Today I am delighted to bring you another guest post from the wonderfully talented and unashamedly silly Don Matthews of 'The Flippant, Comic, and Serious.' In today's poem he is channelling his all-time hero, Spike Milligan. Even if Don's cat, 'Silly Billy' (pictured above) is not impressed, I'm sure you will be: Willy-Nilly I would... Continue Reading →
Slovene Cuisine #4: Soup of the Day
There is a saying in Slovenia: brez juhice ni kosila - 'without soup, there is no dinner.' It is traditional to serve soup as a starter with the main meal of the day in Slovenia. You will always find a dnevna juha - 'soup of the day' on the menu in traditional gostilnas (pubs with... Continue Reading →
Tone Pavček – Translation
Tone Pavček was one of Slovenia's most renowned modern poets. His work was recommended to me by a family member who knew I liked poetry. So I borrowed a book of his poems from the library. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find many translations of his work into English, so I thought I'd... Continue Reading →
‘In-flight visions of the Afterlife’ published at Free Verse Revolution
I am proud to have another poem appearing at FVR today. I wrote it after touching down from a somewhat traumatic flight: As we descended through the cloudsThe skies darkened so suddenlyI wonderedIf there is an afterlife andIf so, would it be some ectoplasmicVersion of this one... Read on at Free Verse Revolution. Be sure... Continue Reading →
EIF Poetry Challenge #5: The Results!
This week's Poetry Challenge was to compose a limerick, with the aim of bringing a smile to the face of the reader, and distracting us all a little from the troubled times in which we find ourselves. I asked Poet Don of The Flippant, Comic, and Serious if he would be our judge, with the... Continue Reading →
Postcards from Slovenia #27: Potočka Zijalka Cave
Potočka Zijalka cave is located high above the Alpine valley of Logarska Dolina, on the slopes of Mount Olševa at an altitude of 1,675 m (5,495 ft). It was first inhabited by humans around 35,000 years ago, and has provided shelter to humans and animals alike for millennia. As such, it makes a fascinating place to visit,... Continue Reading →
My Poetry Prayerbook
Before I came back to my writing my own poetry (after an 18 year break!) I came into recovery from alcoholism. I was encouraged to seek help from a 'higher power' - whether this be God, a support group, the healing energy of the Universe, didn't matter. It had just ought to be something bigger... Continue Reading →
Postcards from Slovenia #26: Logarska Dolina
You will find the pristine glacial valley of Logarska Dolina hidden away in Slovenia's Kamnik-Savinja Alps to the north of Ljubljana. Unlike the tourist hotspots of the Julian Alps, this area boasts no lakes nor flashy tourist resorts: there are only lush meadows, crystal clear rivers and steep soaring mountains rising almost vertically from the... Continue Reading →
Putting your own mask on first
It's been used so much in the self-help world that it's become something of a cliche: the analogy of putting your own mask on first as a metaphor for self-care. However, this analogy has a special significance when it comes to recovery from alcoholism, or any other kind of addictive behaviour, particularly as this relates... Continue Reading →
EIF Poetry Challenge #5: The Limerick
Last time I featured the rather sombre poetic form of the Elegy for the Experiments in Fiction Poetry Challenge. Though there is a time to mourn, there is also of course a time to laugh. Life is without balance if we don't find joy in it as well as sorrow. So for today's challenge, we... Continue Reading →