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 |   A terminal for all blogs coming in or going out. A view into my life. |
Started July 1st 2019 for contests, etc. as other blogs are filling up and have other purposes.  I'm starting a new blog because
I'll be linking to
I've started an appendix (I no longer have one personally) to keep track of my Space Cadet journals for Space Blog. It's a work constantly under construction. Mind the mess.
I needed to start a folder for contests as there are so many deadlines and details to remember.
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The poetic link: A Shadorma poem about my writing "Invalid Item"  [] by A Guest Visitor Mini-review: I don't think this form exists. I can find no trace of it anywhere, only nonsense in English by English speakers with no references. If it does exist the broken phrases aren't traditional Spanish. As for content? It doesn't say much and it doesn't say it well. The idea may be salvageable but the poem is not. I rate it 1.8. Note: The 'shadorma' is a suspect form imho. I mean ... from Spain? There is no "sh" in Spanish. It would be spelled "xadorma" in Gallego-Portuguese. I can find no 'sadorma', 'jadorma' or 'zadorma' on-line either. The only example I found in Spanish was by a non-native who doesn't know syllables in Spanish. It is NOT the same as in English in spite of what on-line English language sites want you to believe. "Viejo" is 2 syllables vie-jo. 'Muy' is one: 'mwi' like 'brie' not 'moo-ey' like 'chewy'. 'Mooi' or 'mooie' is Dutch. If in fact "shadorma" goes back in time it's not a free-form verse; that's a modern notion. Forms were meant to help memorize orally. Cute forms scrawled on wood or rocks were paintings. It is listed as: 3-5-3-3-7-5. If so, then each line should be a phrase or word, not chopped up for modern convenience. And rhyme? Rhyme is not an issue in Spanish like it is in English. Rhymes are overly common and can be annoying in modern poetry; but Spanish, like French, can best be written in long lines (12 'syllable' alexandrines) making rhymes less noticeable. Spanish seems to prefer abba rhyme schemes when rhyme is used. Anyone can make up a form and attach a name to it. This one seems to have no reason to exist. It's 26 syllables. And that's about it. But I'll give it a try in Spanish. Alzhéimer "Muy viejo." Así me llaman. Mentiras! Soy joven. "Demencia" me susurran los tíos muertos. 3: muy.vie.jo. 5: a.sí.me.lla.man. 3: men.ti.ras. 3: soy.jo.ven. 7: de.men.cia.me.su.su.rran. 5: los.tí.os.muer.tos. Translation: Alzheimer "So old." So they call me. Lies! I'm young. "Dementia" my dead uncles whisper. KE [177.311] and [177.311t] (16.diecembre.2021) The prompt: The author talks about inspiration. Where does your inspiration come from? From everywhere. Not necessarily from poems though. It can be the soup I made tonight, the frozen fog fading everything to white this morn, the sunset tinting the skies a soft pink in the south-west and northeast. |
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"Invalid Item" [] by A Guest Visitor Mini-review: I did make shredded chicken, following the recipe to a certain degree. I don't rate recipe's but did adds those onions! (Not my fav food.) Prompt: Share a recipe or something about food Serving Muggles It was the muggles that bore the blame. They had sat out in the heat for far too long. Spoiled rotten. I had collected the mandrake and mangel shoots, mangled the pixies as best I could. Added a pinch of pepper. Sipped with my long necked ladle, added some arsenic salt. I served the steaming soup in my best Delft-blue bowls. My first clue that something was wrong was the look on Wanda's face. Yes, she's a first class witch but never complains about my failed attempts at cooking. She usually grin and say something snarky like "could use a young ghosts kidney" and laugh. She wasn't smiling. The others had politely taken a sip and put their spoons down while they focused on the cornbread. I made passable cornbread. "It's off," Wanda frowned. "What did you put in it?" I told her the truth step-by-step. The last guest that lied to Wanda ended up in her cauldron. "Must be the muggles. Where did you get them." "At that posh school down the road. I only had time to snatch two." "That explains it. Pass me the cornbread and go get a bucket to dump this crap." I hurried to comply. Later as we had our tea with lemon Wanda explained. "Those kids are spoiled rotten. All they eat is fast food with too much salt and sugar. They're fat and greasy. And not in a good way." I sat silent. "Oh, don't pout. Next time go to the orphanage over by the tracks. Less risky. Nobody notices whether one or two are missing. And they're lean and feisty. Just cook them a little longer. What little meat there is is sweet." I noticed it was getting light outside. "Now grab a shovel. We need to bury this slop. Not even fit for the pigs and you don't want the neighbors nosing around. I recognized Sadie's tatted wrist. Her folks won't be happy." KE [177.310] (16.januar.2020) Weekly goals that I posted at "Weekly goals": "I have to calm down and focus. Last week was brutal. So... simple goals this week.  1. Write two poems. "Blind [307]" "Covid cuffs-and-collars [308]" 2. Enter one contest. "Shadows and Light" 3. Look at previous 'failed' goals and make one or more happen. "Forever 22" thoughts jotted down (813 words) 4. Get out every day. Bad weather, but walked in the snow today, Friday.   5. Send snail mail. Sent to Sorji (Sara)." 3,584 |
| Lefty Day! From President Obama back into the recesses of Time we have been around. It's a natural human trait found in other two sided biological forms. We're all bilateral but some of us tend towards the left. I wonder about octopuses/octopodes/octopi. But we lefties are not necessarily left handed in all aspects of life. I had a boss once who wrote with one hand but batted with the other when she played softball. And in some cultures each hand has specific uses or taboos attached. Which is hard when I travel. I've been totally left-handed since childhood. As an adult I could scrawl in big BIG letters with my right hand but I could do calligraphy with my left. Which reminds me that I need to write postcards and send them. My handwriting is quite nice if I pay attention. What to write is the problem! But... back to lefties... We tend to face certain struggles in a right handed world from scissors to tying shoe laces. I'll leave out the details. Just ask any lefty! We tend toward certain professions like law and art. There are even a bunch of us here at WDC. Last year we found out that there were some who also liked the color orange. Yes, a few of us are that strange. Orange Lefties Unite.    3571 |
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"Invalid Item" [] by A Guest Visitor Mini-review: A beautiful hexagon, clever, but not very poetic. The message is simple: how can one grow without risk. It provokes thought but it's a bit didactic in second person, which is not my favorite choice in poetry unless done with humor. This comes off as a reproach. It tells rather than shows and evokes little emotion other than despair. I give it credit for its form and clear message but take off points for its lack of poetry. That said I don't know what to call it. I rate it 3.6. Prompt: What are your views about this? It's thought provoking. Yes, we all live in our personal bubbles and echo chambers. We see this all the time on social media and where people choose to live. Bubbles, like walls, may protect but they also limit. I have my own, but I've spent years struggling to free myself. Many people don't bother. Weekly goals: Write two poems. Enter one contest. Look at previous 'failed' goals and make one or more happen. Get out every day. Send snail mail. |
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"To Wait and Remember" [ASR] by K Renée (on the road)  Mini-review: Mournful. I love sad poems and this is definitely melancholic. It does well with the villanelle form as the repeating lines keep the second half while tweaking the first half. However, when read out loud I trip over certain lines as the rhythm and meter aren't quite regular and 'lose brighter star' and 'blanket of eves' strike me as odd and not in a good way. I think it's worth editing (for flow and rewording) after reading it out loud. I rate it a 4.7. What do you think? I think it influenced my poem: "Till all Time ends [305]" I write best when I'm depressed. And autumn and twilight oft times match my mood. |
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"The Tickle in my Throat" [E] by Alisha P. ☕  Mini-review: It read better for me the second time around. I really like the line "I lie when it hides" and I understand how a person will refuse to say what needs to be said which is how the last line "I will not say 'goodbye'" hits me. I give it a 4.2 as is. That said, it needs to have its grammar checked and could use an edit. Prompt: Have you ever had a tickle in your throat? Tell us about it. I'm sure I have! But I seldom keep track of such mundane events and rarely remember them. I do keep emotions back at times and have not said 'goodbye' as suggested in the poem. |
