Photo by Mary Bach
You see, one loves the sunset when one is so sad.
-Antione de Saint-Exupéry
He Said – She Said
Month: November 2015
Pax/ Pox
Every screen
shows us
death
a bombing
and a shooting
and another
and many others
Atrocities abound
And we-
we bleed, weep and keep
watch
Moved beyond words
almost
showing our best
Until
the arguments start
Who has the greatest
loss
and who is
at fault
whose policy failed
who can we punish
Our finest impulses
are buried in
shrapnel, bile and fear
November Blues
I took these yesterday on my walk with my little dog, Otis. You can sort of see him in the middle picture. These were messing around shots; I just found my that my camera has a “posterize” setting.
Grandma’s Kitchen
Grandma’s kitchen
was not tidy or spotless
the linoleum was worn
and the cabinets had seen better days
but Grandma’s kitchen
smelled of Heaven-
of fresh baked bread
and safety
and story books
with happy endings.
Grandma’s kitchen
always held some special treasure:
shining jars of red currant jelly
iridescent blue feathers
a speckled stone,
or even a cardboard box
full of kittens.
But best of all in
Grandma’s kitchen
was Grandma and Grandpa
This was written in response to a prompt from Karin over at the Imaginary Garden with Real Toads. She asked us to try just writing, nomaterwhat, for seven minutes. The take whatever we have from that and work with it. This is a technique for helping get through writers’ block. Click on the link and check out what others have written.
November
by Mary Bach
As I walk the ridge top
watching for rain
I wonder
what the tulips dream
tucked safe in their beds
for the long night of winter
what the wind sings
that inspires the leaves
to dance across along the fields
These things
I wonder
watching for rain
as I walk the ridge top
Big Sky
Today I went for a walk before the rains came. I thought I’d share a few pictures of the dramatic sky with you.
And these are my walking buddies:
He Said – She Said
Photo by Mary Bach
“We cross from memory into imagination
with only vague awareness of change.”
-Simon Van Booy
Grand Finale
The November temple is empty
the sacrifice finished.
Leaves scatter in the wind;
branches snap
like dry bones
of an unearthed skeleton.
The hole
in my graveyard chest
is empty
and black birds pick
at the pearls
which were my eyes.
Houdini’s midnight cape
settles with a flourish.
The show is over.
NaNoWriMo
For those of you who don’t know what NaNoWriMo means (National Novel Writing Month) you don’t need to worry about any of this. Continue happily on with your sane lives. But for any of you out there who have accepted the challenge of writing a novel of 50,000 words in 30 days I have compiled some advice from well known authors to help (and by ‘help’ I mean, ‘not help at all and marginally harm by distracting’) you through your odyssey.
The road to hell is paved with adverbs.
― Stephen King
Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.
― Louis L’Amour
There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.
― W. Somerset Maugham
You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.
― Jack London
This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It’s that easy, and that hard.
― Neil Gaiman
Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.
― Natalie Goldberg
Nothing’s a better cure for writer’s block than to eat ice cream right out of the carton.
― Don Roff
In writing, you must kill all your darlings.
― William Faulkner
And finally:
Beware of advice—even this.
― Carl Sandburg
So, to those of you making the attempt I wish you all the best!
Samhain
Whisper to me
through the veil tonight
when shades and shadows
dance cheek to cheek
as curtains flutter
and shutters creak
Tip the urn
spill your secrets
let me feel your breath
like ashes blowing
against my neck
Tell me all
I cannot know
of ways and whys,
impossible skies
meant for only sightless eyes
This is for the writing prompt 55+ from the Imaginary Garden with Real Toads. We were asked to write 55 words about Halloweeney sorts of things. Click on the link and check it out.
In Other Words 