The Writer's Garden

Dreamings

2012-02-10T21:30:00.000-05:00

Dreamings

She dreamt in octuplet
in verse, footed and free
she wept in rhyme
amber-soft, flinty and chill

words, parsed en multi lingua
ad hoc, ad limina
without boundary or shore
sea-deeps to grave-silent outer tomb

Aligheri descended to hinterland
and beyond, Milton ascended,
nirvana found, in mesosphere
between dwelt Aristophanes

what is man's soul that any art mindful?
Goethe's devouring Mephistopheles
trades Faust for Little Nell.
Valjean, redemption, for bread.

Verbum is soul liturgy
Alexandria, Bodleian, subway wall
truth? Triumph of man
against society? Nay self.

And what of paradise?
Peace, Patience, incants the Prophet
magi, shaman, fakir agree
even Immortal Qasim, Jesu
and Gautama neath his bodhi tree

ergo, in quasi pace, she waits
with holy men, demons, mortui
for portent or signum crucis
(or otherwise) let it be

morn to twilight to blue-black nacht
she travels twixt infinitum and natal sound
in the moments among
sclafen, dream and waking

desiderata, mantra
much to think, to feel, to need, to taste
mammon long passed
and sapiens still to meet

in vacuum-time, we attende
speaking nothing, everything
from world's first gasp
to final death rattle

O, to repose neath Pleiades’s
on porcelain sand-lipped sea
in grove of Venus
or temple of Astarte

to drink of vineyard fruit
vino, vita, veritas
dulce et jubilato
ascend star-pocked stair

In caelo, ora et labora
unt labora es ora
minor travesti with
much amor et caritas

clay slap-pulled is Grecian vase
marble bent asunder, woman
ochre, azure, vermillion
Titian henna-tress vixen
y Raphael's fresco sublime

rude word becomes
lyric, gossamer imitates gown
rosewood, mellifluous lute
gold becomes reliquary sanctus
and alabaster a funereal jar

From peasant-hewn grain
to celestial body
from philistine-trod grape
corpus, sangua, soul and divinity

Free Romantic Valentine's Cards, Poems, Verses, E-Cards

2012-02-09T23:52:00.001-05:00

Look no further for lovely valentine poems for your sweetheart. Websites include poetry from all schools and styles on love, romance and relationships. Free verse, Japanese, Shakespearean, Greek, Persian, German romanticism, transcendentalists and iambic pentameters, octuplets and high school literature styles that I love but find hard to keep straight. Remember, Valentine's Day cards are not just for children. We can all enjoy the fun of sending and receiving little greetings and notes or cheer during this cold, dark season of winter. Here are a variety of websites featuring free e-cards and printable valentine cards for adults to share with each other. Many of the sites feature cards to send to sweethearts and lovers and are sensual or romantic, but there are no obscene or pornographic cards included in this list. Read more at Free Romantic and Valentine's E-Cards for Adults

What was Christmas like for Mary, Our Blessed Mother?

2011-12-14T19:47:00.001-05:00

What was Christmas like for Mary, Our Blessed Mother? I began this article in a more devotional vein, but found myself stuck on a part of Christmas that I had never given much thought to. What was Christmas like for Mary, mother or Jesus, our Blessed mother? I know that some Protestants are uncomfortable, even to the point of accusing blasphemy for calling Mary by her rightful titles: Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, Our Blessed Mother. I, like St. Paul, was one of the accusers, 'in fact one of the worst' at one time. Being pretty smart and smart-mouthed, I could out argue anyone. Being born and raised in a protestant environment, I knew nothing little about Notre Dame and what I had been taught was protestant anti-Catholic apologetics. Consequently, I was pretty vehement in her criticism. But the I went and married this Catholic guy, had kids, went to the grotto of Lourdes and accidentally fell in love with 'the lady of sorrows'....but that's another story. Back to the Mary of Christmas. Now even if I could make a case that Mary was not immaculately conceived (which I would not do), there are some glaring points in the Christmas story which prove unequivocally that Mary was and is Regina, Queen of Heaven. Read on...

Advent Hope Story

2011-11-26T16:11:00.001-05:00

Advent Story He slams into his second grade classroom, late as usual. He must have read Hitler's Mein Kampf, about the way to make a grand entrance. Arrive late;leave early. He does. He hides, sneaks off and causes adults to hunt for him whenever possible. Despite weighing in at sub-pee-wee 50# and reaching only to my belly button, he packs a lot of p*ss and vinegar. Read more...

"What I am Most Thankful for" An adult's Thanksgiving essay

2011-11-16T17:46:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving Thoughts on Loved Ones Living and Lost How many times have I assigned students to write that Thanksgiving holiday essay entitled, 'What I Am Thankful for This Year'? Young and old, when it boiled right down, children listed their families at the top of the list. After the obligatory nods to the great Thanksgiving food and favorite toys, almost every student realized that what could not be replaced, what was most valuable was to love and be loved. Read more...

Waterlily Rose Maiden

2011-05-04T14:14:00.002-04:00

Waterlily Rose Maiden
Verse one from my sonnet to our infant daughter, Mary Therese Sachteleben (click the title to read the rest)

her eyes, green-gray still waters, do not cry
not mirror nor window of soul dark spaces,
guardians hold prisoner, secrets shy
in soft tranquil deep and twilight traces

83rd Oscar Nominations for Academy Awards 2011

2011-02-07T13:26:00.001-05:00

Nominations are in for the 83rd Oscar Awards. In the lead for Best Picture is "The King's Speech" (Colin Firth). Other picks include "True Grit", "The Social Network", "Inception", "The Black Swan", "The Fighter", "127 Hours", "Winter's Bone", "The Kids are Alright" and "Toy Story 3". Read more...

"The King's Speech" Oscar Nomination Movie Review

2011-01-27T19:38:00.001-05:00

I am a self-avowed "Britophile". What's a Britophile? It's a term meaning "dog-like follower of things British". "The King's Speech" is nicely situated to win Best Picture at the 83rd Oscars for 2011. Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi are people in this Brit cross-over film. Read on...

How to Write a Persuasive Speech

2011-01-14T17:53:00.001-05:00

"Stylus Fortio Gladio" or in English, "the pen is mightier than the sword". When I read that Westboro Baptist Church was planning to picket the funerals of the Arizona shooting victims and that a phalanx of angels was gathering to protect the privacy of the mourners, I decided to write an article for Yahoo! about it. I offer it as a model for a persuasive speech. Here is a snippet, followed by a link you can click to read the entire speech.

"Westboro Baptist Church routinely protests funerals and targets homosexuals for hate rants and verbal abuse. WBC is so busy seeking out people and places to harass that it has a picket schedule on its website. Click to read complete story.

Editorial, Commentary, Persuasive Speech Writing Sample

2011-01-05T00:52:00.000-05:00

This begins an article I wrote for Yahoo! News. I have written in in the form of an editorial, commentary or persuasive speech. It might also be used as an essay example. It begins: "Ask anyone age 40 if they remember seeing so many obese children and overweight teenagers. The answer will be a resounding no. Juvenile obesity is the fastest growing health issue in America, as well it should be. America is killing children, one mouthful at a time. In the U.S., we are literally poisoning children, with every bite we feed them." To read more, click here...

Greenwich Village Smoking vs. Low-Brow, Low-Life Smoking; Ah, the Ideals of Youth

2010-12-16T18:32:00.000-05:00

I began smoking in college, in 1982, because I thought intellectuals smoked. Look at Jackson Pollock, his ubiquitous fag dangling from his bottom lip. His "No. 5, 1948" sold for $151 million and it was just a bunch of paint dribbles. If smoking was stupid, I wanted to be stupid like Jackson Pollock. Stupid like Georgia O'Keefe, Eugene O'Neill, Edith Warton... the Greenwich Village crowd. The reds, the anarchists, the social reformers. I wanted to identify with them.
Read on...

Christmas Memories: The Enemy Appendix, the Almost-Nativity and Snow for Christmas

2010-12-10T14:02:00.000-05:00

This is a Christmas essay that I wrote. It might help you if you have to write a holiday essay.

"The only reason I believe that Christmas 1997 actually happened is that we survived to tell the tale. No one could invent so unfortunate a series of events. I call it the "Christmas of the enemy appendix, the almost-nativity and the miracle snow." Here's how it happened..."

