I'd agree there Tom - laughter is the best medicine out there. It's only topped by one - and that's love. That probably sounds very corny but it's true - and that's why I said what I said about support networks. When people are ill, they can be changed, and it takes very deep love to see beyond those changes, to never give up and to will them through it.
There will always be problems within society - pressure points and reasons for people to crack - we just have to hope that we can foster an environment where our own fallibility becomes accepted and understood.
Comment is about 1 in 4 (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
I have worked in mental health as a support worker for a number of years. Although my own mental health is stable. I have a family member who is very unwell, as I am sure we all will be touched in some way.
I wanted to write something for 'World Mental Health Day' to highlight, raise awareness and spark debate.
Thanks everyone for all your comments. I certainly seem to have started a big debate. Then again it's good to talk :)
Laughter is good medicine :D
Tom
Comment is about 1 in 4 (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
I'm obliged, Isobel. You don't think I was on LSD when I wrote it? It's been suggested ...!
Comment is about Shades of the Beats: a poetry-jazz happening in the heart of the Pennines (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
I've read this poem several times but found it difficult to comment on.
The poetry is lovely - it speaks for itself.
I like the play on the word 'loss' at the end. I think very many people in contented life styles must wrestle with the same riddle. Contentment isn't the same as extreme happiness - which in my opinion, not many people manage to find or hang on to.
I think I'd call that kind of happiness 'the holy grail' - but not in its religious sense.
Comment is about At The Bombed-out Church (blog)
Original item by stephen smith
Just...beautiful. Had me welling up there Tommy.
Comment is about Blackened berries (blog)
Original item by Tommy Carroll
I like this. It's quirky and macabre and that internal rhyme would help it to perform well.
Comment is about It Has To Start Somewhere.... (blog)
Original item by Jim Pitt
Awww bless him! He's a talented young lad Dave - many kids are still getting to grips with 'The cat sat on mat' at that age.
Now - are you going to take some lessons of him? ;)
Comment is about The Autumn Season (blog)
Original item by Dave Bradley
ps Great review Greg!
Comment is about Shades of the Beats: a poetry-jazz happening in the heart of the Pennines (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Two radio 4 play writes, a host of talented poets and musicians - and all for free!
It made me realise how much we miss Moxy on here. I know that I malign surreal poetry now and again - but hers was rather special - and I could often find meaning in it, if I thought hard enough. I do hope she makes a return some time.
What do I feel about the mixture of poetry and jazz? I think it works well when it's been previously rehearsed, as some of these pieces had - otherwise, better with the music in between the verses, so not to distract from the words. That's just my opinion though - being more of a wordsmith than a musician.
Comment is about Shades of the Beats: a poetry-jazz happening in the heart of the Pennines (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Ha!! Copyrighting :D They'd be proper chuffed about that eh?! ;D
Comment is about stephen smith (poet profile)
Original item by stephen smith
Congratulations, Tony, on a moving and wonderful poem - and this is a Chelsea fan saying this!
Comment is about 'Made from grit and granite': Tony Walsh's stirring poetic tribute to Sir Alex Ferguson (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
<Deleted User> (6895)
Tue 15th Oct 2013 10:13
or...'solo in my sheets tonight?'
great poem!xx
Comment is about Human Wreckage (blog)
Original item by Marksy
Hi Maggie, John and Nigel
A palindrome is "a word or phrase that reads the same backwards as forwards, eg: madam".
William Ross Wallace 1819 - 1881 (Wallace was my Mum's maiden name so maybe I have some sort of illustrious ancestor?!) wrote "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Rules The World". I've just printed it off as it really is rather beautiful (and John, it rhymes!!!)
Last of all, Maggie, were you thinking of Slim Whitman (Country and Western singer - late 50's), as opposed to Walt Whitman (marvellous poet?) Slim Whitman's name popped into my head yestersday evening when I got home!
Enough! - great meeting last night - and see you next time!
Have a good month.........Dorinda
Comment is about Stockport WoL (group profile)
Original item by Stockport WoL
Hi Maggie, John and Nigel
A palindrome is "a word or phrase that reads the same backwards as forwards, eg: madam".
William Ross Wallace 1819 - 1881 (Wallace was my Mum's maiden name so maybe I have some sort of illustrious ancestor?!) wrote "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Rules The World". I've just printed it off as it really is rather beautiful (and John, it rhymes!!!)
Last of all, Maggie, were you thinking of Slim Whitman (Country and Western singer - late 50's), as opposed to Walt Whitman (marvellous poet?) Slim Whitman's name popped into my head yestersday evening when I got home!
Enough! - great meeting last night - and see you next time!
Have a good month.........Dorinda
Comment is about Stockport WoL (group profile)
Original item by Stockport WoL
Tue 15th Oct 2013 09:17
this is a nice piece of work, Dave.Darwinian ruthlessness is in us all.
Comment is about August jam jars (blog)
Original item by Dave Bradley
Tue 15th Oct 2013 09:13
Thanks for your thoughtful comment Dave.I think you are probing the tender area- I write
some of these poems,it seems, to avoid their meaning.
Comment is about Dave Bradley (poet profile)
Original item by Dave Bradley
Tue 15th Oct 2013 09:07
I just love this.....not to encourage privatisation but if you were that way inclined "BBC Manipulingo" is worth copyrighting...I shouldn't even be thinking that way!
Comment is about Brand New Lexicon (blog)
Original item by Laura Taylor
Much to like in this Steve. At one level it is about the search for love. But that seems to be subtly interwoven with the search for meaning. The randomness of omens - does that mirror the randomness of German bombs? The poem seems to express a determination to hang on to the possibility of love even if life seems meaningless and everything is subject to decay. It is courageous in facing fundamental anxiety unflinchingly. Saint Lukes is a great place to pick for that kind of exploration
Comment is about At The Bombed-out Church (blog)
Original item by stephen smith
Many thanks for your comments on Mental Health victims. AS a mental health sufferer myself I found this subject therapeutic to write about. Many thanks Dean.
Comment is about M.C. Newberry (poet profile)
Original item by M.C. Newberry
......@ MC Newbury, sorry if I misinterpreted you. All's I can say in my defense is that your original comment hooks up with the theory of 'Being content with little and appreciative when more is obtained.' I do understand where you're coming from in many respects, but the way you have written it seems to infer that we should be thankful for the little things when in all honesty when in heights of mental ill health we're not in one bit bothered about the little things at all for, to suffer severely is to strip one of all manifestations of humanity to the point where nothing matters. Not even the little things we have. I am glad you can have empathy, having suffered to a certain extent yourself from a mental ill health malady. And i congratulate you on being warm enough to help others. Most who are in the heights of severe mental ill health only wish for their life to end.
@Isobel, yes there are a number of actions you can take, and actions not to take to alleviate symptoms of mental ill health, but without being too critical, I think most know that this is to all intents and purposes, a wrongful way of existence as a 'human being.' Here I pick upon the comment you make about having a good network of support. Yes that is good, but from the point of view of humanity, why are we 'all' not in that support group? Helping each other adjust as best we can to an intolerable state of affairs until 'real change' can be introduced.
This is a topic that many leave under the rug and don't want exposed, for in essence if we come to grips with all that ails, then we may well have to wipe the slate clean and start again. Only next time around taking more account of the nature of humans as compassionate rational beings. We don't do that now because it is too painful for many to acknowledge the truth that.....This is not how we are meant to be.
My own thoughts are, that if we do not embrace these issues soon, with gusto, then we will never change the way this inherently corrupted society is. But how to make these changes, is going to be a difficult subject to breach. At least we here, have the scope and insight to talk of such things where many, currently, still hold those with mental ill health as a point of ridicule.
Well done you lot.
Well done Tom!
Comment is about 1 in 4 (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
Thank you so much, my dear Lynn for your comment. Love and warmest wishes, Larisa
Comment is about Lynn Dye (poet profile)
Original item by Lynn Dye
My God! It looks as you are the only one who understands me. With love and warmest wishes, Larisa XXX
Comment is about M.C. Newberry (poet profile)
Original item by M.C. Newberry
I'd agree with you there MC. Avoiding totally the 'shake yourself out of it' type of comments, which must be really aggravating when you are suffering badly, I think there are courses of action which can make any illness more bearable.
Staying away from the wrong kind of drugs is a biggie - and respecting medically prescribed drugs just as important. Keeping stress to a minimum by avoiding those situations likely to induce it. Talking to people about your problems - not bottling it up. There are probably a million more that I haven't thought of.
A lot must also depend on the support network you have around you. Some people are so much luckier than others - but I suppose you could say that for every aspect of life.
Comment is about 1 in 4 (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
Many thanks for your welcome Ann
Best regards,
Kevin
Comment is about Ann Foxglove (poet profile)
Original item by Ann Foxglove
Me smutty, Izzy? How very dare you?
Yes, Dave, I got my inflatable in the post. I must say it was a little disappointing; I was expecting something I could use when Our Gert wasn't around.
