Petroglyph

This poem is another which flowed from the Walk and Write at the UAF Museum of the North.  The first exhibit I saw were these petroglyphs recreated on large, smooth river stones.  I sat in the floor, running my hands over the stones, letting my fingers dip into the carvings, and immediately had to write.

This is what I wrote (it has not been edited or rewritten):

Petroglyph

 

River stone
Washed smooth over the
Course of a millennia,
Rough edges eroded to
Reveal the heart

Chosen not by size or color,

Not by location or age
But by emotion…
Intuition…
Insight…
Hope.

Excess stone chipped and chiseled,

Piece by piece,
Like paint flaking in the sun.

Hands move carefully…

Deliberately…
Guided by the ghosts of
Those gone before
Until a shape is clear.

Cast in pale relief from a dark shell,

The tale is told, the story sung,
A myth made real in the face of that
River stone.

Re:

Poetry surrounds us in all forms.  A common theme in some poetry is starting with a question or idea while yet another common element is repetition of an idea, object, etc.

This assignment was to write a poem beginning with the line "I'd like to begin again" and, within the poem, we had to have some repetition. 

This was also our first wild word assignment.  My word was splices.

The thought with which I was immediately struck was how some people in internet chat rooms simply say "re," if another chatter has disconnected and quickly rejoined.  This is the poem that flowed from that idea.

Re:

 

I’d like to begin again…

Rewind

          to that first moment
Reset
          the clock to zero hour
Reboot
          the CPU which splices memory
Rearrange
          circumstances, fate, chance

Yes, I’d like to begin again…

Recognize

          moments too precious to waste
Reembark
          on that path leading to my future
Reform
          my opinion of time, of choice
Rebuild
          my sense of me

We should be allowed to begin again.

Turn Back Time

Studying poetry forms, we read one type of poem where the content is pure supposition.  Our assignment was to write a poem like that.

This was also a wild word assignment.  My word was smoke-filled.

Turn Back Time

 

Suppose you could turn back time –
Dispel those smoke-filled echoes
Of a memory,
A hallucination of regret
Which causes a fear…
A fear beyond comfort.

Suppose you could rewind your life –

Erase the mistakes made until,
Once again,
You stand alone in a
Fragment of nothingness.

Suppose futurity no longer

Teemed with endless destruction –
A future where the righteous and
Unrighteous alike were
Consumed…
Consumed in an eternal fire with
An air of breathless intensity.

Leaving an Unforgettable Mark

This was an interesting assignment.  We were talking about music and poetry, and we read some poems that revolved around music at their cores.

The assignment was to write a poem that centered around music - whether it was an actual song or if it was something like the birds in the trees or the call of whales.

Leaving an Unforgettable Mark

 

Surrounds by chaos,
Swallowed in the mists of the time,
Someone plays my song.

The first few notes

Pierce the miasma,
Taking me back again

Hot, humid, almost holy

Summer sun’s sweltering stare
Streams through clouded windows

Sitting in the back pew,

Exchanging glances and notes,
His hand brushing mine

Silently laughing at a

Shared joke, a thought
Meant to entertain

First blush of love

At the height of youth –
Naïve, trusting, fleeting

Struck down by distance –

The miles, the years –
Before the bud could bloom

Left with the memories of

A summer romance in
The innocence of childhood.

All that’s left?  A wistful smile

Echoed in the refrains for
My son of a preacher man.

Pillar of Strength

Part of the exhibits in the UAF Museum of the North is prehistoric mammoth & mastodon bones and teeth.  There's a femur bone you're allowed to touch, so, during our Walk and Write, I spent time just studying it; running my hands over it to feel the textures; enjoying the way the bone and the history both gelled in my head.

This poem is a result of the time spent with that femur bone.

Pillar of Strength

Strong yet hollow

It stands the ravages of time

An outer face,

Once pale and unblemished,
Darkens…
     Cracks…
          Chips.

Smooth from wind and rain

Preserved by Nature

A supporting character –

Just a part of the whole –
Unlocking history

Fragile,

     Easily broken

Indestructible,

     Resisting pressure

Davis Soccer Fields Complex

Our poetry assignment on our fourth day was to write a haibun.  This is a form of poetry that combines a haiku with short prose.  The prose can either come before (traditional) or after, but you must have both elements in this form.

Our assignment was to write a haibun about somewhere we'd walk.  Since this was the day after spending five hours at different soccer games, it was no wonder I chose the soccer fields as my inspiration.

