Thank you Melanie. I'm glad it was good reading for ya. I just put up a link to my site if you wanna see me reading them on video. Got some new poems on the profile too. Ain't really been paying attention to this site for ages. I got the notification of your comment by e-mail and now my relationship with it is rekindled. Thanks for that :)

P.S Loved 'Bastards'. I know how you feel on that one. It's nice to use poetry as therapy.

Comment is about Melanie Coady (poet profile)

Original item by Melanie Coady

Thought-provoking indeed - it had a nice feel to it this poem

Comment is about Half Closed (blog)

atmospheric and lush I want to be in that room xx

Comment is about Candle (blog)

Original item by Elaine

Thanks chaps, much appreciated!

Ray, it's purposeful - both the clumsiness and awkwardness of the language/sentence and the, made up words (cherryspit). i just like doing that, nothing fancy particularly. but thank you!

Comment is about Nagasaki Shadows (blog)

Original item by Nash

Hi Banksy - i think so!

Comment is about Nash (poet profile)

Original item by Nash

Thanks very much for your comment on the Betjeman poem, Anthony. Very heartening. I don't pretend to be an expert on him, so I had to check out the one you mentioned. Admired the whimsical rhapsodising about places like Kenton and Perivale. The glorification or transformation of the ordinary. Marvellous rhythm, as you say.

Comment is about Anthony Emmerson (poet profile)

Original item by Anthony Emmerson

Hi Ann, you're right about the lovers statue, that's at St Pancras as well, far bigger than the Betjeman, and very tacky. It's also on the upper concourse, passed by almost no one apart from those on their way to the Betjeman bar (including me, occasionally). I don't know Paddington, must check it out sometime. Betjeman certainly loved Cornwall!

Comment is about Ann Foxglove (poet profile)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

Ey up , Monkey. Thanks for commenting on I Dreamt You Were Little Again. I really did have the dream and it was a sad one.

Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)

Original item by Laura Taylor

Ann, thanks for commenting on I Dreamed You Were Little Again. The kids seem to provide me with a fair bit of inspiration recently.
I find it quite cathartic to wite about it. It does seem to genarate a lot of power from such a simple structure.

Comment is about Ann Foxglove (poet profile)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

Thanks for your comment on Betjeman at St Pancras, Cynthia. It certainly is a sonnet, although I don't think Betjeman went in for them much himself. I just feel a little sorry for the statue, which seems rather lonely and forgotten where it is.

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Just enjoyed "One Step Behind", Sian.

Comment is about sian howell (poet profile)

Original item by sian howell

Good title, very interesting structure, enjoyable content. Some good musical rhythms in this too

Comment is about No point; point (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley

Agree with Steve - a very good poem about a subject not easily tackled.

Comment is about Jagged Edges (blog)

Awww. Have to say that I too dream about my lass being little too - only the other night dreamed about her being a baby again :) It is one of the hardest things to deal with, seeing your child in pain though

Comment is about I Dreamt You Were Little Again (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Powerful, visceral, revelatory

Great poem

Comment is about I am Mox (blog)

I've never had much trouble being able to get women to laugh or cry. It was getting them to loosen their knicker elastic which has always been a stumbling block.

Comment is about I Dreamt You Were Little Again (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

corected a few typos, a late night post, post vouyeur doom gloom sky news viewing guilty pleasure watching sterile disaster movie news proves we are in a circus not seeing bodies behind the curtains of the BBC sky CBS often lie or paint picture miles high of the horrendous truth

Comment is about I am Mox (blog)

Effective and powerful (despite the many typo's).

Reminded me of 'On the Beach' by Nevil Shute. Still one of the most chilling novels ever about what radiation could do to our planet.

Comment is about I am Mox (blog)

Thanks Dave, reminds me of how important human connection can be.

Especially liked, "shakes off the shadows, acts like a man"

Comment is about No point; point (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley

How sweet and then so moving.

I've been having dreams on a recurring theme recently, think my mind is trying to tell me something! They do leave us disturbed at times don't they?

Your piece had me going "ahhh, how cute" which of course changed to "ohhh, ouch!" Nice one, with so few words you've tugged my emotion all over the place, that's good poetry in my book!

Comment is about I Dreamt You Were Little Again (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

So true - ouch!

Is it that we don't care or that we can't bear the fear of staying open to the world?

Nice piece, thought provoking...

Comment is about Half Closed (blog)

Nice one Pete, enjoyed the rhymes placed here and there, they give it a lilting rhythm and help with the disturbing flavour of the piece.

Reminds me of a TV series called threads from years ago about surviving in a world poisoned by nuclear war and of course this is once again, sadly very current.

Comment is about I am Mox (blog)

one of my favourite poems is The Perfect Word by Hugo Williams - just thought I'd let ya know :)

Comment is about the perfect word (blog)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

a class act

Comment is about MY LITTLE GOLDFISH (blog)

Oh John - made me want to cry too. When I dream about my kids they are usually little. And I almost can't bear to look at old photos of us all. Although we are still (I believe) quite happy, hard to believe we are as happy as we were then. What a lovely Dad you must be!xx

Comment is about I Dreamt You Were Little Again (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Gruesome indeed!
The message is powerful and the images make quite an impact!
I like the intro because it immediately draws you in and captures your attention.

My fave lines:
'Your concrete cannot float
On this cloud
This magic carpet
My silent voice is louder than ever'

xxxxx

Comment is about I am Mox (blog)

I have heard that about goldfish, that it's better to leave them in the bowl for a week or two. I think so, anyway

Comment is about MY LITTLE GOLDFISH (blog)

LOL! LOL! lovely Odessa girl-always good for a laugh-night night-love-Stef.xx

Comment is about EVERY FRIDAY (blog)

Original item by Larisa Rzhepishevska

You should put Vietnamese River Cobbler in your goldfish bowl next time LdlB; It'll be cheaper.
Keep 'em coming. Sod the poets!

Comment is about MY LITTLE GOLDFISH (blog)

'Look at me you little shit' has to be a the best start to a poem, I've seen in a long time - can't think why I haven't used that one myself. Very attention grabbing!

It's too late for my mind to bend itself round punctuation. They used to teach it when I was at school so it comes naturally - or sometimes I just decide not to clutter the poem with it.

A nice light hearted poem. I have plenty of poems like this - that i haven't shredded but not perfected either.

Thanks for commenting on my latest Janet - it's much appreciated. x

Comment is about The One That Got Away (blog)

Lovely, especially the last verse.
She tends the tea cups of earl grey. Do you need tea before cups?It seems a bit perverse to capitalise the start of each line then not bother with Earl Grey and West London.The last verse would be absolutely perfect if you had Indian(capitalised!!) rock instead of granite.

Comment is about kingfisher stripe (blog)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

Relax, David!

Comment is about EVERY FRIDAY (blog)

Original item by Larisa Rzhepishevska

Wow! Bravo! Thank you dear Stefan and dear Steve for your comments. To tell you the truth I expected them.
But....can't agree with David.Fridays are the happiest days! They are not dirty at all though you look like a shit. lol

Comment is about EVERY FRIDAY (blog)

Original item by Larisa Rzhepishevska

A strong poem Tom. I'm not quite sure what Cynthia means by her toss off comment but I agree with her on the 'circling of birds'. It kind of reminds me of birds of prey, which would tie in with Ray's interpretation. As poets, we do feed of human tragedy - often our own tragedy - it's the nature of the beast.

Comment is about Endless Talk of Floods (blog)

Original item by Tom Harding

Nice poem, this is an interesting line:I too am sharpening my pencil

Seems to take the line that all catastrophes are grist for the journalistic and poetic mills. Which is a point well made - if I read it right!I am sharpening my pencil might be even better.

Comment is about Endless Talk of Floods (blog)

Original item by Tom Harding

The poem provokes some thought, which is good, and it's nicely written and weighted except maybe "the wreckages of an age" which sounds clumsy, I think. Not sure wreckages is a word.

Comment is about Nagasaki Shadows (blog)

Original item by Nash

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Comment is about Wildlife (blog)

Uncle Ned was a tight old scrote who had me grafting a full weekend and generously gave me 25p needless to say I never worked for the old git ever again, Great peom Cate made me laugh ;-) XX

Comment is about Uncle Ned (blog)

Original item by Cate

Magnificent, Tom. very well wrought. I have just one question: did you mean immanent or imminent?

Comment is about Endless Talk of Floods (blog)

Original item by Tom Harding

many thanks - are you back then ??

