Poem: Halloween

Here is another poem from the point of view of my character Mitch inspired by the Addams Family theme tune. Hope you all like it and Happy Halloween to you all and yours. 🙂

The snacks were in the bowls,

decorations are up,

hope that witch won’t fall just for the night,

the children were staring at the toffee apples

in their array of adorable costumes,

bats and ghosts galore,

 the Addams Family theme playing in the background

on the Halloween YouTube playlist,

I am looking for a movie later

while Nate is carrying out the last of the bowls from the kitchen,

the doorbell rings,

it could be trick or treaters but probably isn’t,

we don’t get many here,

more than likely it is the takeaway,

the one I learned last week how to order online,

when I see the person with the takeaway outside

I silently am relieved that it actually worked

but I sign for it and take it in like I do it all the time,

go back in where my vampire Nate helps his pirate

get the food ready,

the kids and their dads do the Addams Family dance

and we knock off the playlist for the night,

settle down with the food for the movie Spooky Buddies,

just a quiet, fun, perfect Halloween with my gang.

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5 Videos To Watch This Week On YouTube!

Hi everybody! 🙂

Here is my five suggestions for this week.

Social Issues

First up we have episode 22 in the Black American History series from Crash Course with Clint Smith. In this episode Clint talks about two activists who fought for the rights of black people Booker T. Washington and W.E.B DuBois. He discusses how their approaches were very different and gives us an overview of their backgrounds to help us know where each of the men were coming from. A really interesting episode and it goes to show that many approaches to equality and social issues can all combine together to change so much.

Next up is episode 23 in the Black American History series from Crash Course with Clint Smith. I absolutely adore this series and this episode in which Clint talked about the Black Women’s Club Movement and about many black women who were involved in the movement is excellent. Clint speaks about their careers and lives and how many organisations were founded due to these amazing women. It is a really informative episode and we learn about Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, Sojourner Truth, Angelina Weld Grimke, Gertrude Mossell, Mary Church Terrell, Anna Julia Cooper, Mary Jane Patterson, Fanny Coppin, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Mary McLeod Bethune. Clint speaks about how the work of black women has always and still is making a huge difference to making incredible change happen.

TV

To help you all get in the Halloween mood here is JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson dancing in the Dancing With The Stars Halloween special in the US to Anything Goes. It is such a great performance. I would never have thought this song would work for Halloween but it went really well with the performance. Very creative and epic. They done such a great job, really enjoyed it.

Next we have the seventh RuPaul’s Drag Race compilation by Mikeekee. I absolutely love these compilations. Always a great joy to watch.

Music

This song is so amazing and the music video is really moving and beautiful. Emeli and Laya Lewis tell the story of the song so well. Such beautiful storytelling.

Poem: Once Worked With A Monster

This poem is inspired by Rihanna’s Dem Haters and is another poem from the point of view of my character Mitch. Hope you all like it. 🙂

I once did voluntary work with a monster,

we would call out the bingo numbers

for a local homeless charity,

on one of the first days he talked about his views

that trans people weren’t really the gender they said they were,

that gay people were going against family values by starting families,

I told him I thought his views were bigoted,

told him I was trans and pan and omni,

he took it in the nose,

ranted about how Liberals were changing how life should be,

I told him I was Liberal and that ‘I should hope so’,

after during the times he would catch me alone

he would come around it with a fake sweetness,

‘I want to help you’,

‘I’m fine but thanks and all that’,

‘You are very damaged and resentful, the modern world does that but you can be saved’,

‘Saved from what?’

‘Danger and temptation.’,

he was so serious about it that it was quite frightening,

I held a straight face though I felt like laughing,

‘Save me if I’m in danger.’

‘You are in grave danger.’

‘Real danger. Practical danger. That I would appreciate.’,

over time I think he got tired of me taking no heed of him

and of me talking about how ways he thought destroyed people,

hurt people and affected people,

he enjoyed his bubble and the real world outside it

wasn’t allowed in if he couldn’t be bigoted without challenge,

I thought he was probably alright in certain ways,

like I believe everyone is

and we certainly worked well as a bingo calling team

but the man wasn’t living in reality and when he was confronted with reality

he didn’t know how to cope with it

and he didn’t care,

he talked about being caring and caring about my wellbeing

but when he couldn’t change me he showed what he was really like,

he would say things like:

‘You are not right in the head’,

‘You shouldn’t be able to dictate to me with what you are’,

‘You aren’t safe to be around children’,

‘You want to murder me, don’t you?’,

he talked to me early on about people like me

being too personal in their comments when it was only politics

and yet when my strength held out against his brainwashing

he became a dangerous fucker

so I realised I was genuine,

he would only say what he thought would help him win,

have power,

he was a bully and an asshole,

the things he said showed the strange mind he had,

it sickened me but it didn’t shock me to find out

long after we worked with each other that he had tried to kill his wife with a golf club

and that he had molested his daughter since she was a child,

the things he tried to project onto me were his own sick fantasies,

I was too sheltered at the time in many ways to realise that,

people who aren’t don’t say things like about people out of nowhere

or over political or social issues

unless they are like that themselves.

Poem: Not A One Night Thing

Here is another poem from the point of view of one of my characters in the as yet untitled book I am writing. This poem is told from the point of view of my character Tevin who is a partner of my main character Mitch’s. It is inspired by Shivers by Ed Sheeran. Hope you all like it. 🙂

I woke up and you weren’t there,

rushing naked from the bedroom

I feared I was a one-night thing,

I hadn’t even your number,

panic filling me,

didn’t get to tell you I wanted to see you some more,

that was when I caught sight of the piece of paper

stuck to my guitar I showed you last night,

a note which simply said,

‘had a great night Tevin,

repeat some time? Mitch’

with your lipstick print and number,

that print made me remember those lips

on mine and all over my body,

I shivered with tingles and grabbed my cell

from the kitchen quicker than a Ferrari at full speed,

‘Hi Mitch, got your note …’,

you seemed hesitant

and I feared you regretted leaving that note,

I heard shuffling and feared you would say there was a problem with the line

to get rid of me but then I heard you speak again,

‘Hi Tevin, um just um …’

‘You changed your mind? No worries, it’s happened before …’,

‘No! No, it’s not that … it’s just I’m at work …’,

‘You’re busy, I’ll call again …’,

‘I’m not really. I’ve been Googling Space Invaders for the last hour,

only had one phone call to put through,

someone about a will … no, it’s just that everyone here thinks I’m a cis woman

and they nose at phone calls …’,

‘So me saying Mitch …’,

‘Yeah, might ring some alarm bells’, you laughed,

‘So use your deadname? I don’t know your deadname

and I don’t think I would be comfortable doing that Mit- …sorry.’,

‘No worries. It’s Bella, my deadname, but anyways maybe just hello, hi, that sort of thing’,

‘Right. Gotcha. Well I was wondering if you would want that repeat tonight?’

‘You are a fast mover and I ain’t mad at it.’, you laughed,

‘I have a friend’s party I’m going to but if you want to come …’,

‘I don’t know your friend. Would I not be intruding?’

‘He wants me to have a date,

thinks I’m lonely,

not that I’m using you.’

‘You wouldn’t want to be.’, you said with a giggle

but a tone that suggested you meant it

and it was sexy as hell,

‘Well I’m not so what you think?’,

‘I would love to.’,

I gave you the details and we met outside the venue,

everyone loved you

though you were shy,

possibly had social anxiety disorder

and you were convinced you had been a disappointment,

I assured you in my car that they all found you nice,

nicer than some of my overbearing former lovers

and I wasn’t lying,

your smile and genuine ways melted people

like they melted me,

I found it so sexy how you could go from that shy awkward guy

to that confident sexual being who sorted out every sexual urge I’ve ever had

in the back of my car outside the party,

you were fire and you made my body burn,

I loved everything you did to my body

and was charmed by your nervous questions after,

‘Is it illegal to do it in a car? Like in the open?

If the police seen us, would we be taken in?’,

‘Everyone does it so they would be taking a lot of people in’, I smiled

not adding that your questions and terrified expression were naive but cute,

I began to drive off,

noticed you were still looking around for police to arrive,

‘No one is going to arrest you Mitch’,

‘Sorry, I have OCD.’, you smiled,

‘Cleaning?’, I asked seriously confused,

‘Nah the catastrophizing variety,

mountain out of a molehill shit’,

‘Must be hard’,

‘Used to it,

always done it,

didn’t know other people didn’t until Vic talked about it,

Vic knows literally everything and he’s younger than me,

I need to Google something other than Space Invaders clearly’,

‘I can think of a few things we could Google together’, I said with a wink,

‘I bet you can.’, you said with a wink back.

Poem: The Life I Deserve

Here is another poem from the point of view of my character Mitch. This poem The Life I Deserve is inspired by the incredibly powerful Read All About It, Pt. III by Emeli Sandé. Hope you all like it. 🙂

There was a time I was brave,

it seems so distant now,

so distant I’m not sure people would believe me,

somewhere along the way I lost that younger me,

outwardly like,

he has always being within,

that inner heart of a lion

but I became fearful,

confidence ebbing,

I watched my father say I was ‘too much’,

my husband say I ‘upset people’,

people in the media tell my story arseways

and I froze in time,

got stuck,

voice silenced,

couldn’t get it back,

inwardly filled with stress,

pain,

anger,

watched on as they took my story,

my life and made it all abstract and inaccurate,

a faraway opinion to them,

my daily existence to me,

‘Don’t take it personally’,

what other way would I take it?

Told how to talk,

told how to feel,

told how to respond,

‘be polite,

you aren’t helping your agenda’,

what agenda?

Fighting for my rights is now an agenda,

it’s the most natural thing in the world,

is it an agenda for someone to do that?

I realised again at some point that I mattered,

I wanted to fight for me and people who were going through

what I was going through,

find that voice I lost,

lose that fear,

they say it’s politics and I guess politics comes into life

but it’s more than that,

it’s life,

it’s my everyday happiness,

my lack of stress,

my freedom to express,

my freedom to live and progress,

so many tried intentionally or unintentionally to take that away,

I fell down

but I am getting back up

and this time I won’t lose myself again,

I will fight for equality for all of my siblings going through this,

that equality I have dreamt of for so long,

I will join them and stop being afraid,

fear is a dark place,

I leave this place behind

never to return

and suddenly I feel all youthful almost again,

that heavy feeling shifting from my shoulders,

a sigh of relief at feeling less on edge,

I think how I never thought I would get to this stage

but I forgive those people who hurt others,

many don’t know quite the extent of what they do,

they aren’t there on those long dark nights,

those times where your stomach is so knotted that you want to cry,

those times when the world looks bleak and you don’t know what you are living for,

those times you realise you don’t matter to them,

that you are thought of as less, abnormal or not valid,

I see it as my life,

they see it as opinions

and they think of the two as important as each other

and one doesn’t compare to the other

but they don’t get it,

some never will,

I will forever debate with them

because I matter

but I forgive them,

not that they probably care about that,

many might even be offended by it

but I’m tired of it all,

all the power games,

I have only ever wanted to live a happy life

and it’s often too much to want

and I have to stand up for my life and my existence

because I have only got one

and I deserve a really good one

no matter what anyone else might think,

I am ready to.

Anne Frank House, A Museum With A Story Review!

Anne Frank House, A Museum With A Story (2001) is a really amazing book.

I believe this book is available from the Anne Frank House but I haven’t been to the house. My sister got it for me in a charity shop as she knows I’m very interested in Anne’s story. I want to one day visit the house and museum. I didn’t realise when I was reading the book that it came from there very possibly originally so that’s historic and I will cherish it. Thank you to my sister Sharon for this.

The book is really well put together. I read it very quickly because it was that interesting. There is information about the house and snippets from Anne’s diary throughout. There is a lot about Anne’s and her family’s story and about the other family who were in hiding with them as well as all the people who helped them while they were in hiding. There is a lot of overview of the times and everything is just really very well put together with the images. A very moving and emotional book. It shows readers the excellent strength Anne had in the face of immense bigotry and cruelty.

If you plan to visit the house and museum I think this book will be very informative for your trip.

Incredible book. A must-read.

To purchase Anne Frank House, A Museum With A Story go to:

For more about Anne Frank and her work and legacy go to:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3720.Anne_Frank

Essentials: Digital Photography By Harewood, Duane Review!

Essentials: Digital Photography (2005) by Harewood, Duane is a really interesting book.

The book is a very helpful introductory style guide with many wonderful images throughout. A really well put together and stylish book with much accessible information. Definitely very informative and can be helpful for anyone interested in digital photography especially beginners.

There is sections like Getting Started, Picture Perfect and The Final Print. The book guides you right through the process of buying your perfect camera right up to completing your images. The book also includes a great glossary and index. There is some excellent tips in here and it a great book to read and to find references quickly.

Very enjoyable and entertaining. I really enjoyed it very much and learned a lot about a topic I am very interested in.

To purchase Essentials: Digital Photography By Harewood, Duane go to:

https://www.abebooks.com/Digital-Photography-Essentials-Harewood-Duane-Igloo/12635760451/bd

For more about the publisher Igloo Books go to:

homepage

Poem: Wraith By The Window

This poem is inspired by the writing prompt Wraith by everyone at sparksfromacombustiblemind:

https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2021/10/26/wotd-wraith/

It is told from the point of view of my character Mitch and is for his first Halloween living with his future husband Nate. Hope you all like it. 🙂

Photo by Florian Lidin on Unsplash

‘Think your apartment might be haunted Nate’, I said

holding back a grin,

trying to be all serious,

‘Our apartment Mitch’, he smiles,

‘Oh yeah I must remember that one’

‘Yeah because you aren’t a lodger or anything’

‘I’d be a lodger with benefits’, I laugh,

‘Excellent benefits’, he grins,

‘But seriously Nate something moved at that window,

that one there in the living-room,

honestly I was shook earlier’,

‘Probably the curtain’

‘No, wasn’t the curtain darling,

pretty sure’,

‘You’ve been working too hard,

you need to lie down’, he laughs

and heads to meet Adam and co down the pub

or with them the upmarket bar darling

for an evening Halloween drink or two.

I went to find a white sheet in the closet,

cut two eyes in it,

left it aside for when he returned

while I got in the Halloween mood

with a couple of tins and the good ‘ole Time Warp,

got a call from my bestie Vic,

‘Creepy alien or French maid with blood

of her third husband on her mouth?’, he asks,

‘For the Halloween party?’

‘No Mitch, for a trip down to Target?

Yes, for the Halloween party boo.’

‘There’s more story to the second one’

‘Creepy alien it is then,

cheers for your input’,

‘You’re welcome’, I laugh,

he has a habit of never taking my advice

because he feels I have no fashion sense,

however I can work a sheet I think,

I finish the end of the beer I am on at that time

just as I hear the door click open

so I grab the sheet,

throw it over on my head and stand behind the curtain

in the living-room,

I see Nate enter followed by Adam,

ok he wasn’t part of the plan

but I’m tipsy so he will have to be,

I ain’t going back now,

‘Mitch, I’m home’, Nate calls out,

‘Mitch …’, he calls again,

I hold in a tipsy laugh,

‘Maybe he has left,

realised you are out of his league’, Adam says,

that quick Adam,

that quick honestly?

‘I wouldn’t want him to leave’, Nate says,

small mercies I guess,

no mention of that’s not true Adam

but I’m used to that,

I wait till they approach the window,

try to remain fun and upbeat

though I’m fuming

and I jump out at them

calling that there is a wraith in the apartment

with maybe more anger than I mean

then laugh to cover up,

Nate and Adam jump back

before Nate recovers himself and starts laughing,

I struggle to find the gap in the sheet,

Nate takes the sheet off my head,

Adam puts on a false grin

and a look of pity like this is so childish,

‘Mitch had you that planned from earlier?’, Nate laughs,

‘Yeah course I did Nate’, I grin.

The Diary of a Young Girl By Anne Frank Review!

The Diary of a Young Girl (1947) by Anne Frank is an incredible book.

This book is one of those books I read years upon years ago but never got around to reviewing. I was recently reading another book about Anne Frank and it reminded me that I must review this amazing book. I read this book when I was a child or a young teenager and the impact it had was huge. I remember if I think back to then feeling like I could really relate to her experience in so many ways but she had all of this added stuff that I couldn’t imagine going through. I was amazed that someone around my age could cope with it all but that’s the thing, she had no other choice. The world she lived in was so deeply bigoted and she had a survival instinct that no child or young teenager could ever have to face. The book follows the diary of Anne in the last years of her young life when in 1942 when she and her family with another family went into hiding from Hitler and the Nazis. She thought of the place they were in hiding as the Secret Annexe. She loved writing and I think it helped her through the tough days she faced. Her talent in writing was immense. Her words were so accessible as she described the daily life in the Secret Annexe. The book has the hardships, the mundane and moments of humour and she came across as a good kid with so many good intentions and many dreams and readers really get to know her through her words in her diary. To think all of her dreams and hopes were destroyed due to hatred of her being Jewish is heartbreaking and senseless.

We see her love of the movie stars of the time. God, I can relate being a gossip and into the creative arts. We see her fall in and out of love. We see her thoughts about everyone she lives with. Her softer side. Her moments of anger. She is so real and so human and alive on the pages and to see how her story ended due to hate just breaks your heart. Readers really get to know her. The narrative she writes is so raw, so everyday and the descriptions she writes just so naturally are incredible. I am so glad that her words were not lost to time but more than anything I am left with a feeling of wishing she got the chance to present this book herself though her father and everyone involved in doing so done her so proud. Rest in peace Anne Frank and thank you for your strength to write this book in the face of such cruel and relentless adversity.

A must-read.

To purchase The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank go to:

For more about Anne Frank and her work and legacy go to:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3720.Anne_Frank

Easy Weekly Quiz!

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Last Week’s Answers

1. James Patterson
2. Paris
3. Rome
4. Horse
5. M People
6. Jack Kerouac
7. Japan
8. St. Patrick
9. A kid
10. World Wide Web

How many did you get right? Brag below. 🙂

Answers next week. Give it a go without Google’s help!  Answers will appear in next week’s quiz. Feel free to leave your answers in the comments. Good luck! 🙂

This Week’s Questions

1. What color are the stars on the United States of America Flag?
2. What does the Beaufort scale measure?
3. Who was the first man to walk on the moon?
4. Who directed the movie Jaws?
5. Bohemian Rhapsody and Don’t Stop Me Now were hits for which band?
6. Single Ladies and Halo were hits for which singer?
7. Vogue is a magazine associated with which industry?
8. At which racecourse is the English Grand National run?
9. In the film Beethoven, what type of dog is Beethoven?
10. In the film Babe, what type of dog is Fly?