Mother's Hands
Steph Spiers describes a loving, caring, hard-working pair of hands.
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October 10, 2011
October 02, 2011
Too Much
Steph Spiers brings us an intriguing example of a pantoum, a poem of interlocking repeated lines based on a Malaysian folk form which was imported into European literature by the French writer Victor Hugo.
July 23, 2011
Physical Enhancement
All that money spent on beautifying the female body - and for what?
Steph Spiers tells the truth - varnished and unvarnished - about the reason for looking good.
May 23, 2011
Clearing The Air - Today's News
Yesterday a Scottish newspaper the Sunday Herald published a barely concealed picture of a footballer alleged to have had an affair with a TV personality.
The footballer had taken advice from his lawyers to launch proceedings against Twitter and 'persons unknown' who have been revealing his name. A High Court decision forbade the naming of the footballer.
Steph Spiers brings us this poem which is as topical as the breaking news.
April 23, 2011
Whispers
This poem by Steph Spiers homes in on the moment of creation.
April 19, 2011
Billynomates
...Mum’s drunk, dad’s gone
that’s Billynomates...
This moving poem by Steph Spiers sums up the lives of all too many children in Britain today.
December 14, 2010
December Drowning
Steph Spiers' poem tells of the depths of despair.
November 08, 2010
October: First Frost
Steph Spiers considers the warning brought by an early October frost.
To read more of Steph's vivid poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
October 07, 2010
Jupiter Ascending
Today is National Poetry Day in the UK.
To mark the event poet Steph Spiers is organising a Poetry Afternoon spanning the generations with a class of teenagers from a local school reading their own poems and joining in an afternoon recital by a Widows Group, a writer’s workshop, and a group from Social Services.
" Should be fun,'' says Steph. "We're laying on extra biscuits.''
To mark the season and the day here's a poem written by Steph.
September 13, 2010
Ward Walking
This profound poem by Steph Spiers sums up a life in twelve lines.
Do visit Steph's Web site http://fegglane.wordpress.com
April 12, 2010
Meaning Of Life Stuff
Steph Spiers celebrates the simple joys of life.
April 05, 2010
Truth, The Whole Truth, Nothing But The...
Steph Spiers' poem brings the truth about truth.
Continue reading "Truth, The Whole Truth, Nothing But The..." »
March 29, 2010
Too Much
Steph Spiers presents an example of the Pantoum poetic form. Written in four-line stanzas, pantoums can be in free verse or rhyme. The structure of the poems, believed to have originated in the Far East, consists of repeated lines in an interlocking pattern.
March 22, 2010
The Old Gates
A pair of old wrought iron gates serve as sad reminders of happier times in this poem by Steph Spiers.
March 08, 2010
Mother’s Hands
This poem by Steph Spiers indicates a life of diligent and caring toil.
February 01, 2010
Threadneedle
This sonnet by Steph Spiers pours due scorn upon those vain, self-centred moneymen who plunged the world into turmoil.
January 18, 2010
Radio Times
For some a chair becomes the centre of the universe as the years go drifting by.
Readers can be assured that Steph Spiers’ thoughtful poem is not autobiographical. She is a very busy lady who contributes a huge amount to society.
December 30, 2009
Don’t Tell Me That You Love Me
Steph Spiers' poem tells of doomed love.
December 19, 2009
Christmas Stuffing
Steph Spiers' poem expresses the bleak feelings of someone who will be dining alone on December 25th.
Missing
Steph Spiers' poem express the nadir of loss, felt particularly keenly at Christmas time.
August 03, 2009
Denied
Steph Spiers' poem pinpoints the emotional turbulence of being in love.
To read more of Steph’s brilliant poems pleasse click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
July 20, 2009
Car Boot
Steph Spiers conveys the sadder side of what many thousands see as a bargain hunter's paradise.
To read more of Steph's poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
July 13, 2009
Jumble Sale
There's many a surprise and chuckle down at the local jumble sale, as this poem by Steph Spiers reveals.
To read more of Steph's wonderful poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
June 29, 2009
Control : Alt : Delete
Steph Spiers longs for a simple method of wiping one's transgressions and trespasses from conscious thought,
To read more of Steph's poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
June 22, 2009
Blue Shirt With A White Collar
...you and I slipped through each others’ fingers
leaving behind only a catalogue of regret...
Steph Spiers' poem charts the sad end of a love affair.
May 04, 2009
Roaring Meg
Steph Spiers' vivid poem paints a bloody portrait of a famous battle between the Parliamentarians and the men of the King in England's Civil War.
For more of Steph's poetry please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
April 27, 2009
Primroses
Steph Spier's poem re-emphasises that a bunch of plastic flowers can reveal the grief in a broken heart.
For more of Steph's wonderful poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
April 13, 2009
Heritage: Going . . . Going . . . GONE!
Steph Spiers was moved to write this poem on hearing the news that some English universities were dropping history courses.
Continue reading "Heritage: Going . . . Going . . . GONE!" »
April 06, 2009
Blighted Blighty
The inimitable Steph Spiers pens a "green'' poem which will hopefully jab many an official conscious.
To read more of Steph's to-the-point poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
March 30, 2009
Jean’s Genes
Good-humoured Steph Spiers expresses a profound longing for bootcut hipsters.
March 23, 2009
Who Today?
Does vanity help us to see ourselves in a rosy light? Steph Spiers muses upon what kind of people we are.
March 16, 2009
It Must Be Spring!
As Spring begins to burst forth there's the threat of violence in the air, as Steph Spiers' poem reveals.
For more of Steph's poetry please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
March 09, 2009
Blood Of The Lambs?
...Vicious panic-driven epidemic ensues
driven by men infected by their ignorance...
Steph Spiers brings a powerful poetic condemnation of those who abuse children as they seek a "cure'' for the great scourge of our time - AIDS.
March 02, 2009
A Venue Of Vultures
This poem by Steph Spiers accurately allocates blame for the world's current financial woes. If only the guilty had ears to hear!
For more of Steph's brilliant words please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
February 16, 2009
Lost In Wonder
Steph Spiers' poem reminds us that writers are tormented souls, hovering between reality and their own invented worlds.
For more of Steph's memorable poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
February 09, 2009
Meanwhile Back At The Ranch
Clichés can be so irritating, but they can also be fun when used deliberately, as Steph Spiers and her writing class demonstrate.
February 02, 2009
Saving The Planet
Steph Spiers has an optimistic, if sobering, message concerning the future of Planet Earth.
January 26, 2009
The Sunflower Wreath
Steph Spiers wrote this wonderful poem when one of her friends died all too young.
For more of Steph's wonderful poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
January 19, 2009
When A Fae Moon Is Riding High
There's Hallowe'en shivers aplenty in Steph Spiers' menacing poem.
January 12, 2009
Turn Your Face
Steph Spiers was moved to write this profoundly moving poem after encountering a tragic young woman. Steph gave her sandwiches, then, not knowing what else to do, found it impossible to explain to her little boy why the woman was in such a condition.
For more of Steph's poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
January 05, 2009
Song Of The Wheelies
Steph Spiers' poem rebels against wheeled waste bins which seem sometimes to have been designed to test the memories of those who have to use them.
December 29, 2008
Plastic Bag Blues
Steph Spiers brings a memorable blues anthem to the much-maligned plastic bag. Someone should set this to music.
To read more of Steph's poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
December 22, 2008
A Price Too High (Carers’ Rap?)
This brilliant and compassionate poem by Steph Spiers highlights the plight of those who care, and go on caring and caring, for loved ones no longer able to care for themselves.
December 15, 2008
Without Closure
This poem by Steph Spiers tells of the profound and lasting sadness of a family break-up.
To read more of Steph's wonderful poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
December 08, 2008
Of Daughters: Past; Present And Future Perfect
Steph Spiers sums up a family history in four brief verses.
To read more of Steph's prize-winning poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
Continue reading "Of Daughters: Past; Present And Future Perfect" »
December 01, 2008
Journey In The Pizza Palace
The mind can travel far while waiting in line for a pizza, as Steph Spiers' poem reveals.
To read more of Steph's prize-winning poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
November 24, 2008
Littleton Colliery Epitaph
Steph Spiers published this poem, which mourns the "death'' of a coal mine, in 1997.
To read more of Steph's fine poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
November 17, 2008
Trentham Colliery Epitaph
Steph Spiers' powerful poem reminds us that coal miners still had a price to pay after the pits were closed.
To read more of Steph's poems please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
November 10, 2008
Holly Bank
Do widows grieve the loss of a pit? Steph Spiers' heartfelt poem poses a rhetorical question.
Do please visit the Rising Brook Writers Web site http://www.myspace.com/risingbrookwriterslive
November 03, 2008
Silverdale
This poem by the wonderful Steph Spiers highlights the sacrifices made by coal miners in building up Britain's industrial might.
October 27, 2008
Ariel Hierarchy
Steph Spiers' free-spirited poem suggests those lords of the air have their own ranks of nobility.
Do visit the Rising Brook Writers web site http://www.myspace.com/risingbrookwriterslive
October 20, 2008
National Poetry DaY, 2008
Steph Spiers wrote a special poem for this year's National Poetry Day.
Steph and members of the Rising Brook Writers Group stepped up to the challenge of the day by giving a public performance of their work.
To read more of Steph's poems please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/archives/got_the_tshirt/
And here is a link to a Rising Brook Writers web site
http://www.myspace.com/risingbrookwriterslive
October 13, 2008
Midsummer: Garden Sunset
This wonderful award-winning poem by Steph Spiers conjures up the mystery of an English midsummer garden.
September 29, 2008
The Rising Brook
This wonderful poem by Steph Spiers so vividly traces the course of a local brook that you hear the splash and gurgle of water.
Steph won the United Press award for this poem.
To hear Steph read some of her poems please click on
http://www.myspace.com/risingbrookwriterslive
Categories
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