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Gus Jonsson

Thu 30th May 2013 10:56

Thank you both so much for your comments!!!! ,

I'm truly very sorry for the delay in replying due to an overload of trivia, cooking, golf, and growing older in a far less than graceful fashion.

God knows what will happen when I reach forty.

Once again to two people that I respect and hold in great regard Thank you.

Hope to see you soon.

Gusx

Comment is about Dark Night (blog)

Original item by Gus Jonsson

<Deleted User> (6895)

Thu 30th May 2013 09:55

our heads too,probably like many folk on WOL
are full of 'thought sparks'

at the wrong sodding time of night! haha!
our head-voices need to shut their gobs
after lights out!haha take two!xx

Comment is about Eidetic (blog)

<Deleted User> (6895)

Thu 30th May 2013 09:37

AHHH!! but is it as good as Whalesong
we elderly courtiers in the court of
the poet princess,ask?

yea and verily!the gathered throng answer
in one poetical appreciative voice.xx

Comment is about observations (blog)

Original item by Rachel Bond

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Rachel Bond

Thu 30th May 2013 05:15

ill use 'rape' here as a term to reference every bad thing that happens as a violation...things youd rather forget.

Comment is about Eidetic (blog)

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Rachel Bond

Thu 30th May 2013 00:48

interesting alex.

i have a photgraphic memory, im not good recalling sounds and words , i can but not as vividly as the captured image. it is a blessing i can remember whole sections of text so its good for an exam, however my short term memory is a bit fucked so i only remember things once they go into long term...odd really. when i was a child and at my brightest it was great.that was before i having to remember with clarity every mistake, every rape..a curse.

Comment is about Eidetic (blog)

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Harry O'Neill

Thu 30th May 2013 00:32

John,

So much for the old fear that the `Yellow Peril of millions of Chinese would over-run the world.

They now reckon that their working poulation has decreased by 3.4 million this year, and will decrease by 10million a year from 2025...And guess what? they now have an aging population and growing pension liability problem begining (just like us in the west)Although second children are more allowed now, it seems that the growing new Urban middle class ladies are-like their sisters in the west-saying no thanks boys, let`s just enjoy our growing prosperity.

To think! In China, of all places! all the same problems as the prosperous west: aging population, pension maintenance, workforce shortage (to fund the pension problem) and...could we ever have guessed it! A possible coming immigrant problem! (and the same inability as the west to recognise that immigration is required because they wished to enjoy more of the fruits of their prosperity and comparatively rather less of the fruits of their wombs. (simple arithmetic really)

You express the savagery of the abortions and the connection with cheap goods very feelingly. As you do the huge steamroller increse of the present day.

A timely reminder.

Comment is about One More Baby Means One More Tomb (blog)

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Simon Marks

Wed 29th May 2013 23:06

Many thanks - wrote it in the wake of Thatcher's death. Reawoke the latent anger in me.
Cheers again, Simon.

Comment is about We're Northerners, us (blog)

Original item by Marksy

<Deleted User> (9882)

Wed 29th May 2013 23:04

Yes Katy,I did enjoy the bank holiday.
How very kind of you to ask,hope you did too!x

Comment is about Katy Megan (poet profile)

Original item by Katy Megan

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Isobel

Wed 29th May 2013 22:08

This is a vile, vile policy from a vile, vile government. It really beggars belief that we do business with a regime that can implement these policies.

Comment is about One More Baby Means One More Tomb (blog)

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Isobel

Wed 29th May 2013 22:04

I like it - I can picture it x

Comment is about observations (blog)

Original item by Rachel Bond

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Isobel

Wed 29th May 2013 21:53

I know what Francine means by quirky sad - it's that Bridgitte Jones kind of sadness - or maybe Butterflies.

