INDEX OF FIRST LINES (revised October 2024)
INDEX OF FIRST LINES
(revised October 2024)
A
A longhand letter arriving by land-post via airmail
A ship sails observed from windows high
A terraced row of competing facades
A momentous day occasionally awaits
And gazing upon their anger and frustration
And gazing upon their anger and frustration ~ the trilogy
And Satan walked the earth that day
And He, They, She, They, but never it
As the gate of the year closes
Ask, always, this perceptive question
At break of day I’ll set off now
Audrey, how good to see you, dear
B
BARRRL-TASHUR I shall not tell you again
C
Come! Let us walk together, you and I
Could Someone Else Go?
D
Darren, can you open your eyes for me, poppet?
Do you ever see beauty you desire and taste?
Does she speak true words? (revised)
E
East recoiled, seething.
Even the most sublime scripture
F
Fallen
Friday eve already, how is it in Larnaca?
G
Give me your hand. No! I can’t!
H
Have I, by any chance, finally met him?
Have no fear at this passing hour
How dare the man to have the affront
I
I AM the Spirit of Winter Male
I have a thousand voices raging in my head
I have been on this earth thirteen years
I have no patience with closed and narrow minds
I have seen the depth of Hades
I have the ground beneath me and the sky as my roof
I smell the Mare upon the wind and through the stable slits I see her
I wish I could peer into the future
I wish I could put the clock back
I’m dressed in blue
I no longer know who I speak to
In the night hour be discerning
It is a cold and icy wind that blows across life's dying embers
It is home where my heart is
It is good to hear the seagulls
It is this night that I do leap the edge
It lurks in underground spaces
It’s been a good day
I’ve always inspired, encouraged and warned (Rothko)
I’ve been on this earth thirteen years
J
K
L
Let us tend him, sister Diocletian should not have done this terrible thing (Stanza Version)
Let us tend him, sister Diocletian should not have done this terrible thing (Later Prose Version)
Let’s not forget the power and immensity of the Universe
Love is learning to let go of a relationship
M
My back to the lake Colonnades ahead of me
My goodness, me; you have an incredible theology
N
Nine years ago today, I moved into this apartment
O
Open the Wings of your thought
P
Persistent rain against an old Edwardian window pane
Platform Seven Lime Street Station, Liverpool Lime Street, Joyce of Whitchurch
Q
R
Revenge is a terrifying prospect
Reporting for duty today was like any other day
S
Sometimes, letters remain timeless
Sometimes we see, often we don’t
Sorry? Oh! Where did you come from?
Spectators like to sit and wait
Spontaneous Reflections (Original 2006 Edition)
Spontaneous reflection in this gently darkened room
Spontaneous Reflections of a Gay Man ~ Part I
Spontaneous Reflections of a Gay Man ~ Part II
Spontane Reflexionen eines Schwule Mannes ~ Teil I
Spontane Reflexionen eines Schwule Mannes ~ Teil II
Sunday, a brisk Autumn afternoon
T
Ten years ago thrived democracy
The house is quiet, the light is dimmed
The Park is peaceful this evening
The sky is crimson tonight
The Spirit beckoned to my spirit (2024) ~ extended version
The Spirit beckoned to my spirit
The trees are on the turn, summer is passing
There is a curious stirring amid the masses
There is a haunting sound in this melody
There is much traffic in the estuary tonight (Good Friday 2011)
There is much traffic in the estuary tonight (Good Friday 2021)
There is peace this afternoon in the Estuary
They are coming down the street now
Today is a good day, a very good day
Today is a bad day, a very bad day
To hit rock-bottom has one advantage
Tonight is the first night of winter
To the glory of humankind, the beauty of creation, the beauty of the mind
U
Upon Wing do I mount to the breeding grounds
V
W
We arrived on Friday 6 October 1967
What ‘tis this ethereal realm (original version)
What is this ethereal realm (revised version)
What is this? That thou dost think …
Whose voices do I hear behind the email
Winter arrived tonight, not so much from icy blast
X
Y
Yes, I have a few moments to speak
Yes, you see Me, an aspect of Me
You know what? I’m very tired (later prose version)
You know what? (original verse version)
Z
Æ
[i] Font Angsana New 16
October 2024
All Rights Reserved
LIVERPOOL
© 2024 Ian Bradley Marshall | © 2024 Kenneth Thomas Webb
Digital Artwork by IBM KTW unless otherwise credited
Author Note
We often remember a poem by its first line, rather than by its title.
At this stage, FIRST LINES is by no means the complete list. If first lines cannot be found using a search, that means that the poem is temporarily off-line for review or redrafting, or because it is scheduled to publish in conjunction with a calendar event.
I adopt this practice because it was, fifty years ago when I was introduced to poetry, very much in use, appearing at the rear of published anthologies.
In time, I will activate the link for each first line to its poem, but it is not high on the agenda.
The Portrait is my creation by means of digital art. It stands. It reflects my inner thoughts and feelings, that deliberate and sideways glance, the way we react to hearing or seeing something without intending to engage eye-contact.
Furthermore, it stands alone. I keep FIRST LINES more or less within the first five poems on the Poetry Platform, more or less permanently.
Ian Bradley Marshall
Liverpool
Ken Webb is a writer and proofreader. His website, kennwebb.com, showcases his work as a writer, blogger and podcaster, resting on his successive careers as a police officer, progressing to a junior lawyer in succession and trusts as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives, a retired officer with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and latterly, for three years, the owner and editor of two lifestyle magazines in Liverpool.
He also just handed over a successful two year chairmanship in Gloucestershire with Cheltenham Regency Probus.
Pandemic aside, he spends his time equally between his city, Liverpool, and the county of his birth, Gloucestershire.
In this fast-paced present age, proof-reading is essential. And this skill also occasionally leads to copy-editing writers’ manuscripts for submission to publishers and also student and post graduate dissertations.
