Category Archives: Essays

February 3, 2017

Cloudland – Friday’s Word of the Day Haiku

By Kat Myrman

cloudland.png

Hello Word Fans! You’re going to love today’s Dictionary.com Word of the Day. It is “Cloudland”. It literally means “the sky” or a region of unreality, imagination, etc.; dreamland.

“Hmmm. Okay Kat. I guess it is an oKAY word, but worthy of love? I think you might be stretching it a bit.” (I’m smiling as I play this imaginary conversation in my head.)

Well, you don’t think I would leave you with such a bland, blah, blah, blah definition without giving you some juicy rest of the story info to write home about, now…do you? That would just be mean. And besides, I guarantee you will learn to love this word! (not to mention it is February the month of LOVE! :))

Being a Gemini, an air sign, and a bit of a word nerd, I am often accused of living in Cloudland; not specifically of course, but in oh so many words. Ah but, I digress. I do that a lot, hence the Cloudland references. I do think I would love living there. In Cloudland, that is, because it is actually a real place in the upper Western corner of Georgia. You probably didn’t know that, unless of course you are a nature-loving, canyon-hiking, waterfall-scaping, spelunking, yurt enthusiast. Then you might know all about Cloudland Canyon. Here’s a LINK if you’d like to visit Cloudland one day. 🙂

Oh, but there is more! Cloudland entered the English language in the early 1800’s but it has a distant Greek cousin based on the word, Nephelokokkȳgía, which means CloudCuckooLand. Its origin is traced to Aristophanes’ 414BC comedic play, The Birds, referring to the realm which separates the gods from mankind. It’s an interesting political allegory that includes such things as building walls, religion, power struggles, the creation of self-serving laws, and ultimately, the fact that a perfect world does not exist. In fact, it is said that anyone who is naïve enough to believe in such a place is a “Cloudcuckoolander”!

In the 20th and 21st Century cloudcuckooland has been used quite liberally by various politicians and big thinkers to include: Margaret Thatcher, Newt Gingrich, Paul Krugman, Imran Khan, a Pakistani sportsman turned politician, Henry Wallace, US Secretary of Agriculture in the 1930’s, and Yuri N. Maltsev, an Austrian economist and economic historian. Read more about it HERE.

So there you have it. I must admit I wouldn’t mind being a cloudlander myself, sans the “cuckoo” part. I’ve always fancied the idea of flying like the birds. I could use a bird’s eye view these days. The view from the ground lately rather cuckoo!

Dreams of Cloudland

In my wildest dreams
I sprout magnificent wings
and take to cloudland.

~kat – 3 February 2017

Have a happy weekend. 🙂

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Essays, Haiku, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Word of the Day Haiku

January 29, 2017

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 29 January 2017

By Kat Myrman


Each week I look back. Each week I lift a line from my posts from the previous week to give me a snapshot of the week that was, to clean the slate, to clear my head to prepare for the coming week.

I want a do-over. But since that is not the way time works I plan to reject my clean slate model for this week and the weeks to come because apathy has a way of finding fertile soil in the hearts of those who hide from the realities of the past without gleaning them first for lessons to retain.

I cannot wipe this week’s slate clean because it is not over. Not yet.

Peace and love to all, yes, all.

<Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 29 January 2017

…she never sleeps
the last thing I remember?
…that they didn’t notice…
I been lookin’ eberwheres…
would that I could hide away
brackish billows swell
flow from light to gray
everything felt so familiar
utopia is a place
just sayin’
battered by a storm

-kat

6 Comments   |  tags: , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Shi Sai, Social Issues

January 29, 2017

Essay Assignment – Souvenir 

By Kat Myrman

So like a leaf, with a transparent white stem that had been battered by a storm; frayed fluff and separated barbs in shades of silvery gray, ochre and indigo. If I hadn’t been looking down I might have missed the feather.

I wondered if the bird who lost it, missed it, or if it took its passing as a commonplace event, like clipping one’s fingernails.

I picked it up and headed home with a lilt in my step; me and my tiny single wing.

©kat – 28 January 2017

Written for an essay writing exercise at the Roanoke Regional Writer’s Conference – 28 January 2017

7 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Life Lessons, Spirituality

January 22, 2017

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 22 January 2017

By Kat Myrman

My view of the sea of love that swelled in Roanoke, VA on January 21, 2017


We have been told that it is impossible to know the truth. Because truth is power, those who are ravenous for power have sought to own it, to create an alternate reality where they define truth for us. The emergence of “fake news” has helped them make the case that “no news is good news” encouraging the confused masses to trust only them, because, truth is power. This is gaslighting (so you don’t have to look it up, this is what it means: manipulating (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity.) Lies do not miraculously transform into truth because the teller smacks a “Period!” at the end of its telling, no discussion, no questions asked. And you are not crazy, or disloyal, or worse, for wanting to question it. 

Remember, truth is power. There will always be those who seek to harness it for their own gain. But truth cannot be bought or sold to the highest bidder. You know this is true. You have an inner compass guiding you when you view the world through the lens of hope, compassion, goodness and love. 

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t possibly know the truth in this time of fake news. The truth you seek resides in you just waiting to set you free from the cacophony of spin, opinions and boastful “Periods!” It’s time we all stopped looking for the truth somewhere “out there” and listened to our hearts.

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 22 January 2017

why do we murmur
no one believes me
I only did what anyone would do
looks are deceiving
dazzlingly brilliant, wild
but what is the truth?
~kat

A shi sai or ReVerse poem is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the shi sai features the words of one writer,providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week. 😊

8 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Poetry, Shi Sai, Week in Review

January 21, 2017

Asseverate – Friday’s Word Of The Day Haiku – 20 January 2016

By Kat Myrman

I missed posting my Dictionary.com word of the day Haiku yesterday, but decided to post today because the word for Friday, Asseverate, is a very good and timely word. Asseverate is a verb that means means “to declare earnestly or solemnly; affirm positively; aver”. It is Latin in origin; “from asseverat-, the stem of assevērātus, the past participle of the Latin verb assevērāre “to act or speak seriously or in earnest.” (The Latin adjective sevērus means “serious, grave”), entering English in the 18th century, replacing the earlier verb assever.”

There has been quite a cacophony of asseverating going on this week; this past year for that matter. But much of the bloviating that we have been subjected to has been opinions, strongly asseverated, but opinions none the less. Opinions are not necessarily truth.

So what is a well-intentioned, thoughtful person to do? How do we discern what is right and real and true? I have found clarity in my own search for truth and light in the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”

In these confusing times I guard my own heart by choosing to “think about such things.” All the rest is dross.

opposing voices
asseverate opinions
but what is the truth?

kat ~ 21 January 2017

7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Essays, Haiku, Life Lessons, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Social Issues, Spirituality, Word of the Day Haiku