Doing what poetry should do...bringing to attention the
beauty of things that often go unobserved and unremarked
in our own fleeting lives.

Comment is about The Snowflake (blog)

Original item by Roy Chetham

Yes, Gill, a marvellous achievement; you deserve a big, delighted smile.

Comment is about Gill McEvoy wins £5,000 Michael Marks pamphlet award (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Apologies, John. Fixed.

Comment is about Fran Lock wins Out-Spoken's £500 poetry prize (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Hi.
My name is spelt Berkavitch.
Thanks

Comment is about Fran Lock wins Out-Spoken's £500 poetry prize (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Thanks Ledger, good advice:-) Tommy re "The trouble with Derek".

Comment is about Martin Elder (poet profile)

Original item by Martin Elder

Ta Martin I appreciate your point:-) Tommy

Comment is about The trouble with Derek (blog)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

Thanks Ledger, good advice:-) Tommy

Comment is about The trouble with Derek (blog)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

Ian,
Those last three stanzas have a very honest identifying
connection with `human condition` about them.

Comment is about Bordering On The Rediculous (blog)

Original item by Ian Gant

Congratulations Gill, a. great success

Comment is about Gill McEvoy wins £5,000 Michael Marks pamphlet award (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

What an absolute corker Sunday night's Write Out Loud Middleton was! Joe Kozarzewski entertained us with his poetry. He thrilled us with tales of his anarchist past (& present! lol) His poetry told tales of him plastering poems throughout Rochdale subways, gluing turnstiles of public toilets and putting town planners and other bureaucrats in their place.

Joe can make us laugh with his aliens from outerspace, fume with him during his political rants (he is not known as the Rochdale Ranter for nothing) but when it comes to poetry of History, Exile and Love his words tug at the hardest of hearts. With such lines as "once we were dirty foreigners" whilst speaking of his family's arrival in Lancashire during WWII to "Bless this peace" from a beautiful tribute to his mother who fought in the Warsaw Uprising and "I am the torn wallpaper behind the guilty shelf" when speaking of his own romantic dalliances he took us on an amazing journey. Writing about a square in Krachow and reminiscing about the events and communities it has seen over the centuries he told us, "me an my Capuchino have time and can afford to dream." There was not a dry eye in the house.

Bravo Joe you were superb and I look forward (as always) to hearing more.

We enjoyed a strong open-mic with Eileen Earnshaw reading poetry from Ben Wilkinson's 'For Real', Jacqueline Phillips with a touching tribute to the Paris tragedy, Ken Eaton Dyes had us in stitches with his tales of cabbage and peas, David Ryder broke hearts with his touching poem 'How Long Can You Stay Dad' and Marion Tonge thrilled with her stories of apes and cigarettes. There were other gems too, YOU should have been there :)

That is all from Write Out Loud Middleton until 2016 when we return on Sunday, 24 January with local poet David S Ryder. Don't miss it!

Review is about Write Out Loud - Middleton on 22 Nov 2015 (event)

Hitting the nail on the head, Wendy Cope? I should cocoa. So does this review.

Comment is about Wendy Cope, Folkestone, 2015 (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Thank you all for a great evening of improvised poetry. We look forward to seeing you atb The Albion Beatnik for the next POTS in Oxford on Tuesday the 23rd of Feb 2016

Review is about Poetry On The Spot in Oxford on 19 Nov 2015 (event)

What a fabulously evocative scene. Nice one David. You had me hooked from the opening lines.

Comment is about Bluff amongst the olives (For Ted Hughes and J.R.Hartley) (blog)

Original item by David Addington

I really love the way you have adopted this format for your work . It really does give an interesting pace and rhythm, particularly for this poem. Nice one

Comment is about Instincts (blog)

This flows really nicely with the subject matter and a sort of matter of fact honesty which is great

Comment is about IN SHEPHERD'S BUSH W.12 (blog)

Original item by ray pool

I agree with Ledger on this one. I love your continued use of the phrase 'The trouble with Derek' Great poem Tommy

Comment is about The trouble with Derek (blog)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

i know the feeling. my wife and I hate winter to be honest. its a difficult time to motivate yourself and a physical and mental drain. stay strong and keep writing! everything i feel goes into a book now. its like an emetic. ipecac for the soul!

Comment is about lost compass magnet (11/22/2015) (blog)

Original item by Zach Dafoe

Thanks, stu.
That really means a lot to me right now.
I'm not doing as well as I'd like. I'm working too much and having a really difficult time being inspired. Having a bit of hard time with this winter business going on.

Comment is about lost compass magnet (11/22/2015) (blog)

Original item by Zach Dafoe

Yes, I know Harry...middle-aged vanity you know - my profile pic is from several years ago sitting in a rainforest. I should have one as I am today, grey and wrinkled - that would sum up the state of the world better!

Comment is about C-R-A-P World Holidays (blog)

Original item by Tim Ellis

Bring on the Dereks! A good poem Tommy-I can hear this off the page and on the stage. Ledger

Comment is about The trouble with Derek (blog)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

Indeed Daniel. Where once my interest would have been the Goblin Teasmaid now it is the Night Nurse.

Comment is about TRIG'S BROOM (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Night Nurse and Spurs... and the way they are playing this could be the beginning of another seven year cycle!

I'd like to think that a sense of humour keeps me, me.
(Keep the audios' coming JC).

Comment is about TRIG'S BROOM (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Yes, MC, Time is a puzzler too.
Harry - You are, in fact, the exception to the rule that we are all ageing.
....and, No, you can't have Harry Kane.

Comment is about TRIG'S BROOM (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Thank you all for your very kind words on the 'Croc'.
Ray your honesty is admirable and if you feel something is relvant then true friends would understand..
Stu, like yourself I am very new to 'Facepest' myself hence the rant and I know how you feel.
Lynn, WoL certainly has the edge that is for sure. Glad you enjoyed the poem.
Martin, trying to get on here more often than recent. Hope to see you at a WoL event in the near future... and don't start me off on 'spam' emails!
JC.. I always hear the guitar when I read your work and your audio stuff is superb. The Pythons' and Kevin 'B' Wilson are always great for a chuckle. Thanks for the 'heads up'.
Appreciated! DD

Comment is about CROC OF SHIT (blog)

Original item by Daniel Dwyran

Stu,
Shouldn`t that be splattered doc Martens...And what did your mother say when she opened that red door :)

Comment is about heavy shelling (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

Very kind of you Stu, regarding Shepherds Bush W 12. Not an easy poem for obvious reasons, but you have graced it with an astuteness of thought.
Simply personal history I think is worth conveying, judgement to be left to others. I know you feel the same. Life moves on and experiences may be valid at a certain time.
Cheers. Ray

Comment is about Stuart Buck (poet profile)

Original item by Stuart Buck

The touch of description of line nine makes an infinitely sad poem even sadder.

Comment is about The Snowflake (blog)

Original item by Roy Chetham

I don`t mind you telling us that everything is doomed, Tim,
But I wish you wouldn`t do it with such a contentedly happy smile...(you`re supposed to look despairing)

Comment is about C-R-A-P World Holidays (blog)

Original item by Tim Ellis

It`s the memory bit that`s truly mystifying.

As Will said John, (that guy said everything !)

`There are more things between heaven and earth Horatio than are dreamt of in your philosophy`

The trouble is that the present `philosophy` is scient..ism (as distinct from science).

THFC?... would you be interested in selling Kane to a very deserving club?

Comment is about TRIG'S BROOM (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

someone told me once to expect 95% of your book sales to come from gigging. i have achieved peace on this as i gig a bit (and intend to up the ante next year). my main concern was uk distribution from createspace. your partner is very talented. i especially like the fantasy bird cage and family. must be delicate work! thanks for taking the time to let me know.

