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It is TTOT time again and let’s get at it!
3. Music. I have been doing an exercise each morning. I am on Day 3 of 40 Days, 40 Writes. And I play music when I write, when I am not listening to sounds of silence. Here is one of my favorite channels which updates for the day of the week.
4. My article was published for Okra Magazine. I interviewed Madison Woods. She is amazing! We met because I was researching about making watercolors from nature and found her in my internet search. I wrote her and starting following her blog. And I decided I wanted to get her wonderful work out there, so I got her permission and the rest is history.
5. Exercise. I was able to walk more this week. It’s a slow process, but I may have overdone it on Wednesday because I could manage just 10 minutes yesterday. But, I am happy to report that effort is paying off. And I signed up for weekly Yoga, and had my first chair yoga session last week. It is through You Call This Yoga I have attended their live classes and they are very nice. They help people who are having challenges and a most compassionate group.
6. Daughter says Thank You for all your lovely messages for her birthday. I am thankful she read my blog and saw them.
7. I was able to, thanks to the stimulus, buy a new computer. This morning, I had to update the audio drivers so I could hear on my headphones. I am in heaven! It is a double win as my daughter was the heir of my other computer, which I cleaned up so she could have one without the issues I was having. She is often the heir, which works out with budgets. And she is over the moon because it’s one with a built in CD player.
8. The art work for the book cover came in the mail yesterday. I am over the moon thrilled with the beautiful work of Kay Doiron. There will be a reveal coming soon. Heart Beats is in production.
9. People who are committed to share the value of poetry. I reached out and the responses are wonderful!
10. Reading. I am grateful for so many wonderful things to read and that I am able to read them.
And that’s that. Scroll on up there and join us… You will be glad you did. Or leave your thankfuls in the comments.
This is my Six Sentence Story, a continuation about Clarabelle and Shandy, which has been a running story for a few weeks. I have not decided if this is the end, but I will see what happens as the week goes by. Perhaps the other story members will call out to me and ask me to tell more about them. Thanks to Denise for putting up with my attempt at serializing this story and for being less than concise. Yes, I push those six sentences to the limit, guilty as charged. So, are you thinking you want to join Denise’s Six Sentence Story blog hop? Well, hop to it by going to this LINK
*****
The Strength of Hope and Faith
Shandy continued with her story about he husband, away, serving in Vietnam, “Clair, I was so religious about writing to Marcus and it would be spurts where I didn’t hear from him, before I would be several letters in one day, so it was just the way it was where he was serving, he was on the front lines and I couldn’t really expect instant letters every day,” Shandy paused, starting to tear up, Clarabelle reached over and patted her hand, and poured another cup of tea for Shandy, “and then the letters slowed down, real slow, sometimes for weeks, and I got really worried that there was something wrong, and then I got a letter from him that there was a bad storm and it was more than difficult to get letters out, so he was okay and, well, I was surely relieved, a lot of the letters he had ready to mail, ended up in a mess of mud and they pretty much had to plow through all the muck to get to a clear path, so those were long gone.”
“Oh, my dear girl, that must have been quite the ordeal for you, as I remember how it was for my family, it sure could be hard to get those letters back and forth, I suppose wars have a way about making it hard, too bad there was no easy way to make a phone call.”
“That’s just the thing, Clair, I did get a phone call from Marcus, he sounded so distraught, and said that he had to take some time to sort things out, and in the meantime, he was put on medic assistance duty, so he could clear his head, although, I will tell you that in a war zone, it’s hard to clear your head in a medical camp, so it was hard for him, but he took to the work, and he did so well with it that they kept him there for the duration, so, you see, that worked out; and when he came back home he decided to pursue medicine and went to school for emergency medical technician training, not really wanting to be a doctor, but an emergency worker, since he found out that was where he did his best work,” pausing to catch her breath, Shandy sipped her tea before continuing, “while Marcus studied, I worked as a waitress, because I was good at it and was not ready to consider going to school or start a family, not until he was solid with his job, so I was able to bring in a lot of tips, because that’s where waitresses make their real money, and we managed well, even if it was tight, but we had our love and it all worked out.”
“That’s an adventure you have had with learning to be patient and survive what must have been one of the most difficult times of your life and look how you came through with helping your husband do well and pursue his goals, for the best of both of you.”
“Thank you, Clair, it was nice, like a real-life honeymoon in a way as we just worked well together, like a team, so after he graduated and was working full-time, I was able to think about my own goals, and that was when I got pregnant, not really planned, but not unwanted either, so there I was pregnant and that’s when things changed, and not for the better, mind you, and I finally got it out of him about his experiences in Vietnam and things he saw, and how he was afraid he would not be a good father; of which I assured him that such a kind soul could be nothing less than a great dad; but he started pulling back, became less affectionate and the nightmares he had were more frequent, they were always about something to do with the war, and I was so afraid for him, knowing it must have been painful to see things and not forget, but I was always there for him, no matter what, and we gradually worked on things with a counselor, I mean, he was invested, for sure, and the counselor helped us get past these things, and when we had our little boy, he was the best father to him, always careful with handling him, and affectionate, like all his worries went away,” pausing for a tissue, the wells of pain flooded and Shandy shook, trembling and collapsed in Clair’s arms, eventually, with the comfort of Clair, Shandy was able to go on, “Marcus was the best father to our son, Gerald, and loved him until his last days, as, Marcus had a heart attack while he was working on a run and he did not make it, and it turned out he may have had a heart condition, but at that point, we just knew that he was gone and Gerald and I carried on, as best as we could, Gerald was 19 when his father passed away and he is doing well with college, but when he decided to go away to school, I decided I needed to get away from all the memories and moved to Iowa, so while the war did not ruin us, life had another plan, and I rely on the presence of his spirit to keep Marcus alive, but, to tell you the honest truth, I just could not longer live in a town where we made many happy memories, so just like my dad live after he lost mom, I moved.”
“Sweetheart, life surely does turn things around unexpectedly, but it looks like you are a get on up and get to it kind of person, look at how you have done with your life, you serve others, you are compassionate, you have a strength which is calm, yet mighty, and I certainly do understand the desire to move to new memories, as I had to do similar when I lost Herbie, I could no longer live in the house we made into a home, so I made a move to an apartment, and now, my dear Shandy, I have a beautiful, inside and out, friend, and we are not that much different, just in age, but not much different in clarity, we will plow through life and find that at the end of the road, is a heap of heap of muck, but that muck is what we have to go through to find the treasures.”
Happy Friday and TTOT Day! And Awaaaaay we go!*
*Jackie Gleason
2.
3. No snow.
4. Exercise is happening.
5. YouTube is going well. Check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeM8fUiRY-0TCkLBn7tgBlw
That’s my channel 🙂
6. Grocery delivery is really becoming my thing.
7. Technical problem solving is becoming a skill. At least, for me, but I am not putting out a shingle, nope, no way… it’s just a way for me to get back to what I love to do.
8. Flash drives. Whoever invented them, THANK YOU!
9. Do you ever put on your headphones and not have any music? I call it my Sounds of Silence. It helped me to stay focus. Thankful for headphones which really do cancel out noise. And if you want to listen to beautiful music, I suggest checking this out:
10. You! What are you feeling warm and fuzzy about? Let’s hear it.
Slaves moved from the fields to the railroad jobs
not called by their name, but names they called them.
Working on the railroad was hard for blacks
they risked their lives jumping from car to car
the color of their skin ruled what they did
taking risks not really a choice, you see.
Laws kept the black man from more skilled jobs
even though they had exceptional skills.
Laying track though rough lands and tunnels too—
shovels, picks, axes, explosives were used.
Bring along the wheelbarrows, ropes, and mules
driving heavy spikes precisely trued up.
Precision was important for setting rails
no doubt any slight difference caused death.
Derailment came if not measured right
and the black man made sure others were safe.
Black prisoners had the riskiest jobs
often left to die when falling from cliffs.
Nothing to be said for their souls right then;
they considered them less than valued life,
and the way they became such laborers
did not match the crime or even confirmed.
A Pullman job was prestigious, true
but they treated them just like equipment.
Life back then, the way they treated black men,
inspired the movements of civil rights.
Sleeping Car Porters had a brotherhood
inspired by treatment of these nameless souls.
It would be many years before a change
many souls would march for their civil rights—
Randolph, King, Malcolm X to name just some
to step forth for souls until kingdom comes.
…..
This poem was inspired from research I have done after learning of the black prisoners who lost their lives working for the railroads and the suspicious ways they came into being imprisoned. And for the treatment of railroad workers who went straight from slavery to continued enslavement, yet believing in a dream.
Good Morning to the first 2021 February TTOT! Let’s get at it!
Felicity the clownfish wants to know what you are thankful for…
Finding Quiet
In the silver tones of crystals streaming
In the energies from the silent quartz
In the release of sludge from throat chakras
In the comforts from citrine in my gutt
Resting in the moment of releases
I realize there is nothing quiet
About finding peace within any souls
Herbie pulled up in the old grey Dodge, “Bird” as named by his best friend, George; Turning the handle on the garage, he pulled up the door and went inside, scuffing into his workshop, and placed his worn tool bag on the bench, all the while thinking about what might be going on with him, coughing so much and feeling such a hard time with breathing; lighting up another one of his unfiltered he took a draw and slowly blow a stream of smoke before another hack came on, “these damn things are getting the best of me, maybe I oughta give them up,” he snuffed the butt since there was some more left for later and closing the garage door, he went inside the house.
