www.theblisspages.com - poetry
home :
board games :
computers :
kiting :
music :
poetry :
SF :
wine :
diabetes :
travel :
yoga :
new age :
miscellaneous :
politics :
about me :
salsa dance :
services :
feedback :
help
stories on this page: my poems :
contributed poems : a meeting at Samhain
: a miscellany of kettle poems
: anthem tears
: Bom-Banes Rosi's tinted spectacles
: boy
: fireworks
: flame
: guising
: how to make lots of runs
: miming silence
: mouth cabaret
: Murray Lachlan Young
: national poetry day
: National Poetry Day 7 October 2004
: notes inegales
: olympics 2008
: resolution
: seeking sun spots
: smoke signal
: the child people
: the Fuse is lit
: the hurry exercise
: the intruders
: The Mad Laugh at Us
: This OBE is Not for Me
: winter
:
creative resources : links
: Maria's book launch
: 'colours of your mind' workshop
: All Hallows Eve 2006
: another 15 minutes of fame
: bibliography
: creative writing
: creative writing workshop
: eclipse
: elemental, my dear watson
: hove festival 2008: poets cornered
: hove festival 2008: St Barnabas
: interesting words
: is it the medium, or is it the message?
: is this a blog or a website?
: new moon rising
: playwright in residence scheme 2005
: poets corner fun day in Hove
: poets cornered
: poets cornered: olympian evening
: promise or threat?
: sanctuary january 2006
: sanctuary march 2006
: sanctuary november 2005
: sanctuary october 2008
: Science: Threat or promise?
: slow time workshop
: songwriting with Heidi Berry
: stasis
: the pen is mightier than the sword...
: the web as a tool for poems and creative writing
: time: real and imaginary
: topical poetry workshop
expand all stories :
summarise all stories :
show stories normally
Why have I created a poetry page?
I've always had a love-hate relationship with poetry. I love words, and English
was always my favourite subject at school.
I remember reading 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' by Alfred Tennyson during
a competition at my grammar school, Sir George Monoux. The rolling, resonant
tones of my memories were probably scratchy and timorous in my barely-broken
adolescent voice, but I can still feel the words going through my mind:
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
Other poetry had less impact, and seemed to veer from vacuous to pretentious.
But then, I discovered Dylan Thomas, and everything changed.
See Under Milk Wood and A Child's Christmas in Wales.
what is this page for?
Firstly, it is a resource. Useful tools, useful sites, useful techniques -
all are grist to my mill.
Secondly, a showcase and a place to share poetry and invite comments and contributions.
If you have an iPod or want to listen to my poetry, you can subscribe to my poetry feed.
You need iTunes or another RSS Reader. If you just want to listen now, click on my RSS reader.
I will post more information shortly.
showcase
my poems
See my poems in alphabetical order:
'tween Halloween and Christmas
: (un)inspired by...
: ...rooms
: 1571
: 1984
: 4' 33"
: a blur of red
: a car is a car is a car
: a grand day out
: a new year
: a rotting heap of leaves
: a tale of two laptops
: a...
: acrostic poem
: after Eden
: after the fifteen minutes…
: air
: alternate
: american haiku
: animal farm
: another day, another city
: another new year...
: another start
: another upbeat poem
: anti-social networking
: aroma therapy
: as devious as...
: as the dust settles
: autumn
: autumnal morning
: awakening
: bad sign
: bad taste
: bad tuesday
: bag lady
: bangkok tuesday
: bauble
: beach huts
: beachy head
: bear market
: bees
: bell
: bell-curve
: black
: black salamander
: blackout
: blue rinse
: books
: breathless in Burgess Hill
: broken promises
: bulb
: burning crusade
: busy tone
: calories
: can I call you back?
: candle
: card
: careering
: carnivore
: carved carrots
: catastrophe (cat-as-trophy)
: CCTV
: ceremony
: change of pace
: chaos theory
: chardonnay
: christmas cards
: christmas memories
: clearing
: clip-clop
: come in please, your time is up
: contemplating the void
: cotton wool
: cotton-wool
: count on me
: couples
: cross(ed) lines
: cyclical thoughts
: damaged goods
: dancers
: devil's dyke
: Digital Dorothy
: dinosaur
: disenchantment
: diwali
: does my bum look big on this?
: dollars spent on war, but no cents
: don't cycle on the pavement
: don't knock it
: don't look now
: dread
: dumb blond?
: eat me!
: echoes
: eclipse
: ecosystem
: edge of the tracks
: election
: election count
: elegy to a friend
: elemental
: elliptical bodies
: emporium
: escargot
: eternal love
: existentialist rant plus support
: extinction
: fall
: falling asleep
: favourite restaurants
: fears in solitude
: festival poem
: filled
: finger nails on a blackboard
: fire and ice
: fire place
: flickering flame
: flight
: flying high
: found
: free the mind
: fresh fruit
: fruit salad retro
: fugue in F minor
: genetic changes, changes change
: genetic mutation
: ghost
: ghost bikes
: ghost forest
: girl mad
: glass
: global warming
: global warming
: graffiti party
: grey
: guy fawkes' revenge
: halloween
: happiness
: happy endings
: happy?
: have a nice day
: hazy days
: HD life
: headache
: height
: holiday
: home alone
: home alone 2
: hopeless
: how do you fall out of love?
: I am Genghis Khan
: I am not stressed
: I can hear voices
: I hate Christmas
: I love Christmas
: I won't see her again
: I wonder
: I'm dreaming of...
: I've started...
: identity
: if I were a superhero
: If you go down to the tube today...
: in my tangled mind
: in the distance
: intersections
: intrusion
: is it good - or is it bad?
: is it good, or is it bad?
: it's funny
: just a small one
: just one of the crowd
: karma
: karmic chameleon
: knives
: leaves
: lent
: life's a beach
: lights and lungs
: lists
: LOLspeak
: loneliness of the long-distance commuter
: looking
: loss
: loss
: lost and found
: lost in the moment
: love
: lovely day
: maasdam
: man's best friend?
: Marisa
: meditation
: metal rose
: mirror
: missed opportunities
: mistletoe
: moment of lust
: moments
: mono log
: mousing
: my brother
: my cup of tea
: my last fifty pence
: my name is mike bliss
: my recession
: naked
: network woes
: new house - new beginning
: new season
: newton's apples
: niarly there
: nineteen years
: not quite what I'd planned...
: objects
: ode to a chip
: ode to www.theblisspages.com
: olympic spirit
: on the plane
: one
: one vote (true story)
: one word
: origami
: outed
: pandora's box
: parasynthetic poetry
: pebbles
: performance
: performance
: perspective
: peter
: petrol
: pleasure gardens
: plinth proclamation
: poetic Christmas
: poetic moment
: pointillism
: pole position
: political correctness and hypocrisy
: post-valentine blues
: pram
: pre-xmas surprise
: press gang
: pro mise
: procrastination - a triptych
: profound poetry
: quality
: queen of spades
: rainy evening
: red lights from Victoria
: redemption: broken dreams
: redemption: choices
: redemption: cocktail
: redemption: emancipation
: redemption: news
: redemption: prison
: redemption: tenebrous times
: remember remember
: resolution
: retreat
: revenge of the tooth fairy
: ridge
: ridgeway
: Roll up! Roll up!