You've woven a very sorry tale here Lynn - but you've forgotten to tag it! 52 Hertz please, if it's going into the comp :)

Comment is about Solitude (blog)

Original item by Lynn Dye

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tommyfazz@yahoo.com

Wed 29th May 2013 21:16

''on the fat side of my thumb''

Comment is about observations (blog)

Original item by Rachel Bond

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Ian Whiteley

Wed 29th May 2013 20:56

only just come across this Marksy, I think you blogged twice on the same day, so didn't pick it up - being a tyke living in Wigan - I am a northerner by the grace of god - and love this poem - a true northern anthem mate
Ian

Comment is about We're Northerners, us (blog)

Original item by Marksy

Ste J Bee

Wed 29th May 2013 20:39

Thanks for you comment on 'This Dog' Marksy, a fellow bass player I see.
Just read The Misfits, the section, we're northerners, put me in mind of the Black Knight in Monty Pythons Holy grail, Brilliant, well written Marksy

Comment is about Marksy (poet profile)

Original item by Marksy

Ste J Bee

Wed 29th May 2013 20:16

Hello Ann,
You may not remember but you commented on my 'This Dog' poem nearly twelve months ago now, I did get the message and belated thank you for the welcome to WOL and your very kind comment. I did intend to respond but, y'know life just happens and althoughI intended adding more to WOL, and responding to you message I just didn't get there, anyway I found time this week and here I am, hopefully will use the WOL a little more now.
It's surprising what you can learn by reading other peoples poetry. Some of the phrasing and sentences in 'Great north diver' are fantastic, also noticed that you've got your rescue dog, well done! That short poem is really clever and your reading of it is from the heart.
There are a lot of clever writers on WOL some proper wordsmiths, I keep having to look in the dictionary to get the gist of what they're saying. the stuff I've written isn't as wordy as some other poets I've read and I have to still get my head around poems that don't rhyme but maybe I'll get there one day.

Thanks Ann
Ste Bee x

Comment is about Ann Foxglove (poet profile)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

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tommyfazz@yahoo.com

Wed 29th May 2013 20:11

''knitting a poem'' this phrase is so good that I'm going to take it and say I's what wrote it.

Comment is about Knitting A Poem (blog)

Original item by Fifi Fanshawe

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Richard

Wed 29th May 2013 19:18

The One-child policy
For a prosperous, powerful nation and a happy family, please practice family planning."




I like this John, its funny when I heard of the baby flushed down the toilet I thought was it a secound child but it seems it was an accident.
Anyway good stuff and I like the Art too

Comment is about One More Baby Means One More Tomb (blog)

tony sheridan

Wed 29th May 2013 18:42

In my opinion this is your best piece of work so far. Well done! Take care, Tony.

Comment is about Tired dreams (blog)

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Ian Whiteley

Wed 29th May 2013 17:09

thanks for commenting on 'I wish I had a harley' Yvonne - my fear of speed would mean I never went near a petrol lawn mower - never mind a Harley - as John says 'born to be mild' :-)
Ian

Comment is about Yvonne Brunton (poet profile)

Original item by Yvonne Brunton

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Ian Whiteley

Wed 29th May 2013 17:07

thanks for the comment on 'I wish I had a harley' john - love the tagline 'born to be mild' wish I'd thought of that - then again, 'twat out of hell' is equally appropriate :-)
Ian

Comment is about John Coopey (poet profile)

Original item by John Coopey

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Ian Whiteley

Wed 29th May 2013 17:06

Thanks for your comments on 'I wish I had a harley' Tim - yes, there comes a time in a young mans life when his thoughts turn to motorbikes :-)
Ian

Comment is about Tim Ellis (poet profile)

Original item by Tim Ellis

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Francine

Wed 29th May 2013 17:03

This is a quirky kind of sad... enjoyed reading this!

Comment is about Solitude (blog)

Original item by Lynn Dye

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Ian Whiteley

Wed 29th May 2013 16:22

Harry
just posted this with the poem itself so anyone reading it can see the change you have suggested:
Harry
many thanks for pointing out the error in this Petrarchan Sonnet - I wrote it rather quickly to 'book-end' my first collection with a piece I put on here earlier ('A Step Towards Winter')Despite checking the manuscript a number of times this wasn't spotted, so you've saved my bacon :-)
I've amended the verse pattern if you want to have another look at it - I value your opinion and am so pleased you spotted this - so thanks once again
Ian

Comment is about Harry O`N eill (poet profile)

Original item by Harry O`N eill

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Ian Whiteley

Wed 29th May 2013 16:21

Harry
many thanks for pointing out the error in this Petrarchan Sonnet - I wrote it rather quickly to 'book-end' my first collection with a piece I put on here earlier ('A Step Towards Winter')Despite checking the manuscript a number of times this wasn't spotted, so you've saved my bacon :-)
I've amended the verse pattern if you want to have another look at it - I value your opinion and am so pleased you spotted this - so thanks once again
Ian

