Kurt Brindley's Blog, page 110
January 30, 2015
A Word or Two about my First Commitment to my Reading of Emerson
While I had resolved myself to reading Emerson deeply, I had not expected to find myself meditating and reflecting so deeply on individual passages of his writing. I assumed it would be more like me reading an essay and write a summary essay in response. However, what I find is that his writing is so powerful so frequently that I am just as frequently compelled to expression from it; which is why you find my written responses to my reading so focused on and specific to only single passages or even just a sentence or two.
This is a first for me. I hope you don’t mind.
Filed under: Literary Tagged: authors, essay writing, essays, literature, meditating, nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson, reading, writing
Contours
nature has its flow
the farmer its course will sow
snow the wind will blow
Inspired by Nature? Join our Newsletter Love Emerson, First Commitment
Must be a subscriber to participate
Edition 003-15 is germane
Filed under: Photography Tagged: contours, farmers, farms, fields, flow of nature, haiku, landscapes, life, nature, nature photography, photography, poetry, snow, writing
Rub-a-dub-dub?! [#FFF Prompt]
You know, some of our fairy tales and nursery rhymes can really make one wonder. Well, at least they make me wonder. For instance, I really wonder what the heck the impetus was for the creation of Three Men in a Tub.
Rub-a-dub-dub,
Three men in a tub,
And who do you think they were?
The butcher, the baker,
The candlestick-maker,
They all sailed out to sea,
‘Twas enough to make a man stare.
Weird.
But weird is cool because with it there often comes such wonderful possibilities. Such as the all the possibilities for the development of interesting back stories that bring light to such an odd, interesting poem.
And that weird also brings with it the possibility for today’s Flash Fiction Friday prompt.
Write a 750 word or less fully developed story that includes who the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker are, what their relationship with each other is, and the events and plot lines that lead up to and conclude right before the famous and oft-recited nursery rhyme begins.
Cool?
Cool.
A couple of logistical notes before we begin. I ask that henceforth all submissions for daily prompts be in by 7PMish each evening. That way I’ll have time to read through them and publish the selection by 8PMish.
And I also ask that there be no comments or other responses to the prompts other than prompt submissions. While I always love to hear from you, as witty and interesting and smart as you are, responses other than ones to the prompt kinda muddles things up a bit and will be deleted. Sorry ’bout that.
Cool?
Cool.
This is germane.
Filed under: Writing Tagged: #FFF, authors, contests, fiction, flash fiction, Indie Authors, nursery rhymes, poetry, rhymes, short stories, writers, writing, writing contests, writing prompts
January 29, 2015
If I Were Queen* of the World… [#ThoughtfulThursday Selection]
Uneasy is the head that wears the crown…
Leadership is about convincing those whom you lead to do those things that they would not otherwise do. It is about setting an example you wish for others to emulate. It is about making tough choices, choices that oftentimes are not popular, and sometimes even painful…or life ending.
If I were Queen* of the World, the first thing I most likely would do is abdicate my crown as I am not sure I could handle such responsibility.
But fortunately for us, this is merely an exercise of what ifs where the consequences of our imagination propagate barely beyond the borders of this page…
All three of today’s responses to the prompt bring great value to this what if exercise of sort we just put ourselves through. For we find if one were QOTW, she would wipe out Evil in its entirety and bring about total global peace, if even for just one day. We find if another were QOTW, she would leave the status quo essentially in its existential place, for it is up to the individual, each of us, to want to choose the Good over Evil for the goodness to have any viable meaning and in order for Evil to, maybe not be conquered, but at least set back on its heels a bit. And, another, our selection for this first Daily Writing Prompt thingie, brings both the wish to wipe out Evil in its entirety and the understanding that, even if she were QOTW, her powers would still have their limits, and that perhaps her greatest power is the example that she can provide for others in how one should live a life of peace, of how one should choose compassion over anger, and of how she, as QOTW, by her example of peace and compassion could provide a less dangerous world for all of us to live and thrive in so that no one, especially our children, would have to become a refugee as a result from the failure of others to achieve peace.
IF PRIYANKI WERE QUEEN OF THE WORLD…
jollyprivy.wordpress.com
To be a refugee means to be displaced. I wish nobody on this planet be affected by wars of any kind, which forces them to leave their shelter. The thought of “children being refugees of war” gives me goosebumps, more so because I’m a mother myself & anything related to a child makes me think in a motherly manner. It hurts deeply to read about what all trauma they face being refugees, that too being oblivious of what’s going on?
When I think of the people behind these wars & wonder the kind of mental state they have, often leads me to lot of frustration. They are not aliens, they are people like us, we call them inhuman, but that does not change the fact that they are human beings.
We all wish & Pray to God to make this world a better place. We wish for change.
I think a child is like a seed. You need to take care of it well. Nurture it with love & care. Instill in them from the very start, the value of kindness, value of love & let them know what is acceptable & what’s not. If each one of us will do our bit, then every house will produce a kind adult.
