Excellent, Stephen. Like Graham, I don’t know how I feel about politics and sport. I’m old enough to remember the Lions Tour of South Africa in ‘74, the boycotts of the Olympics by the African nations, the US and the Eastern bloc in 1976, 1980 and 1984. Did they achieve anything? Not really. On the other hand, am I happy with Britain taking part in the Olympics of 1936? Not really.
Comment is about Ukraine, SW19 (blog)
Original item by Stephen Gospage
Agreed a wonderful change of serve Stephen. I must admit I am conflicted about politics and sport but of course all politicians have used it in their quest for popularity. A great shame! Well done as ever for scratching this horrendous scab!
Comment is about Ukraine, SW19 (blog)
Original item by Stephen Gospage
I wouldn’t want to idealize them. Stephen. By and large, They were good men, especially when it mattered. But there were more than their fair share of homophobes, racists and sexists. Indeed the last was institutionalized ( for the best of historic reasons) with women prevented from working underground by law. Having said that, we were all more homophobic, racism and sexist 40 years ago.
Comment is about COLLIERS AND KIDS (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
Excellent poem, Steve. Coming at Ukraine from a fresh angle. Dare I say it? An ace.
Comment is about Ukraine, SW19 (blog)
Original item by Stephen Gospage
Well written in Vilanelle form, JD. This structure amplifies the tragic quality of the poem.
Comment is about In an attic room (blog)
Original item by JD Russell
I love this one, John. It has a Kiplingesque (I hope that's right) quality. A real gem.
Comment is about COLLIERS AND KIDS (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
Wise words, Mike.
Comment is about Mother Earth (For The Alba's And Nola's) (blog)
Original item by Mike Bartram
Thank you, Ruth. Yes, I thought I'd send a bit of a storm your way, just to add to the atmosphere 😀
Comment is about The Wind & The Rain (blog)
Original item by Stephen W Atkinson
Some good lines in there Ray.
My missus has just started another round of Slimming World. She's driving me mad. Lost 2lb in a week - half of that was wearing lighter clothes to the weigh-in.
Comment is about FRIDGE FANTASY (blog)
Original item by ray pool
What a pleasing concept, to offset the "night terrors" than can
arrive uninvited! Feel free to pay a flying visit anytime! 😗
Comment is about Magic Before I Sleep (blog)
Original item by Hélène
Ha...this happens to have coincided with my latest health check
by my local health care nurse, and the usual chat about diet.
A subject that gains more importance with the passing years, it
seems. But the Greeks knew a thing or two, with the advice:
Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.
Comment is about FRIDGE FANTASY (blog)
Original item by ray pool
Sorry, but I can't help adding "Hear, hear"! 😊 Thanks for the
always-welcome chuckle.
Comment is about A door to door hearing aid salesman gives up his job (blog)
Original item by hugh
To Helene/Clare/Hugh/Tom and JC - your "likes" are appreciated,
thank you. The inspiration for the lines came from a morning
"lie-in" - often a source for material for WOL. Probably to do
with de-clutering the brain-box, or something!
Comment is about WHEN (blog)
Original item by M.C. Newberry
Superb piece Stephen. I also coincicidently start reading this as a rain shower turned into a full on storm. It nicely added to the atmosphere 😁
Comment is about The Wind & The Rain (blog)
Original item by Stephen W Atkinson
Nigel, your Humour is as silly as mine! Thanks for the poem in return. The sand witches are very jealous of those mermaids, they want to turn them into tuna sandwiches 😄
Comment is about Sand Witches (blog)
Original item by Ruth O'Reilly
Thanks so much Stephen glad you liked my weird stream of consciousness here 😄
Comment is about Sand Witches (blog)
Original item by Ruth O'Reilly
I would like to thank all who read, liked and commented on this poem. Martha is one of many. The receptacle from which she helped herself to food was ultimately destined for a food bank, I don't know quite where that was located. It could have been a good distance away from where she lived. As a post war child I experienced rationing but never saw a food bank. For some, these days are proving to be a great challenge.
Thank you again,
Keith
Comment is about Martha (blog)
Original item by keith jeffries
Thank you both Stephen and Stephen, not necessarily in that order - haha! - for liking this poem. Cheers.
Ray
Comment is about FRIDGE FANTASY (blog)
Original item by ray pool
Only a spell
dead crabs soup
squid blood pie
mix with broomstick
magic mermaid kiss
returns poor witch.😱
Comment is about Sand Witches (blog)
Original item by Ruth O'Reilly
A conundrum!
The goods in the ‘food bank’ box has already been paid for before donation, so she is not stealing from the shop.
I suppose Martha would also qualify for assistance if she registered but may well feel too embarrassed to.
I have personal experience of dealing with shoplifters of all ages. The elderly used to steal to eat, the young stole to sell the goods on.
Keith you have depicted a very real situation with this piece. A day in day out dilemma for a lot of people. Trading self respect for hunger relief.
Thank you for making us notice!
Comment is about Martha (blog)
Original item by keith jeffries
I don't get out much so let's see if I've got this right : there is a box in the supermarket labelled 'food bank' but people are not supposed to help themselves otherwise why is Martha acting in a secretive way? Before the food bank box existed did she just take what she wanted from the supermarket shelves?
Comment is about Martha (blog)
Original item by keith jeffries
A well-written poem, Keith. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose.
Comment is about Martha (blog)
Original item by keith jeffries
Tue 11th Jul 2023 01:06
Mmm...I'm uncomfortable about this practice.
Comment is about Martha (blog)
Original item by keith jeffries
Poignant poem, Keith. Breaking the rules in a way that we can all identify and sympathise with.
Comment is about Martha (blog)
Original item by keith jeffries
Thanks for your thoughts, MC.
Comment is about FISHING WITH MY DAD (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
Creative writing that would grace the pages of the old Readers Digest magazine. Never be boring - that is clearly JC's maxim. 👍
Comment is about THE BYRON (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
JC-trust you to come up with a rod for our backs - in the nicest way, of course!. I have my own memories of fishing the local
stream for trout in my boyhood village of Box in Wiltshire and
later exploring the Wiltshire/Somerset River Avon for perch.
Happy days.
Comment is about FISHING WITH MY DAD (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
Thank you Ghazala.
You ask what is:
1. human intellectual freedom,
2. creative autonomy,
3. the value of education?
I would say that the answers to 1 and 2 are: the ability to inquire and to create constructively, free of restrictions imposed by religious or secular laws.
And that the “value” of education is self-evident, in that it lies in teaching both children and adults to aquire a love of, and a respect for 1 and 2. Without any of those three, we would be living in a totalitarian society.
Comment is about Quotes on knowledge (blog)
Original item by Ghazala lari
Thank you...I always play that album at night and drifted off with those tracks on my mind!
Comment is about A Sheep Dogs Tale (blog)
Original item by Mike Bartram
Thanks for the quotes by Chomsky.
What is human intellectual freedom?
What is creative autonomy?
What's the value of education?
Kindly elaborate U.O.C.
Comment is about Quotes on knowledge (blog)
Original item by Ghazala lari
Scary and entertaining, Ruth. Wow!
Comment is about Sand Witches (blog)
Original item by Ruth O'Reilly
This poem seems to float on a breeze, Hélène, like the songs.
Comment is about Love Songs (blog)
Original item by Hélène
A fine poem, Mike. Took me a while to work out all the references!
Comment is about A Sheep Dogs Tale (blog)
Original item by Mike Bartram
I can't express enough admiration for this, JD. It is tragic yet heartwarming, and so perfectly written. Long live love.
Comment is about With love, goodbye (blog)
Original item by JD Russell
Can you imagine watching chess? a bit like school exams I suppose presumably in silence. Thanks for the comment John.
Comment is about CHESS KILLING TIME (blog)
Original item by ray pool
Reminds me of the Soviet Union, where chess was a popular spectator sport.
Comment is about CHESS KILLING TIME (blog)
Original item by ray pool
Oh for the good old days when I was a child, and all I had to do was to literally dip it in the inkwell on my desk.
Comment is about Ink Runs Dry (blog)
Original item by Richard Ing
Thank you Ghazala.
May I suggest that:
“The core principle and requirement of a fulfilled human being is the ability to inquire and create constructively, independently, without external controls”- Noam Chomsky, with reference to Wilhelm von Humboldt, a German humanist, friend of Goethe and Schiller.
I agree with Chomsky when he suggests that education should not be about propping up governments, economies, or ideologies, be they religious or political.
In other words, a true education should open the door to human intellectual freedom and to creative autonomy.
Comment is about Quotes on knowledge (blog)
Original item by Ghazala lari
Sun 9th Jul 2023 09:20
Virtual Dependence 😐
Comment is about The new age terror (blog)
Original item by pallavitryingthings
Artificial intelligence
or
Artificial stupidity?
😐
Comment is about The new age terror (blog)
Original item by pallavitryingthings
Looking forward to reading more of your poems!
Comment is about Ink Runs Dry (blog)
Original item by Richard Ing
thank you so much for your kind comments on my writing!!!!! i truly appreciate it
Comment is about JD Russell (poet profile)
Original item by JD Russell
raypool
Thu 13th Jul 2023 10:38
Thanks Reggie's Ghost for bringing that up - the ladies have their own logic which doesn't necessarily coincide. I've been similarly accompanied.
Hi Mark. It's a rather bizarre thing when all the attention should really be focussed on how the young are inheriting a minefield of future problems, while the dietary concerns of us old'uns don't I believe really have that much influence on our future! I think the Greeks knew a thing or two about platitudes..
Ray
Comment is about FRIDGE FANTASY (blog)
Original item by ray pool