L.K. Latham's Blog, page 9

NaPoWriMo: 2 April – the real 2 April

It’s the start of National Poetry Writing Month. Here’s my second poem

Have you ever seen a dragon fly into the spider’s snare?Or seen the jewels of dew that break a lonely heart’s embrace?Perchance from evermore where whispering winds do sleepAnd from the willow’s wisp do breakThe strings that bind and hold the dreamer’s fate.From this place are dreams to walk their narrow paths,Breaths in stillness stir the winds,And from the depths breaks visions lost from paths taken too many times to reap.Upon the wings of a dragonfly sparkling dew bends light.Rainbows fashion in the eye stories yet untold.Pots of gold in silvery songs voices never sing.Behold the words. The moment gone as stillness passes through.

 

Looking for your next read?

Find my books at most booksellers:

NaPoWriMo: 2 April

It’s the start of National Poetry Writing Month. Here’s my first poem

Left behind, the light that was.Before us night, in warmth’s embrace.No soothing hand to cool our brow,No cooing whisper to still our sorrows,Yet in that night lie wistful wraithsSeeking light they will not find.Let not the dreams of prophets stiryour slumbers peace though storms erupt.In solace whole will self be trueAnd lead to sleep through cosmos’ agesIf in some far and distant visage, You should wake to walk in lightRemember night’s blissful kissFear not the light, for it will pass.

 

Looking for your next read?

Find my books at most booksellers:

Fast Approaching: National Poetry Writing Month 2023

Let me tell you about my days teaching Freshman Composition and Literature (which I no longer do). I’m not talking about that lit class you loved and wanted to take. I’m talking about the class every college freshman must take – the one they loath.

 As soon as I mentioned reading and writing about poetry- my students cringed – not that polite eye roll or try-to-hide shoulder drop. My students moaned, groaned, paled, stiffened, and begged for extra essays rather than have to read poetry. 

And then something happened: They read their first set of poems, they came to class; they tucked their heads low to their desks in hopes I wouldn’t call on them, and then I did. I asked the head most lowered (teachers always select the most lowered head, but students never seem to learn that): I asked if they liked or disliked a particular poem. 

Trying to not look at me, the students said, “I didn’t like them.”

“Okay,” I said. “What made them unlikable?”

All the students looked at me then as if to say, “How dare I ask what makes a poem unlikable? We’re supposed to like poetry.”

By the end of the section on poetry, nearly every student in the class told me (some out loud, some privately), they had found at least one poem they enjoyed reading – because they found one they understood just be reading. It made them feel good, bad, sad, happy. And that’s the point of poetry: It makes you feel something.

Why am I giving you this long-winded story? It’s okay not to like the idea of poetry, but give it a chance. To that end, I’m including the following links:

Check out what’s going on here and maybe sign up to receive a poem a day National Poetry Month

Or challenge yourself to write a poem a day (or follow a few of the poets) at National Poetry Writing Month

 

Looking for your next read?

Find my books at most booksellers:

Change in the Air

We all face situations which cause our beautiful, well-laid plans with our lovely candy-colored schedules to crumble. Disappointment at not making self-imposed deadlines doesn’t decline with time. Frustration at missing interactions with friends and family doesn’t melt away. These things happen no matter how “zen” we claim to be. What does change, what we can do when disappointment and frustration tears at our guts, is move on.

Spring is the time nature reminds us to move forward. The first week of February brought so much ice, we couldn’t leave the house, but not because of our front door freezing shut. The old Live Oak tree in our front yard bent her limbs gracefully as ice coated her leaves. I stepped out of our front door and found myself in a protective dome, surrounded by sunlight glittering and dancing in the ice. As frightening as it was to see so much ice (and it is frightening, especially living in this part of Texas where freezing is rare), I couldn’t be afraid. Last week, I stepped outside to see my neighbor’s Red Bed tree in full bloom. The bright pinks against the blue sky were blinding. 

It was like walking into a fantasy world.My neighbor’s RedBud welcoming in Spring.

No matter what your plans are for today and tomorrow, I hope the change in seas reminds you, too, that change is always coming, and there may be some good in it. All we have to do is look.

 

Looking for your next read?

Find my books at most booksellers:

Having Tea with Polar Bears – Part 4

I saved the pictures with the cubs for last, not because the cubs are oh so cute, you just want to hug them, but because they are oh so cute – you want to hug them. 

BTW: Our guide forbid us hugging the Polar Bear cubs. 

Yes, the cubs cute, but these pictures also make me sad. Half or more of the cubs pictured won’t grow into adulthood. They will die of starvation.

While we saw a few females on previous days, on our last day, I lost count of the number of moms and cubs we saw. The family pictured above is the same family in all these pictures. Our driver spotted them first and pulled to a stop. It wasn’t long before a line of rovers was parked in front of us. The family – mom and two-year-old twins, were curled up sleeping in the middle of a frozen bed.

One of the cubs looked up to see what we were, but he/she remained cuddled with mom, who ignored us. And then:

Nice day for a walk

While the people around me took pictures of mom and her two cubs, our guide jumped up and down until we all looked at her. (We kept as quiet as possible to not frighten the bears.) Our guide pointed to a tiny dot moving in our direction. From binoculars and telephoto lenses, we watched another mom with a one-year-old cub strolling our way.

Polar Bears are incredibly curious.

Once mom got a whiff of company coming, she stood to see what she could see. The cubs followed her cue. The one behind mom rose for a better look. Polar Bears have terrible vision. By now, I didn’t need binoculars to see the visitors. Neither did this family.

Once close enough, our guide informed us this mama had a one-year-old cub. In this picture, you can see how small the cub is. If you compare the twin cubs next to their mom, I think you can see the difference. The two-year-olds are almost as big as mom.Mamma bear remained between her cubs and the new arrivals as they moved away from the path of the oncomers. The cubs, being youngsters, kept looking at the newcomers, but obeyed mom at all times.Polar Bears are solitary by nature and will avoid people as much as possible, but that doesn’t mean they’re not curious. This mamma bears is so in command of herself and her cub, she takes her time to walk past us, but first stops to sniff to see what we are.In the meantime, mamma and her twins wait for the other family to move on. The cubs observe us while mom watches them and the other family. Unlike us, Polar Bears respect others and avoid fighting over space. They move around too much to be territorial.What are those things making strange clicking noises?

On their way back to their comfy spot, the cubs mind mom and stay close, but just like our own kids, they can’t keep their eyes off the rovers filled with people taking pictures.

They keep walking and walking and walking.

Other than the quick sniff, mom and cub kept moving. This is the final picture of them. A few more feet, and mom turned them into the willow, probably to nap for a while.

With the other bears gone, mamma and the twins return to just the right spot. Of course, they sniff all around to learn what they can of the other bears. As Mamma settles in, I couldn’t help but think of Goldilocks.

Back to the right spot.

 

Looking for your next read?

Find my books at most booksellers:

Having Tea with Polar Bears – Part 3

This week, I’m sharing photos of arctic creatures other than Polar Bears.

First: A Covet of Ptarmigan

No, it’s not a typo. Ptarmigan travel in a Covet, not a Coven(, but think of all the fun if they were a coven). Our guide explained Ptarmigan were hard to see and explained what they sounded like. “That’s how to find them,” she said. “Listen.” And she was right. 

I stood on the back of the rover watching bears. The only sound was the clicking of cameras, the occasional whispered, “Did you see that?” the wind in the willows, waves and ice washing onto the shore, and then there it was: kuk-kuk-kuk. (Spelling of gathered from the internet.)

This time of year, their feathers take on this blush color.

You may notice a pinkness about them. That’s not a color filter on the camera. They eat a lot of red berries, which gives them that color. See note: Our driver said they made especially good eating while eating the berries. I didn’t remind him I was a vegetarian, but it is good information to know the day you are trapped in the arctic.

I’d describe the sound as a cross between very tiny automatic weapon firing or the breaking of very tiny bones. (Sad commentary that most of us know what these sound like.)

