Monday, October 08, 2007

Getting the best of our online publishing

This blog format works very well for building an audience but it is not that great at building a community. The aim is to create a vibrant online publication methodology that provides poets with interaction on the web while providing a history of poems submitted. One is very humbled by the contributions of some truly great voices. But all things seem to exist in time and people just come and go if there is no sense of community. By creating a central portals we can reference or index millions of poems to millions of readers. Potentially.

The advent of Web 2.0 sites like myspace make all this far easier. Go to blogger and start your own blog with your own poetry and link it into our site. By using our site to log links to your myspace efforts you will naturally build links in a site that has a long history.

On the new site: the grey front page generated by the Wordpress system - people can now join at will. You can join too - but the idea is that lots of poets may start to post their work and by allowing moderated comments, some natural editing may occur. From this may extract a monthly publication (incorporating the content on this site) for the most viewed poems. Our server stats programmes weigh your audience.

The WordPress platform naturally lends itself to building a Poetry Community. You can join and discuss, post work that is moderated by an editor or become an author who can post at will, comments are moderated, people can graduate from contributor to author - its quite brilliantly appropriate.

What do you think?

wrong shoe

Adopting the wrong pose at the frantic
momentum to tear the roof
from a child at a time
when blossoms seem at odds
with the humble existence
outside of sharp edges
and leaking worry
pleading with the icicles
leaping from waving tree
to wavering affection
dreaming of hot burnt tea
before the leaves have unfurled
placid in this intended infection
unruled by design no fault went blind
the wrong shoe is on the wrong foot
the steps are not in time
the blades that fall are not synchronised
they fall, so the heads that fall dig holes for themselves
under snow the money is so much like a river
it flows under the bridge and they cycle over
unaware of the swarm of bees erupting from both sides
of that large tree or its eyes that follow you
from birth until you are old enough to chop it down
or leave the cutting edge and its mark in the wood

Friday, October 05, 2007

Standing Still

Not
the vapour that leaves
the trees in the morning
that silent stream light fog
driven by limping memory
Not
the growth rings
natures spare tyre
marking age as though
it were an event in itself
No
more grain invested ceilings
or laughter at dawn
that moment before you smile
collapsed about my eyes

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Bernie Kyle

The COACH
By
Bernard V Kyle
[C] 2004

In all fields of human endeavour,
When we strive as we do, for perfection,
What greater the need, than to really take heed,
Of someone, who'll give us direction.

A guide, a friend, and a mentor,
A council, one can approach,
One who is there to assist us,
Who's known to all, as "The COACH."

An Instructor who guides all our efforts,
Who helps, when it comes to the test,
Who'll have to retrain, & renew the pain,
When we perform well short of our best.

But the fans are demanding successes,
And support falls away when we fail,
So few are doubtng the adage,
That 'To WIN', is the real Holy Grail,

And when there's success - or there's failure,
The Coach gets the cheers - or the jeers,
But he keeps on getting reminded,
It's being 'Top Team," which endears,

So there's really just two kinds of Coaches,
The one, who's been summoned - and fired,
And the other who's watching & waiting,
For the day, whe he's likewise retired.
*********
[ He = She ]