And thankyou, Izzy, for the kind words about Marsden. I think it was the company that inspired me.
Comment is about Competition. Touch and go (blog)
Original item by Dave Bradley
What an interesting read this is. More power to your elbow, Jo.
Comment is about The Write Out Loud interview: Jo Bell (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Hello Larisa - keep writing and bringing lustre to
the jewel that is your beloved city.
Comment is about Larisa Rzhepishevska (poet profile)
Original item by Larisa Rzhepishevska
No need to name-check the ubiquitous Duffy - Linda is a better poet, and by a fair distance!
Comment is about Linda Cosgriff's South Africa poem in human rights anthology (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Eh up! It's here :)
Forgotten I'd written it last year!
http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=32043
Comment is about stephen smith (poet profile)
Original item by stephen smith
Noetic-fret should read again my lines "when not
always pathological" - and my reference to other
forms, referred to in my post.
I have suffered from the debilitating effects
of mental depression - getting up daily with
scant interest in life and its demands. I was
so low I visited the local hospital for help but
left after waiting fo so long I gave up! I began
to use my mind to fight back - repeatedly reminding myself that the brain is able to defeat
the demons it creates. Over a period of time, the symptoms faded and I was once again "the master of
my fate". I also speak from experience with
those I've met with mental illness in my working
life and was thanked in unexpectedly complimentary
terms by one sufferer waiting to be returned to
a hospital for the mentally ill - for showing
a sympathy and understanding in my attitude
he hadn't met even from those professionals he
knew. We shook hands when he left.
But there ARE forms (non-pathological) of the illness that can be induced/exaggerated by a
a way of life or a person's own personal
life-style, including the abuse of drugs. These
are the variations that can be confronted by
the individual and, hopefully. controlled and
ultimately vanquished. It was called "mind over matter" in my younger days.
Comment is about 1 in 4 (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
Mon 14th Oct 2013 16:48
Thanks for the comment laura and i applaud your 'Assembly' as I said. I'd love to see a print out of your 'Lexicon' or am I just too stupid to know where to find it?
Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)
Original item by Laura Taylor
Hi Deborah and thank you for the kind comments.
Comment is about yellow about the land (blog)
Original item by Steven Dark
I think you might find that ratio a lot lower on a poetry site Tom and so many readers will empathise with you.
Poetry seems to be a common language for people to express those inner demons - and thank goodness it exists.
The stigma is a hard thing to combat since often it's ourselves/ our nearest and dearest who indirectly maintain it. The need to protect loved ones from all that stigma can lead to silence. I suppose it's a vicious cycle. It's only when you open up about certain things that you realise just how many people understand.
Great subject for a poem and I love the simplicity of that final verse, which really brings the point home.
Comment is about 1 in 4 (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
darren thomas
Mon 14th Oct 2013 13:38
"Emptiness
Is the memorial to pious songs".
I knew I couldn't stop reading the rest after reading that line. Enjoyed this Steve.
Comment is about At The Bombed-out Church (blog)
Original item by stephen smith
<Deleted User> (11540)
Mon 14th Oct 2013 12:20
I enjoyed listening to the "Lavender Man" something very spooky about it.
Comment is about Ann Foxglove (poet profile)
Original item by Ann Foxglove
<Deleted User> (11540)
Mon 14th Oct 2013 12:14
Backing vocals on "My Ding-a-ling" priceless.
Enjoyed your sample works.
Comment is about Greg Freeman (poet profile)
Original item by Greg Freeman
You will be missed
Good luck on the Spoken Word Show
If they are all like this you will go down well!
Comment is about Stockport WoL (group profile)
Original item by Stockport WoL
Hey - thanks very much for your note on 'Assembly' :) Chuffed to bits that it's been published on Poetry24 today too :) :)
Hope to see you soon!
Comment is about stephen smith (poet profile)
Original item by stephen smith
Ooo - very intricate, very clever!
I am of course familiar with the location, but love the way you subtly interweave the personal relationship aspects with the physicality of the church.
Last two lines are killer. I will say, unashamedly, that I found true love only a few short years ago, and the fear of loss has only been with me since then. I have never felt it before. It terrifies me. I LOVE how you have expressed the duality of those feelings.
Brilliant piece Steve.
Comment is about At The Bombed-out Church (blog)
Original item by stephen smith
I should be able to attend next months WOL but if you get time, you could share those poems in tonight's session.
Comment is about Stockport WoL (group profile)
Original item by Stockport WoL
Hi everyone, I wasn't able to attend last week and won't be able to attend tonight's WOL because of work and handball commitments. However, I have still been writing and preparing some stuff for a spoken word show next month. Here's a couple of pieces I'm been working on.
