Random Write

This is a piece I began in class.  Narrative but with action and no dialogue

Pulling into the supermarket parking lot, the smell of tar combined with midsummer heat smelt like the mood I was already in.  Stench amplified from the hot hot heat.  Regretting the fact I left the windows down for the ride, instead of using the little bit of gas I had left for air conditioner.  Upon pulling into a space near the entrance, I sat there in the heat hoping the smell would pass.  The black parallel powerlines were blinding from the brightness of the sun.  I stretch my fingers thru my ponytail noticing the resemblance of color.  This makes me happy for reasons unexplainable to myself. I use this sudden urge of happiness like a wrecking ball swaying left to right.  And shifting to the right, then suddenly to the left, I use my body weight to open the car door-which is heavy.  (heavy as if its from my existential plight) which I suddenly break thru placing first my left torn up sneaker then my right onto the pavement.  This is how I get through Tuesday.

Reading response Chapter 9 and Willie

Chapter 9

This was a very difficult chapter for me to grasp.  Not so much the motif, but the manner and order in which it was written confused me.  Overall, I do understand the concept of telling a story through narration and no use of dialogue.  I liked the example she gave at the beginning of the chapter, referring to "an action can be something as little as a letter not being sent, or a thought that goes unspoken."    Providing information in narrative format is a very challenging way to write.  Once I attempted to do this, I enjoyed it. 

Willie

Hindsight is 20/20, so I feel pretty dumb not realizing the beginning of the story was about masturbation.  I feel even more dumb not realizing the response Professor Ellison wanted us to give as to why we thought the story ended so abruptly.  This was a very difficult piece of prose to stay focused on due to the wordiness in the narration, especially at the beginning.  There was some beautiful passages here, but in order to understand what was going on, I had to re-read several spots several times. That is not an enjoyable reading experience. And still, I did not totally get what was going on since it never occurred to me I was reading about Willie playing with his willy.  Once the action began, (mom having sex with the tutor,)  I became intrigued.  The ending surprised me, (the mom actually getting beat up/written through the sounds Willie heard.)  However, once the setting was established, it did correlate with the time period and culture.  I would like to go back and read this again so I can actually appreciate the effort put into the narration.  I need to wait though, so it can saturate in my subconscious for awhile. 

JUNKYARDS

These are quotes I got from attending the poetry readings.  The reason why all five of them are here is because, upon hearing them, a feeling was invoked within me.  In turn, it inspires me, which is what Junkyard quotes are all about, right?

1) " Writing is like an incision, you can't erase with a razorblade."  Catherine Wing.  ----- This is the quote as I heard it and it may be wrong, because unfortunately, I sat in the ONE row where people were actually talking on the phone!

2)  "I would like to fish for words that rhyme with perch"  Christine ?  Again there was an obnoxious talker at the Bella Coffee poetry reading and I had a hard time hearing.

3)  "Hopeful lines intact, reaching for anyone who will hold it, sizing up the weight she'd never be rid of."  Tim from Body as Weight.

4) "Dipping thru the sounds of my mothers interjection."   Jen Rivers

5)  "Ripples that reflect the fallen."  Jen Rivers

Reading Response: The magic Barrel

Sometimes it is hard to distinguish if I don't like a story because I don't like the main character in the story.  When asked if I liked "The Magic Barrel,"  I was ambivalent.  I am not a fan of Leo Finkle because he is arrogant and selfish.  Yet, there are times when an unsavory character (like Leo) can still bring out sympathy from me, making me emotionally invested in the story.  The only character that brought out sympathy from me is Salzman the match maker.  In reference to the classroom discussion, "do we think Salzman planned the match of Leo for his daughter Stella,"  I am ambivalent about that as well.  I go back and forth thinking it was premeditated or not.  This makes me wonder, why so much ambivalence towards one story, Danita? I honestly can't say right now.  One thing I am certain about is agreeing with Sarah in regards to how this was a perfect story to read upon STC's chapter 7 POV.

Random writes: a little ditty and Part 2 of Cecile

Formula for an American icon:

Begin with an American original,
Add present day artist
Connect the dots of similarity
Put a flame to their praise
Mix together all who are in agreeance
Add salt to taste

Now you have a phenomenon.

Part 2 from the Jack the Ripper Story: Cecile

Cecile never minded walking in long dark alleys, so, she decided to take the shortcut to the docks. Through her gin induced haze, she had forgotten about the four murders that had occurred over the past six weeks. She forgot that the victims were always prostitutes and always butchered. And she forgot about the awful name the papers gave this criminal, “Jack The Ripper.” All Cecile thought about was how happy she was for earning so much in so little time. This would prove to Harland she would never really double cross him and that she is worthy of his companionship. Skipping down the street, the drunk prostitue was unaware of anyone hiding in the darkest corners of White Chapel's alleys.

Cecile stopped near the park to pull out the rest of her gin when a young man approached her.
The brow of his hat was pulled down below his eyes so she couldn't get a look at the face that was talking to her. She couldn't understand what he had said, but she knew what he meant from the knife that was poking her belly. She tried to scream but he had covered her mouth with his handkerchief. Feeling the first slice of her flesh, now all she could think about was Harland and his boots. Her dress felt cold and wet as blood oozed down her legs. The attacker pulled his handkerchief away from her mouth. She tried to scream again, but before she could hear her own voice he started sawing her neck. From that point on, Harland was no longer in her mind. In fact, Cecile had no thoughts at all. All she had was the feeling of pain and metal as they simultaneously attacked her body. Finally, her breathing slowed with a brief sense of euphoria that ended as she drew her last breath.

Her attacker dragged her about 20 feet in front of the door of an apartment building. He propped both her legs up, placed one hand over her heart, and had her other arm outstretched to her side. Taking a look, he decided he had one more thing to do. Turning her head to the right side, he sawed off her nose and took off running into the darkness.

Within minutes, a young man stumbled over Cecile's mutilated body. Keeping his head turned away from her face, his hands were moving feverishly trying to locate the pockets of her dress. When he found them, he pulled out a silver sixpence from her left pocket. But at the last minute he changed his mind and left the silver piece lying ontop of her torn dress leaving Cecile exposed but not robbed.

Reading Response Chapter 5 STC

The qualifers that Le Guin refers to in Chapter 5 are the most overused words in all my writings.  Suddenly, just, and very are words that I write without conscious.  I  agree with her that they should be avoided at all costs, but also find it funny how I revert back to them naturally.  Although this was a very short chapter,  this has been the one I feel most connected.  I also feel it will end up being one of the most useful critical pieces I have read all year.  If I am able to release myself from these "meaningless and overused literary adverbs and adjectives," my work will improve more than I thought possible.

Reading Response Fat Girl

    I enjoyed this piece by Dubus.  For me, the story was well crafted and poignant with such details that I cared about the main character, Louise.  Unfortunately, even though she does lose weight, it is quite obvious she is not happy.  This theme kept me interested because I desperately wanted her to feel real happiness, the kind she got from eating.   In relation to some of the critical readings we've been assigned, I feel that this is a good example of LeGuin's rule: every sentence should lead into the next.  Also, this story really did have a pleasant rhythm to it.  Each part of Louise's journey, as well as the introduction of  new characters give enough description to either understand  them, or how she is feeling, without being overstated and boring me.

Reading Response Chapter 3 and 4

As far as chapter 3 goes, I did not enjoy most of the examples that were given for "good" long sentences.  The Virginia Woolf sample was the only one where I could really get into the rhythm of it.  I know that Jane Austen's was supposed to be read aloud, but it was so long that I kept having to reread the previous line every so often.    I was getting lost in the words as well as having my mind wander when it is supposed to be concentrating. .  I did not enjoy it.  I do like the notion that each sentence is to lead into the next, keeping the story going, and the reader right along with it.  That is a good rule of thumb to keep when writing prose.  Otherwise you have the potential to have alot of fodder.  I did like the Huck Finn example, but I have loved Twain's stories every since a little girl.
Chapter 4 was short,  but the jest was to not use any rule of thumb as far as repetition is concerned.  Structured repetition can show emphasis.

JUNKYARDS

1. When you get down to the molecular level of shit, the simplest solution is the right one. ----  Eddie from Nurse Jackie

2.  The fun I had in my twenties, is what set me up for my failure in my 30's.   

3. My brain is dripping with information.

4.

Junkyard quotes

1.  The government long ago stopped caring about the best interests of its citizens, maybe they did the first 100 years but not now.  Now they care only about money, how to get it and get the most. If they seem to care now, its only to keep them in power. 

2.  To serve and protect is written on a police car: What they serve and protect is THEIR best interests.  Their biggest interest is money and generating as much as they can for their bankrupt county or city.  This way, their fat fucking pensions will ensure they can still smoke cuban cigars once they retire.

3.  As the cop left me on the side of the road at 3am I saw "to serve and protect" written on its car.   He left me on the side of the road to walk home in one of the most dangerous of all zones in Atlanta, at 3 am.  Where I was walking was a 5 min car ride but a 30 min. walk and he knew that.  Where the hell is the CIVIC DUTY IN THAT!              -------Friend of mine who got laid off and hadn't gotten her unemployment yet.  She had to let her insurance lapse in order to pay rent. You know, keep a roof over her head. The cop towed her car, 1 mile away from her house.  In East Atlanta! on Moreland Ave.! which is zone 6 ! A neighborhood with an enormous reputation for being laden with criminal activity. 

JUST AN FYI

For anyone who read my random write "Dogstars and Rednecks"  I now can say I am OVER my Dog The Bounty Hunter obsession! 

Reading Response A Good Man is Hard to Find

I am trying to figure out why I didn't like this story as much as I usually like our readings.  Maybe its because I do not believe that "The Misfit" went to jail for something he doesn't even remember.  I feel that is what lost its credibility to me. If someone goes to jail, they are probably going to remember what they did that put them in prison.  However, the more I think of the Old woman, the more I feel closer to the story, and how my own morbidity would end up writing a similar story.  Usually I determine if I like a story, or poem, etc if it can meet one of the following criteria:
1.  If there is something cryptic, am I willing to read it again?
2.  Do I immediately want to tell someone about what I just read, and then write something.
3.  Do I think about the story in complete silence, rehashing everything I remember about it, playing the scenes over and over in my head?

Usually, if I do one of those three things, I like a story.  I wanted to want to try and read this short again, but I didn't really want to.   NOW AN HOUR HAS PASSED AND I RETURNED TO THIS POST.  This short has left an impression on me, because I keep thinking of the old lady sitting in the back in between her 2 grandchildren and her ungrateful agitated son Bailey.

Random writes 1 and 2 for week one of prose

 This is a fictionalized portrait of the last day of Jack The Rippers last victim. 
Part 1

Cecile pawned off her husbands only pair of gallies. It was a calculated risk going down to the docks once Jimmy told her where Harland was passed out, but one well worth the reward: five shillings! Now she knew that those old boots of his were not worth near five shillings, but she always gave her fence, Billy, favors for free. In return, he always took care of her when she had something tangible to give. Billy knew she would now be able to drink and have something to eat. Food is what she would normally do without whenever she had coins in her hand.

Cecile headed down the cobblestones of White Chapel, stale bread in one hand and pint of warm gin in the other. She flaunted both the gin and the bread to all who saw her on the street. They never shared with her if they had a turn in luck, so why should she share with them. Nope, it was only Harland who ever gave Cecile anything without wanting something in return. As the gin began to take effect on her malnourished body, she began to feel more and more sentimental towards Harland. She turned up the bottle towards the raining sky, emptied it and decided she would work all night and all weekend long. She wasn't going to stop until she had enough money to buy back Harland's boots on Monday morning. He wouldn't be able to go to work Monday without boots. Realizing he goes out every week trying to muster up some type of work for the both of them made her feel foolish and ashamed for taking his boots. Even though they weren't legally married, he always treated her as a wife, sharing his gin, bed, food, and never laying a hand on her. Even when he was stupid drunk. She was lucky like that and she knew it. Other working girls had real husbands who would send them out to work, but then take their money, and beat them for doing it with other bloks to begin with. So, Cecile heading in to the first public house she saw, bought a pint of beer, and scooped out her first customer.

As the night drew in, Cecile wasn't doing half bad. She had 3 customers and each one of them also bought her a beer as well as her earned her a silver sixpence. Tired and blind drunk she headed out towards the docks to see if her beloved Harland was there.  Harland was always "her beloved" when she was drunk.

RANDOM WRITE 2
Point of view in 2nd person Hans the chicken plucker


You wake while the sun is barely etching over the horizon, and even though your internal clock is set to 5:30am, its never easy.  This is why you decide to sleep in your coveralls.  Waking up already dressed gives  you an extra 15 minutes of sleep.  But that's not the only reason you chose to sleep like this.  When you were a lad at the young age of 6, your grandpappy, (whom you were named after from the old country) told you this was how he slept.  Grandpappy is your hero, always was and always will be, so trying to be like him is something you always strive to do.  The only problem with sleeping in your coveralls is the feathers.  They are everywhere.  Placing your bare feet on the cold slates of dark brown wood sends a jolt of chills up your spine, waking you up more than a strong cup of joe.  You look for the feathers to save you.  Seeing a pile at the end of your bed, you use your big toes from each foot to create a pile and move them closer to you.  Now you're able to stand up on the cold floor but the feathers are between your feet and that darned wood.  Sliding your feet, careful not to lose any feathers from under you, you head towards the bathroom door.  You keep your socks on the towel rack, just like grandpappy and once you've safely made it to them, you know its going to be a good day.  If you had lost your footing, or lost some feathers while sliding to the bathroom, it would be a bad day.  But today, you are going to have a magnificent day plucking chickens. 

Junkyard quotes

1.  Dreams are personalized myths and myths are personalized dreams.    Joseph Campbell

2.  The English language is a smorgasbord of beautiful possibility.     Ian Dury--- Ian, was telling his young son the process he goes though when writing a song; while remembering its all up to you, and you can do anything you want with words

3.  Its kinda like word vomit on a page.  Trista in Wednesday's class-----As soon as she said it I wrote it down, but now I can't remember what it was in reference too.  

4.  There is a couple of ways to avoid death, one of them is to be magnificent, this is my favorite way.     Ian Dury Again.

5. 

Reading Response Ch.1,2, and shorts Still Week 1 of Prose

Chapter one reminded me of my youth and how excited I used to get going to the public library (I even had a sensory memory where the smell came to me.)  Le Guin states that when you are a child language is playful, fun and easy to fall in love with.  I agree because that was my experience.  This reading reminded me to not take (every single thing) I write so seriously.  It should be an enjoyable experience.  When we grow up, there is a societal concept that play is for children, and yet we do find ways to play as adults.  It makes sense to incorporate this idea into writing since it is a creative act and creating scenarios, characters, drawings, colorings, etc. is what we do as forms of play in youth. Alliteration, onomatopoeia and repetitions are playful and useful tools that i forgot were options.
As far as 1/3 1/3 1/3 went, I understand the importance of reading it right after covering how important character development is, character names, dialect.

Reading Response Week 1 for prose

Popular Mechanics was pretty cool.  I seemed to like it more after our class discussion. I would assume this is  pretty common for enthusiastic english students since literary criticisms/discussions gives you a better understanding of what you are reading.  A deeper understanding allows a better appreciation allowing a more concise opinion.  A new concept I learned from the discussion is reader denial.  I think I have read a lot of things in which I experienced reader denial.  And whats funny about that is,  I think I knew all along I was in reader denial but I was in denial about it.  Anyways, like I said in class, after I finished reading Popular Mechanics the image of the baby being torn in half entered my mind but just as quick as it came my rationale threw it right out.  And just like Yeeva, the biblical story of the baby being cut in half by two women claiming to be the mom also entered my head. Another experience I had from reading this story was the vivid images that came to me even though there was an absence of details.  I saw the little house they  lived in and felt the silence and sadness that lingered there as sure as the air is present. 

After reading the intro to Steering The Craft, I am anxious to get started with this portion of the course.  I  always read a books intro, but this one was actually enjoyable.  Her conversational style relaxed and excited me instead of stressing me out / intimidating me on the process of developing good writing skills.
 

Random write week 6

 DOGSTARS AND REDNECKS

After an arduous day at school,  I let my mind wonder for an hour instead of my writing hand.  When the alarm went off I realize I was concentrating on something funny.  Am I becoming a redneck?  I contemplate this because of my choice of escapism this past week: Dog the Bounty Hunter. This will be Exhibit A. Yeah I can't believe it myself.  But, there is actually something endearing about Dwayne, The Dog.  After he captures a fugitive, (if they aren't a murderer, rapist, or pedophile) he speaks to them with respect, feeds them if they are hungry, and gives them cigarettes along with sincere encouragement.  He suggests to them they are not bad because they have made bad decisions.   Perhaps because I am a psych. major will explain what attracts me to his empathy.  Anyways, I am getting off track.  Exhibit B: Last night, as my dog walked me,  I remembered I was jogging with a cigarette in my hand.  I'd also like to state that his name is Dig, coined after porn star Dirk Diggler from Boogie Nights, because he is a shining star.  (And the fact that when we picked him up off the street in Atlanta he wasn't neutered and humped everything in sight.)  Have I proven my point yet?  If not, let me shred the last bit of dignity I have with Exhibit C:  I am sitting at my husbands bar with 4 rock-a-billy dudes  praising the coolness of George Jones, while singing at the top of our lungs, wait for it, wait for it:  He stopped loving her today. "The best love song EVER"-  according to Lou and Dan.
My father hates the term "redneck" and finds it insulting.  He grew up on a tobacco farm, began work at the age of 4 and learned how to roll his own smokes at 6.  A self-made man he is very proud.  His interpretation of redneck is a derogatory name for farmers or people who grew up in the country.  And I guess he is right.  But, I am being derogatory... towards myself.  I can do that, right?   Now, in all honesty, I don't really think I am a redneck but like I said in class today I am out of inspiration as far as writing goes and I don't mind poking fun at myself.  And hey,  at least I don't dip or take snuff, right...?

Reading Response

 Cervantes lays a wonderful world of imagery pitting two destitute lifestyles against each other. Goldbartth's poem doesn't so much lay out imagery but rather the strength of this poem lies in the subject matter and the presentation of this from the voice.  I like the fact that he takes headlines from grocery store and incorporates poetry from them.  Jim Morrison did the same thing, junkyard quotes believe it or not.  He obviously did not call them "junkyard quotes" but he would write in his journal slogans from billboards and commercial slogans, which he includes in Break on thru when at the end of the song he says: Stronger than dirt.  For those who are too young to know, he got that from a Tide commercial.  Anyways,   Booth's poem is very Frost-like to me, which the book states is a huge influence.  These poems lay a wonderful example of what  good poetry sounds like when you follow some of the editing questions we went over in class on wednesday.  All three of these poems seems straight forward, but say so much without premise indicators dictating them, as well as lofty overstated imagery. 

Junkyard quotes week 5

Since I have been in an inspiration standstill, I have decided to take my favorite passages from our readings as my junkyard quotes.   Hopefully, some established poems can instill some life in my own, rather than seeking out the poetry in the life that surrounds me:
1.)  sheep clouds gather below the buff
        How many times have I looked at clouds in my lifetime, but never saw them as sheep, But now that the image is etched in my minds eye its as if they've always being sheep. The power of a good descriptive line.

2.) I worry about a winter in a place I've never been, about exiles in their homeland gathered around a fire, about the slavery of substance and gruel: will there be enough to eat?
       Here I not only am able to visual the family gathered around a fire in some Afghanistan cave, but when I read this line I actually feel the desperation.

3.)... malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, machetes of he jefes.
      This quote took me a minute to realize that she was referring to Indian chiefs.  However, this is another excellent descriptive quote, the machetes of jefes.  simple, direct, but invoking a feeling from their deaths.

4.)...and the slits in their throats are neat professional slits, as if four envelopes were opened:
         Again, the imagery here is simply stated, but so little sometimes can say soo much.

5.) The fog is all but asleep in the woods, evening deepens the house.
       I actually hear the silence in the house from this quote.

Random write

This is my attempt to write something totally concrete with very little abstractions. it s not long yet but I tend to elaborate when I am feeling it in my gut....like that abstraction?

My knees are like little nuggets of popcorn cracklin' in the microwave. With every step, a sinewy sound is released from my patella.

Reading Response chapter 9 Voice

Chapter 9's idea of "catching meaning thru suggestion" appears easy because it is a simple concept to grasp.  However, this takes alot of thought and calculation.  Its hard!  I was glad "premise indicators" were brought to light because I use them too often.  In leaving them out, you can explain "why" in your writing through concrete images. I feel that this chapter is dealing with a level of advancement beyond myself.  What really hit home for me was the example given on tone, in relation to how younger kids speak to their parents when asked to do chores. Tone can definitely change the way a poem is interpreted.  I feel the easiest portion of this chapter for me to apply in my own writing is the "leaping away from logic."  It's easier to exaggerate with imagery to get a point across. 

