Her eyes!
She watched Ignorance enter the room.
No obsequious sycophantry in her glare.
How naked are the emperor
and his bloated toadies
under her perspicacious gaze.
poem- victory September 22, 2019
Small victory
multiplied.
Big tasks
divided
into
parts
so
small–
how could I not succeed?
Deadlines
focus goals.
Day by day,
Chew each bite thoroughly.
Done!
Launch hope with a key stroke.
Completion is victory enough,
but still…
Fingers crossed.
poem-living September 20, 2019
You drive away after a visit.
“He got his licence back!”
“That’s great for 101!”
“No! He’s 105 now!”
“and blind!”
Oh, dad.
Thanks for stopping by
to make me laugh
in dreams.
poem- shouting trauma September 13, 2019
Teresa hated her hair-cut
Wore her hat in class.
Held it tightly when the boys wanted to see
What could possibly be so bad.
Ran home in tears.
The next day,
the hat was off, and no one could figure out
what had bothered her so much.
Her hair looked fine.
She just had to get used to the idea of change.
How often are we afraid of something new,
even when it’s innocuous or perhaps
even better than what was?
Half a century I’ve pondered Teresa’s hair.
I still don’t understand,
what she didn’t like.
poem- picking light August 30, 2019
For Jordie
She sees it on the floor
reaches for the white spot:
light.
Three times the lights calls her.
Three times she reaches.
Three times she rolls her eyes.
She doesn’t need to pick up light,
it already glows within her,
touches everyone she knows.
Her light is kindness;
it’s overflowing,
and dripping on her floor.
poem- not conservative, just not living August 29, 2019
Outside the change room,
she looked into the mirror.
Lovely,
polished,
dynamic,
and classy
in the pale blue duster jacket.
Perfectly suited her colouring.
Stunning.
“I love this,” she sighs.
“I love these on other people. I just know that I would never wear it.”
I am aghast. “You could wear it to the grocery store!” She could wear it anywhere.
But no. She left in an orange dress, that made her complexion blotchy.
I have no business being sad, that she put away a pale, blue jacket, that suited her,
because of fears I’m imagining for her.
“Do you imagine I’m conservative?” she asks.
“It doesn’t matter what I think,” I shrug.
But she looked damn fantastic in that blue duster jacket.
Writing Better Fiction August 13, 2019
Writing Better Fiction:
Craft Tips from some of Canada’s Best Writers and Editors.
(ed. Brent Nichols).
I am delighted to have an article in this excellent anthology. Many writers have contributed articles with advice and strategies on a wide variety of topics. It’s a great value and is a fundraiser for the Robin Herrington Memorial Short Story Contest, which is also brilliant.
Click the cover for a link to Amazon.
Check it out!
Articles:
- Beginning: Shawn L. Bird
- The blank page: Brent Nichols
- The what, who, why when, and how of writing prompts: M. Jane Colette
- Ine initial surface problem and the story-worthy problem: Sally McBride
- Point of view: Robert J. Sawyer
- Villains and conflicts: Ron S. Friedman
- Pornstar cleaning?! Where writers get their ideas: Tim Reynolds
- Writer’s block: Hayden Trenholm
- Writing formats-the keys to your potential: J. Paul Cooper
- The mice quotient and the structure of genre: Renee L. Bennett
- Researching history and using historical sources: D. E. Wright
- Writing stronger scenes: Ace Jordyn
- 44 tips for effective dialogue: Craig diLouie
- Dangle your modifiers: Randy Nikkel Schroeder
- Elemental tales: Jim Jackson
- The gentle art of giving and receiving critiques: The imaginative fiction writers’ association
- How do I know it’s a rough draft? Barb Galler-Smith
- The art of writing: Josephine LoRe
- Advanced editing techniques for immersive fiction: Swati Chavda
- Stories with spine: J. E. Barnard
- Get out of your head! Sandra Hurst
- In praise of the flat arc: Lise Brassard
- Description-when less is more: Robert Runte, PhD
- Three steps to move from telling to showing: Mahrie G. Reid
- Ten steps after “The End” Adria Laycroft
- Business plans for authors: Sandra Fitzpatrick
- Getting to the next level: Liz Westbrook-Trenholm
poetry- Love, Life, Hope NEW BOOK! July 27, 2019
I am pleased to announce a new poetry book! If you enjoy the poetry on the blog, you can buy a paperback from Amazon:
poem- light July 11, 2019
Your smile has no illumination,
no dancing twinkle draws the eyes.
What lies will you tell today, when someone
asks if everything is okay?
poem- later July 10, 2019
I expected
in my youth
a natural ending.
You railed against presumption.
Never!
Always!
Hyperbole spun us out,
Now our orbits can’t intersect.
I was okay with that,
until I wasn’t.
We’re not supposed to break promises,
even irrelevant ones.
Curse nostalgia.
Shawn L. Bird 