: rom-con
: routine Monday morning
: rush
: sad sonnet
: saying the wrong thing
: school for scandal
: sea the dolphins
: second chance
: secret scene
: see the leaves
: senses
: shadow
: shattered
: shine your shoes?
: slow time
: smoking may damage your health...
: so here we are
: so near and yet so far
: solidarity
: songs of innocence and of experience
: speechless
: spilt wine
: spiralling down
: St John's Wood
: sticky mornings
: strange days
: street view
: summer plumage
: surreal voice recognition
: table
: tea cosy
: that certain age
: that sudden stab of desire
: the arboretum
: the audience
: the ballad of the sea-bass
: the beast with two backs
: the bliss of being single
: the code in my head
: the communication byway
: the critic
: the dawning
: the day the tide went out
: the deathly lament
: the downside of being single
: the dripping tap
: the everyone post
: the final poem
: the grate game
: the great game
: the hunt
: the invention of the spare room
: the key
: the knife
: the labyrinth
: the last time I cried
: the lie
: the man in the moon
: the naked cyclist
: the naked poet
: the office plant
: the old, old, story
: the overlooked
: the paper
: the perfect crime
: The Poem Created For Salsa Holiday
: the problem with religion
: the quintessential Englishman
: the reaping
: the remedy was always the same
: the rind of the ancient marinade
: the romantic
: the room
: the second kiss
: the song of the age
: the spare room of invention
: The squirrel inside
: the stalker
: the Thames whale
: the thespian
: the treatment
: the vision
: the weight of luck
: the wind in my face
: things that I miss
: this is the way...
: this time next week
: this too will change
: Thomas Edison killed me
: three-quarters over
: tick followed tock...
: time of goodwill
: time to get help
: time to move on
: tin
: tin can
: tock
: towering infernal
: train of Babel
: tree
: trick or treat?
: turn the other cheek?
: twas...
: twitchers
: two decrees of separation
: two views
: umbrella
: upon my soul
: valentine
: vanishing world
: view from the balcony
: viral communication
: waiting
: waiting
: waiting for godot
: waiting for inspiration
: wasted vote?
: west pier
: what I did at the weekend
: what?
: when
: who am eye? a triptych
: who said life is easy?
: why are you looking at me?
: wind
: wine
: yellow
: you for coffee?
: you say potato...
my poems follow in date order - most recent first.
Hint: to print an individual poem, it's better to summarise the page and click on a poem to see it on its own page:
I welcome comments, so please send
them to me, or you can click on the 'give feedback' link on every poem.
expand all stories :
summarise all stories :
show stories normally
new season
an optimistic poem...
read more...
loss
Liz Lundin, a stalwart of the Poets Cornered group, died in December 2011. This is for her
read more...
procrastination - a triptych
we did a workshop on the theme of procrastination, but I only just got round to posting the three poems I wrote...
read more...
vanishing world
inspired by the book "vanishing world"
read more...
another start
I was sitting in front of the computer this morning, sun streaming in, and was inspired...
read more...
another day, another city
I was inspired by a hand-drawn map by Charles. I remembered some of the far-flung places I have visited
read more...
after the fifteen minutes…
I combined two exercises, one writing from the viewpoint of someone (in)famous, and a random phrase from a book of poetry - 'the forgotten man'
read more...
who said life is easy?
We were given two sentences, one as the title and one as the first/last line.
My 'sentences' were "The everyone post" and "Who said life is easy?"
read more...
the everyone post
We were given two sentences, one as the title and one as the first/last line.
My 'sentences' were "The everyone post" and "Who said life is easy?"
read more...
a grand day out
I was given some words to include: puddle, penguins, break, canopy, cotton, riot, passion, juxtaposition, police, and spoon, though I subverted some e.g. canapé for canopy
read more...
anti-social networking
Simone Back overdosed at Christmas, posting, "Took all
my pills be dead soon so bye bye everyone", and although some 'friends' lived
within walking distance, nobody took effective action until it was too late. What
would you have done?
read more...
don't knock it
a poem about computers and jobs...
read more...
LOLspeak
a poem about technology
read more...
one
There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who don't
read more...
shattered
this was inspired by pieces of a friend's mirror shattered in her handbag,
the Filipino politician who caught his killer's gun in a family photo, and Gabrielle
Giffords, shot by a deranged student for not adequately answering a grammatical
question
read more...
pram
inspired by another Xmas cracker joke
read more...
the dawning
inspired by some sentences from a selection of books, including one by Euripides, Gibran's The Prophet, and a rom-com (mine)
read more...
extinction
inspired by a Xmas cracker joke
read more...
glass
inspired by thinking about glass
read more...
objects
we had to choose four objects, then pass them on to the next poet
read more...
pointillism
I was inspired to write this by a line of Thomas Hardy's 'Afterwards'
read more...
filled
inspired by a workshop in a sex shop
read more...
moment of lust
inspired by a workshop in a sex shop
read more...
naked
dedicated to the misguided Tory councillor who thinks the human body is indecent
read more...
the invention of the spare room
For this exercise, I was given the word 'invention' and the location 'spare room'
read more...
the spare room of invention
For this exercise, I was given the word 'invention' and the location 'spare room'
read more...
happy?
This poem was based on a story in The Sun, about a survey on over fifties being happier
read more...
man's best friend?
This poem was based on some stories in The Sun, about several dogs falling from cliffs and a teenager killed on a railway line as she tried to save her dog
read more...
the paper
I was writing poems about stories in The Sun, but this is about the paper itself
read more...
the lie
This poem was based on a story in The Sun, about a survey on lying
read more...
election
I wrote this poem at a poets cornered workshop two days before the 2010 general election
read more...
one vote (true story)
the year I moved into Burgess Hill, I had my first non-wasted vote ever
read more...
wasted vote?
Baron von Thunderclap stood for the Moster Raving Loonies in mid-Sussex in 2010. He received 259 votes
read more...
a car is a car is a car
celebrating my new car...
read more...
found
the theme of this poets cornered workshop was lost and found
read more...
lent
the theme of this poets cornered workshop was lost and found, and I stretched this to lent (also the time of the year)
read more...
lost and found
the theme of this poets cornered workshop was lost and found
read more...
the ballad of the sea-bass
the theme of this poets cornered workshop was the sea
read more...
the song of the age
a celebration of my recent retirement
read more...
after Eden
I wrote this during a poets cornered workshop. I had to avoid the word 'snake'
read more...
tick followed tock...
I wrote this during a poets cornered workshop, inspired by St Patrick's Day
read more...
lost in the moment
After writing no poetry for three months, I wrote three in one evening, inspired by the resumption of poets cornered workshops. I thought this up in the car on the way to the venue.
read more...
poetic moment
After writing no poetry for three months, I wrote three in one evening, inspired by the resumption of poets cornered workshops. I met someone I haven't seen for nearly a year, and my memories didn't do her justice...
read more...
the hunt
After writing no poetry for three months, I wrote three in one evening, inspired by the resumption of poets cornered workshops. I missed the exercise which was on cats, so wrote it after I reached home
read more...
busy tone
Themes for today's poets cornered workshop included - Pearl Harbour day,
- millions on anti-depressants,
- busiest shopping day,
- 100th soldier shot in Afghanistan, and
- support for depressives
read more...
have a nice day
Themes for today's poets cornered workshop included - Pearl Harbour day,
- millions on anti-depressants,
- busiest shopping day,
- 100th soldier shot in Afghanistan, and
- support for depressives
read more...
home alone 2
I'm really looking forward to Christmas...
read more...
waiting for godot
I wrote this whilst waiting to hear if my application for early retirement was successful (It was!). If I had been rejected, I would have lost much of my eventual pension as the rules are changing
read more...
turn the other cheek?
