I plunged bare feet into the stream
shocking cold
a primal scream
ice water rushes round my thighs
shaking teeth
teary eyes
slippery stones
Ouch!
soaked arm and seat
distant shore
twelve steps to greet
gritting on, a drunken dance
nearly falling
whoa!
a wobbly stance
so close now, I yell and rant
I want to run but simply can’t
one last lunge
Oops!
a wet face plant
tio stib, 2015
You might also enjoy: Seattle Sun, Dirty Snow
Tags:
no
I’m a writer
who
when lazy
writes poetry
which
on occasion
is sometimes worthy
of the name
am I a poet
and just don’t know it
are my words sublime
though they don’t rhyme
do I speak of passion and romance
or merely do a two step dance
there are times when I wonder
if writing poetry is
my current blunder
Is my poetry an art
or merely a creative fart
if I could see me in the mirror
would I see an artist there
as my words drop on the page
are they legacy or loony rage
can I pretend that this is passion
when I write with mental caution
are these outpourings of the heart
or a mind so bent it cannot start
still the question gives me pains
am I a poet?
what else remains?
tio stib, 2015
You might also enjoy: Why I Write Poetry, Writing Well
What does it take to write well? I’m certainly not the person to spout forth on this. Yes, it is my goal to write well, to be a wonderful storyteller, to captivate with words, yet I don’t feel even close to that summit.
But climbing towards this lofty goal, I’ve found some guides who’ve made the way easier. These are writers whose commitment to excellence inspires me to better myself. I study them. I listen to their words, their language, their stories. And, in the midst of such explorations, I question who I am, what is my unique voice, how can I take these lessons and build my own authentic way of writing?
Here are some of the writers who inspire me to writing excellence:
Robert McKee, “Story: Substance, Style and Structure” McKee is the dean of Hollywood screenwriting gurus. His book, “Story,” is the Bible for screen writers. Why do I put this book at the top of my list? Because I believe that writing is storytelling, the essence of communication through the ages. Hollywood has spent a century perfecting the art of storytelling and McKee is the master teacher of storytelling through the medium of screenwriting.
“Hemingway’s Top Five Tips on Writing Well.” A short yet complete article from Copy Blogger on the principles that guided Hemingway in his writing process.
William Zinsser, “On Writing Well.” The essence of good writing, simple and complete, always an inspiration and practical reminder of the path I must take to achieve writing excellence.
“The Hero’s Two Journeys,” a seminar with Michael Haig and Christopher Voegler, two of Hollywood’s most sought after screenwriting consultants. Their seminar explores the roots of symbolic storytelling and lays out specific structure necessary to develop compelling plots.
Carl Iglesias, “The Six Essential Habits of Highly Successful Screen Writers.” An article in which Iglesias lays out the basics of screen writing, a.k.a. storytelling, success.
Stephen King, “On Writing.” Part memoir, part master class on creative writing, this is King’s story of the perils and principles of great writing and he has the credentials to stand behind his words.
Tio Stib, “A Blind Writer’s Guide to Excellent Audio Books.”
My book reviews of great books I’ve listened to, including a wide variety of genres and a list of Pulitzer Prize winners. My believe is that if I want to be the best I must study the best. That’s it for now. Any suggestions on other places to explore for writing excellence are welcome.
Best wishes for your writing success!
a lone form sits
in front of fire
a sacred glow
on sea of black
as sparks rise
to eternity
I warm my hands
cold nips my back
giant shadows shelter me
dark branches reach for stars
I shiver
then look out again
as time swims into hours
a tiny speck of being I am
no more no less than all
alone
yet somehow one
I know the peace of home
a hint of bright appears beyond
a light begins to grow
moon man crawls up into night
revealing worlds below
in silent silver majesty
on every hill I see
the silhouettes of noble elk
taking midnight tea
the curtain lifts
strange voices shriek
a thousand years unfold
as Nature’s unseen opera shouts
to spirits now and old
with these wild
coyote swoons
I watch Man’s dreams
fly past the moon
Tio Stib, 2015
You might also enjoy: Imagine Water, Dead Horse Point
Tags: Nature, campfire, Tio Stib, blind poet, blind writer, poetry, solitude, traveling, wildness,
wilderness, Oneness, moonrise, wonder, peace, home, tranquility
Tio Stib, 2015
You might also enjoy: Imagine Water, Dead Horse Point
Image by Fred Moore
stone silent sat
the silhouette
in front of screaming sky
gold, orange, red
and brilliant blue
a day had drifted by
time ran lost
through canyons steep
sandstone carved by gods
warm wind echoed
ancient feet
ghosts passed by with nods
as my soul watched
from Life above
the dream below unfold
a gringo Buddha
slowly smiled
at stories yet
untold
tio stib, 2015
You might also enjoy: Promise, Imagine Water
standing silent on the sand
as time drains from my mind
I see a lone heart on the beach
a love that once was mine
you asked for love
you let me in
to see
your wounded soul
you shared your shame
but did I hear
sadly, I said “no”
your heart screamed
did I feel your pain
no,
I hid behind my walls
afraid to love again
I violated sacred trust
your tears a silent shout
and now lost in loneliness
mere words will never count
I know now a larger love
That cries we’re not apart
too late though in my emptiness
I see footprints on your heart
tio stib, 1995, 2015
You might also enjoy: A Cure For The Valentine’s Day Blues, Intimacy
I offer this post as a comedic contrast to my previous and more serious post on “Cosmos,” Carl
Sagan’s probing and deep look into man’s relation to the Universe. Douglas Adam’s presents a
lighter side of this topic in “his Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
This is the book that spawned the BBC television series of the same name and later a movie. I
remember the television program, an irreverent parody of science fiction done in the offbeat and
whacky Monty Python style. Listening to this book some thirty five years after it was published, I
was astonished to discover how contemporary the story is. Yes, great humor is timeless but
even more so, “The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” still has relevant messages about life
that are brilliantly comic and absurdly profound.
