Post-weekend Poetry 139: My Old Clock I Wind by Kevin Morris

January 16, 2017January 13, 20172 Comments

Welcome to Post-weekend Poetry and the one hundred and thirty-ninth poem in this series. This week’s piece is by Kevin Morris.

My Old Clock I Wind

My old clock I wind
And much philosophy therein find.
I can bring
The pendulum’s swing
To a stop With my hand,
Yet I can not command
Time to default
On his duty and halt
The passing of the years.
He has no ears
For our laughter and tears
And his sickle will swing on
Long after we are gone.

I asked Kevin what prompted this piece and he said…

This poem came to me as I wound my antique clock which resides on the bookcase in my living room. It was manufactured in the early 1900’s (long before I was born) and will, no doubt far outlast me, while old Father Time goes on forever.

Thank you, Kevin. It was charming.

Kevin Morris was born in Liverpool on 6 January 1969. Having studied history and politics at University College Swansea, where he obtained a BA (joint hons) and an MA in political theory, Kevin moved to London where he now lives and works. Many of Kevin’s poems can be found on his website, newauthoronline.com, which contains links to all of his published works.

If you’d like to submit your poem (60 lines max) for consideration for Post-weekend Poetry take a look here or a poem for critique on the Online Poetry Writing Group (link below).

BREAKING NEWS!!!

I wrote a crime lad lit novella (48,000 words) called Hitman Sam in 2008 and over the years, edited it, left it to marinate, re-edited it, put it back, then finally this year (2016), I edited it again and sent it to my beta readers who were kind enough to give me their feedback which led to more alterations and finally, on November 2nd, it was published!

It is available for 99c / 99p (or the equivalent in your country) via http://mybook.to/HitmanSam (links to Amazon in your country) or directly via Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com etc. but before you rush over to purchase this quirky novella, do read on to find out more about it…

Blurb: Newly-redundant software designer Sam Simpson is looking for a new adventure – a cryptic advert in his local paper gives him that, and more. With two women vying for his affection, going behind their backs isn’t the smartest things he’s ever done.

This follows on just a month after my crime mystery novella, After Jessica, was published. Yay! Details below…

The second book I wrote, back in 2009, was After Jessica, a crime mystery novella published in October 2016. You can download this novella for just 99c / 99p via http://mybook.to/AfterJessica (which links to the Amazon page in your country) or directly from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com etc.

Tagline: Wind up his late sister’s affairs, Simon gets more than he bargains for.

Blurb: Jessica is an ordinary girl who comes across extraordinary circumstances and pays for them with her life. As well as identifying her body, her brother Simon then has to wind up her affairs but gets more than he bargains for. Who is Alexis, and why are Veronica and Daniel searching for her? Why is there a roll of cash in Jessica’s house, and what’s the connection between Simon’s sister and Alexis?

Post-weekend Poetry 138: Eidos by Samantha Connolly

March 7, 2016Leave a comment

Welcome to Post-weekend Poetry and the one hundred and thirty-eighth poem in this series. This week’s piece is by Samantha Connolly.

Eidos by Samantha Connolly

Hello, I say.

Acknowledgement that she exists,

unexpected now, unwanted after long denial.

I persist.

park 992384 I gesture to the park we stand before.

We see it through our window, she and I.

A throng of lives, of living, noise and movement,

weather changes, felt by those outside.

She remains beside me, silent,

staring or unseeing I cannot tell.

I turn. Through my fear I turn.

I face her now; her eyes an iridescent screen,

pale lips opening; her keen

Hello, I say, again,

my voice is scratching at the air,

I am afraid, too afraid to hold her stare.

But still I try.

Hello, I say; hello?

Rain now hitting at the glass,

along the pane its coiling flow.

Defeated, keening ceasing,

casts her eyes down.

Chill prickles me. Warmth shivers me.

Hello, she says. Hello.

I asked Samantha what prompted this piece and she said…

I was standing by the window at home looking out towards the park and it was raining. I was alone indoors and the house was silent and I felt suddenly lonely, as my husband was away for the weekend and I hadn’t made any social plans. Eidos came to me then. Minds work in mysterious ways?!

And don’t we love it. Thank you Samantha.

Samantha holds a degree in English Literature with Film Studies from Kingston University, London, which she gained at age 30. Since then she has spent the last nine years writing seriously, having undertaken a fiction writing module via Open University and completed her first young adult fantasy novel, The Sister Worlds.

Samantha began telling stories from a young age, hiding herself away for an hour or so here and there while she spun her tales, living by her imagination (as much as possible within the bounds of reality!) whilst growing up. She began writing the odd poem during her teens, but it wasn’t until her late twenties whilst at university that she understood her true love for writing.

Her tastes are eclectic, not only in her own writing, but in the form and genre of the writing of others. She is inspired by Virginia Woolf and Christina Rossetti, amongst many others, including the work of Jane Austen, Philip K. Dick, Ellen Miller, Margaret Atwood and Zeruya Shalev. She has most recently been drawn to the work of Abraham Verghese. Her love for the magical and fantastical in fiction is relentless; she has particularly enjoyed the work of Suzanne Collins and Veronica Roth in this respect, and once studied Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep in relation to Ridley Scott’s film Blade Runner. Samantha also has a strong interest in human relationships and mental health, and a love for the innocence of young children and the life and hope they instil in tired-out grown-ups.

With experience as an editor, proofreader and researcher, Samantha is well accomplished and finds this useful when writing and, of course, editing her own work.

Her proofreading and editing experience comprises a website research and editing project for the charity Re-Cycle, the proofreading and editing of a website story – also for Re-Cycle – together with the editing of their August and September newsletters; also a novel, short story, and flash fiction piece for author Elizabeth Los, a novel excerpt for author & translator Jasmine Heydari, and the website area and biographies for global broadcast production company Clean Cut Media Ltd. She has also draft written for the Facilities section of Clean Cut Media Ltd’s website. Samantha has read and edited various documentation including minutes, website material, presentations and more, as part of her administrative background.

Samantha has work published to include various poetry, short stories, blogs and articles, and she previously ran a creative writing group on a voluntary basis for Mungos charity.

She is currently writing her second novel and working on a series of children’s books for illustrator Ella Parry. She regularly writes fiction pieces both for her own website, and to be entered into various competitions.

If you would like to contact Samantha, you can do so via her website http://inkfeatherpen.wix.com/inkspiredwrite.

If you’d like to submit your poem (60 lines max) for consideration for Post-weekend Poetry take a look here or a poem for critique on the Online Poetry Writing Group (link below).

*** Breaking news! My online creative writing courses are currently just £1 or $1-2 each
but only until 3rd April! ***

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I now run online courses – details on Courses – and for anyone looking for an editor, do take a look at Editing and Critique.

If you would like to send me a book review of another author’s books or like your book reviewed (short stories, contemporary crime / women’s novels or writing guides), see book-reviews for the guidelines. Other options listed on opportunities-on-this-blog. And I post writing exercises every weekday on four online writing groups.

Post-weekend Poetry 137: Coconut Oil by Rachel Baines

February 29, 20167 Comments

Welcome to Post-weekend Poetry and the one hundred and thirty-seventh poem in this series. This week’s piece is by Rachel Baines.

Coconut Oil

coconut 864277 She’s the girl who you’d always run back to,

You’re the boy I’d always run back to.

She’s the girl who gave you the chills with her beauty,

You give me the chills with yours.

It’s funny how times change,

People you once loved now become strangers.

But- she’s a parasite,

Always latching onto you and taking what she can.

A symptom of a parasite is disturbed sleep,

She disturbs my sleep.

When I close my eyes I see her eyes,

Staring into yours.

One cure for a parasite is coconut oil,

But no oil or remedy will remove her.

The thought of her makes me aggravated,

Intimidated because really I’m giving her what she wants- you.

I’d like to say everything was fine until she came along,

However, she was always there.

We are smooth like foundation,

Then she comes along, our plates collide and the bumps in the road grow.

Now, I’m not one to gamble,

But I bet you’re talking to her right now.

