April Poem #11

Automotive

At first there was freedom
the speed and the wheel
coasting along giving thrill after thrill.

Now it owns me with its payments and gas
and I cannot stand it or it’s brothers I pass.

Bicycle
At first it was work
driving the chain
I felt no speed at all
I pedaled in vain
But now I can see
what I missed long before
I drop it I leave it
I park at the store
and walk right in and out.
I love the old girl.
Life is much better
when your legs give a whirl.

 

The Bank

Well, I feel the need to break my covenant about complaint.  It seems that yesterday Bank of America felt it necessary to destroy the financial well-being of several thousand people.  Sammi and I just got a loan to help cover our bills through the summer.  It was a student loan, not the greatest deal I’ve ever seen.  The interest rate was a bit high for a student loan, but it was a private one, so they can do that.

We deposited the check on Saturday.  It cleared on Monday since we deposited it in a Bank of America Checking account.  Yesterday they took all the money back.

Every purchase we made since then is now an overdraft.  Sam called several times but has been getting the runaround.  The thing that really irks me is the overdraft.  They will be re-depositing the money, yes, but not waiving overdraft fees.  No, they will be crediting the loan for that.  We are paying for a mistake they made.

Suffice to say we are cancelling their service ASAP.  I’ve had it with them.

 

April Poem #10

Michigan

The hills roll gently
filled with sand piled
by years of time and wind.

The forests rustle all the time
life erupts from the ground
the cool air blows
the soft smell of freshwater.

The rocks are gentle, full
of green veins.
Life is young here
and so am I.

 

Mad Ramblings

It’s been a while since I posted anything substantial.  I’ve been very good about the poetry everyday, but those are swift and take little thought.  I thought about posting things I’m working on, which I still might, but I don’t want to get into too much detail.  I have started roughs for two short stories, two books, and two screenplays.  The hardest part is sitting down and working on them.

I am trying to sort out my Fall schedule for school, which just seems to be a bigger and bigger headache.  Sometimes I feel like getting my teaching certification is giving up on writing.  Perhaps it is.  But I feel part of me fighting back and focussing on my writing more.  The problem is action.  There is no action.

I like to write in the morning, but it seems like there are a million other things to do.  The dogs need feeding, showers need be taken, coffee made, breakfast, lunch packed… that’s the idea.  I don’t want to get up earlier as I am already quite sleepy upon arisal.  But something must be done.

At least on epart of my million-point plan for self-improvement is working.  I am swimming much better than I used to.  It has always been an unspoken goal of mine to be a better swimmer.  I have been going to the pool.  Wednesday last, I met a lady named Evette who runs the swim clinic on Mondays and Wednesdays.  I am meeting with her until next Wednesday.  It is only four sessions, but after yesterday I already feel much more confident in the water.  She has helped me float, which I don’t do.  I have a much better crawl and we are working on my breast stroke.

I have not been running or biking as much, but I will certainly be trying to do so.  Swimming takes a lot out of you.

The whole teaching thing is very frustrating.  Oklahoma has “high standards” for teachers.  What I am fast discovering is that every state has “high standards” for teachers, which apparently just means “their own” standards.  Having worked with teachers from OK, AK, and MI, I would have to say I see little difference.  The ones in AK were far too easy on the students, but it was a high school that had a corrupt administration.  What can one do?  Oklahoma’s standards, at least at OSU, are just set up so after graduating, it is extremely hard to get a teaching certification.

This is bad.

The best teachers I witnessed at camp, the ones with the best repoire with students and the best peer-comments were teachers who had switched from a previous career.  Going into teaching straight into college isn’t a great thing.  There are far too many things to still be learned about life.

Straight to college is a bad plan, anyway.  It would be nice if all of us could have afforded a year of travel and learning abroad before starting a formal education.  It would really help us all out.  Studying abroad shouldn’t be a perk.  It should be required.  As should foreign language.  In grade school.

I have to go to school.

 

April Poem #9

From Poetic Asides.

Work

It wraps it’s leash around your neck
with colors and stripes and pictures
of guitars and little specks
that you can’t tell if they’re snails.
Who wears snails?
And your collar is down and your shoes are shined
You’ve cast aside your freedom you have to keep in line
with their rules and their timeclocks
until you retire.
Freedom at last!
Which you spend in bed.
Dead.

 

April Poem #8

From Poetic Asides.  Today LeeBee had us write poem inspired by a painting.  I’m not too big on this type of thing, but it’s important to do it.  So I did.  The painting is here.

Piazza

In the distance it rose
Far from me as I approached
through desolate buildings
where no one stood
to watch as I went by.

I passed two men, two strangers there,
they shook hands to see me walking there.

It was a deal they seemed to make right then,
On what I couldn’t imagine,
so I left them in the shade of the dome
in the middle of nowhere.
I left them nowhere.
Leaving my desolation behind.

 

April Poem #6

Today

The day burns on.
The lawn is mowed,
the milk is bought,
the chicken fried,
the cookies baked,
the dog is washed.

The beans were ground,
The floor was mopped.
We went, we went,
We go go go.

And we sit.
Finally.
Together.

 

April Poem #4

From Poetic Asides. A tribute poem.
Senseis
Life was much simpler
Way back in the day.
You knew good from evil
If good, you would say
“I don’t want to hurt you.
But again, I just may.”

Life was simpler.
Dark Knights and Blue Boy Scouts
taught me my Tao,
They didn’t want to solve problems
with Biff, Zap, and Pow,
but they would if they had to.

They’d web up the villain.
They were never found killing.
They knew right from wrong.
I know it now, too.
Deep deep in my heart,
I know it now, too.

 

April Poem #3

Today at Poetic Asides, LeeBee has us throwing down haiku.

The lake is Big Blue
The sun shines warm upon it.
I float lazily.

Dedicated to Camp Pendalouan, which I miss all the time.

 

Statistics be Damned!

Why, oh why, must we obsess with numbers.  I am just as guilty and it makes me sad.  For instance:  I have been working out.  I know it sounds crazy, but I have been.  I was feeling pretty good about both times out so far, one to run and one to bike when I was informed that I hadn’t been out as long as I thought.

Well, it wasn’t so bad the first time because I had no idea how long I’d been gone, but the second time I had timed myself.  I knew I had been gone for a certain time.

That’s not really what I want to say.

I was feeling good about it and how I’ve been eating healthily.  Last night I stepped on the scale.  UGH!  I won’t say how much I weight, but it’s much more than I’d like to.  After a few days of being very good in my eating habits all I wanted to do was eat more.  This is what has happened to me.  I realized it was a reaction to my wait and prevented disaster.

It’s the same with websites.  I am notorious for checking stats on websites I have and that just makes me all nervous about why people are/aren’t checking it out.  Boo.

So, I say, statistics be damned!