Hello, the week seems to have ended with a lot of snow, I hope it's not affected our readers too much. This week we began with The Season Ends by Amy Barry. It was a very sad and moving poem and quite powerful about a fifteen year old girl who had committed suicide after being tormented in school over sex rumours. It was a complicated story of sadness and cruelty and I'm reminded of the final, short stanza: 'Her body / found hanging / from the maple tree, / in winter.'

Suicide was a recurring theme as another story popped up, this time in the military as combat lessens. Show Me Something I've Seen Before by David Mellor was published on Tuesday. It shows us a kind of torment with being in the military and not fighting, which seems to create a psychological torment and shows someone to wishing to see their normal life, 'Something I've seen before, me and Steve growing up in the candy store.'

Fellow Poetry24 editor, Abigail Wyatt was published on Wednesday with Proper Love. It's a thought-provoking poem about the 56 year old British woman who was sentenced to death in Bali for cocaine smuggling. The poem questions the way we judge and the decisions we make. The ideas of right and wrong and crime and punishment.

Royal Pardon on Thursday, written by Philip Challinor, was a satirical approach to the tabloid stories about Prince Harry. It references the naive and immature actions Prince Harry did in the past and the negative press he gained from it, but then the change in opinion about him, to forgive him, when he joined the army, 'Go to Asia and blow up sufficient wogs.' I suppose this wasn't about Harry and what he's done in his life, but about the silly, fickle tabloid journalists who really only write about their own agendas.

Clare Kirwan returned to Poetry24 on Friday when we published The Moses of Elephants. This was about the baby elephant that died in the BBC show Africa and David Attenborough defended it, saying it was a natural tragedy. The poem is filled with religious imagery and almost sanctifies the elephant in question, showing that the elephant's death was indeed natural and, in a sense, beautiful, and there was never any need to complain about it.

Finally, we published Prisoner at Home by Katie Beviss to end the week. The news story was about Palestinians who threatened to sue Israel over settlements. The poem is very powerful and interesting from the first line: 'The man at no.3 has been taken prisoner.' I particularly liked the use of Hebrew '"מתים המהלכים"' to read 'The Walking Dead.'

Remember to keep submitting to us at poetry24@hotmail.com and tell your friends about us. You can like us on Facebook on our Poetry24 page.

Hope you've all had a good week and have better one to follow.

Michael.

Hi all, it's been a bit of an up and down week here. We started the week with Aparna Pathak's poem "Intentions" about the Pakistani/India clash that is ongoing in Kashmir. It is a simple yet powerful poem that could apply to most conflict in the world. A bowl of humanity is what is needed.
David Mellor continued his recent run of good poems with "Truce Bomb" about the Syrian rebellion and the West's attitude toward it.
Editor Michael Holloway contributed a great poem "An Evil of Want" about the current British government and their attacks on the most vulnerable people in society. I particularly liked his phrase:
"The small eyes, gap-toothed grin beneath balding head,
laughs without shame or remorse".   
Marie Ryan contributed her first poem to Poetry24 with "Here Comes the Sun" an ironic title considering that the subject is the worsening world situation and containing the memorable line 
"Winter sun skis to April fools."
Nicola Copeland's poem "No Pancakes on Sunday" is a wonderfully sad poem about a British soldier dying from his wounds inflicted when he was in Afghanistan.
All in all it was a great week of poems but we had a break in transmission due to a glitch in scheduling and a low level of submissions. As Abi Wyatt said "Come on guys, it is time to shake off that comfortable and euphoric drowsiness brought on by the excesses of the festive season, time to get your backsides in gear and get down to work."   

Hello, I'm back! And hasn't Martin done a very good job of keeping things going in my absence (as, to be fair, he does in my presence)?

We've had a very sparkly week this week, with flowers and medals and lights and mirrors - who knew the news was quite so frivolous... or was it?

For starters, in 'Nimby' Anna reminded us that we have to put our non-sparkly stuff somewhere - as long as it's nowhere near us. Then Charlene Langfur showed us in 'Safe' that (unless your name's Gaddafi) those ribbons and medals are hard-fought and well-earned. US marines appeared again in a first contribution from slam poet James Schwartz celebrating the end of the 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy with it's simple but powerful message: 'As You Were'.

