I was happy, then your sister threw a sea fish at my TV.

I had to write a villanelle for my creative writing class. I've already posted the two sonnets that I've written for the class, and I think I did fairly well with the forms of those two. Neither of those poems took more than an hour and a half to write, and I didn't feel too creatively constrained by them. I had read sonnets before, and I had even taken a (sloppy) stab at the form before on this very blog. This poem, however, took me four hours all told, a lot more concentration and frustration, and I am a lot more displeased with the end result. Ugh. If you have any helpful hints with how I could improve this poem, please share.

Your flesh will fall into decay.

Your withered soul detached at last,

The worms will eat your meat away.

Though you look not to Judgement Day,

And death Himself you do lambaste,

Your flesh will fall into decay.

Despite the fact you often pray,

You'll find that Death you won't outlast.

The worms will eat your meat away.

Kiss your children and spouse away.

For they will die as well; alas,

Your flesh will fall into decay

Old men realize they'll become clay;

You're young and well and think you'll last.

The worms will eat your meat away

You will be dead and gone someday,

And your present will be the past.

Your flesh will fall into decay;

The worms will eat your meat away.

"It is hard to have patience with people who say 'There is no death' or 'Death doesn't matter.' There is death. And whatever is matters. And whatever matters has consequences, and it and they are irrevocable and irreversible. You might as well say that birth doesn't matter." - C.S. Lewis

The cat scurried into the forest, and the monkey jumped on a cow.

I really love Ihop. Really, really love Ihop. All you can eat pancakes, plus eggs and hashbrowns! What more is there to life?

Anyways, I do believe that the stress of this play is wreaking havoc on my immune system. I hate sore throats. Since you've heard me talk about pancakes (and I'm pretty sure your hungry) and my immune system, here is a poem.

Thin lips tremble,
Quivering.

A small, sweet sound escapes.

The South is really nice
This time of year.

“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.”― J.R.R. Tolkien

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Currently hijacking an elephant! Will update.

I used to like going to church, before I became a Christian. I could laugh at the bitterness and broken relationships I saw. Now it grieves me to see people behaving like beasts. I guess now that I feel like a part of the Church, the tensions actually affect me.

Smiling softly,
You continue on your way,
Your bruised heart hidden.

"Badness is only spoiled goodness." - C. S. Lewis

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Zero percent of men have walked on mars! We must amend this!

It has been quite a while since I last updated. More than a week has passed, and that is mostly due to laziness, but also due to unforeseen circumstances and working on a blog post that was far too much to take on at the time. Realizing that I need to put something up or I'll continue to fall into entropy, I have an off the top of my head poem for your reading delights. Enjoy.

And the Children are Left Behind

Large knobs on the door,

Lamplight gleaming off the polished brass.

We huddle close to hear the words.

A cavernous fireplace,

Flames leaping within.

The room was cheery and bright.

The doctor was not.

Six months.

Such a short time for the leaves to change.

Such a short time for the flowers to bloom and die.

Such a short time to make arrangements.

Such a short time to say goodbye.

"[Pain] removes the veil; it plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul." - C.S. Lewis

If Mumford & Sons is Popular music, I recommend calling them Ular rather than Pop.

I just got through with British Victorian Literature, which you would expect would entail reading some very wordy works. It does, but unexpectedly, you also have to deal with really verbose students, who don't necessarily understand the meanings of the words they use. It gets on my nerves when we spend 50 minutes on a subject that shouldn't take up more than 15. This frustration made me want to write a haiku with just three words, but the seven syllable words I can think of don't make much sense, so I just used five words instead of three.

Big Words for a Simple Subject

Curiosity

Leads inevitably to

Enthusiasm.

"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts." - C.S. Lewis

Organic love can be found only at Fresh Market.

Here is, as I promised to Heather, my Italian Sonnet that I wrote for Creative Writing.

Why couldn’t you have stayed closer to me?

I saw it tear you down, like its dinner,

Feasting on your pure flesh like a sinner.

What I wouldn’t give to have you be free,

Of this life and death and insanity.

You were so proud you were getting thinner;

If you had only worn your new pinner,

You would not be this monster; a zombie!

I understand now what I have to do,

Though it requires me to steel my heart;

Please know that I do this out of true love,

And not because I no longer love you,

But this pistol in my hand says we part

Until I see my angel up above.

"Poetry is to prose as dancing is to walking." - John Wain

p.s. A pinner is a ladies' hat that keeps her hair contained, so she won't be dragged down by zombies. Invest ladies!

p.p.s. Please give me an idea as to what I should title this poem, as well as any others you read without a title. And if you read a title you feel doesn't fit, or you have a better one, be unafraid to offer it up.

I feel like green daffodils in space! Obviously it is Tuesday.

There are a lot of times that I feel as if I am meant for more than slogging through life. It's mostly my narcissism, but when I start thinking like this I can't help but remember the demi-gods of Greek legend. Many of them were unaware of their heritage, but they felt as if they did not belong in the mortal realm.

Anyways, here is a haiku that somewhat captures, incompletely, the feeling I get on theses days.

Myth

Sweet mystery flows,

Sweeping strongly through my veins.

Myths invade my dreams.

"Far away a shepherd, magic notes stealing up through the warm silence; surely that is Pan, half-goat, half-human, who guarded the shepherds of old." - Roger Lancelyn Green

I'm an awkward cow. MILK ME!

I went to see a play at Bellhaven, and I was blown away. This was a simple, student directed project, with only three actors and on their smallest stage; it was amazing. Talking with a friend afterwards, I thought about how different my life might have been had I gone to a school which is just a 25 minute drive from mine. Weird. Anyways, to the poetry. Here are a pair of haikus, very similar. They are kind of what I want right now.

Literary Relaxing

I wanted a book

That I could sit down and read,

And forget the world.

Lush Relaxing

I wanted a drink

So I could sit down and sip,

And forget the world

"You must be careful about giving any drink whatsoever to a bore. A lit-up bore is the worst in the world." - David Cecil

Obey your master! Bring him a jelly doughnut.

Doughnuts make me go nuts!

Anyways, I hope everyone is doing well. We are halfway through yet another week. Yay? Appropriately enough for the following haiku, I am wearing black nail polish. (First time, too.)

Disengaged

I move parallel

To the world and her people.

The distance kills me.

"It gives you the impression of an escaped lunatic's conversation while chasing his hat on a windy day." - W.H. Lewis

I AM A ROBOT ALIEN! TAKE ME TO YOUR MECHANIC!

So, this is a Shakespearean sonnet that I wrote for Creative Writing. Hopefully you will like it.

If all the sky collapsed into the sea,

And all the stars recede into the night;

If all the world just simply ceased to be,

And all the men we know would just take flight;

If all the things that we hold dear expire,

And dreams that I believed so deep decay;

If the universe would die in a fire,

And all we love would fall to disarray;

Still I would wait for just one glance from you,

For just one kiss to fall upon my brow.

For your sweet face is all that brings me through

Your grace is what drives me for'ard, even now.

That I should find a lady true at all

Is proof that God does even love the small.

"I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend." - J.R.R. Tolkien

This is a stickup! Give me all your comments!

It has been a little while since I last updated, and for that I apologize. I went to the hospital, got swamped with schoolwork, had 346 lines to learn for Cheaper by the Dozen, and life got to me. All that to say, I hope to keep updating as regularly as I had the past month.

Schoolroom Dreaming

Through the small window

I see the trees blowing.

The grass is greener.

"Humans are amphibians - half spirit and half animal. As spirits they inhabit the eternal world, but as animals they inhabit time." - C.S. Lewis

Kill the Wabbit!

Celtic Fest was amazing! I went with some great friends, saw more friends, bought some cool steam-punk goggles, got to talk about my mustache, and danced just a little. I love being able to hear authentic Irish accents, as well as the opportunity to discuss Premier League Football with a man with an Irish accent. If you are in the Jackson, MS area around the same time next year, I definitely recommend you going. Here is a haiku that has nothing to do with Celtic Fest.

Idylls

The old often say

Their lives used to be so grand.

Why does grandma lie?

And here is a haiku that has everything to do with Celtic Fest.

A pennywhistle

Weaves its sweet music through me,

Calling me to Eire.

"I am often surprised to find how utterly ignored Yeats is among the men I have met; perhaps his appeal is purely Irish - if so, then thank the gods that I am Irish." - C.S. Lewis

If we make a baby, I wanna name it The Doctor!

Dreams can be awfully hilarious. One of my friends is rushing for APO (the national theatre honor society), and he/she had a dream recently that everyone in the club hated them. It then came out that only the favorites would be let in, and since she was now hated, she would not be accepted into the club. This is dedicated to him/her. (I am mysterious!)

Dreamer's Directions

Easy, dreamer.

Slow down.

Life does not preclude fun.

Quit your thinking

When you're dreaming;

Let your mind relax.

As you float through the ether

And find the realm of dreams,

Search for the world's tether

And tear it at the seams.

"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts." - C.S. Lewis

In brightest day, in blackest night, No cookies shall escape my sight!

Bonjour! I don't know about everyone else, but I am very tired. Je vais fatigue. If you haven't already guessed that I am taking French, then you obviously are from the moon. It is a pleasure to meet my first alien!

Anyways, I've noticed that most of my poetry is about wanting to be somewhere else. I used to have a penchant for poetry about walking, but I guess I am more stuck than I used to be. Oh, well, from great angst comes great art. That's how it works, right?

The Keys are in My Pocket

Sometimes I wonder

What it is I'm doing here

When I could drive off.

"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien

I have Wayne Rooney on my Fantasy team!

I guess that I'll deliver two blog posts in a single insomnia-ridden night. Enjoy the products of a mad mind!

Dreaming

I've always dreamed of a chilly breeze,

Of a quick fall into winter.

I've always dreamed of stormy seas,

Of a ship lost in the water.

I don't like it here,

And here doesn't like me either.

I've been moving,

Flowing,

Drifting into the outer realms of consciousness.

I've been growing,

Shifting,

Showing the world that I am a dream.,

And the giant is waking up.

"The obvious is the hardest thing of all to point out to anyone who has genuinely lost sight of it." - Owen Barfield

All's fair in love, war, and competitive eating!

Many of my friends often talk of leaving Mississippi. For most it is empty talk that will culminate in a few trips out of the state. I hope I don't follow that trend. Don't take this the wrong way, because I truly love Mississippi; I just happen to hate the weather and the backwardness. (The lack of an MLS team is also a contributing factor) I apologize if I offend anyone by saying that I don't think I really belong here, but it is how I feel. To ameliorate your harsh feelings, here is a haiku.

Seasonal

Fall comes too slowly,

Summer lingers on too long.

This is not my home.

p.s. The quote is applicable this time! Yay!

"Hell is indefinite." - Charles Williams

Dream a little dream of me, because I'm pretty sure that's all you could handle.

Happy Labor Day to the Americans and Canadians! Happy Monday for everyone else!

I've started watching the 6th season of Boy Meets World this week. Oh, the Dramedy! Anyways, this poem is a little different, but I like how it turned out. Read, comment, and enjoy.

Second Sight

For all the things I see

Beyond the veil,

All I can remember

Is the light and the dark.

Great sun and space,

Stars fighting against the raging void.

The silence echoing,

Stretching,

Grasping for the reigns.

I've been an oracle

That the world has ignored,

But this time they'll see.

I'll show them the light and the dark

That hides

Beyond the veil,

And they'll know.

They'll understand.

A cosmic love

Circles the drain at

The nearby motel,

While the world goes on in Blissful Ignorance.

'"The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places.
But still there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now
mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater."' - J.R.R. Tolkien

Grant me Serenity, Dear Lord. And Firefly, if they have it.

When I was young, there were a lot of different things that I wanted to be, changing virtually every week. I wanted to be a cowboy, to be the President's secretary, to be a garbageman, to fly a jet plane. I never really got the sense that I could actually do any of those things and be fulfilled, but I dreamed anyway. In the 9th grade, I was practically forced on stage by my teacher. Suddenly, I felt that I could perhaps do something that I loved doing.

Since then, I have acted in 11 full length plays, one feature length movie, six short films, and one scene. This has brought me a lot of joy, even when I had little sleep and too much to do. All of that to say, I wrote this haiku last night, during a part of the APO induction, and I wanted to share not just the poem, but also a little of me.

Stage Sense

All the world's a stage,

And we are all just players

Acting for ourselves.

p.s. If you haven't seen the show Firefly, why? You must see this show. NOW!

p.p.s. If you have seen Firefly, and possibly the movie Serenity, then let's talk. I want to discuss.

"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." - C.S. Lewis

I'm in Human Biology. Our bodies are fascinating! Want to play doctor?

I wanted to take a little time to talk to you about what is going to happen to this blog during the semester. I am currently taking Creative Writing at Mississippi College. That means you guys will be somewhat of a sounding board for some of the things I'll take into class, and you'll get to have some more variety in your poetry. I've decided that, as much as I love these crazy titles, I'm going to have actually descriptive titles on those poems, as well as the eventual short story that will come from that.

On another note, I am in MC's production of Cheaper by the Dozen this fall as the father, which will be a time consuming role. That means I might have less posts than I would like to put up. These few days have been great, and hopefully I'll be able to continue this *ahem* blistering pace! Thanks for reading. Here's a haiku for dealing with me.

Wistful

The wind sweeps through me,

Calling me to foreign lands.

I long to leave here.

"You and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness." - C.S. Lewis

Smile at the camera, and stop punching your brother in the ribs!

A good friend of mine broke down in tears today. She was so stressed that she couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. After a few hours of talking, de-stressing, and hanging around at a friends place, we wound up at Waffle House. Having eaten our meals and talked for an hour, we finally paid the tab and left. As we were walking away, my friend told the lady behind the register to have a good night. The woman looked at us and said, "It's morning now."

Night

The sun set hours ago,

But it never said goodbye.

They always say it's darkest

Just before the dawn.

Who are they?

I tell them, "I don't believe in mornings

Until I see a sunrise."

Burden of proof on the cheerful

Leaves me lazy,

At least for tonight.

If the sun rises

Then I might change my opinion.

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." - C.S. Lewis