One Stop Spotlight - Gerald Barret aka Jerry

Your sure would agree that there are many interesting, talented and highly likable people around in the blogworld. "Very likable" was the first thought that jumped to my mind when I met Jerry through One Shot Wednesday a few weeks ago.
I would describe his poetry as fresh and unconventional and you can clearly hear his heart beat when reading his words.

He approaches everyday happenings with a twinkling eye and in a healthy down to earth style.
Jerry is a people person - you can sense this in his writing and commenting - he easily connects to others and I'm sure many of you, who have met him somewhere on the One Stop trail will agree.

Jerry blogs at "Under the doorframe" and today he allows us a glimpse into his busy life, tells us about his big family, how he came to write poetry and what inspires him - enjoy

~ Claudia


Fall

The other night the wind and the rain
slapped a lot of beauty out of their canopies.
The rain fell on the leaves,
the leaves fell like rain.
The colors lay dead.
I tried to rally my kids to pick them up.
I gave them Elmer’s glue and a stapler.
I had a few ladders too.
The suns out now and how much
I wanted to see the colors against
a cool blue sky instead of faded green
and asphalt and gravel.
I almost prayed for the resurrection
of these expired tree totalers.
But then my kids dropped the glue
and staples and the disbelief
their faces were showing me.
They ran for rakes.
Their faces flush with autumn air
they piled up the colors on the runway.
They carelessly overlaid color on color,
like when they were much younger with crayons.
Their excitement rose as did the pile.
Then I saw the clear blue sky in their eyes
as they lay laughing in the colors.
I smiled as their redemptive act
fell on me like cool rain in the night.

(copyright gerald barret 2011)

A little background:

I grew up in Michigan as number 8 out of 10 children. My mom pretty much raised us on her own, which is a long story worth writing about sometime. I'll be married to my wife 25 years February 16th.  She also hails from a large family.  If memory serves me she is number 10 out of 12 children. We have 4 biological children and 8 adopted (2 sibling groups of 4). I am a UPS delivery driver of almost 25 years. No need to say my writing is in the cracks of audible words and busy real life experiences.

Sometimes I'll say to people that I have been in a mid-life crisis for 30 years...and writing became a cathartic resting place between depressive dips and turns. When I came to faith the particular vein of the Christian church I was a part of thought of art and creativity as non essential.  If it wasn't utilitarian I set it aside. So most of my writing was journaling in the beginning...a private affair.

Then about 15 years ago a music minister in the church I was attending intergrated a Luci Shaw poem into the worship service. It about sliced my heart in two. It was as if I was given permission, freedom to create and drop the utility knife that kept shaving off a good portion of who I was. (The poem, by the way, is Spring Song, Very Early Morning which is found in her book The Green Earth)

Then I started writing and sharing with family occasionally (The most gracious audience. :)) Then after attending 3 Festival of Faith and Writing conferences at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan I was informed I needed a platform for my writing.  I didn't know what a platform was and I thought maybe it was nessessary in case I needed to jump.  Anyway I started a blog last spring and started a new one (underthedoorframe.blogspot.com) when I read L.L.Barket's interview in Christianity Today.

I like writing in other genres like memoir and essay and am chipping away at a short story. But poetry is my first love. I think maybe because I can finish poems within those cracks in my life. I used to think of it as the lazy writer's "out" because of its commitment level.  What a self deception. It is a craft that is intense, all consuming at times especially when a word or a line or an image pops up and the knee jerk reaction is to drop everything and find a keyboard or a pen and napkin.  Sometimes I drive and deliver with a sentence in my head and I repeat it aloud throughout my work day so I can deliver it to the keyboard that evening or next early morning. Early morning is the largest crack in which I write before the first child stands next to me with a "good morning" or a request.    

You will find that much of my poetry is about people. Of late a few more have risen about my mother who is getting on in years. I love to write about overt and covert spiritual experience. Sometimes I think maybe I should start another blog with a mainly overt Christian experience. Yet for now this network provides a wide range of personal and spiritual experience which I feel better represents the world out there...don't you think?

I chose to share the poem "Fall" because it is layered with depth and humor and transcendence which I feel is representitive of the spectrum of my poetry. Some of the influences of poetry have been of course Luci Shaw, Wendell Berry, and a dash of Billy Collins and now many One Stop additions.

Around our house humor is very needful. You know, as they say if you don't laugh you cry. Having adopted children really made the pain of our world more poingnant and sensory. We heard stories but until the stories came to stay in our home they were just stories. My brother once told me that proximity is everything. There are plenty of sad stories from which to harvest poems.
I am a little leary of writing about my children, especially the adopted ones and their fractured souls. I think in time more of these will surface on my blog as wisdom serves. 

Entering this network through High Calling Blogs and One Stop has been a stretching experience and it is fantastic to listen with those who share this passion, and sometimes compulsion, to mess with words.  I used to think that there was no point to write...there were already enough pages to turn, turn, turn and yet... We all have something to offer through our individual filters with which we see the world and if our calling is to write then write we must, and somewhere down the line there are people whose filters allow our words to penetrate their souls, sometimes right down to their very spirit where words dissolve to graft into their being.
I bet you the core of any poet's desire is to have their words settle into places such as these. I know mine is, why just today my wife told me that my poem today is her favorite...she has said that before and I hope she will say those words again.

One Stop Spotlight - George Pappas aka GPWriter

George Pappas is a poet, novelist and a life long resident of Southern California. He blogs at Backyard Poetry and can also be found on Twitter @gpwriter. I have met him through One Shot Wednesday. What I like is his honesty and the courage to touch "hot potatoes" with his poems.

George often chooses social, critical or political themes for his poetry and always provides an introduction about how he came to write these. I asked him about this and he answered that he doesn't try to explain the poem in a literal sense. He prefers to explain his motivations for the poem, giving the reader more insight into his creative process. He views the intro as a part of the poem in a sense.