| Are y'all familiar with the word insurrection? noun: organized opposition to authority; a conflict in which one faction tries to wrest control from another. If Trump refuses to denounce these people who stormed the Capitol today then he needs to resign, be removed by the 25th Amendment or impeached. It's gone beyond censure or charges of sedition. For:
I responded to Annette  :I was watching ABC because of the Georgia elections, hoping for a .5% magin for Ossoff... and then... Interesting to watch Congress convene and people marching... and then... It got more interesting and dangerous... and then... I went grocery-shopping when it was under control. I guess every 200 years... 1814... and then... Biden isn't a drama-llama. I expect my nerves to calm down. There are fellow writers here like Charlie ~ who have shared how upset they are. I shared with Paul  and Lilli 🧿 ☕  that I'm not happy with the lack of engagement with issues here at WDC or how on Basefuuk there is a lack of dialogue.I responded at QOTD to how do I feel: "For me the trauma once triggered reverberates for awhile. I don't think January 20th means I'll feel okay. So how am I feeling today, Paul, Lilli, others? I've been angry for 4 years... I'm still angry with the Lord of Chaos. And yes... I'm also angry at writers here who feel they can ignore a reality that affects everyone around them. Perhaps they share their concerns in other ways in other places. This may be their 'safe place', a dreamworld of puppies and kitties and alien unicorns. I see very little mention of the Insurrection of '21 in the newsfeed, the blogs, a.n.y.w.h.e.r.e. Bacefook is a bit spooky as well. Folks are either staying away or fearful of engaging each other in conversation. This does not bode well as conversation is key to getting through this. Folks here can't even respond to my blog posts over the years explaining why I'm so upset. Why bother? Answer me that!" I even made a post in the WDC newsfeed... *crickets* IRL people were shaken, upset or 'told-you-so'. But this town has never been a big supporter of things DJT. Contrary to some of my left-wing friends I still think dialog is important. Doesn't matter how hard or how long, the lack of meaningful conversation about DJT and issues facing various Americans brought us to this moment. Attacking or mocking the messenger (DJT) wasn't helping when people refused to address his hateful, spiteful, anti-science, anti-fact ignorant messages. I still haven't been able to fully understand anti-maskers, anti #blacklivesmatter, anti-vaxxers (yes, there can be side effects; I get that) and anarchists any more than I understand uber-commercialism, party-hard-partying or total-disengagement. I do understand anger. I have been angry for 4 years. I cried in 2016 because this type of insanity was foreseeable. But I'm not burning down the house. 3.546 |
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"Forceful Refinding" [E] by fyn  Mini-review: I find this difficult to read. I like: "Bedtime yawned earlier" and "I glued on paper wings inked in dismissal and let them fly elsewhere." It has a 'beatnik' 1950s feel (when vomit on the page was in vogue) but needs severe editing to properly flow and make sense. It's does use some poetic devices but I can't like it as is. I give it a 3.0. How do you feel about rewriting and editing your work? Well... it's a chore that needs to be done. Sometimes I enjoy the process but ofttimes I just forget. Contests with deadlines are difficult. I have to be careful with poetry or anything short as one word added or cut can destroy the original intent, rhythm, rhyme, music. I've been known to maintain the original as a copy in a blog or reduced to grey-scale below the 'final' version. |
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"Fast Food Heaven" [E] by Tim Chiu  Mini-review: A totally different approach from a poet who has written many rhymed verses. This one depends on rhythm and is best read at an exhausting pace (like many newbie poets use to their detriment, but not in this case) preferably in two breaths. I do believe it needs a bit of an edit though and maybe a lengthening then shortening of lines mimicking a crescendo and decrescendo. This work obviously depends on the sense of taste woven with 'facts' like calories and obesity and over-the-top words like 'humongous' and 'uproarious'. Normally I prefer spare images but the overwhelming use of adjectives fits the subject matter of fast food and the theme of over-indulgence. I give it a 4.6 as is. Prompt: How do you feel about fast food? The only way to roll when traveling. Although I prefer the street vendor version found in many countries compared to the over-priced, over-sugar-and-salted lazy-American version. Otherwise... nah... I made broccoli-cheese-chicken yesterday and lentil patties today. Better than just eating peanut-butter sandwiches. Much better than a pile of artery-clogging cheeseburgers. For "Blogging Circle of Friends " Day 2971: January 5, 2021 Prompt: Use these words in your blog post: epiphany*, sunshine*, snow*, chocolate*, chicken*, spring*."Silence was everywhere that winter" On the Eve of Epiphany* the taste of chocolate* lingered on Vincent's lips. The sunshine* had faded to dull clouds obscuring the stars. The Moon shone through the gaps. No snow* in the forecast; yet, he wasn't convinced that winter had spared them. Was there enough in the larder to get them though mud season and spring* dearth? Death kept a silent vigil. Vince went out to the hen-house to make sure the ladies were snug on their roosts. He checked that everything was secure. He had nothing against foxes, liked them in fact, but he liked scrambled eggs in the morning and chicken* fricassee for Sunday dinners even more. He stopped to breathe in the cold crisp air and noticed the lack of a breeze, then noticed the silence. Too silent. There should be the crunch of snow under his boots, the shuffle of leaves in the forest. Nothing was moving. The clouds gathered as if to snuff out the moon-shadows. Vince hurried to the house where the lantern was beckoning, where the cackle of the fireplace would soothe his nerves, where he could put on the kettle for tea and grab another candy bar and pretend everything was okay. For "The Writer's Cramp - Poetry Week" "Silence was everywhere that winter". Expanded item: "A Kind of Hush [304]" 3536 |
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"Treadmill" [E] by Sumojo  Mini-review: It has a good rhythm and rhyme scheme with lines of 9-11 syllables and the use of the word 'whilst' always amuses us Americans . The theme is good and it reads mostly like Dr. Seuss which is also good. However 'mostly' is the key. It says 18 lines but there are only 17 and one notes that 'die' in line 7 breaks the rhyming pattern almost as if a line were deleted by mistake. Also, this rhythm works best when it's strictly adhered to and in reading out loud there are lines that don't. Still a very good poem that could be better if edited. I give it a 4.3 at this point. Prompt: Do you ever feel like your life is on a Treadmill? I've been a hamster in a cage in 2020. Otherwise? A bit. I haven't worked in years and my income is sufficient and steady so I needn't find a job to feed my belly. (Is there anything to feed my hair so it'll grown back in brown and bushy?) I do get a bit bored with myself. I've always been low energy, depressed and often suffer from high anxiety with occasional panic attacks. Amazing that I'm still here. Traveling helps smooth out my emotions as I need to focus on the present. My mind wanders and gets lost at home. I've always been a daydreamer and dissociation has been a recurring issue. Weekly goals for 3-7ish "Weekly Goals" :1. Finish reading "Autumn Letters" and post in 52 in 52. some progress2.  Enter a contest. Writer's Cramp3.  Write a poem for "EXPRESS IT IN EIGHT" .4. Jot down notes for "Moon and One Hundred Stars" 5. Work on "Space Cadet" by rereading, editing, adding. Use Realities list to help.Non-writing objectives: Clean the fridge (freezer done last week). Start planning trips by making a list in my T-log. Visit friends and get out daily.Monday: senior center chat with Phil and Ben. Tuesday: senior ctr c/ Bill, Laxmi, Phil, Ben. Wednesday: grocery shopping, Bri ("Miss Sweetpotatopie") Thursday: senior ctr. Friday: senior ctr c/ Ben, Bill, Laxmi, Phil, Kathi. Write and post snail-mail.One postcard sent to Lyn. Cook something every day (tactile grounds me).Monday: cheese-broccoli-chicken with shells Tuesday: lentil patties Wednesday: golden-mushroom chicken Thursday: red kuri squash Vendredi: riz aux herbes de Provence Laurdag: stekt rød kuri squash og grillet kylling 3.528 |
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