September 11, 2011

Early one morning heart disease hijacked my fourteen year old daughters life, shooting down my home hearth as my family and I knew it. Sound familiar, yes we all witnessed terrorists attacking The World Trade Centers Twin Towers I & II in New York City, but some of us were already suffering from other loss.

I do not mean in any way to sound unpatriotic, but I feel we should remember our loved ones every day of our lives, not just on certain days, or years. I guess because the pain was so great after only one year, my heart was numb. Does this mean I have no connection to that horrible day, of course I do, but I feel this day has turned into more of a holiday than what it really was.

We should fly our countries flag everyday, not just today on facebook or our blogs or on September 11th. Maybe I am flying my daughters flag? I do not go one day without feeling sad in some way or another. I loved her so much.

However my heart does go out to those who lost on this day. In a way we join hands in a link of loss.

This poem is my own monument for this date, and from my book 365 Days X Ten (publishing still pending)...

Twin Tower I

Many of us, sat and watched
one by one as twin towers

hit by planes
punctured a democracy

Still numb from my own explosion
a world no longer spinning

staring numbly at the screen
I wanted to jump

how sad life had become
years earlier, a tiny heart

held me hostage, for so long
the terror of not knowing

I sat in a similar chair, television revealing
a space shuttle blowing up

Holding my new baby in terror
hoping their loved ones

would be okay
as new life would be celebrated.



Love and pain can occupy the same time and space,
but are never the same each time around - A mother's own words...  


(the above flag is my own photo taken 7/21/2011, and flies over the World Trade Center memorial site in NYC)

Let The Games Begin...

Is anybody a zombie fan? I have read that some of you are. Yes, you my artistic friends.

At some point in our lives we are zombies, or similar.

You will be glad to know the zombie books I am writing are progressing. I have taken my work to professionals and gotten many ideas for the story line, and other areas.

If you follow this blog, you read a piece from the book many months ago. I shelved it for a while since I had my poetry manuscripts to finish and turn in. I got news about my first book. Sucks really. Because it was not good news. I will not talk about it any further, just will be something else one day.

I saw this on the grass at a rest stop on our rather rainy and long trip home from New England. Nine hours or more on the road. I lost count hearing hubby complain and complain about traffic, road delays, flooding, braking, did I say braking. That can turn anybody into a zombie...traffic. A mad, out for blood, traffic eating brains creature of some sorts.

Well this photo reminded me of how we need to begin building our Zombie Apocalypse Arsenal. Now I need to find a nail gun. Or at least my characters need too.

Are you excited about the movie 'World War Z' coming this fall? (Brad Pitt plays the lead character) I am because I read the book and am wanting to see how they film it. We saw 'Battle LA' and I really liked how they filmed it. I hate military style movies, I hate killing really. Blood and guts, and all that. But I like the idea of Vampires, Werewolves, and Zombies? Real war gets me. I liked it, maybe because of the alien element.

Who would win? Aliens or Zombies? They almost move at the same speed.

What are you writing?

I Love The Road Less Traveled

Hubby travels at any given moment, yes, I never know until he comes home and tells me he will be leaving the next day or on the weekend. I have learned over the past fourteen years to accept it. Many of my girlfriends laugh and say they wish their husbands would leave town, so they could have some peace and quiet. I always thought once the kids were gone was the time for that. I do enjoy doing my own thing when he is gone, but once in a while he says I can go with him.

This was one of those times. A chance for a road trip to New England. Unfortunately the weather was apparent- rain rain rain. With the flooding the east coast has had, could we be in for a disastrous drive? A friend had just shared while taking her mom on a similar road trip, they could not travel on the rural roads due to flooding damage. We decided to give it a try, but the photo above shows you what we encountered. All along the way we experienced 'dips' and missing road edges that were not even near a river, just along the mountains.

This was a road that lead to a sculpture garden I wanted to visit on the way through Connecticut. We had to take a detour the GPS did not recognize. At times the rain just dumped down so hard I could not see, so we pulled over. At times it did the same and we were on small two lane roads; it was really scary. We made it, and now have to face flooding in our neighborhood again. I am hoping this stops and heads to Texas where fires are destroying many homes. My heart goes out to these people who are losing everything they own. I guess life is more important, so I send my best to them.

I did accomplish what I had set out to do on this trip, write three more chapters in my book. There was a chance with it raining so much for me to think about, the direction my book was heading, and I got to do some brainstorming. No pun intended!

While in the hotel the last few days I took notice of how the walls were painted a bright sunny yellow, because n the past I had painted my bedroom (whole house) walls yellow. In St. Louis and New Jersey rental properties. The sun would come up first thing in the morning and make my room too bright to sleep, I hated it. But now with the rain drops on the window screen, blowing trees outside, a temperature drop further north, and coming our way, well, I welcome the feeling of a little sunshine brightening my day.



The home next to this river (above picture) was on a low flat area, then went back down hill. We were wondering if it would take out their house if it got worse. Also, for those Leaf Peepers, I hope it clears up in time for that New England road trip.

Feeling Secure- Poem Share

Are we? Really?

I often feel driving is the safest mode of travel. But in the past, experts say flying is safer than driving.

I have airplane issues, so I prefer to drive. You see more, creative juices flow, and so on...

Trying to decide where to go with this. The photo above is like a story of someone who runs from their fears or monsters, but at every turn they see them in unlikely things.

Monday I discovered the pool was open and decided to take a walk. When I saw it was possible to go for a swim, I did. The water over the past three weeks, with night air cooling down from the eighties, this was no different, it has been cold. Maybe a few degrees cooler, uh yes, but I could handle it right? I went in head first. It was then the memory of hitting the river in 'As The World Churns', well, it hit me. A cold blast of somewhere between I cannot breath, and what was I thinking. But the body and mind did worked together.

With help from my legs. I pushed on and used it for an advantage, of weight control. Exercising vigorously the past two months has been great. Another monster to conquer. But the pool is no river. A bit calmer.

Rivers are monsters we should never challenge.

I have never tried using Greek Mythology in my poems before, until this. I have heard a local guy who attended my open mic, reading his own GM filled works. At times I felt it was boring, and had heard others say the same, but now I think his work will make more sense, and I have a greater appreciation. I do like reading about mythology. Jessie Carty has switched our poem share from Thursday to Make Friday Write!

       Before Man Grew In Numbers

       "Wild as the blasts of roaring Boreas, or shouting Notos
       when with hurricane-swoop he heaves the wide sea high, 
       when in the east up-rises the disastrous Altar-star 
       bringing calamity to seafarers." -Fall of Troy

       their voices proceed       
       lurking, just beyond dense wood
       where primordial son, Euryalos run
       cyclops wide stepping and clumsy
       moving land and 
       leaving the fallen under feet
       to brothers rot and decay
       under gods who
       make sanctuary of gray monument
       of rivers reaping blood
       forging tears from woman's womb
       filling a monsters shoes.

Here are my original lines that lead to the above-

       I begin looking for the fallen
       down rich green paths
       man made signs direct us, past 
       gray monuments
       our feet pressing down
       new shoots, flowerless
       bottom life forced back


       a beetle settled on green leaf
       speaking to the sky
       talking of water gods
       they had already arrived
       for centuries left in command
       brothers fear and paralysis
       began laying the foundation
       bringing this sanctuary to a close.

Not sure where I will go with these. I am trying, and have written many more lines.


This is the river view after it took part of Route 287 (above and below). Local police and road workers look down in amazement. I look at the layers of dirt and sand put down over the years as the road is built, then widened, and see how the power of water can do such damage. I also understand how monsters are used to create more power.

But do monsters have a conscious? Or do they just unleash nightmares...