Scents of cinnamon and apples greeted Herbie before he could enter the house and he smiled, knowing his dear wife, Clarabelle, had made his favorite dessert of apple pie; opening the door, he saw her standing at the stove, unaware he entered; easing up behind her, but being ever so careful she was not in danger of getting burned he reached around her waist and gave her a squeeze and a peck on her warm, red cheek, to which she giggled and said, “hi, honey, how was your day?”
“It was pretty good, we got old man Fletcher’s barn door fixed and I don’t think he’ll have any escaped cows anymore, ‘course that’ll mean no more cream for us when we rescue another stray, but that’s okay.”
“Well, we will be okay without so much free cream; my hips are getting too wide as it is.”
“Clair, my love, you know I love your hips and everything they’re attached to, so don’t you go talking that silliness, as long as we stay healthy, we have no worries,” patting her hips, letting out another hack, Herbie excused himself and went to the bathroom to wash up for supper; it looked like chicken and dumplings, and that was a good enough reason to scrub extra hard.
Tending to the chicken and dumplings, Clarabelle thought to herself, I hope he will be open to going to the doctor for that cough, there is not enough whiskey honey to solve that problem, and she felt her eyes water and felt she was being watched, just then she turned around and there he was, on the floor, passed out from lack of breath; she quickly called an ambulance and stayed by his side, and when they arrived, they could get him to breathing, but took him in to the hospital, assuring Clarabelle, that they would do all they could to help him and she grabbed her purse and took off right behind them, with prayers that her faith, unfiltered, would carry him through, and she believed it did.
And there you have it! This is my Six Sentence Story for this week! Would you like to join us? Go to this LINK and check it out!
They admitted Clarabelle to the hospital and Shandy waited for her results at the River Walk, since the pandemic would make it difficult to sit in the waiting room and maintain social distancing; they gave her a pager, and she left her number just in case it did not reach; knowing it could be a short time or long time, depending on the freeze test of the lump, if benign it would be a sew up and send home, but if malignant, a mastectomy would be the result; praying for the time to be short, Shandy watch the wildlife doing their morning dance for breakfast, offering some of her own treats from the feed box provided by the wildlife management.
Clarabelle had to have another mammogram to pinpoint the location of the lump; and perspiring from the lack of food, she struggled through it, praying for relief from the pressure of the mammogram machine, realizing that this was just part of the whole routine, she did her best to get through it, thinking of her late husband and imagining his comforting hands holding hers and she found mental peace.
As they wheeled Clarabelle to the surgical unit, she sighed and hoped for the best, wondering if she would go home that day and thinking about how good breakfast would taste, just thinking of anything but what would happen next, until the surgeon came in and talked to her; explaining the procedure, she told Clarabelle that she would keep her on the IV and she should not feel any pain, they would isolate the area so that would be where she was numb, they would then remove the lump and take it for a freeze test to see if it was benign depending on the results, they would either sew her up or they would anesthetize her and do a mastectomy; assuring her she would keep Shandy informed, Clarabelle tried to relax and wait while the procedure began and she did not feel a thing while they did their procedure.
“Hello, Shandy, your mother did just fine and will be in recovery just a short while, and you can take her home, all went well, the good news is that the lump was benign and the worse thing is that she will have to continue with annual mammograms, so it was a good day for her and for you.” Shandy breathed a sigh of relief and then she realized they referred her to be Clarabelle’s daughter; Smiling, she decided it was not such a hard title to accept.
When it was time to take Clarabelle home, Shandy called a taxi and smiling, she told Clarabelle about being called her daughter, to which Clarabelle smiled and responded, “Yes, I knew they wouldn’t have any issue if we were related, so I told them that, and, well, you are like the beautiful daughter I never had, and I am grateful to know you,” to which Shandy took Clarabelle’s hand and just like that Clarabelle knew her beloved Herbie was still around, looking after her, always ready in a zip.
There you have it! This is my response to the prompt word ZIP from Denise’s Six Sentence Story Blog Hop. You can go HERE to join in and read the other stories.
Clarabelle and Shandy sat in the waiting room of the breast health center, Clarabelle missed Herbie, knowing he would have been there for her, but Shandy was a great comfort, just being there, nothing needed to be said, “I am grateful for you coming with me today,” Clarabelle said to Shandy before Shandy then reached her arm around Clarabelle’s shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze, causing Clarabelle to calm within and consider how fortunate she was to have met Shandy; After all, who knew this would happen like this, Clarabelle felt warm in her tummy as she thought about how Herbie must have sent this angel her way.