Imagine the fragrance of the world with so many kind flowers blooming then.
If the queen propagates kindness maybe the world will follow the suit. All this may sound unimaginable in today’s world. But if we’re talking about me being the queen, I will talk about my ways. Yes! That’s what I believe. Everything can be fixed with love. Hatred only leads to grudges & war. Love & words of kindness have immense healing power.
The queen will let it’s people know…
1. Be kind to those who are kind to you.
2.You don’t always need weapons to convey your point, use your words instead.
3. Anger always takes away people’s balanced thinking power.
4.Only a calm mind has the power to think wise.
A very tough & sensitive situation to deal with. The queen will have to be strong too. Stand tall & face it all. Last, but not the least –
Believe that she can make this world a better place to live.
Thank you very much to all who responded to this first Daily Writing Prompt thingie. Pretty cool.
Priyanki, if you are interested in a digital copy of one of my selections available at Amazon, please let me know your choice via the Contact page.
Write on! And see you all tomorrow…#FFF
*non-gender specific
Filed under: Literary Tagged: #amwriting, art, authors, children, Indie Authors, photography, prompts, refugees, war, writing, writing prompts
If I Were Queen* of the World… [#ThoughtfulThursday Prompt]
Welcome to our first Daily Writing Prompt thingie. Since today is Thursday our announcement post tells us this day is all about making this pretty yet petulant planet of ours a better place to live. The literary form (poem, essay, flash fiction, etc.) you use to instruct us in is up to you, but it must contain the words “children refugees of war.” If submitting a visual piece (artwork, photograph, video, etc.), then it must somehow speak, sing, or visually convey the same.
With so many innocent and helpless children refugees of war, please tell us Queen* of the World how you can make our planet a better place to live?
The selected submission will be posted at 8PMish tonight.
*non-gender specific
This is germane.
Filed under: Writing Tagged: #amwriting, #ThoughtfulThursday, art, children, children refugees of war, fiction, photography, poetry, prompts, refugees, war, writing, writing contests, writing prompts
While the Snow Falls Before Me
Beautiful and poetic prose and imagery courtesy of the lovely and loving Megi of HappyNest in America…
Originally posted on :
While the snow, heavy and unbated, falls before me
My thoughts turn to the summer brooklet, shallow and shining
Streaming down the mountainside
Where I used to gather the round stones alone
Filed under: Photography Tagged: nature, nature photography, photography, poetry, spirituality, writing 
January 28, 2015
Haiku You, Haiku Me – A Newsletter Love Contest of Sort Selection and Guest Author Presentation
Icy white mountain
Snowflakes gust to azure sky-
singing flock of doves.
As announced in Newsletter Love 004-15, this visually beautiful and flowing haiku is our selection for what came to be known as the inaugural (which suggests there may be more) Newsletter Love Haiku Challenge, formally entitled Haiku You, Haiku Me ~ A Contest of Sort.
Our contest of sort had seven participants, each submitting their work in an effort to fulfill the spirit of the contest, which was to “write a haiku that focuses on the temporal nature of all things material.” This challenge was met effortlessly by all the participants, their haiku transcendent and unique each in their own special way.
While all participants easily met the spirit of the challenge, Shmatala, Esq. with her visually beautiful and flowing haiku was able to conjure within me “that same sense of connection to the Elements, to the Earth, to the Universe, as I [feel] when I walk my country roads during the cold, when the snow swirls across the fields like tornadoes in miniature and with the sky so blue in its surreality. And I hear those same singing doves come spring. It is in both the morning and the evening that their song of mourning calls.” Consequently, it is her haiku I was compelled to select.
There is so much I would like to say about each haiku entry, but, as I am eager to introduce Shmatala, Esq. and her moving essay, I will simply say to all participants, thank you from the bottom of my heart. What joy and inspiration you all have brought to our little salon-like space of a newsletter full of love, and to me.
Shmatala, Esq. is a self-described quintessential Canadian, who over the past decade has went from Halifax to Vancouver and, now, back to her hometown of Montreal. She is a lawyer by profession but had to give it up for the time being to care for her father – and his business, which is in the “rag” trade or “shmata” in Yiddish. As is evidenced by her website’s powerful and socially aware haiku and other poetic reflections, we take her completely at her word when she tells us that “I am doing my darndest to bring some light into this world any way I can.”
It is my pleasure to present to you more of the flowing power and grace with which Shmatala, Esq. is lighting up our world.
SUBLIMATION
Shmatala, Esq.
All things are temporary. Eventually we will loose everything: all the immovable and movable property that we collect, everyone we know, and ourselves. The only certainty is change but many, on a fool’s errand, try to resist or avoid change in pursuit of certainty. We try to convince ourselves that we have some form of permanence by collecting as much as possible, imagining that our existence will extend if only we collect enough money, notoriety or Facebook friends. We hold on to everything tightly, convinced that we can control everything and some how guide change (or maybe stop it altogether) through our stuff. Ironically, ceasing to change is, literally, to cease to exist.
We can see this struggle in our political landscape. We so fear the flow of change that we have managed to keep the same people in power, the wealth in the same pockets, and the poor, mentally ill and destitute in their place and generally out of sight. We do not trust that tomorrow will still come, that there will be more (at this point, we have enough resources on the planet so that everyone can eat and become educated), but we are afraid to pull the trigger, afraid of loosing, afraid of what’s next and that we might be left behind.
Existence in a cycle of sequential endings and beginnings: Constant change. One thing must end to give rise to the next. Winter turns to Spring, the solid mountains of snow and ice will melt into the earth, nourishing new seeds. Shorter days will become longer, new life will come. One period must end for the next to begin. At the end, when we cast off our physical forms, we will all fly away, singing our freedom, cascading over a cold morning sky, redeemed: a flock of singing doves.
Please visit with and follow Shmatala, Esq. at
writofrags.com
Filed under: Literary Tagged: authors, Canada, Canadian authors, Canadian poets, haiku, Indie Authors, lawyers, newsletters, politics, social justice, trancendental, writing, writing contests, 俳句
Home Awaits Me Warm
home awaits me warm
long the journey’s been ’til now
there! through the clearing
Inspired by Nature? Join our Newsletter Love Emerson, First Commitment
Must be a subscriber to participate
Edition 003-15 is germane
Filed under: Photography Tagged: barns, destinations, farms, fields, journeys, metaphors, nature, photography, poetry, snow, travels, trees, writing, 俳句
So I’ve been thinkin’…
Which is always a bit risky, I know.
But still, I’ve been thinking that since I am really digging all the artistic inspiration and beauty that has been outpouring from that little salon-like space of a newsletter full of love of ours lately (speaking of which, this evening around 8PMish I will present our Haiku Challenge selection along with a guest post from the author…I know, right. Awesomeness.) that perhaps we can bring some of that muse-like magic here to the blog, if you know what I mean.
So I’ve been thinking, which I may have already pointed out to you, that maybe we should start doing something similar – but different, of course – right here in this agora-like space of a blog full of love.
I was thinkin’ that maybe we could do one of those Daily Prompt Challenge thingies that we oh so often see happening all over the webarena…
Off the top o’ me noggin’ I was thinkin’ I’ll post a prompt each morning around 8AMish and then you all respond to the prompt by posting your prompted piece into the comment section of the prompt which was published prior (I’m getting dizzy), and then I will select the piece that I feel best aligns with the spirit of the prompt and publish it around 8PMish that evening. Kapish thus far?
In addition to having your piece published on the blog, if selected, I will also present to you a digital copy of one of my works published on Amazon. Author’s choice of book and digital format (mobi, epub, pdf).
We can start off with a two-week pilot program of sorts, beginning this Thursday, tomorrow. At the end of the pilot we’ll determine if it’s viable enough to continue. I’m hoping it is seeing how awesome and creative you all are on such a regular basis. But if it isn’t viable, then we’ll shut it down – no harm no foul, like.
So, off the top of me noggin’, here are the daily themes that I will prompt to and you will write to (subject to change based upon my whim and your feedback):
Memoir Monday – You will submit a reflection from your past in the form of your choice (poem, short essay, flash fiction, art, photography, etc.), as inspired by the prompt
Tanka Tuesday – You will submit a, you guessed it, tanka, as inspired by the prompt. Don’t know what a tanka is? Google does and s/he would be happy to explain.
Weird Wednesday – You will submit something abstract, avant garde, stream of consciousness perhaps, or whatever weird you can come up with in whatever form you wish to present your weirdness in, as inspired by the prompt.
Thoughtful Thursday – You will be writing as if you were Queen/King of the World and submit a piece in a form of your choosing that reflects how you would make the world a better place, as inspired by the prompt.
Flash Fiction Friday – Blah blah blah, as inspired by the prompt.
Sonnet Saturday – Let’s get medieval! You will submit a, you guessed it, tanka sonnet, as inspired by the prompt. And, as with the tanka, see Google for all knowable unknowns.
Silent Sunday – Remember that game our parents used to make us play as children? “Who can be the quietest?” Yeah, let’s take the day off on Sunday for some quiet time of prayer and meditation and internal rejuvenation…
So, what do you think of my thinkin’? You diggin’ it? Yes, no, maybe so?
Let me know…
Filed under: Writing Tagged: abstract, art, art contests, avant garde, contests, Daily Challenges, fiction, flash fiction, photography, photography contests, poetry, stream of consciousness, writing, writing contests
January 27, 2015
Mount Vernon Place
Reporting live from Baltimore, Maryland
Filed under: Photography Tagged: Baltimore, cities, George Washington, Maryland, monuments, photography, United States