Sometimes something small can be the last straw, the final nail, or the detonator - my SKY+ box failed, leaving me with no TV, and potentially losing 40 hours of recorded programs. footnote: it's back, and I'm feeling better
read more...
ghost forest
The theme for tonight's poets cornered workshop was 'imagine you're a tree', and I thought of the Ghost Forest exhibition in Trafalgar Square
read more...
mono log
The theme for tonight's poets cornered workshop was, 'imagine you're a tree'
read more...
my brother
'Saying the wrong thing' was the theme for this week's poets cornered workshop
read more...
saying the wrong thing
'Saying the wrong thing' was the theme for this week's poets cornered workshop
read more...
pre-xmas surprise
car problems
read more...
how do you fall out of love?
unreciprocated love can be difficult for both parties
read more...
books
For this weeks poets cornered workshop, I was given the theme 'where do forest rangers go to get away from it all?'
read more...
fire and ice
a reflection on love
read more...
broken promises
the theme for tonight's poets cornered workshop was 'oaths' or 'oafs'
read more...
hopeless
It's hard to let go
read more...
dancers
Francine bought a skein of scarves along to poets cornered to give us inspiration, and I wrote this
read more...
ghost bikes
a poet at the recent open mic at the Sanctuary Cafe wrote a poem
about the white bikes that appear where cyclists have been killed on the roads, and it inspired this Halloween poem
read more...
pleasure gardens
Francine bought a skein of scarves along to poets cornered to give us inspiration, and I wrote this
pleasure gardens
read more...
secret scene
Francine bought a skein of scarves along to poets cornered to give us inspiration, and I wrote this
read more...
escargot
Francine was to facilitate this evening's poets cornered workshop, but as she was unwell, and as it's Trafalgar Day on 21st October, we chose France as the theme
read more...
that certain age
Francine was to facilitate this evening's poets cornered workshop, but as she was unwell, and as it's Trafalgar Day on 21st October, we chose France as the theme
read more...
when
It's a bad sign when ...
read more...
time to get help
sometimes I oscillate between optimism and despair...
read more...
press gang
In this poets cornered workshop, we were given five phrases: 'The absence of Richard', 'That afternoon we sailed', 'If ever a man was in a tight hole', 'The cellar was said to be full of secret rooms' and 'He knew a great deal of Greek'.
read more...
things that I miss
I am trying to move on, really...
read more...
what?
In this poets cornered workshop, we were given five phrases: 'The absence of Richard', 'That afternoon we sailed', 'If ever a man was in a tight hole', 'The cellar was said to be full of secret rooms' and 'He knew a great deal of Greek'.
read more...
autumn
This poem was inspired by by my 'change of seasons' poets cornered workshop
read more...
leaves
This poem was inspired by by my 'change of seasons' poets cornered workshop
read more...
wind
This poem was inspired by by my 'change of seasons' poets cornered workshop
read more...
damaged goods
an optimistic poem
read more...
fall
the season is changing, and I am running a themed poets cornered workshop
read more...
chardonnay
the theme for this week's poets cornered workshop was 'out of the window'. This poem was inspired by Wally's Hut chardonnay
read more...
devil's dyke
the theme for this week's poets cornered workshop was 'out of the window'. This poem was inspired by flying my my kite at Devil's Dyke
read more...
ghost
the theme for this week's poets cornered workshop was 'out of the window'. This poem was inspired by someone who seems to be avoiding me
read more...
wine
the theme for this week's poets cornered workshop was 'out of the window'. This poem was inspired by drinking to forget
read more...
alternate
this week, Polly's poets cornered exercise was to look at two opposing views on life or death
read more...
emporium
Janina ran a creative writing workshop on Sunday 6 September in Hove. It was great other than my parking ticket. I was inspired by the busy table in front of me.
read more...
queen of spades
Janina ran a creative writing workshop on Sunday 6 September in Hove. I was given a queen of spades. On the reverse was 'Why is a raven like a writing desk?'
read more...
happiness
I'm feeling a bit down...
read more...
knives
I've been buying knives recently
read more...
card
I was given a business card and now I can't find it...
read more...
don't look now
Douglas ran a recent poets cornered workshop. He provided lists of words and phrases, and this was inspired by 'don't look now' and tonight's Perseid meteor shower
read more...
edge of the tracks
Douglas ran a recent poets cornered workshop. He provided lists of words and phrases, and this was inspired by 'edge of the tracks'
read more...
one word
one word can make a world of difference
read more...
plinth proclamation
I often watch participants of the One and Other artwork on the fourth plinth
read more...
not quite what I'd planned...
read more...
ceremony
Douglas ran a recent poets cornered workshop. He provided lists of words and phrases, and this was inspired by 'ground'
read more...
St John's Wood
Douglas ran a recent poets cornered workshop. He provided lists of words and phrases, and this was inspired by 'St John's Wood'
read more...
tock
Douglas ran a recent poets cornered workshop. He provided lists of words and phrases, and this was inspired by 'hardly worth the time'
read more...
two decrees of separation
my decree nisi has finally arrived, and I wonder whether my recent interest in kites is entirely co-incidental
read more...
the perfect crime
This poem is taken from two true stories – one about two inept thieves who drank their way through their haul and were found in the morning, and a prisoner who is suing the police for swearing at him
read more...
umbrella
Louise moved into a new flat recently, and there was a large red umbrella in the hall...
read more...
bad taste
An interesting poets cornered evening organised by Janina.
She brought food, which we had to observe, sniff and eat, then scribble notes on a tablecloth and plates, before writing our poems
read more...
fresh fruit
An interesting poets cornered evening organised by Janina.
She brought food, which we had to observe, sniff and eat, then scribble notes on a tablecloth and plates, before writing our poems
read more...
rush
An interesting poets cornered evening organised by Janina.
She brought food, which we had to observe, sniff and eat, then scribble notes on a tablecloth and plates, before writing our poems. This poem had to be written with our non-writing hand
read more...
my recession
it's a year ago today since Chris and I stopped going out – not that I'm counting or anything
read more...
beachy head
beachy head is a traditional jumping-off place, for those seeking a final destination
read more...
4' 33"
This week for the poets cornered exercise, we each chose words or phrases, including rhythm, contemplation, strange ceramic figures, the CD was silent, oblige, psychological test and karma drama. I tried to use the words, or the essence of the words
read more...
carnivore
This week in poets cornered we were given a list of words,
and had to choose the sense that we first associate with it (this is the Vakog Test).
We then wrote a poem on the one that figured least.
read more...
clearing
For the poets cornered exercise this week, we each chose 'light' and 'dark' words, then passed round paper scraps. I got snakes, brewer and refraction.
read more...
tin
This week in poets cornered we were given a list of words,
and had to choose the sense that we first associate with it (this is the Vakog Test).
We then wrote a poem on the one that figured least.
read more...
hazy days
I wrote this at a poets cornered workshop on a hot evening
read more...
chaos theory
dedicated to a Salsa dancer
read more...
dinosaur
my company is reorganising again, and shedding ten percent of jobs...
read more...
girl mad
a whimsical poem
read more...
just one of the crowd
This year, I'm planning to attend the London World Naked Bike Ride on 13 June, as well as the Brighton ride on the 14th.
read more...
calories
not so much a shape poem as an out-of-shape poem!
read more...
couples
Couples were the theme for this week's poets cornered workshop
read more...
niarly there
niarly there, or 'the day I nearly got to a Nia class'
read more...
my name is mike bliss
a rose by any other name...
read more...
pebbles
poets cornered held a poetry reading by the West Pier, Brighton on Saturday 9 May 2009 from 11:30-13:00.
read more...
performance
poets cornered held a poetry reading by the West Pier, Brighton on Saturday 9 May 2009 from 11:30-13:00.
read more...
west pier
poets cornered held a poetry reading by the West Pier, Brighton on Saturday 9 May 2009 from 11:30-13:00
read more...
bell
the theme for this poets cornered workshop was bells
read more...
bell-curve
the theme for this poets cornered workshop was bells, and I thought of the recent job assessments we have been 'enjoying' in my workplace
read more...
lovely day
a strange little poem, written at a poets cornered workshop.
Strangely, one of the other participants was thinking of a very similar building,
mentioned in passing in his poem
read more...
moments
I had a spontaneous moment this morning
read more...
street view
Google has released street view in 22 cities in UK (not yet in Brighton and Hove, but mapping has started there)
read more...
CCTV
England has the highest number of closed-circuit cameras in the world watching our every move
read more...
flying high
a breezy little poem
read more...
holiday
feeling upbeat
read more...
it's funny
I appeared in a photo shoot on 14th March to publicise the London and Brighton 2009 rides on the 14th and 15th June and in the spirit of solidarity with the Southern Hemisphere naked bike rides this weekend. We met on Brighton beach
read more...
loneliness of the long-distance commuter
coming back from Manchester
read more...
on the plane
in the air tonight...
read more...
post-valentine blues
I think I'm in need of some TLC
read more...
love
the third in my 2009 valentine triptych
read more...
rainy evening
I wrote this at a poets cornered workshop on 10 February 2009, subject of the exercise being 'shopping list'. It is not autobiographical!
read more...
cyclical thoughts
the second in my 2009 valentine triptych
read more...
my cup of tea
the first in my 2009 valentine triptych
read more...
breathless in Burgess Hill
In the news recently was a report about romantic comedies (rom-coms), complaining that they raised false expectations about happy relationships, so I made this the theme for a poets cornered workshop
read more...
the romantic
In the news recently was a report about romantic comedies (rom-coms), complaining that they raised false expectations about happy relationships, so I made this the theme for a poets cornered workshop
read more...
the knife
a whimsical poem...
read more...
bad sign
I was sitting on the train on a Monday morning when I was inspired to pen this
read more...
(un)inspired by...
This was written during the poets cornered workshop on 13 January 2009, on the subject 'inspired by'. I was perhaps not in the most optimistic of moods!
read more...
black
a spot of macabre theatre, inspired by the snowclone, 'Black is the new black', which came to me as I cycled along The Mall
read more...
contemplating the void
another jolly poem
read more...
the reaping
another happy poem to kick-start 2009
read more...
home alone
my children are staying for Christmas, but go home on Boxing Day
read more...
rom-con
In the news recently was a report about romantic comedies (rom-coms), complaining that they raised false expectations about happy relationships, so I made this the theme for a poets cornered workshop
read more...
sad sonnet
another poets cornered event, this time run by Si
read more...
a tale of two laptops
composed as I pulled into Victoria
read more...
dread
at this poets cornered workshop, we each chose a word (candidates were house, predreadnought and dog). I chose comb. We had to use others' words and allude to ours.
read more...
global warming
My company's got initiatives on global warming
read more...
meditation
a meditation on meditation
read more...
red lights from Victoria
written in my head as I sped along on my bike
read more...
time to move on
read more...
peter
I was very upset when reading about baby P, and wondered how he felt during his short and pain-filled life
read more...
eternal love
hope springs eternal...
read more...
nineteen years
my mother was married for nineteen blissful years...
read more...
The squirrel inside
just a silly ditty
read more...
american haiku
I wrote a quick haiku in anticipation of Barack Obama's stunning victory in the presidential elections
read more...
another upbeat poem
I wrote this while sitting on the train, going to my empty house. I got home to find the kitchen flooded
read more...
speechless
Speechless brings together new poetry by five writers from across South-East Asia and four UK-based poets on the theme of freedom of expression. I saw them at the Southbank Centre's Poetry International Festival on Thursday 30 October
read more...
candle
It was Diwali - the Festival of Lights - so I took some candles along to the poets cornered workshop. The theme, was of course candles or lights...
read more...
diwali
It was Diwali - the Festival of Lights - so I took some candles along to the poets cornered workshop. The theme, was of course candles or lights...
read more...
flickering flame
It was Diwali - the Festival of Lights - so I took some candles along to the poets cornered workshop. The theme, was of course candles or lights...
read more...
the downside of being single
life can seem a bit empty and flat when you're single
read more...
cotton-wool
the theme for the last poets cornered workshop was 'loss' and this was my second poem - short and to the point
read more...
loss
the theme for the last poets cornered workshop was 'loss'
read more...
happy endings
On Tuesday, I waited for the other poets to arrive, but only one appeared. Chris and I had a chat that reminded me of times past and chances missed. On the way home my cycle tyre exploded as it met a broken bottle
read more...
retreat
read more...
...rooms
the theme for the last September poets cornered workshop was 'rooms'
read more...
the room
the theme for the last September poets cornered workshop was 'rooms'
read more...
maasdam
nobody knows what will happen when the Large Hadron Collider operates at full power for the first time.
At a well-attended poets cornered workshop on Tuesday 09 September 2008, we read some articles and wrote our thoughts
read more...
bear market
For this poets cornered workshop, we had to include 'on the rocks', 'twitch' and avoid I, me, he and she.
I cheated slightly for 'on the rocks' but the drink was on the rocks!
read more...
grey
I was feeling a bit - well - grey when I wrote this
read more...
twitchers
For this poets cornered workshop, we had to include 'on the rocks', 'twitch' and avoid I, me, he and she.
read more...
flight
this was written at a poets cornered workshop. Diana had to rush off early to collect someone from Gatwick, so this sparked the theme
read more...
olympic spirit
inspired by the Olympics
read more...
free the mind
inspired by the Olympics
read more...
the overlooked
inspired by the Olympics
read more...
Digital Dorothy
I've just heard that Digital Dorothy is a generic term for that disembodied voice you hear from call centres, 1571 numbers et al.
read more...
waiting
I was waiting for everyone to arrive for the last poets cornered workshop
read more...
the beast with two backs
another poem written on the train
read more...
that sudden stab of desire
sometimes poems just arrive in my mind
read more...
the bliss of being single
I wrote this immediately after Chris and I broke up and I was feeling hurt - nine months on, it seems even less amusing, but I remain optimistic
read more...
the grate game
Before our poets cornered workshop, we chatted about board games, so decided on the title, the great game, and I wrote this
read more...
the great game
Before our poets cornered workshop, we chatted about board games, so decided on the title, the great game, and I wrote this
read more...
cotton wool
This week I've only been getting three hours sleep a night, so I've been plagued with headaches. On Friday, I thought "Enough is enough" and went to my doctor, who prescribed 7.5mg Zimovane (sleeping Tablets)
read more...
ridgeway
At a 'Poets Cornered' workshop, we were asked to remember a significant event, and I thought of a park near Chingford
read more...
so here we are
'making a world of difference' is the theme of the 2008 Hove Festival, and here is my contribution
read more...
spiralling down
another happy glimpse into reality
read more...
this is the way...
This is the way that love ends: not with a bang but a whimper
read more...
sticky mornings
The nights are getting warm...
read more...
echoes
I was looking out of the train window at the budding trees, and got to
thinking
read more...
height
This was inspired by a moment on Machu Picchu in Peru, or rather Huayna Picchu (which means 'Young Peak' in Quechua). See my travels in Peru.
read more...
view from the balcony
I was given the title, 'view from the balcony'
read more...
this too will change
just a whimsical little poem, musing on the meaning of life
read more...
waiting
This was written at a 'Poets Cornered' workshop. We had to include the word 'Waberthwaite' and the title 'waiting'
read more...
elliptical bodies
We are now back at the Eclipse pub, and it inspired this
read more...
karma
what goes around, comes around...
read more...
valentine
I wrote a poem for Valentines day, then, when I realised it was 14 lines long, converted it into a sonnet. Which do you prefer?
read more...
Marisa
There has recently been a lot of publicity about a picture taken in Gusev Crater in 2004 by Nasa's Mars Explorer Spirit. The Gusev Crater is believed to be the bed of an ancient lake. I have a different take on the picture...
read more...
a new year
embracing 2008
read more...
who am eye? a triptych
three unrelated scenarios?
read more...
pole position
another Xmas poem
read more...
outed
a whimsical but topical imagining...
read more...
careering
Inspired by commuting. Need I say more?
read more...
fire place
I was given the title 'fireplace' and came up with this
read more...
lists
For this 'poets cornered' exercise we each chose a word, then had to incorporate them all into a poem in 20 minutes.
I wrote this in ten – and you might think it shows!
read more...
twas...
A Christmas poem, which I'm thinking of including in my Xmas cards. What do you think of it?
read more...
1571
I couldn't get through, again
read more...
If you go down to the tube today...
This is about the tragic shooting on the tube by the police
read more...
as the dust settles
Paul Tibbets died on 1 November 2007. He was the commander of the B-29 Enola Gay, which dropped a five ton nuclear bomb, Little Boy, on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945
read more...
'tween Halloween and Christmas
now Halloween has been and gone
read more...
fruit salad retro
a silly ditty
read more...
second chance
I'm expecting to be made redundant in the next couple of years, when my department moves to Manchester, so I wrote this in anticipation...
read more...
the final poem
I dream of writing the definitive poem...
read more...
smoking may damage your health...
a Halloween poem...
read more...
shadow
This poem is inspired by the word shadow.
read more...
redemption: emancipation
This poem is one of a series on the theme of Redemption, celebrating the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery in England
read more...
redemption: broken dreams
This poem is one of a series on the theme of Redemption, celebrating the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery in England
read more...
redemption: news
This poem is one of a series on the theme of Redemption, celebrating the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery in England
read more...
the deathly lament
I've finished the last Harry Potter book...
read more...
redemption: cocktail
This poem is one of a series on the theme of Redemption, celebrating the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery in England
read more...
redemption: choices
This poem is one of a series on the theme of Redemption, celebrating the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery in England
read more...
redemption: prison
This poem is one of a series on the theme of Redemption, celebrating the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery in England
read more...
redemption: tenebrous times
This poem is one of a series on the theme of Redemption, celebrating the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery in England
read more...
strange days
read more...
perspective
I was sitting in the train looking at the converging lines of the carriage and the overhead lights, and mused...
read more...
the naked poet
read more...
dumb blond?
another muse on going blond
read more...
finger nails on a blackboard
This came from a poets cornered workshop.
We started talking about telegrams, then were given ten minutes to write and a word, hinge, and I came up with this.
read more...
if I were a superhero
I was musing in my modest way
read more...
awakening
a whimsical little piece...
read more...
does my bum look big on this?
I wrote this for the second World Naked Cycle ride on 9 June 2007 at 10am on the Level (BN2 3FX.
read more...
shine your shoes?
I went to the shoe-shine stall at Victoria station and had the best shine ever
read more...
I wonder
I wonder...
read more...
solidarity
I joined a Civil Service strike on 31 January 2007, and another one on 1 May, to protest about outsourcing, compulsory relocations and redundancies
read more...
clip-clop
I helped participate in the record-breaking coconut orchestra in Trafalgar Square on St George's Day 2007.
read more...
bees
I hear recent reports have highlighted a recent decline in bee numbers and speculated on the reasons
read more...
beach huts
This poem was inspired by the beach huts in Hove, with the news that the Gehry-designed replacement for the King Alfred Centre has been approved
read more...
revenge of the tooth fairy
Another environmentally-inspired poem
read more...
Roll up! Roll up!
In our Poets Cornered workshop, we had to incorporate the words balance, fringe, microwaves, walking on a tightrope and patterns. I was inspired by our Brighton Fringe performance on 15th May 2007
read more...
bag lady
I always like to be helpful
read more...
blue rinse
This was inspired by Bernadette Cremin, author of A Perfect Mess, who flooded her kitchen recently, damaging her main work-book.
read more...
the remedy was always the same
political ... me?
read more...
tin can
I recently acquired a car
read more...
network woes
We have had problems with our network recently, and I have a theory
read more...
waiting for inspiration
on writer's block
read more...
the treatment
I was reading about the upmarket hair salons that now use bull semen to give hair a shine, and got to thinking
read more...
1984
I don't watch the puerile antics on Big Brother, but have my views on it
read more...
Thomas Edison killed me
I helped my eldest when she was writing a poem about Thomas Edison, and it inspired me to write this
read more...
burning crusade
With eight million players of World of Warcraft, the Burning Crusade expansion was eagerly awaited
read more...
I've started...
I heard about the death of Magnus Magnusson and it inspired this
read more...
as devious as...
This was inspired by a Poets Cornered workshop on similes. I'm sure you can guess who it's about
read more...
time of goodwill
another Christmas poem...
read more...
I hate Christmas
my seasonal Christmas contribution
read more...
I love Christmas
In case my other Christmas poem this year is taken as a little misogynous, I wrote this one as an antithesis.
read more...
catastrophe (cat-as-trophy)
a bit of a quizzical poem this time. Who will be the first to email me the answer (excluding my testers: Andrew, Pedro and Terry)?
read more...
quality
dedicated to my father, Edward John Bliss , who died in 1969
read more...
christmas memories
read more...
guy fawkes' revenge
I looked out at the fog this morning and pondered
read more...
halloween
All Hallow's Eve is here again
read more...
trick or treat?
trick or treat?
read more...
bad tuesday
I was asked to write a funny poem set in a kitchen or bathroom
read more...
remember remember
nearly that time of year again
read more...
a rotting heap of leaves
a topical poem as autumn approaches
read more...
autumnal morning
I looked out of the train window on this clear and crisp morning and was inspired
read more...
the man in the moon
read more...
the problem with religion
read more...
tea cosy
written by Susi Oddball and me during my elements workshop.
read more...
ecosystem
This was inspired by my tropical fish tank, and the sense of responsibility and omnipotence it inspires
read more...
elemental
I ran a Poets Cornered workshop on Elements on 26 September 2006, and it inspired this poem. Read about the elements workshop.
read more...
songs of innocence and of experience
by William Blake
read more...
towering infernal
For this exercise, we were given articles to read.
Mine was about terrorists planning to attack the Eiffel Tower.
We had to create a metaphor, and I chose 'monument to capitalism'. Is that a metaphor?
read more...
my last fifty pence
I was just given the title for this piece...
read more...
ridge
This poem was inspired by a picture in Earth from Above: 365 Days by Yann Arthus-Bertrand.
August 28 is a view of Turkish fields.
read more...
bulb
my children have just got back from a holiday in France, which inspired this poem
read more...
tree
another exercise inspired by poets cornered
read more...
newton's apples
I was inspired by Stuart's comments about Newton...
read more...
eat me!
I produced this work for the Hove Arts Trail, featuring in Portland Road pubs and restaurants
read more...
ode to a chip
It is National Chip week, so I thought you might enjoy this!
read more...
school for scandal
another poem inspired by a classic - this time School for Scandal, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816)
read more...
HD life
I looked out of the train window to observe the glorious Sussex countryside, then looked back at my magazine, and an advert for High Definition TV caught my eye
read more...
the dripping tap
inspired by talk of drought and water shortages
read more...
you say potato...
The world cup is about to start, but the hype is already here
read more...
the naked cyclist
This was prompted by the naked bike ride I am planning on 10 June 2006, but I sincerely hope it's not autobiographical
read more...
origami
I was sitting on the train when I wrote this largely autobiographical poem
read more...
summer plumage
another autobiographical poem
read more...
festival poem
I was inspired to write this by the Brighton Festival. I wanted to put on an event this year, but...
read more...
viral communication
This was inspired by a poem by Kelly Hall about email as a communication tool
read more...
fears in solitude
Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote Fears in Solitude in April 1798, during the alarm of an invasion.
I used the title and the first line, in a poem about another kind of invasion
read more...
pandora's box
In the poets cornered workshop we thought of things we might wish to consign to Pandora's Box: my job, narrow minds, bigotry, jealousy, fast paced life, people's perceptions, addictions, regrets, frantic rushing, clutter, cars, and helmeted bike riders
read more...
the wind in my face
I was cycling down The Mall, wind in my face, and I got to thinking, 'Why always a head wind, never a tail?'
read more...
profound poetry
I wanted to write an important poem
read more...
table
this poem was inspired by a picture of a table in a pub
read more...
the critic
I recently critiqued a concert, and thought of what another critic might have thought at a controversial premiere dramatised on British television this weekend.
read more...
the vision
another exercise for the poets cornered workshop. We were given several words to incorporate, but half-way through I decided the poem had reached its natural conclusion, so stopped.
read more...
black salamander
We were given a book cover to inspire us. I had Black Salamander by Marilyn Todd. I do know these creatures are not deadly - but employed a little poetic licence
read more...
existentialist rant plus support
an affectionate look at some of the other poets who grace the open mic sessions at the Sanctuary cafe, Hove
read more...
senses
a poem for Valentine's Day
read more...
yellow
For this Poets Cornered exercise, we thought of a colour, and then let the words flow. We then chose five of the words and wrote a poem. I chose yellow, mellow, horse-fly, glass, feet, and sun
read more...
intersections
I was asked to write a poem about solar and lunar eclipses
read more...
don't cycle on the pavement
This piece is based on truth, but there were other constraints imposed at the Poets Cornered workshop: one invented word, one justifiable swear-word and one bodily reaction
read more...
the code in my head
I have the sniffles, and they inspired this
read more...
headache
I get a lot of headaches, and was off work yesterday with one. Recently at Poets Cornered, we were talking about headaches, so I wrote this
read more...
the Thames whale
This is the story of the Thameslink leviathan, in her own words. The Northern Bottlenose whale died on Saturday 21 January 2006, whilst being transported towards the sea on a barge
read more...
the audience
Our Poets cornered homework this week was a poem inspired by:
You are standing in a dark place.
You hear a noise behind you.
As you turn, the light brightens and you see...
read more...
identity
I wrote this piece for my workshop on 'topical poetry', amid controversy about the costs of the identity card scheme
read more...
routine Monday morning
I had a narrow squeak on my way to the station this morning, and wrote this as I sat on the train, reflecting on the nature of luck and fate
read more...
I won't see her again
a topical poem
read more...
just a small one
I've written poems about both the other parties, so thought I should write one about the party I support, the LibDems, and the outgoing leader, Charles Kennedy
read more...
another new year...
a new year poem
read more...
mistletoe
a poem for Christmas
read more...
bauble
For our Poets Cornered homework, we had to compose a shape, or calligraphic poem
read more...
lights and lungs
When the Poets Cornered group were doing an exercise about fear, we were sitting in a smoky public bar, and I wrote this
read more...
I am Genghis Khan
I was inspired to write this by...
read more...
I am not stressed
Today at work, I went to a workshop on stress management
read more...
I can hear voices
who is this? be afraid...
read more...
change of pace
This is my take on the 'change of pace' Poets Cornered workshop I ran on 14 November 2005. See also Dave's poem, how to make lots of runs and Louise's poem, the hurry exercise
read more...
elegy to a friend
Dave Aylott was a friend for about twenty-five years, and he died on 9th November 2005 after a two-year struggle
read more...
looking
This week's Poets Cornered was about 'physical' poetry, rather than clever structure, imagery etc. I still couldn't resist a bit of alliteration and some rhymes though!
read more...
performance
Last night, I stood under the spotlights in the Cella Bar of the Sanctuary in Hove, and read a couple of my poems
read more...
why are you looking at me?
I tried to put myself in the position of paranoia, and this is what came out
read more...
animal farm
I was given the phrase 'It could be you!', and this is what I came up with
read more...
the arboretum
I was given the phrase 'It could be you!', and this is what I came up with
read more...
air
I was asked to imagine being stranded in space, looking at the earth
read more...
karmic chameleon
For this exercise, we were asked to include an animal: either a chameleon, fox, water rat or boar; the words: bridge and quarry; and the phrase 'anyone can make a mistake'
read more...
global warming
I was recently castigated for the lack of poems about global warming, so here's one
read more...
see the leaves
another global warming poem, in a rather different style. Easy enough even for a politician to understand
read more...
petrol
petrol prices rise and blockades are threatened. But not all are worried...
read more...
a...
I wrote a poem from the point of view of one of the participants of a play...
read more...
count on me
For this poem, I was challenged to use one word on each line. Instead, I used numbers...
read more...
the old, old, story
For this poem, I was challenged to use one word on each line. I used old, but often incorporated it into another word - like unfold
read more...
the communication byway
my children just went home after staying for a week, and the house is very quiet, silence broken only by the gentle rain
read more...
fugue in F minor
the theme for this homework was 'something fast'
read more...
slow time
I tried to write a short, slow, reflective piece
read more...
upon my soul
just a bit of nonsense poetry inspired by its title
read more...
eclipse
I went to Cornwall for the eclipse at 11:11 on 11 August 1999, but the weather did not co-operate
read more...
parasynthetic poetry
For this exercise I was given a list of long words, all starting with the letter 'P', and told to write a nonsense poem, with an alliterative element.
read more...
what I did at the weekend
read more...
life's a beach
inspired by a photo of Brighton beach
read more...
the key
This poem was designed to be in the shape of a lock
read more...
metal rose
inspired by the dreadful events of 7 July 2005
read more...
the last time I cried
I was given the title as my Poets Cornered homework
read more...
the labyrinth
I've always been fascinated by labyrinths, and walked the Mizmaze near Winchester on my birthday magical mystery tour, on 25th June 2005
read more...
can I call you back?
a mobile phone ringing at an empty desk at work inspired this poem
read more...
is it good - or is it bad?
another version of is it good - or is it bad?. Which do you prefer?
read more...
the rind of the ancient marinade
with apologies to Samuel Taylor Coleridge, author of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
read more...
election count
this was written on the train as the polls closed at the end of the 2005 general election campaign, and I anticipated the results
read more...
graffiti party
I enjoyed this exercise at the Poets Cornered workshop. There were large sheets of paper round the room and we listened to some unusual and eclectic CD tracks, whilst noting down any comments inspired by the music. Then it got more interesting
read more...
mirror
I was handed a mirror, and it inspired this
read more...
the quintessential Englishman
this poem is dedicated to St George's Day, and the stereotypical Englishman
read more...
is it good, or is it bad?
I was writing a poem called it, but it can be good or bad, depending on your outlook. Which existence would you choose?
read more...
train of Babel
A poem about hypocrisy, inspired while I was looking out of the carriage window on my way to work
read more...
in the distance
For this Poets Cornered homework, we had to come up with three ideas for a poem titled 'In the distance', and discard the first two. I've included them here, in case you prefer them
read more...
spilt wine
For this Poets Cornered homework, we had to come up with a poem titled 'spilt wine', introducing four characters. I was obviously in a whimsical mood (and I was drinking white wine whilst eating some pork scratchings)
read more...
the thespian
More Poets Cornered homework, and we were given the theme actor
read more...
you for coffee?
I'm always trying to persuade people at my office to fill up the kettles. Here's my latest attempt
read more...
the office plant
a colleague challenged me to write a poem about a plant I look after in our office, which is looking very sick and is losing leaves at an alarming rate.
read more...
the day the tide went out
It's difficult to make sense of such a disaster as the Boxing Day tsunami. See my Tsunami article. I also felt compelled to write a poem, encompassing the human cost, the ongoing civil wars and the humanitarian efforts.
read more...
aroma therapy
Inspired by the recent Indian head massage workshop and various massages over the years, I hope this gives the flavour of the preparation
read more...
intrusion
This is my take on the Intruder Poets Cornered workshop. It's very different from Dave Patchett's prose, the intruders. What do you think?
read more...
cross(ed) lines
I was given the theme of an overheard telephone conversation
read more...
disenchantment
This was done as part of the Poets Unplugged workshop
read more...
acrostic poem
Another poem from the Science: Promise or Threat workshop. This is an acrostic poem - see the starting letters of each line
read more...
resolution
I was just given the one word, Resolution, as my homework.
See also Paloma's poem
read more...
genetic mutation
another output from the poetry workshop
read more...
christmas cards
why does it always happen?
read more...
come in please, your time is up
I've always hated smoking, and a pro-smoking poem I just heard incensed and inspired me
read more...
genetic changes, changes change
I was given this title for my homework at a workshop on the threats and promises of science
read more...
I'm dreaming of...
musings on Christmas
read more...
pro mise
a poem about animal experimentation
read more...
poetic Christmas
Christmas will never be the same again
read more...
the stalker
For this poem, I was given an envelope labelled, "To whom it may concern", a pill, a paper-clip and twenty minutes.
read more...
three-quarters over
I was inspired to write this autobiographical poem during a personal development course when the direction of my life (and career) were in a state of some flux. Too honest? Too confusing? Too boring? Please let me know
read more...
carved carrots
The brief for this poem was a scented wet wipe, which reminded me of eating out in Malaysia
read more...
the second kiss
I was just given the title, and wanted to do something a little unexpected, a little edgy. Did I succeed?
read more...
this time next week
two poems, very different in content and tone, both with the same title. Which do you prefer?
read more...
blackout
how was your day, dear?
read more...
new house - new beginning
I wrote this poem on the train as I waited to exchange contracts on my new house.
I have now moved in
read more...
mousing
a true story ..
read more...
the weight of luck
Homework from poetry workshop. We were just given the title as a brief.
read more...
falling asleep
This was a poem I wrote for the poetry workshop on 23 August 2004. The theme was falling asleep
read more...
The Poem Created For Salsa Holiday
I created this poem to commemorate the Lille Salsa weekend in August 2004. I hope you enjoy it
read more...
two views
another poetry workshop, but being en route from Lille, I couldn't attend. I did the homework though. What do you think of my love poem, diachronic views?
read more...
bangkok tuesday
I felt a bit intimidated as I crept, late, into the room above the Eclipse pub in Hove, especially when I heard the quality of the poems people had written for the exercise I'd just missed
read more...
favourite restaurants
This poem is based on my favourite restaurants round the world, and it's all completely true
read more...
political correctness and hypocrisy
I have a section on political correctness on my politics page, and thought I'd see how it worked as a poem
read more...
sea the dolphins
This poem is about overfishing
read more...
dollars spent on war, but no cents
inspired by the incompetence of 'the most powerful man in the world'
read more...
a blur of red
this is why Formula one is so boring at the moment
read more...
so near and yet so far
I was inspired by the French poet quoted in the excellent film Groundhog Day to write this
read more...
surreal voice recognition
I was inspired to write this piece in the nineties by the vagaries of voice recognition software, though it has improved since then
read more...
in my tangled mind
sometimes you just have to put down your thoughts before you can let them go
read more...
missed opportunities
This poem isn't autobiographical. I just felt inspired to write it, and I hope you enjoy it
read more...
ode to www.theblisspages.com
I wrote this limerick for a light-hearted competition at work - and no, I didn't win!
read more...
contributed poems
The Mad Laugh at Us
This is one of a series of poems on computers and technology
read more...
miming silence
On Friday 20th November, I went to the 'Miming Silence' book launch at the Red-Roaster in Brighton
read more...
