Really pleased to learn one of my favorite poems I wrote will be published soon in https://www.snapdragonjournal.com/ @SnapdragonJrnl . Thanks!
On Crickets and a Cricket “Imagist” Poem
Ten plus years ago, we bought our first home. On one of our first nights in our home, we heard a chirping chirping sound that just wouldn’t stop. Thinking it was a fire alarm, we looked everywhere and finally found the source of the loud chirping: the sounds were coming from our heating/ air conditioning vents. Crickets!
There was no way to get deep into the vents to free the crickets, so we let them chirp, and they quieted down. Eager to learn more about the creatures creating this lovely sound, I found that in some legends, a cricket in the home is considered good luck. That was great, since it was our first (and only) home. I learned that some Native American tribes considered crickets a sign of good luck, and some considered crickets in the home a sign of bad luck. I will ignore the bad luck predictions.
Last night, I was up late working on school work when I thought I heard a muffled fire alarm chirping. And chirping. And chirping. I opened the window and heard many louder similar sounds, closed the window…and heard the sounds coming from near the window. In a heat/air conditioning vent to be exact.
Ten years later, crickets welcoming me or complaining or just being.
I wrote a short poem years ago, an attempt at an imagist poem, about crickets:
chirping of crickets
continues under
the rails after
trains pass
They are tenacious!
They also signal a starting of the end of summer, and that’s something I look forward to usually; I have had enough of mosquitoes, excessive heat, and humidity. I like cooler weather.
Yet I must admit I love the sunshine of summer as well.
Good thing I don’t control weather–I’d like the sunshine of summer and the coolness of autumn, please.
Thanks for reading, and here’s a few places to find more about these fascinating creatures:
https://goodlucksymbols.com/crickets/
http://www.native-languages.org/legends-cricket.htm
https://www.raandrade.com/superstitions-myths-legends-about-crickets/
Publications, Updated
Some of my poems, short stories, and nonfiction articles are included in books and magazines published in the UK, Greece, New Zealand, and the United States
*”Moving Gravel,” short story, in Crack the Spine’s (print) themed “Routine” anthology, 2018.
*Coffin Bell Journal,2018
“Herstory,” a poem, to be published October 1, 2018
*Spillwords Press, 2018
Stopped by Laura Lee at Spillwords Press
*Tuck Magazine, June 2018
Tuck Magazine
*Tuck Magazine, May 2018
Tuck
* Southernmost Point Guest House (UK)
Poetry
* Journal of Modern Poetry 21 (Volume 21)
JOMP Volume 21 Dear Mr. President
* Journal of Modern Poetry 20 (Volume 20)
JOMP Volume 20 Poetry Writer’s Guide to the Galaxy
* Journal of Modern Poetry 17 (Volume 17)
JOMP Volume 17
* Magazine (New Zealand) , Raewyn Alexander, Publisher
Raewyn Alexander NZ
* Fiction in: http://staxtes.com/2003/
“Between the Sunlight and the Skipping” in English Wednesdays
*Poetry in: https://poetsagainstthewar.org/ Archives
* Illinois English Bulletin, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English, nonfiction article about teaching in an alternative education program.
* Poetry in Marginalia, Elmhurst, IL
Publications, Updated
Some of my poems, short stories, and nonfiction articles are included in books and magazines published in the UK, Greece, New Zealand, and the United States.
*Coffin Bell Journal,2018
“Herstory,” a poem, to be published October 1, 2018
*Spillwords Press, 2018
Stopped by Laura Lee at Spillwords Press
*Tuck Magazine, June 2018
Tuck Magazine
*Tuck Magazine, May 2018
Tuck
* Southernmost Point Guest House (UK)
Poetry
* Journal of Modern Poetry 21 (Volume 21)
JOMP Volume 21 Dear Mr. President
* Journal of Modern Poetry 20 (Volume 20)
JOMP Volume 20 Poetry Writer’s Guide to the Galaxy
* Journal of Modern Poetry 17 (Volume 17)
JOMP Volume 17
* Magazine (New Zealand) , Raewyn Alexander, Publisher
Raewyn Alexander NZ
* Fiction in: http://staxtes.com/2003/
“Between the Sunlight and the Skipping” in English Wednesdays
*Poetry in: https://poetsagainstthewar.org/ Archives
* Illinois English Bulletin, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English, nonfiction article about teaching in an alternative education program.
* Poetry in Marginalia, Elmhurst, IL
On Being a Poet, and a thanks to Chen Chen
Something the poet Chen Chen wrote on his Twitter feed (https://twitter.com/chenchenwrites) really struck me.
being a functioning person while being a poet: i am simultaneously trying to be less overwhelmed by the world & more.
(Quote used with his permission.)
As a highly sensitive person, a true HSP, I completely relate to his idea that we are sensitive, it helps us be poets, but we can be overwhelmed by the world! How do we function while being a poet? It’s our sense of wonder, our amazing joy in small delights that are NOT small to us that can help us so much as poets. I know for me, nothing is small. I feel all deeply and personally.
How I survive is partly having a career in teaching, where I must be grounded, deal with students’ issues and concerns, grade those papers promptly, listen deeply, plan great lessons, and more. Teaching has truly grown my heart and mind.
But as an HSP, I have been so deeply disturbed by some of my students’ stories of trauma and loss. Can that go into my poetry too while not being exploitative or disrespectful? May I write in their voices, for I do listen so closely to my students.
