the wildlife,
are they getting used
to me?
I who bombard their space
with my garden statues
—Atlas Poetica, #13, November 15, 2012
Monday, July 8, 2013
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
The brimming bowl
the brimming bowl
of potato salad
she made at home
.....my tub of store-bought
.....shriveling beside it
—red lights, Vol. 9, No. 2, June 2013
To those in the U.S., Happy Fourth! Eat a lot of potato salad.
of potato salad
she made at home
.....my tub of store-bought
.....shriveling beside it
—red lights, Vol. 9, No. 2, June 2013
To those in the U.S., Happy Fourth! Eat a lot of potato salad.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Sun sizzles
sun sizzles
over the pavement—
in this heat
a single tear
can dry in seconds
—A Hundred Gourds, 2:1, December 2012
The sun has been sizzling here lately. We've already inched up into the triple digits (degrees F).
over the pavement—
in this heat
a single tear
can dry in seconds
—A Hundred Gourds, 2:1, December 2012
The sun has been sizzling here lately. We've already inched up into the triple digits (degrees F).
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Early blooms
early blooms
on the bridal wreath—
the many years
before I could picture
myself dressed in white
—Moonbathing, Issue 8, Spring/Summer 2013
I believe the early blooms appeared in late winter.
on the bridal wreath—
the many years
before I could picture
myself dressed in white
—Moonbathing, Issue 8, Spring/Summer 2013
I believe the early blooms appeared in late winter.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
A year of poetry blogging
A while back, I read a post at Book of Kells by poet-writer-editor Kelli Russell Agodon, where she posed the question: "Do you still have a blog?" Recently, she followed up with another post: ".... To Blog or Not to Blog?"
Do I still have a blog? Several years ago, when blogging was hipper than it is now, I was a contributing member of a group poetry blog created, managed, and owned by someone else (and that blog later morphed into a print literary journal). But I only started my own blog a year ago this month.
I'm often slow to follow trends, quite slow. I could give various examples of how late to the party I tend to be in my life, but maybe I'll save them for a future post. I suppose I eventually could get into tweeting—compressed, quick communication—though probably only after it has become passé.
I like Ms. Agodon's term "online shy," which is how I sometimes feel. (Actually, for most of my lifetime, I've been just plain shy in general.) So at times I wonder what I'm doing here.
I obviously don't have a large blog readership: I have a tiny handful of visible members and, I gather, another small handful of e-mail and other invisible subscribers. Based on the patterns of my stats, I may have an additional handful of onlookers from around the world—primarily, North America, Europe, and Asia. And, from time to time, I also have many spammers, though not nearly as many as when I started out.
I think it must take quite a bit of work to attract a sizable following (unless, maybe, you're pretty well-known), particularly these days with the apparently waning popularity of blogging and the great migration of poets and poetry lovers, along with half of humanity, to Tweeterland—though a gazillion miscellaneous blogs do still exist.
I don't know who all of my visitors are, or exactly how many of you there are, but I'm grateful for you! Sincerely. I'm not sure how long I'll keep this blog, but for now, I do plan to continue.
Now, why I "still blog":
- I hope it's not because I like to "hear myself speak," though hearing ourselves speak can be revealing. And I know it's not because I like to be the center of attention.
- Maintaining a blog is another creative outlet for me; in my opinion, we all need ways to express ourselves creatively.
- Blogs, to me, can be warmer places than certain other social media outlets, and a person also can say more. "...blogs offer us the opportunity to expand our thought," says Ms. Agodon.
- Since I can be a ridiculously practical person, I feel I must do something with my barely used poetry—e.g., work that has been published a time or two and then otherwise would disappear into the ether—so I don't "waste it." I suppose this blog is my "book."
- I'm a bit afraid to blog: am blog shy. At this stage in my life, it's time to not be quite so afraid. Yes, maybe that's the most important reason why I have this blog—to plod on despite my inclination to withdraw, if that makes any sense.
What about you? Do you still have a blog? Why do you blog? Or have you never had a blog of your own? Even if you're not up to posting an answer, I congratulate you for making it clear through to the bottom of this post! And, again, I thank you for the support: for commenting to me or just quietly checking out twigs&stones.
I'll keep the deadbolt unlocked and the porch light on for you (unless, of course, the bulb burns out and I forget to replace it—smile).
*******
Do I still have a blog? Several years ago, when blogging was hipper than it is now, I was a contributing member of a group poetry blog created, managed, and owned by someone else (and that blog later morphed into a print literary journal). But I only started my own blog a year ago this month.
I'm often slow to follow trends, quite slow. I could give various examples of how late to the party I tend to be in my life, but maybe I'll save them for a future post. I suppose I eventually could get into tweeting—compressed, quick communication—though probably only after it has become passé.
I like Ms. Agodon's term "online shy," which is how I sometimes feel. (Actually, for most of my lifetime, I've been just plain shy in general.) So at times I wonder what I'm doing here.
I obviously don't have a large blog readership: I have a tiny handful of visible members and, I gather, another small handful of e-mail and other invisible subscribers. Based on the patterns of my stats, I may have an additional handful of onlookers from around the world—primarily, North America, Europe, and Asia. And, from time to time, I also have many spammers, though not nearly as many as when I started out.
I think it must take quite a bit of work to attract a sizable following (unless, maybe, you're pretty well-known), particularly these days with the apparently waning popularity of blogging and the great migration of poets and poetry lovers, along with half of humanity, to Tweeterland—though a gazillion miscellaneous blogs do still exist.
I don't know who all of my visitors are, or exactly how many of you there are, but I'm grateful for you! Sincerely. I'm not sure how long I'll keep this blog, but for now, I do plan to continue.
Now, why I "still blog":
- I hope it's not because I like to "hear myself speak," though hearing ourselves speak can be revealing. And I know it's not because I like to be the center of attention.
- Maintaining a blog is another creative outlet for me; in my opinion, we all need ways to express ourselves creatively.
- Blogs, to me, can be warmer places than certain other social media outlets, and a person also can say more. "...blogs offer us the opportunity to expand our thought," says Ms. Agodon.
- Since I can be a ridiculously practical person, I feel I must do something with my barely used poetry—e.g., work that has been published a time or two and then otherwise would disappear into the ether—so I don't "waste it." I suppose this blog is my "book."
- I'm a bit afraid to blog: am blog shy. At this stage in my life, it's time to not be quite so afraid. Yes, maybe that's the most important reason why I have this blog—to plod on despite my inclination to withdraw, if that makes any sense.
What about you? Do you still have a blog? Why do you blog? Or have you never had a blog of your own? Even if you're not up to posting an answer, I congratulate you for making it clear through to the bottom of this post! And, again, I thank you for the support: for commenting to me or just quietly checking out twigs&stones.
I'll keep the deadbolt unlocked and the porch light on for you (unless, of course, the bulb burns out and I forget to replace it—smile).
*******
Monday, June 17, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
Planting privet
planting privet
we mix fresh garden soil
with old earth
expectant of buds
and deep rambling roots
—kernels, Premier Edition, Spring 2013
Well, our variegated privet, which I understand may grow like weeds in certain parts of the U.S. and elsewhere in the world (or at least the regular privet apparently does), isn't thriving here quite yet. It didn't help that soon after we planted it, the deer thought it was part of their salad bar—even though it's supposed to be deer-resistant. But the earth and I are still "expectant."
we mix fresh garden soil
with old earth
expectant of buds
and deep rambling roots
—kernels, Premier Edition, Spring 2013
Well, our variegated privet, which I understand may grow like weeds in certain parts of the U.S. and elsewhere in the world (or at least the regular privet apparently does), isn't thriving here quite yet. It didn't help that soon after we planted it, the deer thought it was part of their salad bar—even though it's supposed to be deer-resistant. But the earth and I are still "expectant."
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Pine-needle nest
pine-needle nest
with an unhatched egg ...
I carry it
to the edge of the woods
where birdsong is thickest
—Skylark, 1:1, Summer 2013
with an unhatched egg ...
I carry it
to the edge of the woods
where birdsong is thickest
—Skylark, 1:1, Summer 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)