Category Archives: Writing

Fiction, Poetry, Writing

Riddle for a name

Leave a comment

Riddle for a name,
secrets lay blame.
Speak in snake
for everyone’s sake.

Chambers of cave
and porcelain grave
where myrtle trees grow
and willows blow.

Bad business afoot,
full confidence put,
help always found,
if you ask around.

Spider trails lead
to answers indeed,
but questions grow
increasing woe.

Medusa-like eyes
leave us petrified,
unless evil reject
and sight reflect.

Then blinded beast,
with anger increased,
will wound to kill
lest Phoenix tears heal.

The book destroy,
this truth employ:
all blood is pure,
of that I’m sure.

My friends and I are watching all the movies…all the Magical Beasts and all the Harry Potters. This was the poem I wrote while watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Fiction, Poetry, Writing

Mahogany suede-scented candle

Leave a comment

Mahogany suede-scented candle
lifts my prayers heavenward
petitions spit like sparks out
to the beyond where golden stars
balance on black silk with shiny
pearl strings of galaxies in a coil
teakwood, oil, flame, light
magic cradled in Japanese pottery
hands pressed clay together
in meditative knowing aligning
time, place, now, never
where all the answers sit
comfortably together unbothered
by the questions.


Essays, Writing

President Jimmy Carter

1 Comment

The most famous person I have ever met is President Jimmy Carter. In 2010, he was visiting Austin at Book People on Lamar signing his book White House Diary and I waited in the long line to meet him. I had to go through security and do all the rigamarole required to meet a former president. It was worth it. I have not finished reading the book as it is a bit dry in parts, but it is a prized possession of mine.

He is one of my hero’s because of his humanitarian efforts. He just celebrated his 99th birthday, making him the longest-lived president in our nation’s history. He is also the 4th-oldest person alive currently who has served as a nation’s leader. The other 3 are Guillermo Rodriguez, former President of Ecuador – 100, Khamtai Siphandone, former prime minister, chairman, and president of Laos – 99, and Tomiichi Murayama, former prime minister of Japan – 99.

My husband and I sent a picture and well-wishes to contribute to the mosaic birthday card this year. Click this link to see all the people who sent in images and wishes. https://www.cartercenter.org/news/upcoming_events/promo/jimmy-carter-99th-birthday.html

Poetry, Writing

Gold-filled Trunks

Leave a comment

Dust more valuable than gold,
treasures worth their weight
in memory.
Antique steamer trunks
stacked at the foot of the bed
hold space, time –
capsules layered with matter.

I have been buying trunks on Marketplace to use as storage. I never liked the plastic totes and cardboard boxes I used to keep my items in. These feel full of mystery and history. They even inspire poetry.

Health, Writing

The Wand Chooses the Wizard

1 Comment

I have always wondered why Hermione was placed in Gryffindor. She is clearly a Ravenclaw. Then I started thinking about the fact that I am Ravenclaw despite wishing to be Hufflepuff. The sorting hat must have known she needed Harry and Ron more than other smarty-pants people surrounding her. There are the people we are, the people we want to be, and the people we can become given the right influences and circumstances.

I let this blogsite get cancelled a while back because I did not have available funds to pay for it. Thankfully, when I was able to return, my information and domain name were still available. I was not so lucky with my other publishing website. I have to start over from scratch on that one.

But I feel okay about it all. A fresh start might give me a fresh perspective and kick me into gear with my self-publishing journey once again. It is NanoWrimo time and I have a great novel idea. I have moved to a a multi-generational home and quit teaching. I am focusing on my health and now have more time and energy to devote to my passions.

Would I have expected to be here if anyone had asked me a decade ago? Absolutely not. I could not have planned to be sorted into the family or house I am currently enjoying. Nor could I have foreseen the two ladies with whom I would be sitting here watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I found them through a chain of events I did not orchestrate.

Perhaps things come to us when and if the time is right if we are open to their arrival. We have to put in the footwork and be willing to accept the call, but maybe forces beyond our control are working on our behalf. I know it sounds a little woo-woo, especially when things are not going smoothly in life. And I may not feel this way when the next storm hits. However, it feels nice to think my wand has chosen me, that great things are in store, and just the right friends and family are by my side to battle the darkness.

Health, Writing

A Year Has Passed

1 Comment

Photo by Karolina Grabowska: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-sitting-on-the-couch-wiping-her-sweat-with-tissue-7195033/

It has been a year to the day since my last post and I am in a very different place emotionally. Last year, I was much more hopeful and excited about healing, beginning a new school year, finishing my Master’s, and the restful summer I had experienced. Today, I am tired…tired of the Texas heat, tired of dealing with the nonsense required in the teaching field, tired of living paycheck to paycheck, tired of being unable to afford the medical care I need to be healthy and thrive, tired of not having the time or energy to write.

I have decided that I do not like the road I am traveling and need to make some changes. I have wished and dreamed of making change but kept my focus on priorities that are not in line with the reality of the new adventures I want to pursue. I hereby declare that I am no longer putting energy into goals that line up with my previous pursuits. I am going to do what is required of me day to day to meet my obligations, but I am going to reserve the purist, most energetic, liveliest parts of myself for my creative pursuits and begin in earnest to create the reality I yearn for.

All I know is that I want to work remotely, write, be creative, and make enough money to be comfortable and pay for my medical needs. I’m putting it out there and beginning my journey. I’m tired of being tired.

Fiction, Health, Writing

Last Day of Summer Break

Leave a comment

(Photo by David Mao on Unsplash)

I have had a wonderful summer of healing from hip replacement surgery, finishing my Master’s degree in English and Creative Writing, taking long restful naps, and sipping tea while I immerse myself in story.

Tomorrow I return to work sharing my passion for the written word with others as an English Literary Arts and Reading teacher to secondary students (grades 6-12.) My goal this school year is to foster a classroom that encourages both reading and writing as methods of discovery, escape, healing, and growth. Whether the students decide to join me on this journey is another story. I will share weekly moments of triumph and failure as the year unfolds. This will be my 23rd year in education, but my first year of approaching the subject matter in this way. I am excited about the opportunity to try something new.

Wish my students and me luck! It should be quite the adventure.

Poetry, Writing

Goblet of Fire

Leave a comment

If the Goblet of Fire

spits out your name

expect to face dragons

and battle sea creatures

You’re doomed if you do

and doomed if you don’t

for the game is rigged

and no one really wins

Contenders end up in a

graveyard of darkness

Save who you can

as you fight for your life

because you will face

suffering greater than any

you have ever known

Persist through the mazes

of self-doubt and despair

Stay true to your values

remember your friends

Speak truth to oppressors

stare down the barrel

of hatred’s unrepentance

to earn peace in the end

 

This poem was written during a Harry Potter marathon with my friend Debbie M. while watching the fourth movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. 

Poetry, Writing

Finish Your Boggart

Leave a comment

What is your greatest fear?

Finish it with silliness.

Spiders stumbling in roller skates,

tyrants donning absurd apparel,

cobras turned jack-in-the-box,

full moon a deflating balloon.

A bit of whimsy bordering on

nonsense disarms the boogeyman.

Don’t wait for your father –

he’s not coming.

Save yourself with joy,

for laughter is fear’s nemesis.

 

This poem was written during a Harry Potter marathon with my friend Debbie M. while watching the third movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. 

Fiction, Poetry, Writing

Chamber of Secrets

Leave a comment

The key

to opening

my chamber

of secrets

is consistency.

Showing oneself

worthy of trust,

a companion

who arrives.

There is something

to be said for

presence,

the constant knowing

that someone can

be counted on

to exist

when others

are virtual.

 

This poem was written during a Harry Potter marathon with my friend Debbie M. while watching the second movie Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.