Thank you for your welcome to an over-ripe ranter with delusions of whatever, from the northern reaches of manky [manchester]

Comment is about Ann Foxglove (poet profile)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

Thanks everyone - you are all very kind. Part of the reason I don't write much any more is that I can't see the value in what I write. I think maybe I've become too good at critique and my own worst enemy :)

Yes - there are layers to this. I often find old poems I've read out at venues in my coat pockets. The words and the more outrageous clothes remind me of the time back then - it's nostalgia and sadness and wistfulness all wrapped up in one - plus the fear of growing old.

(Just in case anyone doesn't know it, after pains are what women get for a while after the birth of the second child. They are like mini contractions - a nasty dull ache)

Thanks again. x

Comment is about A day in the life of... an old coat (blog)

Original item by Isobel

There's a strong meaning in this poem, the shed skin and ghosts of issues, and it's also very well-crafted, Isobel. Worth the wait for a new one from you! Greg

Comment is about A day in the life of... an old coat (blog)

Original item by Isobel

Good to see you're back John - and your front ;)

Thanks for your comment on my poem. You need to start liking funny poetry and I need to remember how to write it :)

Look forward to reading more of yours. x

Comment is about John Darwin (poet profile)

Original item by John Darwin

Yes, quite wistful... and lovely in its expression with the allegory of the old coat. I love your style!
xx

Comment is about A day in the life of... an old coat (blog)

Original item by Isobel

The Big Man is Back! lol

Comment is about John Darwin (poet profile)

Original item by John Darwin

Hello you two - a very warm welcome to WOL. Hope you enjoy being a part of the site!

Comment is about Brother G and the Trouble (poet profile)

Original item by Brother G and the Trouble

Hi Joe - welcome to WOL. Hope you enjoy the site!

Comment is about joe ranter (poet profile)

Original item by joe ranter

Hi Yvonne - thanks for your nice comments on my Minnow poem :)

Comment is about Yvonne Brunton (poet profile)

Original item by Yvonne Brunton

Hi Cynthia - thanks for your nice comments on my Minnow poem :)

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Hi John - thanks for your nice comments on my Minnow poem :)

Comment is about John Coopey (poet profile)

Original item by John Coopey

Hi Dave - thanks for your nice comments on my Minnow poem :)

Comment is about Dave Bradley (poet profile)

Original item by Dave Bradley

A lovely read Izz...So wanted to get to the Tudor tonight but I am liftless! :( But I am sure I will hear this soon! x

Comment is about A day in the life of... an old coat (blog)

Original item by Isobel

Ian, thanks for your kind comments on my stuff, much appreciated. I have not been very active lately but I am back now! Will be reading some of yours shortly, will let you know what I think :-)

Comment is about Ian Whiteley (poet profile)

Original item by Ian Whiteley

Sad times
waves crush
footsteps disappear
into madness.

Glad lines
feet dry
life strong
once more.

Comment is about March Madness (blog)

Original item by Stockport WoL

Extra extra read all about it

please bring lots of copies to the next meet

cheers John

Comment is about Stockport WoL Poetry Anthology (blog)

Original item by Stockport WoL

Well done John on the new book A Marble Ascent
putting all our collage poems into one collection!

Could do with a book review from the W.O.L news desk!

Comment is about Stockport WoL (group profile)

Original item by Stockport WoL

Wistfully sad. I like wistfully sad and I like this

Comment is about A day in the life of... an old coat (blog)

Original item by Isobel

Loved the picture (in the words)
Apart from the lipstick and the tissues, this fits me like a glove

Comment is about A day in the life of... an old coat (blog)

Original item by Isobel

At least he didn't plough up the real box office.

Comment is about Festival's online tickets hit as farmer ploughs through cable (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Do let me know more! - it promises to be marvellous reading! - love from Dorinda x

Comment is about Stockport WoL Poetry Anthology (blog)

Original item by Stockport WoL

excellent beginning to this poem which carried on for the rest of the day. can defo taste the images in this.

am impressed...

