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Martin Elder

Fri 12th Feb 2016 08:40

Thanks Ray much appreciated . There have been a number of sad female singers including those you have mentioned and of course Janis Joplin

Comment is about Amy (blog)

Original item by Martin Elder

Joan Hewitt

Fri 12th Feb 2016 08:39

I went offline for a day and returned to this quality questioning and answering.Thank you.Laura, very inspired by yours- may I quote it in my own page as a lead- in to recommending writeoutloud. Greg, I respect your doubts...I waited till my parents had died. But it is harder to keep back the poems 'about' my adult daughters . I do. But I am 70 now, maybe one more book in me, and I hear the poems whimpering in the drawer to be let out- they promise to disguise themselves and no one will recognise them.Should I trust them? I wedge the drawer shut. I received a very helpful answer from poet friends on the ethics of poems resulting from working with prisoners or healthcare/ dementia patients. See my Facebook page.

Comment is about Shall I compare thee to a selfie stick? Dos and don'ts of first-person poetry (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

D P

Fri 12th Feb 2016 02:51

Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap

Comment is about Blood Knot (blog)

Original item by Alexandra K. Parapadakis

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raypool

Thu 11th Feb 2016 22:14

Excellent this one Martin. A fine tribute to a sad sad girl. There have been others of course, like Edith Piaff, Billie Holliday and Judy Garland. It's a very hard life to be successful in their field, and they did come up the hard way very often. exploited, abused and over worked.

Ray

Comment is about Amy (blog)

Original item by Martin Elder

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raypool

Thu 11th Feb 2016 22:08

Gothic undertones, unsettling and compelling, with all sorts of subtle references just under the surface.

Fine work. Ray

Comment is about Blood Knot (blog)

Original item by Alexandra K. Parapadakis

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tommyfazz@yahoo.com

Thu 11th Feb 2016 22:07

Always a somewhere
Always a someone
Always a sometime
Maybe a somehow.

Comment is about Somewhere (blog)

Original item by Pixievic

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John F Keane

Thu 11th Feb 2016 21:02

Very good guess, Nigel - but the original Anglo-Saxon riddle refers to a SHIELD.

Comment is about February 2016 Collage Poem (blog)

Original item by Stockport WoL

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Harry O'Neill

Thu 11th Feb 2016 19:47

This discussion interests me.

In my most recent blog on here (about a fairly universal fear of old people in these seeming `hanging on forever
days) I related it to a `he` and `him` (specifying it somewhat)...This - beside a rather `iffy` metaphor - stopped me from sending it to a comp.

This makes me wonder what the effect would have been if I had made it about `we` and `our`...would it have been a bit more universal?

Or what would be the effect of making it a specifically personal `me` and `mine`...would it have seemed more-or less-universal?

Just a couple word word changes would have done it

By universal I mean emotionally accessible to the reader.

Comment is about Shall I compare thee to a selfie stick? Dos and don'ts of first-person poetry (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

<Deleted User> (6895)

Thu 11th Feb 2016 17:47

did you get Donald Trumps autograph Jean? if so,can you tell me how he signed it while he was wearing a straight jacket? or should have been.U2-top band! my fave track by them?-One love-Great to see yer back in the fold,thanks for the laugh.

Stef.

Comment is about When I went to America (blog)

Original item by jean lucy thompson

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M.C. Newberry

Thu 11th Feb 2016 17:29

The message is clear, the words well-crafted and the
rhythm infectious. Like both lyric and tune.
N.B. An interesting historical footnote.
Originally, infant boys wore pink, the girls - blue.

Comment is about Nonbinary song (blog)

Original item by Marnanel Thurman

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dorinda macdowell

Thu 11th Feb 2016 14:15

John, whatever you are in this riddle, one thing remains:
We of WOL Stockport had a marvellous time on Monday evening! Thoughts and words and voices blended and flowed like a river, unstoppable and beautiful in a fusion of delightful and diverse creativity....I just love our group!

