Yeah, things are pretty sad and challenging in California right now (the place I grew up in & currently reside; although I could never qualify as a California girl described in the early Beach boy songs!). My teenage grandkids did go to the beach yesterday. The sun keeps shining; people take to the streets; forces collide; we hope things move towards peace and understanding and kindness. We have a long way to go. Blessings on Brian Wilson; freed from this earthly plane, his music lives on (send us some good vibrations, Brian!). Thanks for this commendable poem, Greg! A precise, well-written depiction of the current state of affairs here on the West Coast of Cali.
Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys
https://youtu.be/apBWI6xrbLY?feature=shared
Comment is about I can still hear music (blog)
Original item by Greg Freeman
I nominate your poetry for "Best in Rhyming" category, Tom. I always enjoy reading your well-crafted poems that speak so eloquently and straight-forwardly to the human condition. This one is a keeper for sure. The spoken/musical presentation is also compelling. We all are crying out to be healed. The war-torn areas, the planet, the whole enchilada of life on this planet.
Comment is about Heal Me (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
Sure. I often watch a video of Ocean Park Hong Kong.
Because a human dear to me went there.
That's not the full story.
But this is The Internet 2025.
Not worth the risk.
I grew up with Batman. You know what the problem is with The Joker? You don't really know if he's behind it.
Unfortunately I was already famous as a child....
Not taking the risk here. Not taking it.
Comment is about the poet’s barren tale (blog)
Original item by Red Brick Keshner
Thanks for likes: Voice of the Soul, Red Brick Keshner & Holden 👍
Comment is about Heal Me (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
this little one being in part inspired by the song: “Pub With No Beer.” Hope you enjoy “clink”😀
Comment is about the poet’s barren tale (blog)
Original item by Red Brick Keshner
Well put, Rolph. The sheer vacuous banality of his participation was breathtaking!
Comment is about The Banquet of Blinders: When Vanity Met Valjean (blog)
Original item by Rolph David
Cheers, Ray! It was written quickly. The poetic equivalent of a three-minute single?
Comment is about I can still hear music (blog)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Voices in the head ... I like that idea, Ray, to describe the politics and notions of the last 40 years. You cover a lot of ground here.
Comment is about Nineteen Eighty-Five (blog)
Original item by Ray
Fri 13th Jun 2025 09:33
It does go on a bit, Ray...thankfully...loved the gritty gnarled nature...
Comment is about I Live Over There (blog)
Original item by Ray
Only part 1...
Comment is about This Imaginary Life Part 1 (The Code of Hammurabi) (blog)
Original item by Phils Words
Thanks for you're constructive feedback and proofread...really appreciated .
Comment is about This Imaginary Life Part 1 (The Code of Hammurabi) (blog)
Original item by Phils Words
Enjoyed the read, though it does go a bit longer than necessary, perhaps. You probably want praying, not preying, caste rather than cast and does indifference need pluralising?
Comment is about This Imaginary Life Part 1 (The Code of Hammurabi) (blog)
Original item by Phils Words
Very good, Greg, I like the 3rd stanza a lot.
Comment is about I can still hear music (blog)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Thanks all. Graham, two poems mentioning dogshit, I've probably got a turd somewhere.
Comment is about I Live Over There (blog)
Original item by Ray
Thanks for your comments, Uilleam, Graham, Steve, Isobel, and Stephen, and for the Likes, Auracle, Naomi, Holden, K Lynn, Red Brick, Aisha, and Manish. My first LP, bought with paper round earnings, was Best of the Beach Boys vol 2. Included on it were I Get Around and California Girls. I have no idea what was on vol 1 ... My favourite lyric may be simple but it's perfect: 'We've been having fun all summer long ...'
Comment is about I can still hear music (blog)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Quite right, Uilleam, on all accounts! Thanks for taking time to comment.
And thanks for the 🌷 everyone ☺️
Comment is about Forgotten Towns (blog)
Original item by Stephen W Atkinson
So it's the realness that brings poets a certain healness.
At least that's how I type.
Comment is about I Live Over There (blog)
Original item by Ray
How poignant Greg - I love how you tie in nostalgia for yester year with the hideous realities of the here and now. If only America wasn't such a big player in world events.
Comment is about I can still hear music (blog)
Original item by Greg Freeman
It's sad when glowing memories and deserved tributes run into the ugly present. For me, 'Holland' was a great, and mysterious, album. And Pet Sounds, of course. One of their later songs, if I remember, included the line : 'we don't understand why they sent in the National Guard'. Plus ca change..
Comment is about I can still hear music (blog)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Enjoyed the rhymes and the sentiment
The world was never meant to mould,
A soul like yours to fit the fold!
Fine lines.
To dance where no one is dared to go, - should that be "has dared"?
Comment is about Shine In Your Own Light (blog)
Original item by Aisha Suleman
Ajewole Ifeoluwa
Thu 12th Jun 2025 12:45
Wow
The best of the best
At first i didnt understand
Until i read the last stanza
Kudos to you
More wisdom!!
Comment is about Fiona Larkin wins National Poetry Competition (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
No need for Scandi-Noir fantasy; we've got Grimm reality in the UK....another “Nail - on – head moment”, Ray.
deploring the darkies and ordering curries
and voting for parties in bed with the Tories
then falling asleep to their fairy-tale stories.
Comment is about I Live Over There (blog)
Original item by Ray
More dog shit Ray. It's becoming a regular feature. The second verse is a classic!