Comment is about Vex Recedo (blog)

Original item by David Blake

good stuff, carla.. particularly like the first half a dozen or so lines but it's a strong piece all round and one you can see the emotion dripping out of.

good stuff..

Comment is about Sphinx round the corner (blog)

Original item by Carla Tombacco

defo look forward to reading this (will order next day or three)

Comment is about Stockport WoL Poetry Anthology (blog)

Original item by Stockport WoL

I really like this if like is the right word..I have golden virginia here..wish I didn't!

Comment is about From Virginia (blog)

Original item by Ian Whiteley

Hello there :)

Some lovely images are brought to mind.

A very much loved friend I think.

Comment is about Sphinx round the corner (blog)

Original item by Carla Tombacco

Thanks for the clarification. It was a reminder about the disaster on its anniversary, not the difference between then an now, time will always change things and the way they are dealt with or reported. I wanted readers to learn about it if they weren't aware like yourslf.

Indeed in addition to the disaster I expecially wanted to acknowledge in the poem, the war and the awful time the country had been through. Obviously the main thrust of the poem was the disaster and a hope that those who died may be remembered and will stand by that. The reasons it isn't really remembered were also suggested.

The decision made to play the game (as i understand it encouraged by the police) but I wasn't apportioning blame - no-one had ever dealt with a similar situation as this, none of us can say what we would have done. A sign of the times maybe, but surely that could not have been ignored on the day, no-one ccould have thought to just take that in their stride, who knows maybe the enormity of the tragedy was difficult to assess.

I appreciate what you're saying but was merely as a personal point of view and that of many Bolton fans hoping to raise awarenesst, I dont see any reason this cant be commemorated in the same breath as the others.

For the record, I never meant that this was a greater tragedy than the war or to be put above the bravery of those in the war. I fully acknowledge what the people of Britain did in those times. I wrote a poem 11.11 as such a tribute which was displayed in Hull Trinity Church as a remembrance tribute to those who lost their lives and those who fought, regards.

Comment is about M.C. Newberry (poet profile)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

Laura - I have responded to Jeff on his profile, amending my original response and qualifying my feelings about his poem's intent/content. My original point about the times in which these events happen still stands. That tragedy was a thing of its time and people WERE almost certainly more hardened to the unexpected visitations of death, having lived with that fact of life in a way that today's generation cannot comprehend. They would be far quicker to sympathise, mourn and get on with their lives - whereas, today, it would go on and on, with all sorts of excuses to keep it before the public attention - with all the breast-beating and communal flower-arranging that has appeared since Princess Diana left us. We've exchanged a respectful stiff-upper lip of stoic acceptance for the quivering lip of self-regarding "compassion" - no matter what or where the circumstances or the identity of the unfortunates involved. I find that less than genuine or appealing: this "look at me - I'm so sorry for your loss" attitude that has become part of modern behaviour, especially when the cameras are around.

Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)

Original item by Laura Taylor

Your response to my comment about your Burnden
post is noted. I merely sought to emphasise
the difference between the reaction to an
immediate post-war tragedy in the light of what
that generation knew and had suffered, and today - when it seems we are expected to take part - on pain of being thought uncaring or worse - in virtually every instance, personal
and otherwise - of unexpected death.
The fact that the tragedy of which you write is
unknown to me (and I'm widely read - fact),
indicates the difference in generational
attitudes across the years - for better or worse.
Your decision to write about it in the way you
did is a personal one and I'm sure those who
may have a connection with the event would be
grateful for the care taken.

Comment is about Jeffarama! (poet profile)

Original item by Jeffarama!

The Romance of it all...

Comment is about Festival's online tickets hit as farmer ploughs through cable (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

This is always a great evening.
Agnes seems to find a wide range of talent, of invariably good standard international and British writers. Her manner is bright and welcoming and the floor poets are definitely made to feel at home

Review is about Loose Muse on 13 Mar 2013 (event)

Puts a new spin on Gray's line:
the ploughman homeward plods his weary way
and leaves the world to darkness and to me

Comment is about Festival's online tickets hit as farmer ploughs through cable (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Thank you. :)

Comment is about Winter’s War (blog)

Hmm...interesting piece,"and the fog rolls on,between the divide,of how things were,and how they should be". Great commentary on our constantly changing climate! Well expressed.

