May 20, 2005
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Read LittleEgypt ‘s site for a chance of meeting me!
“An English Summer…
And my windscreen-wipers
Sounds like a baby bird.”
I wrote the above haiku
As my wipers screeched
Across my car window
Sounding like a nest of chicks.
Welcome to an English Summer!
It has not stopped raining for weeks.
It is always raining,
No wonder I am depressed.
I stop my car at a beauty-spot
That is half-hidden
In the mist of the downpour.
I eat my cheese and Tomato sandwiches
As my July fingers freeze.
These days there is as little sun in the sky
As there is upon my heart.
—
Tiffy Witherington.
__________________
I was asked “how many names have I wrote under?” Well, here are a couple of personæ I have tried and found wanting!
Sir Hubert Mountbatten.
______________________
Loves the sand,
There each morning
On my private beach,
Two your old Raffles.
The name my daughter
-In-Law picked
For my two year old
Grandchild.
Lady Margaret too
Loves the sand.
Since the death of Denis
She has been sad.
Both love the sand,
The young digging,
The old staring
Forgetting things,
Dear Margaret.
Both play the sand,
One with his hands
The other with her mind,
Both sifting though sand
Time between them.
_________________
Comment: This user-name didn’t quite take off, a friend of an ex-Tory Prime Minister was never likely to name himself if penning poems on the internet!
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Where are you Mr Bush?
Another soldier has died, they said he was brave.
They said he had a picture of you in his pocket.
Would you be at his grave?
Would you proudly salute a man
That fought for his freedom and died?
If not Mr Bush, if not
Have you got something to hide?
A man died for America last night
Spilt his blood onto foreign soil
Did he fight for the freedom of the world
Or do you just want the f****** oil?
—
Pete Famagusta
Comment: Once or twice have I tried an American personæ, but I can’t seem to pull it off.
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Finally, I have wrote a number of poems as “ghosts”, I think another American-Iraq anti-war poem that is so different to the above is the one I’ll use today.
————-
So cold you lie,
So cold.
I never did hate you,
Soldier;
Not even when I took
Your brief life
Away from your mother.
This is war my friend,
So cold you lie,
So cold.
I hope you are
In your heaven
With all those
Vestal Virgins.
This is war my friend,
War.
You died for one dream,
I would for another,
For I am dead too my friend,
So cold you are
So cold.
I have not seen you yet,
But I’ve met your brother
We gave thanks to my God
We gave thanks to his Alleh…
But I have not seen you.
So cold you lie,
So bloody cold.
—
The Ghost Of Private R. Turner, US Marine.
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All poems as wrote by Terry Cuthbert.
(note: Re Americans:THE TRUTH: I love their culture their honesty, their land, If I could, I’ll become an American tomorrow and won’t be ashamed of it.
I’ll update Monday I think, to rid these off the front blog and I’ll post some of the Rev Toby’s more religious poems. Terry.)
Meanwhile on my The_Clowne_from_Clown site, a brutally honest poem about myself
Comments (34)
lord all of ur war poems are very moving and Tiffy she is a loner & a trooper ~ yes, angel poems would be nice for a change of pace hop ur well always magi/angel
ps if u come to thje US u better get on down to VA & see me aactually i invited u last summer lol magi
Wow, those hurt. Especially the open letter to Mr. Shrub, the a-hole. I’m embarrassed to be an American. But these are brilliant, my Lord. Absolutely brilliant, no matter the name.
Well, I love these poems.
I might be able to see you in September… I have to see what my calendar looks like during that time.
Ohio is about 7 hours drive for me.
I hope you are doing well, Terry
This week-end I plan to live and breathe. I hope you have a nice one too
I think it would be better really as you are not trying to publish now, that you put your own name to everything .I can’t see why you have to pretend to be someone else all the time, as i don’t write about myself .I just write about any old thing, although some people do seem to think everything I write about is me ,or I have done it etc. I get confused with all your names I know Tiffy and Tobias ,and thats about it, and of course Blackie who is usually crude .I hope you enjoy your trip to USA you will never be the same again. hope you will be well enough to travel Cheers marj
You definitely do have an English flavor to your works. Like your first poem today. Its great. I love it alot. It definitely gives you a bit of British flavor. So dont worry about an American persona. You have quite a few names that you have published under though and they are all wonderful.
Loved Tiffy as usual, a very moving piece of poetry. Reading back on the page i really enjoyed Duncan D’s poems. It takes me a few sometimes but I am getting very good at reading his work.
Always a pleasure to read,
Me
I like these poems…the last one is especially haunting….
P.S.: Thanks for your kind comments also!
Oh my God, I just realized what I’d written! So I came back to clarify…..when I described the last poem as haunting, no pun was intended! Sorry about that!
Lovely as always!
And don’t forget that when the souls of the dead soldiers go to the other world, would ,probably send to hell as they have been also killing,( some of them, of course) and mr B and company will be in heaven (First class)
Woot! You’re coming to the States! I can’t believe you will be in the same hemisphere, same continent, same country…although, alas, not the same state. *sigh* I’m from Illinois…but live about a gazillion miles away from there, sooo…
Still, it’ll be cool to have you on the same soil. *smile*
And I think all the Xangans who know and love you should see that you are kept here and happily entertained, so you never have to return to within arm’s reach of that damned son of yours. *my couch is always available…pls, call first*
ryc: pink eye=conjunctivitis=gross! lol
Love you…GFW
That English summer poem rings very true: I love it!