George thinks that Blog Poems should be a multi media experience for the reader and his certainly are! I can highly recommend paying him a visit over at Backyard Poetry

So please sit back and enjoy what George has to share about himself and his motivation, which led to writing this excellent poem he has chosen for One Stop Poetry today

~ Claudia

Since I started writing poetry while a student at California State Long Beach in the 1980s, I strived to create poems that were provocative, and challenge the statusquo in society, politics and life. I feel it is the role of a poet to cover all aspects of living, including writing about controversial ,political ,and religious themes; issues that,unfortunately, many poets avoid. I strive to do this in different and unique ways.  It could be imagining a tourist ad for a tour of Guantanamo Bay detention camp as in my poem “Guantanamo Bay Tour,” or as in my poem “Ethnic Cleansing” musing about an ad campaign for such practices with the tagline: “Bought and sold wherever intolerance is found.”

One poetry class I took in college, which was taught by noted poet Elliot Fried, really had a lasting impact on me. Professor Fried encouraged us to look for poetry everywhere and in everything around us and to think differently about what could be a subject for a poem. He would give us an assignments where we would have to create poems off the page using video, pictures or images.

My following poem “Would the Crucifixion Have Been Televised?” is one such example of  looking for an off beat way to address the troubling state of the TV news business.

I was frustrated and tired with weeks of coverage about the death of JFK Jr.  Each year, it seems, the national press, especially the cable and TV networks, become increasingly myopic in their coverage. This is truly reflected during major news events.  They feature 24/7 coverage of one event or controversy relentlessly covering every angle. Sometimes that is justified as with 9/11, the Iraq war, or JFK’s assassination other times it is questionable as following the death of Pope John Paul and other overblown stories. It is overkill to say the least.

It got me to thinking about how other  historic events such as the Crucifixion might be covered by our modern news industry.

That led to this poem

GP

***

WOULD THE CRUCIFIXION HAVE BEEN TELEVISED?

I wonder if the crucifixion
took place today
would it be televised
non-stop?

Would the plethora of TV cable channels
cover every aspect
of the death
of Christ
on the cross?

Imagine
a press briefing
with Roman officials
explaining their actions.

Think of
profiles on the apostles,
in-depth interviews
with Jesus’ followers
and an exclusive interview
with Judas entitled:
“Why he betrayed Christ: Judas defends himself.”

Ponder the exclusive reports
with those who claim to have witnessed God’s miracles,
including a shocking profile on the blind man
who claims Christ restored his sight.

Or a story on a follower who says to have heard Jesus’ last words
or yet another who saw Jesus walk on water
or still another who witnessed Christ’s resurrection.

That would be followed by
an exclusive feature
on Mary discussing the Immaculate Conception.

This tabloid TV culture
without a doubt would turn the
the Crucifixion
into huge ratings.

All meaning ultimately
lost in the torrent of coverage
nailed relentlessly into
our empty souls and lurid imaginations.

George Pappas
Copyright 2010

One Stop Spotlight - Joy Ann Jones aka hedgewitch

It is my pleasure to introduce a poet I've come to appreciate during the last weeks for her writing and also her eloquent and sensitive commenting on other people's work.

Joy Ann blogs as Hedgewitch at Verse escape and her poems often have an epic and a bit of a "Lord of the Rings" feeling clinging to them, mingled with a dash of ancient mysteries. You may discover some of this in Joy Ann's poem "My New Dragon" below.

Enjoy the reading and make sure to pay her a visit over at Verse escape..

~ Claudia


My New Dragon

Flies above the forest
His spine a swift reticulated run
Of cloud croquet hoops,
His breath the flinty white
Of ashen cinders in the grate,
Flaring back behind him like a banner
Of all that overcomes.

                                             My New Dragon

Fought the old all summer long,
All winter in a haze of snow and fire,
Til victory was made in blurry battles
High where eyes of mortal could not peer
And now he mounts his watch above
In case his rival someday
Comes back home.

His head is turned to follow
The disappearing backside of his foe.
His three-horned crest stands tall
And watchful, full
Of secret raptor pleasures
Bone bred in dragonkind.
Though rain patters grey
turning blue as it falls
like steel on the scales of

                                            My New Dragon’s  

skin, his heart is light
And on his broad back of clouds and vapor
I go riding.

© Joy Ann Jones, November 2010

Mirror

The soul within / smooth, reflective curve
Glossy with the sheen of old smokes
Something about the light, he said
There is a wild piece of it in the dark.
It winks in the corner of the mirror,
An absent flame / the memory of a flame
Whiskered by the haze,
Reaching out to touch it you feel
First the illusion, then the fingertips finally
The smooth cold feel of the mirror
Asking which is real.

Perhaps it’s over, the light show,
The flowers powerless against the machine.
Only a curve reflecting forward
Some piece of light
To kindle the back ward glancing eye

© Joy Ann Jones, January 1988

I asked Joy Ann to share a bit about herself and her writing...

First of all, I’m very flattered to be here at One Stop Poetry, a place I consider one of the best networking sites for poets and writers on the web. The talent on display here from week to week is astonishing, and it’s a pleasure and honor to be a part of it even in a small way.

I first came to love poetry at the age of eight when I found a volume of classic poetry included in my Childcraft encyclopedia set. In a turbulent childhood, that volume was my refuge, and I read and reread poems like The Highwayman, and La Belle Dame Sans Merci til I knew them by heart. That’s when I discovered that mere words expressed in certain ways were able to create a living world of the imagination that is far more attractive and often seems more real than the mundane one we inhabit. That empowering and intoxicating combination of control and creation is what continues to make me write poetry.

In high school, I was fortunate to have a great Creative Writing teacher who took a personal interest in motivating young writers, and as her student I even won fourth place in a national competition (Atlantic Monthly) which at the time was quite heady stuff. After that, however, life intervened, and my poetry was strictly something that came pouring out when it had to, and the rest of the time was pushed aside. It’s only recently that I’ve had the resources and leisure to get back to writing. Always, though, at the hardest crossroads and in the most painful situations of my life, it was there for me, and is still the way I work through all the inarticulate forces that challenge us to the max, and of which life never seems to run out.

The writing process itself for me starts with an emotion, or a tag line in my mind that has to be written down. I jot sentences, phrases and paragraphs down as they come to me, and occasionally I get a whole poem that way. Usually, though, the lines have to be worked with, written, paired with others, and rewritten. Then I often let the poem ‘steep,’ and come back for a final microscopic go at it word for word and line by line. I often enjoy the process as much as I do the end product.

...and I was curious about how Joy Ann reads other people's works and if there is a structure when she comments, how she looks at a poem from different angles or compares with something she knows or has learned...

One of the best things about blogging poetry is that you get to see so much creativity and so many different ways of writing. When I comment at a poet’s site, I feel there are two things that are important, respect and connection. It takes courage to post your work out where everyone can see it and leave yourself open to the reactions of total strangers. Also, fundamentally all art is, at its most basic level, a giving back. I feel you have to respect that. Then, I think if someone’s work has said something to you, made you think, provoked an emotional response, or engaged you at all, it’s important to try to show the poet how s/he did that, just why that piece worked. So I try to do that when I comment, sometimes through drawing in a personal reference, or by comparison. Mostly, I want to pass on some of that encouragement I got as an adolescent when it meant so much, and share the enjoyment that poetry gives me with everyone who experiences it.

One Stop Spotlight - Roary Williams aka @CoyoteSings

Roary Williams is one of the poets I met on twitter when he re-tweeted one of my haikus. I had a look at his profile and blog "My dreams move slowly" and immediately fell in love with his poem "The Reason: for poets who have lost their way." Written in such a warm-hearted and sensitive way, it just touched my soul and I think most poets can very much relate to his words.

After following and contacting him, I found out that he has a big heart for micropoetry spread through twitter. Below, he will tell us more about his vision of using twitter as a platform for poetry, encouraging other poets and collecting twitter-poetry. I can highly recommend following him on twitter (@CoyoteSings). He will brighten up your day with the micropoetry he's spreading.

But first, enjoy a few of his poems...I won't tell you how often I've read "The Reason: for poets who have lost their way"... no, I won't...

~ Claudia


"The Reason: for poets who have lost their way"

All these poets, doing battle in their chairs,
Writing about cherry blossoms, and crows,
and gentle birds maybe flying, maybe singing,
maybe doing nothing at all
except looking pretty.

Writing about the sun, the moon, and each individual star
as if they all had names and meaning, and could talk back to us.

Writing about love, and more love, and even more love
until there is so much love we have to rent
an extra warehouse to store it all in.

Writing about beautiful melancholy, and glorious depression,
as if those things were some sort of beautiful smack
that made men keen and women swoon.

Writing about the curious, writing about the mundane,
Writing writing writing until the seats of their chairs
are stained with black spots of words.

Writing as if their lives depended on it (they don’t).
Writing as if the world needed to hear them (it doesn’t).

Writing on behalf of all humanity,
Writing on behalf of themselves,
Writing because the world is spinning
and they can’t figure out
where or when
to get off.

Writing about death,
Writing about almost dying,
Writing about death in the first, second, and third person,
from behind the fourth, fifth, and sixth wall…

And then…

a million words later, growing through the rubble,
this beautiful daisy smiles, and bows her head and says

“Thank you for thinking of me. I was sure you all had forgotten.”

and then she holds up her roots like a prom dress
and scurries off giggling, as if she were late
for a birthday party, leaving dirt
all over my desk.


________________________

micropoetry:

broken glass
this sun
that shines through you
(senryu)

***

I could not
find the words
so silence
found them
for me
(gogyohka)

***

I said it
in three words
you said it
with your eyes
closed...
(gogyohka)

***

first frost
all the stars
the night left on my lawn
(haiku)

***

inside
stars hanging on trees
outside
trees hanging on stars
silent night
(gogyohka)

***

sometimes
sparrows fly out of my poems
and I have to chase them down
and put them
into another poem
(gogyohka)

***

this desert monk
who needs no water
sits waiting
for his one flower
-cactus

***

in the dead of night
the remote conversations
of neighborhood dogs
(haiku/senryu)

***

my heart
this insistent hawk
I cannot keep down
though I stand
two feet on the ground
(gogyohka)

***

I trade sparrows
birdseed
for company
and leftover
songs
(gogyohka)

***

© Roary Williams (@CoyoteSings)


About Roary:

I live in central New Mexico, in the high desert, and have lived here since 1989. I grew up in Detroit, Michigan however. While most people on Twitter know me as a poet (I like to call myself a micropoet), I have spent more of my life as a musician. I play and write on my keyboards, which are synthesizers, but I grew up on a baby grand piano. I also played classical violin for eight years as a youth, and was in a local symphony.

But I've written poetry since I was a kid. My main influence for writing poetry is e. e. cummings. I honestly have not read many other poets, except what I came across in school. I loved cumming's use of words, punctuation, but mostly his unique ideas. Considering he was writing in the 50's, I always thought he was a poet who really broke ground in his words.

I love the idea of poetry on Twitter, and see micropoetry as a rebirth of the older Japanese poetry, such as haiku, senryu, and tanka. In the earlier times of Japanese poetry, they wrote socially, and form and content was followed strictly. It was a way for the people to connect. I see this reborn in the micropoetry of Twitter, where people connect with their poetry in an electronic social media. While much less strict, forms are still followed, albeit nothing like the traditional Japanese forms. I see myself and other micropoets as pioneers, of a sort, reinventing poetry in mostly 140 characters or less. Links to longer poetry are often ignored, but the micropoetry that finds itself into tweets is read voraciously, and through the function of retweets, talented poets are read by many people. The micropoets of Twitter often inspire each other, and work off of each other in a way that, before Twitter, was not done with the lightning speed it is done now. An idea, a theme can spread like wildfire and you can have 20 micropoets relating to each other in just a few hours, even sometimes a few minutes. Poetry has taken a resurgence on Twitter, and I think it is phenomenal.

Before I started writing micropoetry, I wrote mostly essays, and believe it or not, mostly about ferrets, posting to the Ferret Mailing List as an advocate for ferrets. I also, for a short time, wrote Bridge greetings which are short stories written about real ferrets who have died, written in order to comfort their keepers (I don't like to use the word "owners"). Ferret keepers whose ferrets had died took great comfort in the stories of their ferrets making it to the Bridge, a sort of in-between place where ferrets wait for their keepers to claim them in the afterlife. While the stories were imaginary, the ferrets and keepers were very real, dealing with difficult emotions. Writing those greetings put me very much in tune with my own deep-seated emotions, and I think it is one of the reasons that I write poetry like I do.

And while I sometimes fantasize about getting my words published, I am more connected with the idea of people on Twitter reading them almost immediately after I write them. Even if I were a published poet, I would not get the feedback and emotional response in the same way that I get it from Twitter. It also ties me, not to just readers of poetry, but to many, many other micropoets as well. It is like the micropoets of Twitter are one living, breathing organism, reading and writing words. I have found much respect amongst the micropoets I write with, and I feel respect for all of them who bravely put their words out there. It is not always such an easy thing to do, to instantaneously wear your heart on your sleeve in front of sometimes thousands of people.

Over the last 14-16 months, I have done quite a bit to encourage the micropoets, and for a long time I collected their words on blogs I created to archive them, namely the Dragonfly Collection and the Dragonfly Archives:

dragonflycollection
dragonflyarchives

It occurred to me that all this poetry I found on Twitter was just disappearing, and I wanted to preserve it the best I could. Unfortunately, archiving all the poetry worth saving was a near impossible task, simply overwhelming with 1500+ tweets of poetry being written a day. Even with the help of a lovely lady named Jenny (@gennepher, from Wales), I was not able to sustain it, although we kept it up for over eight months. School and work finally took their toll.

I wanted the micropoets on Twitter to know that their words were important, that what they worked so hard to create meant something. In my unique position, collecting micropoetry, I watched poets come and go, and watched their words and styles of writing evolve over time. I loved that aspect of it. I think it made me a better poet.

To me, micropoetry is more about the community and connections of the poets than anything else. I hope to continue writing on Twitter for a long time to come.

One Stop Poetry: Picture Prompt Challenge (Holiday Edition)

Take the Holiday Poetry Challenge!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend! Due to the hectic nature of this time of year, One Shoot Sunday will return next week in its entirety with what promises to be another spectacular interview by Chris G. It will also include a picture prompt challenge inspired by a photo from a professional photographer. 

For this week's abridged version, I offer an image I shot a couple of days ago in New York City. The scene is part of Rockefeller Center, home to the world famous Christmas tree and ice skating rink. Without revealing additional information to influence your writing, let us see what you come up with using this festive image as a prompt! As always, make sure you enjoy the creative process. Have fun with it :)

Rules:
Write a poem (or Flash Fiction 55) based on the prompt.
Then post your creation on your site.
Sign up using Mr. Linky so people can find your work.
Let us know what you are sharing by leaving a comment below.
Finally, please visit other participants & comment on their posts.

Thank you,
dustus

Challenge Time!

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

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 Spotlight - "A Life Less Illustrious" by Arron Palmer

Last Wednesday after reading Arron's One Shot entry, I got a bit stuck at his blog. Reading on, I discovered a poem that gripped me immediately - A Life Less Illustrious - a spotlight on a homeless person, written in a warmhearted and honest voice, and I'm glad Arron agreed very spontaneously to share it with us here at One Stop.

Arron only just started his blog in October and I'm looking forward to reading many more poems of his.

~ Claudia


A Life Less Illustrious

I used to look at you,
Dozens didn’t,
Rushing by with “too much to do in too little time”-
What an envious life they lived.

You’d listen to their cursing,
Wishing you could trade your ripped cords,
Your vomit-specked sleeping bag,
Your damp trainers,
Your heroin addiction

For their pin stripes,
Their Italian leather,
Their smooth chins,
And their deadlines.

You’d thank them for their ignorance,
Wishing them well for the day.
Some would apologise, “Sorry mate, only notes”,
Then walk away from your plight
To the tune of £2.10 in their trousers.

Wasn’t always so bad:
Occasionally, you’d get tossed a copper
From a busy banker on a call to Hong Kong,
Without a look like a sardine to a seal
Whose novelty had worn off at the zoo.

It probably did more for them than you:
Their good deed of the day
And conceited ego-stroke
In the bag before elevenses.

I’d bring you a bacon butty
And a cup of tea, determined
To feed only you and not your habit.
You were grateful. I was moved.

So I’d lean against your living room,
Noting that you’d never request my shoes off,
And listen to your stories,
So wonderfully told given the circumstances.

A gifted illustrator-
I still have the witty strip about you
Giving change to the bankers following the Crunch-
How we laughed.

Nearly a professional cricketer too,
Before a snapped cruciate put paid to that.
You had revealed your knee-
Wrapped in a discarded tea towel to stop
The cold adding insult to injury.

Other times, we simply talked about me.
I didn’t want to complain too much,
Or talk at length about my date next Friday,
Afraid it may offend you.

You insisted it wouldn’t and encouraged me:
Perhaps you felt able to live a slice of life
Through my trite tribulations.
Or maybe you were simply happy for me.

That had continued for a good two years,
When one morning I didn’t see you.
The suits didn’t notice the vacancy in the doorway
But I did. I fed your breakfast to the pigeons that day.

I often wonder where you went.
Did you get saved and housed and move into
Illustrating whilst listening to the Test matches
On the battery radio I gave you?

Or did you trade hope for a bottle,
And with a needle in a collapsed vein,
Follow the empties into the river?

I hope it was the former,
That I’ll see your distinctive style on the Politics page,
That I’ll pass you in the street and won’t recognise your smooth chin.
Until then, I don’t walk the Thames way to work anymore.

