Every time I've tried to describe the attraction of these forums, the best way I've had to describe it is that it's like being in a 24-7 global open-house party. There's a mixed crowd - some people are close friends, some are acquaintances you know to chat to, some you've never seen before in your life. People drift from conversation to conversation; some knots of discussion are purely light-hearted, some get seriously intense. But in the end, it's just a party, and everyone is here to have fun.
So, just to annoy the poetry-haters amongst you, here are my rough thoughts. Anyone wanting to criticize some patches of dodgy scansion can either accept that this was a fast first draft, or pretend they're song lyrics and the singer will smooth out the bumps.
This forum makes me think always
Of the parties of my days
When my house had an open door.
These people wandering through my life,
Some bring joy and some bring strife
And yet I welcome it, and more.
There is a party going on,
The address – melodicrock dot com
Maybe you'll see what I see.
Though it's in type, this scattered rabble
Fill the air with the same babble,
In this global house party.
The ones in the corner, the fortyish males,
A gathered crowd laughing at their tales;
These kings who hold their court.
On the couch sit serious faces,
Discussing far off troubled places
The lessons learned and taught.
The spark of fire, opinions stated,
Political views supported and hated;
But with a smile, the laughter mends.
The flashing smiles, the roguish laugh,
The flirting jokes half meant and half
Not, between two just-friends.
The young men, eager to impress
The older crowd with their prowess,
Make confident mistakes
And with those flaws are teased until
Humility joins all their skill,
The lesson hard, but still it takes.
Jokes are cracked and tales shared,
Past experience compared,
Advice is sought and given.
The preening social queens and witches,
The bastard men and total bitches,
By whom to anger we are driven,
Surprise us then with their compassion
With their loyalty and passion
When we're in another thread.
And there's the duffer we adore
Despite his social gaffs and more.
And there's one whose tongue we dread.
There's the prankster, always joking,
And the one who's most provoking,
With whom I simply can't agree.
And there's the one who I adore,
A loyal friend, true, and more,
Who it is always joy to see.
And those of us who're growing older -
The marks of age are getting bolder –
But in our minds we're twenty five.
'Remember when...' is our catch-cry
We think back to the days gone by,
The songs that keep our youth alive.
'Arianddu'.
Why treat life as a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in an attractive & well-preserved body? Get there by skidding in sideways, a glass of wine in one hand, chocolate in the other, body totally worn out, screaming WOOHOO! What a ride!