I pay no attention to the pen names any more. Why do you? You are multi-faceted. Extremely talented too. I would like to meet you. I live only 4 or 5 hrs away from Cinci, but LittleE doesn’t like me. Can’t say I blame her. Most of the time, I don’t like me either.
I get tired of people saying their ashamed to be american.. but nonetheless sorry not the point of this reply.. I did really like the ghost poem, as others have stated already, very unique concept and very cool. Thanks also for the kind words about my last poem, I’ve been wanting some nice constructive critism, Thanks..
I always enjoying meeting talented poets.. unfortunatly I’m farther away than most who posted about this above me.. Kansas.. so thats like 2 to 3 days of travel, hope you enjoy your stay in the states though.
I have ever adored the brilliant irony of your Poetry, m’lord~
I should rather prefer to be a Canadian than an American, if the truth be known~
There is ever a hint of sorrow in your Poetry, too, which blends with the whole irony of living, I suppose~
Blessings, my Friend~
RYC: You could be right…I didn’t want you to think I was being insulting when that wasn’t the case at all. I was actually laughing though at my choice in word (haunting)…I happened to realize what I’d written when I was folding clothes and I burst out giggling. How demented I must’ve sounded, laughing to myself!
we’ll have to set it up…
ryc: Oh, I surely agree, but I’m trying to set up this characters sense of guilt (and don’t Catholics always feel more guilt?), Then I need to go back and set up the time in which he really grew up: the brutality of 1968-1972, because, that’s the motivator, and if he doesn’t eventually understand what allowed him to do what he did, he’ll go crazy.
I think it is terrific you are coming to the US to visit. Wish I was not on the far coast…it would be wonderful to meet you!
Nancy
Off to the States, I wonder if you’ll come back with an American accent! Love your poems as always, I love the way you can change names, multi faceted,I’m sure it helps to fit in to the personality much better, like Role playing. Make each person credible and we readers are left wondering, is it or ain’t it? RITA
Heard you were coming from Becca’s site. Will have to wait for more details. When you are in Rockford, you will be about 4 hrs. away. Will have to try to talk Ken into making the trip down there. Would be great to meet you and other Xangans also. Whooppee! Party time!!!
Your English summer is similar to our summer here on Lake michigan. Often cool, rainy and damp!!
Being an American is lik being of any other nationality…it has its pros and its cons…please don’t idealize America or American culture. And talking about American honesty? Uhhm…you’ve not taken a good look at our politicians have you? One Mr. Bush in particular. OOOOOOOHHHHH I hate that man. Besides the fact that I totally disagree with quite a lot of what he has done, it really unnerves me to have a man that can barely speak, much less manipulate, the English language as our representative to the rest of the WORLD. it makes me just a wee bit nervous. Anyway, I’m not going to say that I hate living in America, because I don’t hate it. I’m as patriotic as the next person. Just take everything you see or hear with a grain of salt.
And i agree with Portia…why should you write as someone else? Just be your own self and let everything that flows from your pen be as true as possible…that includes your name.
Write as whoever you want to write.Whoever fits most to express what you need to express. Though all are parts of you often we need to name those parts.I still favor the French persona Jacques du Lumière.
that is great for you that you will be able to travel and catch up with Becca…
This last poem reminds me of the confrontation between Atsumori’s ghost and the soldier that killed him in Seami’s No play.
“There is my enemy,” he cries, and would strike, / But the other is grown gentle / … Has obtained salvation for his foe; / So they shall be reborn together / On one lotus-seat.
I suppose this is a timeless theme and appreciate your modern version.
Thanks for your comments. Though, I admit that I would be for Hillary since there seems to be little chance of Carol Mosely Braun running again.
Ah! How we touched on some of this in IMing! Eloquent poetry–touching, and some so brutally honest (loving it). I love (and understand) that you write under different personae, we ALL have different facets we write about, depending on the mood, time of day, pain, love, and anger. Please realize you don’t have any need of apologizing, for who you are. You’re unique, compassionate, honest and much loved. Let it soak in, right now.
Thank you Tiffy, Sir Hubert Mountbatten, Pete Famagusta, and the Ghost of Private R. Turner, US Marines–we hear your voices loud and clear. Thank you for your understanding. I leave you with this:
People are always telling me to smile. Like smiling is going to take away all the hurt and pain. Well, I’ve tried that. I’ve tried hiding my sorrows and covering my sadness in my smile, and what I’ve learned is that when it hurts this much inside, your heart always has a way of showing it, no matter how many masks you wear – Unknown
Cincinatti, huh? Wish I could be there!
hey, you wus featured.. so im commentin..
but the fuck word is oh-so-addictive…
-Jos-
So tell me (and I’m sure you’ve been asked before), from where do these personae come? Keep it copasetic. peace.
Terry, I just got the wonderful news from LittleE’s site. I have something in the works that may take me overseas in August. I’ll have more details soon, and I’ll keep you both posted.
Jim
you are something…lol
I love the sand too :heartbeat:
The poem about the soldier spilling his blood into foreign lands is haunting and tragic, Bravo!
The “Ghosts” poems……my dear lordP, are way too brilliant….and they haunt and they taunt, as only you could do…
Love,
-Elle
I thought Pete was great! As far as I’m concerned, you pulled it off quite well!