SOLC8: Books

There is some kind of magic that comes with a book. I can’t explain what kind, but I’m pretty sure that you can’t either. The pages have a quiet sound when they turn, unexplainable just like the magic. A sort of simplistic perfection found in the quiet corners of decomposing paper. Untouched by reality with covers and jackets to keep the enchantment enclosed. And so the fading print is confined within the walls of the title. The stories inside each sheet changing thoughts and opinions for all who touch it. The books on the table by the door hold more than just words, but differences and change. That is the magic of books.

SOLC7: Boxes

 So here's the thing, kids like boxes. They just do. And there is seriously no reason for them not to. The cardboard box is a unique and unstoppable force. It cannot be truly changed without fully ripping it apart. It will still be a cardboard box. But maybe that's what makes it so sentimental. And of course there are the tiny construction workers. "Oh look! My little Mary-Ann made a helicopter out of the box our blender came in! Isn't that just so adorable?" And that's the beauty of it. It doesn't matter what you make out of your cardboard box. If you are a small child using you're resources you will be doted on. You could make something completely absurd and still be appreciated. I being no longer able to be a turtle with a box for a shell and still be accepted in society; must find more creative yet conventional methods. Here is one example of how I have recently used a cardboard box:
 

SOLC6: Tanzi

With sunset-tinted scales and scattered grey spots, the desert landscape is funneled into one six inch, cold blooded creature. The feeling of sand tossed up, sideways, and through faraway lands can be found even in the big city of Denver. But even though the reptile beast embodies the harsh deserts, she is calm and composed. Her face is a diamond, the only impurities being her own delicate features. Two tiny nostrils at the front of the snout, balanced above the pink smile. A pair of rounded eyes in a dusky grey with a cracking coat of black. A pinkish ear on each side of the head alerts her to anything and everything around her. And when she’s unexpectedly lifted into the air above her there is nothing new noticed, except for the soft white belly.

SOLC5: Thursday Scribble

This is the first of my scribbles series. These will be a laid-out collection of my doodles. Today's scribble also has a poem to go with it. Enjoy.

Tea?
Some for me
And some for you
And may I ask
One lump or two?
Let’s talk of things
To eat or do
How sky is red
And tree is blue
Where Kitty is
And how she grew
The way we sit
A tad askew
With Mr. Pink
And Titan too
And Hart who’s found
A new issue
But there’s the clock
Right on its cue
So now we must
Say our adieu
To Mr. Pink
And Titan too
And Hart annoyed
By something new
But thank you for 
The tea.

SOLC4: Poemcrazy

Wooldridge, Susan. Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words. New York: Three Rivers, 1997. 

 

This week I started reading a book called Poemcrazy. This is a book about writing poems that also tells a couple of stories about the author and people she knows. It also gives some writing prompts or “practices” for the reader to try in order to improve their poetry. Some of the things are very simple, asking to write about a specific subject of topic. Others are a little more obscure. “Draw your name.” “Notice anything that spirals,” “Be open to unexpected words and adventures.” The book is creative, exciting, and fun to read. It teaches basics of writing poetry and coming up with ideas.
 

 

 

SOLC3: The Bird

 
  I knew the assignment. I had to go through my neighborhood and find the quietest place. I had been trying to do that for a while. It had gone nowhere. My phone was dead, my fingers were cold, and I was honestly bored out of my mind. I thought to find a spot and then go home, but none of the spots I found felt quite right. This one was too close to the main roads, that one had a loud dog. They just didn’t work. I sat down. How was I ever going to find somewhere quiet in my little neighborhood? And then I saw it. It was a little brown bird sitting on a tree limb, just looking at me. I wasn’t sure quite what to do so I walked up to it. It flew a tree away. I followed it again and it flew a bit further. It began to fly through the neighborhood, stopping only occasionally appearing to make sure I was still following. It zipped through tight cracks or up and over rooftops. Yet, I continued to follow it. It flew down one street and took a sharp turn. I ran after it catching myself as I turned into the alley. There it was sitting on the ground, peering up at the sky. I began to walk toward it and it took off, soaring into the sky. I watched it slowly grow smaller and smaller as it went farther and farther away, until it was absolute nothingness. The bird became just another layer of the bleak skies. It was gone. I was crushed. My time had been wasted and I still had to do my project. And that’s when I heard it. That quiet. It wasn’t silence of course, I couldn’t have found that. It was sort of just quiet. And I was okay with that. And I’m okay with telling this story now, even though it’s my own personal story. Even though it’s never been told before.

SOLC2: Dr. Seuss's Birthday

Dear Dr. Seuss,
        I will begin by saying happy birthday. I loved all of your books when I was little and honestly, I still do. Everything that you write has a strange ability to get stuck in my head so that even the way I talk somewhat resembles your writing. How does that happen? How can you create such a balanced rhythm, that people can’t go on without? That must not be easy. But I’m sure that it has started to come naturally to you. And all of your creatures and words! Your imagination is limitless of course but what I find incredible is how easily you can access the ideas and put them onto paper. And I haven’t even started talking about your artistic skills. You have your own creative style that is easily recognizable. You have no idea how many times I have tried to develop my own drawing style but apparently it doesn’t happen all at once. Anyways, you are such an inspiration to me and I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday. Here is one of my favorite quotes from your book Happy Birthday To You:

“If we didn’t have birthdays, you wouldn’t be you.
If you’d never been born, well then what would you do?
If you’d never been born, well then what would you be?
You might be a fish! Or a toad in a tree!
You might be a doorknob! Or three baked potatoes!
You might be a bag full of hard green tomatoes.
Or worse than all that… why you might be a WASN’T!
A Wasn’t has no fun at all. No, he doesn’t.
A Wasn’t just isn’t. He just isn’t present.
But you… You ARE YOU! And, now isn’t that pleasant!”

-Dr. Seuss “Happy Birthday To You!”