cathy mccormick

Member since August 14, 2019

Member for 6 years, 9 months

advocate member

34 Poems

174 Comments

7 Followers

Most recent

SHOE-SHINE BOYS

Posted Nov 21, 2022 · 22 lines · 2 critiques

on market streets in Lagos, barefeet boys call
"Shoe-shine 3 naira"
as men in shoes walk by
boys wearing shorts and shirts
colored rags blown by the breeze
trying to tease the heat away

bata-tan boys move mountains
or pretend to be them
to get cash to buy a kit
hoping to make enough on the street
so they won't have to eat in some trash heap
they were their smiles loudly, if not proudly

the sun makes long days on market streets
shoe-shine boys sit in sweat

Read the rest of the poem Show less

wishing they were wearing
the shoes they hold in small thin hands to shine

when even the sun gets tired and leaves the street
they take their kits and walk to the bridge
under which they sleep, dust from the street
between their toes, covering them and their bare feet
while men walk home to houses wearing shoes
with polished pride.

cathy mccormick’s timeline

August 2024
14 Wed

Anniversary
5 years of membership
January 2023
04 Wed

New follower
@Alex Tanner
04 Wed

Received a critique
on Only Bob Dylan Is Bob Dylan from @Alex Tanner
"Desolation Row, I and I, I could go on forever. Had the pleasure of meeting him as I walked the cliff path near my home when he played the IOW Festival and was staying in a converted barn just a few hundred yards away…"
December 2022
15 Thu

Critiqued
"STOLEN FLOWERS" by @Alan Abrams
"beautiful poem"
15 Thu

Critiqued
"My Spider Queen" by @Alex Tanner
"i love dark poems. i wrote one called the spider's queen but not like this. in mine i am the queen the decider of life and death for the spiders i allow in one corner of the living room lol. love the poem but since you…"
November 2022
22 Tue

Received a critique
on SHOE-SHINE BOYS from @Lavender
"Hello, Cathy, This poem is wonderfully in motion - I feel as if I'm walking along, watching the action unfold. Most of the senses are used here, which brings the reader directly into the poem. A very observant glance of…"
21 Mon

Received a critique
on SHOE-SHINE BOYS from @Geezer
"You show the disparity between people of a country so poor, that a rich man has shoes, and a poor man doesn't. Boys dreaming of the shoes they polish and sleeping under bridges. Will there ever be a day, when all men ha…"
21 Mon

Posted a poem
SHOE-SHINE BOYS
"on market streets in Lagos, barefeet boys call"
Open thread 22 lines
April 2022
15 Fri

New follower
@Anna Severchuk
15 Fri

Received a critique
on STILL, BIRTH from @Candlewitch
"a chilling peek into lives of the oppressed. such sadness and horror... *hugs, Cat"
15 Fri

Received a critique
on STILL, BIRTH from @Geezer
"of life and death in the Ukraine! I see the difficulties that you are showing us, and they make me ashamed of the human race, but this is reality, and there are monsters among us. Thanks for the cold, staring-us-in-the-…"
14 Thu

Posted a poem
STILL, BIRTH
"STILL, BIRTH"
Open thread 29 lines
14 Thu

Received a critique
on THE CRAVIN from @scribbler
"Once upon an evening napping upon the door a bat came tapping indeed it was almost rapping there upon my half glass door So yep I see Poe in this lol."
13 Wed

Received a critique
on THE CRAVIN from @Candlewitch
"I haven't seen you for awhile, and it is a pleasant surprise for me! I loved your E.A. Poe like poem. very creative! I hope to see more of you in the future >{^*;*}< *hugs, Cat"
13 Wed

Received a critique
on THE CRAVIN from @Geezer
"What a great Idea, to use S'mores to illustrate Poe! A great job! Not a thing that I would change! ~ Geezer. ."
13 Wed

Posted a poem
THE CRAVIN
"Once around a campfire, bleary"
Open thread 19 lines
12 Tue

Critiqued
"In my head" by @Anna Severchuk
"welcome. i promise i will not forget you. ever. we are with you. hoping our president will do more. do what yours asks. you are our heroes. we in usa are watching many of our freedoms being taken away. not like yours. m…"
February 2022
07 Mon

New follower
@Race_9togo
December 2021
08 Wed

Posted a poem
Fading Away in Juarez
"in this place where all are prey"
Open thread 51 lines
November 2021
11 Thu

Critiqued
"The Abyss" by @Mit Havoc
"i like this. i agree on not using word abyss so much. i would just use the word it. i would love to see you add lines maybe i stare at it it stares at me give a nod to nietzsche (sorry i know it is misspelled)"
October 2021
11 Mon

Critiqued
"Unit of Measure" by @Michael Anthony
"nice write. and how true"
08 Fri

Critiqued
"Piccalilli on Rye." by @Obadiah Grey
"nice work. love to see good rhythm"
08 Fri

Critiqued
"NO WAR" by @Ray Whitaker
"wonderful poem. i saw your comment about seeking venues. i often get notifications about poetry contests, at prestigious reputable places. many have a small fee to enter but big money prize(s). rattle recently had one w…"
June 2021
15 Tue

Posted a poem
Only Bob Dylan Is Bob Dylan
"the poet sits on a dark park bench"
Open thread 28 lines
15 Tue

Posted a poem
Only Bob Dylan Is Bob Dylan
"the poet sits on a dark park bench"
Open thread 28 lines
15 Tue

Posted a poem
Only Bob Dylan Is Bob Dylan
"the poet sits on a dark park bench"
Open thread 28 lines
14 Mon

Posted a poem
Justice Opens Her Eyes
"give me your misfits your lonely your lost"
Open thread 24 lines
14 Mon

Critiqued
"LITTLE BLUE BUTTERFLIES" by @Ray Whitaker
"beautiful poem. i really love the first five stanzas"
May 2021
25 Tue

Posted a poem
The Snow Bled Red
"a red-haired kid sat alone in his room"
Open thread 49 lines
14 Fri

New follower
@Candlewitch
13 Thu

Posted a poem
The Collector
"i am not matter - i feed on flesh"
Open thread 35 lines
06 Thu

Posted a poem
Everything Eventually Cracks in the Mirror
"The mirror is intact, but she sees it cracked."
Open thread 41 lines
March 2021
29 Mon

Posted a poem
The Survivor
"he never meant to survive"
Open thread 53 lines
August 2020
14 Fri

Anniversary
One year of membership
February 2020
17 Mon

Most-discussed work
The Train's Last Stop (English Penfyr)

13 critiques to date.
August 2019
19 Mon

First critique offered
on "NAKED TREES (August Contest) " (since unpublished) by @Drey Hommies
16 Fri

First publication
A Beetle's Death (since unpublished)
14 Wed

Joined Neopoet
Membership begins

First poem published 2 days later.

About Me

About me

I live in the country with my husband, two cats and seven skunks under the house (not invited!). I enjoy writing poetry and reading poetry written by my friends.

Location: WA

Contest Wins

This member has not yet won any contests.

Workshops

		Skill level:
Rhythm and Meter in Poetry	(syllabus)	Plunge Pool	Started 2020-02-10	Concluded
Critique For New And Old	(syllabus)	Plunge Pool	Started 2020-01-16	Concluded
Immersing the Reader Via Imagery Part 2	(syllabus)	Splash Pool	Started 2019-09-22	Concluded
Immersing the reader via imagery (Let's get started)	(syllabus)	Splash Pool	Started 2019-09-16	Concluded