A Poets View

Enjoy!!!

Photo courtesy of www.library.wisc.edu

I received a copy of Them Poems by Mason Williams as a Christmas gift from very dear friends.  Anyone who knows me knows that a chapbook of poetry is my all time favorite gift.

I remembered Mason Williams classic hit “Classical Gas” which won him numerous awards including three Grammy’s.  I always loved that song.  I did not however know much about him other than that tune.  As it turns out he is also an accomplished writer and poet with numerous books under his belt including Them Poems.  Originally from Abilene, Texas he now resides in Oregon and when not writing or composing you can find him fly-fishing.  He was also the comedy writer for the Smothers’ Brother’s comedy show.

Them Poems is a witty, hip and creatively composed book of traditional style poetry with a hint of sarcasm, true humor and intricately detailed well thought out verse in creative succession. The poems will hit you like a ton of bricks and keep you in stitches afterward.  His talent is unmatched in this genre.  I’ve read many a poet who although can write humor do not employ the inner funny bone needed to pull off this type of poetry.  He does it with sass and a drop of class.

The following poem which is included in the book was inspired by some children playing with sand on a beach.

Them Sand Pickers

How about Them Sand Pickers
Ain’t they grand?
Sittin on their haunches,
Pickin’ in the sand.

Pickin’ in the wet sand,
Pickin’ in the dry.
Pickin’ it fiercely,
Look at it fly.

Look at Them Sand Pickers,
Ain’t they slick?
Some use they fingers,
Some use a stick.

Them seashore Sand Pickers,
Ain’t they fine?
Sittin’ in the sand,
Pickin’ up time.

How to be a Sand Picker?
Don’t need a ticket.
Find a bunch of sand,
Skootch down and pick it!

From: Them Poems ISBN 1-893311-11-2

For more information visit the Mason Williams Website.

It’s a pretty sad state of affairs when in a State like California taxpayers will have to accept IOU’s instead of their tax refund checks.   There have been no talks or agreements as yet on this budget crisis.  The Governor has the “It’s my way or the highway” attitude and as a result we are still in this mess.  The money will run out on February 1st and nothing is being done.

I actually have a solution to this crisis.  Rather than paychecks  how about they issue IOU’s to the Governor and all his cronies.  Let them bear the burden for their ego ridden decisions.  Maybe then we can see an end to this financial mess.

It is of the utmost importance for all of us to make that commitment to help save our world and begin to recycle and go green.  If we each do our part monumental changes can be made.  Many supermarkets have now stopped using plastic bags.  As a result they have gone to using paper bags which can be reused.  The upside is this is great for the environment as the paper can be recycled.  However by switching to paper the stores have had to spend more money thus passing that extra fee onto food prices.  I think if we all just spend a little cash and buy a canvas bag for shopping which we can reuse over and over again, we will not only be doing our part for the environment but spending alot less money in the long run.  I carry my canvas bags with me all the time.  Whenever I shop they are with me.  They’re easy to use, they hold all my groceries and I feel good about doing my part to help save the environment.  My friend and fellow blogger at Green Not Mean has some excellent tips and articles on how we can all as consumers help save our beautiful planet.  Make sure to visit her blog as she is doing a wonderful service for us all.

Well it seems as though Facebook is in the hot seat.  It has censored pictures of Mothers who are breastfeeding and displaying their photos on their profile pages.  Facebook is saying that the photos are obscene and goes against their terms of service.  Evidently months ago Myspace claimed the same so these women hopped on over to Facebook.

To be honest I have never read the terms of service for Facebook.  I guess I should have since I have an account there but I usually cannot be bothered with those things.  I should have while researching this story but again, I’m having one of those days and can’t be bothered.

I would like to comment on this situation.  First there is absolutely nothing wrong with women breastfeeding in public.  We see it all the time and it is just a natural occurrence.  That being said however,  I would like to know why women would want to display the photos of them breastfeeding all over the Internet.  I don’t like putting my regular photo on the profile for security purposes let alone one where I’m breastfeeding for the entire world to see.  I just don’t get it, at all.   Are these women doing this to incite anger and ridicule, are they making a statement?  I’d like to publicly ask these women why?

They have all come together and formed the Facebook women breastfeeding group.

This tug of war should be interesting.

There are literally hundreds to choose from with some of the most popular being Myspace, Facebook and Twitter.  If you are a blogger attracting readers it is of the utmost importance.  As a result, joining these networking sites is a must.

I have recently joined Facebook strictly for advertising purposes.  I found that with Facebook and a few others such as Twitter and BlogCatalog you have the capacity to upload your feeds which will automatically post onto your respective network sites.  With Facebook I uploaded my twitter feed which automatically and instantaneously gets posted to my Facebook account.  I do not even have to visit the website.  I like that feature.  

Though I have had a Myspace account for years it seems that they are lacking in some features.  While you can post bulletins there is no way to automatically have your blogs fed through to their site.  There is the update status which it seems all of these websites now employ yet for advertising and promoting that feature is of really no use.

Then of course there is digg, reddit, mixx, buzz etc… I have found that these bring visitors though I wonder how many actual readers.  For me, readers are the goal.  Sure, ppm is important and by joining all these sites your numbers increase but the regular readers are what is important.

Last but certainly not least Entrecard is my all time favorite.  I could spend hours dropping EC and reading all the blogs, which I have done.  It’s been good to me and given me loyal readers.

The bottom line is we are all here to gain readers so even a few minutes on any of these social networking sites will get people to your blogs.

I was trying to avoid commenting on the situation in the Middle East.  However, after seeing photos and video slideshows of which I’m sure the media chooses to suit their own needs and biased opinions, I have to speak out.

The fighting and devastation with thousands of innocent people and children being massacred is outrageous.  What infuriates me is the fact the our Secretary of State Rice is trying to negotiate a cease fire which in theory is fine but negotiate means just that, negotiate.  It does not mean telling people what they should not be doing.  It is the policy of the Bush Administration as we all know not to talk with what they consider terrorist organizations.  Does anyone notice here the “pot calling the kettle black?”  In my opinion what the Bush administration has been doing for the last eight years is no different than what they consider to be terrorist acts.

The problem is that self righteous it’s my way or the highway attitude.  There need to be talks and negotiations between the Israeli’s and Hamas.   There needs to be someone who can lead in a diplomatic non biased way in order to build non violent relationships between the two parties.  Without diplomatic negotiations peace will never reside in that part of the world.  Someone needs to take charge sooner rather than later.

If that means negotiating with terrorists then let’s do just that.  Both parties need to sit down and talk with a non biased mediator.  This is the only route to understanding.  Once there is understanding peace is the next step.

Why New Years resolutions?  Why not mid September resolutions or Spring resolutions?  My personal belief is,  if you have a goal or changes that need to be made and decide to employ these goals and changes why wait until the New Year?  Deciding to do something then saying to yourself well I will wait until the new year to make these resolutions says two things to me. 

First, you are not really serious about the resolutions.  Why? If you were, you would make the changes immediately.  You would not need a start date.

Second, by giving yourself a start date, is just another means of procrastination and is doomed to fail.  Statistics show that most New Year’s resolutions fail by mid February.  

If you want to set a goal for yourself or change something in your life then do it when you intuitively feel that it is the right time for you, not when the clock strikes midnight.  Following your heart and not a time clock will result in success and a happy life.

Coming from a Greek and Italian background our holiday celebrations always centered around food.  One Greek tradition that I vividly remember is the New Year’s Day good luck cake.  There are various forms of this pastry but I wanted to share with you my Mom’s recipe.  The New Year’s Day cake or bread would be baked with a coin inside the batter.  Usually a dime though it could be a quarter.  On New Year’s Day morning the family would sit around the table and each family member, old to young, would be given a piece of the cake.  The person that found the coin in the cake was to have good luck throughout the year.  I think I received maybe 6 coins my entire life although I have to say I’ve been pretty lucky.  In any case I wanted to share with all of you my Mom’s recipe for the cake.

3 cups water
2 1/2 cups sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 lb. sweet butter
1 cup sugar
6 eggs well beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbls. honey
1 cup flour
1 cup farina (cream of wheat)
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
3 tsp. baking powder
Dime or Quarter.

Bring the water to a boil in saucepan.  Stir in sugar until dissolved.  Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Stir in lemon juice then remove from heat.  Cool at room temperature.  Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl, Add sugar.  Cream 5 minutes longer.  Beat in eggs, vanilla, honey and walnuts.  Add flour, farina, the dime or quarter ( make sure to boil the coin before adding) and baking powder.  Beat until smooth.  Pour into a buttered 9 x13 x2 baking pan.  Bake in 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and glaze top with honey.  Let it set 1 hour before serving.

