Michelle Garren Flye's Blog, page 10

National Poetry Month: Fortune Cookie Poem 2, “Life to you is a Dashing, Bold Adventure”

I have no idea what form this poem is, but I have a feeling I’m not the first to create one like this. It feels a little like Emily Dickinson to me. I used the fortune for the title, but that may change if I ever publish it.

Photo and poem copyright 2024 Michelle Garren-FlyeLife to you is a dashing, bold adventure
By Michelle Garren-Flye

You’re too old for adventure everyday,
so why do you battle pirates in the bath
and sharks in the kitchen sink?
You’re just too old for this kind of play!
Add it up…do the math
then tell me what you think.

It might be too late for you, I guess.
Real love can’t match what’s in your mind—
so for me there is no chance…
But what if I join you on your quest?
Just maybe if I was one of your kind,
in your eyes, my person would enhance.

Who cares if we choose to escape the strife?
After all is said and done, it’s our life.

National Poetry Month: Fortune Cookie Poem 1, “Love is in the Air”

Happy National Poetry Month to you! Welcome to April. My favorite month of the year.

Every April, I try to post a poem I write. This year, I’m actually incredibly busy with my bookstore, my new editing business, and trying to get my first two novels republished by me instead of the traditional publisher that had them until recently. (See previous post.)

So, instead of trying to master a particular type of poetry (I’ve done haiku, sonnet, and villanelle in previous years), I’m opting for what I hope is a simpler route. I’m writing what I call fortune cookie poetry.

It’s pretty simple. Each day I’ll break open a fortune cookie, read the fortune, and write a poem based on it.

A little background about me and fortune cookies. A few years ago my life took a turn I had never anticipated. At the time it devastated me, and I became obsessed with wishing I could know what was coming at me before it actually hit me. Astrology, online Tarot and Magic 8 Balls (I recently got a real one for my birthday), hitting shuffle on my iPhone music after asking it a question…and fortune cookies.

Have any of these things helped? Probably not. Life is life and sometimes it smacks you around. Unpredictability is just what the world is, and no amount of crystal balls are going to help you see what’s around the bend…or, sometimes, right in front of you.

With that said, I still eat fortune cookies. And right now I have the sweet taste of one in my mouth and I got an even sweeter fortune. And I wrote a poem about it. It’s a sort of sonnet with a kind of cool rhyme scheme. Hope you enjoy.

Photo and poem copyright 2024 Michelle Garren-FlyeLove is in the Air
By Michelle Garren-Flye

Love is in the air, you say?
Well, that explains it all.
I’m not looking up today
so I guess I missed its call.

Don’t bother looking out for me.
I don’t think I believe anyway.
Love has no real allure, you see,
and on my nerves, it will fray.

Seductive whispers just won’t work
now that I’ve been set free.
I don’t want to sound like a jerk
but I don’t think love is my key.

So go ahead and float about!
Someone else will hear you out.

Another Branch of My Publishing Journey Begins with a Cover Reveal!

In 2010 I received what felt like maybe good news… One of my novels had been accepted by a publisher, Lyrical Press. At that time, Lyrical Press was an independent e-pub only publisher. That meant my book would only be available as en ebook. Kindle. Nook. All the other hot items on everybody’s Christmas list.

I consulted friends who had had more luck than me. The consensus was, basically, “Congratulations. At least it’s not self-publishing!” (haha! The worm has turned on that one!)

Lyrical Press did a wonderful job with my book, helping me edit, format, and designing an outstanding cover I will always love. Probably the most of all my covers. Secrets of the Lotus became a real book on July 5, 2010. Shortly after that, Lyrical accepted another of my books, Winter Solstice, which they published in 2011. And a few years later, Lyrical Press became part of Kensington Press, giving me the ability to say two of my books were published by Kensington Press. Pretty cool.

Late last year, however, I realized I wanted to do more with my books. Having taken the self-publishing thing to an extreme, I now own a bookstore, and I want those books on the shelf with my others. I contacted Kensington and they reverted the rights to me. Unfortunately, these rights do not include the original covers, but I have become rather handy with designing covers myself so no worries.