Sorry I mean, I bet she’s talking to you,

Because we both know she can’t get enough.

I know you feel bad for her and I know you love me,

But why do you feel the need to type to x’s and give her promises I’ll make sure you won’t keep.

See, bless her, she’s having trouble moving on,

Clearly she loved you more than you loved her because you turned a page and started writing a new song.

The girl doesn’t threaten me,

I know we make each other feel new.

The only thing that makes me hurt,

Is how you aren’t letting her get over you.

You compliment, flirt and put kisses,

Just so she stays tame.

But to her you compliment, flirt and put kisses,

Because you clearly want her again.

She’s the girl who you’d always run back to,

You’re the boy I’d always run back to.

She’s the girl who gave you the chills with her beauty,

You give me the chills with yours.

One cure for a parasite is coconut oil,

You know her a lot better than me.

Maybe she’s allergic to coconuts…

Maybe.

I asked Rachel what prompted this piece and she said…

I went through a heart breaking experience where the love of my life continued to stay in contact with his first love. I went through dozens of mixed emotions from solitude to anger. In the latter phase, I expressed my emotion in poetry and ended up with this peace. I refer to the girl as a parasite and make links between the pain she caused me and the symptoms of a common parasite. I hope you enjoy.

Thank you, Rachel. What an emotional piece, especially knowing it’s based on your real experiences.

Rachel is a 16-year-old girl from the North East of England, with a passion for poetry. She enjoys writing poetry, seeing it as a creative outlook and a way to relieve stress. She has been writing for two years and is always excited to learn new techniques and ways of developing my skills.

If you’d like to submit your poem (60 lines max) for consideration for Post-weekend Poetry take a look here or a poem for critique on the Online Poetry Writing Group (link below).

*** Breaking news! My online creative writing courses are currently just £1 or $1-2 each! ***

I now run online courses – details on Courses – and for anyone looking for an editor, do take a look at Editing and Critique.

Post-weekend Poetry: Writing a Terza Rima

February 22, 2016February 15, 2016Leave a comment

Welcome to Post-weekend Poetry and the final part of this five-part series, introducing you to different forms of poetry. You can read the post on Haiku here, Fibonacci here, Sonnet here, and Pantoum here. Today, we are looking at sonnets. Wikipedia explains them as the following…

Terza rima (Italian pronunciation: [ˈtɛrtsa ˈriːma]) is a rhyming verse stanza form that consists of an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme. It was first used by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. The literal translation of terza rima from Italian is ‘third rhyme’. Terza rima is a three-line stanza using chain rhyme in the pattern A-B-A, B-C-B, C-D-C, D-E-D. There is no limit to the number of lines, but poems or sections of poems written in terza rima end with either a single line or couplet repeating the rhyme of the middle line of the final tercet. The two possible endings for the example above are d-e-d, e or d-e-d, e-e. There is no set rhythm for terza rima, but in English, iambic pentameter is generally preferred.

Writing a Terza Rima

I sat right down and tried my best

To write a weird sonnet, lines of three

My head, it hurt, too much of a test

Try as I might, I just couldn’t see

How to fit the form, harder than the last

I gave up and said “it’s not meant to be”

But then I remembered a thing from the past

A tip, a hint, how it should be done

Then lost the plot, sighed and looked aghast

at the half-blank sheet, it wasn’t much fun

“Just be patient,” I wanted so hard to say

“it’s meant to be tough, then rewards are won.”

So I started again for a second day

Until it was finished… hip, hip, hooray!

***

If you’d like to submit your poem (60 lines max) for consideration for Post-weekend Poetry take a look here or a poem for critique on the Online Poetry Writing Group (link below).

*** Breaking news! My online creative writing courses are currently just £1 or $1-2 each! ***

I now run online courses – details on Courses – and for anyone looking for an editor, do take a look at Editing and Critique.

