The Wordsmith's Forge

A genderfluid ballerinx is dancing in Sleeping Beauty. (The article says ballerina, the feminine form.  Most people don't even know ballerino, the male form.  Since the dancer is genderfluid, I'm saying ballerinx.)  I think the stuffy world of formal dance needs a kick in the tights anyhow. \o/

 Like the Peace Rock, but way creepier.

Folks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. I'm starting with this list.

29. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life.

I'm listing this because it's on the list, not because I think it's a good idea. If you want to, you can. If not, you can skip it or share a different kind of challenging moment.

The time we came across a fresh car crash, it took me two minutes to run through the risk-benefit analysis and for my inner drill sergeant to kick me into action.  Not because I was worried about the wreck itself being dangerous, but because I was worried about having to deal with the authorities, who are sometimes helpful and other times psychotic.  So that's what having a barrel of rotten apples costs you: two minutes.  *sigh*  I blame society more than myself, but still, not one of my finer moments.

Compare some different models. Despite the challenges, this is a very effective way to get exposure and in some cases sales.

This sort of thing is much more common in T-America. Most towns have some artists, and therefore a gallery of some sort. Malls often have a gallery full of stuff by many local artists. In larger cities, galleries often serve a neighborhood or other section. The mix isn't always equal, though; some neighborhoods have a totally different focus, while a bohemian neighborhood might have many galleries of different types. It is much easier to make a living as an artist in T-America, because the National Foundation of the Arts gets 0.012% of the federal budget in L-America and 1.20% in T-America. So this is by far the biggest jump: T-America spends 100 times what L-America does. Why have starving artists when you can have public art and artists who can support themselves?

Over time, bees develop an increasing preference for neonicotine in their food.   In other words, it creates an addiction in them, much as nicotine does in humans.  So that's another reason why this stuff is troublesome.

A careless road crew killed a homeless woman while attempting to clear away a homeless camp. 

Remember, life in America is a paid privilege, not a right.  You have no grounds to be anywhere unless you can pay for a place to be, whether temporary or permanent.  And people who want you gone can't be arsed to make sure you are, in fact, gone before they destroy your place.

I will say that I support the workers' grievance that they should not be assigned to remove homeless camps since that is not in their job description nor are they trained for it.  Making sure a place is really empty before you tear it up is a basic safety precaution, though.  Checking boxes for occupants or potentially hazardous items is important.

Today is mild and sunny.  I went out to feed birds.  Currently blooming: pink sedum, purple sedum, garlic chives, and hosta.  The sedum is swarming with insects.  The hostas have pale purple trumpets.  :D 

Our theme this month was "Poke a Bigot in the Eye: Ableism Edition." I wrote from 12 PM to 5:15 AM, so about 15 hours 15 minutes, allowing for breaks. I wrote 7 poems on Tuesday and 8 more later on.

Participation was a little lower this month, with 17 comments on LiveJournal and another 54 on Dreamwidth. A total of 22 people sent prompts. There were no new prompters.


Read Some Poetry!
The following poems from the August 7, 2018 Poetry Fishbowl have been posted:
"Intersectional Accessibility"
"A Leg Up"
"My Fate Is Meet"
"Raw Deal"
"You Don't Need a Degree"

"Where Symbols Had the Power" (July 3, 2018 Poetry Fishbowl) (linkback)
"Sucking Brew" (Polychrome Heroics: Marionettes, July 3, 2018 Poetry Fishbowl spillover) (free epic)
"Catch a Rising Tide" (Polychrome Heroics: SPOON, outside prompt calls)

All poems sponsored from the August 7 fishbowl have been posted. Its sponsors include: bairnsidhe, janetmiles, Anthony & Shirley Barrette.

The Poetry Fishbowl made its $200 goal, so "Sucking Brew" is the free epic. It also made its $250 goal, so there will be a bonus fishbowl on Tuesday, September 18.


The Poetry Fishbowl project also has a permanent landing page.