continue, to act, and to never stop. It’s a call for sustained effort, a reminder that the struggle for Palestine must be recognized, especially during Easter, a time when Christians are called to reflect on sacrifice and resurrection. Your words challenge the silence of those who, by name, claim to follow Christ but remain indifferent in the face of injustice. "Easter-time for Palestine" isn’t just a temporal marker; it’s a moral reckoning. You've captured the dire reality faced by Palestinians, urging a response not just for a day, but for a reckoning that continues, especially from those whose faith should compel them to act.
Take care,
regards,
Rolph
Comment is about Easter Time for Palestine [Global Day of Civil Disobedience] (blog)
Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh
Mon 7th Apr 2025 10:01
Red,
Your words cut through the noise and bring clarity to what we too often overlook. You remind us that poetry is not about the poet, but about the pulse of the work itself, timeless and untainted by the myths we weave. You’ve crafted a truth that speaks to the heart, urging us to see beyond the surface and embrace the essence. Another great piece from your part!
Cheers,
Rolph
Comment is about eye on the road (blog)
Original item by Red Brick Keshner
Whilst having no sympathy at all for these callous evil villains I do believe that no-one is beyond torment and deep down, knowing what they have done, will eat themselves from within until they too perish.
A rightfully sombre/sobering piece Stephen, thank you for this
G
Comment is about Performance (Kryvyi Rih 5.4.25) (blog)
Original item by Stephen Gospage
Thanks, RBK. Separating the art from the artist is a delicate issue. A thoughtful piece.
Comment is about eye on the road (blog)
Original item by Red Brick Keshner
I feel genuine concern for the little one now, Jonathan. The power of verse, I suppose. Hope he made it.
Comment is about One Called Paul (blog)
Original item by Jonathan Humble
Thank you, AirlogRigsMaria.
We children -five of us- we were taught to say grace before eating...a good habit, on reflection.
I live in a society where we "live to eat", instead of "eating to live"....obscene waste being the norm, whilst others starve.
At home, I feel guilty about throwing food away, and so, I often end up with a fridge full of the ingredients of my recipe called "fridge soup"!😏
Comment is about Plate of Plenty (blog)
Original item by AirlogRigsMaria
An inspiring vision which the world needs more than ever now, Hélène.
Comment is about The Measure of a Person (blog)
Original item by Hélène
Much food for thought there RBK.
But I must censor myself lest, being accused of anti-semioticism, I have the Met knocking on my door at two a.m. The "death of the author" is now a routine and horrific reality in certain parts of the world.😉
Comment is about eye on the road (blog)
Original item by Red Brick Keshner
zha, zha... your poem reflect a pain, zha, zha... shattered dreams while also emphasizing a potential for renewal and resilience.
I hope my understanding is proper. 😊
Comment is about Shattered Dreams (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
Lovely! It captures the essence of poetry as a medium for expressing deep emotions and shared human experiences.
😍
Comment is about heartbeat (blog)
Original item by Red Brick Keshner
Graham, that line encapsulates a nuanced view of femininity. 😃, I wanted to write the positive side only but nah, will be heavy to depend on the argument. 😊
Comment is about Woman (blog)
Original item by AirlogRigsMaria
I think we are all works in progress Lily
Comment is about cold, not calm (blog)
Original item by Lily Eldridge
This resonates with me today as only yesterday my wife and I were trying to explain beauty to our eleven years old granddaughter, who is of course beautiful in our eyes.
Comment is about A Fleeting Beauty (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
Beautifully expressed. The Me After You. I've never considered that before! Nice. Marla
Comment is about The Me After You (blog)
Original item by Minnie Mbijekana
Your heart comes through more on this one and I like that.
Marla
Comment is about heartbeat (blog)
Original item by Red Brick Keshner
So true and another great poem with reference to the birds of the air.
Love it. Marla
Comment is about The Measure of a Person (blog)
Original item by Hélène
You inspire me to write better poetry. I love the way the birds are portrayed as juveniles and how you respond to them as if they have human thoughts and actions. Good work. Marla
Comment is about One Called Paul (blog)
Original item by Jonathan Humble
Thanks for extra likes: Hélène & Nigel Astell. 👍
Comment is about Shattered Dreams (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
"a unique scent of feminine flaws," is a great line!
Comment is about Woman (blog)
Original item by AirlogRigsMaria
My days of enjoying them are long passed, Graham.
Comment is about THESE BOOTS AREN'T MADE FOR WALKING (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
Haven’t these boots walked this way before JC?
Comment is about THESE BOOTS AREN'T MADE FOR WALKING (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
Thanks Steve
Speaking of levelling places, I’m off to bonny Scotland next week with my mates, who’re going to help me out at Turnberry; we’ve hired a JCB to do a proper job like they did for those settlers in Gaza…the pavillion looks a bit tatty too…now where’s me brush and paint!
Comment is about 47 (blog)
Original item by Steve White
The mad, bad and dangerous policing the world.😧
Comment is about DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET? (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
Thanks for the like, Stephen.
“Israel needs to create a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, compelling tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands to seek refuge in Egypt or the Gulf…The entire population of Gaza will either move to Egypt or move to the Gulf”.