© Arron Palmer

"I am Arron Palmer, 21, from Leicester in England. I recently graduated as an economist but my first (and last) love has, and always will be, poetry. Those two occupations are quite opposing I suppose, so I guess I'm a Jack of all (well, two) trades and a master of none.

I have written poetry ever since I could hold a pen, but have begun to get my teeth into it seriously only ever so recently, with my poetry blog A. Palmer Poetry only a couple of months old. I read and write daily, and carry a notebook around with me. I am a walking cliche. I write best and most prolifically just as I fall asleep, and can't sleep until I have written it down. I guess you could say my method for writing is tiring...

As for the poem in the spotlight, quite literally, well it is for those who sadly don't get much sleep either. Not because they are gripped by an inconvenient artistic rush, but by the fear of constant dangers lurking in the dank city nights. I was moved by an article in a pamphlet for homeless charity CRASH, and wrote this little story very spontaneously and without much editing. I realised I felt strongly about this issue, so the ideas, feelings of both guilt and empathy and the film-like relationship rolled very quickly off the ballpoint. I hope to do more for the homeless, much more than put the topic to paper and screen, but actually help out volunteering.

But for now, I am completely honoured and extremely grateful to be given the chance to raise awareness amongst a wealth of such great talent here at One Stop Poetry."

One Shot Wednesday: Poetry Week 22

One Shot Wednesday: Poetry Week 22

Welcome to One Stop Poetry! My name is Adam Dustus, and I'll be your host for our 22nd week of One Shot Wednesday.

While it may come as no surprise that things keep moving rather quickly here at One Stop, I'd like to take this opportunity to make a few announcements...

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, email us at oneshotpoetry@gmail.com Title the email "Bookshop," and if possible, include the ISBN code.

*******

*Contest Announcement:

Okay, this contest is non-traditional, promises to be fun, and even involves video skits... Our good friend Kseverny (Richard North), the creative one-man force behind the Arts Web Show, would like to read humorous poetry during one of his next episodes (TBA). I told him the One Stop Poetry community may be able to lend him a hand in a way that promises to expose the selected poetry to a large audience. In addition, One Stop will also post what he selects. Think about it.... Could you write a poem that will make us all laugh? If so, email your entry to adamdustus@gmail.com I'll send the poems to K without names attached so he will decide on the readings. Hope you will take part in the fun!

*******

One Shot Wednesday, 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

I look forward to reading your posts.
Thank you for your participation,
dustus

One Stop Spotlight - Giovanni Cucullo

Giovanni is a New York Chef and a Writer - what a talented mixture!
I've never tasted one of his meals but I've tasted and enjoyed lots of his fantastic poetry and have to say - it's delicious.
First time I came upon Giovanni's blog the "jazz section" caught my eye, and being a saxophone player myself, his music poems touched my heart, my soul, my senses, my "everything."
And for today's spotlight, the poem on my wish list was this Jazz poem - I just love it!

Take a deep breath, enjoy and maybe you'll start to hear the seducing sound of mesmerizing saxophone tunes...(A shame we can't read with closed eyes.)
~ Claudia

Poem: aka Dig!

The earth grows out of an upright bass

and spins a walking love luster under its leg.

Dueling saxophones

throw down their bronze swords and

fly by the night

into the moaning mixture,

the howling moon;

the ferocious murmur of black and white,

the tender growl of an eighty-eight.

I travel

forever west

following incantations of a ghost drummer,

hypnotic sea-body rhythms

lure my soul

to the symbol of cymbals and crashing rhinoceri,

and the snap crackle staccato

of cool blue gurus doin’ a doobee doo doo with you know who.

The music soarrrs

through the weight of smoke

and bumps a ceiling fan.

Beebop! …and riddle-le-dee-bop!

What do you say when you wake up to a quintet of angels?

The space of music

and the piece on earth.

Knowing when to be silent

and allowing the secrets of another cadence to fall into your hands,

like the virgin rain,

like a tom tom boom,

like a good fresh funk.

Slippin’ and sliding and searchin’ and sometimes nailing the note…

as if the note was really looking for us the whole time.

Like sculpture in stone.

 

© Giovanni Cucullo

And here's some background information about Giovanni:

"Sometimes I search and scratch my way to the end of a sentence.
 I will chew on my pencil until the words write themselves on my teeth and the lines speak to me in tongues.
Sometimes, words rock and swing, floating gently down to me, like autumnal leaves marking a vibrant poet’s path; a scribe’s journey.

In Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke begs the aspiring poet to “…describe your sorrows and desires, passing thoughts and the belief in some sort of beauty.” I have always looked to the world for inspiration and have happily discovered that every time I open my heart and my mind, beauty and clarity find their way home.

For as long as I can remember, I have had this urge for printed permanence. This journey of mine will continue and I have committed myself to nurturing and feeding my thoughts, my character and my relationships with beautiful things. I will continue to seek out fellow poets who shower the world with a reservoir of sacred gifts that inspire heart and mind to dance and to share it always and ever outward."

I live in Westchester County, NY.
Pursued music for many years studying Jazz at SUNY Purchase.
Got a B.S. in Business from Iona College.
Currently a chef, restaurateur and consultant.
Recently published a cookbook dedicated to my mother called:
Ricette di Maria - Maria’s Recipes.

My Blogs:
www.giovannicucullo.wordpress.com
www.goldentable.wordpress.com
www.growthideas.wordpress.com
www.restaurantchaser.wordpress.com

I have asked Gio if he'd also share one of his recipes with us, and here it is:

Recipe: Oven Roasted Tomatoes

If you like sun-dried tomatoes, you will love these.

Halve some plum tomatoes lengthwise & remove seeds (not the core).
Place the tomatoes, cut side up, on a baking pan and season with salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs.
Slow roast in the oven for 2 hours at 300 degrees.
Remove, cool and store in mason jars, layered with fresh herbs and covered with more olive oil.
Covered in oil, they will keep in the refrigerator for 6 months and will come quite handy paired with fresh mozzarella and basil when you crave a fancier version of Caprese salad or any time you want to jazz up your favorite sandwich.

Recipe link here

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 Spotlight - Underground Poetry London

Just imagine, you get up early, leave home in a hurry, grab a coffee to go, head for the subway and as you enter the station with thousands of commuters, someone would hand you an A5 leaflet - and as you start to read, poetry mingles into your early morning schedule - and when you look at the reflection in the subway window, you see a smile on your lips...

A dream? Not in London - thanks to a creative young lady, this could really happen to you...
I'm thrilled to introduce Nina Ellis and her Underground Poetry Group...
~ Claudia  

Nina Ellis:
I live between Cambridge (I am at university there) and London, where I moved when I was fourteen -- I grew up in Paris. I started Underground Poetry in March 2010 and ran it alone until this September, when I realised I needed to get some other people on board to take it to the next level. Now the team is comprised of me, Katya Kazakevich, George Shapter, Donald Futers, Talissa Spencer-Dewhurst and Leila Morad. We publish as many people as we can -- there are about thirty Underground Poets at the moment -- and the number of distributors also varies and is growing. We welcome anyone who wants to get involved.

Diver

a poem by Lizzy Dening

Nina, how and when did you get the idea to hand out poems to London subway travelers?

I got the idea when travelling on the Tube last March. I have always found other Tube travellers really interesting -- I love looking at the people around me and wondering what their stories are. It's strange, in a way, that we're all packed into a carriage like that, so close together, and yet don't know anything about each other. I think encouraging the connection and interaction of Tube-travelling strangers is a really positive, mind-opening thing to do. And since I see poetry as a sort of snapshot into its author's world-view, it makes sense as a way of achieving that sort of interpersonal connection. So we hand out poetry by Tube travellers to Tube travellers to give them insights into each other's lives and minds... And of course to cheer them up on their commute!


How do the commuters react to this - are they surprised or alienated?

They're usually surprised and happy. We do get some funny responses though, like "A free phone?" (no, it's a free POEM) or "How much does it cost?" (I said a FREE poem). But often people will ask for several to give to their families, colleagues or students, which is wonderful; or they'll be very grateful and supportive, which of course is so encouraging.


Do you get feedback from the travelers?

Yes, and UP is based on their feedback: they read the poems we hand out and send their own poetry to the email address printed beneath them... And then we print it the following month. Usually they do send messages with the poems. They're always really positive and encouraging, and often quite moving. It makes me so happy to read them and know that by doing this we're really touching people, emotionally and intellectually.


Are you working together with other groups or have you heard about something like this existing in other cities?

No, this is the first thing I've heard of that does this. People have asked to start UP projects in their own cities, so we're thinking about how we could do that. But yes... We love collaborating with other artists and art activists -- for instance, we're putting on a Live Poetry and Music night at the Troubadour in London on January 7th (see the website or Facebook group for more details), at which Underground Poets will be performing alongside musicians and artists. And of course all of our leaflets, and the logo, are designed by the artist George Shapter. So we do believe strongly in collaboration; we think sharing our art and ideas is the key to inspiration and fulfilment. That's why we do what we do.


What are your plans for the future?

To keep the Underground Poetry movement going and growing!

Also, here is our Manifesto:

"The goal of the Underground Poetry movement is to bring London Underground travellers into meaningful contact with each other through poetry: we hand out poems written by travellers to other travellers for free on the Tube. We believe that these poems act as social snapshots, as glimpses into their authors' worlds. By distributing them on the Underground we aim to give Londoners the opportunity to see life from each others' widely varying points of view. This process promotes empathy and tolerance, and appeals to a natural human curiosity about the man in the yellow socks who got on at Finsbury Park (or whoever). Of course, the Underground Poetry movement also encourages the day-to-day writing and reading of poetry. Every leaflet we print features our website and email addresses, so that the recipient can send in their poetry to be published by us the following month.

Underground Poetry was founded in March 2010. Since then we have printed and distributed a new batch of poems every month. Submissions have risen to over one hundred per month, and we now publish at least a thousand leaflets in each issue, featuring between five and twenty different poems. Printing is cheap and simple: we photocopy templates onto A4 paper, and cut each sheet into two A5 flyers, which we distribute. Since March, the Underground Poetry team has increased from one person to ten (including a treasurer, a web director and an art director, amongst others) and the founder and editor has been interviewed for a leading online poetry magazine. We have had a great deal of encouragement and enthusiastic support throughout, and have recently received requests to set up Underground Poetry in Bristol and Toronto. Word is spreading.

At the moment we are looking for funding to cover printing and website costs, so that Underground Poetry can support itself. It is not expensive to run: at the moment it costs us less than fifty pounds per month, though we would like to increase output in the near future."


Poetry submissions

We welcome submissions of any kind of poetry (or lyrics, or very very short stories), provided it will fit onto an A5 sheet of paper. It does not have to be about the Underground, but can be if you'd like it to be. We prefer to publish poems that Tube travellers can identify with, and that have about them a sense of joy and hope -- the Underground is dark and grimy enough as it is.

Email address for submissions is poetryonthemove@googlemail.com

 

Nina Ellis (middle) and her team 

Thank you Nina!  

All the best for you, your team and the fantastic work, you're doing!

One Shot Wednesday - Week 20

One Shot Wednesday - Week 20

Hi and welcome! My name is Pete Marshall and I am your host tonight. Quite a few things have been going on at One Stop Poetry this week and I have quite a few things to update you on. Firstly we have opened a forum, One Stop Poetry..After Hours. This forum is for you so please use it. Tonight is its official launch so presently there are no discussions but if you would like to start any please visit After Hours and familiarize yourself with how the site works.

This weeks One Shoot Sunday was a special feature on the plight of Homelessness. This has received such a great response that we have decided to keep this open until next Sunday and encourage all of you to write or share something with us about this hard hitting subject.

Next I would like to announce that One Stop Poetry is now open to submissions. Spotlighting poets on One Stop is a great honor and something that we take great pleasure in and will continue to do so, but we also realize that sometimes we might miss something that is worth publishing in its own right. Sometimes you might discover something or write something that is worthy of promoting and we at One Stop would like to hear about this. If you feel you have something to contribute, whether this is art, photography, poetry, fiction and so forth please contact us at oneshotpoetry@gmail.com for our consideration.

On a last note, when we set up One Shot Wednesday, the term One Shot referred to just that. We had no rules nor expectations, commenting was your choice, you could comment on as many or as little as you wished, what we wanted was for poets to have a platform and to be able to share their work. Sometimes having a blog can be a lonely world...One Shot gives you that platform to be noticed and introduce your poetry to the world. Please do not feel that commenting has to be a challenge...a word that I misused myself last week. When we write poetry we do so for the love of the craft and when we chose to comment we do so because we want to. I love reading others poetry and will try and read as many as I can. I wont do it all in one day..I will take my time. At times it is not possible to read everyone's but it will still not stop me from loving poetry and promoting poets through One Stop. We have a great team here and wonderful support from all our readers. One Stop & One Shot, in particular, is growing lets enjoys its growth and embrace this platform together.

Okay enough of me! If you are new to One Shot 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

Lastly One Shot Wednesday is my favorite time of the week, I love writing a new, exclusive poem, each week and enjoy the poetry that is shared....Happy One Shot....Pete

One Stop Spotlight - Anton Gourman

Visiting Anton on Forpuck and reading his poems feels a bit like meeting him in a café; you sit down, have a cappuccino and he would just start to talk about his taxi ride from the airport or his latest flight - very naturally, honest and straight-forward - and as you listen, you'd start to see all the tiny details, impressions and deep emotions, he weaves into his stories. By the time you finished your drink, you think you may know him a bit better and may detect some footprints his poetry has left on your soul.

Curious? Then grab a cup of coffee and get ready to meet him...you by the way can talk to him in English, Russian, Swedish and French.
~ Claudia  



sweden, october 2010

I ride on studded tyres to get to you
This land forgets forgiveness in August
Undress
Shed
Take of all you wear, country
We’ll meet when you are naked
and I comfortable

I ride on studded tyres just as
we once
drove north
through snow
towards tomorrow,
a case of gangsta rap in the Mitsubishi

Each passed day shears
Another thimble off my memories
And so I’ve fled the cruelty
of sunrise at ten
and sunset at four
for longer days

For longer days.


© 2010 by Anton Gourman


I was born in Moscow in 79 and moved to Stockholm when I was six. Raised in the suburbs, I moved to London in 2006, after a brief stint in Brussels. My first foray into poetry was in 2001, and it took me about eight months to run out of bitterness and inspiration. It was one of those hurt-love affairs and was, in hindsight, a bit soppy.

I came back to poetry in the summer of 2010. I would like to claim that it was always just a matter of time, but that would be a lie, so instead I'll say this: it was only a matter of time. I also photograph and have drawn, periodically.

I'm inspired by cities and by people, by lust and passion, melancholy, pain, depression. I tend to write quickly and edit only a little bit. The blog has allowed me to get in touch with some people who have been very helpful, for which I am grateful. I must admit to not knowing anything about poetry, and the only poets I find easy to read are Cohen and Bukowski, although Yeats, Lowell, Borges, Thomas and others can be found on my shelf. Mostly, my inspiration is drawn from prose fiction and a lot of cold-war sci-fi.

Puck is one of my three sisters. She says she reads my blog, although i don't always believe her.

One Stop Poetry Spotlight: Dulce

Today I have the honor or turning the spotlight on a very passionate poet, Dulce. I honestly don't know where I met Dulce the first time, but if you drop by Sweeter Poetry, you will understand why I stick around.

Dulce has been writing poetry since she was a teenager, mostly in Spanish, and only for herself. She fell in love with lanuguage and literature and after reading so many great poets/poems at University, she started writing in english.

Today Dulce is 45 and an English Language teacher, teaching english to adults in Gran Canaria-Canary Islands. Enjoy! ~Brian

                                               Woman Coming from the Water by Fusunyeremyam

Perfect
This much I’ve learnt:

Cannot be always right
So hardly ever- in fact.
My knowledge
Keeps on being
That imperfect union
Between the outside
And myself.

But that constant link
With all its imperfections
Does not undermine
The importance of that bond
Of one thing
To the other...


My poetry is a reflection of what I have experienced in life, not only (though especially) love, but also any other human concerns. It's the best way to me to open my soul and get to understand my life and life in general. ~Dulce

Figure it out

I’ve disappeared through

These sheets and walls

That’s not only

Figurative.

From that start

When our hearts lost control

Knowing we were born

To grow apart

But still we insisted on

Sailing to non-existent isles.

Missing days filled

With memories

Of broken stars

As I woke up.

I’ve waited

I’ve dreamt

I’ve felt jealous and

As furious as a bear

…And I loved you

Anyway…

We could not catch the rainbow

But it was there for us to stare

From anywhere

…And you loved me

Anyway…

Guess that’s just

Figurative

One Shot Wednesday: Poetry ~ Week 19

One Shot Wednesday - Week 19

Welcome to One Shot Wednesday! My name is Brian Miller, on behalf of the team here at One Stop Poetry, I will be your host this evening. I don't know about you, but for me this is a highlight of my week, the opportunity to interact with some of the best of best poets in the blogosphere. Look forward to seeing what you brought to the party!

Have a great One Shot everyone!

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

1) post a poem on 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. Tell them how you feel when your are reading, encourage and interact with them

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

One Stop Spotlight - Terresa Wellborn & her Poetry

Each time, I visit Terresa at "The Chocolate Chip Waffle", I'm spellbound by the way she weaves words into poetry. I told her that sometimes I picture her as the "Queen of words", wielding a magic wand, the words tumbling across the page, willingly submitting to what flows out of her pen with tremendous ease and obediently falling into their perfect places. She seems to write effortlessly - lightweight - naturally and to read her works often feels like bathing in moonlight to me. I asked her to not only share one of her poems, but also to tell us a bit of the writing process and of what writing means to her.
~ Claudia 


Enjoy what she's written for us...

