Home: Abandoned House with Cool Poem

Home Where Nobody Lives Photo by erix! @ flickr

From Denny: While researching for a recent poem I'm doing I ran across this photo and its wonderful poem. Enjoy!

From the photographer:

There's a house on my block
That's abandoned and cold
Folks moved out of it a
Long time ago
And they took all their things
And they never came back
Looks like it's haunted
With the windows all cracked
And everyone call it
The house, the house where
Nobody lives

Once it held laughter
Once it held dreams
Did they throw it away
Did they know what it means
Did someone's heart break
Or did someone do somebody wrong?

Well the paint was all cracked
It was peeled off of the wood
Papers were stacked on the porch
Where I stood
And the weeds had grown up
Just as high as the door
There were birds in the chimney
And an old chest of drawers
Looks like no one will ever
Come back to the
House were nobody lives

Once it held laughter
Once it held dreams
Did they throw it away
Did they know what it means
Did someone's heart break
Or did someone do someone wrong?
So if you find someone
Someone to have, someone to hold
Don't trade it for silver
Don't trade it for gold
I have all of life's treasures
And they are fine and they are good
They remind me that houses
Are just made of wood
What makes a house grand
Ain't the roof or the doors
If there's love in a house
It's a palace for sure
Without love...
It ain't nothin but a house
A house where nobody lives
Without love it ain't nothin
But a house, a house where
Nobody lives.


By Tom Waits
Mule Variations (1999)
House Where Nobody Lives

On the photographer's profile page of erix! who is a social worker:


Beauty may be hidden in shape
Truth may be hidden in words
Wisdom may be hidden in pictures
Love may be hidden in souls

Let us make things visible

Libations Friday! 2 October 2009

From Denny: This poem was a wild ride! It's just as well since I wanted to talk about the writing process and the restlessness that goes along with the sometimes strenuous capture of rambling thoughts turning into vision, sharpening the focus on our vision and then releasing the words to tumble out in a torrent onto the page.

The easy writes are when you get a catchy phrase in your head that gives you a visual and then you add a few related ideas or actions and the poem is off and running along at a wonderful pace, easy to finish and easy to illustrate.

This one? Are you kidding? It was a real behavior problem: elusive, stubborn, playing hide and seek at every turn. It got to the point I had to cheerlead myself with the words, "Just seven more lines to finish." With the counter, "But how many lines have we already done? Are we on the home stretch?" If I had not organized contact photos on the page of how I wanted the poem to progress line by line to keep me focused, I doubt this poem would be out in the world this soon! :)

Writing can get like that; there are those rare times when you just can't seem to corral it, especially when it is about something as intangible as the process of writing from the inner levels. What kept me going were the awesome photos I found on flickr. They helped shape and define the poem with what the poem meant to reveal. I hope you enjoy their photos as much as I do!

***

Eyeing Think Time




The energy in my swirling mind





Scribbles furiously lighting up the dark





The powerful pens pump streams of ink





Dancing faster pace, designing the page





My vision swells up in brilliant bold color





Painting my fertile imagination with delight





My sight foresees what will come in measure





Building the tension and anguish to deliver





Simple it was when first I tripped over the thought





Now it perches on my nose too close to see or touch





Squirming, twisting, constantly restless, gestating the write





Tumbling idea words pushing against my head





Snarling to be heard in the dazzling light yet detour





Escaping to dark places, slithering perilous crevices





Wondering if we dip in paint pale ghosts of ourselves





Unlocking beautiful painful things alive in our hearts





Refreshing old soul wisdom awakens to guide us on our way





Glowing amber coals of thought varnishing the write





Bursting through to glimpse the haloed oval light





My stretching vision leafing details like a secret lettered on a page





Onlooker to rambling thoughts racing to gather as a musing crowd





Drifting in the stillness word winds start singing from the silence





Lifting words to dizzying heights fluttering on the watcher wings





Mystically riveted into one sharp sight




Denny Lyon
Copyright 1 October 2009
All Rights Reserved


***

Photo Credits

And when you write a poem, I know the words photo by You Don’t Love Me Yet @ flickr

Light writing photo by madmarv004 @ flickr

Pens photo by pigpogm @ flickr

The Infamy of a Story Never Told (Dali lives!) Photo by Felipe Morin @ flickr

Wild neon eye photo by dreamglow @ flickr

Paisley eye Photo by dreamglow @ flickr

Grunge eye photo by dreamglow @ flickr

See me sweat Photo by ardenswayoflife (The Netherlands) @ flickr

Child’s eye Photo by peasap (California, USA)@ flickr

Cicada between my eyes Photo by OakleyOriginals @ flickr

I love a wild thing! Photo by helgasms! @ flickr

Her blue eyes photo by Ranoush (Egypt) @ flickr

Tiger blue eyes Photo by TakenBy Tina (Canada) @ flickr

Snake eyes photo by Care_SMC (Oklahoma, USA) @ flickr

Woman with Gray Eyes and Red Lipstick photo by Pink Sherbet Photography @ flickr

New Years eye photo by pareeerica (Australia) @ flickr

Old thoughtful eyes of an elephant photo by Felix Francis (India) @ flickr

Amber eye photo by lupinehorror (Scotland, United Kingdom) @ flickr

Fish eye lens photo by Il Conte de Luna (Italy) @ flickr

Lid (eye) understretch photo by DerrickT (Georgia, USA) @ flickr

Rainbow eyes Photo by Lin Pernille ♥ Photography @ flickr

The Expansive Relationship of Two Individuals as An Independent One Photo by DerrickT @ flickr (Georgia, USA)

Butterfly eyes photo by me’nthedogs (United Kingdom) @ flickr

Two eyes are one Photo by ViaMoi (Canada) @ flickr

Libations Friday! 25 September 2009

From Denny: Lately, the news coverage has been about so much misfortune for humanity worldwide. Mother Nature - and we - are out of balance. So goes humanity, so goes the natural world...

There are raging floods, raging fires, loss of jobs and fortunes, divorces, so much negativity. These are the times and the cycle of life tests. Some folks have never been tested so harshly and are worrying how long they can figuratively tread water. That's when it's a good idea to get back to basics and do a refocus upon inner spirituality no matter what the religion of choice.

When blogging about the 50 inches of rain that fell on Atlanta, a place I had lived for many years, I was reminded of shock, sorrow and sadness visited upon so many. When you first get tested like this it is difficult to adjust. Adapt you must as that is the only way to balance, through the gauntlet of change.

While thinking about all the excessive rain and flooding, I was also reminded of the Native American thoughts about rain. They divide rain into Mother Rains and Father Rains. The Mother Rains are soft and nurturing, helping growth and beginning a life anew. The Father Rains are destructive, destroying all that was built because it was shown to be upon a false foundation or it was time to tear it down to build something better.

We all love the nurturing easy soft rains but are in fear of the harsh loud severe storms. The Native Americans lived in Nature, observed Nature and learned from Nature. Today we are too removed from Nature and have forgotten so many of our ancestors' wisdom about balance and harmony. This poem is to bring back our ancient memories we all own so we can live fuller happier lives.


***


Rain Blessings





Life encircles, waits and teaches
Gently offering Mother Rain
Nurturing, healing and growing





Life surrounds, exploits and disciplines
Harshly demanding Father Rain
Judging, crashing and destroying





The Rain of Sorrows weighs heavy
Loading our hearts’ pockets like stones
May the Sun of Love slip safely into your heart





Drying up brimming waters of gloomy sorrows
Transforming sorrow stones to nothing dust
Blown away easily in one quick strong breath





The Rain of Troubles appear unexpectedly
Cramming our minds with screaming worry rats
May the Sun of Wisdom sit down on your doorstep





Lighting your inner lantern onto a new inspiring path
Dissolving lack of harmony with one powerful thought





The Rain of Worries and Fears hover overhead stagnant
Soaking our valley of desires like a rushing flash flood





May the Sun of Understanding speak words of calm
Welcoming the rational return of wordless balance
Banishing like a wizard what lingers as unimportant





When the Rains come welcome them all in your Life
Mother Rain as nurturing, Father Rain as destroying
Purpose, understanding, growth through trial they bring





From the Rain of Sorrows we leave behind the past
From the Rain of Troubles we leave behind resentment
From the Rain of Worries and Fears we leave behind mistrust





Heal your disappointments and come back into harmony





Nurture your happiness and create your inner peace





Grow your courage to reach out beyond yourself to Love



Denny Lyon
Copyright 24 September 2009
All Rights Reserved

*******

Photo Credits

Sunset photo by anirbanbiswas_c8 @ flickr

Lightning Photo by phatman @ flickr

Red rain photo by tourist_on_earth @ flickr

Storm clouds Photo by muha… @ flickr

Hand in water Photo by h.koppdelaney @ flickr

Into the sun path photo by James Jordan @ flickr

Clouds photo by luc.viatour @ flickr

Go with the flow Photo by muha… @ flickr

New day Photo by h.koppdelaney @ flickr

Reflection Photo by muha… @ flickr

Heart bridge Photo by h.koppdelaney @ flickr

Inner peace photo by Jeff Kubina @ flickr

Peacemaker Photo by muha... @ flickr

Libations Friday! 3 July 2009

Featured this week is a poem about Michael Jackson’s life, a writing exercise of how to write a poetry version of a favorite person’s biography and a coffee recipe.

