A review of Vapour of the Mind

When reading of Rafik Romdhani, I have heard such terms tossed around as the master of the metaphor, intense crafter of images,… even “genius” from a very in tune source last week. Such praise instantly raises a small specter of skepticism. There is a continual cloud of hyperbole that encompasses a large amount of poetry failing to live up to the thunder of its praise. 

However, this storm packs all the wallop of a literary hurricane and more… straight from the eye of swirling vapors, all at the center of one progressive poet’s mind… Rafik Romdhani.

I first came across Rafik in Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 1 which was the first of a series highlighting international next level poets to raise funds for Save The Children… ,which by the way is highly recommended…  he slammed a poem entitled “Face of the Moon”. … It’s resonating line echoed above all else I read for some time…

“… the hands of death will be more merciful at the bottom of this luminous chalice hanging from the invisible throne of God…”.

After that I was hooked on Rafik’s voice.

Two books on the Wheelsong label, Dance of the Metaphors (2021) and Rough Roads (2022), have preceded his newest release, titled Vapour of the Mind. This book illustrates Rafik’s transcendent journey deeper into the subconscious ocean of rich life that resides within his imagination… evoking the provocative content and lyricism that has become his trademark. As an English teacher in Tunisia, he has narrowed his voracious vocabulary into microscopic focus upon the realms of illusion and reality. 

Long form poems and shorter poems create a whirlwind of dizzying windows into the mind of a poet that sees the world as something more tangible than dreams. 

His shorter poems dazzle with lines like “… poetry hits minds at non-poetry times..” from What Poetry Does. 

Or even “Hearken life! How dare you shut before her your door and milk out the nascent Nile in her blossoming eye?” composing the whole of “Blossoming Eye”. 

With laser precision, he cuts to the quick of natures wounds and attempts, to suture all loss.

Varying themes rustle throughout the collection… ranging from the romantic, emotional, daily grinds, translating experiences into reason, to societal issues on a global level. “Paper Boats” paints a most visceral ending with “What will a Maths lesson do for a starving child flipping food pictures in his French copybook?”

One line alone plucked from one of his poems does not give it enough weight when taken into consideration with how it works within the intrinsic depth and texture of his word tapestries.

It is in the larger efforts that Rafik shines… his effervescent magic most apparent in poems like “The Glow Of Silence”. This piece made my eyes widen as they perceived the words, “I don’t write. I draw dances, then search the dancer till she is finally found. I throw bones to nightmares to keep their eyes to the ground..” There are many lessons to be learned between the lines of Rafik’s profound perceptions. 

He is a poets' poet. The intensity and character of his expression are so creative and original, the seemingly easy flight of his metaphors present a lesson in next level poetry. His execution is flawless, evident in so many lines of this book. It’s hard to choose examples! This execution is most present here within the lettered breath of Vapour Of The Mind: “Don’t be afraid of me, words! Do not feel strange, plodding poetry… for all the elements of nature are strangers.”

Rafik Romdhani is a beacon of light to intermediate poets of all persuasion looking to up their game. His vision has opened my eyes to ways of writing I have never considered as possible before… and I have been writing a long time. 

He sees what many others see but don’t understand… like this fruitful line from “Where is Meaning?”... “Meaning decides its beginning from our end, my friend”. 

This master crafting of translating ethereal perception speaks for itself in every poem Rafik sets his pen to. An amazing poet in every regard, Rafik Romdhani continues to wow me every time my widened eyes gaze upon one of his literary visions.

Matt Elmore

Lost at sea?

 So you want to be a poet? Feeling lost at sea? 

Finding a starting point is never easy. We know that we have the ability to put pen to paper, yet how do we gain the confidence to publish it in the public domain? Which groups are supportive and encouraging? How come some people are more popular? How do you become popular?

Questions ... so many questions...

Let's tackle these issues one at a time…

Find a supportive group. Look for a warm and welcoming environment, where people greet you with friendliness from the outset.

Are people adding likes to the creations of others? If the answer is yes for the majority of the group, the group could be the one for you.

Are people commenting and interacting with each other and saying what they enjoyed about the masterpiece? That is a good way of gauging that the group is encouraging and inspiring everyone.

You need to put in the time to become popular, and read others' work. Doing so will provide you with inspiration while at the same time begin to build up your own network of fans and followers. On Facebook, the more you like and comment the work of others, the more people will seek out your work.

