I’m posting this week’s poem early in (belated) honor of Flash Fiction Day! Flash Fiction was my first love, and I loved the idea of honoring this special day with a flash poem: a short story of less than a thousand words with a beginning, middle, and end.
The poem below is based on the ending of the Hans Christian Anderson story, not the Disney movie which has a different ending. At the end of Anderson’s tale, the prince marries someone else and the mermaid dies of a broken heart, but instead of turning to seafoam she becomes a spirit. This is her reward for sacrificing her happiness for his, and she is supposed to use her next three hundred years doing good deeds to earn herself a soul. I imagine her spending her time differently.
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“The Little Mermaid gets her Prince”
death had changed the little mermaid’s mind
she wouldn’t share the prince but haunt
not handsome him but his fleshly bride
become the little voice
whispering not-so-sweet nothings
in his mortal bride’s tiny perfect ears
telling her she’d never be good enough
telling her he’d be better off alone
telling her what she’d do to her if she stayed
filling her head with seaweed-scented nightmares
running his bride off into the inky blackness
on her tiny perfect feet
then the little mermaid would lie in her prince’s arms
as though he felt her there
as anything other than a cold ocean breeze
prickling the hair on his bare chest
racing his warm red blood
as she shivered him through each night
til death would they part
maybe
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Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you enjoyed the story and come back again!
My poetry collection, Soul Picked Clean, went into its second printing this week! If you would like your very own copy, you can buy one at one of my upcoming poetry events where I’ll be happy to sign it for you! Otherwise, you can directly from Crisis Chronicles or Amazon for $12.
Every Saturday nightCanalFulton has an open mic downtown (weather/schedule permitting). Musicians and poets welcome!
Wednesday, June 19th (7pm – 9pm)
Latitudes Poetry Night meets at Compass Coffee in Akron on the third Wednesday of every month. There is usually a featured poet for the first hour, followed by an Open Mic.
Saturday, July 6th @7pm Poetry at Manic on Main Art Gallery in Wadsworth. Poets Sonia Potter, Cat Russell, and Cris Shell. Free event. Merch available.
Thursday, July 11th @7pm
Broadsides and Ephemera open mic from 7pm – 830pm at Loganberry Books. I will be a featured reader, and copies of Soul Picked Clean will be available for purchase at the store.
Wednesday, July 17th @7pm – 9pm
Latitudes Poetry Night at Compass Coffee in Akron.
Friday, July 19th @4pm – 7pm I will have a table for book sales and signing at Peace, Love, and lil Donuts in Canal Fulton. Please, stop by!
Thursday, July 25th @6pm The Write Stuff Author Group meets at North Canton Library. Bring 6-10 copies of a WIP if you’d like feedback, or you can come and just sit in!
The last couple months have been wonderful, incredibly busy, and absolutely packed with awesome poetry events. My reading schedule is a little lighter this month to fit my family’s summer plans, and I also have plenty of exciting writing things in the works. In the meantime, enjoy these haikus on the theme of “Time.”
Dating my journal
ahead each night–a promise
my next day will come.
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In my mind, I go
back, tell myself not to ask
permission: just do.
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Firefly lives lit
on the thunderstorm’s sharp edge:
birth, sex, death, rebirth
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The broken timepiece
parts scatter. Sun dials only
work on sunny days.
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Discontented, she
breaks the mirror. Its sharp shards
accuse her with stars.
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The rising sun lets
us see with its beams, dispels
the darkness of night.
Upcoming and Current Events:
Sunday, June 9th (3pm – 4:30pm)
Second Sunday Poets is a round robin poetry event that takes place monthly at the South Euclid-Lynhurdst branch of Cuyahoga County Library. If you attend, plan to bring a couple poems to read!
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Wednesday, June 19th (7pm – 9pm)
Latitudes Poetry Night meets at Compass Coffee in Akron on the third Wednesday of every month. There is usually a featured poet for the first hour, followed by an Open Mic.
Broadsides and Ephemera Open Mic takes place on the second Thursday of every month at Loganberry Books, and I am so excited to be July’s featured reader! If you are in the Cleveland area, they will also have copies of my poetry collection, Soul Picked Clean, available for purchase so I can sign one for you!
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There is also another July reading planned, but I am waiting for the details to be finalized before I post them. In the meantime, thank you so much for visiting my blog. I hope you enjoyed the poems and I’ll get to see you at one of these events. Have a lovely week!
There has been so much happening in the last few weeks, with more ahead, so I’ll just do a quick recap of the highlights. Last Friday (5/10), I competed against poet John Walters in the Writing Knights sWord Fight and won! Then on Saturday (5/11) I read my poem, “Catching Fire,” at the Hessler Street Poetry Competition; I did not win, although my poem was well received and was included in the anthology. Yesterday (5/16), I achieved a lifelong dream and saw a book I wrote on a library shelf, just waiting to be checked out!
This coming Tuesday (5/21), I will be reading my poetry at the Spring Into Action Fundraiser, which supports scholarships for first time candidates running for local office. My friend, musician Ed Amann, will be performing as well! So, as you can see, I’ve been truly fortunate to be part of such a supportive community of writers and readers. Thank you, all!
If you want to keep up in the interim between now and my next post, you can follow me on Twitter, FaceBook, or Instagram (links to the right beneath the blogroll). Until next time, have a lovely two weeks!
The lovely month of May brings dandelions (my favorite flowers), free comics, and nerdtastic holidays, but it’s also full of personal milestones as well. My anniversary, my son’s Prom, and his graduation all happen in the next few weeks!
I’m also really excited about upcoming poetry events this weekend! First, this Friday at 7pm, at Hackenberg Realty Group in Canton, I’ll be competing against the esteemed John Walters in my second Writing Knights sWord Fight! I’ve created a promo video for the event (above); it’s suitably serious. The other event I’m really excited about is the Hessler Street Fair Poetry Competition this coming Saturday evening.
For now though, I’d like to share a poem with you.
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“Blessed Milk Thistle”
Your bright purple blooms
so reminiscent of dandelions
and other maligned weeds
guilty of growing
where they shouldn’t–a blight
to urban gardens, but a delight
to lovers of wild things and bright
colors exploding against green grass
a boon to herbalists, home cooks,
pharmaceutical companies,
and mothers presented with
fiery bouquets picked by small,
chubby fingers and presented
with a smile.
Upon your spiky green leaves,
gardeners wage eternal war.
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Upcoming and Current Events:
Friday, May 10th (7pm – 9pm)
Writing Knights sWord Fight poetry competition is a monthly event where poets compete against each other via verse. This is my second time participating; this time I will compete against poet John Walters. Come by, and wish us luck!
Saturday, May 11th (7pm – 9pm)
I’m so honored to be a finalist in the Hessler Street Fair Poetry Contest. I will be competing in Cleveland against the other finalists. Come and hear some great poetry!
. Wednesday, May 15th (7pm – 9pm)
Latitudes Poetry Night is every third Wednesday at Compass Coffee (Akron) from 7pm – 9pm. There is usually a featured poet, followed by a short break and then an Open Mic.
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Thursday, May 23rd (6pm – 9pm)
The Write Stuff Authors’ Group meets monthly at the North Canton Library to workshop WIPs before adjourning to TD’s Grill at about 7:30pm for general literary merry-making.
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Saturday, May 25th (all day)
Towel Day! May 25th is the fan-tastic holiday for fans of the late great Douglas Adams. Every year my son and I celebrate by taking photos of ourselves to post to the Towel Day Flickr group, watching a Douglas Adams themed program (such as the BBC Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy mini series), and attempting a Terran non alcoholic version of the universe’s most alcoholic drink: the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster! The drinks are almost always terrible, but that’s in keeping with the effects of a drink that’s the equivalent of “having your brains smashed in by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.” We often attempt Vogon Poetry as well, but then again, we like to live dangerously.
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Now that National Poetry Month is over, I’m returning to my regular schedule of posting every other Friday. I plan to continue to include a poem and/or short story each time, as well as updated current events. If you are interested in keeping up with my appearances and other poetry events, I suggest you check out the Cleveland Poetics Calendar (page link at top) or my social media accounts (on right).
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In the meantime, I wish for you a month filled with poetry. Thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope to see you at one of these events soon!
I normally try to stay away from overly political topics, but this morning’s news was too much to not respond. Especially since I now have a draft age son, and it looks like the President could conceivably start a war with Mexico.
“Today the President”
Today the President
almost started a war
via Twitter.
Today the President
accused foreign soldiers
of protecting drug runners.
Today the President
said he’d send armed soldiers
to the border.
Today the President
turned a misunderstanding
into a taunt.
Today the President
put my son’s life in danger
not his own.
Today the President
is still the President
and still on Twitter.
#
If you are interested in the story, you may follow Trump on Twitter and also google multiple sources (to try to counteract bias) about the news story.
