Category Archives: Essays

July 22, 2018

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 22 July 2018

By Kat Myrman

What is there to say about this past week on the world front? I chose not to go there in verse…at least I tried. But how could I not watch with horror, the train wreck happening and treasonous actions of our president…yes I said it…treason. How else can one view his willingness to hand over US government officials, who Putin disdains for apparently playing a role in Russian sanctions, to be interrogated by Putin’s thugs.

Whether Trump “would” or “wouldn’t”, it was clear from Putin’s puffed chest, command of the event, and evil smirk during their press conference, that he had strong armed trump in their two hour tête-à-tête. Trump belongs to Putin. We suspected as much. It was confirmed this past week on the world stage. And lest we forget, young children still remain prisoners in black government sites and un-vetted foster homes across the country while their parents rely on the mercy of strangers to untangle them from red tape. Fortunately, I didn’t go there this week!

No, rather than writing about headlines, I decided I would focus on finding Merak. And I like to think I did find glimmers of Merak each day. Boy did we ever need it this week. It ain’t easy being woke. And that said, my daily Terza Rima this week will slip between the cracks to see what we find. It will take some diligence to find a thing overlooked a day. Today’s was easy…and sets the stage for the rest of the week. I pass by the empty house in the photograph on my walk every day. Even the tree in the front could not sustain life once its owner passed away.

Sometimes it’s not the things that happen on the world stage that matter the most, but rather the tiny shifts behind shuttered doors that cause the earth to quake.

Have a great week. I’m off to discover the overlooked and forgotten…

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 22 July 2018

to fly above the earth, a bird’s eye view…
with my feet, deeply rooted like a tree
i probably shouldn’t be
we whisper in the shadows,
come out
with grace to bend when tempests storm the night
a rhapsody of words
stardust and sinew meld beneath my skin
cicadas’ shrill diminuendoes troll
the sun rises here too
amaranth tendrils pierce through lace-trimmed trees
but looks can be deceiving
threading the needle
it helps to be woke
at long last, i am flying on moonbeams
like fingers of light
they never listened

~kat

A 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 ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Reverse Poem, Shi Sai, Week in Review

July 15, 2018

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 15 July 2018

By Kat Myrman

If you followed me this past week, today’s ReVerse might surprise you. There was an onslaught of madness on the world stage as featured in my daily Terza Rima poetry series, “Headlines”. Oh, you’ll see glimpses of the insanity captured in this week’s compilation, but in the middle of it all, glimmers of light.

Call me crazy, but I still believe that the truth will set us free, that the light will quash the darkness, that love will win over hate, and that there is joy to be found in the midst of sadness. It is life in all its beautiful, messy glory. And the best part is that I get to share it with you, here through my words in blog-land, and with my family and friends in this corner of the world that I call home. This good is not lost to me even when the world erupts in lunacy…even when I pen my angst and frustration…there is a realization that I am not alone. And there is an astonishing freedom in finding affinity with others who see the world in a similar light. Freedom from those who don’t. As Bernard M. Baruch so perfectly said…”Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”

I’m moving past headlines for my daily Terza Rima series. “Finding Merak” is what I’ll be focusing on. It’s no use speculating what conversations will be had during the love fest behind closed doors this Monday by “PutRump”. We’ll never know the truth. But one thing I do know, the truth will come to light eventually. It always does.

I noticed that both last week’s and this week’s ReVerse end in symphonies. I must be hearing music…I’m crazy that way. Have a great week.

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 15 July 2018

valued in unequal measure, mothers weep
long dead at their own hand, the burned stand ground
i choose love
the wild path where roses bloom
“they” were among us
jesters entertaining kleptocracy
there exist paragons
referencing days past as old
crazed cicadas wail
while allies deal with Vlad’s dim protege
just for sport, midst chaos, a diversion,
would you like me to set you free?
I just have to ask, do you believe in miracles
as talking heads explode in fake news rooms
in trumpian frenzy…kangaroo court
but ‘all of this is fake’ they’ll say, so sad…
like a symphony of crushed light

~kat

A 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 ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Reverse Poem, Shi Sai, Week in Review

July 8, 2018

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 8 July 2018

By Kat Myrman

Well Happy Sunday. At least I hope yours is happy. The world has been quite dramatic. So many lives are hanging in the balance. There was a small victory for detained children at the US border (or wherever they are now….seems our Government has lost a few hundred of them). The courts found in their favor, ordering the Feds to reunite all the families within 30 days, 14 days for ‘tender-aged children. The government is already asking for an extension. Are you surprised? I’m not.

Meanwhile, football lovers the world over anticipate the final battles between teams that have risen to the top in their quest for the World Cup.