“Clair,” Shandy said, leaving Clarabelle with a knowing smile, as that is what Herbie called her, “would you want me to go back with you or are you more comfortable seeing the doctor alone,” Shandy asked, already suspecting that the answer would have her go with Clarabelle, and she was correct, to which Shandy smiled and offered some thoughts, “you know, I had to go back to my breast doctor too once and it turned out that I just had a negative blip in my mammogram, which they looked a little closer with an ultrasound, and it was all okay.”
Pretty soon, it was time for Clarabelle to go back to the examination room and Shandy followed, when they went in the room there was an ultrasound set up for her, for which it was explained that they needed to do an ultrasound to inspect the supposed lump or mass, and Clarabelle was instructed to sit at the table and they would examine her shortly; the technician came in and performed the ultrasound, followed by the doctor who looked at the report and did another look at the results, “Mrs. Jameson, it looks like you have a lump which we need to look at closer; this will require admission to the hospital where we will need to remove and test the lump; If it is benign, you will go home that same day after stitches, and if it is malignant, we would need to do a possible mastectomy.”
Clarabelle broke out into cold sweats and after wiping her brow with the tissues Shandy handed her, she looked at the doctor and said that she would have to think about it, after all, she was not getting any younger and did not know if she would need such a surgery only to turn around and die, and wouldn’t the insurance not cover it all, and so many other concerns, such as how she would manage all this and then she just sat and stared at her hands, turning her wedding band around and round on her finger and the doctor told her that the nurse would go over all the risk factors and how as much as he recommended the surgery, it was her choice what to do, and the doctor left, and the nurse took over, explaining how it would be either way, while Shandy focused on each thing the nurse said so she could help her new friend with her understanding, clearly noticing that Clarabelle had an overwhelmed look in her eyes, at times putting her hands over her mouth in disbelief.
“Can Clair and I have some time alone to talk things over,” Shandy asked the nurse, to which the nurse nodded and stepped out of the exam room; Shandy sat down so she could look Clarabelle in the eye and talked with her about the pros and cons of all that was just discussed with the doctor and nurse; taking Clarabelle’s hands in hers, she asked her what she needed, as this was her own decision.
“Shandy, it is so kind of you to come with me here today, and now I feel real bad that I have put you through so much with someone you only met today; if Herbie were here, and I think he is here, in spirit, I think he would tell me I need to do what I think is best for me, but to be honest, I don’t know what is best, so what I am going to do is get this over with, it may be something or it may not, but I may ask, well, hope for the best; After all, I have a new friend I would like to get to know,” to which Shandy grinned from ear to ear, and reached forward to give Clarabelle a big hug, assuring her she would be there no matter what, to which Clarabelle responded, “you are a good woman to go the distance with me, my friend.”
There you have it, this is this weeks installment to the continuing story of Clarabella and Shandy and perhaps a little of the late Herbie for the Six Sentence Story this week.
This weeks word provided by Denise is DISTANCE. Perhaps you would like to join us this week with your story using this prompt word. All you have to do is go HERE to link up.
Merry Christmas and Happy TTOT!
I have a confession to make…It is December 24, but I am going ahead and writing up my TTOT because on December 25 I am going to be eating pancakes and drinking coffee and participating in present giving time! So let’s get to this event!!
Christmas Eve Hopes
As the starry sky calls to all to view in awe
Daylight has paused for stockings to be hung up
Dreams coming soon as the waiting children yawn
Elders will drink from their flowing yuletide cups
Christmas Eve will find folks filling up stockings
Fruits and nuts and chocolates to fill them high
As in the air carolers voices will ring
To all throughout the night will come many sighs
Oh, Christmas time, you make thee smile joyfully
Bringing the spirit of love and giving to mean
No one must do without and feeling sadly
As gifts from everyone are under the tree
And as they sit and realize they are blessed
May all they have done before help those with less
“My dear girl, you are young and it’s good to check out new horizons, especially when where you’ve been has not brought you enough joy,” Clarabelle responded to Shandy, her new friend to be, “I also sought new horizons when I was younger; I suppose it was a different time back then, maybe more simple, but I knew I had to find something other than the sadness…umm, well, you know, life sometimes needs change, don’t you think?”
Shandy patted Clarabelle on the back of her hand and smiled, the two just looked at each other for a brief moment when the bell rang for orders to be picked up, “please stick around, and I will be back, that is, unless you have some things you need to go do, I don’t want to keep you, but, well, you are so nice and, well, it’s something I don’t see enough of, especially when people come in and don’t look at me, and, well, uh, you see me,” and Shandy went off to pick up her orders.
