😀

Comment is about The waiting lists (blog)

Original item by JD Russell

Brilliant idea, superbly executed. Funny yet sad. Just how I like my poetry. Bravo JD!

Comment is about The waiting lists (blog)

Original item by JD Russell

Amazing poem, Clare. You capture a tortured mind (I think) with poetic power, showing how you use writing to fend off demons.
I am scratching with my pen
Trying to write her out
Brilliant! I am in awe.

Comment is about Mirror to my Soul. (blog)

Original item by Clare

Thanks everyone for your kind words and encouragement! Loved reading the French, Clare, and the Dutch, Kevin. I (a USA Californian) have only a conversational knowledge of French (from a French-Canadian (Québecois) dad who gave all his 5 kids French names...thus, the accent marks on my name which I used throughout childhood, dropped during my working adult life, and then resumed using as an old-ish retired lady when the poetry started). My Californian niece has "Ce n'est qu'un au revoir" tatooed on her arm in memory of my dad (whom we all called papa). Merci tout le monde!

Comment is about Ce N'est Que... (blog)

Original item by Hélène

Chère Clare. Ma grand-mère avait l'habitude de dire "ne te rabaisse pas John, le reste du monde le fera pour toi". Vous comprenez assez bien.

"Extraire l'éternel de l'éphémère."
-Charles Baudelaire

Comment is about RUINS OF NINEVEH (blog)

Original item by John E Marks

puisque nous parlons tous français ce qui me fait grand plaisir, je vais continuer dans la même veine. C'est un poème intéressant bien au-dessus de ma tête mais j'ai tout de même apprécié la lecture

Comment is about RUINS OF NINEVEH (blog)

Original item by John E Marks

Merci Kevin!

Par les soirs bleus d’été, j’irai dans les sentiers,
Picoté par les blés, fouler l’herbe menue :
Rêveur, j’en sentirai la fraîcheur à mes pieds.
Je laisserai le vent baigner ma tête nue.

Sensation
Arthur Rimbaud

Comment is about RUINS OF NINEVEH (blog)

Original item by John E Marks

Powerful and devastating in its pounding language and imagery, Keith. A fine poem. Thank you!

Comment is about All for a Greater Order (blog)

Original item by keith jeffries

Beaufitul, touching and true, as with all your writing, Helene.💕

Comment is about Ce N'est Que... (blog)

Original item by Hélène

Room for everyone here on WOL. Just keep to the T&C's

"WOL members by their nature are overwhelmingly liberal and share your views"..............a rather sweeping statement I think!

Comment is about REJOIN THE EU! (blog)

I hope you get through it soon Jed. Let me know if I could be of any help to you. And thank you for passing the information about the book. I'll surely give it a read.
Thank you.

Comment is about From a mental health ward room (blog)

Original item by Jed

C’est un très beau poème, émouvant et qui fait réfléchir. 💕

Comment is about Ce N'est Que... (blog)

Original item by Hélène

Thanks, I'm still on this ward in a room with a door with a little window. I hate me being here. Its probably a good place for a lot of the other patients but not for me. I should have been left at home to get through what I needed to.
Thanks for your concern.
The heroic. Journalist Patric Cockburn wrote an illustrated book with his son who suffered schizophrenia. His sons artwork really captures the ambient vibe of these places. Sorry I can't remember the title. But you can find it under Patrick Cockburn.
Jed

Comment is about From a mental health ward room (blog)

Original item by Jed

Ouch-raw nerve?😉

Comment is about REJOIN THE EU! (blog)

Uilleam, you are obviously entitled to post on any subject you choose, but you're preaching to the converted with all this anti-brexit anti-tory stuff. WOL members by their nature are overwhelmingly liberal and share your views. So why not try other subjects, I'm sure you could turn out some gems. Just my opinion, no offence intended.

Comment is about REJOIN THE EU! (blog)

Thank you all for your likes and comments.

We want our sovereignty back!
Where from?
From Europe - 20 odd miles across the water?

No, from the Asia-Pacific CPTPP trade bloc thousands of miles away!

Well done Brexiteers!

To paraphrase Rudyard Kipling's Epitaph


We could not dig; nor in daylight rob:

Therefore we lied to please the mob.

Now all our lies are proved untrue

They’ll never live the dreams we slew.

What tale shall serve us here among

Defrauded angry old and young?

Comment is about April Fools (blog)

Trevor,
Thank you for this poem which brought memories flooding back of the endless hours I spent in the local public library as a boy. Since those days I have haunted every second hand bookshop, often with a packed lunch, to leaf my way through shelves of books. My study is strewn with books of every possible description.
Thank you for these well chosen words.
Keith

Comment is about Legacy (blog)

Original item by Trevor Alexander

Reading this and picturing it was heartbreaking for me. Briskly written and thought provoking. Also, I strongly believe in "mental health above everything", and such treatment and ignorance only makes it more hard for people to get cured.
Thank you.