I’ve learned a lot about self-publishing in the past fourteen years. I’m currently putting both books through my own editing and formatting process and hope to have them on the shelf, literally, by summer. I have redesigned the covers already, and I’m getting excited about reintroducing these two stories to you guys.

Congratulations! I’m self-publishing!

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Poem: Birthday Concert (because today is my birthday)

I love celebrating my birthday in spring! I ran into a bird who evidently agrees with me. Enjoy the impromptu concert I managed to record and, hopefully, the poem it inspired.

Birthday Concert
By Michelle Garren-Flye

Pretty bird perched on the gray bough,
what brought you to sing your concert now?
Is it your first year witnessing spring’s return?
Or the sun in the sky that makes you burn?

You start with a wren’s warbling cheer,
then throw in a cardinal’s brag right here.
A single blue jay call evens your song out
before the oriole’s whistle brings it about.

Thank you, my friend, for the cheerful song,
but your longwindedness held me here too long,
and now I’m afraid I must hurry on my way!
But I promise I’ll carry your tunes with me all day.My birthday concert. video and text by Michelle Garren-Flye

Why Gen X should be mad at Markiplier

This morning I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts while walking my dog. “Distractibles” stars youtuber Markiplier and his friends Bob and Wade. My kids introduced me to these guys. They’re freaking hilarious. Except today Markiplier, a Millenial born the year after I graduated high school, glibly stated that Boomers were the generation before Millenials.

Nope.

Listen up, younglings. Gen X is a thing. We are here. We listen to podcasts, read books, consume goods and services, and many of us are not retired yet, so we’re still contributing to the workforce. We might even be your supervisor or boss.

I’m not saying we’re all that great. In fact, we are somewhat responsible (not completely, but we’ve done our share) for the state the world is in right now. Do not call us Boomers. For some of us, Boomers were our parents. For others, the children of the Silent Generation, Boomers were youthful aunts and uncles. Or the young parents of our friends.

Gen X was the generation AFTER Boomers. We’re the generation that learned, early on, to keep our heads down and stay out of trouble. When we were growing up, paddling was still a thing. Sometimes we were even instructed to go out and cut our own switches so we could be “switched” on the backs of bare legs.

This was not child abuse. In fact, our parents were, at least sometimes when we were lucky, good parents. They worked hard to provide. We were the first generation that really mostly had two working parents. And after-school programs and child care weren’t really a thing. We took the bus to school after eating a bowl of cereal, and quite often we came home to empty homes. We had chores. We did our homework without anyone telling us to or standing nearby to re-explain what our teachers had already told us.

And then we watched afternoon television and sometimes fended for ourselves for dinner if mom was working late. We ate bologna and cheese without wondering if the pre-processed foods would damage us. Organic wasn’t a word then. Whole foods? Sure! I ate a whole hot dog.

Gen X has an inbred respect for Authority, which goes hand-in-hand with keeping our heads down and what I see as a sort of impotent anguish and anger about the state of the world. Combine that with a silent disapproval we inherited from our Silent Generation parents regarding mental healthcare and you can see a bit of a pattern.

I object to being forgotten and lumped in with our parents’ generations. We’re still here and we’re still actively working on making the world a better place, even if it isn’t always in a super showy way.

People who are (or were) Gen Xers:

Kurt Cobain.Will SmithElon MuskTupac ShakurJulian AssangeTiger WoodsJustin TrudeauRobert Downey Jr.EminemKanye West

People who are NOT Gen Xers because they actually ARE Boomers:

Donald TrumpBarack ObamaKing Charles IIIBill GatesVladimir PutinHoward SternJohnny DeppElton JohnBill ClintonMichael Jordan

Not included in this list because he’s actually from the latter part of the Silent Generation: Joe Biden.

Don’t worry, though, Markiplier. Gen X also pretty much does not “cancel” celebrities that piss us off. You might find us watching “Caddyshack” for instance, even though we now know Chevy Chase (born in 1943 and therefore officially a member of the Silent Generation) is an a$$hole.

(Also, I loved Magic Carpet.)

Note: This post was written from the POV of a Gen X’er who was the child of two white, middle class Silent Generation parents.

A picture I took on my walk before Markiplier pissed me off.
Photo and text copyright 2024 Michelle Garren-Flye

Oh, another attempt at a ghazal on the anniversary of my Mother’s death

Today I’m remembering my mother. She died one year ago. Throughout this year, I have had moments when I wanted to talk to her more than anything else in the world. And knew I couldn’t.

Maybe that’s where this poem came from.

At any rate, I’m sure it’s not just me. (Although some of you may not write ghazals about it. Or attempt to. I’m still struggling with this form!)

Hug someone you love today.

Oh.
By Michelle Garren-Flye

I wait for the rhyme to come but, oh, pain?
The rhythm runs through my thumbs, oh pain!

Sometimes it all feels right—no strain—
and others it’s nothing but, oh, pain.

Some might seek comfort in cocaine
but that will not shelter me from…oh. Pain.

Your beauty I have come to know, fain
would I reject its attraction, oh Pain.

My last refrain is your domain;
rest, you’ll fly in my love, oh pain.
Photo and text copyright 2024 Michelle Garren-Flye

Happy Valentine’s Day

I’ve been told that the worst sin is to covet what you don’t have. It does seem that this is the way most humans spend their lives. I do not except myself from this, either. It’s always hard to wait for the universe to bring you what you need. Especially in today’s world of social media designed to display everything others have.

And today is the worst for those who covet love. Romantic love, family love, the love of friends or even pets. Our spirits yearn for all of it. Unless we feel we’ve been denied it for so long we shut ourselves off to it. Unless we decide we are one of those unfortunate individuals who was put here to never have what others have…no matter how much we covet it.

Perhaps there are such individuals. I don’t know if they were made that way by whatever heartless gods there are or if they became that way because they coveted so much they couldn’t see or feel love anymore.

I believe there is love out there for you if you truly open your heart to it. I cannot tell you what form it will come to you in. It may or may not be the true love you see in fairytales. It might be a stray cat or dog. It might be a flower blooming in an unexpected place or a kind word spoken by someone you thought was indifferent.

Look for it. You’ll find it if you’re persistent. And when you do, let it fill you up with love that you can share with someone else.

Happy Valentine’s Day. I hope this day finds you filled with love to give others.

Photo by Michelle Garren-Flye. Copyright 2024

Self Portrait, a poem, And Nothing New update

First of all, I cannot begin to tell you how much I love Rattle. If you want to know why, check them out. I’m a subscriber, and they send me a poem every day, and the poetry is so good, it makes you feel good about just living in a world where people can think that way, you know? Yes, it is my ambition to have some poetry accepted by them, and I do submit to them from time to time, but I also just get so much inspiration from them.

For instance, every month they have an ekphrastic poetry challenge. If you don’t know what ekphrastic poetry is, it is a poem written because it was inspired by a piece of artwork. Here’s this month’s: Ekphrastic Challenge. I have entered this challenge several times, and I’ve always missed the mark and then read the responding poem and figured out why. But it doesn’t even matter. I’ve written so many poems and I’m learning every time I do it. Anyway, as soon as I saw this challenge, I knew I would enter it. I wrote three poems. This is the one I submitted.

Self Portrait



I am scraps of lost mail

pulled close around a center axis;

a book snapped shut by an unfeeling hand;

a paper doll cut from yesterday’s news

and left to crumple underfoot.

I refuse to yield to cripple and age,

obtuse in clinging to antediluvian belief,

a vow given long ago

and held in my chest,

concealed, mostly, by wisps

of lost dreams and things

that I won’t let go.

And you can’t make me.



I am obstinate in the face of the wind,

making myself ridiculous,

clothed in scrapbooks and memories

that threaten to blow away;

an object of pity perhaps

with no objective in mind.

So pull out my heart,

and crumpled bits of newsprint

I can’t share

will spill at your feet but

spell out only what was

because sometimes forever

and ever won’t go away.

I also just yesterday published Chapter Two of my new venture, “Nothing New Under the Sun”. You can read it here: “Nothing New“. Although the story is called “Nothing New Under the Sun”, it’s all new to me as I’m publishing it on Kindle Vella in episodes, and it’s a mystery. I have an idea for it that I think you’ll like. I like to think of it as literary upcycling. And that’s gotta be new.

Maybe there’ll be a tropical sunset in a future episode of “Nothing New”. What do you think? Photo by Michelle Garren-Flye Copyright 2024 Michelle Garren-Flye

Nothing New Under the Sun, a new venture

A friend recently gave me a book called 1000 Words by Jami Attenberg. It was full of writing encouragement (not advice), which was exactly what I needed. And in the spirit of that book…

I’m trying something new.

KDP started something a while ago that I liked the idea of. Kindle Vella. It’s an episode at a time storytelling tool. Very much like Wattpad and some other sites out there, so not really new. But it’s based off the Amazon Kindle platform, so it’s got a little bit of “oomph” there. Plus, all my books were published using KDP, so Kindle Vella feels very familiar already.

With that said, my story is called Nothing New Under the Sun. It’s a mystery set in a small town on the coast of North Carolina in a bookstore with a cat… Well, they do say “write what you know”.

I hope you’ll check out Nothing New Under the Sun. Maybe leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I’m hoping to have some fun with this. And just so you know, I never use AI to write my stories. It’s all me.

Nothing New Under the Sun by Michelle Garren-Flye. Copyright 2024

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! (Happy Winter Solstice)

People think I’m crazy when I say this is my favorite day of the year. But it is. It’s the day I feel the most hope for the future.

Today. The darkest day of the year.

Want to know why?

Because every day after this one gets brighter.

In honor of the darkest, most hopeful day, I’m doing a “live poetry writing”. If you haven’t joined me for one of those, it’s sometimes interesting since I’m working at my bookstore and am often interrupted.

(At 11:16 a.m. I’m already interrupted by customers. How dare they? Just kidding!)

Winter Solstice

By Michelle Garren-Flye

(11:20 a.m. debating about form versus free verse…really should’ve thought about this ahead of time!)

What makes the darkest day of the year so bright?

When the sun leaves early, why do I still hope?

I refuse the fear the end of day, the coming of night

With the long darkness, I know I can cope.

(11:23 a.m. I’m thinking sonnet, then. I do love sonnets.)

Daylight may not last as long while the night grows

and flowers cannot emerge in the absence of sun

but even now, I sense the spread of nighttime slows

and the approach of dawn will soon come.

(11:29 a.m. I know. Sun and come don’t really rhyme…)

In my bed, I wait to hear the first bird’s sweet whistle

(11:38 a.m. Sorry, I was off trying to find a book for someone. Back now.)

in the dark and the cold, with my head on my pillow.

and then it comes, like a message of dismissal

to the cold of yesterday, a welcome to tomorrow.

(11:45 a.m. I did stop in the middle of those last few lines to check out a customer. Not doing badly on time, considering…)

I jump from my bed, ready again for employ.

This day and the next I feel will bring joy.

(11:49 a.m. I wrote this couplet to end the sonnet thinking I wanted to write about joy, but as I wrote the last line, I thought maybe I should concentrate on faith instead. So, I’m working on an alternate.)

I jump from my bed, but wonder about my haste,

I pause to think but I know: it’s all about faith.

11:54 a.m. I’m done. This was fun and I will most likely polish this one up some. No idea what I might use it for, but it’ll go into a folder on my computer, anyway. Thanks for joining me! Enjoy the darkest day of the year, but don’t forget to have faith. Tomorrow will be brighter!

Photo by Michelle Garren-Flye. Copyright 2023