Consolation Prize- by Heather Cook
I stand next to my opponent
Hands hovering over buzzers
-heart beating wildly in my chest-
Waiting to hear the words from your mouth
[That mouth!]
My eyes are focused on your bottom lip
-afraid I might miss something important-
My preparation for this moment is complete
My whole life a training session, leading me to this…..
I’ve passed every test imaginable
I’m eligible for the grand prize
It’s mine for the taking
All I have to do is
Beat the Clock
Buzz in first and hope for
NO WHAMMIES!
The anticipation takes the air from my chest
Your mouth starts to move…..
WHAT?!?
All I can hear is “thump-thump, thump-thump”
And I am blissfully oblivious
As she beats me to the punch
But….I have a lifetime supply of rice-a-roni
[and you are the Biggest Loser]
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Only 9 more days......
I hope I can make it to the end of tax season! The ONLY good thing I can say is, "Thank God I'm getting paid overtime!"
You wouldn't believe how much I've missed blogging and it's hard for me to believe I haven't posted anything in over a month! But....all that is changing tonight, although this will be a short post and mostly written by others. It counts if I'm the one who compiles the collected writings, doesn't it?
Since April is National Poetry Month, I'm going to post a few poems which have had a huge impact on me and have helped shape the way I look at and relate to the world in which I exist. Scary thought, I know, but "it is what it is" (See....the Starlight Maniesto applies to everything!)
Advice to a Girl by Sara Teasdale
No one worth possessing
Can be quite possessed;
Lay that on your heart,
My young angry dear;
This truth, this hard and precious stone,
Lay it on your hot cheek,
Let it hide your tear.
Hold it like a crystal
when you are alone
and gaze in the depths of the icy stone.
Long, look long, and you will be blessed:
No one worth possessing
Can be quite possessed.
Jenny Kiss'd Me- by Leigh Hunt
Jenny kiss'd me when we met
Jumping from the chair she sat in.
Time, you thief, who love to get
sweets into your list, put that in!
Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,
say that health and wealth have miss'd me
Say I'm growing old, but add,
Jenny kiss'd me.
Hesitate to Call by Louise Gluck
Lived to see you throwing
Me aside. That fought
Liked netted fish inside me. Saw you throbbing
In my syrups. Saw you sleep. And lived to see
That all that flushed down
The refuse. Done?
It lives in me.
You live in me. Malignant.
Love, you ever want me, don't.
Song of Democracy- Walt Whitman (actually, the title is Book XXXI, Part 4 from Leaves of Grass but it is widely known as the Song of Democracy)
Sail, sail thy best, ship of Democracy,
Of value is thy freight, 'tis not the Present only,
The Past is also stored in thee,
Thou holdest not the venture of thyself alone, not of the Western
continent alone,
Earth's resume entire floats on thy keel O ship, is steadied by thy spars,
With thee Time voyages in trust, the antecedent nations sink or
swim with thee,
With all their ancient struggles, martyrs, heroes, epics, wars, thou
bear'st the other continents,
Theirs, theirs as much as thine, the destination-port triumphant;
Steer then with good strong hand and wary eye O helmsman, thou
carriest great companions,
Venerable priestly Asia sails this day with thee,
And royal feudal Europe sails with thee.
To My Dear and Loving Husband by Ann Bradstreet
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me ye women if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee, give recompence.
Thy love is such I can no way repay,
The heavens reward thee manifold I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so persever,
That when we live no more, we may live ever.
I hope you all enjoy the poetry. Feel free to leave your favorite poem in the comments!
Peace!
You wouldn't believe how much I've missed blogging and it's hard for me to believe I haven't posted anything in over a month! But....all that is changing tonight, although this will be a short post and mostly written by others. It counts if I'm the one who compiles the collected writings, doesn't it?
Since April is National Poetry Month, I'm going to post a few poems which have had a huge impact on me and have helped shape the way I look at and relate to the world in which I exist. Scary thought, I know, but "it is what it is" (See....the Starlight Maniesto applies to everything!)
Advice to a Girl by Sara Teasdale
No one worth possessing
Can be quite possessed;
Lay that on your heart,
My young angry dear;
This truth, this hard and precious stone,
Lay it on your hot cheek,
Let it hide your tear.
Hold it like a crystal
when you are alone
and gaze in the depths of the icy stone.
Long, look long, and you will be blessed:
No one worth possessing
Can be quite possessed.
Jenny Kiss'd Me- by Leigh Hunt
Jenny kiss'd me when we met
Jumping from the chair she sat in.
Time, you thief, who love to get
sweets into your list, put that in!
Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,
say that health and wealth have miss'd me
Say I'm growing old, but add,
Jenny kiss'd me.
Hesitate to Call by Louise Gluck
Lived to see you throwing
Me aside. That fought
Liked netted fish inside me. Saw you throbbing
In my syrups. Saw you sleep. And lived to see
That all that flushed down
The refuse. Done?
It lives in me.
You live in me. Malignant.
Love, you ever want me, don't.
Song of Democracy- Walt Whitman (actually, the title is Book XXXI, Part 4 from Leaves of Grass but it is widely known as the Song of Democracy)
Sail, sail thy best, ship of Democracy,
Of value is thy freight, 'tis not the Present only,
The Past is also stored in thee,
Thou holdest not the venture of thyself alone, not of the Western
continent alone,
Earth's resume entire floats on thy keel O ship, is steadied by thy spars,
With thee Time voyages in trust, the antecedent nations sink or
swim with thee,
With all their ancient struggles, martyrs, heroes, epics, wars, thou
bear'st the other continents,
Theirs, theirs as much as thine, the destination-port triumphant;
Steer then with good strong hand and wary eye O helmsman, thou
carriest great companions,
Venerable priestly Asia sails this day with thee,
And royal feudal Europe sails with thee.
To My Dear and Loving Husband by Ann Bradstreet
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me ye women if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee, give recompence.
Thy love is such I can no way repay,
The heavens reward thee manifold I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so persever,
That when we live no more, we may live ever.
I hope you all enjoy the poetry. Feel free to leave your favorite poem in the comments!
Peace!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday Music Showcase: Why I love Patty Griffin
I've posted a couple of Virtual Mix Tapes (vol 1 and vol 2) in months past. And when I talk about music in my blogs, I almost always mention how important the lyrics are to me. Seriously.....if I like the lyric, virtually there's no way I can dislike the song. BUT.....if it doesn't have a good lyric (in my opinion) I probably won't like the song.
Patty Griffin is a MASTER with lyrics. She has written so many song which have been recorded by other artists, but what I love most is to hear her sing her own songs. I have never heard a Patty Song I didn't like and I don't want to bog you down with tons of lyrics, so I'm picking 3 which speak to me on so many levels......and it always makes my world peaceful and right when I listen to them......a great example of music calming the savage beast within! I hope you will take a moment to check out my 3 picks and then listen further to the lyrical lushness that is Patty Griffin!
"When It Don't Come Easy"
I can' imagine a better way to express love....."When you break down, I'll drive out and find you. If you forget my love, I'll try to remind you"
Lyrics | Patty Griffin lyrics - When It Don't Come Easy lyrics
"Rain"
Those of you who are from Oklahoma should recognize this song from the Integris commercial, but I loved it long before it was used there. Who hasn't felt like this at some point in their life? Although I feel happiness is a choice, everyone deals with sadness and I think this song expresses it perfectly.
Lyrics | Patty Griffin lyrics - Rain lyrics
"Useless Desires"
I feel like she invaded my brain and wrote this song from what she found there.....to hear something that so closely mirrors specific circumstances in my life gives me chills. This song might be my all-time favorite Patty song. "Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, old friend, I can't make you stay. I can't spend another ten years wishing you would anyway"
Lyrics | Patty Griffin lyrics - Useless Desires lyrics
I've tried something new with the video/lyrics widgets and I'm not sure they'll show up like I expect, so bear with me if I have to edit the blog several times to get it right. Also.....check out the really cool site where I got the widgit codes http://www.lyricmode.com/
Patty Griffin is a MASTER with lyrics. She has written so many song which have been recorded by other artists, but what I love most is to hear her sing her own songs. I have never heard a Patty Song I didn't like and I don't want to bog you down with tons of lyrics, so I'm picking 3 which speak to me on so many levels......and it always makes my world peaceful and right when I listen to them......a great example of music calming the savage beast within! I hope you will take a moment to check out my 3 picks and then listen further to the lyrical lushness that is Patty Griffin!
"When It Don't Come Easy"
I can' imagine a better way to express love....."When you break down, I'll drive out and find you. If you forget my love, I'll try to remind you"
Lyrics | Patty Griffin lyrics - When It Don't Come Easy lyrics
"Rain"
Those of you who are from Oklahoma should recognize this song from the Integris commercial, but I loved it long before it was used there. Who hasn't felt like this at some point in their life? Although I feel happiness is a choice, everyone deals with sadness and I think this song expresses it perfectly.
Lyrics | Patty Griffin lyrics - Rain lyrics
"Useless Desires"
I feel like she invaded my brain and wrote this song from what she found there.....to hear something that so closely mirrors specific circumstances in my life gives me chills. This song might be my all-time favorite Patty song. "Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, old friend, I can't make you stay. I can't spend another ten years wishing you would anyway"
Lyrics | Patty Griffin lyrics - Useless Desires lyrics
I've tried something new with the video/lyrics widgets and I'm not sure they'll show up like I expect, so bear with me if I have to edit the blog several times to get it right. Also.....check out the really cool site where I got the widgit codes http://www.lyricmode.com/
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Yet ANOTHER Quirky Character Trait
I really rely on my instincts and first impressions of people.....I've done this for as long as I can remember and I'm eerily accurate with my assessments of people-even within minutes of first meeting someone.
My mother tells a story about when I was 4 years old. There was a gathering of adults from the church we attended and most of the couples had small children who were playing together while the adults sat and talked. As with most of these gatherings, I preferred to stay with the adults and follow the conversation (as best I could at such a young age). At this particular gathering, I decided to interject some of my own observations. The actual observations have been lost with time and memory loss, but they were amazingly accurate and it seemed to really freak out most of the other adults. At some point in the evening, one of the men came over and told my mother, "Keep an eye on that girl......she knows things and has a gift. She can read people better than most adults I know".
Thus went most of my childhood. I can "read" people and have always been able to do so. When I was young, I thought everyone could do it, but quickly learned that wasn't the case. I also learned to keep many observations to myself because of the "freak-out factor". Hearing a six, seven or eight year make accurate statements about a virtual stranger's character or motivations is disconcerting to most. I knew I was odd, but I didn't want to be looked at as a freak.
I want to be clear about my instincts.....I'm not saying I'm psychic. I can't see the future or predict what will happen, I can just tell a lot about a person and their personality and character within minutes of first meeting them. That's it. It's not a judgmental thing, it's just a thing. And I'm almost always correct.
My mother tells a story about when I was 4 years old. There was a gathering of adults from the church we attended and most of the couples had small children who were playing together while the adults sat and talked. As with most of these gatherings, I preferred to stay with the adults and follow the conversation (as best I could at such a young age). At this particular gathering, I decided to interject some of my own observations. The actual observations have been lost with time and memory loss, but they were amazingly accurate and it seemed to really freak out most of the other adults. At some point in the evening, one of the men came over and told my mother, "Keep an eye on that girl......she knows things and has a gift. She can read people better than most adults I know".