Coffee photo by once and future @ flickr


Pot-Brewed Coffee with Raw Sugar and Spices (Café de Olla)

From: by Rick Bayless with Deann Groen Bayless @ Epicurious.com

This recipe is from the Rick Bayless cookbook - "Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico" (found under the Coffee section of The Social Poets Amazon store or just click on this book link)

Yield: Makes 4 - 5 servings

Commentary from author Rick Bayless: “Today, Mexico's best coffee is ripened and dried along the roadways in the cloud-blanketed highlands of Chiapas and over through Veracruz and Oaxaca. The prime beans are usually roasted a little darker than ours — almost a Viennese roast — and they brew a nice, medium-bodied liquid with some spunk. They tell me it's the second-class beans that get roasted darker, to a mahogany black with a shining sugar coat.

The steam-powered espresso machines in the city cafeterías extract a trio of ethnic brews: espresso, straight, foamy and Italian; café con leche, mixed with hot milk, French-style (but so common one would mistake it for purely Mexican); or Americano, simply diluted with water. The more rural brew leans toward the Spanish, the history books say, but it seems like a Mexican-flavored campfire version to me.

Café de Olla at its best is pot-boiled in earthenware with molassesy piloncillo sugar and spices like cinnamon, anise or cloves. These days, many traditional city restaurants offer the dark, delicious drink more regularly, served in old-fashioned earthenware mugs at the end of the meal.”

Ingredients:

• 4-5 ounces piloncillo*, roughly chopped or 1/2 to 2/3 cup packed brown sugar, plus 1 teaspoon molasses

• 2 inches cinnamon stick

• A few aniseeds (optional)

• 2/3 cup (2 ounces) Viennese-roast coffee, medium to coarse grind


• *Unrefined sugar that is pressed into cone or disk shapes. Also called panela.

Directions:

Boiling and steeping: In a noncorrosive pan, combine 1 quart water, the sugar, cinnamon and optional aniseed. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring to melt the sugar. Stir in the coffee, remove from the fire, cover and steep for 5 minutes.
Straining: Strain the coffee through a fine-mesh sieve into cups or mugs and serve immediately.

A few reviews from the Epicurious site on this recipe:

"I made this for our dinner club and it was delicious. Just don't burn anyone pouring the coffee through the sieve! by A Cook from Alaska

"I needed a Mexican drink for a coffee where I demonstrated Mexican Appetizers. I put Starbucks in my pot's filter basket, added 2 Teaspoons whole anise seed and a few teaspoons of cinnamon. The smell was fantastic and they drank more coffee than Sangria! I also had dark sugar cubes for those who wanted it! by petitti from Memphis

"Very authentic. The only change I make is to omit the sugar and allow each person to add his own, as this is quite sweet for most North Americans, and nearly undrinkable for those who don't normally sweeten their coffee. Do use dark brown sugar in either case, and piloncillo if available. If you're accustomed to sweetened coffee, follow the recipe,playing with the amount of sugar. by A Cook from Jackson, NJ

"I used the brown sugar with ground Starbucks, and it was extremely sweet. You may want to tone down the sugar to 1/3 instead of 2/3 Cups. Other than that, very nice after dinner type coffee drink. by Tony from Philly"



Color Word Cloud - Michael Jackson: Talk About My Life
Photo by Denny Lyon
Copyright 2 July 2009
All Rights Reserved

From Denny: And now for the poetry section. Prominent on the news this past week is the passing of a music legend: Michael Jackson. I thought I’d use the technique of employing 24 of his song titles to tell his life story, describing his view of the world and how he liked to touch others. I also used a phrase I often heard him say after a performance or in interview.

Try this technique with a favorite artist or historical person using phrases, song titles, movies or book titles for which they were known. The song titles were bolded and italicized for easier recognition. This is like writing a poetry version of a biography in the tightest most concise manner.

When a celebrity dies one of the reasons people are so fascinated is that the event calls them into reviewing their own life because it was affected by and connected to that celebrity. Older people fondly remember the music of their youth; the youth realize that death is closer and more unexpected than they realized.

What I like about my own English language is that it is a conceptual language where often what is said or written can be interpreted on several levels. This poem’s title can be interpreted several ways. On the surface level that every reader can easily see is that the narrator appears to be discussing his own life. The next level is implied. MJ is in the news even after death and people all around the world are talking about him, even gossiping about him if they were not fans.

