Imagine a Book Cache

 ... with any ten books or similar cultural items from history, including lost ones.  dialecticdreamer is offering readers a chance to make a cache in the Heliodrax world.  I've already posted mine.

Poem: "Lines of Math and Verse"

This poem came out of the May 6, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from aoifes_isle and LJ user Laffingkat. It also fills the "artistic endeavor" square in my 3-6-14 card for the origfic_bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette.


"Lines of Math and Verse"


It's an artistic endeavor
to seek out the place
where the lines of
math and verse
cross each other.

Math begins with numbers
and shapes, flows into form,
adds letters and solves equations
until nothing remains except
the soft repetition of solution.

Poetry begins with words,
rhythm and rhyme and inference,
shifts into the subtle patterns
of stressed and unstressed syllables,
meaning derived from implication
become numbers of beats and lines.

Approaching the
wonder and beauty
of the universe
from opposite ends,

the mathematician
and the poet
meet in the middle.

Mall of America Protest

Mall of America oppressed protesters recently.  My thoughts ...

* Yes, protests can be inconvenient and troublesome, but they are necessary  to a healthy society.  Protests happen when purely rational methods of conflict resolution have failed.  If peaceful protests are suppressed, then violent ones are the next step, and so on down the line until the problem is solved or society comes apart at the seams.  And oh, the irony of Mall of America  oppressing protesters, when freedom of assembly and petition are among the things that the founding fathers went to war to secure.

* If you are a protester targeting a commercial installation, you get the most bang for your buck from hitting them on a day they can't recover from, such as Black Friday or right before Christmas.

* If you're caught up as a bystander in a situation like this, one safe and legal option is to put down whatever you intended to purchase, and leave.  If the establishment is a luxury stop like a mall, refuse to go back.  If it's necessary like a grocery store, you can still deny them your willing support by instead supporting petitions and other actions against them.  Tell the store why they've lost your business.  In this particular case, you might want to spend your money at a black-owned business instead.  Since the only thing some people care about is money, hit them where they live by diverting your funds from them to the people you support.

* This moves Mall of America from my list of places it would be fun to visit, to my list of places I actively disrecommend.

Monday Update 12-22-14

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
A New Species of Lizard
My Holiday Shopping
Emailing Tools
Weavesilk
Poetry Fishbowl Report from December 2, 2014
Is This Venue Accessible?
Cinderella's Slippers
Genprompt Bingo Card 12-17-14
Read "Chance Meeting" by Dialecticdreamer


The Holiday Poetry Sale has concluded. While it didn't go as well as some previous years, it has still posted a bunch of new poems, so check out the list for links to those. I don't have everything up yet; sold poems have been marked accordingly and will appear later in the week.

Winterfaire 2014 is open on Dreamwidth and on LiveJournal, and will run through the end of December.  Come set up a booth if your goods or services would make nice holiday gifts.  If you are shopping, come browse the vendors.  The linkback poem "Hercules and the Lions" has 5 verses left to reveal.


Poetry in Microfunding:
"Foursquare" belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.  Lakia and some new friends play a ball-bouncing game and explore their superpowers.

Torn World writing update:
Approved as canon: "Unicorns on Parade" "Spruce Deer" "Wandering the Heights" (poetry).  Back to me for edits: "Cutting Cords and Clasping Hands (Parts 1-4)," "Winterheart" (parts 2-3), "Stinging Like Nettles"  "Off the Clock" (poetry).  Currently in front of the canon board: "Ghost Bat" (nonfiction). Drafted: "Like Ash Before the Wind," "From Dark to Bright," "The Inappropriate But Useful Disposal of Lettuce" "A Thin Red Trail" (fiction), "Changes in the Wind" (poetry), "Southern Breads" "Tangleweed Article" (articles), Jularei (character sheet).  In revision at home: "Water Dance," "When the Wind's Teeth Sing," "Raining Kittens," "Finding the Holes" (fiction), "The Smallest Invaders"  (poetry).  Currently writing: "Catch of the Day," "A Cold Clear Night" (fiction).


We had great weather for our "longest night" bonfire yesterday, cold and clear with a light breeze.  Seen at the birdfeeders this week: sparrows, male cardinals, and mourning doves.  They haven't been as interested during mild weather.

Poem: "Chance Met"

This poem is spillover from the April 1, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from finch. It also fills the "celebratory kiss" square in my 1-2-14 card for the trope_bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette.

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Beta Reader Etiquette

Here's a good list of guidelines for beta readers, also known as first readers. Some further thoughts from my perspective as a scholar, linguist, fan, writer, reviewer, and editor ...

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Poem: "The Age of Reasons"

This poem is spillover from the October 7, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from aldersprig and mdlbear. It also fills the "Age of Reason" square in my 6-1-14 card for the genprompt_bingo fest and the "magic wand breaks" square in my 9-11-14 card for the Halloween Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette.

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Poem: "Stretched"

This poem is spillover from the November 2014 Creative Jam.  It was inspired by a prompt from DW user Dialecticdreamer.  It also fills the "injury" square in my 9-1-14 card for the Genprompt Bingo fest.  This poem belongs to the Danso & Family thread of the Polychrome Heroics series, and is a direct sequel to "Clipped."

This microfunded poem is being posted one verse at a time, as donations come in to cover them.  The rate is $.50/line, so $5 will reveal 10 new lines, and so forth. There is a permanent donation button on my profile page, or you can contact me for other arrangements. You can also ask me about the number of lines per verse, if you want to fund a certain number of verses.
So far sponsors include: lb_lee

232 lines, Buy It Now = $116
Amount donated = $40
Verses posted = 22 of 67
Amount remaining to fund fully = $76
Amount needed to fund next verse = $1.50
Amount needed to fund the verse after that = $1.50

WARNING: This poem features some intense topics. Highlight to read warnings, some of which are spoilers. Topics include physical and emotional upset, superpower injury, self-blame, awkward problem-solving, and dealing with difficult feelings. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your mindstate before deciding whether to read further.

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