The city of Goodyear had a call for a virtual exhibit – Out My West Valley Window. I took that literally and it was helpful I snap pictures out the bedroom windows almost daily. Both my submissions were included in the exhibit. Two more poems I happened to write this month.
The exhibit will be open through June 30, 2021. I took the guided tour and have actually kept the window open because I find their music accompaniment relaxing.
Okay folks I’ve come to the conclusion her head is in a very unnatural position. Also it’s very hard to get in place when the camera is set on a 10 second timer. But when I saw all the getty museum challenge responses and I realized we had a work of art we could recreate hanging in the bedroom, I thought it was worth a try.
Living Room Shelf
Homemade gifts like the ones children make in school. Throughout the years both Robin and Gretchen would come home and give me something they made in school. I still have the horseshoe Robin used to display miniature ceramic horses he made for the art show at The Art Institute of Phoenix, winning in the most creative category.
Program from Art Show
This morning on Facebook one of the varied ceramic pieces Gretchen has made over the years popped up in my memories, and I realized a number of them are displayed on the shelf in our living room. Before our world was turned upside down, she was taking a ceramics class this semester. She’s still in it but since everything has moved online the focus of the class has changed not many students have a pottery wheel sitting in their backyard. Just one of the numerous items my husband has acquired over the years.
Look over my shelves
at vast collection of stuff
homemade ceramics
NaPoWriMo Prompt – Today, in gratitude for making it to Day 20, our (optional) prompt asks you to write a poem about a handmade or homemade gift that you have received. It could be a friendship bracelet made for you by a grade-school classmate, an itchy sweater from your Aunt Louisa, a plateful of cinnamon toast from your grandmother, a mix-tape from an old girlfriend. And whatever gift you choose, we wish you happy writing!
Good morning readers and welcome to day twenty of napowrimo. I was having a difficult time deciding on a homemade gift. At first I thought, Whoever has given me a homemade gift? Then I realized my husband has painted pictures for me throughout the years and has written me poetry (I’m still waiting for a new poem this year) and the poetry made me think of all the poems Gretchen has sent me. Then I went on Facebook and one of the ceramic pieces she made in high school popped up in my memories. I realized there are homemade gifts a plenty in this house and I took a picture of a shelf where three of Gretchen’s pieces are displayed. As my dad’s 79th birthday was yesterday I like the fact the photo of him and my mom are also there on the shelf.
Today’s #haikuchallenge word is stuff so I used it in my poem. One person’s stuff is another person’s junk. When I asked Shawn where he got his latest item now in the backyard, he told me, I made more space. Just because the backyard has been cleaned up and rearranged doesn’t mean you can collect more junk. He obviously disagrees.
Good morning readers! Today is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day. I hope my family and friends are turning the internet green as everyone should be sheltering in place. Since I’ve already shared my green shirt and poem for today, I thought I’d share a few other poems I’ve been writing for the #haikuchallenge on Twitter. I know I said my routine is unaffected staying at home; but that was before Shawn’s job went on staggered days to limit the number of employees at work. He makes medical equipment so it is an essential business but they’ve moved everyone to a four day work week. Shawn has been home the past three days and I miss my solitude.
Miss my alone time
When we return to normal
Bask in the silence
Always home alone
I talk to myself often
Pastime will finish
It is fair to say
My same old routine suffers
From overcrowding
Here is a post I wrote a couple years ago about March being Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. Today is also the one week mark until April 1st and napowrimo. I signed up to participate again this year and since there are no standardized tests to score, I should fare better on the daily prompts. Last year was the first time I did not write for all of them; it was a little disappointing.
One week ’til April
Keep up writing poetry
Whether fair or foul
WestGate Glendale, AZ
Shows up to class late
would rather see his sweetheart
than attend English
A long time ago, when we were in college, one semester Shawn would wait for me outside of one of my classes in the English building (remember I was an English Education major). At the end of the semester, he earned a C in the English class he was enrolled in and then I had the same professor for a class. I told the professor my fiance was not happy with the C he gave him. The professor smiled and replied, well he shouldn’t have skipped class and then show up in the building to see you. LOL! The moral of the story, don’t skip a class (very often) and then show up where the professor can see you and know you were at school.
The Westgate over in Glendale had a heart display up for Valentine’s Day. Shawn and I went over there on the 8th to take a selfie. Of course Shawn added his own fingerprint to the photo later. Then on Friday the 15th, we went to the poetry festivus at Alwun House.
Shawn’s sculpture in Erotic Show 2019
Caterpillars know
anything is possible
Butterflies emerge
Then on Saturday night we went to see the Arizona Ballet and Phoenix Symphony performance of The Firebird and La Sylphide both pieces were very interesting.
Tickets to ballet
Dancers perform La Sylphide
and then The Firebird
On top of all this, I was also busy filling out my return to work paperwork. I’ll be busy grading essays again this season. Patricia over at poetry pea included one of my haiku in her sportku podcast, please go and have a listen. Since I could not play sports due to my CP that is what I wrote about. FYI – CBS 5 news in Phoenix is holding a phone bank February 27 to raise money for UCP (United Cerebral Palsy).
Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights
Callipygian
perfect canvas to display
aria from hell
Trish Hopkinson shared the submission call for this ekphrasis anthology. A friend shared a list of out-dated words we should bring back to our vocabulary and callipygian was one of the words. Of course I had to turn it into a poem. And yes, another “haiku” or really senryu; but since this month has started, I have made 5 submissions and they do include other poetic forms. Since Monday has rolled around again, and I’m trying to write a blog a week and I couldn’t think of anything else to compose, I decided to play with a new, old word.
If you want to hear how the composition is played, check out this article.
Butt Seriously – The Phoenix New Times highlighted the best shows to see for February’s first Friday. Butt Seriously at the Found RE in Phoenix runs through the 26th. If a certain man does not make it to see his 45th birthday at the end of this month. This blog post is not to be consider evidence for any mishap that may befall him before then.
There once was an artist who entered his wife’s ass
in an art show he thought was going to be high-class
Butt Seriously
imperiously
he decided it was best to bypass
her permission, fearing she’d label him jackass
Last night Shawn and I attended our first Caffeine Corridor poetry feat at {9} the Gallery. It begins with open mic poetry readings. We arrived late, because Shawn had to drive all the way home to pick me up. We missed the first few readers, but many of the poets we did see kept mentioning an article recently published in the Phoenix New Times. The print version is here in the house, Shawn had Rachael pick it up at ASU on Thursday, because Joe is a friend of his, and he wanted to read the article. But by last night, neither one of us read it yet.
I read it this morning. Wow, it really is electrically charged with negative feelings about the poetry scene in Phoenix. All I can think is, Okay not everyone who gets up to read an original poem is going to be Whitman, Sandburg, Angelou (poet of your choice here), but you never know who will be the next great American poet. The fact they got up the nerve to stand in front of an audience to read and grow deserves kudos. You never know, in a number of years you may be able to say, I heard them when…
A person cannot improve on their skill locked up and alone. I thought poetry readings were encourage not disparage. I don’t go to poetry readings with my ego on my sleeve. Mostly because you won’t see me stand up and read a poem. I do enjoy the isolation of a computer. I’m more like Dickinson, the amount of poems people will find I’ve tucked away when I’m gone, that is if I don’t burn them all first. Yes, folks I’m analog and still write out more poems than not on actual paper I can burn.
When I first started the whole I’m going to be a published writer journey, my first submission experience was great. Those who read my blog, know I started submitting stories to the Star Trek Strange New Worlds anthology. I joined a wonderful online critique group specifically for SNW writers and I met great writers there who encouraged us newbies. And I realized I was pretty decent at this writing game. My second year, I submitted a story elsewhere and saw my first published piece. The other writers in that anthology introduced me to ritro.com and I started writing articles for the site. I shared Peter Pan Envy on this blog. I also wrote, The Hunt and Peck Method to Novel Writing.
No I was not interested in writing a novel – still holds true. But I also was not serious about poetry. I felt poets were egotistical, pompous jackasses until I joined gather.com and met some lovely poetry people who took the time to read the few poems I posted and comment with well done and at the same time offering ways I could improve my work. This was the kind of environment I saw at {9} the gallery last night. And it is the best way to grow as a poet. I’m not sure why the New Times journalist wrote they were nervous and did not make eye contact. They have the courage to stand in front of people and open themselves up. Maybe he should try it once instead of just printing he words out on a screen. And as for the featured poet in the article…I’m glad I did not run into his ilk when I first put poems out for critique. It was bad enough I was comparing myself to a great poetic ghost.
check ego at door
devote time to encourage
poetry will thrive
Welcome to #WorldCPDay. Sunday Shawn and I attended the Bare It All Expo at 9 the Gallery. It was well attended and the women who spoke about self love when confronted with impossible body ideals to live up to were quite inspirational.
Me and My Poem 9 the Gallery
In honor of #WorldCPDay, please visit the website for the new United Cerebral Palsy center in the Garfield District, downtown Phoenix.
Big crowd at exotic show
Exotic art show
Standing outside Alwun House
to see exhibit
I do not do crowds. Standing in line, waiting to get in, I kept telling Shawn, The things I do for you. He replied, What about all the things I go to for you?
Name one? Well… you just get published. Exactly I’m an introverted writer, hiding behind my keyboard. What about the art reading?
YES! I have never been more relieved to get a rejection letter. My ekphrasis poem for the Phoenix Art Museum will not be in the Four Chambers anthology. At this point with everything Shawn and the girls have going on in February and the first part of March, I don’t know how we’d make First Friday on March 6th.
Phoenix
Metropolis
Sprawls across the valley
Urban landscape dotting desert
Ersatz
American Landscape
Artist/Maker:
Miklos Suba
American, 1860 – 1944
Title:
American Landscape
Photo Credit – Phoenix eMuseum
And I thought I was clever submitting an American cinquain for a painting titled American Landscape. Oh well, I don’t have to worry about passing out in front of a crowd of people trying to perform my poem now.
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