Hi Stu Glad you like the latest offering. Yes, I believe I've pretty well enough for a book now, although I have a few more pieces on the back burner. I've actually done a few tweaks to the 'Golden Lesson', so I'm going to repost it. These days on WOL if I just edit, my picture goes. Very annoying.

Comment is about Stuart Buck (poet profile)

Original item by Stuart Buck

Thanks Jem and Stu. Do I not respect such a glorious aspect of life - yes, but anything's fair game for me.,
and it was "tongue in cheek. "
Don't know which poem either Stu. Water bottles can also be sensuous .....

Ray

Comment is about SEXUAL UNION (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Thanks Stu. I can't possibly accept any praise after this poem but it still feels good!

Comment is about FALSE MODESTY (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Cheers, Ray. I think everyone thinks their voice is more sonorous until you hear it played back. Mine always seems a timorous squawk to me!

Comment is about YGGDRASIL (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Fabulous! A free to enter competition - more of these please!!

Comment is about Entry free for £200 poetry competition on politics (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

A wonderful descriptive piece

Comment is about My dad (blog)

Original item by Tramping Artisan

A wonderful ride through a certain period and strikes a chord right to the core. Powerfully nostalgic and moving ; when you lose parents the black hole can be the fire.

Ray

Comment is about My dad (blog)

Original item by Tramping Artisan

I think it would be unwise for an open mic night to make a rule about this. Every poet is different in their content and their presentation. We do tell the audience if we know the person is reading for the first time, to give them a great big Puzzle Poets welcome, and that helps most first timers, who do come back. We have one guest, with a 20-25 min set at the start of the night (unless held up by snow etc.) and these are usually experienced readers who give clear clues to the audience about when a poem ends, or if there are a few together that work better uninterrupted. Audience and readers sometimes give or read the wrong cues and interruptions sometimes happen, but we are a warm and forgiving lot at Puzzle Poets (which by the way is now at the BLIND PIG next Monday as the Puzzle is temporarily? closed) and we are always quick to offer an extra round of applause.

Comment is about Applause or the sound of silence - should you clap between poems? (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Aha! this is a piece that will resonate with many men of a certain age.

I vividly remember shivering in a thick dressing gown while my father twisted diagonally and tightly rolled pages of the Daily Express into firelighters. One page would also be held across the fireplace to help draw the flames (and often went up in flames itself!).

He would then go to his ablutions and return with his trousers half up and down before standing in front of the fire to carefully tuck in his vest and shirt with a warmed bottom.

As I said, very fond memories that your piece has rekindled!

Comment is about My dad (blog)

Original item by Tramping Artisan

Listening to your rendition of this fine poem for me was a great experience and illustrates so sharply how a good reading can convey a poem John.
I envy your measured tones - dare I try this at home?!

Ray

Comment is about YGGDRASIL (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

all i can think about when i read this is that bloody advert where the kid says 'express delivery' at the end. i cant for the life of me remember which advert it is though.

great poem by the way, amusingly sticky in its language.

Comment is about SEXUAL UNION (blog)

Original item by ray pool

a fine grasp of metaphor in this one. self effacing and humurous. the last lines are great.

Comment is about FALSE MODESTY (blog)

Original item by ray pool

HI Ray Yes I reckon the bunched up version of 'Martial Music' is better. I've done a few more tweaks recently and I think it's getting there. In fact I think all these metal poems are now getting into some kind of shape and I'm pretty close to having a book of them.

Comment is about ray pool (poet profile)

Original item by ray pool

Interesting question here. Will be good to read the replies.

Personally, I prefer applause between each poem, whether I’m performing, watching or hosting.

It is, I would suggest, a more straight forwards way of gaging how each one was received.

For anything other than this (and perhaps especially for haikus?!), the audience could need a bit of guidance from the reader/performer. If 2+ poems hang together and applause would really spoil the flow or mood, then that needs stating.

On a related issue, I might add that I feel there’s an onus on the performer to make it clear when a piece is ended – to prevent embarrassing silences or “premature appreciation.”