What amazed me most was the mind of Douglas Adams, a fascinating and often troubled
creative soul who left this world before he was fifty years old. For all its seeming craziness, The
Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is surprisingly deep in philosophical observation and
wonderfully complete in its multi-dimensional story telling.
This is a short book, full of fun and humorously posed life questions. I found it both mentally
refreshing and laughingly enjoyable. It was a real treat to listen to a writing genius at play.
Here’s a link to a free audio book version on YouTube:
Enjoy!
You might also enjoy: Cosmos, We Are Made of Star Stuff, Nightwalk
A wise friend of mine often reminds me of what his grandaddy said when facing tough circumstances.
“Boy, in life you’ve only got three choices in any dire situation. It’s the basic law of Nature. When facing any threat of impending doom, you can either adapt, migrate, or go extinct. Period.”
Seems like a rather simplistic pronouncement, but as I’ve studied how these words measured up against my own unending perils, I think old granddad summed it up quite well, although I’d modify his thought thus:
“In any perilous situation, man has three choices: adapt, migrate, or don’t be happy.”
How might this apply to man’s’ daily encounters with the arguably most dangerous of species, women? Consider the following example:
He is sitting in front of the television, beer and chips in hand, watching the championship football game. He’s been looking forward to this all week. She marches in, stands defiantly in front of the television and blurts, “The sun’s shining and you’ve promised to cut the grass for weeks. It’s time!”
Adapt, migrate, or don’t be happy.
Consider the options:
Adapt: You could negotiate, promise to cut the grass immediately after the game, never mind that it’s already 4 p.m., and darkness will engulf the yard at 6, not to mention this is a double header day. Or, you could offer to do the yard tomorrow, hoping she doesn’t remember that you’ve already promised to take the family to the Wonderland Theme Park. Yes, you can adapt by trying to negotiate. In this case you’re options are limited as this is the tactic you used the past two weeks in avoiding the task. Next-
Migrate. You could arrange for your buddy Harry to call and then tell your wife he urgently needs your help in fixing his broken hot water heater, you’ll be back as soon as possible. Of course, Harry’s hot water heater is fine, but now you and he can watch the games in the safety of his garage undisturbed by domestic trivia. The downside of this is that Your wife and his wife are also friends and it’s more than likely that they will talk and your wife will soon discover that she’s been scammed, reducing your options to the final
Or don’t be happy. Yes, it may come to this. After reviewing all your other options and their consequences, you may just have to get out and mow the yard or face the continued wrath of your wife. But, wait, perhaps there are other possibilities. Let’s go back to adapt.
Man’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances has been the single most important means of his survival on planet Earth. What are other ways he can adapt to this crisis? He could call Billy, the teenage kid next door, and offer him $20 to cut the yard, plus a free beer on the side. For an extra $10 he could probably get Billy to wash the wife’s car too. Now, we’re talking bonus points in the Love Game, getting out of the hole and back on top of her graces, (see previous post on The Love Game). Yes, it’s always wise to consider all options for adapting to crisis situations.
Looking for more ideas for how to survive and win the Love Game? Check out my new book, Remedies for Reluctant Romantics, 100 Ways To Sweep Love Its Feet. It’s available on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Remedies-Reluctant-Romantics-Tio-Stib-ebook/dp/B00HM9CN7A
I’m in your corner.
Tio Stib
In earlier years, I was not know for my patience. If I wanted something, I wanted it now. This was especially true with women. However, I soon discovered that my urges and life reality seldom converged. As the saying goes, “Disappointment is the fruit of expectation.” Safe to say I was often disappointed.
Having led a rather reclusive social life in high school and college, I had little dating experience. My thought at the time was that dating was something you did in order to get married and live happily ever after like Ozzie and Harriet, (my apologies to those of you who have no clue who this couple is. Suffice to say they were the all American ideal of convivial married life in the 1950s. There is no equivalent couple on today’s television as convivial married life no longer seems to be a desired situation in America). Anyway, Ozzie and Harriet were my role models and I based my theory on dating on attaining their smiling perfection.
My idea for a great date was this:
I find a girl who seems to fit my shortlist for the perfect wife and ask her out. What “out” means doesn’t really matter, we’re just going to go do something together. She, seeing my sweet smile, unabashed neediness and sweaty nervousness, takes pity on me and says, “Yes. Of course!” I nearly feint, but manage to remain standing long enough to meekly reply, “Wow!” To which she answers, “What are we going to do?”
Pause.
Longer pause.
Finally, an inspiration pops into my brain.
My mouth opens, “I heard the fish are running. Let’s go to the fish hatchery and watch them strip eggs.”
Pause.
Longer pause.
She turns and walks away.
Okay. That didn’t turn out as hoped for.
It took some work for me to finally get my “Ask her out for a date” pitch tuned to where I got a girl to totally accept my proposal. I think the winning jingo was. “How about we go midnight bowling?
On to part two in my One Easy Step to Romance and Eternal Bliss. Nothing complicated, we walk into the bowling alley, I pay for shoes and a few games, buy two large Cokes, and we claim our lane. A few warm up games, during which I pay close attention to her form, also noting how well she bowls, thinking, she’s done this before. I watch as she throws a gutter ball after three straight strikes. I wonder if she’s noticed that her score of 135 is far higher than my 42. She smiles as she returns to her seat and sips her drink. I pick up my ball and turn to face my pins, then suddenly turn to her, ball gripped tightly with both hands, and blurt out, “Will you marry me?”
She continues to sip her Coke as she stares at me, a blank expression in her eyes.
I repeat my request, “Will you marry me?”
This time there is a response. She drops the Coke. It falls to the floor and explodes all over my shoes. I drop the bowling ball as I stare down at the brown liquid chaos. I see the large black ball land on my toes.
“Owwww!!!”
I see the ball continue to roll towards the gutter, then notice that she has disappeared and catch a fleeting glance of her, coat in hand, rapidly disappearing towards the exit.
Okay. That didn’t work so well either.
Neither did numerous subsequent efforts. Keep in mind that the emotional turmoil that resulted from these failures took months to recover from, so my dating efforts were spaced healing months apart.
Yes, admittedly I’m a slow learner, especially when it concerns social matters. However, to my credit, eventually I did figure out something important.
It is much better to have great friends than to have occasional great sex. Good friends I look forward to seeing again and again. I can’t say as much for some sex partners, although I’m sure those partners couldn’t say much good about me.
I adopted a new dating and relationship strategy. Friends first. I decided that the intimacy I really wanted, that feeling of closeness and security was only possible by building friendship, a process that takes time and commitment. Friendship is not a one night stand. Yes, the bliss of sexual pleasure is alluring, but is often a momentary illusion, a glimpse of something grander. But that something is only possible with dedication to building a mutually rewarding relationship.
Friends first.
I don’t expect anyone, especially those youthful in years and filled with love fantasies to pay much attention to all this. Each of us must find our own way in life, however painful that may be. But I offer this final thought.
If there is someone special you’d like to be involved with, start with friendship first. If this works and the two of you become respectful, trusting, and supportive of each other, new doorways will open.
Friends first, because if you can’t be friends, why bother?.
(Looking for more ideas on love and romance? Check out my new book on Amazon, Remedies for Reluctant Romantics, 100 Ways to Sweep Love Off Its Feet.)
Winning at the Game of Love!
Romance For Dummies…
It’s time to give thanks for the new things blindness lets me do. Here’s my gratitude list-
Now I don’t have to think twice about entering pie eating contests, closing my eyes and plunging my face into a mound of banana cream is a total delight.
On another food related note, I no longer worry about crying when I cut onions as keeping my eyes closed during this process is a piece of pie.
When riding with Mohammed, my favorite taxi driver, I no longer fear for my life as I slide across the Taxi’s back seat while he speeds around a corner, responding to my pleas for more caution with his favorite saying, “Not to worry, sahib. We are in the hands of Allah.”
People don’t snicker as much when I drool. This may or may not be true as my hearing is also failing.
I now can really say it was an accident when I walk into the women’s restroom.
I don’t feel at all badly when I purposefully trip over someone’s obnoxious little yipping dog.
I am no longer bored sitting all day in a small boat waiting for a fish to latch onto whatever I’m dragging behind as blindness has made me a master waiter.
The thought of speaking in front of a large live audience is no longer paralyzing. O.K., it’s not like anybody is asking me to do that, but I’ll be fearless when it happens.
I no longer pretend that people’s baby pictures are cute. Wrinkled hairless babies are ugly.
I am no longer concerned with seeing God in my life. It would be nice to have a
short conversation though.
Nobuddy bugz me abut spellin enymore. Thank Got!
I have no excuses for not living William Perky’s famous quote-
“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.”
Yes, I’ve lots to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, especially the immense love my wife, family, and friends have given me during these difficult times of adjusting to a new blind reality.
My life has many blessings and I wish the same for you.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Winning at the Game of Love!
Romance For Dummies…
