Inspiration Monday: Madeleine L’Engle

“But unless we are creators we are not fully alive. What do I mean by creators? Not only artists, whose acts of creation are the obvious ones of working with paint or clay or words. Creativity is a way of living life, no matter our vocation or how we earn our living. Creativity is not limited to the arts, or having some kind of important career.” ― Madeleine L’Engle, Walking on Water Continue reading Inspiration Monday: Madeleine L’Engle

Another Day in the Crescent City

  It’s another balmy day in paradise. I push down the plunger in the French Press, inhaling the earthy aroma of the blackest of coffees called Community. The morning paper lies on the coffee table waiting for its unfolding, opening and adjusting shake. “Sneaking Sally Through The Alley” is dancing out of the Boze, WWOZ accommodating its listeners with the best music in the country, bar none. Noise from the street wafts through the open French doors: the rummmm-rummmm of the city bus, the high-pitched laughter of kids on Christmas break, the artificially cheerful greeting of “order when you’re ready!” … Continue reading Another Day in the Crescent City

Inspiration Monday: Anna Quindlen

“Our love of lockstep is our greatest curse, the source of all that bedevils us. It is the source of homophobia, xenophobia, racism, sexism, terrorism, bigotry of every variety and hue, because it tells us there is one right way to do things, to look, to behave, to feel, when the only right way is to feel your heart hammering inside you and to listen to what its timpani is saying.” ― Anna Quindlen Continue reading Inspiration Monday: Anna Quindlen

Inspiration Monday: The Empire State Building

Yesterday was the 85th anniversary of the opening of the Empire State Building. Here are a few pics of it from my trip to NYC. As you can see, we went up in it at night and the views were phenomenal – the photos don’t do it justice. We paid a little extra to go up to the observation deck which is totally worth it for viewing as its way less crowded. I confess to getting a little bit dizzy because you’re closer to the edge of the wide world up there. Building began on St. Patrick’s Day of 1930 … Continue reading Inspiration Monday: The Empire State Building

They Were All There, Gleaming

Without him, a faint image became clearer. The curtain hanging before my eyes, flat and cold, removed. Over me, the jeweled colors appear brighter than they were. ***** So, I worked my own prompt today, my version of an erasure poem. Erasure poems, to me, are too messy – you know, all that black marker. So I just take a block of text and search for words and phrases  and either underline or write them down as I go. This poem was derived from the following paragraph in The Girl With the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (Penguin Books, 1999) … Continue reading They Were All There, Gleaming

The Poet is Highjacked from National Poetry Month

  It’s your fault, New York. You grabbed me by the heart and shook out all the doubts, all the fears, all the hurts and disappointments. You ran your fingers around my brain, pulled out all the murky stuff and replaced it with the brightness of yellow taxis streaking down the avenues, the open-faced grins of locals walking dogs, the clinking glasses and laughter of after-work drinks, children running through spring kissed grass in Central Park. You, New York, you are the reason I forgot about National Poetry Month and didn’t write a single poem for nine days because you … Continue reading The Poet is Highjacked from National Poetry Month

Inspiration Monday: New York, New York!

 I just spent a week in NYC and now I completely understand why people love it. I’m still on a post vacay high from my trip and already planning my second one. I fell in love. I could totally live there (if I could afford it!). First, it’s a beautiful and clean city, incredibly clean. Second, the people are friendly and don’t seem to mind tourists (refreshing), we never felt like anyone was annoyed by us including the tour guides who were all cheerful and chatty. Shout out to the aspiring actor working The Top of the Rock who kept us … Continue reading Inspiration Monday: New York, New York!