tanka (for Paperback Writer)

I can smell the chalk

dust...picture all my shiny

new school supplies and

ideals just waiting to be

worn down to nubs and fragments.

* * * * * * *

You get two extra lines, Paperback Writer, just because you're so cool and also because I couldn't contain the idea that your poem inspired in 17 syllables!

OneWord - so little time [Tuesday]

"What does it say?" I inquired, craning my neck to see over his shoulder.

"See you next Wednesday," he replied.

"But it's already Tuesday!" I gasped in alarm. "Can't you get them to reconsider?"

"I don't know, I'll see what they say." He began circling the pointer on the Ouija Board again.

* * * * * * *

Is your week going too fast, Paperback Writer?

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku (for Jay)

Bittersweet longing

is the food of the poet.

He's my bread and wine.

Magnetic Poetry...Emerge Dance Dazzle

haiku (for Rob)

When I need a new

point of view, I check what you've

been photographing.

OneWord - so little time [disingenuous]

I have to admit that my comment to my supervisor, that his idea was brilliant, was a bit disingenuous. That's only because it was actually my concept in the first place. Of course, the only way to get him to implement it was to convince him it was all his notion.

* * * * * * *

Thanks, Rob! It's always good to give my language center a bit of exercise. I knew the word, but it's not one I use often.

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku (for Jay)

I pass enticingly

close to you each morning

and I cannot stop

haiku (for Samual Spade)

When out in the green,

I think of twilight, but the

sun contradicts me.

OneWord - so little time [twilight]

I lay still and silent, my mind in twilight, my body in shadow. All the better to see the lights that were flashing both around and in me. The lightning bugs could not quite compete with the shifting, dancing ideas that teased and taunted me. If only I could capture them all and put them in a jar where I could see them properly...

* * * * * * *

This word was surprisingly hard, Sam, because it flooded my mind with so many images I couldn't sort them out. So I wrote about trying to sort them out.

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku (for Jay)

I hope your day is

all sunshine and Wild, Irish

Roses! Mine will be!

Umm...I think this "morning" glory is a little confused!

(photo taken at 9PM)

haiku (Thank you, Jay!)

I skipped blissfully

past the floral display, my

vase already full.

haiku (for Kenna)

The past has clung to

me like a barnacle, but

I will scrape it off.

OneWord - so little time [barnacle]

"I swear I've been waiting here so long I'm growing barnacles on my arse!" I complained bitterly. "It happens to the best of us," the receptionist replied absently. "Don't worry. Poseidon is only about three eons behind in his appointments. He'll be with you shortly." I found a magazine in the waiting room that was only 900 years old and resigned myself to wait.

* * * * * * *

Hey, thanks Kenna! That's a great word, especially since I just saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest again this weekend! I have a feeling your haiku prize might have a buccaneer theme to it!

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku (for Jay)

You tell me how much

you love my eyes. Well, you're the

one who opened them!

(Photo by: Jay - Cropped by: Osquer)

haiku

the morning glories

open their throats to the sky

wait to taste the rain

haiku (for Heather)

Paisley nightmare or

technicolor dream? It's all

in how you see it.

OneWord - so little time [paisley]

"So, what did you do today?" I asked. "Oh, it was brilliant!" She replied. "I went down to the swap meet and found a killer paisley shirt!" She pulled the most hideous thing I'd ever seen out of her canvas bag. It was so many different colors it looked like someone had dumped a box of crayons on it and left them in the sun to melt.

* * * * * * *

Nice one, Heather! Paisley has always been one of my favorite colors!

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

He makes me feel gorgeous!

This wonderful artwork was created by Jay! Has anyone seen my feet? I've been swept off them!

haiku (for Max the cat)

Cat throws itself on

my feet in an ecstasy

of salutation!

haiku

I lose myself in

the drifting macro landscape

of summer snowflakes.

Photos: Settler's Cabin Park, Oakdale, PA, August 26, 2006

(click on photos to enlarge)

haiku (for Samual Spade)

There is nothing as

rare or as valued as a

true original!