Junkyard Quotes Week 5

1.) Death follows you your whole life, its like a sparrow perched on your shoulder.  --  TV (where else) show that deals with real crimes...

I like the imagery of this quote.  When we are born, we die a little each day but the fact that death symbolized as an innocent sparrow perched on our shoulder is shall I say poetic.

2.) Their act of love is like the jabbing of a hypodermic needle to which they’re addicted but which is more and more empty of real interest and surprise.    Tennessee Williams   Small Craft Warnings
 
This quote has a "because" in it but I thought it drove to the point home regardless.

3.) 

Junkyard quotes Week 4

1.  I'm also thinking about getting a gun, and dealing crack. Being a crack dealer. Not like a mean crack dealer, but like... like a nice one. Kinda friendly like, "hey, what's up guys? Want some crack?" I'm just waiting on those two things to flesh themselves out.   Ricky Bobby yall!  Talladega Nights!

What can I say?  This quote RULES!  It's funny.  So if I must explain myself, its obviously funny because it makes fun of the absurdity of aspiring to be a gun wielding drug dealer.

2.  If only I could have been awake to enjoy my deep sleep. - me
3. An artist is someone who produces things that people don't need to have but that he - for some reason - thinks would be a good idea to give them.  Andy Warhol
4.  Age does not protect you from love, but love to some extent, protects you from age.   Jeanne Moreau

5. I was not trying to be shocking, or to be a pioneer. I wasn`t trying to change society, or to be ahead of my time. I didn`t think of myself as liberated, and I don`t believe that I did anything important. I was just myself. I didn`t know any other way to be, or any other way to live."  Bettie Page

Random write week 4

Your propped pillow now sits wilting
From the remote, a sign only I can see flashes vacancy,
the word seeming to extend in the air just long enough for me to catch my breathe,
then its gone.
Now the TV stares back at me wondering if he can run thru the channels as fast as before.
I attempt to surf with your previous speed, but I am only a warm-up.

Reading Response Chapter 5 subject

 I wish that we could spend more time on each of the types of methods suggested in the book.  I would like to visually see a really good poem that used the chasing method from start to finish.  This is because my level of comprehension goes beyond just the surface when I am able to see the process of things.
The negation and reversal process is something that will be useful for me since I used  (sarcastic past tense) to have the problem of sticking to one idea, phrase, or line.  Now, that I know the dangers of that, this reversal process is an excellent remedy for that.  As far as juggling is concerned, I understand what they are saying about it but I want more examples because again I don't think I am going to be able to juggle imagery, setting, and experience on purpose.

Random write week 4

 I have just printed out my 2nd poem to be turned in and upon rereading it over and over again, I have decided I AM a master at something.  Cheese.  No, not cheese, corn.  No worse than corn, golden fucking hominy!  Its not just corn, its corn that has been ground up and stomped on!  Unfortunately, I will never stop.  It feels really good.  I am a junkie and my journal is my fix.  Especially since I am unable to turn up my amp and play music, this has been my only creative outlet. But I will be very glad when this semester is over, because then I can write for myself without having to turn it in.

Reading Response week 3 Chapter 3 Voice

Respect 1967 by Ai was a fun read for me. I usually tend to gravitate towards the sarcastic and for me her own voice is in there with some definite sarcasm.  Taking on the voice of another, especially if it is the total opposite of the speaker seems to be challenging.  That being said, the best way to improve at anything is to get out of a comfort zone. I am anxious to take on a voice opposite of mine since I feel it requires empathy as well as concise attention to detail. As far as the aleatory method goes, it is hard for me to imagine enjoying a poem with no narrative sense, but after several re-reads of Tender Buttons, I slowly began to like the way it sounds when read aloud.  I am also a bit confused with this whimsical, nonsensical randomness.  What is the difference between this embraced approach and a real abstract poem?  Is it the fact that Gertrude Stein's,  Tender Buttons, is to be read knowing there is no meaning and an abstract poem has an assumed meaning?

Junkyard quotes week 3

A grownup is a child with lawyers. Woody Harrelson

The wind of anger blows out the lamp of intelligence.

 There are no mistakes, save one: the failure to learn from a mistake.Robert Fripp
 

At 2:00am my tax refund will in my bank account and I'm going to be a thousandaire!  My friend Wooten
 

Laughter is a form of internal jogging."  Norman Cousins
 

What do you do for recreation? : Oh, the usual. I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback.   The Dude from The Big Lebowski

Randomly writing recursively Week 3

For instance in a stance
i stand in an instant.
Standing in my stance I stare down a sordid distance.
Distance down a dare, do I dare down that distance?
Staring in an instance I down that distant stare.

Reading Response week 3 Style

I really enjoyed the chapter on Style.  My approach to developing my own artistic voice has been carried out the same way the chapter describes.  For instance, when teaching myself how to play bass, I learned as many John Paul Jones bass lines as possible.  I proceeded to learn songs by various artists, and in doing so I was "investigating the various contexts" of each song, and "building a vast repository" of sounds and techniques.  This is turn broadened my views of possibilities and eventually I began to riff off someone else songs by adding harmonies, embellishments, etc.  After years of playing, I did develop my own style.  I do believe that eventually my own poetic style will emerge by applying this same technique. 
I also would like to add that after reading about the recursive method, I did not think that I would enjoy writing this way.  However,  I loved A Mown Lawn, and during class when we were asked to write in this style, I really dug it. I instinctively think if there is no narrative meaning then I'm not going to like it.  Not the case anymore.  Professor Ellison told us to stop editing ourselves and once I heeded to that advice, I felt I was in the "flow" as discussed in Chapter 1.  I really enjoyed the freedom I felt.

silly random write

SINKING THE 8 BALL

Numbers scatter
stopping points matter
on long green tables
pushing woods of maple


earth forms of white
push solids and stripes
in shirtless pockets
from elbow sockets 

junkyard quotes

1. I'm going to paint the world with change!  heard channel surfing again
For me, this is reminiscent of the romantic writers.  There is such an innocent optimism here that is not jaded or cynical.  The voice of this poem really believes in the possibility of their success in "painting the world with change."
 
2. No one suffers like the poor, baby.  Henry Chinaski aka Bukowski Barfly

I love this quote.  I like an advocate for the poor, unlucky and downtrodden.  A universal theme that is very personal to me.

3. Gods voice is small and still, like that of a sparrow in a cyclone.  My husband told me this quote but he thinks its from the bible used in a Stephen King novel.

What I like about this quote is the notion that what is God like and true is not always this big booming thing, sometimes you have to strain to hear thru the clutter of daily life.  You have to try and still yourself to hear it. 
 
4. Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.  Benjamin Franklin

How great is this!?  If we are to use these quotes as inspiration for our writing then this quote reminds me that writing doesn't have to always be so serious.

5. We could totally write the poor man's urban guide to survival!  Husband

Reading Response Chapter 2

The question/answer expansive method did not appeal to me.  I plan on rereading this portion again in hopes of finding a little bit of me in this process.  However, I do see the benefits of this exercise. Especially since I do have commitment issues with preconceived phrases or ideas.  Using another person's answers for raw materials in writing a poem provides another viewpoint to use in conjunction with my own ideas. Therefore I am given a unique opportunity for originality.  The contraction strategy, creative erasure was my favorite portion of this chapter.   This tool is invaluable to me because it helps with two weaknesses in my writing: redundancy and wordiness.

Reading Response to Chapter 1

The first chapter, Establishing Practice, has been one of the most beneficial readings I have read in a long time.  The most important aspect I received was giving me the realization if I start the process of writing with a specific message,  it can be detrimental to the creative process.   I tend to commit myself too early with a specific theme or passage forcing me to limit the direction of my writing.  Usually when this happens, I get writer's block and give up or write something that doesn't feel good intrinsically.  Another valuable tool I received from this chapter is the notion of "showing not telling."  If poetry is language and performance, then the performance without painted imagery is not going to challenge the audience or give them something new to take away for further contemplation or enjoyment.  It's easy to tell, but showing forces a creative process.

Percolating on a leap of faith RANDOM WRITE

The second day of class, Professor Ellison asked us why we were taking creative writing.  I have been percolating on this ever since.  Why did I sign up for this class?   I have no desire to be a writer, or an english teacher.  My grammar sucks too bad anyways.  (As you will see.)  Well for starters let me give you a little bit of history.  It has been years since I originally dropped out of college to do the "band thing," and for years I was satisfied with being dirt poor and just playing "for the sake of playing."   When its just you and your band, (guitars, live drums, amplifiers) and the 4 walls that separate you from the outside world, the pinnacle of ultimate freedom is felt.  However, there is a downside.  After awhile getting paid with a pitcher of free beer and a few hundred bucks to split between 4 people can be frustrating to say the least.  And since that's not enough to live on,  I took a job that allowed freedom to play and rehearse: bar tending!!  Surprised? Yeah, didn't think so.  Eventually the high I felt from playing was not enough to make up for the very limited lifestyle I had.  Especially after the economy got so terrible which in turn effected my bar wages. I did what I wanted in my youth and now I'm a little bit older and want something else.  Since I am not qualified for anything I decided to go back and finish college. (Hoping that will help prevent me from working in a restaurant the rest of my life.)  I love school anyways, always did.  If I were a rich man's daughter I would have been a career student.  So, when it was time to chose what classes I was going to take, after a 14 year break, I decided to take whatever I wanted, regardless of my major.   In choosing this class, I knew it was going to challenge me and do it in a way that I haven't been challenged in years.  I've always enjoyed writing and there is something in me, fiercely tugging at my instinct, saying somewhere down the line this class will be beneficial in your life.  Where I least expect it.  So, here I am.  Taking this class on a leap of faith.

junkyard quote

Only a fool can count on getting what he truly deserves... heard at work from friend Wooton!

junkyard quote

Before you can make good music, you just have to shut up. Then the music can say what it has to say.... musician  Kristin Hersch


This is very similar to the way one should write.  Even in our reading from chapter one, writing poetry, the authors state you should just go with it, and not let the possibility of failing prevent you from writing.  The act of writing should be joyous and the more you work the craft the better you get.

classmate response to Jamie Lynn's Bartender

I feel this poem does well in executing archetypal imagery.  I visualize the witches pot, apothecary bottles, billowing smoke, and the power the bartender has over the stereotypical bar guest.  "Venomous concoctions reeking of death", sets a moody feeling that can truly be felt in a bar.  Perhaps the creation of monsters can be explored to continue with this theme.   

junkyard quote

"doesn't matter where you've been, as long as it was deep, yeah."  Lyric from Cars tune, Just What I needed.

Now, I have been singing this song for many years.  The lyrics are so etched in my memory that I didn't even realize what I was saying until recently. I love this line in the song because it can be a mantra for all poets everywhere, stating the nature of our daily existence.  Because as writers, good and bad, don't we all wear a badge of honor declaring some sort of existential angst? or is it just be me?

junkyard quote

"heroin made me feel like the sun shined upon my soul"  .....heard while on television channeling surfing, from the show intervention.

I know this is a provocative quote.  However, I like the emotional dichotomy  it brings. There is joy from such an obvious tragic situation.   There is a universal, almost mythic feel about something forbidden or evil, that we as humans have a hard time resisting.

silly random write

cigarette butts everywhere
morning noon and night
cigarettes butts remind me
of a creeping cancer fight

cigarettes butts everywhere
not one can be smoked
cigarette butts taunting me
"they're past that line, you'll choke!"

cigarette butts everywhere
picking up one anyways
cigarette butts win again
your habits here to stay

Randrom Write:

Sprightliness wind below pesters the already apprehensive walker
But duty reigns over comfort
Comfort surrendered from a warm pillow
Comfort steaming from a cup of hot cocoa, moistening a dry upper lip.
This undertaking at times feels like a nagging paper cut
nagging at my subconscious gnawing under my skin
a task that must get done at an unfortunate 5am
Three miles down the road, the sun now about to rise

Drains the dread just felt
Once the apprehensive walker sees a furry wagging tail.

junkyard quote

"the enemy of art is the absence of limitations" Orson Wells to independent filmmaker Henry Jaglom

Not a recent quote I've come across, but it has stuck with me for years.   Essentially when you have no resources you are forced to create them, create solutions, and whatever the final process is will be much more imaginative than if you would have had all the money in the world.