Life gives us many opportunities for “do-overs.” For instance, I think parenthood is an opportunity to redo our childhoods. While some of us repeat mistakes made by our parents, some of us seize the opportunity to do things differently. That’s the concept on a big scale but there are opportunities for do-overs on a smaller scale nearly every day.
I’ve been going through some sort of a spiritual journey that started taking shape in a significant way (more…)
I imagine a lot of people wonder where the line is between truth and fiction in a poem, particularly when you write in a personal style, as I often do.
Last week I wrote a poem in part about a mother whose adult son doesn’t call her enough:
And though my son doesn’t call me often enough,
there are plenty of people I talk to all the time.If something bad happens one day and they don’t
hear from me in due time, they can always call my son.
When I told my 26-year-old son Sul about it, he just laughed and rolled his eyes. He knows that being a writer’s son has some hazards. As for the relationship between the poem and real life, I do have my moments of panic and I don’t think my son calls me enough. But what son does? He’s there when I need him most, and even when the need is less great.
Like this past weekend: When I was in his neck of the woods, I called him on the spur of the moment to take some pictures of me. Luckily he was free, so we met at a nearby park. Here are a few outtakes and some photos I wouldn’t normally share. Sul cheerfully did the best he could with my off-the-rack camera with few to any features on it to adjust for lighting. Case in point:
Sul is a tremendous supporter of my poetry and this blog. He encourages me to (more…)
Reality and Perception
I see me as reinventing myself, in a manner of speaking. But what does that mean? Is it changing my hairstyle, revamping my wardrobe, rearranging the furniture, taking a different career path, altering my lifestyle, shifting priorities? As I do these things, am I really becoming somebody different or am I aligning myself closer to who I really am? I think of the lyrics of a Beatles song, “Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged.”
Isn’t It Comedic Tragic Ironic
The better I become at writing, the harder it is to do.
You Really Like Me
Kalyani Magazine has accepted two of my poems for publication. I took them down from the blog but some of you may vaguely remember them: “7 Haiku: Geese” and “they said.” I’m really excited because this type of recognition of my poetry has eluded me for years. Although it’s good to believe in yourself, it’s nice to have a little external validation once in a while. And if any self help gurus are offended by that statement, you have just proved my point!
The Poetry Business
I have a regular freelance writing gig with a magazine that features profiles of entrepreneurs. Having interviewed quite a few of them for my articles, I’ve come to admire the ability of those in business to talk positively about themselves and to promote their brand. They brag about revenues, awards, and milestones with no pretense of humility. And whoever doesn’t like it can kiss their asses all the way to the bank.
I think about myself and other poets who are trying to sell books. Very few poets make money writing poetry. Part of that is because the buying public doesn’t place much value on poetry, not realizing that the world would be barren without it. Are actors, pro sports players, and novelists really more essential than poets? If poets are ever going to be paid what they are worth, the demand has to come from the public. But there are not enough public relations spinners out there telling the masses that they need poetry.
And don’t hold your breath waiting for poets to make the case, either, because money is rarely a motivating factor for us. We poets are compelled to write poetry whether we get paid for it or not. It only makes good business sense not to pay us for it. It doesn’t get any more pathetic than that. We are our own self-deprecating enemy.
Madness in the Method
When I sit down to write poetry, the thoughts seem to occupy a physical space in my brain (the location changes from poem to poem). I have to tunnel through to extract the thoughts. I always worry that I’m going to lose my way, or if I’m able to get to that space, I won’t be able to pry the thoughts loose. Even if I accomplish those two things, I fear that I won’t be able to find my way back out again.
© Sweepy Jean and Sweepy Jean Explores the (Webby) World, 2013
Sometimes I go through certain phases. Right now I am in a phase where I’m on overload, which is weird because I have an abundance of solitude and quiet.
But the quiet is good and the overload is not a bad thing, at least I don’t think so. It is what it is. The quiet and the overload feed (more…)
Do you have nightmares?
Lately, I rarely remember whether or not I have dreamed at all. If anything, I may wake up laughing or else seething in anger, but I won’t remember what the dream was about.
Not long ago, a fellow blogger talked about dreams, fears, and the fear of dreaming. Her post made me think back to years ago when I learned how to have lucid dreams, meaning I knew when I was dreaming and was able to control what happened in my dreams. I haven’t done this in a while but I remember how I did it. So, I’m going to share those techniques here. They may sound crazy but they do work if you put in the time. Mastering them may help you get a grip on your fears.