Comment is about From a mental health ward room (blog)

Original item by Jed

A poem that speaks about the importance of books, preserving them and making it available for the future generations. Beautifully written.
Thank you.

Comment is about Legacy (blog)

Original item by Trevor Alexander

A beautiful poem, honoring family, a cherished time piece, and oh! books, wonderful books. Really like how you weaved the imagery of the passing of time, watch hands turning, and human hands turning pages of books. Splendid!

Comment is about Legacy (blog)

Original item by Trevor Alexander

A deeply felt poem linking the generations and establishing the debt we owe to the past.

Comment is about Legacy (blog)

Original item by Trevor Alexander

Sublime in its descriptive power I detect a spiritual reality as the poem progresses. The soul is the power house of our being. It stands in the face of storms and trials when it comes to the forefront of who we really are. A powerful piece of writing, guaranteed to stimulate the senses.
A treat to read.
Tthank you
Keith

Comment is about Mirror to my Soul. (blog)

Original item by Clare

I was mesmerised by this poem which held me from within. It is rich in an impressionist language which is akin to being on the crest of a wave as I read each line.
Thank you for this
Keith

Comment is about Serpentiform (blog)

Original item by Kealan Coady

I'm torn with this. It's a compelling view in the light of chronic underfunding of so many of our vital services - not least the NHS and education. I do think however, that the 'pomp and ceremony' does bring value. Whether it's enough to justify the expense though.... A provocative piece Steve.

Comment is about Crowdfund the Coronation (blog)

Original item by Steve White

Thanks so much , Stephen, especially for the Larkin reference, for as you know, I am a fan!
The poem stemmed from a passing thought at my dad's funeral, 36 years ago, 'Am I showing sufficient, obvious grief?'
Grief, like justice, has to be seen to be done!
I like the major's line, too 😂

Comment is about Rites of Passage (blog)

Original item by John Botterill

Thanks for this, Steve. I think that pay-per-view might be an idea, as it would require flag-waving royalists to put their money where their mouth is. You would have thought that some of the better-heeled guests could cough up something.

Thought-provoking and challenging as usual.

Comment is about Crowdfund the Coronation (blog)

Original item by Steve White

A superb, rather Larkinesque poem, John. I really enjoyed it. It's true that dress codes are more relaxed at funerals but have attitudes changed? I remember the Major in Fawlty Towers:

Major: 'I'm going to a memorial service, Fawlty'.
Basil: 'Tie's a bit bright, isn't it, Major?'
Major: 'Oh, I didn't like the chap,'

Comment is about Rites of Passage (blog)

Original item by John Botterill

Yes, the countryside certainly has become a playground (or playpen!) for some, Keith. Thanks for this interesting poem.

Comment is about The Old England (blog)

Original item by keith jeffries

Thank you, John. I appreciate your comment. Yes, the war will end, but what will replace it? Real peace seems unlikely. Perhaps a festering truce?

Comment is about Sloviansk (14 April 2023) (blog)

Original item by Stephen Gospage

Utterly brilliant, I loved every word. Some of those phrases may appear in a JDR poem in about ten years😁.

Comment is about Charlie Darwin (blog)

Original item by John E Marks

Thanks so much, Holden and Keith. Really valued and appreciated your comments. My wife says the poem flies in the face of how I actually respond at these events. I was trying to get to the truth but who knows where the truth really lies amongst so much social conditioning?
Thanks Nigel and Stephen A for the likes. 😀

Comment is about Rites of Passage (blog)

Original item by John Botterill

Fits together really well.

Comment is about End of a Beginning (blog)

Original item by John Gilbert Ellis

Thank you so much Holden & Russell, Stephen A and Stephen G. This poem means a lot to me: my brother, Pete, and my son, Kieran, have gone before me. Love does not stop with the death of the beloved.

"All goes onward and outward, nothing collapses,
And to die is different from what any one supposed, and luckier.” —Walt Whitman, Song of Myself.

