Storm of the Century

Written for the poets at Dverse

It was the storm of the century
that caused all the mayhem.
A wind never before seen
blew through this town.

Umbrellas turned inside out
newspapers torn from the grips.

Fedoras and bowlers
roll down the street.
Marilyn moments
for the shyest of ladies.

Rain and wind
tore stuff apart;
Boardwalk floating down the street,
some say they even saw a shark
on Second Avenue.

Aye, the tide is high
the mood is low,
but they’ll survive because
that’s what they do.

Shh…what’s that noise?

Silence. And look!
A glimpse of the sun
seen through the eye
of the storm.

The storm of the century
pillaged and raped
its way up the coast.

A nation cried together,
friends born out of compassion
for losses suffered.

The prayers of the people
soared above the swirling mass
of angry clouds and rain.

Yes, they’ll survive
the storm of the century.
Because that’s what they do

A Picture of Me

Written for and linked to Dverse

Paint a picture of me

is the challenge I gave

to someone who thought

he knew me.

Ha!

It was a portrait of happy colors,

reds mixed with whites,

bacon and maple syrup,

cookies and cream.

A smile!

Laughter along with wit,

confidence rode on the

backseat of humor’s

'69 Beetle.

He missed the tears,

even though they stream

down my cheeks and fall

into my cold coffee.

Nowhere to be found was the

heart that was broken

by a loss no one should

experience. My son!

farewell, dear boy.

I looked at the picture

through eyes painted

black as night. It made me

angry.

But he painted a butterfly

in the strangest place...

it was on my lips.

It sang a beautiful song,

akin to a robin. It stirred me

to action. To smile!

Oh the painter was wrong,

but he got it right. For he said

the picture was not of today.

But tomorrow.

October 19, 2012

Well, the writing mood is not on me tonight. This cold I have is making me very drowsy, and my mind is not able to focus long enough to get anything coherent jotted down. Of course, that could make for the most random poem ever. Maybe I should write a drug induced poem...it could turn out to b very interesting. But, more than likely, it would end up being something that would never se the light of day. On the bright side, I did publish a new poem on this website earlier today. It is a poem I am quite proud of, it felt really good writing it and I didn't edit it at all. So tired...so very tired. Just a couple more hours and I will be heading off to bed. But before that, my sister and brother in law are coming for a visit. I am looking forward to that.

FF

My Muse (You)

Restless thoughts won’t settle down

in everything I see, you are there.

You become my inspiration

in times when my words are broken.

You are the light to my dark

truly I have found my muse.

 

Your physical presence

although not commanding

ensnares me and holds me tight.

 

I often wonder why there are times

when I can’t see what you have

to offer?

 

Blind! I am blind

to your charms.

 

Oh foolish writer, open your eyes,

open your heart

let your muse propel you

to words that tell the tale.

 

‘Love is blind’, thus is the word

but the meaning is different

for a writer and his craft.

 

Listen! Watch! Learn!

Follow the direction

of that which inspires.

 

Relax your thoughts,

let the very juice of creativity

flow from your body

and onto the paper.

 

Succumb to the will

of your muse.

This is my advice.

 

To practice what I preach

I must embrace you.

I am to love you,

your mind and your body.

 

My mind is open

and ready to receive

you.

 

My muse. My inspiration.

My love.

Passion.

 

You.

October 18, 2012

So later on today I am going on a road trip. Nope, it is nowhere exotic. There will be no palm trees, sandy beaches, warm trade winds blowing off the ocean or hula hoops. A definite lack of exotic, I'd say. But that's ok, because I get to see my parents again! You guessed it...I'm going to Coaldale. We are heading there for a couple days to see my Dad and Mom, and I am really looking forward to it. It will give me a brief time to recharge my batteries, and maybe even do some writing. Speaking of writing, the last couple days have been very good. I composed a poem that may need a couple edits, and I also have been working on a couple short stories. I was thinking heavily again about Lionel Aber, the protagonist in my story. I wrote a few words, changed a few thoughts and came up with a couple more ideas for Lionel. The other story I am writing for me only, and will never see the light of day. It's only purpose is to get the creative juices flowing. And it seems to be working. I may have stumbled upon my muse once again. Or is that 'stumbled across'. I'll let you know how that turns out.
FF

