It's sad when glowing memories and deserved tributes run into the ugly present. For me, 'Holland' was a great, and mysterious, album. And Pet Sounds, of course. One of their later songs, if I remember, included the line : 'we don't understand why they sent in the National Guard'. Plus ca change..
Comment is about I can still hear music (blog)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Enjoyed the rhymes and the sentiment
The world was never meant to mould,
A soul like yours to fit the fold!
Fine lines.
To dance where no one is dared to go, - should that be "has dared"?
Comment is about Shine In Your Own Light (blog)
Original item by Aisha Suleman
Ajewole Ifeoluwa
Thu 12th Jun 2025 12:45
Wow
The best of the best
At first i didnt understand
Until i read the last stanza
Kudos to you
More wisdom!!
Comment is about Fiona Larkin wins National Poetry Competition (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
No need for Scandi-Noir fantasy; we've got Grimm reality in the UK....another âNail - on â head momentâ, Ray.
deploring the darkies and ordering curries
and voting for parties in bed with the Tories
then falling asleep to their fairy-tale stories.
Comment is about I Live Over There (blog)
Original item by Ray
More dog shit Ray. It's becoming a regular feature. The second verse is a classic!
Comment is about I Live Over There (blog)
Original item by Ray
I wasnât really a Beachboys fan but those tunes burrowed their way into your psyche somehow. Wilson was a real innovator who quite literally âshowed the wayâ for other notable writers.
This is a colourful tribute Greg, gently done. Bravo!
Comment is about I can still hear music (blog)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Conspicuous consumerism and plastic surgery can paper over the cracks for a while, but will never cure any country's deep-seated ills.
Comment is about I can still hear music (blog)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Thanks, Stephen.
That's the Thatcher goverment's "Managed Decline" in action, Stephen...policies at the time equally applied to Liverpool...and nowt to do with concerns over fossil fuels.
Incidentally, Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestine is to date, reponsible for generating thirty-one, 31 million tons of CO2; a fact which conveniently escapes the tiny minds of Jackanory script-writers of GB Numpties, and Trash Talk TV who are currently mocking that Joan of Arc of our age, Greta Thunberg.
Comment is about Forgotten Towns (blog)
Original item by Stephen W Atkinson
@HÊlène, thank you so much for sharing your story, it truly touched me.
I think the sun is the most fitting metaphor for a mother: constant, radiant, and quietly life-giving.
Comment is about Two Luminaries (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
What a beautiful way to describe it, @HÊlène. Thank you.
Comment is about When The Home Is You (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
@Ray Miller, Thank you for reading so attentively.
The line you mentioned came from a quiet place â a time when I used to carry the weight of trying to make friends with everyone I met. That weight made me feel confined, like I had to mold myself to others' expectations.
I donât blame myself and I didnât know any better, I see it now as part of learning. These days, I no longer carry that burden.
I cherish my solitude, sometimes I pull away from friends just to regain my energy.
Still, I enjoy meeting new people, I laugh when they laugh, I cry when they cry, not because I have to, but because I want to.
The sense of âhaving toâ now comes from the part of me thatâs trying to grow my communication skills, not from a need to make friends. And Friendship will come, gently, with time, right?
I hope this doesnât sound self-important, I just wanted to share the quiet process behind the lines.
Comment is about When The Home Is You (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
Yes, @Uilleam, beautifully said! Thank you.
Comment is about When The Home Is You (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
I totally agree, J.C. But after they closed, there were promises of more jobs & rebuilding that never materialised, & despite consecutive governments promising the same. We still remained all but abandoned
& thanks for the early likes đˇâşď¸
Comment is about Forgotten Towns (blog)
Original item by Stephen W Atkinson
I have ambivalent views about the mining industry, Stephen. It paid me (overpaid me if Iâm honest) for over 20 years. Still does with an ill-earned pension.
But the future of the planet, my kids, their kids and their kids is much better off without fossil fuels.
Comment is about Forgotten Towns (blog)
Original item by Stephen W Atkinson
Thanks for the like Stephen A.
David
Comment is about Pivot to War (blog)
Original item by David RL Moore
Some wonderful images in here Ray.
Love the unfinished Jenga and the last stanza is quite perfect
G
Comment is about December In The Algarve (blog)
Original item by Ray
Thank you SG. RM - he wrote this immediately before taking his own life (via a train, ironically enough). I decided to publish it exactly as he'd typed it.
Comment is about WEST COAST MAINLINE (blog)
Original item by John E Marks
every challenges we've had in this life means everything yet nothing as we go on...what a beautiful poem. i enjoyed reading it thurly.
Comment is about Proclamation of a Journey (blog)
Original item by HÊlène
Many thanks Stephen G & Uilleam for your comments - Much appreciated. đ
Thanks for likes: HĂŠlène, Nigel Astell, Yanma Hidayah & Larisa. đ
Comment is about Addiction (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
Personally, I don't know the Algarve, but you paint a vivid picture of where to go (and where not to). I particularly like the verse including the cicadas and their unacknowledged alarm calls. Thanks Ray.
Comment is about December In The Algarve (blog)
Original item by Ray
Thanks Ray, Auracle and Stephen, so pleased you enjoyed.
Every May I try and write a poem every day for the month. I don't go in with any ideas, just a bunch of titles I think might inspire me in the moment. This poem and the previous one just popped out when I put pen to paper. I don't know who these characters are but their story felt pretty complicated. I'm really pleased you enjoyed.
Ray, thanks for the tip. That would flow nicely.
Thanks also to Red Brick, Graham, Tom, Uilleam, Stephen, Stephen, Aisha, Holden and HÊlène for reading and for the 'likes'.
