Friday again and I’m in the process of getting ready for the first vacation hubs and I will have taken together in three years although, ask me when I get back, if it was a vacation since it will be with family. LOL. We did reserve a cabin with lots of rooms so hopefully we won’t get on each others nerves. That will probably only happen during games of Settlers of Catan . . . Speaking of board games – cause my siblings and I love them – Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story was quite enjoyable.
In other news I did work on submission packets this week. Anyone else send some work out? Hear any good news? I haven’t noted any acceptances in a while. In two weeks I have one that has been out for almost six months that I need to check on otherwise most of 2012 has been met with prompt responses to submissions.
The poem I’m posting this week is me playing again with the alphabet so not so sure about it. Haven’t written a whole lot this week, but that may be partially due to a Sisterhood Everlasting induced funk. I read it on my Kindle and couldn’t put it down. I mention it here since it took up a lot of my evenings this week, and because I don’t think I’m capable of doing a full review on it. I read the other traveling pants books so I knew I’d probably read this someday, but I didn’t expect it to sort of break my heart. Can’t decide if that is a good thing yet although I did come away satisfied with the book except the whole “every woman apparently wants to be a mother” thing. The other did write the book while she was pregnant so….Also, not sure it is a young adult novel? The characters are now adults and it feels like a really adult book. How do you decide where that genre cuts off?
Maybe I’m a bit obsessed with that idea of what it means to have a “childhood” because I also watched a documentary called The Hollywood Complex and thought – man I don’t think I could make my kid go through audition after audition even if they said they wanted to go to Hollywood.
–and now to revise 
On a poetic reading note I also finished Karen Hesse’s young adult (yeah a young adult theme with the books apparently!) verse novel Out of the Dust which is a great read no matter what age you are. It is also sad (like the other book I mentioned), but also gives you a sense of hope.
And, since I’m babbling a bit about young adult things I’ll mention how much I enjoyed The Legend of Korra the newest series in the Avatar Airbender universe.
I’ve babbled enough! Share your work. Comment back and forth, and it’ll come down a week from today.
Cute Jessie…just when I thought I can’t learn something new…your poetry always speaks to me!
Meh! I have been trying to do some writing, but too many distractions the past month…I know excuses excuses LOL but here is my attempt, and I know there may be a cliche at the end, but oh well, I will revisit this one later on, but accept direction…like a child (pun!)
–and this one is outta here
Everyone have a great weekend! I plan to chain myself to this computer!
I just don’t like the term mothering. I’d rather say we all want to nurture: men and women alike
I like the title you mention in your second comment which fits in with the suggestion I was going to give: play with the form. I say this because I sense that staccato rhythm that could be like drumming but the form doesn’t reflect that
In looking up staccato rhythm I found a great Intro To Poetry book via pdf! I will work on this, and have been wanting to learn more about other styles, thanks Jessie
This is a really interesting story to me actually. I’d love to see it in the form Jessie suggested, I think it would really work out well. I like Drums of Box Canyon too!
I love this, Elizabeth, and how the landscape plays such an important role! I need to start thinking outside of my usual box!!!
I could even see calling this Drums Of Box Canyon, over Children…hmmm, see I’m already revising!
Okay, think I need to check out this Settlers of Catan game–this is about the hundredth time I’ve heard about it this Summer. Hope you have a fab vacation! Rooting for not getting on each other’s nerves too!
Your books and documentaries always sound interesting, but I just can’t keep up with you–I don’t know how you do it!
As for submitting, I do have a lot of things out now, but all of them are with mags that have a long response time. ugh. I am going to get one packet out this weekend sometime, and that mags response time is supposed to be very fast. I don’t like waiting. If I’m rejected, I want to be rejected promptly!! Ha ha.
Your poem is really cool. You have been coming up with these really neat subjects lately. I like the idea of it, and I like where it’s going, what it says. I like the maze-y way it leads you through to the end and I like the play using alliteration. Hmmm. I guess you could say I like it. lol.
My poetry, on the other hand…..is still stuck in exploring romantic relationships land. Mostly bad romantic relationships. Wait a minute–correction–ALL bad romantic relationships. I find writing about the good ones boring. Go figure. Relationships are kinda my thing–I was a psych major after all–but I think I need to explore other subjects. I’ve been in kind of a writing rut lately. I don’t know who all reads my little blog-ette, but I’ve kind of been whining about that…just can’t get past certain points in my poems. Oh well, don’t want to reiterate the entire blog post here…so…here is a poem I wrote the week before last…or sometime that doesn’t feel recent.
