Category Archives: Essays

September 27, 2017

Love’s Daughter

By Kat Myrman

Love’s Daughter

St. Itta, “The Blessed” of Nivilles
Jelling Stone erected by Harald VII
King Henry II, England
Eleanor, Dutchess of Aquataine
Effigies of Eleanor and Henry II
Mary Chilton Winslow

I am the daughter of kings and queens; of saints and sinners, revolutionaries, valkyries and explorers. Because they loved centuries ago, my DNA is infused with their spirits. My heart beats to the drumbeat of greatness, and sometimes notoriety.

Of course, not all of my ancestors changed the course of history, but we are all links in a chain. My own contribution to the legacy of my for-bearers: four daughters, a few songs and volumes of poetry that only a few eyes will see.

But it is enough. We all can’t be Gandolf “King of Vingulmork Norway” Alfgeirsson, or Eleanor “Duchess of Aquitaine”, Henry II, King of England, or Itta, “The Blessed” of Nivilles, Harald VII Herbastus ”Bluetooth” deCrepon Gormosson, or Mary Chilton, who crossed the Atlantic on The Mayflower to begin a new life in a new land. But I feel each of them coursing through my veins. Every ounce of tenacity, pluck and determination in me is a testament to their legacy.

I am the daughter of kings and queens; of saints and sinners, revolutionaries, valkyries and explorers. Because they loved and lived centuries ago, their joys, their sorrows, their very spirits live in me.

droplets of crimson
legacy’s bloodline melding
like mercury colliding
spirit of my ancestors
coursing through my veins
spirit of love enduring

destiny’s daughter
a tiny dot on a page
lost to history

~kat

For Colleen Chesebro’s Weekly Poetry Challenge #52, A Haibun/Tanka/Haiku prompted by the words “Spirit” and “Joy”.

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A few of the “Begats” if you’re interested 🙂 We might be related. You never know! 🙂

GANDOLF “KING OF VINGULMORK NORWAY” ALFGEIRSSON (708 – 768)
41st great-grandfather
Alfhild Denmark Norway Gandolfsdottir (728 – 810)
daughter of GANDOLF”KING OF VINGULMORK NORWAY” ALFGEIRSSON
King Ragnar “Lodbrok or Hairy Breeches” of Denmark and Sweden Sigurdsson (750 – 845)
son of Alfhild Denmark Norway Gandolfsdottir
Sigurd Snake Eye Oega Ragnarrson Denmark (786 – 873)
son of King Ragnar “Lodbrok or Hairy Breeches” of Denmark and Sweden Sigurdsson
Hardeknud Harthacanute Denmark Sigurdsson (814 – 884)
son of Sigurd Snake Eye Oega Ragnarrson Denmark
Gormr “The Old” King of Denmark Hardeknudsson (860 – 936)
son of Hardeknud Harthacanute Denmark Sigurdsson
Harald VII Herbastus Bluetooth deCrepon Gormsson (906 – 987)
son of Gormr “The Old” King of Denmark Hardeknudsson
Lady Wevia Doceline Woerta Aveline Senfrie DeMontfort DeCrepon (942 – 1037)
daughter of Harald VII Herbastus Bluetooth deCrepon Gormsson
Humphrey DeHarcourt (980 – 1044)
son of Lady Wevia Doceline Woerta Aveline Senfrie DeMontfort DeCrepon
Albreda DePreaux (1042 – 1112)
daughter of Humphrey DeHarcourt
Countess Albreda De Rie (1060 – 1096)
daughter of Albreda DePreaux
Muriel Valoienes (1070 – 1090)
daughter of Countess Albreda De Rie
Autigonus DeMontchensy (1085 – )
son of Muriel Valoienes
Agnes Weynes de Montchensy (1110 – )
daughter of Autigonus DeMontchensy
John DeHolebrok (1140 – )
son of Agnes Weynes de Montchensy
Edmund deHolebrok (1170 – 1250)
son of John DeHolebrok
William DeHolebrok (1200 – 1250)
son of Edmund deHolebrok
Sir Richard deHolebrok (1230 – 1291)
son of William DeHolebrok
John DeHolebrok (1260 – 1306)
son of Sir Richard deHolebrok
John DeHolebrok (1290 – 1316)
son of John DeHolebrok
Sir Thomas DeHolbrok (1316 – )
son of John DeHolebrok
John DeHolbrok (1350 – 1382)
son of Sir Thomas DeHolbrok
William DeHolbrok (1380 – )
son of John DeHolbrok
John DeHolbrook (1410 – )
son of William DeHolbrok
Thomas Holbrook (1440 – 1561)
son of John DeHolbrook
William Holbrook (1474 – 1546)
son of Thomas Holbrook
Constance Johanna Holdbrook (1507 – 1576)
daughter of William Holbrook
Constance Thayer (1532 – 1580)
daughter of Constance Johanna Holdbrook
William Holbrook (1568 – 1625)
son of Constance Thayer
Thomas Holbrook (1599 – 1677)
son of William Holbrook
Captain John Holbrook (1617 – 1699)
son of Thomas Holbrook
Experience Holbrook (1661 – 1685)
daughter of Captain John Holbrook
Joseph Edson (1679 – 1768)
son of Experience Holbrook
Joseph Edson (1712 – 1778)
son of Joseph Edson
John Edson (1748 – 1814)
son of Joseph Edson
Isaac Edson (1770 – 1844)
son of John Edson
Hannah Edson (1798 – 1873)
daughter of Isaac Edson
Ambrose Tower (1825 – 1907)
son of Hannah Edson
Mary H. Tower (1836 – 1883)
daughter of Ambrose Tower
John Henry Collins (1868 – )
son of Mary H. Tower
Sylvia Collins (1892 – 1972)
daughter of John Henry Collins
William Collins Cunningham (1909 – 1967)
son of Sylvia Collins
Dorothy Ellen Cunningham (1933 – 2006)
daughter of William Collins Cunningham
Kathleen Myrman
You are the daughter of Dorothy Ellen Cunningham

Eleanor Duchess Of Aquataine (1122 – 1204) Wife of Henry, II, King of England
25th great-grandmother/25th great-grandfather
Joan Plantagenet (1165 – 1199)
daughter of Eleanor Duchess Of Aquataine
Joan De Kinewarton (1189 – 1215)
daughter of Joan Plantagenet
Richard DeBruley (1211 – 1250)
son of Joan De Kinewarton
Henry De Bruley (1243 – 1305)
son of Richard DeBruley
William DeBruley (1270 – 1359)
son of Henry De Bruley
Alice Bruley (1326 – 1390)
daughter of William DeBruley
(Sir) Guy de La Spine Baron of Coughton (1350 – 1427)
son of Alice Bruley
Agnes Andrew (1460 – 1466)
daughter of (Sir) Guy de La Spine Baron of Coughton
Lady Cecilia Agnes Tansley (1460 – 1515)
daughter of Agnes Andrew
William Winslow (1490 – 1543)
son of Lady Cecilia Agnes Tansley
Kenelm Winslow (1534 – 1607)
son of William Winslow
Edward Winslow (1560 – 1631)
son of Kenelm Winslow
JOHN Winslow (1597 – 1674), Husband of Mary Chilton
son of Edward Winslow
Susanna Winslow (1630 – 1685)
daughter of JOHN Winslow
Mercy Latham (1650 – 1707)
daughter of Susanna Winslow
Mary Harris (1690 – 1727)
daughter of Mercy Latham
Sarah Packard (1714 – 1792)
daughter of Mary Harris
Judith Shaw (1749 – 1776)
daughter of Sarah Packard
Isaac Edson (1770 – 1844)
son of Judith Shaw
Hannah Edson (1798 – 1873)
daughter of Isaac Edson
Ambrose Tower (1825 – 1907)
son of Hannah Edson
Mary H. Tower (1836 – 1883)
daughter of Ambrose Tower
John Henry Collins (1868 – )
son of Mary H. Tower
Sylvia Collins (1892 – 1972)
daughter of John Henry Collins
William Collins Cunningham (1909 – 1967)
son of Sylvia Collins
Dorothy Ellen Cunningham (1933 – 2006)
daughter of William Collins Cunningham
Kathleen Myrman
You are the daughter of Dorothy Ellen Cunningham

