Thanks to RBK, Hugh and Landi for the likes and comments.

David RL Moore

Comment is about Glenborrodale (blog)

Original item by David RL Moore

No escape, no easy answers.

I heard a guy hint recently that if you don't know what to do, then you should probably do nothing.

That's my escape )

Comment is about No Escape (blog)

Original item by Jeff Bresee

speaking of personal musings...

someone asked me recently if there were anything about which I was passionate. Sensing a catch, I answered, "my autonomy".

Maybe I should learn to let my guard down sometimes.

Then again, maybe not )

Comment is about three words (blog)

Original item by Landi Cruz

...on 'whale-watching season' - Thank you so much @Rolph 🌷so glad that it came across just as you so eloquently detailed. I too can never look at a grill without noticing the wider world around me. 🙏🏻🕊️

Comment is about Rolph David (poet profile)

Original item by Rolph David

Thank you so much @Rolph 🌷so glad that it came across just as you so eloquently detailed. I too can never look at a grill without noticing the wider world around me. 🙏🏻🕊️

Comment is about whale-watching season (blog)

Original item by Red Brick Keshner

"why are you in such a hurry..."

what a great verse.

Comment is about Gift of Time (blog)

Original item by Robert C Gaulke

A lovely piece of writing, and suits some recent personal musings of my own about being in a state of want in this world where there's always something else for which to strive.

Comment is about Glenborrodale (blog)

Original item by David RL Moore

Dear Eduardo,
I have to say, reading your poem on Trump was truly a revelation. As someone who has been one of his arch-criticisers, I thought I had said it all, but you’ve completely outdone anything I’ve written so far. Your use of irony and sharp critique in capturing his chaotic and contradictory nature is brilliantly done.
The way you’ve painted his “wild hair” and “kitsch tempest” speaks volumes about his theatrical and unpredictable presence. And the line “truth is fragile, and lies shall ever hold sway”—that one really resonates. It encapsulates so much about how his manipulation of facts has altered the political landscape.
You’ve captured not just his persona but the destructive nature of his influence in such a powerful way.
Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about Trump (blog)

Original item by Eduardo

Dear hugh,
I really enjoyed reading "Emotional Health" — your poem offers such a refreshing reminder about the importance of managing our emotions and taking care of our mental well-being. The way you describe how anger and stress can take a toll, while emotional control and communication can be so healing, really resonates with me.
I particularly appreciated the line, “A city broken into without a wall, / Is the man who cannot control his anger at all.” It’s such a vivid and powerful image that perfectly illustrates how a lack of emotional control can leave us vulnerable and unsettled.
The idea of taking time to relax and doing things we enjoy is something I think we all overlook sometimes, but your poem made me realise just how important that is for mental fitness. The reminder to live one day at a time is so simple yet so crucial in this fast-paced world.
Thank you for sharing these thoughtful words. They’re a much-needed reminder for all of us to take care of our emotional health.
Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about Emotional health (blog)

Original item by hugh

Dear Uilleam,
The themes of patriarchy, injustice, and the manipulation of truth in "Beyond All Reasonable Doubt [Bring Back Hanging]" are incredibly thought-provoking. The way you repeatedly mention "ranks will close as and when needs must" really creates a chilling sense of a system protecting its own at all costs.
I couldn’t help but think of Princess Diana's death as I read the poem. The line "the clue to her death is in the word ‘Royal’" seems to suggest that her tragic end might have been the result of forces within the royal family or a larger, hidden system of power. Given the controversy and conspiracy theories surrounding Diana’s passing, I was wondering if you were subtly referring to that incident.
Would love to hear your thoughts if that’s the case.
Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about Beyond All Reasonable Doubt [Bring Back Hanging] (blog)

Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

Dear Aisha,
I love how you’ve captured the spirit of perseverance and self-compassion in “Just Look At You”. The way you remind us to celebrate progress, no matter how small, and to allow ourselves the space to rest and reset is truly powerful. It's easy to get lost in the hustle and forget that taking a moment to pause can be just as important as pushing forward.
The line about pressing the reset mode really hit home with me. We all have those moments when we feel stuck or overwhelmed, but your words made me realise that it’s okay to step back and take things one step at a time.
Thank you for sharing such an uplifting message. It’s a wonderful reminder to keep going, even when the journey feels challenging, and to be kind to ourselves along the way. I just love it! 😊
Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about Just Look At You (blog)