Link to site with recordings of Arctic Ptarmigan.

When I heard the sound, I moved away from the other humans on the back of the rover and looked down. There they were – a whole covet of Ptarmigan. They were beautiful once I could see them. Their camouflage is amazing. Before I knew what was happening, the little birds were all around our rover.

That’s not a filter on the camera. These birds glowed in the sunshine.

If you think the birds were hard to see on the road, take a look at this one. The only way to see it was to see how the sun made it glow.

These little birds walk well – for birds.One of the ways they keep warm is to puff up their feathers.Next: The Arctic Fox

What the photos of the arctic fox do not showis the intricate interlacing of silver on the fox’s face. These foxes are amazingly fast and agile. They would dash across the road or pounce up from their perches on stones to dive into snow hunting prey. That’s when we see them.

Hard to see, but this fox has silver laced throughout its face.Easy to see the silver at the tip of the tail.The thick black coat makes the fox look more like shadow or rock than fox.

Notice how dark this one is as she sits, perched, waiting for the lemmings beneath the snow to move. Perhaps they learned how to hunt from the Polar Bear.

The Arctic Owl

On our last day on the tundra, as we drove off the protected lands and back to town and our hotel, our guide jumped off of her seat, yelling at the bus driver to stop. She opened the door and pulled her binoculars to her eyes. There it was: The Arctic Owl.

Almost half a mile away, on top of a tree, was a tiny speck; that speck that I needed binoculars to see was the Arctic owl. Luckily, our guide had spent a good deal of time studying the owl for one of her graduate projects. If not, I would not have been able to see the arctic owl and mark it off my list of beings to see.

The hardest of all the species to see.

The owl is hard to find in the wild.

 

Looking for your next read?

Find my books at most booksellers:

Having Tea with Polar Bears – Part 2

Polar Bears are huge! And the ones in these photos haven’t eaten since Spring. I wonder what it would be like to see them when they first come off the ice.

Here’s another set of photos from my trip to the arctic. I hope you enjoy the pictures, learn a little about them, and do what you can to help them survive.

They found something much more interesting than us.

Most of the time, Polar Bears couldn’t care less about us. As we arrived close enough to see these bears, they were sparing. Looks frightening, but they’re playing. They spar for a few minutes, sleep for a few hours, then get up and spar for a few more minutes. In a few weeks, when they’re on the ice hunting and eating, it’s possible that these two bears will meet and instead of sparing, they will fight. Some scientists think they may be learning who the alphas are to avoid fighting when they are on the ice. A fight on the ice often means death for one bear.

And then there are the bears that take time out to see what we’re up to. This bear circled us for a while. Look carefully and see the many footprints in the snow.

This bear is HUGE!Yes. This bear is as close to the window as I am.

Some bears are more curious than others. The one circling our rover peeked into the windows. He’s incredibly close, but still lower than the window.

“Seeing” with the nose.

Smelling is how Polar Bears “see” what’s going on. Perhaps this one smells our tea and would like some. We didn’t offer him any tea, coffee, coco, or even a cola. It’s amazing how quiet and still people can be in order to see what a fellow creature is up to.

I’ll share more next week about some of the other animals I observed in the arctic.

The story of these cubs and their mother is interesting; however, that’s for another post. 

Mama says, “Look, but don’t eat.”

 

Looking for your next read?

Find my books at most booksellers:

Having Tea with Polar Bears – Part 1

As Central Texas thaws from one of its rare (although becoming more frequent) ice storms, I realize it’s time to share stories and pictures from my time with the Polar Bears

But first: A huge hug and many thanks go to mom for the pictures. My photography skills extend only as far as my phone. Many, if not most, of these pictures wouldn’t exist if not for mom’s telephoto lens and quick thinking.

I hope you enjoy.

Looks like a Potato Chip in full sun, but don’t take a bite. He’ll bite back.

Golden like the sun upon the snow, walking, looking, then back to sleeping. Waiting for the ice, waiting to eat, waiting to live, dreaming the ice, the dive, the swim, the tearing of flesh, the dripping of fat down the throat. To gorge and to do it all again, before the ice melts, before the flowers bloom, before the long wait, before the long rest. Before it starts again. 

Will this bear return to Churchill’s shores in the Spring? With less ice in the arctic, survival rates continue to drop. Don’t let the size of this bear fool you. He’s hungry. He hasn’t eaten since last winter. Without the ice, he can’t get to the seals. Without access to the seals, he starves.

Stillness. The sun passes, shadows slide. The wind blows, shifting flurries. Stones stopped before memory. Waiting. Waiting for the ice to build the path to survival. The waiting grows longer, the bear grows stiller, until, like dust, both blow into memory.

Polar Bears are easy to see in photographs, but without an expert guide and a telephoto lens, we would have missed this guy.

Hard to imagine not seeing these giant bears, but this one looked like another rock until the head lifted off the ice.This is how I felt by the end of day 1.

Impatience waits for no one except the Polar Bear. Survival is patience. Waiting for the cold, for the ice, for the hunt. Waiting alone, left alone, leaving alone. Being alone. Patience.

At the end of a day full of searching and watching for polar bears, I empathized with this bear.

Surprised at the number of bears hanging out together. Once the ice forms, each will be alone.

Waiting, companions, brothers or friends, but not lovers. Youth escapes them. Adulthood tickles. Soon the ice will come and they will part. One will not return to Churchill’s chilly shores, fallen, beaten, drowned, hungry before the final sleep. The other may return. No guarantees. A brief time together: a lifetime, alone.

Willows break beneath paws, planted, lifting the beast. He looks, knows what we are. He sees beyond the reflected lens, beyond whispers, beyond clicks, and beyond sighs. His nose confirms what his eyes see: He walks away, uninterested, unimpressed, knowing what is.

Polar Bear Alley is a protected area. Humans may visit as long as we remain on the giant rovers that move through the area. The guides and drivers know how to search for the bears. My naked eye only saw the bears walking of sleeping on the shallow ice fields. Bears like to curl up in the arctic willow. It provides protection from the weather, other bears, and us.

Had to look hard to see this one watching me.

 

Looking for your next read?

Find my books at most booksellers:

A Notebook

My motto for 2023: “Always have a notebook and pen at hand.” 

I developed the habit in 2022 of keeping a notebook in my backpack for those times of sudden inspiration, but I didn’t carry the backpack with me all the time.So many writers I know keep a notebook handy, so it seemed like a good idea.

For a long time, I thought it was silly to keep a notebook when I have always had my phone with me. After all, I can take notes on the phone, and that’s always with me. Notes go to the cloud, so when I’m back at either my tablet or computer, my notes are right there. So, why do I need a notebook to write in?

And then I tried it. N notes I wrote on my phone were short, sweet notes that helped me remember what I wanted to say. And then I wrote out notes in a notebook: I wrote complete sentences – often poetic. These were much more useful than phone notes. 

The biggest problem with handwriting notes? My handwriting. It was never good and over the years, it’s gotten worse. So, I have to get to my tablet as soon as I get home, or I can’t make out what I wrote. Should I complain about this? Nope! I find I write even more when I get home.

Now, to making sure my notebook is always with me. There’s the rub.

L.K. Latham

Find my books at most booksellers:

Hello 2023

Where did 2022 go? It just started, didn’t it?

Whether or not it feels like a new year, it’s here, so Happy New Year! I hope it’s a good one for all of us.

New Year’s Resolutions? No way am I making those. Everybody knows, no one keeps them; however, I am making plans. Unfortunately, my plans do not include posting a story every month. I had a blast doing it (and some not so good times rushing to make deadlines), but this year my focus is completing and publishing two novels, Midnight Goblins and the Death of Mme Louise, and completing the series Home and Dragons. Yes, there are all sorts of other plans, but these are my big ones. 

All this being said, my one purpose in posting today is to wish us all a year of peace, hope, and health in the 2023.

Happy New Year, all.

L.K. Latham

Find my books at most booksellers: