Thank you to Professor Charles French for sharing my post for The Underground Library Society. My featured book is The Sealwoman’s Gift by Sally Magnusson. My thanks to Dave Astor on Literature and https://rivella49.com/ blogs for recommending this book.

Another Addition To The U.L.S., The Underground Library Society by Robbie Cheadle

I am over at Writing to be Read with a post about male lions. Called King of the Beasts, male lions are actually very vulnerable. Thanks for hosting Kaye Lynne Booth.

In Touch With Nature – The vulnerable life of male lions #wildlife #lions

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2024/02/22/parkville-history/

W3 #95, Personification

II. Heather’s prompt guidelines

Humans often have opinions on most any topic. Let’s put a twist on this. Employ personification to write a poem from the point of view of an object. Maybe your teapot has an opinion on how you make tea or your door with all the comings and goings? Maybe snow has something to say?

Be creative and have fun!

Personification

Personification is a type of metaphor that gives human characteristics to inanimate objects and animals, such as emotions and behaviors.

You can join in here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2024/02/21/w3-prompt-95-weave-written-weekly/

My poems are personification but I’m not sure my objects are quite what Heather intended. Oh well!

Mischief Makers (shadorma)

Mielie elves

With long hollow bones (note 1)

Look about

Pondering

Numerous mischievous plans

Pink toed feet ready

Note 1 – Elves are believed to have hollow bones, like birds, to aid their flight.

Old Man (choka – 5/7/5/7/5/7/5/7/7)

Greying hair streaming

Sun journeys across the sky

Ample girth straining

At the buttons of his shirt

Burning bright and hot

Despite his advancing age

Slow later mornings

Nurture his remaining strength

Afternoons fiercely blazing

What Amazon says

Stories have allowed people to transmit ideas, beliefs, and behaviors throughout history. The underlying premise of this book is that humans can grow by understanding the perspective of someone else. Perspective-taking can help humans develop compassion and concern for others.. One way to attain a deeper understanding of people is by learning about different viewpoints and this book offers material for perspective taking,

Sherri let us feel some California and English culture fusion, with reminders about how close, and connected, we all are in this big ol’ world. Let’s remember this when we feel a spirit of division. Can we put aside what divides and remember that we have more in common than we might not initially see?

Miriam Hurdle shared about going from having no grandkids, to getting the joyful news, to then having the pandemic limit travel to see this growing family. Her chapter left us with uplifting familial warmth.

Yvette Prior shared about the challenges and silver linings that came with a recent move while noting that lessons learned are a gift because it can lead to humility and strength.

Ana Linden shared about perspective changes through the story about her aunt, who had the middle name of Dragonfly. Ana showed the components of perspective and empathy are intertwined and complex, just like Ana’s Aunt Dragonfly was.

Marsha Ingrao shared about her blogging experience that led to soft skill development, friendship, life fuel, and a way to offer customized outreach. She reminded us that when storms come, we do the best we can to respond, cope, stay stable, and grow.

Lauren Scott explored body image while reminding us that empathy consists of both affective and cognitive components. Lauren also reminded us that we cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different results.

Mabel Kwong gained a deeper perspective by stopping writing, which made a huge difference in her affect and outlook. Life is not always easy and the obstacles with her writing journey remind us to stay the course and find what we need.

Robbie Cheadle shared her growth over six years as she dealt with illnesses with both of her children. The vulnerable health challenges also came with joy and growth. The beauty is there if we put forth the effort to see it.

Jeffrey D. Simmons used poetry to describe the cadence of his life as he has adapted to different living arrangements. Jeff chooses to adapt and find joy whether he has to anchor or move around.

Trent McDonald used fiction to show us that we humans not only tend to have wrong assumptions, but assumptions are often negative. Maybe we can start assuming the best and clarify sooner to minimize distorted thinking.

Mahesh Nair talked about words and accents with an example of how he once perceived a behavior as snobby to later see that it was not. He also explored how the current digital world is something many of us take for granted but it had to grow, evolve, and mature over many years. Humans are similar in how we advance and grow.

Mike’s chapter offered tips and advice for thriving while in caregiver mode. The physical exhaustion and mental drain can be mitigated and he also let us into his personal life as he shared about how it took time to understand relationship dynamics and then live out what he advised about in a clinical setting.

Cade reminded us that our mental filters will change as the way we view right and wrong will change too. As we learn more about individual bias and faulty thinking, we need to pay attention to other people’s viewpoints.

There is a gap between what is and what we know or think something is. We hope the stories and poems in this book help readers learn about how others see the world and gain a deeper understanding to open the heart and enahnce empathy.

My review

This is How we Grow is a fascinating collection of insightful stories, mainly non-fiction, into specific experiences by each contributor which have resulted in a change to their mindset and approach and/or attitude to life.

The two contributions that made the biggest impact on me as a reader were Dragonfly by Ana Linden and Right and Wrong by Cade Prior.

Dragonfly by Ana Linden revolves around the intermittent support offered by the author’s aunt towards her during her childhood. The aunt was a destroyed person. Someone who had ruined her life, in the eyes of her parents and other people, by making decisions that they perceived as wrong. An aunt who had been joyous and creative as a girl and teen, but who had married the wrong person and brought judgement down on her head when she suffered abuse at the hands of a vicious husband. This aunt, although dependent on alcohol and never having achieved what she could have, or should have, tried to support her niece who demonstrated similar characteristics as a child. This story resonated with me because the aunt was such a victim of her narrow minded and judgmental parents and society. Abuse of women is still alive and well and there are millions of women who still suffer terribly as a result. This story is difficult to read as the flow is awkward and you must wind your way through the slightly incoherent writing style, but the message is impactful.

Cade Prior’s essay on right and wrong interested me a great deal. I found his thought process fascinating, and it does reflect some of my own thinking. While I don’t agree with everything he wrote, it did give me pause to reconsider my own believes and viewpoints and adjust them for fresh ideas. I think that thought process was beneficial for me and I would recommend it to others.

All the stories were interesting, and all taught me something about life and how other people experience and perceive life. The book offers a lot of variety as the stories deal with a wide variety of topical issues such as the dissatisfaction of young people with their appearance and weight, the result of media messaging relating to ideal looks and bodies, new age grandparenting, cat therapy for mental health issues, adjusting our perspectives about blogging, writing, and publishing and dealing with social media.

This book is a worthwhile read that will give the reader new information and fresh insights to consider about a wide spectrum of life experiences.

You can purchase This Is How We Grow from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CCCNBNWV

Reena’s Xploration Challenge #318

Reena’s Challenge is What I am not … The muse brought What I am with the inverse implied. You can join in Reena’s challenge here: https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2024/02/15/reenas-xploration-challenge-318/

What I am?

What am I?

I belong

To a species

That destroys

Pollutes

And over consumes

The root cause

Of the critical endangerment

Of over 3,000 creatures

Worldwide

Displacing them

From their natural habitat

For personal gain

Over 2,000 additional beasts

Are endangered

As a direct result

Of my species actions

Some of my breed are creators

But not of art, music, or literature

There are those

But they hold no sway

Most are involved in work

That directly contributes to

The decimation of the planet

Some save lives

Using products that damage

The natural world

And have resulted

In uncontrolled population growth

My kind

Pollutes the ocean

Kills the fish, whales, and turtles

Invents weapons of mass destruction

To further blight

The distressed environment

I am one of my species

A contributor to all

And that makes me

A PEST!

This poem was inspired by Reena’s challenge which brought to mind the caterpillar in James and the Giant Peach who proudly calls himself a pest.

A pest as described by Wikipedia: A pest is any organism harmful to humans or human concerns. The term is particularly used for creatures that damage crops, livestock, and forestry or cause a nuisance to people, especially in their homes. Humans have modified the environment for their own purposes and are intolerant of other creatures occupying the same space when their activities impact adversely on human objectives. Thus, an elephant is unobjectionable in its natural habitat but a pest when it tramples crops.

Sunday Stills

Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge is red and pink. You can join in Sunday Stills here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2024/02/11/sunday-stills-monthly-color-challenge-red-and-pink-the-colors-of-life/

The fondant cats are for Resa, fantastic artist and sustainable dress designer (you can view Resa’s sustainable evening gowns here: https://artgowns.com/). Resa posted a delightful post about a cat mural which you can read here: https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/2024/02/13/kittens-under-a-bridge/. The fondant kittens are my return gift to Resa.

