Love Poetic

"Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me here. For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes?"

—Taken from Persuasion, by Jane Austen; Captain Wentworth's letter to Anne

This is what makes the classics, classic. No one writes or speaks like this anymore, and while some might be relieved to find this so, I find it to be a little less beautiful, a little less poetic.

The Writer's Notebook

Anyone who writes is probably familiar with the writer's notebook, but to those who aren't writers, watching someone scribble in a notebook every five minutes, stopping midstream to jot down thoughts, ideas, prose, even story lines or dialogue, can seem just a bit obsessive.

But writers tend to be obsessive anyhow. I friend of mine, who also happens to be a therapist, and not mine, once told me that writers live in their own little worlds, ones they create deep within, while the rest of us live among the living. 

And if that's true, remembering everything we come up with would be impossible. That's why we write it down, no matter how random it may seem at the time.

The point is this, as all creatives know: when you receive this often elusive creative spark, when the muse graces upon you inspiration, you don't throw it away. You stop what you're doing and grab hold of it. Otherwise, the moment is gone, lost in time, leaving you with nothing to show for it.

Life as the Artist's Canvass

Artists are the most intriguing of all people. They have this innate ability to look at things with honest eyes and create what they see: with paint, clay, marble, pencils, words. They can take a view of the world that many of us have and turn it into a world view that we crave.

I adore the way an artist can look into the very soul and see all of its colors, its layers of light, of lies and truths and everything that lies in the in-between. 

Paint for me a Monet sky...

Another Day, Another Poem Sold

Poetry for profit may be looked down upon by the literati, but it does serve its purpose when it resonates with the masses. So I don't mind when poetry snobs turn up their noses to what I call "Americana poetry." After all, poetry is only good if the reader is able to understand it, and let's face it, most of us find it almost impossible to understand what some call poetry. That's why we neither read or study it.

Of course, there is a lot of bad "poetry" out there; a lot that simply can't be read. No one who writes Americana poetry wants to be lumped into that category. I certainly hope I never am; when that day comes, I promise to stop penning any of it for public consumption. I may still do so privately just to torture myself.

Which brings me to my point. I just received another contract today from Blue Mountain Arts for my latest poem for them, which is much less like poetry than it is prose. It truly is exciting to go to the mailbox and discover a large yellow envelope with their label on it. They don't send rejection letters out because they receive nearly 1,000 poems a month. Therefore, you know when you receive an envelope from them, you will be getting good news.

And that's always good.

 

Fade into You

Sorry I haven't posted anything for so very long. Work has kept me busy, and then there's life, which can get in the way of everything. Anyhow...

Here's the latest poem I am working on. Another work-in-progress, but isn't it better to create than to destroy or do nothing at all?

Untitled

The world could just disappear,

As long as I have you here

Nothing else matters...

Anymore

Hold your hand out for mine,

Fade into you as we entwine,

And nothing else matters

It could all just burn away

Nothing else matters, anymore

When you come near

I can't breathe, so unaware

The world could just fade away

Because nothing else matters

Burn away, simply fade

Nothing else matters

When you're near

Live in Hope

I've been busy. I've been really, really busy. I just finished my book, and, of course, the writing was the easy part. Now comes the hard part...shopping it around for a publisher. Here's an excerpt from the introduction.

Wish me luck!



Life is so many things, but it’s nothing if not ever changing. And change can be difficult on us. But here’s the thing with change: Others have been where you are right now, right at this very moment. Others before you have gone through what you’re experiencing and you have this great opportunity to learn from them…if you will only just stop and listen to the words they have to say.

For everything has been said before. Everything we need to know has been written; the words have been penned, etched on parchment, on yellowed scrolls of days gone by. The words have been spoken, whispered in hushed voices, shouted in hallowed halls, told to any and all who would listen. They are there for us to discover...

Ancient words, full of wisdom and hope, once followed by so many as guiding principles for a life well-lived, cast aside, left undiscovered in dusty tomes on library shelves. No longer taught in high school classrooms, but instead studied by a mere handful of Philosophy and English majors on college campuses, yet never applied in the real world…the world in which we live every day, where we struggle to find our way.

So here they are, a collection of words by some of the most notable philosophers, thinkers, theologians, teachers, authors, poets, artists, and politicians; people we admire for their clarity of thought, for their wisdom, for their courage. These words offer more than just guidance; they offer hope⎯how to find it, how to hang on to it, how to live in it. And I for one prefer to live in hope.

SOLD

I just sold another poem. This time I'm working with the greeting card/stationery company Blue Mountain Arts in Boulder, Colorado. 

I've always wanted to get published by them. Their cards and calendars are beautiful. They have an extremely stringent market-review process, but there you go. If you keep at something long enough, you will prevail (okay, I've only sent in a submission to them once before, so maybe this is luck). I can't divulge the poem here, but let me just say that it used to be posted in the poetry corner.

Look for it on a greeting card or in a calendar or book in the near future...

Revisionist

Revision one...this could take some time. 

[Still Untitled]

The sky cries, and trees
bow their heads
in quiet prayer
The earth, she shakes, 

with anger and roars in pain,
But what do I care,
What do I care

My heart, broken, cries out
but no one hears
So let the sky cry
until her tears wash away
My pleas, mere whispers
to all, unheard
So let the trees bow
and break in despair
My body lies crumpled, broken 

and bare
Why shouldn't the earth tremble,
and share my same fate

For if the sun no longer shines,
overcome by night's fears

Would anyone notice,

Would anyone care
if the stars fall from the heavens
and not one witness their sins

For aren't all our hearts broken
Carried away by the wind
Scattered in pieces

Does anyone care
—July 2008

The Writing Process, in Process

I've debated all day about whether I should post the most recent incarnation of the "poem" I've been working on. Okay, so I know it is technically a poem; it just seems odd to see it in print. Who am I to share such writings with others? What would cause me to believe that anyone else would be interested in how I might breath life into such words? And then, I changed my mind. 

[As Yet Untitled]

The sky cries,

The trees bow their heads

in quiet prayer

The earth, she shakes, with anger

roars in pain,

But what do I care,

What do I care

My heart, broken, cries out

no one hears

So let the sky cry 

until her tears wash away

My pleas, mere whispers

to all unheard

So let the trees bow

and break in despair

My body lies crumpled, shaken in rage

Why shouldn't the earth tremble, 

share in my same fate

If the sun no longer shines,

overcome by night's fears

And the stars, fall from the heavens

without anyone to bear witness

their sins

Does it matter at all

Does anyone care

For aren't all our hearts broken

Shattered,

Scattered to the wind

 —July 2008

So, here's what happens next. I rip it apart, rewrite it a thousand times, toss it aside, and forget about it for a while. When I again stumble upon it, I may rip it apart ... again. Or maybe I'll let it lie in peace, never to be seen. I'm really not sure it matters; there's always another one waiting to be born.

You Are Never Alone

Loneliness—the state of being alone; isolation

To the young, the eternally social, loneliness can be tantamount to death. It’s the cursed cold, the emptiness of the soul, the deadly quiet of day and night that seems eternal, never ending. But, loneliness, as painful as it may be at the time, isn’t forever.

Time spent alone gives you a pause in an otherwise overly active life. It lets you catch up, breathe, relax, unwind, and just be. It can be a time of great creativity: paint, write, sculpt, sketch. If you change your perception of what loneliness is, you can change your mind about spending time alone with your self. Use the time to get to know your self, to enjoy the person you are and the person you are becoming.


When you close your doors, and make darkness within, remember never to say that you are alone, for you are not alone; nay, God is within, and your genius is within. And what need have they of light to see what you are doing?
—Epictetus

The kingdom of God is within you.
—Luke 17:21 NIV

Loneliness is the first thing which God’s eye named.
—John Milton

Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human condition. Man is the only being who knows he is alone.
—Octavio Paz

American Poet for Sale

We write what our hearts reveal, what our souls demand be expressed, only to alter our work, put it on display, and sale it to make a buck.

Dream On

There will always be those who tell you no,
     who say it can't be done
But don't listen, follow your heart and dream on.

