Excellent !!!

Comment is about Atos - not a toss! (blog)

Original item by Lynn Dye

Nice one Lynn! Every line is spot on! Take care,Tony.

Comment is about Atos - not a toss! (blog)

Original item by Lynn Dye

Tommy,
Thanks for your thoughts on "You've Met The Met".
Arthur Scargill didn't know a lot about the things he should have known about (Leadership, the tactics of a strike, etc). I certainly wouldn't trust his wisdom on things he knew nothing about (the science of fuel technology).
The problem with polarisation is that you necessarily see things depending on your own perspective as sitting between a set of cruel bastards and the horny-handed heroes. I can assure you there were plenty of cruel bastards among the blokes I worked with.

Comment is about Tommy Carroll (poet profile)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

Happy New year Cynthia. Take care, Tony.

Comment is about Happy New Year (blog)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

This is great stuff! More in this style please. Take care, Tony.

Comment is about SECIOHC (blog)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

I love the canals and I love this poem! Well done. Take care, Tony.

Comment is about the rustle of reeds (blog)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

This, together with 'The Clock' and 'Handwriting' are beautiful examples of poetic awareness. Their language. Their pacing. Their deeply secreted themes. Some wonderful imagery too -
"my fingers like broken chess pieces,
my knuckles; bird skulls cracked
by those spent women" being just one example.

I don't know why but the final line 'the spring will be here soon' seems almost TOO definate when married against the equivocalness of your imagery. 'A spring will be here soon' maintains the enigma to the end - and beyond?

Wonderful writing.


Give my regards to G.

Comment is about Winter Hour (blog)

Original item by Marianne Daniels

Well, it's your poem, MC, and you make your points well. Don't get me started on the current government though! :-)

Comment is about WHERE ARE YOU GORDON BROWN? (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

Thanks Tom, for reading and responding to my poetry. Your interaction is most welcome and greatly appreciated. I will get on to your other poems as well, time permitting. It shall be a busy year! Good stuff unfolding. See you 'round the site or better yet on our poems. Cheers.

Comment is about Tom Harding (poet profile)

Original item by Tom Harding

Thank you kindly, Cynthia, for your encouragement and assessment of my poem on cigarette haze. I am grateful to you and much inspired to seek furthering my ventures into poetry. May you have a continued happy new year.

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

'' The worst thing you can do to coal is burn it'' A. Scargill...In reference to the many uses of coal BEFORE the remainder 'Coke'(a cleaner product) could be used to fire power stations.
Harry your comment could have been written by The Daily Mail.
The NCB and Tory government conspired to destroy the National Union of Miners: It was necessary to break the UK's strongest union in order to privatize the coal industry -closing down 'unprofitable' mines then Import millions of tons of substantially cheaper coal ('Brown Coal' a dangerous to health product). This attack on the miners and mining was to enable further attacks on Trade Unionism generally.
ps amusing anecdote John.

Comment is about You've Met The Met (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Oh, but my FB chat is permanently turned off! Must be force of habit. I barely have time enough to sort out posts & statuses, messages, & all that, without having to worry about chitter chatter.Have a pleasant weekend!

Comment is about Isobel (poet profile)

Original item by Isobel

Gorgeous!x

Comment is about Winter Yields (blog)

The beauty of simple emotions.x

Comment is about Sweet Isabella (blog)

Original item by Shirley Smothers

Perhaps I should explain my remarks about Sooty, John. For me, it's all down to the moment at the end of each programme when Harry Corbett addresses the audience, his face covered in gunk, and says, with an expression of world-weary stoicism: "Bye bye, everybody, bye bye." It has come a family catchphrase in our household; a moment when no other words will do. I don't remember much of the rest of it.

Comment is about John Coopey (poet profile)

Original item by John Coopey

Hi Tom. Thanks for your comment on The Rapids. I have just checked out Gary Snyder on youtube. Many thanks for that. Take care, Tony.

Comment is about Tom Harding (poet profile)

Original item by Tom Harding

Hi Tom-thanks for your feedback on 'A Tradition Saved', I'm pleased you are enjoying the tales.
Tall tales? Stranger things happen out there at sea!

Comment is about Tom Harding (poet profile)

Original item by Tom Harding

relentless! i enjoyed spaceghost.

Comment is about the temptation of witchcraft (blog)

Original item by SPACEGHOST

Funny.
'That's so gay' was a phrase abused for years by school kids up and down the country in the 90s as another meaning for lame or naff.
Good efforts to reclaim it.

Comment is about That's so gay (blog)

Original item by Ushiku Crisafulli

Nice one M.C. What is the point in a large universe that may be full of life if death is oblivion? Take care, Tony.

Comment is about MAN MADE RELIGION (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

Many thanks Tom re 'Voyager'
means a lot,coming from thee.xx

Comment is about Tom Harding (poet profile)

Original item by Tom Harding

Jake La Motta-wow!what a scrapper!
and what a poem!xx

Comment is about EYES AT THE SCENE (blog)

Original item by Mike Hilton

Isobel, lovely tribute. I like how you open it up to the universal in the last verse, the last four lines are lovely.

Comment is about The Sky at Night (blog)

Original item by Isobel

this is a lovely rolling poem. reminded me of the simple beauty of gary snyder.

Comment is about The Rapids. (blog)

Hi Joe. This poem could go on forever! Part two please? Nice one. Take care, Tony.

Comment is about Poems About Poetry (blog)

Hi Isobel,

Thanks for the comment on Paxos, much appreciated!

Comment is about Isobel (poet profile)

Original item by Isobel

Cheers loads Cath(it happens)
piece of advice-re inadvertant walkies
keep away from lovers leap!xx

Comment is about Cathy Crabb (poet profile)

Original item by Cathy Crabb

I don't recall mention of the "global banking crisis" (shades of "global warming"!!) when this person was flogging off the nation's gold reserves (years ago) at bargain basement price or plundering our renowned private pension schemes to fund tax breaks and hand-outs at a time when NHS nurses and doctors took 2nd place to huge "buggins turn" levels of micro-management that have almost sunk that great service, putting countless patients at risk from in-house infection leading to death in its care. At the same time that UK government was also sending (and increasing?) UK billions p.a. to the EU...not the way, in my view, to instill confidence in the ability of a chancellor/PM who boasted of his "prudence" managing our finances
during many years in power.

Comment is about WHERE ARE YOU GORDON BROWN? (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

Thanks for your feedback on 'A Tradition Saved' John-I have remedied the unforgivably sloppy non use of paragraphs. If Master Miles had seen that he would've nailed me to the mast by me ears!

Comment is about John Coopey (poet profile)

Original item by John Coopey

Kathy ( Hi :o) )you have now edged out Laura as my favoorite person. I will en-devour to teach, amuse and enlighten you regarding humour.
Call me on my private number anytime except Wednesdays and Saturdays evening as I will be shopping at Tesco's.

Tommy. (Bachelor)

Comment is about Cathy Crabb (poet profile)

Original item by Cathy Crabb

Now Laura give him his due- they are always more likely to laugh at your shoes than your jokes. This made me laugh- I look forward to knowing how to tell a joke Tommy x

Comment is about Advice to women (blog)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

Ha! What I like about this is that facebook is actually you talking to yourself. A friend of mine calls it E-Damn x

Comment is about Sermo ut parietis (blog)

Original item by Isobel

Frank and funny! They certainly cover a lot of ground those gays x

Comment is about That's so gay (blog)

Original item by Ushiku Crisafulli

Haha - great ending John!

Comment is about You've Met The Met (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Hi Christina. Thanks for your comment on First Class Ticket. Glad you like it. Take care, Tony.

Comment is about tina (poet profile)

Original item by tina

Hi MC, good poem, but have to say I totally agree with our good friend, John.
It was actually the global banking crisis that caused our deficit, which has only risen in the last two and a half years.
Even so, I am no fan of Brown, agree with John on that one too.