Post-weekend Poetry: Writing a Pantoum

February 15, 2016Leave a comment

Welcome to Post-weekend Poetry. Last week, I posted one of my sonnets in the third of a short series (following on from fibonacci and haikus), introducing you to the shorter forms of poetry. You can read the post on Haiku here, Fibonacci here, and Sonnet here. Today, we are looking at sonnets. Wikipedia explains them as the following…

The pantoum is a poetic form derived from the pantun, a Malay verse form: specifically from the pantun berkait, a series of interwoven quatrains. The pantoum is a form of poetry similar to a villanelle in that there are repeating lines throughout the poem. It is composed of a series of quatrains; the second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated as the first and third lines of the next. This pattern continues for any number of stanzas, except for the final stanza, which differs in the repeating pattern. The first and third lines of the last stanza are the second and fourth of the penultimate; the first line of the poem is the last line of the final stanza, and the third line of the first stanza is the second of the final. Ideally, the meaning of lines shifts when they are repeated although the words remain exactly the same: this can be done by shifting punctuation, punning, or simply recontextualizing.

Writing a pantoum

I thought it was going to be quite tough

but then it proved me wrong for

a little while at least, I thought

“this is going to be some fun”

but then it proved me wrong for

it grew increasingly tricky

“this is going to be some fun,

my arse”…as the hours sped by

it grew increasingly tricky

my mind grew numb just like…

my arse…as the hours sped by

my eyes strained staring at the screen

my mind grew numb just like…

the poem, it finally took shape

my eyes strained staring at the screen

who invented this form of ode?

the poem, it finally took shape

a little while at least, I thought

“who invented this form of ode?”

I thought it was going to be quite tough

***

If you’d like to submit your poem (60 lines max) for consideration for Post-weekend Poetry take a look here or a poem for critique on the Online Poetry Writing Group (link below).

*** Breaking news! My online creative writing courses are currently just £1 or $1-2 each! ***

I now run online courses – details on Courses – and for anyone looking for an editor, do take a look at Editing and Critique.

Post-weekend Poetry: Writing a Sonnet

February 8, 20162 Comments

Welcome to Post-weekend Poetry. Last week, I posted some of my fibonacci in the second of a short series (following up on haikus), introducing you to the shorter forms of poetry. You can read the post on Haiku here and on Fibonacci here. Today, we are looking at sonnets. Wikipedia explains them as the following…

“A sonnet is a poetic form which originated in Italy; Giacomo Da Lentini is credited with its invention. The term sonnet is derived from the Italian word sonetto (from Old Provençal sonet a little poem, from sonsong, from Latin sonus a sound). By the thirteenth century it signified a poem of fourteen lines that follows a strict rhyme scheme and specific structure. Conventions associated with the sonnet have evolved over its history. Writers of sonnets are sometimes called “sonneteers”, although the term can be used derisively.”

The rhyming scheme mentioned is A, B, A, B, C, D, C, D, E, F, E, F, G, G) where each letter rhymes with its mate.

I’ve written very few (because I don’t write much poetry) but here’s one which is about… the title gives it away. 🙂

Writing a Sonnet

The rules say the lines must total fourteen

Easier said than done is what I think

Then to add a trick, and to be so mean

Have ten syllables per line, what a stink!

I’ll give it a go but it may not work

If it takes many hours, I won’t give up

I’ll keep on ‘til the end, I shall not shirk

Down to the dregs of my cold coffee cup

It’s coming together, just bit by bit

I’m ever so pleased and give a big ‘whoop’

But it all goes wrong. I slump where I sit

Then pick myself up and vow to regroup

Then near the end, it starts to take shape

It’s done. Oh, hoorah! I can now escape!

***

If you’d like to submit your poem (60 lines max) for consideration for Post-weekend Poetry take a look here or a poem for critique on the Online Poetry Writing Group (link below).

*** Breaking news! My online creative writing courses are currently just £1 or $1-2 each! ***

I now run online courses – details on Courses – and for anyone looking for an editor, do take a look at Editing and Critique.

