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Robert Melliard
Member since June 12, 2014
Member for 11 years, 11 months
member
68
Poems
565
Comments
3
Followers
Most recent
Switch Off
I couldn't switch on the news today.
I knew the world would still be groaning
with fighting in Ukraine,
deaths in Gaza, ebola in Africa
and mayhem in Iraq.
What was the point of watching it all again?
Haven't we got enough problems of our own?
But tomorrow I expect I'll turn it on once more,
enthralled by exploding bombs, dying patients,
troop movements, obscure strategies,
and the hunger and thirst of desperate refugees.
How can I ignore all that?
To switch off I turn to Facebook,
drawn in by trivial snippets
from the lives of a hundred individuals,
most of whom I hardly know.
But that's not really enough, is it?
Any advice would be welcome.
Robert Melliard’s timeline
- June 2024
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12 WedAnniversary
10 years of membership
- June 2019
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12 WedAnniversary
5 years of membership
- June 2015
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12 FriAnniversary
One year of membership
- August 2014
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22 FriReceived a critique
on Switch Off from @weirdelf
"to separate the calamitous world news from a personal life view, which can be disastrous thinking for someone who suffers from depression. The best I can to do is to try to converse face-to-face with people in real life…" -
22 Fri
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22 FriReceived a critique
on As I Write from @weirdelf
"has been underestimated, I include myself, by mistaking your straight-forward, honest approach for a lack of poetic qualities. My sincere apologies. You are a fine poet." -
09 Sat
- July 2014
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29 Tue
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14 Mon
- June 2014
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12 ThuJoined Neopoet
Membership begins
First poem published 1 days later.
- December 2008
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25 Thu
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15 MonHighest posting month
December 2008 — 26 poems
- November 2008
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27 ThuFirst critique offered
on "Her" by @Race_9togo
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24 MonFirst publication
We took an old boat out
About Me
About me
Studied at Cambridge University but failed to take advantage of that privilege in my working life. Living in Spain. Married with three grown-up children who all have reasonably good jobs! Marriage a bit shaky but just about surviving. Soon to be grandparent.
Location: Asturias, Spain
Favorite Poets
Chaucer
Shakespeare
Du Bellay
Metaphysicals
Petrarch
Dante
Baudelaire
Lorca
Becquer
Coleridge
Recent Work
Switch Off
Posted:
The Fight
Posted:
As I Write
Posted:
The Thrill Is Gone
Posted:
To My Grandchild (From Afar)
Posted:
Worry
Posted:
Right Now
Posted:
An Attempt To Be More Poetic
Posted:
When She's Away
Posted:
This Economic Crisis
Posted:
Contest Wins
This member has not yet won any contests.
Workshops
| Skill level: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renga 9 "Hatred's Legacy" | (syllabus) | Wading Pool, Splash Pool, Olympic Pool, Plunge Pool | Started 2014-08-04 | Concluded |