The exercise:
The Sea-to-Sky Highway has been blocked by a rather large rock slide, leaving my sister, her husband and thousands of others unable to get to Vancouver unless they want to go the long way 'round. With that in mind today's topic is: trapped.
Mine:
The darkness reeks of earth, rock, dust. My steady breaths fill the air, my only companions. They were ragged and full of panic at first but calm has descended upon me and I rest now in its embrace.
Images begin to float by in the darkness, shining with their own light like televisions in an unlit living room. Family, friends, lovers all stopping by for a visit; a childhood scene, long forgotten, playing with our black lab Jessie in the backyard; hikes in the mountains of the world; sky diving in California; the sudden, shocking appearance of boulders on the highway; the tortured metallic screams of the truck as it was tossed about that rocky sea...
No, that sound is now. Have they come to dig me free at last? Will the light of day blind me, the fresh air drown me? Can anything ever be the same again...
Wednesday July 30th, 2008
The exercise:
The starter for today is: unwanted noise.
Mine:
Scooter driving up and down the lane,
Louder than a locomotive train.
I don't think the engine is quite right,
It's like it's losing the will to fight.
I would be happy to end its pain -
The clamor is driving me insane.
And when that damn scooter sees the light,
I have to admit: it'll make my night.
The starter for today is: unwanted noise.
Mine:
Scooter driving up and down the lane,
Louder than a locomotive train.
I don't think the engine is quite right,
It's like it's losing the will to fight.
I would be happy to end its pain -
The clamor is driving me insane.
And when that damn scooter sees the light,
I have to admit: it'll make my night.
Tuesday July 29th, 2008
The exercise:
Find an object in your home that has a story. Tell that story.
Mine:
My Cheshire Cat sits on the bookshelf in the bedroom - two inches tall, pink and purple stripes, grin from ear to ear, stuffed with sand and memories.
It was a gift from the owners of the hostel I spent my Kiwi Christmas in. They bought all their guests little stuffed toys and even though there were probably seventy of us there they tried to make sure everyone got something appropriate. They told me I got the cat because I had a great smile.
My three weeks at that hostel in Waipu hold some of my favorite memories from the six months I spent exploring New Zealand from top to bottom. The great people I met, fishing off the beach, biking the countryside, countless puzzles and boardgames, being among the first people on earth to see the sun rise for the first time in 2004, watching two cars get married...
But that's a story for another time.
Find an object in your home that has a story. Tell that story.
Mine:
My Cheshire Cat sits on the bookshelf in the bedroom - two inches tall, pink and purple stripes, grin from ear to ear, stuffed with sand and memories.
It was a gift from the owners of the hostel I spent my Kiwi Christmas in. They bought all their guests little stuffed toys and even though there were probably seventy of us there they tried to make sure everyone got something appropriate. They told me I got the cat because I had a great smile.
My three weeks at that hostel in Waipu hold some of my favorite memories from the six months I spent exploring New Zealand from top to bottom. The great people I met, fishing off the beach, biking the countryside, countless puzzles and boardgames, being among the first people on earth to see the sun rise for the first time in 2004, watching two cars get married...
But that's a story for another time.
Monday July 28th, 2008
The exercise:
Today marks the 50th consecutive day of my Daily Writing Practice, so to "celebrate" the starter for today is: your 50th birthday. How would you/did you celebrate it? What would be the perfect way to turn fifty? Or would you rather skip that one altogether?
Mine:
I'll start the day with a little lie-in because I'm pretty sure that in twenty years I'll still find sleeping in to be a treat. I don't want to envision a future where I don't enjoy lying in bed for half the morning.
The afternoon will be spent outside... maybe a nice hike in the mountains or forest. On the way back home I'd say a stop for ice cream would be in order. Oh, did I forget to mention I'll be in New Zealand? It's actually warm there in October, so getting ice cream would be a reasonable course of action.
