Mondays Poetry Moment

        THE BEETLES

the black backs of the beetles in the sun
shone with many colors
and looked like big exploding flowers
constantly changing
as the beetles walked away from me
it was like they spray painted
dots of color on the concrete
as they moved from place to place
yet left nothing behind


© Lydia Lowe  7-29-2011

*written at Lori Brack's writer's workshop

A Little Something Extra . . . Saturday

I entered the Tri-Rivers Fair (Saline County Fair) this year.  I entered the original design that I made for the Silver Needles quilt challenge.  When we held our quilt challenge show, back in February, I didn't win a thing.  I had a lot of ladies come up to me afterward and tell me that they voted for me.  They seemed confused that I didn't win something.  Many ladies from the guild encouraged me to enter my quilt in the fair.  I did and you can see the result here.

1st Place Blue Ribbon-Quilting, Original Design

Post-It Quote/Prompt of the Day

Charlie Chaplin once came in third at a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest.

A Picture's Worth . . .

Mondays Poetry Moment

          STEPSTOOL

I took a step upon one stair
Then stepped off into thin air
When I touched down
No carpet there
Confusing. . .
I turned around to find the stair
And saw a tent standing there
I'm in another land it seems
Transported by some wild scheme
That I could not have seen
Entering the tent I find
The inside of the stair I climbed
I close my eyes and concentrate
I'm back standing on the stair
I traveled far to get back here.

© Lydia Lowe  7-28-2011

*written at Lori Brack's writer's workshop

A Little Something Extra . . . Saturday

I attended the final two days of a two-week writer's workshop that was offered through the Salina Public Library.  Quite amazing. . . .  It was taught by Lori Brack.  Small groups of all ages attended the two sessions that I was there.  On the final day, we transferred our writings to long pieces of paper and wrapped the planters in the plaza with our words.  Since there weren't enough poems to fill the ribbons of paper, we added drawings.  

Here are some of the poems and drawings:

 

I'll be sharing some of the things that I wrote over the next few weeks. Watch for those on "Mondays Poetry Moment".

Post-It Quote/Prompt of the Day

 I was watching The Nightly News with Brian Williams last Friday (July 22) and there was a story about a drought and famine in Africa.  The reporter was talking to a woman in a tent surrounded by many children.  The family was clean, wearing decent clothes, sitting in the shade, looking well hydrated and fed.

The woman was talking about how she was one of the lucky ones.  She had walked  for over a month from her home with her children to get to this refugee camp.  Along the way she had come across children whose mothers had been doing the same thing but the mothers had taken ill and died.  As this woman went along she gathered up these children and brought them along with her.  And she felt she was lucky!  Attitude is everything!

What a daunting task!  Not only had she walked along with her children through a hot, barren, desolate desert, kept her children alive and together for over a month; but then she had gathered up these abandon children she found along the way, shared what little she had with them and got them to safety as well.  The reporter never even got her name!

Quite literally there are stories everywhere.  Imagine- - -how many different perspectives this one story could take on, if I were to write it.  What a wide variety of obstacles and problems would be faced until the climatic end.