Comment is about A Step Towards Summer (blog)

Original item by Ian Whiteley

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M.C. Newberry

Wed 29th May 2013 15:55

For you - punctuation; for me - proof reading.
I find it really irksome to find AFTER posting something that I have made an error in a word, usually due to the proximity of letters on the PC keyboard (well, that's my excuse!). Happily, not all is lost and in the latest example, it actually works just as well. In my comment on JC's poem about Gloucester Cathedral, I typed "ensuring" when I had intended "enduring". But it shows how these things can slip by, doesn't it?

Comment is about Hazel Connelly (poet profile)

Original item by Hazel Connelly

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Lynn Dye

Wed 29th May 2013 15:32

Wonderful poetry and sentiment, Mike, brought tears to my eyes. Good audio, as always xx

Comment is about Leaving (blog)

Original item by Noetic-fret!

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Rodney Wood

Wed 29th May 2013 14:09

Great interview Greg. I can ses how easy it must be with so many poems online and I think Ira is right to sympathize with offenders as well as finding out others. "Beauty is truth, truth beauty" If 20% of drugs are fake, what % of poems are?

Comment is about The Write Out Loud interview: Ira Lightman (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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Greg Freeman

Wed 29th May 2013 13:58

Very much so, Frances. Our news item about it drew in a lot of interest on our Write Out Loud Community Facebook page. Andy Jackson tells me that submissions have been coming, er... thick and fast.

Comment is about Wanted: short poems about ads for Red Squirrel anthology (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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Greg Freeman

Wed 29th May 2013 13:53

That's a good question, Anthony. I'm afraid I don't know the answer. But this link may help you find out http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/publishers/

Comment is about Rubbing Salt in it: poets mourn publisher's pullout (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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Nigel Astell

Wed 29th May 2013 13:47

Follow
pine
float
then
wait.

The
sound
of
your
voice.

Only
heard
when
poetry
written.

Comment is about Of Katy and Narcissus (52 hertz) (blog)

Original item by Katy Megan

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Harry O'Neill

Wed 29th May 2013 13:18


Thos Cathederals are prayers in stone.

(I like the cleaness of your rhyming here John.)

Comment is about "As Sure As God's In Gloucester..." (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

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Frances Spurrier

Wed 29th May 2013 12:49

A poem about Domestos? This is serious, right?

Comment is about Wanted: short poems about ads for Red Squirrel anthology (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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Richard

Wed 29th May 2013 10:34

I like your Love poem very emotive, welcome)

Comment is about Edie Hope (poet profile)

Original item by Edie Hope

<Deleted User> (9882)

Wed 29th May 2013 09:58

I go with Isobels views on this poem.x

Comment is about 52 Hertz (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley

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Harry O'Neill

Wed 29th May 2013 00:10


Dave
The first time I saw this the title was missing.
Now the linking the whale to a (univeral?) human lack makes it more powerful.

I was struck by the way lines fifteen to twenty nine would make a very powerful personal poem on their own.

Comment is about 52 Hertz (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley

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Harry O'Neill

Tue 28th May 2013 23:50


Ian,
Nice sentiment and use of a sonnet form.

Maybe line three could end with something like `passed` though I can see that you might then have had to change the `past` ending line six.

(these things always get me caught up in them):)

Comment is about A Step Towards Summer (blog)

Original item by Ian Whiteley

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David Cooke

Tue 28th May 2013 23:25

Hi Tommy I didn't really understand it, so I deleted it.

Comment is about Tommy Carroll (poet profile)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

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Dave Bradley

Tue 28th May 2013 21:43

You've whetted my appetite to go there, John. Cathedrals can be such intriguing and atmospheric places to hang out in. And when I get there I'll ask God why Gloucester cheese has got 'Double' in front of it.

Comment is about "As Sure As God's In Gloucester..." (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

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Dave Bradley

Tue 28th May 2013 21:33

Fascinating indeed. Thanks Greg. The students at Northumbria have got themselves an interesting lecturer.