Comment is about Winter’s War (blog)

A great opportunity for everyone to pull together,
enjoy some quality drama/poetry/special events! We need great attendance to enable this superb local festival to survive!
In the words of Leslie Crowther,"Come on down!"

Comment is about Words Together festival looks to its grassroots (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

"but if long eye-lashed pools I had gained,a trunken head turned,tear laden in stare return,would I have understood their pain?"

Lovely imagery Richard.Very moving piece;sensitively observed imo mate!

Comment is about Elephants on the Beach (blog)

Original item by Richard Alfred

Yes - you are right - yet for every stranger of kindness there is probably someone else who is so wrapped up in their own successes or failures that they don't have time to think about anyone else - that's a curious thought, and another poem altogether.

This is a feel good poem and a nice piece of observation. x

Comment is about STRANGERS KINDNESS (blog)

You tell'em Alex - and I live there too, so it must be good ;

What you do find is that the people are incredibly friendly and easy to talk to, as they are in Liverpool also.

Comment is about People from Wigan (blog)

Very nice too - that could have been written for our dog, who is still very much with us, but living a life in paradise already :)

Comment is about LOSS OF A DOG, DOG SPEAKING (blog)

Suhad is a Palestinian woman currently living in the UK. She has a PhD in translation studies.

Suhad has offered this to us to allow us to pilot this feature on the website, so please feel free to make any changes you wish to the translation, created by Suhad, whose English is excellent, as you can see. You will not be seen as criticising her poem, but offering ideas and suggestions to it. We shall not lose the original because you have had a go at amending the translation.
You can ask questions of Suhad or make comments in these boxes.
We also hope you offer us comments on the difficulties and challenges of translating and rendering a new version, or the ideas it gives you for your own work.
Thanks for your help and interest.

Comment is about link

Very nice John, and original in style

Comment is about Bucket Of Memories (blog)

I can even project a coherent 'meaning' onto this one. Someone has taken the wrong road in life, leading to mental illness or depression. In this condition or state of mind, they wish they could return to take the 'right' road, avoiding all these problems. Looking at the past more objectively, however, they see that the positive and the negative are interwoven with every path in life. In short, there is no 'right' path ('Sad times. Glad lines). With this realization, they resolve to live the life they have as fully as possible.

Comment is about March Madness (blog)

Original item by Stockport WoL

Nothing less than excellent!

Comment is about The Trade Name (blog)

Original item by Ian Whiteley

" and knowing they have helped, they feel so much better for the rest of the day. " The person who helps you may have problems of their own to deal with. By helping others you can help ease your own problems. Well done. Take care, Tony.

Comment is about STRANGERS KINDNESS (blog)

Beautiful. Take care, Tony.

Comment is about LOSS OF A DOG, DOG SPEAKING (blog)

And thanks for the comment on my latest. Means a lot, ta.

Comment is about Ian Whiteley (poet profile)

Original item by Ian Whiteley

It all syncs so well put together. Definitely worth having as well as this a collage book of poems

Comment is about March Madness (blog)

Original item by Stockport WoL

thanks very much for your comments and taking time to root through...im so glad you did as it meant i had a little re read and have found i really like it actually. sometimes i throw stuff out as i mustnt want to read about some of the difficult (for me) things i write about. so re reading this was good. ill have to take a look at some of your writing too
xx

Comment is about HIDDENGIRL (poet profile)

Original item by HIDDENGIRL

Really like this again David - there's a growing maturity and complexity starting to come through BIG TIME in your recent blogs - this one's full of 'being there' imagery and you get a real feel for the forward/backward motion of the journey and the thoughts of the narrator. Great stuff
Ian

Comment is about Vex Recedo (blog)

Original item by David Blake

There is a lot of narrative in this David. Strong start and finish and repeating We march is a nice touch too.

Comment is about Vex Recedo (blog)

Original item by David Blake