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Steven Waling

Sun 26th Mar 2017 10:45

Yes, and there was more than one accusation from female students about his behaviour. He was 'admonished' but never punished. Because 'great writer'.

Comment is about Nobel prize poet Sir Derek Walcott dies aged 87 (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

<Deleted User> (13762)

Sun 26th Mar 2017 09:28

lots of powerful hammer blow lines ringing out here Rich. For the sake of aesthetics I would be tempted to tap those 'watch' lines down a notch so that they don't stick out. Good stuff - like Dyphrent's recent Poem of the Week 'Man' there is a strong beat, a poem also that could be lengthened. Reminds me also of a couple of early 80's industrial bands that used tools and metal objects to make something resembling music - Tools You Can Trust, SPK.
thanks for posting. Col

Comment is about Dynamis (blog)

Original item by Rich

Nicola Beckett

Sun 26th Mar 2017 09:16

It's a beautiful poem I especially like forsaking the encroaching future?

Comment is about missive (blog)

Original item by nunya

<Deleted User> (13762)

Sun 26th Mar 2017 09:04

morning MC - there are indeed some remarkable stories still left to be told but the gaining of access to private archives is not always straightforward. Even within families there sometimes exists a peculiar reticence to share documents and photographs.

In the case of the de Havilland connection it was frustrating as I have barely any photos of that generation of Hills and Thomas's (apart from the one mentioned in the book and one or two yet to be identified). But there must have been plenty taken at the time. Louise's sister Gladys was a witness at the wedding and another sister Lottie was housekeeper for them for most of their lives. I have often wondered about the interactions between these two very different families - were they awkward or accepting of each other's social backgrounds? How was Louise accepted by the de Havillands? It had all the elements of a classic crossing of the classes love story.

Like Isabella Bird's relationship with Jim Nugent, it's the sub-plots that so often make social history so fascinating. I feel drawn to Louise Thomas / de Havilland's story for those reasons and hopefully one day will revisit her and Sir Geoffers to dig a little deeper.

Cheers, Col

Comment is about Lift-off for anthology inspired by trail-blazing women (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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Rich

Sun 26th Mar 2017 08:53

Good thought. I agree!

Comment is about gold stars (blog)

Original item by Little Bit

Frances Macaulay Forde

Sun 26th Mar 2017 06:14

Going down the list of blogs, I read the first few lines and dismissed this - skipped on.
Then I went back and read it again. Read some others, then came back to this.
It certainly deserves a good read, there is so much to like here although I think it is one small edit away from finished.
Mind you, a good poem never finishes, it lives on in heads - lines which can't be forgotten.
The first three lyrical stanza are strong but although I understand the last stanza, the implied threat derails me. The complete turn-around in character from a goodie to a baddy is clever and explains his distance, but somehow the poem needs one more edit.
Not sure it's anything to do with lines Colin tripped on... can't put my finger on it.
However, I did enjoy the poem and will add it to my favourites.

Comment is about In The Light of The Evening (blog)

Original item by Tom

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Little Bit

Sun 26th Mar 2017 00:10

Love: "okay! I stopped just once!" Keeping running and keep writing! ?

Comment is about Running (blog)

Original item by Seamus Mac Fhearchair

<Deleted User> (13762)

Sun 26th Mar 2017 00:04

yes! I'm gonna do it. Which window do you suggest? Waterstones?

Comment is about Situationist Haiku (blog)

Original item by David Blake

<Deleted User> (13762)

Sat 25th Mar 2017 23:56

looking forward to Poem XX Karen. This one is intriguing enough to want for more. Thanks for posting. Colin

Comment is about Poem XIX (blog)

Original item by Karen Al Ahmed Verkerk

<Deleted User> (13762)

Sat 25th Mar 2017 23:43

King of Farts surely for Trump! Parp!
I reckon the Republicans said oh what the heck
let him run for President
if he gets elected we'll just ignore whatever he says
and do whatever we want instead.
But then again
maybe they're just blagging it as they go along
and taking us all for a ride at the same time.
who can tell?
I'm only here because I'm waiting on the call
the one says come pick me up
taxi of dad
wish it would hurry up
I wanna go to bed !!
kids eh!!
?

Comment is about Trump Cards (blog)

Original item by Chakraj

<Deleted User> (13762)

Sat 25th Mar 2017 23:33

'Thank you' for posting this Keith - interesting concept. I can't help but think of the wonderful Montag in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451:

"It took some man a lifetime maybe to put some of his thoughts down, looking around at the world and life, and then I came along in two minutes and boom! it's all over."

Col

Comment is about Thank you (blog)

Original item by keith jeffries

<Deleted User> (13762)

Sat 25th Mar 2017 23:26

dark as you like with extra treacly coagulated blood this could be about one of any number of interpretations but for me it has something ghastly and embolic in its foreboding atmosphere (clutches hand to chest).
Col

Comment is about Stalker (blog)

Original item by Paul Waring

<Deleted User> (13762)

Sat 25th Mar 2017 23:17

Lots going on here Alem - I have images floating in and out of my head and am not sure how well they fit with your words but it doesn't really matter. What matters is that you have written something to inspire them.
The Greece club in Ethiopia sounds enticing too.
All the best,
Colin

Comment is about Unmatched Grace (blog)

Original item by Alem Hailu G/Kristos

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raypool

Sat 25th Mar 2017 22:46

Thank you for reading Juan - very glad it hit the spot ! It is incredible how lurid and perverted such inventions were.

Cheers David. It's funny but when I read your assessments I feel you are my guide as if you have scavenged my mind that bit deeper. Spot on - Again you have tumbled my plans for extra marital exploration. I'm reading the Picture of Dorian Gray ; maybe that triggered off the idea.

Ray

Comment is about IRON MAIDEN (blog)

Original item by ray pool

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Juan Pablo Lynch

Sat 25th Mar 2017 20:51

Really interesting read Leej...there are a myriad of poems on this theme but one more is not too much...I really enjoyed the rhyme scheme and the positive ending - I read that Maybe...change for good as a positive thought coming into being

Comment is about untitled (blog)

Original item by LeeJ Waters

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chris stevenson

Sat 25th Mar 2017 20:51

Hi Keith . .. thanks for your comment on 'Sewer' , nothing will change .. nobody cares ....

Comment is about keith jeffries (poet profile)

Original item by keith jeffries

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Juan Pablo Lynch

Sat 25th Mar 2017 20:45

This is quite graphic..seems like an excerpt of a fiction novel that I probably wouldn't read...I think this poem is lovely though and having encountered Iron Maiden characters elsewhere I can totally relate to this. Great share.

Comment is about IRON MAIDEN (blog)

Original item by ray pool

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keith jeffries

Sat 25th Mar 2017 20:14

Paul, I have read a number of your poems all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed in both content and style. In particular I like ¨Nostalgia¨. as it is highly evocative. I have friends who own a four hundred year old home and their kitchen table came immediately to mind. You are the author of its description. Thank you. Keith

Comment is about Paul Waring (poet profile)

Original item by Paul Waring

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raypool

Sat 25th Mar 2017 19:45

As a complete ignoramus on any political issues, I thought I would simply make another point on your poem, Mark and that is how Guinness has always been viewed with a romanticism, and I wonder if that element has been grafted on to the whole Irish perception of itself and whether that has any bearing on the insanity of justification adopted in the name of killing for cause. I thought it was a point worth making. Of course, Guinness has been a sort of symbol as was Newcastle Brown and I have seen a definite north/south divide re-inforced around local beers. (Again this seems to me to be woven around a skewed romanticism. )

Ray

Comment is about THE POINT OF McGUINNESS (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

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raypool

Sat 25th Mar 2017 19:03

Born and lives in the imagination where it is entirely at home, Stu. A bit of magic!

Ray

Comment is about i am a cloud and when i cry it rains (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

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raypool

Sat 25th Mar 2017 18:51

A clever twist and a strong message with subtlety undermined David.

Ray

Comment is about Situationist Haiku (blog)

Original item by David Blake

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raypool

Sat 25th Mar 2017 18:49

Sadly the grosser expressions of feeling have taken over like subtlety and sincerity paved with bad intentions. We must rise up to give extra weight to such terms! I think of the German: danke schon, followed by bitte schon, an acknowledgment of the gesture.

Ray

Comment is about Thank you (blog)

Original item by keith jeffries

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raypool

Sat 25th Mar 2017 18:46

Being unresolved, this carries weight like a threatening wraith of intention, and leaves open any scenario, a tightrope of uncertainty. Nicely expressed, Paul.
Welcome back by the way!

Ray.

Comment is about Stalker (blog)

Original item by Paul Waring

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M.C. Newberry

Sat 25th Mar 2017 17:41

Colin - I can tell you that IB's "A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains" provided the primary source for my script...
her extraordinary relationship with the scarred and feared
former scout/trapper "Mountain Jim" Nugent, the self-
appointed guardian of the idyllic Estes Park, a forerunner of the "dude ranch", where Isabella stayed while she
explored (with Jim, but mainly solo on horseback) the
surrounding Colorado country and its mountains.
Your deHavilland family connection is made of the same
extraordinary stuff - with a similar centrepiece of a
woman of fortitude and courage. You have every right
to tell of her and her own life's progress in times when
such things were rarely reported - or, if they were, kept
within the immediate circle of family, friends and relations. She would warrant a chapter in any volume
devoted to "Tales of Remarkable Women".

Comment is about Lift-off for anthology inspired by trail-blazing women (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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M.C. Newberry

Sat 25th Mar 2017 17:30

It has been said that courtesy is the oil that lubricates
the wheels of society. Thanks - or thank you - are
vital emollients of civilised existence.

Comment is about Thank you (blog)

Original item by keith jeffries

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M.C. Newberry

Sat 25th Mar 2017 17:10

Gentlemen - it's been a privilege to read the considered
comments you have placed here, varying from the
experience of "being there" across the spectrum of
opinion of a subject that contains the most basic
and vital of human values - and the value of life itself in pursuit of a belief.
It has been said that politics is the art of war by peaceful means...achieving your aim without resort to arms.
Of course there is the vice versa of that situation. The
irony here is that old men are usually held responsible
for war, whereas in this case the propelling forces were
the young...with their own interpretation and adoption
of what they saw as "the cause"...a much maligned
(mangled?) version of the word freedom. The latter is
so easy to adopt to suit a purpose since it means so
many different things, according to one's POV. Irish
soldiers - returning from the Great War - found themselves ostracised...even at risk, by and from their
own countrymen, despite being decorated for their
bravery. This has only been redressed officially in very recent times.
David - your own comments were powerfully put - with
the force of one who has been at the sharp end and
known the vagaries of good and evil, and how human
frailties can be abused and marshalled to pursue either.
I confess to a distant connection insofar that my own
late father served as an inspector with the RIC in the
West of Ireland during the original "Troubles" and his
first cousin, an army lawyer/courts martial officer, was
among those murdered by Collins' gunmen during the
morning of the original "Bloody Sunday" in 1920s Dublin.
I wonder how the news of his cousin's murder affected
my father's remaining time in Ireland in those dangerous
days. He survived to return to the UK and subsequently
served as a member of a defence force in a Caribbean
territory for some years before UK army service through
WW2. An adult lifetime barely free from conflict - only
to die prematurely aged 50 from TB. Such is the wayward arbitrary cruelty of life, hard enough without
its artificial aspects inflicted by obsessed human ambition.

Comment is about THE POINT OF McGUINNESS (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

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keith jeffries

Sat 25th Mar 2017 16:55

Aishah, Thank you for some eloquent and powerful verse which speaks of personal pain, frustration, despair and is also a voice for many others who share this predicament. You are skilled as a poet. I have enjoyed enormously each and every poem, for I have read them all. It would be hard to select one but I think ¨Perspective¨spoke to me as it something which troubles my conscience. Thank you again. Please write more, lots more. Keith

Comment is about Alonelymouse (poet profile)

Original item by Alonelymouse

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ken eaton-dykes

Sat 25th Mar 2017 16:37

After sating his appetite for murder "Has a road to Damascus experience" don't make me laugh, McGuinness the psychopath just changed tack purely to further his political ambition.

The troubles only fizzled out when both sides realised after all those years of slaughter into modern times what silly buggers they had been coupled with today's trend to move away from the poisonous rivalry that religion breeds, not because of Blair's diplomatic skills.

Before God sends him to Hell I hope he is very uncomfortable face to face with the innocents who from his warped perspective were sacrificed to a cause. The older it got the more stupid it seemed (To me anyway)

McGUINNESS WAS BAD (VERY BAD) FOR YOU

Comment is about THE POINT OF McGUINNESS (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

elPintor

Sat 25th Mar 2017 13:11

Hi, Keith. The entire piece seems a sort of warning against the dangers of patriotic ceremony that is exercised without due reverence to history.

On war, from the movie Love and Anarchy, 1973--
"They've been fighting since the creation of the world. Explain it to me, all this justice. The dead stay dead, and that's it."
--maybe we're really no better off than that for all the wars that have been fought...I can't say. Though, I can't help but be thankful that there have been many who've stood to fight against many blatant tyrannies. As a human being, I don't believe I could live with any less than doing the same if I were given the choice.

I can't forget to mention the title. I mean, no one can deny it's importance. And, personally, I believe that choosing one that is not obviously related to the piece, itself, can cause the reader to think a bit more deeply about the subject and what the writer is trying to convey.

Thanks for sharing this and providing cause for contemplation.

elP

Comment is about Nimrod (blog)

Original item by keith jeffries

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Cynthia Buell Thomas

Sat 25th Mar 2017 13:05

Steven, was the accusation actually proven? Especially out of the US? This seems an odd statement from you.

Comment is about Nobel prize poet Sir Derek Walcott dies aged 87 (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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keith jeffries

Sat 25th Mar 2017 12:58

Hello Ankit,

A poem worthy of that great emotion. Like me you enjoy using a similar rhyming technique. Please write some more. Thanks Keith

Comment is about Ankit Gulati (poet profile)

Original item by Ankit Gulati

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Harry O'Neill

Sat 25th Mar 2017 12:49

I echo John, M.C...an `an excellent analogy`

As John Hume said, Northern Ireland is not about territory but about people...but I wonder?

Clinton thought that the relative reproduction scores of the contenders would (eventually) democratically sort the matter out....But - thinking of modern Ireland - I wonder if (these days) It will.

Now that the European argument is coming into the mix, the mind boggles at the possibilities.

I love the aptness of the taste of the stuff (I hated it)

Comment is about THE POINT OF McGUINNESS (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

elPintor

Sat 25th Mar 2017 12:49

Hi, Keith. Thanks so much, for the comments on my profile and the two pieces. I've always found writing such descriptions somewhat difficult--especially when prompted for anything other than dry biographical facts--so it's good to know that it connects in some way with a reader.

I've been wending through your writing and am finding a common thread of what seems an observant compassionate nature. I will definitely be reading more.

Thanks again and keep posting.

elP

Comment is about keith jeffries (poet profile)

Original item by keith jeffries

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raypool

Sat 25th Mar 2017 10:53

Thanks Colin David and Paul for enjoying this extravaganza. I do get attracted to quirky corners of our historical archive from time to time - just call me the archivist!

That's a thought David, Schindler plotting against Beeching (in a parallel universe of course). Check out "The Train" with Burt Lancaster for a cracking good film.

Ray

Comment is about DAI WOODHAM'S SCRAPYARD (blog)

Original item by ray pool

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Graham Sherwood

Sat 25th Mar 2017 10:24

Whenever a controversial figure (especially political ones) die there is usually plenty of invective and strong opinion issuing out from WOL members. Ever let it be so!

The fact that we may all disagree on the departed's merits and failings is undoubted and all opinions should be given equal merit.

When one has had a personal/close involvement with the candidate involved views are more than likely to be keener.

However, strong those views be and however authenticated they may appear by dint of that experience, they count (on WOL at any rate) the same an any other contribution. No more no less.

If tasted in Northern Island I am sure a glass of McGuinness (no spelling error) may taste sweeter than in many other political drinking establishments around the world.