Oh, and happy Friday everyone!
–poem is going on vacation
thanks, Val! we all have certain obsessions that come up. I continue to have that issue with the poem this week, for example, with its questioning about the power of naming. I can never quite get to the poem I want from the topic. I think you keep writing on a certain topic until you’ve found the moment of revelation that lets it go.
For me, I don’t write as much about my mother as I used to. I think completing “paper house” especially that poem “if first you were water” that finally let me move on.
I really love your poem. I’m fascinated by Egypt so I love those references and all the shapes. If I was revising this I’d ask: what words do I use more than once? is there a new wore I could use or does the repetition add to the piece?
Val, this is great! How you weave in Egypt facts makes it so fascinating! You got a keeper!!!
thanks!
Yes, I do see where I could change a couple of words. Isn’t that funny, I didn’t see that before? Love the extra set of eyes. The light references are intentional, but I’m gonna tweak it just a smidge.
I suppose you are right, we all have our obsessions. Ya know, the other thing is that I know there are other subjects I want to write about (other subjects in general, but I mean relationship-wise) but I feel like I have to get through this little obsession to get to the next. I mean, there are actually other things I DO write about, but the whole romantic relationship thing has been dominating lately. I just want to cleanse I think. I love how writing does that.
BTW, when I first read Paper House, that’s one of the poems that really stood out to me.
Val, I love the Egypt references too, and how you use them to intertwine the personal, but yet you may not know it is personal. Funny how I read you guys stuff and wonder why I never thought of that. I heard a singer/songwriter say the same about another recording artist who won all the Grammys for their songs…but we are here and we pass on ideas, so thanks!
Yes, I love our exchange of ideas here.
glad you were drawn to that poem. it was one of the ones I wasn’t sure about compared with everything else in the book. I also love the exchange of ideas
Ya know, I think that’s why I was drawn to that poem at first, but I remember when I got to it I read it like five times…I kept saying to myself, there is something important here….and I kept trying to figure out what. I guess sometimes when we write things come through unintentionally that are important to us… definitely got that vibe reading it.
Wow Poet Warrior Ladies!
I love coming here. It’s like stepping into a different dimension from which I live. And then 3 different rooms to go into . . Elizabeth , Val and Jessie’s. 
and the whole idea behind it. Thank you for inspiring us! I only have a couple of ideas . ..and they are very very roughly put into some lines. Might wait a bit and see if I can get them together any better! No submissions either. Aren’t a just a bundle of fun!
Jessie, You can play with words and take us on a journey at the same time and I really appreciate that! I loved the “fingers of information have grown too gangly” . ..
LOL, actually you are kind of a bundle of fun. A bundle of good vibes anyway. You are such a positive person, that it comes through in your comments & that’s so cool. Glad you liked my poem. There’s a couple of little revisions I’m gonna make, then yeah, I think this is one I will keep.
You made my day, Val!
Even if I can’t write anything right now . .. I can send out positive vibes for others to write well!! haha! Oh . .. I meant to say something about you feeling like you are writing a lot of the same kind of poems. To me, they are different in form and style and what angle you come at them from. And I thought about a possible chapbook from you at some point . . .it would be a nice collection with a theme going on! 
Oh thanks, that makes me feel better that you don’t feel like you are reading the same thing all of the time.
I would love to do a chapbook someday. Thanks for the vote of confidence!
I wrote my last comment before I read Debbie’s…such sweet person! I’m glad it’s positive over here, although if you went negative on my poem I would be fine. Never be afraid to tell what you feel the poem doesn’t say or do
my poems are slowly trickling in, too! but at least we come here to chat
Okay . . I felt bad having nothing, so I brought something to the party.
–another poem is outta here
Lovely.
There is something so honest about your poems that I really like.
Thanks Val . ..you say the nicest things.
Agreed! Love them…
This line, I picked up from mentoring with a MFA Professor ‘walk, run, eat’ has commas, which Jessie has said before, if you’re not using punctuation all the way through it could simply have spaces ‘walk run eat’ and if was read out loud for a reading, the spaces would remind you to pause, just like commas do. Also the line ‘and brush snap(s) back’…I could see the ‘s’ removed.
Thank you Elizabeth! I remember that about the punctuation . .. now that you mention it! haha! I appreciate your insights and ideas for this one!
good tip about the punctuation!