How to Write a Musical Review

2010-11-30T16:42:00.000-05:00

I write musical reviews for Associated Content and Yahoo! Here is an example of how to write a 400 word musical review for online or print publications.

"Croatian virtuoso pianist Maksim Mrvica plays classical cross-over and is himself a world class act. Since performing his first concerto at age 11, nothing, not even war, has prevented Maksim from creating beautiful music. Mrvica gives heart-stopping performances, made all the more memorable and poignant by the fact that this young man learned his art while his nation waged an epic war." Read more...

How to Write Truly Frightening Horror Fiction

2010-11-14T19:04:00.000-05:00

Anatomy and Psychology of a Horror Movie
Halloween is the ripe for horror movies, but what exactly constitutes a horror movie? Does it need a plot twist? Suspense? Mystery? Zombies? Blood and gore? Satanic influence? A presence of evil? Here is a psychological analysis of horror movies.
Read More

How to Write Mystery and Detective Fiction

2010-11-03T21:36:00.000-04:00

How to Write Crime Stories and Detective Fiction that Mystery Readers Will Love
Tired of cracker-bland stories that readers only nibble? What defines a story that readers gulp down whole, beg for more before the first even digests? Characters, plot, climax and something else. Learn to write the gulp down whole stories!
Read More

An All Souls Day Essay on Honesty

2010-11-02T12:42:00.000-04:00

All Souls Day Stories: An Honest Little Boy
It's All Souls Day, and I'm feeling reminiscent. After homeschooling for years, it seems a little odd not to be wrapped up in holy day and holiday preparations. Here's a little story to warm you for the holy day. It's true.
Read More

There's Something Out There Digging

2010-10-31T15:50:00.000-04:00

There's Something Out There Digging
There's something out there digging at my bedroom door. Sometimes it stops for a minute or two, but it always comes back. I hope it doesn't make it inside...
Read More

The Cemetery Caretaker

2010-10-31T15:41:00.000-04:00

The Graveyard Caretaker
A couple of boys are pressured to help vandalize a cemetery. The caretaker of the graveyard intervenes and the boys later discover something startling about him...(NB- AC Kelly VanBuren's story will leave you cheering for the ghosts.)
Read More

Scary Slumber

2010-10-31T15:31:00.000-04:00

Scary Slumber
Wide awake with a pounding heart I strain to see who is in my room standing over me. (NB- AC Lois Lunsford reminds us to be afraid, be very afraid of the dark.)
Read More

Eyes Only for You

2010-10-31T15:26:00.000-04:00

Eyes Only for You
A Halloween horror story where farm animals' blood lust threatens the local farming community, but eventually love wins out in the end. (NB- Thanks you AC Tim Palmer for a Gothic tale of horror and romance!)
Read More

The Grocery Ghost

2010-10-31T15:18:00.000-04:00

The Grocery Ghost
Altoona, PA is usually a happy and quiet town, but what happens when a mural artist tries to paint a mural for a grocer? (NB- Thought grocery stores were ghost-free zones? Thanks to AC Bridget Ilene Delaney we know they're not.)
Read More

The Hanover Witch

2010-10-31T15:08:00.000-04:00

The Hanover Witch
The legend of the Hanover Witch haunts a tiny town and its young inhabitants. (NB- If you weren't convinced that kids can be cruel, AC Brandy Madison will make you certain of it.)
Read More

She Never Left

2010-10-30T12:52:00.000-04:00

She Never Left!
A story of a girl who returns to the scene of a horrific childhood accident, to find that the ghostly spirit of her childhood friend may have never left.
Read More

Who Said Halloween is the Scariest Night of the Year?

2010-10-30T12:45:00.003-04:00

Who Said Halloween is the Scariest Night of the Year?
Even the most familiar drive can turn into a terrifying ordeal just like Doug and Loretta's did on Halloween night.
Read More

A House in the Jersey Woods

2010-10-30T12:43:00.001-04:00

A House in the Jersey Woods

A modern scary tale of the New Jersey Devil. (NB- Eva Taylor shows us why it's best to stay out of the woods on Halloween!)
Read More