The Passionate Crone

Thank you. I'm not sure it's a poem, a prose poem ...

2009-11-05T01:26:32.043+11:00

Thank you. I'm not sure it's a poem, a prose poem or what - but maybe that doesn't really matter.

I'm glad someone tried the tick boxes!

You have such a way of evoking memory in your writ...

2009-11-04T08:21:38.091+11:00

You have such a way of evoking memory in your writing. This is beautiful.

And now I'm going to try your new tick boxes out to practice for next time I don't know what to say or I'm simply pressed for time!

I come from generations of environmentalists, way ...

2009-10-01T07:58:19.136+10:00

I come from generations of environmentalists, way ahead of their time, and was brought up on Rachel Carson et al. The evidence has been around for a long time; only now that it's becoming overwhelming are people waking up.

And yes, it's a vexed question. I have one friend who waxes wroth at the mere mention of Rachel Carson because she pointed out the disastrous consequences of using DDT - which he credits with having saved many lives by decimating pests that destroyed food crops, disease-carrying mosquitoes etc.

We share the environment with non-human creatures too!

On the other hand, I kill mosquitoes, flies and cockroaches (albeit not with DDT).

there's being a healthy skeptic then there's willf...

2009-10-01T05:04:22.591+10:00

there's being a healthy skeptic then there's willful ignorance. what to do with this shared environment?

Exactly! :)

2009-09-29T10:55:03.768+10:00

Exactly! :)

that would be handy. it would alleviate the fear o...

2009-09-28T23:58:56.800+10:00

that would be handy. it would alleviate the fear of walking too far and it being painful to walk walk exhausted in the sudden downpour.

Thanks, Pearl, I'm glad to know the structure is e...

2009-09-23T00:06:25.123+10:00

Thanks, Pearl, I'm glad to know the structure is effective.

(And I left out studying Tantra....)

Writing it out does help loosen the grip. :)

2009-09-23T00:03:23.926+10:00

Writing it out does help loosen the grip. :)

thanks.

2009-09-22T05:02:16.678+10:00

thanks.

the structure gives it a measured pace, sense of a...

2009-09-22T05:01:25.945+10:00

the structure gives it a measured pace, sense of accumulato that turns to reveal motivation for that which is sniffily snubbed as "time wasters" so works effectively as teaching, revealing, without being didactic.

yep, even knowing what is good for one is a differ...

2009-09-22T04:59:36.567+10:00

yep, even knowing what is good for one is a different thing than letting go. things must run their curse, coarse course. touch and let go is harder with superglue.

thunk. nailed it. that's an amazing amount to fit...

2009-09-22T04:57:10.413+10:00

thunk. nailed it.

that's an amazing amount to fit into a life. we can't blog everything of course and no one ever knows what all is unsaid.

This terrific, Pearl, I love it. And who but you c...

2009-09-21T13:43:20.935+10:00

This terrific, Pearl, I love it. And who but you could so expertly turn a humorous form into a profound affirmation? You used the rhymes to lead the reader into it beautifully, inevitably - don't think I didn't notice and admire. :)

lovely spot. ocean is restive to the soul. I'll t...

2009-09-21T05:23:10.890+10:00

lovely spot. ocean is restive to the soul.

I'll try a tumbling rhyme like you tried on the theme as I'm still culture shocked and jet lagged.

where I live is renewed
suddenly made bright, huge
from square foot to tube
for the toothpaste --
the fridge is a waste
land of empty. we paced
the elevator floor
there's room for 8 more
at a dinner party in here. chore
it is to walk to hear the hub
4 hotel rooms away. Love,
what did you say?
why canned music forays
from every store and cafe?
this city has 4 wheels
good, not two. who feels
scooters and 1-man dealies
for tow trucks are roles
best played by monsters? holes
in traffic under controls
of lights, of signs, of lines
on roads. back to the fine
land of apology. dine
like Caesar on excesses
of sorry sorry sorry lest
a spine incline towards ess
of someone else's. and cold!
who was so dastardly bold
as to turn off the heat? old
bones creak in two layers deep
of wool. but still a fog creeps
valleys, rivers. I could weep
at the beauty of sunrise
catching the smokestack. eyes
startle, but home is realized.
and clearly in sight -- clutter
the unneededness of utter
useless paper. clean, putter
remake the nest. refresh
the mind to habits. prec-
iious kept. like friends. flesh
is the real home. that and those
who love us. we can dispose
of what addictive, the heat that froze
in the cold of things. we missed
not a carpet, not a light. list
what matters? us. joy exists.

Oh good. Whew! Many thanks. :)

2009-09-18T09:57:28.360+10:00

Oh good. Whew! Many thanks. :)

Oh, definitely - it gives it that feeling of a tur...

2009-09-18T08:36:31.386+10:00

Oh, definitely - it gives it that feeling of a turn, and it gives the sense of routine and memory. And, perhaps most importantly, it's not even immediately noticeable... which means it's subtle enough to do all those things without whacking you over the head with it!

Ah, I see. Your reasoning that is. I think you're ...

2009-09-18T08:33:28.365+10:00

Ah, I see. Your reasoning that is. I think you're right - it mostly just comes down to preference. But yes, I also find it restrictive.

Thank you! I wondered if the slide into change of ...

2009-09-17T09:30:50.094+10:00

Thank you! I wondered if the slide into change of tense worked???

*them

2009-09-17T09:28:39.465+10:00

*them

The really good reason was that computer formattin...

2009-09-17T09:27:45.585+10:00

The really good reason was that computer formatting seldom allows one to indent if a line goes beyond the page/window width. But I think people get it anyway. And I changed the template for a wider column - which has other disadvantages, sorry: slower to load.

It comes down in the end to what one likes, doesn't it? Author's choice.

Interestingly, I found I was beginning to write in a different way when having initial capitals in mind at the outset, and a couple of pieces would actually have worked better if I'd left them like that. But it's an infinitesimal thing, and I opted for consistency. Most of the time, I DIDN'T have it in mind; my head was still where it was used to being and I would have to go through and capitalise later.

In the end, I just experienced then as too restrictive.

Another lovely poem, and a feeling I can relate to...

2009-09-17T02:16:04.134+10:00

Another lovely poem, and a feeling I can relate to. I can really feel the turn in both verses as well.

I wouldn't have said anything if you'd kept them i...

2009-09-17T02:12:39.995+10:00

I wouldn't have said anything if you'd kept them in (because I know there are two camps on this), but I agree with you really. They can work, but I think unless you have a really good reason for using them, they're just arbitrary.

Oh, thank you Jen! The piece is fictional - but ...

2009-09-14T13:15:35.972+10:00

Oh, thank you Jen!

The piece is fictional - but of course based on many factual cases we hear of often enough. I'm thrilled it moved you.

This is lump-in-the-throat lovely, Rosemary. And I...

2009-09-14T05:18:30.405+10:00

This is lump-in-the-throat lovely, Rosemary. And I love how both of your 'secret's are so different that you wouldn't notice there were two of them if you weren't looking.

Thanks, Jenny!

2009-09-06T22:58:36.152+10:00

Thanks, Jenny!