It seems these poems are aiming to show the reality behind the romantic and pastoral notions that some of us (or me at least) still harbour about country life. I married into a farming family but its easy to forget how relatively comfortable urban existence can sometimes be. Thanks for a great review Cato.
Comment is about Red Devon: Hilary Menos, Seren (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
lot of images in this, marianne. excellent stuff. really enjoyed reading this.
Comment is about Punk (blog)
Original item by Marianne Daniels
Left-field, championing the unfashionable? Well, I guess that ticks a couple of boxes for me. Thanks for this interesting interview with a publisher outside the metropolitan mainstream, Frances.
Comment is about Smokestack champions the radical and unfashionable (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
I can empathise greatly with this having gone through it thrice - and it doesn't get any easier. I even get sad when I pass others on the motorway (cars piled high) enduring the same 'trauma'. The emotion is captured well in this poem.
Starfish
Comment is about Independence Day (blog)
Original item by jane wilcock
Brilliant idea and well executed. Really thoughtful use of rhyme here, keeping each stanza in the one end rhyme.
I bloody love poems that have a cycle...something so satisfying about them.
The story behind it is great too - bit gothic, bit spooky, otherworldly. Who hasn't looked at a scarecrow and shivered to think of it coming alive?!
If there was one thing I would look at, it would be the rhythm in these lines:
ice world. His skeletal delight
with snow-flesh - waiting for coal sight.
Your metre is so strong in the rest of the poem and it falters a little in these two lines.
Enjoyed this Ian - it's great watching you try out loads of different styles and ideas :)
Comment is about Cycle Of The Scarecrow (blog)
Original item by Ian Whiteley
You know what? I think you should print your poem onto flyers, and leave them lying about the Tate. Also, put one up right alongside the video.
Direct action!
Comment is about Turning Over Tables (blog)
Original item by Isobel
Really like this. Impressive. Have tried to use the format and failed miserably. Clever man!
Starfish
Comment is about Cycle Of The Scarecrow (blog)
Original item by Ian Whiteley
This is a great poem cycle and I empathise with the l scarecrow! Lovely images.
Comment is about Cycle Of The Scarecrow (blog)
Original item by Ian Whiteley
Hi Isobel,
You dont need to see the sweat shops of India through a hidden camera, just turn on the telly and watch them tumble, swallowing their workers in our vicarious greed.
The desire for "shock and awe" is no different and I doubt it completes its aims, as the USA found,but more concerningly it might.
I have mised you and those other thoughtful poets that have summarised!
Comment is about Turning Over Tables (blog)
Original item by Isobel
Powerful, Cynthia. For some reason (perhaps you can explain the connection) it made me think of Song of Isaac by Leonard Cohen -
You who build these altars now
To sacrifice these children,
You must not do it anymore.
A scheme is not a vision
And you never have been tempted
By a demon or a god.
You who stand above them now,
Your hatchets blunt and bloody,
You were not there before,
When I lay upon a mountain
And my father's hand was trembling
With the beauty of the word.
And if you call me brother now,
Forgive me if I inquire,
"Just according to whose plan?"
When it all comes down to dust
I will kill you if I must,
I will help you if I can.
When it all comes down to dust
I will help you if I must,
I will kill you if I can...."
Comment is about Metaphor (blog)
Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas
Philipos
Wed 18th Sep 2013 21:13
Let out of class early eh Greg! Glad to see you're still on top form & you are right of course to rejoice in the challenge of becoming a retiree. Keep those horizons coming & an eagle eye open for forthcoming evening events in Woking library, if you haven't already done so of course.
Comment is about Phoenix (blog)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Philipos
Wed 18th Sep 2013 19:55
Axiom - as illustrated by kids who f & blind on mobiles & think it acceptable to do so. I thoroughly enjoyed this poem Cynthia rich with metaphors which have the reader gripped. Although I have to say that man is not alone in his capacity for cruelty, as one commentator suggests.x
Comment is about Metaphor (blog)
Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas
thanks for your comments on 'she wears pink' Win - glad you liked it - I'm hoping to cover some other aspects of the JFK assassination as we come up to the 50th anniversary - so this one is a forerunner
cheers
Ian
Comment is about Winston Plowes (poet profile)
Original item by Winston Plowes
thanks for commenting on 'the scarecrow dreams of leaving' Harry - glad you liked it - must admit it's been playing on repeat in my head - so much so that I've revisited and extended it to cover all 4 seasons (see latest blog post) I'd be interested to see if you feel it is as effective in its extended form or whether better read as an individual piece - as always I appreciate your comments
Ian
Comment is about Harry O`N eill (poet profile)
Original item by Harry O`N eill
thanks for commenting on 'stroke' Terry - pleased that you liked it - it was written from bitter experience unfortunately
Ian
Comment is about terry ireland (poet profile)
Original item by terry ireland
art portrayed as the vile - it is an unworthy piece of crap that doesn't deserve a commission - HOWEVER - the unfortunate thing about shock art from 'artists' who have more or less run out of ideas, is that they use it to create controversy which fuels their notoriety and is therefore self perpetuating. I'm not sure what the best response to this sort of abomination really is - it's too easy to say ignore it - because why should we - it's also unlikely to be removed from display because the Tate will see the £ signs in any sort of controversy - they are, after all, social whores. I think the only way to counteract this sort of trash is to provide alternative art - that simply highlights what is wrong with the idea of this type of art - and in that respect your poem is a thing of beauty Isobel. keep fighting the good fight.
