Every day I have cried
For no one I have lied
But still they want more
So it’s up to the door
Through hoops we all jump
With no more than a bump
Our efforts all lost
In the fog
To the frost
On this sinking ship
We shall die
Outer Mountain Writing |
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Photo Credit: Magdalena Pawłowska via sxc.hu I know I promised for new works of poetry on Wednesdays, but I wanted to share this one a little early. The other reason it is out of sequence is that it's not even mine. My lovely wife Denise sent this to me on Monday and I asked her if I could put it up here, giving her all the credit of course. Every day I have cried For no one I have lied But still they want more So it’s up to the door Through hoops we all jump With no more than a bump Our efforts all lost In the fog To the frost On this sinking ship We shall die
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I found this wonderful link on Facebook this evening as I was watching the coverage of the Summer Olympic Games in London. It is a visual history of the logos of the Olympics (both summer and winter) from 1924 to today. It is definitely interesting to see the representation of national styles when the games are in a certain country. Tokyo 1964 and Sapporo 1972 both incorporate the rising sun from the Japanese flag while both Innsbruck games (1964 and 1976) have nearly identical logos with the exception of the colored rings vs. black rings. Out of all of the logos, my favorites are by far Tokyo 1964, Barcelona 1992, and Torino 2006. I'm glad that we don't have to wait four years for the Olympics anymore since they alternate winter and summer every two years now. I'm not sure if that's a statement about our instant gratification society, or if it was just intended to keep the world's attention on a more regular basis, but either way, I like it and with less than two weeks left in the current games, we're already too close to the end! Photo Credit: Carla Peroni via sxc.hu I got to thinking tonight as I was preparing to put kids to bed that for someone who enjoys to write and tell stories as much as I do, I have a difficult time with creating bedtime stories for my children. I'm not sure if it's making something up as I go along, and I have to admit that it's something that I have gotten better with over the last several years of telling bedtime stories. I find that it's always good to recount the events of the day or week but change the names to protect the innocent. Using some of the same stories over and over with slight variations is also a good tactic and as I think about it, something my own father used with me when I was young. Kids enjoy hearing stories about characters that they know and love. What stories do you remember from your childhood? If you are a parent, what do you use when you tell your own kids stories before bed? Do they have a favorite?
One last note, the story is untitled at this time. If you have a good idea for a title, please throw it in the comments section. Their first game of the tournament had been a draw; 90 minutes of hard fought back and forth that ended just as their star striker angled a kick in the top left corner of the opponent’s net. They all ran around like crazy men, hugging each other until they realized that the stadium was falling silent. The goal had been called off as time had been called just as the ball left his foot. The team huddled on the sideline in a somber group as the video footage was reviewed and it was concluded that he had not gotten the kick off in time.
Game two had not been much better. Karim had managed two shots on goal once he entered the game in the seventy third minute, but neither had resulted in a score. The teams from South America always had lots of speed and skill and it was all his team could do to keep up with them. Karim’s best friend Alexi had been awarded a penalty kick as they entered the second half stoppage time and curled the ball just under the crossbar of the goal, giving the team their first victory of the tournament and all but knocking one of the favorites out of contention. They became the darlings of the tournament after that match. Every media outlet wanted to do interviews with Alexi. Karim was happy that Alexi finally got to use the English he had been practicing for the last two years. Suddenly, everyone was on their side when they faced one of the European powerhouses in the last game in their “Group of Death.” Karim and his mates didn’t need to win the game in order to advance, but wanted to at least draw the match in order to prove that they were not to be taken lightly. They battled to a draw of three goals each with Alexi assisting Karim on the game tying goal in the eighty second minute of play. It is that time again that the Olympics are upon us. While there are sure to be hundreds, thousands, perhaps even millions of Facebook, Twitter, and blog posts about the games over the next few weeks, I hope that I can offer something a little bit different. Over the course of the next two weeks while the games are going on I will be writing some special poems and stories about fictional competitors in the games. They will be quick and dirty at this point and by no means will they be polished work, but hopefully you will get some enjoyment out of them. I also want to give a special shout out to a couple of athletes that hail from the Rochester area. Women's soccer team leader Abby Wambach has already scored a goal in the opening game yesterday so hats off to her. Ryan Lochte is from nearby Canadaigua and will be giving Michael Phelps all that he can muster in the pool to try and take a few gold medals from the boy from Baltimore. I want to wish all of the Olympians the best of luck, regardless of the nation that they represent and hopefully these games will be the best yet! Photo Credit: Arianne van Noordt As promised, here is a new piece of poetry that I just finished, literally hot off the presses. I don't promise anything extraordinary but I am curious to see what people think. I give you 'At the Mailbox' He stood by the road Waiting for the truck to come Bringing news of someone long lost The glow of the cigarette Hanging limply on his lip Shone alone in the fading light of day The lines on his face Etched deep by the years Told the stories of his love A faint rumble around the bend He turned slowly to face his future Just a motorcycle, growling through the night At long last he gave up hope for tonight Trekked back to his house Maybe word will come tomorrow So it has come to my attention that this blog has deviated a bit from its original stated purpose of getting my writing out there to the world. I have to be honest, I haven't been doing a lot of writing in the past few weeks, so that's entirely my fault. That being said, I am going to try to stick to some sort of schedule in terms of posts on the blog starting this week and hopefully be able to add to it in the future.
Wednesdays will become Poetry Wednesdays where I will post a piece of poetry that I have written and subsequently add it to the "Poetry" tab under the "Writing" link at the top of the page. Fridays will become Story Excerpt Fridays when you'll get a piece of the latest story that I'm working on. That's all I have for now and I think still leaves me room to post my thoughts on other goings on in the world on the rest of the week. If you have any suggestions for the other 5 days of the week, please let me know. Have you ever been looking for a worthwhile cause? Something simple that you can contribute to and make an immediate difference? We may have found something for you. Forever Children is a creative endeavor by a Rochester, NY woman named Robin Thompson. She wants to share her drawing talents with the world and needs our help. She offers drawings of loved ones, friends, pets, etc. based on existing photographs. But the thing that had really caught my eye is her most recent project. She has offered her services to families that have lost children. As parents who have lost a child, Denise and I know how important it is to have visual reminders of that child and having someone care enough to create a personal drawing of our son is amazing. We encourage you all to check out Robin's page on Indiegogo.com. Even if you are not able to make a donation, check out the video she has posted and we are sure that you will be inspired by the story. Thank you! In 10th grade, I was given an assignment in my English class to write a Shakespearean style sonnet. For those who don't know, sonnets are traditionally 14 line poems and the Shakespearean style follows the format of 3 stanzas of 4 lines a piece followed by a rhyming couplet (2 lines). The first and third line of each stanza rhyme and the second and fourth lines rhyme. The assignment seemed daunting when I first received it, but in the end it came to me fairly quickly. The following sonnet was written in about 30 minutes while sitting that afternoon in my parents' rocking chair. Though I don't recall ever doing any editing to the piece I'm in no way saying that it is perfect. It does not conform to the Shakespearean style because it doesn't completely follow iambic pentameter. Also, I have added a new page to the website where I will be posting my writing for it to remain and not get bogged down with all the other stuff on the blog. Check out the poetry because there is . Please enjoy "Sun". Sun By Jonathan Clarke Ytreberg The sun doth break into the morning sky, Bringing to us its happiness, its light. It makes us warm by giving us heat. Why, It even makes our lives a bit more bright. The sun shines on the mirror of the sea And all the creatures there that call it home. It floods its rays on every single tree, To every place where animals may roam. The light and heat, can be overwhelming Once it reaches its peak at strike of noon. But its time on earth is slowly waning. It will descend into the ocean soon. The water seems to douse that flaming light, Bathing our world in complete darkened night. I decided to throw up another poem that I dug up recently. Not the best work, but I hope someone will enjoy it. Earth My safety, My haven. Earth My safety, My heaven. Mr. Moon Man, Guide me on my way. Mr. Moon Man, Take me to my place, My home, my peace. Mr. Moon Man, Show me the way To a new Heaven. |
AuthorMy blog is here to give updates on my writing projects and occasionally post new poems or story excerpts. Archives
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