Poem: "The Limits of My World"

This poem came out of the July 3, 2018 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from sweet_sparrow, gingicat, janetmiles, Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It also fills the "loss of limb / amputation / mutilation" square in my 6-23-18 card for the hc_bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.

( Read more... )

Russian Quote

Doug is watching this show about Russian spies.  While walking past, I heard the most quintessential Russian quote:

"I don't trust us with it."
"Do you trust the Americans with it?"
"No ... but the threads on their containers work  most of the time." 

It's easy to forget, from the outside, that the Soviet Union was one of the world's greatest examples of failed idealism.  That communist stuff was supposed to fix  shit, and it didn't.  So then almost nothing worked, for decades.  People got used to it, but they still snarked about it. 

There's a phrase I heard when I was there that relies on a pretty little trick with the verb construction in Russian, same verb but different variations: "It's not broken, it's just not working."  The perfective means it'll never work again, the present means it just isn't right now but could be repaired.

Call for Themes

I've reached the end of scheduled themes for the Poetry Fishbowl project. It's time to brainstorm some new themes! These are a few that I've jotted down earlier, ones that I've thought up or people have suggested, to give you an idea what kind of stuff might be suitable:

* Flashbacks & Flashforwards
* Scientific Discoveries
* 9 Intelligences

What other themes would you like to see me write about? Suggest them in a comment below this post.

Later on I'll collect the suggestions and do some polling. The most popular topics will be added to the schedule for future fishbowls. I'm going to run the first large poll with checkboxes so you can express interest in as many themes as you like. I will then either pick from the most popular ones, or use that information to pull out the favorite themes for a smaller poll to select the ones which will appear in upcoming fishbowls.

You can also help by linking to this post so that more people will see it. Everyone is welcome to suggest themes. Everyone will also be able to vote for them later; prompters and donors will get extra votes. If you link to the call for themes, you can reveal a verse in any open perk poem:

"We Will Fade into You"
"The Open Gyre"
"Growing Green, Growing Gold"
"Mysterious and Impermanent"
"The Attack of the Dragon Shrimp"
"Greater Than the Sum"
"Cleaning Achnai's Oven"
"Nascent Wisdom"
"An Innocence Reclaimed"

Monday Update 7-9-18

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Poem: "The Power of Language"
Gender Police Want It Both Ways (51 comments)
Moment of Silence: Steve Ditko
Today's Adventures
Heat Wave
Poem: "Different Than Yours"
Emotional Intimacy Question: Friendship
Cuddle Party


I have posted a call for themes, so make sure you chime in there regarding what you'd like to see in upcoming Poetry Fishbowls.

Magpie Monday is now open with a theme of "New Experiences."


Poetry in Microfunding:

There are now four open epics. I expect to have more as I finish writing some of the bingo fills, so other than those, we're full for now.



"Energy, Made Visible" belongs to Polychrome Heroics: Shiv. Now Shiv flibbers over being unable to earn ALL the pretty colors at once.

"Only If It Is Embraced" belongs to Polychrome Heroics: Damask and has 44 new verses. In which a supervillain and a cop argue over donuts.

"Mask of the White Demon" belongs to Kande's Quest. Kande finds a shaman to help her pursue the demons who kidnapped her brother.

"A Certain Form of Humility" belongs to Path of the Paladins. Johan and Althey fall into a gully.


The weather has been variable here.  Seen at the birdfeeders this week: sparrows, several cardinals, flocks of of house finches, and a squirrel. In bloom: marigolds, gazania, blue lobelia, white alyssum, zinnias, torenia, salvia, cleome, petunia, million bells, snapdragons, lantana, coreopsis, dianthus, peppers, basil, daylilies, begonia, morning glory, and sundry others.  Crabapples, apples, and blackberries have green fruit. Mulberries are ripe. 

Magpie Monday

dialecticdreamer is hosting Magpie Monday with a theme of "New Experiences." Leave prompts, get ficlet.

If tips reach $50 for the Magpie event, I'll immediately post “Intimate Perceptions,” a seven-part story showing more of Bogdana's recovery and the growing connections between her and the trio who took on the task of caring for her. It's 9,942 words (story only), of nonsexual intimacy, comfort, and creativity.

Demifiction: "Community Kitchen Bread Commercial"

Here is another freebie from the Half-Price Sale in Polychrome Heroics, for meeting the $500 goal.

The television in Terramagne-America is so good that their commercials are better than most of our shows. I shit you not, if a character walks past a TV that is turned on, I look to see what's on the screen, and I will stop to watch a commercial. Which is how I came to write down a few of the best ones.

( Read more... )

Poem: "Without Having to Speak"

This poem is spillover from the August 2016 crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by prompts from alexseanchai, curiosity, and technoshaman. It also fills the "wearing partner's clothes" square in my 6-1-16 card for the Cottoncandy Bingo fest, and the "respect limits" square in my 1-31-18 Platonic card for the Valentines Day Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with daisiesrockalot and curiosity.

( Read more... )

Demifiction: "A Ham Is ..." Commercials

This is another freebie from the Half-Price Sale in Polychrome Heroics, for meeting the $600 goal.


Terramagne-America has a series of commercials on the theme of "A ham is ..." with different topics for each. They give examples but always end with "A ham is whatever you want it to be."

The meal set covers "A ham is ..." breakfast, lunch, supper, and snack. Some episodes show a handful of finished dishes and a website where you can get recipes for them. Others focus on simple things where the construction can be shown in the commercial itself.

The adjectives set includes things like "simple" and "healthy."

The nouns set shows what social and practical uses a ham can serve, like "A ham is a housewarming gift."