Taking Some Family Time

Tuesday night after work, I had a KC Metro Verse meeting. We read a lot of Charles Bukowski material.

Tuesday was also the end of my work week. I've taken three vacation days and it has been wonderful. My wife has been off this week as well. Thursday we did a family trip to Omaha to visit the zoo. That coupled with taking my daughter fishing the day before, has given me a real taste of nature this week. It has opened up my senses to the whole view of cohabitation of man and nature on this planet. Something we (mankind) are not fairing very well at.

I can envision some impact on my future writing by this realization. It's not that I have been oblivious to this whole thing, but sometimes you see things which deepened your passion or resolve to certain things. An "Ah-ha!" experience.

I may post some pictures from the zoo visit over the weekend if I get them upload into flicker.

My wife and I were both amazed at the Armadillo. They had this tiny one that just ran around all over the place. I had to wonder what sort of food intake was necessary to sustain that amount of energy exertion. The Aardvark was another of my favorites.

How UK's radio station banned, and unbanned, Keillor

How UK's radio station banned, and unbanned, Keillor

THE FCC NEEDS A MAKEOVER

Robert Lowell letters on hold

I was able to get a copy of The Letters of Robert Lowell on hold at the library. They only had one copy in the Mid-Continent system and it was out. I also looked for the newer release, Wild Perfection: Selected Letters of James Wright. I believe this has only been out about a month and they don't as of yet have it. I am anxious to read both of these books in hopes of gaining some greater insight into their individual poetic theory. I know that Robert Bly has had a great deal of influence on Wright - particularly in his latter years.

I worked on two poems yesterday. One was completely new, the other was something I first wrote earlier this year at a Woodbine, Iowa writing weekend workshop. I'm not 100% satisfied with either of them, but overall I believe yesterdays work was successful. It is important to remember that such progress is often incremental and to keep this fact in focus so as not to become discouraged. Lately, discouragement has been battle I fight.

One thing I need to do is broaden my subject matter. So a real brainstorm is in order or I need to look for some writing idea prompts. At times I have exchanged such prompts with other writers from time to time but I haven't done this for a while.

String Quartet

Steps into the wind
Tiptoes
Shuffles
Strung across a bridge
Lively on a wire
An archetype
Plucked out of veneer

SPEAK OUT ON IRAQ!

Support Cindy Sheehan!

MoveOn is taking out an ad in President Bush's local newspaper in support of Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq who is camped outside Bush's ranch in Texas asking for a meeting with the president.

They'll publish the number of signers and the best comments in a full two-page spread in the newspaper nearest to Crawford (The Waco Tribune Herald) while Cindy holds her vigil.

Sign and spread the word before the 3:00 PM Friday print deadline?

http://political.moveon.org/meetwithcindy/

Cindy Sheehan

Airing Out The Language

Turbulence
Leaves me uncomfortable
Holding tidy verse in my hands.

You will gawk at me-
Out of place. I want

To twist the words
On the page
Wrap some around me
Pull the syllables apart
And hide between them.
Shock you a little bit
So you don't see me.

Across the Poetry Blogisphere

The Beached Fiance by Christine Hamm is so typically fantastic! If you like her work you'll love it. If you don't... it's a pity.

IVY is back! With Notes from the Castle.

Eileen is having a Summer Pleasure contest. Why I'm telling everyone about it, I don't know. That only increases my competition.

James gives us Nagasaki - thanks for giving us pause.

Gila Monster's big announcement.