Beautifully written and spoken! Thank you so much for this great reminder to be spiked at times. When I was younger I was always spikey, now that I am an old lady I can feel very comfortable being spikey! Thanks again.
31 years on this planet for me, and I am fully embracing outdoor spikes so that I might better defend my pals who are a bit more soft. It's interesting to navigate that as an artist, because I'd see my spikes as the comedy content, and the soft parts as the plots that run through the stories, or indeed poems like this.
Thanks for the comment :) I wasn't expecting such a positive reaction!
I have been an artist and teacher at a fine art center in inner city cleveland ohio for 20+ years and painted murals for 3 yrs around the city. Guess that’s my spike.
Loved it! It’s simple and so profound. Read it 3/4 times. I love the way it’s written, with no elaborated and complicated words like the Spanish poets. Lol. I love Spanish poetry, and read it in Spanish. Somehow, language matters. Science fiction now, I like to read it in English.
It also made me remember my 80s when I was younger and “spikey”, still trying to remain spikey and young in spirit and style, in spite of the spinal cord ailment.
Thank you Meenaz. The first ember of the idea arrived yesterday morning, so about 36 hours ago, and I put it at the back of my head to develop. You can probably tell from the capitalised first lines (I never do that) that this one is a first draft, also I'm not sure I spelled spiky correctly... but it works!
This one was inspired by my other life as a comedian, where I am okay with strangers thinking I am mean or spiky, because when I get home, I can use all the softness with the cats.
I think good people should be both, and know when to use each!
Nicely noticed Nicola, you caught me doing what wows the hosts at the open mics - improv. I always, and I mean ALWAYS wind up adding more lines, details, jokes, to things when recording.
The written one is a first draft, recording is second draft!
Author's note: I published this within ten minutes of writing the poem, so you'll notice the odd stylistic bug here or there. I've also beamed this to BBC uploads and I think if we all focus on the thought of the BBC broadcasting this, it might be my first big break as a poet (not counting that time I went to a big-name vanity press event and drank all their wine and bought some nice jackets from a vintage shop)
So much truth in this. I once, in a hospital, saw a tough looking biker change into a nurse right in front of my eyes. Very book to cover Amazing poem. Thanks!
Thanks Debbie, the poem arrived almost fully formed in my mind two evenings before this post, and I knew I had to post it right away because someone out there would resonate with it!
This is, perhaps paradoxically, my softer side. The spikes are the comedy poems (which if anyone is sober enough to properly listen to at the gigs, do still have their softness)
Beautifully written and spoken! Thank you so much for this great reminder to be spiked at times. When I was younger I was always spikey, now that I am an old lady I can feel very comfortable being spikey! Thanks again.
31 years on this planet for me, and I am fully embracing outdoor spikes so that I might better defend my pals who are a bit more soft. It's interesting to navigate that as an artist, because I'd see my spikes as the comedy content, and the soft parts as the plots that run through the stories, or indeed poems like this.
Thanks for the comment :) I wasn't expecting such a positive reaction!
I have been an artist and teacher at a fine art center in inner city cleveland ohio for 20+ years and painted murals for 3 yrs around the city. Guess that’s my spike.
Yep you'd have to have a spike or two for that!
Thoughful
Thank you, I didn't expect this one to get such a nice reaction from everyone!
Loved it! It’s simple and so profound. Read it 3/4 times. I love the way it’s written, with no elaborated and complicated words like the Spanish poets. Lol. I love Spanish poetry, and read it in Spanish. Somehow, language matters. Science fiction now, I like to read it in English.
It also made me remember my 80s when I was younger and “spikey”, still trying to remain spikey and young in spirit and style, in spite of the spinal cord ailment.
Beautiful. Thank you, Phillip. 🧡
Thank you Meenaz. The first ember of the idea arrived yesterday morning, so about 36 hours ago, and I put it at the back of my head to develop. You can probably tell from the capitalised first lines (I never do that) that this one is a first draft, also I'm not sure I spelled spiky correctly... but it works!
This one was inspired by my other life as a comedian, where I am okay with strangers thinking I am mean or spiky, because when I get home, I can use all the softness with the cats.
I think good people should be both, and know when to use each!
Love this. I think the hair gel is missing from the written version? Stay spikey!
Nicely noticed Nicola, you caught me doing what wows the hosts at the open mics - improv. I always, and I mean ALWAYS wind up adding more lines, details, jokes, to things when recording.
The written one is a first draft, recording is second draft!
Author's note: I published this within ten minutes of writing the poem, so you'll notice the odd stylistic bug here or there. I've also beamed this to BBC uploads and I think if we all focus on the thought of the BBC broadcasting this, it might be my first big break as a poet (not counting that time I went to a big-name vanity press event and drank all their wine and bought some nice jackets from a vintage shop)
So much truth in this. I once, in a hospital, saw a tough looking biker change into a nurse right in front of my eyes. Very book to cover Amazing poem. Thanks!
Thanks Debbie, the poem arrived almost fully formed in my mind two evenings before this post, and I knew I had to post it right away because someone out there would resonate with it!
This is, perhaps paradoxically, my softer side. The spikes are the comedy poems (which if anyone is sober enough to properly listen to at the gigs, do still have their softness)
Don't you just love it when that happens?!
Yes it's brilliant. As we speak I'm editing back some poems I had previously edited in a book I'm writing, as they were better pre-edit
One of the best ways to paraphrase, "you can't judge a book by its cover" I've seen in a while!
Thank you Mike! I'm really glad the message came across in a clever way!
I'm taking this one to WORD CENTRAL in my city next Tuesday I think, and right after, donning my comedian outfit and doing standup down the road.
Love a good artsy week