Happy Birthday, Robert Frost

Robert Frost, born March 26, 1874,  has long been one of my most-loved poets.  One of my favorite things about his poems, other than the style, is the realism I've always seem in them.  The scenes and situations Frost chronicled always appeared very clearly in my mind, making me feel as though I were there.  

When I read "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", I can see the dark trunks and branches of the trees and the white of the snow against them, as well as feel the cold pressing around me.  That poem and "The Road Not Taken" were my introductions to Frost in a middle school English class, but the following poem is the one I love best.  My own poems tend to be full of questions and in this one verse, to me, Frost asks one of the ultimate questions.

A Question

A voice said, Look me in the stars
And tell me truly, men of earth,
If all the soul-and-body scars
Were not too much to pay for birth.

Be a Book Character! Really Cool Contest

Mostest Awesomest Contest

By shaydenfl
 

So, I wanted to come up with a KICKASS C ONTEST to celebrate my first book being out.

The problem is I didn’t want to be like everybody else. I know, go figure right? I’m kinda high maintenance like that. I don’t wanna be bigger or badder, just different. SO I thought to myself, “Self, how can we make this different.” Then I came up with an answer.

Give the People What They Want!

“But what do they want?” I thought to myself after my brilliant revelation.

Money? Fame? Power? Their father back, you sonofabitch?  (Sorry, Princess Bride moment.)

Well I don’t have any of those to offer. Trust me as soon as I do, I will be having some seriously foshizzle contests.

In the meantime I did figger out something to offer!

“Huh?” you say!

You get to be in a book! Do you get money from this? No

Do you get power? Only from your electric company.

Do you get fame? Quite possibly. I’ll let you know.

Do you get to be a kickfrigginass character in the third book of the Demonkin Series? You bet your ass you do! Not only that, but you get to  chose if you want your character to be one of the GOOD GUYS (boo) or one of the BAD GUYS (yay)!

Lovely assistant, please tell them what else they win!

A new ca…Nevermind, wrong gameshow. You get to choose your character! You could be a vampire, a werewolf, an elf. The possibilities are ENDLESS! WOO HOO.

Oh. There’s one more thing. You get to be in the DEDICATION!

I hereby dedicate this book to Insert name here, WINNER of the Demonkin Mostest Awesomest Contest!

“How do I enter?” you ask.

Simple! Click This cover. Buy the book. Wherever you buy the book, in the reviews section, post your favorite part and tell people why they should buy ORIGINS! Once you’ve done that, just comment here to let me know you entered!

Could I have made things any simpler? HAHAHA! I don’t think so!

So, Click the book and get started! The contest will run until April 15th, 2011. Have FUN!

Shel Silverstein on The Johnny Cash Show

Shel Silverstein has been a significant inspiration to me. I've read his books over and over again to my niece, Sarah, and, like all great books, I'll pick one up and re-read it myself when I need a spark to jump-start my writing. Likewise, Johnny Cash has been one of my favorite singers and musicians, with my dad playing his songs for my brothers, my sister and myself from the time we were born. I was delighted to find this clip on Youtube.

Monday Morning Muse

Monday Morning Muse

Is the absence of my muse

due to Monday morning blues?

Or did something go awry

as the weekend passed me by?

Perhaps the words do fail

and the wind has left my sail

because I labored hard and long

never taking time for song.

Whatever reason or excuse

I must locate my muse

For I'm helpless without she

who inspires poetry.

Our Dawn

Our Dawn

Is there any truth

in this game that we play?

Any chance at all

we'll be together one day?

You and your big dreams.

Me and my small plans.

In the end, are our lives

just putty in someone else's hands?

The proof's in how we see it,

but is the power in our heads?

Or when our dawn breaks fully

will we walk away instead?

Am I afraid of the dark?

But then, why should I be?

We make our own light,

so the shadow's in me.

I've tried to understand you. 

So fearful I've gone wrong.

That when our dawn awakens

your ship will be long gone.

Thoughts on Bukowski

Poet Charles Bukowski's take on the human race. Stark, bleak, and dismissive. Is it a realistic view? A look at humanity as it is, with the veneer stripped away and the sugar-coating most people put on day-to-day life melted?

I've always thought that Bukowski himself is just that. A human being without that veneer or sugar-coating. Raw. Like an unprocessed food item without the additives or preservatives that most of us acquire as we go through life. A closer look at Bukowski as a person allows you to see both the basic, miserable condition of human life, as well as the honest, inherent beauty of being unprocessed. Always a reminder to me that I should strive for a balance of the basic and honest but that, at the same time, a bit of processing and a few additives are needed to make me whole.

I've always found Bukowski fascinating and this particular video brings to mind a little of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Bukowski seemed to be of the people and by the people, but not for the people.

New Poem "Turning Corners"

Turning Corners

 Life's corners are sharp.

Sometimes we cut ourselves on the turns.

We grit our teeth, ignore the pain,

and from those cuts we learn.

Some cuts are shallow; some are deep.

A bloody trail may mark our path.

But if we learn our lessons well

cuts teach us how to laugh.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

 

In honor of the late, great Dr. Seuss' (Theodor Geisel) birthday, I've written the following poem.  I hope that he'd like it.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

It's Dr. Seuss' birthday

and though this is quite late

we've gathered together several friends

to help us celebrate.

We'll have a birthday dinner-

perhaps green eggs and ham-

the food cooked by none other

than Seuss pal Sam I Am.

There'll be lots of fun and games here.

The Vipper of Vipp will preside.

The Fuddnuddler Brothers are ready

to spread the news far and wide.

The dress code for the party

will be casual and fun.

Both Fox in Sox and Cat in Hat

will be dressed for the sun.

Yertl the Turtle is the party's host.

It'll be here on the beaches.

You'll see Red Fish and Blue Fish

and Plain and Star-Belly Sneetches.

The East Beach Beast and the West Beach Beast

will, for once, get along.

The North-Going Zax and the South-Going Zax

will join together in song.

The Whos will sing the birthday song,

led by Cindy Lou Who,

and joining in to spread the cheer

you'll hear Thing One and Thing Two.

The Grinch himself will bring a gift,

a pair of Pale Green Pants.

And we'll all hope our picnic

will not be spoiled by ants.

Marvin K. Mooney will say goodbye

and when our party ends

we'll all patiently wait 'til next year

for Seuss' birthday again!