The Story of my Blog Title

Quilt of Dragonflies- My blog is named that for a reason.I am lucky enough to own a genuine Quilt of Dragonflies, which I am sure brings me good dreams when I sleep beneath it. It was given to me by a friend of my mother's, who handmade the entire thing. Color meets pattern in this fantastic piece of artwork which sits on my bed. Brilliant shades of purple, blue, and green intersperse with tie dye dragonflies. I will not hesitate to call it my inspiration.







Friday, September 30, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Through the house give glimmering light
By the dead and drowsy fire;
Every elf and fairy sprite
Hop as light as bird from brier"
-A Midsummer Night's Dream

Notes

Music flowing through my brain
Is liking singing in the rain
Completely happy, full of joy
Notes can now become a toy
In the heart of someone true
They can live inside of you

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"We'll have a swashing and a martial outside,
As many other mannish cowards have."
-As You Like It

Rain, rain, rain

Torrential downpour
Feet squelching in soggy shoes
Depressing and damp

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"You taught me language, and my profit on't
Is, I know how to curse. The red plague rid you
For learning me your language!"
-The Tempest

Watching the Sky

the trees are rustling in the breeze
not loudly, but enough to let me know they are there.
even the grass is louder than I am today. it stirs, completely and utterly alive.
does grass have emotion? I think while watching an ant crawl across my leg.
there are some dead leaves already scattered about the yard. soon the rakes will come out.
is it autumn already? they skitter down the driveway, clacking against the pavement with
that special noise that only dead leaves can make.
it's a little eerie,  to tell the truth.


the back of my neck is getting  little bit chilled in the cool wind. my foot has fallen asleep because
I have been sitting on it. unaware of the pins and needles
I am too caught up in the world around me.
when a car passes, I tell it to hush so I can hear
the buzzing of the last bees of summer.
I shoo the clouds away.today I want to see the sky!

Songbird...It's Write on Wednesday

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 16:
Hadge says:  Take a favorite (or even random play) song and write the story behind the lyrics, not something inspired by the lyric, but the flesh on the bones of the story. It gives lots of scope for interpretative writing. Use the lyrics or theme of a song  for a piece of flash fiction (50 to 200 words). To clarify, write your version of the story behind the lyrics in a song.


My song: Imagine, by John Lennon.

Ok, so I wasn't sure at first which song to do, but this one really has the most wonderful message, and I love John Lennon (including everything he did with the Beatles and by himself). I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for all your support last week when I was new to WoW.

~Claire



She sat in her chair by the window, surveying the world outside. Her pale fingers tapped lightly on the sill in time with the piano, her frail bones poking through the skin. As she smiled to herself, the wrinkles on her face seemed to melt away, the stoop in her back to straighten. Peace, this song brought peace. 


She thought of the wars she had seen, the terror on the streets, the crying of children. Why? Her hands began to shake as the memories rushed over her. Suddenly, as John started to sing, she found the courage. The courage to pick her head up and imagine. Imagine a perfect world. She knew that her time on earth was becoming short, but listening to this song made her smile. There were still people out there. People who cared.


Then, she stopped thinking altogether. Stared out at the grass and the trees, the butterflies and the pale blue sky,simply letting her mind flow to a better place. I am a dreamer, she thought proudly, her old eyes shining with the happiness of someone who has found their place in the world. 

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Our court shall be a little Academe,
Still and contemplative in living art. "
-Love's Labour's Lost

Foot Music

Painted toenails tap
Against the soft soles of shoes
A thin melody

Monday, September 26, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Most rude melancholy, valour gives thee place. My herald is return'd"
-Love's Labour's Lost

Jazzy Book Sale

Jazzy melodies float around my head
The spines are broken and cracked. Pages dogeared from years of love.
Soft saxophones and a piano. ragtime.
Some are thick and the print
As small as the stitches of an expert sewer.
Someone croons and sings of love. His voice so smooth it could be
Melted chocolate.
The books need me. I need them. I bend and pick them up out
Of the old cardboard box with Office Supplies on the side.
Feel the old, fraying covers.
Trumpets blast and drums roll. Leisurely swing tunes.
With the pile in my arms, I walk to the desk.
With a spring in my step...

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"O graceless men! They know not what they do"
-Henry VI

Tears

Her face is stained with
Darkened tracks of bitter tears
Her heart is bleeding

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"That when I waked, I cried to dream again"
-The Tempest

Sunset

A soft glow slowly spreads across the horizon as Apollo's chariot disappears
It is the faint blush of first love, the scent of roses.
Simple at first, it gains complexity. Now it is the orange of leaves in autumn. Of ripe mango juice dripping down your chin. The golden light of a trophy gleaming in the hands of a winner.
This fiery blaze moves up and up, consuming the sky, cavorting with the puffs of clouds which tango through the haze of colors.
Then, from the outside of your gaze creeps a tinge of violet. This is the violet of the first flowers of spring. Of the dusky gaze of a solitary sprite who creeps into your path at twilight. Next it darkens to blueberry pie, which is spilled across the brilliant orange and red tablecloth. This indigo is the color of a symphony rising to its climax, it is the color of a monarch rising to meet her people.
Abruptly, the symphony comes to a close, the blueberry pie darkens and the gold and vermillion are nowhere to be found...
The sunset has died, now to wait until the next time Apollo's chariot slips beneath the horizon.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"If they make you not then the better answer, you may say they are not the men you took them for."
-Much Ado About Nothing

Be happy,be sad.

Define yourself. walk outside barefoot in the summer sun. smile to the heavens.
when it rains, and you feel blue. don't sit one more moment beside your window moping.
wipe the frown from your face. run out into the yard, spin around in circles. sing in in the rain.
watch the dark clouds float away, revealing the blue sky. as the trees around you drip and the wet grass sticks to your feet, cheer and dash through the grass. swim in the cool air, dive into the sunlight.
when you are truly melancholy, let the tears slip down your cheeks. they deserve to. live life to the fullest, but don't live so hard that you have no time
to dream.
sit in your worn out chair with your worn out book. cheer for your team when they win. cheer when they lose. celebrate all there is to celebrate. walk on the beach at twilight and let the sand and surf wash over your feet. hike on nimble feet through the forest in the autumn. watch the leaves burn from orange to gold to red. lie on your back to watch the stars.
be happy, be sad.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"The big round tears
Coursed one another down his innocent nose,
In piteous chase. "
-As You Like It

The Sea Music

The golden waves wash
Up and over the pale sand.
Glistening and flashing
In the morning sun
Rushing with
The cool breeze
And the seagulls
They dance to the same tune
They sing to the same music

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Hereafter, in a better world than this,
I shall desire more love and knowledge of you."
-As You Like It

Fall to the Ground

The branches still have leaves
Soon they will fall to the ground, but for the moment they stand tall.
Covered with ruffles and lace. The leaves spin patterns of their own. They are embroidery of the
Finest sort. The trees compete.
My dress is the best. Watch it turn flaming red. silken and soft
The leaves sway in the wind to their own tune.
The tune of the wild.
Soon the grass will turn grey, the bark of the trees will harden with the frost.
Their fine clothes
Will slowly but surely
Fall to to the ground.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"I came hither to tell you; and circumstances shortened,-for she hath been to long a talking of,-the lady is disloyal."
-Much Ado About Nothing

Rain

Rainy days. We watch as small drops fall from the sky. How can water
Change our mood, just by falling
Down to earth? The grass is slick and
To be avoided. Cars drive by too quickly
And douse unlucky passers by.
The sky is the color of a
Chalky blackboard. A white wall
No longer perfectly white
But a dull grey from the wrath of time.
The poor trees are left outside all day. They mope and
Hang low. Bicycles stare morosely
From where you left them on the lawn.
They rust in silence.

Write on Wednesdays

I have known for awhile about something called Write on Wednesdays, and have been writing for myself, but I think it is time to publish some of my short works and link them to Inkpaperpen. I cannot guarantee they are any good, but the only way to get better is to practice. To all my regular blog readers, Write on Wednesdays gives one prompt every week, and bloggers can link their post to the WoW post. To anyone from WoW, this is my first time and I am sorry if it is not very good. I am mostly a poet, but I love to write short scraps of things for fun, and I am always looking for ways to improve my writing. One other thing, I went a little over the word count because I forgot about it. I will try harder in the coming weeks, I promise! Well, here goes...


The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment. You can grab the button for Write On Wednesdays from my sidebar.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 15 - Give yourself some time to notice the people around you. The people who may cross your path each day. Choose one person, someone you don't know, and this person will become the basis of the week's writing exercise. Describe this person as you see them, describe their surroundings. Then imagine a problem, create conflict for this person. Describe the conflict. Describe how your character deals with the problem. The conflict might resolve itself, it might not. It is up to you.  The aim is to show how your character responds to conflict and in the process, reveal something about that character. Tell us their story.