Groups have Administrative personnel who run the group and Moderators who ensure that the members are kept safe from scams and potential threats. Much of the work looks like it’s focused on the frontal part of the group, however there’s so much more that happens behind the scenes.

Here are the groups that Steve Wheeler and I work in as Admin. We work alongside other colleagues who we admire, because of their dedication and commitment to our projects.

Invisible poets

Wheelsong poetry 

Pure poetry

Charlene Phare 

Using copyright free images in poetry

OK, here's a follow up on Charlene Phare's excellent post about using images to complement your poetry. One thing that leaves me cold is when poets share an image on Facebook (other social media platforms are available) and don't bother to acknowledge the source. Some may write 'credit to the copyright owner' or 'thanks to Google' ... but this is simply lazy, and could end up in a lawsuit. 

Look, I'm not exaggerating. I have heard of people who have used copyright images and have later been successfully sued in court. Getty Images are one of the most active litigators in this area, but there have also been private individuals who have successfully sued those who use their copyrighted images without permission or acknowledgement.

Let's start with a fact: All images on the Internet are copyright (owned by someone) unless otherwise stated. That means if you use an image belonging to someone else without their permission, you are stealing their property. That means that you need to be very careful about the images you use to complement your poems. Some avoid using images altogether just to avoid this pitfall. Some would even argue that poets trade in words not images, but that's a debate for another time. Here's the bottom line: if you really must use an image, then please, please check to see if you need permission first. 

Charlene shared some free image sites in her previous post, which I have personally used, and there are many great copyright free images waiting there for you to choose from. Even if you do use copyright free images, there is usually a clause that says you still need to acknowledge the photographer or designer who owns them. Check out for example, Creative Commons (CC), which lays out several universally accepted rules for you to follow. 

But wait for it... here's probably the best and easiest method for obtaining copyright free images on the Web. Go to Google. Select images. Search for anything you wish (in the screen capture above I have searcher for Paris). The images it shows you are not copyright free. Now click on Usage Rights on the right side of the menu. The box that drops down gives you the option to select Creative Commons licences. Go there and every image Google displays next will be copyright free. Hint: Do check that the image you select is indeed licensed under CC before you use it. Sometimes a rogue image might be listed that is in fact copyrighted. 

I hope this short blogpost helps you to navigate the minefield of web images and photos. Keep writing, and ... don't get sued!

Steve Wheeler

Using Images to Complement Your Poetry

As poets, many elements inspire us. However, did you know that pictures are subject to copyright for the life of the picture? Using pictures from the internet can be an infringement, especially if you are using them for commercial use, such as attempting to create book covers. You will not only find the picture will be distorted, but you could find yourself with legal problems. I stay safe by using the links provided below, or I take my own pictures.  

I am inspired by the world around us. I listen to conversations whilst out and about. Also, have you ever tried listening to music as an inspiration? Just writing the first thing that enters your mind. It’s amazing how a piece of music can sound so different from all the other times you have heard it.

I hear you asking: What’s the difference between taking pictures from my phone or a camera? 

A camera gives you more definition. It will provide you with a higher resolution of at least 300 dpi. A mobile phone (even with super duper lenses and all whistles with bells) gives you just 72 dpi. That’s great for the internet, but when it comes to printing a large format image such as a book cover, you’ll want it to look the best.  

We all know how much effort we put into our writing process. It’s the same for photographers. They share their work that they have worked hard to create. I don’t mind anyone using my pictures, but if they are specifically copyrighted then it’s polite to ask for permission to use.

I also use official copyrights for my poetry, such as: ©️2023 Charlene Phare

This provides a way for you to track back to your original work, should you find yourself a victim of plagiarism.

Personally I use free resources to find images, Pixabay is a great place, I use the Copyright sign for my own photography.

I have used a little trick in the picture that accompanies this blog, see if you can spot what I did.

Free resources for inspiration: 

https://pixabay.com/

https://unsplash.com/

Image ©️ 2023 Charlene Phare photography

It’s in You and it’s Gotta Come Out!

Have you ever watched the sequel to a movie you loved so much only to leave the screen asking yourself what happened?! I laughed, I cried, I kissed two and a half hours goodbye…? All except for the laughing and crying part?

                                     —

Sometimes I write a poem and it resembles this feeling. A dark feeling of regret, doubt, and despair. Like the well has all gone dry! No more gas in the tank! The babies have left the nest! They are never coming back again!!

No matter what form I plug my thoughts into, or clever disguise I place over that warted nose, I cannot hide the terrible nature of misguided content with no message. The veil always eventually opens to reveal the hideous bore within… and the work goes right over the head or in the trash! Often both in the old days of college rule notebooks!!!

                                     —

Why do we write? Where does it come from?

I asked these questions in the last few blogs I’ve posted here. 

I started out talking about the differences we all have… not only in culture, class, education, and all the most obvious considerations…. but also the ones in individual perspective and expression as well.  

Then I went on to write about my brothers and I singing goofy song lines to each other, making them up as we went as we were fishing or hanging out or camping or whatever. It was fun. But they are just working guys. They have no fancy poetic aspirations. They didn’t seem to have any “writers block”.

What does this have to do with poetry? EVERYTHING!

                                     —

We are the culmination of our experiences. We are the directors of our own movies, the actors playing ourselves. As poets we represent our fellow human in all of his or her splendors, whether they be comedic or tragic. We are the interpreters of reason, translators of truth, and lights on the hill to so many in the darkness.  We are POETS!!!!

I have come to the impasse of asking myself “WHY BOTHER?” many times in the past. Things just didn’t work out. I give up. No sense of wasting my time. WHY BOTHER?!

Then I see a child cry. Or a senior citizen laugh. I feed a hungry stray dog. I watch the birds singing their morning songs with a cup of coffee or a bit of Earl Grey. And it all comes back to me. Just like that. How? Why? 

Simple. BECAUSE I HAVE A POETS SOUL. All the above elicited a response deep down inside of me….

I remember the first conversation I had with my friend and colleague Steve Wheeler about something like this… he’s the best to bounce ideas around with. A brilliant guy. I just recall us talking about writing… mentioning writing poetry is like what BB King said about defining the blues, “If you gotta ask what it is… you’re never going to get it baby”.  

What does this have to do with poetry? Yeah ok…

I believe you are with me!! 

If you are a poet by heart, breather of words like air that fill the lungs so much you have to exhale poetry of some sort eventually just to go on…. Then you know it. You know what I am getting at! Yes,… YOU! POET! 

“It’s in him and it’s gotta come out!” John Lee Hooker… Boogie Chillin! 

I keep correlating this with the blues because the blues filters emotions, which is what we do as poets! It’s in us and it’s gotta come out!

                                    —

                              

Is it in you reader? The takeaway from my series here is that by using what is your natural talent interpreting the world around you… you MUST NEVER GIVE UP!!!!  If your sequel is not happening… take up another story and go from there. Stagnating in despair only leaves one drowning in quicksand of unnecessary doubt. 

When I’m in a hole… I write myself out.

Have you ever been here dear reader? Do you also have a poets soul? Have I missed anything?! Please feel free to post your comments below and let I me know how you feel about this howl!!! I’d love to hear from you…

Matt Elmore

writing, poetry, Matthew Elmore

Live Poets Society

Remember that fabulous film with Robin Williams as a teacher of English literature at a stuffy American private school? What was it called...? Ah yes. Dead Poets Society. They studied poets like Walt Whitman (wait, what man?), who was long since in his grave, never to pen another poem again. Dead poets.

American poets such as Whitman, Edgar Poe, Emily Dickinson and Henry Longfellow blazed a trail across the United States ... from Robert Frost through to the notable Beat Poets of the fifties and sixties such as Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso and latterly Lawrence Ferlinghetti and the blessed Maya Angelou. 

They are all dead. Their quills will squeak on parchment no more. Their typewriters are silent. They are ex-poets. Shuffled off this mortal coil (William Shakespeare of course)... and gone to join the heavenly choir in the sky (Monty Python). OK. I'll shut up.

All I want to draw your attention to is this...  There are plenty of us still alive. We are poets and we are writing poetry even today. Let's give it a voice, a platform, an audience. Let's make a live television show where all of your wonderful poetry can be read out... nay performed... live on Facebook. 

Oh, wait. We are already doing it. Every Friday, live on Invisible Poets, at 7pm UK time. 

It's an event you don't want to miss. Oh sure, you can watch it on playback later if you wish, on several groups including Passion of Poetry, Wheelsong Poetry, Pure Poetry, and Poetry UK to name a few. But there's nothing quite like a live performance to rattle your muse. There's nothing like a live poetry reading to get the literary juices flowing. It's inspirational. It's wonderful. It's.... and... it's yours. That's just one more reason to join Invisible Poets Facebook group as soon as you possibly can. Or sooner.

Steve Wheeler

You can join Invisible Poets by following this link.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Writing a Villanelle

This is a blog  that I posted as a lesson in both the INVISIBLE POETS and the WHEELSONG POETS groups on Facebook. Both are living breathing and dynamic aspects of what Wheelsong is about and has to offer. We are very proud of our roster of amazing poets, and their level of engagement. 

Steve Wheeler asked that I place it on the Wheelsong Blogspot as well, so here it is as follows! Please feel free to join in and follow the prompt to post your poems here just as our poets on Facebook do! I will be more than happy to read them and share some collaboration on the colorful villianelle form!

                                      

I’ve been overwhelmed with not only the DIVERSITY of the content incorporated into your group  poems lately, but also the SKILL with which everyone is expressing their themes. 

This exercise is for those poets that are willing to work their expressions into various forms that are used by those masters of old we love so much. Today over our shimmering horizons of creation comes that most versatile of forms, the VILLANELLE (or the VILLAINESQUE).

This form, once tamed, is not as villainous or difficult as it may seem! I would go into the history of it, which is amazing, but this is an exercise. We are focusing on writing here!

It simply consists of five three line stanzas and a final quatrain, with the first and third lines of the first stanza repeating alternately in the following stanzas. These two lines (known as refrains) form the final couplet in the quatrain (or four line kind of line grouping).

Historically, this form on the whole deals with various kinds of obsessions, which appeal to outsiders. The repetition within the verse defies convention to create something very unique. It’s a clever way to write a poem that seems very intricate, but follows a rather simple pattern. 

One of my heroes, Dylan Thomas, used this form to write his master craft poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into The Night”. Notice how the above rules apply in his following effort…

                                     —

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

                                     —

Pay close attention to the end rhymes and where the repeating verses are set within the poem! They are subtle, but are most effective when crafted properly. It’s a bit like fitting your poem together like a puzzle, with a dazzling picture to admire once the puzzle is set out upon your table.

I invite you to stretch your poetic wings and write a villanelle. Start with an overlying theme within the repetitions of the first three lines that you want to dance with, then go on to spin your partner around in the next four three line verses. The end four line verse sums it all up and repeats your theme. There is no syllable count, which is nice. USE DYLAN’S PLACEMENTS AS A TEMPLATE TO REFER TO IN PLACING YOUR WORDS.

This exercise is another step in adding weapons to your expressional arsenal. The more arrows you have in your poetic quiver, the more you can practice hitting the bullseye as a real deal poet with your variable forms!!!

Good luck my poet friends! Also, please POST YOUR VILLANELLES IN THE COMMENTS below so I can acknowledge your works in a subsequent post. The more you write and get your name out there, the more you will get noticed! And you deserve recognition. EVERYONE OF YOU!

Also, feel free to comment on the submissions below. We are here to not only be recognized, but to recognize others. We are learning and supporting each other like all families do. Only our family is WORLDWIDE!!!!!

As always, the writer writes. I am with you, and I will be commenting on your poem as we go!!! Good luck dear poet, and write on!!! 🚀

Moderatin’ Matt Elmore 

Invisible but not unheard

As I stated in my post from yesterday, every recent initiative I've been involved in is focused on raising the profiles of new and emerging voices in poetry. That's why back in April 2023, Charlene Phare and I created the Facebook group Invisible Poets. You may be just starting out, or you may have been writing poetry for years, and only now beginning to emerge, but Invisible Poets is for you. 

The name Invisible Poets is of course an ironic statement... there is nothing worse for a poet than to be ignored. We write because there is something on our heart we need to say. And we do so in a way that invests our creativity and emotions. That's what makes poetry so great. So Invisible Poets is just the opposite. It is designed to make poets and their art very visible indeed. We even feature the poetry of members in a live performance once every week on a Friday, at 1900 UK time. More on this in my next post!