Comment is about February 2016 Collage Poem (blog)

Original item by Stockport WoL

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Andy N

Thu 11th Feb 2016 12:45

the last line works perfect here, Alexandra. another cracker! x

Comment is about Blood Knot (blog)

Original item by Alexandra K. Parapadakis

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Andy N

Thu 11th Feb 2016 12:44

excellent stuff, alexandra. keep posting. good to see you back here again xx

Comment is about Grisly Girl (blog)

Original item by Alexandra K. Parapadakis

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Laura Taylor

Thu 11th Feb 2016 12:24

But it's stolen in her laughter, interweaved between the gaps of her teeth.
She sold it in her songs,
She traps it in her pocket and only blows it out into the wind


Magnificent lines Alexandra - I hope to read more of your work.

Comment is about Grisly Girl (blog)

Original item by Alexandra K. Parapadakis

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Laura Taylor

Thu 11th Feb 2016 12:23

Beautifully wrought this blood knot.

Comment is about Blood Knot (blog)

Original item by Alexandra K. Parapadakis

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Laura Taylor

Thu 11th Feb 2016 12:21

Agreed Julian.

Like many poets, I have written a great deal of personal poetry. I have written about a dying friend, a dying/dead mother, a friend who'd been raped as a child, a dead child, abuse of several kinds I experienced myself...and one of the reasons why I love poetry so much is that I can write about all of this in code. I can encode brutal and terrible experiences from silenced voices and make them into art for others who have also experienced it and so feel less isolated. I feel very strongly that this is an integral part of writing/reading/listening to poetry.

I wholeheartedly agree with this statement: “life seems to me random, chaotic, and often not very nice. To stay sane, we have to find pattern and ideally a kind of beauty along the way … that’s how we bear it.”



Comment is about Shall I compare thee to a selfie stick? Dos and don'ts of first-person poetry (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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Nigel Astell

Thu 11th Feb 2016 12:19

morning sirens sing out your poetry as well as your sin
I will stake all I have to learn the secret of what happens and stays then take it to my grave.

Comment is about Las Vegas (blog)

Original item by Katy Megan

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raypool

Thu 11th Feb 2016 12:11

Glad you like this Martin. The event described only happened yesterday!

Ray

Comment is about ANTIQUE DEALERS (blog)

Original item by ray pool

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raypool

Thu 11th Feb 2016 12:09

Thanks Peter. Appreciate it. The days of romance!

Ray

Comment is about RAILWAY NOSTALGIA (blog)

Original item by ray pool

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Nigel Astell

Thu 11th Feb 2016 12:03

A gallant knight perhaps rides me
a sword could cut me
insects might bite me
am I a horse?

Comment is about February 2016 Collage Poem (blog)

Original item by Stockport WoL

<Deleted User> (5011)

Thu 11th Feb 2016 11:43

A good poem is a good poem, regardless of subject matter or source.

Comment is about Shall I compare thee to a selfie stick? Dos and don'ts of first-person poetry (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Jemima Jones

Thu 11th Feb 2016 10:17

anyone who rates 'Starman' (the film?)as their number one can wear hobnail boots with bells on as far as I'm concerned.Enjoyed this Anna.Thank you.Jemima.

Comment is about I can't take my eyes off those silver boots (blog)

Original item by Anna Ghislena

Jemima Jones

Thu 11th Feb 2016 10:11

brilliant little package.A way of 'going with the flow'.Thank you.Jemima.

Comment is about Space (blog)

Original item by Taylor

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Graham Sherwood

Thu 11th Feb 2016 09:38

Another piece!

There is predation here. A comprehensive description of someone you both dislike and admire at the same time.

Could it be autobiographical?

(is there a typo in line 10, carcass?)

Good to see more AP stuff.

