Category: Posts

Mr. Chibi

crow23 Comments

As promised, here are some photos of the newest addition to our family: Chibi Fantastico. He was born November 1, 2017 and came to live with us two days before Christmas. The pictures above are from now–he’s just over five months hold.

Here is a picture of him from before we brought him home:

He is a fun, lovely boy. We read that shiba inus can be aloof and aggressive, but so far, he’s been extremely social with both people and other dogs.

If you can’t get enough of him, you can find him on Instagram. My wife and post pictures of him under his own stream (of course). He is ChibiTheShibi there.

Tupelo 30/30 Challenge Reminder

crow5 Comments

Hey!

Just a reminder that I am participating in the Tupelo 30/30 project for August, now less than a handful of days away.

I write 30 poems in 30 days in an attempt to draw attention to the important work Tupelo Press (an independent press) is doing in promoting poets and their work.

Of course, I don’t ask you to do something for nothing. In return for your support, I am offering these fine rewards:

  • Pick the Title—For $15, you provide me with a title and I will write a poem about it. Yes, the poem will in some way relate to the title, unlike many of my usual poems. Yes, your title can be whatever you pick.
  • Pick the Words—Also for $15, three words of your choosing will somehow be magically incorporated into a poem.
  • Collab—Another measly $15 will give you the option of writing the first half of a poem, up to five lines, and I will complete you endeavor in my stylish… style.
  • Listen to My Words—For only $25, pick one of the first three options and I will throw in, for a nominal surcharge, a recording of my voice reading that same poem. Two out of three listeners can’t tell the difference between my voice and a burlap sack full of rabid badgers.
  • Put it in Writing—Also for $25, you can pick any one of the first three options and I will send you a physically typed on actual paper copy (including smudges and typos) of the poem you have selected.
  • Kitchen Sink—For $30 you can pick any of the first three options and receive Listen to My Words and Put it in Writing benefits AND save $5. I feel like a KickStarter.
  • Strings Free Donation—Just feel like sponsoring me, donating a random amount, but don’t feel the need to get anything back but some warm fuzzy feelings? I appreciate that too. It’s like when I had to sell candy or run laps as a kid. No one expected the chocolate to be any good, but the sponsorship made it taste better.

To donate, please go this page for further instructions. I won’t try to guilt you by saying something like, Won’t you please think of the children? Because if you were thinking of the children, you’d be sending me money directly to never record my voice again.

The Tupelo Press 30/30 Project for August

crow16 Comments

Yes, the world has gone stark, raving mad. Someone, somewhere has made a terrible mistake, and accepted me as a participant in the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project for August.

What’s that you say? I already write a poem every single day?

Well, you’re right about that.

HOWEVER,

for the entire month of August, you (yes, YOU) can provide the fertile seeds from which will spring my fevered verse. And, in the process, you can support Tupelo Press in their endeavors to keep independent presses viable, giving writers of all kinds a place to voice the things only they can voice, and reach audiences that they might not be able to engage with on their own.

So, here’s a link to my donation page. There’s a current picture of me. Very, very rare.

And here’s what you can hope to get out of me this month for your support:

  • Pick the Title—For $15, you provide me with a title and I will write a poem about it. Yes, the poem will in some way relate to the title, unlike many of my usual poems. Yes, your title can be whatever you pick.
  • Pick the Words—Also for $15, three words of your choosing will somehow be magically incorporated into a poem.
  • Collab—Another measly $15 will give you the option of writing the first half of a poem, up to five lines, and I will complete you endeavor in my stylish… style.
  • Listen to My Words—For only $25, pick one of the first three options and I will throw in, for a nominal surcharge, a recording of my voice reading that same poem. Two out of three listeners can’t tell the difference between my voice and a burlap sack full of rabid badgers.
  • Put it in Writing—Also for $25, you can pick any one of the first three options and I will send you a physically typed on actual paper copy (including smudges and typos) of the poem you have selected.
  • Kitchen Sink—For $30 you can pick any of the first three options and receive Listen to My Words and Put it in Writing benefits AND save $5. I feel like a KickStarter.

Did you scroll all the way down here, and you’re exhausted by the possibilities and lack the stamina to scroll up to that link? I’ve got you covered. Just move your mouse. Just a little right >here<. Doesn't that feel better?

The 2nd Annual Tucker Awards for Excellence in Swearing — Strong Language

crow1 Comment

Everyone knows I like a good bit of swearing. This post is not for those who are easily offended, but the Strong Language blog is a true delight.

 

Last year we introduced a year-end roundup celebrating the best in sweary language: The Tucker Awards. The Tuckers are named after the one and only Malcolm Tucker, Peter Capaldi’s gloriously obscene character from the BBC’s political satire The Thick of It and the big-screen version In the Loop. Let’s get started with 2016’s best moments in swearing. As Mr. Tucker […]

via The 2nd Annual Tucker Awards for Excellence in Swearing — Strong Language

Mush for Thanksgiving

crow14 Comments

So, before the day gets away from me completely and I slip into a carb/gravy/pie induced state of torpor, I just wanted to say, thank you.

I’m pretty technologically oriented. I’ve worked with computers in one way or another since I had the original Commodore Vic 20. If you had one when they came out, then you’re old like me. I wrote my first computer program by copying it out of a magazine, typing it into a BASIC compiler, and saving it to a cassette tape. Magazines, BASIC, cassettes… how Fred Flintstone can you get? Anyway, you’re probably a little better at figuring out smart phones than your parents are, too. And while I enjoy the gadgets, the internet, and all it has to offer, I can honestly say that this is first time that I have found a community online that I feel I belong to.

I’m not sure what drives traffic to my site. I know that a year ago, I first began to see real growth in the number of visitors I’ve had. I won’t lie and say those lives and views in the dashboard are unimportant to me. They matter because it means I’ve connected.

So thank you. Thank you for connecting with me. Thank you for reading, for commenting, for liking, for coming back.

I may be back with a poem of my own later, but to tide you over, here’s one that showed up in my inbox from poets.org this morning. I’m just providing the link, but it’s worth your time.

Thanks
W. S. Merwin

See you after nap time.

policy in effect (20160831)

crow7 Comments

huddle closer to me
ask me to tell you
everything’s
going to be all right

i do
though i have doubts
of my own grabbing at my feet
though every step
is made on
shifting tectonic plates
each the size of my heart
each the size of my life

no physical clocks
in the house anymore
only digital trance mediums
monsters that communicate
silently with satellites
no ticking to mark the time
but still
the earth shifts
but still
the earth turns

i huddle closer to you
and tell you
i will be your
earthquake insurance

Open Mic Announcement (Post 20160501)

crow3 Comments

So, I didn’t get a lot of people participating last month for the Open Mic invitation. And then it hit me. It was National Poetry Month and I was asking a bunch of poets who were tirelessly devoting themselves to making words stick to the page just so. What was I thinking? I should have known you’d be far too busy.

So, this is going to be a monthly thing. Each month, I will announce the opportunity for you to participate in the Open Mic. It is not a challenge. There are no rewards except getting to hear me sound ridiculous as I read my own poems (and maybe feel pretty good about how you nailed it.

Participate or I’ll have to post this every week. Every. Week.

——

Here are the steps you need to take:

  1. Record yourself reading one of your own works.
  2. Post it on your site (or Soundcloud or any other audio hosting site).
  3. Include a link to this site in your post
    OR Comment below
    OR or send me a message using the contact form.
  4. I will post a link with your name and poem title RIGHT HERE and on the new Open Mic page (it’s above in the menu).
  5. It’s an open mic invitation. NOT a challenge.

Also, if you can think of a way to improve the format, I’m all ears.

It’s an Elder Gods thing. I wish people wouldn’t stare.

**Hey, two NEW entries! Now we’re talking. Get it? Talking?

******

Poet Rummager Counting Sheep
https://poetrummager.wordpress.com/2016/05/01/by-counting-sheep/

******

BRH Car Park Blues – Open Mic
https://supazubablog.wordpress.com/2016/05/01/car-park-blues-open-mic/

******

Crow on not ruining you–the words
on not ruining you (reading 20160509)

******

Poet Rummager Three Haiku Poem: Suck the Poison
https://poetrummager.wordpress.com/2016/05/25/three-haiku-poem-suck-the-poison/

Post 20160421

crow4 Comments

So, I’ve had this conversation with a couple of you recently about whether I should use titles for my poems or continue to use only dates.

Pros of Using Dates:

  • I’m lazy.
  • I write a lot, sometimes two or three pieces a day (but usually one).
  • I might obsess about these titles, maybe working longer on them than the actual poems (not even kidding).
  • Dates offer no hint as to what you’re in store for.

Pros of Using Titles:

  • More appealing to readers
  • A title is easier to remember than a date.
  • The title might turn out to be what you enjoy most about my poem.
  • Might (or might not) give you a clue as to what you are in for.

Friends, I cannot decide this on my own. Please take the time to fill in the poll. I know you have opinions. And thank your for sharing them