Helena Nolan brought us flowers on Wednesday, all the way from Kenya in 'Day 44' - a clever, unsettling poem that hints at human immigration, the package handled 'As if somebody cares' but ultimately forgotten. Another new contributer to Poetry24, Kashmiri poet Anjum Wasim Dar chose the curious subject of clever corvids to suggest we should be better able to use the tools we have for peace in 'Who Is The Cleverest Crow Of Them All?'

Well, someone who is very clever (but doesn't crow about it) is Anthony Baverstock who finished the week with his gem of a poem 'Talisman.' There were more notes from him on some of the unusual words used in the poem - do chat to him in the comments section if you're interested.

His poem serves to remind contributers that we're interested in all forms of poetry, including the 'concrete' poems, audio files and your recent additions on YouTube - as long as they link to the news!

Clare

On the day following the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we published Lavinia Kumar's prose poem, World Trade Center. Lavinia, herself, was unsure as to whether this form would suit Poetry24. It did, perfectly.

From remembering an atrocity, to living with a potential tragedy, David Francis Barker's Today Marcoule raised the nuclear question, following an explosion at the French site.

On Wednesday I penned Collage of Conviction, unable to let the passing of Richard Hamilton go without a mention. He did, after all, design the cover and poster for The Beatles' White Album. Enough said.

Philip Challinor came up trumps with Davey's Not For Turning, even though our Mr Cameron is probably on course to match Thatcher's high water mark unemployment figures of the 80s.

Fran Hill treated us to a sonnet about a sausage…and we think it could be a record 'first'. The title, Probably one of the only sonnets written about a sausage…, which is pretty much the longest we've had so far, is also in a league of its own.

Newcomer, Laurie Kolp, states that she doesn't usually stand for any monkey business while writing, but when she read the story of how a monkey's sweet tooth was its downfall, she couldn't resist sending us Chocolate Bites.

You'll be pleased to know that Clare has now returned, safe and sound, from her travels and, as ever, she and I are putting out the call for your poems. Without them, there would be no Poetry24.

Have a great week.

Martin.

Last week it was Shaun Parrin's Sunday that took the place of our regular review and, as Old St Martin's was getting a new ring of bells, executives at Tesco were preoccupied with the tinkling of cash registers, having finally gained a foothold in Harrogate. Anna mourned the capitulation with The Last Bastion.

Speaking of a foothold, or lack of one, on Tuesday, David Francis Barker's offering invited the Scottish Conservatives to Go Now, in view of the party's dwindling support, north of the border.

I contributed my five penny worth with Twiss. Test Pilot, Peter Twiss, who became the fastest man on earth on Saturday, 10 March, 1956, died aged 90 years. A tribute to this true hero of our times seemed fitting in a world where celebrity status has been so devalued.

Lavinia Kumar offered us a wonderful political spoof from the USA, with Tea Party Debacle, as Congress returned from recess. Still stateside, New Jersey resident, David Caruso, offered us a reflective New York Sonnet, as the shadow of 9/11 extends to ten years.

Douglas Polk rounded out the week with The Reality Menu, inspired by the extraordinary predictions made by futurist, Ray Kurzweil.

A couple of days ago, I read a poem that almost came to Poetry24. It met all the requirements, was nicely crafted and news-related, but sadly it never arrived at our door. I was left wondering how many of you, out 'there', have almost sent us poems for consideration. If it helps, remember Poetry24 is about encouraging people to write poetry, inspired by events taking place in the world around them. It's about you capturing a moment and inviting others to see it as you did.

Please don't let you work become an almost poem. We'd love to see it here.

Have a great week.

Martin.

It's easy to say: 'How can one person make a difference?' and in saying it, to not be the person who does. This week we've had poems about individuals who have made a difference - whether intentionally or inadvertently - and some who are trying to.



We started with Nedjo Rogers' powerful 'Renewal Scourge' which looked at two agents provocateur: Tunisian fruitseller Mohamed Bouazizi, whose self-immolation provoked the Arab Spring and the killing of Mark Duggan which sparked off rather less altruistic riots in Tottenham. On Wednesday Lavinia Kumar's 'Spinning Wheel' on Indian corruption being highlighted by campaigner Anna Hazare. With it's references to sandals, home spun cloth and cups of salt, there were clear echoes of Gandhi.

So what difference can poets make and how best to expose an issue? Well, you can pack a punch with very few words - as Karen Neuberg did with 'By-stander' and Stafford Ray with his 'Shorts'. Or you can home in on the intensely personal like Katherine Lockton on love 'n' marriage with 'September the 3rd' and Martin Hodges with his devastating 'No longer' on the appalling situation in Tripoli hospital.

Submissions have been a bit thin on the ground of late and I'm going off on holiday now, so do please keep sending your poems to Martin.

Fran Hill got this week off to a witty start. Inspired by the digital antics at Grazia, the fashion mag, she penned The royal split. Poor Kate, appearing to be a lesser woman, due to that tweaked waistline.

Karen Neuberg turned her thoughts to Perpetuity, a poem that illustrates the deadly and long lasting effects of radiation, following the earthquake damage to nuclear reactors at Fukushima.

Brent Calderwood's first poem for Poetry24 flagged up Sarah Palin's struggle with American history, with Sarah Palin's Ride, and Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro's sobering account of how famine forces mothers to choose which of their children will live or die, Water over head, is a heart-breaking piece by this prize-winning poet. Meanwhile, Palestinians praying in the Gaza buffer zone, and protesting against land confiscation, set the scene for Lavinia Kumar's Land is an Old Friend.

Philip Challinor rounded out a fairly reflective week of poetry with his, Not Our Sort of People.

To continue that reflective mood, Poetry24 passed the six month mark on 16th August (cue virtual applause), and Clare has come up with a few stats.

In our first six months:

• 4 out of 5 poems were accepted
• 3 out of 4 poets have had something accepted
• 161 poems have been published in 185 days
• 77 different poets - 35 men, 42 women
• 40 Britain, 15 America, 9 Ireland, 4 Australia, 2 Canadia, 2 New Zealand, 1 Puerto Rico, 1 India, 1 Serbia, 1 Netherlands, 1 unknown
• 40+ different news sources
• The strangest keyword search that led someone to the blog was, "custard pie fight porn movies" 
 

In light of that last one, never let it be said, stats are boring.

Now for the audience participation bit, where we make requests and canvas
opinion. We would like to know your feelings about the positioning of the news-link that accompanies each poem. It has been suggested that people might like to see it before the poem, rather than after. Let us know if you have strong feelings about this.

But don't let us take up all of your valuable thinking time. Leave some for composing those all important poems.

Have a good week.

Martin.

This week got off to a bang with Jane James's 'Harvest Time' - a rapid response to events in London... and an even bigger bang with David Bateman's irresistible 'A New Universe In The Basement'- which sparked neatly off a small item of news about a chap who's been splitting atoms in his kitchen.

We were surprised not to receive a deluge of riot-related pieces after all the coverage in the UK, but Lavinia Kumar's 'The Dalai Lama' was a fitting reminder of peace, wisdom and the 'sluggish river of sadness' ...and also echoed a more local sense of unsettled youth itching for a fight.

In the end I wrote a riot poem myself: 'The morning after' which attempted to show the feelings of futility and, like much of the exhaustive coverage, left you with more questions than answers. Yesterday we brought together Smash and Grab - a compilation of reponses to the riots including a haiku from David Caruso, a few lines from one of our Twitter followers and links to poems by previous contributors - Chris Lawrence's measured anger and Ana's more visceral polemic.

Jinksy's 'Aftermath' - five months after the Japanese Tsunami widened the perspective: it is well to remember that other people are in worse situations - and not self-inflicted! "Yet they survive another day..."

As, I hope, we all survive another week - have a good one, and keep those poems coming!

Clare

In what has been a turbulent week, with mayhem in the markets and the news that America has lost its AAA credit rating, Anthony Baverstock's The Tragedy of Obama and Boehner set an ominous tone. While economic analysts were wringing their hands over the 'dead cat bounce', Chris Lawrence's thoughts turned to the deaths of 140 people in Hama, at the hands of the Syrian Army. His poem, Men In T-Shirts, reflects the chilling dilemmas faced by ordinary citizens in pursuit of democracy.

On Wednesday we published Charlene Langfur's, Gift of a Particular Miracle, just two days after Gabby Giffords made a surprise return to Congress, to cast her vote in favour of the debt package. Seven months previously, she had received near fatal head wounds, during a shooting that left six others dead.

And, as one politician continues along the road to fitness, Hosni Mubarak arrived in court on a hospital bed to face charges of corruption and ordering the killing of protesters. Kim Rooney neatly captured the moment in the Cairo courtroom.

Poetry can make the greatest impact when it's kept short and focused. Fran Hill's Progress was perfectly summed up in a comment which read, "All that pathos and irony generated by just a one-word title and eight short lines - a sharp slap to reevaluate priorities. Very efficient and effective." We couldn't agree more.

Heather Wastie offered us The Velvet Glove for Saturday, a quirky tale of spilt shiraz. And on that note, here's a toast to you all. Keep those poems coming!

Getting out and about at poetry readings, I am well aware that there really isn't any subject that a poet somewhere won't tackle. It's good to know this.
After the shocking events in Norway, it was a brave Martin A. Bartels who took up the gauntlet to write about it. And his 'Epitaph' was a fitting poem, zooming in on a map from the broad sweep of global tragedies right into our own homes, where: The coffee mugs are always clean. / The muddled bedroom is empty.
Another brave poem was 'Of Somalia' by 'Anna' which powerfully denounces regimes that allow their people to starve for the sake of religious differences or political point-scoring. It reminds us of the importance of humanity amidst tragedy. The same is true of Charlene Langfur's 'Baghdad Morning in America' - the subtle rhythms and repetitions reminding us of the still-growing list of the dead: And the names are read quietly. Paced. A number. Another.

Also this week, we had some nifty wordplay from David Francis Barker in 'Debit' and further welcome 'relief' from new contributer David Bateman who took a 'wee' pop at the police in 'We Are Sorry (But...)'. We finished the week with Philip Challinor's Soldiers of Fortune which took a cynical look at politicians wanting old soldiers to 'spend a penny' too!
When choosing which poems to publish, we try where possible to get a variety of subjects and styles, light and dark - tricky sometimes when we have such a fast turnover! We want poems on the subjects everyone is talking about, and those little stories most people won't have heard of that capture the imagination.
We'd be interested to know what you think about the mix on Poetry24. Do we get the balance right?

It was always one of the main aims of Poetry24 to publish material drawn from international news. This week, we not only achieved that, but also enjoyed a poem with its roots in News International, or at least the Murdoch's appearance before a committee of MPs. Anthony Baverstock's We didn't start the pie fight, charts the art of pie-throwing, as a means of public protest.

On Monday, Joshua Baumgarten's We will all meet as one, when the word can eventually overpower the gun, offered a fine tribute to the recently assassinated Argentine folk singer, Facundo Cabral, while prize-winning poet, Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro, considered the nightmarish legacy of the Japanese earthquake, with Fukushima for two.

Chris Lawrence highlighted events in Syria, where public protests against the Assad regime continue to be met with brute force. His Damascus reflects the turning of a 'blind eye' by the west. Lynne Stanford exploited some clever wordplay in a debut poem, Hacked, and Martin A. Bartels, another newcomer to Poetry24, touched down quite beautifully with Landing.

Three new names have been added to our list of featured poets since last week. Word is getting around, it seems. Lynne Stanford told us, "I was directed to your site by the current issue of Mslexia.  I had been worried that political poetry wasn't getting heard, but the standard of your site is excellent."

Whichever route you take to Poetry24, be sure to bring your poems with you.

Have a good week.

Martin.