Loved this.

Comment is about The Day Bobby Kennedy Died (blog)

Original item by Steve Higgins

Many thanks for your comments Cynthia. I have written a few poems on the mental health system, and found this to be one of the most difficult to write. I have to agree that the first few verses were the most striking, but found it hard to continue it, in that vein. Thanks for your interest and will take heed of the advice.

Cheers Dean

Comment is about Mental Health Incarceration (blog)

So much of this is really good, catching the reader's interest and empathy. IMO, it runs out of effective steam about halfway, as though the final stanzas are forced into being, becoming a personal political 'rant'. I think it is a confusion of points to be made. Perhaps it needs to be two separate poems.

Always with respect. I'm surprised no one else has responded.

Comment is about Mental Health Incarceration (blog)

This is very unusual, and very effective. IMO, the precise repetitions and small variations give a real feeling of fascination, almost voyeurism, and passing 'insignificance', like the movements of a crowd.

Comment is about Assignation (blog)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

Sweet,with a nice little touch of humour.x

Comment is about Talking the Walk (blog)

Original item by Katy Megan

One of your best Steve,thanks.x

Comment is about It Doesn't Matter (blog)

Original item by Steve Higgins

Many thanks for your kind comments on "House of the Rising Damp". A true-ish story!

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

Original item by M.C. Newberry

The winner was Kate White You can read some of her poems here http://www.poetryschool.com/news/pighog-and-poetry-school-pamphlet-winner--kate-white.php

Comment is about Can you dig out your 10 best poems? (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Fitting tribute.Thank you.
Lee will never be forgotten.xx

Comment is about Sonnet for Drummer Lee Rigby, posted on behalf of Robin Parker from Langley Writers (blog)

Original item by Katie Sheila Haigh

John,
About`effs.
The `effs in your stuff always have a smile on their faces (particularly when it`s an `effin smile. And are always straight and humorously to the `effin point...keep `em comin`

Like this

Poor Larkin! - the man was out of luck
His life a sheer catastrophe
If he never even had a fuck
Till after nineteen sixty three

(I`m not annoyed at all the pointless and humourless stuff...just bored.)

Comment is about John Coopey (poet profile)

Original item by John Coopey

Thank you very much for the comments; they were much appreciated.

Comment is about This Crested King (blog)

Original item by Starfish

The words "cruel" and "cruelty" are Man's alone, since nature seems not to differentiate in the behaviour of its own. It just IS. We can only act we we see fit in various circumstances...or situations...and these provide the material for endless discourse, some pretty heated. And that it, perhaps, how it should be as Man seeks a place in the wider world of life and survival,
influenced and dictated by his increasing knowledge of world (and what lies beyond) and self.

Comment is about NATURE'S BLUE-PRINT (or putting the fox among chickens) (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

If there's a test to apply to our manner of living,
It's perhaps that our taking was less than our giving.
(I too am in my 70th year - and recent Health
MoTs give reason to hope for a few more years
yet!!)

Comment is about Brightening Rings (blog)

Original item by Ian Gant

I was really delighted to see you both at the Tudor Harry. I'm sorry you had such difficulty getting there - and hope the return journey wasn't as bad. I heard that the M6 was shut later and we all wondered whether you were affected.

I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves. I hope to see you again soon, if not in Wigan, on the Wirral - I'm feeling more enthused about my poetry at the moment, which always makes me feel like travelling! Give my love to Yvonne xx

Comment is about Harry O`N eill (poet profile)

Original item by Harry O`N eill

I remember it well - and it was sickening how soon the news turned to financial gain - you are our historic 'writer' of wrongs Harry - I enjoyed this.

Comment is about Priorities (blog)

Original item by Harry O`N eill

I'd never have you down as an 'effer 'n' jeffer', H. I do a bit myself, although I would like to think that it wasn't gratuitous but served a literary point (as indeed your last stanza does).

Comment is about Priorities (blog)

Original item by Harry O`N eill

I agree about that last stanza I think it would `strut` more if the lines were shorter.

(I like the possibilities of the `fowl thrall`Is this boss guy captive and henpecked by a bevy of less than beautiful ladies?) Neat though.

Comment is about This Crested King (blog)

Original item by Starfish

Isobel,
Thanks for the welcome last night. enjoyed
seeing lots of the folks from the photos...and lovely to meet your mum and sister,
Love from me and Yvonne.

Comment is about Isobel (poet profile)

Original item by Isobel

Another vanished post back on...for those who remember (some hope!) stanzas six and seven have been heavily revised... the excremental language is making a definite point)

Comment is about Priorities (blog)

Original item by Harry O`N eill

Hi P&S - hope you are well. :) Amusing tale follows. Back in the 70's my late wife Marion became vegetarian after seeing the many cattle trucks heading down the A2 to Dover - there had been a lot of bad press about their treatment in Europe. But during our usual Saturday shop we stopped for elevenses in a cafe and never even thought before ordering and consuming bacon rolls. Later the penny dropped and a red faced spouse decided we wouldn't visit that cafe again as the tempting aroma would always be there... ;) ATB, Dave

Comment is about Hell From Leather (blog)

Original item by Dave Dunn

Hello there!
So glad to see you posting again :-D
Love some of these combos - flax flow, torn free, mind tick, ever more

I should give it a go...

Comment is about Four ( June exercise ) (blog)

Original item by Kath Hewitt

great profile painting Cynthia

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

thank you very much Cynthia and Rachel.

Comment is about 3 miles of moss (blog)

Alexzandra - I think it is commonly accepted that all dogs are descended from the wolf...
hunters all. Whilst usually known to hunt in
packs, they still run on "survival of the fittest" mode and the first to catch the prey will deal the killing bite. The rest merely
join in as packs do. You raise an interesting
point about the connection between eating and
chasing a prey. Do they employ this tactic
at greyhound races? Time and again the "top dog" grabs("kills") the prey when it must know it's NOT edible...yet still it does it. If
only dogs could talk!!

Comment is about NATURE'S BLUE-PRINT (or putting the fox among chickens) (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

pleasured lick on labial curve
twisting vowels in bowels
that tongue speaks in so many languages.

Comment is about Isadora Vibes (poet profile)

Original item by Isadora Vibes

The rhyme flows as smooth as silk in your write, I enjoyed reading each line. :)

Comment is about How Absurd (blog)

Original item by Starfish

thank you alex...have a read of stella jones and marianne both brilliant x

Comment is about white noise (letters) (blog)

Original item by Rachel Bond

i like a poem with numbers in it :) nice.

Comment is about 3 miles of moss (blog)

This is evocative. It teases the mind of the reader by vividly creating a strong dream-state-like mood and then leaving open what is going on. Swimming endlessly through golden lily pads is especially intriguing.

Comment is about The Bath (blog)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

If only we had'nt been introduced
to carnivorousness eh Dave.

A tasty morsel of a poem.
Patricia and Stef.xx

Comment is about Hell From Leather (blog)

Original item by Dave Dunn

Thank you Cynthia for your kind and thoughtful comments. I've no idea whether I'm going through a phase of writing better stuff - that's for others to say - but, if I am, it's not to do with workshops because I don't attend. Hope to run into you one day.

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

This is a superb poem, with an outstanding two-line opener, punchy insight and well- turned diction. 'an oasis of delicious chaos' - delicious writing. I think it is the best of yours I have recently read - all of which are really good. These days, I find an 'edge' to your work which I didn't notice before. Which may have been my carelessness.

I do think 'you' can be 'pleased for them'. It is a generosity of character.

Comment is about The Introvert (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley

The opening seven lines are superb, a poem in themselves. Like the others, I find more than one poem emerging from the whole, all similar in theme. Perhaps stanza breaks would be a neat solution since you do make some sharp turns.

Comment is about 52 Hertz (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley

You cover a wide scale of 'types' of men who hit women. Not every 'type' given is rolled into any one man; that would make identification much easier. It's a good poem, well written, and on a very potent theme.

Comment is about Men Who Hit Women (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley

BTW, thanks for reading 'The Bath'. You were spot on. I felt a bit terrified as I wrote it - with the suicide inference, of course, but also with the realization of a society and/or a personal schedule/angst that allows a person to become that emptied. When do we take control?

Comment is about Joshua Van-Cook (poet profile)

Original item by Joshua Van-Cook

So good to see you back. I didn't get to this poem until this morning after I posted my latest blog. Can't believe it is sort of similar in theme.

Anyway, this is a great idea, always worth exploring from a personal angle. IMO, the poem is still a bit too raw, too 'wordy'. I know your work, and I really like it. I think this piece just needs some sensitive discipline: eg. 'rushes' is surely 'fast'; so ' the cityscape rushes into view' sounds better and expresses clearly, I think, just what you intended. That's what I mean, in general. Have another look and see if my comment bears any weight. My suggestions are never a critique.

Comment is about The City (blog)

Original item by Joshua Van-Cook

Hi,

I did intend to do this sooner but totally forgot. I just wanted to say a quick 'thank you' for your comment recently. Glad you liked it :-) Kath

Comment is about Richard Alfred (poet profile)

Original item by Richard Alfred

I can buy into nearly all of this, Marksy. But "wasted wanks"? I don't understand the concept!

Comment is about Living Life on the Ledge (blog)

Original item by Marksy

The "sophistication" of Man indeed has a fragile and thin veneer. We don't have to scratch hard the pages of history to discover a less "civilised" side to the human character. Nazi Germany was a little too far back for most of this site's readers but most of us will recall Bosnia, Rwanda, the Kurds in Iraq, Cambodia.
I'm not sure if I'm agreeing or disagreeing with you, MC, but you've certainly provided food for thought.

Comment is about NATURE'S BLUE-PRINT (or putting the fox among chickens) (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

The reason I referenced those poets is that, apart from being great writers they make a lie of Erdoğan's reference to poetry as all the great Turkish poets have been bohemian, securalist and would be, I am sure, opposed to the current Government which is trying to erode the secular foundations of the nation. Religion is a personal thing. Atatürk sought to take religion out of political life. That was his great achievement

Comment is about Poets urged to show support for Turkish protesters (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Those that know me will know that I am a Turcophile and a Turkish speaker. You will see several poems in my profile that reference Turkey, some of which allude to the inherent tensions in that beautiful country. Turkey has a rich poetic history and I would urge you all to look up Cemal Sureya, Nazim Hikmet and my favourite Orhan Veli Kanık. They were all great poets who documented the beauty, earthy dirt and love that lives within Turkey. I will be there in ten days, I have never loved a place more. My home excepted.

Comment is about Poets urged to show support for Turkish protesters (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

I really like this, it made me sincerely chuckle. It has lots of skilled writing jockeying through it, that surfaces even more on a second or third reading. Good ending.

Comment is about 3 miles of moss (blog)

Quick and funny. Sometimes that's enough, with a good punch line.

Comment is about TWO TREES (blog)

Original item by Ste J Bee

Cute. Check your rhythm of the second stanza; a couple of changes would work wonders and keep the humour strong.

Comment is about This Crested King (blog)

Original item by Starfish

This is an excellent report, and well worth reading more than once.

Just a wee point - how can a poet know if his/her work is 'inspiring'? Surely that is a self-opinion.

Performance poetry is vital to the health of the genre; otherwise, poetry can become a closed circle of the uptight and snarky - Roots!, you know, and all that jazz. I do challenge the umbrella notion that it is only 'real' performance poetry if it is recited in pubs or on noisy festival stages - in the pouring rain, half tanked etc. etc. I have run into that - and I say - Rubbish!

Have you noticed - Mr. Gove wants the reintroduction of 19th century poets, primarily British ones, if I have my facts right. That is very interesting. I wonder what the percentage will be.

Comment is about The Write Out Loud interview: Tony Walsh (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

It would be a much poorer scene without you Tony. Keep on rocking and rolling please!

Comment is about The Write Out Loud interview: Tony Walsh (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Is this one of your paintings John? it gives an image of as darkness falls ghosts take control.

Comment is about Arts Trail Twitter Account (blog)

Original item by Stockport WoL

Thank you Isobel and Alexandra for your comments - considered and cogently put. The phrase "torn apart" is horribly evocative but is it so? The hound aims for the killing bite to the neck/throat and it is likely this happens before any pack arrives in full cry. As for behaviour of wild animals "au naturel": Wild animals are known for eating their own young (or the young of others of the same species), let alone other species. And some have been witnessed "playing" with their prey before killing it. Man lives by man-made laws and these, by and large, even allowing for conflicts, serve to advance the survival of his own argumentative species and, in consequence, the creatures he shares this planet with, when they might populate or eat themselves out of existence. Man alone has the ability and the foresight to see this and heed the warnings that nature provides. Occasionally, they are missed but not often - and usually remedial efforts can be made in time. Why should Man feel guilty about harbouring the survival and hunting instinct that is his as much as any other creature's to employ. Guilt is a luxury that only Man has inflicted upon himself. No other creature recognises or employs it. Foxes (the favourite example for many) are becoming common in cities like London and this cannot be allowed to become a problem, so what is to be the answer? We must accept that they are beasts that do not recognise or identify with man's laws and it's not much good going "aaah, pretty thing" when it couldn't care less about what damage it does to life or property.My own point is that we have created a "false" world of make believe in which wild beasts bcome extensions of ourselves. Wrong. We act best when we act impartially and sometimes ruthlessly to maintain the balance - and that includes "checks". Is there any teaching in the Scriptures or the Koran that says otherwise? I do not subscribe to the "pulling wings off butterflies" frame of mind. I merely seek to acknowledge that nature has no time/place for false analogies of identification and treatment that can become dominant and dangerously misleading in the world.

Comment is about NATURE'S BLUE-PRINT (or putting the fox among chickens) (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

so captivating
so poetic
so intense
so sexual
so enchanting
this fucking journey is just - - -
so incredible.

p.s yes I did wonder

Comment is about Katy Megan (poet profile)

Original item by Katy Megan

This review reminds me of Clare Pollard's book Look, Clare! Look! (2005). Another twenty-something poet, this time travelling in the southern hemisphere and getting a mild attack of conscience over her white Western privilege.... The book cover for that was also orange (but Bloodaxe)! Is the French for this Plus ca change? (Everything changes but stays the same).

Comment is about Dear Boy: Emily Berry, Faber and Faber (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman