Category Archives: nostalgia

written while considering a photograph of a poet

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in that she kneels
by the hawthorne in spring, leaning in
to absorb the blossoms
-their balm and velvet-
in silent acquiescence.

her own shoots and sprays
grow inward
and she seeks a dovetail,
tallied to share her joy and rage,

and calm the gathering in her soul.

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I happened upon a photograph of Sylvia Plath as a teenager, sitting by a flowering bush, and began to consider a poem. I rather like this, it is very uncomplicated – but foreboding in a way. She was a brilliant poet. Thanks for visiting.

persistence

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I have a confession.

I like jello.

It’s simple consistency and the ability to hold different flavors makes it the perfect dessert. Strawberry, lemon, cherry…lime is my favorite -by far. Green jello. It is easy to make: Just add warm water, mix, and let it set. It can be served up in little dessert cups, in larger pans and then cut into slabs or cubes. This delicacy is unique. It holds form. You can depend on it…mostly…to be the same every time you make it, only becoming distasteful when it is stale.

I recognize that this love for jello goes back to my childhood. During my hospital stays for various surgeries, the food was never a favorite – it was not consistent – nor was it the easiest to eat at the time. I don’t really remember the meals, but I remember the jello. Cool and soft, flavored, and easy to eat.

It is also versatile. You can mix it with other things to contribute that flavor. Mix with whipped white topping giving a fluffy fruit flavoring. Or mixed with fruit itself. Or as shots with liqueur. I’m not as much of a fan of jello salads, perhaps I feel the other ingredients overwhelm the flavor in the jello itself…which is funny, because gelatin is really only a medium to hold things together. The fact that jello is flavored is a bonus, I suppose.

I seem to appreciate that bonus, so I don’t really care for the desserts that “contain” jello.

When we eat at our favorite chinese buffet restaurant (the one that plays smooth jazz), I always check out the jello dessert on the salad table. My son looks at me with doubt, and says “You know you are always disappointed that the jello is stale.” This is true. Jello that is “old” develops that toughened layer on top where it has dried out over time. This ruins the trifecta of form, flavor, and texture. Nine times out of ten, I am disappointed. But I keep trying the jello. I’m persistent like that.

They don’t serve lime-flavored, though.

lime jello
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I recognize that my use of the term ‘jello’ may be implying that I endorse a particular product of gelatin dessert. Jello has become such a ubiquitous product that it’s identification is similar to kleenex ~tissue, coke~carbonated beverage, etc.

Popcorn thoughts of kindness

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I’ve been doing a bunch of bits and pieces of things over the past week, I feel very scattered. I haven’t really had time to sit down and write much. This is OK. Life happens. I do have a lot on my mind these days.

I had some blogworthy tidbits I wanted to jot down, but they were not worthy of single posts…kind of like kernels of popcorn that presented themselves.

National Poetry Writing Month is just around the corner. I last participated in 2013 (I think). I proudly completed the entire month for the first time. Well, I’m committing to do it again in 2015. It’s a good way to stretch your poetry legs, gets some things written down, try new forms, and shake out the dust. If you are a poet, and are participating, let me know. So we’ll see how this goes.

A reminder, my very first chapter book Accidental Songs is available on Amazon. I self-published this collection. I invite you to check it out, purchase it 🙂

Spring is getting its claws in the seasonal change, judging from the number of robins that I’ve seen recently, the rapid changes in weather that are apparent, and my allergies ramping up. I’m looking forward to the green landscape though.

I happened to read this quote in my twitter feed this week,

“We’re all smart, distinguish yourself by being kind.”

This was posted in a twitter account entitled “ShitAcademicsSay”. I don’t know the origin of the quote, and have been looking for it’s primary source. The original context apparently has to do with academic publishing and review, but I see it as a more universal restatement of the golden rule. I like it.

I heard Nat King Cole’s version of Smile a few weeks ago. The music by Charlie Chaplin, John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons added the lyrics and title in 1954. It was a mantra for a few days in the bleakness of winter. I love how a verse, a song, a quote, or even a picture can present a moment of beauty and relief.

That’s it. Popcorn’s done.

And here we go….

