PROMPT #235 – MOTIVATION: DETERMINATION

Have the will to succeed and overcome obstacles

They say to “keep your nose to the grindstone.”  There’s a “stick-to-it” mentality that works hand in hand with the ability to achieve your goals. George Carlin once said, “Ya gotta wanna” to succeed. Do you wanna? Only you can determine if you have the gumption to attain the pinnacle. Are you driven? Write of the motivation pursuant to determination. “Never give up, never surrender!” ~Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen’s character in the movie Galaxy Quest) Keep on, keeping on and write your poem! 

MARIE’S DETERMINATION:

My words are complete
-ly determined to not end
short of praising God.

© Marie Elena Good, 2019

#seventeeninnineteen

 

WALT’S DETERMINATION:

THE SEEDS OF IDEAS

Inklings of a thought
meant to flourish into something bigger.
The formula is time-worn!
A dash of inspiration,
a jigger of determination,
a teaspoon of perspiration
and a whole lot of time
for it to germinate and grow.
You know what you want to do,
now the rest is up to you succeeding.
Your cartoon is one light bulb too short
to be seen. But your ideas are driven,
they continue to feed your dreams. 

© Walter J Wojtanik – 2019

INFORM POET – BREVETTE

The Brevette, consists of a subject (noun), verb, and object (noun), in this exact order. The verb should show an ongoing action. This is done by spacing out the letters in the verb. There are only three words in the poem, giving it the title Brevette.

Each of the three words may have any number of syllables, but it is desirable that the poem have balance in the choice of these words. Unlike haiku, there are no other rules to follow.

The Brevette was created by Emily Romano.

 

WALT’S BRIEF BREVETTES:

desire
e n f l a m e s
hearts

poetry
e n r i c h e s
souls

friendship
e n c o m p a s s e s
companions

 

THE POETIC BLOOMINGS READING ROOM #28

The sky’s the limit for this week’s highlighted poet in the POETIC BLOOMINGS READING ROOM. Damon Dean is a genuinely gifted poet whose expressiveness and point of view span the spectrum of life in a very keen way. His work is always a destination, whenever and whatever prompt is offered; you know the quality of work you will discover there. He continues to share his thoughts and splay his heart for the world to take a piece and be enlightened by it. Here I give you Damon Dean’s poem, “Rising”

RISING

Something rises in my heart
but then I know, not only heart,
but mind as well.

And then I know, it’s in my senses
too, and in the things I’ve known
as well as wondered,
and the blend of
thought
emotion
word
constrained,
no, not constrained, but trained,
by syllable and rhyme,
converge, sometimes
like ripples leaping rocks
or gasses from a geyser
or lava from a cone of porous stone,
or like the sigh of morning wind’s first breath
on tender meadow grass,
the early kiss that moves
dew drops to quiver–
and a poem appears.

And poems appear,
like nature’s voice
like commentary on the warmth
or judgment on the cold,
or tunes hummed by the middle seasons,
autumn, spring,
as if they were two grandmas holding
children in their laps,
and poems appear,
and like a kiss,
like lava from the heart
the poet feels
a satisfaction
in the rise.

And something settles in my heart,
but then I know, not only heart,
but mind as well.
A poem appears.

© Damon Dean

Written for PROMPT #219 – THE RISE (AND FALL) OF POETRY

Read Damon Deans work at

https://sevenacresky.com/

An interview with Damon Dean by Marie Elena Good

https://poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/poet-interview-damon-dean-sevenacresky/

PROMPT #234 – MOTIVATION: AMBITION

Strive to climb higher and go farther!

We all have an idea where we’d like to be in this life. But how badly do we want to get there? Do you have the ambition to achieve that which you desire? Ambition is a great motivator, but does it come at a cost? Does it tread on the toes of another to get what we want? If we can gain a better place and in the process, lift others up (instead of dumbing everyone down), we can indeed climb higher, go farther, all for the betterment of the human condition. Get fired up, stoke your ambition, and write your poems on how you believe your ambition motivates you!

“BRIGHT AS DAY”

It’s the meaning of her name,
and I claim there is something to it,
as in days of old testament.

But multiple impediments seized her
mind

energy

sight

voice.

Her very soul.

The whole of her,
splintered.

The light of her,
wintered.

But her God is not flawed,
nor silenced.
As her spirit returns
and yearns to be,
I see her flame ignite,
and hope shines
Bright as Day.

© Marie Elena Good, 2019

 

BLIND AMBITION

Call it obsession; compulsion,
a drive that keeps me alive to do what it is
I am meant to do. What I am bound to.
I’ve wanted for so long to belong
to a group of like minded minions
expressing the things that live within us.
Nothing and no one can take that away.
Not a soul can control what I am to do!
There is no obstacle that can stand in
my path paved in my intentions.
Blindly committed to my ambition,
a condition to my compulsion,
my obsession. No roadblock to my success.

 

© Walter J Wojtanik – 2019

INFORM POET – TRIQUINT

Triquint is a poetry form which consists of 3 verses of 5 lines each. Lines 3 and 4 of verse 1 (Refrain) repeat in verses 2 and 3. The declining syllable count for each stanza is 9, 7, 5, 3, 1 and has an aaAAb rhyme scheme.

WALT’S TRIQUINT:

SILENT ECHOES

He heard her whispered call as he slept,
into his mind she had crept.
He had to accept
she had stepped.
Gone!

When the sadness got so strong, he wept,
it made him feel so inept.
He had to accept
she had stepped.
Done!

How he wished that he could intercept,
such a roving heart, windswept.
He had to accept
she had stepped.
None!

© Walter J Wojtanik – 2019

THE POETIC BLOOMINGS READING ROOM #27

Another of the long string of contributors here at POETIC BLOOMINGS is Connie Peters. She had joined us from the very beginning after we first “met” her over at Poetic Asides with Robert Lee Brewer during the April P.A.D. Challenge in 2009. She, the master of Acrostic poetry, has a vision quite refined and defined by her strong faith and her heart for humanity. Connie is also one with an interesting story told in snippets of her poetic wile. She continues to be a strong voice in this poetic community. I am presenting two of Connie’s works, showing her clear vision and her appreciation of the gifts apparent in this life we share. Here are “The Moon” and “Clarence and Marie” by Connie Peters.

The Moon

The moon sat on the mountaintop,
as if it were going to camp there.
Reluctantly, it disappeared,
perhaps searching for poets to inspire
for a romance to rekindle,
or a lake to admire its own reflection.

from PROMPT #192 – THE NIGHT, THE MOON AND THE MUSIC

##

Clarence and Marie

“Tell me what you’ll need,
and I’ll show you how to do without it,”
said the kind old man
who lived across the road.

But he and his wife did a lot for us
(a young couple and a baby)
living far away from home,
our friends and relatives.

They became our second parents,
inviting us over for holidays,
running us to Bible Studies,
offering us help and encouragement.

We lost each other over the years,
but we’ll always be grateful for them.

offered for PROMPT #176 – “THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS”

Find Connie’s work at 

http://enthusiasticsoul.blogspot.com/

Marie Elena’s interview with Connie Peters is at

https://poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/web-wednesday-connie-peters/

A link to Connie’s Memoir Project Chapbook, “The Party’s Started”

PROMPT #233 – MOTIVATION: ENVISION

New Imaginings… Great Possibilities

Inspiration, they say, is the mother of invention. But before you can be inspired, you must have a vision, a sight of what you want to do or where you want to go. An imagination can feed your idea to full growth, for everything is possible if you believe it. Even the thought of building “a better mouse trap” becomes a variation of a familiar theme, yet is a possibility once imagined. Where does your vision lead? What do you see as possible. What wide-eyed wonderings could you see coming to fruition? Use your intuition and imagine the possible. Then write your “vision” poem.

MARIE’S FORESIGHT:

I
glance
back
at
that
child
whose
eyes
gleamed,
and
I
seem
to
dream
what
she
dreamed.

© Marie Elena Good, 2019

 

WALT’S VISION:

SCHEMERS, DREAMERS AND VISIONARIES

“You see things; and you say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?’”
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

A schemer looks for the easy angles
getting the most from the least effort.
He plans quite underhanded,
but never gets his hands dirty.
Flirts with danger, and yet
lets a stranger take his fall.
All his futures are right now,
a get rich plan is all he can stand.
All he can do is scheme
and as such he has no real dreams.

A dreamer holds ideals.
She feels a need to think beyond;
a year, or month, or day from today.
She’ll say, “The world would be
a better place if we face our problems.
Her Utopia sounds nice but
will bore you twice as badly
and drive you mad when nothing get done.
All promises of tomorrow are borrowed themes
and yet the sorrow is, a dreamer only dreams.

A visionary is a scary individual; always
in motion with a devotion to fix what needs fixing.
His contempt for inaction breeds his need
to succeed. No wide-eyed guy is he,
he is focused and undeterred, he’s heard it all
before and swore it can be done. His words ring
true. Imagination and inspiration,
fueled by initiative give him the upped hand.
A visionary is always in demand.
He sees the future and makes it happen. Why not?

© Walter J Wojtanik – 2019

INFORM POET – STACCATO

The Staccato, is a poetic form that consists of two or more 6-line stanzas.

Rhyme scheme: a,a,b,b,c,c

*Required internal rhyme scheme interplay between line #1 and line #2 (see below explanation and examples).

Meter: 10, 10, 8, 8, 10, 10

Repeats: This form requires a 2-syllable repeat in Lines #3 and #6 as specified below.

As in a musical notation, the Staccato poetry form uses short repeats which disrupt the poem’s continuity. The repeat words are read as rapid-fire speech, much like staccato music when played or sung. This lends itself to strong emotion or instruction, a declaration, an instruction or emphasis of human emotion, strong observation , or any similar situation where a strong staccato repeat is desired.

The emphatic two-syllable repeat in this poetry form is written twice, consecutively, at the beginning of Line #3 (each repeat in Line #3 is followed by an exclamation mark), and once again at the beginning of Line #6 (with or without an exclamation mark in Line #6). Please see below poem examples.

Also, Line #2 requires an internal rhyme scheme that rhymes with a word within Line #1, usually falling on the 6th syllable (see examples below), but can fall earlier in those two lines as long as the internal rhyme matches the syllabic stress in both lines

The below example poems color-highlight the internal rhyme schemes and the repeats as a quick reference aid.

***

WALT’S STACCATO ATTEMPT:

IN THE END

Poets write of love, singers give it song,

and bright creative souls cannot be wrong.

Feel love! Feel Love! Its tender touch

reaches so deep to mean so much.

And in the end, ones so loved are so blessed

but they are envied by all the rest.

 

Yet, love is not meant to be locked away.

You can bet words of love will have their say.

Give love; get love, equal measure,

and know it is life’s true treasure.

For in the end, others will share this prize,

It is perfection in the poet’s eyes.

 

© Walter J Wojtanik – 2019

**

If you haven’t yet, please check out Marie Elena’s interview with our “Candy”,  Candace Kubinec here:

https://poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com/2019/01/31/poet-interview-candace-kubinec

POET INTERVIEW – CANDACE KUBINEC

CANDACE KUBINEC

Our guest today is “Rhymes with Bug,” so time to grab your coffee mug (or tea, or what you most prefer), and join me in my time with her whose real name’s Candace Kubinec, which I can’t rhyme.  So what the heck, let’s jump into this interview to learn some things we never knew about this poet in our midst who writes the poems we can’t resist!

While intro’s rhymin’, Candy’s chimin’ in with verse, as we converse.  So gather ‘round to join the fun! You’re not too late.  We’ve just begun. 🙂

 

MARIE ELENA:  Hi Candy! Thank you for sitting down with me to chat a bit.  Walt and I love being able to get to know more about the people we rub poems with here in our garden.

And speaking of gardens, your blog name (“rhymeswithbug”) fascinates me.  It’s just the cutest thing!  You actually say bugs are your little muses.  That made me smile, and want to know more.

CANDY:  I’ve always been an “outsider” –  I mean an outside girl. 😉  There is an amazing tiny world out there that most people just pass by. I’ve been a garden-for-fun person for most of my life. I remember having my very own flower garden in elementary school, even though neither of my parents were gardeners. About seven years ago I became a Penn State Master Gardener and that was when I really started paying attention to the world of insects. I took pictures of every critter I came across – it is amazing what you find when you begin turning over leaves. Seasons, weather, birds, animals, and of course, bugs – all muses for my poetry.

Simply Me

 I am blue ink
and garden dirt
with subtle notes of lavender

I write with my heart
and dig with my muse
to the depths of my very soul

solitude is my friend
my inspiration is silence
mixed with the soft music of nature

 

MARIE ELENA:  That’s just so endearing, Candy.   And a Penn State Master Gardener?  That’s awesome!  How did that come about?

CANDY: I found out about it from a friend at work. The purpose of the program is to serve as a resource for science-based gardening information to the public. The steps to becoming certified begin with an application. Then there is an interview, about 90 hours of college-level education, and a test. This is a volunteer organization, with education as our main function. To maintain our certification, we must meet volunteer hours and continuing education requirements yearly.

MARIE ELENA:  How fun.  Impressive, actually, and sounds like a lot of work.  I can tell it is a passion of yours, along with your poetry.

Will you please share one of your favorite poems (one of your own) with us?

CANDY:  I have to tell you, I had so much fun reading through what I’ve written over the past three or four years. It was like reading old diary entries.

This, I think, is one of my favorites. It was written in response to a prompt at d’Verse Poets Pub in February of last year. It’s an Ekphrastic poem inspired by a painting by Catrin Welz-Stein of an elephant and a tiny cat together in a small boat. It speaks to letting go of prejudices and preconceived notions and getting to know each other better, one person at a time. I think that is the path to peace.

The Journey

Come be my friend
Just for a while
Set sail with me
Just for a mile

Let’s see the world
Through different eyes
Discover truths
We thought were lies

Let’s trust our hearts
To know the way
To find the words
With which to pray

For fellowship
And peace and love
An olive branch
A snow white dove

Come be my friend
Just for awhile
Set sail with me
Just for a mile

 

MARIE ELENA:  That is just lovely and insightful.  The peace is palpable.  Thank you for sharing it with us.

So how did you get into writing poetry?

CANDY:  I think it may be the other way around – poetry got into me. It probably started with nursery rhymes. Unfortunately, I don’t remember learning or memorizing poetry at school. My mother did keep a poem I wrote when I was thirteen – I found it among her things after she died. I also have a notebook of things I wrote in high school. Mostly typical high school girl stuff, but proof that I was writing.

MARIE ELENA:  It makes me smile that your mom kept a poem you wrote as a teen. Do you write anything else?  Novels?  Perhaps short stories?

CANDY:  I have written some short stories (mostly flash fiction) and have had some published in a local literary journal, The Loyalhanna Review, and I’ve had a number of 50 word stories featured on fiftywordstories.com. I get bogged down in the middle of short stories, so I don’t see me writing a novel, although, I’ve had ideas.

MARIE ELENA:  Congratulations on your publications! What are your goals in writing?

CANDY: I write for the pure enjoyment of creating. I especially like to write poetry for friends – to make them laugh, or smile in that I-hear-you sort of way.

Haphazard Words

I’m just gonna
plop some words
on a page and hope

that they will arrange
themselves into a poem
or a novel or at least
some sage advice

that they might dance
romance, entrance
an unsuspecting reader

that they survive,
arrive in time to patch
a broken heart, or two

produce, seduce, let
loose a laugh or even
a guffaw, a cackle
or a silly snort

I’ll set them free
no guarantee or
warranty attached

 

MARIE ELENA:  What (if anything) gets in the way of writing, for you?