I'd be happy to finish the day with a nice dinner out, somewhere with a view of the ocean and a great glass of wine. And of course Kat would be there throughout it all and we'd watch the sun go down together. That sounds just about perfect to me.
Today marks the 50th consecutive day of my Daily Writing Practice, so to "celebrate" the starter for today is: your 50th birthday. How would you/did you celebrate it? What would be the perfect way to turn fifty? Or would you rather skip that one altogether?
Mine:
I'll start the day with a little lie-in because I'm pretty sure that in twenty years I'll still find sleeping in to be a treat. I don't want to envision a future where I don't enjoy lying in bed for half the morning.
The afternoon will be spent outside... maybe a nice hike in the mountains or forest. On the way back home I'd say a stop for ice cream would be in order. Oh, did I forget to mention I'll be in New Zealand? It's actually warm there in October, so getting ice cream would be a reasonable course of action.
I'd be happy to finish the day with a nice dinner out, somewhere with a view of the ocean and a great glass of wine. And of course Kat would be there throughout it all and we'd watch the sun go down together. That sounds just about perfect to me.
Sunday July 27th, 2008
The exercise:
More fun with homonyms! To be honest, I'm surprised I managed to wait this long before doing this one again.
Mine:
Me, you and the ewe - Ewe protection agency slogan
Hi from up high - Mountaintop greeting
Come see the sea - Mediterranean tourism slogan
Do you know what's due? - A worried student on the way to class
I know she'll say no - A pessimistic suitor
Can we lessen the length of the lesson? - Oft heard in my three hour evening classes in university
The motor whirred louder at his word - voice-activated engine
More fun with homonyms! To be honest, I'm surprised I managed to wait this long before doing this one again.
Mine:
Me, you and the ewe - Ewe protection agency slogan
Hi from up high - Mountaintop greeting
Come see the sea - Mediterranean tourism slogan
Do you know what's due? - A worried student on the way to class
I know she'll say no - A pessimistic suitor
Can we lessen the length of the lesson? - Oft heard in my three hour evening classes in university
The motor whirred louder at his word - voice-activated engine
Saturday July 26th, 2008
The exercise:
The theme for this week's four line poem is weddings.
Mine:
So, how did the wedding go?
Oh, you know, it was okay.
Really, why only so-so?
My girlfriend caught the bouquet...
The theme for this week's four line poem is weddings.
Mine:
So, how did the wedding go?
Oh, you know, it was okay.
Really, why only so-so?
My girlfriend caught the bouquet...
Friday July 25th, 2008
The exercise:
Welcome back to Def Poetry Jam Friday. I'm off to a wedding this afternoon and that's got me wondering if Kathy and Ian's beginning was anything like Paul Mabon's Toothbrush.
Mine:
A light-hearted reminder that love and relationships cannot be planned, cannot be seen coming. They sneak in the back door when you're not looking, make themselves at home while you're reading the newspaper.
Then one day you look around and it seems like they've always been there. But you can't say when they arrived, you just know they're here to stay.
So Kathy and Ian, I hope the years before you find you together, happy and with all the good fortune you both deserve. And may love always have a place in your home.
This appears to be Paul Mabon's only Def Poetry Jam appearance but he does have his own account where's uploaded other performances. So far my favorite is this one.
Welcome back to Def Poetry Jam Friday. I'm off to a wedding this afternoon and that's got me wondering if Kathy and Ian's beginning was anything like Paul Mabon's Toothbrush.
Mine:
A light-hearted reminder that love and relationships cannot be planned, cannot be seen coming. They sneak in the back door when you're not looking, make themselves at home while you're reading the newspaper.
Then one day you look around and it seems like they've always been there. But you can't say when they arrived, you just know they're here to stay.
So Kathy and Ian, I hope the years before you find you together, happy and with all the good fortune you both deserve. And may love always have a place in your home.
This appears to be Paul Mabon's only Def Poetry Jam appearance but he does have his own account where's uploaded other performances. So far my favorite is this one.
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