Comment is about I Live Over There (blog)
Original item by Ray
I wasn’t really a Beachboys fan but those tunes burrowed their way into your psyche somehow. Wilson was a real innovator who quite literally ‘showed the way’ for other notable writers.
This is a colourful tribute Greg, gently done. Bravo!
Comment is about I can still hear music (blog)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Conspicuous consumerism and plastic surgery can paper over the cracks for a while, but will never cure any country's deep-seated ills.
Comment is about I can still hear music (blog)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Thanks, Stephen.
That's the Thatcher goverment's "Managed Decline" in action, Stephen...policies at the time equally applied to Liverpool...and nowt to do with concerns over fossil fuels.
Incidentally, Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestine is to date, reponsible for generating thirty-one, 31 million tons of CO2; a fact which conveniently escapes the tiny minds of Jackanory script-writers of GB Numpties, and Trash Talk TV who are currently mocking that Joan of Arc of our age, Greta Thunberg.
Comment is about Forgotten Towns (blog)
Original item by Stephen W Atkinson
@Hélène, thank you so much for sharing your story, it truly touched me.
I think the sun is the most fitting metaphor for a mother: constant, radiant, and quietly life-giving.
Comment is about Two Luminaries (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
What a beautiful way to describe it, @Hélène. Thank you.
Comment is about When The Home Is You (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
@Ray Miller, Thank you for reading so attentively.
The line you mentioned came from a quiet place — a time when I used to carry the weight of trying to make friends with everyone I met. That weight made me feel confined, like I had to mold myself to others' expectations.
I don’t blame myself and I didn’t know any better, I see it now as part of learning. These days, I no longer carry that burden.
I cherish my solitude, sometimes I pull away from friends just to regain my energy.
Still, I enjoy meeting new people, I laugh when they laugh, I cry when they cry, not because I have to, but because I want to.
The sense of “having to” now comes from the part of me that’s trying to grow my communication skills, not from a need to make friends. And Friendship will come, gently, with time, right?
I hope this doesn’t sound self-important, I just wanted to share the quiet process behind the lines.
Comment is about When The Home Is You (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
Yes, @Uilleam, beautifully said! Thank you.
Comment is about When The Home Is You (blog)
Original item by Yanma Hidayah
I totally agree, J.C. But after they closed, there were promises of more jobs & rebuilding that never materialised, & despite consecutive governments promising the same. We still remained all but abandoned
& thanks for the early likes 🌷☺️
Comment is about Forgotten Towns (blog)
Original item by Stephen W Atkinson
I have ambivalent views about the mining industry, Stephen. It paid me (overpaid me if I’m honest) for over 20 years. Still does with an ill-earned pension.
But the future of the planet, my kids, their kids and their kids is much better off without fossil fuels.
Comment is about Forgotten Towns (blog)
Original item by Stephen W Atkinson
Thanks for the like Stephen A.
David
Comment is about Pivot to War (blog)
Original item by David RL Moore
Some wonderful images in here Ray.
Love the unfinished Jenga and the last stanza is quite perfect
G
Comment is about December In The Algarve (blog)
Original item by Ray
Thank you SG. RM - he wrote this immediately before taking his own life (via a train, ironically enough). I decided to publish it exactly as he'd typed it.
Comment is about WEST COAST MAINLINE (blog)
Original item by John E Marks
every challenges we've had in this life means everything yet nothing as we go on...what a beautiful poem. i enjoyed reading it thurly.
Comment is about Proclamation of a Journey (blog)
Original item by Hélène
Many thanks Stephen G & Uilleam for your comments - Much appreciated. 🙂
Thanks for likes: Hélène, Nigel Astell, Yanma Hidayah & Larisa. 👍
Comment is about Addiction (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
Personally, I don't know the Algarve, but you paint a vivid picture of where to go (and where not to). I particularly like the verse including the cicadas and their unacknowledged alarm calls. Thanks Ray.
Comment is about December In The Algarve (blog)
Original item by Ray
Thanks Ray, Auracle and Stephen, so pleased you enjoyed.
Every May I try and write a poem every day for the month. I don't go in with any ideas, just a bunch of titles I think might inspire me in the moment. This poem and the previous one just popped out when I put pen to paper. I don't know who these characters are but their story felt pretty complicated. I'm really pleased you enjoyed.
Ray, thanks for the tip. That would flow nicely.
Thanks also to Red Brick, Graham, Tom, Uilleam, Stephen, Stephen, Aisha, Holden and Hélène for reading and for the 'likes'.
Comment is about Tenderness (blog)
Original item by Tom
Thanks for the likes, but no-one has expressed a preference for any of the versions. I would appreciate the feedback. Has anyone else done anything similar with a piece of their own?
Rob
Comment is about With Her Forever (Original and Versions Two and Three) (blog)
Original item by Rob J Mann
Thank you Uileam we really are living in Nazi Germany . The people in Gaza really are seen as sub human . Pepe of Man city Fame said something wonderful today which gave me some hope
Comment is about Cheering On Your Genocide (blog)
Original item by David R Mellor
Writing your way to sanity. Words are powerful. Prayer is powerful. A journey of pain. A journey of growth. The girl who writes, wins. Your poetry is raw and honest. Sending love and prayers.
Comment is about i have no eyes but i have to see (blog)
Original item by Zodinpuii
Tom Doolan
Sat 14th Jun 2025 14:54
Many thanks Hélène for your kind words and feedback. It is very much appreciated. 🙂🫂🥀
Comment is about Heal Me (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan