Tag: creative writing

poetry

Another Day, Another Poem

carolyncordon

As I’m going through this month of a poem a day for February (#poemadayfeb), I am pleasantly surprised to see the quality of the poems I’ve produced so far. When you write a new poem every single day, you doin’t have lots and lots of time to fiddle with your poem, it’s a matter of get it written, get it edited, and get it out there!

In the past, I have kept my poems more to myself, holding to the thought, perhaps, that publishers want exclusive rights to my precious poems, so I need to keep them to myself. But I don’t actually send my poem to potential publishers very often anyway, so there’s that idea shot down in flames …

My idea at the moment is that I may see if I can get this month’s worth of poems published in a chapbook, there will be only 28 poems (or possibly more, if I get really keen), and that is a good number of poems for such a publication.

I’m also interested to notice that I have been writing some longer poems for this project. Today’s poem, for instance is 24 lines, and I think yesterday’s poem was that length too. In the past, I have tended to write poems that are between 3 words (haiku), and 12 to 14 lines. That may be because I am also writing a novel at the moment, and thinking about longer word counts, or it may be something else, who knows?

I don’t mind, I’m enjoying what I’m writing, and as long as these good poems keep on happening for the rest of the month, I’m happy! So here is my poem for today, the fifth day of February!

 

 

Full Circle

 

We travel many paths through life –

child, to not child, & then on to adult,

from victim to survivor, maybe, & beyond,

as the road to gaining knowledge, bumps

us onward, with ideas we thought fine

showing to be far from fine, but fake.

 

So we journey on willingly, toward,

the wisdom maturity may bring to us,

& we realise a truth – wisdom was in us

already, as a child, when we found joy

in every new moment, & new thing  –

seeing, feeling, tasting – sensory sublimity!

 

& holding to that thought, expanding it,

opening minds to the infinity available,

if we will reach out to touch it, taste it,

Smell, and listen to it, these tasks help us

to begin to see meaning for our journey

embracing all we’ve seen, & been & learned …

 

Life’s journey can take us far, as far as we’re

willing to go, and though the final destination

is the same for all, our journeys from childhood

to adulthood and beyond, can be amazingly

different – if we hold to our childlike mind

& can experience the glorious possiblities!

poetry

Day 4 of #poemadayfeb

carolyncordon

Another day, another poem … The theme for today’s poem for this poetry projecct for February, is ‘Inside’ … As I’m sitting on the sofa this morning, laptop on lap, window the the left of me, TV screen in front of me, Missy our dog on her sofa on my left, it was easy to find things to put into an “inside” themed poem.

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So this poem is basically life as it happened, with some further thougthts about my life, Missy’s life, my husband’s life, and possible further life … At the moment, I’m happy enough with today’s poem, it isn’t loaded with metaphor or fancy poetic form constraints, it isn’t ‘clever’ or terribly deep, really.

It’s just my new poem, with some of my thoughts about the day, today, the fourth day of February, and what is happening right here, right now.

Here is the poem, I hope you like it. Feel free to post a comment, if you wish. About my poem, about the contents of this blog, about the #poemadayfeb project, about anything!

Here is today’s poem:

 

My Inside/Outside Life

 

Sitting inside, looking out,

I see cars passing by,

& trees with waving branches –

waving hello to me?

No, just waving, at the dictates

of the breeze.

 

Inside with me, are Missy,

& the TV screen.

Missy & I both ignore

screen’s action, Superbowl?

Pfft, who cares? Not us,

none of our business.

 

What is our business?

Is it inside or outside?

Missy is pet dog,

self-installed ‘guard’ dog,

hubby’s walking companion,

so for her it’s both.

 

My business is, hmm, what?

Writing? Community stuff?

‘Business’ is a textured word,

spiky with taxation obligations

& other rules & regulations,

but can be rewarding, too …

 

I’m a pensioner,

my ‘business’ is untainted

by money, & taxation,

unless my business was to off,

climbing above & beyond

inside/outside constraints.

 

Writing, & community,

writing about community,

just writing, writing a poem

writing a novel, writing my way

into things, bigger and better

than my inside/outside life?

poetry, Writing

Hmm, Interesting Stuff Happens

carolyncordon

The theme for the #poemadayfeb poetry project today was ‘Beginning’. I had a bit of an idea about what I wanted to write, when I got started on this one, and I more or less produced something that covered what I’d wanted to write.

It seems bigger, and better, though, than I had even hoped, and if this continues to happen like that, for this particular poetry project, I will be one happy little poet, that’s for sure. It’s often said, the more you do something, the better at it you get, and it certainly feels like that’s true, regarding poetry, and other writing genre.

So this, below, is my poem written today, on the theme or prompt, of Beginning.

 

How it can go…

 

As it was in the beginning, so shall it be at the end –

we’re born, we need, we learn, we grow, the family rules.

We live and we continue growing, then, eventually, we know

all we need to know, living in cruise control mode.

 

Changes come, our needs morph, to medical not financial,

enough money, or not, but the money must be spent

to retain our health. We’re shrinking, not growing,

pieces surgically removed, posture slumping.

 

We’re slowing then, many needs lessening, as

dining out at night with lover, becomes friends’ lunch out,

then doctor & hospital is only visit out. We’re sinking

down, ever down, until getting up is our only adventure,

 

& even that may stop, with treatment from strangers,

instead of family visits. Our needs shrink, learning forgotten,

& if family is planning a journey for us, it’s not a trip to Bali,

but to our final destination, via coffin, not plane or cruise ship …

Writing

A New Title for Proposed New Book

carolyncordon

I’m hoping for some feedback here, although I probably already know the answer to my query. I have a few books in progress at the moment, one a novel, and the beginnings of a picture book, and some bits and pieces for a 8-12 year old chapter book. The Novel has a title already, that I am more or less happy with at this stage, the children’s books are at very early stages and don’t need a title yet. One of the others is a book I’m working on, which I’ve put quite a bit of work into, regarding structure, is the one I’ve just thought of a new name for.

So what do other writers feel about titles for their work? Does it really matter anyway, until you’re going to send it to a publisher, or at least have a book well on the way to taht spot? Should I stick with the original at this point, and just keep on writing? Or if the new title feels better, in some way, should I run with that? Actually another point, am I merely procrastinating by starting this blog post? Procrastination, such a seductive alternative …

Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts about the things I’ve mentioned, please leave a comment. Another point, I am proud of myself for not looking at my Facebook page, which if I glance upward and to the right of my screen, I can see has two new messages. If I was smarter, I would shut off Facebook, and that is what I am going to do, right now! I find Facebook such a timewaster, I should know better and just not have it on, if I’m meant to be writing!

There, done. Goodbye Facebook! Oh how I love you Facebook, but oh how I loathe you too! I find it so easy to spend hours on Facebook, pretending I am actually doing useful things for my writing. I do get ideas for my writing from Facebook for sure, but I also get ideas for my writing by actually writing. Blogs are slightly better for my ‘Brand’ as a writer, but again, actually writing would be good for my Writer brand too, to actually have a new book to get published and promote!

Thoughts on these things are welcome too, again, just leave a comment. Now I’m going to take a look at my book that possibly needs that new title. I’ll put it on the document, and see how it feels, as I get on with the writing. This is a non-fiction book, a blend of memoir, thought, and essay kind of thing that is probably going to be easier to simply self publish rather than try to interest an actual publisher in it. Anyway, this is the book that is of the most interest to me at the moment, so that’s what I’m going to work on now, Bye!

Writing

Thinking of New Year 2019

carolyncordon

There will be no New Years resolutions for me, and this is why:

Over the final month of 2018 I’ve been thinking about the meaning of words, and how actual meaning can be lost or muted over time, particularly through flippant overuse. New Years resolutions, where many of us put together a list of our worthy resolutions, only to ignore them or willingly break them early in the New Year is one of those words.
A resolution is an intention, something we aim or plan to do. But no matter how worthy this intention or resolution may be, so many of us easily and quickly throw that New Years idea to the winds, and just go back to our bad habits of previous times. We eat, drink, smoke, work, too much even though we’d resolved not to, or we don’t do the  exercise or good works we had written down as a New Years resolution.
Is the problem one of semantics perhaps, and maybe stripping it back to bare basics might be better, is what I’ve decided. Some circumstances demand that you drink more than usual, or have another smoke, or don’t do that exercise program. Life can be a problem, trying to fit in or take out various things, and worthy pursuits we had resolved to do, go undone.
This is a shame, but hey, that’s what life is sometimes, isn’t it?
That’s why this year, I’m going to do it differently. This year I won’t have a list of intentions, or resolutions. This year, this year I won’t resolve to itdo anything anything, and then not do it, there’s it’s happened many other years. Instead, this year I simply declare this. This year I WILL BE the BEST person I can be.
It’s as simple as that, it’s as widespread as that. In everything I do, every decision, action, or choice I make, will be the BEST I can do!
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This will be dependant on how I am feeling, and what I am doing, but I am promising right here, to anyone visiting this blog, that everything I do in 2019 WILL BE the BEST person I can be. I will write the best words I can, I will be a caring and useful community member. I will give my all to every thing I do. My life will be a shining example of the the Best I can do, at every given moment.
There will be times when my BEST may not measure up to much, but it will truthfully be the BEST I am able to do at that time. I am not a super person, I am living with a chronic illness, but I am also well looked after, and have great family and friends. I have no excuses for not doing my BEST I can, and I therefore WILL DO MY BEST!
I will do my best writing, I hope to publish at least two books in 2019 (or at least have them written and ready to be published in that year). These books are a children’s picture book, a chapter book for middle to upper primary school level, a chap book if not a poetry collection, and the next book in the Buster the Dog series, which will be a book written with my friend and fellow writer Janette Menhennet, who is writing with McTavish the Cat! Fun times for sure, and I’m looking forward to getting this book ready and seeing any illustrations that will be done by my usual illustrator, Ally Hean!
2019 will be my BEST year ever, in many ways, and I look forward to putting out information about my writing in 2019, to keep everyone up to date!