Thursday, October 30, 2014

Halloween Hobos

Halloween Hobos

We went door-to-door
down neighborhood streets.
Walked among witches
and ghosts made of sheets.
We were rewarded
with all kinds of sweets
as long as we called out,
"trick or treat."

Happy Halloween! Do you have a special Halloween memory?

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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Enter the Forest


Enter the Forest

Enter the forest.

What do you see?
Miles and miles
of twisted trees.

What do you hear?
Howls and screeches
that sound too near.

What do you feel?
The presence of something
that's not quite real.

Leave the forest
or do you?

Thanks to Elissa Field for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Wicked Wording This Way Comes. Do you have a poem, short story or book you like to read every Halloween?

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Thursday, October 23, 2014

Life at a Glance


Life at a Glance

Fly by,
zip past.
Do you give 
everything a glance?

Don't engage,
hurry up.
Take a peek.
Do you see enough?

Rush, race,
skim, scan.
Do you live life
as fast as you can?

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Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Modern Curses


Too many keyboards/keypads




Too much sitting



AND way too many selfies


Thanks to Sarah Turnbull for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Curses. What is your favorite story that involves a curse?

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Thursday, October 16, 2014

Collaborative Story


Jessica quickened her pace. The cool air encouraged the increased speed. I'm surprised more people aren't out. She stumbled on a tree root, took a step off the trail to regain her balance,and came face-to-face with a hole in the rocks. It looks like a dog's head.

Thanks to Kasie Whitener for this Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-A Dark and Stormy Night. The challenge is to contribute to a scary story. I started it, now it's up to you to help finish it by contributing a few lines in the comments. What happens next?

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Here are a couple of other collaborative projects I'm involved with:



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Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Artist Profile

Thanks to The Arts Council of Johnson County for featuring me in an Artist Profile on its smART blog.


Thanks to Sharon Rodriguez, Judith Towse Roberts and Maria Vasquez Boyd for permission to use their photographs.

The Arts Council of Johnson County is an advocate for the arts and is dedicated to the enrichment of the community through the Arts. Learn more about the Council and its mission here.

Related Link

Friday, October 10, 2014

Pastels


Pastels

These colors are shy.
Don't burst on the scene,
loud and brash.
Instead, they speak in whispers.
Give us a hint of what
they have to offer.
Make us take the time
to get to know them
before they reveal all.


Links



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Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The Phantom of the Opera

from Amazon.com via Google Images

The Phantom of the Opera

Before Andrew Lloyd Webber
wrote The Music of the Night,
a silent phantom
gave me a fright.
Even on a small screen
in black and white
the face was startling:
a damaged nose,
high cheek bones,
eyes that glowed.
A scream rose 
in my throat
and I cried out,
"Mom!"

Thanks to J.lynn Sheridan for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Shivers. When I was a child, there was a program on Saturday called Silents, Please, that showed silent movies. It introduced me to the work of Lon Chaney and the character of the Phantom. Little did I know that years later this story would be set to music and become a worldwide sensation. Yes, I did go to see the play.

What are your early memories of fright night films and scary stories?

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Thursday, October 2, 2014

September Roses


September Roses

I am startled,
taken by surprise
when in late September
I see two roses open.
I can't believe my eyes.

I had no idea
they were in season 
when the air 
begins to cool,
when tree leaves
start to match
the color of
their blooms.

I may pass them by
when they are out
earlier in the year,
but in the fall, I'll linger
anytime a rose appears.

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