Category Archives: Poetry by Friends

A Christmas Carol Observations – Includes Tent Cities by Jean Jones

I started watching “A Christmas Carol” tonight, the version with Patrick Stewart. It is interesting what I noticed. Scrooge makes a comment, early in the movie, long before he has his change of heart as a result of the ghosts visitations. Scrooge says of his old partner, or as if speaking to [...]

Tent Cities – Poem by Jean Jones

Here is a poem by Jean Jones that was written in response to my request for poetry relating to homelessness and poverty.
TENT CITIES BY JEAN JONES
I try to imagine living in a tent city, and I can’t.
I keep picturing the cold at night and in the morning but I can’t picture it.
I keep imagining what [...]

Left Out – Poem by Ron Bayes – submitted for Neighbor House Event (homelessness related)

The following piece was submitted to me by Ronald H. Bayes of St. Andrews College. I had asked some poets to submit poetry for a Neighbor House poetry event. Neighbor House is a non-profit 501 (3) c that serves the poor and homeless in Hillsborough and northern Orange County, NC. I, Bruce [...]

If You Ever – Poem by Jean Jones

IF YOU EVER BY JEAN JONES
If you ever slept on a warm bed
If you ever took a bath or shower
If you ever felt full from a meal
If you ever were warm during the night
If you ever had a bathroom to use
If you ever were glad you had food
If you ever were glad about your place
Just [...]

Bear Kills Militants – by Jean Arthur Jones

Bear Kills Militants
By Jean Arthur Jones
For Scott Urban:
“A bear killed two militants after discovering them in its den in Indian-administered Kashmir, police say.
Two other militants escaped, one of them badly wounded, after the attack in Kulgam district, south of Srinagar.
The militants had assault rifles but were taken by surprise – police found the remains of [...]

Kevin Dublin Reads poems at the Bottega for Word Salad’s Anniversary Event!

Word Salad Poetry Magazine celebrated 15 years in publication by holding an event at the Bottega in Wilmington, NC. Word Salad started in Wilmington in 1995. In this video Kevin Dublin reads a few different poems, including poems that have appeared in the most recent edition of Word Salad here.
Enjoy!

Jean Jones reads another poem at poetrySpark in Raleigh

Ok, I have the title on this one… a somewhat long title,
“Act I: I hear the Caspian is lovely this time of year:
The voice of the Oberscharfuhrer, Allgemeine SS”
Sparkcon was a big event in Raleigh, NC recently. I attended the poetry event at the Morning Star; this was the poetrySpark. The event [...]

Review of Ryan David Miller’s Book

Review and Impressions:
Ryan David Miller’s Circle of the Heart and Voices of Comfort Dreams – By Bruce Whealton
I met Ryan for the first time in July of 2009 and remember talking about how writing poetry, being a poet, is not just a job, or something we do, it’s who we are and how we find [...]

Thoughts on Jean Jones’ poem “Thoughts on Death”

When I read Jean’s poem, “Thoughts on Death,” I was thinking of some of the same ideas that I’ve had and expressed in poems. For example, I wrote a poem called “When I learned that my cousin committed suicide.” In that poem, which is available here on the blog: http://wsmagazine.net/words/2009/03/22/when-i-heard-my-cousin-created-suicide-revision/
let me quote a [...]

Thoughts on Death – Poem by Jean Jones…

THOUGHTS ON DEATH BY JEAN JONES

My wife told me that our neighbor died during the night,
we weren’t sure where,
he was staying at a nursing home,
and yesterday, at work,
I found the obituary of my Aunt Lucille,
lived up to the ripe old age
of 92,
outlived all her siblings
including my dad,
outlived her husband
and even one of her sons.
She was [...]