He had the radio on to some trashy station that he wasn’t paying attention to. His foot was resting easily on the gas pedal as he puttered up another nondescript street. The collar of his shirt was itchy, and his hand frequently found itself scratching his neck. At the first house, he stopped and, grabbing his oversize carrier bag, climbed out of the blue and white truck and walked up the steps. 
His worn out sneakers slapped the sidewalk as he gathered the letters and ads in one hand and expertly dished them out into the mailbox. Was that a wedding invitation?  He inwardly groaned at the advertisements which he saw so often, knowing that only he could appreciate their nastiness. He, who carried them around all day, wishing desperately that he would find a wad of cash tucked into the magazines, or a secret note on the back of a letter, just to make his life a little less mundane. 
The letters were different. He loved those envelopes, which told so many stories about the people who trusted their correspondence to him. He only wished that some day there would be more, not the dwindling number of droopy birthday wishes and sappy wedding invites. Every day he yearned more for true letters, fat paper packages filled with pages of deep sentiments and secret thoughts. 
Over the years, he had begun to lose hope, waiting day after day for something special, something addressed to him. His hair had whitened, his bones had grown old and weary, yet still the postman waited. He knew his day would come, and when it finally happened, he was ready for it. He sat in his truck, which was nearly as old as he was, smiled an elderly smile, and ripped open the bulging envelope, only to gasp aloud and fall back into his seat, completely stunned.  

Monday, September 19, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin
As self-neglecting."
-Henry V

Who Am I?

Who am I? faded jeans and t-shirt
young vegetarian and
animal lover.
undecided waiting for an
epiphany
clear and bright
well, I
 try to be
not perfect, I am
an irregular shape
like no other. I try hard
creative and mostly understanding
I crave happily ever after
not just a normal teen
whatsoever
thinking learning achieving failing renewing
I am excited
to be me. alive.
smiling out of dusty picture frames.
I am a child. playful in spirit. in everything.
my roles are increasing
teacher, student, sister, friend
I am strong
and I am weak.
Who am I?

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Yet better thus, and known to be contemned."
-King Lear

Defiance.

My brothers are sitting on the couch and chair respectively.
They sit perfectly still, not moving a muscle. The players on the screen charge up and down the field,
Their huge bodies buffeting against one another. A clumsy, dangerous dance.
I watch disgusted as my family
Curls inward towards the television. They are like
The many petals of a dying flower
Slowly coming together.
Withering in the light of the screen.
A single ray of sunlight
Somehow not blocked by the curtains
Twines into the room and
About my face.
I smile and photosynthesize.
Making energy where there is none. Defying the TV.
I stand and drift out of the room
The announcers continue.
Two monotones, oblivious to my absence. So are my brothers.
Upstairs in my room I relax and stare out the window at the sky.
The sun smiles and winks at me knowingly.
Ah, brothers. They are all the same.
Downstairs they are stuffing themselves with
Unhealthy junk.
Watching guys in pads smash into each other with a ball
And call it a sport.
I disagree.
The sun has moved down
While I ponder. Now it shines
Dappled through the leaves of a tree.
Kissing my face with its rays
And congratulating me on my
Defiance.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Sweet moon, I thank thee for thy sunny beams"
-A Midsummer Night's Dream

We Do

We fight for the glory.
Sprinting towards the end
Which is a haze of gold and rapture
We stand up for what is right.
Laughing and singing all the way
We live our lives
Like there is no tomorrow, because maybe there isn't.
We dance under the stars and rejoice in our mistakes
They make us stronger.
We take advice, and give it back
We love completely and
Befriend everyone
Leaving no one
Alone.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun
Ne'er saw her match since first the world begun."
-Romeo and Juliet

TIme Well Spent

Golden hours.
The air around us is shining. I can feel your presence. Tangible and alive. Shimmering in the sunlight of
Mid morning. Your eyes sparkle with happiness. They are brighter than the rippling water
Which slips around the dock.
You say something
And laughter fills the air
Sweet and sincere.
We smile into
Each other's eyes
Loving every second.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us"
-Henry V

Sky Colors

Sometimes I sit in my chair.
Not doing anything at all. Blank as a sheet of paper.
Clean as a frost in the first light of morning.
The sky is a charcoal colored canvas.
Sometimes I sit in my chair and wish
That I could reach up and up
Real high.
Take a pencil and just draw. Violet stars in the mid afternoon. Swirls of vermillion and sapphire, whenever I feel like it.
I could paint the dawn. And the dust. And at certain times of the day, I could
Paint a rainbow. Just barely peeping through the thick wall of clouds. The thick wall
Of my thoughts.
On bad days, the sky is ebony. The color of coal because I don’t think
A world with so much suffering and pain
Deserves the colors. But then my mood lightens.
I turn the pencil around, so the point is no longer
Tainting the sky.
I rub and erase all the black.
And it is back to stark white.
Now I can
Pick up my palette. Chartreuse. Azure. Ivory.
I use blushing pomegranate red and thistle. The green of leaves
In the first minutes of spring.
Sometimes I sit in my chair and just imagine. Picture those colors until they are so vivid and so real. I sometimes jump up from sitting and dash to the window.
Stare at the charcoal colored sky. Just to make sure.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Angels and ministers of grace defend us!"
-Hamlet

A Long Day

My brain is aching
My muscles are shaking
My bones aren't waking
Everything is breaking

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Women will love her, that she is a woman
More worth than any man;men, that she is
The rarest of all women."
Winter's Tale

Soccer in the Heat

Dirty and sweaty and red
A mosquito is circling my head
Why can't I get paid
Or sit in the shade
No, I am stuck on the field here instead

Monday, September 12, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"My lord, I'll steep this letter in sack and make him eat it."
-Henry IV

Solemn Clock

The solemn clock sits
Atop the shelf and displays
His sound and prowess

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"According to the fair play of the world,
Let me have audience; I am sent to speak"
-King John

Not Much Sleep

I feel groggy and half asleep
Ready to laugh and ready to weep
How vague things seem in fuzzy light
I think it's time to say goodnight
Waking early is insane
It's just like waking
Without a brain

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

“When words are scarce they are seldom spent in vain”
-Richard II

North Carolina

I came
A suntanned girl
Looking for opportunity
Searching for the end of summer
In the brown dregs of a bowl of wet clay
Six days flew by
Six days of laughing and learning
Spilling and making huge messes
Gorging myself on things
That looked vile
But tasted fabulous
Now
I am leaving
A girl
With short fingernails
Smudges under her eyes
And probably smeared clay somewhere
On her body
A happy heart
When I step on the plane
In the dense air of North Carolina
I will turn my head
Raise my glaze spattered hand
And wave goodbye

Friday, September 9, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!/ For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."
-Romeo and Juliet

Yesterday

Sorry about missing yesterday. I had a little problem with the internet. Anyway, here is today's poem...

Bits of clay flake off
my fingers which are dry and
much used at present

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun
Ne'er saw her match since first the world begun."
-Romeo and Juliet

Emotions

Tiny fluttering
A pair of wings beating in
The depths of my heart

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Monday, September 5, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day


"Journeys end in lovers meeting,
Every wise man's son doth know."
-Twelfth Night

my poor little pot

A rubbery heap
A cracked tower
Help up by supports
Drooping like
A weary old man
A blob
Nondescript
Silent and sulking
Almost as if it is angry
At me, its creator
For being so infantile
So useless
Of course it cannot feel this way
I tell myself
But still
My fingers scratch its surface
I can almost
Hear the whimper
As my poor little pot
Begins to collapse

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of Day

"Absence from those we love is self from self - a deadly banishment."

Airplane

The tinkle of an ice cube
Against a plastic glass filled with
Sugar and carbonated water
The loud humming
Somewhere in the background
Never quite forgotten
The minuscule overhead fan
That blows cold air onto me
Somehow chilling me to the bone
The acrid smell
Floating just underneath the surface
Of badly disguised vomit
The clouds drift by
Seemingly unaware
That I am watching them

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Birthday

One year older
I ponder that phrase
While I am stuck
In the growing-up maze
Am I really better
By 300 days
Or am I just searching
Diving into haze?
My life is a cyclone
Just one really big storm
But here I am searching
Looking for norm

It's my birthday!

"There was a star danced, and under that was I born."
-Much Ado About Nothing

Happy Birthday to me! This quote was sent to me by somebody who loves me and was thinking about me today. I think it is a great quote, and it really describes Shakespeare himself. He must have been born under a dancing star, because his words are truly magical. Anyway, another year gone. I hope all my readers are ready to get back to school and back into the grove of things.

~Claire

Friday, September 2, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"First, rehearse your song by rote,
To each word a warbling note:
Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
We will sing, and bless this place."
-A Midsummer Night's Dream

Water Up My Nose

Stinging nasal pain
Vision flicking in and out
Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! That hurts.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Take hold of me, for my particular grief
Is of so flood-gate and o'erbearing nature
That it engluts and swallows other sorrows
And it is still itself."
-Othello

Away from the Field

the tension slowly builds
first
in my head alone
then
in my muscles, which 
screech into action
like an unused bike
I wipe away the rust 
from my cleats
from my shin guards
I polish my ball and 
siphon off the dirt and grime
from my legs
the tan of summer
spreads like a stain 
across me
a mark of my leisure 
and of the time spent
away from the field