There will always be obstacles to stand in your way,
     to try and hold you back
But don't give up, gather your strength and dream on.

For it's only in having faith that you will achieve,
in believing in your dreams that you will succeed.
So follow your own lead. Forge ahead. Dream on.
—Laura Hensley

SOLD

Exclusive Worldwide Rights, (C) Creative Memories

The Miracle of Prayer

Prayer—communication with the Divine, God, Creator of all that is

Prayer is a way of talking with God, of establishing direct communication with the Heavens themselves, of asking for what you want and need and of being heard. Pure, simple, intimate, and available all the time, at all times.

Prayer is not complicated; it is a simple matter of merely talking to the Divine, to God the Creator. There are no magic formulas or special words that need to be said. Prayer doesn’t have to be poetry in motion. It just has to be from the heart, petition and thanksgiving from you to God.

God is there for you every hour of every day of every year. God knows everything about you, every thought, every feeling, every hope, every fear. God doesn’t want you to suffer but to flourish and be happy, to reach your potential, and through prayer you can do just that. It is your most powerful tool to communicate with God, and your prayers never go unheard, but instead are always answered according to God’s will.

Pray with faith that you will be heard. Pray with reverence. Pray in worship. Be open to all God has in store for you, and always, in all ways be thankful.


…pray continually
—1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV

More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.
—Alfred, Lord Tennyson

If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.
—Meister Eckhart

You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might also pray in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.
—Kahlil Gibran

“I will answer their prayers before they finish praying.”
—Isaiah 65:24 CEV

Prayer is the most essential of all human activities.
—Iris Murdoch

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.
—Philippians 1:4 NIV

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray…and He shall hear my voice.
—Psalm 55:17 NKJV

Pray to God in any way you like.
—Sri Ramakrishna

Soul Searching

The secrets of my soul are many, far too many to tell. So instead of baring my soul to any, I keep it to myself.

You Are More Courageous than You Think

Courage—the mental and moral strength that enables you to face, withstand, and persevere through fear, danger, and difficulty


Everyone exhibits varying degrees of courage every single day. For someone extremely ill, getting out of bed and dealing with the pain of disease is courageous. A single mother working two jobs to make ends meet while still finding time to share a laugh with her kids is courageous. A student standing up for someone being bullied even though he may become the focus of ridicule himself is courageous.

You are courageous in so many ways. You get up every day and go to work or school, facing myriad problems and challenges there. You may have a brain-numbing or relentlessly challenging job, but you get up and go to it every day. Your boss may be a tyrant. The pay may stink. But still you go.

You study, you work, you help around the house. You face your problems head on. You ask for help when you need it. You stand up for what you believe in. You take responsibility for your actions. You live with integrity.

You are courageous.


Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.
—John Quincy Adams

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid…
—Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV Bible

Courage consists in the power of self-recovery.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

The wise man in the storm prays to God not for safety from danger, but deliverance from fear. It is the storm within that endangers him, not the storm without.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Always do what you are afraid to do.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Freedom lies in being bold.
—Robert Frost

The best way out is always through.
—Robert Frost

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
—Mahatma Gandhi

Take the breath of the new dawn and make it part of you. It will give you strength.
—Hopi Saying

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.
—Anaïs Nin

It is not because things are difficult that we dare not; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
—Seneca

Because of a great love, one is courageous.
—Lao Tzu

The Beauty Within

Each and every one of us is born possessing great beauty. All our lives we have exhibited beauty, whether we believe in this or not, through our smiles, our laughter, our tears, our compassion. Our inner beauty shines and serves as a guide in measuring beauty in others. Superficial imperfections become irrelevant as we discover that our ideas about what beauty is has changed; the concept that beauty is something merely external, an unattainable perfection to be admired and chased, becomes a foreign idea. The way we tend to those in need, a kind word given to someone feeling down, a smile shared with a stranger, a hand to hold when life gets to be too much…this is what true beauty, and each of us possesses all this and more.

Things are beautiful if you love them.
—Jean Anouilh

To do the useful thing, to say the courageous thing, to contemplate the beautiful thing: that is enough for one man’s life.
—T. S. Eliot

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful. We must carry it with us or we will not find it.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Light, God’s eldest daughter, is a principal beauty...
—Thomas Fuller

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.
—Anne Frank

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is in the light of the heart.
—Kahlil Gibran

To love beauty is to see light.
—Victor Hugo

You shine like stars in the universe.
—Philippians 2:15 NIV Bible

Let the beauty you love be what you do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth.
—Rumi

Ambition, the Nails of Success

Ambition has always been that which drives individuals forward. It’s what motivates us as a society to achieve more than our ancestors had. The relentless pursuit of excellence, wealth, fame, power, whatever your desire may be, is not, in and of itself, a bad thing. However, when ambition takes control of your life to the point where you no longer care who you step on to get what you want, you have crossed a line.

Be ambitious. Chase after your dreams and see them through. Be strong and persevere when others tell you that what you want is nothing more than a pipedream. No one ever achieved great success, saw dreams come true, by giving up. But be careful in your pursuits; like everything else in life, carrying your ambition forward is a balancing act between achievement at all cost and giving in, giving up. To that end, neither extreme will serve you well.


Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
—Henry David Thoreau

Something for Nothing

Everyone loves something for nothing, and since that doesn't happen everyday, you've got to take advantage of it when it does. So, here's a little something something for nothing nothing. Today it's quotes; down the road, find scripture, original verse and prose ... all for the taking.

Happy mining!

Quotes—
Today a reader, tomorrow a leader. —Margaret Fuller

Every man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify himself, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant, and interesting. —Aldous Huxley

Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy. —Rabbi Abraham Herschel

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. —Martin Luther King, Jr.

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face… You must do the thing you think you cannot do. —Eleanor Roosevelt

My life can be so arranged that I can live on whatever I have. If I cannot live as I have lived in the past, I shall live differently, and living differently does not mean living with less attention to the things that make life gracious and pleasant or with less enjoyment of things of the mind. —Eleanor Roosevelt

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. —Meister Eckhart

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. —Helen Keller

The hardest challenge is to be yourself in a world where everyone is trying to make you be somebody else. —E. E. Cummings

Talk not of wasted affection; affection never was wasted. —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. —Albert Einstein

The people that get on in this world are the people that get up and look for the circumstances that they want; and if they can't find them, they make them. —George Bernard Shaw

Do more than belong, participate. Do more than care, help. Do more than believe, practice. Do more than be fair, be kind. Do more than forgive, forget. Do more than dream, work. —William Arthur Ward

One must have chaos in ones self in order to give birth to a dancing star. —Nietzsche

Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Love as if this is all there is. —Mary Anne Radmacher

Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible. —Cadet Maxim

May you always have enough happiness to keep you sweet; enough trials to keep you strong; enough success to keep you eager; enough faith to give you courage; and enough determination to make each day a good day. —Irish Blessing

Dwell in possibility, —Emily Dickinson

Do one thing every day that scares you. —Eleanor Roosevelt

God is in those who persevere. —the Quran

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. —Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Never, never, never give up. —Winston Churchill

Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must. —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Our Deepest Fear...

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." —Marianne Williamson


Absolutely my favorite quote ever. Ever. Every time I hear those words spoken, every time I read them, I am inspired. Inspired to do more, to be more, to be better. Inspired not to let the fear keep me from whatever I want most in this life. I hope these words inspire you as well.

Exhibitionist vs. Voyeur

Something to think about … is blogging simply a means for ego-driven individuals to wax relentlessly on the trivial details of their lives, to live life as exhibitionists, or, is it a means for voyeurs to get a peek into the somewhat-private lives of others, thereby living vicariously through the words of those they read?

Personally, I think blogging may serve both purposes a little, an almost symbiotic relationship between “author” and “reader,” "exhibitionist" and "voyeur." Blogs offer readers more than just private details … they provide information, entertainment, perspective, a different point-of-view.

I haven’t really decided what kind of blog I publish. I can’t even decide whether there is a focus to it. Maybe, it’s just a little bit of everything…

For Whom Do We Create?

As creatives, we are accustomed to providing products that speak to the masses. After all, that's what we ourselves are designed to do: Create for others to consume. If no one read the words we wrote, would we still write? If no one looked at the art we created, would we still design?

I like to think so. Creation in and of itself should be for one's self, for the one, rather than for others to use, abuse, or admire. Introducing something new to the world that just one moment before never existed is a miracle, and that should be enough for all of us. Who cares, really, if anyone else sees what we do? The one that matters sees all we create, whether we share it with the world or not. To do that, to create and give back to the creator is more than any of us can hope for. I think that is the greatest contribution we creatives can make, to honor the one from whom all our talent is derived ... the rest, admiration and validation from the masses, is simply to feed the ego, which, from time to time, does need fed.

We all want others to love or hate what we create. We want our work to make an impression on people, good or bad, so long as it evokes emotion and gets people talking. But for most of us, that simply isn't the primary reason for creating our work. We create because we can, because we are driven to express ourselves in an artistic way, moved to use our God-given talent as expected to do so. Admiration and validation are secondary to all of that.

On second thought, I could be wrong about all of this ...

In Memoriam, for Matthew

Three years ago next month, my eldest son's best friend died in a car accident. It was a tragic loss, a shock to all of us, but to none more so than Matthew's mother and father. You see, Matthew was riding in the car with his father when his dad lost control on a back country road and slammed head-on into another vehicle. Matthew died instantly from a broken neck.

In the aftermath of all of this, while trying to console my son and make some sense of such a senseless accident, I wrote this poem in memory of Matthew...in memory of every child lost before his time and for the mothers who have to let them go.

In Memoriam, 7-12-05

In the stillness of your room
The only sounds,
Your breath and mine
I cradle you
Just for a moment,
But forever in time
Holding your body, skin on skin
Alone in the dark, in the peace of quiet
Just as once the whole of me held you
Resting alone inside my womb
One careless moment
Twelve years taken away
With you, a part of me died, too
Now I cradle you
Once more, once again
Once, for all of time
Clinging tight, skin on skin
Alone in the dark, in the pain of quiet
To say goodbye, to let you go
Resting alone inside your tomb

© 2005 Laura Hensley

Ironically, my eldest son broke his neck exactly six months later. He survived and did not experience even the slightest adverse affect...there but for the grace of God.

The Power of Words

Words are powerful. They can inspire, uplift, liberate, celebrate, and seduce; they can just as easily tear down, annihilate, abuse, and destroy. Words, whether spoken or written, affect our lives, affect our future selves. Guard against using them carelessly.

Finding the Muse

Creative types are always in search of inspiration, the muse who gives rise to some of the greatest works ever created. All artists have their muses; writers have theirs as well. But the muse can be elusive. She comes and goes as she pleases, and when she does grace you with her presence, it is best not to turn her away. Otherwise, you will find yourself in search of her anywhere and everywhere.

I find that I am in constant need of searching out the muse as I often let her come and go, but luckily, I have learned where to look when my creativity as reached a low point; once you know where to look for your muse, you will find her every time. I find my inspiration in the words of others: Poets, songwriters, novelists who write with near perfection and use words to elicit great emotion. I find it in music that moves within you. I find it in art, beautiful, creative, divine. I find it in the creativity of the Divine itself, in the moonlight that bathes silhouetted images of night, in the distant rolling storm clouds, in the breaking of dawn.

And I find it in others, those who inspire and leave me in awe. So, I wonder, how do you find your muse? Who, or what, inspires you?

Destroying Good Work

As a writer, I take pride in creating work that is not only well written, but that also is easily read by the target audience. This can be a painstakingly tedius task, consisting of writing and rewriting to get the words and syntax correct, but it's worth it.

When working for a client, you expect changes. After all, they know best what the desired message and its effect are, and in many cases they simply can't get that information across to the writer. So changes will come. And that's okay. It's expected. But then there are the times when you get the message right, and instead of the client focusing on content, they rip the grammar apart, grammar that was once correct and is not anymore. They make a mess of the work you so painstakingly created for them.

This drives me crazy, especially when the problems are created by those who just don't get it. They're not writers. They're not editors. Their expertise lies elsewhere. And therein lies the problem...

Chasing Perfection

Here's what I know: All our lives, from the first moment we begin to dream, from the time we start to believe that we will achieve everything we want most in life, we begin to seek perfection in all we do, in all we create. We become focused on obtaining perfection, and in doing so we lose sight of the very thing we wanted originally. The "means" obliterates the "end."

In writing, I can self-correct and analyze every word I choose to use, replacing, rewriting, revising until there is nothing left of the original piece anymore. Books don't get finished. Manuscripts are tossed aside. Nothing is ever good enough. This is chasing perfection, and perfection, no matter who you are or what you do, doesn't exist in this realm.

So instead of destroying creation in this relentless pursuit of that which will never be, it is better to let your self go and love that which we do create. Because in reality, there always will be those who will stand in your way, or who will tell you your work isn't worthy: they, too, are seeking perfection.

Don't believe them. Anything created from you is co-created with the divine, and is perfect in and of itself. And that should be enough...

Motherless Daughters

So here's a thought...Mother's Day. For most people, Mother's Day is a joyous occasion, one in which we celebrate those who nurture, care for, and unconditionally love us. It's just one day, one day out of the year, when we give pause to spend time with those women who have had the most influence on our lives.

However, for some of us, Mother's Day serves as a cruel reminder of what could have been but will never be. It's one day, just one, but no matter how many years go by, no matter how much distance we place between ourselves and the loss of our mothers, we are reminded year after year that we no longer have that one person who loved us no matter what.

We are motherless daughters.

Watching other women spend time with their mothers reminds me of just how different my reality is. I missed out on getting to know my mother as her adult child. She doesn't know my children, nor they her. She doesn't know of the things I've accomplished with my life.

Sometimes I still feel as if I am 31, as if time stood still the day I lost my mother. And maybe in some ways it has.

A Love Affair...

A love affair...

I have to admit, I am in love. Well, maybe not love, but rather a school-girl-type of crush. And though this love isn't quite yet an affair by most standards, it's an affair all the same to me.

Do you remember how it felt, how you felt deep inside, when you experienced that first flush of love? So new, so mysterious, so head-spinning delicious? That's what a new love can do for you. When life becomes static, you tend to look for something somewhere else, something...close. You look for something that excites, ignites that flame within. And when you find it, you hold on to it, albeit from a distance.

Because really, even though you may not be intending to act on this new-found love, this crush, if you will, the feeling it provides is enough to carry you through. In fact, these feelings can inspire you, be your muse, even spark great creativity.

So now you may be wondering, even curious, about whom I am writing. Who says that a love affair needs to be with another person? Couldn't one easily fall in love with an idea, an idea so inspiring that it washes over and through you, changing you forever? And couldn't a love affair involve simply falling in love with life? Or one's relationship with the Divine, so personal, so intimate, mysterious in itself? So then, maybe my love affair, my crush, is simply with the written word.

For the moment, I'm not telling...

Are You Speaking English?

English is my native tongue and that of more than 200 million others in this country. We should be fluent in its usage, being that we've been using it since we could speak and learning all about it since kindergarten. But, no...

The English language is butchered by most Americans, including one President Bush, on a daily basis. Most of us can't even construct a simple sentence correctly. Subject-verb agreement? Pronoun references? Correct verb tense? Does anyone even know what this means anymore?

These are my pet peeves; it seems to me that we no longer speak the English language as it was taught to us in school. We have "Americanized" it so much that words and sentences no longer make sense. Example: Me and him ain't going to no store today. Example: I'm gonna get me some dinner.

Arghhhhhh! What has happened to us? Why can't we speak properly? And why don't most of us even care?

Where Have all the Words Gone

Technology brings many changes, some good, others not so much. One such example of the latter: text messaging. Text messaging is technology shorthand that is single handedly ruining a generation of English language users. Kids can't even write letters, putting pen to paper, without using "CUL8R," "RU?," or "GTG." What happened to actually using entire words, preserving the essence of the message with correct grammar, and knowing how to spell?

