The author discusses something we are all too familiar with as adults with compelling word choices.
Writer’s Journey
Tumbling © Lyn Crain
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
I’ve had a concussion myself and processing is difficult for me.
A 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
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.
Confused
Adored for my loving spirit
Abhorred phoenix in a cage
Adored fruiting in paradise
Abhorred lust to dust!@
Folklore©Lyn Crain
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
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.
- 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.
- What do you see? I see tall branches against a blue sky.
- What do I hear? I listen to the rustle of branches and a blue jay squawking.
- What do I touch or feel? I feel the wet cement steps and the breeze in my hair.
- 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.
Perceptions of Honesty
People place greater trust in advisors who admit to some kind of bias in their recommendations, or that there are things they don’t know. Apparently, the admission of imperfection makes an advisor seem more honest and reliable. Conversely, the person who claims to know everything is less credible.
The latest evidence of this comes from a report from a medical research team at Cornell University (1). Doctors who preface a recommendation to a patient with an admission of bias toward procedures in their own specialty are perceived to be more believable, and their recommendations are more likely to be followed, than are doctors who don’t admit to any bias. The study director thought the admission of bias would make recommendations about surgery less effective, but the result was the opposite.
That makes sense. The world has become too complex for any one person to know everything, and consumers are smart…
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Featured Poet
Beauty
Beauty... A thing everyone see's But in who...beauty in me? Real beauty is not seen But real beauty is the goodness that you feel. Beauty...all about looks nowadays But real beauty is in what you say. Beauty...a strong word to say But we all have it in a way...
Copyright © Elena Pisani | Year Posted 2016
Catalyst for Change © Kyle Poissonnier
Kyle was one of the engaging young men I had the joy to transport on my school bus all those years ago. He has created a successful business in Portland. Maine called Catalyst For Change Wear. I am very proud of him.
I am sharing a cause that he believes in strongly with you today. I’ve shared his thinking with you below. Please help him raise awareness!
“Today we launch our third installment of our Suicide Awareness campaign with the sale of our semicolon hoodie. With each sale of these hoodies, we donate 25% profit directly to one of our beneficiaries One More Day Suicide Prevention. This money will help Katy Coffin continue to share her message and help those in need in Bangor. Katy first bought our suicide awareness hoodie in 2014 and told her story of survival wearing it. Suicide has affected so many over the years, and for me, it has been a personal experience over the past few years. Everyone from time to time doesn’t feel OK, or like they’re good enough. You are good enough. Make sure you tell someone if you ever feel that way, and if you’re a friend check in on your peers to make sure they are doing OK. Sometimes that’s all someone wants to hear. For those, we have lost, for those seeking help and for those in need. This is our semicolon hoodie. Let this be a flag for conversation.
Available now at www.cfcwear.com
These hoodies are made in the USA, poly fleece and limited. They are pre-order so at the end of each week, the sales will be tallied, printed, and shipped out. At the end of the month, the sale will close until next year. Let’s try to make an even bigger impact than before.
With Love, Kyle”
Additional Facts About Suicide in the US
- The annual age-adjusted suicide rate is 12.93 per 100,000 individuals.
- Men die by suicide 3.5x more often than women.
- On average, there are 117 suicides per day.
- White males accounted for 7 of 10 suicides in 2014.
- Firearms account for almost 50% of all suicides.
lyncrain 