Comment is about Charlie Darwin (blog)

Original item by John E Marks

A profound, special poem, John, full of beautiful imagery! And the title succeeds in bringing together the multiple layers of meaning!🌷

Comment is about Charlie Darwin (blog)

Original item by John E Marks

Extremely truthful and written with flair, John! Every stanza is excellent! 😎

Comment is about Rites of Passage (blog)

Original item by John Botterill

Think I've hit a memory button somewhere for you all, thank you for the comments

Comment is about The Wail of Two Cities (blog)

Original item by JD Russell

A poem which describes our outward demeanour when in certain situations. It is as if we are required to behave in a certain manner. This has often troubled me as it is false and conjured up to meet the occasion and lacking in any true emotion. Should we not be so conformist and act naturally? The poem is well written and true. However, it focuses on the Rites of Passage rather than every day feelings and how we are when in public view.
I enjoyed this and thank you.
Keith

Comment is about Rites of Passage (blog)

Original item by John Botterill

Thank you, John! You know me, I sometimes can't help turning things a little sinister 😄👺

Comment is about The Memory Of Her (blog)

Original item by Stephen W Atkinson

A wonderful snapshot of a life possible for us all 🌈

Comment is about Le Nu Provençal (blog)

Original item by David Cooke

Yes ,don't give in to it, Mike!
Superb writing 🌈

Comment is about The Hill (blog)

Original item by Mike Bartram

let time dance like a dervish,

let well-being flow like water,

let eternity wash away your fears.

Let's all do this Helene!
Nice one 🌈

Comment is about Stepping Out (blog)

Original item by Hélène

I must admit I'm a monarchist & think they bring in/bring to the country a lot more than people realise. I think we'd be a lesser country without them. But, the way things are ( more government related than monarchy ) I think crowd funding for such events is more than worthy of note! A great piece of thought-provoking writing, as usual, Steve 🤘

Comment is about Crowdfund the Coronation (blog)

Original item by Steve White

Love your poem, JD. As a lifelong Leeds fan I empathise with your change of club (especially after our last two heavy defeats). However, I won't be deserting them.
"Marching on together
We're gonna see you win!"
at some time in the not too distant future, hopefully...😂

Comment is about The Wail of Two Cities (blog)

Original item by JD Russell

Gorgeous poem, Stephen. I love the ethereal, ghostlike quality of your writing. Romantic and a little sinister ('shallow entrails') at the same time. Great!

Comment is about The Memory Of Her (blog)

Original item by Stephen W Atkinson

John.
That same year 1974, my grandfather was living with us as he had recently been discharged from the hospital.
He was born and raised in Sunderland and was an avid team supporter. That year they played Newcastle Utd in the then-prestigious Texaco Cup.
As a comical swipe to his good nature, I decided to cheer on Newcastle Utd. the hated rivals. I even had a black-and-white striped tea towel to wave and annoyed the hell out of Granddad throughout the whole of the televised match. Sunderland won, and he reciprocated the jibing by never letting me forget at any time. This rivalry continued for several years until his death, with me buying scarves and hats just to wind him up. I never returned to supporting Leeds Utd but continued supporting Newcastle in a perverse homage to Granddad

Comment is about The Wail of Two Cities (blog)

Original item by JD Russell

Yes indeed!
Make the most of what you've got
And stop regretting what you've not! 👍

Comment is about Grumpy Old-ish Men (blog)

Original item by David Lindsay

How happy I am to have espied
An imagination open wide! 😊
P.S. But is there really a shortage of large doctors?

Comment is about NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT (blog)

Original item by Short Attention Span Poetry

If money is the essential theme, perhaps we should be told
how much the existence of Royalty brings to the Exchequer
each year. It is certainly likely that the sum would pay for
any coronation envisaged - not least the less formal style
apparently advocated by the new Monarch.
I like a bit of pomp and ceremony - and if the world so clearly
endorsed the arrangements for the funeral of Her Late
Majesty - a truly impressive and inspiring occasion - then we
should honour her memory by granting her son and heir a
coronation to remember with pride and respect for an
institution that has served this country well through good
times and bad. God Save The King.

Comment is about Crowdfund the Coronation (blog)

Original item by Steve White

Hmm. How easy it is to either forget (those of us who were
around) or be unaware of the idiocy around football in days
gone past. I spent countless afternoons "on aid" to other
areas of London in the policing of matches, in and outside
the grounds. Chelsea, QPR, Fulham and Arsenal (at old Highbury) all come to mind and are readily pushed to the back of the mind without regret.
Some lads volunteered for the duty- soccer fans themselves -
but not yours truly. Each was a long thankless, often turbulent
tour of duty, starting well before match time and ending long
after the crowds had finally dispersed...not always quietly!
I recall one afternoon at Highbury in a "square" of uniformed
colleagues on the terrace behind the goal basically keeping
two lots of "fans" from attacking each other rather than
watching the game. It was necessary to draw our truncheons
like sabres during this ongoing stand-off. Pathetic if it wasn't
also so obviously a sign of something worse in society as a
whole. Crowd fatalities were to be the dreadful results of
this marauding mob mentality in notorious incidents to come
in various fixtures and countries. .

Comment is about The Wail of Two Cities (blog)

Original item by JD Russell

Of course, no-one knows where it will end. But it will end. Just as all periods of peace end. Powerful and incisive, Stephen.

Comment is about Sloviansk (14 April 2023) (blog)

Original item by Stephen Gospage