These are vital skills, ones which employers expect you to have and know how to use. There simply is no room in standard writing for text shorthand. Using it in place of actual words can become a bad habit, one that you find difficult to break once you are in the "real world" of adults and employment.

That's not to say there isn't room for text messaging shorthand. It has its place--with cell phone usage. And honestly, that's why it was invented...to leave quick, short messages using your phone.

For everything else, proper English, please.

Excuse Me Doctor, I'm in the Middle of a Nervous Breakdown

Times have been tough lately in the world of writing. Too many writers, not enough gigs. That's right, I used the word 'gigs.' Kinda like it, too.

So, work is slow, and the day-job ends at the end of the month...what's a girl to do? Interview like heck, and scour the ends of the earth for freelance work. It's out there. There's a ton of it out there. You just have to know where to look and who to ask. You must be fierce. You have to be relentless in your pursuit. I'm getting there. I've got some solid leads and a few projects lined up. Not worried...yet. In a month, well, that's a month away and I simply don't have time to think about it right now.

Which leads me to the point of this entry, along with its aptly named title. Recently, I went to my doctor and told her that I had an "ear ache, migraine headache, and oh, I think I'm having a nervous breakdown." That got her attention. And it got me a little help, because, quite frankly, I do not have time for a nervous breakdown right now. Maybe not ever. But when the time is right, I'll schedule it in. Until then, I have to push on. Stay the course, as ole' President Bush is fond of saying.

On second thought, quoting President Bush is never a good thing.

Interviews

Interview: the process of marketing (read: selling) yourself to complete strangers in the hopes of landing a much-needed job.

I have been interviewing a lot lately. More than I like; more than I'm used to. Interviewing is a form of marketing yourself, a known commodity unto you alone, to those who may very well know nothing more about you than what appears on your resume. Not an easy task. Somewhat uncomfortable. After a while, a bit sleazy. Or at least it feels that way.

It really is a necessary evil though, and if approached correctly, can really put you in the best light possible. It's a way to present yourself and your skills and snag the job of your dreams.

At the moment, I'm still waiting...

Serendipity

Serendipity: the making of fortunate and unexpected discoveries quite by accident. Is it fate, or sheer luck that comes into play when serendipitous acts occur? I'd like to think it was fate that had a hand in this, that God is somehow moving people into places so the circumstances can play out in just such a way that the outcome is fortunate to those involved. Is that too much to hope for? I don't think so. My faith tells me otherwise.

Inspiration: Life Unfolding

One simply can't be a creative writer unless one is inspired, and I can't think of any better inspiration than to watch life unfold and play out right before your eyes. There's always something happening. Always something to observe, which may end up being the inspiration you need to complete your assignment.

Unfortunately, I have yet to find such inspiration today, so I'm not getting very far writing this poem series. That's okay; I'm not panicking yet. I still have the rest of tonight and all day tomorrow to get inspired by something happening around me. And it will happen. It always does.

Today's Assignment Is...

Another freelance job. This time I am tasked with writing several "poems" on the topic of family, starting today, and to deliver said copy on ... Monday. No problem. And I can actually say 'no problem' and mean it because the poetry in question isn't exactly what one might call great works of literature. No, they're more like the all-American, inspirational greeting-card type of poems that so many people love and adore. Don't get me wrong. I like the assignment; afterall, it's writing. I just mean that because these aren't great works of literature, they can be created fairly quickly and still be good. Deadline will be met. No problem.

I Love to Write

I love to write. I love it so much, that I write even if I haven't an assignment. It's in my blood. My mother was a writer; very prolific at that. And my father could write philosophically for days on end. It really is a family passion, one of which I have in turn passed on to my youngest.

Words are sacred. I truly believe this to be true. They pack so much power. They can persuade, inspire, uplift, invoke, hurt, anger, and bring one to his knees. Words, when used effectively, can move you to tears, force you to act, or call you to arms. All this from a simple combination of letters, used in such an effective way that they grab attention, cause a reaction, and get a response.

Yes, it's true. I love to write. I love the written word.