Mirror Distortion:
one time in drama class
I picked up a glass mirror
but it dropped on the floor
what a smashing performance
it was for me
my teacher thought it was groundbreaking
even though
the mirror appeared to be distorted
I soon realised
I was looking at it cross-eyed
how stupid am I
not to realise seeing two mirrors
in front of me
I only held one hand out for one
that's why the other one smashed
but fear not
this problem can be fixed
the broken pieces can be build up again
or used for a better means
what nice chandeliers
they'd make in the drama room
to make acts look more eloquent
Picture that. What a nice reflection
that would leave.
This next one is a palindrome style poem:
He said he did it
He didn’t
He did differently
He wonders beyond imagination
Floating ozone
Twisting hair
Volatile smoke, silver haze
Puffy clouds go coast to coast
Chicken burnt
Lingering numbness
Mind dumbing
What agenda
Answer question
Question marks
Stubborn nature
Flashing lights, switch off
Accept you if it is done
Done is it if you accept?
Off switch, lights flashing
Nature stubborn
Marks questioned
Question answered
Agenda what?
Dumbing mind
Numbness lingering
Burnt chicken
Coast to coast go clouds puffy
Haze silver, smoke volatile
Hair twisting
Ozone floating
Imagination beyond wonders
He Differently did he
Didn’t he it?
did he said he?!?!
Comment is about Stockport WoL (group profile)
Original item by Stockport WoL
some very considered and valid comments here sparked by Tom's poem. The more we talk about the truth the more difficult it will be to ignore.
Comment is about 1 in 4 (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
Hi Tom, I too, am 1 in 4. It's very difficult for most people to understand mental ill health. Taking a look at M C Newberry's comment, says a lot about how people seem to perceive us, and in being honest, they are wrong! It is more than just the daily parameters of living, for it is in itself a life that is dehumanized, something that, if we were an animal to suffer, we would be put out of our misery. As humans who maintain that they are normal, they will just never understand. For not to be touched by this world in some degree, is in all honesty, abnormal. I suffer among many conditions, PTSD from service career, i also have a diagnosis of Schizophrenia. If we were to hack someone to death in the street, there would be an outcry! But so called normal people kill too, and that, is acceptable compared to someone who suffers from Mental Ill Health. It astounds me too, that many argue that it is down to genetics and go to extreme lengths to try to prove it, when i guess both you and i know, as well as the 1 in 4, it is more likely the case that it is environmental. In all honesty, people will just not 'get it' concerning how dire these conditions are, they just will not understand until it happens to them. For that Tom, and also the 1 in 4, you have my empathy and understanding! We are in a diabolical world, know this to be the case, and are deeply affected by it.
Nice writing Tom.
Keep posting
Mike
Comment is about 1 in 4 (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
It was a great day: a packed-out Poetry Jam at the Railway, and a feast of beat, jazz and off-the-wall poetry and great music, plus crowded pub and appreciative audience later in the day at the New Inn. Well done Julian for all his hard work and planning, and for his renditions of Rimbaud and Ginsberg's Howl!
Comment is about The Beat is Back: poetry mixes it with jazz at Marsden (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
A big thank you to Julian and everyone who made this happen. It was a brilliant turn out and the poetry was superb.
Comment is about The Beat is Back: poetry mixes it with jazz at Marsden (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Touch and Go - I imagine John Coopey could make something very smutty out of this theme :)
As an aside, I saw John perform at the Marsden jazz festival today and he was simply magic. Not many people can move from comedy to tragedy and take the audience with them - but he did - and a very moving performance it was.
Comment is about Competition. Touch and go (blog)
Original item by Dave Bradley
Sun 13th Oct 2013 18:03
You've sung an aria in the martyrs' voice ,Laura - great art and craft in the rhythm and assonance!
An dose of Harpic for the troll-grunting yeomanry!
Comment is about Assembly (blog)
Original item by Laura Taylor
Cate Greenlees came first, Rachel Bond second and myself joint 3rd with John Coopey. I believe John got his in the post. The rest of us got ours in a typically rumbustious night at the Tudor. There's a photo somewhere.
Comment is about Competition. Touch and go (blog)
Original item by Dave Bradley
Steve Smith
Tue 15th Oct 2013 17:23
Thanks for your comment Isobel, I am not often content -always troubled by.."and no-one will remember/just what made you", to quote you.I am basically optimistic until I start to think...oops!Anyway,not as intrepid as yourself.
Comment is about Isobel (poet profile)
Original item by Isobel