Comment is about Tenderness (blog)
Original item by Tom
Thanks for the likes, but no-one has expressed a preference for any of the versions. I would appreciate the feedback. Has anyone else done anything similar with a piece of their own?
Rob
Comment is about With Her Forever (Original and Versions Two and Three) (blog)
Original item by Rob J Mann
Thank you Uileam we really are living in Nazi Germany . The people in Gaza really are seen as sub human . Pepe of Man city Fame said something wonderful today which gave me some hope
Comment is about Cheering On Your Genocide (blog)
Original item by David R Mellor
Writing your way to sanity. Words are powerful. Prayer is powerful. A journey of pain. A journey of growth. The girl who writes, wins. Your poetry is raw and honest. Sending love and prayers.
Comment is about i have no eyes but i have to see (blog)
Original item by Zodinpuii
This is a gorgeous poem, Yanma. Also enjoyed reading your comment about the underlying inspiration of your mom's light giving rise to your own spreading of light. My mom is in heaven (mom passed 12 years ago at age 84); I miss her every day but feel her light still shining upon me.
Comment is about Two Luminaries (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
A poem that walks the reader home through gentle introspection. Lovely Yanma!
Comment is about When The Home Is You (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
The "Law and Order" and "Free Speech" brigade: they don't believe in it.
He has his admirers in the UK, God help us.
Comment is about The Emperor Wears a Badge (blog)
Original item by Rolph David
I'm so grateful that I was encouraged as a schoolboy to join our civic library.
I frequented a branch on my way to and from school, sometimes reading a book under the desk, whilst the teacher was trying to instill the joys of long division and fractions into me, and then having the book confiscated!
Then as an adult in retirement I was equally grateful to find books about music and walking in France which openend up a wealth of experience.
I wonder how many children today are as fortunate as I was?
Comment is about Books (blog)
Original item by Dawson
Great positivity once again Aisha.
It's Tuesday, and I'm still in one piece!đ
Comment is about Rise With Monday (blog)
Original item by Aisha Suleman
Lovely descriptions. Shame some of the lines seem to run out of track.
Comment is about WEST COAST MAINLINE (blog)
Original item by John E Marks
Good poem. The closing couplet is excellent and I like "don't force the finding" too.
Comment is about When The Home Is You (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
Speaking of Cheering on Genocide, David,
I see the vile blubbermouth presenter on TTTV Trash Talk TV is trying to big himself up by mocking Greta Thunberg and her colleagues.
Comment is about Cheering On Your Genocide (blog)
Original item by David R Mellor
Nice one, Tom.
Speaking of bullshit, I've got a masters in the subject!
Comment is about Addiction (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
Something rather profound there, Yanma.
Words would remain nothing more than marks on a page without a reader to interpret them.
Comment is about When The Home Is You (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
Thank you, Uilleam. They are the most dangerous, although I'm not quite certain exactly who they are. Perm any two from several hundred, I guess.
Thanks, Auracle. Once boundaries are in place they are not easy to cross. Cela peut etre Francais, ou pas. Ice J'ai de la chance ici d'etre entourÊ par des francophones, mais il y a très peu de francais.
And my thanks to the many of you who liked this poem. I am thrilled and humbled by your interest and loyalty.
Comment is about The Fence (blog)
Original item by Stephen Gospage
The title is so perfect, Tom. I am absolutely bowled over by this one.
Comment is about Tenderness (blog)
Original item by Tom
Thank you for this fine poem, Ray. I recognise some of this from my childhood, although my dad read the Daily Mail and would boo pictures of union leaders. Like you, the library was where I discovered so much. I remember wishing it was open on Sundays.
Comment is about Books (blog)
Original item by Ray
And what a beautiful one, John.....
Comment is about WEST COAST MAINLINE (blog)
Original item by John E Marks
A great performance, Tom. It's so easy to get addicted, and so difficult to stop. Let's try to help everyone out there.
Comment is about Addiction (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
Emily Hunder
Tue 10th Jun 2025 08:29
This is a great way to celebrate the Stockton & Darlington's bicentenary! A novel and poetry event sounds engaging. It's interesting how a visit to George Stephenson's birthplace sparked the novel. Made me think about simple beginnings, just like how Papa's Pizzeria likely started. I wonder if the play will involve any culinary train stops? https://papaspizzeriagame.com
Comment is about Do the Locomotion! Novelist and poets mark Stockton & Darlington bicentenary (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Tue 10th Jun 2025 08:03
As the old Latin idiom goes, âSemel stultus, stultus semperâ â once foolish, forever foolish.
Letâs hope we prove that wrong, before thereâs no planet left to reclaim our wisdom on.
Comment is about Godâs Concern (blog)
Original item by pallavitryingthings
Thanks, David.
Looking at the news concerning the Madleen, I've come to the conclusion that the UK is being run by criminals, on behalf of criminals.
It would appear that the Met Police are now in posession of SandCats which have literally been "battle-tested" in Gaza.
Protest against Genocide at your peril!
Comment is about Cheering On Your Genocide (blog)
Original item by David R Mellor
Not so much homo sapiens
More like homo stultus.đ
Comment is about Godâs Concern (blog)
Original item by pallavitryingthings
Stay with us, working-class heroes.
We're in this together, Earth&Humanity.
We're in this together.
Comment is about Tenderness (blog)
Original item by Tom
as a fellow person struggling with bpd, this is such a relatable poem. i hope you heal well.
Comment is about I'm cursed. (blog)
Original item by mylie
Tom Doolan
Thu 12th Jun 2025 15:51
Thanks for like : Naomi đđˇ
Comment is about Rambling Man (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan