Although I do write non-fiction and articles I also write fictional short stories, poetry, monologues, and other creative writings. In this category, I will be sharing all of my different creative self writings.
Lanturne
The Lanturne is a five-line verse shaped like a Japanese lantern with a syllabic pattern of one, two, three, four, one.
Sun
rises
over the
blue sky so high
sigh.
Touch
the sky
with your dreams
love your future
dream.
Since this was a short and sweet I wrote two.
Let me know what you think. Comments are always welcomed.
As a friendly reminder I am on vacation, so I am not doing my regular DreamWard Bound update post.
I’m going to try something new with my youtube channel when I get back from vacation. I will do more original things, like poetry readings, short storytelling, original monologues and maybe even scenes. You will my blog followers will get to read my stuff first and I will be reading the poems that get the most likes per week.
That being said the first original monologue that I will be doing when I get back is title “Tears.” I am hoping to put together an entire script with these different monologues, but I have to start some where, so here you go.
I broke down in tears today. I know you saw. I know you heard. I was praying to you to mend my broken and stressed heart. I was praying for a fix that would happen quick, when you whispered, “the work already has started and I already am doing my part.”
What more can I do? What more do you want, Lord? I cried out in pain, what is my part and where do I fit in? I am lost, angry, and tired of waiting around. Waiting for my real journey to begin. And I know you must have laughed at that because although I didn’t hear you over my crying and doubt I know you said my journey had already begun at the very start.
Look at how far you brought me, while I kicked and screamed. You carried me when I fought you, like a screaming baby all the way. You have great plans for me, or so I hear. They’re plans I do not see, so I scream. Yet, you will never let go of my heart even when I try to push you away.
My soul is a cranky child but you are always patient.I want the sugar and sweets of the world but you have given me the ability to reason instead. I never want to quit playing my own games but you put me to bed so I can rest. I want it all but you show me how. Yes, you show me myself and my life, past, present and future, when my tears come screaming out. So I thank you with dried tears under my eyes.
Minute Poetry
The Minute Poem is rhyming verse form consisting of 12 lines of 60 syllables written in strict iambic meter. The poem is formatted into 3 stanzas of 8,4,4,4; 8,4,4,4; 8,4,4,4 syllables. The rhyme scheme is as follows: aabb, ccdd, eeff
Tell me how far one soul can go
How does one grow
with painful hope
in a brain’s lobe?
Are we just monkeys with disease?
can we release
the pain inside?
should we just hide?
No, I say we are much much more.
more than any lore.
More than animal
We are radical.
Okay, one I know the last line has 5 syllables. I actually did that almost on purpose in hopes that would stand out. Also because that is the word that needed to go there. I changed and fought with every other line, but the last line needed to be radical.
Two, this title is misleading. I thought it would take a minute to write. That is not true. With a second per syllable so it should take a minute to read.
Let me what you think.
Limerick
A Limerick is a rhymed humorous or nonsense poem of five lines which originated in Limerick, Ireland. The Limerick has a set rhyme scheme of : a-a-b-b-a with a syllable structure of: 9-9-6-6-9. The rhythm of the poem should go as follows: Lines 1, 2, 5: weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak Lines 3, 4: weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak This is the most commonly heard first line of a limerick: “There once was a man from Nantucket.”
I went to the sea to see you see.
Yet, I could see nothing but the sea.
So I went to the shore
Just so I would be sure
That I could still see beyond the sea.
There once was a tree that was called the listening tree. It lived in a picturesque forest with blue and purple flowers growing at its base. People would climb this tree in the beautiful forest. They would sit on the many limbs of the tree and told the tree all their problems. For years and years the tree grew and people climbed the tree to talk with it. They left all their issues with the tree and some way or another the issues and problems left with the tree would get solved.
As more and more people talked to the tree and more and more problems were solved, more people heard and came. Soon people were traveling from far away to talk to this tree. By the time this time the tree was the largest tree most has ever seen. It appeared to the people who lived closest to the tree that the more people came to the tree the larger it became.
Every day for years and years every limb was covered with people chattering about their woes. Then one day only one came. It was a little girl with tears in her eyes. She could not even reach the first branch to climb up on the tree, so she sat down by the flowers and told the tree, “I know I’m not special and I know that everyone else’s issues are more important. I’m just a little girl, but I’m all alone and no one even notices me. I would like some one to at least greet me.”
As she finished her request a little door opened and out walked a tiny old woman with wings who flew up to be near the little girl’s face.
Astonished the little girl asked, “Who are you?”
“I am the mother of this tree, every limb has one of my children listening to your people. No one has even talked to me in many years, so I know how you feel.”
The little girl smiled. “Thank you for letting me see you and thank you for noticing me.”
“My dear girl, being noticed is not your issue. What breaks your heart is that you are alone. I can see it in your eyes. Come live with us and you will never be alone.”
“I can not live in a tree or in the forest.”
The mother laughed and told her, “We are magical. I will shrink you down and give you wings. That is when you can choose to either be a listener with me or a giver with my husband.”
“What is a giver?”
Smiling the mother told the child, “A giver is one who gives the people what they need to mend their hearts or fix their problems.” She saw the confusion in the girl’s eyes and told her, with a sweet voice, “We do not fix other’s problems for them, we only open their eyes and give them the tools.”
“Are the givers ever alone?”
“When they are out helping others they may be.”
“I think I would like to stay with you then and be a listener.”
“As you wish,” The mother said and with a kiss on the girl’s head the girl was turned into a tiny winged version of herself.
This was a quick short story that I wrote at my day job when the internet was down.
And just as a reminder I will be on vacation starting Thursday.
This week’s Stated Song is Storybook which is from the musical Scarlet Pimpernel. When I was younger I was in voice lessons to learn how to sing and this was a song I remember very fondly doing. I really like the dreamer’s voice and attitude. Some days I feel this same way. Some days I feel like I am just a dreamer with no real love. However, I am lucky, because I do have real love. I have a wonderful family and friends who love me. Yet, since I don’t have a ‘lover’ I do feel like I am missing what is real love, which is what this song is about.
You can listen to the actual song on youtube. It is sung by Rachel York. The musical, The Scarlet Pimpernel is a 1997 Broadway musical composed by Frank Wildhorn and written by Nan Knighton, the production starred Douglas Sills as Sir Percy Blakeney, Christine Andreas as Marguerite Blakeney, and Terrence Mann as Citizen Chauvelin. ( I simply copied and pasted all this information from The Scarlet Pimpernel’s Wikiepedia page.)
The lyrics that I used for this Stated song are:
Listen to me, I have beautiful dreams I can spin you
Dreams to linger within you
Close your eyes and we’ll ride my carousel
I’ll tell you stories of lovers whose love used to fill me
And the lovers who will be
For, you see, love is one thing I do well
Come, let’s believe love can be just as sweet as it seems
Let’s live on dreams!
In my dreams such beautiful lovers have found me
Storybook lovers surround me
Nothing is real, but I’m flying, sighing
Where is my storybook ending?
Why does my golden pretending
Leave me with nothing to hold but my dreams?
Oh, is it only in dreams that we find our ideal love?
Are there lovers with real love?
If you know how to feel love, show me now
but my prince, if you can’t be as sweet as you seem
I’d rather dream
Come and wake me!
Come be the love I can hold now
Storybook love leaves me cold now
Show me the way to stop dreaming
There is only one perfect storybook ending
That is the end of pretending
That is the moment I say, love me now!
Naani
Naani is one of India’s most popular Telugu poems. Naani means an expression of one and all. It consists of 4 lines, the total lines consists of 20 to 25 syllables. The poem is not bounded to a particular subject. Generally it depends upon human relations and current statements. This poetry was introduced by one of the renowned Telugu poets Dr. N.Gopi, presently working as vice-chancellor to Telugu University, Andhra Pradesh.
I smile instead of cry
I laugh instead of yell
For what good are tears and shouts
When it ‘s raining out?
This was an interesting one. I like the end product. What do you think?
I have been only focusing on poetry that has a structure or a type. Yes, I did do a free verse the other day, but still felt tied down in the fact that it had to be a free verse poem. I was reviewing the types I could do and decided not to decide. I guess this will be a free verse, because it has no type. It may turn into a type. Who knows? I don’t plan to edit it or control this piece of art. I’m just going to write, publish and see what happens.
A dog can love
a child can smile
and I can love.
Love with my heart
while the world says hate.
I’ll close my eyes and smile on.
I’ll hold on to my hope that lives deep in my heart.
When the end is fa away
and home is out of sight
I will hold tight to my love
hold tight to my hope
and look at the blue sky.
The clear blue sky that is a whisper
from above saying,” you are not alone
you are love.”
Yes, I will hold on to that love
and love the world.
When the world says stop
I will smile on.
When the world says no
I will continue to love.
And when the world says it’s over
I will hold tight to my hope.
Because through any pain
you can smile
Through any obstacle
you can love
and through any ending
you can hope.
If you think you can not love
look at a dog.
If you think you can not smile
look at a child.
And if you can not hope
come to me.
Yes, a dog can love,
A child can smile
and I, I can hope.
I will hope endlessly.
You may have noticed that this past weekend I spent a lot of time with my camera recording. I had my normal acting video, my painting, and a special short story for my nephew.
My hope in doing acting videos is for people to watch, be entertained, and hopefully give feedback. I am doing them so I can grow. My focus with them is others that I may not know. I’m trying to reach the widest audience with these videos.
I recorded my painting because I find it interesting to watch a painting come to life. I know a few friends enjoy watching them, but I do it because I like it. I’m not really focused on the audience with these videos.
Finally I recorded my short story for an audience of one. I only cared about entertaining my nephew. I had fun writing for him and showing my love to him in a unique way; in a way that was very much me. He has been a big fan of mine and he may not even know how much him liking my art means to me, but it means the world to me. I can always count on him for a good review.
What is interesting about these three videos? Well I realized something important. It is something that I should have known and as an artist I should remind myself every time before sitting/ standing to create. I realized that when you focus your art on someone you love or share your love through your art, that is when it means something. When love is at the center you will get noticed.
I almost didn’t post my short story on youtube. I was just going to post it on my sister’s facebook wall, but I wanted to make sure my nephew would be able to see it whenever he wanted. That was the only reason I posted it on youtube. Now it has 11 views, (I know that is not that much) when I was hoping for only 1. My painting has 14, when I did not care and my acting has 3 when I was going for at least 14.
The lesson in all of this is remembered to do what you love because you love it, not because of others.
Palindrome Poetry
Also Known as Mirrored Poetry
A palindrome, by definition, is a word, phrase, verse, sentence, or even poem that reads the same forward or backward. It stems from the Greek word palindromos: palin, meaning again, and dromos, meaning a running. Combining the two together, the Greek meaning gives us, running back again…
The carefully placed words form the same sentence, whether it is read forward or backward. For example, ‘Mirrored images reflect images mirrored’ which includes a word in the center as a reversal point for the sentence or even the poem.
Tick tock tick goes time.
Yes, time goes Tick tock tick.
This one was actually harder to do than I thought it would be.