Warm up exercise for April PAD 2011

OK, I got a great crew going so far in this. Celeste, Jessica, Don, and Joy. This is a great core of writing and potential writing talent that is assembled. Very much an nWo styled clique, or perhaps a new Rat Pack for the 21st century. Man, if you got the five us in the same room, it would be the center of the party. The best conversations, the loudest laughter, the most glances given in hopes of being caught in our eyes. The wit of the staircase, so to speak.

Room for one more... or two... think it over. Would love to have you aboard...

The challenge begins on April 1, 2011, but in the interim, founder Robert Lee Brewer has given out a warm up exercise. I'm all for that. I'm interval training for a 5k next May, so I'm all for this:

For this week's prompt, write a spring poem.

Now, if you go to his page, you will see what he did with that prompt, and his style of how he presents is how I plan on presenting for the contest. However, until I write what I need to write. I have to stop reading his posts. Why? Because I am trying to not be too easily influenced in what I write. If he wrote a poem about a red wagon, I would start thinking about red wagons. The trick with everything I am trying to do is to bring a slant, a view, and a verve to a subject. I cannot create in a vaccum, but like everyone else, I am a reflection of influence. There have been events, people, media, and experiences that have shaped me. The trick to being successful, not just in writing but in your life, is to not parrot this, but to evolve with it. It took me a real long time to stop being a parrot and starting singing my own song. That's what life is all about.

But back to the poem topic...

This winter was a rough one where I was learning to dealing with depression and working through it in therapy. I came face to face with my darkest parts, and learned to start disassembling every part of me in order to get a grasp of the big picture. So when I think of winter, I think of a season leading into spring. When I think of this past winter, I think of personal darkness. So as I go into a new spring, a spring that will feel more warm and alive than any other I have ever known, I need to bring this experience to a milestone. To do that, I am going to write this poem from the vantage point of a winter...



I am still in the air
Trying to bring down a cold comfort
Designed to numb the senses
But as the sun rises higher and higher
I know my days are numbered

The days of darkness are my room and board
For where the darkness exists
I thrive
Where there is no life, no growth, no warmth
I exist

When your day to day world needed change
I provided a new color and brightness to the canvas
I brought the means of evolution to the trees and seeds
I gave the air a new quality
And you appreciated my initial gifts

But when you allow change
You also invite discourse
When you allow discourse
You also sent out an invitation to
The disintegration of the familiar patterns

I covered your world with my strongest gifts
Of cold, of ice, of wind, of snow
I tried to comfort you with the only blanket
The only means of providence I can give
For like you, I also have my limitations

When the light has left your eyes
I remain your only constant, your only companion
Do not blame me for what you are feeling
Your experiences through should be no surprise
For I exist as I am without any air of mystery

But life doesn't exist in one state,
And it seldom stands in one place for long
As the sun continues to rise
My means and methods are in tatters
And there is nothing I can do for you anymore

Something new is growing and rising
And what once was old is new again
There comes that moment of realization
Your world has always been, and always will be,
Nothing more than a constant changing of the seasons

J.

http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/2011/03/23/WednesdayPoetryPrompts128.aspx

The seed is planted, Now it is the time to call out, Warrior Poets

Let's go back a few months to November. Does anyone else remember when I tried my hand at NaNoWriMo? Remember how that went? I'm tempted to put up a YouTube clip of Brock Lesnar tearing up an opponent in the Ocatgon, but I figured that you'd have gotten the point by now. NaNo completely and totally destroyed me. I didn't even get to 1/10th of the required writing. It left me drained, confused, and opened up a lot of holes in my self confidence.

Little did I know that it was only Round One...

You see, I am blessed with some amazing friends with great insight. One of them, an amazing writer named Celeste Hollister, showed me something interesting that is coming up. It is the 2011 April PAD Challenge. PAD stands for Poem A Day. She waved this front of me like a Twinkie, and I just have to take a bite. So soft, golden and good...

Glutton for punishment? You're half right. But I really started thinking this through. I did not write a novel in 30 days. That really isn't all that surprising. To not write in a constant fashion and to turn out a novel is the equivalent of a couch potato suddenly getting up and running the New York City marathon. More often that not, it leads to the most utterances of "What was I thinking?" that do not involve alcohol and waking in strange beds.

Poetry on the other hand, that I can grasp. In college, I wrote a lot of poetry. Later on, I would turn that love into crafting some lyrics for music that I wrote. There is something amazing that happens when words come together. They are pieces of a puzzle and the tools of art. You can use words to create and shape worlds, build up and tear down ideas, and move the world.

And you know me - I gotta get some of that.

