Today's poet

Western cape penguins
surrounded by tourist hordes
strange experience

Two very good choices of poems by freckle and Stef. I haven't read any Emily Bronte poetry before and not a lot of Auden either. Some profound words by Merry there too :cool:

Now a poem about Spiders :D


A Spider In The Sink


There's a spider in the sink and he needs a little drink
'Cos he's tired of spinning cobwebs all the day.
And his wife has asked her mother
Round for tea and that's another
Thing that makes a little spider think life grey.

So if you ever see a spider drinking gin and apple cider,
Then it may be him I saw at break of day.
If he's lying topsy-turvy
And his web's all crazed and curvey
Then he's pissed, but that's the way it is, I'd say.

Eight legs he cannot steer when he's drunk, that's not so queer,
Pick him up and put him out in the back yard.
But if he's seeing double
With ten eyes, then he's got trouble.
Twenty views to keep a hold on's pretty hard.

Treat him nice and kindly, do not squash him blindly,
A spider's nice and furry if you look.
Pat him, pet him, feed him flies,
All according to his size.
What you give is rather less than what HE took.

Just to end this little ditty with a line that's rather pretty,
I would like to give this final little thought:
If you were a male spider,
After sex you'd be inside her.

(Just digest this information, here's the rub.
As a man you won't get eaten,
But a spider he is meat an'
On the menu at this venue he is grub,)

So be chaste and act the way that you've been taught!

Copyright; S Theobald
Email: [email protected]

wretched treadmill run
no dippers, no hugs, no fun
better than nowt; just!

:(:(

Sonnet of Separation


Suddenly laughter was turned to sorrow
Silent and white like the mist
And mouths joined together were turned to foam
And hands drove away what once they welcomed

Suddenly the calm was turned to wind
That blew out the last flame in the eyes
And passion was turned to foreboding
And the frozen moment was turned to drama

Suddenly, no more than suddenly
The lover was transformed in sadness
And contentment into solitude

The close friend became a distant one
Life became a wandering adventure
Suddenly, no more than suddenly

Vinicius de Moraes

morning all...by eck my legs are a bit stiff after all that pottering about on fells!

some nice choices recently....

alf your spider poem was v funny :D

stef and dt your choices re seperation and absence were beautiful and made me think of this poem by christina rossetti...

Echo

Come to me in the silence of the night;
Come in the speaking silence of a dream;
Come with soft rounded cheeks and eyes as bright
As sunlight on a stream;
Come back in tears,
O memory, hope, love of finished years.

O dream how sweet, too sweet, too bitter sweet,
Whose wakening should have been in Paradise,
Where souls brimfull of love abide and meet;
Where thirsting longing eyes
Watch the slow door
That opening, letting in, lets out no more.

Yet come to me in dreams, that I may live
My very life again though cold in death:
Come back to me in dreams, that I may give
Pulse for pulse, breath for breath:
Speak low, lean low
As long ago, my love, how long ago.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freckle

stef and dt your choices re seperation and absence were beautiful and made me think of this poem by christina rossetti...

Echo

Come to me in the silence of the night;
Come in the speaking silence of a dream;
Come with soft rounded cheeks and eyes as bright
As sunlight on a stream;
Come back in tears,
O memory, hope, love of finished years.

O dream how sweet, too sweet, too bitter sweet,
Whose wakening should have been in Paradise,
Where souls brimfull of love abide and meet;
Where thirsting longing eyes
Watch the slow door
That opening, letting in, lets out no more.

Yet come to me in dreams, that I may live
My very life again though cold in death:
Come back to me in dreams, that I may give
Pulse for pulse, breath for breath:
Speak low, lean low
As long ago, my love, how long ago.

---

Lovely choice freckle :)

A gentle 2 or 3 mile jog will free your legs up or even a nice walk ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by merrylegs

The Greatest Gift


Wordly fools search for exotic masters.
not realizing that their own mind is the master.

---

great stuff merry, as ever Mr motivator, i think you should be some kind of personal trainer!:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2kxl...eature=related

Bob Dylan thinks this guy is the world's greatest poet and I reckon he's not far off. Utter genius :cool:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freckle

great stuff merry, as ever Mr motivator, i think you should be some kind of personal trainer!:)

---

Glad i motivate others, finding it hard to motivate myself at the moment, time to get up close and personal with myself!

Morning all, hope you are all keeping fit and well.
Have not posted on here for a while. I was supposed to be starting a race in half hour but seeing as I am still sat in my jimmyjams, I thought this was appropriate!

LAZINESS

Let laureates sing with rapturous swing
Of the wonder and glory of work;
Let pulpiteers preach and with passion impeach
The indolent wretches who shirk.
No doubt they are right: in the stress of the fight
It's the slackers who go to the wall;
So though it's my shame I perversely proclaim
It's fine to do nothing at all.

It's fine to recline on the flat of one's spine,
With never a thought in one's head:
It's lovely to le staring up at the sky
When others are earning their bread.
It's great to feel one with the soil and the sun,
Drowned deep in the grasses so tall;
Oh it's noble to sweat, pounds and dollars to get,
But - it's grand to do nothing at all.

So sing to the praise of the fellows who laze
Instead of lambasting the soil;
The vagabonds gay who lounge by the way,
Conscientious objectors to toil.
But lest you should think, by this spatter of ink,
The Muses still hold me in thrall,
I'll round out my rhyme, and (until the next time)
Work like hell - doing nothing at all.

Robert William Service

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mountain Goatess

Morning all, hope you are all keeping fit and well.
Have not posted on here for a while. I was supposed to be starting a race in half hour but seeing as I am still sat in my jimmyjams, I thought this was appropriate!

LAZINESS

Let laureates sing with rapturous swing
Of the wonder and glory of work;
Let pulpiteers preach and with passion impeach
The indolent wretches who shirk.
No doubt they are right: in the stress of the fight
It's the slackers who go to the wall;
So though it's my shame I perversely proclaim
It's fine to do nothing at all.

It's fine to recline on the flat of one's spine,
With never a thought in one's head:
It's lovely to le staring up at the sky
When others are earning their bread.
It's great to feel one with the soil and the sun,
Drowned deep in the grasses so tall;
Oh it's noble to sweat, pounds and dollars to get,
But - it's grand to do nothing at all.

So sing to the praise of the fellows who laze
Instead of lambasting the soil;
The vagabonds gay who lounge by the way,
Conscientious objectors to toil.
But lest you should think, by this spatter of ink,
The Muses still hold me in thrall,
I'll round out my rhyme, and (until the next time)
Work like hell - doing nothing at all.

Robert William Service

---

Thats a good one MG , like it
Hope your okay

Calypso.

Dark and sultry,
She will not be denied,
The one regret i have,
Is that she never was my bride.

The feelings that i have,
They've lingered for decades,
And by the sea she'll swallow me up,
I know my love never fades,
Take me for the rest of my life,
Sweet Calypso.

By Herakles.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mountain Goatess

Morning all, hope you are all keeping fit and well.
Have not posted on here for a while. I was supposed to be starting a race in half hour but seeing as I am still sat in my jimmyjams, I thought this was appropriate!

LAZINESS

Let laureates sing with rapturous swing
Of the wonder and glory of work;
Let pulpiteers preach and with passion impeach
The indolent wretches who shirk.
No doubt they are right: in the stress of the fight
It's the slackers who go to the wall;
So though it's my shame I perversely proclaim
It's fine to do nothing at all.

It's fine to recline on the flat of one's spine,
With never a thought in one's head:
It's lovely to le staring up at the sky
When others are earning their bread.
It's great to feel one with the soil and the sun,
Drowned deep in the grasses so tall;
Oh it's noble to sweat, pounds and dollars to get,
But - it's grand to do nothing at all.

So sing to the praise of the fellows who laze
Instead of lambasting the soil;
The vagabonds gay who lounge by the way,
Conscientious objectors to toil.
But lest you should think, by this spatter of ink,
The Muses still hold me in thrall,
I'll round out my rhyme, and (until the next time)
Work like hell - doing nothing at all.

Robert William Service

---

Nice one MG...hope you are alright its not easy getting to fellraces at times when your a busy mum of young children!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freckle

Nice one MG...hope you are alright its not easy getting to fellraces at times when your a busy mum of young children!

---

Yeah I'm fine thanks Daz H and Freckle. Have had a busy weekend and couldn't get motivated this morning. I was not lazy this afternoon though and ran 6 miles. :)

Cadence

I’d forgotten, my companion,
the one that never lets me down,
step after step
you take me,
heavy legs and gasping for breath,
back, each time
to the same conclusion,
YOU.

carry your SELF,
consistently and with perseverance
the rest will follow.
If you dare not look down this escarpement,
then look up.
If you are scared of slipping,
take your time,
but don’t relinquish.

Head down, small steps,
nobody else is going to get you out
of this little predicament.
The vista is sweet,
if only you will allow your eyes
to open
and falling (or is it flowing)
is just as good as it ever was,
if you could just let your
legs (heart) go.

Rome wasn’t built in a day,
and shoddy brickwork
never did anyone any favours,
so simmer down,
head up
and move bonny lass!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mountain Goatess

Yeah I'm fine thanks Daz H and Freckle. Have had a busy weekend and couldn't get motivated this morning. I was not lazy this afternoon though and ran 6 miles. :)

---

Lazy bugger :p (1st post on poet thread, sorry :o )

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mountain Goatess

Yeah I'm fine thanks Daz H and Freckle. Have had a busy weekend and couldn't get motivated this morning. I was not lazy this afternoon though and ran 6 miles. :)

---

I know the feeling! Well done on getting your miles in hope to see you soon at a race :)

Your Feet
Pablo Neruda

When I cannot look at your face
I look at your feet.
Your feet of arched bone,
your hard little feet.
I know that they support you,
and that your sweet weight
rises upon them.
Your waist and your breasts,
the doubled purple
of your nipples,
the sockets of your eyes
that have just flown away,
your wide fruit mouth,
your red tresses,
my little tower.
But I love your feet
only because they walked
upon the earth and upon
the wind and upon the waters,
until they found me.


Mmmm I wonder if dear ol Pablo would have felt so adoring of your average fell running tootsie's ?

she says...to herself......

tumbleweed.........................tee hee !

Sailors lament.

I wait decades,
For my chance of love,
I feel dizzy,
Can't speak,
If only i could tell her,
How deep my feelings go,
Maiden of the sea,
Sweet Calypso.

By Herakles

Is there such a thing as a two-off-poet? The last line popped in my head as a memory from Martcrag and out came the notebook…

The idea is you're only halfway in distance/physical effort…


Martcrag Moor - a poem

Things are getting serious now that we're on the moor
The fells that lie ahead are even bigger than before
So far so good especially now that Steel Fell's given sway
And the sun has joined the party in a non-committal way

Things are getting interesting now we're on the moor
A hiatus in the jumbled peaks devoid of pitch and yaw
A place to measure progress made between the rise and fall
The map says that we're halfway but we're not halfway at all

Oh that's so funny; runners feet are usually revolting at the best of times :D
I feel inspired.....:cool:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freckle

Your Feet
Pablo Neruda

When I cannot look at your face
I look at your feet.
Your feet of arched bone,
your hard little feet.
I know that they support you,
and that your sweet weight
rises upon them.
Your waist and your breasts,
the doubled purple
of your nipples,
the sockets of your eyes
that have just flown away,
your wide fruit mouth,
your red tresses,
my little tower.
But I love your feet
only because they walked
upon the earth and upon
the wind and upon the waters,
until they found me.


Mmmm I wonder if dear ol Pablo would have felt so adoring of your average fell running tootsie's ?

she says...to herself......

tumbleweed.........................tee hee !

---

Fell Runners Tootsies!

Long ones, thin ones
short ones, fat ones
fell runners tootsies
all shapes and sizes
and full of nasty surprises

A toe nail missing here
a fungal infection lurking there
fell runners tootsies
what a shocking sight
you're sure to get a fright!

Blisters on the heels
blisters on the toes
fell runners tootsies
mud stains in the creases
a pungent smell releases


Sorry...bad I know :o :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freckle

Your Feet
Pablo Neruda

When I cannot look at your face
I look at your feet.
Your feet of arched bone,
your hard little feet.
I know that they support you,
and that your sweet weight
rises upon them.
Your waist and your breasts,
the doubled purple
of your nipples,
the sockets of your eyes
that have just flown away,
your wide fruit mouth,
your red tresses,
my little tower.
But I love your feet
only because they walked
upon the earth and upon
the wind and upon the waters,
until they found me.


Mmmm I wonder if dear ol Pablo would have felt so adoring of your average fell running tootsie's ?

she says...to herself......

tumbleweed.........................tee hee !

---

Love it Freckle!!! My feet looked appalling after the National Cross Country championships on saturday and I had to wear high heels in the evening for a masked mardi gras! Ended up kicking them off and dancing barefoot. Ran at Commondale today and had a good one but got very muddy all over again...what would Pablo say?!;) Hope you had a good race on Saturday.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stef F

Fell Runners Tootsies!

Long ones, thin ones
short ones, fat ones
fell runners tootsies
all shapes and sizes
and full of nasty surprises

A toe nail missing here
a fungal infection lurking there
fell runners tootsies
what a shocking sight
you're sure to get a fright!

Blisters on the heels
blisters on the toes
fell runners tootsies
mud stains in the creases
a pungent smell releases


Sorry...bad I know :o :D

---

That is gross and great at the same time! Nice work Stef!!:D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OneOffPoet

Is there such a thing as a two-off-poet? The last line popped in my head as a memory from Martcrag and out came the notebook…

The idea is you're only halfway in distance/physical effort…


Martcrag Moor - a poem

Things are getting serious now that we're on the moor
The fells that lie ahead are even bigger than before
So far so good especially now that Steel Fell's out the way
And the sun has joined the party in a non-committal way

Things are getting interesting now we're on the moor
A hiatus in the jumbled peaks devoid of pitch and yaw
A place to measure progress made between the rise and fall
The map says that we're halfway but we're not halfway at all

---

I really like that! Especially the last couple lines.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hes

That is gross and great at the same time! Nice work Stef!!:D

---

Thanks Hes

I wanted to write more but I thought I'd better stop before it got even worse :eek:

Nail varnish is a great thing...goes on even if there is no toenail present! :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stef F

Nail varnish is a great thing...goes on even if there is no toenail present! :D

---

Well it is only first thing Monday morning but I've learnt something new already this week! :D

I'm sure he would have come up with something good. But maybe not as good as Stef F did mind you. That was class! I watched the first half of Il Postino last night and loved it. It is a beautifully shot film. I love it where he keeps on pausing with pencil over a blank pad. That made me smile as I've certainly been there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freckle

Your Feet
Pablo Neruda

When I cannot look at your face
I look at your feet.
Your feet of arched bone,
your hard little feet.
I know that they support you,
and that your sweet weight
rises upon them.
Your waist and your breasts,
the doubled purple
of your nipples,
the sockets of your eyes
that have just flown away,
your wide fruit mouth,
your red tresses,
my little tower.
But I love your feet
only because they walked
upon the earth and upon
the wind and upon the waters,
until they found me.


Mmmm I wonder if dear ol Pablo would have felt so adoring of your average fell running tootsie's ?

she says...to herself......

tumbleweed.........................tee hee !

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hes

Love it Freckle!!! My feet looked appalling after the National Cross Country championships on saturday and I had to wear high heels in the evening for a masked mardi gras! Ended up kicking them off and dancing barefoot. Ran at Commondale today and had a good one but got very muddy all over again...what would Pablo say?!;) Hope you had a good race on Saturday.

---

That sounds like a busy weekend Hes. Muddy grass, Mardi Gras, Muddy grass again!

Hope the feet survived!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freckle

Cadence

I’d forgotten, my companion,
the one that never lets me down,
step after step
you take me,
heavy legs and gasping for breath,
back, each time
to the same conclusion,
YOU.

carry your SELF,
consistently and with perseverance
the rest will follow.
If you dare not look down this escarpement,
then look up.
If you are scared of slipping,
take your time,
but don’t relinquish.

Head down, small steps,
nobody else is going to get you out
of this little predicament.
The vista is sweet,
if only you will allow your eyes
to open
and falling (or is it flowing)
is just as good as it ever was,
if you could just let your
legs (heart) go.

Rome wasn’t built in a day,
and shoddy brickwork
never did anyone any favours,
so simmer down,
head up
and move bonny lass!

---

'Way To Go' Freckie, you see you can inspire in many more ways than you might think;):)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OneOffPoet

Is there such a thing as a two-off-poet? The last line popped in my head as a memory from Martcrag and out came the notebook…

The idea is you're only halfway in distance/physical effort…


Martcrag Moor - a poem

Things are getting serious now that we're on the moor
The fells that lie ahead are even bigger than before
So far so good especially now that Steel Fell's given sway
And the sun has joined the party in a non-committal way

Things are getting interesting now we're on the moor
A hiatus in the jumbled peaks devoid of pitch and yaw
A place to measure progress made between the rise and fall
The map says that we're halfway but we're not halfway at all

---

Let's hope you soon make it three-off, because those are very evocative lines - more please - many thanks :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stef F

Fell Runners Tootsies!

Long ones, thin ones
short ones, fat ones
fell runners tootsies
all shapes and sizes
and full of nasty surprises

A toe nail missing here
a fungal infection lurking there
fell runners tootsies
what a shocking sight
you're sure to get a fright!

Blisters on the heels
blisters on the toes
fell runners tootsies
mud stains in the creases
a pungent smell releases


Sorry...bad I know :o :D

---

Nonsense, that's not bad at all, it made me smile, it's a poem that's got sole:)

I missed this one this morning, but I'm glad I went back for another look. Its brilliant Freckle and a great inspiration for a Monday morning.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freckle

Cadence

I’d forgotten, my companion,
the one that never lets me down,
step after step
you take me,
heavy legs and gasping for breath,
back, each time
to the same conclusion,
YOU.

carry your SELF,
consistently and with perseverance
the rest will follow.
If you dare not look down this escarpement,
then look up.
If you are scared of slipping,
take your time,
but don’t relinquish.

Head down, small steps,
nobody else is going to get you out
of this little predicament.
The vista is sweet,
if only you will allow your eyes
to open
and falling (or is it flowing)
is just as good as it ever was,
if you could just let your
legs (heart) go.

Rome wasn’t built in a day,
and shoddy brickwork
never did anyone any favours,
so simmer down,
head up
and move bonny lass!

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mossdog

Nonsense, that's not bad at all, it made me smile, it's a poem that's got sole:)

---

Very funny Mossy! :D

DT

I see you met up with the penguins at the weekend. It is a bit of an odd setting like you said. You imagine meeting Penguins somewhere remote and adventurous, not a place that looks like a Tesco car park!

Harry

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Harry H Howgill

I missed this one this morning, but I'm glad I went back for another look. Its brilliant Freckle and a great inspiration for a Monday morning.

---

Yes me too! Excellent poem freckle :cool:

I liked the one by Stef as well. I worry about one of my knees but I seem to spend most time faffing around with me feet after a run.

Freckle, I can only echo what everyone else has said but I would like to say that your poem 'Cadence' was brilliant. Totally sums up the battle a lot of us feel when running.

Yesterday I cracked both my little toe and my knuckle and both have gone black just to add to the bruises from the bike spill. If I was a child I'd be taken into care by now.

once familiar
my pale body resembles
a foreign pallette

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Harry H Howgill

That sounds like a busy weekend Hes. Muddy grass, Mardi Gras, Muddy grass again!

Hope the feet survived!

---

Ohhh...wish I'd thought of that HHH! :) Nice one,

muddy grass
mardi gras
muddy grass

(could be a haiku when written like that)

Calypso's footprints in the sand.

Ocean breeze through my hair,
Your light shining through,
When i'm with you i just don't care,
I will always love you.

Your skin of mocha dark and sensuous,
Perfect in every way,
With your love and power to protect us,
To be with you every day.
My sweet Calypso.

By Herakles.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OneOffPoet

Is there such a thing as a two-off-poet? The last line popped in my head as a memory from Martcrag and out came the notebook…

The idea is you're only halfway in distance/physical effort…


Martcrag Moor - a poem

Things are getting serious now that we're on the moor
The fells that lie ahead are even bigger than before
So far so good especially now that Steel Fell's given sway
And the sun has joined the party in a non-committal way

Things are getting interesting now we're on the moor
A hiatus in the jumbled peaks devoid of pitch and yaw
A place to measure progress made between the rise and fall
The map says that we're halfway but we're not halfway at all

---

Martcrag Moor.... well, OneOff (or is it 'TwoOff' now?) this takes me back to the Langdale race...leaving Thurnacar behind and heading for the big buggers up ahead. My favourite bit is lines 3&4.
Hope you progress soon to being 3-Off Poet and beyond!