It’s Too Quiet...

Shhh...

Wait. If you stay too silent, I won’t be able to hear anything. See? That’s all I do. I see silent threads with thoughts screaming to be heard. I don’t know about anyone else here, but those thoughts have words that are screeching in my ears. I hear them through my eyes as I browse poems and quotes. They are like metal pins being scratched against blackboards. Like teeth grinding against teeth.

Shhh... can you see them too?

I have to be honest, the site has been quiet for years but it's worryingly so now. From poems posted, comments on poems, poems nominated and a willingness to judge, the site is in trouble at the moment. I know people are busy, but that doesn't change the facts. These halls are full of poetic ghosts at present...

I don’t think it’s about being busy, members are losing interest or they see the site is hopeless.
Lets hope the ghosts, at least, still wander around :)

Luce, you have such a creative mind, that's about all I can say on that ^_^

I've had ideas to post an article every week, then someone else be in charge of weekly prompts to share, but I kind of feel like that wouldn't do much. Even if we have different activities or threads, it's a funk that PnQ is in right now. I also don't want to force/pressure those online to feel they have to comment and post when they may just be taking a quiet moment or have enough energy simply to log in.

Although, as long as the ghosts still wander, whether they are logged in or anonymously browsing the site, there's still a presence here... somewhere...

On a random note, I had this thought for like a horror Valentine's day twist prompt thing. Not a full contest where you have to submit poems, as that may not get enough entries, but just a post as you go. Thoughts??

On ANOTHER note: BEJohnson (a new member) just shared lots of her work on here, we could all try to read at least one piece and comment.

Thanks MA,

The horror Valentine’s Day twist prompt thingy sounds like a good idea. I wonder what people will come up with with that kind of prompt.

“ On ANOTHER note: BEJohnson (a new member) just shared lots of her work on here, we could all try to read at least one piece and comment.”

^sounds like a plan. Will try to do that.

I personally feel like the site has been like this for years, with members coming and going but always coming back again someday or just lingering (like me). It's never been extremely active the last ten years, but it was always a welcoming home nonetheless and we made it work with the few active members we did have. :) The last I remember the site being extremely vibrant was probably during Abby's (?) club-versus-club poetry marathon a few years back.

Either way, even if there isn't much commenting/rating going on currently I still enjoy being here because it gives me a place to channel my thoughts and a lot of inspiration to draw from. My new years resolution was to submit one poem a week no matter its quality and it's been making me feel great. Hoping to contribute more to the community once I finish my master thesis though. ^^

Thanks everyone for keeping this place alive.

I stopped posting on here after repeatedly being accused of bullying and trolling by members (one in particular) who I felt had only been on the site for a short time and , therefore, were unfamiliar with me on a personal level. Provoking people is something I did to get a reaction, something that stimulates the brain and, hence, leads to discussion. Sometimes these discussions became heated which, in my opinion is not a bad thing...certainly much better than what the threads have been seeing these past few months.

This site once thrived on debate/discussion/innuendo and then, (like every other 'good thing in life') some politically correct person came along and told us it was a big no-no to call someone out on here and...sadly they had enough followers to make this site the boring place it now is.

I'm only speaking for myself here but, I feel a few other members may have stopped visiting this site for the same reason.

Thoughts???

Hellon, I think there are a lot of factors going into why the site has become so quiet, and political correctness might be one of those factors. What I think is people in general, including people on this site, don't know how to disagree well. I can't think of a single time someone was moderated on this site when they were arguing well. We have moderated when disagreements devolved to name-calling and ad hominem attacks, sure, but arguments should be able to become passionate without becoming disrespectful and off the rails. Unfortunately, respectful debates are especially tough on an online platform where tone can be misconstrued and interchanges are inherently impersonal. Also, many of us have years of history with each other and therefore we can tend to have emotional, reactionary responses that are disproportionate to the debate.

