Poetic Reflection Week 8: On Remarkable Talents

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Hello, welcome to poetic reflections week 8, I started conducting shorter interviews so that more of our most supportive poets are highlighted here, Thanks for reading, it is wonderful to hear what they see of our growing community and how their experiences add values and beauty to our weekly poetry picnic.  

Enjoy The Read! 

 #1: Ann LeFlore

What is the reason you participate poetry picnics of  Jingle Poetry At the Gooseberry Garden?

I enjoy reading other poems from great artists. They are so inspiring and I have learned a lot from them. I am new to poetry and do not understand all the forms of poetry and the difference between the styles. Reading all the blogs submitted and the great poems each person writes gives me a better understanding into this new world of poetry for me.

How does writing poetry impact your life? Why poetry?

The discovery of poetry adds life and freedom to writing. I had to write poetry in school when younger and after never gave much thought to writing it again. Then one day I found a wonderful person on a blog site that wrote poetry. I started to look back into some of my old school books and found a poetry section inside. After I tried to understand how poetry worked and wrote a few pieces. People were so wonderful and the comments did inspire me to continue on writing poetry and try to learn more about poetry.

I think that poetry gives you a different way to express your ideas and tell your stories. When writing short stories the words can get in the way and for some reason your idea of a very short story has taken over and is no longer a short story. With poetry you can have a flow to the poem and lay it out on paper before writing. I am a computer tech and so flow charts are a way of life in my field. Poetry is the same to me on how to get my ideas and have them flow down the page to the ending. I like the freedom of poetry and the expression it gives. I love the people in the poetry community and have found some very inspirational words in their poems.

How many blogs do you have? how long you have been blogging? Which poem you have written so far best demonstrates your poetry talent? Please give the poem content along with link to your poem post, thanks.

Currently there is 3 blogs on the account. The original blog set up is Grandma Simpson's Kitchen in Roby Texas. After I set up a second blog to try and help anyone over the age of 50 to learn the internet and try blogging. This blog is Blogging @ 76. I have not written on this blog in some time due to the summer vacations and having no time at the moment to do this. Grandma Simpon's Kitchen in Roby Texas is a cooking blog set up to share old recipes on the internet that belonged to my Great Great-Grandma.

The new blog The Gateless Passage is a shared blog between 4 writers. The blog was added to the original blog site under Sarah Johnston On this blog pomes are written by Ann LeFlore, Trinity, and Caleb. Trinty is 10 years old and I encourage her to write all the time. Caleb is 8 years old and needs to practice his writing. The two are very creative and enjoy writing poem so much. On this blog there is articles about relationships, poems and inspiration.

I am very new to blogging and have been learning how and blogging now for less than 4 months. The new poetry blog is just a little over a month old.

I am not really sure which poem would fit into this question. I am new to poetry and have fun writing poetry. I can go by what people have liked and some comments I have read. I think I would probably choose one of two poems. 

I would believe that "The Crimson Witch"http://gatelesspassage.com/2011/09/08/the-crimson-witch/ or 

Haggle Baggily http://gatelesspassage.com/2011/09/04/haggle-baggily/ would be my choices. 

I will display the content of Haggle Baggily as my first choice.

Haggle Baggily

A day that was meant to be
A loss for all we see
The morning rise
Is wonderful as can be
As the day goes by
Nothing can be
The hours of the clock
Turn too fast
 Start one task
The wine flask cracks
Loosing your place
Thoughts lost in space
Onto the next page
Flipping too fast
The days flies by
Before you know it
You are left holding the pie
 All the things that should have been
Sit in piles
As the day folds in
We are dressed and ready to go
 But this or that
Has taken its toll
We can’t get out the door
One thing leads to another
 Before we know
The sun is down
And we are still holding the crown
Sitting in the golden chair
Not knowing how we got there
We sat there by the hours
That flew so fast
The sands of the hour glass
Are gone at lass
The door sits closed
The night’s settled in
The day was a loss
Nothing was meant to be
When Haggle Baggily
Came to visit me




Ann LeFlore writes the poems on this site. I know the name of the site is under Sarah Johnston and it is difficult to add more than one name to this blog. I have tried to add Ann LeFlore, Trinity and Caleb to the blog site so that when each person posts you will see their name. But considering I added this blog to Sarah Johnston original blog site it is not working out and allowing me to add more names to this site. I hope you understand.
Ann LeFlore is the one who joins the poetry picnic each week and comments on the account. She is the one who has written the poetry on the site. I am Ann LeFlore but on some comments I write they come under Sarah Johnston due to he word press account. I hope that you understand that there are 4 different people who write on this one poetry blog. I do most of the posting on the blog site for poetry and I am the one who loves to join the poetry picnics each week.