Original item by Aisha Suleman

Dear Greg,
Your poem "Niagara" took me right back to my trip in 1986. Like you, we crossed from the US to Canada and were struck by the grandeur of the Falls. I laughed at your mention of the “honeymoon hotels” — those tourist traps certainly make the experience quirky. And your line about the view being grander from Canada, “whatever Donald Trump might say,” was a great touch!
Reading it also reminded me of Marilyn Monroe, whose film I watched around the same time. I couldn’t help but think of her 16-second walk in the penny heel shoe — that perfect blend of grace and power, much like the Falls themselves.
Thanks for bringing those memories back to life. Your poem captures the awe and the charm of such a memorable place perfectly.
Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about Niagara (blog)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Dear Flyntland,
Your reflection on the "twopenny cone" "hit" me especially hard. How simple and pure those moments were when a small ice cream could be the highlight of your day, yet it also brings a bittersweet realisation. Prices and expectations have changed so much since then, and now we find ourselves paying a fortune for a much smaller satisfaction. It’s fascinating how things shift — how what felt like an enormous treat in childhood is now a reminder of just how much more complex and expensive life has become.
Despite this, your poem reminds me that there’s something beautiful about those simple moments, even the ones that seemed small or insignificant at the time. The way you recount the “Vimto” stall, even though it didn’t quite live up to expectations, is a perfect reminder of how small disappointments are also part of those formative experiences — and how they become treasures in memory.
Thank you for taking me back to a time where things were simpler and smaller, but still so filled with meaning. Your poem brings the past to life with warmth and nostalgia.
Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about MEMORIES OF BOLTON (blog)

Original item by Flyntland

Dear Stephen,
Reading "Fawn, Lick and Grovel" felt like a much-needed release. The way you lay bare the toxic cycle of submission and humiliation that comes with dealing with a manipulative figure like the one in your poem is striking. It’s painful yet perfectly true, this idea of constantly fawning, licking, and groveling to someone who only rewards you with backstabbing and lies. You capture that feeling of being caught in an endless loop where no matter how hard you try to appease them, you’re left standing alone in the end. That pile of rejects on his lawn—it really hits home.
I have to admit, your poem resonates on a deeply personal level. Trump has been busily occupying my mind too—too much, honestly. It’s like his influence is so contagious, and the negativity he spreads seems to infect everything around him. It's almost impossible to look away from the spectacle, even when you know that engaging with it only leads to more frustration and despair. It’s like we’re stuck in this toxic cycle of appeasement, where no amount of groveling or compromise will ever lead to anything other than humiliation and division. How did someone like him come to have such a grip on so many people’s thoughts and actions? It feels almost contagious, as if his manipulative tactics are so widespread they’re poisoning everything they touch.
Reading your poem helps me step back and reflect on that feeling of being trapped, of giving in to that cycle. It’s a powerful reminder of how much damage a person like this can do — and how important it is to break free from that hold before we become just another discarded reject on his metaphorical lawn.
Thank you for sharing this raw and brutally honest piece. It’s exactly the kind of reflection needed in times like these.
Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about Fawn, Lick and Grovel (blog)

Original item by Stephen Gospage

Dear Red Brick,

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed "whale-watching season." There's such a quiet, powerful beauty in the way you bring together the grandness of the natural world — that whale breaching in the twilight — with the simple, grounding act of grilling dinner. It’s as if you’re reminding us that awe isn't reserved for distant horizons; it lives right next to us, in the everyday.
I love how you create this sense of shared wonder, where humans and nature are part of the same unfolding drama. The way you move from "spraying mist" to "oil seeps through grill’s crevices" feels seamless, like both moments are equally sacred if we only pay attention.
Your line, "Hooked by the vast expanse / of the Outback and the Sea," lingers with me — there’s a sense of being caught, captivated, maybe even humbled by something much bigger than ourselves. I feel that deeply when reading your work.
Thank you for this piece — for capturing that beautiful overlap of the ordinary and the extraordinary. It made me pause and look up from my own "grill" to notice the wider world.
Looking forward to reading more of your words.
Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about whale-watching season (blog)

Original item by Red Brick Keshner

Hi Red Brick Keshner - thanks for your thumbs up. The subject matter seems to put some people off.

Comment is about Born of Rot: 14 June 1946 (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

Thank you again: Tom Merton, Manish, Stephen Gospage, hugh, Red Brick Keshner and Nigel Astell for your like.
It is really nice of you!

Comment is about The Fall of the False Saviour (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

Hello Stephen, I'm also afraid that the danger is far from over - after almost 7 weeks of horror-world-power-agitation, psychopath-terror. We are indeed at the beginning of chaos, hell and what we could never have imagined in our wildest dreams. What we experienced from 2016 - 2020 is rubbish compared to what is yet to come. That's what he stands for with his name. Unfortunately. We can only hope that the financial markets will collapse catastrophically and finish him off or that the people will realise at some point that it was wrong to give him power again. Or nature will sort it out. Here's to a Trump-Putin-Erdogan-Lukaschenka-Jong-Un-Xi-Orbàn-free world!

Comment is about The Fall of the False Saviour (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

Thank you Tom Merton, Flyntland, K. Lynn, Holden Moncrieff, Aisha Suleman, hugh and Red Brick Keshner for your expression of appreciation!

Comment is about Auto-Pilot Activated: Your Life is Loading… (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

Hello Holden,
I'm glad that I was able to reflect the madness that is eating its way through our societies. I am a teacher and my students don't see the danger, no matter how neutrally and sensitively you broach the subject. Their parents set an example for them - society does the rest. Blessed are those who don't fall completely prey to this multimedia social media rubbish and can put the brakes on for themselves. I am, thank God, immune to this. There's nothing more for me than dosed Internet. No social media madness, no anonymous at-home-behind-the-screen rants...I'm out of it - for miles. But I fear the worst for the rest of our societies. They have long since - I think hopelessly by now - succumbed to this crap (sit venia verbo!).
Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about Auto-Pilot Activated: Your Life is Loading… (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

Thank you Yanma, Manish, Uilleam and Red Brick Keshner for your "like". You are truly loyal souls!

Comment is about The Wrecking Ball of Democracy Incarnate (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

Hello Uilleam, I hope that your fears in England, in Great Britain, do not materialise. As we all know, hope dies last. It dies, but last!
Yes, the American dream, a concept that has come true for Trump and his weird accomplices is becoming a nightmare for the rest of the country. Many voted for him and this chaos, but I feel sorry for all those who did not. He is plunging the world into chaos and one can only hope that the financial market and the population will soon wake up and send him and his henchmen packing, or as he always says: To hell!

Comment is about The Wrecking Ball of Democracy Incarnate (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

Thank you Naomi, Flyntland, Steve White, Holden Moncrieff, Stephen Gospage, Red Brick Keshner and Nigel Astell for your like. I'm very pleased that you liked the poem.

Comment is about Who Do You Call Coloured? (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

Thank you all for your thumbs-up, i.e. Pinnochio, Naomi, Manish, Stephen, Uilleam, Red Brick Keshner and Nigel. That's very kind of you.

Comment is about Deported by His Own Decree (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

I'm sorry, Uilleam, that I'm only replying now, but I'm going through turbulent times at the moment. Would you like to dispose of the orange face in beautiful Scotland? Oh no, not in Europe...in the deepest part of the Mariana Trench or with Musk in his rocket to Mars. Along with all the cowardly lunatics of the GOP.

Comment is about Deported by His Own Decree (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

I have sometimes thought that I am soon going to wake up from a bad dream, Graham. But I keep waking up, and he's still there!!😱

Comment is about Fawn, Lick and Grovel (blog)

Original item by Stephen Gospage

Cheers, Rolph.

Comment is about It rhymes (blog)

Original item by Robert C Gaulke

It’s a nice thought, Rolph, but I’m not so sure. The rank stupidity of redneck America isn’t so easily erased.

Comment is about The Fall of the False Saviour (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

The world is a better place because of poems like this, Clare. Thank you.