CANDY:  Well. I’m retired, so if anything gets in the way of my writing it would be me. Or, maybe some other project I’m working on – painting, sewing, gardening – so many ways to express myself. Also, I read, a lot. I’m a chain reader – ready to “light up” the next book before I’ve finished the one I’m reading.

MARIE ELENA: “Light up the next book.”  That gave me a good chuckle!

What do you most enjoy about writing?

CANDY:  What I’ve learned about myself is that I need to be creating – something. And what I make, I like to give away. Poetry fills that need in many ways.

MARIE ELENA: How lovely and generous, Candy.

Is there anything that bothers you about the process of writing?

CANDY: At this point in my life there is not much that bothers me. Since I’m not looking for a career, money, or fame, there’s no pressure. If the words don’t come, I let it go for a while. Most likely I pick up a book.

MARIE ELENA:  What a great attitude.  That’s good advice for all of us to heed.

As with the majority of us here at Poetic Bloomings, we met online at The Writer’s Digest’s Poetic Asides with Robert Lee Brewer.  How long have you been sharing your poems online?

CANDY: I think it was sometime in 2013 that I found Poetic Asides. I started doing the Wednesday Poetry Prompts (still do). My first Poem-A-Day challenge (PAD) was in 2014. I wasn’t sure I could actually write a poem every day, but I managed to post something each day. It was May of 2015 that I started my blog because of a suggestion that De Jackson (whimsygizmo) made.

MARIE ELENA:  Leave it to De!  I’m glad she encouraged you to get that blog created.

Have you ever shared your poems in a public space, like a poetry slam?

CANDY:  For the past five or six years, I’ve attended the Publication Party for The Loyalhanna Review and I usually read one of my poems or part of a short story that is included in the latest issue. I have always loved to read out loud and my job, as Corporate Activity Director in a retirement community, had me speaking in front of groups on a regular basis. I did poetry groups with residents too, and presented a session on writing poetry with residents at a conference once. I’ve come a long way from the shy little girl I once was.

MARIE ELENA:  Corporate Activity Director in a retirement community?  Apparently the hats you’ve worn in your lifetime have been many and diverse.  My parents lived in a very nice assisted living community.  They had a woman there for a while who had a similar title as yours.  She was such a lovely soul, who genuinely loved the residents.  We were sorry to see her leave. She made a difference in their lives.  I’m sure you do, too.

CANDY:  Working in activities is so rewarding. You get the opportunity to make someone smile, laugh, feel useful, sing, remember …

MARIE ELENA: *sigh*  Yes.  You’ve got it, Candy.  Just, yes.

Now, back to writing for a moment.  What can you tell me about your writing space?

CANDY: I do not sit at a desk. I have a favorite soft chair with an ottoman. It is in a room we call the library, only because it has three tall bookshelves. So, I do my best writing when I am alone, sitting in my favorite chair, with my feet up. I used to write in journals, but now I use my iPad. I would change nothing about my space.

Un-office(ial)

I have no office
just a comfy chair
and shelves with books
where I can close my eyes
and dream of letters dancing
across a stage, twirling in the
spotlight, doing the tango
together until at last,
exhausted, they fall in a
heap of tangled words
i pick them up and
set them free
I have no office
just a comfy chair
where I can dream

 

MARIE ELENA:   We are alike in that manner.  Sounds perfect, to me.  So now we can picture you writing in your comfy chair in your home in Pennsylvania.  Is that where you grew up?

CANDY: I grew up in Greensburg, PA., a mid-sized town about 35 miles east of Pittsburgh.

MARIE ELENA:  How did growing up there help form who you are now?

CANDY:  It was a pretty typical childhood for that time period (50s and 60s). My home life was peaceful and I was taught to respect everyone. There was always music and books in our home. So, I guess that describes me – a no drama, music loving, book reader. And it probably explains why peace shows up so often in my poetry

MARIE ELENA:  Again, that sounds pretty perfect to me.