Comment is about WHERE ARE YOU GORDON BROWN? (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

"If you want misery and disgruntled bitching please go elsewhere.

"Is that so ; lol - will remember that.

I'd agree with your comments re Janet Ramsden - it really upset me also. Thanks for remembering her. All anyone can ask, is to be remembered. Shame you missed our memorial Tudor night - for Janet and for John Clays.

Can't make your Monday Bards but will try to get along to summat soon. Hope it all goes well you mad lot.x

Comment is about Such misery - in Goole, Hull and Wigan (blog)

Original item by Steve Regan

This is great :D

Comment is about First Class Ticket. (blog)

Glad you liked it Nick x

Comment is about full moon (blog)

Original item by tina

John,
As a former striker you might be interested in this.

In the early seventies I was a delegate at A T.U.C. conference in the Brighton Pavillion and was sitting behind Arthur Scargill and heard him and joe Gormley (Who I think was the president of the miners union by then) throwing jibes at each other across the chairs.

It`s sobering to know now that one of them ruined the industry, and the other was accused years later of passing on information about exremists to the secret service.

Funny old world, isn`t it?

Comment is about You've Met The Met (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Thanks for the comments folks,

Changed line six to make it say more what I meant.

Comment is about unwanted (blog)

Love this! Take care, Tony.

Comment is about WHERE ARE YOU GORDON BROWN? (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

JC - you are too gracious by half towards that dour smug pot of ambition! I am intrigued by the number of politicians with Scottish connections who have shafted this country...and he is one...minus the grinning ninny smarm that his predecessor used to fool so many and which irritated the hell out of me. I always watch the speed with which a smile leaves a face, an infallible guide to its sincerity. Both Blair and Brown failed the test.
Laura - Confucious, he say "Change is as good as rest". I rest my case :-)
Yvonne - Agreed; thanks.

Comment is about WHERE ARE YOU GORDON BROWN? (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

GBH = Grim Bloody Humour??
By the way, the Met. sergeants and PCs also wore blue shirts (inspectors and above wore white) until it was agreed that all would wear white in some pay and conditions arrangement long before any required "aid" was sent ooop norrrth. And the old black helmet badges and rose were replaced by the less impressive slightly garish "chrome metal" versions that still adorn their high hats here in the Smoke - no doubt a great help to night-time neer-do-wells who could see them coming a mile off!! Such is progress.

Comment is about You've Met The Met (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Hello MC
Glad you liked "Gays". I was rather quick off the mark with that one!

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

Original item by M.C. Newberry

Hello Greg,
Thanks for your comments on "Gays".
You have made your preferences plain!
SOOTY!!! BLOODY SOOTY!!!

Comment is about Greg Freeman (poet profile)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Hello Yvonne,
Thankyou for commenting on "Gays".
There is an old (rather politically incorrect) joke about 2 blokes in a pub. The 1st one says he is emigrating. His mate says "That's a surprise" and asks him "Why?".
"Queers" his friend replies.
"How do you mean?"
"Well" he explains, "500 years ago they were burnt at the stake; 200 years ago they were hanged;100 years ago an man like Oscar Wilde was imprisoned; 50 years ago it could ruin a man's political career; 10 years ago it was still in the closet. I'm off before they make it compulsory".
Myself, I am more liberal but would not welcome compulsion!

Comment is about Yvonne Brunton (poet profile)

Original item by Yvonne Brunton

Phew! we get to keep our food stained chins!xx

Comment is about Man In The Mirror (blog)

Original item by Steve Higgins

Hello Dave,
Thanks for your thoughts on "Gays".
I have to confess that I don't have strong views either way re the gay community but to try to police a "no sex" rule seems rather laughable. On another front, this may come as a little surprise to you given my rather irreverent and often downright crude writings, but I am actually a verger for Selby Abbey!

Comment is about Dave Bradley (poet profile)

Original item by Dave Bradley

SOOTY!!! BLOODY SOOTY!!!
No wonder that Freeman's a soft southerner!

Comment is about Oddle Poddle (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley