Tag: Poetry

NaPoWriMo 2014, Poetry2 Comments

Palm Strong

Charlotte Hamrick

Held to Earth by fiber and root Palm leaves contort in the wind like words flung across a thunder filled room, end over end, between our quarreling anger You have no idea the effect your words had on me last night in bare feet, water dripping from just-shampooed hair and frustrated eyes, I wrapped a shield of silence around my body, a security blanket, while your voice boomed its disapproval Palm leaves wiggle and chatter, each frond single yet attached to the petiole, every petiole dependent on the rooted stem In stormy weather it’s tossed but it’s flexible, not allowing … Continue reading Palm Strong

New Orleans4 Comments

Writing For Writing’s Sake

Charlotte Hamrick

Below is an excerpt from an interview with Literary Orphan’s editor, Mike Joyce. I like this particular answer of his so much because I’m so tired of the same old tired advice you hear/read from writers: “write every day.” Why? You can write crap all day long but if it’s crap and you’re just filling pages why waste your time and energy? Writing when you’re not inspired is excruciating. Writing when you’re inspired is a joy or a sorrow or a catharsis. Go out into the world and experience, live your life, soak it all in. Inspiration will follow when … Continue reading Writing For Writing’s Sake

Morning Meditation, New OrleansLeave a comment

Morning Meditation 3.19.14

Charlotte Hamrick

Song and Dance The moist, fertile breath of March cools my morning face Sparrows cut a ruckus, wings akimbo, in the palm tree while golden honeybees float between pear blossoms, a mini ballet A glint of red in an azure sky, Coast Guard chopper jitterbugs overhead among the lazy background bustle of the city, it all melds together, an outdoor theater for my pleasured senses. Continue reading Morning Meditation 3.19.14

New Orleans2 Comments

Literary Orphans: The Lennon Issue

Charlotte Hamrick

This is a phenomenal journal and I’m so excited to be included in it. Mike Joyce & Co. put together a visually beautiful and stimulating journal with each issue that other journals would do well to emulate. It’s evident from its high art style to the diverse contributors to the personal Editors Note that this is a labor of love – everything about it is meant to please the eyes of the reader and it does. Do yourself a favor: CLICK! Now! WWW.LITERARYORPHANS.ORG ISSUE11: Lost Prophet (John Lennon) We’re a digital writing and art magazine based in Chicago, and we’re … Continue reading Literary Orphans: The Lennon Issue

New Orleans2 Comments

Dirt Mamma

Charlotte Hamrick

This weekend I found a letter from my aunt that she wrote me in 2003. I have no memory of it so it was like reading it for the first time. At the time she was in Hot Springs, Arkansas with her husband, my mom and dad, and my other aunt on vacation. The three women are (were) sisters. In it she described a little about the hotel, their stay and various activities. She described an incident in a hot tub where my mom became nauseous. It was surreal, reading this as if it just happened, with my mom being dead for … Continue reading Dirt Mamma

Books2 Comments

Confessions of a Book List Hoarder

Charlotte Hamrick

I’ve become a book list hoarder. I love books. I love reading good books. But I don’t have the time (or patience) to read like I did when I was, say, 16 or 23 or even 35. Somehow, over the years, my life became more complicated. This surprises me because I thought by the time I reached this age (dare I say it: 50ish) everything would have slowed down. Life would have slowed down, I would have slowed down. Then, I thought, I would have time to read all the classics that everyone else has read. Those books I never … Continue reading Confessions of a Book List Hoarder