Poetry Thursday 33 - Get the message?

 So why write poetry? A question addressed many times but it is rarely answered satisfactorily. I have produced a piece of work that points toward some of the reasons why I write poetry. 

Get the message?

 

Because more may access the message,

or more may get the message,

or maybe they’ll appreciate the message,

or perhaps just read the message.

 

Not trying to be an obscure message,

or an intellectually clever message,

not a particularly clear message,

more of an emotionally charged message.

 

More getting to the bottom of the message,

perhaps the nuances of the message,

happen they’ll discuss the message,

or internalise the message.

 

Perhaps the message offers explanations,

maybe the message triggers the conscience,

will the message generate new realisations,

or begin a beneficial consequence.

© David L Atkinson March 2024 

God Bless 

Writing - Where do stories come from?

 The above question is often asked by youngsters and wondered about by the rest of us. There is a belief that there are only about 7 different story formats. In fact stories are flexible, adaptable and cross every possible area of life. Take the one I experienced this week. 

The film is inspired by the real-life scandal that rocked the sleepy town of Littlehampton, Sussex, in the 1920s. 

The real-life Rose Gooding moved to the small seaside town of Littlehampton, Sussex, in 1918.

Rose had welcomed her daughter Dorothy out of wedlock three years before marrying her husband, Bill, which was frowned upon at the time.

Nevertheless, Rose soon formed a friendship with her neighbour, Edith Swan, with the pair bonding over their household work. Edith wrote out a recipe for chutney and lent Rose knitting patterns for socks, while Rose lent Edith a tin bath.

But their friendship soon turned sour after they fell out over their communal garden, and Edith quietly plotted her revenge.

The idea of dramatising a real life situation is as old as the hills and is a rich vein of opportunities for exercising the story writing muscles. In fact a number of my Steele novels are based on real life events. 

7 Hours After is centred upon the events of 9/11 and incorporates some suitably juicy conspiracy theories all examined by the enigmatic Patrick Steele. 

Flight into Secrecy on the tragic loss of Malaysian flight 370 that threw up a veritable plethora of theories as to the reason for the aeroplane's disappearance. All great fun to research then examine for grains of possibility. 

The resulting books have openings for 'truth' to be applied which hopefully teases the reader into reading and becoming embedded in the reality of the tales. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 32 - Whatever

 When I first began teaching the in phrase with children in Halifax was 'you don't fuss' which caused the hackles to rise in some circumstances. Whatever! 

Whatever

 

Whatever happened to

bread toasted on crackling fires

and radios connected by wires?

 

Or to

the bobbie on the beat

and playing in the street?

 

Or to

shops closed on Sundays

and Blackpool for holidays?

 

Or to

240 pennies in the pound

and milk roll that was round?

 

Or to

blue/black ink in fountain pens

and eggs collected from free range hens?

 

Or to

the cane in school

for playing the fool?

 

Or to

masters in black cloaks flitting like bats

and ladies wearing pinned Sunday hats?

Or to

ice cream delivered by boys on bikes

and children learning to ride their trikes?

 

Or to

new clothes bought on dividend days

and children going to church school on Sundays?

 

Or to

the rag and bone man with his horse and cart

and cars with handles for their engines to start?

© David L Atkinson March 2015

God Bless 

Writing - Read Everything 2

 So providing a reading environment as I started last week is not as onerous or expensive as the title suggests. Looking back on personal experience a positive environment begins, not with piles of comics, magazines, newspapers and books, but by seeing people read. One of my childhood memories of my dad was him reading a newspaper avidly. He would read every word. Mum read magazines, the newspaper, books and knitting patterns, she also loved crosswords which were printed in the newspaper. The bottom line was that two busy people always managed some time every day to read. 

In some respects, leaving reading to schools is leaving it too late. The desire to read very much depends on the value placed on reading from the earliest age and it can't just be reading bedtimes stories which is enjoyable but passive. Seeing ones parents and siblings reading, automatically raises the value of the activity. 

Schools have employed such tactics in trying to help children improve their reading. There was a scheme in the 1980's that included everyone reading in class, teachers included, and the reintroduction of having classes being read to as is the practise for younger pupils. 

Hopefully, creating a reading environment will encourage independent reading. Many people can be seen gazing at screens which obviously involves reading but if ones reading hasn't gone far past decoding then comprehension may be sketchy whereas focusing on a longer piece that requires the reader to interact with the text to establish meaningful understanding is more useful. 

The skill of reading develops throughout your life and to obtain the greatest benefit then time and variety of material needs to be a target. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 31 - Photo Shopped

During the first 50+ years of my life I never took a selfie and survived that deprivation. In this current electronic period you can ask AI to produce pics! 

Photo Shopped

 

Just a snap for Mothers’ Day,

a recent mode of communication,

with media editing in various ways,

and for friends sharing devotions.

 

Not inviting moronic commentary,

but there for even strangers who care,

trimmed to express personal accuracy,

petty critics be aware. 

The point - telling what I want you to know,

not open to churlish interpretation,

why do they insist on stooping so low,

in a frenzy of self-glorification.

 

Just open your eyes and your mind,

consider a family with issues of health,

show the humanity of being kind,

and ignore issues of status and wealth.

© David L Atkinson March 2024 

God Bless 

 

Writing - Read everything

 Reading is a good way of getting into writing but ensure that the words are being read correctly. It begins with single words, signs and advertisements, until phrases and short sentences are developed. Repetition is a must and the same approach can be used with counting. In fact that's the easy bit. Keeping the interest going can be difficult. This struggle used to be more noticeably prevalent with boys and much research went into producing boy centred stories. It matters not a jot if a child doesn't find reading materials interesting gender is not responsible. 

George Layton (1942 - 2024)

George Layton, a comedy actor turned his hand to writing and created a set of characters, mostly boys getting up to boys' antics, including Norbert Lightowler. Excellent stories read to the children I taught in the 90's. Look out The Fib, and other stories, just gentle fun that some boys could get into. 

Comics 

Comics are a step up towards independent reading and these tended to be backed up by annuals around Christmas time. Within this genre there was a gradation of sorts. For me it was the Dandy and the Beano followed on by The Hotspur as I became older. 

Such publications as the above would see a child comfortably through to high school. After the age of 11 what we read was often dictated by the schools we attended and many of the classics were taught for the next 5years, but what happened at home was a lottery. 

These days the plethora of reading materials for all ages is available in many forms and on a variety of platforms but where reading is failing to progress perhaps parents need a closer grip on what is being read. Just because a child is gazing at a screen is no guarantee that words are being decoded and understood. 

Talking about books then becomes important. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 30 - The right track

 A bit of a curate's egg this week in that I think the first poem is brilliant and sums up where society is in the 21st century.

Is your life running on predetermined tracks?

Life on Rails

 

On rails there is direction,

a path laid out and safe to follow.

A track leading to termination,

a distance either deep or shallow

 

Several jolts along the way

almost enough to leave the track,

but the magnetic road won’t let you stray,

and the spinning wheels find the way back.

 

Great moments when the track is smooth,

and the joy of the journey unsurpassed.

It feels good to continue in repetitive groove,

you feel hope that progress will long last.

 

The critics say they wish for change,

scornful of your regulated progression.

Yet they too have tracks with little range,

that carry them to their secret obsession.

 

So enjoy the rules that make your pattern,

take comfort in the predictability.

Follow the rails made at your instruction,

continue to the inevitable terminus of vitality.

© David L Atkinson March 2015

God Bless 

Writing - Girls' Day

 How many Japan’s annual festivals can you name? While Japanese people celebrate worldwide events such as Christmas and New Year’s just like other countries, they also have some unique national holidays that can be experienced only in Japan. Hinamatsuri is one of these festivities. Girl’s day is celebrated nationwide every year on March 3rd. If you live in Japan, or have traveled in Japan during the time of the festival before, it is probably not your first time hearing about the festival. 

It is also known as “Girl’s Day” or “Doll Festival” in English. The festival is held to pray for the healthy growth, prosperity and happiness of girls, especially those that are 10 or younger. 

Families with young girls will display a beautiful set of traditional Japanese dolls called hina-ningyo (hina dolls) at home. The hina dolls are believed to ward off evil and misery. These hina dolls are displayed with a prayer for good health and happy marriage for girls in the future, as they represent the Japanese imperial family’s wedding long ago. 

Like many other holidays, hinamatsuri is also a day when people enjoy special dishes. Chirashizushi is the most popular one, which can be translated as “scattered sushi” in English. It is a traditional Japanese dish consisting of vinegared rice with a variety of ingredients, including vegetables, thin egg omelets and seafood that are scattered on top! 

Hinamatsuri is a special day for Japanese families with little girls. If you don’t have children, however, you can still enjoy it in many different ways. Trying hinamatsuri dishes is enjoyable for everyone, which also allows you to experience traditional Japanese food culture. 

God Bless