https://youtu.be/lfSdR-ymk9E

Comment is about social engineering (blog)

Original item by Landi Cruz

Cheers guys, appreciate the comments and the feedback. I was a little unsure about this one, because I did think that could come over as a little pretentious.

Glad you liked it.

Comment is about My Heavy Head is Drunk Again (blog)

Original item by Tim Daly

Thank you so much, Rolph, for your beautiful analysis, it really means a lot that you take the time! 💖

Comment is about Balloons (blog)

Original item by Holden Moncrieff

Thanks Rolph David🌷🕊️🙏🏻 glad to hear. This helps fine tune the trajectory of my poetic journey.

Comment is about evening at the tide (blog)

Original item by Red Brick Keshner

Thanks for the Likes, Yanma, Tom and Redbrick.

Comment is about TWINS (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Many thanks once again Rolph for your detailed and incisive feedback. It is very much appreciated. 🙂
Thanks for likes: Red Brick Keshner, Hélène & Yanma Hidayah. 👍

Comment is about Lost Soul (blog)

Original item by Tom Doolan

My mum was a strong woman, the youngest of eight children, she had to be.
She also raised three strong lads; this one admits to frequently weeping.😊💖

Comment is about Not-Girl Guides (blog)

Original item by Cryptid

That's friendly of you. I don't really believe in Earth&Humanity anymore. At least, I think it's going to take a really long time to fix all the damage we have done.

That's it.

Thanks

Comment is about Nutter School (blog)

Original item by Wordseffectbrew

True.

I hope the terrorists who attacked my mom's family know that as well.

'I met some Christians who told me Catholics are no Christians.'

Well, can someone tell that to those suicide-terrorists as well?

Comment is about Unmasked (blog)

Original item by Aisha Suleman

Thank you for your likes:
Tom Doolan
Trevor Alexander
Holden Moncrieff
K. Lynn
Hélène
Yanma Hidayah
Rolph David

Comment is about Haiku for 2025 [No. 27. Christians Awake!] (blog)

Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

I'm sorry to hear you've had a difficult time as I can relate with my experience playing Badminton for Hampshire when younger. There is pressure in all circumstances but it's about getting the right support networks in place for you and sometimes you need to create these networks yourself unfortunately.

I hope you have better experiences now and can find some joy when you play Chess today.

Comment is about Nutter School (blog)

Original item by Wordseffectbrew

Thanks for your kind words, Rolph.

I am struggling to deal with what is being perpetrated and enabled by my own government; I risk being mentally overwhelmed by horrific scenes of cruelty as I sit in the relative luxury of my home.

However, when I see Jewish Holocaust survivors, and 83 year-old female priests being manhandled by His Majesty Charles III's Constabulary, and imprisonned for protesting against such criminality, I have the consolation of knowing that I'm on the right side of history...and that I can pursue my personal intifada and jihad with a clear conscience.

Oh, and the "Abstract" is a masterpiece by a little-known 5 year-old!😊
💗💗💗💗💗💗

Comment is about Haiku for 2025 [No. 27. Christians Awake!] (blog)

Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

Hugh, I love your playful yet powerful message!
You’ve turned health advice into a fun, memorable poem—with a serious point beneath the rhymes. The mix of humour (“sit in comfort…”) and urgency (“toxic times”) makes it really effective. Green living never sounded so lively. Well said!
Cheerio,
Rolph

Comment is about Go green NOW and stay alive !! (blog)

Original item by hugh

Holden, this is quietly profound.
I love how your poem contrasts the chaos of facts with the lightness and freedom of balloons—symbols of imagination and movement. That final line, “to where life does matter much,” really lingers. It feels like a subtle call to re-center what matters. Beautifully done.
Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about Balloons (blog)

Original item by Holden Moncrieff

Leon, your poem is striking and full of atmosphere.
I could really feel the storm’s fury in your words—especially the image of lions roaring and the frost’s "pictorial breath." There's something haunting and beautifully old-world about your style. It reads like a cry against both nature and fate. Really evocative work!