Thus went most of my childhood. I can "read" people and have always been able to do so. When I was young, I thought everyone could do it, but quickly learned that wasn't the case. I also learned to keep many observations to myself because of the "freak-out factor". Hearing a six, seven or eight year make accurate statements about a virtual stranger's character or motivations is disconcerting to most. I knew I was odd, but I didn't want to be looked at as a freak.
I want to be clear about my instincts.....I'm not saying I'm psychic. I can't see the future or predict what will happen, I can just tell a lot about a person and their personality and character within minutes of first meeting them. That's it. It's not a judgmental thing, it's just a thing. And I'm almost always correct.
Because of this ability, I can tell within minutes of meeting a guy whether or not I would be interested in going out with him. I know this seems judgemental, but it's not. I have very definite ideas about what I want in a man and I'm not willing to compromise those things. Very few men actually fit the bill, so when I do meet one who does, it's exciting. But, on the other side of the coin is when I meet a man who's interested in me, I already know within minutes if I want to go out with him......usually, I'm not interested and that makes it difficult sometimes. Believe me....it would be easier on me if I could agree to go out with one of them and see what time would tell, but I don't know if spending more time to get to know these men would change my mind any. But, I've never tested that theory. Mainly because there's usually something that keeps me from wanting to get to know him.
I guess I'm wondering if anyone else does this? I've grown so used to trusting my first impressions it's hard for me to imagine anyone would operate differently. I guess my one exception to my first impression is with friendship. But when it comes to attraction, I don't think I'll ever be willing to compromise.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Checking In!
So.......since I work in a CPA's office and tax season is now in fill swing, I'm working 6 days a week and 10 hour days.......which means I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO behind in blogging and even further behind in reading and commenting on my favorite blogs :(
On the upside, my employers are generous enough to have me on an hourly rate so I get paid overtime for the extra hours I'm working and that makes it easier to take the dark circles under my eyes from the lack of sleep. AND, after tax season, they close the office for a week so we can all rest and recuperate from the craziness.
As far as my personal life goes, I've come to terms with some things about my personality as it relates to what I want from a relationship........and it's still the same......nothing traditional for me. It truly would make me miserable. The confusion I feel always comes from my trying to be more "traditional" and "socially correct"......have a relationships like 99% of my family and friends. It just isn't my thing, but at least I know, for my peace of mind, I'm taking stock and checking periodically to make sure I'm still on the right track for ME.
To those of you who lovingly question me about whether or not I'm making the best choices with my relationships, I thank you! I do understand where you're coming from and it makes me feel so loved that you care about my well-being. I know it's frustrating because what I want and need from my relationships is so different, believe me......it was frustrating for me to try and be in a traditional relationship. But....as the Starlight Manifesto goes: It is what it is!
Hopefully I'll be able to blog a bit more in the coming week.....I do have stuff I'd like to write. Finding the time to write them is the challenge.
On the upside, my employers are generous enough to have me on an hourly rate so I get paid overtime for the extra hours I'm working and that makes it easier to take the dark circles under my eyes from the lack of sleep. AND, after tax season, they close the office for a week so we can all rest and recuperate from the craziness.
As far as my personal life goes, I've come to terms with some things about my personality as it relates to what I want from a relationship........and it's still the same......nothing traditional for me. It truly would make me miserable. The confusion I feel always comes from my trying to be more "traditional" and "socially correct"......have a relationships like 99% of my family and friends. It just isn't my thing, but at least I know, for my peace of mind, I'm taking stock and checking periodically to make sure I'm still on the right track for ME.
To those of you who lovingly question me about whether or not I'm making the best choices with my relationships, I thank you! I do understand where you're coming from and it makes me feel so loved that you care about my well-being. I know it's frustrating because what I want and need from my relationships is so different, believe me......it was frustrating for me to try and be in a traditional relationship. But....as the Starlight Manifesto goes: It is what it is!
Hopefully I'll be able to blog a bit more in the coming week.....I do have stuff I'd like to write. Finding the time to write them is the challenge.
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