Ian
Comment is about Turning Over Tables (blog)
Original item by Isobel
love this Jane - pretty much agree with what everyone else has said - particularly good use of language and image and the 'screwdriver rain' line IS very effective. I also like the nice simple end line that jars against the lengthier and more image rich lines that precede it - it works very well
Ian
Comment is about Independence Day (blog)
Original item by jane wilcock
Sex and poetry
inside red room
still hold me
the longest minute - -
only some of the lines that you see on his face when the door opens.
Comment is about Ouroborus (blog)
Original item by Katy Megan
Well done Andy. Fitting and sensitive. I, for one, will never forget the big bell tolling across this city the morning after.
Comment is about Hillsborough (blog)
Original item by Andy N
Leaving Edinburgh living full-leafed...
http://patiencegracetrust.com/?p=129
Comment is about S'hi D'Amour (poet profile)
Original item by S'hi D'Amour
lot of power in this, andy. something we defo should never forget
Comment is about Peterloo (blog)
Original item by Andy N
hopefully justice will be served someday.
excellent
Comment is about Hillsborough (blog)
Original item by Andy N
Ladies and gentlemen, we got off to a brilliant start!
Our opening night at Nelsons Wine Bar in Hebden Bridge (I am not using an apostrophe here as they don’t even though I am developing a nervous tick in doing so) was a glorious success in every way.
A night of poetry is only ever as good as its contributors and on this night people came from Leeds and Manchester as well as Calderdale to hear each other’s words.
Char March lit the blue touch-paper with her usual overflowing mixture of ‘sit up and listen’ realism and wide variety of finely crafted offerings.
Then followed the full list of 17 open mic readings. Time keeping was strict(ish) and we managed to finish near the predicted 10:30 after every poet brought something important and memorable to the floor. Some were reading for the first time, others had the audience laughing or whooping, whilst at other times the silence of attention was deafening.
So, finally we have a new home for performance poetry in Hebden Bridge, which is a receptive and welcoming place to come and read.
Shindig #2 Featuring guest John Darwin will be on Tue 15th October, 8pm for 8:30 start. Be there before the start to book a 4 min slot.
Thank you all so much for sharing. You can contact me if you have any queries about the night, leave comments or send photos if you have any to winstonplowes@googlemail.com And you can read more about my own work by visiting www.winstonplowes.co.uk The Spoken Word Shindig events are also on fb - https://www.facebook.com/events/550136778354695/?fref=ts
Winston Plowes (Compere, The Spoken Word Shindig)
Shindiggers (In order of appearance)
Char March (Guest)
Winston Plowes (Compere)
Jonathan Eyre
Jim Donaghey
Spike
Ian Humphreys
Robert Baylis
Marion Oxley
Steve Anderson
Steve Mellor
Marcus Charlton
Anthony Costello
Eileen Wright
Henrietta Bond
Tony Halsall
Paul Blackburn
David Nixon
Seamus Kelly
Gordon Zola
”The best open mic night I have EVER been to” Jim Donaghy
” Off to a flyer. This will be the creme de la creme of spoken word in the valley” David Nixon
“What a brilliant venue, lovely host and poets… More!” Jonathan Eyre
“ Looking forward to next month” Seamus Kelly
Comment is about Char March first guest at Shindig launch in Hebden Bridge (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
<Deleted User> (9882)
Wed 18th Sep 2013 10:57
Okay - I still haven't actually seen the film all the way through, however, I do know pretty much the content, so I will comment now.
I'v read a number of articles on the subject, and I will say that I 100% concur with Anthony's post - it is exactly how I would have approached it. Apart from the Tracey Emin stuff cos I did like that.
I feel that Sierra is just repeating the exploitation whilst trying to score points over the buyers of art. Yes, they are disconnected from the real world. Will this have the same effect on them though, as it does on people who ARE connected with the real world? Doubt it. They're buying it aren't they?