Enjoy!

While San Francisco is the “City That Knows How” when it comes to partying, Hong Kong is the city that taught San Francisco.  The above photo is of yours truly this past March 2008.  The backdrop is Hong Kong Island.  It is lit up and decked out each night and struts it’s stuff for the symphony of lights show every evening.  It is a dramatic techno light display with music and sometimes fireworks.  The buildings on each side of Victoria Harbor on both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon take part in the festivities.

The video above displays the New Year’s Eve celebration in Hong Kong.  The tall building which is set ablaze in lights is the IFC building, the tallest in Hong Kong and is about 90 stories high.  It is a spectacular sight.  I was there during the Lunar New Year celebration in 2005 and I was blown away.  Enjoy!!!

Photo courtesy of www.sighco.com

Edgar Allan Poe,  a master of 19th Century poetic horror is still to this day one of the most respected and loved poets.  His tales of gore, horror and grief coupled with his romantic and sentimental poetry lends applause to his natural ability to write on many a subject with ease and grace.

The Raven in my opinion is a masterpiece of literature.  By design it is displayed as a tale of death that can only be told by one who has experienced great loss.  The agony and pain in descriptive manner and voice are evident throughout the poem.  You can feel the anguish and despair within his words.  The grief resounds and reverberates throughout the stanzas in a metrical style much like an orchestral symphony.  With his attention to detail and storytelling expertise this poem reads as a fictional novel with heightening crescendo and pulsating energy.  All of his works employ the necessary form and style but his imagination and personal experience are what make his poetry unique and sometimes visionary.

Many poets use poetry and writing as therapy.  To cleanse ourselves of the devastation we take to pen and paper.  It has been said the Poe lived a life of despair and mental illness.  I think that the core of his pain is creatively revealed through his writing.  He was a master at his craft and a genius with a gentle soul.  

The video above is an audio and video compilation so artistically designed and presented that it gave me chills to watch and experience the brilliance of not only this creative piece but the reading of The Raven in it’s entirety.

Photo courtesy of www.health-news.org

Have we come to a new low here?  For years the United States has used various incentives in gaining information about the Taliban from Afghan warlords.  Offering money for information will only bring attention to the fact that the warlords were bribed and either result in them being imprisoned or killed.  Offering service such as medical attention, food etc.. has worked in the past however the warlords have become greedy.  As a result, our government has decided that offering the little “blue pill” would entice these 70 year old bearded drones to supply all the information our officers would need to find the Taliban.

Now mind you these warlords who are typically in their senior years and have four to five wives ranging in age from 16 to about 20 something are being bribed by the United States with Viagra.  Am I the only one that sees something very wrong here?  I don’t care whether these 16 year old girls are wives or not.  It’s child abuse and by giving these men Viagra we are condoning that behavior.

I would think that the CIA would be better trained than having to bribe warlords and chiefs for information.  Granted this bribery is working because once the pill is given, when the officer returns a couple of days later he is treated like a King and given all the information he wants. Yet, we still have not located Bin Laden. So, how long will this so called strategy work?

No wonder we’re still in a war.  No wonder we cannot locate Bin Laden.  If we are that pathetic to have to resort to bribery than we are in a sad state of affairs.  What’s next?  Bringing them young girls to become wives number 6 and 7?

This brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ” Make love not war.”  Viagra for peace - or is it piece?

For me, poetry can be found not only in words but music, dance and nature as well.  Different cultures and traditions have their own way of expressing poetic form.  The above video is an example of sheer poetry in motion.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The Eternity Magazine is an India based spiritually enlightened magazine with focus on the planet and how we as spiritual beings can promote peace and help save this world.   It hosts writers, poets and thinkers who share their thoughts about creation and life.  It speaks of enlightenment in a thoughtful and truthful voice.  How can we experience an enlightened state of being through meditation, yoga and prayer?  It answers these questions through research and deep thought.  Attaining peace in this time of war and terrorism is indeed a monumental feat, yet with the sheer hope that it can be done and the willingness to spread the word of peace throughout humanity it is attainable.

Dozens of poets and writers from around the world share their hopes, thoughts and ideas within the pages of the magazine.  There are articles on peace, global communication,  saving the environment and so much more.  The Eternity though spiritual in nature is not about religion but rather the spiritual inspiration within all of us and the unification of different cultures and traditions.  It’s mission is to promote global awareness of the environment and peace through the words of International poets and writers.

As a chief foreign editor for the magazine it is my hope that the inspiration this magazine provides will be seen and heard by as many people as possible in order to unite and spread peace around the globe.  It is only in awareness that we can learn and promote peace.

More information can be found at The Eternity Magazine website.

A 60 Minutes Spoof.

Photo courtesy of www.sxc.hu

As poets we have the ability to encapsulate our thoughts and ideas and create lasting impressions with words.  There are literally thousands of poetic styles.  The etheree is a strict form in which the structure is limited to ten lines and ten syllables.  Much like a pyramid in form,  the poem will begin with one syllable and end with a 10 syllable line.  Or, it can be reversed with the first line employing 10 syllables and the last line one.  It may seem an easy form however it is very difficult to write this style with the necessary components of imagery and flow.  Below is a quickly written example to give you an idea of how the poem should be created and what it should look like when completed.

Are
you a
poet of
life who creates
poems with love and
passion?  Who in nature
is peaceful and serene as
a tranquil waterfall flowing
freely into the depths of the mind
cleansing the spirit, caressing the heart.

I wrote this very quickly without any attention to imagery but rather form and style.   I wanted to express the form as it should be unveiled to the reader.  A pyramid or triangular appearance is the law of the land with an etheree.  It should be rich in imagery and metaphor and should not be rhymed.  There are many forms such as sonnets and odes which can be rhymed however many forms do not employ the style.  And, always remember that even if you are writing in a metrical style there should be emphasis on imagery.  A poem without imagery is simply greeting card verse.  That is fine if you enjoy writing that style however it is not a poem.  Imagery and metaphor are the necessary ingredients in creating poetry.  All else will fall into place.

For more information on this new poetic form visit The Shadow Poetry website.

As many of you know Hong Kong is my home away from home.  My dear friend Vincent sent me this beautiful photo of a Christmas tree in Hong Kong.  While I have never experienced Christmas in Hong Kong I know people who have and tell me that it is a paradise of lights.  Normally Hong Kong is a lighted venue so I can only imagine what it is like during the holidays.  I hope to experience it very soon.

There is a mix of religions practiced throughout Hong Kong from Catholic to Muslim, to Buddhism to Taoism.  There are churches and temples all over Hong Kong.  People are free to worship openly as they wish.  Of course Buddhist temples are situated all over Hong Kong, Kowloon and the outlying areas.  You will come across temples almost anywhere you visit.  I loved that about Hong Kong - the fact that it was all so open and friendly.

Hong Kong tends to celebrate any and all holidays to the max.  Just their every day celebration of the Symphony of Lights is clear testimony to their pride and regard for all that they do.  They are very proud of their city and the tourists who visit are a priority.  I found that to be very welcoming while there.

I found the above video of Christmas Robots performing in Hong Kong over the 2007 holiday season.  Animation and technology are a large part of the Hong Kong culture.  It is very fascinating experiencing all the technological ingenuity being created.  I could not resist in posting this.  It is so cute and I wanted to share it with all of you.  Enjoy!

The Carpenters have always been known for tradition and this video hosts a classic Christmas song sung by Karen Carpenter who had the voice of an angel.  I remember seeing the Carpenters for the first time up in Lake Tahoe performing at Harrah’s.  This was over 32 years ago but I remember it as if it were yesterday.  My Mom had taken me to see them for my birthday.  Karen Carpenter sang my favorite song at the time “Close To You” for me and it was a quite memorable experience.

The Christmas song has always been a favorite of mine and I wanted to share it with all of you.  Happy Holidays.

Photo courtesy of http://www.public-domain-photos.com

Though I have never been to San Diego I have visited everyday.  How?  My friend and fellow blogger San Diego Backroads  maintains a daily blog about San Diego and the beauty it has to offer.  I travel there from the comfort of my easy chair on a daily basis.  The photos are truly exceptional and the descriptions rich in content and metaphor yet written with a personal passion.  It is the type of blog where after you have visited you are saying to yourself - Wow!  I have to visit there and very soon.  This is a blog you have to experience.  It is one of my favorites on the Internet.  Check it out at http://sandiegobackroads.today.com