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Comment is about Contrapuntal (blog)

Original item by Chris Armstrong

Tina-- I'm curious why you are dwelling on the dark side rather than the brighter side of life. Not criticising just wondering why?

Don ?

Comment is about Satan's Child (blog)

Original item by Chiari Warrior Soldier

Ha- Ha- Ha!
?

Comment is about Frances Can't You Hear Us? (blog)

Original item by Don Matthews

I'm not getting carried away yet, MC. I well remember
Swedes 2 Turnips 1.

Comment is about THANK ‘EAVENS FOR TOTTENHAM’S BOYS (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Thank You For You’re Feedback It Helps. I’m super new to this. So thank you any Input is Good Input. ?

Comment is about Don Matthews (poet profile)

Original item by Don Matthews

Very happy you enjoyed, Anya! Thank you right back ?

Comment is about Let's Go (blog)

Original item by Jake Vincent Belmont

L.B.D

I'm curious why you focus on depression rather than on the brighter side of life ?

Don ?

Comment is about An Ode to Depression (blog)

Original item by L.B.D

wonderful as ever suki and now all i want to do is watch the spike milligan sketch 'pakistani dalek' which i shall paste below as its a blinder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0n88tZQc4Q

enjoy

Comment is about Fifty Shades Of Freckle-Faced Dalek (blog)

Original item by Suki Spangles

Poetry for effect and effective for that reason Don. Bit too clever for me, but a cross dresser waving a knife would have set it on fire. Sorry, can't deal with showers any more.

Ray

Comment is about Shit. Excuse Expletive (blog)

Original item by Don Matthews

WE all love a good character, not necessarily OF good character JR. The last verse is a clincher. No many people now would now how famous Joseph Locke was but i'm old enough!

Ray

Comment is about Mickey Dalton (blog)

Original item by J R Harris

This has that suffocating interwoven feel of a Mike Leigh film Stu. A kind of stealth and inevitability and all done in an atmosphere supercharged and yet overarching reportage style.
A grand affair, gritty and as always a great surprise.

Ray

Comment is about what it was (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

Thanks so much Stu. I feel a bit of plonker now, but I had to stand up and express myself. I think you are a wise man, I think you can put ignorance in room 101.

all the best. Ray

Comment is about AT THE A & R (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Thanks Martin for your "predictable" support for "Episodes in a collapsed relationship" (blog). ?

Comment is about Martin Elder (poet profile)

Original item by Martin Elder

We've got the Novichok blues.
Great writing, everything is there.

Hannah

Comment is about Salisbury Scratch and Sniff (blog)

Original item by Red Button

This is amazing.
Your fantastic use of language and imagery, so many lines are gems.
A joy to read.
Love it !

Hannah

Comment is about Fifty Shades Of Freckle-Faced Dalek (blog)

Original item by Suki Spangles

This is the best thing I've read in ages. Its cool, funny, epic, clever, poetic, imaginative, weird, intelligent and completely bonkers (cos we all know that daleks are male). And i love that predictive text turns daleks into flakes.

Comment is about Fifty Shades Of Freckle-Faced Dalek (blog)

Original item by Suki Spangles

Funny and very very scary.

Comment is about Salisbury Scratch and Sniff (blog)

Original item by Red Button

Thanks Brian. I guess every town and city has one!

Comment is about Mickey Dalton (blog)

Original item by J R Harris

Do you llive in a bungalow Suki?

Comment is about Fifty Shades Of Freckle-Faced Dalek (blog)

Original item by Suki Spangles

short and beautifully formed

Comment is about Change (blog)

Original item by Hazel ettridge

like finding a beautiful painting of a beach then discovering that if you peel the first one off, there is another, and another. layers of nostalgia and i can smell the salt. im babbling.

Comment is about Bucket spades and ice cream days (blog)

Original item by Martin Elder

great piece of writing ray. i have no idea about everything else and enjoy keeping myself shrouded in ignorance.

Comment is about AT THE A & R (blog)

Original item by ray pool

excellent piece of writing as usual ian. got me googling as well, so thanks for that.

Comment is about The Weeping Angel (blog)

Original item by Ian Whiteley

Hi Random Bubbly. Have you ever thought of putting your work into stanzas (verse type bits) ? I find reading it like in your sample difficult. Split into easy-to-read chunks would make it easier to read. For me. I see you've just arrived. pleased to make you're acquaintance

Don ?