The third level of interpreting this poem’s title is how Michael’s body of work talks about his life, even speaks for or against his journey through life. This level’s interpretation is dependent upon the reader’s view of him, positive or negative, much like Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. It’s where you are standing that determines your point of view.



Black and White Word Cloud - Michael Jackson: Talk About My Life
Photo by Denny Lyon
Copyright 2 July 2009
All Rights Reserved


Michael Jackson: Talk About My Life


When I looked at the Man In The Mirror

There were times when I thought I’d never Beat It.

Working hard to earn my way there was Blood on the Dance Floor.

In those days it was Dangerous - When You Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.

Accused of being a Smooth Criminal and oh, so Bad

I would Scream in pain, “They Don’t Care About Us!"

But Billie Jean told me, “You Are Not Alone; Baby Be Mine.”

My eyes met hers and my heart spoke, “I Love The Way You Make Me Feel!”

“Oh, girl,” I melted, “The Way You Love Me.”

“I Wanna Be Where You Are, so I can Rock With You!"

Remember the Time when it didn’t matter if we were Black or White?

We hoped so much we could spend our lives as Invincible…

The ups, the downs, all of my Life was a chaotic Thriller.

It’s time I Got to Be There to hear that beautiful Earth Song.

It’s time to Heal the World. I walked off the stage, waving,

“You Rock My World! I Love You All! God Bless!”



Denny Lyon
Copyright 2 July 2009
All Rights Reserved

Have a great Fourth of July weekend, everyone; stay safe! Thanks for visiting!

Libations Friday! 6 March 2009

Libations Friday!

I'm feeling a bit cheeky today. That and I know it's past due time I get going on what you can expect on certain days of the week. We all like to know when to check in for our favorite segments, right?

Apologies it took me so long as I had to learn all the tech stuff since I started from zero in that department. Left brain things like this are tedious for me unless I can include some humor or visuals like photos, art and lots of color on the site to keep me engaged and my creative brain from going into snooze mode.

Of course, I just wrote a silly little poem a few minutes ago. Told you I was feeling cheeky as my Brit friends tell me.

Since I also love a great cup of coffee, some awesome green tea, a tall wheat beer or occasionally a devastating martini, I thought I'd crown Fridays as Libations day!



First the libations recipe for hot coffee to drink while you read the poem:

Dennys Version Arabian Style Hot Coffee

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons dark roast ground coffee

3 Tablespoons dark brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cardamon

1 pint water

1/2 teaspoon orange extract (no imitations)


Directions: Heat all these ingredients gently in a saucepan until a foam begins to form on the surface. If you are tough enough then don't put this thru a filter as you pour it into your mug ever so carefully so as to not to disturb the coffee grounds too much!

In Greece I used to drink their version without sugar. They were so shocked they revered me ever since. :)



On to the poem segment:

Dennys Not Haiku But Short Enough



On the Whim of a Grin


On the whim of a grin

Got off my sorry seated self.

Thoughts' arrival time delayed.

As promising patient parent

Wallet work waited.

Spring Fever!


By Denny Lyon

Copyright 6 March 2009

(Some day I may be awesome and famous,
you never know...! Hope springs eternal.)


Drinking Lioness Photo by jelleprin @ flickr
Wonderful Cherry Blossoms Photo by t_a_i_s @ flickr
Coffee Photo by INeedCoffee @ flickr

Peom: I Travel Thru This Life

I Travel Thru This Life

By CJBeige
Photo by *L*u*z*a* @ flickr

From Denny: Casper has done it again! He wrote about our life's longings yet in a short brief poem. Difficult to pack that much meaning and beauty into such a small space, my friend! Check out what he has to say about wondering of our lives' paths.

Give Me A Chance

Give Me A Chance - Sometimes chances in life are given, sometimes carefully taken and sometimes just plain snatched from us. Read this simply stated lovely poem of tender and very deep feelings about what we all encounter in life.

By G-Ma Johnson
Photo by Brent and MariLynn @ flickr

Poems: In this way

Poems: In this way - "Time to move with the rhythm bound..."

By hsofyan from Indonesia
Photo by fdecomite @ flickr

The Ostrich, A Poem

The Ostrich, A Poem: "If I were an ostrich

I wouldn’t have to see

All the bad news on the BBC

I wouldn’t have to hear

About hunger, war and fear

I wouldn’t have to know

About people stuck in snow

I could happily let days pass

Idly grazing on the grass..."

Wonderful piece of wordsmithing rhyme about serious politics and those who keep choosing to remain clueless to the plight of others. Great read; check it out!

By Amanda Severn
Photo by Christian Kooyman @ wiki