Cheerio,
Rolph

Comment is about When cursing the tempestuous sky (blog)

Original item by LEON STOLGARD

Good morning Red,
What a marvellous and deeply meaningful poem.
There’s such quiet power in the way you weave grief, nature, and healing into something almost sacred. I was especially moved by “each wave a footnote of mercy”—what a beautiful image of gentle, ongoing grace. Thank you for sharing something so reflective and tender. It truly lingers.
Cheerio,
Rolph

Comment is about evening at the tide (blog)

Original item by Red Brick Keshner

Thanks David! 🌷🕊️🙏🏻

Comment is about evening at the tide (blog)

Original item by Red Brick Keshner

What a beautiful and empowering poem, Aisha.
Your words are a heartfelt reminder that authenticity is strength, and that we don’t need to hide behind masks to be worthy. I especially loved the line “There is beauty in a voice that shakes, but dares to speak where it belongs” — it captures the courage of being vulnerable so perfectly. Great job!

Regards, Rolph

Comment is about Unmasked (blog)

Original item by Aisha Suleman

Dear Uilleam,

Your poem cuts right to the heart of a painful truth — how often the world ignores suffering until it touches those it chooses to notice. The line “They’ve come for the Christians” speaks volumes about this selective attention and the broader injustice faced by Palestinians of all backgrounds.

I stand with you in rejecting this silence and indifference. Your words are a powerful call to recognise and respond to all human suffering, beyond divisions of faith or identity.

Thank you for your courage and for speaking out so boldly. Your poem is a reminder that justice demands our unwavering solidarity.

In respect and solidarity,
Rolph

P.S.: I really like your very abstract image of our world.

Comment is about Haiku for 2025 [No. 27. Christians Awake!] (blog)

Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

Good morning Tim,
Your poem truly captures the frustration of battling that foggy, restless state where creativity slips just out of reach. I know it soooo well! I felt the weight of the “heavy head” and the struggle with the empty page—the quiet self-sabotage that so many artists know too well. Your words bring that internal conflict vividly to life, making it feel real and shared. Thank you for writing something so honest and relatable.

Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about My Heavy Head is Drunk Again (blog)

Original item by Tim Daly

Dear Stephen,
The Grip is a powerful metaphor for those unseen forces tightening around us without warning. Your poem captures that slow, almost invisible tightening that conditions and divides, making the threat all the more dangerous. It’s a vivid reminder of how easily influence can spread when we’re not paying close attention. Thank you for shedding light on this unsettling reality with such clarity.
Kind regards,
Rolph

Comment is about The Grip (blog)

Original item by Stephen Gospage

Good morning Tom,
Your poem Lost Soul really spoke to me. The feelings expressed by the lyrical voice — the longing, the confusion, the deep emotional fatigue — are all things I deeply relate to. It felt as if someone had put into words what I’ve often felt myself but struggled to express.

You’ve given that lost, searching voice a shape and rhythm that’s both honest and haunting. Thank you for sharing something so moving and real. It reminded me that others wrestle with these same questions — and that, in itself, is a kind of connection.

Kind regards,
Rolph

Comment is about Lost Soul (blog)

Original item by Tom Doolan

Dear Hélène,
Your poem touched me — it feels like a gentle voice reminding us not to drown in worry, but to return to the lightness we so often forget. The repetition of “Resilience resilience resilience” really stayed with me — it’s both poetic and powerful. Thank you for this hopeful and heart-lifting piece. It will make me breathe a little easier today and enable me "to play in the garden of life".

Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about Playing in the Garden (blog)

Original item by Hélène

Thank you, Graham — I appreciate your thoughtful take. You’re absolutely right: his legacy on climate may leave damage even more far-reaching than what the poem touches on. A sobering point indeed.

Thank you, Stephen — I’m glad that line resonated with you. Sometimes it really does feel like we’ve slipped into a surreal parallel universe… Your comment made me smile (and wince) in equal measure!

Thank you, Uilleam — I really liked your linguistic twist. If “to Trump” ever does become a verb, I can only hope it’ll serve as a cautionary tale in more than just political science textbooks. I truly appreciate your generous comment.

Regards,
Rolph

And again, a HUGE "Thank You" to: Naomi, Yanma, Hélène, K. Lynn, Aisha, Stephen W. Atkinson, Stephen Gospage, Uilleam, hugh and Red.

Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about A Prize Miscast: A Warning to Oslo (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

I want to thank you Leon, Hélène and Red for their "thumbs up".
Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about The Boy from Taktser ལྷ་མོ་དོན་གྲུབ་ (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

A BIG "THANK YOU" to
Heverson, K. Lynn, Holden, Aisha, hugh and Red!
Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about Resting With What Hurts (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

My "thank you" comes a little late, but it's no less heartfelt. Many thanks for your "thumbs up"! Thank you Holden, Aisha, Stephen, Red and Nigel.
Regards,
Rolph

Comment is about The Roads I Did Not Take (blog)

Original item by Rolph David

Thanks to all who read, Liked and commented on this one.

David RL Moore

Comment is about The Angelus Prayer (The Holy Family Church, Gaza 17 Jul 25) (blog)

Original item by David RL Moore

Oh, that is lovely.

David

Comment is about evening at the tide (blog)

Original item by Red Brick Keshner

Thanks @Hélène 🌷🙏🏻🕊much appreciated 🪶

Comment is about evening at the tide (blog)

Original item by Red Brick Keshner

Exactly Helene! Thank you.

Comment is about Notes on Ornithology (blog)

Original item by Mike McPeek

This is a poem of few words that packs a punch. Its meaning could be discussed in a class of curious poetry students. To me, it says: in the world of politics, stop blaming and start fixing.

Comment is about Notes on Ornithology (blog)

Original item by Mike McPeek

Another gorgeous poem RBK. Wow.

Comment is about evening at the tide (blog)

Original item by Red Brick Keshner

It was never far from us,
always the enemy within;

look over there, those foreign folk
have come to steal your homes and jobs,
forget they flee the wars we've waged,
forget we've wrecked all you held dear,
your NHS that's on its knees,
your mental health that's in the bin,
look over there, at that failed state,
those terrorists we've armed for years,
the enemy is them, not us;
but you loved us so, forgot our sins,
and now you are the enemy within.

Comment is about The Grip (blog)

Original item by Stephen Gospage

'Where is the care of thought toward the vulnerable young people'

I am a certified chess coach. I've coached my team to the Nationals (in the Netherlands).But one of the parents was...... aggressive. Also, there were rascist&discriminatory incidents among the kids. As well as violence, which I really tried to handle properly.

The board committee struggled with accommodation, financial accountabilities and most importantly: healthy communications.

I'd sit in the train back home late at night thinking: 'is it really worth it, working like this?'

That's my testimony, hope it's okay like this.

Comment is about Nutter School (blog)

Original item by Wordseffectbrew

Your first two lines are the key lines here Stephen. It’s the implied threat that is more insidious than the actual outcomes.

Comment is about The Grip (blog)

Original item by Stephen Gospage

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, Stephen; as some of us are finding out too late.

Comment is about The Grip (blog)

Original item by Stephen Gospage

Although I’ve never had so much as an A4 of my writing published, I have to admit to moments when I’ve imagined myself as some kind of alco-pickled Dylan Thomas, scribbling away in his hermit’s den.

A couple of glasses of the old Uisce Beatha - Irish Whiskey only get me as far as Fantasy Island, after that, the “law of diminishing returns” always comes into force!
Sláinte, agus go scríobha tú, Tim!😉
Cheers and may you keep on writing.
(I think I got that right?)

Comment is about My Heavy Head is Drunk Again (blog)

Original item by Tim Daly

The creative process comes at a cost, Tim. Like all good poetry, this enables us to enter a world that most of us can only imagine. Enjoyed it very much.

Comment is about My Heavy Head is Drunk Again (blog)

Original item by Tim Daly

Thanks for the like, K. Lynn.

Comment is about Haiku for 2025 [No. 27. Christians Awake!] (blog)

Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

This horror is being enabled by the UK government!
..........................................NOT IN MY NAME!.....................................

https://youtu.be/oXD5Oh2iHoE

The British Prime Minister is as guilty as hell.
............................................I AM PALESTINE ACTION.........................
Have me arrested, you scumbag!

Comment is about Haiku for 2025 [No. 27. Christians Awake!] (blog)

Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

Thanks for the like, Trevor.

Comment is about Haiku for 2025 [No. 27. Christians Awake!] (blog)

Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

Thanks for your likes:
hugh
Tim Daly
K. Lynn
Yanma Hidayah
LEON STOLGARD
and
💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗
to you, dear Hind Rajab.

Comment is about Haiku for 2025 [No. 25. My Jihad] (blog)

Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

The sudden flurry of consternation, concern and condemnation tells me "Holy Mother Church" has had a
"....then they came for us" moment.

So, come on, Charlie III, "Fidei Defensor", speak up laddie! what are you scared of? Lead by example, and all that...if my grandad had been as gutless as thee, we'd 've all been speaking German by now! 😉

Comment is about The Angelus Prayer (The Holy Family Church, Gaza 17 Jul 25) (blog)

Original item by David RL Moore

I think my question was even more sarcastic as we congratulate ourselves for the forest and woodland management, and yet trees have been around for 400 million years, most of the time without us, and once we have eradicated ourselves in greenhouse gases, they will continue, then all that beauty will be lost to us as we will all be dead.😏

Comment is about Like a night in the forest. (blog)

Original item by JD Russell

Absolutely, William!

Comment is about Notes on Ornithology (blog)

Original item by Mike McPeek

I’ve just been looking through some of my past stuff; apologies for failure to acknowledge likes:

Nigel Astell
Red Brick Keshner
Phils Words
Tom Doolan
hugh
Stephen Gospage
Aisha Suleman
Holden Moncrieff
K. Lynn
Hélène
Yanma Hidayah

Thanks for your comments, Graham and RBK.
Graham: Netanyahu does not want peace, end of.
Moving “forward”, as you put it, just ain’t going to happen... not if Netanyahu and his fascist lobbies in the UK, USA and elsewhere have anything to do with it.

The Zionist landgrab (eg. illegal occupation of Palestine) needs “Forever Wars”.
Blair’s Iraq was on Netanyahu's behalf, as was the West Bank, etc etc…: now Iran’s the target, hence Priti Patel’s demonising campaign in UK parliament, (remember her mysterious Israel visit?) despite USA intelligence proving they’re no threat.

Comment is about Saoirse don Phalaistín! (blog)

Original item by Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

Thank you for sharing. I have had a deep affinity for the United States since I was young.

Even though the Internet creates this 'illusion of closebyness', it's still very dear to me.

All the good!

Comment is about Ode to a Poet (blog)

Original item by Hélène

Hello there poetry friends. After I wrote this poem and posted it on WOL & in an email to a few fans of my poetry (family & close friends), my sisters (one who is gay & the other who has a transwoman adult child), pointed out that I didn't use the honored poet's preferred pronoun "they" when referring to this poet. Whoops! I edited the poem with poet Andrea's preferred pronouns & sent it off to my email poetry group. I am leaving the original version here on WOL for readers (like me!) not yet fully accustomed to the cultural word shifts in LGBTQ+ communities, but I wanted to post this comment to show my fullest respect for beautiful Andrea's pronoun choice (any future writings about a person will use their preferred pronoun; why not? I support anything that makes a person feel loved and respected). For those who may want to dive deeper into Andrea Gibson's gifts to the world, here are a couple of links.

Andrea reciting her poem "MAGA Hat in the Chemo Room":
https://youtu.be/WCX-0zJTEbk?feature=shared

Interview with Andrea:
https://youtu.be/rtSq0tILlII?feature=shared

Comment is about Ode to a Poet (blog)

Original item by Hélène

Thank you, Graham and Uilleam, I appreciate your comments! 😊

Comment is about Balloons (blog)

Original item by Holden Moncrieff