W3 a San san poem

II. Kerfe’s prompt guidelines

• Thematic (required): Write a poem inspired by-
  1. A song about dancing, or-
  2. A song you like to dance to;
• Form (required): “San san”.

San san?

The “san san” poetic form has three requirements:

1. Eight lines;
2. Rhyming: a-b-c-a-b-d-c-d;
3. Repetition: Three terms or images in the verse must be repeated 3x each.

I’m late with this post. What can I say, I had a life sized guitar to make this weekend for Michael’s birthday and it didn’t leave much time for other things. I also made Gregory a hummingbird cake for his birthday and I cooked chicken korma for 20 people and made salads and vegetables to go with it.

And now for the poem:

Rain Dance

We must dance to summon the rain

The land is parched; thirsty cattle low

We must dance to appease the gods

It’s not easy to please the gods; they’re vain

We must dance for rain so the rivers flow

The gods always admire our feathers and beads

We twirl and stamp, hitting the ground with rods

When rain comes, we’ll plant life sustaining seeds

Thank you to David for the inspiration: https://skepticskaddish.com/2024/02/07/w3-prompt-93-weave-written-weekly/

Teagan’s Writing Challenge

The challenge: The challenge, or exercise if you prefer:  Look at a favorite photo, painting, mural, or other image.  Drink in the feelings that it brings to mind.  Then write something related to the image.  Short or long, fiction or memoir.  It doesn’t have to be a complete story.  A vignette is fine.

You can join in here: https://teagansbooks.com/2024/02/07/wednesday-writing-thursdaydoors-favorite-photo-exercise/

This is an Etheree poem comprising of 10 lines starting with one syllable and ending with 10 syllables.

Magic Mirror

Pond

Reflects

Winter Sky

Gloomy and Grey

Duck sets in motion

A series of ripples

Decorated with silver

Water magically transformed

Into a mysterious mirror

Provocatively hinting at summer

Cee’s CWWC: Dirt roads or dirt paths

You can join in here: https://ceenphotography.com/2024/02/08/cwwc-dirt-roads-or-dirt-pathways-or-trails/

No Passage (shadorma)

Wall of thorns

What lurks behind your

Natural

Barricade?

You completely block the road

Impenetrable

What Amazon says

Holly Schlivnik dreams of being a writer, but fate has other plans. A family crisis throws her into an improbable situation and her life will never be the same. Determined to make her own luck when things don’t happen the way she plans, the irrepressible young woman takes a sledgehammer to the glass ceiling and shatters it to smithereens. The wise-cracking, irreverent transplanted Californian goes on a raucous, rollicking rollercoaster ride of hysterical adventures as a ladies’ apparel sales rep traveling in the deep South and finds herself along the way.

My review

I reviewed this book in my capacity as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team. If you would like your book reviewed, you can contact Rosie Amber here: http://rosieamber.wordpress.com/.

This is a most entertaining read about a young woman’s entrance into the rag trade. Holly Schlivnik has just finished collage and is feeling directionless following a disastrous job interview when her father, a travelling rep for ladies apparel, calls on her to fill in for him at a show. Holly suddenly discovers that she has a talent for selling clothing. She decides to accept her father’s offer of a job as his assistant and soon sets out on her own, her car filled with clothing racks and samples, to drum up sales in the deep South of America.

This is a story of personal growth and I thoroughly enjoyed watching Holly blossom from an awkward and inexperienced girl into a confident and determined sales woman. She has to learn to deal with all sorts of different people, from Jodie the transwoman, to selfish and inconsiderate buyers and business owners, to Jewish business men who want to make a political statement.

Holly manages to take it all in her ‘short stride’ and learns to deal with all sorts of inconveniences and difficulties that her father, as a man, didn’t have to face. Behind the scenes, she has her supportive and non conventional grandmother to give her excellent advice and keep her facing forward. Holly’s family is Jewish and I enjoyed learning more about her family’s traditions and attitude to life.

There is a lot of humour in the book, which makes it very entertaining. Holly learns a lot during the period of her life covered by this book, and has to cope with losses of a love interest and a family member, recognise what she wants from her career and her life and understand how much she’s prepared to sacrifice to achieve it, and also face anti-Semitism and gender intolerance. Holly also has to weigh up options and make life changing decisions.

This is a book that readers who enjoy coming of age stories with a good dollop of humour and a fast pace will enjoy.

Purchase Rag Lady by Susie Black from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Lady-Holly-Swimsuit-Susie-Black/dp/1509249974

This week, I’m starting with the poem. Puente was completely new to me, but I gave it a good bash. Writing about love is also not my thing. My love is too deep and too intense for words, but I have tried.

JM’s prompt guidelines

• Poetic form (required): Puente;
  • Tone (required): Either the 1^st or the 3^rd stanza should have a happy tone, and the other should have a sad tone;
  • For the 2^nd stanza (suggested): Use a quote, idiom, phrase, etc.
• Theme (required): Love

Puente?

The puente form has three stanzas with the first and third having an equal number of lines and the middle stanza having only one line which acts as a bridge (puente) between the first and third stanza.

The first and third stanzas convey a related but different element or feeling, as though they were two adjacent territories. The number of lines in the first and third stanzas is the writer’s choice as is the choice of whether to write it in free verse or rhyme.

The center line is delineated by a tilde (~) and has ‘double duty’. It functions as the ending for the last line of the first stanza AND as the beginning for the first line of the third stanza. It shares ownership with these two lines and consequently bridges the first and third stanzas.

You can join in W3 here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2024/01/31/w3-prompt-92-weave-written-weekly/

For My Sons

The fear and angst of the delivery

Gives way to overwhelming love

The purpose of my life, distilled

Drop by drop, cell by cell, into

The creation of my greatest work

***

– but, the journey’s beginning does not define its ending –

***

The path culminating in a masterpiece

Is fraught with errors and corrections

My expectations of motherhood have

Required adaption and adjustment

Perfection works on a sliding scale

Thursday Doors

A few more photographs from our trip to Madikwe. You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2024/02/01/second-look/

Thursday Doors

These pictures are of the dining room doors at Thakadu River Lodge. You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2024/01/25/more-doors-from-traffic/.

The dining room attracted visitors in the form of vervet monkeys.

This vervet monkey terrorized an Italian couple who insisted on being moved right across the dining room to just outside the kitchen door. The monkey was naughty, it jumped up and pinched a roll off the table. The restaurant management kindly moved my family to the rejected table next to the outside doors. Clearly, they thought we could cope with a few mischievous monkey visitors.

Perhaps my standing on the pathway watching a mama and her adorable baby clued them in to our lack of anxiety:

This monkey like us so much, it came to our tent for a chat.

W3 – Wea’ve Written Weekly

You can join in here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2024/01/24/w3-prompt-91-weave-written-weekly/

Our W³ prompt

• Poetic form (required): Rondeau
• Theme (required): Freedom

Rondeau?

The rondeau is a syllabic construct of three verses: a quintet, quatrain, and sestet. The lines are of two distinct lengths: 1) the main length and 2) the refrain. The refrain is the first few words of the first line.

1. Three stanzas: A quintet (five lines), a quatrain (four lines) and a sestet (six lines).
2. The first half of the first line in the quintet is the refrain line. This refrain is used for lines 9 and 15.
3. Rhyming:
   • The quintet has a rhyme scheme of b-b-c-c-b.
   • The quatrain has a rhyme scheme of b-b-c-A, where A is the refrain drawn from the first half of the first line of the poem.
   • The sestet is rhymed b-b-c-c-b-A, where A is again the refrain line.
4. The refrain line is usually 4 syllables or two verse feet.

Chasing The Light

My paints give me freedom, I mix colours with great delight

Applying a spectrum of shades, I attempt to capture the light

My heart throbs with creation, I feel completely alive

An antidote to everyday life, this is how I survive

Chasing the interplay of shadows, lying just beyond my sight

***

A splodge of gold, a dash of yellow, capturing sunrays bright

Don’t look for darkness in my work, I’m not a creature of the night

The subtle interactions of hues on canvas, these I ingest to thrive

My paints give me freedom

***

Daily doses of war and economic woe wound; my spirit must take flight

Living in ignorance is not an option, but my soul is entitled to respite

Through immersion in nature’s splendour, peace and happiness I derive

The artist’s palette and creative journey, enthusiasm for life must revive

To maintain my personal faith in humanity, against despair I always fight

My paints give me freedom

This is my most recent painting called The King:

This is a YT video I made of the painting. I added the soundtrack from YT’s offerings: