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About This Author
My name is Joy, and I love to write.
Why poetry, here? Because poetry uplifts its writer, and if she is lucky enough, her readers, too. Around us, so many objects abound to write about. Once a poet starts with a smallest, most trivial object, he shall discover that his pen will spill out what is most delicate or most majestic hidden inside him. Since the classics sometimes dealt with lofty subjects with a lofty language, a person with poetry in his soul may incline to emulate that. That is understandable. Poetry does that to a person: it enlarges the soul and gives it wings. Yet, to really soar, a poet needs to take off from the ground.
 
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Everyday Canvas
"Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself."
CHARLIE CHAPLIN
Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn
anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.
David Whyte
This is my supplementary blog in which I will post entries written for prompts.
August 30, 2014 at 12:26am August 30, 2014 at 12:26am
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I hear someone knocking at the front door, just as I am tryjng to close the fridge's door, which has a mind of its own and it won't budge until I eat half the things inside, on the shelves.
O my God, what a wonderful surprise! It is Lyn visiting me, but she has missed seeing the doorbell. So she keeps banging and banging. I open the door and welcome her in, her suitcases and all, but if it were someone else, someone who rubs me the wrong way, I would still welcome them and probably say, "Come in, come in. When I heard the door, I thought maybe the fumigating company changed their schedule. My place is going to be fumigated for bedbugs by next week."
Lyn, to my surprise, looks tense as if she is experiencing indecision about something or other. She clears her throat without saying hello, and her fingers lose their grip on the suitcases as she dumps them out right at the entrance, letting patterns and fabric take to the air and then settle every which way. She says, "Here, I brought them to you. I am giving up quilting and will write the great American novel."
Before I can congratulate her on her valiant decision, the quilting bits and pieces of Kaffe fabric, no less, are all over my house, confusing my husband because he thinks he is the only one who can throw things around. By the looks of him, I can guess he's feeling the saliva build in the back of his throat as he chokes with emotion for spotting a kindred spirit who can make a mess at least close to what he can accomplish in an instant.
Between the floating and falling quilt pieces and hubby's reaction, a sudden lightheadedness makes me lose sensation in my body, and I stumble and nose-dive on one pile of fabric squares.
"Not on my fabric!" Lyn cries. Her shock at my fall instantly melts away and is replaced by rage. "I brought them to you, so you take good care of my babies. You have abused my trust by falling on them."
Next she pushes me away and ceremoniously packs her suitcases again. "There," she sneers at me triumphantly. "I gotta make the next plane, train, or bus, whichever...I'll let Charley and Mitch learn quilting. It is time I tamed those boys."
Right after Lyn leaves, hubby brings out every single piece of his clothing and scatters them all over the place, with flair. "Your friend Lyn is a genius," he says. "You, on the other hand, have no appreciation of an artistic, lived-in style of decoration."
I am short on the uptake, not wanting to be in my own house now, but his sarcasm is refreshing, too. Since his attitude and Lyn's momentary lapse have trained me in lightning speed, I look around me and wave at the mess as if it were a bosom buddy; then, I get up and go to the kitchen. Clownishly, I pour me some coffee, which I spill half of it on the tiles, but I shrug and go sit at my desk without picking up the spill.
There is much to be said about the lived-in kind of decoration. Maybe now, I can write that great American whatever.
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Prompt: There's a knock on your door. Hi. I ask, can I come in. You say yes, but then see my four suitcases. You tell me what happens ....
No worries, you've read my blog I am a tough old woman.
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August 29, 2014 at 4:31pm August 29, 2014 at 4:31pm
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You know, I have never covered up a scandal; neither did anyone ask me. Hmmm….I wonder why…
The word cover-up brings to mind the Watergate’s woeful wrack-up. It wasn’t only a cover-up, but cover-up of the cover-up, which led to a presidential resignation and still is getting some kind of a cover-up by the passage of time. As the saying goes: Time heals all heels.
As to cover-ups, Victoria’s Secret sells loads up wraparound cover-ups to unsuspecting women. Opposite or maybe relevant to Victoria’s Secret’s commercial wheelings and dealings, some cultures cover up women with a burka. Another thing to ponder over…Do they think women are scandals?
As to scandals and cover ups, I read in the news that some police forces and other governing bodies in the world are good at it as well as the Wall Street’s swashbuckling charlatans in cahoot with some shysters in Washington.
It has to be that what we hear about implied or true scandals through the grapevine must belong to specially educated rascals and sharks, which leads me to suspect the directions that some higher education institutions are taking.
I think there must be a course for this type of a cover-up in Ivy League colleges and such. If for nothing else, an excellent reason for such a course comes about when a cover gets blown off, and students or practitioners of scandals and cover-ups need to know how to spot those whistle blowers beforehand and defend themselves against them.
All this chewing the fat about scandals and cover-ups makes me think of the meaning of the word scandal. Aside from being a TV Series title, scandal means an action or event regarded as morally or legally wrong and causing general public outrage.
Accordingly, scandal becomes a scandal when it is publicly known. This should indicate that the need for covering it up is null and void and useless.
So, that clears me, doesn’t it? Why would anyone ask me to cover up something that is already known? But if they had asked me to cover up a scandalous secret, that would be a different case, which no one would anyway…Since they’d figure out I’d write about it here in my blog. 
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Prompt: An admired mentor asks for help covering up a scandal. Did she say scandal? What is it?
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August 28, 2014 at 5:36pm August 28, 2014 at 5:36pm
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In his book American Savage: Insights, Slights, and Fights on Faith, Sex, Love, and Politics, Dan Savage says, “There is no settling down without some settling for. There is no long-term relationship not just putting up with your partner’s flaws, but accepting them and then pretending they aren’t there.”
This is so true. One of things I have done that I had thought I could never do was to stay in a relationship for such a long time. Another thing I did--inside the same relationship--was to settle for stuff, which I had abhorred others doing. Yes, I settled and stayed for 47 years, and still continue staying. Moreover, I do not regret any second of it, either. Oh, the lies we tell ourselves and the decisions we make without grasping the entire situation fully!
I also thought, before I had any children, that my children would be perfect because I would never spoil them. To insure that, I even took a plethora of psychology and pedagogy courses in college. Hahahaha! Another decision down the drain. I spoiled them rotten. Not only them, but also the cats and the dog. And none of them were perfect. Cute and lovable and somewhat successful in their own way, but never perfect. And thank God, for their sweet imperfections!
One other thing I did, which I thought I could never do, was to stop keeping a journal. I did so, only because life took over, and family became the most important aspect of my days. I still wrote every now and then, but I also ventured away into other areas like work, art, management, and stuff like that, which I am not regretting because every single different thing I did gave me the world view that I have today. I do have a pang of guilt every now and then, however, for not keeping a journal for two decades that could have reminded me of what I was like and what my environment was like during those years.
As hindsight is 20-20, I sometimes think I should have stuck with linguistics and lit, and not convert that into a hobby, when I had invested an education and a degree in that area. But then, I also wonder if I had a choice there. Anyhow, what is done is done and cannot be undone.
Winding my life fast forward, I thought I could never write a novel in one month with NaNo, until 2009. In 2009, some friends encouraged me, so I wrote one, doing the pantser thing. It doesn’t qualify for a tiny medal or prize, let alone a serious one like Pulitzer  , but it is okay. After that, I wrote a novel every November with NaNo, until now. This year, I am thinking maybe I’ll take a bow and exit, but like everything else, maybe not. We’ll see how that goes.
Looking back, it hasn’t been so bad. It has been as if I chose to take a lower-grade parking spot and walked, rather than stressed myself searching for the perfect spot. Probably that perfect spot can never exist for anyone, anyhow.
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Prompt: Things you have done that you thought you could never do.
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August 27, 2014 at 10:44pm August 27, 2014 at 10:44pm
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I am not Irish, but I love Irish folklore and have observed that nature has many ways to tell of the future to the Irish.
For example if a bumblebee buzzes at the window, it is a sign of a visitor on the way to your place. A similar warning is that bees will take offense, if they hear you quarreling and they will stop producing honey. Talking about birds and bees, about twenty species of birds and over two hundred species of insects inhabit the oak trees. No wonder, then, that the oak tree is Ireland’s natural and human heritage.
Among a world of attributes to all aspects of nature, there is the old saying that, If it rains on the bride on her wedding day the couple's union will prosper, and the bride will be fruitful until her hair turns silver. Irish blessings on weddings are also given to chase away the blues or evil and bad luck that may come from the realm of the nasty fairies. I am sure those blessings will take care of whichever evil those fairies may have cast upon the couple.