Itta Blessed Ida Nivelles (591 – 652)
45th great-grandmother
Saint Beggue Carolingian Landen And Austrasia (613 – 698)
daughter of Itta Blessed Ida Nivelles
Pepin Fat Herstal Austrasia (635 – 714)
son of Saint Beggue Carolingian Landen And Austrasia
Charles or Karl The Hammer Mayor of Palace In Austrasia Martel (675 – 741)
son of Pepin Fat Herstal Austrasia
Aude Aldane (732 – 804)
daughter of Charles or Karl The Hammer Mayor of Palace In Austrasia Martel
Redburh Wessex (788 – 839)
daughter of Aude Aldane
AETHELWULF I NOBLE WOLF OF WESSEX. KING OF ENGLAND (806 – 857)
son of Redburh Wessex
Alfred”The Great” King of England (849 – 901)
son of AETHELWULF I NOBLE WOLF OF WESSEX. KING OF ENGLAND
Edward The Elder King of England (871 – 924)
son of Alfred”The Great” King of England
Edmund I “The Magnificent” King of England Aetheling (922 – 946)
son of Edward The Elder King of England
Edgar “The Peacable” King of England (943 – 975)
son of Edmund I “The Magnificent” King of England Aetheling
Ethelred II Mucel The Unready King of England A (968 – 1016)
son of Edgar “The Peacable” King of England
Elfgifu Aelfgifu Elgiva England Wessex (997 – 1098)
daughter of Ethelred II Mucel The Unready King of England A
LUCIA (Countess Chester) DeMercia (1040 – 1080)
daughter of Elfgifu Aelfgifu Elgiva England Wessex
Lucy Countess Chester Taillebois (1068 – 1136)
daughter of LUCIA (Countess Chester) DeMercia
Ranulph II (Earl of Chester) De Meschines (1099 – 1153)
son of Lucy Countess Chester Taillebois
Hugh DeMeschines (1147 – 1181)
son of Ranulph II (Earl of Chester) De Meschines
Agnes DeMeschines (1174 – 1247)
daughter of Hugh DeMeschines
William, III, 5th Earl of Derby De Ferrers (1193 – 1254)
son of Agnes DeMeschines
Matilda Maud de Ferrers (1228 – 1298)
daughter of William, III, 5th Earl of Derby De Ferrers
Joan Countess of Chewton de Vivonne+ (1250 – 1314)
daughter of Matilda Maud de Ferrers
Margaret FitzPiers (1274 – 1300)
daughter of Joan Countess of Chewton de Vivonne+
Roger WINTER (1300 – 1325)
son of Margaret FitzPiers
Richard Winter (1325 – 1350)
son of Roger WINTER
William Winter (1350 – 1398)
son of Richard Winter
Elizabeth Winter (1384 – 1408)
daughter of William Winter
John Reade (1408 – 1434)
son of Elizabeth Winter
Thomas READE (1434 – 1460)
son of John Reade
John Reade (1460 – 1503)
son of Thomas READE
William Reade (1485 – 1534)
son of John Reade
ALICE READ (1512 – 1556)
daughter of William Reade
Thomas Trowbridge (1542 – 1619)
son of ALICE READ
John Trowbridge (1570 – 1649)
son of Thomas Trowbridge
Thomas Trowbridge (1598 – 1672)
son of John Trowbridge
Deacon James Trowbridge (1636 – 1717)
son of Thomas Trowbridge
Hannah Trowbridge (1672 – 1728)
daughter of Deacon James Trowbridge
Daniel Greenwood (1704 – 1775)
son of Hannah Trowbridge
Sarah Greenwood (1734 – 1808)
daughter of Daniel Greenwood
Sibbel Roper (1758 – 1826)
daughter of Sarah Greenwood
Susanna Walker (1787 – 1814)
daughter of Sibbel Roper
Sybil Roper Adams (1810 – 1881)
daughter of Susanna Walker
Mary Jane Totten (1830 – 1891)
daughter of Sybil Roper Adams
Mary H. Tower (1836 – 1883)
daughter of Mary Jane Totten
John Henry Collins (1868 – )
son of Mary H. Tower
Sylvia Collins (1892 – 1972)
daughter of John Henry Collins
William Collins Cunningham (1909 – 1967)
son of Sylvia Collins
Dorothy Ellen Cunningham (1933 – 2006)
daughter of William Collins Cunningham
Kathleen Myrman
You are the daughter of Dorothy Ellen Cunningham

