Edward J. Branley's Blog: Eloquent Profanity, page 6

Writing Under the Q Flag #NaPoWriMo 9

Writing Under the Q Flag

Get up.

Get out!

Fresh air on

The coffee shop patio.

Handshakes become

Elbow bumps, eventually

Turning into cautious waves

From six feet away.

The solitary runner

Continues her routine

But what of the writer,

Used to that particular table

On the coffee shop patio?

Sitting at the table

At home,

In the kitchen,

Making her own coffee.

The lack of activity,

Of cars,

Buses,

Trains,

Even the bloody garbage truck!

The quiet of the kitchen

Dries up

Inspiration and motivation.

TV off.

Computer goes to screen save.

Phone on desk

In the other room.

Chair by the window

Pen in hand.

Slow realization

There are things

In the neighborhood

Equally inspiring.

The post Writing Under the Q Flag #NaPoWriMo 9 appeared first on Edward J. Branley.

Introverts #NaPoWriMo 8

Introverts

Seclusion and distance

Come easy for

The Introvert.

She doesn’t “People”

In Person

Preferring online engagement.

Even though her routine

Is not disrupted, she knows

To check in with her extroverted friends.

They make her cray, sometimes,

Insisting on brunch, on drinks,

Or the dreaded weekend party.

But they are her friends,

And she wants them back,

When it’s safe to hug once again.

The post Introverts #NaPoWriMo 8 appeared first on Edward J. Branley.

Slow Traveler #NaPoWriMo 7

Slow Traveler

Downtown departure

At 7am.

No Stops,

No Encounters,

No Worries,

As the traveler settles in,

Maybe grab some breakfast

In the dining car

Before passing the Cemeteries?

The Crescent’s mission

Has not changed in over

A century:

Connect New Orleans with New York

Not everyone rides

The Crescent

All the way

To New York.

Maybe it’s just a day trip

To Atlanta.

The privacy of a

Small compartment

All to oneself,

Versus the crowds

At the airport,

Is often worth

The extra six hours.

A day spent away from

The stress of travel.

Writing,

Reflecting

Hoping,

As the cars click along

Through Mississippi.

The post Slow Traveler #NaPoWriMo 7 appeared first on Edward J. Branley.

Morning Ritual #NaPoWriMo 6

Morning Ritual

Iced coffee, three sugars.

Barista sees her coming,

Grabs a cup, ice, and pitcher of coffee.

Order is ready when

She reaches the counter.

There is no concern

That she’ll change her mind.

It’s been the same

For three years, even on

The occasional Saturday.

Creatures of habit

Are easy to satisfy

If attention is paid

To their Rituals.

 

The post Morning Ritual #NaPoWriMo 6 appeared first on Edward J. Branley.

Personal Log 20200414 – supermarket runs

Personal Log 20200414 – daily routine changes in our stay-home world.

Work from home really means work from home right now.

Personal Log 20200414

When training classes begin, my introduction includes saying something about New Orleans. While I teach remotely from here at the house, it’s not accurate to say I work from home. That’s because I get out to the coffee shop on most mornings. Well, not now, naturally.

Teaching routine

Teaching via WebEx requires I stay put. I have a “business” internet account. My desk computer connects via wire to the router to the rest of the world. This provides a better quality of service, QoS. While I probably would survive on the PJs or Starbucks wi-fi, the noise of the blenders presents an issue.

Teaching from home isn’t a terrible thing. I still have time to get up, catch the Amtrak Crescent at the PJs, have coffee, and plan the day. By 0830, I hop in the car and head back home.

Writing routine

No class on a given week means no reason to hop back in the car at 0830. I hang out at the coffee shop for a few hours, working down my BuJo’s task list. The people-watching and train-watching is good for me. So’s the fresh air on the coffee shop patio.

Pandemic adjustments

I worked from the coffee shop for three days after the stay-at-home “suggestions” started. The baristas pushed all the seating to the sides, as if they were about to mop the floor. It didn’t discourage the customers. They gathered on the patio. This annoyed me because I don’t like all those people in the first place. Mark Bologna and I grabbed two of the outside tables that first Sunday (how many Sundays ago was that? I’m losing track.). We social-distanced nicely. Still, there were too many people. After that, I surrendered.

Coffee from home is a first world problem

I’m not a fan of making my own coffee. I prefer that to being around asymptomatic carriers, though. So, out comes the pot. The cats are amused. I still drink about the same amount of coffee. From a price perspective, I’m sure it’s saving me money. The lack of donuts, on the other hand, makes me sad. Same for the cinnamon rolls at the PJs.

Productivity

My writing production isn’t what it was prior to the pandemic. Home distracts me. Home means I can work on my other computers here. I don’t do that at the coffee shop, unless something’s wrong with a website.

Actual work-from-home offers the distraction of making network changes. While the network improves, my NaPoWriMo output drops.

General mindset – Personal Log 20200414

I don’t like going to the grocery in the pandemic. Grocery shopping has always been fun for me, going back to when the boys were kids. I cook, so it’s logical I buy the groceries. Planning isn’t as necessary when Zuppardo’s Supermarket is less than a, mile away. So, normal meant 2-3 trips a week. Dinner planning happened two hours before cooking started.

Pandemic conditions changed that. People in #themetrys make me uncomfortable. Way too many of them are Fox News viewers who think this is a hoax. I don’t need them breathing on me. Seriously. My headphones provided escape from racist white people. Turn on, tune out. They continue to breathe, though.

Even a weekly trip to the supermarket increases my stress levels. While Whole Foods is a better (and smaller) group of customers, they don’t have everything we want/need. Trips to the supermarket early in the day provide some respite from stupid people, but all it takes is one. Not good for my general disposition.

Back to the N-scale trains

I need to get the extraneous stuff off the train table and run them again. It’s a distraction that doesn’t involve watching TV. That’s my main goal for the week. I dismantled the layout before the holidays, and never got back to it. Trains fuel the imagination! They mitigate all the stuff I’m fussing about in Personal Log 20200414.

The post Personal Log 20200414 – supermarket runs appeared first on Edward J. Branley.

A Novel Approach #NaPoWriMo 5

A Novel Approach #NaPoWriMo 5 of 30

A Novel Approach

In 1940,

The Nazi Blitz ravaged Britain.

Those who guarded the nation,

In the Shadows,

On the Astral,

Among the Trees,

Came together

To defend their homes

And their loved ones.

Can we defend

Against the novel coronavirus

Using similar means?

Not everyone understands

The science,

The medicine,

The care

Needed to heal

Those who get sick.

But surely,

Those who understand the body’s

Connection to the spirit.

The Shamans,

The Witches,

The Mages.

Even the Dabblers

And the “Fluffy Bunnies”

Know the importance of

Deep breathing.

They can visualize

Healthy lungs

Filling up with air

Exhaling steadily

Oxygen providing

Life,

Strength,

Hope,

That can battle build up

The fortress that is

The human body

To battle back

The viral assault.

An’ It Would Harm None,

To paraphrase the Rede

To share what we have,

Our Energy

Our Strength

Our Desire to help others.

To boost the energy

Of the vulnerable

Helping them push

The intruder out.

©2020 Edward J. Branley

The post A Novel Approach #NaPoWriMo 5 appeared first on Edward J. Branley.

Hermosa Beach Pier #NaPoWriMo 4

Hermosa Beach Pier – A Haiku

Hermosa Beach Pier by Eric Johnson

Hermosa Beach Pier

Blankets on the sand

Wine and talk between like minds

Ocean strengthens bonds

©2020 Edward J. Branley

The post Hermosa Beach Pier #NaPoWriMo 4 appeared first on Edward J. Branley.

Baseball #NaPoWriMo 3

Baseball #NaPoWriMo 3 – a Haiku

Baseball

Grass, dirt, white chalk lines

Play is worship on the field

Ball field as chapel

 

©2020 Edward J. Branley

 

The post Baseball #NaPoWriMo 3 appeared first on Edward J. Branley.

Quarter Call – #NaPoWriMo 2-April-2020

Quarter Call

“The Spirit of the North Wind,” By M.Maiden, Elemental Otherworld

Quarter Call

I’d been thinking

About that nod of the head

All day.

I’ve heard others

Call the Quarters

In Circle

For years, but now,

It was my turn

To invoke the Guardians.

Miss Lydia watched me

After nodding, indicating

I was to begin.

Two steps forward,

And a turn to the East.

I took a deep breath,

And raised my arms.

“All Honor to the East Wind,

Bringer of the morning breeze

That shakes the dew from the

Grass underfoot!

Hear me, O East Wind, and

Bless our Circle.”

A bow to the East

And a turn to the South.

“All Honor to the South Wind,

Blowing up from the Open Sea

Past the coastal marshes,

Cooking the Midday!

Hear me, O South Wind, and

Bless our Circle.”

A bow to the South

A flicker of the candle.

Yes! I’m connecting!

Deep breath,

And a turn to the West.

“All Honor to the West Wind,

Carrying a sense of the unknown,

Through the bayous,

At the end of the day!

Hear me, O West Wind, and

Bless our Circle.”

A bow to the West,

And a mischievous puff

Brushing my toes,

Daring me not to giggle.

Challenge accepted!

As I turn towards a good friend.

Momma let me set alone

On the seawall by the lake

Since I was eight.

Now, at fourteen,

The Wind from the lake

Teased me,

Tested me,

Transformed me,

Into what my momma says

Is a

Handful of a young maiden.

I put on a very-formal face,

As I welcomed my friend.

“All Honor to the North Wind,

Testing us with water from

The lake,

A mix of love and anger!

Hear me, O North Wind, and

Bless our Circle.”

A slight snort, as I bowed,

Knowing the North would

Never be angry with me,

Even in the midst of a storm.

My friend responded,

Rustling my skirt,

Frizzing my hair,

As it circled me,

Finally settling in its Quarter.

A final turn, back to the

East, noticing the smile on,

Miss Lydia’s face,

While Momma beamed with pride.

©2020 Edward J. Branley

The post Quarter Call – #NaPoWriMo 2-April-2020 appeared first on Edward J. Branley.

Duck Gangs #NaPoWriMo 2020

Duck Gangs

Duck Gangs

One would not expect

The ecosystem of the

Suburban park

To be a hotbed

Of gang activity.

As one passes near the

Outlet waterway that

Connects to the park’s

Large lagoon, however,

One finds a rough crowd.

No, it’s not the Muscovy Ducks,

Flown up from Mexico.

They’ve settled into life in

The ‘burbs.

But rather, it’s the

Pekins and Mallards,

Quacking for control.

They squawk,

They snap,

They posture.

When the Mallards

Waddle away,

The Pekins follow,

Staking their claim

To the turf.

The confrontations do not seem

To escalate into real fights,

Just squawking

Just snapping,

Just posturing.

The Pekins waddle away,

And the Mallards follow,

Re-claiming

The turf.

It all seems choreographed,

To pass the time.

Maybe they just enjoy

The dance,

As if they’re acting out

The Sharks and the Jets.

Perhaps they aren’t

Rival gangs,

But like so many of us,

They are,

Bernstein fans.

©2020, Edward J. Branley

The post Duck Gangs #NaPoWriMo 2020 appeared first on Edward J. Branley.