Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Is it a world to hide virtues in?"
-Twelfth Night

Happy Halloween!

In October when the sun goes down

There comes the beasts of gown and crown

Fluffy pink and midnight blue

Can you be cute and scary too?

Fierce little tigers, ghouls and ghosts

Grabbing candy from their hosts

Princesses marching up the street

Waving wands to gain a treat

Bloody pumpkins, chains, and moans

Skeletons with missing bones

Enough candy to rot teeth

Put your sword back in its sheath!

Toddlers dressed in pumpkin suits

Cowboy hats with high heeled boots

Do you need a pillowcase?

Better bring two, and increase your pace

Maybe you will need a truck

That much candy will need luck

Give them a sweet smile and say

"Hope you had a wonderful day"

The creepiest is the haunted house

The witch is sweating through her blouse

Face paint really makes a scare

If you put it in your hair

Shall we eat some pumpkin seeds?

The gypsy wants to buy more beads

Boards that creak beneath your feet

Hungry for anything sweet

Circumstances unforeseen

Wish me Happy Halloween!

Write on Wednesday-When the music's over...

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 of support and constructive criticism. 


Write On Wednesdays Exercise 22 - Select a piece of music that reflects the mood of writing you'd like to aim for. Press play. Start free writing. Write the first words that come into your head. When the music's over, so is the writing. I'd recommend finding out how long the song is before you start the exercise. You may feel cheated in your writing time if you pick a song by The Ramones. Of course, if you feel like writing a short, punky piece by all means, go for it!

This week's prompt was a good one, and I liked choosing the song and then writing whatever came to my fingers. I chose the song "Music of the Night" from the Phantom of the Opera, because I am a HUGE fan of that musical. Anyway, I came up with a pretty odd piece. I had no idea it would end up like this, and it was rather dark, but then again so is the song. I kind of cheated and played through the song twice, because after listening once I could feel that I wasn't done yet. Anyway, hope you like it, and thanks again for all your lovely comments last week!

~Claire

The grass was cool under her feet and the moon hung ripe and low in the sky. She could feel the night pulsing, around her and through her. The sweet air made her feel drunk with darkness and serenity. Trees dipped and swayed in the breeze, and her night gown rippled with the grasses. At this time, light was silver, the night was magical. Warlocks hid behind bushes, doing dastardly deeds. She could feel the heartbeats of mice, asleep in their dens, and the soft padding of the cat’s paws in the dark. The cat was a wanderer, just like herself. 

She found herself walking across a field, staring up at the galaxy spread above her, a patchwork quilt of the sky. Every fiber felt alive, the leaves whispered to her, the stalks of plants tickled her feet. The blackness of the forest gleamed at her hungrily. There was the unknown territory, and it was pulling her in. She could feel the tug, the urge to jump into the dark waters of the lakes, to rush through woods of blackness and sing to the moon. 

As the night began to consume her very being, she gasped in ecstasy and again, when she looked down to find her feet several inches from the dewy ground. She rose up, nightgown billowing around her, a sail to guide her journey into open ocean. The trees danced in a sudden wind, she heard the howls of wolves and the gentle snores of sleepers. The night around her pressed inward, her pale, pearly hand outstretched to meet the ebony blackness on either side of her. She glided towards the stars, cushioned by shadows, blanketed by the specters of night. Blooms of murkiness ballooned about her, weaving long black tentacles into her auburn hair. 

Every sense was alive, joyous, and in tune. Her bare feet rose, brushing the treetops, and she began to fly up. Up over the houses, away from the woods, over the gloomy waters of the lake. Already, there was a pale line of primrose on the horizon, the night was drawing to a close. She turned her ivory face away from the sun, her arms outstretched, embracing the darkness, not the light. The music of the night flowed around her, the shadows lurked inside of her. She turned away from the light, the life she had. As the sun rose in brilliant splendor, she sped west, following the night which had captured her soul and her heart. She could hear the music. She could feel the magic of the night. 

Picture Story: A Night of Snow

Once on an October night
The weather put on a show of might

We awoke to wind and snow
Where oh where did autumn go?




The morning came, we rushed outside
Laughing, we started to slip and slide




The camera flashed and captured trees
That looked a little weak at the knees
The scoreboard stood, I watched and grinned

Winter came quickly to snag the win



With Halloween but a night away
What were we to do today?






My brothers did just what they could
Playing and fighting with snow and wood

The trees were chilled, and so were we
We ran through fields, happy and free



Until it was time to go inside
Where it was time for our mother to chide




The day was passed in snowy fun
Yet the snowstorm had us all stunned

The day before Halloween came snow
We wanted it gone, it had nowhere to go

Versatile Blogger Award

First off, thanks so much to Lillie McFerrin and Rain for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award! I am honored that people who I have known for such a short amount of time could choose me as a versatile blogger. I am getting all warm and fuzzy inside!

The rules of the versatile blogger award are as follows: I must give seven facts about myself, then pass on the award to 15 newly discovered bloggers who I think deserve it.

Here are seven interesting facts about me:

1. I love to write haikus. They are quick and easy, yet can hold so much depth and emotion in so few words. Haikus are my go to type of poetry, but my favorite type to write ever is free verse. I love to stare at a blank page and know that I can write anything I want to.
2. My (not so) secret dream for "When I grow Up" is to become a writer and a poet, and live on a farm in Vermont. In my fantasy, I would own a donkey and two collies, and perhaps other animals too.
3. I am completely obsessed with soccer. I avidly follow international soccer, and my favorite team is Chelsea Football Club in London. I love to watch and play soccer, and my bedroom is covered with posters of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
4. I am the textbook definition of a bookworm. I adore classic literature, especially English, including Jane Eyre, Shakespeare, and P.G. Wodehouse.
5. I am a helpless romantic and believe that the best stories have happy endings. I LOVE happy endings (Nicholas Sparks, anyone?)!
6. I have two brothers who were born on my third birthday. People are always interested by this, even though I would rather have my own birthday!
7. I love blogging, and am quickly becoming an obsessive. I now have two blogs and my favorite part of the day is always writing my poems.

And now for the moment of truth...The truth is, I don't know who to give this too. I love getting it, and I wish I could just give it to everyone!
I would like to give this award to everyone who I have read so far at Write on Wednesdays. You are all amazing writers, and made me feel so welcome in the world of writing. Special shout out to Gill at Ink Paper Pen who organizes WoW and is a very versatile blogger, and to Lillie McFerrin and Rain, who nominated me, and who I would like to nominate back, because I think the same of them. I also want to nominate a friend of mine who is new to blogging, because I believe she will develop something special. That is Sam at Team Reverie...

Thanks again so much for nominating me, and thank you to everyone at WoW who has helped me along the way!

Claire

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"We should be wooed, and were not made to woo"
-A Midsummer Night's Dream

Gloves

My hands they feel as numb as ice

If only thick gloves would suffice

But know the chill seeps right through all

I guess I will brave out this squall

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and nodding violet grows,
Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine"
-A Midsummer Night's Dream

Snow?

White fabric covers the grass. Pure as a wedding dress, light as the downy feather of a baby bird.
Wet and crisp as a juicy apple. Sifting over the orange of our pumpkins. Dripping, melted from the roof.
Before its time, like jingle bells in September, flip-flops in January.
Snow in October? Can it be?
Methinks it is a little early...

Five Sentence Fiction

Hey there everyone. I have been meaning to try out five sentence fiction for awhile, because I was curious and it kind of reminded me of poetry. Five sentence fiction can be found every week at Spring Days, New Growth, which is another good writing blog I found through Write on Wednesdays. Anyways, here we go!

What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week I will post a one word inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the inspiration word. The word does not have to appear in your five sentences, just take your inspiration from that word. 


Word this week: Horror


"Mo-om, this tiara doesn't fit right, " whined Sabrina, picking at the sickening costume she herself had decided on. Oh, the horror, thought her mother, drifting up the stairs yet again to perfect the cloud of pink which had descended on her daughter. Sabrina had found this year's costume "all by herself," which had haunted her mother solidly for the past week and a half. As she straightened her sweetie's glittering crown in preparation for the big night, anyone watching would have thought this was some pre-pagaent ritual, that she was reading her daughter for the catwalk, but Sabrina's mother just sighed. It was only Halloween, after all.  

Anger?

Rain is sad. A deep and thrilling melancholy which wrenches the soul and suppresses the senses. Seeps beneath your hair and into your brain. Rain is a blessing. A wet plague. Rain makes cars angry. They splash defiantly past and a cruel wave of water follows. Drenches innocents who walk
By the side of the road.
Rain. So very sad and wet. Frigid rain, slanting sideways in the wind. Chilled to the bone. Desperate. Rain is a torture.
Light and warm. Silky smooth and smiling. Summer rain. Washes clear the sky. Slips by, sugary sweet. Summer rain brings Rainbows.
Rainbows bring Happiness.

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"My state is desperate for my master's love"
-Twelfth Night

Jump

here I am 

all alone

left to flourish

left to roam

I stepped into this pot of soup

It's up to me not to droop

I am ready

do your worst

I refuse

to feel cursed

I feel blessed 

every day

I hope my luck

is here to stay

here we go

it's time to jump

I will not

land with a  thump

here we go

I'll fly away

and jump into 

a bright new day

Golden Leaves

Scattered bits of gold
They litter the grass and fall
From the boughs of trees

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Away before me to sweet beds of flowers.
Love thoughts lie rich when canopied with bowers"
-Twelfth Night

To Catch a Sailboat

One day when I was down by the sea

Drinking in the warm summer sun

A magnificent thought came to me

But my adventures had just begun

The sun was shining clear and bright

I saw a sailboat passing near

The sails were crisp and in full height

I almost jumped right off the peer

The sailboat laughed, but me, I cried

To watch it sailing far away

Through the water it did glide

I swore at it and cursed the day

The day the sailboat turned me down

The day my hopes were dashed

I slid into the water and tried to drown

For Oh the sailboat and I did clash

But swim I did and rather fast

Down the narrow, chilly straight

The sailboat snickered from the mast

All the way low to its freight

One day I caught a white sailboat

A day of sunshine clear and bright

And I have learned to gloat and gloat

To sing about my glorious might

Write on Wednesdays-I thought I saw

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 20 - Write the words " I thought I saw" at the top of your page. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write the first words that come into your head after the prompt. Don't take you pen off the page (or fingers off the keyboard). Stop only when the buzzer rings! Do this exercise over and over if you wish. Write beyond 5 minutes if you like, you can link it up as an extra post.



I thought I saw a flash of lightning. Quick and jagged, piercing the ebony night like a rip in the fabric of the sky. My hands drummed nervously on the wheel as the rain began to come down. First slowly, then heating up fast like a salsa dance. My foot eased off the gas pedal and I frantically turned the dial of the radio, searching for a distraction. I hated lightning. Thunder boomed a bass note and the trees stood out, tall and unforgiving against the greenish black light of the tempest. Now the bass of the thunder was echoed by the thumping bass on the radio. The car's windshield wipers kept time, an odd tempo. I jiggled in my seat and swung around a narrow corner. Perhaps I was going too fast, but I wanted away from the storm and the night and the terrors I am sure were awaiting me. The steering wheel was now as wet as the car with beads of sweat from my fingers. Suddenly, a truck loomed before me, lights blinding and wheels skidding. I screamed in perfect time with the song, but for a very different reason, as my hands came off the wheel to cover my face. Lightning raced across the torn fabric of the sky as the rain poured down. The storm was in full swing. 




Well, that's what I have for this week. I enjoyed another five minute stream, because it gave me enough time to get my scene warmed up, yet not enough to let me stop and think about what to do next. I like the hurry, because it forces my ideas to come more quickly. Last week's prompt went very well, and I received a lot of wonderful feedback. Thank you so much for the time you put in to read mine, and I try to read most of yours...


Claire

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"This was a great argument of love in her toward you"
-Twelfth Night

Concert

Voices raised in joyous melody. 

Soaring on high, melding with the rich wood of the rafters.

Conveying the words of a hundred years past.

Sweet tones, dulcet airs. Everlasting song.

Mouths open and swaying to the tune.

Music so deep it seeps slowly and lazily into your soul.

The chorus brings soft smiles to the faces of those who listen.

The chapel is brimming with noise. With happiness.

Like a cup of sunshine, singing. Drink it up, the warm feeling.

Music in your heart and mind together. Carved wood rejoices when it is hit

By the tender notes

Of a song.

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"You pay a great deal too dear for what's given freely"
-The Winter's Tale