24 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Essays, Haibun, Haiku, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Tanka

September 24, 2017

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse –

By Kat Myrman

Oh how we conform to the reality that presents itself day in and day out. We strive to be good…the good child, the good friend, the good spouse, good parents, good neighbors, good citizens, good humans. With all this goodness surrounding us and legions of do-gooders doing their goodly best, it’s hard to envision a world that is tainted by bad. And yet there are bad things happening everyday. There is obviously a broken link in the chain that binds us.

It’s easy to be good when all is right in our world. It is when adversity, suffering and darkness come that the true test of our commitment to being good is challenged. Do I repay meanness with kindness, hatred with love, injustice with justice, judgement with grace? If I don’t, I can’t claim to be good after all.

I try as I might to be good, I’m not always. Is there a broken link in the chain? Decidedly so, but the break isn’t always the doing of the obvious bombastic “bad” person in our midst. Sometimes that broken link is me.

But that won’t stop me from trying. If being good was easy, it wouldn’t be quite as good. Peace to you on beautiful day! Keep trying…❤️

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 24 September 2017

one day i’ll get it right

beneath the brown

we’ve been here before…

these days i just hum

things jes’ aint the same.

i promise to stay in touch

hoping to land a big fish

we tend to forget

yeah, i was the weird kid.

clinging is futile

how it was to be wild,

in the light of day

little things in life

murmur feeling

~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.

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

September 22, 2017

Deciduous – Friday’s Word of the Day

By Kat Myrman

Happy Autumn! Today’s very timely Word of the Day at Dictionary.com is Deciduous. It is defined as: shedding the leaves annually, as certain trees and shrubs; falling off or shed at a particular  season, stage of growth, etc., as leaves, horns, or teeth; not permanent; transitory.

Dictionary.com gives a nice history of the word:
The English adjective deciduous is straight from Latin, dēciduus  “falling off or down,  tending to fall off or down,”  formed from  the  preposition dē (and prefix dē “down,  from”) and the verb, cadere (combining form –cidere “to fall”).  In Latin dēciduus is used for leaves  (dēcidua folia), (baby) teeth (dēciduτ dentēs), descending testicles ( testēs dēciduτ), and, charmingly, for shooting stars or falling stars (dēcidua sidera). Deciduous entered English in the 17th century.

My google search led me to the fascinating world of desiduous trees. In the process I learned a few new words and a bit more about the seasonal process of abscission (the dropping of leaves).

In fact, some of those the brilliant fall colors are dormant in the leaves. It is the surge of chlorophyll in the warmth of summer or the wetness of rainy seasons that give leaves their green color. As the days cool and the sun wanes, or when the trees are drought-stressed, less chlorophyll is produced allowing the leaf’s other colors to be revealed. Yellows, oranges and browns are called carotenoids. The reds and purples, are produced by Anthocyanin pigments and are the result of sugars produced and trapped in the leaves later in the summer after the abscission process begins.

An abscission layer is formed in the spring that allows the leaf to eventually fall away from the stem. It is held together by a hormone produced by the leaf called auxin. Auxin production is also sensitive to climate changes and dry seasons, and eventually slows in production allowing the abscission layer to elongate and the leaf to fall away. Amazingly it also forms a seal, so the tree does not lose sap.

Deciduous trees lose their foliage to conserve water and better survive the harshness of winter. There are some trees that are partially deciduous. Meaning they do not lose all their leaves. This is called marcsescence. There are several benefits to retaining dead leaves. One may be to deter large animals like deer and elk from eating their limbs and twigs where springs buds lie dormant. It may also help certain trees with water retention and protection against the elements.

Eventually even marcescent leaves fall, making way for the blooming buds of spring. But not the leaves. Not yet. There is a very good reason for this. The absence of leaves allows insects to see the blooms more easily, which assists with pollination. It also allows seeds and pollen to flow more freely on the warm spring breezes. And the cycle continues!

