Scrambled Sage

In the Time of Water

2012-01-30T11:42:00.000-08:00

As the world aged, the American deserts became hotter and hotter until they became similar to the the dune deserts of the Sahara. Alice hauls five gallons of water to her village on the edge of the desert. Without her water, the village people may not survive.

It is a short story of desert and survival.

My inspiration: This story was written for an online assignment about a year ago. It also helped that I wrote it in the middle of summer when we get 100 degree F heat. As I have pointed out before in my stories, water is gold in the desert. When I read about deserts, especially the Sahara and Death Valley, sand deserts tend to expand.
I have to admit that high-deserts are not quite the same. They do have plants and animals. I am not saying that the Sahara doesn't have plants and animals, but they seemed to be localized in oasis (can't remember how to pluralize this word) and where there is water.

So when I write about the desert, even high-deserts, I always come back to water.

You can find this story on Kindle and Smashwords.

Keeping Faith with our Readers

2012-01-27T11:10:00.000-08:00

Dean Wesley Smith, one of my favorite bloggers for publishing advice for new and commercial writers sent his readers to a blog by Kristine Kathryn Rusch about writing for our readers. It has a lot of information on how the traditional publishing model works with new books and how traditional publishers have nixed series when they didn't sell as quickly as the business model dictated.

So where does this leave the writer/reader contract? I have been thinking about this relationship for a few days now since I started to publish some of my older short stories. Many of these stories I wrote before I became ill so my writing has changed some since then. Is it fair to show my abilities before I had to climb out of the pit and learn again?

I think not. Plus since I am older, my characters that I write today are aging as well. At least the characters that are not published yet.

The reason I am thinking about this subject is because I have been thinking about doing a series with one or two of my characters. So far I have written single novels and characters that don't go past the first book. Am I ready to put that much effort and energy into a timeline? Will it be a learning experience? (Yes... it is always a learning experience). And would my readers enjoy knowing more about what is happening with a character? (a yes also, because I love to read series and wait years to read more.)

And, do I have a character yet that would be interesting enough for a series? Therein lies the rub.

I try to be upfront with my readers. I have a serious illness. Some days I just don't get out of bed. Some days I am happy if I get the dishes washed. And, some days I am even happier when I write. I have decided that I will keep faith with myself and in the process I will do my damned'est to keep the faith with you.

I read Heinlein's Rules of Business daily:

You must write.
You must finish what you write.
You must not rewrite unless to editorial demand.
You must mail your work to someone who can buy it. (For an Indie-you must publish)
You must keep the work in the mail until someone buys it. (For an Indie - you must keep it published.)

So my readers, if you like a character please let me know. I will do my best if possible. I will not ignore your requests.

To other writers, keep the faith to your readers. Books do not spoil. They are not produce. They can be read and enjoyed many years and many times after the death of the author. Something my mother used to say that applies to this short time we have on earth to write: Make hay while the sun shines.

A Desert Rescue

2012-01-24T08:48:00.000-08:00

This ebook is short story about "Living in the desert," which is a collection of short stories I will be putting together soon. In this story, Jude Potter, a desert rat, rescues a couple of tourists from the desert.

My inspiration: Well, thank you to all of the tourists that come to Nevada and the casinos and who want to learn more about our gold mines and ghost towns because this one is for you. Every year we have cautionary tales of people who go into the desert without water. It is a dangerous practice and doesn't always turn out as well as this story.

The cover: I took this picture in 2009 over the Humboldt salt flats on a trip to one of our smaller towns. The sky in this picture is really that blue.

I noticed because I am an avid reader that there are not too many modern stories written about the Western deserts. My parents moved to the Utah high-desert when I was young, and my sister and I used to play during the summer outside on our ponies. We would stop by the canals and ditches used for irrigation and drink the water. And yes, the water was silty. We used to jump in the water to cool off when the temperatures rose into the 90s.

The deserts in Northern Nevada, which are the basis of many of my stories, are very similar to the desert of my youth. The heat, the dryness, and the dangers of dehydration are very real when you live in that environment. Still there are animals, birds, and people who love this land. I try and write about them.

This short story can be found on Kindle and Smashwords.

Conjure Man

2012-01-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

Conjure Man contains "The Wooden Seed," "Running to the Sun," and "Healing the Rift." It is a combination Navajo (Dine) myth and supernatural genre. The story centers around Tessa and her lover Taylor who are part-bred Navajos. Tessa finds a wooden box, which leads her to a part of her past.

Luce is the conjure man who is using a rift between dimensions to power his desire to bring the world into subjugation. Tessa, Taylor, and the seed-bearers are the only thing to stand between Luce and total destruction.

A little background of why I wrote this book: I started writing this book after I earned my degree in English Literature. My husband and I were living in Germany, and he was a contractor, repairing electronics for the US Army. We lived near Ramstein AFB and the weather was wet and cold. There were a lot of forests there. I think that in one way I was homesick for the dry desert air.

My opening scene in this book started from a dream I had and from personal experiences that I had when we lived on the Ute Reservation when my father was a foreman for one of their ranches. A few miles from where we lived was a campsite for the Basque sheepherders. When they ran out of essentials like coffee and cigarettes, they would show up at their neighbors and ask for essentials. I remember how beautiful they looked. So it started out what-if my character Tessa had lived out in the boonies, and what-if her step-mother had an affair, and what-if Tessa found out.

The rest of the story which includes Luce came about because I needed a villain. So what-if Tessa met this guy when she was young, but because the circumstances were so evil that she lost her memory.

The Native American motifs seemed to naturally thread into a Western story. The Navajo creation story, where they come through a rift to make it to this new world has resonated with me for many years. And, if you think Western States you normally think of cowboys, Indians, miners, and in the modern West casinos.

You can find this ebook at Kindle and Smashwords.

Hidden in the Sierras

2012-01-17T08:11:00.000-08:00

Hidden in the Sierras is a short story I wrote for Halloween with a paranormal twist. Bertha who is the protagonist comes from a were-bear clan in the Sierras not too far from Lake Tahoe. Since the Native Americans in the West and North call bears brother, it added more juice to the story.

Also where I live, bears come down from the Sierras and wander the valley. Before Carson City was formed, bears would wander through the valleys and then the peaks to eat certain types of plants and animals. At the end of the year they would hibernate. Nowadays there are so many people living in the mountains and valleys near the Sierras that the bears scare quite a few people and can be quite dangerous. There are hunters assigned to kill certain bears who stray out of their territories and into people territories.

When I wrote this story I did some what-ifs. What-if the bears could turn into people, what-if they had their own society, and what-if the government knew about them.

I grew up with a foster child with a Navajo-Hopi heritage. I am still fascinated with the stories she used to tell us. Plus I was born in Northwest Canada in a reservation hospital in Bella Coola. In my teens I lived near a reservation in Northeast Utah that belonged to the Utes. Each culture has its own stories.

You can find my story at Kindle and Smashwords.

Listening to Acoustic Alchemy

2012-01-16T13:24:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite, not sure if I can call them jazz, musical performers is Acoustic Alchemy. They just know how to bring out the mood of every piece without having to use those pesky things called words. When I feel sad, I pull out one of my CDs, well now IPOD, and just listen to the tones and intertwined melodies.

It gets to me. They like to use natural sounds as well and since I am a nature nut... so on and so forth.

So now I have to make a real confession. I downloaded my book on kindle and after reading it for awhile, I found that the story was fun and interesting. I really enjoyed the characters and the humor too. I didn't realize that I used humor in my stories. It was a revelation to me.

What surprised me was that I would add an extra "was" or forget a "to." I am an English Literature major and am very proud of my grammar and spelling skills so I was horrified that I kept adding and dropping important pieces of my sentences. I wondered if it was distracting to other readers. Since no one has said anything to me about it, I suppose that they liked the story, but were distracted by the grammar. So instead of giving me a review they decided not to say anything at all. It is what I would do after all. I know that I had a problem with a writer a couple of years ago. I did review it with the caveat that he showed a lot of potential and I bet that his second and third book would be much better.

The critical voice in my head is pressuring me to go back to that other book and grammarize it. But, if I do that I will stop the writing what I am writing now. I need to get my writing in place. I finally realized that voice is going to bother me until I do it. I have told it (the voice sounds remarkably like my mother when I didn't clean under the fridge with a knife) that when I decide to change the cover (yes, my cover is hand-made) I will edit the book so it will be re-released as a re-edited, re-vised, and re-covered book. So my voice is grumbling at the back of my mind, but is not driving me crazy.

Okay, I admit it. I have voices. So send me to the hospital. Stop. I have already been there with my disease and they don't want me. Too dangerous for my health. Besides they think the voices in my head are caused by the prednisone. So anyway, I have figured out how to fool that critical voice, now I need to convince my other voices that they are safe and want to be put on a blank page. Any ideas?

