friday free-for-all...

It's here again. Friday. Most beloved day of the week. And today, you get an extra special treat. A poem. From me. Written by me. Not about me :P

This is a sestina--one of my all-time favorite forms. It hinges on the repetition of six words (I like to use nouns myself) in a given order through the first six stanzas. Then they combine in three short lines in the last stanza. The repetition gives this form a rhymth and flow that is unique (and not drive by meter, I might add!).

The way I like to write sestinas is to have random people give me a noun (now you know why I ask!) and then use those to write the poem. Yes, this means I have less control. It also means that I sometimes have to tie together ideas and objects that no sane person would put together. But that is part of the fun.

This particular sestina was written as a challenge between some friends. We all used the same six words and each wrote a sestina. It was a blast! And here is the result:

Elegy for Constantinople

Dream with me of Istanbul-
of Constantine eating licorice,
a culture in generation,
shrouded by one man’s nebula.
Byzantium hears its epilogue
played over and over on the piano.

In these Turkish streets, my footsteps piano—
I tread ever lighter through Istanbul
searching for the epilogue.
Wedged in cobblestone, the blue-flowered licorice
pulls me into a botanical nebula
and I am anchored by a deep-rooted generation.

Will I ever see my own generation?
A child of mine, sitting at this piano—
sent across space from a sparkling nebula,
whispering the secrets of Istanbul,
sneaking twists of licorice—
Will I ever see my own epilogue?

Pinpoints of prophecy litter the epilogue—
Hints to a wiser generation,
advice sweetened with the root of licorice,
rings through time, hitching a ride in the notes of the piano.
It warns of crusaders sacking Istanbul
and the serendipity tucked within the nebula.

Time wraps this world in nebula—
withholding clarity until the epilogue
as it paces the shores of Istanbul.
Waltzing along the final generation,
minutes trip through, like scales on a piano,
or a nymph feasting on licorice.

From seed to pod to bean to candy delight, licorice
dances in a course nebula,
bowing and blushing, displaying piano
as it delivers a one-word epilogue.
Flora and fauna continue generation,
overtaking the streets of Istanbul.

Let the taste of licorice be this dream’s epilogue
and the nebula of the last generation.
I will play life’s piano and dance on rooftops in Istanbul.

curls and nonsuch...

I finally got curls. Lots of curls.

I've been waiting for a year now to get another perm. Curls help keep me from hating my ever so straight and ever so flat hair. But curls also cost money. Thanks to a dear friend who took some B&BW stuff off my hands, I had some extra cash. And Shelly told me about the Salon Professional Academy where they do perms for considerably less than most places (and the students are checked every step of the way, so a mishap is no more likely than with any other place).

So I have curls.

But I also have chemical smell.

I don't recall a perm ever being so very smelly before. I didn't sleep a wink last night because the chemicals were so overwhelming. I rinsed my hair this morning just to help (plus, it was frizz city and I can't handle frizz!). I have to hold out until tomorrow to wash it--pray for me!

(photos to come when I have a) someone to take the picture and b) my laptop to upload said picture.)

a mesage from my sponsors...you!

It's almost November. That means I'll be writing a novel. Again.

I've written three NaNo novels over the last four years (I took off the year I went to Africa). I love the rush and the frenzy.

And this year, I'm looking for sponsors. The organization that puts on National Novel Writing Month (NaNo) does this as a non-profit. This is their 10th year hosting the event--and they have almost 60,000 people registered to write this year. They even have a Young Writer's program that is encouraging youngsters to write and flex their creative story-telling muscles. And I'm asking you to support me in supporting them.

So if you would like to sponsor me. You can make a one time donation or sponsor me per 1000 words. Just visit here to make a donation. It's safe, secure and you are helping a great cause.

And check back often in November as I post my running total word count!

saturday snapshot...

This is from the Thanksgiving feast that I enjoyed in Nambia, 2006. I love the colors in that bowl.

friday free-for-all!

Okay--new feature. A "when I feel like it but always on Friday" feature!

It's when I get to do something fun that I don't normally do. Maybe it will be a review, or a poem I've written or a guest blogger. You'll just have to tune in on Friday's to find out.

Today, you get a book review...

As many of you know, I have a goal to read 100 books in 2008. I'm close. This book, The Third Angel, by Alice Hoffman, marks my 90th book! Here's the review I posted on www.goodreads.com and on CleanPlace:

Wow. Double wow. This was a great book. I wasn't so sure at first--I was a bit nervous because the story was just so so. But as the story developed it became this beautiful, sparking spider web of lives and loves and hopes and pains that I just couldn't tear myself away. I read 2/3rd of the book in one night--and only stopped because I had to get up in a few hours. I could have read this one in a single sitting if time had permitted.

When I finished, I really wanted to sing "It's a Small World After All" but with a mellow undertone and in a minor key--because that was how the story made me feel. The cool thing, I think, about this book, is that one of the characters in it writes a book that can be read front to back or back to front--and you get a different story. This book works a bit the same. If you read part 3 then 2 then 1, you would get a different effect of the story--but still the same words.


And a fun trivia fact, Alice Hoffman is Jodi Picoult's favorite writer--and with good reason!