The Political Propaganda Corner 31 May 2009

The Political Propaganda Corner 31 May 2009: "One small example of how propaganda worms its way into and affects our lives."

By Denny Lyon @ HubPages

From Denny: Originally, this was a post for this blog but figured it was way too long to place here. This is basically a small tutorial about breaking down a political propaganda piece you get in your email from time to time. Just click on the title link to take a look. Thanks for visiting!

Photo by ercwttmn @ flickr

Video: Humorous Talented Unusual Dance Moves

From Denny: This dancer from So You Think You Can Dance TV show competition auditions last year was so unique and I missed his performance - until now! Wow! Awesome technique, entertaining on the edge of your seat and humorous and unbelievable! Enjoy for the weekend!

Libations Friday! 29 May 2009

An Expresso Cocktail and a Dragon Poem for today!

Photo by once and future @ flickr

Welcome to Libations Friday!

For the coffee recipe today we have a spiked tall hot coffee.



Photo of similar coffee drink from Food Network

Denny's Expresso Cocktail

Ingredients:

Freshly made Expresso (diluted by half with hot boiling water, like in Italy when they give you their version of American coffee they dilute it by half with hot water, still very strong)

½ shot Tia Maria coffee liqueur

½ shot orange vodka or Cointreau
(French brand: Grey Goose Orange Vodka, bottled in the Cognac region of France)

Heavy cream

Directions:

Make sure this is a heat proof glass coffee mug like for Irish coffee. First pour in the coffee liqueur and the vodka or Cointreau (I prefer the Cointreau; my husband likes the vodka). Top off with unsweetened hot expresso. Now float a little or a lot of whipped cream on top. Serve hot to satisfied friends! This recipe is for one serving.

And on to the poetry portion of Libations Friday!



(Photo by wili_hybrid @ flickr of a dragon in Slovenia)

From Denny: What is it with humanity's fascination with winged beings, be they angel or dragon? In an online writing group there was a challenge to write about dragons. What fun! Everyone wrote about dragons as evil vicious beasts as from the Western mythology.

Well, I spent high school in the Orient where the mythology is far different, Chinese mythology, that is. Come on; it seemed every time I turned around there was a street festival with the lion and dragon dances performed for good luck and prosperity!

There in Taiwan the dragons are revered and considered an archetype for primordial creation itself. Blue dragons in particular were the bringers of fertility to the land to help mankind’s harvest. So, the online writing group challenged me to write about the good dragons!

As I started writing, it was evident I could do more with this little vignette, like parlay this into a book later. This scene is not complete but will give you an idea of the Asian dragons. Enjoy the little fantasy prose. What will you write about your dragons?



(Photo by LadyAmada @ flickr)

Primordial Dragon

An Angel appeared at my door, cloaked in midnight dark dress
Summoning me into The Presence, who would say No?
As I walked outside an eclipse was slowly advancing into place
The eclipse was eerie; uncomfortable, I wished to hide
I balked at leaving my home while the eclipse was in the sky
Pleading the Angel to wait, maybe it’s wise to go after a while?
The Angel sternly, No, now is the auspicious Time to travel
For we are in the Realm of Knowledge who waits in secret dark
Here we travel within the hidden Library to our destiny long planned



As our long walk ended, revealed was a vast smooth speaking lake
At the water’s edge standing two blue water dragons easily tethered
They furiously pawed the ground, their large claws spreading dirt
They said they were busy seeding for humanity’s harvest year next
Apprentices they were to the feared primordial dragon clan
Half grown, young skin shining royal blue in the quiet land
The Angel untied them, climbed onto his, behind the large boney head
My dragon advanced toward me, in fear I stepped back, wanting none
He lowered his glowing eyes to the ground, knelt down on all fours
I mustered my courage, climbed on to the seat he provided, to ride



(Photo by tehusagent @ flickr)



The young joyful dragons arched up, pulling their wings to spread wide
Dust stirred up high in swirls all around us as the dragons gathered wind
Their huge arched scaly wings beat the air stronger, faster, some more
When they jumped off the land they were standing, into the air we flew
The force was so strong I gasped for breath, he caught me in time, he knew
Patted a front claw to the top of my head to hold me from falling, yes, gently
Poised carefully, hovering balanced that sharp claw while we gracefully flew
Soon I relaxed on his neck, enjoying the wind rushing by, more confidence grew



Denny Lyon
Copyright 8 July 2008
All Rights Reserved

Thanks for visiting! Have a good weekend, everyone!

Video: Gene Kelly Tap Dances on Roller Skates

Image via Wikipedia

From Denny: Now this will get you in a good mood! This little dancing clip is from the 1955 movie called "It's Always Fair Weather." Gene Kelly is most famously known for his 1952 hit movie "Singing In The Rain." While this clip starts off slow, don't lose patience. By the second half all the action starts! He is really amazing, considering the fact that in 1955 no one knew what roller blading was and no one was doing it on his professional level. Enjoy!

Cheeky Quote Day! 27 May 2009

Photo by I'm Fantastic @ flickr

From Denny: OK, I admit it, I’ve dyed my hair so many colors over the years that I actually like these dumb blonde jokes now! This one is a grinner.

How is this joke a cheeky quote? I’ll answer that question with yet another question: Do you realize just how many dumb blonde jokes have been floating around out there on the internet? Sooner or later you just knew one would be quoted here! :)

Cheeky Quotes are always welcome too from the famous writer Oscar Wilde, one wild character and totally larger than life! His was a twisted humor, using truth to illustrate paradox and hypocrisy of society - why he has remained one of my favorites.

*****

Herding Sheep Image via Wikipedia

Counting Sheep

The blonde from Casper had been the brunt of dumb blonde jokes all her life and finally decided to do something about it. Boldly, she entered a beauty salon and had her hair dyed auburn. The change was immediate and drastic.

Suddenly people began to treat her with respect and her self-esteem grew daily. One afternoon she went for a drive in the country-side and happened upon a band of sheep and a herder. Deciding to test her new-found confidence and skill, she stopped and visited with the herder. After charming the herder, she made him a proposition.

She said, "I’d love to have one of those sheep as a pet. Do you suppose if I guessed the exact number you have in your herd you could let me have one to take home?"

The herder, thinking there was no way in the world she could guess the exact number said, "Why sure, little lady, you go ahead and guess."

The auburn/blonde said, "You have exactly 1053 head of sheep.

The herder could not believe it. She had guessed the number right on the button. Chagrined, he told her to go ahead and pick out a sheep to take home. She wandered through the whole herd finally making her selection at the far edge of the flock. Carrying it back to her car, she put it in the back seat. As she was about to drive off, the herder came running towards her car frantically yelling,

"Wait, wait!" She rolled down her window to see what he wanted and he said, "I’ve got a proposition for you. If I can guess the exact color of your hair before you dyed it, can I have my dog back?"



Photo by anaxila @ flickr

From famous humor writer Oscar Wilde:

"A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal."

"Disobedience, in the eyes of any one who has read history, is human's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion."

"Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess."

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

"Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much."


From Denny: Enjoy the rest of your work week! If you need some more laughs to get through the week I've collected all kinds of funny things over at my humor blog, Ouch Outrageous Obnoxious And Odd, go here.

A Story Set to Song Titles

A Story Set to Song Titles

by Janetta @ HubPages

From Denny: This is a clever idea from a new writer over at HubPages. She took song titles and created a story using them. She marked the song titles in bold. Tak a look and try out your own ideas for fun!

Photo by Mourner @ flickr

Memorial Day Poems

Memorial Day Poems

"These are a selection from many wonderful poems written with heavy hearts and great sincerity about the reality of how war affects us all. The old men who send young men to war rarely stop long enough - or at all - to consider their haste to anger and action affects the entire nation for generations to come.

The following are not glory poems but rather the perspectives of those involved in war be they one soldier, a POW, a mother, a daughter, a citizen who knew none of them but felt a duty to pray for them constantly, knowing the personal cost war would bring to all. They span several wars from the Civil War to WWII, the Korean War and today's Iraq and Afghanistan War.

These poems came from the comprehensive Memorial Day site where there is much more than poems to view. Please take a look today as you remember those who came before us."

Written by Denny Lyon @ HubPages

From Denny: Since HubPages will fuss at me for duplicate content I decided to take down the post from this blog and resurrect it on a HubPages article.

More people will read it when linked to social sites since a lot of people on social sites pass on good posts when they see the address is from a blog. They will read a website article. Thanks for your understanding and taking the time to come here and let me send you to the link.

Photo by Jayel Aheram @ flickr

Story-A Visitor

Story-A Visitor: "..Today my uncle comes to visit and when he comes here we always have a lot of fun. Me and my sister have a good time teasing him with the marbles we roll under his bed to wake him up, well we have a good reason for doing this , honest."

By G-Ma Johnson @ HubPages

From Denny: This is a wonderfully told very short story told from the perspective of a child and how she perceives the serious activities of the adults around her. This is from one of my friends at HubPages and she writes a lot of easy enjoyable reads!

Cartoonists Take on Mowing the Lawn

From Denny: Since I just finished mowing the lawn for Memorial Day weekend... these Scandinavian (Denmark)guys over at wulffmorgenthaler.com always make me laugh! They also offer wallpaper downloads like this for your computer. Just click on the title link to take you to their site.

Wallpaper of this cartoon:

Libations Friday! 22 May 2009

Welcome to Libations Friday!


An unusual hot chocolate recipe and an original poem about how to write on the deepest levels of understanding...


Who doesn’t love coffee? How about hot chocolate? How about the adult version of a hot chocolate? While I was searching for some great chocolate recipes to put on my chocolate blog, Romancing The Chocolate, this one popped up and caught my fancy!

Never in a million years would I have thought to put tequila in my Mexican hot chocolate! Hey, there’s a first time for everything… so my adventurous self decided to give it a whirl. What is life if you don’t try new things?

From: Atlanta Journal-Constitution



Cocoa Caliente

“To heck with kiddie cocoa. These chilly winter nights may cause you to need a little chutzpah in your hot chocolate. So whip up a virgin batch for the kids, then give yourself a treat by spiking your (and your honey pie's) cup.”

Hands on time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
Serves: 1

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk

1 disc of Ibarra chocolate (see note)

Tequila blanco

Whipped cream

Instructions:

Warm the milk and chocolate in a saucepan, whisking with a molinillo or whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture begins to boil. Remove from the heat and continue whisking until frothy. Serve immediately in demitasse glass: 5 parts hot chocolate to 1 part tequila blanco. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream.

Note: Ibarra chocolate is a Mexican chocolate laced with cinnamon. Go to www.gourmetsleuth.com to order, or substitute 3 3/4 ounces dark chocolate and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. A molinillo is a Mexican chocolate whisk.





From Denny: On to the poetry segment of Libations Friday… It seems the past couple of weeks since jury duty (yes, I'm still going to write up that review with the porn queen) I’ve been on blog maintenance duty and one of those tasks has been to go through the hundreds of talented people on my various friends lists on equally various social sites. I’ve been combing through the lists to provide links at my blogs that are a good fit for their writings.

Yes, most writers waste a lot of time being jealous of one another. Yet another reason I'm endeavoring to connect people so they don't feel lost in the stormy seas.

I’m also a firm believer that you can’t get the writing right until you get the writer right. Writing is a tough task master and requires so much of a person that it can be emotionally draining to the point of an emotional hangover or complete burnout. Steps need to be taken for personal development as well as soul refreshment. That is another reason I started this blog for others to acquire some of what they need to stay creative, think deep and build their energy.

As I visited various poetry blogs in particular I was struck by how varied everyone’s writing is and the different angles of life they expressed. I’m not looking for perfect. I’m not looking for who has arrived as God’s Gift to Poetry and Writing - soon to be listed on the cheeky site of GodChecker.com maybe - I am looking for people in the throes of personal development at different stages of life. It’s good to watch people grow. It’s also good to help a soul along their way in life.

Writing really is good for personal development. It’s healthy for the brain according to current studies like what I’ve written over at my science blog, The Soul Calendar. We don’t even have to be good at writing or poetry for our brains to receive great benefit. Most of all, writing chronicles our life journey.

With so many people in mind, their personal styles and approaches to writing and life itself, the following poem came to be. One of those things that has always defined “me” is the ability to synthesize disparate elements, be they people, animals, objects or situations. Somehow, my mind appears to find the pattern in the seeming chaos.

Enjoy the poem because it really is about all of you, me and we!


What Do You Like to Write? Talk to We!




Photo by Daniel E Bruce&Carla aka (Falling Leaf production) @ flickr


Do you desire the quiet feathering touch of a loved one’s moving kiss?

The zooming glide, hand stroking, smoothing a child’s hair?

The sensual body feel, swimming unison gently rocking, playfully slapping water?

Do you like to write about the physical touch of life? Talk to me!





Photo by BjǿrnGiesenbauer @ flickr


Do you see eyes closed tight joyfully viewing, beginning of a brightly lit summer morning?

The noisy busy insects chattering outside your window, the pets nosing and jumping for affection peering into your sleepy weekend face?

The demanding overstuffed work shelves of your mind crowding, bullying, pushing boundaries to worry and annoy?

Do you like to write about the emotional expression of life? Talk to you and me!




Photo by kostaki @ flickr from NASA image


Do you wonder about the wandering cosmos, origins of everything, infinity yet unkissed?

The exploding, unruly nature of humanity, destined to one day transform a wise divinity?

The beauty explored, the beauty within, the beauty uncovered, untwisted, made right, revealed, relaxed into acceptance, loved by All?




Photo by alan(ator) @ flickr


Do you like to write about the spiritual knowing of life? Talk to you and me and we!


Denny Lyon
Copyright 18 May 2009
All Rights Reserved

Feel free to leave comments. Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend!

Bee Poetry: Pollen for tea

Pollen for tea
Originally uploaded by Steve Punter

From Denny: From a friend over at flickr who travels and photographs just about anything and anyone, then offers it up for free in the Creative Commons area. This is one great guy from the UK! Check out his photos by clicking on his name under the photo; it will take you to his flickr page.

Pollen for tea

Pollen for tea
Weight for weight
she carries
more home
on her legs
than I do in my
bags

Plastic sacks

And I do it at most
once
a day

Mostly
fat from tesco
and some protein from Lidl

She shops
till she drops

Nectar
in her gullet
and pollen
for her siblings

A worker
woman
less than a month and
she will be gone

Uploaded by Steve Punter on 21 May 09, 11.25AM CDT.

Poem: Building Bridges

Image by lndhslf72 via Flickr

From Denny: A fellow blogger, Nina P., wrote the best poem recently and thought you might like to enjoy it too over at her blog, Nina P's Thoughts and Musings.

Building Bridges poem listed under May 17, 2009 post.

Cheeky Quote Day! 20 May 2009

Photo of Nietzsche in 1875, probably before he contracted or showed symptoms of syphilis - suffering the fate of insanity at the end of his life in 1900.

From Denny: OK, who among us has ever thought of Nietzsche as, well, funny? Not many I expect. He was a German philosopher who often contradicted himself and got in trouble by critiquing culture. After his zealously religious Lutheran pastor father died insane, Friedrich Nietzsche soared to new heights as a famous rebel against Christianity. That must have been one psychologically confusing atmosphere growing up as a child with a double dose: heavy religion AND insanity.

Nietzsche’s emotional and spiritual flailing is a fine example of the throes of spiritual development. In all that seriousness, most people don’t realize how many frequently incredible and funny life observations occur along the way! And that, dear friends, is why you keep a journal!

Here are a few of Nietzsche’s wry observations about humanity:

A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.

Whenever I climb I am followed by a dog called 'Ego'.

Not by wrath does one kill, but by laughter.

Insanity in individuals is something rare -- but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs it is the rule.

Love is a state in which a man sees things most decidedly as they are not.

Is man one of God's blunders or is God one of man's blunders?

The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.

The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time.

The best weapon against an enemy is another enemy.

In Heaven all the interesting people are missing.

Below are three videos from Keith Olbermann's Countdown show about real life and truth in politics. Talk about Cheeky Quotes! :)

Video: CIA Torture Memos Incorrect

From Denny: Now you know why Pelosi is fighting mad about the latest rotten tomatoes thrown at her by the Republicans. Great explanation to those who are not in the know about the inside workings of the intelligence or political worlds. Good going, Keith!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Video: RNC Chair Steele Whistles Past GOP History

From Denny: You can always count on Keith Olbermann for a funny truthful and downright insightful commentary on the latest bizarre politics! Take a look.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Video: Senator Says Gitmo Prisoners Have It Good! WTF?!

From Denny: Leave it to Keith to divine the intent of the political figures as they say the darnedest things! The latest is from a returning Senator after his visit to Gitmo. Who elects these guys?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Free Printable Brain Teasers Are Used In Business As Motivational Tools

Free Printable Brain Teasers Are Used In Business As Motivational Tools: "Printable brain teasers are being used more often in today's business as motivational tools for an incentive to encourage their employees and students."