Isn’t that amazing?! I never knew these details. If not for today’s word of the day, I might never have known how intricately planned out the life of a tree is. I hope I didn’t bore you with my rambling. I just love learning new things!

I guess I better get to my little Haiku then. Have a great weekend. Go hug a tree! ❤️🌳❤️🌳

poor marcescent tree
partially deciduous
clinging is futile

~kat

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

September 17, 2017

Fallen

By Kat Myrman

For MindLoveMiserysMenagerie’s Sunday Writing Prompt: to write a piece launched by this quote from Sherlock Holmes (the series):

Oh, I may be on the side of the angels, but don’t think for one second that I am one of them …..

Seventy times seven, blah, blah, blah. Have you ever done the math? I have. 490. That’s it. At this point I have more than fulfilled my quota of this mandate to forgive. Besides, I don’t see anyone standing in line to forgive me for existing. In fact, the hits keep coming, if you know what I mean. Here are a few gems from that hit list…

“Love the sinner, hate the sin…You know we love you. We just don’t agree with your lifestyle choices….You could change if you wanted to…You have an agenda…Stop flaunting your sexuality…It’s just a phase…You don’t deserve special rights…It’s because of you we have earthquakes, hurricanes, floods…the plague (I wish I was that powerful)…You’re an abomination…God hates you…You’re going to hell (kinda thought I was already there)…and my personal favorite; the one that rips through me like a hot poker through butter…I’m praying for you.”

Please don’t. I’m trying to forgive you. I’m trying to not judge you. I’m trying to love you, but you make it so difficult.

Because there’s this too. “Love your enemies… If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.” I fall short everyday. But that doesn’t mean I don’t keep trying; 490 times 490 times and counting.

One day I’ll get it right. In the meantime I am well aware of my flaws and weaknesses. I’m no angel…but neither are you.

And there I go again. Judging you for judging me. I guess that’s why we need practice at this forgiveness thing. I should have just said, “I’m no angel” and left it at that.

~kat

16 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Essays, Flash Fiction, Life Lessons, Random Thoughts and Musings, Social Issues, Spirituality, Under 300 Words

September 15, 2017

Ostensible – Friday’s Word of the Day

By Kat Myrman

Today’s Word of the Day fro the Free Dictionary is Ostensible. It entered the English language in the Mid 18th century: from French, from medieval Latin ostensibilis from Latin ostens- ‘stretched out to view’, from the verb ostendere, from ob- ‘in view of’ + tendere ‘to stretch’. It means “Stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so.”

When I looked for examples of this word used in a sentence, I was inundated with a many references to politics, religion and conflicts touted to be something they were not. These examples certainly prove one thing: that human nature and how we accomplish what motivates us through deception hasn’t changed much. Here are a few quotes to show you what I mean from Your Dictionary.com:

‘It was a simple matter to manipulate these so as to throw the effective power into the hands of the propertied classes without ostensibly The depriving any one of the vote.’

‘The Federal government now attempted to enlist recruits, ostensibly to protect the western frontier from the Indians, but actually for the suppression of the insurrection; but the plan failed from lack of funds, and the insurgents continued to interrupt the procedure of the courts.’

‘In any case the countess profited by the cardinal’s conviction to borrow from him sums of money destined ostensibly for the queen’s works of charity.’

‘A serious outbreak took place at Adrianople in 1804, where 20,000 of the new troops had been sent, ostensibly to put down the revolt in Servia, but really to try to bring about the reform of the European provinces.’

‘In June 1770 Frederick surrounded those of the Polish provinces he coveted with a military cordon, ostensibly to keep out the cattle plague.’

‘It is a striking example of the way in which such legends grow, that it is only the latest of these authorities, Hsiian Tsang, who says that, though ostensibly approaching the Buddha with a view to reconciliation, Devadatta had concealed poison in his nail with the object of murdering the Buddha.’

See what I mean? Power, politics, and faux piety are fertile ground for application of this word. Very timely indeed! Here are a few Haiku.

Have a great weekend!

WMD’s
Ostensibly caused the war
But it was revenge

motives are revealed
ostensibly kind acts
become self-serving

ostensible posts
impress anonymously
online mugs deceive

~kat

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Haiku, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Word of the Day Haiku