ying_ko_4

The upside of participating in projects like ReadWritePoem, Three Word Wednesday and other prompt/thought provoking sites and groups is the exposure of others to my work.  Another bigger upside is seeing others works.

The downside, or hard part for me, is leaving comments on the blogs of other poets.  Beyond, "I like this" or "Wow!" I have a hard time writing what I think sometimes.  Or even getting something concrete beyond "I like this" or whatever is going through my head at the moment.

I think some of it is due to the fact that where poetry is concerned, I am a neophyte.  It would be a true statement to say I probably write more of it than I read away from LiveJournal (That means I don't include you on the Mighty FList in that equation).  

So, I struggle.  Mightily...so much so that I have given thought to not playing publicly...but then I wouldn't get to read some great work because I wouldn't always feel like it.  And reading poetry from a variety of sources helps me because I am exposed to so much more....

Anywho, just a few thoughts for a Friday...

Based on the feedback I got from my shorty-short story that I ended up titling "Breakfast on Saturday" that I wrote from a prompt provided at The One-Minute Writer, I entered the story in a Flash Fiction Contest.

They announced 40 winners out of 280 entries.  My story wasn't one of them.  I did a smidge of editing, but not much.  I wasn't surprised, but I am a little disappointed.  Not because the story wasn't "good enough" but because I am human and disappointment is a human feeling.

Part of me wonders how I could have written the story better, or what I could have done differently with it.  I am not so attached to most of what I write that I won't make changes to improve it...

As an aside, it was a 2-step process.  Members of the forum voted and on a 1 to 5 scale, I got 56 votes, for an average of 2.55.  Objectively, that's probably about right.  Personally, "Ouch, Dammit!  That's harsh!"

Anyhow, back to the drawing board.  I've not lifted a pencil to attempt to draw in a few weeks.   ;-)

If you have any thoughts, I'd sure love to hear them.

Please!

Ugh.  I look out the window a few minutes ago, and I'm greeted by a leaden sky that insists on raining on us.  Again!  A quick peek at the radar shows a mish-mash of colors and on a weather radar, that ain't a good thing.

For us, I'm glad because the worst is heading South.  For the poor slobs living South, I feel all kinds of "OMG!" type pity.  It doesn't look pretty.  There are a couple of yellow boxes and a big red box.  That can't be good.

And somewhere, I have a desk.  It is buried under work.  Which is a good thing.  I am not complaining.  Work is Job Security and that is a Good Thing.

And on happier thoughts,  I've written about 25 or so baseball haiku.  I think they are all pretty bad, but I'm making progress. 

Tomorrow is Three Word Wednesday.  Might be a good time to play along.  It makes writing FUN!   Thursday brings us "Get Your Poem On" courtesy of the fine folks at ReadWritePoem.  The prompt is on the front page, and Thursday is when that'll get posted here with a link from there.  Again, it's a great idea and I had some fun with it.

From the One Minute Writer:

Friday Fiction: Breakfast

-------------------------------------------------

He sat there pushing his cup around, the coffee growing cold.  Jim was wondering where Larry was.  For 17 years, they'd had this running breakfast "thing" at the Broadway Diner.  They never formalized it, but it was a part of the routine of both men.  With rare exception, Saturday mornings found them where Jim was, waiting for Larry.

It had all started quite by accident.  Jim had been a regular already.  Took his breakfast by himself, reading the paper.  Larry started coming in regularly and as such, Jim would nod at him either on his way in or out.  That became a brief, "How ya going?" which graduated to, "Mind if I join you?"  Jim still brought the newspaper, but never touched it.  Always left it behind when they left.

They'd never discussed the way things had happened.  That might have changed things between them.  They talked about their lives, dreams, families and solved the problems of the day.  The only nod to the arrangement would be a mention. "I'll be on vacation, so I may not be in next week" and that was it.  They never said "goodbye" but parted with, "See ya..."

It was with this in mind that Jim sat there wondering what was keeping Larry.  His reverie was deeper than he thought because the gentle hand on his shoulder startled him.  It caused him to slosh his coffee.  He was grateful it has gone cold at that moment.

Looking to his right, he saw a woman about his own age.  She looked at him with a sad smile on her face, "You must be Jim."

"Yes..." he allowed.

"Well Jim, I'm Norma.  Larry's wife.  He has spoken of you often over the years such that I feel as if I know you and you're my own dear friend.  Which is why it pains me to tell you..." and here her voice caught.

"Why don't you sit down, Norma."  Jim invited, waving to the vacant seat. 

As soon as she was seated, and had a cup of hot coffee in front of her, she looked a Jim with that sad smile. She opened her mouth to speak, but Jim interrupted, "Larry won't be coming down here anymore, will he?"

"No. He won't" a small voice responded.

Jim thought for a moment, "Let's order us some breakfast, alright?"
 

And I must confess.  Publicly.

I have turned my back on one whom I have expressed love and devotion to many, many times.

My new notebook isn't a Moleskine....No, I have strayed...

Rather than spend the money to keep up the expensive relationship, I was swayed by the cheap harlot, Piccadilly Journals!

That's right.

Rather than plunk down the usual $10.95 they ask for a Moleskine at Barnes & Noble, we stopped at a Borders Bookstore on our recent trip and they had these Moleskine look-a-likes for $3.99!   On sale!  Buy one, get one free!

So, I strayed...nay, I turned and fled!  Fled to the binding of a slightly inferior, yet equally as portable (and cheaper) notebook.

Does this make me wrong?

Peace is more than lack of strife.  It is a willingness to listen.

---

War's Gain?

The "War to End All War's"
Ended nothing
           except millions
It gave rise to "The Big One"
which plunged us into
A war of Chilled fear
the Enemy under every bed
Duck and Cover
just seconds away
Awaiting the button's push
Thankfully that never came.

So, let us step back

And listen

To each other
              other points of view


And to the quiet voices of the millions
searching for Peace.


----------

The above is a couple of things I submitted to the "1,000 Pieces of Peace" project that therer2doors  posted in a writing community we both belong to.  I don't know if they will get used or not.  If so, great.  If not, that's fine to.  What matters is the thought.  The idea that Peace is worth working towards and what it is...what war causes and costs.

I'm not one who usually verbalizes my thoughts on this subject.  Still, it is something I would love to see in my lifetime.

She was hot

                   for haiku.

Expression in seventeen syllables
       (or thereabouts)
Iambic Pentameter
                 Left her cold
Sonnets made her snore
Limericks might make
her giggle
                 (but only the dirty ones)
But haiku?

Man.....

She was hot....for haiku.

Totally snagged this from _unfiltered  who nicked it from soulpancake.com.  I've no idea where it came from before that.  Seems like it has been around forever.

Anyway, the essential idea is to list three experiences you've had that you wish everyone else could have.  Pretty simple...

1.
Atop the Empire State Building
So little down below
So little from down below
So small from up above
Ants are small and do not care
We are likewise small yet don't acknowledge it.

2.
Ride a firetruck across the Golden Gate Bridge
Consider the sacrifice of those who built it
How the impossible is possible
Just because it is fun!

3.
Help the homeless
Feed the hungry
Visit the lost/outcast
Love 'em all, Let G*d sort 'em out.
John F. Kennedy once quoted from Luke 12:48 “For of those to whom much is given, much is required”
True dat...

                                                            

I am so excited to announce that I have had Three of my Poems accepted for publication in the Summer issue of Record Magazine.

The three poems are currently posted at http://magazine-abrilliantrecord.blogspot.com/

I found information about Record in the 2009 Poet's Market book, published by Writer's Market. 


wOOt!!!

I'm 60 twitasodes into my Magnum Opus.  Or, a brain fever...take your pick.

http://yingko.wordpress.com/page/6/

And in true interwebs fashion, to start at the beginning you have to go to the end and read from bottom to top.

I've started you at the end, so read each entry and move up the screen, turn the page and start at the bottom again.

I heard it said that it is more fun an episode at a time than reading a load of entries all at once.