POEM: STRING & WING THEORY

Particles and strings
and crow's flapping wings
Create all the illusion of which we sing
Sunsets and golden oak trees ...
Crying babies and war and disease

Wake up and see we are all One
Wake up to the reality that ascension has begun
-Cronin Detzz

HAVE YOU WRITTEN YOUR EPITAPH?

As a writer, you may have given thought to your epitaph. If you are a poet, why don’t you write a little something to encapsulate what you are all about? Even if you don’t want a headstone, you could still write a poem and seal it in an envelope, with instructions to a trusted love one to open the mysterious envelope upon your “graduation day” to the afterlife.

Here is mine:

Life is brief and fairly fleeting
at the end, there should be no grieving
Moving on to learn all that can be known
open eyes see all that can be shown

Beautiful bliss, basking in the blue
Unstruck chord plays just for you
Sunshine bright below and above
There lies everything
in nothing but love

Please leave a comment below and share your epitaph. This poem was published in “Poetry for Our Time.” You can peek inside at Amazon: "Poetry for Our Time"

Keep writing & keep sharing – Cronin Detzz

POEM: FATHER'S GREEN EYES

A crumbling Spanish castle

adorning the Mediterranean Sea

a kite in my small hands

my father on bended knee

“See the world, and the beauty in it?”

My youthful nod (his reply, odd)

“Compared to heaven, it’s a pile of shit”

Why did he need to spoil that sunny day?

Why were his lessons always imparted this way?

I already knew the world and the ugliness therein,

I already wore fear and sadness as a second skin

So I released the kite into sun-drenched skies

Admired God’s work, shunning illusory lies

I shifted my view, envisioned the castle anew

Saw the world askew

through my father’s green eyes

My father said this to me when were in Spain, admiring the sea and the Spanish castles.  It was an odd way for him to burst my bubble of joy, but it was a teachable moment from his perspective.  We had been raised to honor God and learn our true purpose for being born into this worldly realm.  I have been coping with writer's block lately, mostly due to life's pressures and struggling with health issues.  I've been kinder to myself lately, and after some needed bed rest my Muse and I are back on speaking terms.  Keep writing & keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz

GETTING YOUR POEM ACCEPTED BY A LITERARY PRESS

Your family, friends, reading groups, writer’s circles all love your poetry.  Why is it so difficult to get your work accepted by a literary press?

Part of the problem is that literature works are art, and therefore, subjective.  I have been writing for so long that I know I have a feel for what it takes to write a stellar poem; and yes, many of my poems are not stellar in the public’s view.  I know that.  But I wrote them out of the earnest desire to express a view.  I do have a folder of unpublished poems – I cannot let go of the creative ideas birthed within those writings, but I cannot publish them, either.  They are not very good.  Most of them were written when my vocabulary and skills were nascent.

What I do when submitting poetry to contests or literary presses:  I choose the poems that have the best “hook.”  Writers know that novels require a hook – great poets know that the first three or four lines also require a hook.

I’m happy to report that this poem, “Black Velvet with Diamonds,” will be published in “Poetry Quarterly.”  As any poet can attest, it is a great feeling to know that someone else liked your poem enough to feature it in their journal. The poem came to me as I was sitting in my back yard one night, admiring the clear view of the desert sky (I live in Las Vegas, Nevada).   I began to wonder why God would create this view, and penned:

BLACK VELVET WITH DIAMONDS
The rained pummeled His roof
for days and days
When the leaden clouds parted
He was lifted from His haze

So He built an impossibly long table
draped it with black velvet
and littered it with diamonds

The newborn twinkling stars
surely never shown so bright
The nascent moon
surely never looked so kind
as they did on that first cloudless night

God reclined on his couch, satisfied
took a nap
and dreamed up man
to be a willing audience,
to appreciate His nocturnal nativity

To submit your work in “Poetry Quarterly,” follow the guidelines on their website:  http://poetryquarterly.com/


Which of your poems have the best hook?

Good luck!  Keep writing & keep sharing – Cronin Detzz

EASTER'S RISING

He is not rising

Because he never fell

He gave us everlasting thirst

So that we drink from The Well

He gives us hot sunshine

To appreciate the rain

He gives us religious pillows of comfort

For all our worldly pain

The spear of Longinus

Did not kill The King

When we finally surrender to His Will

We lose our egos and receive everything

-Cronin Detzz

POEM: BE HERE NOW

In the now,
time drips like a leaky faucet
I'm pulling weeds
the sun warms my back
my family rests in the safety of inside
my mind rests in the safety of my skull

No poisoned darts of yesterday will find their mark
No future entanglements ensnare this precious moment
And when this moment slips into what was
another moment jumps in joy, blaring his trumpet of arrival

I go on pulling weeds
Thanking the sun, thanking Spring
Thanking the now for the safety it can bring
Thanking the weeds for pulling me outside
Thanking the illusion of time for pulling me aside
Grateful to grandfather clock
for showing me the why, the how,
The peaceful surrender
to be here now

-Cronin Detzz

When writing, we are often  not in the present.  We are thinking ahead to our next chapter or we are applying lessons and characters from our past.  Next time you encounter writer’s block, try living in that very moment.

Keep writing & keep sharing! – Cronin Detzz

POEM: WATER AVATAR'S DREAM

724,000 years ago, I stood near my lake

I longed to drink, but had no thirst to slake

I gazed at my reflection, shimmering back at me

Blue of skin, like the sky and sea

My dharma was water

My dharma was to sustain

My power: locked in the waves

My power: released in the rain

~~ Holding the cosmos together

through the gift of water ~~

In those peaceful, misty days

I grew restless in the watery haze

My dream of being human thus burst

to feel the damp!  to swim with fish!

to quench a thirst!  my only wish!

The Bringer of Light granted my desire

And I was born into a fire

A bucket of water dampened the blaze

My soul briefly few back to halcyon days

But again and again I was reborn

stuck in the wheel of earthly form

My water lords and my astral kin

dessicated the water that cleanses my sin

“I long to return to my sparkling cave,

and leave far behind earth’s watery grave”

the Lord of Lords heard my plea

threw me into a poet’s aching body

sent me away to distant, dry lands

tossed me onto Nevada’s scorching sands

Never again

will I stray from home

Always, amen

bathe in the wonderful waterfall of Om

-        Cronin Detzz

Inspiration:  during a meditation, I imagined regressing into a past life as an Avatar representing water.  I don't know where the era of 724,000 years came from, but it is best to trust your muse and write whatever surfaces without censoring thoughts too much.  One of the important tactics in overcoming writer's block is to honor the creative process and write the words that come to you.  Don't get stuck in edit mode for too long.  Keep writing & keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz 

SIX TIPS TO RHYME LIKE A PRO

What can you do when you are in the flow, writing a killer poem, and you get stuck because you can’t find the right rhyme?  This is classic poet writer’s block.  Below are my tried and true tips, along with links to rhyming resources.

 

Roses are red, violets are orange… nothing rhymes with orange!

TIP #1 – USE A DIFFERENT WORD

Rewrite the line. The orange violet example could become: “Roses are red, violets are cool, my rhyme schemes will make you drool”

TIP #2 – CHANGE THE ORDER

The classic “Roses are red” poem rhymes the 2^nd and 4^th lines.  This could be rewritten as: “Violets are blue, roses are red, sugar is sweet, she loves me, she said!”

TIP #3 – CONSONANT COMBINATIONS & PREFIXES

We usually make a quick run through the alphabet.  If we were striving to rhyme the word “red,” we would quickly find:  bed, bled, cred, dead, fed, and so forth.  I also recommend that you add the following combinations and prefixes to your rhyming arsenal:

Sl            Bl                 Ch                Br                 Pl

St            Br                 Cl                 Fl                 Pr

Sh

 

Tr            Con              Dis               Ex      Mis     Pre

Th           De                En                In       Non    Re               

         

TIP #4 – THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

          I personally do not use rhyming apps, but you can find free rhyming apps for your smart phone.  Droid has B-Rhymes which includes suggestions for near-rhymes.  For the iphone and ipad, RhymeNow has a free edition with over 55,000 words.

 

TIP #5 – NEAR RHYMES AND HALF RHYMES

Simple words like “red” and “you” have scores of rhymes, but other words are more difficult.  A near rhyme will often suffice; for example, a near-rhyme for “orange” is “challenge.”

 

TIP #6 – NEW WORDS

What is even more fun is to create your own new word.  My mother was masterful at this technique.  In a poem about children enjoying a snowy day, the children warm themselves with “steaming cups of choke-a-lot.” 

 

The primary sites that I use for rhymes are:

Rhyme Zone:  http://www.rhymezone.com/

Rhymer:  http://www.rhymer.com/

B-Rhymes:  http://www.b-rhymes.com/

 

Remember that not every poem needs to rhyme, but it can be challenging and fun.  Don’t let poet writer’s block stop you from completing a killer poem.  Do you have a rhyming tip that you would like to share?  Leave a comment, I would love to hear from you.  Keep writing and keep sharing!

 

-Cronin Detzz

POEM: ANGRY JACKET

ANGRY JACKET

photo by Cronin Detzz

wearing your jacket of anger
deploying your umbrella of denial
carrying a briefcase of shame
trudging to work with a stiffened smile

You smother your feelings
with your thermos of hatred
drinking it lustily as it burns your tongue

wondering when, exactly, life slipped sideways
This wasn't how it was supposed to be

Slip on your leaden shoes
and drag your heartache around
scream inside your head
until you are deafened to love's sound
Or
Draw the bows from your quiver
aim at your traumatic past
and finally kill your demons

Burn your angry jacket
in the bonfire of vanities

Wear rose colored glasses
and peer into tomorrow
see it embroidered with possibilities

Until at last
through heart-felt gratitude
you can freely run naked
in the satiny, silky present

-poem by Cronin Detzz, 2013

NEW POEM: The Way of the Ant

THE WAY OF THE ANT
The byzantine way of the ant
is slow and arduous
tedious and treacherous
Marching onward with his grain of food
hoping that he knows the way home

We hear the rain pattering on the roof
while the ant hears ant-sized water droplets
pummeling his armor
flooding his path home

Like a warrior, he marches on
tunneling in the dark, if he must
still carrying his parcel
dodging the horrific cannon balls of rain drops
never losing faith that he can make it home

O! If I had the faith of that ant
pressing on, dodging the difficulties of my life
carrying the parcel of my soul
believing that I am armored and protected
knowing that I am never alone, wherever I roam
and I could, finally at last, reach my beloved home
11/28/13 - Cronin Detzz

Photo copyright David Cobbold

POEM FOR WRITER'S BLOCK: THE GOLDEN DOOR OF DREAMS

At this time of year, my thoughts drift strongly to my dearly departed mother’s birthday, November 12.  She was taken away from us by a drunk driver when she was only 46.  Last year, I started to write a poem for her but writer’s block prevented me from finishing it.

Do you have some poems that, for some indeterminable reason, you were unable to finish?  I have a folder of half-written poems.  This year, I completed,“The Golden Door of Dreams” in time for my mother’s birthday.

In honor of overcoming writer’s block, I offer the following poem:

THE GOLDEN DOOR OF DREAMS

 

As she opens the secret door

Beautiful light rippled across the floor

“Wake up,” cried Ma, “open your eyes and see

I open the Golden Door of what is and will always be”

 

“Mother, please come in and speak to me,

Quickly now, before it is too late

Reveal the secrets before you cross

beyond the reach of heaven’s gate”

 

The golden light glitters

tiny flecks of honey swirling

Ma beckons me to follow

The bedroom is whirling

 

I stood at the threshold

And slowly opened the door

The whole world disappeared

And the sky became my floor

 

“Time is an illusion,” she said

“Your life is but a dream

Wake up, my child, to reality

and listen to life’s audible stream”

 

I reached out, grasping at thin air

hoping to catch an angels’ wing

“She does not see,” a voice boomed

And I could no longer see anything

 

Once again, I was back in my room

saddened at the end of the angelic show

I wanted to hug my Ma one last time

to hold her tight and never let go

 

I lay back down and closed my eyes,

imagining that she was there

She swept away the monsters under the bed

kissed my forehead and patted my hair

 

Now I know that life is a dream within a dream

that time is an illusory focus, a painting that’s brittle

Ma goes downstairs to make coffee and pancakes

and leaves the door open, just a little

 

Happy birthday, Ma. I miss you – Cronin Detzz 2013

5 TIPS: SLAY THE BEAST - GETTING YOUR BOOK FINISHED

5 TIPS: SLAY THE BEAST-GETTING YOUR BOOK FINISHED

Woo-hoo! I set a goal of one book per year, and my next book, "Supernatural Poetry," has just been released and is available at Amazon.

How do you slay procrastination the double-headed monster of procrastination and writer's block? How should you motivate yourself to finish your writing projects?

"FINISHED IS BETTER THAN PERFECT"

Click here for link to Amazon

Procrastination is a huge hurdle in writer's block. Below are a few ideas to help you slay that beast: 

1. Set a realistic deadline and have someone hold you accountable. This has worked for me thus far. I made an announcement to my dear relatives in Chicago, who live 1,500 miles away, that I would have a new book done when I visit each year. I do not want to let them down.

2. Write down your goal. It must be in writing. Make it realistic and specific, such as: "Write four chapters by the last day of this month." Put this goal in a visible place.

3. Write yourself 5 motivational notes such as, "Get that chapter done by next Monday." Have fun with it.  Imagine starting off your day with a note that reads "I believe in you!" Put those 5 notes in unusual places around the house. You could try the refrigerator, the bathroom mirror, a lampshade, inside your slippers, and on your computer.

4. Reward yourself when you meet a goal. This does not have to be expensive or elaborate, simply memorable. For example, you could stash five Snickers bars away and only allow yourself to eat one after you accomplish your goal. 

5. Most of all, remember that finished is better than perfect. Your grammar and punctuation must be perfect, but the inner content does not need all the rewrites that we writers suffer through.

Huzzah!  My latest book, "Supernatural Poetry," is a fusion of my photography and poetry.  It is such a great feeling to slay that writer's block beast and get it done! It is available at Amazon. You can peek inside by clicking on the following link: http://www.amazon.com/Supernatural-Poetry-Nancy-Kennedy/dp/1492388947/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382294012&sr=8-1&keywords=cronin+detzz

Keep writing and keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz

POEM: BLACK VELVET WITH DIAMONDS

BLACK VELVET WITH DIAMONDS
The rained pummeled His roof
for days and days
When the leaden clouds parted
He was lifted from His haze

So He built an impossibly long table
Draped it with black velvet
And littered it with diamonds

The newborn twinkling stars
Surely never shown so bright
The nascent moon
Surely never looked so kind
As they did on that first cloudless night

God reclined on his couch, satisfied
Took a nap
And dreamed up man
To be a willing audience,
To appreciate His nocturnal nativity
-poem by Cronin Detzz

Keep writing & keep sharing!

POEM: SUMMERDREAM BIRTHDAY WISH

A poem for my fellow writers...

SUMMERDREAM BIRTHDAY WISH

Take me to a magic summerplace
Where duality does not exist
Where pale, cold pain cannot remain
And love's warmth cannot resist

In my heavenly summer realm
Majestic thunderheads will purpley flume
evanescent rain will fall like shiny copper pennies
As amber dew drops adorn tiger lilies in bloom

I dream of a shimmering place
Where the darkness cannot comprehend
Where sunflowers laugh (and in harmony, sing!)
And beautifully long summer days never end

O take me to that place
Where stone-cold hearts cannot exist
Where mother nature goldenly smiles
And gentle jasmine breezes are sun-kissed

Where happiness cannot perish
And nothing turns to dust
Where moth and rust cannot corrupt
Games of hopscotch spontaneously erupt

Through the august fires of August
Death's piercing eyes will go blind with shame
Warmongers and fearmongers will be vanquished
The four apocalyptic horses will go lame

The soft lichens hug strong boulders
Like verdigris upon a bronze statue
while in my summer realm, skin is not white
nor black, nor Hare Krishna blue

In my eternal summerplace
Hatred will wither and die
ice cream drips down sticky elbows
Cotton candy clouds pinkly float by

Cartwheels in the manicured green
A sparkling lake lazily licks the shore
O summer, swathed in gold and green
So full of love, I couldn't ask for more
- Cronin Detzz

EMANCIPATED FROM RHYMES-WRITER'S BLOCK

EMANCIPATED FROM RHYMES

Here is a great tip for removing writer’s block – try writing a short poem!  When writing short poetry, writers often focus on Haikus or Tankas.  Another fun writing concept is to write in quatrains.  Quatrains, quite simply, are four lines of verse.  A quatrain normally has a rhyming scheme.   Below is an example of AABB, from one of my poems entitled "Red on the Inside."

Bend like the willow trees

Quiet as the summer breeze

Laugh like a gentle stream

Joyful as a baby’s dream

-        Cronin Detzz

A quatrain can also have a rhyming scheme like this familiar verse, where lines 2 and 4 rhyme:

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Sugar is sweet,

And so are you

A fantastic writing challenge is to write an impactful quatrain that does not rhyme.  Fellow poet, Teresa E. Gallion, is masterful in this style:

I stared down a wolf

Claiming the edge of the forest

This is not the first time

Courage has dominated my life

Teresa E. Gallion

From these four lines, we can imagine ourselves encountering a wolf in a forest.  A great aspect of this poem is that it can also be looked at in a more metaphorical sense; for instance, staring down “a wolf” could be thought of as staring down a fear.  If someone is afraid of heights, the wolf becomes a symbol of that fear.

Short poems can offer a snapshot of emotion. In this next quatrain, consider the abundant feelings when gazing upon a sleeping loved one:

I lay a prayer on your chest

To soothe your burning sleep

It is selfish to hold back

When love flows in my river

Teresa E. Gallion

A quatrain can also provide a chuckle of irony:

A thought of you so powerful

It breaks my wine glass

I cannot afford such thoughts

Crystal is too expensive

Teresa E. Gallion

Now that you have been emancipated from rhyming schemes, try to remove your writer’s block by penning four lines of poetry.  You can do this!

A special thanks goes out to Teresa E. Gallion for sharing her beautiful quatrains.  Her work can be found at the links below:

http://teresagallion.yolasite.com/my-new-book.php

Note:  Also available at Amazon Kindle store:

http://www.amazon.com/Contemplation-High-Desert-ebook/dp/B007SO8CYC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336355015&sr=8-2

Keep writing and keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz