getSparked 15

Here you will find Michael Baca and my work-

Response

and

Inspirational

or vise versa...

Come over and check out all the work!

I totally enjoy working with the artist, composers and photographers on this project. Thanks to Amy Souza for bringing it to us!

A Sneak Peak

Not sure if I have ever mentioned it
but I love 'Sharp Teeth'
by Toby Barlow
it is a free verse novel
he has received many praises by his peers

for Spark 15
I have written my own
free verse piece
for Michael Baca's drawing (a piece of it above)
my inspirational piece

he has a thing for eyes
windows into the soul
here is a sneak peak of my response piece
you just don't know
if it is beginning, middle, or end



...
to her puzzlement
Doctor Sweet reluctantly replied
“We have a new neighbor next door”
he stopped, and leaned into the counter
with a funny smile
under his funny mustache
his hand reached over and scooped out chocolates
sprinkled stars popped right in his mouth
continuing with a smacking sound
"Ms. Plume has rented space- she is
a Papier"
It’s plum ridiculous!”
scowling
he then offered Erin a sweet treat
but as quickly as his hand reached out
he dropped it back neatly
into its compact jar

Paper?
she thought
who has money for such frills
the time had come for her release
she began hatching a plan
each following day
when it had been promised
again she would sweep, mop, and wipe
no matter how much anticipation and mystery dominate
there were dreams of helping poor Ms. Plume
alleviate and open at least one
those finely crafted
and smelly boxes

a few rock candies
made their way into her pocket
with a day’s dust and lent
to soften her father’s blow
and on that night
giving him no troubles with chores, dinner, and homework
and bed
finding sleep would be easy
it meant rising to begin anew
which Erin found hardest
bones and muscles throughout the body were taking on life of their own
oh how they ached and moaned!
...



I'm excited
to put the whole piece up later today
for now
I will try and sleep
damn insomnia
but work is good on all accounts.

Fire In The Sky

I'm getting used to waking up early these days. Because the first thing I see is this. I have a small opening at the top of the shades, and after a certain time writing and web surfing I look up to see what the sky will say.

Today it says 'On Fire'. So I go back to my writing till I hear hubs alarm go off and we have to get going for the day. It's peaceful. Embrace this alone time it says.

My son did not come this past week. He decided to stay longer in Asia, and is having too much fun avoiding responsibilities. What can we do, he is grown in age and body, but the mind is not so there yet.

My writing is going well. Working on new website and other stuff. Work is going well. So busy I almost don't have time to post on any site. I am hoping to have others do the writing on Z-composition sites. Waiting, and have three or four coming.

We've been cooking, but not taking so much pictures for posts. I don't want to let that one go, but will not post as often. Even Jessie Carty has been so busy, she is not doing Make Friday Write the past two weeks. Busy lives. Glad you are all doing well. I'll always be here every now and again. But speaking of writing...

There's Fire In The Sky

And I’m running late
written words float upward
in coffee clouds
rushing me and the devil

side by side
his smoke never settles
mystical books and bible promises
your soul or mine

morning comes too early these days
it's still dark but then a fire builds

in the morning, in
the morning
see it rain down
through winters cold
hard branches snap and sway
on eyes sight
shrieks of eagles, crying
in the morning, in the

morning has it
on chief authority
we have missed our ride.

I think I did it, I know

I have woken up refreshed after a good nights, well at least six hours, which is two hours more than usual lately without a nap at some point (snoozing in the dentist chair). Yeah, I'm dangerous. Okay, back on track...I finished that poem from a few days ago. the 'Ashtray' piece(s) I wanted to shorten. Say things compact like 'collectable, depression, and give you a view of what I watched when my mom smoked using those pretty and big ashtrays of my youth'. Here...

Collectable Memories

goblets and bowls and ashtrays
congregate with cabinets and curios
buried under mountainous mail
dusty reminders
coating mental illness
and compulsive smoking
a child’s hours measured
in blank stares
atop a growing mound of ashes
moved from corner to corner to middle
and back in delicate ruby lane shaped mouths
spewing out cremated remains.


There. I had to shave off, and maybe someone would say I could do it even more. Maybe, but would it say what I wanted. Maybe. A world of maybe's, is a world painted with rainbows. Yep, my kind of world. Sorry FrankandMary, but inside I fight with 'happy go lucky' and 'demons' every morning...but I still am smiling!

Peace to you all this glorious February day. May you at least find a heart in your cereal in the form of a marshmallow to call your Valentine...smooches to you all!

I hope you all know 'I love you'...(Bradley in mind here).


Photo above is what I saw when hubs walked in the door from work last night...

Somethings Bugging Me

Lil'sis and I often speak of our mother. The memories we have of her, and a visit to a lit magazine I want to submit to gave me inspiration. All in what someone said. They want ashtrays to make a comeback. What if they did.

My mom found beauty in objects like shiny glass ashtrays back then. I found beauty in all things she did.

I doubt they will stop selling some form of them, but not like the beauties they sold when I was a girl, and before.

But smoking is almost to the brink of being band in our homes. Not yet, but almost. They are pushing it and I think if someone wants to smoke badly enough, like mary jane, pot or whatever you call it, they will. Let them smoke. Don't take all of our freedoms away.

Because, you'll never take my memories of it away...

Are Ashtrays Making A Come Back

On a hearth
of any day
sit small jars of sand
and pebbles
memories fitting tightly
under lids; next to

molded awards
moments in a mind’s eye
baring names in clear glass

(poems removed for submission considerations...)

Can't Keep Up With Me?

Don't worry, I can't either at times.

The site is live. Our February Issue is up and filled with lots of poetry, prose, flash fiction, artwork, and photography.

Many really good writers and artist submitted, and it was hard for editors to chose. We are excited so many people sent us their work. But we could only take so many.

Take a look... Z-composition

Also we now have a blog, EatMoreBrains. Once it is up and running we will feature essays and articles from various sources.

Often I find myself wondering what happened to all of my followers here, why don't I have new ones, no one leaves comment...then I realized someone is looking, because I get goose pimples and good vibes coming my way. Thanks everyone for taking the time to read my rants!

PS- A little unrelated news to add. I've submitted seven poems this year so far, and have had three accepted so far. Excited! Working on writing and submitting more.

Something Sweet

We like these fat free and non-calories kinds of sweet events don't we...

I keep forgetting to share, but I have had five poems accepted for publication this past month and two are up today.

Tuck Magazine is out of Canada, and they decided to put two of the five I sent them up on the site.

Forgotten Playgrounds Lay Waiting

and

Whenever There Is Water and A Bridge

The later was published on vox poetica last spring. I an honored that the publisher sent me such a nice and thoughtful note saying how much she enjoyed reading them. (vox poetica has published three of my poems over the past two years)

When you click on the link and go over, just scroll down, they are on the same page.

As the others appear I will try and share the links. Two are local magazines that are not on-line. Funny, but seems the electronic age is here, but some refuse to go out of print. I am glad of that!

(Photo above is mine from Korea. They are obsessed with waffles of every flavor. We tried one, not so good, one bite and into the trash. Hubs did not even like it, and he eats everything.)