Post-weekend Poetry: Telling Fibs

February 1, 20165 Comments

Welcome to Post-weekend Poetry. Last week, I posted some of my haikus in the first of a short series introducing you to the shorter forms of poetry. You can read that post at https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/2016/01/25/post-weekend-poetry-anything-you-can-do-haiku-do-too. Haiku is certainly one of the shortest but have you come across Fibonacci poetry before? It can, technically, be any length you like. Wikipedia explains it as the following…

Fib is an experimental Western poetry form, bearing similarities to haiku, but based on the Fibonacci sequence. That is, the typical fib and one version of the contemporary Western haiku both follow a strict structure. The typical fib is a six line, 20 syllable poem with a syllable count by line of 1/1/2/3/5/8 – with as many syllables per line as the line’s corresponding place in the Fibonacci sequence; the specific form of contemporary Western haiku uses three (or fewer) lines of no more than 17 syllables in total. The only restriction on a Fib is that the syllable count follow the Fibonacci sequence.

Below are some of mine. If you’d like to share yours, please add in the comments box. Thank you!

Under the Weather

Pete

the

dragon

had a cold.

As he sneezed, the flames

faltered at the back of his throat.

Love Shack

Jack

loved

Daphne

’til the end.

Love unrequited,

he sighed and returned to the shed.

***

If you’d like to submit your poem (60 lines max) for consideration for Post-weekend Poetry take a look here or a poem for critique on the Online Poetry Writing Group (link below).

*** Breaking news! My online creative writing courses are currently just £1 or $1-2 each! ***

I now run online courses – details on Courses – and for anyone looking for an editor, do take a look at Editing and Critique.

Post-weekend Poetry: Anything you can do, Haiku do too!

January 25, 2016January 25, 201611 Comments

Morning. I thought it was high time I put some of my poetry up here so today is the shortest form, working upwards (next week is fibonacci).

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/what-are-different-types-of-poems.html is a great list of poetry forms and says of Haiku…

Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry which is composed of three non-rhyming lines. The first and third lines have five syllables each and the second line has seven syllables. They often express feelings and thoughts about nature; however, you could write a poem about any subject that you would like to in this form. Perhaps the most famous Haiku is Basho’s Old Pond: Furuike ya  kawazu tobikomu  mizu no oto  Translated, this poem reads: The old pond– a frog jumps in, sound of water.

Below are some of mine. If you’d like to share yours, please add in the comments box. Thank you!

Writing a Haiku

Put pen to paper

A twelve-syllable poem

This ain’t so simple

Grand Parc d’Enghien

Down by the river

The old man removes his clothes

And steps on the ice

If you’d like to share yours, please add in the comments box. Thank you!

*** Breaking news! My online creative writing courses are currently just £1 or $1-2 each! ***

I now run online courses – details on Courses – and for anyone looking for an editor, do take a look at Editing and Critique.

Author interview no.575 with crime thriller writer Rick Reed

December 8, 2012January 30, 20135 Comments

Welcome to the five hundred and seventy-fifth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with crime thriller author Rick Reed. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.

Morgen: Hello, Rick. Please tell us something about yourself, where you’re based, and how you came to be a writer.

Rick: I didn’t start out to be a writer like most authors that I know, but I have always been a voracious reader. In 1999, while living in a cramped apartment, working third shift as a police detective, newly divorced and trying to find ways to burn off the stress, I discovered that I enjoyed making up police stories.

Since I never expected to find an agent, much less a publisher, I started an underground police department newspaper. It was short and crude and was written as a celebrity roast. The celebrities were whatever unlucky police officer, or politician, I had in my sights for some mischievous—not malicious—fun. The paper was called The Monkey Boy Gazette, and there was an issue every month for ten years before my identity was discovered. My first amendment right to free speech was honoured, but there are subtle ways to punish transgressors and I was finally unable to continue the paper.

Before that happened though, I had a circulation of about one thousand readers, including the entire police department, city government, and local FBI. After I was put out of the underground press business, I was told that my stories were being mailed all over the country to other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. My paper had become a collector’s item, and the victims of the stories were framing them and hanging them in their offices and homes.

Morgen: It’s great having the experience so you really can write what you know because it’s writers like myself who love writing crime but are never sure if the ‘facts’ are right. You could become a crime writers’ consultant. 🙂 What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

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