Marsha Ingrao Always Write

With 152 recent views, 44 likes, and 140 insightful comments, this month’s story, “SCD Poetry Day” was another Story Chat success. Bookmark it for reference. Take a look if you missed it. If you love to read short stories, poems, microfiction, cartoons, and admire beautiful art, you will enjoy Story Chat Digest. For links to all of the SCD stories, bookmark the Story Chat Digest Page.

Attendance with Links

Thank you to everyone who attended this Story Chat Digest session. Without your input, Story Chat is an average writing challenge. Your helpful, honest comments make this like a poetry/book club. If you get a chance, check out our attendees’ blogs. It’s well worth your time.

Going into a chat room online is much the same as going to a party. Story Chat is like a warm, homey chat room. There’s a lot of off-topic conversation as well as niceties. Since this is a summary of the chatter, not a taped recording to be used in a murder trial, I edit (not murder) comments.

Follow the attendance links to give the chatters a visit. To read the unabridged comments, click here to refer back to the story post.

• Blogging with JRP – “Wowzer, I’m not big on poetry, but this really got my attention, appreciation.”
• Carol Ann Taylor – “Thats so sad, Robbie…I wasn’t sure of the figures here and they seem quite low to me(if Accurate) thats quite good …In 2023, there were around 2,499 homeless people in Thailand, with 1,217 of those in Bangkok. However, the number of homeless people in Thailand varies depending on the source and year of the data…it does seem there are schemes in place to help with the problem…”
• Esther Chilton “Two very different poems in terms of style and message. Robbie’s really struck a chord with me. I’ve seen many homeless people on the streets and they really do seem invisible to passersby. It’s very well-written and stays with the reader for some time. Doug’s is thought-provoking and I read it several times, taking more meaning from it with each reading. That last line is so profound.”
• Eúnoia “I enjoyed both the poems. Robbie’s poem, ‘Invisible’ highlights the sad truth of today’s society. The mendicant man, woman or child are made invisible by those who are better off because they are perceived as a ‘nuisance’. The repetition of the word ‘invisible’ and phrases, ‘invisible hand’ and ‘invisible eyes’ in the first two stanzas drives the point home. We try avoiding their eyes and walk past their hands extended for help. I like the straightforwardness of the poem and the powerful message it packs. Doug’s poem is one of joy and contentment – words like ‘harvest’, ‘rain’, ‘family swathed in grins.’ I enjoyed the personification ‘groaning bins’, ‘waving fields’, ‘greedy maw’ and the metaphor ‘crops of dust’. It brought to mind a dusty field thirsty for rain. The contrasting images in the second and fourth stanza of the poem beautifully depicts paucity and abundance – ‘ brown-baked Western plains’ and ‘wheat-caked farmer.’”
• Helping You to Succeed “Two very contrasting poems. Robbie’s poem reminds me of nights walking the streets of London checking up on street dwellers. My overriding feeling at the time, and remains, there but for the grace of God. They’re only invisible because we choose not to see them.
  Doug did a great job with his piece. The pace of life, the ceaseless toil, the reward..but also the dependency on the mercy of nature..or her favor. The rhythm and rhyme took one along on a ride. Both pieces remind me that we are truly dependent on each other. And we are all at the mercy of nature.
  Thank you Robbie and Doug for sharing your creativity with Story Chat.”
• Jan Sikes “Both poems are so expressive and well written. Robbie’s struck a chord with me. My heart breaks for the homeless. They are the invisible, forgotten ones.”
• Keep It Alive “The poem by Robbie is so evocative and heartbreaking. Her use of the word invisible just cuts through the heart. Our society has indeed become oblivious to the pain of those suffering.
  While Doug’s poem is showing a positive event after the Covid pandemic. A poem of hope and joy.”
• Myths of the Mirror “What an absolute please to read these poems. Robbie’s poem first: I absolutely loved this poem, everything about it. The repeat of the word “invisible” was a drumbeat, a command to see the invisible, to pound the reality of so many people’s lives into our minds. The truth of the matter is that in our culture these souls are completely invisible. They don’t matter at all and if they perish, no one would notice. The small details about the sleeping bag, the cup, the soup line were things we’ve all seen, and walked past, as if we didn’t see them. An exceptional poem. Now Doug’s poem: The structure and rhyme of this one appealed to me. It had the feeling of old folk poems from an earlier times when the farm folk were so worldly wise compared to the city slickers. It sang of the decency of laboring with ones hands on the land and satisfaction of growing food. The rhythm has a merry lilt and perfect display of Australian accent that suited it perfectly. Left me with a smile.”
