Comment from evilynne

Exceptional

That is a great take on the challenge picture. I can just see the scenes of the past and the eroding over time as the gate remains as a reminder of days gone by. Evi

 Comment Written 11-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 11-Apr-2016

Thank you so very much, Evi, for this wonderful review, and a big hug for the 6 stars!! That is so nice of you. xsx Sandra

Comment from pattipac

Exceptional

Sandra, your poem is a poignant reminder of how nature can rob us of the things in our lives that mean so much to us. Excellent rhyme (aabb) add a special dimension to your poem.

 Comment Written 11-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 11-Apr-2016

Thank you so very much, Patricia. Nature can be both cruel and kind. I am so pleased you enjoyed this poem, those were the things I remembered years ago. Memories, where would we be without them? Thank you, my friend, for the 6 stars!! :) Sandra xx

Comment from Barb Hensongispsaca

Exceptional

this is only the third I have read but this is worthy of a six by all means.
Excellently done and the flow is constant, the rhyme is perfect.
What a great piece

 Comment Written 11-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 11-Apr-2016

Wow, thank you so much, Barb, for your lovely comments on my poem, and a big hug for the lovely 6 stars!! :) Sandra

Comment from misscookie

Excellent

You captured my attention from the start I could see this happening slow but sure for we are losing our beaching little by little.
Cookie

 Comment Written 11-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 11-Apr-2016

Thank you so much, Cookie, I am so pleased you enjoyed it. :) xxx Sandra

reply by misscookie on 11-Apr-2016

It was my pleasure, take care.
Cookie

Comment from Dorothy Farrell

Exceptional

This is lovely Sandra in perfect iambic heptameter. The storyline I love. It tells a great story. Good aabb throughout. You did a great job of this - I particularly like iambic heptameter and your submission is faultless, good 14 syllables in perfect iambic form. A good read. Warm regards Dorothy xxx

 Comment Written 11-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 11-Apr-2016

Thank you so much, Dorothy. The gate reminded me of one of the houses that had fallen into the sea on the Isle of Wight, have you been there? The island is getting smaller and smaller every time we go over. Sad really. I'm so pleased you enjoyed my poem. Sending you a big hug for the 6 stars! :) Sandra

reply by Dorothy Farrell on 11-Apr-2016

Hi Sandra - Yes I've been to the Isle of Wight but did not know about the place suffering from erosion. You were deserving of the poem - it was interesting and well written. Dorothy xx

reply by Dorothy Farrell on 11-Apr-2016

Hi Sandra - Yes I've been to the Isle of Wight but did not know about the place suffering from erosion. You were deserving of the poem - it was interesting and well written. Dorothy xx

Comment from Jannypan (Jan)

Excellent

I enjoyed your challenge poem. Good job with the rhyme and flow. Your words tell a great story that I can imagine taking place because of the great imagery you created. Good job and thanks for sharing. I really like the reference to the English gardens and all of the things that occurred there..

 Comment Written 11-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 11-Apr-2016

Thank you, Jan. Those things still happen in some of the larger country gardens especially of the so called, 'upper class', I'm so pleased you liked it, my friend. xsx Sandra

Comment from nancy_e_davis

Exceptional

Very well done Sandra. What a lovely nostalgic story you gleaned from a still life photograph. We all have soft feelings for old houses but applying that to this gate is genius. LOL Good job my friend. xsx Nancy

 Comment Written 11-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 11-Apr-2016

Thank you so much, Nancy! What a lovely review, and a big hug for the 6 stars!! xsx Sandra

Comment from Joy Graham

Excellent

I tend to groan when I see poems posted in italics. My ipad must be the culprit that makes the italics writing small and difficult to read. Knowing it was your post I decided not to pass it by. I use the ipad because of my back issues. It saves me sitting at the big computer where my back would cause a great deal,of pain. Not your fault, I realize that. However, it will cause me to pass by many poems in future as my chronic pain worsens.

You have written a nice poem about this picture, and I enjoyed it very much. I'm glad I read it.

 Comment Written 11-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 11-Apr-2016

Thank you so much, Joy, I didn't realize it came through so small, I won't do mine in italics again, promise! I'm so pleased you enjoyed my poem though! :) Sandra xxx

Comment from Phyllis Stewart

Excellent

Very good poem, but please tell me this is not about global warming! If I read one more thing about that myth my head will explode. It's all BS so that govt can tax us without admitting it's just another way to get money from a population they have stripped of everything for their own sake. Govt is like a plant or an animal--it's alive, and it seeks to grow.

 Comment Written 11-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 11-Apr-2016

It has nothing to do with global warming, Phyllis, but it is a true story, the place I have in my poem was on the Isle of Wight, a small island off the South coast of England, and the house used to exist until the tides took the cliffs away and the house fell with it, and it's still doing so and many more of those lovely old houses are going back the the sea. But regardless of that, the coastlines have been changing since time began, and that has nothing to do with global warming. Thank you, for reading my poem, though. :) Sandra

reply by Phyllis Stewart on 11-Apr-2016

I'm glad to know it's not about global warming. If you don't explain in the notes, how are we supposed to know about that island an ocean away? Folks in UK might know, but we sure don't. So, it was a natural assumption to think global warming, since I was not given the necessary info to understand.

Comment from humpwhistle

Exceptional

I love the irony inherent in this piece, Sandra. A gate still standing, while all it guarded is gone. I think you make a deeper philosophical statement here. You also touch on ecological issues. Really, Sandra, this poem is full of foreboding. Perhaps I read in too much. Perhaps not enough. Your gate stands for mediation, if you ask me.

Your group is formidable. Alas, I'm not a joiner.

Peace, Lee

 Comment Written 11-Apr-2016

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reply by the author on 11-Apr-2016

I don't know if you know the Isle of Wight, just off the south coast of England, but it is a small island and getting smaller by the year. Many houses have fallen to the sea where the tides have crashed into the cliffs. It's quite dangerous in some places now. The awful thing is, no one can sell their houses now. The picture of the gate is so like one that is still standing. It looks so sad having nothing to guard anymore. That is how my poem came about. But the coastlines are always changing, so I didn't really intend it to be anything more than what it is really. Thank you, Lee, for your lovely thoughts, I'm not that clever, lol, and a big hug for the shiny 6 stars!! xxx Sandra

reply by humpwhistle on 11-Apr-2016

I think you're more clever than you think, Sandra. Your poem has many levels. L

reply by Anonymous Member on 13-Apr-2016

I think you're more clever than you think, Sandra. Your poem has many levels. L