Great metal Goddess, mined from deepest earth, Forged in blazing flame, molded, beaten, formed at birth; Measured, cut, and riveted, assembled frame by frame, The beauty of this graceful beast, too marvelous to tame; Glorious vision, Orion, strong upon Her legs, Pins of solid steel, shining sliding shock absorbing pistons beg Disbelief that such a being could be wrought by hand of man; Her might … Continue reading Ode to Orion (or Mechanic’s Lament)
My Daughter My heart melted when I saw her pink, chubby face and heard her cries for the first time. I felt no shame at the tears that trickled down my cheeks and threatened to drown my shoes in a pool of warm saltwater. The doctors and nurses were invisible. I had eyes only for my daughter. My life had changed in the last … Continue reading Happy Fathers Day. I wish.
Dreams are bad news. Good dreams or bad dreams, it doesn’t matter. When you awaken you are the same person, only sadder. You wake with less happiness, less hope than before you laid your head on the pillow and closed your eyes and sleep took you to that place you yearn for but hate with hot tears when your eyes open again. The place you … Continue reading Dreams
*Third line of each stanza is read rapidly without pause. Smiles are bright on brown faces I have known, eyes crinkled against the sun; Home is a shack with thatch for a roof and a barrel that caches the rain as it runs; An old woman sifts rice in the shade of acacia as her husband and sons fish from a boat not far from … Continue reading Lamao Limay
Hello lovely people, I received another polite frownie-button rejection email today. That brings me to five rejections from twenty-two submissions. That’s okay, though. I never expected my journey to be easy, and I expected rejections. That’s the way it is. However, rejection doesn’t have to lead to dejection. I may feel otherwise if I reach one-hundred submissions without having an agent fly to … Continue reading Pitching to Agents: My Duh Moment
Dear lovely people, I’ve submitted my query letter for Honey Ko to twenty-two literary agents since May 9th. I’ve received four rejections so far, which is pretty good considering all agency websites inform you that, due to the high volume of submissions, they cannot respond to every submission. They tell you they can only respond if they want the writer to provide more information, as … Continue reading Pitching to Agents: Lessons Learned
Dear lovely people, What do you think? Does my pitch grab you by the lapels and make you shout, “OMG! I have to read this book NOW!” Let me know what you think. “Dual timelines carry the reader on an emotional journey of love and betrayal, loss and discovery as two couples, threatened by forces of nature and war, find love while confronting weakness of … Continue reading Literary Agent Pitch for Honey Ko
I trembled as I reached for Susanna, my Spanish Madonna, and touched her hip. My palm pressed against her soft, smooth, white flesh and her warmth spread over me until my face flushed and the burn of rising excitement engulfed me. I rubbed my hand across her shoulder and trilled my fingertips along her spine, raising goosebumps from her skin and causing her to shiver. … Continue reading Susanna IV
My writing window has an area of thirty square feet. From there, I look out over my front yard. I look up from writing to see our mail lady delivering the mail. I watch the FedEx guy carry boxes big and small up driveways and leave them on porches. I watch my neighbor on her John Deere lawn tractor mow her yard while the junior … Continue reading My Neighborhood
Susanna plucked a shrimp from the paper cone clutched in my hand and held it over my head like a seal trainer. She laughed as I leaned back and opened my mouth. I struggled not to laugh as I wagged my tongue. She brought the shrimp to my mouth and I captured her long, graceful fingers between my lips. She hesitated and gazed at me … Continue reading Susanna Avila III
I walked through a wood one summer’s day, Afternoon light dappled a forest glade; Lily pad in green-black pond and on it lay A frog whose languid croak appeared to say, As he scratched white belly in sun’s warm ray, I shall not move on this summer’s day. I stopped to ponder my neighbor in green, Who, eyes near closed in dreamlike sheen, Lay ankles … Continue reading The Frog and the Granite Shore
When I write and post for reading Words from one so deeply smitten, You must know the space between each line Is filled with heart words yet unwritten. Continue reading Heart Words
It’s a long, long, road that I wander, An infinite number of miles, The days only seem to grow longer, With an infinite number of trials. These old boots I have worn through the sole, From a lifetime of looking for me, This long, rocky road has taken its toll, And I still don’t know where it will lead Every mountain range leads to another, … Continue reading Looking For Me
I wish I had a dime For every time You looked at me I wish I had a star For every dime For every time You smiled at me I wish I had your hand For every star For every dime For every time You spoke to me I wish I had a kiss For every word For every look For every breath For every … Continue reading Star Light, Star Bright
My life bleeds from the pen in blood-red ink staining paper with great swathes of sorrow and towering pillars of joy. I live passionate in this life, laughing and crying, not knowing what lies before me, remembering what lies behind. I capture emotions with the lens of my mind and send them pounding through my veins to plant themselves in my heart where they fill … Continue reading The Writer
I see you, fair of face, You stir me, your green eyes Draw my gaze. I smell you, honey skin, You lift me, your fragrance Fills my head. I touch you, auburn hair, You move me, your blue nails Thrill my spine. I hear you, fancy free, You warm me, your soft voice Pulls me in. I taste you, ruby lips, You kiss me, your … Continue reading Fancy Free
Your appearance The first time Ever I saw you, Startled me, so unexpected, The sight of you left me Speechless, Dumb, tongue-tied; I could not form a sentence. How long Before breath returned, Before I could close my mouth, Smile, Say hello, Not stand like a dolt, Stupefied, but Function like a sentient being? My mind, Flush with thought, Behind my face, Red with embarrassment. … Continue reading Tongue-Tied
My life bleeds from the pen in blood-red ink staining paper with great swathes of sorrow and towering pillars of joy. I live passionate in this life, laughing and crying, not knowing what lies before me, remembering what lies behind. I capture emotions with the lens of my mind and send them pounding through my veins to plant themselves in my heart where they fill me … Continue reading Why I Write
I love to sit on the rocks at Ka’ena Point, and Wonder at the beauty of the sea; I love to stand atop Old Speck, and Gaze in awe at God’s handiwork about me; I love to lie in the open field Near Spencer Pond at night, and Ponder the vastness of the universe Spreading out before and beyond me; I love the simple joy … Continue reading I Love To Sit On The Rocks At Ka’ena Point
The Writings of William C. Pennington 