Still Figurin' Out Who I Think I Am

This one's about prose, weather, and emotions.

"Prose poetry, which is written in paragraphs, focuses on images. This type of poem contains all the literary devices, tools, and techniques that a verse poem contain. Examples of this type of prose poems can be found in journals and even in some blogs. Some of the hallmarks of a prose poem are descriptive language, instances of poetic meter and rhyme within the paragraph. Other literary devices that are found in prose poems are plays on language or words, repetition, and the use of metaphor or simile. In some prose poems a reader can feel the emotions in the same way one feels them in verse poems. Have you ever read or attempted to write a prose poem? Did you find it more difficult to understand then a verse poem? Can you give an example of a prose poem?"

What's up you guys? It's week three of the mini-challenges in the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" ...this time around we're talkin' about poetry, and our host is the esteemed Prosperous Snow celebrating . If you're familiar at all with Neva, you know she's a prolific poetess, and she often colors in her blog entries with a verse or two...making her entries stand out above the rest in the blogging groups she's in.

When I joined WDC almost 14 years ago, blogging as we know it today wasn't even a twinkle in your keyboard's eyes. I was just looking for an online home to post some of my poetry and maybe get some feedback...today I can further accomplish that by combining the two genres and perhaps gain some cross-acceptance; if you like my blog, maybe you'll be interested in what else I write, and vice/versa. But I'll admit that I don't use one form within the other nearly as much as I should.

Today's topic is prose poetry, which sounds easy but can be slightly more complicated if you're not careful. Personally, my favorite form of writing is more of a free-verse, which lacks a format and is something I used to often mistake as prose because I didn't know any better. I'm not married to meter and rhyme schemes, because I pretty much don't have the patience for counting when I write or revising afterwards. My brain often works too fast for my fingers, and I don't like interrupting the flow of my thoughts by having to substitute words of lesser meaning or value just to fit them in a particular pattern. Maybe that turns some purists off, but it suits me just fine...it's modern, a bit edgier, and if it attracts someone else who might not normally be into poetry because all they're familiar with are the stuffy 19th century works they studied in high school, we should all consider that a win for what we do.

That being said, I'd love to someday be able to give myself the wherewithal to bang out a stellar prose poetry blog entry that doesn't seem contrived or sound hokey. On top of being impatient, I'm also self-conscious when I write most of the time...if it sounds too cheesy or loses focus from where I started, I'm more likely to scrap the whole thing rather than push through and see what happens. If I'm wasting too much time coming up with the perfect fit, I find I'm liable to lose the train of thought I had going forward...and therefore the whole piece suffers.

I have tried to write a few prose poetry pieces, with minimal success. I think one of the few items worth considering in my port regarding this might be "It's Not It" , which is more like a song and uses effects like sampling (or borrowing) in the breaks. It's definitely not one of my favorite writes and I don't expect anyone to like it (mainly because I'm not a fan of it, for the reasons I listed above as to why I don't often write in this style). Certainly it's not A Supermarket In California  , but I'm not Allen Ginsberg myself either.

"Around the world, there have been interesting weather issues lately. What kind of weather frightens or annoys you the most? What do you do to be safe during the weather?"

If I had my way, I wouldn't talk about weather at all. It just happens, and gloating or bitching about it isn't gonna change it (although I do believe that a lot of the severe weather trends we're seeing more of in this day and age are partially a result of man-related negligence past and present, but save your political theory squawking for another time because none of us, I assume, are real scientists and that's not what this response is intended to promote).

If you're at all familiar with my particular brand of interned-based complaining in journal form, however, you'll note from time to time I'll voice my absolute disdain for snow and cold weather in general. Everything that comes with the territory living on the east coast between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, during the months of October through April. Wind, sleet, hail, snow, single-digit temperatures and way-below-zero wind chills. It's not just because I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (conveniently known as SAD), but because all of that mess in concert is plenty enough to wreck a man's entire constitution.

Case in point: last November, my hometown got hit with a vicious storm that dropped 90" inches of snow in some parts over two days (the area was such a mess that Buzzfeed called it "terrifying"  ). Thankfully I wasn't living there at the time; I've shoveled myself out of some crazy storms, but that has to have been the worst I can remember in my nearly 40 years, and I might've just given up and prayed for a quick death via avalanche.

Otherwise, weather doesn't frighten me...but nothing does, if I'm being honest and vulnerable. Probably because I'm awkwardly emotionally dead, and/or too stupid to take the threat of extreme weather seriously. Like, twice in the past week Cortland County (where I live now) has had tornado warnings. I understand that weather services have certain guidelines that require them to issue these threats to be more on the safe side, and in the end all that happened was a lot of rain, but I'm not one to panic in these situations because if my number's up, my number's up and no amount of preparation or resilience is gonna counter that. I've made peace with that.

And besides, I'm just as prone to heatstroke now after getting sun poisoning so severe once that my entire torso turned purple. No joke. It can be 30 degrees out in the middle of winter and if I'm standing in otherwise bright, sunny conditions for too long, it negatively affects me. You wanna know what I consider ideal conditions? For my money, it's a balmy, beautiful sunshower  ...warm and sunny, with a refreshing downpour that cleanses the mind and soul while rehydrating the surrounding earth with an almost resetting of the atmosphere. Gawd that sounds so hippie-ish.

"Which emotions fade away the most easily for you and which ones have a way of lingering?"

Good question...to know me and to know my blog is almost like knowing two separate people. Hear me through, don't interrupt, and let me do some 'splainin'.

I like to write. It makes me happy, and I can portray that in various fashions...through joy, humor, sarcasm, etc. If you perceive me to be happy, well, that's just that: your perception, based on my words. I won't put up much of a fight with that.

But personally? I'm a thinker; more specifically, a brooder. The devil's advocate. The three sides to every story. I'm a realist and a cynic. I've been seeing a therapist for over two years, and so far I've learned that I'm a represser, with an all-or-nothing mindset and determination. I have trust issues based on that, and I'm skeptical of damn near everything until I see valid, concrete proof. I can hold a decades-long grudge, especially if my convictions have deep-rooted meaning. To overturn that would require arduous mental labor on the part of someone who's on the wrong side of my internal belief system. Conversely, if you're someone or something I believe in, I'm 150% behind you and will defend you like a pit bull. When I've got your back, you don't have to question my support. It is for life, or until you cross me...and should you, good luck getting me to turn back to you on your terms. I believe firmly on being in control of myself in most situations, and when I'm not I'm likely to run, avoid, and/or act in ways to recoup anything I might have lost in myself along the journey.

Simply put...you want to be on my side, because although I don't often do it nor like to, I can tear you apart.

But please don't get that confused with the knowledge of who I am and want to be. While I can start off thinking the worst of people or situations, once I've cleaned out misconceptions I'm the easiest person to get along with. I hate confrontation (another therapy breakthrough...I'm also an avoider in many ways). I'll fight for myself for as long as I see fit that I can make a difference, but I won't waste breath or steps on trying to change the mind of someone who stubbornly refuses to see me for who I am and can be in a positive light.

And I think I might've veered a little off topic (but you'll have that with me sometimes...it's part of my package). Happiness is often fleeting...resentment lingers. I laugh when people say "Search and you shall find..." because I've found that it just isn't that simple. I've seen enough to know that I've seen too much.

Crushed down and faded. That could describe a multitude of my experiences in life. I've had the highest of highs, and I've been through the lowest of lows...all of the hyperbolic attributes your imagination can come up with, and then some. I don't want to be in a good or bad place; if you believe in anything you know neither lasts forever and maybe the safest place is somewhere in the big middle of nowhere.

"If I get bored you'll see...me wearing out my face.
You know it isn't easy filling up that space."
Lyrics.  

Unlike what seems like 90% of the WDC community, I'm not taking part in what's become the premier annual event around here, "King's Landing updating " , hosted by the always lovely and sometimes stressed Gaby ~ Keeper Of The Realm . I don't watch the show, I kinda don't care, and don't get offended if I don't respond to your requests for "cheers" or all the other hullabaloo associated with it...but I have a good reason, so hear me out. Along with my homies Charlie ~ and Cinn , I'm doing behind-the-scenes administrative stuff. And Gaby has been very accommodating so far with my workload. Charlie's bustin' his ass to get shit done, and Cinn Frin is doin' what she can right now...all in an effort to see this endeavor become successful. Big commendations to them. But I have to give a special shoutout to ♥Hooves♥ , for the amazing namedrop and nice words said of yours truly when also talking about abcoachnz-Sometimes around : "It appears that his primary interest and enjoyment here is blogging. I see he is serious about it as he is friends with Fivesixer, who is one of the best, most talented and influential bloggers on the site. So, he travels in fine company there. Fivesixer is one of my favorite people here, as I've gotten to know him through "Invalid Item" . He knows his way around writing very entertaining, witty and informative blog entries. These two fellows share excellent blog writing as a trait."

Double , Hooves! Thank you so much for the kind words and endorsement! Murray's a good cat with a big heart, and I've had nothing but good interactions with him (and I hope he feels the same). Good luck to all the GoT houses...and go easy on my Gabs, 'cuz she's got her hands full right about now.

I feel similarly compelled to pump the tires of another contest as well, and if you're a blogger reading this you'll want to take note: "The Bard's Hall Contest" , by StephBee - House Targaryen and Sssssh! I'm not really here. , is running a blog contest throughout June. All ya gotta do is blog consistently throughout June and b-item link your blog in their forum. That's it. Get some exposure and maybe win an awardicon or MB.

Now for our regularly scheduled miscellany: the Chicago Blackhawks last night won the greatest, most legendary trophy in all the world's history, Lord Stanley's Cup  . I tend to care slightly less about hockey when I'm not playing it and the Buffalo Sabres aren't involved, but I can kinda sorta get behind the Blackhawks because one of their players, Patrick Kane, honed his game on the rinks and streets of Buffalo (when he wasn't stiffin' a cabbie over a couple of dimes  ). My favorite part of any hockey playoff series between teams I have no emotional investment in is the handshake line at the end...sportsmanship at its finest core. My second favorite part? A tie between finding out about the players who toughed it out through gruesome injuries (it's a legit thing...broken legs, torn groins, etc.) and watching that veteran guy on his last legs get handed the cup first from the team captain  . It's a beautiful feeling that no other sport can match.

And finally, some of you know I spend a little time on Twitter (shameless plug: @fivesixer if you're so inclined to occasionally get a little humor from your day in short, 140-characters-or-less doses). Maybe you follow some celebrities, and maybe they should have a filter on what they say  . As for me, it should be known that I am a staunch supporter of women's rights (specifically, equal pay for the same positions men hold, breastfeeding in public, and the ability to play with a penis as one pleases/wishes to be pleased)...but Jane Austen and I were in a writing group once, and things did not go quite as planned for her or I.

I think that's all I have for you guys today...which is more than I can say for yesterday when I felt lightheaded and ambivalent and useless. Hope you feel better, or at least respondent. Peace, it makes me think it's dirty, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!