EDIT: I, for one, love a healthy, articulate debate. I'm even fond of a good argument where the goal of all parties involved is to listen and be heard, and who knows, maybe even problem-solve and/or compromise if appropriate. However, belittling, name-calling, defamation, gas-lighting... there's no place for any of that in my opinion, whether here or in the outside world. It's unproductive. What do you think?

https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/how-to-disagree-well-7-of-the-best-and-worst-ways-to-argue

Thanks for taking time to respond Jane.

I think there are a lot of factors going into why the site has become so quiet, and political correctness might be one of those factors.

^^^

So, you say there are a lot of factors, can you elaborate on the others apart from the 'political correctness' one I suggested?

I don't recall any of my comments being moderated due to name calling or, anything else for that matter. I have been called a few names though but, did I bother the mods with any of them? NO. I'm anti-political correct...(really, get a grip you people who are, it's the internet FFS).

Anyway, this thread is about how quite this site has become and these are just my thoughts as to why...

Hi all :)

Firstly I would like to say that for whatever reasons, poets come and go, or\and disappear. It really comes down to individuality

Reflecting on my own perspective-

I do and will always love PnQ very much for many reasons. While there are issues with the site, I come and go for my own personal reasons. I don't feel I would ever abandon this site, its just personal, which I also feel is reflected in poetry when posted (to a degree)

Some of the threads are a joy to be part of, some I do not find any interest with, so I happily do not get involved, however we should all be respectful when commenting on threads or otherwise. We have enough to deal with in life, and personally I wouldn’t want to come away from here feeling miserable.

When I joined this site back in 2015, I felt it held an abundance of energy, passion and a height of truly wonderful writers (which I must say still has and ongoing wonderful writers). I really felt I earned my first HM, let alone winning the weekly competition, but I must say the site has certainly helped me with my writing, along with support from other poets ????

What I do feel strongly about (sad as this maybe) is the site ownership. I feel if a website has been created, it has to keep up with evolving and respecting it's members. Many a time over the last few years, we have been asked on many occasions to give our views, opinions and perspectives on how the site could develop involving changes. Sadly none of this has happened. At this point I would like to say that I have full admiration for the moderators who do their best, as well as give up their time to keep this ship afloat... So here, here!! :) and to all that take up the role to judge, however this is where I feel the site has suffered, in terms of not moving forwards, but this is my feeling. I believe if the site were to change with all the passion shown from all members we all could see a revival (maybe).

There is so much that can be said about other areas, as we all know but as I mentioned before I do love this place, it holds a special place for sure, and will continue with the members, but change is important.

I wont abandon this ship, but at times I maybe working in the engine room ????

Enough of me, I hope each of you are well.

Much love, M x

So apparently, the first thread on the main forums was titled "Religion and America". Looking at the subjects for a lot of the topics over a decade ago, they were silly, fun and often asked the big questions that are controversial. The posts and replies read like very casual conversations, though a lot of posts seemed repetitive. With regards to controversy, that's great if it sparks debate and makes people feel passion and fire, but I'm always curious as to the intentions behind it. I don't come on here to talk about issues in the news, I see it enough and have it spiraling in my mind already. I come here for a break. To escape drama and cancel culture etc. I do think it'd be neat to bring the critique thread back, I think it got stuck and Luce was the last one to offer her poem, we could start that again.

I remember back in my teens, being cautioned to keep my distance from the main forum because it was either my fear or others that I'd be eaten alive lol

Now, I'm for debates if both sides are respectful, and a poetry site does not necessarily need to stick solely to poetry related themes (remember though the great debates, like to rhyme vs not to rhyme?). If people want to talk about whatever, fine. I don't think political correctness as to do with it actually, I think it goes deeper than that. It's about context and why are we debating, because we're bored, want to start beef with someone or because we really want to hone our skills?

I have only read Hellon's post, so this is only responding to that: Hellon, what is your definition of political correctness? My definition is respectfulness and conscientiousness of the weight words carry and how terms can be used to oppress/mislead/fear-monger/stereotype, etc. I'm all for political correctness, and it seems to me that only the most privileged (white people) don't like it because it causes them the slightest inconvenience (e.g., oh now I have to remember to refer to someone as transgender, not transexual, woe is me!).