By Dottie1 @ HubPages

Photo of brain management center @ free-puzzles.net

From Denny: I really enjoy different kinds of brain teasers when they are fun like this offering from my friend over at HubPages. Take a look at her short informative article! She is also on my The Social Poets Fav Links list of favorite poets and writers. Check out her bio and other writes! She hails from Boston, Massachusetts, USA and is a very clever and good writer.

This Week: Roundup of Sunday Funnies - Fired Astronaut, Poetry Torture

From Denny: Here's the short roundup of the late night show quips for this week!

As toxically expected the Bush League has been in full tilt operation this week trying to bury Nancy Pelosi with the usual idiot nonsense. She's so angry she can't see straight.

It will be interesting to see how long it takes before she does a 180 degree turn and starts prosecuting the Bush crowd for their high crimes and misdemeanors. Maybe this is what it will take to light a fire under her and other Dems to start taking out the trash in politics.

Trying to distract the public by discrediting and trashing Pelosi and other Dems still won't wash the stench off the Republican Party for the past eight years. Own it.

As Keith Obermann said so eloquently, "At the rate the Republican Party is going, especially with Cheney so foolishly outspoken, they are quickly going the way of the Whig Party. Who's the Whig Party? My point, exactly!"

***

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Jimmy Fallon: House speaker Nancy Pelosi says that the CIA lied to her in 2003. Yeah, apparently, they sent her a document saying that her makeup looked subtle.

Jimmy Kimmel Live

Kimmel: Even NASA is feeling the effects of the economy all the way in space. It looks good. (Fake footage of guy handing out pink slip in space.) "You're fired!" (Astronaut:) "Oh terrific."

The Tonight Show

Jay Leno: President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hosted a night of poetry and music featuring musicians, authors and poets. To which President Bush said, "Now, that's torture."

Late Show

David Letterman: Did you see this? While his holiness is away on his trip to the Middle East, rest assured the Vatican is in good hands. Pope Benedict has hired an experienced vice pope. (Photo of Cheney at Vatican with lower third that reads, "Let's waterboard some heretics.") Vice Pope Cheney let's waterboard some heretics.

Photo by I'm Fantastic @ flickr

Word Smithing: Those Funny Sayings We Hear Every Day

Word Smithing: Those Funny Sayings We Hear Every Day: "Have you ever wondered about the origins of odd sayings?
Check out the tattooed Viking blacksmith photo!"

By Denny Lyon @ HubPages
Photo Artwork Word Cloud by Denny Lyon

Video: CIA Secret Experiments

From Denny: The National Geographic is airing this program on June 20th. I've long complained about America's and other world governments' inhumane medical experiments.

The American military and spouses and children of CIA officers have carried the brunt of suffering in these decades long illegal experiments. "Volunteers" were routinely lied to about the true nature of the experiments. Many, like children of CIA officers, were volunteered by their fathers wishing to advance their careers up the ranks by pleasing their superiors.

While this film does not discuss the children in experiments it does cover the horrors done to unsuspecting military personnel. Mind control is easier than the public believes as too many people have either weak minds or weak wills to stand up to what is wrong in society.

Please watch this program when it airs as it is important to stop this madness in all society around the world! This is the promotional video for the program.

Libations Friday! 15 May 2009

From Denny: Coffee Martini Recipes from Sandra Lee’s show Semi-Homemade at the Food Network. This woman is great fun and highly creative! She offers a plethora of creative entertaining ideas in each episode of which just a small portion would make a great event.

Her joy is contagious and so is her creative spark. Definitely recommend watching her if your writing or work day is in a slump. Sandra will cheer you right up and into your own productive day.



Cafe Roma Martini

Serves: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 shot anise-flavored liqueur (recommended: Sambuca)

• 1 shot coffee liqueur

• 1 shot half-and-half

• Ice

• Coffee beans, for garnish

Directions

Add all ingredients (except garnish) to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into martini glass. Garnish with 3 coffee beans. Enjoy!



Tall, Dark and Handsome Cafe Martini

Serves: 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1 packet cocoa mix, for glass rim (recommended: Nestle)

• 2 shots vanilla vodka (recommended: Stoli Vanilla)

• 1/2 shot coffee liqueur

• 1/2 shot chocolate liqueur

Directions:

Wet rim of martini glass on a damp paper towel and dip into cocoa mix; set aside.

Add remaining ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Stir and strain into martini glass.

Roman Acrostic Poem Image by Synwell Liberation Front via Flickr

On to the poetry portion of Libations Friday! Notice the ancient Roman acrostic poem literally "written in stone."

*** About Acrostic poems ***

What is an acrostic poem?

Well, you start with a main subject word. Then you brainstorm, writing down other words that describe your main subject. What you want to do is tell a story about the subject through action or description.

Acrostic poems use the first letter of the poem’s line to begin spelling out the subject word. Each line progresses with the first letter of the poem’s line spelling out the next letter in the subject’s word you chose. Remember, to fit this form of poetry all the lines of the poem are supposed to relate to the subject word.

It’s fun to greatly exaggerate by enlarging that first letter of each line for the reader’s enjoyment. It also makes it easy to read and clear to understand what the topic word is as it is read vertically.

History of Acrostic Poems

Ancient Secret Religions

Acrostics were used like passwords in the ancient world by secret religious cults as identification. How cool is that? Poetry used in an intelligence network. Now that’s classy!

Ancient Greeks

The ancient Greeks from the time of Alexander the Great (333-325 B.C.) used acrostics. In fact, the use of acrostics was quite common.

Ancient Romans

By 240 B. C. Greek drama began in Rome and so did formal Latin literature. There were ancient Roman writers from 200 B.C. who wrote the arguments of their plays with acrostics in the titles. One of these writers was known as Plautus (c. 219-168 B.C.) who was taken prisoner and brought as a slave to Rome.

He wrote a lot of comedies based off Greek literature. Shakespeare based some of his plays off of Plautus! Gives new meaning to bouncing ideas off other creative people... :) What a literature lineage that has come down to us through the ages!

Acrostics from history and religion

The Erythraean sibyl wrote:

Iricrovs
Xpioros
9eoO
wos
crconvp

Translation:

Jesus
Christ
the Son of God
the Saviour

Then there are the initials of the shorter form of this acrostic that make up the word “ixˆus” which is translated as “fish” – that Christian symbol you see everywhere! Because a mystical meaning has been attached to this it morphed into yet another form of an acrostic.

Here’s an acrostic poem about President Abraham Lincoln written by a child from Mrs. Beyer’s page, an elementary school teacher. What an incredible resource site: Mrs. Beyer’s Page for elementary kids (and adult kids who enjoy the fun too).


Abe Lincoln


Abe was his nickname

Books are what he loved

Ready to lead his country

A really tall guy

Has a good sense of humor

A very good president

Many people have him as a hero


Lived as a woodsman

Important to our history

Nancy Hanks was his mother

Came from Kentucky

Oh times were bad

Lived in poverty

Never looked at the bad side


Written by Tyler

***

Two sites for you to enjoy:

Acrostic Poem Interactive

How to Write an Acrostic Poem with a step by step written article.

Want to learn how to write an acrostic poem?

The faster and most fun place to start is at the following site - Acrostic Poem Interactive - that quickly takes you through the process. In fact they take you through it so quickly you don’t have time to stall, get writer’s block, mind freeze or any of those other annoying habits that stop the flow of good writing. In short, it’s FUN!

Of course, I just had to break the rules. What is life if you don’t go against the grain from time to time? Answer: boring! What did I do that was different?

First, they get you to choose a subject word. I behaved on that point. Secondly, they asked you to brainstorm and list several words in the boxes provided that described your subject word. That’s where I diverged. Not that their approach was wrong; it’s a very good approach. I was just feeling plucky at the moment so gave it a whirl.

What I did different for that stage of brainstorming was to choose word associations that began with the same letter as each letter in the word. For example, I choose Pony for the letter P in Poetry. Ponies have nothing to do with describing poetry, well, normally, until I got a hold of it! :)

Here's my amusing attempt at a spontaneous acrostic poem:


POETRY


Pony up to the desk, said the poet!

Oh, this paper screams for words

Easy does it, start slow

Time is on our side to compose

Rage, impatience pushed away

Yes, rally your mind forces: Poem!


Denny Lyon
Copyright 14 May 2009
All Rights Reserved


Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks for visiting!


Coffee photo by once and future @ flickr