One Shot Wednesday - Poetry Week 30

Welcome to One Shot Wednesday - Poetry Week 30

Hi and welcome to another week of celebrating and enjoying Poetry. I am Pete Marshall and I shall be your host this fine evening.

Before we start however I have a few announcements to make....

Over the last six months we have seen One Stop Poetry grow from strength to strength, and in doing so One Stop Poetry has outgrown this site and needed to create a new, more structured place. A place where you can continue to enjoy what we do. As we introduce more ideas and features to an already exciting place, we promise to  keep alive the community spirit and love of poetry that brought us together. We are expanding to include elements that encourage young people to write and explore the arts. We strive to make creative writing explode off the pens of young people. We therefore are proud to announce the creation of  www.onestoppoetry.com.

Obviously moving address is always a stressful time yet we hope that the transfer will be a seamless exercise and cause as little disruption to you as possible.

Thank you all also for your support and votes for One Stop Poetry in the Shorty Awards. If you haven't as yet voted or wish to encourage your followers to vote we are nominated for two awards in the categories Art & Poetry. The voting finishes this week so as much support as you can muster is more than welcome.

Now I feel its time to let One Shot Wednesday begin. If you are new or wish to have a recap here is how it works;

1, Write an original poem and post it to your blog

2, Link back to One Shot Wednesday from your post

3, Sign up in the Mr Linky list,(use the URL from your blog) linking directly to your post, AFTER you've posted it. Mr Linky will be open from 5pm EST Tuesday (10pm UK)  until 3am EST Thursday (8am UK). If you need help with this, please ask in the comment box.

4, Go visit others that have posted. This is a great way to learn new forms, meet new poets and gain inspiration for your next piece. though this is not mandatory we encourage you to visit at least one other poet and give some helpful feedback.

5. For some of you I need to stress - don't feel that you need to comment on each poem, take your time and enjoy the read.

On behalf of all the One Stop Team...Happy One Shot

Friday Poetically with Brian Miller

Welcome to Friday Poetically.

Thank you to all that participated last week in our music inspired poetry. This week I want to introduce another new feature that I will be running each month: Kid's Wall. I use the term kids loosely as it encompasses the smallest child to the waning days of teen-dom. Kid's hold a special place in my heart, which is why I do counseling with them.

Children and youth have a perspective on our world that many times we lose as we grow older. The trick is getting them to share it. I believe it is our role as parents and advocates to encourage the arts in our collective children and celebrate their creativity.

Kid's Wall is about celebrating those voices, the ones that dare to put them to paper. Perhaps they are your child or just one that you know. If you are interested in having their work posted on the Kids Wall, please submit them to oneshotpoetry@gmail.com and put Kid's Wall  in the subject line. I will coordinate posting them and email you when your submission is posted.

Without further ado, this week I have poems by two teenage boys. One on fear, the other on love and both about growing up, just a bit. I think you will enjoy.

No Fear
by Robert Fletcher Moffett
(age 16)

Everything's so easy, when you're a kid,
No pressures to worry about, you can just live.
Everyone's so nice, you never see mean,
You can feel safe, living as a human being.
You go to play in Little League games, while people cheer,
You can be out, and live a life of No Fear.

Every now and then, a problem comes across,
It might be that you fell, and caused your team a loss.
But its over and its done, within a couple days,
It doesn't leave you scared and confused, in an endless maze.
You can go over there, you can be over here,
You can live the life of No Fear.

Then you get older and the pressures come down,
You don't feel like the king anymore, wearing your golden crown.
Your friends and your family, say two things far apart,
Stuck in this position, it's hard to follow your heart.
Should I do drugs?
Should I drink beer?
What happened to my life?
My life of No Fear?

You see when you're a kid, everything comes to you so easy,
No decisions to make,
This might sound a bit cheesy.
But don't forget that you had the life to live,
Everything that you did came out pretty positive.
You didn't have to do drugs, or drink beer and be a fool,
Back in the days with your friends, you could always be cool.
When you're a kid, you don't have to worry about bad things being near,
You go on living your life, your life with No Fear.

Resonances
by William Bednar
(age 18)

Tis not in commitment
To love that warrants beauty,
For fickle a girl beauty is indeed, not to be bent
By sorrow and pain filled gazers and dandies,
Eyes gleaming in fleeting hope, without sense,
That their smiles, enwrapped and dependent,
Will have recompense
By her gaze, resplendent,
And perhaps, if in good favor,
Have admiration bestowed on them amorously.
But nay, beauty is a fickle girl. Alas, we love her.
So as the breeze sings melancholy,
And the leaves reflect her lips of flame,
As milky clouds remind of her skin,
When her hair is night, dark and sleek, putting others to shame,
Filled with expectation
And apparitions of loveliness,
I think of the sweet longing,
Hoping for the moment not to pass.
The sweet longing
I loved then,
For a moment,
Lingering in the agony of emotion,
In a short eternity that I underwent.

I then found beauty.
But then the lights were no longer low,
The emotions, so resplendent in ardor, escaped me.
The facade was gone after the show.
Nay tis not in commitment to serve
Love that hold beauty.
Tis in the memory of nerve,
Tumultuous as a stormy sea.
Tis in the very slow-grown enthrallment
Of her melodious voice.
Tis in the memory of through what my heart went
When I told it to her by my choice.
When I told how it was stolen by her raven hair,
By her star-drenched skin,
By her cherry lips at which I’d stare,
And the voice so in apprehension, rife with emotion from within.
Tis not in the resolution itself
Of intricate harmonies and dissonances,
So pleasing to the ear in their discord and wealth,
But in the expectations and resonances
Of this ecstasy,
That resides beauty,
Which is why I told her my love and melancholy,
Letting her forget, and proceeding to flee.
For the wonderful nostalgic memory
Of the shortness of breath,
Would by intimacy,
Certainly be put to death.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and keep your eyes open, you never know where a poem might be lurking, just waiting for you to write it! ~Brian

One Shot Wednesday - Poetry Week 29

Welcome to One Shot Wednesday - Week 29

Welcome to One Shot everyone! My name is Brian Miller and I will be your host today. We look forward to reading your amazing poetic offerings, and are excited you are here, but first let me tell you about a few things that will be rolling out in the next couple weeks with my Friday Poetically.

If you joined us last week, we wrote poetry to the amazing talent of Joe Satriani. Each month we will look at different musical inspirations for our poetry. This Friday, I will launch a new monthly children's wall, where we will be posting poems by children/teens. If you know word artists that happen to be children or have kids of your own, we encourage you to submit their work via email to One Stop Poetry. We will put several up each week and you will be notified the week your child's poem goes up on the wall. In order to provide protection for children under 14 years of age, we ask that you have them create a pen name. Each work of poetry can then be displayed with that name.

Those are just a few of the features you can look forward to on Fridays.

We also would appreciate your vote for One Stop Poetry if you are on Twitter. We have been nominated in two categories  (by the Twitter community) we are in good position to receive an award which would reflect back on each of you as this is a community.  There is a Shorty Awards button to the right of the page. 

Let's give the microphone back to all of you for One Shot Wednesday. Happy One Shot everyone!

If you are new to One Shot Wednesday, please feel welcome to participate by doing the following:

1, Write an original poem and post it to your blog

2, Link back to One Shot Wednesday from your post 

3, Sign up in the Mr Linky list,(use the URL from your blog) linking directly to your post, AFTER you've posted it. Mr Linky will be open from 5pm EST Tuesday (10pm UK)  until 3am EST Thursday (8am UK). If you need help with this, please ask in the comment box.

4, Go visit others that have posted. This is a great way to learn new forms, meet new poets and gain inspiration for your next piece. though this is not mandatory we encourage you to visit at least one other poet and give some helpful feedback.

5. For some of you I need to stress - don't feel that you need to comment on each poem. Take in the inspiration of a few with a good cup of tea or coffee.

On behalf of  my fellow cohorts, Adam Dustus , Leslie Moon, Pete Marshall,Chris Galford, Jessica Kristie, Claudia Schoenfeld, Gay Cannon and myself - welcome and enjoy!!!!!

Friday Poetically with Brian Miller

Welcome to Friday Poetically.

 Over the next couple weeks, I will be introducing some new regular features: such as poetry inspired by music, poetry written by children and what it means to be a poet/blogger. Now that I am on Fridays, it seems fitting that we have a little fun, because the weekend is coming.

Growing up, I was in a garage band called Romulus. My first poems were songs written on sheets of paper spread across gravestones at the cemetery by my parent's house. Don't ask me why we went there to write them; we were teenagers and it just seemed like the right place to conjure the muse. My cousin would bend the strings on his old guitar as I stared up at the stars and let the words spill out. We never made it beyond a few friend's basements but even today, I often have the ear buds in, listening to music as I write.

Back in December, Leslie Moon challenged you to listen to a song and then write whatever came to you. Today, I want to do the same. I chose a song that may be a bit of a stretch for some but it speaks to the roots of the music I grew up listening to. As a teen, I found a Joe Satriani cassette tape titled Surfing with the Alien and boy could he make the guitar sing. This is one of my favorites by him.

You can listen to the song, maybe close your eyes and then write once you are done. You can listen and write at the same time. I think you will figure it out. It's Friday, let's have a little fun as we wait for 5 o'clock to get here.

Please listen to Joe Satriani's

Always with Me, Always with you

Once you have posted your poem, enter the link into Mr. Linky and visit a few other brave poetic souls. Smiles. Here is mine, in the form of a 55 as introduced last week in our interview with g-man.

Always with Me, Always with You

when you say you

love me always

do you mean all ways

or just forever

i'll be honest

sometimes i don't

feel it

& if love is

just a feeling

how many would

admit they even get it,

been in it, or

want to stay with it.

no love,

i think is a bit

more attitude

Have a great weekend everybody! ~Brian Miller

One Shot Wednesday - Week 28

On behalf of all the team at One Stop Poetry, I warmly welcome you to One Shot Wednesday, Week 28!

I am Claudia Schönfeld and will be your host this evening. One Shot is growing - and not only in numbers but also in quality. I personally have learned so much by reading all the wonderful poems you bring to the table each week and thoroughly enjoy the variety of styles, meeting poets from all over the world and the warm-hearted atmosphere and feedback. It's great to be a part of this bustling and alive community.

If you think One Stop is great and like what we are doing, you can nominate us for a social media award in the Shorty Awards. You can do this by clicking on the Logo on the right side bar. We are being represented in two categories, #art & #poetry. A vote for both would be wonderful! 

And now before we start this weeks One Stop, I would like to hand you over to Pete who has a special message;

"Hi everybody and thank you very much for your continued support of both One Shot Wednesday and One Stop Poetry. As we have grown over the past 6 months, in order to maintain the high standards that we set , we have seen the need for the team to expand. Today I would like to introduce to you the newest member of One Stop Poetry, Jessica Kristie. I am sure you will welcome her on board accordingly.

Thank you also to Claudia for a wonderful introduction and I can only reiterate her words with regard to the Shorty Awards, on behalf of us all we are very thankful for the nomination and the votes we receive.

This Sunday, for those of you on Twitter, Leslie  hosted  our first weekly scheduled #ospchat, which is held for an hour starting at 3.30pm EST (8.30 UK). The first of these live chats was a resounding success and we look forward to seeing more of you this coming Sunday at the same time.

On a last note, please do not forget the One Stop Anthology. If you have entered a poem into weeks 1 - 25, then you are eligible to be considered. If you have entered more than one poem and would like what you consider to be your best, to be voted on,  please email us at Oneshotpoetry@gmail.com, headed Anthology, with your chosen two poems and the weeks they were entered. we will only accept these emails up to 21st of January so please hurry. For more details please visit One Stop Poetry  - Anthology. 

Thanks again and now I hand you back to the wonderful Claudia....all the best...Pete"

Well yes - thanks Pete - it's poetry time - woo-hoo - !!

~ Claudia

If you're new to OSW, here's how it works:

• Post a poem on your blog

• Link your poem to One Shot, using Mr Linky. Where the prompt asks put the URL (web address for your poem) for the poem there.

• Visit as many other One Shot Poets as you like. Tell them how you feel when your are reading, encourage and interact with them

• Tell others about OSW by including a link to this page on your post

One Shot Poetry Wednesday - Week 27

Welcome to One Shot Wednesday - Week 27

Welcome to week 27 of One Shot Wednesday. We hope you each had a wonderful holiday? I am you host for this week & my name is Leslie Moon, aka Moondustwriter one of the One Stop Poetry founders. We started One Stop Poetry six months ago to create a cyber site where poets, artists & creative types could join and share their insights and their work. We hope that you feel comfortable and welcome here?

One Stop Poetry has new things in the store for 2011. One of those started yesterday on our Monday Poetry Form day. Our intention is to give even seasoned poets a look at poetry forms they may or may not be familiar with. 

We are also creating an opportunity for poets to chat on #OSPChat on Twitter. We will be introducing twitter chat this Sunday the 9th at 3:30pm EST (8.30pm UK). If you are new to twitter, type in the hashtag (#ospchat) and it will connect you to others using the same hashtag (I use Tweet Deck but Hootsuite is also another good app for twitter). You must type the hashtag with each comment to be part of the conversation. Join us on Sundays to meet each other and talk about poetry.

If you are new to One Shot Wednesday, please feel welcome to participate by doing the following.

1, Write an original poem and post it to your blog

2, Link back to One Shot Wednesday from your post 

3, Sign up in the Mr Linky list,(use the URL from your blog) linking directly to your post, AFTER you've posted it. Mr Linky will be open from 5pm EST Tuesday (10pm UK)  until 3am EST Thursday (8am UK). If you need help with this, please ask.

4, Go visit others that have posted. This is a great way to learn new forms, meet new poets and gain inspiration for your next piece. though this is not mandatory we encourage you to visit at least one other poet and give some helpful feedback.

5. For some of you I need to stress - dont feel that you need to comment on each poem. Take in the inspiration of a few with a good cup of tea or coffee.

On behalf of  my fellow cohorts, Adam Dustus , Brian Miller, Chris Galford, Claudia Schonfeld, Gay Cannon and Pete Marshall - welcome and enjoy!!!!!

A Saturday Celebration: Happy New Year from One Stop Poetry

Happy New Year to one and all…

Saturdays bring me great joy when I share with you the Saturday Celebration, but today I wanted to celebrate something different, today, as we start the New Year, we also start the next 6 months so today I celebrate One Stop Poetry.


Having launched One Stop Poetry on 1st July our very first posting was a poem by Leslie Moon, When Two Worlds Collide, looking back now how apt this was….

The poem was a wonderful metaphor for the unison of the founders of One Stop and what we strived to bring forth…6 months later I feel very proud that we have achieved our original goal and are creating new ones whilst still maintaining our original ethos.

As One Stop has grown, we have recognised that to maintain the standards we have set we needed additional  staff. We now find ourselves with 7 members on the team (the original team being Adam, Brian, Leslie and myself.).

Looking to the future, we have so many things in store. As we continue to expand and bring poetry, art & photography to the forefront new ideas are always formulating, the next 6 months are promising to be an amazing time!

One Stop Poetry isn’t just about One Shot Wednesday, One Shoot Sunday, or the amazing spotlights, it's more than that. One Stop Poetry is about finding you, your voice, your style and helping promote you to the rest of the world as we constantly discover ways to find an opportunity for you to be published, whether that be through competitions or our first, of many, Anthology's.

During this coming year, we have additional plans to encourage writers. We will be starting the New Year with a critique site which is not open forum. This site will be a place for poets who are serious about their work to get the critique they need to go to the next level; for many that will be seeking critique in order to publish. Starting this 2011 year One Stop will once a week offer a “poetry class.” This class is intended to be fun and informative. Our hope is that even the seasoned poet will learn new forms of poetry. These classes will be offered on Mondays, starting the 3rd, by teachers schooled in that particular form of poetry.

Today I am also pleased to unveil our revamped  forum and really hope you stop by and embrace a place that has been created for you.We also will be announcing a weekly chat session for those of you on Twitter.

As the year progresses, there will more exiting news to unveil so be sure to stay close and see what's being offered!

Finally, on behalf of all of us at One Stop Poetry, Bri, Leslie, Adam, Claudia, Chris, Gay & myself….we would like to wish you a very happy, healthy & prosperous New Year and look forward to sharing the Wonders of One Stop with you even more….

Happy New Year from One Stop Poetry


If you would like to share any New Year poetry, prose, art or photography please feel free to use the link below

Happy New Year from One Stop Poetry

Happy New Year from One Stop Poetry

Auld Lang Syne

By Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

and auld lang syne?

(CHORUS) For auld lang syne, my jo,

for auld lang syne,

we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp !

and surely I’ll be mine !

And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We twa hae run about the braes,

and pu’d the gowans fine ;

But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,

sin auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We twa hae paidl’d i' the burn,

frae morning sun till dine ;

But seas between us braid hae roar’d

sin auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere !

and gie's a hand o’ thine !

And we’ll tak a right gude-willy waught,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS 

image courtesy creative commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/c_r_i_s/

One Shot Poetry Wednesday (Week 26)

Welcome to One Shot Wednesday!

Hello, Everyone! I'm Adam Dustus, your host for this week's OSW. As 2010 draws to a close, it is my pleasure to begin the festivities for our final One Shot of this year. Before beginning, I'd like to officially welcome Gay Cannon (beachanny) to The One Stop Team. We are extremely fortunate for her skillful help (in addition to her overall wonderfulness); and in case you missed it, check out her excellent Monday post on a familiar face from One Shot Wednesday, Anthony Desmond Scott. 

*Also, don't forget about the One Shot Wednesday "Best of the First 6 Months Anthology." If you entered a poem in weeks 1 - 25, then you are eligible. Please refer to One Shot Wednesday Anthology for more information.

Okay, enough with the speeches, let's get right into it....
If you are new to our weekly poetry meme, here are the guidelines:

1) Write a poem (due to the growing number of links, please post 1 poem)

2) Link your post to One Shot via Mr Linky (put in your name & URL of poem)

3) Please visit the poetry sites of other One Shot poets & provide feedback

4) And don't forget to invite others to join in our community of online poets!

*All forms of poetry are accepted.

Thank you for your participation & support,
dustus

 

Merry Christmas to all our readers

To everyone of you that reads, contributes, shares and enjoys, have a great Christmas and a fantastic New Year... cheers Pete

We appreciate each of you. Writing poetry just wouldn't be the same without the support each of you gives... Best Wishes Leslie

To our artistic peers, readers, & friends, Happy Holidays & Thank You.
Warmest regards...  Adam

Thanks to each of you for your creative and inspiring presence - you make One Stop what it is...have a fantastic Christmas and a good start into 2011...Claudia

It's an honor being part of a community filled with so many talented and creative people...each and everyone of you have a gift, and it's a real pleasure you've shared a piece of it with us. To all, my thanks, and my best wishes for the holidays! ~Chris

Great to join with you and see where poetry takes us in 2011.Wishing the best of Holidays to you and yours ~Gay

photo by dustus

One Shot Wednesday - Week 25

Welcome to One Shot Wednesday - Week 25

Hi and welcome to this weeks One Shot Wednesday. I am Pete Marshall & today I will be your merry host.

Following the recent announcement of our "The Best of One Shot Wednesday - The First 6 Months" anthology, published under Limited Editions Press, today's One Shot is the cut off week, number 25,  for poetry to be considered. For further details please visit the following link;

 One Shot Wednesday Anthology.

Rest assured however this is not the last One Shot Wednesday, just the last for your poetry to be considered in our first Anthology. I hope you also note the word "first" as we will be releasing further publications throughout the coming year.

The first 6 months of One Stop Poetry really has been a wonderful success which has seen us grow at an amazing pace whilst still keeping true to our original beliefs. As we have grown so has the team, who work diligently, week in week out, to bring you such wonderful features.  We have so many great plans & announcements  in store for 2011 and look forward to enjoying every day of the next 6 months with all of you, who help make this such an exciting place to be.

In just 6 months One Stop Poetry has seen itself firmly established as a place that brings together the arts from all around the globe, and lends itself to quality and as a platform to helping you realise your dreams.

On behalf of all the team at One Stop Poetry I would therefore like to thank you for your support over the last 6 months & to wish you the happiest of Christmas's and a wonderful & prosperous New Year.

Cheers Pete

One Shot Wednesday - week 25

For those of you who are new here's how it works

1) post a poem to your blog

2) link your poem to One Shot using Mr Linky, where you will be prompted to enter your name and the URL for your poem. The URL is the web address for your poem

3)Visit other One Shot Poets, as many as you wish. Tell them how you feel when you are reading, encourage and interact with them. If you wish to critique remember to be positive and constructive, negative criticism does not help anyone.

4) Tell others about One Shot Wednesday by including a link to this page on your post

Welcome to One Stop Poetry - A Christmas Tour Around the World

Welcome to One Stop Poetry. As we begin the week of Christmas, we want to recognize the importance of families and friends. Because of that One Shot Wednesday will open earlier on Tuesday in order for last submissions (that can be considered for the anthology). Thursday will be a time to write poetry in honor of those we love (i.e. parent or grandparents) who we miss during this time of the year. You may have a poem written to honor that person or a Christmas memory that you would like to share.

Christmas Eve will be a story (based on a true story); one that can be enjoyed by the entire family. Christmas Day and Boxing Day (UK) will be observed as holidays for you to enjoy (off-line). Though we will probably post a poetry prompt for you die-hard bloggers.

We wanted to start the week by learning about different cultures and how the Christmas holiday is celebrated. Celebrations may include many things: food, songs, things the family or community does. There are things your family does that is it's own unique celebration. We would love for you to share how you celebrate. You could write a poem about your celebration or a funny story. Please feel free to link in and/or share in the comment box.

The One Stop Poetry Team (Adam, Brian, Chris, Claudia, Gay, Leslie, Pete) would like to wish you and yours a wonderful holiday.

We asked Claudia to share her traditions from Germany to kick us off.

Oh sing me silent Holy Night

When I was asked to write about how we Germans celebrate Christmas and what kind of traditions we have, my ambivalent relationship with traditions was the first thing that jumped to my mind and with it this story...

As I thought, a Christmas tree had nothing to do with the birth of Jesus, I refused to have one for years...and how our children suffered as everyone else had one of course! As I didn't change my mind, one Christmas Eve, my eldest daughter (she must have been six or seven then) told me, this year we will have a tree as she had crafted one herself - and there it stood in our living room - made of a broomstick and colored paper...so we were celebrating Christmas around this broomstick tree and from then on  - we started to have real christmas trees...

So the Christmas tree is one tradition we have - in 95% of the German households it's a genuine tree, cut in a forest. Usually we put it up in the living room the day before Christmas Eve and leave it there until the 6th of January.

The Advent wreath is my personal favorite Christmas tradition, dating back to 1839.
Pastor Wichern was at this time the leader of an asylum for homeless boys in Hamburg (The Rough House) and in the dining room, he hang up a huge cartwheel for "his" boys with 19 small and 4 big candles and every evening, the boys would light another candle to show them, there's hope in their
hopelessness.

Something you might know is the "Star of Herrnhut" which was the Christmas challenge for the boys of the Missionaries home Niesky in Herrnhut/Germany by their math teacher in 1821 - and since then re-built a million times and well known in most countries of the world.

And it was Martin Luther who re-arranged the date when the children would get their Christmas presents from the 6th of December to the 24th of December.

The reason for changing the date was that he said: Nicolaus was a good man, but can't help us any more - but on Christmas, God gave us his only son and every year this gives us a reason to celebrate. His wife and all the people in this small church in Wittenberg didn't like this at first - until
he introduced the song he has written for this Christmas celebration in 1535 - > "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her" - > "From heaven above I come"

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs and we used to sing it a lot with the children. And one year, we went skiing and Tim, my son (he was quite small then) was sitting in the chair lift and singing full sound "From heaven above I come...." and all the people around were smiling...

So we will decorate our Christmas tree on the 22nd or 23rd of December - will go to church on the 24th at around 5pm - then have Christmas Dinner with the family (Fondue most years) , sing the first stanza (we only know the first stanza by heart..) from all the christmas songs that jump to our mind with me playing the guitar and then unpack presents under the Christmas tree.

Last but not least, let me share a Christmas poem and then extend my German Christmas experience to a tour round the world...

~ Claudia


Oh Sing me silent Holy Night

oh sing me silent holy night
when angels held their breath in awe
and wonders tender, true and raw

were born just when the time was right
I can’t hold on to what is wrong
my soul entwined in brightest light

with him who's stronger than the law
oh sing me silent holy night

(Claudia Schönfeld)

this is an Octain -
a new poem structure, created  by One Stop's featured friend Luke Prater.
We will have an opportunity to learn more about this style in the New Year.

Please Join Us in a Christmas Tour Around the World..

The Wise Men photograph courtesy of Creative Commons and Visual Panichttp://www.flickr.com/photos/visualpanic/314708685/

Friday -One Stop Poetry Holiday Poetry

Mistletoe

Walter de la Mare

Sitting under the mistletoe

(pale-green, fairy, mistletoe),

One last candle burning low,

All the sleepy dancers gone,

Just one candle burning on,

Shadows lurking everywhere:

Someone came, and kissed me there.

Tired I was; my head would go

Nodding under the mistletoe

(pale-green, fairy, mistletoe),

No footsteps came, no voice but only,

Just as I sat there, sleepy, lonely,

Stooped in the still and shadowy air

Lips unseen - and kissed me there.

Minstrels

by
William Wordsworth

The minstrels played their Christmas tune

To-night beneath my cottage-eaves;

While, smitten by a lofty moon,

The encircling laurels, thick with leaves,

Gave back a rich and dazzling sheen,

That overpowered their natural green.

Through hill and valley every breeze

Had sunk to rest with folded wings:

Keen was the air but could not freeze,

Nor check the music of the strings,

So stout and hardy were the band

That scraped the cords with strenuous hand.

And who but listened? --till was paid

Respect to every inmate's claim.

The greeting given, the music played

In honor of each household name,

Duly pronounced with lusty call,

And "Merry Christmas" wished to all.

Photographs courtesy of Creative Commons:

Steve Willis

http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_willis/2227916456/

Joe Lewis

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanbeiji/2147857683/

If you'd like to have some fun and write a mistletoe or Minstrel (aka carolers) poem, please share with us and link in.

One Shot Wednesday - Week 24

Welcome to One Shot Wednesday - Week 24

On behalf of all the team at One Stop Poetry, I welcome you to One Shot Wednesday, Week 24!

I am Claudia Schönfeld and will be your host this evening. As I'm hosting from Germany and we already have 11 pm over here - I will soon leave the party - but this should not keep you from celebrating, reading as many of the poems as you like, chat a bit in the comments section, meet some new friends and enjoy the cumulation of excellent poetry.

I would also like to remind you of the One Stop Anthology - a collection of "Best of One Shot - the first six months", a collection of the best OSW's entries, published under Limited Editions Press Follow the link to read more.

Now let the fun begin - thank you for being here and making One Stop what it is!

~ Claudia

If you're new to OSW, here's how it works:

• Post a poem on your blog

• Link your poem to One Shot, using Mr Linky. Where the prompt asks put the URL (web address for your poem) for the poem there.

• Visit as many other One Shot Poets as you like. Tell them how you feel when your are reading, encourage and interact with them

• Tell others about OSW by including a link to this page on your post

One Stop Poetry Spotlight: The Walking Man, The Line Between & Poetry Slam

Every once in a while you stumble upon a poet that changes the way you look at poetry. Mark Durfee (aka The Walking Man) is one of those poets to me. Having walked virtually with Mark for over a year, I have learned much in regards to poetry and when I became interested in Poetry Slam, he was the one I turned to as well.

I was at the Richmond (VA) Slam this last Saturday night and I will say if you ever have a chance to go to one, take it. I witnessed some amazing performances by poets of diverse ages and backgrounds, even getting the opportunity to be a judge for the slam portion.

Mark hails from Detroit, and has several books out, recently publishing The Line Between, which focuses on what we do on that line between the day we were born and the day we are done. In the front of the book Mark writes, "As is his style Durfee writes not pretty poetry but is as honest with his words as as his grandmother was in her love," which I think is why I like his work so much.

Below is a poem, not from the book, but that I swiped from a recent post. I highly recommend visiting Mark and picking up The Line Between. You will not be disappointed. ~Brian

Put Your Gifts Under Your Litter

In the land of the ice and cold

where the anger burns
blistering and steamy
we look at living trees
with frost blown breath
and regard them as perfect
where they stand.

I watch as we cut them down
by our own hand to die in our houses.
We festoon the green and steal the scent
with spirit of graciousness gone tragic,
with good living for “the children.”
There is an ocean of plastic
floating on the earth and I need
to take more life and it desecrate
to make my place prettier
for a couple of weeks
rather than use the litter I helped create?

If a tree makes you feel joyfully,
if the masters of the underworld
can inject beef flavor callously
into your McDonald's hamburger
I am certain they can inject a fabulous
fake pine scent to make the season go further
into your recycled plastic reusable dead already tree.

Every single piece O green,
be it a blade of grass,
flower coming to bud,
weed or tree
is needed now to be left in its place.
That is if we,
the human race
are going to continue to be
able to breathe.

© M Durfee
12/10/10

One Shot Wednesday - Week 23

Welcome back  to  another One Shot Wednesday. I'm Moondustwriter (aka Leslie Moon) hosting this round of poetry. We want each of you to feel welcome at One Stop Poetry.  If you have been coming by regularly, can I encourage you to read the post before yours so that each person has at least one comment (this is especially true for late posts). If you are new, please comment and tell us who you are so we can welcome you properly. The goal is not to read through as many poems as you can rather to enjoy the talented poets and soak in inspiration for your next poem. A friend of mine likened reading a good poem to looking at a fine piece of art in a museum; spend some time getting to know the work and the writer and ENJOY!

Here is the format for those of you just starting

1. Write a poem

2. Come to One Shot Tuesday night or anytime Wednesday and put in the necessary information on Mr Linky. If Mr Linky is down you will need to put the URL in the comment box. The URL is the web page address of your poem

3. Leave a comment (we love to hear from you)

4. Take a few moments to read a poem or two and give some words of kindness. I personally like constructive criticism but if you do that keep it positive.We have poets of all levels. I know how much it means when the reader can give the poet some encouragement. Thanks all of you for always knowing the right thing to say.

Thanks to each of you for your wonderful writing  and for inspiration each week.


***One Stop Poetry is now calling for submissions. If you wish to post an article, highlight an artist, or use our platform to promote a worthy cause; we'd like to here from you. 

***The One Stop Bookshop is up and in its early stages. If you have written a poetry collection, novel, or cookbook email us at oneshotpoetry@gmail.com Title the email "Bookshop," and if possible, include the ISBN code.

One Shot Wednesday: Poetry Week 21

One Shot Wednesday: Poetry Week 21

Hi and, once again, welcome to another One Shot Wednesday. Each week I am amazed at how popular this is becoming but as a platform to promote your work it sure is a great place to start!

This week also marks the Thanksgiving holidays in the US. Coming from the UK this is not something that I am to familiar with but that still doesn't stop me wishing my fellow American poets a happy Thanksgiving. No doubt there will be a few poems following this theme and I look forward to being educated accordingly.

Leslie, Brian, Adam & Chris will also be feasting heavy on turkey whilst, jealously, I still have to wait another 5 weeks or so for mine. Curiously, there is nothing better to go with turkey than brussel sprouts, just wondered if you enjoyed these also over the pond?

I believe that you spend a four day break, feasting, enjoying family and generally having a great time? If you are stuck for ways to enjoy yourselves may I recommend the challenge I set last Saturday, The Riddle of the Fish?

Its been a busy week at One Stop and a new feature that we have introduced is the One Stop Bookshop. At the moment it is in its early stages, showing just a gallery of publications by featured artists. If you have written a poetry collection or can recommend a good poetry publication please email me at oneshotpoetry@gmail.com, marked Bookshop and, if possible, include the ISBN code and I will look at these accordingly.

Dont forget we are also open to submissions & our new forum, After Hours.

Okay, as you may have gathered, my name is Pete and I am your host tonight. For those of you new to One Shot here are the rules;

1) post a poem to your blog

2) link your poem to One Shot using Mr Linky, where you will be prompted to enter your name and the URL for your poem. The URL is the web address for your poem

3)Visit other One Shot Poets, as many as you wish. Tell them how you feel when you are reading, encourage and interact with them. If you wish to critique remember to be positive and constructive, negative criticism does not help anyone.

4)Tell others about One Shot Wednesday by including a link to this page on your post

Lastly, One Shot is your platform, so enjoy yourselves.....Happy One Shot......Pete

One Stop Poetry: A Poetic Monday!

Hello everyone!

Today's Monday finds us with a slight change of pace. This week I'm your host - Chris Galford - so Brian Miller, who usually handles our Monday Spotlights, can have a little time with the family. He deserves it, work-a-holic that he is!

I know you're used to seeing a spotlight here at the start of your week, but to open the Thanksgiving week, which is a major holiday celebration in America, I would like to share with you a picture and a poem of the season. I hope you enjoy, and happy holiday to all those celebrating Thanksgiving!

"The First Thanksgiving," by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863–1930)

Of Turkeys and Bounty
(By Chris Galford)

A cornucopia, all for me,

how thankful is the blind man

to the fruits of his fair nothing—

the greenery, grown, beneath the

scarlet massacre-flood

through the sky, the day

the men in their wide-brimmed hats

forgot the sea, learned the barrel

no one ever looks the same

behind the sights.

A turkey stuffed

with all the hands, the hammers,

unsung ringings in the deep

lightly smelling of the smoke,

the factories that brimmed with weary souls,

to bring the table to the meal,

to bring the car that brought the people—

smoking still the stilling rifle,

that bought and held and earned

the right to live, to dine,

the right to never know the pain

of making—foundations

in a crowded horn, this overflowing

but the end, not the means.

No oven fire burns so hot

could give the soul,

we dine upon tonight.

Not the usual fare for the Thanksgiving season, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same?

For those among the rest of our global audience, a word on Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving is an annual tradition in the United States, tracing itself as far back as 1863. The basis for the event occurred even further back, though, in 1621, when the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony held a three day celebration - including a harvest feast - to give thanks for food given to them by local Native American tribes, which enabled them to survive the harshness of their first winter ashore in America.

Though the celebration originally began with more religious overtones, the day has since grown into a secular, national holiday largely based around the concept of spending time with one’s family, and giving thanks for all that has come to you in the past year. The government, as well as most businesses, close down in honor of the day, and the Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Turkey is a staple of the day itself, while stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and a host of fall vegetables are also commonly associated with most Thanksgiving dinners.

Thanksgiving is also traditionally a time of great care in local communities, many of which (as well as churches, businesses, and charity organizations) set up annual food drives for the occasion, to provide a Thanksgiving meal to the less fortunate.

Now a question for my fellow Americans among our audience today: what is your favorite part of Thanksgiving - your favorite memory?