I've read a fair bit about Sierra, and some of his earlier art I think makes some very valid points about the relationship between labour and capitalism, but I think he's maybe running out of ideas and is introducing more 'shock' in order to sustain his 'career'.
I've recently had a similar reaction to Ben Sherman's latest range of 'fashion'. called 'Spirit of the Union', which is based on the miners strike and pit closures, believe it or not. I found this more than insulting, and left some choice comments on their FB page - which were removed within minutes.
Comment is about Turning Over Tables (blog)
Original item by Isobel
The impact of Seamus Heaney's death is still being absorbed, and your review reflects that very well, Judy; the sense of loss felt by two big figures in the poetry world. I'll be watching three programmes on Heaney on BBC4 tonight from 10pm onwards. After the football.
Comment is about Paul Muldoon and Don Paterson, Manchester, 2013 (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Thank you Dave. Thank you Anthony. It helps me to hear what I feel expressed by other people, perhaps more eloquently and more rationally than I can myself.
You are right to say that the theme of exploitation could have been explored in a way that actually brought some positive results. Perhaps if the artist has smuggled a camera into the sweat shops of India, we might all consider more carefully where we shop for our clothes.
There will always be 'artists' who strive for notoriety rather than beauty or something of intrinsic worth. The painful thing for me is the fact that WE the British Public have funded this atrocity - the fact that anyone can try to justify it.
Perhaps I feel things too deeply. I've found myself haunted by this video. I never would have imagined that a family day out could have been so ruined by a visit to an art gallery.
There are more links to articles on the subject on my Facebook page Anthony - and on Stellas - if you feel at all inclined to find out more. I'm going to keep on banging on about it till someone hopefully listens - or till no-one is interested, whichever comes sooner.
Comment is about Turning Over Tables (blog)
Original item by Isobel
A very well expressed poem Isobel. I can't find the video - not that I'd particularly want to watch it anyway, except to form an opinion maybe. I guess Senor Sierra has partially succeeded in his aim - to shock. But then again I feel it's a pretty cheap shot and not very imaginative to continue that exploitation himself and call it art. It seems to me to be a mercenary act which doesn't express an opinion but simply presents us with a situation we are already aware of. What does it say - I can exploit the already exploited and call it art, and what's more lots of other so-called intelligentsia and artists will say it's art too? Freedom of expression, art for art's sake? It provokes for sure (it obviously provoked you to write a very relevant piece of work!
Essentially I always find this kind of shock-art a little lazy. It relies on one (not very original) idea. Other than that is there really any craft or skill involved? After all, even Tracey Emin had to put up a tent! And what is its achievement? Does it put the exploited in the headlines - for the right reasons - or turn them into some kind of freakish, helpless and hopeless sideshow?
I know you, and I suspect many others, could find much more imaginative, creative and effective ways of making the point - and probably do some good into the bargain.
A picture may well be said to paint a thousand words, but not necessarily in intelligible sentences when the brush is wielded so clumsily.
Well said and thanks for the heads up on this.
Regards,
A.E. x
Comment is about Turning Over Tables (blog)
Original item by Isobel
Ian,
Please, please, please don`t tell us that they refused to go until you paid the `calling out charge`
(By the way,that second stanza is the most solid commonsensical quatrain that I`ve read in a long time)
Comment is about Shattered Saturday (blog)
Original item by Ian Gant
Powerful poem Izz. As you know I visited the exhibit too. I didn't watch the whole thing because I felt like a voyeur at something fundamentally vile and nasty. The Tate have said - in responding to my complaint - that the work is intended to "evoke moral disapproval....aiming for the viewer to be appalled by any exploitation of human beings." They also say it "explores unfamiliar ethical territory and features four drug-addicted prostitutes hired for the price of a shot of heroin. In return, the prostitutes consent to being tattooed."
Exploiting extremely vulnerable people in order to create "art" (for sale) which highlights...er... exploitation is simply wrong. That it involves permanently marking their bodies is sick. Give 'em hell.
Comment is about Turning Over Tables (blog)
Original item by Isobel
Jane - you are right that this is not about extermination - the similarity arises from the way human beings are treated like cattle - there is no differentiation in the way they are defaced - there is no expression of individuality. For me that makes it doubly disturbing.
The girls appear to be in agreement to what is being done to them - and yes they have been paid. They have been chosen because they come from a social group most desperate for money; the piece is supposed to explore economic exploitation. Perhaps the artist and the Tate believe that less of a public backlash would be felt from choosing this type of victim.
Laura, I'm glad you are going to watch this video and add your opinion. I see you as the feminist of all feminists, though for me it's not even about the subjugation of women. I think I'd feel exactly the same way it was a row of young boys being abused. The sad fact is though - that it's women who end up selling their bodies for drugs - most men take different routes to fund the habit.