First of all, you must (more…)
Not for nothin’, here are the first 20 songs with two-word titles that came up on my MP3 player during a random shuffle:
Good Times – Chic
The Scientist – Coldplay
Alphabet St. – Prince
Black Butterfly – Denise Williams
Black Water – The Doobie Brothers
Eleanor Rigby – Stanley Jordan
Rocket Love – Stevie Wonder
Broken Wings – Mr. Mister
Lonely Days – Bee Gees
Rock Star – N.E.R.D.
Wichita Lineman – Glen Campbell
Love Gun -Cee Lo Green
Feelin’ Good – Nina Simone
Glamorous Life – Sheila E
Der Kommissar – Falco
Gold Watch – Lupe Fiasco
Deep Water – Seal
Wishing Well – Terence Trent Darby
Hot Thing – Talib Kweli
Sweet Love – Anita Baker
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Welcome to 1 + 1 Wednesday!
Go to the comments section and share two words on any theme whatsoever.
Your two words can be simple, complex, or completely random. Say something important, or make no sense whatsoever. Feel free to comment as many times as you want with two-word combinations.
No restriction on language except no slurs against race/ethnicity or sexual orientation. Such comments will not be approved or will be deleted as soon as I’m able.
Click here to see last week’s 1 + 1 in action and get an example of how to play!
Become a fan of 1 + 1 fan page at http://www.facebook.com/1plus1wednesday and invite your friends to join, too!
Have fun!
© Sweepy Jean and Sweepy Jean Explores the (Webby) World, 2011
(I’m thrilled and honored to present the following guest post by extraordinary poet and deep thinker KalpanaS.**
Enjoy, and show her some love in the comments!)
I hit the ‘enter’ button, reminded of the ‘80s pop song by Ian Dury and the Blockheads:
“In the deserts of Sudan,
and the gardens of Japan …
every woman, every man,
hit me with your rhythm stick,
hit me, hit me …”
My trip takes me to a Guardian blog where comments are in full swing about Nordic noir, and the British and American remakes of “Wallander” and “The Killing,” a crime drama series I have watched avidly.
Later in the week, tapping the keys, I take a trip to an American ex-pat’s blog about (more…)
Friends, Writers, Poets: Lend me your words! I want to shake things up around here!
Whether we’re blogging buddies or if this is your first visit, I’m open!
Wouldn’t your blog post enjoy a change of scenery? There is so much creative energy flowing in the blogiverse, I’d be honored to host your piece. I have a few writing projects going that are taking time away from blogging, but I still want to keep things fresh.
This a personal/poetry blog, but I write about a lot of topics. Would you would be interested in writing a guest post about the following:
– Personal experiences
– A poem
– A short story
– The writing life (any genre; thoughts, advice, tips)
– The arts
– Relationships
– Gender roles
– Armchair philosophy
New friends and old:
DM me on Twitter
Message me on Facebook
Sweepy Jean
or email me
Oh, and look me up (Sweepy Jean) on Google +
P.S. This is a standing offer. No expiration date!
P.S.S Don’t forget to play 1 + 1 Wednesday (see below)!
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Every week, I invite you to go to the comments section and share two words on any theme whatsoever.
Your two words can be simple, complex, or completely random. Say something important, or make no sense whatsoever. Feel free to comment as many times as you want with two-word combinations.
No restriction on language except no slurs against race/ethnicity or sexual orientation. Such comments will not be approved or will be deleted as soon as I’m able.
Need an example of how to play? Click here to see last week’s 1 + 1 in action!
Become a fan of 1 + 1 at http://www.facebook.com/1plus1wednesday and invite your friends to join, too!
Have fun!
© Sweepy Jean and Sweepy Jean Explores the (Webby) World, 2011
The blog Written in Blood contains reviews of movies in the horror genre. In a recent post, nine survey questions were presented asking readers to give their opinions on the subject of horror films.
With blogger John Mountain’s permission, I’m posting my answers to the survey here. I love movies in general though I’m not a horror buff per se. But I’ve seen more than my fair share of horror movies.
Which brings me to my own question: (more…)
I was trying to think about what to write and nothing stood out as particularly post worthy. I figured maybe if I put them together then the parts would equal a whole.
Random Thoughts
I’m a slacker in some ways. I hate making up my bed so I rarely do it. I’m ok if someone else makes my bed for me, but (more…)
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