Room Full of Mirrors (Part One)

“I used to live in a room full of mirrorsAll I could see was meThen I take my spirit and I smash my mirrorsAnd now the whole world is here for me to see” It seems that we have always lived in a room full of mirrors.  Our fascination with our own reflection has never

Picture this Poetry Challenge: Haiku ‘The Bedroom at Arles’ Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh painted three versions of this painting ‘The Bedroom at Arles’.  This is the third  version he painted in 1889.  He painted it whilst waiting for his mother to visit him in a Lunatic Asylum in  St Remy.  He was to commit suicide 10 months after this painting.  He called his chair ‘The

Poetry Challenge: Vincent could have told you

Just Click the Van Gogh image to take you to the video Everyone has heard ‘Starry Starry Night‘ By Don Mclean,  the beautiful song about Vincent Van Gogh.  There is a line in it which says:_ But I could have told you, Vincent, This world was never meant for one As beautiful as you……. (here’s

John Cooper Clarke – aint got time to make no apology

I love this urban poet .  This man is so damn witty,  some of the words he rhymes are indescribable and perhaps I’ve chosen the wrong poem to illustrate this – but take your pick of his poems on YouTube there are lots of them.  There are lots more of his poems better than this one but

Love in the Penguin Dust

I came across this poet and this poem when I was researching an essay about the infamous Chelsea Hotel and past residents.  Angry young men like Dylan Thomas, Brendon Behan: The 1957 – 1964 Beat generation of angry young men like writer Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs – poets Alan Ginsberg and Gregory Corso (b. USA 1930

Uncovered and discovered: Maya Angelou

I came across this poet the other day and was very touched and moved by this beautiful poetry.  Maya Angelou (born 1928 USA).  She has been called ‘America’s most visible autobiographer.  She wrote this poem in 1965 and I think it’s as relevent today to our human situation and the things we take for granted – things we think

Whatif the whatifs come true?

I came across this poem again the other day by Shel Silverman. It reminded me what a talented man he was.  Silverman (b. 1932 -1999 America) was not only a poet, he was a screenwrtiter, illustrator of childrens books, musician, cartoonist and singer songwriter.  ‘Sylvia’s Mother’ a hit for Dr Hook was written by him and