Comment is about Grisly Girl (blog)

Original item by Alexandra K. Parapadakis

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tommyfazz@yahoo.com

Thu 11th Feb 2016 09:22

Read. But not like a tick off a list, more another one added. Tommy

Comment is about Grisly Girl (blog)

Original item by Alexandra K. Parapadakis

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Graham Sherwood

Thu 11th Feb 2016 09:21

Good to see another piece Alexandra.

This one poses many questions. Self-destruction, love, a cry for help even?

There is the chance of a future, a hope, although it sounds like this will always be shrouded in doubt.

A very "now" poem, tapping into current themes.

Keep them coming.

Comment is about Blood Knot (blog)

Original item by Alexandra K. Parapadakis

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tommyfazz@yahoo.com

Thu 11th Feb 2016 09:17

Tommy reads you. And reads your work. Tommy:-)

Comment is about Blood Knot (blog)

Original item by Alexandra K. Parapadakis

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Daisy Lancaster

Thu 11th Feb 2016 04:50

Thanks for commenting on "Black Lines". It's not often that I let people read my poetry, and putting it on this blog was something that I never thought I'd do. But knowing it is liked and well-appreciated is an amazing feeling. Thanks Martin!

Comment is about Martin Elder (poet profile)

Original item by Martin Elder

king_tayla

Thu 11th Feb 2016 03:49

Couldn't be anymore relatable to me right now. This is beautiful.

Comment is about Blood Knot (blog)

Original item by Alexandra K. Parapadakis

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Martin Elder

Wed 10th Feb 2016 22:44

and a gaggle of gossiping fishwives
bitching behind each other's backs

I love these lines in particular, great poem Anna

Comment is about I can't take my eyes off those silver boots (blog)

Original item by Anna Ghislena

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Martin Elder

Wed 10th Feb 2016 22:35

I love the connection with pillows and black lines being repeated. Nice poem Daisy

Comment is about Black Lines (blog)

Original item by Daisy Lancaster

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Martin Elder

Wed 10th Feb 2016 22:28

I love the description here Ray of a busy bustling intrusion of an antiques dealer. wonderful stuff

Comment is about ANTIQUE DEALERS (blog)

Original item by ray pool

Ryn Jo

Wed 10th Feb 2016 21:30

FUCK CANCER!!! Much Love babe xoxo - Eryn Marie X

Comment is about Ria Richardson (poet profile)

Original item by Ria Richardson

PeterRay

Wed 10th Feb 2016 18:45

Haven't watched the video because I was caught by the words as a poem. Nice- works well.

Peter

Comment is about Nonbinary song (blog)

Original item by Marnanel Thurman

PeterRay

Wed 10th Feb 2016 18:40

Hi Ray,
I like the rhythm and form of this poem especially from, 'no steam tumbling', to, 'guiding the beast'.

Peter

Comment is about RAILWAY NOSTALGIA (blog)

Original item by ray pool

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raypool

Wed 10th Feb 2016 17:12

Thanks Laura. What was I thinking of!
I'm put in mind of an old rhyme:
The angle of dangle equals
the heat of the meat
providing the urge is constant.

! Ray

Comment is about FIRE BABY (blog)

Original item by ray pool

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Juhi Gupte

Wed 10th Feb 2016 16:56

Thanks!!

Comment is about Genese Within (blog)

Original item by Juhi Gupte

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tommyfazz@yahoo.com

Wed 10th Feb 2016 16:53

Thereof is the proof

Comment is about Genese Within (blog)

Original item by Juhi Gupte

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M.C. Newberry

Wed 10th Feb 2016 16:50

To reply in sequence. Thanks for your responses.
Robert - comment noted. I've now gone technical to keep
up the lighthearted theme.
JC - there does seem to be a preponderance of those you
mention on this site.
P&S - we are in an age when free speech and hot air are
often combined. The fun is discerning the difference.

