June 24, 2009

haiku wednesday - June 24, 2009

This week's words are
fickle
sparkle
wrinkle

Thanks to all who stopped by throughout the week. I did in fact get my luggage the next day... after my big meeting. What a week this has been. Insane busy. This week's words... they seem like three elves that didn't make it into a Christmas claymation special.



chilly day, hot night
eyes sparkle as sheets wrinkle
fickle as weather


wrinkle, crumple, toss
my prose has lost its sparkle
fickle muse, return!


slow, black swells sparkle
fickle winds wrinkle slack sails
time for a cool change

June 17, 2009

haiku wednesday - June 17, 2009

This week's words are
arresting
rhythmic
wicked

On the road. Airline (United/US Air) lost my luggage. Early meeting in the morning. #$%@@#$%!!!!



she's so arresting
wicked touch, rhythmic embrace
undercovers cop


water wicked through stem
arresting, rhythmic dripping
unending cycle


no rhythmic snoring
in your place, wicked silence
arresting my dreams

June 10, 2009

haiku wednesday - June 10, 2009

This week's words are
dangerous
keepsake
restless

It's nearly Thursday in London already, and I'm just getting to this now. Egads!



restless memories
your ex-lover's phone number
dangerous keepsake


dangerous intent
holding stolen keepsake bones
restless stalker nears


restless spirit roams
dangerous, seeking revenge
for lost keepsake heart

June 9, 2009

my son is a crazy person

What I love about my son's boy scout troop:  They are, by and large, nerds. They are great kids, fun and witty, well intentioned and personable.  After tonight's troop meeting, they were discussing the density of various heavenly bodies.  No, not Angelina Jolie's BMI. Pulsars and Quasars. Red dwarfs and brown dwarfs.


OK, so that's fine.  Maybe they're in the AP test mode, the final exam 
hangover where their mouth becomes the pressure release valve for the extra knowledge they've crammed into their skulls.

When we got home from the meeting, we looked online for some information about pulsars and quasars.  Interesting, really.  It was easy to find basic information.  Then I happened to mention to my son (who is nearly, but not quite, 13 years old, and who nearly, but not quite, is done with 6th grade) that I might have my old college astrophysics textbook lying around.  Why?  Hell if I know.  But we found it, and now, nearly an hour later, he's still got his head buried in it, well past bedtime.  Crazy kid.

This is not your "astronomy for poets" type of book.  This book has over 550 pages, nearly every one of which has something like this on it, frequently more than one:
Yeah, I used to be able to do that kind of thing.  Calculate the surface area of a Gaussian surface.  Solve differential equations.  Figure out why two trains, one leaving Cleveland at 6 a.m. going 100 miles per hour and the other leaving Detroit at 8 a.m. going 80 miles per hour, would end up in a lawsuit involving a cup of McDonald's coffee, a firefighter with three testicles, and a vicious pack of meerkats.  (Yes, I went to UC Berkeley.)

Anyway, my point is that... what kind of 12 year old buries himself in a book like this?  Nutty kid.

June 8, 2009

Another Jason Evans Contest Coming!

Jason Evans at the Clarity of Night blog is going to run another of his outstanding, famous contests beginning July 8th. A very nice guy, terrific writer, and sublime poet, Jason has pulled together a community of writers that is truly astonishing.

Even though the contest opens July 8th, he's giving us a sneak preview of the photo prompt. His past contests have essentially been flash fiction in 250 words, inspired by a photo he's taken. I hope all you writers (and people who might consider writing some time) jump into this with an entry of your own. Fair warning: The last contest garnered over 120 entries, and you will find that you get lost in reading them. Most are very good; some are truly outstanding.

And I'm not just saying that because I won the last contest.

June 3, 2009

Listen to the author... if you DARE

Robin has once again coerced us all, via her superb and unyielding charm, to post our own voices reading our own work. Below is an audio only rendition of a poem I wrote a while back called "Cold and Bitter." I blogged the text of it before, but Julaina convinced me to change the last line. I'm glad she did.

haiku wednesday - June 3, 2009

This week's words are
folly
hostile
ordinary

Here it is again, a whole week gone by without any post but 3WW. I may not make the rounds this week until the weekend, if at all. Fair warning--if you are expecting reciprocal comments, then feel free to click away now and ignore me this week. Besides, how good can these be if they were written in a total of fourteen minutes (including title, tag, and intro paragraph)?



ordinary charm
can't overcome your folly
THAT's why I'm hostile


hostile reviewer
pans book as ordinary
folly to read it


folly to resist
no ordinary girl, she
beware hostile claws