Comment is about RandomBubbles (poet profile)

Original item by RandomBubbles

Thanks Suki. Yes, I do appreciate the pressures of time - as I am retired I often come on - that makes me appreciate any comments even more. I do seem an ungrateful wretch now! Re David's blogs, it would be frustrating for him to receive comments to which he could not respond I should imagine.

As there are some really important issues at large in society eg threats to our security; I do find the whole issue of rules on WOL open to endless misinterpretation a little comparable to rules on how to enter a schoolboy competition off the back of a shredded wheat packet. As a fellow musician once said to me "well, we aren't saving lives."


Must be the heat.

Comment is about AT THE A & R (blog)

Original item by ray pool

I thought it was a very clever piece of verse. A lot of work went into this I can tell. Skillfully put together. Thankyou for sharing

D ?

Just realised your subtle change of wonderful. Now that IS clever...

Comment is about WHAT A WHINEY FOOL WORLD! (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

I very much enjoyed this article Mike - and Steve your reply too. Steve's point about accessibility is interesting as venue choice might play a part in whether or not the non-poets feel comfortable pushing open the dark door down the corridor in the basement and taking a seat.

I'm off to one of my local events tonight at Brown's in Laugharne where Dylan Thomas used to hang out. The fact that it's held in the hotel bar usually means some visiting non-poet guests wander in or get unexpectedly caught out mid-pint and more often than not they end up staying and having a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

And again, to echo Steve, publicity is the key. Blitz social media and stick it on WoL's Gig Guide!

Comment is about Competing For Audience Attention: Is Poetry Enough? (article)

Original item by Mike Took

A hearty hear-hear!
......................................................
Our spirits were lifted
By play from the gifted
Pleasure not pain -
And its gain from Team Kane!
And as for the shoot-out
So used to the boot out
They pushed their best foot out
And the Colombians were put out!! ?
Ole!

Comment is about THANK ‘EAVENS FOR TOTTENHAM’S BOYS (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Good true story well told JR. We had a character in Worcester, George cant recall his surname but everyone called him Chicken George.

Comment is about Mickey Dalton (blog)

Original item by J R Harris

Thanks for commenting, DM. I suddenly found myself
comparing the optimism of Satchmo's big hit with what is
around so often these days.

Comment is about WHAT A WHINEY FOOL WORLD! (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

Hi there Graham,

Thanks for the clarification.

Cheers,
Suki

Comment is about AT THE A & R (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Suki, it is David’s Wish that his work is not visible whilst his suspension is in place.

Comment is about AT THE A & R (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Hi there Ray,

David's poetry is some of the best here on WoL. I didn't know of the ban (or the trigger for it), but I'm sure many of us here wish him well. Even if someone is banned it's a shame that we aren't able to read their poetry any longer because of it.

On another note, like Col, I'm not always able to regularly dip into WoL as much as I would like, meaning my feedback to others can be a little tardy. I always read your verse Ray, and when no-one is around at work I even listen to the audio! Keep on truckin'!

Suki

Comment is about AT THE A & R (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Hi Damon your word speak to me thank you for sharing ??

Comment is about Swallowing Dirt (blog)

Original item by Mikey V Kinsey

Shit. Excuse expletive
Anya you're a charm
A real beaut me supporter
Spreading round my warm

Comment is about Shit. Excuse Expletive (blog)

Original item by Don Matthews

Ray - I know this is going off topic but as you brought it up...

I had an enormous respect for David's work. He befriended me and we exchanged quite a few private messages. But he has a lot of inner anger and has a tendency to bully people. He publicly ridiculed and abused me and others and I am not sorry he has gone. Clearly his background played a part, but he is intelligent enough to know exactly what he was doing and could have reined it in.

Comment is about AT THE A & R (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Brian - I've forgotten where I put my little runaway flower. Shit ?

Comment is about Shit. Excuse Expletive (blog)

Original item by Don Matthews

This is a great article, Mike, grasping the poetry nettle which we tend to steer clear of. I know of a lot of wonderful poetry events – some of which I go to – but very often they're poets talking or reading to other poets. Nothing wrong with that, obviously. But if we think poetry can enrich lives, surely we want *more* people to enjoy it? Enjoy it not just as consumers of poetry, but find that they can write poetry, and have an opinion about poetry, too.

For a lot of folk, poetry comes with baggage: they hated it at school, it was written by dead men and used archaic language, it didn't – in any way – speak to them. That's what they expect of poetry events. So why would they go?

Presenting a poetry night – if you want to attract at least a few of the normally sceptical or disinterested – is a skill which requires time and effort, just like learning to write good poems. What works? What doesn't? What's engaging? What isn't?

Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists (we're based in the Black Country) make a point of creating accessible, enjoyable events. We work hard to publicise them, and we take them to places where people don't necessarily expect to find poetry. We recently ran an Arts Council England funded project which put poetry broadsheets in pubs, cafes, tattoo parlours, nail salons etc all across the region, and we had poets chat with members of the public as well. We found people who weren't interested, sure, but we also found folk who loved poetry but didn't know there was a 'live' poetry scene, and we met a sizeable number of people who came along to our events expecting to watch paint dry and found they really enjoyed the poetry. Much to their surprise.

As far as I'm concerned that's a result. It's hard work, yes, but as you say in your article, when people see good poetry well presented.... they bloody love it!

Comment is about Competing For Audience Attention: Is Poetry Enough? (article)

Original item by Mike Took

HI folks. I will have to be frank and say I was in a rare mood and hyper sensitive. I too get times where I just can't think of half decent comments, but believe me, support is so important - it is the oxygen of interaction. So thanks so much for lifting me up!

Sadly I feel for my friend David Moore(Wolfgar) who has overstepped himself and received a ban from the site. Those who are stimulated by his work which is often controversial will know that he has a real gift for honesty in relating his experiences in the service of the country. It is hard to imagine how stress can impact on a soul so devoted to free speech and truth, but aren't we all trying to reach out to express ourselves? I won't criticise that decision out of hand, but it saddens me.


I don't want this to turn into the equivalent of a chat show, but the site is like a labyrinth of options, some dead ends and some leading right back to the entrance ; we all seem to be trying to find that sweet spot.

Anya, Suki, Col. Brian I am grateful for your support and probably without you would fall back into the pit of despair (sorry, a bit dramatic.) Re the football Brian: i'm not a follower, but even I was transported by that final penalty! I do think likes are important, so thanks again everyone!!
X to you all.



Ray

Comment is about AT THE A & R (blog)

Original item by ray pool

ShalomP,
Thanks for commenting on two of my recent poems. I really appreciate it. You are also gifted. Please write more from the heart because that is poetry lies.
Keith

Comment is about ShalomP (poet profile)

Original item by ShalomP

When are we going to hear the little flower then Don? Hope it was a flower and not a weed in disguise. (lol)

Comment is about Shit. Excuse Expletive (blog)

Original item by Don Matthews

a lot of paranoia on the site recently Ray - I hope it's not rubbing off on you. I don't think you should read too much into anything. We all do what we can, when we can and as Brian implied, there are distractions, especially in the summer. Personally I'm rushed off my feet right now and have had very little free quality time for my own writing let alone others here on WoL or elsewhere. Hang in there mate. Your writing and audios are a constant pleasure for many and I for one appreciate your past experiences. Keep it real and keep it you - there's no need to colour things up to please imaginary audiences. All the very best, Col.

Comment is about AT THE A & R (blog)

Original item by ray pool

It's interesting. I was saying shit to myself but apologising to you for having to read it. The line had a 'nice' ring to it, hence repeated, and left a continuing puzzle, the meaning of which only came to light in the last line reveal.

BTW A true story

D ?

Comment is about Shit. Excuse Expletive (blog)

Original item by Don Matthews

Fabulous intro and reading Ray. You know you have a supporter here, although I do agree with your observations about pressing the right buttons, so to speak ~ the echo chamber effect. It's just the way it is sometimes.

Keep the faith..

Cheers,

Suki

Comment is about AT THE A & R (blog)

Original item by ray pool

I found this a moving, sadly truthful piece MC

Can I add my own humble verse?

You've described society
Where we've all sunk to
The question we now have to ask
What are we going to do?

D ?

Comment is about WHAT A WHINEY FOOL WORLD! (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

Ray...me again. Is it the lack of comments and likes that concerns you? A lot of other posters would give their eye teeth for three likes.

Comment is about AT THE A & R (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Ray - it's probably the timing...many people were focused on football yesterday evening!

Comment is about AT THE A & R (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Thanks for the likes Col, Anya and Darren. I might have to rewrite my past to make it more poetic and appealing. It is a harsh lesson that nobody really gives a toss about actual life, just dramatized or airbrushed versions that happen to press all the right buttons. Yes, it's all here folks.


Ray

Comment is about AT THE A & R (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Hi M.C. - The team showed tenacity, resilience & stoicism. Their win was richly deserved. Bring on Sweden. T ☺

Comment is about England's Lions Roar (blog)

Original item by Tom Doolan

your words are very powerful and motivating keith thank you

Comment is about Restoration (blog)

Original item by keith jeffries