Clarabelle sat and sipped her tea and contemplated her next stop, not desiring to go there and having a little time, she was glad to wait for her new friend to come back for a visit; Shandy came with a piece of apple pie ala mode, “this is on the house; and I am done working for this day, thank goodness, and I thought I would join you for desert,” each with their dessert plates and drinks, the two ladies chatted up to get to know each other.
Shandy shared that she was an only child and that her life was just a simple one, but with both parents deceased, she had nothing to hold her in North Carolina, and she decided to give the Midwest a try; it was colder weather, but she didn’t mind having a change of scenery and truly enjoyed the sunsets and the Mississippi River, and it also helped that her Aunt Rebecca opened up her home and let Shandy stay there; Clarabelle listened with great focus, except when the nagging thoughts about her appointment interrupted her demeanor; Shandy picked up on this and asked, “what seems to be troubling you, Clarabelle?”
Picking at the remains of her pie, Clarabelle looked up at Shandy and confessed, “I have an appointment in about an hour and I am not looking forward to it, it’s for a follow up from my mammogram, and, well, it makes me nervous to think that something could be wrong.”
Shandy placed her hand on Clarabelle’s shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze, “well, you don’t have to do through this alone, now, do you, as I have time to go with you, that is if you want me to go,” to which Clarabelle sighed a relieved sigh and nodded her head, yes.
…..
There you have it! This my response to this weeks Six Sentence Story prompt HORIZON
And you can join us by going to Girlie on the Edge.
This week’s story is a continuation and you can see the prior links here:
Happy Friday and TTOT time! Let’s hop to it!
A Budding Friendship
“Shandy’s my name,” the waitress said, patting Clarabelle on her shoulder, “I think my mother liked an Australian just enough to sprout me, and from the look in her eyes when she talked about him, God rest her soul, she never quite forgot the spark she had with him.”
“What lovely sentiment, Shandy, I can tell your mother had a lot of love, because just look at you, a lovely woman who isn’t afraid to work and takes the time to help an old woman like me,” Clarabelle reached up and patted Shandy’s hand and smiled.
Tears welled up in Shandy’s eyes and, looking around and noticing impatient customers, and her boss getting red in the face, well, she was anxious, “Don’t go anywhere ma’am, let me take care of these customers and I will be back shortly, okay?”
Rushing about and sternly giving her boss the stink eye, Shandy nodded the direction of Clarabelle; Shandy attended to grabbing orders and hurried back to Clarabelle, “I took the liberty of ordering you a special plate that I happen to like, it’s one of the best meals you will get in here without getting heartburn, trust me on that.”
Clarabelle smiled and asked Shandy, “where are you from, dear, you have a bit of an accent and I can usually tell where a person’s from by their accent, but I am thinking it’s either Georgia or North Carolina, am I right on either of those?”
Shandy sat down for just a moment to rest her dogs and nodded to Clarabelle, “I am from North Carolina, in Brunswick county, from a little town called Southport, it’s a tourist town, good for the quiet, slow life, but I needed to make a change.”
…..
And there you have it! This is my Six Sentence Story from the lovely Denise’s prompt “Change” and you can see more by going to this LINK
This is actually a continuation from last week’s story which you can find HERE
Respect
Aretha said it well
Singing it from her soul
it was about a man
but, you know, anything goes
R E S P E C T
just what does it mean to me?
Responding with care
Elegantly commenting
Stating with caution
Placing others feelings in perspective
Edging to the other side with grace
Caring before conveying
Taking the time to listen
The Prolific Pulse is happy to announce that the “Heart Beats” anthology is accepting poetry submissions. For information please send an email to prolificpulse@gmail.com or send a message via the contact form of this blog.
Elastic like stretches with her claws into the Berber weave
She twists to her back and looks at me with her belly posed
I know better than to touch that furry white patch
Pleas to evict me from my chair are in vain
I lean to her and she purrs softly to chin scratches
Just as I twist one second, she jumps behind and takes my seat
…..
This is my response to this weeks prompt “elastic” for the Six Sentence Story. Would you like to join? Go to Girlie on the Edge to get the scoop!
Lose me now in the mists of the last rains of summer
kissing the edges of fall, warming my heart and soul
leaving behind the persevering dripples of sweat
opening the doors to the scents of mud sliming away
and earth once more recycles to a new season
oh fall, how you warm my soul and cool by brow
slink into my life, once more with hope
for yet another life of joy
and let the winter’s glow call me forth
but only after I gently pace the shadows of falling leaves.
…..
And there you have it! TTOT in a poem this week. 🙂
Balance begins early.
Building blocks of wood.
Bombies blasted with taws.
Beams balancing in gym class.
Be it what it may, it all leads
to vocation.
…..
This is in response to the Living Poetry September Visual Poetry Prompt.
An aquarium displays a rainbow.
It is a gallery of sorts.
Every shade of color and transparency seems possible.
There is this one thing, though.
With all the different colors
the target is easier to see.
…..
This is my response to Six Sentence Story. Prompt word: Gallery JOIN US
It’s Friday and TTOT day! Let’s do it!
3. Ability to go to the beach and clear my head. The perfect overcast day with bonus of natural social distancing (talking sparse after Labor Day).
I have not read this book, but must since I go to Topsail as “my” beach.
4. Getting Steps In! We are doing a steps challenge and getting more than our steps in each day and it is showing up on the scales. I feel miserable from COVID weight and hope to get back to the pre-COVID weight ASAP. I have very few taste buds working (no, it’s not COVID-it’s been this way for a good year) and instead of using that for an excuse not to eat as much, I actually seek something to satisfy what buds I have. The good news is that I had a reboot to at least a 50% upgrade on my buds this week and I don’t know why, but it was pleasant. What I understand about getting older is that this could happen. I just want to be healthy.
5. Virtual Meetings – I love these meetings! Even if it were not for the pandemic, I would have loved to see this a long time ago. I don’t usually like going out in the dark. It’s a vision thing. And I normally am in bed by 9. With the virtual meetings, they may sometimes run later, but I am at home, so there’s that. Keep on zoooooming, as far as I am concerned. I could list at least 10 reasons to do meetings this way. How about you?
6. Daughter bought her sewing machine and a sewing table. It fits well in her room and today we got some baskets to put on the shelves. She already has masks cut out and other projects in mind. It warms my heart to see her take on sewing, like this.
This is the one she bought and it looks just as pretty!
7. All the people working on the fires out West. Prayers going up for all in need.
8. Checking things off my long check list and setting aside time for me to do this.
9. Bargain prices on food. Don’t you just love it when something you like becomes affordable?
10. You! What’s on your week’s thankful list? Let’s hear about it. Join the party. Want to “ZOOM”?
So, you can click on the above box and see what others have to say and join in.
Cheers!!!
Have you read this? It looks fun!
What is poetry to you? Does it bring joy to your life? Is it a release from stress? Is it a way to send a message about social justice? Is it a way to express love? Is it a tool to balance your brain? Does it make the rest of life make sense?
As you can see here, poetry affects us in multiple ways. It is not all roses and French colognes. It is messy. It smells acrid. It rustles up souls. It raises awareness. It shows appreciation. It releases bad dreams. It even conjures up dreams. It creates restless dreams, calling the poet up at 4 a.m. because they are visited with poetry. The list goes on.
How about joining us at Poet’s Connection and sharing the beauty of poetry?
On September 26 at 10 a.m. until noon Eastern Time Zone, poets will be coming together for a special event. Poet’s Connection has been meeting monthly and went online because of the pandemic. We gather each month to share what we have written, to learn new forms, to interact with other poets, to support each other. And we bring in guests. Last month we had a workshop with Justine Quammie. This month we are being visited by three poets who will share their works.
We will come together at 10 a.m. Eastern Time and readings will begin at 10:15. We gives us time to get into the room and share. After the last reading, we will also have time for sharing.
As Poet’s Connection is a virtual event, this allows for others to be involved. Who knows when there will be the possibility of in person meetings? Online meetings will continue, regardless of when in person meetings start back. This is because there is an apparent need for online meetings, especially for those of us who cannot get to in-person meetings, as well as offering a more international approach.
Who, you may be asking, is going to present as the special guests on September 26, 2020? Well, here is the scoop.
Maxima Kahn is a writer of poetry, essays and fiction. Her debut collection of poems, Fierce Aria, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2020. Her work has been featured in numerous literary journals and on popular blogs and she has twice been nominated for Best of the Net. She has received scholarships and fellowships to the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley and the Vermont Studio Center.
Her popular workshops and one-on-one mentoring in poetry, creative writing and The Artist’s Way have helped hundreds of people to unleash their creative gifts, realize their aspirations and create lives of passion, purpose and deep play. Having taught formerly at the University of California, Davis Extension, she now teaches and blogs at BrilliantPlayground.com. You can get intimate, insider access to her creative projects and process at Patreon.com/MaximaKahn.
She is also an improvisational violinist, an award-winning composer and a dancer.
Kahn will be reading from her latest book of poetry, Fierce Aria.
*****
Larry Richardson is a 13 year veteran of the military. Richardson started writing poetry in high school and have of this January self published my first poetry book. Richardson shared, “I love poetry and will use it to inspire people and bring them closer to God.” He writes under the penname of LaVon Robinson in honor of his mother, Mary Robinson. His poetry book, The Song of Lala, available by direct contact.
Richardson will be reading from his poetry book, Songs of Layla the poet.
*****
Marcella Remund is a native of Omaha, Nebraska, and a South Dakota transplant, where she teaches English at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. She is the author of a chapbook of poems, The Sea is My Ugly Twin (2018 Finishing Line Press) and a full-length collection The Book of Crooked Prayer (2020 Finishing Line Press). She and her husband live in a multi-generational, multi-species household in Vermillion.
Remund will be reading from her newest book, The Book of Crooked Prayer.
*****
This poetry meeting will be via Meetup. A link will be posted for those who RSVP. If you are not on Meetup, but wish a link, please contact me on this platform and I will respond. @ljtomey
It’s that time of the week for TTOT! What? Yup! It’s that time again. So…let’s goooooo!
2. I finished my special project! YAY! I was a judge for a writing contest. It was fun and interesting to read and respond to the many books.
3. Remote possibilities. You know how people say, “It’s a remote possibility that such and such will happen.” Well, now it has a different meaning. Now one might say, “It’s going to be done remotely.” Or is some form of more proper English. So, Remotely it is happening and I am happy to see it happening. And there is nothing remotely unusual about that. You see what I did here, right?
4. Good walking day. It’s been a pleasant week for strolling about.
5. Puzzles. Daughter has been keeping busy with them and loves them. She is working on Mystical Shimmer, Unicorn. It’s pretty and glittery.
6. My brother from another mother had nice test results this week! YAY!!
7. Miracles! Someone I know thought from all news shared that life was coming to an end and it turned around. YAY!
8. Freedom to listen and watch to the world and freedom to turn it off.
9. Education via the internet so we can still learn without getting all sick and stuff.
10. YOU!! Let’s hear it… I wanna know your thankfuls.
“You have me bending over backwards every day and I am sick of it!” Meghan stomped out of her and her husband’s house. They had another daily spat over one more thing and one more thing was enough to break Meghan’s ever patient mind.
“It’s unacceptable to be constantly running around all day long and not get anything done; look at this house, it is a pigsty,” exclaimed Clarence right before Meghan ran out on him.
Looking at the house, there were the morning’s dishes piled in the sink and yesterday’s laundry in the basket to be folded, while Clarence sat at his computer and played games, waiting for Meghan to wait on him, while he also ignored the children; and that’s when things got loud; Clarence opened his mouth and asked when would lunch be served. This was right after Meghan just got home from picking up their children at school, along with running errands for groceries, gas, getting his list of “necessities” and not grabbing a latte.
As Meghan drove away, she heard this song and made one of her own.
Just a little bending
Takes so little effort
Putting down that plaything
Would be more acceptable
Over unacceptable responses
Killing chances at harmony
…..
There you have it! This is my Six Sentence Story – Double Feature 😉 A little prose, a little poetry and away we go! Want to join us? Go to Girlie on the Edge and have a shot at at.
And bonus points for checking out Living Poetry for the other prompt for this week. Win:Win
Happy Friday and Happy TTOT! Let’s get started!
10. YOU!! Here’s a chance to share your TTOT’s! Join us, why doncha?
It’s the end of a great week and time for TTOT. Let’s get to it!
9. We All Pitched In was published this week. Have a look.
10, YOU! Now you have an opportunity to participate in TTOT. What say you?
Happy Friday and TTOT! Let’s get to it!
2. Today is my birthday so I am grateful for 66 years of life and look forward to 66 more! Hey, a girl can dream! Here I am as about a one year old.
3. Friendships from writing experiences. People who became friends for life. We lost a good one and I celebrate Fred Tarr. I found out when posting a message to him about his book, my book of choice yesterday for The Sealey Challenge of reading a poetry book a day. I will be writing up something more about my dear friend, later.
4. Daughter got creative and made envelopes. She makes lovely cards. She has made so many that we have a surplus. I saw on Facebook where a friend made envelopes, so I suggested to daughter that she make some, too. She jumped right on it. She made the pattern from an envelope she took apart. Here is one of her envelopes. See how the inside pops! She used two sided paper.
5. I read 25 books in July. Oh yes, I did! And I am reading 31 books in August. The August books are poetry books. The July books were mainly non-fiction. I will probably post about my poetry book reading after all is done.
6. My godchildren have accepted an offer on their house. YAY!!!!
7. My good friend and sister from another mister was able to get moved into her new place this week. I am so happy for her as it has been a long time coming. Perseverance and all!
8. Sometimes I just want to pinch myself for all the wonderful blessings! I am going to be one of the editors for a publication, starting in September. It is an honor to be asked.
9. I have had another poem accepted for publication. With all the increased writing, I am surprised. There are so many people sending out their poetry.
10. Here’s the part where I have to ask…are you wanting to share your thankfuls? Well, we sure would love to hear your words. Supposing you would like to share, you can go to the blue link and presto-chango! You are going to a page where you can pop your link and share with us! Hope to see you there!
Happy Friday and Happy TTOT Time! Let’s hop to it!
Some may say my style is zany
Eccentricity may be a stretch
I prefer to call it quirky
Like my funky bird
Whose heart is centric
A good reason to feel blessed
…..
Six Sentence Story time is here and this weeks word is Zany! WooWee but that was a doozy!
You can check out all the lovely posts by going to THIS LINK
Happy Friday and TTOT day! Let’s hop to it!
It’s TTOT time! Let’s get at it!
Happy TTOT and Fourth of July celebration week! May you have at least a virtual celebration with fireworks and all! Only, this year, you will need a mask and social distancing. Looks like some with do this with parking and watching and others will do it virtually. Be safe and mindful and it should go well.
4. Poet’s Connection Meetup has been going well. We met last Saturday and it always makes me smile to get together with poets. We talked about Sonnets and shared some we wrote or found.
5. Daughter is back to volunteering. There are mom rules and thrift store rules she has to follow. She does love to do the work and right now her own job is slow. I am grateful she has this productive way to spend her time.
6. Tax season will be over July 15. With the exception of extension, that is. So, there is light at the end of the calculator.
7. Poetry Dive – I have participated in another Poetry Dive for the month of June. It is like a family reunion with this group as many of us are returning poets. Fortunately, I stay connected through other groups members are a part of and have become social media friends so we can stay connected. It is always sad to see it end. That means good things happened.
8. The IRS…huh? Yes, you heard me right! I am grateful that for the first time in a good while I was able to reach the IRS and talk to a real person about a matter. I feel answered and listened to and all is well.
9. Books. I am grateful to be able to read. It’s a blessing and I have several on a pile to dig into.
10. You! How are you doing? Won’t you join us with virtual S’Mores? Sit by the campfire and swap some yarns…
Good Morning and Welcome to TTOT where we take a moment once a week and reflect on the thankfulness of the week prior. Let’s get at it.
Theory of Love
Shandy sat on the couch, pondering what she was to do with her life after her husband passed away. She had always been focused on him and their son and the idea of doing anything different for herself was foreign. In a way, she was puzzled over what was even missing in her life. She had been a loving, supportive wife and mother, by all the ways she cared for her family. By any means, she decided one thing for certain, she had to find out if she really liked who she was and then decide if this also meant she felt self-love. She got up off the couch, ventured out for a hike, and decided to do what made her smile, knowing this would lead to one thing, in theory, that all components of a happy life for her needed to be explored, then she would know what truly fed her soul.
And this is my Six Sentence Story for the week. Come and share yours HERE
It’s already March! No way! Well, let’s hop to it before all of a sudden it’s April!
Imagine sitting around the table in a coffee house like in the old days. Remember the beatnik days? Then you may be a baby boomer, like me. Perhaps you are more into another scene, open mics at the local coffee shop or bar. Well, it’s now 2021 and we get to do these things virtually. That’s right! You can wear your beanie, scarves, have your favorite beverage and snacks and participate in the Poets Coffee Table Talk held in your home on your computer, tablet, phone…
National Poetry Month is coming in April. There is something planned for every day of the month. One of many events will be the Coffee Table Talks to be held each Monday night in April. We will have panelists who will speak about a variety of topics, each week being something different. Come join us for one, two, three, or even all four sessions. Take a look and sign up if you would like to join. If you are not wanting to sign up on the Meetup page, go to the comments on this page and provide your email and I will send the link.
Check out each weeks offerings and sign up 🙂
This is an event I cannot wait for!!
Click this Meetup Link to attend!!
Just like in the old days when poets came together, perhaps imbibed, or had some coffee, and talked about the problems of the world and how they would use poetry to speak their minds. This is a Coffee Table Talk.
We will have a select group of panelists:
Susi Bocks
Chyrel J. Jackson
Maxima Kahn
LaVan Robinson
For this event, Susi Bocks will be sharing about her anthology of poetry as well as some of the poets involved will share their poetry.
We will also be talking about using poetry for social change.
Lisa Tomey will be the moderator.
Audience participation is encouraged after the panel discussion.
About Our Panelists:
Susi Bocks, writer/author/poet, has self-published two books – “Feeling Human” and “Every Day I Pause” and is the Editor of “The Short of It,” which she is…
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