Thank you so much

Ann LeFlore

#2: Shoeless Boy Wonder

What is the reason you participate poetry picnics of  Jingle Poetry At the Gooseberry Garden?

Simple enough I was invited and enjoy reading other peoples thoughts and poetry. Reason being I try in one way or another to write something that can relate to each person at different time periods in their life, this helps me connect with other people.

How does writing poetry impact your life? Why poetry? 

Gives me an outlet, a purpose and a goal. Writing poetry started out as a way for me to vent out feelings I couldn't express without coming off as rude, or hostile, now I want their to be a connection between writer and reader. 

How many blogs do you have? how long you have been blogging? Which poem you have written so far best demonstrates your poetry talent? Please give the poem content along with link to your poem post, thanks.

I have one blog and one official website. I have been blogging going on two years next February. To be honest how is a writer to  know which creation is his best, that would be up to the people to decide, that being said I don't know whether or not to pick the most commented on or the most voted for. So....here ya go.

http://shoelessboywonder.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/the-fool/

The Fool

Freedom is never given
It is what we earn
Walking amongst the livin’
The price is what we learn

Existence controlled by another’s insecurities
Damages your future opportunities
Though some do not mind being slaves
A person who always craves

Wishing to be free
Scared of the fee
The responsibility is too much to bare
So they live a life far from fair

Freedom is never given
It is what we yearn
Walking amongst the livin’
Our pride must never burn

Ignorance is control's best tool
For lack of knowledge keeps the clueless fool
Keeping truth far from ears
So they live consumed by unknown fears

Happy to make their master smile
Resisting logic’s truth of denial
So master’s crime never sees trial
And the slave continues to swallow their bile

Freedom is always taken
It is what we forsake
Walking amongst the awakened
Our pride is only fake

For if a slave learns of self-value
Then their eyes see the clue
A spark of anger will ignite
And a choice of whether to fight

So a world turns upside down
When a slave strangles the crown
Proving they are not a simple tool
Making the master into the fool

Freedom is what is deserved
It is our God-given right
Walking amongst the reserved
Our pride can be our light.

#3:  Danny Roberson

  

What is the reason you participate poetry picnics of Jingle Poetry At the Gooseberry Garden? 

Even when I'm rushed for time or when I don't feel well, I try to participate in Jingle Poetry because I want to think of myself as a writer and a poet.  If I don't write or don't post poems I'm only fooling myself.  I want to have my poetry next to poems that shine bright and the Gooseberry Garden is full of delicious, ripe poems. 

How does writing poetry impact your life? Why poetry? 

I constantly look for ways to convey ideas and poetry lets me display those ideas in an easily digestible form. Most of the time I choose poetry because it can be easily remembered,  Sometimes I choose short stories because the idea has grown too large.  But there are also times when I combine the two forms into a story-poem.

How many blogs do you have?

I have five active blogs just out of necessity.  I want to share my poetry and stories with travelers who are off the main routes. 

How long you have been blogging? 

I've been blogging for almost three years but since I'm not very techno saavy my blogs have a tendency to be plain and unattractive. 

Which poem you have written so far best demonstrates your poetry talent? 

Some of my best poems have been written in response to other poets when my comments get out of control.  I hope my best poem hasn't been written yet.  My poetry talent is not showcased very often because I keep some poetry to myself.

"Condemned for Loving Too Much", "Let Your Dreams Soar" , and "Going Camping, Thinking Positive",  are three posts that were popular. Condemned was the most popular and controversial.  People had to consider the consequences of loving an enemy. http://danroberson.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/condemned-for-loving-too-much/   

