Early morning darkness
Peace fills wakening mind
Gathering every word
Another light he finds
Candle flickers nearby
Aroma filling room
Harvesting one more thought
Imagination blooms
Pen continues journey
Filled with inner meaning
Opening up heart’s spirit
His garden now greening
Breath of past dropping in
Memories full of light
Remembering again
Solitude always bright
Blessed sunrise arrives
New day now waits to fill
Cascading to new page
Ripples from writer’s quill
The poem is not a thing we see; it is, rather, a light by which may see.
Everything seems an echo of something else.
Robert Penn Warren (1905-1989) was an American poet and novelist. His received the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1947 for his novel, ALL THE KING’S MEN.
Stories are meant to comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.
Trust everyone but always cut the cards.
Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936) was an American writer, humorist, and journalist.
Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.
The historian will tell you what happened. The novelist will tell you what it felt like.
E. L. (Edgar Lawrence) Doctorow (1931-2015) was an American writer and editor. He was best known for his historical novels.
Half-empty coffee cup
Hoping to find something
Peering down, never up
Searching darkened nothing
“Seinfeld” gathers awards
Endless shows with nothing
Jerry’s name on billboards
He’s caught on to something
Writing with empty words
Dreams filling with something
Missing all the keywords
Amounting to nothing
Scanning digital files
Words lost, dreading nothing
Writer facing trials
Mining life for something
Photo on dusty perch
Triggers newfound something
Memories begin search
Looking beyond nothing
Nothing pursues something
Something subdues nothing
The American sitcom “Seinfeld” entertained viewers for nine years with the creative humor of comedian Jerry Seinfeld. With a setting in New York City, the cast featured regulars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards. The success of the show has often been referenced to a “show about nothing.”
Here is a short clip from the show, featuring Jerry Seinfeld with guest star Brad Garrett. The scene is titled “You barely know your car.”
Originally published October, 2020.
Writing from one’s heart
Without artificial means—
Old-fashioned journey
Writing every day
Wide world always opens up—
Pen never runs dry
Writing notebook poised
Taking in morning’s first sip—
Empowers each thought
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.
When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don’t mean utterly, but kill most of them–then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are far apart.
Mark Twain (1835-1910) was an American author and humorist. He has often been praised as one of America’s greatest humorists, and American writer William Faulkner called him “the father of American Literature.”
Life begins much like an empty book
Pages waiting as a tranquil brook
How will daily life compose each page?
Breathtaking words at every age
Words starting with childlike, joyful prose
Sentences fill with love, head to toes
Paragraphs arrive, smiling each day
First page finishes, much like crochet
Chapters now gather, picking up speed
Transmission accepts each tender reed
Pages adding up, never afraid
Days, weeks, months, years gather . . . no charade
Life reaches the twilight of its time
Not pausing, not even for halftime
Who will ever read this manuscript?
There’s time to add a final postscript
With empty pages, life’s book began
Words maturing, always in God’s plan
Originally published September, 2020.
A speech is poetry: cadence, rhythm, imagery, sweep! A speech reminds us that words, like children, have the power to make dance the dullest beanbag of the heart.
Candor is a compliment; it implies equality. It’s how true friends talk.
Peggy Noonan (born 1950) is an American writer who contributes regularly to various news outlets. Her past experiences also include serving as a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan in the mid-1980s.
Life is accepting what is and working from that.
Not only is your story worth telling, but it can be told in words so painstakingly eloquent that it becomes a song.
Gloria Naylor (1950-2016) was an American novelist.
Big Sky Buckeye 