TFE's Forst IPYPIASM poem for this month

Get on over to TFE's blog for a great description of the spirit of International put your poem in a shop month. Not only is he the fantasmic originator of the Poetry Bus, and a renowned masked performance poet, he also claims to have put up a poem in a shop, and has a lovely picture of said poem on his blog, but no picture of it in the shop, but he has a very plausable reason for why not, so I believe him anyway, don't know about you...

It's only fair! IPYPIASM goes Festive

Only 18 days to Christmas, and Titus has brought IPYPIASM to a festive fair in Scotland.

Putting the rest of us to shame really, this is her third outing, with another belter of a poem

Call over here for the full Christmas Spread!!! Awe inspiring!!

My excuse for not getting to more shops? It took me 1.5 hours to get 4.5 miles to work today, so I was already late enough without stopping off along the way. (Plus I forgot my camera) BUT I will get out again, promise.

Poetry Bus - inspired by a pub

This week Poetikat's instruction, as bus driver extraordinaire, was to take the name of a pub and write a witty and fun poem inspired by the title. Click here for the rest of the passengers.

I chose Nancy Spains in Cork, my fondest memory of pub life going back to the days of the late 90's spent there, a pub whose front was interestingly blackened and "distressed" in order to allow it to be part of the film "Angela's Ashes" and whose back side was burnt to the ground some years later.

So anyway, many's the happy (drunken) Sunday evening we passed there, and it's the only pub I was ever barred from, and it's also the only pub I ever sent a postcard to (not at the same time) - and the toilet doors were always well worth a read.

I decided to do some research - in order to write this hilarious witty poem. I knew the name was after a song... I've just found out however, that the song is classed as describing an emotional state known in Portugese and Galician as Saudade

"a somewhat melancholic feeling of incompleteness. It is related to think back situations of privation due to the absence of someone or something, to move away from a place or thing, or to the absence of a set of particular and desirable experiences and pleasures once lived"

Pretty sad right? I'm not sure I can write something that'll have ye on the floor laughing having just discovered this, so here goes something:

Nancy's

We had a complicated relationship

You saw me go from west coast coolers

to big bottles of cider

that'd tear the insides

if they weren't so tough

I fell off your tables

people fell onto me

friendships made in the haze

mice ran up the walls

and you played the best music

there'd be cartoons on

and a fire going

and every table held a spinning wheel

trees held the place up

and strangers made eyes

On my 21st birthday

Dad bought 90p pints*

for everyone in the snug at the back

my brother surprise tripped

home from US talking of new love

a girl now his wife

I daren't go back to you

for oh, how you've changed

and me, insides softened

- blurred memories stay

* the 90p pints were part of a beat the clock promotion - ie they were 90p till 8pm, then 1 pound till 9pm and then up to normal price, in case ye thought I was ancient or anything, cos I'm really not that ancient.

Alotta words in shops!!

The latest to join the avalanche of Poems in Shops (and to discover just how furtive leaving something in a shop and taking a picture of it can make you feel) as part of the international put your poem in a shop month is the fabulous Words A Day, click here to see the pictures full size and the actual words, for some reason the pictures stay small on this blog.

A Heart rending announcement on the notice-board

The words with the strawberries are below:

And a warning about the snow in amongst the custard creams

Remember all are welcome to join in, there's a whole lotta poems in shops already, but who will be next to take the initiative?!!!!

International Put your Poem in a Shop Month (finally) hits Ireland

At long last, the snow has cleared to an extent that has allowed for shop going, and camera carrying, and planning ahead. So I have finally got my act together with an excerpt from an old poem of mine finally finding its way onto a shelf of a shop.

It was tricky to do this without being noticed, I will warn ye - since only zombies and people with military training seem to be making it out to the shops in this weather.

Anyway, here it is... perfectly disguised as a public service announcement.

Don't forget the poems in shops are now in FOUR whole Countries worldwide,

and should soon sweep every village and town and workplace known to man. You don't want your local shop to be left out, do you? DO YOU???

And here's the close up, along with human finger for perspective...

The text for those too lazy to click on the pic to enlarge it is

Don't bring your horse to Tesco

He'll only let his mess go

The staff'll say "You'd best go"

When he scutters in the aisle

Look at the last few posts for other partakers tales

IPYPIASM hits Canada

"International Put Your Poem in a Shop Month" has arrived in Canada, thanks to the brilliant Poetikat, who is multitasking marvellously as this week's poetry bus driver also.

Go here for more about it!!

UPDATE!!!! Pics of the lovely looking pub in question are here. And see below the actual poem, up in the actual place!!

And see the American and Scottish partakers below

It's gone Transcontinental - IPYPIASM gets its big break stateside

Dead Acorn is not just a hilarious blogger, he is in fact a pioneer, a leader of humanity, and the trail-blazing first ever person to join in with IPYPIASM on that wonderful planet known as Americay..

He has risked life and limb to bring the joy of a little poem, to that most mysterious of settings...

It must surely be some kind of USA high tech kitchen appliance shop, I'm not sure, he only mentioned that he had to stop at a pub on the way there... read all about his adventures here

And a close up for our friends who like close ups.

What a hero. Who'll be next, I wonder, IPYPIASM fever is gripping the universe...

Don't forget to check out Titus below - the original IPYPIASMer of 2010

Titus is storming ahead....

She's an action woman of the highest order, a lady with determination, Titus has had another two placements of poems in shops, all before the rest of us have got off the starting blocks.

Beautiful pictures, and a really delightful looking shop. I haven't been in a shop since the month began, but just you wait, Monday at the latest, WATCH OUT for poems in shops in a shop near you.

In other news, snow has snowed away my guest for this week's Sunday Scrapbook which is a pity, he's going to be a cracker when we reschedule. Luckily there is the archive to play with, and I'm again going to put up a show from a past mystery guest. This time a very entertaining lady who still holds the cup for being my Dad's favourite guest of all time.

See yez on Sunday for the Bus, weather permitting.

AND THEY'RE OFF!!!

Titus has launched IPYPIASM in Glasgow for us, in great style. And this is the first (but hopefully not the last) year that the month has begun its life outside of Ireland, well it is "International put your poem in a shop month" after all.
She has daringly placed some tasty poems in one Furniture and one Charity shop. Full details over here.
And here's the proof, but do visit her blog for the full story!
So Happy, it almost makes me forget the meany pants kids (big kids - 12 -15) who ganged up on me (a huge gang - like 20 or so), on my way home last night (I was walking, since traffic wasn't moving, since the snow was clogging everything), when they basically hopped on me, pulling at my tightly tied on pixie hat, and shoving snow into my poor frightened face even though I asked them nicely not to.... I was fine for a minute or two afterwards, then started crying like a baby walking up the street...
Luckily when I got to where the traffic was moving again Mr VC was at hand to come to my rescue. But it was fairly horrible. But if the while I think of IPYPIASM dear friend, all losses are restored and sorrows end!!!!!!!

A Poem which attempts to dissuade you from bringing your Tree Frog to Bed, Bath and Beyond

This one was in part inspired by Picasso over at Elizabeth's blog - see that post here.


A Poem which attempts to dissuade you from bringing your Tree Frog to Bed, Bath and Beyond


Don't bring your Tree Frog to Bed, Bath and Beyond
Though he might say of that shop, he's rather fond
Don't believe him, no please do not be conned
His real motive is far more sinister

Tree Frogs dream from when they're little tadpoles
Of fulfilling a seriously villainous role
They're not to be trusted, oh, won't you be told!
He'll lie even more than a minister

"I just want some bath pearls" he'll tell you, straight-faced
Then he'll hop to the showers, hot water to waste
Sucky pads help him climb up, the whole place he'll have cased
And get you into trouble with him mister

No, sadly you can't trust this little amphibian
Tho his eyes look all genuine, voice purer than Rhydian
If he begs "Will you bring me" tell him "You must be kiddyin"
No Bed, Bath and Beyond for your Tree Frog today!


Don't forget today is officially the first day of IPYPIASM - see yesterday's post if you missed it. I will update as the poems get placed!!!