All was quiet in this forgotten town,
Because of the record snow tumbling down,
Yet in the plaza crowds were shopping still,
Looking for entertainment to get their fill,
There were walkers, and talkers, shops all ablaze,
Restaurants still open but countless delays,
Marge was waiting patiently and talking to a friend,
This day had been perfect, she didn’t want it to end,
Somehow, she noticed him, standing off from the crowd,
His gray eyes fixed on her, haughty and proud,
His brown coat, his lean frame, the thin twisted nose,
Why she alone could see him, she could only suppose,
His eyes asked questions, the answers she didn’t dare,
What kind of man was he? One that didn’t care?
Was he an angry ghost or a demon of some kind?
Why were his thoughts penetrating her mind?
Somehow in his hands he held her new fate,
She thought, “Is it possible to love someone you hate?”
As this thought surfaced, Marge pushed it away,
She had never seen him before, not until today,
“He is not attractive,” she thought, “not in the least,”
But he continued to stare at her like she was a feast,
Her face flushed, and deep within the heat began,
Rising in waves until perspiration ran,
She was uncomfortable, she needed time to think,
But he watched her diligently, not once did he blink,
“Is it possible to love your enemy?” she thought,
“What is it about me that’s so eagerly sought?”
She was thirty-three years old for goodness sake,
And ten pounds too heavy, give or take,
Yet she was flattered by his attention even more,
Unlike her friends, all her faults he chose to ignore,
He willed her to move forward, but he didn’t insist,
Although she closed her eyes, she was helpless to resist,
Silently Marge turned, her demon she faced,
When he smiled, her legs trembled, her heart raced,
She took one step forward, two, then three,
She unbuttoned her blouse, letting him see,
She hated him and yet she was offering her kind,
Melting into love, her body yielding to his mind,
Seeking his hatred, demands, contempt to slay,
Doing what she could, loving his hate away,
An act of love determined Marge’s fate,
Is it possible to love, someone you hate?
All is quiet again in this forgotten town,
But there is one less demon standing around,
No one wants to question or be out of touch,
Should Marge be condemned for loving too much?

My last three poems have been fun for me but that's another story.  "Zapped", "Soul Catcher", and "More Than Love at First Sight" will draw attention as time goes on.

#4: Sina Saberi        

What is the reason you participate poetry picnics of Jingle Poetry At the Gooseberry Garden?

Well, to me poetry is-at most times-Life itself. One of the best and most efficient ways to express what the soul and heart both want to manifest when they are brimming with life, with love and with all those beautiful things which make us what we are…poetry is perhaps the beholder of our Telos in life… participating in poetry picnic is a way to spread that joy, that livelihood as well as a way to share…sharing is of utmost importance to me; for it could make what goes through the mind as eternal as the soul…thoughts, feelings, sensations.

How does writing poetry impact your life? Why poetry?

 

When I was in high school, whenever someone asked me the inevitable question “so what do you want to do in your life?” I would look them in the eye and say “well, perhaps a teacher or a writer.” It hadn’t ever crossed my mind by that point to become a poet whatsoever, a writer perhaps but not really a poet. Once I started my studies in English Literature, very instantly I was touched by poetry in general and then there was this new passion in my life: to write poetry, or perhaps I should say, poetry found a way to write itself through me. Ever since, our very intimate relation has grown by the second!

How many blogs do you have? how long you have been blogging? Which poem you have written so far best demonstrates your poetry talent? P lease give the poem content along with link to your poem post, thanks

Other than my blog on Wordpress (LifeSpect: http://ssina.wordpress.com/), I post whatever I write on my Facebook page as well. My friends regularly ask to be tagged on my new posts and they leave comments and we share a common interest. It has become my way of expressing my personality, my character, my thoughts and basically ME through such eloquence. I have been writing for almost five years now, but only in the last two years have I truly made a slight progress in the field and I’m certainly excited and thrilled at this point to better myself more and more and possibly manage to go places with this.

Since all my works of poetry come right from the heart, to me each and every single one of them is full of meaning and Life and it would be really hard to select one which would demonstrate my “talent”; but if I had to pick one for this purpose, I’d have to go with The Phoenix(http://ssina.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/the-phoenix/) which talks of Life itself, every single soul and the inevitability of rebirth through the cycle of life. I wrote this poem at a very critical time in my life; a time of drastic change, a time of growth and it simply represents all of that

Too much change has really changed me
And I’ve changed as much as that!
Hundred thousand days have passed
Since the other day I gasped…
All the lovers have gone missing
One more time I’ve missed them all
Countless faces I have faced and
Lots of walks of life I’ve walked
Many heart aches I’ve recovered
As I’ve mended every wound
So much hatred I have filtered
As I’ve loved all; bad or good
I’m a newborn; I’m a newbie
I’ve been born and born again
Every birth has cost me one or two
Or thousand billion more on end…

#5: Abby Kelly  

What is the reason you participate poetry picnics of  Jingle Poetry At the Gooseberry Garden?

