Month: September 2016

Life in America ©Lyn Crain

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Overtly anxious to
protect the world’s relics
with our entitlement mentality.
Let them eat kale
with their past glory.
In our never ending quest
for others to change
under the illusion
of peaceful intentions
we force iron fist methodology.
The party hats talk at us
pledging the lesser of two evils.
We are no stranger to these muddy affairs.
It’s the American dream!
Everything ends in an acquittal
and the chaos and terror continue.

Tumbling © Lyn Crain

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Here I am,

the hero of my empire

in this long shadow

of being mortal.

I contain multitudes

in this pigeon tunnel

that I once believed was

an ivory tower

before my downfall.

The power of I am,

me before you. I became

a stranger in my own mind

absurd and realistic.

Maybe or maybe not,

a timeless observer or

an unhinged loner,

a train wreck for sure

after you!

A great reckoning with

the best of words

my breath became air,

apprenticed in death.

I let you go

my runaway dream.

 

Cops, Brain Injuries and Bullets

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I’ve had a concussion myself and processing is difficult for me.

CRAIN'S COMMENTS

tulsa_cnnA different look at the role of traumatic brain injury in police shootings.

One (possibly more) of the victims of recent police shootings had suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI).  Several bloggers who are victims of TBI are now expressing fear of interacting with police — fear that they too might be killed.

Traumatic brain injury can affect sufferers in a variety of ways.  Some common effects include:

  • Speed in processing instructions
  • Reaction time to stimuli
  • Emotions

What appears to have happened is that a police officer in a confrontation gives an order to someone who does not respond to the order promptly.  The officer interprets the non-reaction as hostility and it escalates from there into a shooting.

TBI patients may not react promptly, and the non-reaction indicates nothing more than that they are having trouble processing the instructions.  They don’t deserve to die for that.  They are already suffering enough.

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Book Review

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The Art of Fiction~ Notes on Craft for Young Writers by John Gardner

Gardner gave the typical spiel about writing, sadly, there wasn’t anything I haven’t read before by other authors so  overall this recommended book disappointed me. I would have found this book more engaging if I had read him early on my writing career.

However, I will note his two strongest chapters are error and technique, both were reinforcements of other things I’ve read but Gardner explained the value of each purpose and the need to focus on learning with each in an engaging manner. I congratulate him on these chapters, they were informative reads even for a more advanced writer.

“Clumsy writing is a common mistake in the work of amateurs though it shows up in the work of very good writers.” according to Gardner. The examples addressed are excessive use of passive voice, inappropriate use of introductory phrase containing infinite verbs, shifts in diction level , careless shifts in psychic distance or my ultimate favorite peeve lack of sentence variety although I do find reading faulty rhythms or accidental rhymes annoying.

I’m guilty myself of the introductory  phrases with infinite verbs. That is why a friend recommended I check this book out because he broke down errors in writing and how to fix them.

If you are new to writing this is a good beginning book but keep in mind it is geared to beginners. If you are an author already, it’s simply a refresher course.

 

Folklore©Lyn Crain

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Truth or Lies
Orally spoken ideas
grow into witty tales
that give a voice to the masses.
Stories of mere men and their sails
through time become lengthier
then the path to Versailles.

Orally spoken around
roaring, toasty, campfires
entertain the weary bodies
after a day of unfulfilled desires
with amusing and enchanting details
too ludicrous to believe from their sires
but so desperately needed to free
their exhausted souls from the mires.

Orally spoken ideas
inspire laughter and tears
among family and friends
shared with rowdy cheers
with each fanciful retelling
with another twist of gears
when retold.

Truth or Lies

 orally spoken ideas

 only  you can decide

where folklore will reside.

Writing Poetry

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How To Write A Poem: A Beginner’s Guide by Sean O’Neill

I highly recommend this ebook if poetry writing is something that appeals to you. O’Neil breaks down writing poetry in a simple methodology that anyone can apply. These are the tools he suggests and I’ve replied with my own examples to demonstrate the process.

  1. Close your eyes and imagine a location. What do your senses tell you? Write down what comes to mind. The most important part of this exercise is that it does not matter if what you write is perfect. The core to writing is simply beginning.
  2. What do you see?   I see tall branches against a blue sky.
  3. What do I hear? I listen to the rustle of branches and a blue jay squawking.
  4. What do I touch or feel?  I feel the wet cement steps and the breeze in my hair.
  5. What do I taste? I taste a slight bitterness in my coffee.

We’ve gathered a group of impressions with Sean’s instruction. What do we do next?

The next step is to look for similes or metaphors to give our impressions some creativity.

Threadlike branches flutter

 against an achromatic sky

An angry blue jay squawks

 in thunderous dismay.

Another squalling burst

 sends my hair flying

Timing is everything

mine is a like a dropped egg.

In my haste to brush

my hair aside, I drench

me on the concrete steps.

Another missed

bean’s water moment.

I stifle a bitter curse.

 

From this simple exercise, I have a rough poem that I can tweak or leave as is.