October 12, 2012

So I thought tonight would be so productive. I have a couple hours to myself. I am sitting in Starbucks, enjoying a Venti Spicy Skinny something or other Caramel Mocha drink. And for some reason, I have nothing. There are no words to write, no inspiration. I was going to listen to Tom Waits, but my non-noise cancelling headphones don't allow me to hear my music. I hear the coffee shop music. And trust me, I like the tunes they are playing, but I am not feeling it tonight. Like I said, I've got nothing. I seriously wanted to get some words written. And as you can tell by this journal entry, nothing I write is really worth reading. So instead of forcing it, I will wait patiently for the lines to be drawn.

FF

October 11, 2012

I didn't write yesterday because a strange bug took me down for the count. I was sitting at work and...bah, forget it. I won't go into details. Suffice it to say I was sick. And that brings me to right now. Once I have this journal entry written, I am going to work on some poetry. I am sitting in an empty church auditorium listening to my son receive his organ lessons, so I may as well write. Speaking of music, I found an artist that really inspires me...Tom Waits. I love his style and his lyrics and his presentation. Listening to him really gets me thinking and puts me into a creative mood. And this is a very good thing. Now lets see if listening to the pipe organ does the same thing for me.
FF

October 9, 2012

I want to write. I love to write. But I can't. Not right now. I am having some blockage issues. And some time issues. I have blockage and no time. No time and blockage. Am I rambling? Yep I sure am. I need to get back into this habit...this habit of writing. Yes, even if it is a bunch of gibberish, I need to write. Back to the 100 words per day. Back to the way it was. Back to the way it is. And now that I think of it, this might be a great time to publish my poem about writers block. It's a good one.

FF

October 8, 2012

Today is Thanksgiving here in Canada. It is a holiday for most; a day of relaxation and reflection. And turkey. At some point this weekend, most have imbibed in a huge meal of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, veggies, pumpkin pie and the like. I get to participate in such a meal this afternoon. However, this is not really the point of this journal entry. Sure it's fun to think about the upcoming feast, but I have other things to think about as well. Such as my next poem. Such as my consideration of purchasing a Mac or not. I have long said that I would not buy a Macbook Air mostly because I cannot justify the price. But I am starting to waver. I still can't make myself understand why I would spend $1200 on a laptop on which I will surf the interweb and do some word processing. That part doesn't make sense to me. I can buy a $500 laptop and do the exact same thing. But the techie part of me is really wanting one because they really are an awesome piece of technology. Oh sure the specs are no different, the hardware is Intel and the keyboard is QWERTY...but the display is much nicer, the OS rocks and the physical look of the thing is simply cool. And so I continue to waver. I continue to think about purchasing one. I have a feeling that soon I will make the decision, I will take the plunge and spend the cash. Yes, I think I am changing my mind.

FF

October 4, 2012

Tonight it starts. Yes, my winter routine of bringing the kids to organ lessons has commenced. This week and next week will be at the teachers place, and after that they do their lessons at the church. They are both excited to be back in lessons after a summer hiatus. And I have to admit that I am excited too. I love watching them grow in their ability and enthusiasm for the instrument. It really is gratifying to see. And that is all I've got tonight.
FF

October 1, 2012

Have you read my latest poem yet? It is titled A Toast: To Triangles and Jam. If you haven't read it, then it is high time you do. It really is a piece I am proud of. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of all my poems. But this one is special. You see, this poem was not written entirely by myself. If you've read it, you'll know that it was co-written by Boshika Gupta. I had sent a draft of it to her, for editing, for advice and for her opinion. What B added to the poem was nothing short of amazing. She didn't change it...she increased it. It became a collaboration, for her input was so valuable to the overall completeness of the poem. I enjoyed the process of getting this one complete. And I don't get tired of reading it. I like it that much. Thanks, B. Let's do it again someday.
FF