Comment is about Turning Over Tables (blog)
Original item by Isobel
Interesting and reflective Greg. Isn't it strange how we tell ourselves "when I retire I'll" etc etc, and then not seem to have the time to do them.
I still have journeys to make and books to write and heros to converse with. Strange how some of our heroes appear just the same as us when we finally get to speak to them.
Remember, journeys do not always have to be tangible. I think I've thought of a new subject for a poem now!
Anyway, keep on keeping on Greg. Always a good 'un to read.
Graham
Comment is about Phoenix (blog)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Ha :) Enjoyed this. Another one here who can't bear the word 'no'.
Comment is about Please keep on the grass (blog)
Original item by Marksy
Oh well Is, at least you got a poem out of it eh? ;)
Flippancy aside, I still haven't watched the video, and until I do, I can't make comment.
Will try to watch tonight and get back to this though.
Comment is about Turning Over Tables (blog)
Original item by Isobel
Great poem, tying the idea of the 'problem' cuckoo to the problems they 'cause'.
Agree with Greg, rhythm is excellent, and I really like the idea behind it.
These lines are really stand-out:
Tie blooms to the railings and leave them to wither,
to remind us we die if we need to remember.
Three days for the flowers to wilt
One less in the swelt of the summer
Deadheads bow brown in a semblance of grief
For the blood and bone bedlam that played out beneath.
Brilliant.
Comment is about Cuckoo (blog)
Original item by John Darwin
<Deleted User> (6895)
Tue 17th Sep 2013 14:08
Well actually Isobel, I wasn't thinking about Nazi camps as that puts me in mind of extermination. This seems more about exploitation and autonomy. The girls may have approved of the extra money and tattoo but its the exploitation of usually vulnerable individuals from poor relationship backgrounds that concerncs me and how much in control of themselves they are especially as labelled as drug addicted. However, unlike Francine I have not watched the full videoand there is a point about starting on a road...
Comment is about Turning Over Tables (blog)
Original item by Isobel
Thankyou so much for your thoughts. Mines gone from Bolton to London, Greg, so we may have passed on weeping motorways.
Comment is about Independence Day (blog)
Original item by jane wilcock
has to be one of my favourites of yours that, nick. the imagery in the first few lines for example is breathtaking but it's a strong piece all round - would like to hear you read this sometime defo
Comment is about EDGE 2 (blog)
Original item by NICK ARMBRISTER
that last line really hit me, John.
excellent stuff
Comment is about Cuckoo (blog)
Original item by John Darwin
like the thought behind this, Dave.
top stuff m8
Comment is about Keats (blog)
Original item by Dave Bradley
'rain'? 'Sunlight'?' 'Dust'? Is someone claiming to have copyright on those words? They're going to have to be suing a heck a lot of people - including me and Louis Macneice.
Comment is about Forward prize contender in new plagiarism row (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
interesting case this one guys. when i first read it, i didn't actually twig it was as the structure is different rather than just a straight copy instead threading lines in and out of the poem or poems itself re-arranging them somewhat in almost a david bowie like fashion.
i know matt from old, he was my uni teacher some years back at bolton uni so feel sorry for him there, but it does raise a totally different legal background.
makes you wonder if he would have got away with it if he had mentioned it at the beginning.
Comment is about Forward prize contender in new plagiarism row (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
We'll have to persuade him to the Pembrokeshire Coast Path next.
Comment is about Simon Armitage's walk: 'He had vaguely imagined a stroll along the beach' (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Comment is about Brian Wake (photo)
Original item by Brian Wake
Hello Harry and thanks for this
Yes, I have been smitten with mountains ever since my first encounter with the Scottish Highlands, walking across Knoydart at the age of 17. It's impossible to see the hills of Arran without being moved to a sense of something outside our normal humdrum life - whether you see them from the ferry as you come over from Ardrossan or whether you see them close up.
This particular day I was sitting at North Sannox waiting for my wife and the dog to come back down the glen from Coire Na Cioche or whatever it's called (The Devil's Punchbowl corrie underneath the Maiden's Breast) and the mist was doing a "now you see them now you don't" act on the high tors of Cir Mhor and North Goatfell, and suddenly that Zen koan about "first there is a mountain then there is no mountain, then there is" popped into my head.
Comment is about Glen Sannox (blog)
Original item by STEVE RUDD
Nigel Astell
Thu 19th Sep 2013 15:46
To dig
then find
nothing underneath
dig again.
Comment is about Stockport WOL Prompt 9/9/13 (blog)
Original item by Stockport WoL