Monday, November 24, 2014

Simmering


Second draft zooooooms
and now
it has to simmer
shhhh
do not rattle and roll
tiptoe away.



Maybe when you return
to the draft
it will have developed
multiple reflective layers
and lead you
gently
on to the 
next
one.




xx



Saturday, November 15, 2014

Second Draft



Sono in giardino
means
I'm in the garden.

It's a sign I often saw
hung on doors 
in spring and summer
in Montagnola, Switzerland.

I'm deep now into a second draft
of the newest book
doing a lot of planting and weeding
of words.

Sono in giardino
hangs on the office door.

xx

(P. S. If you click on 'giardino' in the column at far right, you'll see a similar post with this sign from 2010, but in that instance, it meant I was taking a break! )



Sunday, November 9, 2014

A Salad of Names

In today's mail
a stunning array
of names
and spellings:

Abby, Aidan, Alan, Alina, Amya, Artakous, Ashanti, Aubrie, Averie
Bobby, Branderius, Branquarus, Brian, Brock, Brooke
Caden, Cairi, Cameron, Camron, Chandler, Christian, Colby Conner
Dakota, Dalaysia, Dalton, David, Denton, Dhara, Diana, Donovan

Elizabeth, Ella, Emily, Emma, Ethan
Garret, Gavin
Hailey, Haley, Hanna, Hannah, Harley
Isaac
Jacob, Jadarius, Jade, Jamiricale, Jarred, Jerius, Jill, Johnny, Joseph, Joshua, Justin

Karen, Kayla, Kelsie, Keresten, Kloie, Kyla
Landon, Logan
Madelyn, Madison, Makayla, Makenna, Markese, Maya, McKenzie, Meg, Megan, Monique
Natalie, Nathan, Noah
Paige, Parker, Peyton

Quienyelta
R.J., Rachel, Ragen, Reid, Rodquavius, Ryan
Sabrina, Samantha, Shakia, Sophie, Sydney
Taylor, Trent, Tyler, Ty'quan, Tyrah
Vanessa
Yasmine, Yesenia
and
Zack, Zane, Zoe

Say them aloud: tongue-twisting poetry!

xx

Monday, November 3, 2014

Transitions


So one day it was like this
(above)
all dozy mesmerizing autumn
and
two days later 


giant nor'easter
blows into town
lashing power lines
and blasting trees

and yet
amid the
no heat
no water
no power



these candles
allowed me to 
write
straight through
to the
ending
of a first draft

oh yeah
that felt soooo good.

You writers out there
will know the feeling,
mm?

xx