It’s that time of year!. Originally posted July 6th, 2014 The leaf from a tree, Brings joy to my heart, Vibrant green, With points like a star, It hangs from the limb, waving at me, O, pretty leaf, what do you see? So live your life like a leaf, Just hangin’ around, And when your time comes, Just leap for the ground, A flying leap, brave and … Continue reading Live Your Life Like A Leaf
Why do you love me, William? Because you’re beautiful, Susanna. Is that the only reason? Because you’re a perfect fit in my arms. What else? Because I can carry you as I run. Oh? You weigh less than a feather, Susanna. Oh. Because you’re a wonderful cook. Yes? Because you meet me at the door when I come home from work. Because you sing when … Continue reading Susanna Avila V
I closed my eyes and fell Through a shimmering curtain Of notes that climbed like a spell And blew through my spirit Like music wafting me away On wings of heartbeats As the sun grew full and bright And the moon a crescent smile of white That floated me on a sound of color That trilled through my skin With the breath of time And … Continue reading A Million Times I Love You
Whisper wisp, O Soft and lithe, so Fragile, frail, a Sense, a Sense; Fleet, fly, O Whither gone? But, Always away, a Day, a Day. Continue reading Whisper Wisp, O
I stepped down from my cloud, watched nine years slip away; My mind was filled with doubt, that you’d ever felt the same; I thought about that dance, when you said you’d had enough, You looked me in the eyes, your voice was harsh and tough; I knew then what was coming I’d seen it in your face, My head began to spin, My pulse … Continue reading When You Turned And Looked My Way
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
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
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
It bothered me well into my teenage years that I didn’t have a hometown. It bothered me when a classmate or friend proudly defended his state, or touted his state’s greatness. It bothered me, too, when I heard or read of a state celebrating a native-born citizen for an achievement. I felt jealous that my friends had a place they could call their hometown, a … Continue reading My Hometown
I forgave you, Dad, and asked you to forgive me. Your heart attack occurred early in the morning on November 30, 1994. I was aboard the USS Tripoli, returning to the states after a long six months at sea when I received notice. The Chaplain came to my stateroom to inform me and leave me a copy of the Red Cross message. The message said … Continue reading As You Lay Dying
When we moved into our new home on Trilby Avenue in Tampa in 1967, after living in Holland for three years, I thought we would stay there a while. But we only lived in that house for two months before packing up and moving to a brand new house in northeast Tampa. One day, I knocked a clapboard off the side of the house while … Continue reading Turkey In The Straw
The tall, white mountain beckons, beckons me across the years to return, calls me to climb again his steep, rocky face by the trail beside the stream. The stream of cold, cold water that rushes down the mountain much faster than I will ascend the mountain, rushes by with a gurgle, a gurgle as if laughing at my slow, halting progress. Progress marked by lungs gasping for … Continue reading Old Speck
A leaf is a thing, That brings joy to my heart, Vibrant green, With points like a star, It hangs from the tree, waving at me, O, pretty leaf, what do you see? So live your life like a leaf, Just hangin’ around, And when your time comes, Just leap for the ground, A flying leap, brave and gay, O, what a great end to … Continue reading Live Your Life Like A Leaf
My friend Andy was eleven years old. He lived in an old, old house on Bearss Avenue in Tampa. Bearss was properly pronounced ‘Bears’ but some folks drew out the second ‘s’ until it sounded like Bare-ass. When things were slow at Andy’s house and we were bored, when it was raining and we had to stay indoors so we wouldn’t run in the puddles … Continue reading My Friend Andy
Flying across this land, greeting the coming dawn, Far below a network of highways, Homes, rivers and byways, Cars, trucks, and trains rolling on and on. People down there moving about, specks like ants fretting, Purpose in each, What? Out of reach, Lives, like vines, strands sprouting and spreading. I think of my own people, homes left behind, Covered wagons filled, Treasures of life’s yield, The … Continue reading Lives, Like Vines
My parents were the genesis Of all I have become, Their hopes and dreams, Immortality, Vested in the son. Father gave me purpose Skill at work and play, Mother gave me love, Home, And held me every day My parents made the sacrifice To help me find my way, Their toil and sweat, Prayers, Inspiration to this day. I haven’t always met those hopes, I’ve … Continue reading My Parents Were The Genesis
Swish, swish, swish, his tail sweeps the air, Shining eyes, he crouches there. Arcing high, the ball flies up, Leaping now, my flying pup. He takes the ball, prances ‘round, Twinkle toes, not earthbound. Come here, boy! but, oh, not he, Away, away, chase after me! Faster, farther, prancing still, He smiles at me, such a pill. Lets me near, then lies down, I come near, … Continue reading The Rogue
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
Writers Envy 