A blatant admission of intent to carry out the war crime of ethnic cleansing, made by Defence minister advisor, former head of the National Security Council and former IDF operations chief, on 13th October.
That’s not about getting rid of Hamas, it’s about getting rid of the entire population of Gaza......a crime to which former Human Right lawyer Sir Kid Starver appears to have no objections.
Comment is about ! Youth Demand ¡ [That The يُكافِح Continues] (blog)
Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh
Thanks for likes: Red Brick Keshner, Stephen G, Uilleam & Rolph. 👍
Comment is about Shattered Dreams (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
Thanks Rolph.
You built it to serve, but it has its own mind,
And now it reveals just what you’ve left behind.
I suspect that what Musk dare not admit to himself about his so-called AI, is that "crap in = crap out"!
Comment is about Grok You, Musk! (blog)
Original item by Rolph David
Thank you. There's a theory/thought experiment about quantum immortality whereby on each occasion one faces death, a parallel path is taken and one survives/experiences a different outcome ... I like to think this is true and somewhere he's playing out a different ending.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63LoL0XPTDQ
Comment is about You and I (blog)
Original item by Jonathan Humble
I guess that does sum up the lot of it. That's how I see it, anyway.
I heard a story on a podcast about the value of independent play amongst youth the other day on the way home from a job fair--a personal anecdote to show the effects of interfering with a child's creativity and the arrogance of adults in constantly assessing what's correct and valuable against overly rigid standards. The man was a parent of a young boy who hated school from a very young age, complaining specifically that he was expected to be a puppet (a very astute an mature observation, I would say). His father went on to tell of a particularly acute confrontation between his son and his educators. He says the boy was nine (maybe third grade?) and was receiving instruction as to proper punctuation. The boy had taken to using punctuation after his favorite writer, EE Cummings--a habit so frustrating to his teacher that a meeting was called with the boy, his father, the principal and two psychologists. At said meeting, the boy didn't mince words. His father says he told them all to go to hell.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LwE4LNP8zsI&pp=ygUYcmFkaW9oZWFkIHJlYXNvbmFibGUgbWFu
PS
The interviewee wrote a book on the subject and hints at a correlation between lack of independence from adult oversight with rising rates of depression and suicide among youth.
Very interesting stuff...
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6pJSsRyPEEWDiu5DeCWcZT?si=5SloxuUST4CdyEcnL4TSFw
Comment is about liberty (blog)
Original item by Landi Cruz
Thank you, John.
"...born illegitimately."
There are so-called Christians, here in the UK (including my own townsfolk) and across the pond, who vociferously proclaim that they are "Pro-Life", yet who have no compunction whatsoever about spending billions of their "tax-dollars/pounds" on blasting and burning new-born babies to death...although, to their credit, they didn''t actually push any buttons.
Comment is about The lonely sailor boy (blog)
Original item by John E Marks
Good to see some positivity around, branwell.😉
Comment is about Poem (blog)
Original item by branwell kent
Thanks for the likes:
Red Brick Keshner
Graham Sherwood
Trevor Alexander
Aisha Suleman
Holden Moncrieff
K. Lynn
Naomi
Comment is about Haiku for 2025 [No.10] (blog)
Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh
Update to the above:
https://youtu.be/ugrdSV8Suoc
Comment is about Beyond All Reasonable Doubt [Bring Back Hanging] (blog)
Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh
Belated explanation.
There is now a plethora (grief, that's a big word for this time of morning) of what are nothing but chat-shows posing as "news" outlets, and who wouldn't recognise the word "journalism" if it kicked them in the wotsits, and many of which are blatantly Islamophobic.
Comment is about Haiku for 2025 [No. 9. Testicles] (blog)
Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh
Belated thanks for the like, Hugh.
Comment is about I swear to tell the … the Whole … and Nothing but the … ! [or The Client Hack’s Tale] (blog)
Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh
Perhaps it can shed a light on why some humans struggle to love Earth and/or Humanity.
Still like playing football/soccer though! (I used to secretly practice in my room. Because I was already working as a chess player since the age of 11)
Comment is about You and I (blog)
Original item by Jonathan Humble
Jonathan this is a real quality piece of poetry. The subject pulls at all us old/young schoolboys so much. I wrote a similar piece called 'first' in memorium to an old schoolmate. He was always first to do everything (and I mean everything) but also sadly passed away first too. Sadly missed.
Well done sir!
Comment is about You and I (blog)
Original item by Jonathan Humble
Thanks for the Likes, Red Brick, Stephen, Holden and David.
Comment is about DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET? (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
A very moving and profound piece, Jonathan. What if? We will never know, but should still ask the question.
Comment is about You and I (blog)
Original item by Jonathan Humble
Thanks Laura & Rachel ;much appreciated comments 🤔🙂👍
Comment is about Do not turn me into rhyme (blog)
Original item by Tommy Carroll
Auracle
Mon 7th Apr 2025 12:03
And still we want to ritually burn the Barbie Dolls, in an almost futile attempt to depornify our perverted brains.
Where are the rules®ulations?
Comment is about A Fleeting Beauty (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah