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February’s a fine monthof snowdrops and crocuses, thefirst whisperings of early spring:can you hear themfighting for breathbeneath the sleeping earth?Place your ear to the groundthrough the dustyou may justhear them sing. February's a fun monththe month that I was born, andI still celebrate this re-awakening though I'm a long time grown:this poet's monthseedlings of songsand... Continue Reading →
A whole four weeks of micro-poetry have flown by here at EIF! Once again, I have stuck mainly to the Tanka format for this week's Tweets. I may try some other forms or free verse next week. I am really enjoying the stunning contributions from other Twitter poets, and two who definitely deserve a mention... Continue Reading →
I came across it half-hidden by snowone sunlit winter eveningso peaceful that one could not hope to knowof horrors that once passed there. But curiosity being what it is, I stoppedhoping to find out more, and when I did I almost wish I hadn't,for now I cannot un-learn what I learned there. The ruined Smolej... Continue Reading →
The tanka form proved both enticing and challenging, no less for me (for examples, take a look at my Twitter Poetry from Week 3) than for those who took part. As a short form it may appear deceptively simple. Bearing this in mind, I was impressed with the high standard of entries. I now hand... Continue Reading →
We're back Down Under today with Don and the F.C.S. team. Skip was a bit upset that we haven't featured him in a post recently, so I've included one of his best headshots this time around. Skip is Don's drinking buddy and security detail. He also heads up the Sunday music selection over at The... Continue Reading →
This week, I have mainly been writing tanka, as I've been trying to learn more about the form for the EIF Poetry Challenge. There are a few other forms in here too. Do let me know what you think; I'm always interested to know which micro-poems work best and why. This is a new style... Continue Reading →
As we have already explored the haiku form in a previous poetry challenge, this week I wanted to take a look at another Japanese form: tanka. If you thought a tanka was simply an extended haiku, think again! There is a lot more to the form than this. Read on to find out more... The... Continue Reading →
It's time once more for our weekly trip Down Under, where Don will be doling out some sense, sensibility and downright silliness to get the week off to a good start. Priscilla is busy getting Lizzie ready for the show (see featured image, above). To find out more about Priscilla, Lizzie and the whole FCS... Continue Reading →
This was the week I discovered #TopTweetTuesday, hosted by @blackboughpoems. This is a place where many published poets share a poem via a tweet. It's a great place to connect with other poets on Twitter, and read some great excellent contemporary poetry. I shared my dVerse quadrille 'A dab hand' for my Day 12 tweet.... Continue Reading →
I think it's fair to say that this week's challenge has been the most challenging to date. I am judging by the amount of participants who told me the villanelle form had stretched them, as it did me: the first villanelle I wrote did not follow the traditional rhyme scheme, so I had to write... Continue Reading →
Experiments in Fiction 