we went to that place you like
and you ordered your favorite.
i had my usual, and you made fun
because im so predictable.
– Tamara’s Poem – 12/19/09 – 18
Chianna
your undulating eyes dart like bats
that half smile on your face
a parting glimpse of mischief
from a bright and gleaming soul
– Chianna – 12/18/09 – 17
Ode to Man
what is the heartbeat of life,
the intangible lifeblood of man?
what forces incite his waiting spirit
or causes its ardor to wane?
who moves the noble mortal
in the courses of his destiny?
and with Atlas’ strength anchors
in diluvian depths his loyalty?
why does man pulse with fire
the engine of his blood stark
against a cold and frightful sky
riveting light against the dark?
how can he strive upon strife
exciting tempestuous passion
and then land firmly in his place
in a fine and fearless fashion?
i know not. so ask me not.
for i can only wonder
same as you.
– 12/17/09 – 16
Frivolity
bounce, bound, bubble free
the effervescent frivolity
that rises up from a joyful soul
on Christmas day especially
– 12/16/09 – 15
Further Book Consumption
The Mysterious Benedict Society,
The Mysterious Benedict Society: and the Perilous Journey,
The Mysterious Benedict Society: and the Prisoners Dilemma
- by Trenton Lee Stewart
An excellent series, appropriate for adults as well as children.
The Legacy: The Legend of Drizzt, Book VII
Starless Night: The Legend of Drizzt, Book VIII
Neverwinter: Neverwinter Saga, Book II
Gauntlgrym: Neverwinter, Book I (Neverwinter Saga)
Road of the Patriarch: The Sellswords, Book III (Forgotten Realms: The Sellswords, Book 3)
- by R. A. Salvatore
I’m a huge fan of Salvatore. Always excellent. I’ve now read nearly all the books in the Drizzt collection.
Announcer
the unerring voice wavered mechanically
announcing points of interest
to the figures on the wind swept platform
standing stodgily in the rain
– 12/16/09 – 14
Morpheus
the sluggish embrace of a long friend
wrapped in tones of dusk and eerie longing
pulls you deep into lands yet unexplored
veiled in mists of hope and dreaming
– Morpheus – 12/15/09 – 13
Train
rattle and hum
move and thrum
to and fro
squeal and go
ringing bell
signal well
its coming
and its going
– Train – 12/14/09 – 12
Busker
he played music on a street corner
not yet full of the seasons bustle
the rise and fall of mournful notes
a landscape painted in Christmas hues
his red stocking cap sat a jaunty angle
while tendrils of wispy smoke drifted
on the wind, and brass vibrations wafted
down the city streets at mid day
– Busker – 12/14/09 – 11
Confession
by our confession / his indwelling made perfect / our hearts for love
— loosely from 1 John 4:15-19
Calico, and My Fondest Dreams
you were my rest and i ached to rest
weary shoulders, and a deep deep breath.
i’d think of you, and i’d see flowers,
calico, and my fondest dreams.
we were so close to perfect,
but now you’re gone,
and i find myself missing you
– 12/13/09 – 10 #favorite
Indecision
i am full of competing desires.
hopes, dreams, and knowledge of past failures,
they echo in the chambers of my mind
ponderous, pondering, weighing, wondering.
– 12/12/09 – 9
Aural Shapes
feel the aural shapes,
soft and feathery light,
sometimes sharp or hard like steel
granite forms expressed on your tongue
tasted like things grown from the earth.
felt on your skin and in your spine,
goosebumps and a flood of tears
or a sudden intake of breath.
– 12/11/09 – 8 #favorite
Sleep Is Your Friend
fatigue wraps itself around you
like a thick blanket,
heavy on your shoulders
its muffled voice whispers
sleep is your friend.
– 12/10/09 – 7
Blow Wind, Howl in the Morning Light
blow wind, howl in the morning light
race down and through and round
the bare and broken city streets.
cold and furious, frigid and wry,
you wrap your fingers fast round
staccato steps and quickened heartbeats
– 12/9/09 – 6 #favorite
My Son, My Son
my son, my son
i know the road you take
the fragile path, the long sojourn
the weary ache and pang of loneliness
the despair you sometimes feel
when you sink beneath waves
of fear and emptiness
my son, my son
i know
– 2/23/2012 — 190
taken loosely from Job 23:10
Books, Books, What I’ve Read So Far This Year
So here’s what I’ve read so far:
By Terry Pratchet: Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad
What can you say about Pratchet? He’s amazing, hysterical, wise, funny and insightful. I haven’t read anything by him that I didn’t like, a lot. I recommend him highly.
By Terry Brooks: The Measure of the Magic, Bearers of the Black Staff
I was a little disappointed with Brooks’ latest. Not as good as his usual, and certainly not as good as his earlier work.
By Jim Butcher: Storm Front
This is the first novel in a long series. It was good. Tight plot and writing. But I wasn’t in the right mood for noir, and the novel left me feeling dark, which says more about me and my mood than it does about the novel.
By Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay
I don’t even know what to say really. These books were so good I rank them in my top 10 greatest of all time. Best series I’ve read in a decade. The honesty and insight into her characters, particularly how she describes the pain and anguish of anxiety/fear/depression/greif had me unable to put the books down and towards the end, having a difficult time keeping my composure.
By Frank Beddor: The Looking Glass Wars, Seeing Redd, ArchEnemy
This series was excellent. A different take on the wonderland mythos, it had me captivated. Highly reccomended.
Soft Light at the Start of Day
soft light at the start of day
cold and gray, vapor strewn,
it dawned timid and reluctant,
falling light landing lightly
on the variegated cityscape.
– 12/7/09 – 5
Today Walljm.com is Officially Ten Years Old….
I have photo galleries that back to Jan 2001, as walljm.com was a personal site before it was a weblog, but the first post as a blog was Feb 15th, 2002. I started writing just after graduating college. Heady days back then, when the blogging community was so small it numbered in the hundreds, and you could track the new posts written on a daily basis on a single page.
I’ve grown a lot on this blog, as a writer, a photographer and an individual, slowly loosing juvenile tendencies, slowly getting better as an artist, slowly growing more discerning. This website has my very first poem, and some of the first photographs I took with my first SLR (a Pentax ZXM film camera). I’ve been less prolific than some, wondering at times why I had a blog and what I was going to use it for. I’ve been on hiatus three times, I think, the last time for 3 years in which I moved from Saint Louis to DC. But I’m glad I’ve kept with it.
Along the way I became friends with Jenn, Daniel, Paulo, Sarah, Ash, Amber, Irene, Wyclif, and many more…
At some point, maybe I’ll do a retrospective of the best posts of walljm.com. But I’ve got work to do now, so thanks to everyone who ever stopped by, and happy birthday to me. :)
Footing
i lost my footing back in april
and found i was foundering
adrift without a tether tied
my soul no longer calm
it was anguish at first to feel
the pressing panic of my mind
a palpable fear that i had lost
solace in a constant will
yet through the turbulence
of my excited state of mind
a living truth was working
to stay a shaky confidence
and though not all is settled
and doubt yet delves beneath
hope is not quite diminished
nor truth so easily released
– 12/6/09 – 4
the last two lines have always bothered me (the meter is off), but i can’t figure out how to say what i want with the right meter, so i let it stand. this isn’t one of me best works, but it was written during the worst crisis of faith i’ve ever had, one that led eventually to a severe anxiety attack. so its personal. still, i’d like to see the last two lines resolved, so if you have any suggestions, i’m open to hearing them. :)