He told me my poetry’s dross;

And he says he don’t care a  toss.

Well,at least I do try.

So  he can cover his eyes.

Let’s see who feels the worst loss.

My English is getting real quaint;

Standard it certainly ain’t.

I write like a foreigner

Who’s studied astronomy.

I feel upset when my paper is feint.

Some people write  with aplomb.

So we must admire them and some!

Others are tentative

Faintly lamentative

All I can say is,how come?

I had an inchoate dream.

Woke the cat up with a scream.

No detail remains

But my complexion is stained

With tears   for I  saw the word “MEME”.

From Dr Andrew Weil’s website

The 4-7-8 (or Relaxing Breath) Exercise

This breathing exercise is utterly simple, takes almost no time, requires no equipment and can be done anywhere. Although you can do the exercise in any position, sit with your back straight while learning the exercise. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
• This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

Note that you always inhale quietly through your nose and exhale audibly through your mouth. The tip of your tongue stays in position the whole time. Exhalation takes twice as long as inhalation. The absolute time you spend on each phase is not important; the ratio of 4:7:8 is important. If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep to the ratio of 4:7:8 for the three phases. With practice you can slow it all down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply.

This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Unlike tranquilizing drugs, which are often effective when you first take them but then lose their power over time, this exercise is subtle when you first try it but gains in power with repetition and practice. Do it at least twice a day. You cannot do it too frequently. Do not do more than four breaths at one time for the first month of practice. Later, if you wish, you can extend it to eight breaths. If you feel a little lightheaded when you first breathe this way, do not be concerned; it will pass.

Once you develop this technique by practicing it every day, it will be a very useful tool that you will always have with you. Use it whenever anything upsetting happens – before you react. Use it whenever you are aware of internal tension. Use it to help you fall asleep. This exercise cannot be recommended too highly. Everyone can benefit from it.

Watch a video of Dr. Weil demonstrating the 4-7-8 Breath.

Unmarried men with no shirts.

I have told my husband to stand on his own head in future.Is this wise?

No,get him to stand on his  own feet. Upright  posture is usual on the UK

He has stood  on  my nail

Buy a few more.

He has stood me up.

That’s the way he likes it?

Now he rests on his laurels daily.

Go  out and buy a bay tree.

He stood on my thumb.

Don’t keep leaving it on the floor.

He stood on my hat.

Oh,for heavens sake,buy some  armchairs.

He lies on the sofa.

Will he tell the truth on the table?

I used to teach truth tables.

Now teach humans about truth.

I can’t stand logic.

Come on,be reasonable.

I can’t lie in bed any more.

Why would you lie in bed? Is it easier than when vertical?

Even the cat walks all over me.

Fasten loofahs to his feet.

I can’t stand up for myself

Stand up for those who love you.

Those what who love me?

Ducks.As the Lord loves them.

I can’t sleep for laughing.

Don’t get hysteria.

I can’t walk all over anyone now.

Just walk on the top side of them.

I can’t keep a man.

Let him keep you.

I believe in love.

So did we all.

I see that if you are new to blogging it is recommended that you think or write about  why you are going to blog.I  am interested in that but in my case I didn’t ever plan to have a blog.That may seem strange but I was ignorant of such things.

I wanted to type my poems in order to print them and being new to the internet and computing I didn’t know how to use Word or Google docs.I decided to  use a blog but initially all my posts were private.One day I left my poem on public view by accident.Then someone put a comment on it.I was amazed.Then I decided to let others read them.So I came to it in a backwards way

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

While I had that blog I met some very  interesting  and talented people.Unfortunately I also got a negative reaction from someone who complained I wrote more than one post per day and also she wanted to know  more about me personally like what I did,how I felt etc not just to read my poems.As she had been ultra friendly  prior to this,I was taken aback.I had no desire to describe my breakfast or the cat being sick nor my anxiety about the  health  of those near me.Not even what kind of oven I had was of  sufficient interest to me for me to disclose it..After a while I left that blog platform.I tried various places.

I  began taking photos and writing short stories and humorous pieces.Sometimes I wonder if I should have  moved to a poetry website instead because that is my main interest.But when I had viral pneumonia and could not  lie down  for many weeks I found writing and  reading what others wrote helped me.On the other hand it was a mistake to show I was on line far more.You can guess why.I am not paranoid but people do note these things for their use.

I have found some fascinating blogs and also been struck by how much people want to learn either to help their writing or just out of a natural desire.I believe you can keep learning all your life if you make  some effort.I n my case it’s not an effort but writing prose seems to tire me.

One thing we have to realise is that we may get great pleasure out of writing a poem  but that does not mean the poem is a good one objectively.We  ideally have to  imagine how it comes across to others.We can ask for criticism.I can tell when one poem is better than another and I notice those  of mine I think good get more views.

Writing is like exercise.One needs to keep doing it just as we do if we wish to learn to draw or to cook.We should start with something simple and then move on as we get more practised.If I write every day I get more ideas.Not while I am here but when I am out for a walk.Often it is like    the  line of  a song going through my head.If I had a guitar I’d probably write mainly  songs not poems.

Until I began writing I didn’t realise I had a sense of humour.But also writing can bring up painful emotions.[See The Expert guide to poetry writing by Fiona Sampson]

So writing a blog can teach you a lot.But be wary.One site for posting  poetry  had adult content by default and when I asked them if that was a good idea, someone put a notice on a publlic forum saying I was a whore.Luckily I did not use my real name and I’d only just joined so not much of mine was there.I deleted it.

Remember you are not here just to satisfy other people’s desires and do not let flattery go to your head.And don’t give dishonest comments to win the friendship of others.If you “like ”  everything then it becomes meaningless.

Another question you need too ask yourself is:Am I doing what I intended?And if not,Am I happy with what I am writing?I didn’t plan to put media on my blog but again by accident I bought a  phone with a camera on it and so began photography.I also discovered digital art tools.I am happy to continue.But if I don’t spend enough time writing poetry because I have been seduced into reading lots of blogs or seduced into writing what gets more readers thus aiming  more at what is popular then it is bad for me.Popularity alone is not a sensible way for writers.Unless you can write a best seller,give up your day job and then write what you feel tou are called to write.But who would have thought sado-masochism  like 50 Shades of Grey would outsell everything?So some of us may never guess what will sell.Don’t spend your time on earth writing like that as I think it is worrying  to make that type of book seem a good idea.Even though people want to read it.What’s wrong with fantasy?

I still don’t know enough about Codes and about layoaut of images.

The few lines below came into my head one day.I like them.

Apples

Random apples

fall silently

on unknown Newtons.

I believe that some men and some women believe women are born knowing how to cook,wash and make beds.We may learn it so young it seems that way to us.However, in my case, my mother had to work so beyond teaching me how to make cakes and failing to get me used to a sewing machine I never really learned much about making a home.

Sometimes, though,thinking can help.In relation to washing up I have learned a good principle.

Don’t make things even harder to clean or deal with rhan they are already

I mean by this that if you have a roasting tin full of fat do not put it into the washing up bowl with some plates that merely need a rinse.You may have a dishwasher.I’d like two sinks but my home is quite small.

I believe too that this principle can be used in other aspects  of home care.

If you like eating cream crackers and other crumbly food don’t eat them in the sitting room.And use a large plate.So you don’t make more work especially if you are not the one who does that.

Taking a leap into a more abstract realm,I believe this principle can be applied to life in general.We all have problems.Don’t make them worse by carelessness.Don’t let one problem  combine with your other ones to add an extra layer of difficulty.And that includes the notion that it’s easier to stop something happening  early on that it is to deal with all its repercussions. when it is neglected.As I know from my own horrible experiences.

Another thing I’ve learned is that very common one that things often look/seem much worse than they are.For years I feared  and dreaded my husband’s funeral as I don’t like cremation..When it happened I enjoyed some of  the rites  and was able to accept the rest easily with aid from my sister and her family and my closest friends.

Today I was cleaning a room I’ve not used while alone.. the dining room.Once I decided to do it I found it interesting as I have more books there and found some I am looking forward to re-reading.I didn’t force myself to complete the whole job as it is the first day for a long time I have felt ok.But doing part of a job is good.

Again,in our life with others,we can have problems which feel hard or impossible.But if we  wait and use our intuition we can seize the right moment if we are not too hasty.And maybe the other person will sense we are able to compromise or at least listen and all of a sudden we both reach out with some sympathy.

Nowadays I feel self control and discipline are not  popular ideas.And they are not easy to enact either.I tried to speak to a friend several times on the phone and each time she was just welcoming a visitor or scrambling eggs etc.Then I felt tempted to get angry.But I refused to do  anything to show this,One step that way can have a drastic effect on friendship.We can lose their trust.She may have  problems or too much to do.So I restrained myself from being sharp or from talking to myself about how awful she was etc. Because it is just part of life.I am not a baby waiting to be fed [I hope].Friendship needs trust and care.And patience is crucial in life.

I did have a bad experience once when I asked someone to pray for my sick husband.I received a  wounding response; however I felt so dreadful already that I didn’t feel much angst.

photo by Mike Flemming

I hope you can see some value in my sharing these few thoughts and  I am sure we can think of other good ideas which both concretely and abstractly help our lives to be easier or more tolerable or even fun.

In the photo on the right you can see a broken lamp.My husband fell just before he died and he broke it.But I love it so I am keeping it and hope to get someone to put a new  holder for a bulb into its narrow  neck.Meanwhile I use this cheap little lamp to brighten the corner wile I have balanced the lampshade onto the broken lamp to make it look better

KODAK Digital Still Camera

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/04/indian-english-phrases-indianisms-english-americanisms-vocabulary?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=The+Best+of+CiF+base&utm_term=147636&subid=9545527&CMP=ema_1364

Grief Makes You Feel Like You’re Going Crazy

Cubicles are a modern invention;

Their space saving was the intention.

In A & E

They make me feel wee.

Though I suffer from fluid retention,

Then we have  the wall-less interior

In house and in  workplace  superior.

Too noisy for me,

And too much to see.

I would never wish to really  deterior.

Pardon me for  inventing new words,

And for unkindly  making them shared.,

As few folk  can calculate

Or  sensibly speculate

Which are real English words bared.

In some homes there’s no private space

So I sit in the bathroom for days.

I know it is small

But it has its own walls.

I pretend to be painting my face.

I wonder if  I am  female.

As an agent, that  makes me quail.

I am partly a man

With a mind that can scan

Much faster than Jesus got bail.

64 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Grief

BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE

Hark ,the  tribal angels sting

Violent night.Too much afright.

Oh,walled town of  death and mayhem.

We three rings of  prurience stir.

While shepherds hatched their plots by night.

The jolly and their rivals.

The Lord is my leopard.

Lord,for tomorrow and its reads,I do not prey.

Love  on remand here.

Unconvivial love for all.

Unconditionally tense always.

[God’s will is a metaphor.He has no lawyer.The truth tomorrow  only in the Daily Wail.]

There are rumours of love here,on earth.
I heard it in the bakers
while queuing for a loaf
I asked
is it north or south
but no-one knows
is it east or west?
but who started it?
shall we make love
and spread more rumours
till the rumours
make a big happy cloud
over our heads
white cloud
with pink edges
for pink is the color of love
like roses
romantic
yet real.
Make the rumours true
love today
and tomorrow
someone
a cat,a dog a human
and you won’t need
to smoke grass
just get out of your head
and into someone’s arms
then love will not be
just a rumour
but a certainty
just leap
and you won’t fall
into the abyss
but into joy
and pain
love and loss
it’s worthwhile
to be alive
just to hear
these beautiful
rumours
everywhere