tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post7295629249096302103..comments2023-12-28T13:11:06.666+00:00Comments on Pics and Poems: A Question of GenderDave Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-19488579279507298172008-07-01T11:32:00.000+01:002008-07-01T11:32:00.000+01:00Thanks Dick, both for dropping by and for the enco...Thanks Dick, both for dropping by and for the encouragement.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-43776744871328417672008-06-30T23:02:00.000+01:002008-06-30T23:02:00.000+01:00An immediately engaging piece of sustained narrati...An immediately engaging piece of sustained narrative with a fine sense of its time in every detail.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-38671354729885512692008-06-29T08:55:00.000+01:002008-06-29T08:55:00.000+01:00Lucas,Again, much thanks for the encouragement and...Lucas,<BR/>Again, much thanks for the encouragement and the helpful comments. It really is amazing to think that all this started from helpful comments by one friend and has been sustained by others.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-9979674167231979342008-06-29T08:52:00.000+01:002008-06-29T08:52:00.000+01:00Hope,Much thanks for the hope you give! I have lon...Hope,<BR/>Much thanks for the hope you give! I have long ago stopped checking to see what is and what is not a sign of senility. Better I do not know, methinks.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-41305159356958552402008-06-29T08:50:00.000+01:002008-06-29T08:50:00.000+01:00Hi Jim,Yes, I have tried firsties on myself - and ...Hi Jim,<BR/>Yes, I have tried firsties on myself - and no, you are right: it doesn't work! And yes, I think that's the first two lines. I'll have a go, but don't hold your breath! Thanks for the feedback.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-9279496002654427722008-06-28T23:35:00.000+01:002008-06-28T23:35:00.000+01:00I really like the way you take memory spools of Th...I really like the way you take memory spools of Then and cut and splice them in the cutting room of Now to produce poems of childhood with such wit and wisdom. I agree with so many of the above comments. Why stop here?Lucashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07642126053527835870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-23602620482226886872008-06-28T15:09:00.000+01:002008-06-28T15:09:00.000+01:00Ah, a kindred soul who knows that revisiting child...Ah, a kindred soul who knows that revisiting childhood [and sharing it] is not a sign of senility. :)<BR/><BR/>Dave, thanks for letting me peek in the door where your youth still dwells.<BR/><BR/>As for waiting for "inspiration", a college professor once told me that "perspiration" was more like it...we waste lots of time sweating it out instead of just writing. Sometimes I do that...just write. Then I put it aside and go back later to weed. Sometimes I actually find some words worth keeping. ;)<BR/><BR/>Write on gentlemen, write on.hopehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03306622656461205674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-89491236529796265002008-06-28T11:09:00.000+01:002008-06-28T11:09:00.000+01:00Ah, 'firsties'! My wife introduced me to this game...Ah, 'firsties'! My wife introduced me to this game. Someone provides you with a opening line and you have to write a poem underneath it. It's quite amazing how little stimulation a writer actually needs to get him going. The thing is, if I were to pick a line myself it probably wouldn't work. I suppose it's the challenge aspect of it.<BR/><BR/>Someone was complaining a while ago about writer's block and I tried it on her and within a couple of hours she had a poem posted. So, here's one I dreamed up easily twenty years ago that I have never been able to do a damn thing with:<BR/><BR/><I>The French have it right, Death should be a woman</I><BR/><BR/>Probably I'd make it the first two lines myself because I tend to avoid long lines but it's up to you.<BR/><BR/>Enjoy.Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-73819346549567163122008-06-28T10:39:00.000+01:002008-06-28T10:39:00.000+01:00Jim,I had not read your poem before, but you were ...Jim,<BR/>I had not read your poem before, but you were right: I do appreciate it. I was never one to wait for inspiration, only a good idea. (Is there a difference? I read only this morning of someone who dreamt a whole short story. Wow! Manna from Heaven, wouldn't you say?) Time does begin to press, I must admit. I do wonder sometimes if I collected all my duff first lines together, perhaps it would turn ouit to be my best poem yet!Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-54934627229924909812008-06-28T09:45:00.000+01:002008-06-28T09:45:00.000+01:00Dave, I don't have a book. I kept sitting around w...Dave, I don't have a book. I kept sitting around waiting to be inspired and never got round to writing it. Seriously, the time I have wasted waiting for the scales to fall from my eyes is criminal. I used to think that poems that weren't written "under inspiration" were somehow second-rate and not worth the paper they were written on. Ah, the folly of youth. <BR/><BR/>I don't know if you've read this poem of mine - I can't remember half the time what I've posted or where - but I think you will appreciate it more than most. It came after a fairly long dry spell, out of the blue, like a long lost brother knocking on your door:<BR/><BR/><BR/>The Poetry of Regrets<BR/><BR/><BR/>Poems turn up out of the blue these days<BR/>like family<BR/>and usually when things are going badly.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Once they were with us, day in and day out<BR/>we lived with them<BR/>but never really appreciated them.<BR/><BR/><BR/>I guess that's what growing up's all about, <BR/>finding ourselves<BR/>with too many regrets and fewer answers.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Only wish I'd said more when I had the<BR/>words to say it.<BR/>but you don't turn family away. Not ever.<BR/><BR/><BR/>25th May 2001<BR/><BR/><BR/>If I'm starting to feel the grip of Time about my throat you must be too. Even more. Sit down and write. And if your first line is no good then move onto the second. You can always rethink the first line later. I'm sure you find getting up to walk a bit harder these day. Christ, even I do. I never thought I'd be this stiff this young but once you get your momentum going it's not so bad is it?Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-90027820070222665812008-06-28T08:36:00.000+01:002008-06-28T08:36:00.000+01:00Elizabeth,Welcome and many thanks for the contribu...Elizabeth,<BR/>Welcome and many thanks for the contribution. I am feeling slightly bowled-over by all the nice things being said. I may even have to reconsider whether it will be my last for a while - perhaps take a leaf out of Jim's book; he once commented that when inspiration doesn't come we have to do without it. Glad to be on your list, if I may return the compliment.<BR/>Thanks again.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-85200811264211950452008-06-27T20:43:00.000+01:002008-06-27T20:43:00.000+01:00PS, I added you to my list today...hope that's oka...PS, I added you to my list today...hope that's okay?!<BR/>Pax, EJTElizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07505258364895249347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-57956222880880194942008-06-27T16:38:00.000+01:002008-06-27T16:38:00.000+01:00Wow, I just love this poem. I had the joy of bein...Wow, I just love this poem. I had the joy of being fourth born. Two big brothers and a big sister...Ah the wonder of exploring EVERYONE'S toys! My children two daughters then a son have such fun finding ways to include everyone in their games...lately playing "house" has taken on a Pirate theme with a 9 year old neighbor boy joining in. He douesn't mind being the "dad" as long as he can be a pirate!<BR/><BR/>I too, love the way you seem to be able to get your adult self aout of the way in these memoir poems. I think they would be lovely tales tole in prose. I'd love the story of the Noah's Ark too!<BR/>God Bless, EJTElizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07505258364895249347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-11462471161433399562008-06-27T08:51:00.000+01:002008-06-27T08:51:00.000+01:00LucyAn interesting comment, the one about it being...Lucy<BR/>An interesting comment, the one about it being just about all right, for one of my most constant memories of childhood is that of thinking that things were just about all right - though not in those words, of course. My memory of these things is very selective, I think. I mentioned to Roxana my interest in the growth of the self-picture. The other big interest is the degre to which our early memories have interacted or merged with things we have been told. Thanks again.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-71903816046606135322008-06-27T08:45:00.000+01:002008-06-27T08:45:00.000+01:00Roxana,Welcome, and thanks for stopping by. Yes, i...Roxana,<BR/>Welcome, and thanks for stopping by. Yes, it is difficult to write about children and childhood, so many traps to fall into, but it's maybe a little easier when the childhood is your own. What interests me is how all these early experiences come together - or don't - to influence the growth of the self-picture. Your words are too kind, but much appreciated.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-3023661636064779252008-06-27T08:40:00.000+01:002008-06-27T08:40:00.000+01:00Jim,A super memory there - you should write a poem...Jim,<BR/>A super memory there - you should write a poem anout it perhaps. O)r did you already? Thanks for the comment.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-89732128671377217032008-06-27T06:30:00.000+01:002008-06-27T06:30:00.000+01:00Pity it might be the last for a while, you do writ...Pity it might be the last for a while, you do write so well about childhood. Nothing saccharine, a bit edgy, but a sense that it's all probably just about be OK... I do like the idea of wanting to populate the dolls' house with your other beings doing 'gross, ungirlish' things! As a not very girlish girl myself I think I might have rather enjoyed that... What a good memory for these details you have.Lucyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09764296105901909328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-17799357702572269342008-06-26T19:18:00.000+01:002008-06-26T19:18:00.000+01:00Hi Dave, I have to say how much I like this, I've ...Hi Dave, I have to say how much I like this, I've always felt that writing about children is a difficult task, it is quite tricky to avoid the artificiality of the adult's gaze struggling to recover what has been lost. but there is lightness in your words, and a sense of innocence of the soul, and tenderness - it makes me instantly feel good when I read it, and this is very important.Roxanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05650840495095863057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-32847682857342099512008-06-26T12:34:00.000+01:002008-06-26T12:34:00.000+01:00Unusually this poem does not remind me of childhoo...Unusually this poem does not remind me of childhood. It reminds me of the time my wife was in the process of delivering our first child. As the baby was being hauled from her I remember clearly thinking, "Please let it be a girl." I know it's generally assumed that a man would want a son but since I wasn't very good at being a boy when I was one I didn't imagine I'd have much time for a son if I did get one. As it happens my wish was granted and I was handed a beautiful baby girl to whom I sang, <I> Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra</I> because the nurses had, for some unaccountable reason, all been Irish.Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-62368221671566260392008-06-26T08:43:00.000+01:002008-06-26T08:43:00.000+01:00FranscudThanks for taking the time to drop by, and...Franscud<BR/>Thanks for taking the time to drop by, and thanks too for the kind words. Positive feedback (of whatever kind) is always welcome.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-53898412569591104342008-06-26T08:40:00.000+01:002008-06-26T08:40:00.000+01:00Rachel,I overlooked your question re the dolls hou...Rachel,<BR/>I overlooked your question re the dolls house, I fear. No, I never did manage to acquire one. No chance of that, but I did manage a Noah's Ark, which I converted and populated with all kinds of odd beings, mostly made of pipe cleaners.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-7189801996986609412008-06-25T21:12:00.000+01:002008-06-25T21:12:00.000+01:00I liked the flow of this piece very much. And you ...I liked the flow of this piece very much. And you paint the scene beautifully ... I felt like I was there in the kitchen.Francis Scudellarihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01008685302028451297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-76155173595163944712008-06-25T20:52:00.000+01:002008-06-25T20:52:00.000+01:00Hey Dave--yes a simple answer, but understandable,...Hey Dave--yes a simple answer, but understandable, especially with poetry.Conda Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12972790965426924941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-56787035429800621762008-06-25T15:14:00.000+01:002008-06-25T15:14:00.000+01:00The Insane WriterThanks for that. Modesty forbids ...The Insane Writer<BR/>Thanks for that. Modesty forbids me making much comment, but truly appreciated.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-36662153134648256182008-06-25T14:58:00.000+01:002008-06-25T14:58:00.000+01:00I'm not a huge fan of poetry, but I'm impressed af...I'm not a huge fan of poetry, but I'm impressed after reading yours. It kept me intrigued!The Insane Writerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00998211275173307886noreply@blogger.com