Ganymeder

*The following silly poem was composed by the wonderfully talented poet, Monsterbat (who also happens to be my son). His poem imitates the style of Shel Silverstein, his favorite poet. This poem is posted with his generous permission.

Once there was a boy named Chippy Resistance

where others did not could

he simply would

he really could take care of business

he really was good

he knew how to square dance

once with a lance

he fought, by chance,

50 foot wolves with a special stance

He learned in China as easy as pulling up his pants

but when pulling up pants, sometimes you slip

sometimes you trip

and so, that day Resistance died

and so everyday everyone cries

from the bottom of their heart

it just comes out their eyes

and so nowadays we immortalize

in song valiant Chip!

Flashes are read.

Poems are, too.

Friday is here,

so this is for you.

-

School books I’ve read

as hours flew.

My son went to bed

late – nothing new.

-

Harried, I said,

“I’ve got MORE things to do!”

so I took to my bed

with my laptop and brew.

-

My blog needed fed,

but I had nothing new

ready to post. So I said

(for lack of a more descriptive word that fits appropriately in the

‘a’ part of the abab rhyme scheme) that I’m too damned tired to be bothered to

rhyme anymore.

-

*My apologies for the short and silly post, but the first week of school this year has kicked my butt. So I hope you forgive enjoyed this little bit of meta.

**image courtesy of Bigfoto.com

Though I’ve been reading #FridayFlash fiction every week, I have cut down on the amount I’ve participated. Frankly, I really miss it. I’ve been writing, revising, and submitting my work regularly, but I’ve missed my weekly submissions to the community itself. Here is my small contribution for this week.

Creation Myth

In the beginning

male and female were One,

united by rings of flesh,

two hearts

doubled again,

yet still

it yearned for more.

Its divine being

split apart -

Creation from Destruction.

Becoming two

they joined again,

yet still

created more-

A holy coccoon

burst with new life

which burrowed well and deep

into cool, dark soil-

filling the earth

with air and life

from which all must spring

Not least the worm,

cast in the image

of its maker,

greatest and least

first and last

uniting all

within itself

-

Thank you for your time. I appreciate any polite feedback you care to offer.

Spinster

a woman

without compromise

- unwilling to lower the bar -

would spin,

earning

her solitude

by turning the huge wooden wheel

.

Independence

not by default

but a choice to live free

-

Not a cliché -

for stale,

barren,

cold and lonely.

-

Rather

the flushed cheeks

of a woman in her prime

who chose

to make her own way

in the world

*image courtesy of Musee’ McCord Museum via Flicker. No known copyright restrictions.

Play or download episode *here*

I start off reading this week's selection for #SpokenSunday. In honor of National Poetry Month, I decided to finish April with a poem. 'Home' is published at the 52/250 site for the theme Home Sweet Home.

For current events, I briefly discuss various topics- including my successes and failures setting up an ergonomic workstation, my submissions (or lack therof), and meeting deadlines. Some of the writing solutions I mention include a new ergonomic keyboard, a laptop stand, and writing via my phone with a writing program.

As always, polite feedback (critical or otherwise) is welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for your time, and have a lovely week.

*image courtesy of hiddedevries via Flicker.

**All podcast episodes may be downloaded from this blog (except #1-#6 which are linked from the blog). Thank you for your patience while I learn how to maneuver in these new podcasting waters.

***The sound quality in this week's podcast may differ from previous ones, because I used a different microphone.

Most of this week I spent doing Spring cleaning; however I wanted to share some poetry with you in honor of National Poetry Month. My poem, Frigid, written for the theme Cold Front can be found at the 52/250 flash site.

Also, here is another small offering in homage to my favorite hobby.

Knit

Idle moments
gathered together
like the yarn between my fingers
stitched together
to form
a greater whole

Any comments or feedback is begged for appreciated. My book review for Starbound is currently up at the Functional Nerds site, and please come back on Sunday for the My Writing Niche podcast. Thank you, and have a lovely weekend.

