Hot Reads & Other Stuff

The wind is blowing fiercely outside whipping the trees into a frenzy. The wind chimes are clanging merrily, though, giving quite the serenade. All the little birds at the bird feeder are puffed out. I guess they’re trying to stay warm in the cold wind. It’s grey. Another grey day. Every time we have one of these days in NOLA it reinforces how glad I am that I don’t live where winters are harsh. Day upon day of greyness would do me in for sure. I don’t mind the occasional gloomy day – sometimes it’s nice to cuddle up on … Continue reading Hot Reads & Other Stuff

Less is more at 5:30 am

At 5:30 every morning I get up to put drops in my dog Buddy’s eye. He had cataract surgery on December 7th and part of the aftercare is seven different drops at different times around the clock. Well, some of them coincide but you get the picture. He’s doing great, btw, finally able to see well enough to resume our daily walks which makes us both happy. Anyway, at 5am he has three drops that are given five minutes apart so in the five minute waiting periods I look at my iPad. Seems a theme has emerged this morning: less. … Continue reading Less is more at 5:30 am

Happy Birthday, Sylvia

Dear Sylvia, I read your book The Bell Jar when I was an angst-ridden teen. It made me feel less alone, less shunned, less ugly. It helped me realize there were others out there like me feeling like a dead end dirt road. I wrapped your words around me like a cloud of soft familiarality and the world’s edges felt less sharp. Some may not understand this but you do and that’s all that matters. Thank you. Continue reading Happy Birthday, Sylvia

Hot Reads & Other Things

So I had really planned to have a good dozen links to a good dozen poems and stories for this post, but then, life happened. I’m flexible, though, and decided to go with what I have because the two flash fictions, one video-poem, and one text poem here are dynamite.  You just can’t get any better than these. So, forthwith: “Hands” by Tara Isabel Zambrano in The Sonder Review and Fictionaut. “I stay up all night. I write. I give up cashews and pistachios. I spend my time looking at his things wishing they were gone too. My only sliver of comfort about … Continue reading Hot Reads & Other Things

Inspiration Monday: Adrienne Rich

One of the great functions of art is to help us imagine what it is like to be not ourselves, what it is like to be someone or something else, what it is like to live in another skin, what it is like to live in another body, and in that sense to surpass ourselves, to go out beyond ourselves. — Adrienne Rich Continue reading Inspiration Monday: Adrienne Rich

Inspiration Monday: Patti Smith

“We might ask ourselves, what tools do we have? What can we count on? You can count on yourself. Believe me, your self is your best ally. You know who you are, even when sometimes it becomes a little blurry and you make mistakes or seem to be veering off, just go deeper. You know who you are. You know the right thing to do. And when you make a mistake, it’s alright — just as the song goes, pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and start all over again.” — Patti Smith Continue reading Inspiration Monday: Patti Smith

The dVerse Ball and All

You gave me acceptance when I was uncertain You gave me community when I felt alone You gave me creativity when I was blank You gave me a big, wide world of dversity Value Expression Rebellion Support Exuberance What more could a poet want? Happy 3rd Birthday to dVerse Poets Pub! dVerse has been a great source of inspiration for me with a great network of very supportive poets. They’re celebrating with a Poets Ball so why not hop on over there and visit a while? Continue reading The dVerse Ball and All

Literary Tattoos

I recently discovered Contrariwise: Literary Tattoos, a website that shows literary tattoos people have had inked on their bodies. A tattoo is not something I’m interested in for myself but I do find them interesting and the reasons people get them interesting. I like the one above particularly because it’s from the poem “Antilamentation” by Dorianne Laux, one of my favorite poets and poems. It’s a beautiful  and honest line and a poem all by itself.  I also like the placement of the design because I like the idea of a tattoo being hidden and only revealed to a select … Continue reading Literary Tattoos