Author: Raven

I am a freelance writer and poet and started writing after raising my two boys as a way of discovering just who Jez is. That is still very much an on-going project but the journey so far has introduced me to many wonderful friends and fellow writers through an ever growing love of poetry.

JJ Williams: Wales and British Lions rugby star dies aged 72

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Wales and British and Irish Lions winger JJ Williams has died at the age of 72, one of his former clubs have announced.

Williams, who was christened John James but known throughout the world of rugby by his initials, was one of the finest finishers the game has seen.

JJ Williams with his son Rhys and the bronze medal he won in 2006 for the 400m Hurdles

One of his former clubs Bridgend Ravens tweeted: “All at Bridgend Ravens are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former player JJ Williams. Our thoughts are with JJ’s family and friends at this tough time.”

He scored 12 tries in 30 appearances for Wales and won Grand Slams in 1976 and 1978, as well as four Triple Crowns between 1976 and 1979.

Williams toured South Africa in 1974 and New Zealand in 1977 with the Lions and his try-scoring exploits put…

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Pondering Comprehension

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Ivor.Plumber/Poet

I’ve been listening to Amanda Palmer’s powerful song, “Drowning In Sound”, and reading her poetically brilliant lyrics, while I was scribbling some perplexing notes, and those puzzling words, later formed this poem….

Pondering Comprehension

I’m discombobulated

Listing and frustrated

All out of body sync

And my right hand’s spilling drinks

Quietly waiting for the great spirits

To observe another of my wobbly exits

The waddling penguin has seen it all before

Wondering how I found the front door

Despite my obvious lack of facilities

Confused, I ponder about the world’s disabilities

To collectively listen and comprehend

That the future depends on a cohesive blend

Ivor Steven (c) October 2020

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Haiku

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Form: Haiku Photo by Luis Quintero on Pexels.com Autumn winds wanderNot lost they know where to goWinter paths open ©JGFarmer2020

The Power and History of Samhain – [History Study]

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Authentikei

Photo by Guillaume Meurice on Pexels.com

Us autumn lovers are in love with Halloween and then there’s us pagans who also love Halloween and recognize the traditions of Samhain (pronounced Sow-win – don’t worry, many have said Sam-hane at least once and only a**holes won’t let you live it down lol). Before I devoted myself to the mystic path, and way before my Christian phase in my late teens/early twenties, my psychic senses have always strengthened during Samhain. It’s never been a full-blown “I see dead people” kind of vibe. It’s a somber feeling where those who have passed on are on my mind and my ability to sense what’s beyond the veil couldn’t be ignored. My connection to Celtic culture was a distant love in the past, but currently, I’m more eager to learn more about pagan or indigenous cultures as it inspires my current beliefs and increases my…

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#PoeticThursday . . . The Beechnut Fairy

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Purplerays

The Beechnut Fairy

O the great and happy Beech,
Glorious and tall!
Changing with the changing months,
Lovely in them all:

Lovely in the leafless time,
Lovelier in green;
Loveliest with golden leaves
And the sky between,

When the nuts are falling fast,
Thrown by little me—
Tiny things to patter down
From a forest tree!

By Mary Cicely Barker

Artist Mary Cicely Barker

          Text and image source: Snowwolfs Woodland Nook https://www.facebook.com/531188960392510/posts/1691894950988566/

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          SIERRA CLUB — PLASTIC POLLUTION — LIGHTNING STRIKES — PLANET EARTH OUR HOME group

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          PLANET EARTH NEWSLETTER blog

          All PLANET EARTH groups supports:

          Sierra Club* United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) * American Bird Conservancy

          PLANET EARTH OUR HOMEis our flagship group with over 12,000 members and over 864,000 photos and videos.

          More and more people are confronting the ways that plastic, a product of fossil fuels, cause harm. From municipal bans on various kinds of single use plastics, to restaurants switching to paper straws, to stores encouraging customers to bring their own bags, the era of single-use plastics in our everyday lives is one that needs to be relegated to the past — and quickly.

          Stop Corporate Green-Washing On Plastic!

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          Pastorale in E Minor by Domenico Scarlatti

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          Pastorale in E Minor1738Baroque https://youtu.be/7mUb_rnsCDg Domenico ScarlattiBaroqueBorn: 26 October 1685, Naples, ItalyNationality: ItalianDied: 23 July 1757, Madrid, Spain Scarlatti was a composer, primarily of the Baroque era he was also influential in the development of the Classical style. He composed a wide variety of musical forms but he is best known for his sonatas. Scarlatti … Continue reading Pastorale in E Minor by Domenico Scarlatti

          Afallach

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          Form: Deibhidhe Golden apples gracing treesA son of Avalon seesFalling leaves as fate takes holdAmid autumn’s leaves of gold ©JGFarmer2020

          Autumnal Acrostic Poem, and a Halloween Poem.

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          Autumn is really inspiring me – no surprise it is my favourite time of year – so it is with pure pleasure I share some autumnal words from Willow

          willowdot21

          Here are two Autumnal Poems I wrote back in 2014.

          ImageFound Here

          All the leaves are dancing, swirling down

          Undulating  in the breeze round and round

          Tumbling  rumblings scratching sound

          Urgently  creatures searching for  their stores underground.

          Misty mornings, chilly  nights, fireworks after  Halloween moon!

          New seasons  Harvest Moon, witches and pumpkin men  will be here soon!

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          Image Found Here 

          The sun’s heat  is  waning  and the nights  are drawing in.

          Early morning porridge to keep  you warm the cold will nip your skin.

          Summer sadly  has taken her up her shoes and left us the dark.

          Ready  for the harvest and shorter winter days.

          Time to get out  your  winter  coats  and your furry boots

          The long  and lazy days  of  summer  have vanished in a haze.

          Cars  driving with their lights on early, listen out for their  warning toots!

          There might be…

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          Time on the Moon With a Tea and Lime

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          Awesome stuff from Ivor

          Ivor.Plumber/Poet

          Time on the Moon With a Tea and Lime

          now and then

          I see the sunrise again

          sip on tea and lime

          and dream for a time

          where are you old friend

          hiding your face until the end

          and I hear a distant tick-tock

          buried under weathered rock

          when it’s all said and done

          my words fall one by one

          inking blues, line after line

          and I care not the time

          and sand flows drop by drop

          from the timeless clock

          touching her silent cocoon

          on the far side of the moon

          Ivor Steven (c) October 2020

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          Haiku

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          Form: Haiku Photo by Trung Nguyen on Pexels.com love, the casting votesigns the deal of me and youin the words ‘I do’ ©JGFarmer2020

          The Elements

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          A witch believes that life itself is sacred, and anything that sustains life is holy. There are four basic elements that form and sustain our lives. Air, fire, water, and earth...

          Transsexual theatre: two brave new Edinburgh plays tell of harrowing journeys

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          befarmed.wordpress.com

          Adam Kashmiry and Neshla Caplan play Kashmiry’s past and present selves in Adam.NTOS

          The struggle for transgender people is a leading theme at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe thanks to two shows from the National Theatre of Scotland, Adam and Eve. The shows begin in different times and places, but both are about the profound transgender challenges around identity, transition and transformation of the self.

          Adam Kashmiry is the true story of a transman growing up in Egypt, alienated by family, community and even himself. His repression takes place in the context of a wider political oppression. His internal revolution is juxtaposed with the Arab Spring, culminating in his exile to Scotland in 2010. It illustrates the arduous procedures experienced by asylum seekers to the UK, not least the lingering limbo while awaiting a decision on their status.

          The big question.NTOS

          Kashmiry himself is the narrator, supported in…

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          Gothic Poetry Notes

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          Gothic or Dark Poetry is an invitation to write the darker side of life and the imagination. It’s an alternative to the sweet and romantic love poetry of Keats or Wordsworth. So, if you feel a need to write about the feelings of someone being there when you are alone, the dark emotions of depression, … Continue reading Gothic Poetry Notes