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For a few months now, I’ve been been collecting and reviewing, editing and reviewing, fretting and stewing, anxiously awaiting reviewing. I’ve been putting together my first collection of poetry. It is a chapter book that is my first attempt at widespread publication, entitled Accidental Songs.

It was both exhilarating and frustrating. The selection process for poems in a collection lays bare all the insecurities that I had in writing them in the first place. I believe that some of them are great poems, some of them are not that great. Some had to be cut altogether, others were recut and reformed into something that fit the overall idea for the collection. But as the sum of the whole, I think they all contribute something to the collection, and that was what I wanted.

I want to thank Sarah Wesson and Sherry O’keefe for their time and valuable comments during the manuscript review.

And I want to thank my wife for being the incredible supportive spouse she is. Thanks babe.

Of course, I invite you to visit Amazon.com and have a look for yourself. I’m proud that I could accomplish this effort. If you should choose to purchase a copy, Thanks!

Accidental Songs
Accidental Songs

Climb the mountain

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So by now, (if you enjoy pop culture events) you either watched Lady Gaga’s performance at the Academy Awards live or caught up with it on the internet. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to go find a link and listen.

I am not necessarily surprised by the talent she displayed in performing selections from The Sound of Music. I knew she was super-talented. I’m not a big fan of her pop persona, though I recognize her talent and abilities as being among the leaders in her industry. No, what amazed me was the solid…Solid….versatility she displayed in performing not only the Julie Andrews part of the catalogue with sensitivity and confidence, but also Climb Every Mountain … which is written for a dramatic soprano and requires different vocal skills and range.

She nailed it.

If you watch her facial expressions during her (well-deserved) standing ovation, there is a flash of disbelief on her face. It is almost as if she couldn’t believe that she had done that.

The question that popped in my head after watching that was, “Why the schtick?”

With all that talent, and considerable versatility, she has ability beyond what most of the viewing audience realized. So why did she/does she cling to this pop persona of hers? Or better yet, why did she develop it in the first place?

The answer to that is frighteningly simple…image sells.

In the entertainment industry, there is no shortage of talent, pretty faces, and even versatility. If you want to set yourself apart, you need to create an image that people will remember. History shows this again and again. The Beatles clean cut business suit image, fashioned by Brian Epstein, was designed to appeal to older record executives and wary parents who thought Rock & Roll was a passing fad. The KISS make-up and rock image was designed to give people a visual memory of a heavy metal band when there were a lot of other bands around. Madonna’s image seemed to be fashioned to keep people talking about the entertainment – when (albeit early in her career) her singing skills were limited. It seems as if Gaga’s flamboyant stage presence was designed to keep people talking – as if her talents wouldn’t be good enough to be remembered on their own.

I think she just blew that out of the water. It will be interesting to see how she moves forward and if she simply lets her talent and ability do the entertaining.

If there is a takeaway from this, it is to never underestimate your abilities. Always keep yourself grounded in something you do well and love doing. If you keep working and applying your skills to the things that you love most, there will come a moment, a pinnacle where you perform to your very best. At that moment, you will break through into something you never anticipated… and a manufactured image is rendered irrelevant.

Passion for what you do is the best marketing strategy.

Collecting Yourself

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We all have our likes and dislikes, things that we migrate toward (or away from). When it’s something tangible that we really like, we like to have a memento of it. It is a part of who we are. When we see different forms of the same thing and get several tangible mementos, it becomes a collection. We go through life collecting things.

When I was young boy, I collected rocks, because I liked the different shapes and colors, smoothness and jaggedness. I always hoped that it would turn into an arrowhead collection, but those were difficult to come by. I also collected coins, because I liked the detail, the science and history of minting coins and medallions. Turns out, numismatics gets to be an expensive hobby, but I enjoyed the search for unusual currency and still enjoy coins today. As a teenager, I collected Beatles LPs and other records that I still own and have loaned to my sons so they could enjoy the crispness of vinyl recordings. I have a collection of poetry books that includes Frost, Heaney, ee cummings, and Bukowski, and I’m always on the look for new/old print poetry collections/chapterbooks, especially in second-stores and flea markets.

As an adult, some of my collections have happened by accident.

I have a nice collection of coffee mugs that I have accumulated over the years, mainly from perusing clearance shelves. Interestingly, it is the shape/design of the mugs that mostly appeal to me. Four of my coffee mugs are plain white china, but in different shapes with different handles. I do have a few “souvenir” mugs that are comprised of sorcerer’s apprentice Mickey, my writer’s mug (It is unwise to mock the poet), and my periodic table mug. It’s a good thing that I drink lots of coffee.

Sometimes there is a jump to other collections because of overlapping interests.

Recently a friend bought me a souvenir from his trip to Epcot: a set of coasters with Beatles album covers. A very cool and thoughtful gift – knowing my fanaticism for Beatles stuff. At Christmas, my sister gave me a gift of coasters as well: Four coasters with periodic table information of the radioactive elements U-238, Ra-226, Th-232, and Pu-244 on them. AND…when you set the glass on the coaster, they light up in the spectrum color of the actual element. Available from ThinkGeek here.

I don’t drink much, and we don’t entertain all that much either, but these coasters are WAY cool. I am now collecting cool coaster sets.

Cool mugs and Coasters

Cool mugs and Coasters


What do you do when you are no longer interested in your collection?

I am currently involved in a home project of reducing our stored clutter. Among the Christmas decorations, old pictures, and various memorabilia that we have stored is my wife’s collection of Beanie Babies. She collected these when they were all the rage in the 90’s. We have several bins, with some of them in little acrylic cases. My wife has agreed that she is no longer interested in them, and that I can remove them from our house…the question is…where?

Are there any collectors out there willing to give me a few dollars for all of them (probably 100-150 of them still with tags on them – make me an offer*)?
Are there any worthy organizations that would accept a donation of small plush adorable creatures?

Won't someone take us home...please?

Won’t someone take us home…please?

What do you collect? How have your collectible interests changed or evolved? Do you want any Beanie Babies?

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*And if you are serious, email me and I can go through and catalogue what we have.

2014 -Es war ein gutes Jahr fĂĽr das Schreiben und Tomaten.

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2014 was a difficult year.  

It was a year of very large statistical variances…very high highs and very low lows.  In retrospect, I recognize it as a phenomenal year of change.  Change is never easy, particularly when thrust upon you unexpected…unplanned.  But you manage it, take the opportunity life gives you and move on.

Eventually, things even out.  It is important to remember that life happens to other people as well.  And the recognition and  ability to help each other out in times of crisis is what makes our human existence different from other creatures.

I encourage each and every one of you to do something to help someone in 2015.

At the beginning of 2014, I posted a resolution post with three goals for the year about writing.

I think I achieved two of them. I did attend a local writing conference and had a blast. I will do that again, and will seek other opportunities to improve. I wrote a lot this year (even without participating in NaPoWriMo in April) and ventured beyond poetry for much of it. I did seem to devote several posts to tomatoes…but it was a banner year in my continuing efforts to grow good tomatoes. They tasted good too. I made numerous batches of salsa, tomato sauce, fried green tomatoes, and a season ending green tomato salsa, which was such a hit, that my plans to freeze most of it and save it for winter months was squashed. It was gone after 2 weeks.

I traveled this year. In May, my father, my eldest son, and I traveled to Germany for a bus tour of the country. It was a GREAT trip. It is worthy of several posts on its own, but I just haven’t plowed back into my journal and pictures to write posts on that. A recent blogging exchange about Johann Sebastian Bach reminded me of the trip and I thought I would share this.

On our trip, we had numerous stops and very short (or at least in my opinion…short) durations to see the sights. One of these stopovers was in Leipzig. We had two hours to see sights in the old town, shop, snack, etc. The bus stopped in front of St. Thomas Church, where JS Bach served as cantor.

St. Thomas Church, Leipzig

St. Thomas Church, Leipzig

Bach’s tomb is prominently placed in the front chancel area behind an iron gate.

JS Bach Tomb, St Thomas Church, Leipzig

JS Bach Tomb, St Thomas Church, Leipzig

During our short time there, we were fortunate to listen to a choir rehearse from the choir loft. And in no time, 2 hours was gone (I have tried to upload the short video I made of a portion of this, but WordPress does not like my video).

Here is a view of the altar, past where Bach’s tomb is located.

The altar inside St. Thomas Church, Leipzig

The altar inside St. Thomas Church, Leipzig

Germany was definitely a highlight of 2014, lots of good food, fellowship, mountains, and castles, and I will strive to post more of our travels in 2015.

Later in the year, after such a peak experience, there came an incredible low. I was released from my job. A bitter pill, but I am better off mentally and physically. I’m still looking for full-time work, and am hopeful that 2015 will bring not just a job, but the RIGHT job.

So what does 2015 have in store. I don’t know…but I am setting up for a really great year. I will continue writing, and if 2014 has taught me anything, it is to be willing to go into the unknown. So my writing may be somewhat different this year. I may try my hand at short stories. I also want to go to another writer’s conference or perhaps a workshop.

And to all of you out there, Happy New Year, and I wish you all the best in 2015. May you experience all the joy and success you can hold.

A Brilliant Light

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image

A darkness dwells, just out of sight,
among these brilliant, twinkling lights

and through the house all decked with green
a shadow stalks the verdant scene-

A dimness to the Advent host
pursuing room-to-room to boast

a victory not fought or won,
yet hides in fear, a braggart shunned.

And words of cheer and light revealed
keep gloominess at bay, concealed.

Joyeux Noel thus shared among
us brings to darkness- light- along.

So sing we all in towns and homes
a Christmas song in merry tones,

persuading those from shadows dim
to brilliant light and life with Him.

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Writing a Christmas poem is difficult because the themes are so familiar. The difference between light and dark has been on my mind lately, and it seemed a fitting Christmas thought. My hope is to continue writing in 2015, and that you will continue to read.

I attached a clip below sharing Steven Curtis Chapman’s arrangement of O Come O Come Emmanuel, a text which resonates with this poem, but a different melody than typically associated with the song.

Best wishes this holiday season, Merry Christmas and a happy, prosperous new year.

Resilience

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There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself.

-Gandalf, speaking to the dwarves about his choice of Bilbo to be their burglar, in The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Today (December 17, 2014) marks the release of the third and final movie installment of The Hobbit, directed by Peter Jackson, and perhaps our last film adaptation of Tolkien’s Middle Earth, unless someone tries to unravel The Silmarillion or tries to flesh out any number of short stories. I plan to see the movie (not today, or even this week -probably), because this story is such an important part of my literary life. I read The Hobbit for the first time as a 14 year old, then moved on to the LOTR Trilogy. I recently read it again (a couple of years ago, prior to the film releases), and was still amazed by its light-heartedness compared to the later trilogy – though the films are trying to invoke that more brooding environment.

My enjoyment of The Hobbit has always centered around Bilbo Baggins. He was written as such a likeable character and an everyman that readers (and I think, especially adolescents) could relate to. He wasn’t adventurous and had never sought out grand change – yet, he had the internal bravery to go beyond his comfort zone when faced with the choice. He wasn’t thought of as much of a warrior or a contributor to the dwarves group. He was very much an outsider, culturally and personality-wise. He didn’t fit their idea.

Bilbo Baggins, as depicted in the Rankin/Bass film production of The Hobbit (1977)

Bilbo Baggins, as depicted in the Rankin/Bass film production of The Hobbit (1977)

Yet Gandalf knew…and took a chance.

Either he knew something of Bilbo’s ancestry (as Tolkien suggests some of Bilbo’s ancestors were more adventurous hobbits – which made them something of a novelty to the culture) or he recognized something in Bilbo’s personality that made him appealing in the role of burglar.

Perhaps, it is because he was so small.

Perhaps, it was because he was so self-effacing.

Perhaps, it was because hobbits are generally resilient and self-preserving, yet light hearted.

Whatever the reason, Bilbo ultimately proves his worth to the group and grows in confidence by saving them from various situations until the dwarves accept him. He returns to his home at Bag-End a wiser, more confident hobbit.

And while he was also the fortunate finder of a ring of power and being literally invisible is much more useful than just being ignored, the ability of people to achieve things under unusual circumstances should never be underestimated. Certainly Bilbo had to prove himself, but he also was put in circumstances where he had to do something. He chose to help out Thorin and Company. His self-preservation didn’t win out. This is seen later in other hobbits in the trilogy: Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin all faced challenges and stepped in to do something.

That is the redeeming part of Tolkien’s Middle Earth Saga, that hobbits and other creatures (Ents?) viewed as unimportant tipped the balance and achieved great things.

Think about that.