Scribblings #77 #poetry - Grimm's Fairy Tales, Part I

I was excited to receive this book from my youngest sister as a birthday gift! So, thank you, sister!! I never had my own copy of The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales before, but now I do! Growing up, I had always loved fairy tales, legends, folklore stories, fables, and the like. They are always so fascinating culturally speaking. It makes me think about how old these stories are and how they evolve over generations and centuries in their respective cultures... Anyway, I've read a few since last night and wrote a few haiku/senryu inspired by these fairy tales. Hope you like them!

"The Hare's Bride"

forest wedding--
offering the groom
her straw-stitched heart

"The Two Travelers"

at the gallows . . .
when dewdrops become
my breath

"The Four Skillful Brothers"

along this path
to find my heart . . .
pine breeze

August Blog Bash, Day 33 - Darrell Lindsey @haikupoet1 (Sept. 2)

Welcome to the Debut of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!** If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Darrell Lindsey

In "Meditation on An Artist," I love the caricature of the artist in this poem.  There is a sense of wonder and mystery behind the artist himself.  For me as the reader, the questions I kept asking are "Why?" such as "Why does the artist paint people in those particular ways in stanza one?  Why is his home a 'ramshackle cabin'?"  I also love the sense of ambiguity because it leaves the imagination and interpretation up to the reader.  For instance, we can only wonder how the artist's relationship is like with his father, or why the artist finds fascination in the dark/broken things (or dark humor) in his subjects.  Finally, Lindsey captures the essense of all things art in that as part of human nature, we will never cease to discover for ourselves "what it means to be human."  Therefore, art is just a translation (or even a transformation) of that human essence.

In this tanka, there is a subtle hint of bitterness and humor (irony) in the speaker's relationship with another person.  I love the contrast between the sorting of junk or "recyclables" in the "blue bag" versus the non-sorting of the "years of love"--that is, something that is tangible versus something that is not.  From a reader's standpoint, we can see how unstable this relationship is, or perhaps it is a relationship that has lost its substance some time ago and eventually dissolved.  And sadly, what is left from this relationship is the "blue bag / of recyclables."  This tanka (more like a kyoka) captures a universal experience we can all relate to. Wonderful work, Darrell!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors!  (NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format or something similar.)

To check out more of Darrell's work, you can click on the following link(s): Darrell Lindsey:  The Haiku Foundation (profile) Darrell Lindsey:  Poets & Writers (profile) Book at Popcorn Press (book available for purchase) @haikupoet1 (Twitter) Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 30 - Stan Beatty

Welcome to the Debut of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!** If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Stan Beatty

It is quite refreshing to read a short story in this Blog Bash series as I always like to feature a variety in the features.  Today's feature is Stan Beatty.  The following piece makes the fourth prose piece in the Blog Bash series (and the third short story).  It is a wonderfully humorous story that is based on Beatty's friend's real-life hunting dog that behaved in the same manner, according to Beatty.  What I really love about this piece is Beatty's powerful and believable dialogue (narration style with a sense of the countryside) that engages the reader on a personal level.  The reader learns to appreciate the dog--perhaps even come to care for the dog's well-being as well.  After all, a dog is a man's best friend as we learn in this story.  Finally, the story ends with a humorous twist with a bit of realization that a good dog is a friendly companion even if there are no such thing as county fairs.