But unlike NaNo, I am making a big change in the approach. I am not going to treat this opportunity like the last time. It is not going to be me against the project, the world or myself. No, this time, I am calling each and every one of you out. Right here. Right now. I am calling you out to do this challenge with me.

My friends are amazing. Each and every one of you reading this are brilliant. Do not think that I have never been amazed by what you have done in life. Some of your creations are awe inspiring. I am blessed to know you, my musicians, my actors, my directors, my writers, my bankers, my teachers, my students, and my peers. Each of you has at least one major gift - and I think now is the time to perhaps, perhaps, uncover a new one that might not be evident now.

I am sending out a call through the wire. I am looking to assemble a tribe of warrior poets. I have included the link detailing what will be starting on April 1st. All I ask is for a gathering of friends to band together and create something. The only requirements to join in:

* be fearless when you dive into the ether

* publish your poetry on a daily basis

Do not be daunted or fooled. This is both as easy and as difficult as you want to make it out to be. It is a creative process, and they are mysterious creatures. But you are not alone. This is something that some people do all the time, and for 30 days, you can create anything you want to. This is an open license for you to express yourself like never before, to explore new depths of creativity. You will be part of a mighty tribe that will be challenging the world. And you know me - if my friends are involved, there is nothing I won't do to see them succeed, thrive, and survive. Other people give shirts off their backs, I give clean shirts for you to keep. Together, we will find the means to grow like never before.

If you decide you wish to do this with me, simply reply either here or on Facebook, and state your intention to join in. Once assembled, we are going to have a lot of fun! - J.

http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/2011/03/01/2011AprilPADPoemADayChallengeGuidelines.aspx

Round 2 is about to starts, and I am ready to touch gloves with the unknown...

Will you join me? - J.

A plan hatches (part 1)

Of late, I have become more aware. More insightful. Seeing the world through different eyes. Some people have referred me to being more enigmatic. Perhaps. This is either the start to a purer insight, or the beginning steps of insanity. We shall see.

But with the insight I possess, there comes new means of taking inspiration and enacting change. Let's take this past Tuesday, when I was trying to catch a bus. I admit to oversleeping and running to catch my bus to work. 100 yards. Made the distance, caught the bus. And it damn near killed me!

I have no illusions about my physical fitness. I am 6 foot and around 240-250 pounds (I don't own a scale, and find weight numbers utterly meaningless, but in this case, it helps with illustration), and I am in shape. Round. Round is a shape. Even with that, I should be able to physically perform at a satisfactory level. That jog from hell told me that I couldn't. Moment of realization.

If running kills me, and my favorite physical activity involves a hammock, then something needs to change. Back in the day, I ran a lot. I remember being able to jog around the campus on a daily/nightly basis without it being trauma. I'd like to get back to that.

Later that day, I talked to Amanda, my health coach. Yeah, I got one. Surprise! She told me of a program that could help me with that goal. I will be starting next week, and I encourage you to join me. No members fees, no giving me or a company your email address or setting up yet another account that you have to look in on. All I'm asking is that you check it out, and make the decision whether or not you want to commit to it.

It's called Couch to 5K. I read it over, and this is something that is pretty realistic. I'm committing. Check it out, and let me know if you want to join me.

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

The physical aspect is only the beginning. There is more to follow, and perhaps an even larger commitment I will ask of you. There are new roads and directions appearing all the time. It's just a matter of having the vision to see them, and the desire to go off the beaten path. More to follow - J.

Introduction

Welcome to Steinhoff's Grill - at the request of a dear friend, I will now be using this page as a forum for creative endeavors. In the past, I have dabbled in the fields of poetry, photo art, filmmaking, short fiction, and music. Here, I plan on bringing them to the table, and presenting them to you.

Some questions you may be asking:

Who are you? - My name is Jim, grew up in the forests, now live in the city. I have seen the world convert from analog to digital. I have seen the world change from the wonders akin to a travelling carnival to a world where everything you want is a click away. I feel that travel and wonder have disappeared from our souls, and I am hoping that in some small way, I can bring it back.

Why are you doing this? - Because art is beautiful, wonderful, and needs to be shared. Nothing can move, heal, inspire, and connect hearts and souls like art can. I am hoping to add some pearls to the sea of art out there.

Is this going to suck? - I certainly hope not!

What can I expect? - Various postings of a random variety. Sometimes, I will post writings. Or photos. Or songs that I am working on. It's like life, you know? You don't know what is going to happen until you wake up and go out into the world.

Why Steinhoff's Grill? - Well, I had to name it something, didn't I? The first part comes from my family name, and the second part comes from my love of barbeque and cooking for my friends. I enjoy having people come over for some delicious home cooking you can't get anywhere else, and I hope to bring that same spirit here with you all.