Maranda Russell's Blog, page 16
September 28, 2020
Poetry – Seasick Bathing
The bathroom wall moves.
It ripples and sways
with the mournful, desolate
sound of the radio.
Ocean blues and greens
meant to calm
only inspire vertigo.
What are those things
I see?
Leaves? Seashells?
Jealous sea foam?
I lay back,
releasing my grip
as the tub empties
and my consciousness
follows
circling slowly,
among the dirty water
before it all disappears
down the drain
together.
September 26, 2020
Poetry – Social Anxiety in Action
Waiting for your call
I pace,
I sit,
I lay down,
I stand up,
I check the time,
I wipe the sweat away,
I pretend to read,
I sweat more,
I change shirts,
I remember to breathe,
I evaluate my chest pain,
I fidget and tic,
I freeze, catatonic
as the phone rings,
and I am exhausted
before I even begin.
September 24, 2020
September 22, 2020
ER Again
Just 17 days after my last ER visit for the same reason, I had to pay another visit this past Sunday because I had yet another migraine lasting 3 days or longer. This is getting to be a habit and that is really not a good thing. Some of these migraines are lasting longer than 72 hours which puts them into a dangerous category that less than 1% of migraine sufferers have called status migrainosus. Reportedly this is one of the 4 ways that migraines can actually kill.
Needless to say, this is not reassuring. I am meeting with my doctor to reevaluate my meds and hopefully that will help, but who knows. I’m afraid to get my hopes up at this point. If I’m not as active on WP, please don’t think it is because I am ignoring you all, I am just not up for much right now.
September 20, 2020
Poetry – Unwanted House Guest
Depression barges in again.
No invitation.
No explanation.
No deposit.
No references.
No promises.
And no move out date.
September 18, 2020
Poetry – Memory Collector
I collect memories,
or perhaps, more accurately,
they collect me.
They've taken over the bed
and the bedroom.
They've wandered down the hall
to congregate in the guest room.
Still too crowded, some migrate
to the couch, the stove, and the fridge.
A few have even taken up swimming
in the bathtub
or driving my old Saturn.
Like Tribbles,
or Gremlins,
they multiply fast -
and require constant supervision.
September 16, 2020
Poetry – Of Gods and Men
Rhea, Cronus
and baby Zeus
snuggle
in the heart
of Mount Olympus.
Father plots
infanticide,
while son sleeps,
dreaming
world domination.
Mother
shakes her head
and rolls her eyes
yet again
at the foolishness
of men.
September 14, 2020
Free Book Promo & Weight Loss
I had two topics in mind for blog posts today, so decided to just combine them into one post. First off, my newest poetry chap book, “Can’t Keep Me Down“, is free on Kindle today through Thursday, so if you wanted to read it, grab a copy! If you do read the book, please consider leaving a rating and/or review on Amazon and/or Goodreads so I’ll know what you think!
By the way, there is a print version of the chapbook available on Amazon now as well! It is $5.99 and can be found at the same Amazon link above.
Lastly, about a couple weeks ago I gave up sugary drinks. This was mostly a big deal because I drank Coke pretty much every day. Since giving up the pop, I’ve already lost about 5 pounds! I don’t even really crave the sugary drinks much anymore. It will be interesting to see if I continue to lose weight!
September 12, 2020
Experimenting with Digital Art on ArtRage
I saw a post that artbychristinemallabandbrown did the other day about a digital art android program called ArtRage. I loved the art she posted, so I decided to give it a try! I’m still very much learning how the program works and just fooling around, but here are my first few abstract artworks from ArtRage!
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September 10, 2020
The Most Successful Blogs on WordPress
Have you ever noticed that some of the biggest blogs on WordPress focus mostly on telling other bloggers how to “make it as a blogger” and “grow your blog quickly”? I noticed this a while ago myself. It makes sense, people are most likely to read a blog that posts information they find useful and practical, and since many WP readers are also bloggers who dream of huge followings and internet stardom, it makes sense that the blogs that promise that or try to help you achieve that would be most popular.
It is human nature to want what helps us to succeed. At times I have been tempted to follow the example of these large blogs and focus on commercialization, but I can’t bring myself to do it. I’m just not interested in focusing on follower numbers, views, and marketing strategies. I understand those things and think I could easily follow the “formula” to try to make it happen, but my passion just isn’t there.
What makes me feel alive is sharing my art, my poetry, my experiences and lessons learned from this whole crazy experience called life. I like to share my pain, my joy, my sadness, my hopes, my dreams, and my heart. I like to read other blogs that focus mostly on the same types of things. It may mean I never become a superstar, and neither will my WP friends, but I enjoy our communication and heart-to-heart connection so much more than large numbers 