Other reasons the site is quiet: It's painfully outdated and reminiscent of the early 2000s, there are limited features, it's not very user friendly, it's kind of ugly, we have an absent site owner/site administrator, there are glitches that we cannot resolve, other poetry sites are more modern and user friendly, people are sharing their poetry more on different social media platforms (e.g., Instagram), etc. That we have been able to stay afloat so long with so many barriers and forces working against us is a wonder. We have our loyalest members to thank.

What I meant when I said that I was anti-political correct is this..in my opinion if a person is black or white we should be able to call them that, it's not disrespectful it's just a fact. On the other hand, if the words nigger or honky where used I would say that was definitely disrespectful and hurtful. Having said that I see no reason why we can no longer call the beloved toy a golly wog anymore, that's plain silly and something the 'do-gooders' of our society have caused. We have a beautiful tree here in Australia called Xanthorrhoea australis, yip. it's a mouthful but it was commonly known by ALL Australians as a black boy until some 'do-gooder' came along and said it's not politically correct to do so any more.

The LGBT community have given themselves that label and stand proudly by this title The G stands for Gay I believe so why do people jump up and down when the word gay comes up in conversation?

I think there's a place for everyone in society it's just become ridiculously silly that we, and I mean everyone, not just "the most privileged (white people)" have to think twice as hard now for fear of upsetting someone. I think a lot of people have lost their sense of humour along the way as a result of this.

I have no idea about other social media platforms as I'm not part of any so I can't really comment on the second part of your post Jane.

I think comparing the words n***** and honky is false equivalence. The "n" word is a term historically and presently used by whites to dehumanize blacks; to imply their inferiority and to “put them in their place," and the term is so painful that there have been movements in black culture to take ownership of the term and rebrand it to ameliorate that pain. The same truly cannot be said of honky, which tends to be used comically if at all. You can’t put white people in their place with a derogatory term when they own the place, so to speak.

"in my opinion if a person is black or white we should be able to call them that, it's not disrespectful it's just a fact." I'm at a loss as to where you're coming from with this because in the modern world, it is widely accepted that claiming colorblindness is racist, as is "melting pot" theory. Acknowledging color and culture is considered a step forward, and multiculturalism/pluralism is a beautiful thing. It is more politically correct to call a person black in the United States, for instance, than African American (or to claim you don't see color at all -- *cough* bullshit). Many people identify as black (who are ALSO American), and 'African' may or may not be in the equation and one should not assume based on skin color. For instance, a friend of mine descends from Panama and she is second generation American and she identifies as black, though she is often referred to as African American by others. She has no African heritage, so this is inaccurate. There is a lot more to it than that, but I don't have time to write a book right now haha. In sum, it's not racist to call a black person a black person, nor a white person a white person, but there are exceptions to this rule. For instance, you're singling one out more than the other. An example is that you make it a point to explain that a person is black in a story you're telling but you wouldn't make it a point to say the person is white when telling an identical story. Make sense? There are a lot of nuances, sure, but I'd rather be open to learning and changing my thought patterns than shutting myself off and causing others needless pain. I'm sure people who were alive when the "n" word became unacceptable struggled a bit too with adopting new terminology, but the ones who grew and adapted kept up with the times, and the ones who didn't? They probably became that racist old grandparent you tried to avoid at family gatherings.

I also don't know anyone who is offended by the term gay unless it is used with derogatory intent. For instance, calling something that sucks "gay" is not okay. Saying that a person who is gay, is gay? Usually nothing wrong with that. Once again, it depends on context/tone and there are always exceptions to the rule.

If humor depends on dehumanizing others, maybe it's not a great sense of humor. People will just have to be more clever to get a laugh :P

I'm at the start of a 4 day weekend and I've had a bit of wine, so all I can do right now is hope the above is comprehendible!