And then there are the young Thai players trapped from a spelunking excursion gone wrong, who have begun the treacherous journey from the wet bowels a mountain while the world watches and waits for good news…and monsoon rains loom. And speaking of hanging in the balance the US holds their breath while Trump tries to fast track the installment of his second narrow-minded pick for the Supreme Court; a selection sure to set the progressive course of this nation back 70 years or more.

World weather is hot, very hot and stormy. And the Brits can expect a visit from our not so great leader in the coming week. Please keep him, will you? We need a break from the maddening dissolution of our union. But I can tell you my British friends, we should not accept anything of substance from this meeting where one of the parties is not in their right mind. We’re already seeing the fallout from the Trump-Kim Summit. Full denuclearization you say? The terms were obviously spun in the translation. And then there is Vlad waiting in the wings to commiserate with his loyal puppet, our Colluder-in-Chief, post NATO. You just can’t make this shit up. Not even in our wildest imaginations does any of this feel real. But it is.

And if this all reads a bit like headlines, I can assure you, some of these sound bites are tearing my heart in two. Maybe I thought listing a few of the major events, in a matter-of-fact fashion, might take the sting away. It doesn’t.

At any rate it was a busy week, more busy-ness to come. If today’s reverse seems a bit disjointed, I suppose it’s understandable. The heat is on. Boy, is it ever! Because so much is happening I’m taking on headlines for my daily Terza Rima Poetry Challenge this week. See you next Sunday. Peace to you on your journey.

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 8 July 2018

the foundlings were lost
waves rising from pavement, hot, smelling of oil
in sweltering shaded hollows, creatures keep
darkness, softly creeping
into an ocean spilling over…
odd ducks in a row
raindrops suspended
rush of rain drops plopping, puddles deep
there was a broken link in the chain.
stale air swirls in darkening rooms
they sought freedom / a better life
seconds to minutes the hours tic slow
“thank you for your service…”
cold front a-brewing, thunder rumbling low
the goal…not dying
alchemy of blue and yellow
prisoners of shade, at long last, set free
season of blossoms
as if it’s not wasted
devoured by the day
madness, a symphony

~kat

A 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 ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Shi Sai, Week in Review

July 6, 2018

Campcraft – Friday’s Word of the Day

By Kat Myrman

campcraft
Today’s Word of the Day at Dictionary.com is Campcraft, defined as the “art of outdoor camping”. Okay, I have to stop here for a minute…art? Really!? Can you tell that my brow is furrowed right now? Camping as “art”? I think that’s a stretch. Maybe I should look at other dictionary definitions of the word, campcraft.

But before I do that, let’s look up the word “art”. Wow! What a can of worms that is. Suffice to say that there is an entire field of philosophical study, and a good amount of disagreement regarding art and whether it is even possible to define art; whether anyone should even try. There are pages and pages of methodology and reasoning, but nowhere, NOWHERE do I see any reference to campcrafting. Not a one. It may have something to do with the fact that campcraft is a relatively new word. According to dictionary.com: “Campcraft is a straightforward compound noun. Camp ultimately derives from Latin campus “field, plain,” especially the Campus Martius “the field of Mars” (so called from the altar dedicated to Mars), which was originally pastureland between the Tiber River and the northwest boundary of Rome. The Campus Martius was used for recreation and exercise, various civilian meetings, and army musters and military exercises. Craft is a common Germanic word: cræft in Old English, Kraft in German, kraft in Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish. All of the Germanic languages except English have maintained the original meaning “strength, power”; only English has developed the sense “skill, skilled occupation.” Campcraft entered English in the 20th century.”

But I digress. This is the most neutral, reasonable definition I found for the word “Art”: “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.” See camping in there? uhh hmmm…nope…just as I suggested. 

And about those other dictionaries…The Oxford Dictionary says that campcraft is “knowledge and skill required for an outdoor life lacking modern conveniences”. Thank you Oxford Dictionary! Yes! I can relate to this definition. Merriam-Webster says campcraft is “skill and practice in the activities relating to camping”. Wiktionary says campcraft is “Any of the outdoor skills associated with camping expeditions, such as map-reading.” Ah, map reading, and that word again, skill. I get that. It takes a certain amount of skill to survive on limited resources and no creature comforts in the wild, as it were. 