Comment is about Shall We? (blog)

Original item by Clare

I like the writing here, Uilleam, but, perhaps because I am not a UK resident, I don't know the case the poem refers to. Could you enlighten me?

Comment is about Beyond All Reasonable Doubt [Bring Back Hanging] (blog)

Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

A beautiful poem, Hélène. An anthem for all those little contributions which make life good and worthwhile.

Comment is about The Light Shines On (blog)

Original item by Hélène

A very thoughtful and quite hopeful poem, Rolph. The veneer of, well, I'm not quite sure what, seems to be crumbling more quickly than anyone expected. But the danger hasn't passed, as we all know....

Comment is about The Fall of the False Saviour (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

Stephen, you do realize that none of this is real and we are all under the influence of a global mind drug to show us how bad things could get if we were foolish enough to vote for stupid idiots!!

I am right……aren’t I?

Comment is about Fawn, Lick and Grovel (blog)

Original item by Stephen Gospage

Rolph, glad my little poem struck a chord with you! Thanks also for the comments, Graham and Steve, and for the Likes, Nigel, Red Brick, Hugh and Holden. For some reason the honeymoon hotels and waterbeds in this memory circa autumn 1981 reminded me recently of Mr Tangerine Man. The falls did look more impressive from the Canadian side.

Comment is about Niagara (blog)

Original item by Greg Freeman

@Flyntland, a word coinage mimicking the sound the heart makes in its beating: “lub-dub” 🙏🏻🕊

Comment is about pulse (blog)

Original item by Red Brick Keshner

…on “pulse” - apologies Flyntland; my Nan used to say the beating of the heart has a lub and a dub. Her way of teaching me biology. 🙏🏻🕊

Comment is about Flyntland (poet profile)

Original item by Flyntland

Thanks Thomas 🌷 your words in response are much appreciated 🙏🏻🕊

Comment is about pulse (blog)

Original item by Red Brick Keshner

Thank you RBK, Hugh, Stephen, and Manish for reading this nostalgic little poem and liking it.

Comment is about MEMORIES OF BOLTON (blog)

Original item by Flyntland

Da iawn😀

Comment is about Machynlleth 1982 (blog)

Original item by Paul Warren

I was there around that time, Greg. Even with Reagan on the way, there seemed to be so much hope. Everything seemed possible. It still is, but in a thoroughly mean and rotten way.

Comment is about Niagara (blog)

Original item by Greg Freeman

It is and never should be all about self.

Thank you for this piece ( peace ) Helene

Best of regards

Tom

Comment is about The Light Shines On (blog)

Original item by Hélène

A lovely read. Thank you Red'


Best of regards

Tom

Comment is about pulse (blog)

Original item by Red Brick Keshner

It is such a gentle and endearing poem, that many of us will identify with it.

Comment is about True Love (blog)

Original item by Trevor Alexander

RBK forgive my naivety - but what is lub-dub?

Comment is about pulse (blog)

Original item by Red Brick Keshner

Thanks Flyntland 🌷 it seems that everything around us has its own “pulse.” The forest is one of many; safety and joy being its lub-dub 🙏🏻🕊

Comment is about pulse (blog)

Original item by Red Brick Keshner

I love the name and the poem - I can feel and smell the forest -
it is a place of safety and joy, a delight to read.
Thank you

Comment is about pulse (blog)

Original item by Red Brick Keshner

It would do him good to see things from a different angle now again. An abhorrent oaf!!!

Comment is about Niagara (blog)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Reads as great on the page as heard last week John.

Comment is about Lost Future (blog)

Original item by J F Keane

Thanks Aisha,

Nearing the anniversary of the Cpl Killings now.

David RL Moore

Comment is about Casement Park, Last Rites (For Wood and Howes) (blog)

Original item by David RL Moore

Demons Lurk

Poetic Warriors
Spirit fighters
Blood brotherhood
Literacy battles
Ghost devils
Titans clash
Grim encounters
Death worshippers
Evenly matched
Demons depart.

Comment is about March 2025 Collage Poem: Paranormal Thinking (blog)

Original item by Stockport WoL