Comment is about FUEL FOR THOUGHT (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

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Greg Freeman

Wed 10th Feb 2016 13:38

Sounds like a very interesting night, Julian! Good on the Wordsworth Trust for taking their show on the road, even if the locals have mixed feelings about "their" poet. It's true that Dorothy's entry in her journal about the daffodils they both saw arguably reads slightly better than the finished product. On the other hand, my father drew great strength from a line in that poem - "that inward eye" - that he had had to learn by heart at school, when he was a prisoner far from home in the second world war. When I was studying Wordsworth at A-level I wrote an essay that was highly critical of 'The Leech Gatherer'. I was told it was well-written - i think the teacher agreed with my sentiments - but that it wouldn't get me many marks in the exam. I kinda lost heart after that.

It should not be forgotten, though, that one of Wordsworth's claims to fame - boring or not - is that he wrote verse in language that was regarded as revolutionary at the time, in that it was simple, and, dare I say it, accessible. Boring some of it might have been - but you could certainly understand it!

Comment is about Irascible, ill-mannered, worthy but dull? An evening with Wordsworth includes his bad points (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Lynn Hamilton

Wed 10th Feb 2016 13:24

Thanks fellas. Much appreciated xx

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Nigel Astell

Wed 10th Feb 2016 12:19

Once Viewed

To inspire a poem
the eye must first
see sight of what
the artist has captured
inside each painting viewed
then and only then
a poem to inspire.

Comment is about IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO TODAY (blog)

Original item by Stockport WoL

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tommyfazz@yahoo.com

Wed 10th Feb 2016 11:43

intense transmogrification oila!

Comment is about Genese Within (blog)

Original item by Juhi Gupte

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Greg Freeman

Wed 10th Feb 2016 10:55

I was certainly one that shifted uneasily a couple of times during the discussion, Joan, having written a number of poems about my mother's declining years. On the whole I have not tried to have them published, yet. Is it intrusion? Is it exploitation? Recently I was at a workshop where we discussed a published poem that depicted a family deathbed scene in tender but frank terms, at length. I did feel that that poem was intrusive, but most people at the workshop did not.

Comment is about Shall I compare thee to a selfie stick? Dos and don'ts of first-person poetry (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Joan Hewitt

Wed 10th Feb 2016 09:21

How I wish I'd been there.I'd welcome expansion on the discussion of 'theft' and 'intrusion', raised by Liardet and Villanueva. Am currently resisting writing poems on (or for?) a. isolated elderly relative b. young autistic friend inappropriately on remand in a high- security prison.

Comment is about Shall I compare thee to a selfie stick? Dos and don'ts of first-person poetry (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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David Cooke

Wed 10th Feb 2016 07:26

Thanks, belatedly, for the kind words on Ode to Cobalt, Cynthia. I've been in Dubai for a month and away from the computer.

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

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GeeProcessor

Wed 10th Feb 2016 04:47

Thats so ironic i do not dislike it but it soooo soft....nontypical of sharred black chicago brutha.. but.......most compliments stem from softer experiences.... ironic..

your words mean much

Comment is about POOF (blog)

Original item by GeeProcessor

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GeeProcessor

Wed 10th Feb 2016 04:45

T

Comment is about NEEDY (blog)

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Eric Berard

Wed 10th Feb 2016 03:50

Bahahaha, yeah I couldn't think of any way to lengthen it to copy the rhythm of the line two up from it, and so, in lengthening it with "darkest of nights" I disrupted the rhythm at the same time. This bothered me a bit, but I figured I'd let it slide

Comment is about The Journey's Just Begun (blog)

Original item by Eric Berard

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jeremy young

Wed 10th Feb 2016 03:05

I don't blame Laura

the world isn't always as we would like it

https://youtu.be/2Qvqezt7jiY

in neat parcels - for neat people to dismiss -

https://youtu.be/hxoNSCuQGpM

cognitive dissonance is often a comfort for those who wear badges

Comment is about Poet reprieved from execution but still faces 800 lashes and long jail term (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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