I saw a girl, of sunlight
Who followed me
From tree to tree.
A spirit of delight
Was she,
A nymph of air
Who did so lightly pass
Over the yielding grass,
But one may taste,
But never take
The summer air.
From time to time, I Google my books to ascertain whether any of them have received a mention, for example in the form of a book review. Whilst searching for one of my titles yesterday (Wednesday 10th July), I came across a link to the book on Kiss Library.
All of my books (with the exception of Guide Dogs Anthology), are available from Amazon and (in the case of “My Old Clock I Wind“, and “Lost in the Labyrinth of My Mind“, also from Moyhill Publishing. I have never authorised Kiss Library to sell any of my books.
I was, obviously concerned to discover that Kiss Library is offering one of my works for sale without my permission. Firstly (as already stated) I never granted that organisation permission to sell any of my titles, and, secondly any funds from such sales will not be going into my bank account!
Given my concerns I Googled Kiss Library which threw up this link, https://www.dalecameronlowry.com/piracy-alert-seller-stealing-books-kisslibrary-com/. The post details a number of instances where authors have discovered their books on sale at Kiss Library without their permission. Kiss Library state (in the comments following on from the article) that they have suspended a number of users who have illegally uploaded books in breech of the author’s copyright and there are indications from authors that their works have indeed been removed following the submission of a DMCA. However the post linked to above was written in 2017 but the comments show that in 2018 authors where still experiencing problems with Kiss Library, (indeed, in 2019 I found one of my works offered for sale without my permission on Kiss’s site).
Authors may wish to check Kiss Library’s website to ascertain whether any of their works are being offered for sale without their permission.
You can find a useful article on how to submit a DMCA take down notice here, https://sarafhawkins.com/how-to-file-dmca-takedown/.
For another helpful article on copyright infringement you may wish to check out this article, https://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/authors-resources-central/copyright-infringement-actions-to-take/.
My thanks to Chris Graham (AKA The Story Reading Ape) for drawing both of the forgoing to my attention.
Kevin
A room bare
Save for an ancient armchair
Where old newspapers encircle
That which was once there.
—
The above poem was inspired by a true story, related to me by my colleague Chris.
Men see
A short skirt
And, attracted by legs
Think of beds
And flirt.
And me,
Being blind
What do I find
To attract
And distract
In she?
Is it personality,
Or am I
Just a regular guy,
Your average, he?
I have no wish to leave
These dark trees.
I drink
The fresh summer air.
For a moment forget my care
And think
On Frost’s poetry,
That o’re shadows me
When a literary critic named Lee
Came round to mine for tea,
I offered him some cake,
Which he failed to take,
And then he criticised my tea!
Larkin said we think
On death when drink
And friends are not around,
As there is nothing To distract
Us from the profound
Truth that you and I
Will die.
As I sit in this pub, alone
Drinking coffee
I reach for my phone
But Larkin stops me
Dead, and, with a clear head
I see
The truth the poet did see.
Last night, I had a dream in which I had agreed to work in my local pub. Being blind, this would, no doubt have been a very interesting experience for me and the customers of that esteemed establishment.
My peculiar dream led to the composition of the below rhyme.
—
When a blind man whose name is Grub
Got a job in his local pub,
Those wanting brandy
Got lemonade shandy,
But the grub, it was really quite good!
In a dream I saw
Plastic high-heels on the floor
Of a room who’s door
Stood half-open.
Something must have been spoken
For I was invited, and recall
The monotonous rise and fall,
Going nowhere
With her,
And those cheap
Plastic shoes, which keep
Me from sleep.
A girl in a dress
Of red
I dreamed in bed.
And I confess
That she
Has stayed with me.
Red may scream
Danger ahead,
But ’twas merely
A dream,
Though she
Has stayed with me.