As to couples and marriage, what amuses me the most is the tale of a groom waking up in the morning and finding a changeling in his bed in place of his wife. Well, don’t people shapeshift after the wedding night or sometime soon after the wedding? No wonder some grooms are spotted driving away in a hurry for fear of their lives.
If that may not become the case, despite the fact that boredom sets in, how does true love manage to survive? An Irish ballad answers that as:
But the greatest love -- the love above all loves,
Even greater than that of a mother...
Is the tender, passionate, undying love,
Of one beer drunken slob for another.
Now, aren’t I right in admiring the keen insight and the sharp wit of the Irish?
May Irish Angels rest their wings right beside my door!
Cheers!
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Prompt:
Blue, rain, driving, insect, tree, sign, warning, chase, silver
Use these words in today's prompt anyway you would like.
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August 13, 2014 at 12:28am August 13, 2014 at 12:28am
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I think I find inspiration in many things and places, in life really. Sometimes I am inspired by the most mundane things, like a clock ticking, a weird sound in the middle of the night, water boiling in a kettle, a piece of jewelry someone’s wearing, whatever I read, quotes, proverbs, etc.
When something inspires me, I don’t just attack the keyboard or pen and paper. I let the moment seep in. If I do get an idea for writing, then I jot it down in a few sentences with the notion of getting back to it later.
Sometimes what inspires me can remind me of something nostalgic or makes it easier for me to get over a rough patch. At times what inspires me makes me try to be a better person, do better work in all areas, or accept life as is.
If I have to make a list of what has inspired me or may inspire me, however, here is a partial one:
People
I am a people watcher. I just love people of all ages, ethnicity, and gender, their our vulnerability, foibles, emotional reactions, quirks, how we relate to one another, how we play, how we are so quiet when we see the spiritual in the tiniest moments and things. I also like watching (knowing about) people taking risks, overcoming hardships, and becoming successful against all odds.
Nature
The ocean and the beach, boats, waves etc.
Sunsets,
animals,
plants, (especially new shoots or plants, even weeds, just breaking through the surface of the earth)
The Alps
mountains with full moon over them
looking at a city under moonlight (from a hill or high place)
Farms, cities, towns
Music:
Classical (just about any era) – it inspires affects me in so many ways that it would be impossible to list.
Folk music (just about any) – it makes me feel the oneness with all humans.
Songs with lyrics—Some lyrics and singing together really get to me. (e. g. Sound of Silence, Bridge over Troubled Waters, Wise men say only fools rush in, etc.)
Some New Age music like that of Kitaro.
Art
I love to look for colors and lines and shapes in anything in everyday life; how they relate to each other and to the overall scene. I also like paintings, photographs and other art work that leave something in me when I look at them.
Books:
Only those I consider well-written that linger in memory after I’ve finished reading.
Poetry:
I can be selective, but a good poem is highly inspirational for me.
History:
Some pages in history can be moving, too, since they have to do with human existence.
Movies or TV
Very rarely. But it does happen.
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Make a list of inspirations. People, places, things, events, colors and activities. Do these inspire you to write, go to work, help you through life or make your day a good one? I would like to hear about them.
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August 12, 2014 at 2:28pm August 12, 2014 at 2:28pm
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Robin Williams first made me laugh in Mork and Mindy, and he caught my attention in The World According to Garp and Good Morning, Vietnam, but he first impressed me in Dead Poets Society. Then, I knew we, the audience, were going to be entertained and spoiled by a very high class actor, and I was right. His genius showed in his quips on the talk shows to his later work, in: Awakenings, The Fisher King, Good Will Hunting, Popeye, Hook, Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, The Birdcage, Night at the Museum,and Happy Feet.
On top of all this. were his stand-up work, Broadway roles, and mostly the fact that his fantastic mind could go from serious to hilarious in light speed. Absolutely amazing, but then, he was an amazing human being.
An artist of his caliber will be hard to come by. I feel very lucky to have lived at this time to have viewed his work both on television and in the movies.
Rest in peace, Robin Williams!
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Today the actor/comedian Robin Williams passed away. What are your feelings about his work? How deeply are you affected by a celebrity death? Is there a particular celebrity whose passing would/has cause(d) significant grief? |
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