i have put my house in order
spare again as Japanese salon
elegant in essentials
every commercial muted
red carpet rolled up and out
silicone sent packing
commentators ignored
vidiots and brangelinas binned
straight lines straight talk
i sit look at the sky i think
no more a collector of trivia
i know what time it is
i have collected myself
johnpoetflanagan 
Yay! More poetry!
Thank You, Victo
Happy New Year
John
Happy New Year to you, too!
WONDERED where you were – getting ready for 2015, obviously. Very polished.
Thank You, Alicia
Happy New Year
John
You’re back! I started to worry about you a couple days ago John, glad you are back!
I am doing some winter cleaning here tomorrow! Tired of my smoke alarm going off almost every time I cook, from having a messy ovan!
My favorite line was:
“vidiots and brangelinas binned”
Excellent poem my friend! 🙂
Best wishes!
Ry
Thank You, Ry
and Happy New Year to You
Clean that oven!
Yes, I’ve re-surfaced .after a short hibernation.
Thank You once again for the great support
John
Brother John – One of my favorites. Wonderful start to 2015. Love the opening stanza:
i have put my house in order
spare again as Japanese salon
elegant in essentials
And the second stanza that discards the trivial
and finally the gentle thrust of the last stanza:
no more a collector of trivia
i know what time it is
i have collected myself
I admire the double meaning of ” i have collected myself”
and the way the spare clean form of the poem echoes the substance.
One of your best!
– Brother David
Thank You
Brother David
for those very generous words
Happy New Year to You and Diane
With my best
Your Brother
John
There is a very Zen like feel to this poem, John, and I like the use of ‘modern life’ as your metaphor.
Very happy
Chris
you picked up on the Zen ‘approach’
as I fully expected you would.
Happy New Year
John
Nice. My favorite lines:
spare again as Japanese salon
elegant in essentials
Thank You, Bruce.
Hope the cold isn’t too severe and hope the Swedish is improving.
Best Always
John
So nice… I like Japanese style, clean, cosy though so simple. I hope this year could be for ecerybody, so peaceful as the Japanese style….
Regars,
Thank You
Dear Rosa
and a very Happy New Year to You
Abrazos enormes
John
Is it association that we collect for? Objects to relate and connect with fleeting passions. Somewhere in the vast arsenal of our gelatinous gray mater the need to connect with objects representative of the many causes and loves of our life seek comfort from the memorabilia. I’ve never stopped to logically reason why as it would surely take a large portion of the passion from having so adored them. I am intrigued with this work John. The essentials are really the true roots of life. Thank you for the mental cleansing.
…and Thank You
Jon, My Friend,
for this most thoughtful response; you’ve sent my mind in many directions with these remarks and I appreciate how well you’ve thought – deeply and with meaning.
Ever Your Friend
John
Been cleaning up like a storm during my December break – but then I realize one can never really catchup. Happy January John, have a wonderful weekend.
You’re right, Mary,
one can never really catch up but it’s good to try.
Thank You for this fine response.
Always
John
The center, in your case, is clearly holding. Your poem flows with inspiration, John. Thank you.
Thank You very much
for this warm and generous response.
Happy New Year to You and Yours
John
What a lovely start to the new year. Yes, I must collect myself and put away my flamingo Christmas tree along with the other holiday distractions and begin my new book, this one non-fiction from the psychologist side of me. Karen
Karen,
flamingo Christmas tree – my mind boggles but I’ll say no more!
Yes, time to get down to that writing you are so capable of.
Happy New Year
John
elegant in essentials… The pen wins, John.
blessings ~ maxi
And blessings to You
Dear Maxi
and Thank You for all the support
You give me so generously.
Happy New Year
John
You’ve eloquently captured that sparseness that seems to be, when the holiday hoopla has been dismantled for another year.
(“Vidiots” appears often in my journal, and continues to be one of my favorite words of the moment!) 🙂
Thank You
Cynthia
for this fine response
Yes, I’m very fond of that word ‘ vidiot’
and a little bit proud of the coinage
Happy New Year to You and Yours
John
I suspect many of us have “coined” that word, unbeknownst to each other…
Thank You,
Cynthia for this
my ‘coining’ was in april 2007..do you know of earlier?
Well, all I know is that I have used the word since the nineties…probably it coined itself, such a perfect descriptor it is for our times. I’m sure it will enter the dictionary at some point. I wonder what the lexicographers will say about its origin. Will they say it’s a meme? The way natural language develops is a wondrous thing is it not? I’ve. enjoyed thinking about this. Thanks, John 🙂
You’re absolutely right about the nineties, Cynthia. My neighbour (who is good at this sort of thing)
tells me he first came across ‘vidiot’ in 1992 when an Australian tv station had some sort of quiz
programme for teenagers called ‘vidiot’ so i was 15 years at least behind the times – typical me!
He suspects the word was coined by someone associated with that station but says it might have been
even earlier than that. He tells me further that it does appear in some American-published slang dictionaries.
Thank You so much for these exchanges, i appreciate them greatly.