Comment is about Applause or the sound of silence - should you clap between poems? (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Good one

Comment is about Lifted (blog)

Original item by Tom

Thanks, MC. I confess it is a re-post from 4/5 years ago.

Comment is about YGGDRASIL (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Thanks very much Stu, glad you liked it.

Comment is about Dawn is dusk (blog)

Original item by Martin Elder

The opposite "book-end" to frame this poet's collection
of more humorous material. Read with conviction in the
best tradition of myth and magic.

Comment is about YGGDRASIL (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Truth and humanity's timeless tale wrapped up in a neat
memorable package. Ideal for catching a youthful
imagination and setting it on a lifelong love of verse.

Comment is about Scars are my stories (blog)

Original item by Marnanel Thurman

Very sad glimpse of someone's world. Well observed and expressed. M:)

Comment is about Smacked (blog)

Original item by jeremy young

and heres me Ray-thinking Viagra would never melt in your mouth!-yes indeed what is all the fuss about? have people never heard of snuggly onesies and hot water bottles? I love this poem! Thank you.Jemima.

Comment is about SEXUAL UNION (blog)

Original item by ray pool

That's a really good read. Enjoyed it - well done.

Comment is about Scars are my stories (blog)

Original item by Marnanel Thurman

Lovely work, Thomas.

Comment is about Scars are my stories (blog)

Original item by Marnanel Thurman

Leo

I've read everything, too quickly admittedly. I don't believe you should be referring to yourself as an amateur and I get a sneaky suspicion you know that too

Comment is about Leo (poet profile)

Original item by Leo

Very clever this , Victor, reminding me a courtship dalliance and it has a compulsive languorous flow to it which makes it a fine piece of work.

Ray

Comment is about Dance (blog)

Original item by Victor Grauer

I like the title for a start Stu. This reminds me of the Day of the Triffids by Nigel Kneale. Black humour nicely turned out !

Ray

Comment is about apoca(tu)lypse (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

Wow that's one hungry plant Stu. Written in your usual initimible style. I particularity love the use of the word spat in this context nice one

Comment is about apoca(tu)lypse (blog)

Original item by Stuart Buck

Thanks, Ian. I missed yours first time round. It certainly adds to what I knew about Yggdrasil.

Comment is about YGGDRASIL (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Thanks Stu. I thought of you in your bolthole! I have a friend from South Wales who has promised to convert this into valleyspeak; I hope to post that in due course. (by 'ere.)
Such a lyrical language- you can always practise on the road signs.
Thanks Wolfie - identify thou dost !
Thanks Jemima - the joy of reading such effulgent(gulp) comments makes WOL a nice experience. I have the book of the scripts and enjoyed it, but never seen the actual boathouse etc. The wooden cross sounds too basic -but who knows? Your corpse seeking worms was fine by the way, a hyphen between would have eradicated any confusion - just a thought.
Thanks Colin: bring it on. The DTs maybe brought on by matching pints to poems?

Ray

Comment is about A VISITOR IN WALES (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Hi Laura, thanks for your comment on Ad Libbing. Funny, unlike the title, this one did take a bit of work and rewriting etc, so glad you like it. The 're-right' was on purpose, kind of cheesy, but somehow had to be that way. Thanks again :)

Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)

Original item by Laura Taylor

I go to a poems and pints evening at Brown's Hotel in Laugharne once a month - where the hallowed drunk used to drink - just over there in the bow window next to the mic and amp - in staggering distance of his boat house and writing shed - everyone here's got the DT's now - can't wait to get out me.

Comment is about A VISITOR IN WALES (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Theres lovely for you boyo! excellent piece Ray.I think I am right in saying your reference to Thomas is of one of my all time fave poets Dylan-Under Milkwood-wowsers! I have actually visited his little house/boat house on the Laugharne estuary and nearby cemetery where he is buried.Must say I was surprised to see it only had a little wooden cross on it unless a headstone has been erected since then? But in walking through the house I could DEFINITELY feel his presence-and WHAT a beautiful feeling that was! even remembering having experienced that is bringing on a tear or two-(gulp) if you haven't been there you must go.Thanks for this Ray.Jemima.

