Ornery Poetry: For Wes #8Sunday #SnipSun

 

Genre: Poetry

Heat Level: Poetic

Blurb

Poetry; a unique and beautiful way to express feelings and ideas. Weaving words into perfect poetic prose, these authors remind you of your childhood, bring comfort from the hardships of life, fiercely spur emotions, and tell tales of old. All lovers of poetry will find a favorite here!

Featuring the following authors: Lee Clark Zumpe, Nick Armbrister, Anna Ross, Toastingfork, K.J. Watson, LindaAnn LoSchiavo, David J. Vowell, Roxana Negut, Vanessa Bane, Cassandra Jones, Andrea Tillmanns, Mathew Anderson, Fariel Shafee, Davion Moore, Afshan Q, Korede Badmus, Cara Hartley, Tanya Fillbrook, and J.E. Feldman.

Snippet

For Wes

It’s been 25 years since I saw you play. The rhythm of the music shook the audience to our bones. For a couple of hours, we were all friends.

I dreamed about you last night. I was backstage staring at your tattoo of yourself on your arm. I can’t remember if you have tattoos, but if you do, I’m certain you don’t have one of yourself. One of the reasons I had it so bad for you is because you don’t have a big ego.

I spent the rest of the dream unable to find a way into the show.

icy mountain roads

winter trees covered in snow

wind cuts through to bone

113 Words

Yes, my desk is in a storage area. Technically, it sits between my sleep area and storage. My bedroom is long and about the size of a studio apartment. To put it kindly, the guy who owned the house previously made some very unconventional remodeling choices. If I look to my left, I'm looking at the remnants of what used to be a wall dividing two rooms. I get the feeling a lot of beer and happy herb were involved in his creative architectural decisions. 

Buy Link

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The e-book is currently available for pre-order. It will be released on June 23, 2025.

Pre-Order Price $1.99

About the Author

Ornery Owl is a wise old bird who seeks the truth behind the lies. She uses her observations to heal the wounded soul. In essence, she is the spirit of an odd little bird whose wings were clipped at a young age. She is at once a whimsical manifestation of poetic expression and a fierce protector of those targeted for derision by an angry and unsympathetic world. Depending on how you perceive her, she can be either a goddamned delight or your worst nightmare.

Follow Ornery Owl (AKA Cara Hartley)

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Ornery Owl is Outstanding in her Field

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April Is Upon Us: 2025 Version

 

Free use image from Gordon Johnson on Pixabay

Hello, fellow poets. I will be participating in NaPoWriMo, the April PAD Challenge from Robert Lee Brewer at Writers Digest, and the Writers.com 30-day poetry challenge this year, but I won’t be publishing my poems here because I am submitting them to Dragon Soul Press for consideration in the forthcoming Soul Chaser anthology from Dragon Soul Press. You can find out more about the anthology on this page.

https://dragonsoulpress.com/poetrycalls/

Here are links to the sites mentioned in the first paragraph.

https://www.writersdigest.com/2025-april-pad-challenge-prompts

Napowrimo.net

https://writers.com/napowrimo-prompts-for-national-poetry-month

One of the prompts for the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge from Long and Short Reviews asks what books I’d like youths to discover.

https://www.longandshortreviews.com/wednesday-weekly-blogging-challenge/

I think young people should be introduced to poetry in all its forms. Classic poetry, modern poetry, world poetry, it’s all worthwhile. 

I feel that some people concentrate too much on perfect form. For me, poetry is a way to express certain emotions and concerns that I otherwise can’t. I don’t want to censor the story my soul wants to tell. There’s a time for concentrating on form. However, most of the time, poetry is catharsis, it’s therapy, it’s a way to bleed out without dying. 

I didn’t realize until I was in my fifties that the way I behaved as a teenager and even well into my adulthood was a trauma response. I don’t know if I would have survived without poetry to help me express what was happening inside me. I didn’t understand it. I just thought I was crazy. I had a lot of unhelpful labels put on me, but nobody doing the labeling was interested in helping me heal. They wanted compliance from me, not peace for me.

I don’t go on about this sort of thing as much as I used to. In some ways, it’s water under the bridge. I also got tired of not being heard or understood. That’s just the way it is. The people who will get you, especially if you’re an odd specimen like me, are rare birds. The ones who get and like you are rarer still.

So, the cool things I’m doing this month are poetry and creating some sort of weird hybrid mess for a Camp NaNoWriMo replacement project. Everything else involves crap like taxes and Medicaid renewal. Blech! Yuck! Suckville!

The thing about Medicaid renewal is that if we had a national health system, everyone would be on it, so there would be no need for Medicaid renewal. I have believed we should have a national health system in the US since my youth, and I will continue believing it through my old age. I wonder if we’ll get one before I put my other foot in the grave.

Anyway, I want young people to be exposed to poetry from the time they can write. I want them to not only learn about other people’s poetic masterpieces but to learn to create their own. Being able to express one’s pain in a positive way is essential to mental and spiritual health. There isn’t enough focus on the importance of the arts. Engaging in creative activities not only leads to inner peace, it leads to greater understanding of oneself and one’s place in the world.

A world with Medicaid for all and poetry for all would be a much improved place in space.

Ornery Owl Has Spoken

Ghost Stories #InsecureWritersSupportGroup #OctPoWriMo

  

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

October 2 question - Ghost stories fit right in during this month. What's your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends chills up your spine.

I shall combine this question with the following prompt and create a Haibun for your reading displeasure. Imma call this one Ghost Stories.

https://experiencewriting.com/2024/09/30/writober-early-birds/

My early memories include my father reading A Christmas Carol. Scrooge's ghosts have stuck with me throughout my life.

I was a precocious child and a bit of a Wednesday Addams. By the time I was six years old, I was reading Edgar Allan Poe and my father’s collection of EC and Warren comics. I loved the horror hosts who, despite their fearsome appearances (and Vampirella’s scanty attire), were actually quite wholesome.

In my first grade classroom, there was a book about a haunted house with an evil spirit in a jar. I’ve never found another copy of this treasure.

being forgotten

never being recognized

forgetting oneself

And now, it's picture time! The prompt is universal fear.

Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

What if Death shows up looking like Jeeves rather than a robe-wearing skeleton with a scythe? Would that make him less scary? 

"Good evening, Ma'am. Would you care to follow me to meet your maker for a spot of tea?"

According to this picture, Death is a jellyfish-headed mothafucker with lobster claws for hands because I can't draw people. Or much of anything else, really.

As an added bonus, here's a text I received Monday morning.

Surely, there's no reason to suspect that it's phishing. Doesn't USPS always wish their customers a day filled with positivity and joy?

In other news, I've decided not to continue my attempts at building a subscription option on Ream. I've learned that Michael Evans, a genuinely good guy, was forced off the platform he founded. Instead, I intend to focus my subscription-building efforts on my Substack.  

I wish the person playing the loud music with the repetitive rhythm that's giving me a headache would fall into a sinkhole along with their device of annoyance. I'm not the least bit sorry for wishing this. 

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by Rashid Asgher from Pixabay

Ornery Owl is working on making peace with her inner owlet.

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Enjoy some synthwave.

https://odysee.com/@dnbstartrek:b/cyberpunk-age-exploring-the-retro-future:8?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

https://odysee.com/@alternativemixtapes:9/cyberpunk-triad-dark-electro%2C-dark:3?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

Dark electro, dark synth, dark techno

To follow this month's poetic adventures, visit my poetry blog.

http://poetryofthenetherworld.blogspot.com

Consider subscribing to my Substack. Most posts are free.

https://naughtynetherworldpress.substack.com/

Visit my Start page.

https://naughtynetherworldpress.start.page

The Lessons of the Scarecrow 30 Days of Haiga 2024

 

Image by Willgard Krause from Pixabay

harmless and straw-stuffed

diabolic rural fiend

what is Scarecrow's truth?

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-special-12-busons-scarecrow.html

Image by Holger Grybsch from Pixabay

Sometimes, an image is wonderful, but it isn't the right choice to convey your intent most effectively. This is true for both visual and written work. 

I initially selected the image of the friendly straw dolly-style scarecrow to illustrate my poem because I didn't want to use the stereotypical horror movie scarecrow. However, this image was not the most effective choice. The shadowy scarecrow figure's ambiguity perfectly conveys the poem's message. It's just a harmless old scarecrow hanging in a field--isn't it? The shadows seem malevolent, but that's just a trick of the light. Probably.

The right image at the right time brings power to your work, lending it a lasting impression. There's nothing wrong with the straw dolly. She can be repurposed. In fact, she will be my model for today's etching. She simply didn't bring the most evocative energy to my scarecrow poem.

I once read an essay about writing good Haiku. Unfortunately, the only thing that stuck with me from this article was that it referred to certain of its samples as "bad" rather than simply showing how they could be written more effectively. Nothing discourages aspiring artists, poets, and writers more than the fear that their efforts will be ridiculed. Shame is not an effective motivator. It is more likely to encourage a person to abandon their efforts than to spur positive changes. 

My scarecrow Haiku will never win any prizes. It probably breaks several rules of Haiku perfection. However, my motivation when writing it was not to win any prizes. I wanted to contrast the harmless scarecrow archetype with the horrific version and raise the age-old question: can you judge a book by its cover? Are scarecrows funny, floppy beings, or sinister creatures hiding wicked secrets? At the heart of it, my true motivation was to pair philosophical concepts with a bit of fun, and I believe I succeeded in that goal. 

I'm not going to do a combination post this time. This post will work nicely for my Substack and as a free post for my Ream channel. 

While I am still committed to the 30 Days of Haiga project, not all 30 days will take place in September. Because of other commitments, I am taking the pressure off myself by making this a quarter-long project rather than a month-long one as I've done in years past. If I write the last of my 30 annual Haigas in December, it's fine.

I'm still learning to pace myself rather than beating myself up for being unable to comply with the too-ambitious goals I tend to set for myself. I consider this decision a win. Creativity should be enjoyable rather than feeling like horrible homework. 

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by LoneWombatMedia from Pixabay

Scarecrows and I have something in common; we're both outstanding in our field. 

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Follow 30 Days of Haiga and other Fall poetry projects

http://poetryofthenetherworld.blogspot.com

Ornery Owl's Ream Stories

https://reamstories.com/naughtynetherworldpress

Ornery Owl's Substack

https://naughtynetherworldpress.substack.com/

Cold Crow and Drab Duck 30 Days of Haiga 2024

 

Image by Alexa from Pixabay

either cold or hot

crow is a dish best not served

choose your words wisely

The prompt put me in a Senryu state of mind.

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-71-cold-crow-kangarasu.html

I know this bird is actually a raven. But it makes a nice stand-in for a crow on its nice, snowy background.

Image by Bianca Van Dijk from Pixabay

Mandarin Duck

Image by Yana Vakulina from Pixabay

mandarin she-duck

beautiful in her own way

despite drab feathers

The Prompt:

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-72-mandarin-ducks-oshidori.html

Image by eriko okuno from Pixabay

I believe the only place you'll see ducks like these is when taking a trip, and I'm not talking about going for a drive to the local pond in your car.

Do you pity the female Mandarin duck because nobody compliments her drab plumage? I don't. I wish I could be more like her.

When I was younger, I thought I wanted men to be ga-ga over my looks. I was also very conflicted about my body. I hated it when my hips developed but I wished I had bigger breasts. I hated it when gross men whistled or shouted at me from car windows or construction sites, but I wanted the guys my own age to want me. 

I never had the kind of looks that would have made me a sex object. I had a big butt and thighs with a modest chest. My face was "too round" even when my weight was "proportional to my height." I had cosmetic work done on my chin and teeth to make my face more conventionally attractive. 

After having liposuction on my chin, my delightful boss at the airport clothing store told me I should get something done about my "chipmunk cheeks." As she said this, she pinched my cheeks. I was too astounded to say anything. My face was bruised and puffy, I had a compression bandage wrapped around it to help reduce the swelling, and this maniac was pinching my cheeks. This is one of those times where there simply were no words. 

As I got older, I attracted attention because I have the "wrong kind" of body. I have the kind of body where everyone thinks it's their right to tell me how I should change my body. I think it's my right to tell them all to fuck off. 

Unlike my younger self, I don't want to be noticed for my looks in any way, whether it's positive or negative. I look different, so my looks attract attention. I want my creations to get noticed, not me. 

Peter Frampton once said he didn't understand why photographs always focused on his face when it was his hands that made the music. Phil Lynott said that even though he didn't encounter serious racial prejudice (his mother was Irish and his father was from Guyana) he was, nevertheless, aware that he was "other," and it bothered him. 

I resonate with both of these thoughts. What difference does it make if I look like a Playboy centerfold or if I look like a Playhutt centerfold? I'm not a pinup girl, I'm a poet and writer. You don't have to see me to read my words. If you're thinking about me rather than what I've written, either you're a stalker or I need to improve my technique.

As for being "other," I spent decades trying to change my appearance because I thought I looked ugly.

I may never have been beautiful, but I didn't look ugly. I looked like an East European peasant with my round face and stocky body. If that's not your thing, that's fine. I'd never try to force anyone to pretend they think I'm beautiful. 

Here's the thing, though. If you behave like someone not resembling your ideal bed partner is presenting a personal affront to you simply by existing, you, not they, are the problem. Not being attracted to someone is not a reason to treat them like garbage. 

Rather than seeing people's appearances as attractive or ugly, I see them as attractive or neutral. It's a person's behaviors that make them seem ugly, not an asymmetrical face, wonky teeth, the size of their body, or any other external factor.

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Final Market of the Year and Hawks 30 Days of Haiga 2024

 

Image by G.C. from Pixabay

browsing unique gifts

final market of the year

in a lengthy life

The Prompt:

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-69-year-market-toshi-no-ichi.html

I ran the photo through several filters. I really like the stark contrast between the light and shadows. 

Image by Nicky ❤️🌿🐞🌿❤️ from Pixabay

Here's the image I (ahem) DREW inspiration from for today's etching.

I had no idea scratching out a bunch of gnomes and other weird things would take so long. I don't think I'll be etching a hawk today. Maybe tomorrow. 

Red tail hawk by Jim Black on Pixabay

out on the prairie

hawks perching atop fenceposts

watching for a meal

The Prompt:

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-70-hawk-taka.html

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Winter Grasses 30 Days of Haiga 2024

 

Image by Agata from Pixabay

grasses gone to sleep

creatures hibernate beneath

winter has arrived

The Prompt:

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-68-winter-grasses-fuyu-kusa.html

Here's my first image. From a graphic design standpoint, this is fantastic! The simple lines and bold colors make a strong visual impact, and I tried to ensure that my text art blended in with the feel of the grasses and berries rather than trying to upstage the background.

I'm a graphic design school dropout. I went for one semester in 1998 and never went back. I was hoping to get into video game design. The very first instructor I had took a disliking to me. I really didn't want to go into advertising design, which was her focus, and she seemed to take that personally.

I didn't want to simply copy the above image for my hand-drawn version, so I chose a different picture.

Image by Edyta Stawiarska from Pixabay

Oh boy, it's a horse. I suck at drawing animals. Challenge accepted anyway because the rainbow scratch paper may make my awful rendition charming in spite of itself.

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/