The Tangled Branch Discussion Forums

"They laughed me out of class, out of town, and out of the state. So I’m going home.” - Janis while speaking with  Dick Cavett  about attending her 10 year high school reunion this weekend in 1970. Many a fat kid or a rejected kid dreams of going back and showing them the way Joplin was going to do...

Hi Dave, this one reminds me of the poem "cow songs" by M.E. Hope. I can't post a link to it but it was published in Rattle. I am using a loaner laptop. The Geeks held my computer hostage for 5 days and then sent me home with it still sick to order the parts for it myself so it will be a while befor...

Dear Jenny, You will be amused to hear Richard loves your little dog more than I do, he orders steak and eggs when we eat breakfast out that dog gets the steak I still wear many clothes you insisted I take. I keep the sequined shirt folded in my dresser drawer you turned heads when you wore it to th...

My grandmother's brother was said to suffer shell shock upon his return from WW1. I have found the announcement of a court hearing to establish "lunacy"in the records in a search of our family history. He was institutionalized. My grandmother said he sat and stared or cried uncontrollably. Once comm...

The sonics and rhythm are fabulous and emphasize the lingering evidence of lives lived here once upon a time. Its almost as if creepy music still emanates from that abandoned dance hall. Towns are dying and rural areas are distressed. This is a dark write for a dark era. Steinbeck in poetic form.

Hi Phil To my American ear the words "lad" and "lane" sound as if they are from a classic Brit movie dealing with WW2. Is that your intent or is that language still in common use. Knowing your work I am guessing the feel of this kind of "browntone" imagery is having the effect you intended. The effe...

Thank you for your very kind comments Tracy,
My beloved PC is down and I'm struggling with my laptop. As soon as I can I'll get rid of those commas. Punctuation, line breaks and remembering the words I'm trying to think of gives me fits.

The flies love the [stinking} fish perhaps?

This one made me smile.

Thank you Tracy, I think I will change the first line of this to the title and that will promote the zig zag line to first position as you suggest. Thank you as well Matty, I am going to adopt your suggestions entirely--how did I miss that word combination "hundreds of trumpets"?  I'm invested in th...

Youth bored with life indeed. The title does a wonderful double duty job: not only do they not have a clue about who they are dealing with but what a precious gift of life they are squandering with their attitude, their inability to connect with someone who could easily be one of the most interestin...