Comment is about C-R-A-P World Holidays (blog)

Original item by Tim Ellis

Thanks Stu. My partner Robbie does all my illustrations http://robbieburnsillustration.weebly.com/ I've found Createspace excellent myself. Formatting is a lot of work but once you've done one book and know what you're doing the next is a lot easier. It's a pity it's part of the tax-dodging Amazon empire, but the finished product is good quality, you can make it very affordable to the buyer, it's available all over the world and it costs the author nothing, so I find it hard to resist! I just need people to actually buy my books...

Comment is about C-R-A-P World Holidays (blog)

Original item by Tim Ellis

One of the positive aspects of seeking to ensure the
preservation of the countryside and its flora/fauna is the
hand-in-hand partnership of our increasing realisation of
what is happening and the actuality of the latter. We
have to make sure that we keep up with (and, if at all
possible, prevent) the decimation of our support system
- for that is precisely what the natural world is to humanity.
We reduce, pollute and destroy it at our peril. Once a
field, meadow or wood is lost to concrete it is lost forever, along with the myriad lifeforms that maintain
the precious balance we depend upon.
In our armchairs, we may blink in astonishment when
reading of a colony of bats forcing the termination
of a multi-million pound construction but would we care
if we could be shown that fifty years down the line
our existence would be imperilled due to the ripple-effects of its careless cash-driven destruction of
convenience? Not a chance in hell! We should think
along those lines each time some "developer" seeks
to build anywhere intrusive in our green and pleasant land and not let cash control the caution of care for
our environment.

Comment is about Undertone of disaster: John Burnside mourns the countryside's disappeared (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

fantastic. great subject matter and combines desperation and desire. its the sort of thing you can read however deeply you want.

Comment is about IN SHEPHERD'S BUSH W.12 (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Your Saudi-Arabian poet link in the "News" section drew my
attention - and my signature. Let's hope the total rises
significantly.

Comment is about Tim Ellis (poet profile)

Original item by Tim Ellis

Mankind always seems to be asking more questions than
obtaining answers. The very nature of "time" continues
to intrigue us and that is probably encouraged by our
need to control/regulate it via clocks. I have a copy of
one of the American scientific magazines devoted to the
subject and it also provides more questions than
explanations. I certainly get your drift about retention
of memories if body cells are renewed as proposed. That
would be worth a paper from some bright university
bod seeking a degree!
Also - what about muscle/body breakdown and repair to
greater size via progressive weight-training and the one for one replacement/rebuild process over "time"?
My brain hurts - let alone my muscles!!

Comment is about TRIG'S BROOM (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Thanks everyone for stoking up this one! Nostalgia can't be beat. Mark, the Schools were 4 4 0s and were reckoned to run really well. I remember all these beauties stripped of their nameplates pulling coal trucks. Thanks again.
John , I am impressed with your credentials ; where would be without the brave restorers and explorers? Apparently, there was a line running from Whitby down the coast south, but axed. That would have been spectacular.
Regards, Ray

Comment is about A RIDE ON THE FOOTPLATE OF LORD NELSON (blog)

Original item by ray pool

A fine juxtaposition of ideas, a real life experience with a lyrical turn of phrase. It reminds me of Philip Larkin in his grimmer moments!
regards Ray

Comment is about Ecoute (blog)

Original item by Peter Knaggs

this seems more grounded than your other pieces. you have linked the surreal imagery that you do so well (the second verse is especially good here) with I's and Me's and What's. It gives the whole piece what I'm proudly dubbing 'a Cronenbergian, Lynchy feel'. Very nice.

Comment is about lost compass magnet (11/22/2015) (blog)

Original item by Zach Dafoe

Ray - you encouraged me to seek out my "Observer's
Book of British Steam Locomotives" and be sure I got my
facts right. I was impressed to read about that class of
loco and how its 6'7" driving wheels were 5 inches larger
than my favourite BR "Britannia" class - the SR engine
designed for mainly Continental boat-trains between
Victoria and Dover. The OB reckoned they were spoiled
by the addition of smoke deflectors, previously being
"considered by some to rank among the most handsome
4-6-0s to run in this country". At least the original Lord
Nelson was retained by BR for steam preservation.
JC - I bought a few hundred shares in the Watercress
Line (Winchester & Alton) when it put itself forward for
the purpose. I still have the two certificates somewhere
plus the original full page Daily Telegraph prospectus
that attracted my attention. I am delighted to see
how the concern has progressed since those days but
I doubt if I'll get more than a reduced single fare out of
my contributions.

Comment is about A RIDE ON THE FOOTPLATE OF LORD NELSON (blog)

Original item by ray pool

wonderful imagery Stu. Leaves me breathless. "cold breath close " is STUpendous. it reminds me of when I fired an air rifle at an enormous rose bush and it fell to the ground.
Ray

Comment is about heavy shelling (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

hello tim. i havent read it but have it in my basket ready for payday. the back cover is gorgeous, who painted that? i'd be interested to hear your feedback on Createspace. ive heard variable things.

Comment is about C-R-A-P World Holidays (blog)

Original item by Tim Ellis

The next poem from my pamphlet "Speak The Unspeakable" Anybody read it yet?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Speak-Unspeakable-words-overheating-world/dp/1519178085/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448370029&sr=8-1&keywords=speak+the+unspeakable

Comment is about C-R-A-P World Holidays (blog)

Original item by Tim Ellis

i know! this actually happened to me ten years ago. i couldnt believe my luck.

Comment is about a fine vintage (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

It's amazing what you can get in Boots these days!

Comment is about a fine vintage (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

There is a petition starting up to support Ashraf Fayadh. I suggest all of us poets should sign it, and share it as widely as we can. https://www.change.org/p/barack-obama-department-of-states-u-s-department-of-state-secretary-general-of-u-n-human-rights-organizations-save-palestinian-poet-ashraf-fayadh-life?recruiter=75262587&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink#petition-letter

Comment is about Saudi Arabia sentences Palestinian poet to death after appeal against 800 lashes (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Can't beat a good railway poem. They are purpose made for the rhythm.
The NYMR runs from Pickering to Whitby and is excellent. The Wartime Weekends are especially magical, when the whole town and visitors get in costume. Alternatively, the Goth Weekends in Whitby are brilliant too.
(As it happens I am a shareholder in the Railway although staff have dropped the courtesy of doffing their caps to me).

Comment is about A RIDE ON THE FOOTPLATE OF LORD NELSON (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Interesting point, MC. If the cells are never more than 7 years old why do we age?
And here's another one; how can we have memories from 40, 50, 60 years ago? Where have they been kept?

Comment is about TRIG'S BROOM (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Thanks to you both for reading and taking the time to comment. xx

Comment is about Bone Marrow (blog)

my first girlfriend was from bridlington! what a shit hole.

Comment is about A RIDE ON THE FOOTPLATE OF LORD NELSON (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Thanks Stu. Out of my territory I'm afraid, but that line has a great vista for the enthusiast! I used to gig in Bridlington , I think that was the terminus. Great. Steam trains make a great brush stroke on the canvas, as Turner realised!
Mark , your comment deserves some attention! Actually, your guess was nearly right; the Schools ran mainly out east to Ramsgate and I think Hastings before electrification. Much admired by the footplate men. The Lord Nelson were reckoned to be underpowered - though obviously iconic and just as romantic with those names!
What a thrill to be where you were - repressed power bursting out. How lucky we were - I watched the same locos at West Drayton at high speed. A joy.

Comment is about A RIDE ON THE FOOTPLATE OF LORD NELSON (blog)

Original item by ray pool