Ripple

Ripple, sure I know that word.  It brings to mind a lot of fond memories.  Some of my old childhood friends would say, “Sure, you know that word… you should… you sure as hell drank enough of it.” But they would be wrong… not wrong about drinking the Ripple Wine but wrong about my having any fond memories of those Ripple Wine hangovers. No, the fond memories are about my grandpa’s dog, Ripple.  You might think that's a strange name for a dog, but ole Ripple came by it naturally.  You see, in those days, my folks, and I’m sure most of the folks around that part of the country didn't name their dogs until the dogs earned their right to be named. Folks figured there was no use in naming a dog until it really belonged to the name it was given.  The other thing about dogs in those days was they had to be worth their keep.  If they weren't worth their feed… well, folks just took them out back and… bang! I know you're wondering what you would call a dog if you didn't give it a name.  For the first two years of Ripple’s life, my grandpa just called him, “Hey.”  Some people had a habit of whistling for their dogs, but my grandpa was happy just shouting, “Hey,” and then that ole black Lab would be right by his side. Every time I went to visit my grandpa, I would worry that “Hey” would not be around anymore, but he always passed the tests that grandpa laid before him.  He learned real fast not to bother the chickens and that his place was outside.  My grandpa would not allow a dog in the house.  If they needed a place to sleep inside, they could use the barn. By the time that “Hey” turned two, he was becoming a pretty good hunting dog.  He could find the birds and most times never broke his point.  He never shied from the blast of a shotgun, and he never took out after the birds until my grandpa said go. While he was straining to get going after the birds, he would stand with all four feet spread wide apart and shake but as his back muscles really began to develop he stopped shaking and started rippling.  Yes, that’s what I said, he started rippling.  His ripples looked just like the ripples in pond made by skipping stones. The ripples would start at his butt and work all the way up to his neck.  His head never moved or quivered at all.  He kept his eyes on exactly where he had seen the prey go down.  When the ripples finally reached his neck, they would begin all over again. At first, the ripples would move kind of slow but the longer my grandpa made him wait, the faster the ripples went so naturally, grandpa began calling him Ripple. Ripple learned how to find and point out quail and pheasants with the best of the dogs.  In fact, he became a real good hunting dog.  He would set his point and not move until commanded to do so.  He would go into a perfect set with his head craned sort of away from his body; his left front foot would come up with his leg bent; his whole body leaned forward, and his tail would get stiff as a board and point directly backwards. But then his rippling would start and get faster and faster until he was released to flush the bird.  Well, this rippling never bothered my grandpa.  He was sure it made ole Ripple just a cut above the other dogs, so he decided to enter him in the county fair. Grandpa bragged all over the county about how he had the best hunting dog in the state.  Of course, when someone says that he has the best or is the best, there is always someone that will disagree. In my grandpa's case, it was his cousin Arlo.  Arlo personally knew of at least three dogs that were better, and he bragged that he should know something about dogs because he was the judge at the county fair. Naturally, grandpa had to enter Ripple in the competition that summer, and so the story goes, the judge, Cousin Arlo, disqualified Ripple because he moved when he was setting in his point.  My grandpa argued that he wasn’t moving.  He argue that it was a ripple in his skin but Arlo wouldn't budge.  Ripple was disqualified.

Grandpa appealed to organizers of the fair, and Cousin Arlo was disqualified as a judge because of the family ties.  Grandpa strutted around the fairgrounds like a bandy rooster around a bunch of hens.  He hee-hawed poor Arlo like he was a Jackass entered in the fair. No, Ripple didn't win a prize.   Grandpa removed him from the competition.  He said that getting the best of his cousin, Arlo, gave him enough bragging rights for a whole year.

Silence

under a pine

a man  a rifle   wait

 in silence

to kill

for sport

the prey   restless

 senses   talking

eyes   ears   nose

see the shadows   hear the breeze   smell the danger

the wind  speaks to the leaves   the mountain   the pines

in silence

they wait

the hunter   the hunted

a flick of the tail   a blink of an eye   a buzz of the fly

chipmunks peek   wait   wonder.

 Hunter   rifle   poised

beads of sweat   anticipation   beckons

flies move   antlers move   tail flicks

in silence

senses warn

hunter   rifle   rise

chipmunks chirp

antlers move    branch moves

 wind blows  leaves shimmer

a buzz of the fly  a chirp of the chipmunk

antlers pause   the hunted wary

the wind blows... the hunted flees

nature wins

in silence

but not always

This concrete poem is almost shaped like a rifle and captures the scenery of a typical hunting adventure.  Descriptions of various subjects/images in the poem are brief--almost in a bulletpoint-kind of way (pardon the pun).  I like the sense of anticipation, excitement, and a bit of fear at the same time.  Eventually, even the hunter knows that sometimes "nature wins" and beats the human being in his/her own hunting game. Wonderful work, Stan!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors!  (NB:  Text arrangement by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format if possible or in MS PowerPoint.)

To check out more of Stan's work, you can click on the following link(s): Old Grizz (blog) Burned Toast and Coffee (blog) Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 29 - Roslyn Ross @rosross

Welcome to the Debut
of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms.

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!**

If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Roslyn Ross

I love the colors in this painting as it's both a mixture of earthy tones and specks of vibrant reds and yellows in the foreground of the painting.  It looks like we're on top of a hill enjoying the scenery around us.  However, it is quite difficult to determine what is in the distance on that hill (center).  Is it a fort or an assembly of militia?  It looks like there are many tiny flags waving in the distance.  Perhaps Kimberley Country, Australia is a significant place for the artist in some way, or perhaps it is a historical place that has made a profound effect on the artist.  The smudgy look of the brushstrokes in the foreground implies a well-travelled place (at least to me).  However the viewer interprets or perceives this painting, one is very curious about the painting itself as I'm sure that behind every created piece, there is a reason or history for the work.

In this poem, the language is slightly more archaic than most contemporary poems.  However, I feel as if though this poem is up to reader's interpretation.  For me, the very meaning of the poem lies in Lines 9-10 and the last eight lines of the poem as those lines speak about the moments in our lives, and how those moments "will always speak of God, / of life, of love."  Even if an individual is not religious, the reader can substitute "God" with a "higher being" or "unknown First Mover of the universe," or any other spiritual or scientific phrases.  Nevertheless, God/higher power, love, and life are the basic foundations of life as we all question each subject some point in our lives.  In general, I feel that this poem is an expanded metaphor about life and how the subtlest of things and of moments are perhaps the most profound.

Lovely work, Roslyn!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors!

(NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format.)

To check out more of Roslyn's work, you can click on the following link(s):

Small Stones and Other Poems (blog)
The Literary Faction (blog)
P5 (blog)
@rosross (Twitter)

Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 26 - Christina Nguyen @TinaNguyen

Welcome to the Debut of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!** If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Christina (Tina) Nguyen

In reading both tanka, readers cannot help it but to smile at how heartwarming they both are.  In both tanka, Nguyen also shares her joyful experiences as a mother.  In "[lady's slipper]," Nguyen compares this distinct exotic flower to that of her "pregnant belly."  Both images are very "showy" and delicate.  It is interesting to note that the third line is what orients the time-frame as well as the reader in this beautiful midsummer's experience--that is, the blooms of both her "pregnant belly" and the "lady's slipper" flower. In "[reading tanka]," I love that shared experience between mother and daughter in "reading tanka" from other authors, while at the same time, Nguyen bounces her child "on [her] lap."  There is that lightheartednes in this special moment of maternal bonding with a child, yet at the same time, inspires "a poem . . . to form."  This tanka goes from a shared experience of reading tanka to a more individual experience of potentially (or in the process of) writing one.  I love how both tanka have that conciseness with beautiful diction and tender moments from the author's life.  Also in both tanka, Nguyen demonstrates the versatility and beauty of writing tanka as a reflection of one's life like a diary--that is, to make it her own.  Unlike the haiku, however, the tanka is more lyrical and fluid in style and form. Such heartwarming work, Tina!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors!  Also, I want to wish you a wonderful HAPPY BIRTHDAY as well as an EXTRA HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUR 1-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER, DIANE!  Today's feature is a little festive icing on both of your cakes!  Enjoy your day! (NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format.)

To check out more of Tina's work, you can click on the following link(s): A wish for the sky... (blog) @TinaNguyen (Twitter) Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 25 - Paula Wanken

Welcome to the Debut
of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!**

If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Paula Wanken

This poem is heartbreaking and haunting.  The speaker of the poem (or the author) writes about her emotions in a nautical metaphor.  Like the open seas, there is a large amount of uncertainty in this moment as depicted in the last half of the poem.  I would say that this is an example of a therapeutic poem, when the poet writes a poem as a way to heal from a stressful event such as in this case, a heartbreak (or a break-up from a relationship or even a long-distanced one).  The short, choppy lines in the poem also present a churning of emotions (other than the "choppy seas") visually on the page.  I also love the first line in the poem ("in my marrow"), which does grab the reader's attention.  After reading this poem, I am sure that there are many times in our lives that we do not have that sense of direction.

I am happy to introduce a different poetic short form in this August Blog Bash series called the shadorma.  This is a Spanish six-lined poem with the syllable pattern of 3/5/3/3/7/5.  I am not familiar with how popular this form is in the United States, but I do know that since it was presented on Poetic Asides, it has been acknowledged and experimented.  (I have even experimented with this form myself.)  In "A Moment with Monet," I am assuming that Wanken drew inspiration from a Monet painting in order to write this short poem.  Because it is a short form poem, conciseness is important.  Wanken describes the features of the sea (i.e., the "shimmers" and "blue hues") before adding in the "father, son, and sun"--that is, Wanken goes from the larger picture to something as small as the "father, son, and sun."  I can imagine how the sea dominates most of the Monet painting and how perhaps in the slight center or corner somewhere, there is a father and son in a ship on a journey somewhere.  I love how the "sun" is added in as a companion with the father and son.  Interestingly, this last line cycles back to the first line ("morning light") as if day after day, it is the same vast ocean, the same experience/journey.  I also wonder if this painting also draws from Wanken's personal life as both poems presented today feature nautical elements.

Wonderful (nautical) work, Paula!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors!  And many, many thanks for your patience and understanding with what I'm going through now.

(NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format.)

To check out more of Paula's work, you can click on the following link(s):

Echoes from the Silence (blog)


Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 24 - Heather Grace Stewart @hgracestewart

Welcome to the Debut of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!** If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Heather Grace Stewart

This touching poem is powerful and inspiring.  Sometimes it is difficult to get through the period and process of grief and healing when you lose a friend or someone important in your life to cancer.  However, the poet's daughter brightens the dark overcast day by getting Stewart to save snails from getting trampled over ("death by shoes").  The contrast between Stewart's friend to the snails is striking.  Stewart could not save the life of her friend, yet she can help nature by saving something even smaller than herself or even her friend--that is, saving "small snails."  The transition from human nature to nature gives that balance in the poem in that all parts of life are cyclic, precious and transient.  Stewart's writing style is personal and concise, yet it has a good touch of storytelling and expressive dialogue that is freeing and necessary for healing ("Fuck You, Cancer. / FUCK YOU!").  I love the small stone feel of the last stanza in the poem.

Speaking of a "sweet summer rain," it was very fitting to read this poem again and write a commentary on it while it's raining outside.  I was moved to tears with this poem because I'm sure we can all relate to trying to squeeze in those extra little moments with our loved ones and friends.  Making time for others is not always easy, but here in this poem, Stewart shows us by teaching her daughter how to wrap a present.  This "present" becomes a springboard for an even larger present metaphorically given to her by the male figure addressed by the second person ("you") and "by your brother's name," whose life was also lost to cancer.  That larger present is up to reader's interpretation:  love, being "in the now," and hope.  Once again, Stewart employs the storytelling technique to capture the grieving and healing process after a loss.  I also love how controlled the flow of emotions, moments, and memories presented in this poem ranging from something heartwarming (teaching the daughter how to wrap presents) to something humurous (the minister getting the name of the deceased wrong) to something as haunting, yet comforting as the "flickering lights" in the poem.

Such heartfelt work, Heather!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors!  And many, many thanks for your patience and understanding with what I'm going through now. (NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format.)

To check out more of Heather's work, you can click on the following link(s): Heather Grace Stewart (website) Heahter Grace Stewart on Winter Goose Publishing (profile) Heather Grace Stewart (Amazon) @hgracestewart (Twitter) Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 23 - Linda Hofke

Welcome to the Debut of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!** If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Linda Hofke

Per Hofke,

I love the blur of the purple flowers in the back and the "pose" of the hearts on the branches, as if they are arms reaching out for all who walk by.

Hofke says that these bleeding hearts are in front of her house.  For me, I can only imagine how simply beautiful it is to be able to walk by and admire these beauties.  The contrast between purple and pink in this photo is vivid, yet I like how each set of flowers are curved in different directions (the bleedings hearts are like a rainbow across the center and the purple flowers are like the letter "C" in the sidelines).  I also find that this untouched photo is like a visual "small stone," already polished in its own way without having to retouch the photo itself.  Isn't Mother Nature inherently photogenic?  This lovely photo captures the fresh breath, colors, and delicateness of springtime.

(Click on image to read the full story on Ney's "Writing in Wonderland" website/blog.)

I'm excited to say that this is the second short story piece featured here in this August Blog Bash series (making it a third prose piece too)!  Hofke's memoir is a heartwarming creative nonfiction story that doesn't quite fit in with the typical science fiction stories whenever you think of the theme of "Space Tales."  There are no aliens, clone experiments, robots, or wars between galaxies.  There is, however, a touching relationship between her and her daughter, exploring the kind of unconditional mother-daughter love that simply goes beyond "the moon, the stars, and [even] fairy dust."  Sometimes believing in and having that kind of love from a parent is more than enough for any child out there to go through life.  I'm sure every reader can relate to this story because after all, we are perhaps more fortunate than we realize.  Hofke's style of writing is concise and humorous; her words are chosen with care.  The dialogue in this piece is what makes this story so well-put together (smooth flow) and tangible. Stunning work, Linda!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors!  And many, many thanks for your patience and understanding with what I'm going through now. (NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format.)

To check out more of Linda's work, you can click on the following link(s): Linda's Life on the Other Side (blog) Lind-guistics (blog) Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 22 - Alegria Imperial @gwhisp

Welcome to the Debut of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!** If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Alegria Imperial

This gorgeous haiku presents a new perspective of church bells tolling with words in minimalistic form.  Through this haiku, the reader can feel the heartbeat of every bell toll as well as his/her own heart beating along with the bells themselves.  I also love the fact that this haiku leaves a subtle touch of the "just enough" sensation for the reader to put his/her imagination into the haiku itself.  For instance, perhaps it's a pair of newlyweds who's just swapped vows.  However, notice that these are "angelus bells."  Imperial was very precise with this choice of words.  It denotes something worthy of praise--like an angelic praise that is continuous and prolonged ("pealing"), which really does turn one's pulse up a notch!  I also like the word play here too.  "Pealing" should not be confused with "peeling."  If the angelus bells are "peeling / in heartbeats," I would be perhaps thinking about peeling off flower petals such as bell flowers or bleeding hearts (and maybe sticking a flower behind my ear), which would make a wonderful transition between bells and flowers!

I am very excited to say that this is the first haibun presented through this August Blog Bash series!  This haibun presents a powerful experience of just simply paying attention to what's around you and just "being there" in the moment.  There are so many lovely words and phrases here such as "the way the leaves sway and retract" and "the constancy of flowers."  The stream-of-consciousness style in this haibun is steady and soothing like the river itself.  The delightful thing is that you realize that everything ends in the river when the haibun ended with a "river" haiku.  Both prose and haiku complement one another well.  I love how the prose ended with a floating "when," which leads cleverly into "shifting tides" (wonderful syntax here), so that there seem to be no break (in the flow) between prose or haiku, even though visually, the reader can see the prose and the haiku separately on the page.  This haibun is very lyrical and meditative in composition and tone. Gorgeous work, Alegria!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors!  And many, many thanks for your patience and understanding with what I'm going through now. (NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format.)

To check out more of Alegria's work, you can click on the following link(s): Jornales (blog) Filipineses (blog) @gwhisp (Twitter) Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 19 - Teri Hoover @tmhHoover

Welcome to the Debut of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!** If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Teri Hoover

Teri Hoover is best known for her stunning skills and eye in photography.  For instance, this photo, "Deconstructing Structure," captures a bittersweet moment Hoover shares with the viewer about her husband.  The "structure" of the happy couple "deconstructs" as her husband departs to Asia.  Notice the "Departing Flights" sign at the entrance of the airport as well as the darkened glass doors and windows that create a solemn appearance.  Sometimes, we attach strong emotions to architecture just as Hoover does with this photo.  In this case, we get a sense of longing and sadness (i. e., "I miss you.  Wish you were here.").  There is even a greater mystery as to the reason behind the departing.  Perhaps the husband is a military personnel or on business overseas.  Sometimes when a loved one leaves is when our heart grows strongly fonder, craving for that person's presence.

This photo is not exacty a haiga, but it is fairly close.  I would say that this is more of a contemplative photo with words that are comforting... like a mantra.  It is as if though the artist believes in finding the "light" in the midst of darkness and fear.  With this "faith," words will come as a source of healing and strength; these words will "blossom."  I love how vibrant these violet flowers are in this photo and how they represent those "[blossoming]" words and hope for the artist.  Or, to interpret this photo in a different way, perhaps it takes a lot of courage to tell the person what we really want to say and exactly what we are thinking and feeling. Stunning work, Teri!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors! (NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format.)

To check out more of Teri's work, you can click on the following link(s): Teri H. Hoover Photography (Facebook) Teri H. Hoover Photography (blog) A Small Stone Gathering (blog) @tmhHoover (Twitter) Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 18 - Chris Galvin Nguyen @ChrisGNguyen

Welcome to the Debut of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!** If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Chris Galvin Nguyen

This elegy is a bittersweet and heartfelt dedication to the author's friend, which led me to tears.  It was quite difficult to write a commentary for this poem because it is just simply stunning and raw.  It reminded me of an outgoing college classmate who died from a fatal car accident, but she was a friend to me and everyone else around her.  Anyway, not to take a detour from this poem here, we can see that there are many mixed emotions from this poem, ranging from kindness to companionship (love) to nostalgia to grief.  The repeating image of "wine tasting/sipping" makes those emotions even more tangible.  The movement of the poem branches out from the wine sipping to a sense of traveling.  For instance, the reader gets a taste of the Vietnamese culture and landmarks starting from "maps [and] brochures" to "emperors' grand mausoleums" in Hue to a treat of "a lazy boat trip" on the Huong River and coffee at a "cozy cafe."  The last stanza of the poem is poignant and focuses the reader on the present reality of "The tests.  [and]  More tests," highlighting the scary realization that life is transient and that the friend's dreams (the Vietnam travel "plans") were not fulfilled.  Instead, cancer took her down to a different path, and the author is left with her dreams, which makes us wonder if the author is going to embark on that travel to Vietnam in memory of her friend.

While the mood in the previous poem is solemn, "Breathless," on the other hand, is lighthearted.  I absolutely love the carefree sensation in this poem.  At first, it felt as if though we are on a playground swing (Lines 1-5).  Upon reading the poem a second time, I thought of roller coasters, and then the sense of flying when there is joy and when one is in love.  No matter the scenario, a person--no matter the age--can be just as "breathless" if we choose to "fly" and "ignore [the] concern" of landing.  It reminds me of that old saying:  "The journey is greater than the destination itself," or somewhere along those lines... Simply beautiful work, Chris!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors!  (NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format.)

To check out more of Chris' work, you can click on the following link(s): Chris Galvin (blog) "Memoir:  Fire" at The Winnipeg Review (journal) "Flood Season" at Asian Cha (journal) @ChrisGNguyen (Twitter) Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 17 - JulesPaige

Welcome to the Debut of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!** If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  JulesPaige

JulesPaige is an invented nom-de-plume that translates to "jewels on a page."  She has been writing for 40 years and is a seasoned member on the Writing Our Way Home community.  Her poems are usually filled with fantastical images and stories that oftentimes leave the reader with a sense of light, sweetness, and beauty.  These two poems as presented here are examples of those magical poems.  In "Another Harvest Moon," there are images and stanzas that parallel one another.  However, the third stanza acts like an anchor to this poem.  It speaks of a transient nature (both nature and human nature)--how we "consume" and harvest everything in life before "we too fade."  From this anchoring stanza, it is much easier to branch out to the other stanzas and understand what's going on in the poem.  For instance, the speaker of the poem (or author) states that she "shall count [the Ladybug's] / Years before [it] flies," noting that transient life as mentioned previously.  It is as if the speaker/author is trying to "harvest" the Ladybug's years, so that she can enjoy life a little longer; for it is said in myth that a ladybug brings "good luck" to mankind (stanza 2).  Interestingly, there are bits of wisdom scattered throughout this poem (stanzas 3 and 5 are examples).

In "Mis-Steps?," this humorous poem tells a story about Two Left Feet at a lovely "costumed" dance party.  Readers can relate to experiences of ridicule and peer pressure to fit in with the crowd as well as the courage it takes to accept own's self-identity--with flaws, quirks, and deformities, even if it means having two left feet!  But as it is with life, Two Left Feet continue(s) on dancing because after all, how can one measure a fighting spirit?  It is that sense of accomplishment and courage to stand up to something that sets a person apart from others. Wonderful work, Jules!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors!  (NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format.)

To check out more of Jules' work, you can click on the following link(s): Julesgemsandstuff (blog) Julesgemstonepages (blog) Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 16 - Annette Makino @Ant99

Welcome to the Debut of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!** If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Annette Makino

Today's exciting Blog Bash features Annette Makino, a poet and an artist.  She merges haiku and senryu with Japanese ink paintings (as shown here in today's feature) in the form of haiga.  Her techniques in both poetry and art embody the concept of wabi-sabi in Japanese aesthetics and philosophy.  There is simple beauty to her haiga without overwhelming the reader/viewer.  In each haiga, there are soft touches of brushstrokes which resemble watercolor painting to me (other than Japanese ink painting).  Nevertheless, each haiga is lovely and unique in its own way. In the haiga, "[June morning]" (above), I love the sense of mystery as the speaker of the poem (or author) tries to decipher each birdsong and match it to the correct bird.  However, it is a symphony of "unseen birds," so distinguishing each bird note from the other may be difficult.  The pivot between lines 2 and 3 of the haiku within the haiga is skillfully employed.  In fact, it is visually divided (note the white space between lines 2 and 3), giving a sense to the reader that perhaps on one June morning, a person is receiving "unknown calls" via the phone or by some other means.  Once we get past the white space (a little pause here), we find that we are brought back to nature ("unseen birds").  Note the similarity and familiarity of unknown/unseen people and things.  In this haiga, sounds of human nature reflect sounds of nature (or so it seems).  Such depth, this haiga... In "[summer solstice]" (below), there are elements of simplicity and the natural process of life.  In this particular haiga, peaches mark the beginning of summer as they "ripen / into sweetness."  There is also tangibility (evoking the senses) because the peaches look drool-worthy delicious.  Even though this haiga reads simply, I think it goes beyond the reader's eyes.  For instance, perhaps the author/artist/speaker of the poem associates peaches with the lingering "sweetness" of summer carried over from the end of spring.  This haiga invites the reader to fill in his/her "sweetness" while reading and enjoying the haiga because after all, I am sure we each associate the summer solstice to a number of different things, people, and places.

P. S.  All August Blog Bash contributors will be receiving one of Makino's card!  There are also other drawings too (prizes to be updated).  Stay tuned! Such beautiful work, Annette!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors!  (NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format.)

To check out more of Annette's work, you can click on the following link(s): Makino Studios (website) Makino Studios (blog) Makino Studios (Facebook) @Ant99 (Twitter) Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 15 - Cara Holman @caraholman

Welcome to the Debut of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!** If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Cara Holman

I love the simplicity and ambiguity in this haiku.  Is it the "playground swing" really "kicking / at clouds" (as it might be a strong wind pushing it), someone pushing the swing (with no one on it), or someone who is on the swing really "kicking / at clouds"?  This is what I like to call minimalism haiku (minimalistic haiku?).  So few words, but the haiku itself says so much--so many interpretations and open for the reader's imagination and experience.  Haiku is already a short form, but Holman is very skilled to write a minimalistic one!  I love the fact that this haiku captures a wonderful part of childhood.  Playground swings are truly a classic experience. 

P.S.  NaHaiWriMo (hosted/created by Michael Dylan Welch) has such wonderful prompts!  This is a great way to share your work and oftentimes get it workshopped in the midst of seasoned haijins.

In this haiku, I love the lyricism in it, particularly with the sounds of "s."  What are secrets?  They are something whispered to another person's ear.  However, Holman adds a tangible feel to these "secrets" as they are like "corn silk / between [her] fingers."  In reading this haiku, I feel like I am sharing the experience of shucking corn while sharing secrets with the speaker of the poem (or author).  The sound of these secrets is like "corn silk," which makes these "secrets" even more alluring and at the same time, creates an experience of bonding or closeness with whomever the speaker/author is sharing this (the experience of shucking corn) with.  Or, to read this haiku in a different way, perhaps the speaker of the poem (or author) has secrets, but lets her hands ("fingers") do the talking.  There's such a stunning depth of interpretation to this gorgeous haiku! Beautiful work, Cara!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors!  (NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format.)

To check out more of Cara's work, you can click on the following link(s): Prose Posies (blog/website) @caraholman (Twitter) Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 14 - Tamara Rendell

Welcome to the Debut of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!** If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Tamara Rendell

This poem functions as a description of a tabula rasa for the artist, poet, or writer.  It offers a meditative, exploratory feel that is all too familiar to any artist/poet/writer out there.  The blank canvas may be intimidating at first ("Artic blankness"), but eventually opens the "voice" to "dark beginnings / of shape and form" and eventually to something as "tangible [as the] rhythms of language."  I really like how introspective and personal this poem is, yet it is also universal in experience.  No matter what the medium an artist chooses, it is the "voice" that makes him/her separate from the other voices out there.  The process of creating is almost mysterious and haunting as depicted in this short poem.  Finally, "Ink" as the title is succinct, yet leaves room for the reader's imagination as there are a variety of "ink" out there--from calligraphy ink to pens.

This painting includes an excerpt from Virginia Woolf's book, Orlando (1928), which is about a man who finds himself transformed into a woman.  Considering when this book was first published, Woolf was certainly ahead of her time addressing issues of gender roles and expectations in society.  Rendell wonderfully captured this memorable quote from Woolf's book with a picture of a person in an androgynous form who looks contemplative/introspective and solemn.  Although I have never read this book, it reminds me of Jung's views on the archetypes of the anima (female/male) as well as the Eastern philosophy of yin and yang.  The black-and-white effect of this painting creates a sort of a haunting/mysterious effect combined with the person having a faraway look in his/her eyes, which helps direct readers to move their eyes to the text on the left.  Notice how the text wraps around the androgynous person.  It reminds me that we are using all of our senses to find Truth.  After all, "Truth!  Truth!" is certainly one thing we will forever struggle with as an individual and as a society.  Sometimes we have to see it in order to believe it.  Also, this painting makes me wonder why this particular excerpt resonated with Rendell.  Perhaps a personal story?  I'm now curious!

Impressive work, Tamara!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors!  (NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format.)

To check out more of Tamara's work, you can click on the following link(s): Tamara Rendell:  Writing, Art & Reviews (blog/website) Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 13 - Kirsten Cliff

Welcome to the Debut
of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!**

If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Kirsten Cliff

Where nature is concerned, this is a beautiful haiga.  The photo is perhaps a place the poet (speaker of the poem) has many fond memories of during her childhood and now has gone back to visit it and share it with the reader.  I love how "soft" this haiga feels from "spring sunlight" to "forest's scent" to the way how lush this particular part of the forest is (from the photo).  All of these images linger as do one's own memories, particularly when it comes to positive childhood memories.  Just as a haiku typically exhibits the present moment, so too can a memory be experienced again within the present moment as the poet thinks of it.

This is a powerful haiga--one that will never be forgotten.  I have not read very many Japanese form poetry or short form poetry related to suicide, so this one for me is those special few.  Nevertheless, this haiga demonstrates that suicide (a very sensitive and painful topic) can be explored in art and poetry just as Cliff has done here.  The haiku/senryu has a subtle irony to it in that there is a funeral put together for the person who had committed suicide (someone who had already planned his own "funeral").  At the same time, there is the harsh fact of reality in that "we all bring daffodils / to the funeral" anyway, grieving that loss of the deceased.  The image paired with the haiku leaves the reader wondering if it is the design of a bridge, but the reader does not know because the image is like abstract art embellished with cobwebs furthering that mysterious effect.

Stunning work, Kirsten!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors! 

(NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format.)

To check out more of Kirsten's work, you can click on the following link(s):

Swimming in Lines of Haiku (blog)
Kirsten Cliff's Website (website)


Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!

August Blog Bash, Day 12 - NO FEATURE

Due to technical difficulties (I've been having problems with getting a stable Internet connection for the past several days; yesterday was the worst), I was unable to post the Day 12 feature.  Fortunately, things fell into place and will continue as planned.

There will be no other (foreseeable) changes to the August Blog Bash.  Day 12 feature will be posted as Day 13.

Thanks, everyone, for your understanding and patience.  My sincerest apologies for the delay/confusion!

August Blog Bash, Day 11 - Elizabeth Howard @smallstate

Welcome to the Debut
of the August Blog Bash 2012!

I am very much excited and honored to be hosting this new feature series... and it is a great way to end the summer!  This Blog Bash is an impressive talent showcase of poets, artists, and writers/authors from all walks of life.  For each day of this month, one individual will be featured here on this blog, at Origami Lotus Stones, my Twitter (hashtag will be #augblogbash), my Facebook community page, and on my blog page on Writing Our Way Home.  Please be patient while I post on all platforms. 

**Please note that all authors/artists have given me permission to post their work on the following platforms/sites I have just mentioned.  Please do not plagiarize, modify, reproduce, or distribute any work without permission from the original authors/artists.  Thank you!**

If you are interested in participating in this Blog Bash, feel free to check out the details here.

*******************************************

Today's Feature:  Elizabeth Howard

The extended personification used in this poem is succinct, yet brilliantly descriptive.  Each word is chosen carefully, creating a distinctly memorable and familiar character of the element of water that is not only known on a personal level but also a universal level.  This poem is also visual art in its own way.  Look at the wavy curve the lines within the poem create vertically going down the "page."  Each "peak" of the curve contrasts the two personalities of the water element:  one that is gentle ("Supple shoulders and meditative / Curves") and one that is fierce and powerful ("Picking incessantly at / Granite canyons and / Sucking at the eye of / Hurricanes.").  This poem presents the many faces of Mother Nature at its finest.

"Water Weekly" is another short poem with lots of depth.  The relationship as described in the poem is typical of all relationships (e.g., familial, friendships, etc.):  We all cycle through ups and downs.  Likewise, the poem itself is also visual art.  When a relationship makes "Progress," everything climbs to the peak, and both individuals are happy.  However, when the relationship isn't working, things snowball downhill.  Hence, the poem is in the shape of a bell curve vertically.  I love how Howard uses the Lucky Bamboo as a metaphor for the relationship "Drying / Up," and ironically, the relationship isn't so "Lucky" after all.  Once again, there is conciseness within this poem, yet leaves room for the reader's imagination and interpretation.  Interestingly, this poem too has the element of water.  For a plant to grow ("Lucky Bamboo"), there must be water; likewise, so do all relationships.

Beautiful work, Elizabeth!  Thank you so much for sharing and being one of the contributors! 

(NB:  Text arrangement on MS PowerPoint by Kathy Uyen Nguyen.  Please note that text/graphics will be in this format.)

To check out more of Elizabeth's work, you can click on the following link(s):

Elizabeth G. Howard: Writer, Blogger, Poet (website/blog)
@smallstate (Twitter)


Please do promote this new feature on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!  Thanks so much for all the support!  And look, my blog now has buttons (see below) to make your life easier!  Come back tomorrow for a new artist/author feature!