Tag Archives: newauthoronline

Poet’s Corner

4 Replies

Below is an article which first appeared on my employer’s website. My thanks to my fellow poet and colleague, Toby Wheeler for permission to reproduce the article together with his poem “Happiness”.

On Wednesday 10 February, Toby Wheeler and Kevin Morris will be reading a selection of their poetry. The event will also provide the opportunity for colleagues to read one of their favourite poems.
Here is a little background about Kevin and Toby.
Kevin has been writing poetry since 2012. His latest collection, “Lost In The Labyrinth Of My Mind” is available as a Kindle ebook. Kevin’s work covers a broad spectrum, ranging from poems about nature through to humorous verse.
Toby was first published at the tender age of 7 in a children’s collection of poems called ‘From a Secret Place’.
However he only started writing poetry seriously after graduating from university and completing a placement at Keats House in Hampstead.
His first collection of poems, “27 years, 27 poems” will be published for Kindle in April 2016.
Toby has also written a poem about OCD for the charity ‘OCD Action’ which is due to be released later this year by the charity as part of a collection of poems about mental health. He is now preparing to send poems for possible inclusion into other poetry collections to publishers.

Here is your chance to sample some of Kevin and Toby’s work.
“Raining” by Kevin Morris

“I awoke to the rain
drumming on my window pane.
Opening my lattice I let it in
the purifying water that washes away sin.
The hypnotic sound
of rain falling all around.
All my life I have listened to the rain.
The same drumming
of water coming
from the sky
falling on you and I.
The rain has no end
But you and I my friend
May listen for a while
Smile
then pass on by”.
‘Happiness’ by Toby Wheeler .

I think I’m happy, I don’t know,
What is it anyway?
Is it something beautiful, a calmness perhaps?
Or an acceptance, a thing we just know?

I think I might be happy,
I couldn’t say, I think I may be sad;
I think I may just be happy to be content,
Yes, content is perhaps enough for me;

Even if I found happiness,
How do I keep it?
And if I did, is it a thing you cannot hide?
For everyone I know who’s happy says so.

I think I may be happy,
I smile and laugh from time to time;
I hope that will suffice,
In trying to find that thing called happiness.

Please Support RNIB’s Campaign To Protect The Right Of Visually Impaired Persons To Continue To Receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP) By Writing To Your MP Before 29 January 2016

9 Replies

image

The UK government is consulting on possible changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a benefit paid to disabled people which, if implemented could lead to blind individuals losing some (or all) of the financial support they are currently receiving. The purpose of PIP (previously known as Disability Living Allowance) is to provide support to disabled people as regards the extra expenses they face as a consequence of being disabled. So, for example a blind person such as myself may (and, in my case does) use part of their Allowance to pay for someone to read printed material to them. The Royal National Institute Of Blind People (RNIB) is asking that people contact their Member of Parliament (MP) requesting them to right to The Secretary Of State For Work And Pensions, Ian Duncan Smith, to express opposition to the proposed changes. You can find details of the RNIB campaign by following this link, http://www.rnib.org.uk/campaigning-current-campaigns-employment-and-welfare/pip-campaign. I would very much appreciate it if you would please consider writing to your MP in support of RNIB’s campaign. The consultation closes on 29 January 2016 so an email to your MP before that date would be much appreciated.

Thank you for reading.

Kevin

Backup And Backup Again!

22 Replies

backup_chart3

Over Christmas I took my trusty Sony Vio laptop to Liverpool with me. Much of my time in Liverpool was, not surprisingly spent celebrating the festivities with family. I did, however find time to write and, as always saved my creations to my laptop’s hard drive.
On returning to London I powered up my trusty old work horse only for the machine to display an error message saying that Windows had been incorrectly shut down. I tried the usual solutions (start Windows normally and when that failed a system restore) but all to no avail. Eventually I took the laptop to a computer repairer I have used previously only to discover that the hard drive had gone to the great computer heaven in the sky where it is, no doubt now whirring away contentedly with other computer bits and bobs!
Fortunately the above story has a happy ending. Although the hard disk had died Graham (the computer repairer) was able to fit a new one and transfer my files from the defunct drive to it. Had he not been able to do this I would, potentially have lost much of my work. Hours of hard slog down the drain!
I had no warning that my hard drive was about to fail. Apparently they can fail soon after a machine has been purchased for no apparent reason, while others can work for years without a hitch. I have owned the laptop since 2011 so had, I guess enjoyed a fairly good run for my money as regards the hard disk.
The moral of the above is to always back up one’s work to somewhere other than one’s computer’s hard drive! Happy backing up!

Kevin

He Will Go His Way

4 Replies

Birds sing
Yet spring
Is far away.
The day
Is cold.
I think of arms that enfold
And do not hold.
The gold
Coin doth spin
And what some call sin
Enters in.
I think of a girl’s scent
Of those who do, and then repent.
I dwell on heaven
O how close ‘tis to hell!
And think it well
To leave the stone
Alone.
Why this desire
To know the secret fire
That in man does burn
And how he doth turn
Away
From the light of day.
He will go his way
Whate’r the moralists say.

On The Closure Of A Retro Shop

5 Replies

The retro
Must go.
A version of the past
Is sold off fast.
Perhaps I will take a look.
Perchance happen upon an old book.
I meant to visit before
But now the door
Will soon close
On retro clothes.
People are interested in the old ways.
The days
When all was right, or seemed so.
The stock must go
For a song.
Before long
Another business will take the shop’s place.
The bland corporate face
Will occupy another space.
We race
Knowing not where we are going
Or what we may be sewing.
Without a feel for the past
The future beccons, bleak and vast.

My First Poetry Reading

22 Replies

I am excited to announce that my employer has kindly agreed to host a poetry reading by yours truly together with a fellow poet and colleague, Toby Wheeler.

Toby Wheeler

Toby Wheeler

The event will take place on 10 February and will be open to all employees of the organisation for which I work. This will be the first time I have given a poetry reading. While I am delighted to have this opportunity, I must confess to feeling somewhat nervous at the prospect.
Please do check out a selection of Toby’s work here (http://www.writeoutloud.net/profiles/tobyw). You can find examples of my poetry on this site (http://newauthoronline.com/).
Kevin

The Flower Seller

4 Replies

She stood for hours
Selling her flowers
By Grim towers.
Their scent
Was long since spent.
Their bloom
Was gone to soon.
But still some bought.
Sometimes she thought
Of the bee that does take
And then forsake
The budding rose
Then goes
On to devour
Another flower.
Hour after hour
She saw the power
Of beautiful flowers.
The bees their sweet nectar took
And she was struck
By how the rose does decay
And the bee will have his way.

Touching Words

6 Replies

To hold one’s own book is a wonderful feeling. The tangible representation of one’s endeavours writ large. For most authors the pleasure is enhanced by the ability to read the print editions of their works. However, for me as a blind author (who is unable to read print) the situation is rather more complex. I can read ebooks using the text to speech facility on my Kindle. I can not, however read the print edition of my book, “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose” which sits on the bookcase in my living room. While I still derive pleasure from taking the print edition of “Dalliance” in to my hands, it is not the same as being able to sit in an armchair, flick through the pages and pause at random to read a poem.
I got round the above issue by getting the Royal National Institute Of Blind People (RNIB) to transcribe “Dalliance” from the electronic file held on my computer in to braille allowing me to possess an accessible (physical) copy of my work. Yesterday I sent the electronic file of my latest collection of poetry, “Lost In The Labyrinth Of My Mind” through to the RNIB. I await the braille edition’s arrival with eager anticipation! While I am a huge fan of ebooks there is, in my opinion no substitute for their physical counterparts.

Kevin