R.L. Martinez's Blog, page 11

In the Blood Pinterest Board now Available!

  I joined Pinterest ages ago and, for a long time, I used it for unconventional reasons. Mainly to collect and organize character, setting, and clothing images. I’ve now embraced the more traditional use for Pinterest, recipes and such. But collection material for my books still takes up the majority of my Pinterest use. So, […]

Startling Poetry: What Are Big Girls Made Of

What are Big Girls Made Of by Marge Piercy The construction of a woman: a woman is not made of flesh of bone and sinew belly and breasts, elbows and liver and toe. She is manufactured like a sports sedan. She is retooled, refitted and redesigned every decade. Cecile had been seduction itself in college. […]

Shadow of the Witch’s Tree

This short essay of mine was originally published on the Creatively Green Write at Home Mom blog as part of In the Blood‘s book release blog tour. Just thought I’d share it here too for those who haven’t had a chance to read it   My debut fantasy novel, In the Blood, has a number […]

Startling Poetry: I’m Dreaming the My Lai Soldier Again

I’m Dreaming the My Lai Soldier Again by Anne Sexton   I’m dreaming the My Lai soldier again, I’m dreaming the My Lai soldier night after night. He rings the doorbell like the Fuller Brush Man and wants to shake hands with me and I do because it would be rude to say no and […]

Startling Poetry: Ozymandias

Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley I met a traveller from an antique land, Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand, Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those […]

Startling Poetry: Like a Woman

Like a Woman by Annabelle Fern Praznik     Pretty little baby, Breaks the surface of a big blue pill, Water cascading down her white swimming suit in tiny torrents of sunlit dew. She’s putting on a show for them. Their scaly snouts sit above the surface of the pool. Their heavily lidded eyes watch […]

Startling Poetry: Voyage

Voyage by Carmen Tafolla I was the fourth ship.           Behind Niña, Pinta, Santa María,           Lost at sea while watching a seagull,           Following the wind and sunset skies,           While the others set their charts.   I was the fourth ship.           Breathing in salt and flying with clouds,           Sailing moonbreezes and […]

Startling Poetry: Education for Leisure

Education for Leisure by Carol Ann Duffy   Today I am going to kill something. Anything. I have had enough of being ignored and today I am going to play God. It is an ordinary day, a sort of grey with boredom stirring in the streets.   I squash a fly against the window with […]

Startling Poetry: Ballad of the Moon

Ballad of the Moon by Federico Garcia Lorca The moon came to the forge wearing a bustle of Spikenards. The boy is looking at her. The boy is looking hard. In the troubled air, the wind moves her arms, showing lewd and pure, her hard, tin breasts. “Run, moon, moon, moon. If the gypsies came, they […]

Startling Poetry: We Real Cool

We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks The Pool Players. Seven at the Golden Shovel. We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin. We Thin gin. We Jazz June. We Die soon.