Over the past few months I have found it impossible to conjour up the time I need to spend on the poets forum and so I have decided to offer this domain for sale. If you are interested in buying the domain, just send me an offer via the contact me page.
You will see the odd advert being displayed on this site. For this I make no apology; currently the site is subsidised by my other sites so that I can hopefully improve here. In the near future, I hope to be able to introduce a search list to allow people to find poems by a particular contributing author. So please do keep coming back and if you really want to help a struggling poet then register with my cashback site www.247cashback.co.uk or if cashback is of no interest, (nice eh), then use www.ThriftySpider.co.uk and make purchases via the links there. Thanks for your support Rob
Everyone I am sure, would love to see their work published in a book or magazine. So, I would interested to hear about any success you have had. Not necessarily paid success although that would be really good to know about. The point is you might be able to throw some light on the subject and maybe offer some advice about how to get started, the pitfalls, how lucrative it is etc. Why not share your story with us?
Our first submission to the Anthology entitled ‘WHEN YO SAY NO”, is a very powerful poem from Geoffrey Smith that many, many people will be able to associate with and know exactly the emotions behind the words. Excellent piece Geoffrey, thanks. Click here to read…
As I am sat at my computer on this bleak Sunday morning – it snowed here during the night; now ice cold rain is dancing on the conservatory roof. Having just checked my email, I noticed I have another member to the Poets Forum. This might sound odd but, it really cheers me up when a new member signs up.
So, I was just wondering where you all come from and how you spotted the forum and thought it would be nice if you felt that you could introduce yourself.
Looking forward to hearing from you - Rob
Hi, I was just pondering, (I seem to like that word), anyway as I say I was just pondering about what people would like to see included in the Poets Forum. Unlike a lot of sites, I just don’t have the resources to offer fantastic prize money for competitions. The important thing for me is that people come here who love poetry. So any suggestions are most welcome as are comments on my work; don’t worry I won’t be offended if you don’t like my poems but, I will be ecstatic if you do.
Enough about me, I am sure that all my members have some excellent poems to show off and I am eager to publish your work on the anthology page of this site for the pleasure of all my visitors.
As we sat and watched the Remembrance Day parade at the Cenotaph yesterday, we felt truly humbled. All those Man and Women who took part were so proud. It is quite a sobering thought that we really do owe our freedom to all these people especially those that gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Unfortunately, wars will always happen and as I often say, when you are in a state of high emotion, it really can spark your creative side into action. There are literally thousands of poems written on active duty and some of the authors have become very well known. Probably one of the most famous war poets is Wilfred Own. On reading Dulce Et Decorum Est, (Sweet and fitting it is), you are almost transported to the trenches. Such courage in this living hell makes you appreciate a more mundane life…
Dulce Et Decorum Est
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of disappointed shells that dropped behind.GAS! Gas! Quick, boys!- An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And floundering like a man in fire or lime.
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, -
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Wilfred Owen
The other day I was pondering and looking over some of my poems; pieces I actually wrote some time ago. I came across an attempt at a sonnet which I had entitled ‘A Sonnet to Tracey (my friend for life)’ and is dedicated to my wife. We met on the 21st June, (the summer solstice).
If you have ever written or tried to write a sonnet, you will know how difficult they are to master. Shakespeare, on the other hand is reported to have composed a plethora of sonnets. The actual figure seems to be a little cloudy but it appears that he can be credited with well over 100 works of this type.
If you would like to read my only sonnet, click here…
Hi everyone, just a little reminder that when you send in your poetry, we need you do identify that it is your work by simply by adding either the copyright symbol or the word ‘copyright’ before your name. We can then showcase your piece for everyone to read and enjoy.
The thing about poetry is that you don’t have to be Wordsworth to write poems. If you like jotting down a few lines and you like what you’ve written then that’s all that really matters. Yes, you can be sure that the purists out there will knock you back. So what, at least you’re doing something creative and the more you can express yourself in the written word, the better you become at communicating.
Well that’s my opinion anyway. Poetry really has no boundaries, you can write about what ever you want to. So come on get your pen out and be creative.
Inspiration comes in many forms and you never really know when or what will inspire you. In my experience you just have to accept that sometimes it’s not going to happen. On the other hand, I find that great inspiration comes when your emotions are high. This could be when you are sad, due to something terrible happening such as a close member of your family or indeed a friend dying. The dreadful 9 11 attack spawned a myriad of beautiful yet poignant poems as did the tragic death of Princess Diana. One thing is certain, if you try to force your work, it will look laboured and you won’t be happy with it. So, when you get any amount of inspiration, even just a single line, write it down and that fantastic mind of yours will work for you when you least expect it.