I suppose I am a bit biased in my aversion to the idea of camping as art. My latest guilty pleasure has been binge-watching a new reality show on the Discovery Channel called “Naked and Afraid”. Its premise is basically this. Teams (a man and a woman, strangers before the challenge) are dropped off in the wilderness. Each person is allowed to bring a tool of their choice and they are given a square canvas over the shoulder bag…and, ahem, the catch…no clothes allowed. Not a stitch. The object of the game, if you can call it that, is to survive the elements and each other for 40 days, while wandering around with wild animals in some of the world’s most dangerous places. (and we’re not talking about Manhattan here…or Chicago…or our southern border…sorry…not sorry). It’s survival at its rawest. And I can tell you, it’s not pretty. It is extreme campcraft, but is it art? For that I must refer back to the definition of art… “the expression or application of human creative skill (…that word again) and imagination (it certainly takes imagination and skill for these people to figure out how to make it without dying or being eaten by predators), typically in visual form such as painting or sculpture (well…nope, that doesn’t fit), producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power”. And with that last part, I may just be talking myself out of my first assumption. Survival is not necessarily beautiful to look it. It is pretty messy, in fact, and scary. But now that I think about it, watching these naked people struggling to survive (believe me, it’s hard to not watch, once you’re hooked…and don’t worry, the producers blur out the sensitive anatomic areas, not that it matters, you really get to know the people. That’s what hooks you in.)…watching them take on the challenge is definitely emotionally gripping and inspirational. When I think of art, however one defines what is or isn’t art, there is a common denominator. It causes us to feel something. 

So…okay Dictionary.com, I’ll give you the use of the word, art, in your definition. I admit my first thoughts were of bunsen burners, bug spray, flashlights, tents and sleeping bags, lions, tigers and bears…spiders and snakes. In that context, art is a stretch. Even “Glamping” can’t hold a candle to the Mona Lisa. But there is beauty in the skill and creativity of survival. I still like Oxford, Wiktionary, and Merriam-Webster’s definitions, but I get it now. Campcraft can be a beautiful thing. Maybe even art. It’s all in how you perceive it. 

campcraft is a skill
in the art of survival 
the goal…not dying

~kat

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

July 3, 2018

Twittering Tales #91 – Chains – 3 July 2018

By Kat Myrman

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About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a photo prompt. Your mission, if you choose to accept the challenge, is to tell a story in 280 characters or less. When you write your tale, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale.

A final note: if you need help tracking the number of characters in your story, there is a nifty online tool that will count for you at charactercountonline.com.

I will do a roundup each Tuesday, along with providing a new prompt. And if for some reason I missed your entry in the Roundup, as I have occasionally done, please let me know. I want to be sure to include your tale.

Finally, have fun!

And REMEMBER…you have 280 characters (spaces and punctuation included), to tell your tale…and a week to do it. I can’t wait to see what you create this week.

Twittering Tales #90 – Pick A Card – The Roundup

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Photo by AlbanyColley at Pixabay.com

Starting us off…

The cards never failed the seekers who came to her for the Oracle’s message. Tonight, she needed a sign. But each card she turned bore the same ominous message. Frustrated, she tossed all the cards on the table. There he was glaring at her once more. Death coming to call.
(272 Characters)

From Michael at Morpethroad:
Pick A Card
With apprehension, I entered the fortune tellers booth.
She was shuffling the cards as I sat down.
Card one: death, card two destruction, card three chaos, card four disease.
She laid them in front of me
her eyes surveyed the four
shaking her head, she said
‘You’re in for a rough day.’
(280 characters)

From Reena at ReInventions:
Confidence
“Pick up any 3 cards to reveal your future.”
“I see my future lying in a heap there, as disorganized as your cards are. Each card sends a negative message. I refuse to accept it.”
“Some are positive. You need to try.”
“I will let them follow me into the future. They will choose me.”
(280 characters)

From Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
Mumbo-Jumbo
“I don’t believe in this crap,” he told the woman. “It’s mumbo jumbo.”
“It doesn’t matter what you believe. The cards help you to understand your situation and to take action based on what is known and what the cards show.”
She flipped a card and turned pale.
“What? What!” he asked.
(280 characters)

From Amritha at Igniting Hope:
Epiphany
Exploring old treasures, the twins stumbled upon a pack of cards in their ancestral home. The curious two pulled it towards each other in excitement. In this struggle of ownership, the tarot cards scattered on the table in a seamless pattern – indeed an epiphanic moment!
Character Count: 279

From Deepa at Sync With Deep:
Devil’s Due
Jack was a Goodwill Ambassador by dawn and Gambler by dusk.
One night devil invited him for High Card Wins game in his dream.
Riches for winning and soul for losing was the betting.
Gambler drew an ace and devil drew a jack.
Jack celebrated his victory but devil was all smiles.
Jack lost as playing with a devil is unpardonable.
(269 characters)

From Teresa at The Haunted Wordsmith:
Predictions
Keli knew they were nothing more than pictures printed on paper, but her crazy Aunt from the old country believed tarot cards predicted the future. That morning Aunt Olga cried because they predicted death. “Tornado Watch #271 in effect until 2 AM,” the weather radio announced.
278 Characters