Comment is about A VISITOR IN WALES (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Returned greetings and thanks Ray
(wrapped in Kleenex tissues .)
Jemima.

Comment is about ray pool (poet profile)

Original item by ray pool

good stuff John - it is an interesting myth - I wrote something on it a while ago - but gave it a twist into more modern problems: http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=33868

Comment is about YGGDRASIL (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

I'm not sure heroin addiction cares much for modernity or civilisation.

Comment is about Smacked (blog)

Original item by jeremy young

Thankyou, Victor.
I believe it got printed in an anthology of "ghost" verse, called something like "Pressed by Unseen Feet", along with a tribute to a former Tottenham player called "The Ghost of White Hart Lane".

Comment is about YGGDRASIL (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus!

i love this ray as, living in the valleys and not being welsh i do see a bit of this.

my welsh isnt too bad though so i get by.

love the last verse moving into more spiritual grounds. there is a performance of under milk wood on bbc 2 as i type which is rather good.

Comment is about A VISITOR IN WALES (blog)

Original item by ray pool

brilliant martin. an absolute joy to read.

Comment is about Dawn is dusk (blog)

Original item by Martin Elder

This is an excellent piece of work, beautifully crafted and beautifully spoken as well. I'm assuming your work has been published somewhere?

Comment is about YGGDRASIL (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Years Ago You Coloured Me Book Cover

Comment is about Years Ago You Coloured Me Book Cover (photo)

Original item by J.S.Watts

Yes, Harry, I confess I don't buy into that abrogation of personal responsibility stuff. It's all a cop-out to me. But it does make a cracking coat hanger for a yarn.
Also, my nod towards Bernard Cornwell doesn't do the great man anywhere near enough justice. The line about weaving a darker cloth, for example, is total plagiarism on my part.

Comment is about YGGDRASIL (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Nice clear and rhythmic re-telling of an old myth John, I know almost nothing about Nordic myth but am often impressed by the way the `warlikeness` of it seems to be
effective in poetical terms.

This is a kind of fatalistic one (it seems to tell that things just seem to happen to us rather than us `doing` them)

As Lancs (and your last stanza) point out the core of the thing seems to be that we are not responsible for our own actions . (It`s a great alibi)

Comment is about YGGDRASIL (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

As apposite as ever Tommy. Nice one

Comment is about A Palestinian child's enquiry (blog)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

Thank you so much everybody for reading & commenting - I'm so glad you enjoyed it :))

Thanks Martin, I am a passionate soul - yet still woefully single .... !! I often think of energy something you can dive into & lose yourself!

LCPTB - it's one of my favourite lines too - thank you

Scarlet - nature & love - what more is there? Thanks!

Jan - I'm so so pleased you liked it - thank you xx

Comment is about Lovelonging (blog)

Original item by Pixievic

Wow! Powerful words Mr C xx

Comment is about A Palestinian child's enquiry (blog)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

Many thanks for your kind comments, fellas.
Lancs - you've added to my limited knowledge about the mythology. I didn't know about the animals.
I have to acknowledge an enormous debt of gratitude to the writings of Bernard Cornwell who is the gateway to my researching the historical basis of his stories.
"Wyrd bid ful aread".

Comment is about YGGDRASIL (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Cheers Jemima!

Comment is about Mind That Child (blog)

Original item by Suki Spangles

Very fine almost epic poem John. Completely satisfying and even in my ignorance of the subject it still gripped me ! Lovely to read a rhyming style from time to time.

Ray

Comment is about YGGDRASIL (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

I liked tis poem it Had a Snorre quality to it

Comment is about YGGDRASIL (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

absolutely beautiful a delight to read

Comment is about Lovelonging (blog)

Original item by Pixievic