Ray Miller

Member since July 29, 2016

Member for 9 years, 10 months

member

51 Poems

183 Comments

5 Followers

Most recent

Bruce tells it slant

Posted Apr 12, 2026 · 36 lines · 1 critiques

from the side of his mouth, long pauses
keep me on the edge of my seat
for fear that I might fall asleep.
He squints into the sun that’s crept
below the blinds and fingers catch
the panic tumbling from his eyes.
I focus on the sweat that forms
and blurs like condensation.

We spend an hour like this each week -
the futility of CBT.
We contest from each side of this desk
a too predictable game of chess –
I’m always white, Bruce always black:
defensive, dogged to the last.

Read the rest of the poem Show less

He suffers high anxiety,
low self-esteem and agonies
working for a company who specialise
in surveillance and security.
Spends his days avoiding scrutiny,
behind closed doors, in the washroom
or his secret hiding place.
He has no sense of irony.

It’s less easy at home to disappear
and his wife has come to domineer,
to belittle his obsessions, his lack
of ambition, poor personal hygiene,
absence of sexual prowess.

Yesterday he finally lost his temper
and slept the night on the sofa.
Now he tells me she’s grown colder,
she no longer talks, he’s tried
to say sorry but she doesn’t respond.
Gradually, I realise what task
Bruce is telling me he’s accomplished
and once more begin to doubt
the problem-solving approach.

Ray Miller’s timeline

April 2026
13 Mon

Received a critique
on Bruce tells it slant from @Geezer
"something in me. I could make a very good case for a permanent solution to Bruce's problem. Uh, yeah... I would have stretched this out just little more. Nicley treated, don't ever finish the story. You could make the t…"
12 Sun

Posted a poem
Bruce tells it slant
"from the side of his mouth, long pauses"
Open thread 36 lines
10 Fri

Received a critique
on British Camp from @Geezer
"unobtrusive rhyme scheme, not readily evident, but very well done! ~ Geez."
10 Fri

Posted a poem
British Camp
"An unimpeded sun can still not shift"
Open thread 14 lines
10 Fri

Critiqued
"Opus" by @Lavender
"That's a lovely poem. The table was set, the chairs were filled. The prayer was spent. Like a funeral, I thought. The only slight criticism I'd have is ending a line on "the", my pet hate."
09 Thu

Received a critique
on Brown Study from @Lavender
"Hello, Ray, My interpretation takes me to the thoughts of a housewife back in the 50s. I am curious... Thank you! L"
09 Thu

Posted a poem
Brown Study
"A gentleman will clamber"
Open thread 31 lines
01 Wed

Received a critique
on Brinkmanship from @Lavender
"Hello, Ray, I read it as a metaphor for any overwhelming hardship - both literally and emotionally. Life has its breaking points. The language lends itself to feeling harsh and uncomfortable, which seems to be the conce…"
March 2026
31 Tue

New follower
@Geezer
31 Tue

Received a critique
on Bridge from @Geezer
"bridge-player, but I do play Whist and Spades, where the same term is used. Been a while since my wife and I have played, but it may be something that we take up again. I too, loved the rancor with which the trip to "br…"
31 Tue

Received a critique
on Brinkmanship from @Geezer
"that I am interpreting this correctly. I would liken this one to be a tale of someone jumping into the deep end of politics, and then discovering that they might not have the "right stuff". I think that you should maybe…"
31 Tue

Posted a poem
Brinkmanship
"Like when you slip beneath the edge"
Open thread 13 lines
31 Tue

Critiqued
"Twelve Summers In" by @RJ Bear
"Enjoyed the story very much.I remember the world of dens. Reminded me of a book I recently read, Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury. the real world is finally finding our coordinates - very good that."
30 Mon

Received a critique
on Bridge from @Obadiah Grey
"Ha, Wonderful ! Obi."
30 Mon

Received a critique
on Bridge from @Lavender
"Hello, Ray, Such a great poem! The comparative risk in both stanzas, the woman's character and personality, the sense of the narrator's anxiety, tight rhyme and rhythm, and that solid final line - I can almost here the…"
30 Mon

Critiqued
"Dream" by @Lavender
"Enjoyed the read. I think you want o'er, not o're, though why not over? fancy, line 5, seems an odd choice of word."
30 Mon

Critiqued
"A Brief Forever " by @RJ Bear
"Enjoyed the poem. The rhymes are fine, the rhythm is awry in a few places, like Painting the walls in a hopeful shade of blue.could become Painting the walls in a hopeful blue. Before I knew who I was meant to become, -…"
30 Mon

Critiqued
"Mamie" by @Eliza
"I enjoyed the read, though in reference to the final line, I can't see much evidence of a nation in unity. I like the people/lethal rhyme, though both lethal and gory seem rather stuck on for rhyme's sake rather than fl…"
30 Mon

Critiqued
"KIDNEYs" by @Alex Tanner
"The perils of old age. The repetition of grind may be for effect, but still, I'd prefer an alternative to one of them."
30 Mon

Posted a poem
Bridge
"I wish my eyes were unawake"
Open thread 12 lines
05 Thu

Posted a poem
His Works
"The plague raged from the west to east"
Open thread 42 lines
05 Thu

Critiqued
"Six More Weeks of (Nuclear) Winter (Threat)" by @Wallyroo92
"I had to look up Punxsutawney Phil. If only it were just another 6 weeks. For me, the length of the lines make this less poetic that it might be."
05 Thu

Critiqued
"It's Raining Today" by @Lavender
"Enjoyed the read. It's good to be reminded that our problems pale into insignificance..."
02 Mon

Posted a poem
Flies
"Nicky brought French bread, pate"
Open thread 33 lines
February 2026
26 Thu

Posted a poem
Brian!
"You’re such a literary lion,"
Open thread 24 lines
25 Wed

Posted a poem
Breaststroke
"As he rowed a blush rose to vouch my lust,"
Open thread 14 lines
22 Sun

Posted a poem
Boat Trip
"A city sliding serpentine,"
Open thread 13 lines
January 2026
24 Sat

Posted a poem
Blowback
"They said it’s the end of history"
Open thread 16 lines
22 Thu

Posted a poem
Blanche Walks On Without Turning
"ECT would’ve been your treatment"
Open thread 12 lines
November 2025
04 Tue

New follower
@Anthony Mckeown
October 2025
30 Thu

New follower
@Candlewitch
September 2025
09 Tue

New follower
@Lavender
January 2025
15 Wed

Highest posting month
January 2025 — 11 poems
November 2024
28 Thu

First publication
A Clockwise Direction
February 2022
18 Fri

First critique offered
on "REGRET" by @scribbler
July 2021
29 Thu

Anniversary
5 years of membership
July 2017
29 Sat

Anniversary
One year of membership
July 2016
29 Fri

Joined Neopoet
Membership begins

First poem published 3044 days later.

About Me

About me

I'm a Socialist, Aston Villa supporter and faithful husband. Life's been a disappointment.

Location: England

Favorite Poets

John Cooper Clarke

Fleur Adcock

Carol Anne Duffy

Derek Mahon

>> View all work

Contest Wins

This member has not yet won any contests.

on Bruce tells it slant from @Geezer

on British Camp from @Geezer

"Opus" by @Lavender

on Brown Study from @Lavender

on Brinkmanship from @Lavender

on Bridge from @Geezer

on Brinkmanship from @Geezer

"Twelve Summers In" by @RJ Bear

on Bridge from @Obadiah Grey

on Bridge from @Lavender

"Dream" by @Lavender

"A Brief Forever " by @RJ Bear

"Mamie" by @Eliza

"KIDNEYs" by @Alex Tanner

"Six More Weeks of (Nuclear) Winter (Threat)" by @Wallyroo92

"It's Raining Today" by @Lavender

January 2025 — 11 poems

on "REGRET" by @scribbler

5 years of membership

One year of membership

Membership begins

About Me

Recent Work

Contest Wins

Workshops

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