Bom-Banes Rosi's tinted spectacles
I went to Bom-Banes to experience Rosi's tinted spectacles on 11 November 2008 with a staccato headache
read more...
national poetry day
It was National Poetry Day on 9 October, and I attended a couple of events
read more...
olympics 2008
this was written at a poets cornered workshop. The theme was Olympics, and some interesting poems were written
read more...
anthem tears
this was written at a poets cornered workshop. The theme was Olympics, and some interesting poems were written.
read more...
guising
a Halloween poem
read more...
flame
another ode to the 'joys' of smoking
read more...
the child people
Charles read this out at the open mic session at the Sanctuary Cafe, Hove
read more...
smoke signal
Kelly Hall was inspired by lights and lungs to write this. See my report on the PBS sanctuary event in January 2006
read more...
a meeting at Samhain
This poem was contributed by Morgan Nichols in November 2005
read more...
boy
This poem was contributed by Morgan Nichols in November 2005
read more...
seeking sun spots
This poem was contributed by Morgan Nichols in November 2005
read more...
winter
This poem was contributed by Morgan Nichols in November 2005
read more...
notes inegales
I was sent an invite by poet Murray Lachlan Young and notes inégales to this event based around Miles Davis, William Blake, and the proverbs of Hell
read more...
fireworks
My daughter, Annie (11) wrote this
read more...
the hurry exercise
This is Louise's take on the 'change of pace' Poets Cornered workshop I ran on 14 November 2005. It's very different from my effort, change of pace. What do you think?
read more...
how to make lots of runs
This is Dave's take on the 'change of pace' Poets Cornered workshop I ran on 14 November 2005. It's very different from my effort, change of pace. What do you think?
read more...
a miscellany of kettle poems
my kettle poem at work has provoked several responses. Here they are (all contributed by anon)
read more...
the intruders
This is Dave's take on the Intruder Poets Cornered workshop. It's very different from my effort, intrusion. What do you think?
read more...
resolution
I'm not the only person at the Poets Cornered workshops, and Paloma kindly allowed me to post her Resolution poem.
See also my poem
read more...
This OBE is Not for Me
read more...
mouth cabaret
As part of Brighton poetry & book festival, I went to mouth cabaret, at the Open House, 146 Springfield Road, Brighton on Thursday 02 December
read more...
the Fuse is lit
On 4 November 2004, I was lucky enough to be invited to a poetry evening, with Benjamin Zephaniah, Roger McGough, John Asgard, John Hegley and others
read more...
National Poetry Day 7 October 2004
was National Poetry Day and I went to a Poetry reading at lunchtime. The poet Dannie Abse and his wife Joan read some of his work. I enjoyed it, and bought a signed copy of his most recent book, "new and collected POEMS"
read more...
Murray Lachlan Young
Murray appeared at the Scala on 29 April 2003, supporting The Pretenders. I enjoyed his poetry, which reminded me of John Cooper Clarke, but without the venom! I'm going to see him at the Brighton Festival in May 2004 (see my music page for more details)
read more...
I welcome contributions and comments on existing ones, so please send
them to me.
resources
links
useful links
read more...
poets cornered
Poets Cornered used to meet in Hove on Tuesdays, but is unfortunately currently inactive
read more...
Maria's book launch
I went to Maria Jastrzebska and Janet Sutherland's launch of new collections of poetry on Thursday October 15th 2009
read more...
interesting words
I save and savour words I find interesting, and try to promulgate and proselytise their use whenever appropriate, though I hope I'm not a lexiphane!
read more...
bibliography
My poems have featured in various publications, and I've published my own collection, entitled Bliss
read more...
sanctuary october 2008
I haven't been to poetry at the Sanctuary for a couple of years, so thought it time to show my face again
read more...
the pen is mightier than the sword...
the pen is mightier than the sword – but the knife? The AQA exam board is removing a poem written by Carol Ann Duffy from its anthology for GCSE English, because of fears over teenage knife crime
read more...
stasis
I had a daydream a few months ago, and it's been going round my head ever since. I thought I'd exorcise it by writing it down. It's my first short story, so I'd appreciate any feedback. It's a cautionary tale about indecision.
read more...
poets cornered: olympian evening
We had a great poets cornered evening recently. I chose the theme, and it had to be the Olympics.
read more...
hove festival 2008: St Barnabas
Poetry at St Barnabas Church was the second poetry event of the Hove festival 2008, on Tuesday 22 July, and I had to compère it at the last minute (now with some videos)
read more...
hove festival 2008: poets cornered
as part of the 2008 Hove Festival, the Poets Cornered group held an open poetry event on 15 July at the Eclipse pub, 33 Montgomery Road, called "Making a World of Difference"
read more...
new moon rising
new moon rising was a Brighton Fringe Festival event. Poets Cornered is a local poetry group who write and share our poetry in a friendly and supportive atmosphere, and many of you came to hear our poetry and some songs
read more...
songwriting with Heidi Berry
I have just attended a ten-week course on songwriting at the Evolution Centre, Hove
read more...
All Hallows Eve 2006
The Poets Cornered meeting on All Hallows Eve 2006 was quite quiet but enjoyable nonetheless.
read more...
elemental, my dear watson
On 27 September 2006, I ran a Poets Cornered workshop and the theme I chose was Elements
read more...
time: real and imaginary
The streets of Poets Corner are named after famous poets and wordsmiths, and this event gave people a chance to listen to some of their works, and to a modern response by local poetry group, Poets Cornered
read more...
playwright in residence scheme 2005
Twenty hours of coursework over eight workshops during February and March culminated in a rehearsed reading written and performed by (most of) the participants, and a follow-up meeting in May see my report...
read more...
eclipse
Today was a solar eclipse, but finances did not permit a trip to Turkey to see totality. Instead I took some pictures from my front door, and at 19:30 went to the Eclipse pub in Hove for an eclipse workshop.
read more...
sanctuary march 2006
On Monday 27th March, I returned to the Sanctuary Cafe in Hove for the monthly meeting of the Brighton Poetry Society
read more...
another 15 minutes of fame
my debut on radio - and I missed it
read more...
'colours of your mind' workshop
This writing workshop on Sat 18 February 2006 - organised by Lapidus - was run by Diana Ward Davis
read more...
sanctuary january 2006
On Monday 30th January, I went back to the Sanctuary Cafe in Hove for the monthly meeting of the Brighton Poetry Society
read more...
topical poetry workshop
I was asked to run a Poets Cornered workshop, and thought it would be good to base it on topical events
read more...
sanctuary november 2005
On Monday 28 November, I went to the Sanctuary Cafe in Hove for the monthly meeting of the Brighton Poetry Society
read more...
promise or threat?
On Thursday 6 October - National Poetry Day - we enjoyed an evening of poetry in Brighton, written in response to the possibilities offered by contemporary genetics - promise or threat?
read more...
slow time workshop
It was my turn to run the Poets Cornered weekly workshop and I hadn't a clue what to do. I'm currently reading a book 'in praise of slow', by Carl Honeré, and realised that it would make an interesting theme
read more...
creative writing
I'm hoping to facilitate a creative round-robin
read more...
is it the medium, or is it the message?
A recent conversation at Poets Cornered got me wondering as to which was more important and motivational, what a poem is trying to say, or how it is trying to say it
read more...
is this a blog or a website?
I was recently musing about theblisspages, and whether it was a blog, or a website
read more...
the web as a tool for poems and creative writing
I thought it might be useful to give a few thoughts on how the web can be used as a creative writing tool - or at least, on how I use it
read more...
Science: Threat or promise?
the theme of our November poetry workshop was Science: Threat or promise?
read more...
poets corner fun day in Hove
on Saturday 10 July 2004 I went to the Hove Poets Corner Festival Fun day in Hove
read more...
creative writing workshop
I went to a creative writing workshop and walk on Sunday 1 February 2004
read more...
I welcome suggestions for other sites, resources etc, so please send
them to me.
expand all stories :
summarise all stories :
show stories normally
home :
board games :
computers :
kiting :
music :
poetry :
SF :
wine :
diabetes :
travel :
yoga :
new age :
miscellaneous :
politics :
about me :
salsa dance :
services :
feedback :
help
top
:
: © Mike Bliss 2011