Your first sentence says it all for me..the n word? Really? it was a word used (wrongly I will be the first to admit) but to remove it from your vocabulary doesn't change anything. I know the reason why it was used and I did say I found it offensive.

The same truly cannot be said of honky, which tends to be used comically if at all.

^^
Ok but...what if a few of us honkys made a stance and complained about being singled out and labeled..would it still be comical? Would some do-gooder come out and bat for this new minority who were being treated unfairly? This is my whole point???

When people 'identify' as something...anything really...are they not putting a label upon themselves and poor us then have to tread on eggshells around them in fear of upsetting them?

It’s nice to see arguments taking place in this thread.

Thank you for starting the thread Luce...I'm just concerned over the well being of this site in general, that's all :)

Removing the n word from my vocabulary doesn't change anything? Huh. Try telling that to any black person.

White people are not a social minority (even when they are a numerical minority in a group), and honky is a relatively new term, so no it wouldn't matter if a few honkys tried making a stance against the term. There is no generational trauma in white culture like there is in black culture. Reverse racism is a myth that sensitive white people use to try to gaslight those who experience real racism. The n word is a term originating from slavery and carried through Jim Crow times to slander, oppress, and essentially refer to black people as subhuman. Honky is short for honky-tonk and it came about during the 1960s. There is no comparison. Frankly, I see your use of spelling out the n word in this thread as intentionally inflammatory and entitled. Using that word is a trigger that can cause a trauma response in minorities. It seems like a power play to invoke it so lightly.

I think you are mistaking identity with identification. Someone might have a black mother and a white father, for instance, and identify as both black and white, but if they appear black through the greater sociocultural lens, then they are black by identification, and someone who is black by identification is treated as black (not black AND white) by the outside world. Unfortunately the "one drop rule" is still relevant for many people of color.

"When people 'identify' as something...anything really...are they not putting a label upon themselves and poor us then have to tread on eggshells around them in fear of upsetting them?"

^Can you give me an example? My gut reaction is that 'upsetting them' is minimizing what is actually taking place. For instance, if someone born biologically male identifies as the female gender, they experience the pain of gender dysphoria more intensely if others refuse to acknowledge their existence. If a person can't learn to refer to someone by their preferred gender pronoun because it requires minimal brain effort, that's just selfish. Question: If you see a little boy with long hair and mistakenly call him a girl but mom corrects you, do you keep calling the little boy a girl?

There is no poor us in my eyes. White people have historically benefited from being white and continue to benefit from being white (if you're also heterosexual and cisgender, you've struck gold). I am attaching a little excerpt from 1989 that is still referenced today when teaching about structural oppression: https://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/mcintosh.pdf

EDIT: Hey Luce, such is the way of the internet that I can't tell if you were being serious or sarcastic. If you'd prefer us to move this convo to another thread, I'm happy to do that! Just say the word.

“Hey Luce, such is the way of the internet that I can't tell if you were being serious or sarcastic. If you'd prefer us to move this convo to another thread, I'm happy to do that! Just say the word.“

^ oh no, please continue. I’m serious. I don’t mind if any thread that I create stays in the same topic or if it goes to a different route. I like reading everyones input. ( p.s. Your are right. The book Outliers is fantastic. I haven’t finished reading it but so far it’s keeping me interested. I hadn’t read a book in a while that managed to do that. Thanks).

Oh yay! I'm so glad you're reading it. I thought it was fascinating! I bought 2 other Malcolm Gladwell books that I plan to read soon.

Hello! Just jumping in because I find your discussion intriguing. I'm not as nuanced and knowledgeable but as we are talking about what's considered racism or not I'd be interested in your views. (I am usually one of those ghosts that just reads your discussions because you're the earliest form of intelligent people I've been exposed to since my teenage years and I never really knew how to debate along.)

Not entirely in reaction to your discussion, but here goes..

Whenever racism discussions are flagged it's often white versus black. I acknowledge that racism against black people has a long and cruel history (at least as far as I'm aware, through history classes during high school). Other types of racism I've only seen in movies/series (probably because they are mostly American) where Latinas express feeling singled out or experience being the 'underdogs' of (American?) society.

Here in the Netherlands I mostly see (social) media posts about racism towards the Morrocan, Turkish or black-looking population. I say black-looking because I am referring to people that are African or from the Carribean, and I'm not sure how to call the latter correctly.

As a south-east-Asian second generation immigrant, I've always felt a bit in conflict about whether I have the 'right' to call out racism. Where would you guys draw the line between banter and racism?

In the Netherlands, the morrocan, Turkish and black population experience institutional racism that's evidenced in statistics and history. These populations are often from a lower socio-economic status and don't get the highest education compared to white peers.

As for Asian racism, I rarely hear anything about this. I've been called names for my ethnicity by random strangers on the streets all of my life, but it just never seemed as 'bad' as what other people have experienced. Racism, yes or no?

As a result, I always felt bad for my natural instinct of assuming that - uneducated- white people might harm me, although 90% of my friends are white. Quite aware of this 'reverse racism' in my mindset, but never heard anyone refer to 'reverse racism' as a myth like you did, Jane, so that made me think again.

Now with the Corona virus around the corner, I see a lot of violence going on against Asians (observing this in the media). One of the universities in the north of the Netherlands had this incident where students smeared their faeces across an elevator in a building where a lot of international, Asian students resided. They used poo to write threats against the Asian community. When I heard this, my first reaction was: "I am honestly not surprised that those white cities up north would do such a thing.. given my own experience of casual 'racism' on the streets in Amsterdam, where there are many different people from all over the world". I could feel myself slapping myself for my immediate racism towards white people. But at the same time when I'm out in the streets in an unfamiliar neighbourhood I am kind of afraid of getting beaten up because people might think I have corona.

But is this truly a result of racism or just purely a logical statistical mindset knowing that the virus originated in China and thus it is more statistically plausible that an Chinese person has corona? Also because people find it hard to see the difference between ethnicities. I am personally fully Chinese by ethnicity but Malay/HongKongnese by culture, meaning I don't have any family members in China. Seems unfair people would assume I have the virus but at the same time I understand that me being Asian-looking makes people assume I am more in contact with Chinese people.

The short answer from a sociological point of view, and from my own point of view, is that yes there is absolutely racism targeting people who are all or part Asian. I’ve been focusing on black people because of the mention of a certain racial slur mentioned above, but much of my commentary applies to any person or persons of color. I want to give this topic the attention it deserves, but I’m headed out the door in a minute. My POV is that your fears of white people are a defense mechanism and a result of a lifetime of microaggressions, prejudice, and racism that you have experienced (and because “white” continues to be the socially dominant culture, globally) - not a result of some socioculturally learned sense of superiority like what many white people have. Even when Asian people are treated as a “token minority,” that is still racist. Benevolent racism is not much better than its counterpart. I would love to write more later. Someone assuming you carry Carona because you are Asian is wrong on so many levels.

Edit: Thank you so much for your contribution to the discussion. It is always helpful to read the perspectives of people from different backgrounds.

Thanks for your succinct answer Jane! That makes it feel a bit more digestible in my confused mind and makes a lot of sense.

And yes I'm of aware that the black-versus-white discussion was highlighted here because it was mentioned in previous comments. In general, I still find it surprising how little exposure I've gotten about non-black racism in my history classes and media consumption. Even though I know family members and Asian peers have also experienced microagression throughout their youth.

What saddens me more is when people of colour are racist towards each other. I find that even people of colour randomly target me with racial slurs based on my appearance. Would've thought that we'd be on the same page given our comparable status. Have we somehow grown to believe that we can only be superior when we are above someone else? Perhaps.

