My 2nd Anniversary

A3

I can’t believe it, just had to pinch myself.  It’s officially been 2 years since I started this venture of blogging…didn’t think I’d last a year let alone two.  It somehow feels more like 3 or 4 years but time really has a way of making things seem longer than what they really are.  Nonetheless, I am plugging away and putting myself out there for others to stop by and peruse my musings.

I can honestly say that this truly was a journey, one that I was a bit skeptic at undertaking; it kind of felt like homework to me.  One where I would be critiqued by not one, not two but countless of others who would find aspects of my work unappealing.

I hesitated for a moment thinking “Am I crazy?! I don’t need to deal with this!”  But at my manager’s behest, and her unbridled positive enthusiasm, I decided to “Go for it!”

Even though my blog site is still a work in progress and I haven’t found a niche, I’ve found this venture to be both therapeutic and phenomenal.

I used to be afraid of what people would say about my writing style, my stories, my poems and even my rants and raves.  Just putting myself out there without regard of what negative feedback I may get is somewhat liberating.

It’s as if this blog site was my personal diary; a place where I can let my inner voice run wild.  A place where my ideas and feelings can paint a picture that was somehow hidden deep within my somnolent consciousness.

Every post written, every word chosen enabled me to create my art with unbridled pride and joy.  AND sharing myself…giving some semblance of positivity, inspiration and insight into how I see the world is invigorating.   I’m lucky to be able to do this of my own volition.  I love what I’ve done so far and eagerly look forward to what I come up with on my next post.

Positively Positive Haikus

The sun shines brightly

Happiness engulfs me now

Time to spread the joy

 

To smile means to care

My love for you know no bounds

Always…Forever

 

 Laughter of children

Innocence so refreshing

Dreams and hopes alive

 

 Following your dreams

Your story is a journey

Inspire everyone

 

 You’re a great writer

Send your work into the world

Set your stories free

The Three P’s

bb4

We all have tons of dreams

some big, some average, some small

Achieving them in our lifetime

is the common theme for us all

The map to our success

is following these three views

Learning them by heart

will help us avoid any miscues

 Patience, Persistence & Perseverance

also known as “The Three P’s

Commit them to one’s memory

is a MUST I do decree

Biding our time without complaint

having “Patience” is the key

The journey’s just beginning

in bringing our dreams to reality

 “Persistence” will outlast talent

staying the course, when all else fails

We must get up after every fall

towards our dream we will prevail

 In spite of all the difficulties

and the strong urge not to quit

Perseverance” dictates our true passion

we’ll get there…bit by bit

 So pursue your dreams to the ends of the earth

learn “The Three P’s” & follow through

You’ll reach your goals and then much more

of this I promise you.

bb5

A Special Day

day1

The day was all fraught

with stress and strife

My nerves were all bent

from the chaos of life

Thought I could handle it

but alas it was a mess

My mind stripped clean

optimism started to regress

 Getting through the day

would be most difficult to do

The wanton need for some air

near a place with a view

 So I stepped outside quickly

became akin to nature’s palette

Weight of the world lifted

introspection reset

The bright sunshine rays

the soft, silent wind

Thoughts of your warm morning embrace

stirred feelings from within

 Your unabashed, beaming smile

your gentle, loving eyes

A tingling sensation

came to my surprise

 The hours till we meet again

though they seem so far away

Thinking of you…my love

made this a special day.

Promise Me Silence

promise

Don’t tell me that you don’t love me,

don’t give me a heart that’s not true

Just promise me you’ll say nothing,

that’s all I ask of you

Promise me silence…

if you don’t really care

Promise me silence..

if your heart’s not willing to share

If you can’t tell me you love me,

then don’t say a thing

I’d rather have your silence

if that’s all you can give

Just promise your silence…

if I can’t have your heart.

 

What Birthdays Mean To Me

Today is your birthday

a time when wishes come true,

a card, a cake, a present, a party

are all awaiting you

These are things you would expect

on this auspicious day,

but my gift to you would be a special one

in each and every way

I’d offer you the beauties of nature,

the sunset, the flowers, the rainbow;

gift-wrapped, sealed and delivered with care

as you deserve them so

So when this day passes

and the days and months go by

Just look out any window

and my gifts will still be there,

as the clouds are in the sky.

A Tribute to Harold

Although my friend has long passed, for some reason I was thinking about him today and wished that my children could’ve met him.  I wrote a poem about him that best describes what he meant to me.

We were young and so new

when we started work at the store,

learning the business fast

was really a chore

We were clumsy, awkward,

and a little bit naive,

but you put your faith in us

and made us believe

In time we grew smart

with each passing day,

you lent us your wisdom

through the stories you say

In you we saw a role model

with all the qualities of the heart,

you were generous, kind, humorous, helpful

to all of us from the start

Though you left us way too early

your traits in us were sown

Let one message come to mind

and let it be known

We wish you the best in Heaven

in whatever you do,

We give you our love

and will surely miss you

So here is our gift,

so special, so true,

It symbolizes our love

to a friend we found in you.

Our “Special” Gift

I always marvel at the fact that we, as writers, can conjure up practically anything we desire with our writing.  We come up with the most creative stories, the most enticing screenplays, the most eloquent poetry and the most humorous prose.