Comment is about The Write Out Loud interview: Ira Lightman (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

<Deleted User> (11122)

Tue 28th May 2013 21:02

Such a shame. Out of curiosity, how many publishers accept poetry submissions?

Comment is about Rubbing Salt in it: poets mourn publisher's pullout (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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Chris Co

Tue 28th May 2013 20:50

Great interview Greg - insightful responses too. Personally I think Ira has performed a great service for poetry and those that love to read it. I also thought his initial response was generous rather than mean spirited, seeking and hoping for error rather than deceit.

I find it hard to understand why anybody would be critical of the position he has taken; uncovering the truth is surely the priority?

If the truth is not the priority; where does that leave poetry?

Best of

Chris





Comment is about The Write Out Loud interview: Ira Lightman (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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Hazel

Tue 28th May 2013 18:54

Hi M C, thank you for your comment on Symphony of the Elements. Thank you for pointing out the apostrophes, I am totally useless when it comes to punctuation.
Hazel

Comment is about M.C. Newberry (poet profile)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

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Richard

Tue 28th May 2013 18:33

3rd Annual Cadence Festival 14/15 june

Tyldesley Wigan

Comment is about Richard Alfred (poet profile)

Original item by Richard Alfred

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M.C. Newberry

Tue 28th May 2013 17:25

Hello Hazel - apropos my comment on your post
"Symphony of the Elements" elsewhere:
You put "symphony's" in a couple of places
but I read this to be "symphonies" (in the
plural). As shown it indicates possession with
the use of an apostrophe.
Best wishes.

Comment is about Hazel Connelly (poet profile)

Original item by Hazel Connelly

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M.C. Newberry

Tue 28th May 2013 17:18

Imaginative and well chosen in its combination of the sounds and sights of nature and music.

Comment is about Symphony of the Elements (blog)

Original item by Hazel Connelly

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M.C. Newberry

Tue 28th May 2013 16:59

Most unexpected from its source - and welcome!
I lived in the West of England (Somerset/Wilts)as a lad and remember the w/e motoring trips to some of these places - in those heady happy days when cars were still relatively scarce and the "open road" was just that for adventurous wayfarers. The cathedrals (Bath has its fine abbey) have always been one of the glories of England, enhanced by their sudden, often unexpected revelations of tombs of long-ago kings to remind us all of the consistency of human mortality within their
ensuring shrines of stone and stained glass.

Comment is about "As Sure As God's In Gloucester..." (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

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Greg Freeman

Tue 28th May 2013 13:32

Ira will no doubt receive some flak for the frankness of his comments. But you're right, Isobel, the whole subject is fascinating. The internet makes it easy to filch someone's work, but thanks to Ira's doggedness, it's also possible to track these things down. I was interested in his observations about the reactions of fellow poets to an investigative "outsider" based in the north-east: "Some simply stopped talking to me, including in public. There was a notable pattern that other poets based, like Ward, in London were quarrelling with my approach." Sounds a bit grim down south. PS If you hit the Ward and Morgan links in the interview, Jonnie, you'll find more background, the two Deer poems, and a number of plagiarised poets' reactions.

Comment is about The Write Out Loud interview: Ira Lightman (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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Jonnie Falafel

Tue 28th May 2013 13:31

It would be interesting to see samples side by side and get the views of those whose work was stolen.

Comment is about The Write Out Loud interview: Ira Lightman (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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Richard

Tue 28th May 2013 11:56

Ocean Trapped"
I liked this very much )

Comment is about Irina (poet profile)

Original item by Irina

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Isobel

Tue 28th May 2013 11:24

Fascinating interview Greg! It does leave you with a lot more sympathy for Christian Ward - though some bafflement also - as to just why he did it, if he was capable of writing good stuff himself?

The good thing about these cases is that they will hopefully prevent other poets plagiarising - though I imagine it must go on at a smaller scale, all over the world.

I found the hint that bigger names are at it (and under investigation) quite worrying. It feels a bit like the Jimmy Saville fiasco - where all of a sudden, everyone you felt you knew and liked transforms before your eyes...

I can see why certain parts of the poetry world might be closing ranks - it doesn't do much for the art form, does it? And I imagine some may be living in fear that they've accidentally taking on board another's words, without realising it. It must be so easy to do, when you've read stacks of poetry.

Comment is about The Write Out Loud interview: Ira Lightman (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

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