Trickery of Time

Sometimes I feel as though I've been jugglin' time for a lifetime, how about you? I've learned a thing or two along the way, though; as I juggle mid work and play I must remember that I must do what I say -- just do it! All it takes is time ...

Fiddlestick Folk

Fiddlestick Folk
©Ruth Cox


Here's how we twiddle
The time of our life:
You stroke the fiddle,
I'll finger the fife.

Wee sister wiggles
While Ma sings desire;
Li'l brother giggles,
And Pa tends the fire.

As each of us stirs
Magic of our own;
Reality blurs,
And dreams become known.

You're fishin' upstream,
Jump a riverboat;
Like freshwater bream,
Aimlessly afloat.

I'm berry pickin',
Juice quenches my thirst;
The baby's kickin',
I'm about to burst.

Pa grabs his shotgun,
Saddles up his horse;
He'll find my loved one,
Bring him back, of course.

Ma's got a weddin'
She's readyin' for;
Tears she's a sheddin'
While pacin' the floor.

Brother and sister,
They've nary a clue;
They play tongue twister,
A game tried and true.

Petticoats I don,
'Neath an off-white dress.
The door is knocked on,
Preacher's here I guess.

Once we let him in,
Totin' board of slate,
He writes with chagrin,
"How long must we wait?"

We hear horse whinny
And sound of whip crack;
Cringe for the ninny,
Pa cut him no slack.

Wood door opens wide
And you say with glee:
"All jokin' aside,
Will you marry me?"

We both say "I do."
And the preacher nods.
Ma serves up the stew
While the fire Pa prods.

You stroke the fiddle,
I'll finger the fife:
Time we now twiddle
As husband and wife.



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Written in response to Len's Prompt for Saturday Writing Essential of Gather Writing Essential:

*Write a historical fiction story (prose or poetry).

"VIOLENCE IN THE HOME"

I am continuing to follow Kimberly Blackadar's Blog and today her post is entitled,
Poetry Workshop #2: Borrowed Poetry

Accorcing to POETS.org, a pure Borrowed or Found poem consists exclusively of outside texts: the words of the poem remain as they were found, with few additions or omissions. Decisions of form, such as where to break a line, are left to the poet.

My Borrowed/Free Verse Poem/Social Commentary is written from various titles in the CONTENTS page of the book, Battered Wives, by Del Martin, 1976. I've omitted no words in the titles; I have rearranged the content titles, quoted them, and added punctuation. I have added as few words as possible; my added words are not in quotations. If the word "wife" or "wives" was used in the original content title, I have inserted the word "spouse" in its place and the author's use of "she" is changed to "she/he" as well.


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"VIOLENCE IN THE HOME"
©Ruth Cox

"The Incidence of Domestic Violence"
occurring in
"The Great American Family"
may consist of
"Spouse Abuse : The Skeleton in the Closet,"
and/or abuse of
"The Children."

"An Overview of Cruelty"
may tell us
"What Triggers the Batterer."

These triggers may include:
"The Economics of Marriage,"
"Verbal Arguments,"
"Class and Status Variables,"
"Histories of Violence and Occupational Hazards,"
"Drunkenness and Alcoholism,"
"Jealousy,"
"Sterotyped Sex Roles,"
"Socialization and Sex Roles",
and
"Sexuality as Aggressiveness."

"The Victim -- Why Does She/He Stay?"
Victims are
"Trapped by Fear!"

And there are
"Socially Determined Reasons."

These may include:
"Arrest Procedures,"
"Police Policy and Practice,"
"Spouse-Abuse Laws,"
and
"Protection Orders,"
which protect no one.

And, there is
"Social Services -- The Big Runaround!"

The lack of
"Emergency Housing,"
"Public Financial Assistance,"
"Mental Health Services,"
"Police Training and Crisis Intervention,"
and lack of
"Victim Aid"...
all render the victim
helpless
and
hopeless.

These are
"The Facts of Life"
and...
Not much has changed since
Del Martin
wrote
Battered Wives
in 1976.

Mount Pleasant Path

Mount Pleasant Path
Me and My Girl
©Ruth Cox

I hike the high hills,
dark caverns, too,
step over fallen rock,
dodge and deal
with mishaps
strewn along the path.
Dog barks up ahead.
Yes, I brought my friend.
For without her...
Harm
may come once again.

She laps of -
I jump into -
the cooling water.
She trots alongside,
never leaving path.
She has known the chill
of my loneliness...
I am grateful for this fact.

Back on the bank,
the crooked creek's edge,
I sit,
I rest,
thoughts dance among the dead.
A lick upon my face says,
All is not lost;
Never alone;
Friend guards your back.

We climb the mount, slowly
reaching for the top.
The sun guides our footprints
upon the path we walk.
Strongest of the rays
points the way -
Go around.
Go through.
Life awaits you two.

The top draws near,
we rest once more,
listen to the waterfall
flowing in the distance.
Sound travels,
an arrow,
aimed for the heart.
I think...
This must be
where love got its start.

My gal disappears,
seemingly runs astray;
I hear yelps of glee,
leading me unto the light;
brighter as I go.
This must be the pathway
of the things I should know.

I feel the need
to rest a moment more,
settle myself
on the dirt of the floor.
I feel the warmth
as I hold
the ground in my hand.
But time is ticking,
I tell myself,
Rise.

Dog appears
in the clearing ahead,
waits for me to catch her,
then...
stands her ground.
Her tail another voice,
it wags, Delighted!
Then it halts, Who goes there?
And it curls, Friend, not foe.

Together, we
stand
at the peak;
our world at our feet.
Just me and my girl.

----------

Today I wanted to take my Tidbit for a walk at Mount Pleasant, but, I didn't. I wanted to then write a gratitude/current for Shedding Light, but since I didn't go for the walk, I couldn't. Late tonight I saw an email from Kimberly Blackadar's Blog regarding today's Poetry Workshop. It seemed to fit perfectly with what I wanted to do.

The poem above is the result of her blog workshop. It began with a closed-eyes, fingers on the keyboard, mind walking with visuals, freewrite, which I share below...


I walk the hills
the caverns too
step over the rocks
avoid the mishaps
found along the path

a dog barks ahead
yws, i brought my friend
for without her harm
may come again

I jump right into
the cool of the waters
she jogs alongside, ne'er leavin' the path
for she has known
the chill of my loneliness
and i am grateful for this fact

back on the bank
of the crooked creek's edge
I sit, I rest, thoughts
dance among the dead
A lick upon my face
says all is not lost
never alone when a friend
guards your back

slowly we climb the mountain
reaching for the top
the sun guides each
footprint upon the path we walk
the strongest ray points the way
go around, go through
life awaits you too

the top seems nearer now
we rest once more
listen to the waterfall dropping in the distance
the sound travels
ike an arrow
straight to the heart
 think this must be
where love got its start

my gal disappears
seemingly runs away
but i hear yelps of glee
she's leading the way
I follow the light
getting brighter as i go
this must be the way
of the things i should know

I feel the need to rest once more
settle myself on the the dirt of the floor
I feel the warmth when I hold
the ground in my hand
but time is tickin
so again i stand
my friend appears in the clearing ahead
waits til I catch her
then she runs on ahead
the tail it wags
then it halts and it curls
we stand at the peak
just me and my girl

GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY!

This year I made up my mind I was going to apply myself to my love of writing with a passionate vengence. One way in which I've done this is by making the commitment to getting my shop, CafePress abitosunshine, up and running and profitable.

I've achieved my goal! Today, my profits have taken CafePress abitosunshine from a Basic (free) shop to a Premium (paid) shop. It's nice to know that my poetic creations are paying for themselves.

Of course, that means I must have more than just Attitude, I must display my Gratitude -- thank you! So, in honor of my customers and supporters, I've decided to announce my...

GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY!

I am giving away 1 copy of my poetic creation -- Journal of Thought, Word, and Deed.
(CLICK the link above for a larger view, and details, of the journal.)

The GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY begins on April 11, 2010 and ends on April 30, 2010. Winner will be determined by random drawing, the lucky name to be drawn from the hat of my roommate, Scottie, on May 1, 2010 and will be announced the same day, here on my blog, abitosunshine LOVE and WRITING, as well as all other social networks I deem applicable.

There will be 1 lucky winner. Will it be you?

 

No purchase necessary to enter the GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY. However, here is how to qualify to get your name in the hat:

1...VISIT CafePress abitosunshine, then leave a comment on this GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY post telling me THE SPECIFIC NAME of my poetic creation you like best AND why!

EXAMPLE: I like the Orange Sunshine Framed Tile because it was my first poetic creation made available for purchase at my shop!

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BONUS ~ get your name in the hat more than once!

AFTER completing the requirement above -- To qualify for additional entries, you may do any or all of the following, but you MUST leave an additional comment on this blog post for each thing you do, saying you have done so or already do:

1...Follow this blog, abitosunshine LOVE and WRITING

2...Purchase a poetic creation from CafePress abitosunshine

3...Add me as a friend on GATHER

4...Follow me on TWITTER

5...Follow me at FACEBOOK


NOTE: Remember, to add an entry, you MUST comment here on this GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY post each time you complete an item that qualifies.

Good luck!

And have an attitude of gratitude in your every thought, word, and deed!

Lententide Love -- Good Friday

My offering today pays tribute to Good Friday and what the day means to me at this moment in time.

If you celebrate the holiday -- Happy Easter!

If you do not celebrate the holiday -- Happy Friday!