Comment is about Nash (poet profile)

Original item by Nash

Hi - glad you like the book - I've got a copy right here. Like you said - there's some hilarious stuff, stuff that had me crying my eyes out, etc etc. if nothing else, CC is a superb storyteller - & all the books intertwine. Like I said, I had to read all 3 times over, just to piece everything together & get a proper understanding. I know it does sound corny, but these books radically changed my life, help govern the way I live my life, run my business, deal with people - everything. It's almost a religious zeal except it's not a religion & there's no "lessons to be learned". Somehow I just changed the way I did things as I agreed with him that there is ultimately only one "right way" to live & that is Impeccably. If you dont know yet what I'm yacking about, you will later. I first started to read these ~25 yrs ago & never changed my opinion since. all the best. B

Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)

Original item by Laura Taylor

alas, we're all shits on dirty fridays

Comment is about EVERY FRIDAY (blog)

Original item by Larisa Rzhepishevska

I also liked the line

While waitresses flit like butterflies

Hey Ann, why don't you try a formal structure like a sonnet?

You have the linguistic skills to deal with the strictures that brings and I think you might benefit from the payload that offers Hehe.

If you have gone that route prior and I have missed- my bad.

Chris

Comment is about kingfisher stripe (blog)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

I would echo what Greg has said.
The image both literal that exists from 45 and how you contextualise it and create a new image from it- sombre and appropriate.

P.S

Good to see you post again Nash

My Best

Chris

Comment is about Nagasaki Shadows (blog)

Original item by Nash

The doctors in Australia seemed a lot worse for this than over here. My sister couldn't get anything out of ours when her husband died - despite being in a dreadful state. Over there - so many people that I knew were on anti-depressants. People with little or no cause for worry or stress. I did know a lot of ex-pats though - I think despite the nice weather, there was a huge hole in their lives - the absence of family and history is a dreadful thing.

Comment is about God's waiting room (blog)

Thx to all that have read and those that have commented. The poem was written with the over medication of clinical depression in mind. Because of the monetary price, NHS funding and objectives as well as the influence of big pharma; anti-depressants are often handed out like smarties.

Powerful medications can be temptingly easy solutions for doctors sometimes more keen on treating symptoms and causes. Doctors with enormous egos thinking they are god almighty also don't help.

What is the difference between God and a doctor?

God doesn't think that he is a doctor (it is an old joke, but it exists because of more than a smattering of truth).

Of course this does not apply to all doctors and anti depressants are the right medication for some with clinical depression or related issues. But like I say, they are often handed out like smarties and as a first line solution to almost anything. Like a big pharma panacea for all! Without thought to the potential damage they may cause so many people.

I have seen it.

Hey Isobel- yes 'The sadness scene' is the tag-line for it really. I agree with you that certain pain should be felt and the cause treated- certainly where theses drugs are not appropriate.

I have never had clinical depression myself, though I have and occasionally do desperately suffer depression from catastrophic events/the past. I have to live with those things one way or the other and I choose to do so in the manner that you have suggested.

Hey Steve, no Hell's waiting room reference though I can see how it may have appeared. Also in this poem no position is taken on religion; apart from saying that the existence of God is not in any doubt in the minds of some doctors. They simply and knowingly smile as they look at themselves in the mirror each morning- EEK.
I did include a purgatory reference- though in this case, it is innocent people being put through purgatory or a living hell thanks to the error of a doctor's ego. It is happening up and down the country- no doubt about it. For all the good that these meds do in the right hands and in the right cases...there are the misdiagnosed far too many of them!

Hi Cynthia,

I can only accept your opinion in so much as you feel the stanzas would could be better- I can't disagree- each to their own. Given this is free verse, I have put the line breaks in according to my taste, given their is no formal structure. I hope you like the poem in terms of content in any respect

If you want to see a poem that is structured I can afford that in another blog. How about a poem written in iambic tetramter?

Hey Jeff- Glad you like and yes I think it can be life in their hands. Perhaps that is the downfall of some doctors. After all they do say that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. What more power could any man or woman have; but the power to radically alter the lives of others?

Comment is about God's waiting room (blog)

Cynthia - well, I think they expect a reasonable amount of maturity, not swearing loudly or getting drunk in public, dressing respectably and not wearing the same check shirt and band tshirts for years, and to follow the 'rules'. Oh, and not to regularly attend gigs and festies and dance til dawn. I think. This certainly upsets the people in work!

I would say I'm middle aged at 43. I don't expect to live much past 86 put it that way! :D

Comment is about kingfisher stripe (blog)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

Ha - nice ending Janet! Had me going there :D

Comment is about The One That Got Away (blog)

honest and nice.Something about the 1st line sends a tingle down my spine and reminds me of my daughter the day she was born and that was a long time ago so makes me feel old as well... Nice one...

Comment is about I Want to be you (blog)

Original item by Melanie Coady

Such a difficult subject to write about, but I think you've pulled it off. Important to link it to 1945. Especially as the radiation horror is starting all over again.

Comment is about Nagasaki Shadows (blog)

Original item by Nash