OneWord - So Little Time [original]

Martin is my original garden gnome. He has tended my garden with pride, but needed a little (no pun intended) help. Today, four new gnomes arrived, one for each direction of my compass rose herb garden! It's always good to have direction.

* * * * * * *

Thanks for another good word, Samual Spade! You are definitely an original!

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku (for Jay)

I had no doubt that

There'd be fireworks when we met.

Didn't expect this!

Photos: Pittsburgh, PA August 25, 2006

haiku (for Paperback Writer)

Does the heat of the

moment bring revelation

or obfuscation?

tanka

The best way to make

the traffic light turn from red

to green is to pull

out my camera to snatch

a photograph of something.

OneWord - one word, so little time [heat]

"Okay, baby, gimme some heat!" called out the catcher as the pitcher rubbed the ball against his hip. One signal. The pitcher shook his head. Two signals. The pitcher shook his head. Three signals. The pitcher let a wicked grin crawl across his face, nodded and threw him a curve.

* * * * * * *

Thanks again, Paperback Writer! I may not be able to post your haiku until tomorrow. I will be out and about this afternoon, so I'll owe you one until I get online again. Hey, you know I'm good for it!

Blogger is being really odd today. I know someone else attempted to post a word and it didn't appear in the comments (yet). Sorry if you tried to win the contest and Blogger thwarted you. :-(

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

55 Fiction Friday

Iris once more found herself staring out of a train window. The difference this time was that the scenery flashing past was English countryside rather than French. It seemed as though she had been either on a train or a boat constantly for such a long time. Would this journey never come to an end?

[FIRST] [PREVIOUS] (to be continued...)

Look what I found in my garden!

These are baby Asian string beans. When they are fully grown, I'll need a yard stick to measure them.

The ants seem to be enjoying the buds.

(click on photos to enlarge)

haiku (for Paperback Writer)

Trying to clear the

clouds from my head, I write on

'til my thoughts run clear.

OneWord - one word, so little time [cloudy]

I stumbled down the hallway, eyes barely open, mind so cloudy that I actually bypassed the door I was looking for and had the embarassment of having to reverse my direction. When I turned around, I found myself nose to nose with my co-worker who had been tiptoeing up behind me. "Boo!" she grinned.

"Cheese and rice!" I gasped, "Don't do that to me." I'm awake now!

* * * * * * *

Always a pleasure, Paperback Writer!

a blast from my past

WHALESONG (tanka series - 1989)



Lightning foam ripples

the glass surface of the night

water, and the deep

thrumming of whalesong thunders

across an island dreamscape



A lone figure, I

pause, feet nestled in the sand

I listen to the

cries of the leviathans

and I desire to join them



My spirit hungers

to loose itself, escape the

imprisoning land

and wander there among those

gentle creatures of the sea



Their massive flukes stand

silhouetted against the

clouded, moonlit sky

like wings of seraphim, there

suspended for a moment



They slip down, sounding

beneath the inky, whorled depths

as they merge with the

velvet line of horizon

piercing water with voices



Only their mournful

echoes remain to assure

me of their steady

presence, sure and free; somehow

they are here . . . within my mind

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku (for Jay)

Imagine when our

conversations will include

facial expressions!

Fibonacci Poem (for Jay)

"Breathe...

breathe,"

my friends

caution me.

I am listening,

and I keep gasping with delight!

haiku (for Rob)

As a reward for

your diligence, I found you

a bug to look up!

(click on the photos to see a larger version)

haiku series (for Jay)

A conversation

cherished until one day had

become the next day


And, as tired as I

am, nothing could induce me

to lay down my pen


So, I let the ink

flow like vocabulary

words long forgotten


My mind more awake

than in any daylight hour

outside world at bay


Except the crickets

who will sing me to sleep with

sighing fiddle tunes


As I dream, echoes

of your goodnight will evolve

into good morning

OneWord - one word, so little time [delivered]

For too many years I languished in the dungeon that my circumstances had allotted me. I occasionally raged and flailed against the walls and cried for help, but in all the time I spent waiting to be delivered from the dank confines of my prison, it never occurred to me that I could just let myself out.

* * * * * * *

Thanks Rob for a very good word!

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me is the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku (for Jay)

Curiosity

takes the bit and I, for once,

do not reign it in.

haiku (for Bea)

There are times when it's

difficult not to believe

that angels exist.

a blast from my past

(invention playhouse - play with clouds here)

OneWord - so little time [cheesybread]

"If you make me listen to any more of your cheesy Bread CD's, I'm going to put them between two slices of pumpernickle, toast them and make you eat them," I grumbled.

"Oh, relax," he replied. "Here, have some käse-brot. You'll feel better after you've eaten."

* * * * * * *

You know it's lunch-time, Bea! I hear a burger and fries calling my name! I'm sure there will be cheese (or rather processed cheezefood product) involved!

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me is the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku (for Paperback Writer)

I am familiar

with the green eyed monster, but

I keep it at bay!

haiku (for Jay)

Your baby's leaving

the nest again, but keep it

warm. Spring will return.

haiku (for Jay)

I'm reeling from the

vicarious serenede

you e-mailed last night!

;-)

haiku (for Jay)

The moment I let

my pen take up the subject

of you, I'll be lost.

haiku

And they wonder why

they have such terrible

telephone reception.

haiku - for Wart ;-)

In answer to your

hopes, why yes, I am digging

what you’re laying down!

OneWord - so little time [green]

I think one of the most annoying monsters in the world is that little green eyed bugger that gnaws at the back of my brain whenever I see someone who doesn't appreciate what they have. I don't mind seeing someone get something good, even if it's something I can't have, but it really bothers me when someone receives something fantastic and all they can do is complain that it's the wrong shade of chartreuse!
* * * * * * *

Very funny, Paperback Writer! Thanks for an easy word! Has anyone figured out yet what my favorite color is? Okay, PW! Let's see what you got!

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

www.oneword.com is still not updating. So, I am having another contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

What I really miss about www.oneword.com is the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. If anyone out there is at all inclined to play along at home, I would love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts with me in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku

I must be nimble

with my center of focus

wind blown Siam Queen

haiku

As the sky grows dark

shadows, vocabulary

and past draw in close.

haiku (for Nick Zegarac)

Poetry taunts like

smoke with rhythm, hovers close

but uncatchable.

OneWord - So Little Time [pretibial]

"Ack! Son of a..." I censored myself since there were plenty of neighborhood kids in hearing distance, and tried to be content with rubbing the pretibial bruise I'd gotten from a tomato stake in the garden. It had apparently been waiting in hiding just to trip me! Ouch!

* * * * * * *

Thanks, Nick Zegarac! Although the purpose of this contest is not to see who can come up with the most challenging word, I always appreciate any addition to my vocabulary!

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

www.oneword.com is still out of order. So, I am having another contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

haiku (for LeftUnsaid27)

Photo: Sandy Lake, PA - August 1, 2004

I would immerse my

self in knowledge as I do

in flowing water.

I had the best dinner tonight!

This is Todd, a chef at The Pointe at Wheeling Island, WV. He graciously consented to pose for an illustration for my Friday Feast (scroll down to see this week's Feast). Not only does Todd make an absolutely scrumptious crab stuffed lobster tail, but he's also kind enough to humor his patrons! Thanks, Todd!

One Word - So Little Time [grok]

"I grok you better than you think," he said as he raised the glass of sparkling water to my lips. I had not realized how dry my mouth had become, the thirst not merely physical. My own anxiety had turned my tongue into a desolate wasteland where my questions evaporated before I could pose them. Now they came flooding back faster than my voice could carry them. He merely nodded and gestured for me to finish my drink. Answers could wait. There was all the time in the world.

* * * * * * *

Cool, LeftUnsaid27! I love Stranger in a Strange Land!