Big hugs
john
Ah, so you’ve been busy! Would you like to do some cleaning for me too? 🙂 Nicely done with the poem, John!
Just say the word
Dear Christy
and I’ll be there with mop and broom and bucket, lol!
you wish sez u
Thank You for the great support
John
Wonderful, John and indeed “elegant in its essentials!”
I start dreaming of spring in January and this work put me in the mood.
Great reply, Noelle,
Thank You
Yes, spring can’t be far away…for dreamers like ourselves at least.
Hope the New Year has started at its best for You
Big hugs
John
It has, John, since I got to read a piece written by you!
‘red carpet rolled up and out’
nice to see you 🙂
And nice to hear from You, Gavin.
Thank You
and Happy New Year to You and Yours
John
Finely wrought, always a pleasure to read you John. I enjoyed this quite a bit and the ending stanza really brough it home, (so to speak). Hope all is well and happy new year.
Thank You, Ryan
for this generous response, I appreciate it very much.
Happy New Year to You and Yours
John
Great poem, dear John!~
I love these verses in particular;
“horizons/fall/
still/perspective”
They made me think of an infinite line placed in an slightly vertical way…
And it continues beyond until it converges with another line!~
Best wishes for 2015. Aquileana 😀
Kind and supportive as ever
Dear Aquileana.
Thank You. I hope 2015 has started in the best possible way for You and Yours
With love
John
Oh this is clever – liked the line about vidiots and brangelinas.
I’ve missed your poetry and stories. Good to see you after the madness of the holiday season. A spring cleaning, indeed – I could benefit from some, too.
Kate,
Always kind and warm.
Thank You.
I hope 2015 has started in the best possible way for you.
With my best
John
Welcome back nice poem
Thank You, Natasha
For the kind words.
Happy New Year
Big hugs
John
Such beautiful poem and words – very classical verses with elegancy!
Thank You, Mihran
for those very generous words.
Happy New Year
John
Nothing better than knowing what time it is and getting in sync with our clock.
Our comfort zone arrives and we leave “this” alone… and ponder “that”.
Good to see you again, John.
Robyn
Robyn
Thank You for these thoughtful words.
I hope the new year has started well and happy for You and Yours
Always
john
I have no “yours”, but so far, the new year has begun very well, with the sounds of many, many chick arrivals amongst the wild bird population I’m surrounded by.
Their tolerance to, and fight against climate change is amazing.
All the best for 2015
Robyn
I wish I was clever enough to take away what you’ve intended, jf. Your writing always challenges me. Thank you for that. Glad to see your poetry again.
Thank You, Audrey, for always being so kind and generous to me.
I hope the new year has started well and happy for you.
Big hugs
jf
John, it is always so refreshing to read truly inspired works etched from the soul of a dying breed, articulated artistry as the finest Harris Tweed! My goodness, I’m starting to rhyme…you really have got me quite in a dither!! That was really quite accidental!
Well done as always John!
A relic of oul decency, Don, that’s what I am..and still going for a while at least.
Thank You once again for the wonderful support you show me.
Btw, I love the rhyme!
I hope the year has started in the finest way possible for you.
Best Always
John
John, what a fantastic start to my Sunday! Great commentary on the holidays and moving through the maze of plastic, and making it to the other side. I love this, as it challenges the true meaning of the holiday spirit, at least for me. My favorite stanza is the second one, and my favorite line, “silicone sent packing”. This poem is loaded with the most wonderful visual metaphors, such as “red carpet rolled up and out”. I must compliment you again, as I read the final two stanzas there is a change in mood, returning to the reflections and the realities of real life. At least this is my spin. Welcome back from the holidays, always a pleasure to read your words, and a very Happy New Year to you and yours!
Always warm wishes,
Pepperanne
Pepperanne
Happy New Year to You
And Thank You for your warmth and generosity – a true blue.
I hope this year will be good for all of us who post and for all in general, we are
in a difficult age and need a lot of love and peace.
Bless you always
John
What time is it?
Time to be at peace, Julia, and to be kind.
Happy New Year to You
John
Happy New Year.
Fantastic. Ever the challenge to clear and clean. “Collected myself.” Yes!
Susan,
Thank You very much.
I hope the new year has started well and happy for You.
Best always
John
Spring clean is baptism washing away the gloom and fresh start.
Thank You, Carl
for that thoughtful response.
Happy New Year
John
A good, clean, Shaker-style lightness.
Thank You
Dear Gina
and i hope the year has started the best for you
Always
john
A bold declaration of intent.
Bravo!
Happy New Year, Poet.
Winnie and Harry
Thank You
Harry and Winnie
And I hope all is well with you.
Much Love
John
perfect spring intro:
“i have put my house in order
spare again as Japanese salon…”
Thank You very much.
Best Wishes
John
Pare back, away with the dross. No need for asinine clutter and intrusion. This is the only way to go. I only hope others will follow, flying with the flock is not for you.
Beautiful, warm response
Friend Angela
Thank You
Big Hugs
john