I’m one of those people who never feels totally satisfied with a written work. There is always a different idea, or a new line, or a twist to the rhyme scheme that I could have/should have made. That’s why I re-read my own writing as little as possible once it has been “finished” — or posted here. Continue reading Finding a Stopping Point… and holding on for dear life
Rock Song – Vino Y Sangre II – JG
To Wash Away The Memory
Cut in a way,
A blade never will,
Shallow and deep,
But blood wasn’t spilt.
More subtle, more fine,
Complex and in my mind’s eye:
Divine.
These wounds taste like wine. Continue reading Rock Song – Vino Y Sangre II – JG
Rock Song – Vino Y Sangre – JG
By Your Thirst
Spilt scarlet,
Alarming, disarming,
Screams of ‘Harlot‘
Shattered glass –
Tasked with the act
Of post-row cleanup.
Is it blood
Or is it wine? Continue reading Rock Song – Vino Y Sangre – JG
Walt’s Garden
Walt’s Garden
Walt’s Garden stood in an old shop on East Main Street. It fell in line with a collection of other such buildings along the north side of the road; brick, one- or two-story shops with broad window fronts and colorful signs decorating the sidewalk, enticing passers-by to step inside. A broad promenade allowed patrons to walk with ease, or relax on the benches that faced the road. Young maples and dogwoods spread their branches along the curb, shielding the strollers and the shoppers from sun and traffic alike. Continue reading Walt’s Garden
January’s Theme: Vino y Sangre
Wine is traditionally symbolic of socially constructed things: celebrations and ceremonies, class and culture, elegance in communication and conversation. It’s an art with finesse and attention to detail, and when done right, holds complexity and character in every sip. Wine is classic.
Blood, meanwhile, is all about power. It rushes and demands all of its own volition; there is nothing made but what it makes. It’s aggression and passion and force and instinct and it pushes you to work its will. It’s all emotion and best felt when its owner is out of control. Blood is fierce. Continue reading January’s Theme: Vino y Sangre
Villanelle – December – JG
Serenity
Enemy of the future, refusing to embark
Steadily into the present – stillness in the blood –
Serenity in the identity of a life in park. Continue reading Villanelle – December – JG
Villanelle – December Theme – Marcy Erb
Mud and Gold
Mud in California is a brindled and feral beast
No mythical runny bog, but a good thick paste
Sticky thick with gold, yes, sir! They say easy street
Villanelle – Mud-Stained Boots – SD
“The Runaway”
Soulful eyes gaze, and through the wild you’ve roamed
In the snowy mountains, sheltered in the night.
What is it that you sought, once lost, once alone? Continue reading Villanelle – Mud-Stained Boots – SD
The Fever Dreams of Hozier
Our music reviews seek to trace the narratives that weave between songs and albums. Check out our Rhythmic Fiction tag for other stories told through music.
It’s a pleasant surprise to see a true blues artist on pop radio in 2014. The Black Keys are the perfect example of a blues rock (more rock than blues) group who burst onto the mainstream scene with a sound that was revolutionary not in how much it changed music, but in how it reaffirmed the staying power of staple rhythms behind heavy distortion riffs and lyrics of struggle and loss. Their seventh studio album El Camino took home the 2013 Grammy’s for Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Performance (both for the single “Lonely Boy”).
Now, just in time for serious Grammy’s 2015 chatter, we have another artist bursting into mainstream pop consciousness with a sound that both reminisces and transcends the Blues. Continue reading The Fever Dreams of Hozier
Short Story Challenge – “First Day of Work” – Marcy Erb
I meant to post this about a week ago, since NaNoWriMo is already 8 days expired. But the results for my personal version of it with short stories – NaShoStoWriMo – were good: I wound up writing 15 short stories and over 22,000 words. My goal had been 20 stories, so I fell short of that, but considering I started the month with a whooping zero short stories ever written, I’m very pleased with the challenge. It accomplished its goal, which was to inspire me to write short stories.
Holiday travel for Thanksgiving really put a monkey wrench into my writing schedule and I marveled at folks in the U.S. doing NaNoWriMo who were able to power through that crazy last week of November when so many of us are traveling or shopping or prepping or hosting or cooking.
Continue reading Short Story Challenge – “First Day of Work” – Marcy Erb