In the few short weeks it has existed, Invisible Poets has quickly grown in size to almost 4,000 members. Many more (almost 20,000 non-members in the last 28 days) have visited to read poems, comment, like and watch videos. It's a rapidly growing and increasingly popular public platform that showcases poetry of all genres, from experienced and novice poets, and everything in between! Many people have remarked how wonderfully friendly and supported Invisible Poets is, and there's a reason for that! We have a zero tolerance policy for those who are rude or abusive, or those who post plagiarised (copied) poetry from others without acknowledging them, or scam and spam posts, or illegal and highly offensive content... and in many cases we remove those individuals from the group. 

Our growing team of moderators are there to do just that - keep members and their poetry safe from harm. So if you haven't already visited (or better yet, joined) the group - click on this link to Invisible Poets and see what we are all about. See you in the group!

Steve Wheeler

Beware the vanity press!

Many of my recent poetry initiatives have been focused on helping unheard poets to gain a voice, a platform, an audience...

Wheelsong Books for example, was founded on the principle that evry poet has a voice and that voice demands an audience. I deliberately set up the company to be not for profit. When authors come to me asking how much it costs to publish a book, I reply that there is no fee. 

I am both amazed and appalled at the number of publishers 'out there' that cynically exploit the heartfelt desire of a poet to be published. They charge large sums of cash to provide 'editing and publishing services' that are little short of a scam. The poor poet ends up splashing out their hard earned cash for very little. What do they receive in return? Often a poorly edited and shoddily designed book that sells just a few copies. They are left with boxes of books they have paid for, but no-one wants to buy.

Popularly, this is known as a vanity press. The people behind many of these schemes are often unfair and unprincipled. They exercise little or no quality control, and all and sundry can get to publish their work no matter how good or bad it may be. Facebook and the web are full of poets desperately advertising and plugging books that no-one is interested in buying. You should be wary of any publisher who asks you for money to publish your book!

Wheelsong Books is different. We will never charge a poet to have their work published. Instead, Wheelsong offers editing, design and copyrighting services for no cost to the poet. We even agree to give ten percent of the sales return on every copy sold to the poet as royalty payments as a standard publishing agreement. If the book does well, and sells many copies, then everyone is a winner. 

Everyone who is directly associated with Wheelsong Books works on a purely voluntary basis. Our small, but growing group of ambassadors helps to promote and market the efforts and publications of our poet family worldwide through social media, events and promotions. Each is chosen for their commitment and drive to helping make the enterprise a success for all. For example, our USA ambassador is Matt Elmore, and our UK ambassador is Charlene Phare.

If you are interested in publishing with Wheelsong Books, be assured that we will treat you with the respect you deserve. We will assess your poetry on its merits, and we will be totally honest with you about its quality, its viability as a commercial work, and any future efforts you might need to take to improve it. Any questions you may have about publishing with Wheelsong can be posted to the comments box below! The Wheelsong Books team looks forward to hearing from you.

All live Wheelsong publications can be found on the Wheelsong Books website.

Image from Pexels used under a Creative Commons licence

Passion for Poetry

Why did I start to write poetry? What was the catalyst? It all began when I was around 18 or 19 years old. I was working at a local college, in the technical department that supported academics and students in their teaching and learning. I was seconded to the library, where one of the tasks was to take valuable paperback textbooks and prolong their lives by removing the flimsy covers, and dismantling them, before pasting them onto card and then reconstructing them with a laminate cover. Thus I learnt how to book-bind. 

While working in the library over those months, I happened by chance to walk past the literature section, and there... in the middle shelves, I found the works of Dylan Thomas. I admit, at first, it was heavy going, but after a while of reading the Welsh bard, I became seriously hooked on poetry. The library was throwing out a pile of old poetry books that had seen better days. I managed to grab a dozen or so, and took them home to read - I still have them in my collection today. One particular Penguin edition contained the work of Charles Bukowski, Harold Norse and Philip Lamantia - three American poets that inspired me further. 

Soon afterwards, I was writing my own experimental forms of poetry, and eventually, I began to perform my work at festivals, open mics and so on. It's important to acknowledge your roots and inspiration. For me the encounter with these four poets led me down the road to a lifelong love of poetry, both reading and writing. 

What was your inspiration? What has fuelled your passion for poetry? Why are you writing poetry right now? Answers in the comments box below please!