Coughing, Sneezing, and Still Standing

2012-01-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

If you have been a fan of this blog and my Sierra Sage blog, you probably already know that I have had a Vasculitis disease for nine years now. Plus you probably suspect that when I cough, sneeze, or heaven help me, vomit, I am scared that I am in a flare. A flare in chronic illness speak is when the disease comes back in full force. I happen to be on 150 mg of Azathioprine and 5 mg of prednisone so that I can keep my disease in check.

These medications also cause some other distinct problems usually involving an immuno-suppressed system. So lately I have been meeting new people, and of course the first thing that happens is that I get sick. Yes, people literally make me sick. And of course, when I get sick I worry about getting a flare.

This worry has been reinforced in my mind when a close friend, another Vasculitis patient, had to go to the hospital this week because she had a severe sinus infection and an inflammed gallbladder. She will be in surgery today.

Now I am sure you wonder how I can write and promote my works when I can't meet people. And as the politicos say, I can't glad-hand. It does put a crimp in my authorial duties. So please forgive me if I cannot sign a book. And please forgive me if I cannot shake your hand. And, please forgive me even more if I have to wash my hands continuously. It does not mean I am obsessive-compulsive. It means that I am sick.

I listen to other Vasculitis patients daily. We have a little FB group where we can vent a little. It is surprising to me that many of the patient's families don't understand how terrible this disease is on the patient. They look at the fat produced by taking prednisone and tell them "you don't look that sick."

I just want to say "Come on folks, until recently this disease was life-threatening. If they don't get treated it is still life-threatening. And, yes, stress, weather changes, pains, and emotional distress can kill us. Really. I am not exaggerating. We are like babies in that our bodies cannot control our temperatures. The meds make us a little crazy. And, there are times when we are scared for no reason at all."

But, just having this disease is very very scary. I cope with it by writing. I take my pills and don't think of the side-effects. I cuddle with my husband and we laugh at his workplace experiences. I talk to the banana plant that my step-daughters sent us for Christmas. It is those little things that keep me stable.

I tried to work about two years into this illness. I learned quickly that I didn't have the stamina. When I talked to my doctor about working again, and not just working at the house on the computer, he asked me if I wanted to cut off ten years of my life. Since I was sixteen, I am now fifty, I have always worked a job. I went from being independent to being dependent in a matter of hours. It has been a huge adjustment for me.

I told my doctor that I wanted to live as long as I possibly could. I wanted to have a good life and I wanted my husband to have a good life. So I have quit pushing for a job. My job is staying well, is writing, and is loving my husband.

So actually I am disabled. I don't like that label. I am immuno compromised. Yes, another fancy way of saying that people make me sick, very sick.

How I Write

2012-01-04T10:31:00.000-08:00

Since I finished the Conjure Man trilogy (The Wooden Seed, Running to the Sun, and Healing the Rift), I am getting my second wind for the next three books in my writing queue (She called it, wolf, Perchance to Dream, and Hilda's Inn for Retired Heroes). At this point I want to thank Stan Grimes (sag4444 on twitter) for his reviews. They gave me a boost.

Plus when I found that I turned into a best-seller for a few days when some of my books were free, I was able to get that extra writing done so that I will have some new books for the new year.

Okay, but my blog today is not for that reason alone. I want to talk about writing. When I was writing for Nanowrimo this year, I discovered something about myself. I like to write on more than one story. Plus I am a linear writer - beginning to end. Not everyone can write from the beginning to the end. I think it has something to do with how my brain is wired in story. I like to layer my stories and I need to see it all the way to the end.

Also I am not an editor type. I can edit, but when the story feels right with all the holes and threads plugged, I don't find it necessary to change the story. If I want a new story, then I write a new story. It was a revelation when I found out that I was not the type to bend. If the story wants something, I add it - pure and simple. If it doesn't want it - then I don't.

I had to learn about conflict. My life has been full of conflict so I am perfectly content to have a quiet life. It keeps stress and my disease at bay. However, I am learning that if I want a good story that someone else wants to read that I need to add problems. But, I don't want to fatigue the reader with too many problems and not enough solutions because the reader needs solutions too.

After I write my first draft, I go through and fix my spelling errors. There are many because since I have had to take chemo my brain doesn't always see the obvious mistakes - you're and your are but a few of the mistakes. At the same time I check to see if I have the story anchored to place. If not, I add some description and some action. If the character is in the kitchen, I have her wipe the table down or something like that. It anchors the reader to the place and to the character.

I add time if I have forgotten a time marker. And I check for holes. I am surprised when I find that my subconscious mind has already plugged those holes. I trust in my process because my process is not your process.

I know people that use outlines. I only used an outline for the first book or two. I now keep a sheet around with character names. I had to quit doing outlines because I would get involved with the fun of an outline and never write the story. Outlines are already a part of my inner process.

I found that if I listen, I can hear what comes next. It starts as a murmur as I go to sleep at night. Then when I see that blank page, I just start writing as fast as I can. The closest I can come to describing it is Wild Mind from Natalie Goldberg or a wild mind Buddhist meditation. When done right, my writing becomes a meditation.

So that is how I write - fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or technical. I use the same process.

And when I don't write? They whisper to me in the twilight between waking and sleep.

Kindle Holiday Promotion

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

From Dec 28, 2011 to Jan 1, 2012 four of my books will be free for the holiday season.

The books are the following:

A Flicker of Hope: Poems written by a Wegener's Granulomatosis Survivor
In the Shadow of Death: Reflections of a WG patient
Erika T. Red
Case of the Golden Seed

You can see them on my Amazon page http://www.amazon.com/Cyn-Bagley/e/B004ZNSVJK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Thanks for my first year as an Indie Publisher.

Here comes Santa Claus

2011-12-23T12:28:00.000-08:00

This year has been very sparse for us when it comes to Christmas decorations and gifts. It is not that we don't appreciate gifts, but when it is only two adults in the household, we enjoy the bigger gifts better like a week on vacation or an electronics goody after the holiday shopping rush.

Honestly, I don't want to appear like Mrs. Grinch, but when I was in Walmart picking up my medication (I take chemo and prednisone for my disease), I was struck by the tons of shopping carts filled to the brim with toys built by workers in China. You know, and I know that these gifts will last at the very most, about a week. Also, I had to wind my way around shopping carts so that I could get to the pharmacy. Women were standing around talking about what gift they needed to find next. They glared at me when I asked if they were in line for medications. At least I was nice. I didn't want to be.

My next stop was grocery shopping. I had to pick up a few potatoes and eggs so that our weekend would be food-ful. Many of our favorite restaurants won't be open this weekend. I don't mind that they have a weekend off. For all the work they do, they need some time to be with their families. However, I was immediately reminded of how much it cost just to have family for the holiday season. This older woman in the checkout stand spent 500 dollars for enough food for her family over the holiday. She didn't look like she could afford it, but she was so happy to spend some time with her family that she hadn't seen in months that she was willing to break the bank.

About ten years ago we were in Germany for the holiday season. The children were happy to get candy canes and sugar cookies for Christmas. Gifts and spending money was less important than being with family and friends for the holidays. We lived in a small village that had a Christmas Eve fest every year. The adults would get mulled cider and the children would get spiced cider. A bonfire would be lit while the villagers would sing Christmas songs in German. It was that simple and that beautiful.

So as the holiday rush starts to overwhelm your Christmas spirit (or Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Winter Solstice) remember that the meaning of Christmas is NOT shopping. It has a lot to do with love, family, friends and good will towards all men (and women, of course.)

Let it Snow

2011-12-20T09:27:00.000-08:00

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful-- Let it Snow

The banana plant that my step-daughter sent us and I are shivering to some Christmas tunes in a small apartment in Northern Nevada. If you think that Nevada is all sun and desert, well, I am going to disabuse you of that idea. Las Vegas is sun and heat. The Northern part of the State is high desert so when winter comes it can get really cold here.

Unlucky for us our snow went south this year into San Diego and Albuquerque. A little snow would bring our temperatures up from the single teens into possibly the 20 or 30s. Anyway, it is so cold that it would freeze a cow's teat if said teat was outside. I think if I were a cow, I'd be in one of those warm barns.

Even worse the temperature inversion has caused some problems so it is now illegal for the next few days to use fireplaces or stoves. Yep, we have a red air situation here.

So as I am typing on my computer keyboard and noticing that my "e" is completely erased off its key, I have come to the conclusion that I need to blog more. You know, say what I mean. Maybe interact with a few people again.

And, if you have any questions, shoot. If you don't well, it would be nice to have a few thoughts jangling around in my brain again.

Ebook Coupons on Smashwords

2011-12-15T12:17:00.000-08:00

For the Christmas season, I have made some coupons for some of my ebooks on smashwords that will be active until December 25, 2011. Here is the current list:

I'm a Flasher Coupon no: NC28R at 100% off.
I'm a Flasher Too Coupon no: UE68B 50% off
Shira: Hero of Corsindor Coupon no: JL69A 66% off
The Wooden Seed Coupon no: JK28H 66% off
Running to the Sun Coupon no: AQ78D 66% off

Thank you for the friendship. Hope you are all having a great holiday season.

A Leibster Blog recipient

2011-12-01T11:05:00.001-08:00

Procrastination: I blame Nanowrimo, but on November 24th, I received the Liebster Blog Award from D.J. Lutz at Almost Out of Ink. I am not sure where this award started. I did google it, but there was no more information than the following:

Liebster, means “dearest, beloved, or favorite” in German, and I only know this because I lived in Germany for five years from 1996-2003, and took a few years of German language instruction. It has been almost ten years since I took any classes, so don't expect me to read and write German. I can decipher a few words and I did spend five weeks in a German hospital, so I can make myself understood if I need food or ask for beer.

This award like all other blog awards has qualifications and requirements that must be followed:

The award is for blogs with less than 200 followers.(Okay I only have a few recognized followers.)

The award is to bring to light new or unknown writers. ( I have been writing for most of my life, but my writing is unknown.I twitter and social network so I hope more people are reading my writings.)

And the award is meant to forge new connections.

The second part of the requirements:

1. Thank the blogger who gave me the award. Thank you D. J. Lutz. Anyone reading this post, please check out his blog. He is already a great writer. You'll love his stories.

2. Give the award to 5 of your favorite bloggers, and let them know by posting a comment on their blog. Check the end of this blog for winners.

3. Post the award on your blog. I won a blog award on my WG illness site. I'll have to check to see how I did it. Maybe a copy and paste. :-)

4. Bask in the love of the most supportive group on the Internet – other writers.

5. Spread the karma.

Today's Winners of the Liebster Award:

1. Moondustwriter's Blog : Moondustwriter was one of the co-creaters of onestoppoetry.com. I really enjoy her poetry. She is also dabbling in flash fiction.

2. AC Paul is another writer/author who is working through his novel on syngrafeas . I like to support struggling authors since I am one.

3. Lynn Hallbrooks shares information and reviews on independent authorship. Since in the last year I have started doing indie digital publishing, I have enjoyed some of her insights.

4. One of my good friends that I see on FB often, Sideon's Sanctuary. This guy can write. And is very good at crafts too.

5. I go to Watermark: A poet's notebook because this writer sees things in very different ways than I do.

I am ashamed to say that I have lost track of some of my good friends on the internet because I have been writing so much. Nevertheless thanks for all you do on the 'net. And have fun with the award.

Seller of New Skins

2011-11-12T18:43:00.001-08:00

The women, swathed in silk and sitting on a low ottoman, passed little cakes and whispered to each other. Their heads bent, their mouths painted, they looked like living flowers. She tried to stay away from the gossip of her subordinates, but this tidbit they were passing around to each other couldn't be ignored.

It was freedom. Freedom from the swathing, the men, the religion. It was freedom from restrictions.

Lady Sirah Abduman sat amongst her living flowers. One of her ladies, Afaf, had disappeared and her husband had a new wife placed in his harem. "But", one of the women twittered, "there is a way to regain his affection."

The rest of this story is here.

A little background

I wrote this story for Halloween. The scariest thing I could think of was a woman who was not an equal partnership to her marriage. In this story she brings youth, beauty, and fertility. What happens to the woman when those three items are gone?

As a woman who is now in menopause, I have been surprised that even in our culture a woman has to be young and beautiful to be considered successful. I wish our culture had not gone in that direction. I like aging. I like older women. I think older women should be considered treasures.

Nanowrimo Day 9

2011-11-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

My Nanowrimo profile

Day 9: Staring out with Word Count 22K

I am now living and eating my novel. I woke up this morning like I didn't get enough sleep because I have been so focused with my writing goals that I am forgetting other important things. When I lie down, my eyes immediately open. I had a small bit of insomnia last night so I read someone else's words.

I have a few strings to work on with my novel this morning. EJ is going to see her gold mine after having her friend Tina look after her animals. Plus there is a young man Micky, who was kidnapped for his heritage (were-wolf). He is in a jail cell after seeing his parents executed.

And I have a romantic involvement for EJ, Sheriff Adam. He is the Alpha of the pack in the area.

So far so good.

Firefox Webify Me

2011-09-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

I absolutely adore quizzes and this one caught my attention. And here is the result:

And it captures me pretty well. Find out how to picture your own web here.

Steady Growth

2011-08-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

My year starts on my birthday. And this year it started with a four.

So something I learned a few years back was that if I add my birthday month and day together and then added the current year, the number would represent the next year. Four in numerology means stability, foundation, and steady growth. Also I am now fifty. Add five with zero and you get five. So my path will be on the course of freedom, and visionary experiences. Ummm... looks like I'll be writing most of this year again.

Okay, numerology may seem like nonsense to most people. It is similar to astrology, so they have a point. But, even skeptics check their daily astrology.

I personally like to take the long view. According to my astrology chart I have a pretty messed up personality and inner life with my sun in Leo, moon in Scorpio, and rising sign in Gemini, I live on a planet that very few people populate. One side of my brain is extremely linear, while the other side is overly creative. I think so I can laugh at myself.

Even my dreams are so real that I can sometimes have problems with reality. Add in a few medications for my disease and you don't have to wonder when after I started taking prednisone, the doctors asked my husband if I was having hallucinations, he couldn't tell because I have always had interesting side-visions. And, I have always been a writer.

So steady growth-- it will be an interesting year.

Prodding to Creativity

2011-08-04T12:20:00.000-07:00

When I was a young girl, our town used to sponsor a rodeo for the cowboys in our area. Jensen,Utah and the surrounding towns and rural areas was full of alfalfa fields and cows. I remember how I used to ride the bus and watch the animals as I went to and from school.

But when I went to the rodeo, it was very exciting. I loved watching the bronco riders and the bulls. What I did notice was that many of the bulls used in these small rodeos were not interested in bucking. If you let them into the corral with a cowboy on his back, he would nose around looking for food. To get the bull to buck, some slob would hit that bull with a jolt from a cattle prod. The bull would be so surprised that he would give that cowboy a ride. And of course, the roar of approval from the crowd would keep that bull bucking.

So deadlines are my cattle prods. When I don't have a deadline or a prompt, I seem to relax and amble through my writing. Mostly I find that I don't write. But, give me a writing prompt with a deadline and whamo - I am bucking all over the place.

Such a pity since I thought I was able to find my own pace.

Wegners Vasculitis Journey

2011-07-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

Dandelions

2011-07-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

some see dandelions as weeds
but we would cut the greens
pluck the yellow heads
blow the seeds into the breeze
greens tasted like
a summer salad

The lonely traveler

2011-07-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

I learned long ago
to save my heart
I must leave first

Say goodbye to me
on a plane or train
Say goodbye to me
in my car

I leave first
you don't leave me

Lonely
I still think of you

See more poets at One Stop Poetry.

A Small Victory after Chemo

2011-07-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

Leash in hand, I trot
beside you as we make
our daily visit to the mail box.

You lean into the leash,
my protector, my friend,
as if to say: Hurry.

Heat bakes our bones;
breeze tickles our ears
a girl and a terrier

See more poets at One Stop Poetry.

In my home

2011-07-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

the carpet has died a thousand violent deaths
the nap is torn and worn

the rooms adorned in computer chic
enough to start a server farm

the windows stained with birdly poop
windex cannot enhance

and each available space is filled
with ever-expanding paper

Thank goodness, I have this neat device
to digitize my stacks

or I would be that middle-aged woman
who'd died beneath her books.

Remember us

2011-06-29T08:36:00.001-07:00

bell-bottomed jeans
psychedelic tees
run through the grass
no cares
no responsibilities

Remember us
young and virile
as you see
our wrinkles
and age spots

Remember us
idealistic
as you notice
our silver
arctic hair

Don't forget us-
for we can clearly see
your mistakes

More poems at One Stop Poetry.

Partly Retired

2011-06-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Circus animals came to this zoo
to spend the rest of their lives
in relative peace

Lions would roar in the dawn -
we could hear them from the house
three miles away

The tiger isolated in a big cage
would watch the children run
and play

The children had no idea
the tiger was dreaming
of fresh blood and running meat

Does it say something of me
as I draw word pictures
that I connect with predators

more than prey?

More poetry at One Stop Poetry.

What inspired me to write this poem: Well, I was in the middle of getting my degree in English Literature, when I found this little zoo for retired circus animals. I used to come there to watch the animals, the kids, and relax. This particular poem was written after a word associated from Writer's Digest poetry, ummm director?, where he asked us to write a poem with a heading "Partly and then your addition." Of course I remembered the lions and tigers.