Free from our past Can we ever be free from our past?The mistakes. The wrongdoings. The scars.What if we were Fuhrer Hitler orMussolini reborn?Would we immediately be taken to task? Will the past forever control us? Tarnish our means to live a normal lifeIn the here and nowAnd ever after? I've wondered about this for … Continue reading My Monday Metrical Musings #118
Why I’m so glad my manuscript was rejected
I'll be honest. I was actually very sure my manuscript for the first book I ever wrote would be turned down when I went knocking on the doors of four publishers last year, heavy tome in tow. And it was. All four times! But the latest and final rejection was probably the most definitive since … Continue reading Why I’m so glad my manuscript was rejected
My Monday Metrical Musings #117
What does a life of happiness look like? What does a life of happiness look like? Puppies frolicking in a fireplace's glowStardusts a-falling like flakes of snowBlanketing the land in pure silver and gold What does a life of happiness look like? Blue unicorns prancing in rainbow fieldsWind whistling through my window sillsNewborn whippoorwills calling … Continue reading My Monday Metrical Musings #117
Covid controversy in Turkey — a guest post
I'm so glad my favorite guest writer Stephen's back again to kick off the new year with a new post on what's now an old topic -- Covid. [Please check out his previous posts here and here] This time it's an interesting account of a trip he made with his wife to Greece and Turkey … Continue reading Covid controversy in Turkey — a guest post
My Monday Metrical Musings #116
Words Words on a lineOn a pageOn a napkin Words thumbed downOn the go On my iPhone (how weary!) Words suddenly floodOnto my brainOnto my conscience Seize the daySeize them wordsFor like breath they quickly become air For words they fleetLike bees from stem to stigmaGone in the blink of an eye Never to return … Continue reading My Monday Metrical Musings #116
Why I resent Chinese New Year. And yet…
In the interest of full disclosure, I want to say that this post might rub readers the wrong way, especially if you're an ethnic Chinese who's proud of your race, its culture, and numerous traditions. And especially if you love the annual promise of spring and new beginnings that the lunar new year purports to … Continue reading Why I resent Chinese New Year. And yet…
My Monday Metrical Musings #115
Crimson poppies There are days I think I'm about to reachThe end of a long, rickety jettyThat's how I feel on many-a-dayIn this month of January I see there is refreshing That's sorely needed nowYet it seems oh so far awayLike a ship's stern is from the bow I long to set sail right nowTo … Continue reading My Monday Metrical Musings #115
My autistic son turned 12 today. I need to catch up.
The great Mark Twain once said: "Age is a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.". Well, the truth is when it comes to my son, I do mind. And it does matter. Or rather I did mind, and I thought it mattered. Today I'm trying to remind myself of this … Continue reading My autistic son turned 12 today. I need to catch up.
My Monday Metrical Musings #114
Sonnet: One step at a time Every mountain is climbedOne step at a timeEvery ladder rung mountedOne foot over the other That's what I was toldA thousand years agoYet this new year I'm stillAt the bottom of the hill So what's a man to doAt the bottom of a hillBut pick himself upDust himself off … Continue reading My Monday Metrical Musings #114
Starting the new year with old insecurities
As this new year of 2023 kicks off, I find myself increasingly thinking I'm a 52-going-on-53-year-old teenager with insecurities spilling in every direction, along with my dad bod. Yes, that's right. Yours truly. The one who left high school eons ago. The one who's worked for what is now over a quarter of a century. … Continue reading Starting the new year with old insecurities