Now Showing

Now Showing

What show will play

in the sky tonight?

What pictures will

stars form with light?

Will a meteor shower

be all the rage?

Will the moon

take center stage?

Will wonders appear

before your eyes

or  will a curtain of clouds

refuse to rise?

Thanks to Rebecca Barray for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Star. What's your favorite show in the sky at night?

Links

ARTSPEAK RADIO Presents, New Year's Eve with Friends

Author Page

Follow me on Twitter or click the join this Site link to follow this blog.

Holiday Greetings

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May your days be filled with everything you love.

Fogged In

Fogged In

Bogged down

by the fog,

damp and dreary.

Hard to see what's

in front of me.

When the sun

shines again,

I'll have a new

appreciation

of the view.

Thanks to Rebecca Barray for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Fog. 

Links

ARTSPEAK RADIO Presents, 7 Writers Writing

Author Page

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

Rush Hours

Rush Hours

Spinning like wheels

Spinning like tops

We no longer take

the time to stop

at stop signs or

for red lights.

We hurry to get

to our next

destination.

Will we stop when

we get there?

Links

ARTSPEAK RADIO Presents, 7 Writers Writing

Author Page

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

Patterns

Patterns

Circles, triangles and squares,

patterns are everywhere.

They happen by

circumstance and design.

Do we recognize the

patterns in our lives?

Links

ARTSPEAK RADIO Presents Brian Daldorph and The Recipe KC

Author Page

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

Footprints in the Sand

Footprints in the Sand

Footprints in the sand

go every which way,

chronicling the activities

of a given day.

They go into the water

and out again,

or down the beach

for miles on end.

When the tide comes in,

they disappear.

Gone--as though

they were never here.

Links

Annual Holiday Reading and Open Mic

Author Page

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

At Any Age

At Any Age

They were older when

I first met them,

singing and swinging

on television.

Louis and Ella,

the Count and the Duke

already had their place

in jazz history.

They were younger

when I met them

again years later,

at kiosks and in films,

in books and on You Tube.

Learning their craft and

creating the sounds

that turned them into icons.

I learned to appreciate them

 at any age.

Links

American Jazz Museum

ARTSPEAK RADIO presents Whispering Prairie Press

Author Page

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

Point of View

Point of View

The view is obscured

by cloud or crowd

or shroud of darkness.

We fill in the missing

pieces to make

the picture whole.

No longer limited by reality,

we hold on to what

we want to see.

Follow me on Twitter of click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

The Passage of Time

The Passage of Time

I hear each

tick of the clock.

See a hand sweep

past the seconds.

Sunshine turns

 to moonlight.

The leaves are

blowin' away.

Will I build

another dream?

Will we walk

together again?

I hear each tick

of the clock,

marking the

passage of time.

Thanks to Sarah Turnbull for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-I Spy. This was kind of a "prompt scavenger hunt."  Click on the link to see the instructions. My prompts were: clock, the line-"we accordingly walked together to the parking lot from" from Hot Money by Dick Francis and the CD "Time and Love" by Laura Nyro. [Note: Since I still listen to music the old fashioned way, I picked up a stack of CDs, shuffled them three times and pulled one out.] 

Upcoming Events

ARTSPEAK RADIO Presents Artists Danny Orendorff and Laura Isaac

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

Giving Thanks

I  am thankful for

The sky above, whether blue or gray

The coolness of the ocean spray

Anytime I get to play

 The ups and downs of every day

and all the people I meet along the way.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stowaways

Stowaways

Gum on a shoe or

mud when it's wet

Hair on clothing

from us or the pets

A price tag we

forget to remove

A piece of tape

that sticks like glue

The feelings we hide

inside but can't let out

no matter how hard we try

Thanks to Kasie Whitener for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Stowaway. 

Upcoming Events

ARTSPEAK RADIO presents Editors Adam Finkelston, James Meara, 

and Author/writer, Patrick Dobson

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

Grocery Shopping

Grocery Shopping

Mom and I walked to the A&P.

I had to work to keep up,

even though she held my hand.

She had the list and easily

found the items she needed.

The only thing that slowed us down

was a chat with someone Mom knew.

"This is my baby," she would say

each time she introduced me.

On the walk home,

I would switch sides when

she shifted the bag to give

her arm a rest.

Now when I buy groceries,

I pull my car into the parking lot,

get in and out of the store

as quickly as possible and

load my purchases into the trunk.

Once in a while, I see someone

walking home with a bag

of groceries in hand and

remember the time when

I was someone's baby.

Upcoming Events

November Local Life: Meditations on the Beauty of the Everyday

ARTSPEAK RADIO presents, Editors, Adam Finkelston, James Meara, 

and Author/writer, Patrick Dobson

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

Pathfinder

Pathfinder

How do we get to where we are?

Are we led to the water to drink?

Are the steps controlled by what we think?

Do we wish upon a star?

Will that get us very far?

Do we aspire to be like someone else?

Does that help us find ourselves?

Does it matter what we do?

Is everything planned for me and you?

How do we get to where we are and

where do we go next?

Thanks to Janice Sheridan for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Freedom. Do you believe in destiny? Do we control our own fate? How have you found your way?

Upcoming Events

ARTSPEAK RADIO Presents InterUrban ArtHouse with Nicole Emanuel

November Local Life: Meditations on the Beauty of the Everyday

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site Link to follow this blog.

Winter Came Overnight

Winter Came Overnight

Winter came overnight.

I tried to turn it away.

Hold on to the sunshine

and warmth of the day.

The wind picked up.

The clouds moved in.

Forty degrees of 

separation between

what the temperature 

became and what

 it had been.

In the morning

indisputable proof,

a dusting of snow

 up on the roof.

Did the weather in your area suddenly turn cold? Have you had your first snow?

Upcoming Events

Art Opening

November Local Life: Meditations on the Beauty of the Everyday

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site Link to follow this blog.

Fishing for Words

Fishing for Words

After sunrise, I rise.

Coffee ready,

I sit and sip

as a steady stream

of words runs

through my mind.

I wish I could hook

them one at a time.

Create the perfect line,

the perfect line,

the perfect line

until I finish.

Instead, I scratch

down what I can

then revise and revise.

I tire and go to sleep,

only to rise and start again.

Thanks to Rebecca Barray for the Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Finish. What projects have you finished lately?

Upcoming Events

ArtSpeak Radio Presents Deborah Shouse and Ron Zoglin

Art Opening

November Local Life: Meditations on the Beauty of the Everyday

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site Link to follow this blog.

Silent Scream

Silent Scream

Who's there?

Don't stand and stare,

run, run, run, run.

No use, I can't get away.

Scream, scream.

I open my mouth,

but nothing comes out.

That's when I know

this is only a dream.

Thanks to Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Nightmares and Dreamscapes. Can you scream in your dreams? Do you have recurring dreams?

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

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?

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

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?

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog. 

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?

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site Link to follow this blog.

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?

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

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?

*********

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

Slavic Arts Festival and Reading: A Celebration of Eastern European Culture

The Beauty of the Everyday 

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

Artist Profile

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

http://www.artsjoco.org/artists/artist-profile-michelle-pond/

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

The Beauty of the Everyday Exhibition

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

Slavic Arts Festival and Reading: A Celebration of Eastern European Culture

The Beauty of the Everyday

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

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?

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

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.

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

Up and Over

Up and Over

Rough stone

Sharp edges

One misstep

results in

brush burns.

Another could

mean a fall.

Find firm

footing and

up you go,

over the wall.

Thanks to Rebecca Barray for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Texture.

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.