How does he think;
The same as me?
How does he hear;
Does he hear like me?
How does he feel;
The same as me?
How does he see;
Does he see like me?
How does he understand;
The same as me?
How does he taste;
Does he taste like me?
How does he think;
The same as me
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Thursday, 5 November 2009
A Sonnet, in the English Style
'A Show of Olympic Magnitude'
Bellicose Mars arrives all vengance and rage;
Agile Mercury darts around the packed hall;
Calm Venus brings serenity like a sage;
Lofty Jupiter inspires awe from all,
Noble and transcendent as his giant roar
of mirth and gaiety fills the Grand Stage;
Sombre Saturn's entrace means that no more
shall jollity spring (this was fated, like old age);
Enchanting Uranus will subtly decieve:
a trickster and magician fills the scene.
Mysterious Neptune pleases the naïve
but remains regal and proud like a Queen.
It's not the Greek Gods that have me entralled:
Holst's The Planets played in a concert hall!
Bellicose Mars arrives all vengance and rage;
Agile Mercury darts around the packed hall;
Calm Venus brings serenity like a sage;
Lofty Jupiter inspires awe from all,
Noble and transcendent as his giant roar
of mirth and gaiety fills the Grand Stage;
Sombre Saturn's entrace means that no more
shall jollity spring (this was fated, like old age);
Enchanting Uranus will subtly decieve:
a trickster and magician fills the scene.
Mysterious Neptune pleases the naïve
but remains regal and proud like a Queen.
It's not the Greek Gods that have me entralled:
Holst's The Planets played in a concert hall!
Monday, 2 November 2009
This Is The Child........
This is the child who is sat outside the Head Teacher's office.
This is the child whose future is going to be under discussion in five minutes.
This is the child who is waiting for his mother to come to the meeting.
This is the child who throws chairs around in the classroom.
This is the child who swears at teachers.
This is the child who tries to protect his younger sisters.
This is the child who the other children are a little bit scared of.
This is the child with eyes holding all the knowledge in the universe.
This is the child who will steal tonight to eat and to feed his siblings.
This is the child whose teacher wishes he was in someone else's class.
This is the child no one can get close to.
This is the child failed by an overloaded system.
This is the child who has fallen through the 'Every Child Matters' net.
This is the child I wish I could turn the clock back for.
This is the child who never had a childhood.
This is the child who doesn't trust anyone.
This is the child who knows he is unlovable, unworthy and disliked.
This is the child who will go without to ensure his sisters get something.
This is the child no other school in the city will take.
This is the child with nowhere else to be.
This is the child known by every Police Officer on the local beat.
This is the child who wishes his older brother wouldn't come home to visit.
This is the child no one trusts.
This is the child who lies awake trying not to hear his sisters' screams.
This is the child who knows that life is pain.
This is the child no-one will help because it is all too hard and complicated.
This is the child who will not change for PE in front of other children.
This is the child Social Services has given up on.
This is the child who knows that adults lie.
This is the child who was born because his mother loves babies.
This is a child who has outgrown his purpose.
This is the child who will not explain where his latest bruise came from.
This is the child who runs full pelt, head first, into the concrete garage in the playground, because it is the only way to stop the pain of his life.
This is the child who will repeat this life pattern because no one has helped him; no one has proven to him that he is worth anything; no one has given him the chance to escape his life.
This is the child who should have been seen, heard and helped five years ago.
This is the child who proves the futility of our rules and regulations.
This is a child.
And his life is already cast and set because he will never escape the pain and trauma of being the child he is.
And no one did anything meaningful to help.
And no one could wring enough action out of the system to get him away.
Because there wasn't enough proof.
Because there wasn't enough reason.
Because every Social Worker who worked with the family was more scared of the parents than fearful for the children's pain.
This is a child.
A person.
Who we are all complicit in harming.
Because we didn't do enough.
This is the child whose future is going to be under discussion in five minutes.
This is the child who is waiting for his mother to come to the meeting.
This is the child who throws chairs around in the classroom.
This is the child who swears at teachers.
This is the child who tries to protect his younger sisters.
This is the child who the other children are a little bit scared of.
This is the child with eyes holding all the knowledge in the universe.
This is the child who will steal tonight to eat and to feed his siblings.
This is the child whose teacher wishes he was in someone else's class.
This is the child no one can get close to.
This is the child failed by an overloaded system.
This is the child who has fallen through the 'Every Child Matters' net.
This is the child I wish I could turn the clock back for.
This is the child who never had a childhood.
This is the child who doesn't trust anyone.
This is the child who knows he is unlovable, unworthy and disliked.
This is the child who will go without to ensure his sisters get something.
This is the child no other school in the city will take.
This is the child with nowhere else to be.
This is the child known by every Police Officer on the local beat.
This is the child who wishes his older brother wouldn't come home to visit.
This is the child no one trusts.
This is the child who lies awake trying not to hear his sisters' screams.
This is the child who knows that life is pain.
This is the child no-one will help because it is all too hard and complicated.
This is the child who will not change for PE in front of other children.
This is the child Social Services has given up on.
This is the child who knows that adults lie.
This is the child who was born because his mother loves babies.
This is a child who has outgrown his purpose.
This is the child who will not explain where his latest bruise came from.
This is the child who runs full pelt, head first, into the concrete garage in the playground, because it is the only way to stop the pain of his life.
This is the child who will repeat this life pattern because no one has helped him; no one has proven to him that he is worth anything; no one has given him the chance to escape his life.
This is the child who should have been seen, heard and helped five years ago.
This is the child who proves the futility of our rules and regulations.
This is a child.
And his life is already cast and set because he will never escape the pain and trauma of being the child he is.
And no one did anything meaningful to help.
And no one could wring enough action out of the system to get him away.
Because there wasn't enough proof.
Because there wasn't enough reason.
Because every Social Worker who worked with the family was more scared of the parents than fearful for the children's pain.
This is a child.
A person.
Who we are all complicit in harming.
Because we didn't do enough.
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Writing Competitions
http://www.korepress.org/KorePressShortFictionAward.htm
Short story competition for women writing in English. Closes 31st Oct!
http://espressostories.com/
Extraordinarily short stories. No particular prizes except the joy of being published (online) and read!
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/whatisnano
Start writing 1st Nov - job must be completed by midnight 30th Nov. 50,000 words.
Quantity, not quality.
Short story competition for women writing in English. Closes 31st Oct!
http://espressostories.com/
Extraordinarily short stories. No particular prizes except the joy of being published (online) and read!
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/whatisnano
Start writing 1st Nov - job must be completed by midnight 30th Nov. 50,000 words.
Quantity, not quality.
As We Begin
This Blog is for the use, support and kicking-up-the-bumness of any writers who feel they should like to have that!
It's also for any who would be happy to administer that!
If you would like to post pieces for critique; thrash out an idea which keeps slipping away from you; seek endings, beginnings, middles; try out ideas on a supportive audience; or just talk about what you are writing/would like to be writing/should be writing. If there's anything else a friendly group of people who like to play with words might be able to support you in, which I haven't mentioned here, speak up.
Whatever each of us needs to get the story out of our heads and onto the paper!
Let's do it!!
It's also for any who would be happy to administer that!
If you would like to post pieces for critique; thrash out an idea which keeps slipping away from you; seek endings, beginnings, middles; try out ideas on a supportive audience; or just talk about what you are writing/would like to be writing/should be writing. If there's anything else a friendly group of people who like to play with words might be able to support you in, which I haven't mentioned here, speak up.
Whatever each of us needs to get the story out of our heads and onto the paper!
Let's do it!!
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