*image courtesy of George Eastman House via Flicker. No known copyright restrictions.

*Update: Above should read ‘please come back on Sunday, May 1st, for the My Writing Niche podcast. I am updating the podcast every two weeks. I apologize for any confusion.

April is National Poetry Month, and I would encourage anyone out there in cyberspace to participate in any way they feel comfortable – whether that be attending a poetry event at a local library or bookstore, reading or sharing a favorite poem, or picking up a pen (laptop, quill, or writing instrument of your choice) and writing some poetry of your own.

In the spirit of National Poetry month, I’m going to share the two biggest things I’ve learned about poetry.

1. Abiding Image

- Last year, when I was lucky enough to attend the Antioch Writers’ Workshop, Cathy Smith Bowers taught that the first thing you look for when writing a poem is an abiding image. What I took from this was that you use something that sticks with you, a moment, a picture in your head, that means more than it might seem at first glance. One example of this is my poem, “Notebooks” – which uses the abiding image of my moleskine notebooks to talk about my outlook on life.

2. Reading poetry helps you become a better writer

- I’ve heard and read this advice on more than one occasion, and I’ve come to believe it’s true. Just as writers should also be readers, especially in their own genres, writers can only benefit from reading good poems. Because poems generally follow stricter rules than prose, it exposes the reader to different ways of communicating powerful emotions, statements, images. Sometimes, just separating a line from everything else that’s written can emphasize that thought in a way that nothing else can. Poems thrive on the visual structure of written words and so are uniquely suited to illustrate the power of placement.

Though poetry is not my main writing and reading outlet, I do believe in the power of the written word. In honor of National Poetry Month, my parting gift to you is a list of my favorite top five classic poems. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

1. “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe

- a narrative poem about a haunting

2. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

- another narrative with ghosts as well as angels and a moral

3. “Annabelle Lee” by Edgar Allen Poe

- a love poem

4. “The Tiger” by William Blake

- Blake marvels at creation

5. “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

- on a trip to Egypt, Shelley muses on how the mighty have fallen

-

*image courtesy of the U.S. National Archives via Flicker. No known copyright restrictions.

** The My Writing Niche podcast will resume next Sunday. The podcast schedule will continue on a biweekly basis.

The story below was an alternate story I wrote for the 52/250 prompt ‘Password‘. ‘Safe Room’ was the other story I submitted to the 52/250 flash site.

PASSWORD

Saint Peter scanned the Book of Life and frowned. “Sorry, but you’re not listed.”

The woman paled. “You mean…?”

Peter’s frown deepened. He scratched his white robe, adjusted his halo. “Sorry, but I can’t admit you.”

“But I went to church, volunteered-”

“Are you suggesting God made a clerical error?”

“Well, not God personally, no, but somewhere along the bureaucracy-”

“I’ll see what I can do.” From his robe, he pulled out a PDA, and tapped the screen. “I’ll put in your… Yee-es. Seems there’s been a major snafu concerning your demise; sorry. Your override password is being emailed to you.”

From the woman’s coat, a sharp ping sounded. She pulled out a dripping cell phone. “It still works?”

Saint Peter fixed her with his steely gaze. “You drowned and your consciousness still functions; so why wouldn’t your phone work?”

She shook water from the cell. “Dammit…uh, DARN. I can’t remember how to sign in. Must be the trauma of death and all.”

Peter shook his head. “Sorry, but if you aren’t on the list, then the Pearly Gates only open by the override password sent you in that email. I can’t access it. It’s personal.”

“Is this some test? Like a riddle? I mean, the gates aren’t ‘pearly’; they’re silver and gold.”

Saint Peter patted her in friendly condescension. “It’s a misnomer. Tell you what, I’ll see what I can do on this end, and in the meantime find a nice place to haunt.” He placed the PDA somewhere in the folds of his robe, then added, “I hear Jamaica’s nice this time of year.”

The end

*

To any regular followers of my blog, I apologize for my lack of content the past week. I had severe pain in my arms, wrists, and hands that made it difficult for me to write. I’m beginning to feel better now, though I still need to do things in short spurts.

My poem “Conformity”, written for the theme ‘Crowd’, has been posted at the 52/250 flash site. Though I had planned on using some of my 52/250 submissions for #Friday Flash, the poem is not fictional.

My other writing projects are coming along. I should have a book review up soon at the Functional Nerds website. The collaborative project I’m beta reading for is coming to a close in the next few weeks, and on April 1st I’m participating in The Great April Fool’s Day #Friday Flash Blog Swap ala Tony Noland.

Thank you for visiting my site. As always, I beg for welcome feedback. Barring any other medical issues, I will post My Writing Niche on Sunday and further content throughout the week.Thank you, and have a great week!

*image courtesy of Oregon State University Archives via Flicker. No known copyright restrictions.

My Writing Niche (podcast): episode #12

Download or Play episode *here*

As always, I start off reading a short piece, this time my poem “Poet”, for #SpokenSunday. I’m trying something a bit different for my show notes. Previously I’d simply listed the links, but I thought (based on what I’ve seen elsewhere) that a paragraph format would be more interesting.

Today’s topic deals with what to do after Nanowrimo is over. I’m continuing to submit my short fiction and poetry, using Duotrope. I also discuss keeping to a regular writing schedule, regular routines, and regular deadlines through #Friday Flash, #Spoken Sunday, and the 52/250 flash challenge.

Part of being an aspiring novelist is reading novels. I recently read ‘Night of the Living Trekkies’, by Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stall, which I highly recommend. Also, if you are interested in an anthology of short fiction from varying genres, I highly recommend *Best of Friday Flash edited by J.M. Strother, now available in both paperback and ebook form.

*One warning: I forgot to mention that some of the material in Best of Friday Flash may not be suitable for younger audiences due to language or content.

**image courtesy of hiddedevries via Flicker.

***All podcast episodes may be downloaded from this blog (except #1-#6 which are linked from the blog). Thank you for your patience while I learn how to maneuvre in these new podcasting waters.

The World at My Fingertips

The Palm Pilot spoke to me through text that flashed across its screen. My appointments, my phone book, my ebooks and documents showed up as letters against its glowing background – the world at my fingertips.

However, I was surprised when it told me to call in sick to work. At first I thought some mischievous colleague had pranked me, but the device never left my side. Then the words ‘Take a mental health holiday’ flashed across the screen. I decided it had a point. I called in sick and searched through my phone book.

Either I needed a shrink or really good tech support. My whole life was on that thing.

THE END

This week’s theme for the 52/250 flash challenge was The Palm of Your Hand. Since I wrote two pieces for the theme, my poetry submission “Poet” appears on the 52/250 site while my prose take on the theme appears on my blog for this week’s #FridayFlash.

On a more personal note, I’m expecting my paperback copies of The Best of Friday Flash soon. I’m very excited to see my name in actual print for the first time, and I’m honored to have been a part of the project. As I’ve said before, this anthology is fantastic. Even if I hadn’t been personally involved, this would still be one of my favorite story collections. The Friday Flash community is filled with very talented as well as diverse and wonderful people.

I’ve planned another My Writing Niche podcast in time for #Spoken Sunday, so I hope you revisit my blog soon. I’m not sure if I will record more than just the short story itself. Since the podcast is a bit of an experiment for me, I don’t wish to record just for the sake of recording. Rather, as well as it being a learning experience for myself, I hope to be able to talk about things that will be of interest to others who care about writing and becoming published. While I may mention some of my personal ups and downs concerning the craft, I don’t plan on speaking unless I have something that may be relevant to others. If anyone has any suggestions for the podcast, I will gladly consider them.

As always, I beg for welcome comments. Thank you for your time, and have a great weekend!

*This file (image) licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0