• Robbie’s Inspiration (author) “Sadly, many people suffer due to poor government ethics. Corruption is huge in developing countries. I did lot of research into this when I wrote 7 publications on investing in Africa. I also looked at other developing and transitional economies. Homeless people here are victims of poverty and often teens who have escaped alcoholic and abusive homes. We have a 40% unemployment rate here and 2.2 million families live in squatter camps in makeshift housing with no water, electricity or ablutions. Many schools still have long drop toilets and have to make do with water tanks. Classrooms are not big enough and the kids take their lessons outside under trees. There is no stationary and few textbooks.”
• Showers of Blessing “Both Robbie’s and Doug’s poems are well-written. They address situations I’ve observed. Invisible by Robbie Cheadle is the best of her poems. The invisible man with a worn sleeping bag; the invisible woman with her invisible child and an empty polystyrene cup; and the invisible people standing outside the soup kitchen are vivid and powerful depictions of the plight of homelessness. Homelessness is a complex issue for the people experiencing it and society as a whole. Poverty, mental problems, domestic violence, and drug abuse are among a list of causes. Which issues caused the invisible man and invisible woman in this poem to become homeless? We don’t know because they have no names and no faces to us. There are 650,000 homeless people in the US. Some states are better than others in helping them. I appreciate the last stanza in Robbie’s poem when the homeless people get some hot soup from the soup kitchen to fill their empty stomachs. The volunteers find joy in helping these folks. As individuals, in addition to dropping a dollar or coins in the polystyrene cup, we can donate toilet tissues, toothbrushes, toothpaste, female panty liners, and infant and toddler supplies at the homeless shelters to distribute to the homeless individuals. A Billion Weet-bix* by Doug Jacquier is a cheerful poem. It’s not hard to imagine the farmers’ disappointments and worries during the drought. They’re helpless to watch the seedlings die and become dust. I could visualize the farmers jumping for joy and wiping their tears to see the raindrops fall when the drought is broken. The rain resulted in a year of reaping grains enough for a billion Wee-bix. My husband and I visited Australia one year during the drought. Our relatives told us they were not allowed to water their lawns. We also encountered a drought when we lived in California. There was a limited way and time to water the lawn. We were told to let our lawn be golden in a Golden State. Doug’s poem effectively shares the joy of ending the drought and the bountiful harvest.”
• Tidal Scribe “I follow Robbie and Doug and can relate, humbly to both excellent poems. Anyone in towns and cities will have seen the homeless. During Covid lockdown there was an initiative ‘everyone in’ proving councils and governments can do something. Buy the Big Issue and as well as interesting articles on the arts, politics etc, some of the issue delves into the lives of the homeless and one thing they all say is they feel invisible. Don’t give up on carrying real cash, have some lose change just in case you feel like stopping and talking to someone invisible. I had a friend studying in Perth, Western Australia and went a few times to stay on her farm. Another friend who had never left Perth said ‘I don’t know why they have to have powdered milk, why don’t they keep a house cow.’ Their land was so arid I couldn’t see what their sheep ate let alone what a cow could exist on! A farmer could own vast swathes of land, but if it doesn’t rain it is worthless.”
• Six Crooked Highways ( author) “Hi, Janet. Your description of farming on marginal country is spot on and most city folk don’t seem to know where their food comes from. Regards, Doug”
• Unique Times with Cindy – “It totally is different (In South Africa) and it’s good to be educated on how the differences are. It’s crushing and devastating either way. All help is important and please know I am not meaning to judge in a negative way but experience in my own backyard that isn’t easy to witness. Programs are essential and needed and I am so grateful for those that help. No one should be subjected to this; “A lot of money in terms of % of GDP is allocated to education in South Africa but there is a huge amount of corruption, so the money is misappropriated and doesn’t get to the intended recipients. Your poem was powerful!”
• Writing Wrinkles “Another great initiative, Marsha. A sad poem from Robbie about those people we pass by in shopping centres. Life must be even harder for those relying on handouts now card transactions are the norm and most shoppers carry little cash. (At least that’s the case here, in the UK.) The repetition of ‘invisible’ pushes home the poem’s message, even in the final, more cheerful verse. Doug’s verses paint a vivid picture of hope at a time when there must have seemed little to be hopeful about. The rhyme and rhythm give a lilting feel to the poem, like those field song that were sung in the days of less machinated harvesting.”

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• Hugh – January 27 (UK)

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Thanks again for being a great part of Always Write’s Story Chat Digest. Until next time, keep reading, writing, and chatting.