I should've studied in the realms of liberal arts, it's very interesting to have such a historically and philosophically rich understanding of the world. :)

EDIT: I just realised that assuming all Asians have corona is probably as bad as assuming all homosexuals have aids. Looking at it from that perspective it becomes a bit more obvious to me whether I should just suck something up or not.

Just realised that because I was thinking of this Netflix show I recently watched, called 'Pose'. It's about new york's underground LGBTQ 'ball' community in the 1980/1990s. Especially the second season touches on the stigma of hiv/aids and I found it quite interesting.

I'd like to make one thing very clear here....I am not racist in any way. I'd like to highlight a part of Jane's post that turned the topic to black and white here...

"I have only read Hellon's post, so this is only responding to that: Hellon, what is your definition of political correctness? My definition is respectfulness and conscientiousness of the weight words carry and how terms can be used to oppress/mislead/fear-monger/stereotype, etc. I'm all for political correctness, and it seems to me that only the most privileged (white people) don't like it because it causes them the slightest inconvenience (e.g., oh now I have to remember to refer to someone as transgender, not transexual, woe is me!)."

Here everyone can read Jane asking for my definition of political correctness. You can also see that it was also Jane who brought the tern 'white people' into the conversation. So I just went along that path using black and white as an example of how political correctness can sway one way or another depending on who complains and who doesn't. It was a poor choice I now see and I'm sorry if anyone was offended by this error.

No worries Hellon, I didn't see this conversation as a sign of racism. Just a healthy discussion about nuances and boundaries. It is something I think about a lot because I am not white but also not black, that's why I jumped into the discussion. I know from the handful of talks we've had you've always been very interested and respectful of my cultural background. :)

Thanks for your words Luna they are very much appreciated.

No worries Hellon, I understand both of your perspectives.

Also kind of reminds me of the old days with club-between-club rivalries and some fun non-club members stirring the pot every now and then. Things got heated but it also gave such a personality to the site.

Was a bit surprised to see the clubs gone from pnq when I came back but I also appreciate that we are now more inclined to be a community together on the main forums. The club me, Myryn and Nor started has been a ghost town for a long time anyway haha but it's funny how I still mentally think of certain members as "used to be of club X).

Question to the mods: is it normal that I can still access my old club threads though? Not that I have a clue who's still inside it.

On another note.. Was trying to find some threads of the old days but realised there's no search bar anymore! :O

Then went to the poets section curious if the praised comments were still there, I learned a lot from reading people's critiques on others and it motivated me to hone my critique skills... But doesn't seem like it's possible to do that anymore.

Nostalgia is kicking in. :')

I just wanna say, that whatever happens, I would never, ever leave this site. Even if I am the only member left here. PnQ was never just a poetry website for me. The community here has taught me many things. Being fluent in English is one of them. Jane and Jordan, my Club members, have been pretty supportive throughout the years. Larry, MarryAnne, Hellon,..etc I can't count everyone, checking on me every now and then... that's so special. It's like we're a family, and I've never had this close connection with people I have never even met IRL. I love every part of PnQ. Some people here have known me ever since I was a silly teenager, and whether they know it or not, they helped me improve my personality and be more open-minded about many issues.

I love the debates, the fights, the poetry, the memories. I love you guys so much. Muah.

Also, before Luce made this thread, I was going to start a thread about mental illness considering that I've been struggling. But I chickened out. Sorry.

Did I scare everyone away with my sappy post?

I actually agree with you Noura I don't think I’ll ever permanently leave. I first joined in 2011 and since then P&Q has been a special place for me too :)

Same here noura. I built so many meaningful friendships here just that most of these people have left the site. I don't think I could ever delete my account here. I might come and go but pnq was such an important part of my teenage years, I regret it sooooo much that I deleted my account once before. Don't ever want to make that mistake again!

Also I'd be up for a discussion about mental health. I think many of us struggle with it based on our poetry.

I was very upset when you deleted your account. Don't do it again, please.

What was your PnQ name before Star? I joined in 2009, maybe? Deleted my account. Don't regret it that much since most of my poetry was full of teenage angst and silly rhymes. Then rejoined after, like, a month, haha.

I was wild flower then I think chamomile I left for two/three years, and here I am back again :)
I have everything I wrote, it diffidently was silly too lol.

Sorry about that. Really wasn't happy with my poetry back then and thought my existence as a poet didn't really matter, so I decided to leave.. but now that I think back I don't like that I did that because it's a part of my history however silly those poems were and if I still had them up there right now I'd see such a transformation.

Hello everyone...been absent here too most of the time. But still go back and enjoy reading. Yes, we love a little debate but we know we love each other too so let's just keep talking now so it won't be quiet here.

I have stumbled upon a poem entitled Things Unsaid which was written by a member named Sotong and when I read it I saw that he was a new member and it seemed his group also joined with him in October 2019 and they all have a poem entitled Things Unsaid. I think they had a prompt to write using that title. Some of them are still around. Here is the link:
https://www.poems-and-quotes.com/poems/1273128

Nice to read some healthy debating.

I have also been quiet of late.

However I tend to find I write when I'm not feeling too good, so if I am not writing then I'm in a good place.

I did try and force some poetry out last week and it was complete crap.

I do still log in from time to time and browse. Maybe I am a semi ghost (zombie?)

I've been on this site for years and didn't even know these threads existed! Here's to learning something new, eh? I feel like an Arab would, finding a free hookah & couch. I can say that because I'm Arab and have found a free hookah once. Blueberry-mint, I remember the flavour. Don't ask. Still holding out hope for the couch though.

More to the point, I have certainly noticed a decline in activity on this site, mostly after it underwent its renovation. I found P&Q shortly after I got divorced about 7 years back now. I've loved writing lyrics even before I picked up music, but seems not much has changed as I often can't play what I write. Combination of laziness and being shit at guitar I suppose lol. But there was definitely more feedback when I first joined, whether by comment or PM. Constructive criticism is what I miss, which is why I love it when Hellon, Em, Poet On The Piano (sorry dudette, I didn't get your name) and others dissect what I write and break it down in the comments in the way that they interpret the piece.

That's pretty much the only reason I've ever submitted my writing here. I find it amazing how you could write something with one meaning and moral in mind, intending a specific message, and almost miraculously, someone on the other side of the world can read it and get a totally different message and interpret it in an almost polar opposite way. I'm sure this thrill is common to many who post on here. I find it awesome and though I don't post often, I look forward to the times when I feel like writing something, just to see how many other perspectives there are to a situation I'm in that seems to be either black or white (no pun intended in referencing the debate :p). This is something that I feel P&Q is lacking nowadays. Like Noura, I'd personally never leave P&Q. Though I don't really talk with anyone on here (probably because I just found this part of the site like the bugger I am), I still really appreciate the feedback I get, as well as being able to read the great work of others. I remember when I first read some of Ben Pickard's work, I was amazed. In all honesty I printed some out and got mum to read them too.

Mum likes your work Ben!

And it stumps me how many on here are able to write a poem or 2 each day! God knows I'd have better luck drowning a fish. So thank you guys and gals for staying and giving me some awesome content to read. I don't comment all too much, but I do read and really appreciate you all sharing your work with the world and giving me something to do on my lunch breaks :)

Maher...you made me laugh with your opening lines...finding a free hookah and a couch to enjoy it in haha!!! you know, I have a hookah in my house but, I've never actually tried it! I gave up smoking cigarettes seven years ago and, although I don't think there's any nicotine in the flavouring I'm afraid that going through the motions of inhaling would set me down the cigarette path again so...it's a beautiful thing to just look at for me :)

Your winning poem this week talks about writer's block...I used to comment a fair bit on here but, alas, I seem to have developed a kind of comments block...I understand a poem but, I find it hard to put my thoughts into words at the moment.

If your mum likes Ben's work then perhaps she will like the words of a fairly new member to this site. His style of poetry is similar...

https://www.poems-and-quotes.com/poets/510319