 No two stories, poems, blog posts or screenplays are alike.  Yes they may have the same idea or premise but the way it is executed on page and presented to the reader is very individualistic.  Our inner voice comes through our choice of words and how we arrange them and the reader is fortunate to choose which voice he or she best relates to.aa8

 We really have a gift if you think about it and we choose to share it with others in hopes of educating them, inspiring them, entertaining them and even provoking critical thought among them.  Our passion has no bounds.

 The world, our experiences, our family, our friends and random conversation overheard is our muse.  We get a spark and it gestates in our subconscious mind until it is ready to flow freely onto our computer screens.

AND some of the stuff that we come up with is totally mind-boggling.  As writers, we choose to ignore the plausible and go with what our inner voice is screaming at us to write.  Just imagine if we put limitations on ourselves and our creativity, you know how boring our concepts would be.

 Every day I thank God that I’m able to write something that at least someone, somewhere would enjoy reading.  I might not be the most creative, eloquent or concise writer but I write how I feel and that’s all that truly matters; I think that this is the common thread that is prevalent among all of my fellow peers.

 Writing is our craft, our voice…and our desire to share it with the world regardless of the outcome is admirable don’t you think. aa4

 When I started as a writer, I came across a poem that really spoke to me.  Unfortunately it was written anonymously and I lost my only copy of it.  But I remembered a portion from that particular poem that I took to heart and I want to share it with all of my fellow writing colleagues – all you screenwriters, poets, bloggers, story tellers:

 “Writing is a gift

given to few,

Don’t ever give it up

or you won’t be you”

All That You Are

Are you the answer to my question?

Could it be you my love?

It makes me crazy wondering

if it’s you that’s my true love?

You give so much of yourself

to remind me that love is near

To search the feeling within my heart

will make it crystal clear

You’re the person, my answer,

my one and only love

You’re a gift sent special to me

straight from heaven above

To find an answer to true love

I needn’t go to far

For your heart reflects true love within and…

All that you are

Your sweet, caring smile

your warm and honest face

the caress of your loving hands

your soft and gentle embrace

You opened up my eyes

and turned my life around

You made me see true beauty,

showed me new joys abound

All because of you-

my dreams are close at hand,

my life is much more clearer,

my love is oh so grand

The warmth and kindness that you gave,

the strength you instilled in me,

your heart and soul is with me now-

with you I’ll always be

I’ve never known anyone

who could do these things to me,

You’ve shown me what love’s all about

you’ve taught the blind to see

The reflection in your eyes show me

that together, our love will go far,

for love reflects true beauty and…

All that you are

You’re a gift that’s truly priceless,

an angel from above

a heart filled with true beauty,

with an endless supply of love

All that you are,

all because of you,

my love has found a special place

my dearest, I love you.

If you can say it, then you can write it

There’s this misconception amongst some people that they’re not good writers; that they can’t write at all.  They feel that in order to be a skilled scribe, their vocabulary must rival that of a person with an I.Q. of 130 or above.

 These people feel that they can’t string together the correct words and phrases to convey their thoughts, ideas, instructions, stories or feelings.  These individuals see writers as a special breed of people that sequester themselves to a room and sit in front of a typewriter or computer for days on end frenziedly pounding on the keys of their devices creating their masterpiece.

Write2

 I, for one, felt that way; I perceived writers as these “gifted beings” that could poignantly craft a sentence, paragraph or story into a work of art.  Their use of words and grammar were flawless; it’s as if everything they inscribed on paper immediately became canon.

 Every time I had to write a paper for school, I’d have anxiety because I was cognizant of the fact that I was NOT one of these “gifted beings” that could put my words into writing and effectively communicate my thoughts.

 These shortcomings, and the fact that I dreamed of being a writer, drove me to improve myself in both words and sentence structures.  I was obligated to become a master of my craft and not do a disservice to writers all over the world.

I enrolled in many writing classes, read many books, wrote many things ranging from short stories, children stories, poems, screenplays, business writing and reports.  I voraciously wrote every day and even composed sentences in my head to sharpen my skills.

In all those years of writing I found one thing to be true…all of our writing, words, feelings, stories and ideas come from within. 

 Storytellers of old used to pass down their history, urban legends or culture orally from one generation to the next.  One day someone had the solution to record them on paper; that paper soon was passed on and improved on by later generations.

 Now if they could communicate effectively to another, they could surely write it down.  The whole point of writing is basically recording down on paper what’s inside of us.  If we could tell another person our idea then we could surely write it exactly as how we expressed it.

 One’s writing doesn’t have to be eloquent with long words and grammatically correct, it just needs to get our point across to the reader.  When we tell our story or idea, whether it be in a sentence, paragraph, page, or novel, as long as we’re able to get across what we need to say then we’ve accomplished what writing is all about. 

 If you have to compose a letter, report or story or dream of becoming a writer just always remember that it doesn’t take much.  Just remind yourself of the fact that “if you can say it, then you can write it.”  Speak out loud and then just write down what you’ve said on paper…that’s it.  You’ve just take the first steps to writing.

 Forget all that hogwash about long words and correct grammar; you’ll become efficient in that over time.  You just need to WRITE!  The whole point of writing is expressing yourself through your OWN choice of words; you’ll eventually develop a composition style that’s uniquely you.

Write5

 We all talk, we do it every day.  It’s something that is inherently in us.  So go forth and write to your heart’s content.  AND remember…you don’t need a high I.Q. or a vast vocabulary to write; as long as you can speak your thoughts then you can surely write it.

Write6