From personal experience I've always found it more bitter than sweet, but that is just my own but equally valid opinion.

Comment is about THE POINT OF McGUINNESS (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

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Paul Waring

Sat 25th Mar 2017 10:08

elP, your great imagination is again at work here. Another intriguing and thought-provoking poem.

Paul

Comment is about missive (blog)

Original item by nunya

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Paul Waring

Sat 25th Mar 2017 10:06

Thanks David, you know, when there is fog on the Mersey the sound of the foghorns makes it amazingly atmospheric.

That Crowded House track is a classic. I find it so interesting how poems can put people in mind of songs, images, memories, etc...things that we as the writer didn't see or envisage. The power and beauty of language, eh?

So sorry for the late reply and thanks again for reading and commenting.

Paul

Comment is about From Out Of Nowhere (blog)

Original item by Paul Waring

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Paul Waring

Sat 25th Mar 2017 09:55

Thank you elP, I enjoyed listening to and watching the Neko Case video. I'm so pleased that you think it has a Radiohead feel, they are a band I have long admired.

Sorry this reply has taken so long, I've been so busy with the move back to the UK. Thanks again for commenting, hope all is well with you.

Paul

Comment is about Memory Thief (blog)

Original item by Paul Waring

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Paul Waring

Sat 25th Mar 2017 08:13

Ray, really enjoyable, so well written with real feeling for the history of the railways. I also enjoyed googling and learning more about the Woodham brothers. Nice work.

Paul

Comment is about DAI WOODHAM'S SCRAPYARD (blog)

Original item by ray pool

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Paul Waring

Sat 25th Mar 2017 08:03

You have such a gift Stu. This poem is so rich with words and images. Great stuff.

Paul

Comment is about i am a cloud and when i cry it rains (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

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Raj Ferds

Sat 25th Mar 2017 07:34

I like that Stu.
A wonderful idea expressed so succinctly.
You were pretty economic with words there.

Raj

Comment is about i am a cloud and when i cry it rains (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

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Raj Ferds

Sat 25th Mar 2017 07:31

Wonderful pathos Maria.
Crisp and coherent.

Keep going.
Raj x

Comment is about infertile (blog)

Original item by Maria Renea

Frances Macaulay Forde

Sat 25th Mar 2017 05:30

So sad...
Succinct and beautifully expressed.

Comment is about infertile (blog)

Original item by Maria Renea

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David Blake

Sat 25th Mar 2017 03:44

Up In The Wind is one of the finest debut poems by anyone ever.

Comment is about Day of events at Steep to mark Edward Thomas centenary (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

<Deleted User> (16837)

Sat 25th Mar 2017 01:03

very touching...i can feel your pain in every word. beautifully expressed. ?

Comment is about The Truth About Pain (blog)

Original item by Rebecca John-charles

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Qazi Fasih

Sat 25th Mar 2017 00:01

thank you Stu! and you are absolutely correct ?

Comment is about He. (blog)

Original item by Qazi Fasih

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Little Bit

Fri 24th Mar 2017 22:48

Thanks! ?

Comment is about the playlist (blog)

Original item by Little Bit

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Little Bit

Fri 24th Mar 2017 22:48

thanks andy! it's to my 3 year old daughter. :)

Comment is about to my sweetest girl (blog)

Original item by Little Bit

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M.C. Newberry

Fri 24th Mar 2017 22:47

An extraordinary participant in the wide ranging world of
writing. I heartily endorse her view of the advantages of
humour and its beneficial effect on our lives - with the
recognition of when to hold back and refrain from cruelty.
Her lively and positive approach to life has clearly met
its equal in the enjoyment she has gained from her work
and those she has met along the way. I bet she's
stimulating and rewarding company - with or without a notepad to hand! I take particular note of
her wise and restrained view of
President Trump - refreshing when
the world and its dog are frantically yelping and nipping at his heels. 93? Seems more like a young 39!!

Comment is about 'I like to make people smile': Win Saha, still performing her poetry aged 93 (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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John Coopey

Fri 24th Mar 2017 21:34

Excellent analogy, MC.

Comment is about THE POINT OF McGUINNESS (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

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