Ideas reach my shore and I write. I consider the place I draw my inspiration from an ocean, ebbing, flowing, unfathomable, refracting light while containing great depths. I dive for words, draw them out and set them into the landscape of my writing, float them across a page.

In a New York Times essay, Maryanne Wolf, in an attempt to answer the question, “Why read books if we can’t remember what’s in them?” responded, “You are the sum of it all.” I approach writing that way: everything I read, see, doubt, and dream feeds into it. My writing, in a way, is the sum of my experience.

Quoting Thoreau, “I make it my business to extract from Nature whatever nutriment she can furnish me, though at the risk of endless iteration. I milk the sky and the earth.” This is how I write, taking from nature and life, wrenching sky and earth and everything in between. It is exhausting, it is work, it is play.  I also like to make up words when I write, and as Baudelaire said, "If the word doesn't exist, invent it."  And I do.
I appreciate the creativity poetry allows me. I would forfeit everything I have in order to write, to stay constantly in that creative zone, but it's not possible. Instead, I rise with so much to love, to read, to share, and as ideas reach my shore in waves, I write.



The Guests

I drove, a solitary sail into the mouth of the night,
to the Wasatch edge where I saw her, a deer,
head bent to a pool of green,
and you, a flung star.
How we wanted her, like a hooked dream, awash
in our own brine. We poured,
paired cups of disbelief and tremulous now,
gathered guests at a table only she knew how to give.
We took her in, a blur of tan and heaving life,
her heart written out in hoof and tail twitch,
and us, captured on the deck of that dark night,
fish, even,
swallowed.

--Terresa Wellborn

© 2010 by Terresa Wellborn. All rights reserved.


Terresa Wellborn has a BA in English Literature from Brigham Young University, an MLIS from San Jose State University. Her poem, “A Different Leaving,” was recently highlighted on Nic Sebastian's Whale Sound, and her essay, “Seeing” will be published in the journal, Segullah, spring 2011. She blogs at "The Chocolate Chip Waffle"

One Shot Wednesday - Week 18

Welcome to One Shot Wednesday - Week 18

On behalf of all the team at One Stop Poetry, I welcome you to another One Shot Wednesday. 

I am Claudia Schönfeld and will for the first time be your host this evening.

Since One Shot Wednesday got started, it soon became one of my weekly highlights. 

I enjoy the poetry, the amazing creativity and the different personalities and styles.

It's such a good place to learn from one another and get inspired by each other's writings and - last but not least - meet fantastic people and build relationships!

Thank you for taking part and - let the fun begin!

~ Claudia

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

1) post a poem on your blog

2) Link your poem to One Shot using Mr Linky, where the prompt asks put the URL for the poem there. The URL is the web address for your poem

3) Visit other One Shot Poets. Tell them how you feel when your are reading, encourage and interact with them

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

One Stop Spotlight - Luke Prater

Luke lives in rural South-West England with a Mac, a guitar or two, a silent fridge and a brain that won’t switch off.
I stumbled right into his WordSalad a few weeks ago and immediately loved the taste of the ingredients he mixes in an imaginative and skilled way - so I can highly recommend to jump over there and enjoy his formidable and tasty word-salad creations..
Luke also runs a Facebook poetry crit group and will provide more information about this below.
The poem he chose for us is a Villanelle - one of Luke's favorite forms of poetry - enjoy!
~ Claudia

To Ashes (villanelle)

The fire was lit, the pyre a plume,

a wedding day became a wake;

deep red the wine, and black the moon.

A darking day for bride and groom,

of burning flesh it stank, the cake.

The fire was lit, the pyre a plume.

Sick shades of grey creep-skulking loom

as ash descends upon the lake.

Deep red the wine, and black the moon.

Throats parched, they prayed for long monsoon;

just sullied lake, and wine, to slake.

The fire was lit, the pyre a plume.

See ashen-face and ash impugn,

mere ashes of his wife to take.

Deep red the wine, and black the moon.

The daybreak grey they can't presume

as steps into the distance make.

The fire was lit, the pyre a plume,

deep red the wine, and black the moon.

© Luke Prater

And here is some information about the Facial Expression Poetry Circle:

About seven months ago I had the idea to use the Facebook Group platform to start a group specifically so poets could post their work, read the work of others, and in particular give and receive constructive criticism, which I find to be lacking in other places. Often poets are afraid to offer honest feedback to their peers because they don't want to cause any offence, but also because (and this really does happen a lot, it seems), no matter what the quality of the work, positive, back-slapping feedback is given because it pleases the poet, and the commenter knows they will get a similar response in return on their work. This is fine, but how does that help me learn? How will I see that I have a tendency to, for instance, end my free-verse pieces on a single line in an effort to come full-circle and 'wrap things up' (I see this again and again and do it myself sometimes), when it is redundant because I have said all that, and more, in the body of the poem? Constructive crit/honest feedback (with tact, of course), is truly the greatest gift a peer can give. Our poet friends can actually do us a disservice by continually evading pointing out a penchant for cliched phrasing when on a certain topic. Please, tell me! How else will I learn? 

Now we have a strong, busy group with several other admins, and we learn very fast in that give-and-take, collaborative environment. It is also a lot of fun. I know I have much to learn. There are many many of these groups on Facebook, all shapes and sizes, but I have purposefully kept Facial Expression Poetry Circle smaller and more intimate - though we take anyone who requests to join. Novice poets either take the crit, work hard and become decent poets very quickly, or stop posting - simply because they aren't yet ready to take honest feedback. One has to be in a place where not too much of the ego is invested in the poem and the poet is open to learning. I love blogging, but if someone forced me to choose between the blog and the Poetry Groups I would be with the Groups. My blog is a showcase of my polished pieces, but the Group is where I learn to write poetry. This is more important for me. New members, as I said, are welcome. Are you ready to take the crit? Great. Let's do it.