Is there a Mr. Kubinec?  Children?  Pets?  Besides your muse bugs, wink wink. 😉

CANDY: I have one husband, two sons (both married, and each one has a daughter), and two white cats – Lenny and Squiggy. (I did raise and release some Monarch butterflies a few years ago.)

MARIE ELENA:  Two granddaughters?  Another thing we have in common, Candy.  Can’t beat it, eh?   It sounds like you have lived a relatively simple life, and appreciate all you have.  If you could change one thing though, what would it be?

CANDY: Well, nothing. Here’s why – If I changed one thing, many other things would also have to change. I have the two best sons in the world, the two most adorable and intelligent granddaughters in the world, the dearest friends any one could ever need, and a husband who loves me. Why would I want to change? I have, of course, played that “what if” mind game. But my answer is always the same.

MARIE ELENA:  That is just fabulous.  I feel the contentment just sitting here “chatting” with you.  Let me ask you this:  In spite of (or in addition to?) your obvious sense of contentment, do you have a bucket list?

CANDY: No ticking off items on a list.  Instead, I’ll start with an empty bucket and enjoy filling it with all the wonderful surprises life throws at me.

Unbucket List

I will not make a buck-
et list
all things I’d like to do
someday

then tick them off
one by one
until my bucket’s
empty and I am left

instead I will drop some-
thing into my bucket
each day
a kind deed, an adventure

with a four year-old,
a trip, a concert, an un-
expected email,
lunch with a friend

oh, I’m sure there will be big
surprises in my bucket too
and when I reach the end
of this life

I will spill out all the
wonders my bucket
holds, smiling in
gratitude for my full bucket

 

MARIE ELENA:  “I’ll start with an empty bucket and enjoy filling it with all the wonderful surprises life throws at me.”  Love it.  And that poem is up toward the top of my list of “favorites” of yours. Worth the price of admission, right there.

Candy, it has been an absolute joy getting to know you better.  It seems that over the years, your poems have been a reflection of who you are at your core.  Thank you for allowing me to delve a little deeper.  Plus, it was so much fun having some of your responses accompanied by appropriate poems!  Brilliant!

And now, as always, I’ll close the interview with this:  If there was only one thing we could know about you, what would you want it to be, and why?

CANDY:  I have two favorite mugs (I’m sure you are probably wondering why I want you to know that about me). One has a row of different colored Peeps (the marshmallow candy chicks) and it says, “Inside we are all the same.” The other has a quote from Michelangelo (maybe), “I am still learning.”

Remember Me

a book
a cat
a cup of tea

a smiling heart
an open hand
some garden dirt
beneath my nails

a flowered pen
a simple poem

THE POETIC BLOOMINGS READING ROOM #26

Now, this next poet has been a favorite for quite some time. And the selected poem fits her persona extremely well. She, of the purple pen (formerly of the Great Northwest) and back home in her East Coast digs, Sara McNulty has always been equated with “Alice Through the Looking Glass” (in my mind’s eye, anyway), as you would see on her blog’s background wallpaper. But beyond that, her experiences well documented through her poetry, have made her an inspired poet to say the least.  Sara had held fort as the Co-Host of POETIC BLOOMINGS when life had forced its will on Marie Elena, and quite a partner she had been. She honors our pages with her works to this day, always supportive and gracious. Here in true form, Sara channels Lewis Carroll in her poem, “Into A Tale.”

INTO A TALE

I stepped inside the pages inked
in vibrant shades that seemed to wink.
A caterpillar sat and smoked;
he blew out words, but did not choke.
The March Hare asked me to decide,
did I want tea? I stepped inside.

Such strange creatures I ran into,
a cat that vanished right on cue.
A rabbit who was always late,
a queen whom you could not debate.
Back at home, I told my teacher
of those I’d met, such strange creatures.

(C) Copyright Sara McNulty

This poem was presented for the INFORM POET – WRAPPED REFRAIN

 

Sara McNulty’s works reside at her blog,

purplepeninportland

Read Marie Elena’s interview with Sara McNulty at

https://poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/web-wednesday-sara-mcnulty/