The Wordsmith's Forge

The Crowdfunding Creative Jam is now open on Dreamwidth and on LiveJournal.  Please come leave prompts or create stuff!

These are my entries from last week as Poetry Host over on poetree.  Half of them are "meta" posts about poetry in general.  The other half are examples of poems I have written, each with introductory comments.  Some of those poems come from my popular crowdfunding series, while others are standalones.

"Poetry Host: Elizabeth Barrette"
"Poem: A Knot of Thyme"
"Questions for Poetry Fans"
"Poem: One Ship Tall"
"You Can Write a Free-Verse Poem"
"Poem: Home Shriek Home"
"Favorite Poets"
"Poem: Prairie Dreams"
"Poetic Forms"
"Poem: A Turning Point in the Clockwork War"
"Favorite Poems"
"Poem: Unfolding Wings"
"Poetic Techniques"
"Poem: Shine On"

This week's Poetry Host is jjhunter.  Check out the new posts on poetree.  

Samhain is approaching.  You can find Samhain recipes on the Greenhaven Tradition website.  Those of you in the southern hemisphere may wish to browse Beltane recipes instead.

These are some posts from the later part of last week, in case you missed them:
Making Your Horse a Character
Read "The Grey Line"
Torn Tongue: Nouns Beginning with "N"
Doing Better with Women in Comics
Torn World Muse Fusion is open!
Bluejay Seen
How to Support Main Street Instead of Wall Street
Read about a Time Traveler in a Bookstore
Dealing with Online Harassment


The mid-month fishbowl will be on Tuesday, October 18 with a theme of "Monster House."

There are two epic poems in microfunding.  "Will Not" follows Johan as he contemplates the conflicts of his past and present, and has two new verses.  "Igor's Creature" is a mix of horror and science fiction with a large helping of sociology and a wry twist of humor.  "The Accidental Hero" is now fully funded, and you can read the complete poem online.

Torn World writing update:
Approved as canon: "Squiggles: Excerpts from Nleimen's Journal," "On the Rocks," (fiction).  Back to me for edits: "Catch and Release," (fiction), "Seafoam Fashions," "Hide Away," "Red Glass, Green Glass," "Bitter Herbs" (poetry).  Currently in front of the canon board:  nothing.  Drafted: "Cutting Cords and Clasping Hands," "Like Ash Before the Wind," "Breaking the Ice," "From Dark to Bright," "Beached Fish," "The Bones of Need" (fiction) and "The Hearsay Cafe," "The Colors of the Rainbow," (poetry).  In revision at home: "Water Dance," "The Green Speech," "When the Wind's Teeth Sing," (fiction).  Currently writing: "Raining Kittens," "Catch of the Day," "Reaching for the Moons" (fiction).

The leaves are turning colors and falling here at Fieldhaven.  All the crops surrounding our house have been harvested.  I've started putting birdseed in the hopper feeder and the fly-through feeder; the suet feeders have also been filled.

I wrote this as part of the Crowdfunding Creative Jam, posted here as the freebie for this session.  It was inspired by prompts from siege, swirvel42, ankewehner, and ellenmillion.  The Schrodinger's Heroes  project has a menu post.

Once it has been opened,
the manifold cannot be closed
like a cheap car
whose "door ajar" light
remains stubbornly on
no matter how many times
you slam the door.

The flotsam and jetsam
of the dimensions drift through --
fallen angels and changelings,
vermin from stranger worlds,
the politician fleeing the system,
the lesbian survivor,
the tentacle monster
who just wants to be friends.

The only thing you can do
is stand watch over the door,
improbable heroes steadfastly ready
to deal with whatever comes through.

 These charts show America's unequal wealth distribution, people's distorted beliefs, and some of the damage that does.