From Kirst at Kirst Writes:
Wheel of Fortune
No, not like that. Handle them carefully. Don’t disturb the cosmic vibrations!
Oh come on, you don’t seriously believe…
Yes. Now concentrate. Which card are you drawn to?
This one… I guess?
Ah, the Wheel of Fortune. It signifies…
That I should go on a TV game show?
Ok, we’re done.
(277 characters)

From Piyali at Piyali’s Blogs:
Promise of a Soulmate
Aha, you drew out Two of Hearts! You’ll meet your soulmate soon.
How soon?
Um maybe in next 2-3 months.
She smiled, paid the gypsy woman, and left. Chemo isn’t working anymore, you don’t have much time left, her doctor had said. Nonetheless, the reading made her happy, momentarily.
280 Characters exact

From Indhu at Always:
The Murder
The Chief walked past the yellow tapes of the crime scene. This is the 3rd murder in 45 days.
“What’s the time of death?”, he asked. “Around 11 PM” said the coroner.
His eyes looked at the table tossed with tarot cards.
The Tarot Card killer!
He cursed the serial killer on loose.
<280 characters>

From Jan at Strange Goings On in the Shed:
Pick A Card
Which one do I choose?
Death: I can’t advise you, like I said, pick a card, soon.
I was never good at making choices. Used to drive my parents mad when they were alive.
Death: I know, they told me. (Rolls eyes).
That one.
Death: It’s Death.
Is that bad?
Death: It is for me.
(269 characters)

From Leena at Soul Connection:
Grown Up Kid
“Cm In My Child”
Follwng Voice She Wlkd 2wrds Table Wr Cards Ws Scattered
“Dis Is Ur Lyf.U Gng To Rule World”
She Smiled Bt Seeing No One Wlkd 2wrds Door
“WAIT.Bt Its Psbl Only If U R Almghty”
Cnfusd She TurnAround n Saw Her”Whn Wl U Behve Lyk Grwn Up MOM”
Lghng”Lyf Is To Njy.So NEVER”
(280 Characters)

From Hayley at The Story Files:
In The Cards
I shuffled the tarot cards, they would reveal my future but I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. Taking the first ones, I made a cross shape then placed three on the right. I turned over all the cards and read what they meant. Seems the cards had read my mind; they told me nothing.

From Deb at Twenty Four:
He took down the next batch, laying them out with a swiftness which bespoke of years of experience.
People placed so much reliance in them but they were just cards and he got to proof each pack before they were dispatched.
He picked up the death card – it would be the death of him.
(280 characters)

From Willow at WillowDot21:
Pick A Card
“Who threw those cards down?”Gabriel was on the warpath again. Satan rolled his eyes why is that big galah always shouting? St Peter took in a sharp breath. God stood up and peered down to earth. “Well” he said loudly, “Someone will be playing 78 card pick up any time now”
(274 Characters).

From The Dark Netizen:
Tarot
His gun pointed at her, he emphatically asked her to predict her future.
She tossed the cards. The fool it was. He sniggered. At least her reading skills were true. He pulled the trigger. The gun exploded, sending the bullet through his head.
She smiled. He was the fool, not her.
Character Count: 278

From Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
Pick A Card
The muse had deserted him.
Over two weeks now, and still the creative juices were dry. What would they think of him?
In desperation he decided to visit his Tarot reader.
First – The High Priestess – Inaction – check!
Second – Page – mentally unstable – check!
Third – The Fool – check!
(280 characters)

What a great collection of tales we had this week. There is such diversity in your impressions of the prompt photo. So many stories in the cards. Thank you for participating in this challenge. You are the reason I keep coming back. I know I’ve said it before…it’s true…you all inspire me. Keep tweeting!

For this week we’re going abstract. Your inspiration is this photo by analogicus at pixabay.com of a chain. Now you could write about what is connected on the other end of the chain…or what got away. Or, you could take a philosophical approach. What does the concept of chains mean to you? Or if you really want to have some fun, write a first person account, in the chain’s own words, of what it is like to be a chain, tethering things against their will…okay…maybe that is a little far out there. Whatever you come up with it’s sure to be brilliant! Remember 280 characters or less. Have fun. And I’ll see you next week at the Roundup!

Twittering Tales #91 – Chains – 3 July 2018

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Photo by analogicus at pixabay.com

Broken

There was a broken link in the chain. Everyone knew it; knew who it was, but calling him to account seemed an impossible task.

Meanwhile, order was spiraling out of control. Progress had been thwarted. He had friends in low places.

Could they trust the vote, their only hope? TBC.

(280 Characters)

~kat

43 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Essays, Flash Fiction, Random Thoughts and Musings, Twitter Tales