Prompt #70: Chocolate or vanilla?
Chocolate OR vanilla?
No
Chocolate AND vanilla
Ebony and ivory
Male and female
Bitter and sweet
Life and death
Ying and Yang
Chocolate and vanilla
Chocolate or vanilla? March 14, 2011
Hawai’i love March 10, 2011
For many years
your love
was an ocean:
pacific,
glorious.
Your dreams
flowed around you like fish,
swirling with life
joy
terror
and companionship.
The storms came
upon tropic seas
but
blue waves
rocked you
back to
comfortable
complacency.
Firey red
tropical nights
bathed you in
beauty.
.
All was well
on the surface.
.
Beneath
the waves
lava
bubbled.
You didn’t understand
when steam
purcolated
on schedule
releasing the stress
beneath the surface
that the day
was coming when it’d
erupt in
turbulent
broil and
form a solitary island
with a different
perspective on
the ocean.
.
Love
is still
a vast ocean.
Possibility
spreads upon a
limitless horizon.
Climb into your boat:
go fish.
There are many
dreams swirling
in the ocean.
My insurance carrier knows me well… March 7, 2011
I got my auto insurance renewal notice from ICBC the other day. As I read down to the bottom, I noticed a ‘clip off’ section with the note: “Don’t let this disappear under a pile of paperwork. Cut out the slip below and stick it on the fridge.”
I pointed it out to my husband and commented, “Hon, look! ICBC knows me!”
He snickered and said, “If they really knew you, they’d say, ‘Quick, give this notice to your husband.'”
.
😉 All the sadder because it’s so true. I adore that man who keeps my world spinning by maintaining the mundane order of things. Whatever would I do without him? Someone recently asked me how I manage to keep a daily blog, teach, write a novel, and ‘all the other stuff.’ He’s why. He holds the string so I can fly.
missing you March 6, 2011
I can not be
without you.
.
I can not
be without
you.
.
I can not be.
.
I am not me
without you.
.
I am not
me without
you.
.
I am not me.
.
I need
we
to be
us.
story: iloveross17 (chapter two) March 4, 2011
Previous chapters: one,
(Chapter two)
user name: suzieq@
password: iloveross18mos
change password: confused1
Status updates:
Bixby- oh yeah man!
Zara- wtf?
Lena- save me from my boredom!
CHAT ALERT!
Zara- R U OK?
SusieQ- Ya
Zara-What happened?
SusieQ- Still trying to figure that out, actually.
Zara- Do u think Ross saw you making out with Dave?
SusieQ- 😦
and onto chapter three
Pin pricks March 1, 2011
prompt #58 What is the smallest thing beside you?
.
Angels are dancing
on the head of it
but from the other end
I’m being pricked
and poked.
I’m pitted with holes
and pinned together again.
My pieces are
held tightly and tautly
~if temporarily.
Grace February 28, 2011
In Grace something is transcended, once and for all overcome. Grace happens in spite of something; it happens in spite of separateness and alienation. Grace means that life is once again united with life, self is reconciled with self. Grace transforms fate into a meaningful vocation. It transforms guilt to trust and courage. The word …grace has something triumphant in it. ~Yrjö Kallinen
I found this quote on the Facebook status of friend who works at the UN. Aside from the concept of grace which is so beautifully explored here, I am fascinated that it was written by a Finn. If Yrjö Kallinen was writing this in Finnish, it opens up another interesting language exploration, as there isn’t a single word for ‘grace’ in Finnish. Perhaps Kallinen was thinking of gratia as there is a bit of the wealth of gratia gratium parit reflected here.
I want to know more about this. If you know where this quote is from, please leave a comment so I can explore more.
Kiitos Yrjö!
Addendum: March 1, 2011
I found this clip of Kallinen. He’s speaking Finnish, and so the majority of you will have to read the sub-titles, but if you’re curious to hear his lovely clear enunciation that even I can make sense of have a listen. Apparently Kallinen was a pacifist and conscientious objector who nonetheless was Finland’s Minister of Defence from 1946-48. He is speaking about life and dreams and how to revolutionize thinking. Quite apropos to what is happening in the Middle East at the moment.
Elämmekö unessa? (Are we living in a dream) pt 2 – 1 Translation(s) | dotSUB.
Story: iloveross17 (chapter one) February 26, 2011
Log in
User name: suzieq@
Password: iloveross17mos
Change password: iloveross18mos
Status updates:
Zara- math test! Gonna die.
Bixby- what is the reason to fear what we do not understand?
Ross- is now single.
Lena- have to babysit my little sister, someone text me!
CHAT ALERT!
Zara- Suzanne! OMG! Are you ok?!!!
Log off
.
Deep breath.
Ross…is single??????????
.
—————————————————————
Next installment: Chapter 2
.
.
Submitted as part of Monday Poetry Potluck Mar 7, 2011. If you’re here from the potluck, add the link to your contribution in a comment.
Thinking again February 24, 2011
Well, I am glad that Thinking Day occurs in Scouting Week, so I can carry on with my theme of Girl Guide memories with some impunity.
Another fun memory of Guiding is singing around the campfire. I even put a campfire scene in Grace Awakening to celebrate these moments. One of my favorite things is making up a verse of Quartermaster’s Store for everyone present around the fire.
Got a name? I’ll make you a verse! I’m serious! Send me the name (and pronunciation if it’s not a common name) in the comment section below and I’ll make you a verse for your personal use within Guiding (or wherever your campfire happens to be).
If you don’t remember the song it goes like this:
♪ My eyes are dim I can not see ♪
♪ I have not brought my specs with me ♪
♪I havvvvvve no-ot brought . my. specs. with. me. ♪
♪ There was Shawn, Shawn making out with John ♪
♪ in the store ♪ in the store ♪
♪ There was Shawn, Shawn making out with John ♪
♪ in the quartermaster’s stor-or-ore ♪
Come on- gather ’round my fire!
PS. My husband is John. My Guides loved the naughtiness of this! lol
Still Thinking… February 23, 2011
When I was involved in Guiding, there was a need to create non-denominational graces for units to use at events. I had a lot of fun creating several graces sung to the tunes of popular songs of the time (e.g. “The Barbie Girl Grace”) as well as common Guiding tunes (e.g. “Shawn’s Grace” to the tune of “Fire’s Burning”). Some of them are still circulating at http://www.users.ms11.net/~gsong/Graces/nondom.html
I find it somewhat ironic that if you search Grace and “Shawn Bird” on the internet, these old graces show up, along with references to Grace Awakening. The graces are all given for free use within Guiding and I am thrilled when every once in awhile I stumble across some reference to one being used at a Guiding event. It’s kind of nice that my words are still being used within Guiding.
You’ll notice that my collection of Rotary Invocations follow the same model. I create non-denominational invocations for use in Rotary. If Rotarians would sing, I’d get them to use those Guiding Graces, but I just can’t see it happening. 😉
Shawn L. Bird 