Poems Found by Poet Hound

http://www.versedaily.org/2009/weddingpinata.shtml
Wedding Pinata by James Hoch

http://www.sundress.net/wickedalice/davis29.html
After a Fight, Necelle Davis

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Julian Gallo's Divertimiento

Julian Gallo’s chapbook, Divertimiento, is book ten in Alternating Current’s Propaganda Press’ Pocket Protector Book series. Julian Gallo hails from New York and is a writer/painter/musician with quite a few publications under his belt including A Symphony of Olives that was also featured previously on this blog. His current collection of poems published by Alternating Current is a biting and despondent view of the world. Below I will feature several poems that caught my eye:

Gulag

I may be eaten by butterflies when the
revolution begins.
How cold is the touch of the female
hand
when it’s apparent that she doesn’t
want you?
It might feel like freezer burn, but the
revolution is circular
and constant; kicking up clumps of dirt
into your face.
I hear Russians outside, arguing. Over
what, I don’t know?
But the revolution didn’t work for
them either and, like myself,
sometimes feel as though I’ve been
cast into a spiritual gulag…
waiting…always waiting…

I may be kissed by mollusks when the
revolution begins.
How cold is the touch of humanity
when it’s apparent that its nothing of
the kind.
Better wake up and look out the
window again;
there’s nothing out there but bare trees
and broken spirits…
waiting…always waiting…

What grabbed my attention are the strange things that eat away at the poet, such as butterflies and mollusks, how even the small things may get to him before “the revolution begins.” Although I am not sure what sort of revolution the poet is anticipating, the here and now is depicted as cold and heartless, by touch of woman, by touch of humanity. I’m curious to know what kind of revolution Mr. Gallo is searching for?


Bound For Glory

Never have
I felt
so strange,
tired, lost.
The wheels
of change
spin –
Bound for
glory but
lost without
a map.

I enjoy this poem because I think it can be applied personally and universally to any who read it. Whether an individual, a society, or a country strives for “Glory” there are many confusing obstacles that can make one or all lose their way and there is never a set of step-by-step rules for achieving the goal of “Glory.”


Dogma

Words come off like bombs –
blind, blind, so blind…
The answers are always easy
and nothing is beyond the narrow
parameters in which you see life
in all its black and white glory…
Opening up is beyond comprehension;
after all, you know all.
I want to drop to my knees
and partake in your infinite
knowledge;
passed on like a missile with no
guidance
and into the heart of empty space
only to be lost, without direction;
an education wasted and strewn about
like confetti.
But the only thing that I know for
certain
is that you really know nothing at all.

This poem could easily have been titled “Know-It-All” because that’s what leaps to my mind immediately. This type of person being described is one we are all too familiar with. Someone whose “words come off like bombs” is a great way to describe the unwanted and unexpected advice or repartee of a person who thinks they always have the answers no matter how limited their life experience. I like that the ending points out that the “education” is “wasted” and that the person really knows nothing at all. This type of poem is always fun to read and write, to use defiance through the written word.


If you enjoyed this sample you can purchase a copy Diveritimiento for yourself at Alternating Current for $3.00 (+2$ US shipping or $3 out-of-US shipping) at:

http://alt-current.com

or you may mail a check made out to Alternating Current along with a note specifying which chapbook to:

Alternating Current
PO Box 398058
Cambridge, MA 02139 USA

Thanks always for reading, please click in tomorrow for more Poems Found by Poet Hound…

Dagosan's Haiku Diary

Wonderful haiku poems by David A Giacalone, I urge you to check them out at:

http://dagosanshaikudiary.blogspot.com/

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Poetry Tips: Thanksgiving

Yes, it is the time of year for family gatherings and good cheer, so why not create a Thanksgiving poem counting your blessings and thanking loved ones at the dinner table this season? It doesn’t have to be long, just heartfelt. You can also go to poetryfoundation.org for holiday poems for inspiration!

Good luck to all who try it, please drop in next week for another features site…

Juked Open Submissions

“There are no limits on word count for prose submissions—we like stories of all sizes, so long as the colors fit. (These days, though, we tend to favor stories running longer than so-called "flash fiction.") Send us just one piece at a time, regardless of length. For poetry, send a maximum of five poems.

In all instances we prefer Rich Text Format files (.rtf), but won't begrudge old Word (.doc) documents. Do not use new Word documents (.docx), as many of us are still living in the 1997-2003 years.

We encourage simultaneous submissions, but let us know immediately if your work has been accepted elsewhere. Previously published material, we are sorry to say, will not be considered.

Your work will always remain yours—we ask only for first- and one-time and archival rights. That means we use your work once, and then we place it lovingly into our archive.

If you don't hear back within four months write us with Query in the subject line and we'll see if it was misplaced.

We do not yet pay our contributors with hard currency, but are hopeful that will change sometime in the future.

Visit the Print page for information regarding print submissions.”

Send submissions to: submissionsATjukedDOTcom


Good luck to all who submit, please drop in tomorrow for more Poetry Tips…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=179992
"Nest" by Marianne Boruch

http://www.juked.com/2009/09/sha-zam.asp
"Sha-Zam" by Luke Degnan


http://accreditedonlinedegrees.org/10-places-to-help-find-a-home-for-your-writing/
Linda Smith sent me her link for writers looking for a home for their words and I hope you’ll check it out, too, by using the link above!

Thanks for clicking in, please drop in tomorrow for more Open Submissions...

Tim Scannell’s Eden, Over

Tim Scannell’s collection of poems in “Eden, Over…” was produced by Cedar Hill Publications in 1998. This collection is elegant and eloquent, Mr. Scannell has a wonderful gift for rhyme and I am happy to share some of his poems with you:

Endurance

I have decided, this November
to let each loss not longer linger.
Maples, naked, gray against snow
stripped of flutter, yet still show
their growth of limb & farthest bud
of thunderstorm & August drought.

Since it is November I couldn’t help including this poem, especially since it has a wonderful rhythm and rhyme to it. I really enjoy the lines “Maples, naked, gray against snow/stripped of flutter” to signify the absence of its leaves. It also makes a wonderful visual.


Swimmer

Tread, then, a while. Observe the swell
whose undulation flows, at its pace,
toward the place. Stop for breath, to feel
each foot-leg, hand-arm separately,
unionsoned a moment in the crossing
of palm-pulled water, sequenced kick.
So, all is well.
Tread a measure
- dance where you are –
up, up to each crest (all there),
there beautiful, even down each long,
gently-sloped trough which is
the obvious way of tidal water.
There, as eye shuts going under with
each stroke. Rest and be thankful: the coast
afloat, horizon to horizon.

The visual of the swimmer through the waves is executed perfectly in Mr. Scannell’s lines. I really like the words “palm-pulled water” as it creates a sense of feeling the water, not just picturing a swimmer moving through the waves. The poem also creates a sense of peacefulness through words such as “gently-sloped trough” and “Rest and be thankful: the coast/ afloat…”


Close Call

Down the ravine
- long talus, scree –
Nerve
Slipped butt-hot skid
Reaching
cedar branch gripped
wrenching shoulder happily
safe
- stars tonight –
yet down, slower
for another thousand feet
(aching ankles, fried soles)
Triumphant kneeling in
an eddy, finally hearing the
boulder-water-deafening
roar, and spray cooling salt
dripping from my eyes.

Tim Scannell creates a disjointed lined poem that coincides perfectly with the subject of the close-call car crash down the ravine and the racing thoughts of the driver. The sounds, the sights, the terrifying “wrenching shoulder” versus the serene “stars tonight”, the sounds of “boulder-water-deafening/roar” while landing with “spray cooling salt/dripping from my eyes” give this poem exciting motion with words.


If you enjoyed this sample, note that Mr. Scannell has recently been featured in Alternating Current’s Poeisis in a previous post and you can find him at bigcitylit.com to find out more about his writing style.

Thanks always for reading, please click in tomorrow for more Poems Found by Poet Hound…

Pathetic.org

This site is anything but! Thanks to my fellow dance studio member, Kristin, I have now discovered this site for poets and poems of all varieties. I loved the Halloween Contest poems, the first place winning poem is so charming! Please check it all out at:

http://pathetic.org/

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Poetry Tips: Poetry Calendar

Some people give out calendars for Christmas Gifts using family pictures, etc. Why not create your own gift calendar only with poems? Whether they are poems you find inspiring by other writers or your own, you could pick one poem per month, by week, or if you have more time on your hands than I do, a poem each day! I would pick Edgar Allen Poe for October, Robert Frost in December, just for an example. Or I may take my own poems, or create a mix of both. Either way, you can print the calendar pages using the web and then pair them up with poems, then find a way to fasten them together in a binder or get them bound at a copy shop so they can be hung up for display.

Good luck to any who try it, please stop in next Monday for another featured site…

95 Notes Open Submissions

Accepts Poetry year-round and publishes twice a year! I would recommend sending 3 poems with your contact information included in the e-mail and titling your submission “Poetry/last name”

“Editorial Focus
95Notes is a platform designed to showcase higher quality creative writing and artwork. 95Notes is an independent literary magazine started by Chicago State University writers to represent creative writers within the literary community. All creative minds are encouraged to submit their work to 95Notes@gmail.com.
Tips from the Editor
Please send all submissions as attachments. “

Shaunwell Posley
Editor-in-Chief
9501 South King Drive
Chicago, IL 60628

Good luck to all who submit and please drop in tomorrow for more Poetry Tips…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

http://arseniclobster.magere.com/200901.html
Cypresses by Davide Trame

http://www.versedaily.org/2009/yearsaway.shtml
In England Away by Lois Williams

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Giggle Poetry

Whether you are a parent, a teacher, or someone who enjoys good clean fun, this is a wonderful site for children sure to bring a smile to their face as well as to yours:

http://www.gigglepoetry.com/

Thanks for clicking in, please excuse me for not having had enough time over the weekend to prepare a post for tomorrow’s usual featured poet, please stop in on Wednesday for more Poems Found by Poet Hound…

Poetry Tips: Seek Advice

Never be afraid to seek advice from other writers, especially if you enjoy their work. While small press poets seem to be more easily accessible, it never hurts to write the ones in “the big leagues” who have a major publisher behind them. Some writers have a web-site with an e-mail address and it is a convenient way to get in touch with them, just be sure to be sincere and do not feel letdown if you do not receive a response. Sometimes e-mails get lost, or there may be so many e-mails the author or poet cannot respond quickly. Otherwise, you can always write to the publisher with the request that your letter be sent directly to the writer—I have done that and I received a response from the writer. Then of course there are plenty of blogs by writers where leaving comments is another way to connect and seek advice. If you are afraid of coming across as naïve or uneducated, do not let that stop you. When I first started trying to figure out how to publish I naively sent out letters to publishers asking for advice and a publisher directed me to one poet who finally responded kindly with some basic books to check out. It never hurts to ask, right?

Good luck to all who seek advice from those they admire, please drop in next week for another featured site…

Etched Press Open Submissions

“Query for full-length poetry collections, novels, or non-fiction titles. Do not send complete unsolicited manuscripts. Submissions may either be e-mailed to submit@etchedpress.com or sent by postal mail to
Etched Press
P.O. Box 3063
Wilmington, NC 28406
Include a SASE if you wish to have your manuscript returned.
Submissions by postal mail must be on letter-sized paper with one-inch margins on all sides, stapled in the top left corner, and have your name and contact information listed on the first sheet along with the title of your work. All individual poems must also have titles in bold and each poem must be on a separate page.

Poetry:
We invite you to submit twelve to eighteen pages of poetry to our chapbook series. We read submissions all year. Selected submissions will have their chapbook set, printed, bound, and the poet will receive 25 copies of the chapbook and further copies are sold in the online bookstore. Authors receive substantial royalties on all copies sold and can obtain their own copies at a discount. We will work directly with the author throughout the entire process. The layout, binding, and cover of the chapbook will be a few of the things the author will help decide.

Prose:
We are equipped to publish short stories, novellas, short memoirs, and how-to guides. Any prose we publish must be exceptional or extremely informative. Submit five to twenty pages of a complete prose piece or collection of shorter work with the title in bold at the top of the first page.”

http://www.pw.org/content/etched_press

Good luck to all who submit, please drop in tomorrow for more Poetry Tips…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=173000#
Among The Rocks by Robert Browning

http://poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19998
Spirits of the Dead by Edgar Allen Poe

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