I was surprised the first time I was invited to participate in Jingle's poetry potluck. I was pretty new to blogging period and it took me a while to figure out how link in and make my comments. I felt pretty slow! In fact, it kept me from participating fully, because I was so confused. I began to write more consistently on my own blog and figured out how to do the linking and commenting. At that point, Jingle was the first resource I thought of to begin sharing my writing and learning from other creative writers. To this day, for me, The Gooseberry Garden remains the most prolific source of a wide variety of writers. I enjoy finding such a broad spectrum of talent in one place. I have found more enjoyable blogs there than anywhere else. Keep up the good work!

How does writing poetry impact your life? Why poetry?

Poetry is my muse. It is actually easier for me to write poetry than any other form. My first love is creative nonfiction and writing religious/inspirational pieces. But so often, I hit writer's block, that's when I turn to poetry. Once my creative juices are flowing there, the rest of it starts to come. Also, my journal is filled with poetry. It is the most intimate revelation of my heart. Sometimes I go back and read a poem I wrote in the past and wonder if it was really me. It comes from that deep inside me - I keep discovering myself. 

How many blogs do you have?

I have one blog on my own and I am the co-owner of another blog, (it's private now) that 2 friends and I are using to build a body of work for our future book. 

How long you have been blogging?

I think I began blogging in 2007. But I wasn't very consistent then and I only wrote whatever mish-mash came to mind. Then I took a course, Blogging 101through WOW-Women On Writing, with Margo Dill. She taught me to establish a theme and a schedule for my blog. Through that course I began to see where I wanted to go. I also gained more confidence in my writing and tripled my audience. Thanks Margo and WOW!!

Which poem you have written so far best demonstrates your poetry talent?

That's a toughie. I think I'll chose this one, because I had read about this particular format in a Writer's Digest magazine. I sat in my car during a torrential rain storm and struggled to fit my thoughts into the parameters of the proper format. It was hard - but I like it! 

 Please give the poem content along with link to your poem post, thanks.

Drowning in liquid air so fraught with spits,

Heaven hurls heaving storms, while ships with wheels skate

Through sideways rivers lost from banks that are bone,

Thirsty in other lands sand whips like driven

Rain. Long past sufficient water for needs,

Green stretches more verdant still with each gush

Of heaven’s profuse shower never stops.

Windows weep here, glass cracks there with searing

Heat refuses cool, refreshing rest for

Land which heaves with excess of rain or sun.

LInk to Poem

http://benjity.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/10-cubed-disaster/

#6: Susie Clevenger

What is the reason you participate poetry picnics of Jingle Poetry at the Gooseberry Garden?

It is an opportunity to be inspired by the prompts I receive there and to read the work of others. It never ceases to amaze me the different directions writers will go using the same prompt.

How does writing poetry impact your life?

Poetry is my passion, my therapy, my voice. Because of poetry I am more aware of the world around me.  There are times I have looked at or been at the same place numerous times, but there will be that moment I see it with the eyes of verse. It speaks and I record it through my pen.

Why poetry?

When I was a freshman in high school my English teacher introduced me to the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. I was a troubled teenager hiding the horrible secret of sexual abuse. Poe’s writings are dark and within me there was darkness I needed to express. Poe, my unlikely savior, gave me my voice through poetry.

How many blogs do you have?

At the moment I have two blogs, Confessions of a Laundry Goddess and Susie’s Sentences.

How long have you been blogging?

I started blogging in 2007. I wasn’t very consistent with it until the end of 2009. From that date I have written almost every day.

Which poem you have written so far best demonstrates your poetry talent?

I find this a hard question to answer. I have written so many poems and each one has a part of myself in it. I must choose one though, so it will be “I tried to be Quiet.”

I Tried to be Quiet

I tried to be quiet

dressed in a sweater

knitted in silence,

but it didn’t fit.

I felt like I was dressed

for my own funeral,

lain joyless in

a coffin made

from planks

of conventional.

I am noise and life,

giggles and spontaneity.

I don’t want to be

anyone else.

I just want to be me.

©Susie Clevenger 2010

http://confessionsofalaundrygoddess.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-tried-to-be-quiet.html