This is another issue I need to and want to learn more about: how to respect the voice of others, share it, and not be appropriating their voices?
I’m learning, for I do have some small gift writing persona poems and dramatic monologues.
Right now this HSP is checking her class rosters several times a day, hoping her classes run! I’m also thinking about the lessons learned from being in the Rocky Mountains for nearly a week (oh! I am so weak is one big lesson!), and thinking about how much I missed my trees here, back in the flat land.
And I am SHOCKED that I handled the heights of the plane ride and the tram ride up to 9000 feet. In fact, I am more afraid to go downtown by myself than I was of the plane ride or the tram! And I am afraid of heights.
But that’s another story, a story of being OVERWHELMED by all the sights and sounds of a big city, the sights and sounds of a great cultural city that can also truly overwhelm an HSP like myself. I notice how tall the buildings are, how many people are on the streets, etc. etc. and feel overwhelmed sometimes. Sometimes just so alive by the hum and activities–so much to see, to do, to hear, to experience. The great museums, the great music, all that LIFE!
Best to you all, and thanks for reading.
Winnow Magazine:Let’s Support new Literary Ventures
I like to support new literary ventures, and am supporting and submitting to this new journal, the Winnow Magazine,https://thewinnowmagazine.weebly.com/about.html
Winnow states:
the winnow is an online literary magazine devoted to showcasing urgent works of prose, poetry, and photography from underrepresented creatives.
We strongly believe that everyone has something important to say. From the marginalized, to the disillusioned, to the unpublished, we want to hear your voice.
I, too, believe we should support hearing the voices of others.
Why not consider submitting there and reading there when they publish?
Thanks for reading.
After a Rough Summer of Submissions–Finally Positive Publication News
After a rough summer of submissions and many “declined” (rejections), I am pleased to learn my poem “Herstory Lesson” will be published by Coffin Bell Journal on October 1st. I’ll put up a link when it’s published, but for now, the journal can be found here: https://coffinbell.com/.
I don’t write in the genre they publish, dark literature, very often, but I did my research, read there (fun!), and decided some of my work does fit. Phew, because I was correct. While I wrote this poem as feminist poetry, about killing women, it did fit the genre of dark literature.
(And now this post is longer than the poem!)
Lesson learned? Read before submitting, read more, think creatively, and keep on submitting!
Thanks for reading.
August, Poetry Challenge Month?
For decades, August has been my strongest “urge to poetry” month. Something about the light, the sounds, the smells–all is so REVVED UP. Poets, agree?
I used to be in vibrant online writing communities, and every August we would have a poetry challenge. We would write a poem a day, no editing allowed, just to “rev” up our creativity.
It was glorious.
We (I!) wrote a lot of bad poetry, but I am still finding some snippets of good poetry on old flash drives and in old posts.
Hmm…perhaps it is time to reinstate an AUGUST POETRY CHALLENGE?
It couldn’t be here, on a public blog, I fear, for that would preclude subsequent publication. Perhaps back on good old Facebook, with a private account only friends can access.
There’s an idea!
Readers, writers, what do you think?
Thanks for reading.
ROUGH DRAFT: MOVING LOVE
A few years ago, I found this old rough draft of a poem I started after we had moved. I keep losing it and then finding it. This time, I won’t lose it, but I will revise, edit, and work on the poem. There is something to the “moving on” theme that is compelling–maybe escape is the correct term?
In any case, thanks for reading.
Laura Lee
********
first draft:
Moving Love
Note: …..many stanzas before this…won’t post here so I can publish one day… and took out middle stanzas
…
Memories, you said. I cannot move.
These have been
the best years of my life here.
How can you say that, I asked,
not wanting to see the paint-peeled walls
or the missing tiled floors even one more time.
They were my years with you, you said.
Today I looked for photos
I am sure I threw away in my
haste to leave and I wonder
how I could have been so cruel
how can I
live with such moving love?
Crack the Spine Literary Magazine: a Mini-Review
Yes, people still read. Yes, people still write. Don’t forget that on days when you feel discouraged.
I know I am holding on to this knowledge when the news gets too awful, when I feel my own writing is not going well, when I wonder about the world.
But where there is a love of literacy, I sense hope. And I sense a lot of hope when finding so many earnest and passionate literary journals, including one that is new to me, Crack the Spine Literary Magazine.
When I first heard the name of this magazine, Crack the Spine (CTS), I was put off a bit–no cracking spines, please. But I kept going back to CTS, intrigued by the name and wondering just what is this magazine all about.
I’m delighted to find out “Crack the Spine loves the written word. Some might say we’re in love with the written word.” (from their website) Furthermore, the process of submitting to the magazine is full of kind humor, encouragement, and wit. CTS publishes flash fiction, micro-fiction, poetry, short stories, and creative non-fiction, sponsors a themed print edition, biweekly digital editions, a “best of” and yearly anthology.
In addition, CTS has a cute “shop” where you can buy their published books as well as literary gifts such as mugs and tee-shirts.
While being a serious literary magazine, Crack the Spine emotes a kind and playful attitude that is welcoming to writers, even down to making submissions easier by using Submittable.com. I highly encourage writers to read there and consider submitting to this magazine.
As to the name? I’ve learned not to judge a magazine by its title–but I’m still watching out for my aching back.
Thanks for reading.
Laura Lee 