A kind of therapy

Hi seashore,

hope this has been a therapy, to write down. You
have put this poem together very well, I like the
way you describe your feelings and frustrations,
it's good to get it out, I think and you've done it
so well in this poem.

Jenny.

Thanks for that, Jenny. I've sat on this one for a while now so it's not so raw anymore and I'm a big fan of doughnuts...

Congratulations on the Cherries seashore, well
deserved.

Jenny.

I'm a big fan of doughnuts too, BUT my blood sugsr is high and I've been told to lay off until July for my next check. Pleased to see you're back in cherry mode.

I love this, because I have been there except the other way around and this just... summarises it all perfectly. It takes a lot of courage to let go of that painted smile, even if it's only a councellor! Very very good
X

Thanks again Jenny.

Ah, Geoff - shame we can't always have what we want!

Thanks so much for that comment and understanding InspiredWriter.

Thanks for the cherry eds!

Very well written and moving. A well - deserved cherry.

many thanks OTT

Wonderful, Coral. Many congrats on the cherry;-)

Tina

I love doughnuts and it may be the best kind of therapy- I almost cried alongside you here Coral. A really good poem- Congrats on the cherries.

;)Pia

Dear Seashore "...the longed-for speck of light..." will appear when you least expect it, I promise you.

ps.

I ate five mini-doughnuts at the beach cafe on Sunday,had to visit the...?

"...to shed the load accumulated..."

look after yourself, regards.

I love this, Coral, both for the beautiful way you've structured it and chosen your words carefully, and also because I can relate to it immensely and think you've done an amazing job at putting it across in such an effortless and sincere way.

Congrats on the cherries and hope you're in a brighter place, though it's also really admirable to see that even when in a less-bright-than-usual one you can still turn out gems like this - testament that nothing can knock that true talent of yours, both you and your writing are made of strong stuff ;o)

Always a pleasure to read something new of yours and this is no exception, really touched the heart this one and I hope you feel better for sharing it,

Rachel xx

Tina, thanks so much. I've prevaricated about posting this one for a few weeks now - glad it's done!

Hi Pia - crispy (or is trade name Krispy?) doughnuts do the trick every time.

Thanks for the comment.

Coral x

ScoZen - your sense of humour is a tonic! Thanks as always.

Rachel - you write brilliant comments and I thank you for that. Thanks also for empathy - yes I kind of guessed you'd been there.

I did dramatize this a bit for poetic purposes - a few tears sneaked out but I doubt anyone noticed! You're obviously very perceptive as counsellor in question said they don't make them like me any more (backhanded compliment I think, though my response at the tme was `just as well!').

I also appreciate what you say about the writing `cos I can be very hit or miss at times and a hopeless judge of my own work.

Take care, Coral xx

I know exactly what you mean, Coral, though I do think I am getting a little better at judging my own work as apposed to a few years back. It's since coming on Abc that I've started to truly look at just what it is I'm writing and why I'm writing it, and ultimately, how that affects the reader.

You said that you'd sat on this one for a while and I do the same - my poetry seems to either flood out in huge chunks or trickle out in couplets every now and again, either way it's generally a confusing process and takes a while for me to pull it all together, and even then I'm never sure if I've done a good job or not. That's why this place is so great, there's always someone to pull you up on anything you did or didn't execute as well as they know you could've, and always a vast array of contrasting styles of writing to read, too. You definitely executed this as well as I know you had hoped for and you managed to pull it off with an air of grace and serenity, too, which isn't an easy thing to accomplish due to the subject matter, if you ask me. Oh, and yes the humour, you do have a lovely sense of humour, Coral!

Anyway I've just seen the time, very late, but just wanted to say thank you in return for your lovely comment :o)

Take care you too,

Rachel xx

you have done this beautifully - the image of someone crying in a shopping centre, and the wry humour - it's all very very good. Well done

many thanks for the feedback, insert.

I spent yesterday mostly eating doughnuts - yesterday was a good day. Insert has said this but the wry humour, particularly the ending, is done really well. Very good :-).

Really? Eating doughnuts I mean.....

Thanks for reading and commenting, fb. You've gone quiet recently - when that happens I always expect some work of genius to appear from nowhere with an array of cherries by way of accompaniment.

That's very kind of you to say :-)

Unfortunately i'm house buying/selling, am just about to start my gcse marking and have lost a bit of ooomph where the writing is concerned - can't think of an ending to the story i've written and don't want to write any poems until i've got that finished. I think I may be quiet now until the end of June - or might get inspired, you never know!

Still enjoying reading what others write though when I've got the time. You really should have a go at the comp though - I tried to forget the three words and just thought about beginnings and endings which is more open and like you mentioned before with prompts, this open wording didn't bring on a mental block for me, so it might not for you...anyway plenty of time; this inspiration thing is a strange beast.

ATB Fatboy

Glad you're ok though can understand how creativity must inevitably take a back seat to the other stuff you mention. Hope the house/buying selling goes okay - anything to do with moving is stressful to say the least.

Thanks for suggestions re comp. Have never entered one in my life - yet. But never say never.

Thanks also for responding to my wonderings, fb!

I agree with all of the above, A really well crafted and worded poem, but with real heart and feeling, Congratulations on a richly earned cherry.

It's hard to comment because this poem left me quite speechless. After years of counseling this poem encapsulated my exact feelings. I've cried in the middle of a shop and I've cried with a doughnut in my hand. You've said the right things with the perfect amount of words without drowning the raw feeling in frilly phrases. This piece really is beautiful.

Shoe - I always appreciate your feedback and your positive comment means a great deal. Thank you.

Oh maggy, how strange - or perhaps not - that this one resonated with you and your own experiences. I'm tempted to write a follow-up called `the Doughnut Eaters'.......

In all seriousness though, thank you so much for your comment which gives me massive encouragement as I really didn't think it was working, put it away for a couple of weeks then re-wrote the last part and hoped for the best. Very glad to know it was worth it.

Wow, powerful and all too familiar. An excellent poem. The short lines and stanzas really work here, adding to the poem's emotional impact, almost like spasms of pain and disappointment. Also has a spit'n'polish ending, terrific. Well done.

Nathan.

Thank you very much Nathan - both for reading this and for your very insightful response. Really appreciated.

Nice! What can I say that everyone else hasn't already other than that I like the brutal honesty.

Always appreciate your comments, thank you Barry.

I missed this one, Coral. Many apologies. Have been laid up for the last three or four days with a horrible flu-like virus. Today, at least I can sit at the computer without nodding off, and my throat feeling like hell, so am making the most of it in catching up...and what better place to start.

A brilliant poem more than deserving of its cherry;-)

Tina

How kind of you Tina. So sorry about your virus - sounds like the strain I had a few weeks ago. Completely wipes you out. Hope you're over the worst now. Good to see you back.

Coral

I was thinking I was the only sap that entered the counselling room with my heart open but my lips sewn shut. For me it was a coffee and a white choc chip cookie and I had to get up and leave as I was sure some well meaning soul was about to come over and ask if I was OK. This really resonated with me and summed up in totality the frustration and anguish of being all cried out in the one room your meant to let it all out (if that makes sense). I have a rather urgent urge for white choc chip cookies. Thanks for this little gem of a poem its much cheaper and more effective than therapy.

V.C

What you say makes total sense to me, VC. Thanks for the feedback and for sharing your own experiences with me. Doughnuts, choc chip cookies - all with the same purpose. Today I resorted to oat & raisin just for a change!

mmm oat and raisin. I'd kill for a Krispy cream right now. Hope you're eating and writing :-)
V.C

This is great. The short lines work really well

Thanks so much phase2.

I love it, the potential heaviness of the subject matter, contrasts with the lightness of the structure perfectly. Three times you mention crying and I feel that the poem has a diamond like clean quality to it, like tears. The words almost drip drip out of your eyes. I love it.

Fantastic comment,md and one I appreciate very much. I could do with a bit of that therapy today - Friday 13th not going well!!