The list contains such gems as William Blake’s “The Tiger”.
I was a little surprised that the listed poems did not include “Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam”, by Ernest Christopher Dowson, one of the so-called “decadent” or “Catholic” poets, https://poets.org/poem/vitae-summa-brevis-spem-nos-vetat-incohare-longam. I have long been an admirer of Dowson’s work, so I am, perhaps biased as regards his poetry!
Whilst I am no Dowson or Blake, I have taken the liberty of including my poem, “Summer” below:
“Summer unlocks
Youthful passion.
Now ’tis the fashion
For short frocks
And tiny socks.
Some girls barefoot go;
For, of a summer’s day,
They little know
That winter snow
Is on its way”.
“Summer” can be found in “The Selected Poems of K Morris”, which is available as a Kindle download or in paperback, and can be accessed here, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WW8WXPP/.
Strolling through the graveyard in early April,
I enjoy the warm sunshine.
I am not sure of the divine.
Still,
A man may take pleasure
Whilst not knowing whether
Mother Nature, or the Creator
Causes the sun to shine.
Both are divine.
And a minuscule
Virus does wait,
Unseen by the eyes,
To seal the fate
Of the fool
And the wise,
For it does not discriminate.
I have received the below notification regarding an opportunity for poets to have their work aired:
“Dear friends and fellow poets,
We are sending you all our very best wishes for your good health and continued safety and would like to invite you to join in a brand new adventure while
all of us are in confinement of one kind or another.
We have had the following interesting idea shared with us and we want to invite you all to contribute.
If you have written, or would like to write, about your present situation or want to reflect on the experiences of people around you in these strange Coronavirus
times then read on – start writing – and send your poems directly to David Vickery.
kindest thoughts to you all
Caroline and Angela x
YourPoemaDay
I’m no poet but I can read poetry and with my track record as an actor, announcer and voice-over artist in broadcast and non-broadcast work over the past
40 years, I know I can sit in front of a camera and read other people’s verse.
So, if you, or your friends would like to write a poem in response to Coronavirus, the lockdown, or any aspect of the current situation that is of interest
to them, then I’d like to read it out on a Facebook site I am setting up. One thing – I am looking for poems that will cheer us up, not take us down.
Think positive.
The site will be promoted via Twitter and Instagram and I anticipate there will be an early boost to numbers coming to the site as I have a television
entertainment friend in San Francisco who says he’ll happily talk about this on-air.
I can’t guarantee a poem EVERY single day but certainly most days – and I obviously can’t GUARANTEE to read out every poem sent to me but will try! Also
the inclusion of a little bit of background information about the poet to add some colour and texture to the content would be appreciated. There is no
set length to the poem or any other parameters beyond those stated. The “on-air” environment will reflect a certain cheekiness. We have to smile our way
through these days.
One final thing – a small legal bit. There needs to be confirmation from anyone who submits a poem that they grant me usage to show and distribute their
poem. And that’s about it.
I have a busy working week ahead at the BBC, so my guess is that this will be up and running by the end of next week (15/16 April?). Enough time to write
a poem, or two?
Replies should be to
davidvickery@me.com
Here’s where you can find out about me http://www.davidvickery.co.uk
. Although I find them embarrassing to watch these days there are plenty of TVS Late Night Late videos to be found on YouTube from 30 years ago
but my approach will be somewhat similar.
For anyone who is interested, THANK YOU so much! Let’s have some fun.
Kisses in springtime
Make for rhyme.
Flowers open.
The unspoken
Word, is heard
In the heart
Of the artist
Who does capture,
In his art
The rapture
Of a girl kissed
By an old reprobate.
The portrait
Is his
At any rate.
Heels and sin
She is to him.
He paddles
Without saddles.
And cares not
For what
May be,
For he
Is in his stride
And can not
See
Beyond the pond,
Where those who ride
In waters hot
Oft times find
They lose their mind,
In a momentary desire
To play with fire.
And the cost of lust,
Is dust.
The daisies remain,
Although not the same
As those I saw
Carpetting Nature’s floor,
When, as a child
I ran wild
And free.
I can almost see
The Daisy Chain,I made from nature’s great store.
Better to have left them on her green floor.
As it is much easier to disrupt than construct.
And the chain I composed
On the school playing field
Did yield
To time.
Am I arrogant to suppose
That this little rhyme
May outlast the brief hour
Of a daisy flower?
Sunscreen on skin
Is no sin.
The birds sing
For it is spring.
One may go outside
But woe betide
The man who offers resistance
To the concept of social distance.
They say that couples are okay
To enjoy the weather together.
But how do you
Distinguish lovers true
From those simply out for fun
In this beautiful spring sun?
One may stroll, alone.
The phone,
And the internet
Are fine. As is wine
(but no alcohol or grub
Down the local pub)!
You may walk your pet
And hear the birds sing
(for it is spring),
And it is not yet
A crime, to indulge in rhyme.
At a time of lockdown
Some drown
Their sorrows, in beer or gin.
Yet alcohol is not
The only form of sin.
True, some may lose themselves in art.
But others grow hot.
Drink and art
Can not suffice.
Thoughts turn to vice.
Anticipation of pleasure,
For the coming warm weather
Will bring
(In summer and spring)
Roses into bloom.
And, despite the lockdown
Some men will not resist the perfume
Of roses.
The poet composes
And thinks “the woodland path
Along which I pass
Has no flowers in bloom,
But soon
Their scent will delight
Both day and night.
And I shall pass by
With a sigh.
Yet the woodland path
Is not wide
And when, on each side
There are such sweet blooms,
‘Tis not easy to pass,
And some may stray
From the narrow way …”.
For a while now, I have been mulling over the idea of doing a poetry reading. My original intention was that this would be an event held somewhere in Crystal Palace, with people physically in attendance. However, due to COVID19 (the Corona Virus), this is, sadly not possible. Hence I have decided to host a virtual event, details of which can be found below.
It remains my intention to hold a live event (with guests physically present) when COVID19 is resolved/the UK lock-down is over. In the meantime, I hope that you will be able to participate in the online event to be held at 8 pm, on Wednesday 9 April:
“Kevin Morris is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
K Morris - Poet 