Davis Soccer Fields: A Haibun



The grass is mottled, colors changing from green to yellow to brown and black again.  Small cylindrical plugs of grass layered with rich dirt lay scattered about like forgotten toy soldiers.  The air, all at once, is chaotic yet quiet – a moment of solitude in a sea of cacophony as you cross each grid.

The complex is a place of life… of fun… of youth… of sport.  Colorful white lines of tacky spray paint mark the unforgiving, unrelenting borders you dare not cross lest you yield position to your foe.

Uniforms ready

Feet forward to attack

Black and white missiles fly

Who Walked Here

This workshop has been excellent for generating new ideas.  During the first week, we took an afternoon to do something called a "Walk and Write" at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum of the North.  During a Walk and Write, the idea is just to look around and, whenever you feel inspired, write about what you see or how you feel or how something makes you feel, etc.

This poem was inspired by an exhibit in the old part of the museum that outlines the six geographical areas of Alaska.  The exhibit has a small brown bear and a bald eagle on it and, in front where the placard explaining the exhibit is, there is a plaster mold (dyed to look like hardened mud) of several different footprints from Alaskan animals.  The footprints part is called "Who Walked Here" and it is explaining which footprint belongs to which animal.

I sat in the floor, in front of that exhibit, running my hands over the contours and roughness of the footprints, feeling the valleys where thick pads dug into soft soil and the sharp peaks that formed between toes.

This poem is the result of that time.

Who Walked Here

 

Footprints

A memory made in malleable clay
Set hard by sun and heat

A moment

Bright and fleeting
Caught forever like a fly in amber

The shapes

Sharp peaks and soft valleys
Mimic the landscape.

Their tale

A well worn path freed of brush
That shows their struggle.

Footprints

A snapshot depicting the life
The journey of a land long ago.

Update and new writing

Okay, so I haven't posted in a while, but there is great news that is most definitely post-worthy.

What, you may ask, could prompt me to be so excited about posting?

I am currently awaiting proof copies of a book of my poetry that is being published. The book is called Nyte Songs: A Selection of Vampyric Poetry, and it's already got an ISBN number and everything!!

I'll be sure to let everyone know when the book is available for purchase!

And, in honor of that, I've been so inspired to write that I have decided to participate in NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org/) this year. My juices are flowing, and I'm just waiting for November 1st to start working on my opus. Maybe this will be the year I finish a novel and start shopping it around to agents and major publishing houses.

Also, I have revisited and reworked the lyrics to a song I wrote that is pubilshed on this blog (Mentirosa) and wrote a new set of lyrics (Contagion of Your Devotion). I shall be posting both very shortly. (If anyone knows of someone who can set lyrics to music, please let me know. I'd LOVE to hear my lyrics set to something!!)

Enjoy :)

Religion (a free write)

Myth based in fact? Or fact based in myth? The concept of religion is one of the oldest debates in history. Every culture in the world has worshipped a chosen god or a variety of gods and spirits, but is religion based in fact or myth?

It is a question that may never be answered because no one truly knows. No one living today has concrete proof that any one religion is based wholly in fact. While there may be bits and pieces of verifiable fact in every religious story, that is what the largely remain – a story.

Religion is mainly a moral prescription of life. In the form of fables and narrative, it gives you a how and why for living a good, just life. A comparison of today’s major religions (and quite a few minor ones) will show common themes. “Honor thyself and thy family.” “Be kind and helpful in your community.” “Do not want for more than you have.” These are some of the basic tenets of religion across the world.

And how you live your life dictates how you spend your afterlife.

What religion requires that a lot of people have lost is the ability to believe. You have to be able to ignore that tiny part of your brain that says, “Wait!! Show me the proof that this actually happened!!” Without that ability to believe – the ability to put faith in something outside of yourself – you will never be able to embrace religion. No matter what flavor is offered, you’ll find it unappetizing. You’ll be unable to find the necessary power to fully believe.

So then, it leads me to ask…

Who is the more powerful man?

He who can step outside the confines of the conventional and trust his faith in the unknown and unseen?

Or he who cannot, even for a moment, suspend cynicism and disbelief to trust in a power outside himself?

The Soundtrack of Your Life... Part 1

Music is an integral part of my life... of my work... of my soul and passion. Without music, I would not be able to get through even the simplest tasks of the day - and that includes my writing. In fact, odd as it may seem, I am often times struck with fabulous inspiration by listening to a slow, sappy love song. Inspiration for what? Why, for murder, of course.

Music is such a part of me that I took the time to think about what, if any songs, would be listed on the (2 disc) soundtrack to my life. This is the first half of that list:

Track 1: Barry Manilow's Can't Smile Without You
Reason Why: Okay, I admit it - I am a Fanilow. Yes, his songs are often best termed bubble gum pop, but there is no denying that Barry Manilow has changed the face of music - both contemporary and in the world of television jingles - forever more. Not only that, but who doesn't know some of the words to at least ONE Barry Manilow hit (~~At the Copa... Copacabana~~)? Can't Smile Without You is one of the very first 45s I ever owned - and it was at the tender age of 5, I do believe. The melody of the song and the simple emotion expressed by this song always can make me smile.


Track 2: Tim McGraw's Live Like You Were Dying
Reason Why: The title of the song says it all, Live Like You Were Dying. There is far too much time we spend doing things that, in the grand scheme of it all, do not matter one bit. Who, years from now, is going to remember that you worked all those unnecessary hours on projects no one cares about? The only thing that will be remembered is your absence from the lives of those you love. Instead, you should embrace today for what it is - one more day to live life to its fullest - and spend the hours as if they were your last on this earth.


Track 3: Alan Parsons Project's Oh Life (There Must Be More)
Reason Why: So why would such a sad song about a woman wondering out into the water to drown herself, make the list of tracks on the soundtrack of my life? It's there simply as a reminder - a reminder of those nights spent, drowning in my own sorrow and thinking that this was the end of something. Oh Life (There Must Be More) is one of those songs that expresses the sheer hell of a terminal case of loneliness and neglect better than any other song out there. The way the music ebbs and flows with the poignancy of the lyrics emphasizes the complete despair the woman feels... and it is a great reminder that, no matter how bleak the situation, there is more to life than what you can see.


Track 4: John Mayer's 3X5
Reason Why: This song is probably the song that made me fall in love with John Mayer's music. Sure, I heard No Such Thing on the radio and loved the song itself, but 3X5 is such a great song with such true lyrics. Why spend your life looking at what you experience as if through the filtering lens of a camera? You cannot fully savor the best of what is being offered to you. You need to put aside that lens and just experience life - experience that which surrounds you and you've always been too busy to take full notice of.


Track 5: Winger's Headed For A Heart Break
Reason Why: This song is here as a reminder of things that were fantastic but were never meant to be. It is now and forever a memory of early teenage years and a first love... of summers spent in the sun and nights spent on the phone, experiencing what it was like to truly get to know someone beyond the surface of their facade.


Track 6: B.J. Thomas's Rock And Roll Lullaby
Reason Why: Ah, the pure joy and innocence of the young! This song is not on my list because of the song itself (although it does seem to be the one and only BJ Thomas song I can stomach for more than 45 seconds). This song is a reminder of times when people were not so guarded - were not so afraid to express their emotions freely and without reserve. This song has assumed its place in the soundtrack of my life for one reason - I can remember my dad holding me when I was a toddler, dancing, and singing to this song. It still brings a tear to my eye because of that reason.


Track 7: The Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends
Reason Why: No one gets through life without help from your friends. That's why this song has earned a place in the soundtrack of my life.


Track 8: Sting's Brand New Day
Reason Why: The sentiment of this song is a great one - no matter how hurt you feel right now, tomorrow is a brand new day. It's a great thing to remember and to live by.


Track 9: Billy Joel's You're Only Human (Second Wind)
Reason Why: This is my favorite Billy Joel song of all time - and the lyrics say it all. ~~You're only human - you're allowed to make your share of mistakes~~ No one is perfect - and you shouldn't expect to be. Allow yourself to be human and enjoy life.


Track 10: Chris Botti's Midnight Without You
Reason Why: This song is a sentimental favorite. Beautiful music, beautiful lyrics... and a heartbreakingly true message.


Track 11: Jackson Browne & Clarence Clemmon's You're A Friend Of Mine
Reason Why: How many friends have come and go in your life that you can fondly look back and say, "Oh yeah! I can remember doing that with so-and-so... and it was a blast!!" This song is in the soundtrack of my life to remind me of all the great people I've met throughout my life - and the wonderful experience it was to know them.


Track 12: Reunion's Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)
Reason Why: Music, music, music! It's such a major part of my life, a song about music's history from about the 60s on would need to be included in the soundtrack of my life, doncha think?


Track 13: Dan Hill's Sometimes When We Touch
Reason Why: This song may not be a pulitzer prize winning ballad, but who says our favorites need to be? This song is included because it is one of my all-time favorite love songs (and believe me, I listen to enough of them). A song about a man who wants to love the woman he is with but can't quite find it in him to love her like she wants him to, this song can rip me apart and build me back up in the same breath. Plus, one of my all time favorite lyrics is in this song... I'm just another writer, still trapped within my truth.


Track 14: Dave Koz's You Make Me Smile
Reason Why: This one just has great music and is something guaranteed to put a smile on my face whenever I listen to it. No lyrics to inspire, but the music itself is beautiful.


Track 15: Elton John's Tiny Dancer
Reason Why: My all time favorite Elton John song. A sentimental edition, I have to turn this song up loud every time it comes on.


Track 16: Queen's The Show Must Go On
Reason Why: Queen is probably my all time favorite band, if someone were to ever force me to choose one. And this song - written by Freddie Mercury near the end of his battle with AIDS - is as true now as it was when he wrote it. No matter what happens to you in life, as long as you and the people who love you still live, the show MUST go on.


Track 17: Gavin DeGraw's I Don't Want To Be
Reason Why: There are people in this life that will try to force you into one category or another. They'll try to tell you who you are, what you are, and what you should do with your life... your experience... your chances. This song is a reminder that no one has the right to tell you who you are - your only responsibility is to be yourself each and every day.


Track 18: John Mayer's Love Song For No One
Reason Why: Love Song For No One is here because it's a great reminder that no matter how alone you feel, there is someone out there. You never know who it could be, how you will meet that person, or if you already know them in some fashion - there is someone out there searching for you while you're looking for them. ~~I could have met you in the sandbox. I could have passed you on the sidewalk~~


Track 19: Les Miserables' On My Own
Reason Why: On My Own is so gorgeous, so poignant, so heartbreaking. This song about unrequited love speaks to the heart of anyone who has had feelings for someone that were not returned. No matter my mood, my outlook, and who I'm with - this song will reduce me to tears each and every time.


Track 20: Les Miserables' A Little Fall Of Rain
Reason Why: We've all lost people in our lives... people we never realized were there for us until it was too late. A Little Fall of Rain is a song about that very subject. A man realizes, as a girl is dying after taking a bullet meant for him, that she has been instrumental in his life - as a friend and as someone he trusts completely. This song is a reminder to remember those people who have been instrumental in making you the person you are today.


Track 21: Meredith Brooks' Bitch
Reason Why: The word "bitch" has so many connotations - both good and bad. This song actually deals with the how a woman termed as a "bitch" can be so many things - and to the same person. When it came out, my "big bro" told me, "I heard your theme song on the radio the other day," and it's been a personal favorite of mine since I tracked it down and heard it.


Track 22: Nik Kershaw's Wouldn't It Be Good
Reason Why: Who hasn't lamented, "Oh, wouldn't it be so much better to be richer/thinner/more successful/famous/etc?" We have all had those moments where we thought, "If I was thinner, life would be better," or "If I was famous, I would be okay." This song addresses the "grass is always greener" outlook of life - and how what you think would make you happy often wouldn't.


Track 23: Rascal Flatts' Fast Cars and Freedom
Reason Why: This is a love song - plain and simple. But it's a song about remembering what drew you to that person you love in the first place. It's got a great message (and the song ain't bad either ;D)


Track 24: Jason Mraz's Beauty In Ugly
Reason Why: There is beauty in all things around you - from the snail crawling across a path in the forest to the actor or actress you daydream about as you watch them on the big screen. It's quite often the everyday things that are the most beautiful to us without our realizing. This song is a great reminder to look for the beauty in everything around you - even in yourself.


Track 25: Supertramp's The Logical Song
Reason Why: Not every thing goes as planned - there are days that life seems like it's at its most complicated and confusing. This song is reminder that everyone has those days - that there are times we all feel like the world is spinning out of control and would like someone to explain to us what is happening.


So there it is, the first half of the soundtrack of my life. The second half should be coming some time very soon.

Inspiration Revisited

I've talked about inspiration before. What inspires you; from where you draw inspiration. I've yet to ask WHO inspires you. If you could pick a list of people you'd like to meet - and why - who would those people be? I've spent a lot of time thinking about this very question... and I think I've come up with some interesting people I'd love to meet and talk to for just a while.

Stephen King - a lot of people may not like his books, but he's a powerful writer - able to captivate his audience and keep them on the edge of their seats until the very last word... and then leaves them wanting more. I would love to have the opportunity to sit down and talk about writing with him.

Tim Curry - he is a master entertainer who has done it all - television, movies, Broadway and London stage, and recording artist. Every project in which he is involved, he brings his vast experience to but always seems to bring something new to it as well. I would love to discuss his inspirations and how he decides which projects he wants to be involved with.

John Douglas - this man spent years working with the FBI... he was the original criminal profiler. He spend most of his career helping to paint a clearer picture of who the criminal was so that the person may be found quicker. I would love to talk to him about how he got interested in that line of work, what the motivation was to keep him going even after the sickest of serial killers, and how it felt transitioning to civilian life once he retired.

Alan Parsons - his ability to look at a piece of music or a band and find ways to make it/them more appealing to an audience has always struck me. I've been a fan of his music since I was little - grew up listening to it all the time because of my mother. And the work he did with bands like Pink Floyd is amazing.

Robin Williams - I would love to just sit down and talk with him about his view of the world. Everyone's view of the world is different because of our experiences - and Robin Williams definitely has a very unique view of the way things are.

Billy Connolly - I'd love to talk to him for the same reason as above with Robin Williams. He's a funny comedian who can mold himself into whatever part he's playing if on television or in a movie.

Quincy Jones - after being such a major influence with a lot of today's popular music, I would love to talk to him about his views of today's music.

Sigmund Freud - if it were possible to speak with him without the need of a seance or ouija board, I think it would be fascinating to sit down and pick the mind of the "Father of Modern Psychology".

Vincent Van Gogh - again, if I didn't need a seance or a ouija board, I would love to talk to him about his inspiration for his art and what it was like as he spiraled downwards into madness, leading him to eventually take his own life.

Every single songwriter in history whose music I enjoy - as a writer, I know inspirations can come from the strangest of places. And I would love to know where their inspirations are drawn from. Sometimes, it's evident - but a lot of the time, it's not.

These are just a few of the people I would love to take some time to talk to. There is so much you can learn about where others derive their inspiration - so much you can understand about their work, their soul... their passion.

The Long Lost Art of the Free Write

I took a creative writing class in high school as an English elective. I knew I loved to write, and I thought that it would be an easy way to get an A.

One of the exercises we had to perform daily was called a "Free Write". This was 10 to 15 minutes of time set aside at the beginning of class to get the creative juices to flow. It has been years since I thought of this technique, and it was with no surprise when I found myself sitting here in front of the monitor tonight, having taken a most unfortunate nap earlier and feeling increasingly ill, that my mind returned once again to this exercise.

The goal of the free write is to just write. There is no subject, no constraints, and no restraints on what you can write about. You're just supposed to open your mind and either put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard for the time allotted. Tonight's time was 10 minutes to just ramble on about the first idea that popped into my head.

The previous post is the result of that time. I know where the idea came from - a moment of personal tragedy showing up in my subconscious when I closed my eyes. What resulted, however, could be the beginnings of two different story directions. It's amazing what one little kernel of inspiration can do to light that spark of imagination.

If you're feeling the need to write but are feeling blocked, I suggest you try this technique. Just choose an amount of time in which you're going to write - 10, 15, 20... maybe even 30 minutes. Close your eyes for just a moment or two to see what prompts you to start typing. And then just write. Write what flows into your head. Cause it to flow onto the screen or the paper like a river flowing into the ocean. Don't stop to look at it ... don't take a moment to reread it. Just write. There will always be time later on to go back and look at what inspired you at that particular.

The object is just to write... to live once more within the circus of your imagination.

And now for something completely different...

To get off the poetry bandwagon there (posted 31 poems in a row; I figured you needed a break from poetry), I wanted to talk about inspiration.

What inspires you? It doesn't necessarily have to be to write, but what is something that inspires you?

Inspiration is often drawn from the things around us: music, art, a particular phrase, something that actually happened. All of these things are classic inspirations from which to draw upon. They spark your imagination; they light up your feelings; they draw you into focus upon a singular idea.

Often times, it's something visual (such as the photo of the pristine white rose covered in blood above) that touches off that spark of inspiration. We are, by nature, a very physical, visual society, after all. That which we can touch, feel, hear, and see will strike a chord deep within our souls that resonates long after we have lived that moment.

So I ask you...

What is it that inspires you?