Ashali and the Blue Horseman, by Jordan Elizabeth is a superhero medley that is sure to please, although the protagonist may be more of a super-antihero. Ashali knows she has powers, which she has kept hidden, but when she meets the Blue Horseman, all of that changes and she finds herself on a hero’s journey, whether she wants to or not. Where do these powers come from? How did she come by them? These are the questions readers will find themselves asking, but fear not. By the end of the story, all questions are answered and then some.
What starts out as a simple date with a super-hunky guy, turns Ashali into becoming an unwitting target of the super crime syndicate, Ives. Will the powers she has taken such care to keep hidden be enough to keep her alive? And will the hunky, but hostile superhero be able to defeat Ives without her? And will she hook up with the superhero’s hot alter ego? … I guess you’ll just have to read the book to find out.
Fun and entertaining. I give Ashali and the Blue Horseman four quills.
_________________________
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? Contact Kaye at kayebooth(at)yahoo(dot)com.
At the time when European settlement began, the Khoikhoi were settled in modern day Namibia, the north-eastern Cape and the south-western Cape. The name Khoikhoi means “real people” or “men of men”. The Khoikhoi are closely related to the San (Bushmen) and are sometimes referred to together as Khoisan. There is a theory that the Khoikho and the San were once the same race. The Khoikhoi broke away to raise cattle, build huts and lead a pastoral life while the San remained true to the wilderness and the elements.
The Khoikhoi were nomadic, moving around in search of grazing land for their animals which consisted mainly of goats, cattle and sheep. They also manufactured animal skins into clothing, bags and blankets and used reeds to make sleeping mats and mats to cover their round and mobile homes. The Khoikhoi also made pottery which could be tied to their oxen or to hut poles when they moved.
All the male children in Khoikhoi families are named after the material side and all the female children after the paternal side. The eldest daughter is highly respected and the milking of the cows is left entirely to her.
God and the afterlife
The Khoikhoi attach special significance to the moon and new and full moons were historically times for rainmaking rites and dancing.
The Khoikhoi deity is called Tsui-Goab and he is believed to be the founding ancestor of the Khoikhoi. He is the creator of the world, of man and of the elements. He provides for man and gives them full bellies and happy hearts. His opposite is Gaunab, who is primarily an evil being who causes sickness or death.
Tsui-Goab lives in a beautiful heaven of light and sunshine while Gaunab lives separately in a dark hiding place. Tsui-Goab, meaning the Read Dawn, bring the light and life to the world. The Khoikhoi always pray in the early morning with their faces turned towards the east where the first light of day appears.
Monsters
According to Khoikhoi legend, a man-eating monster called the Aigamuxa/Aigamuchab dwells among the dunes. The creature is mostly human-looking, except that it has eyes on the instep of its feet. In order to see, it has to go down on its hands and knees and lift its one foot in the air. This is a problem when the monster chases prey, because it can’t see when it runs. Some sources claim the creature resembles an ogre.
Another monster legend is Ga-gorib. This creature sits near a deep hole in the ground and dares passers-by to throw rocks at him. The monster’s intention is for the the rocks to bounce back and kill the passer-by, who will then fall into the hole. According to the myth, when the hero Heitsi-eibib encountered Ga-gorib, he declined the monster’s dare. When Ga-gorib was not looking, Heitsi-eibib threw a stone at the monster and hit it below its ear, causing it to fall into its own pit.
Hai-uri is an agile, jumping creature who is partially-invisible and has only one side to its body (one arm and one leg). It is known to eat humans.
Reading of The Night Walker, a Hottentot myth
I recorded an interesting story about the Hottentot myth, The Night Walker, which you can listen to here:
Here is a picture of a Night Walker with a kerrie taken from the book Myths and Legends of Southern Africa by Penny Millar:
About Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Roberta Eaton Cheadle is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has short stories and poems in several anthologies and has 2 published novels, Through the Nethergate, a historical supernatural fantasy, and A Ghost and His Gold, a historical paranormal novel set in South Africa.
Roberta has 11 children’s books published under the name Robbie Cheadle.
Roberta was educated at the University of South Africa where she achieved a Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1996 and a Honours Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1997. She was admitted as a member of The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2000.
Roberta has worked in corporate finance from 2001 until the present date and has written 7 publications relating to investing in Africa. She has won several awards over her 20-year career in the category of Transactional Support Services.
Want to be sure not to miss any of Robbie’s “Dark Origins” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or entertaining, please share.
Today as I was out doing my landscape maintenance for the bird sanctuary, walking on the path which goes around the water feature, which is only half full this time of year as I prepare to drain it for winter, I saw a baby flicker sitting on top of the drainage pipe. I set down my bucket and stopped to have a better look at him, expecting him to fly away as soon as I approached. But he didn’t. Instead, he just sat there, staring back at me, holding very still.
Now I have wondered through the trees on my property for over an hour, trying to get a picture during mating season, when the trees were filled with flickers and the air was filled with mating calls, only to hang my head on defeat after concluding I wasn’t going to get close enough for a good shot of any one. That’s how skittish flickers are, so the behavior of this little guy was unusual, to say the least.
Stranded
The fact is, the little guy was scared, and I realized that his tail was in the water, which could hinder flight. He was stranded, too scared or too wet to make an attempt at a getaway. He just sat there staring as I got closer, providing some great photo opportunities. I didn’t want to frieghten him even more by obliviously clicking pictures, so I set down my phone and got down on my knees at the pool’s edge. I reached down very slowly and placed a gloved hand around his body. Trying not to scare him more, I reached over with my thumb and stroked his little feathered head a few times, hoping to let him know that I was trying to help and meant no harm. Even through my garden glove I could feel the softness of his feathers. He hardly weighed aything at all as I scooped him up gently and released him onto the ground, where he flapped his wings and hopped off into the trees, reinforcing my suspicions that the wet feathers was what prevented him from flying off like I expected.
I tried to follow him just to be sure he would be able to fly once he dried, but I lost him in the trees. Had I not stepped in. I have no doubt that he would have sat helpless on that drain pipe until a coyote or other wildlife snatched him away. It was a satisfying feeling to know that I had helped one of my little bird friends and had at least, offered him a chance to survive.
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, as a sampling of her works just for joining.
just breaking rocks to earn a penny, rocks to pave
gravel roads that go away. Anywhere
is better than poor in Africa, Asia, America, the poor are broken just like the stones they break.
Ending poverty is the work of a civilization. If we can’t end poverty anywhere in the world, we are not a civilization
What to Believe
These days I can’t believe anything. A lie
hovers overhead day and night. All the competing agendas clash
and the books, videos, news, none remain without a stink
of mendacity. The liars hold the highest offices. They control
information. Their tech is the latest but
their lies are old, ancient, lies told by tyrants to the innocents.
Those who are brave defy their terror and protest. In Iran,
the women are sick with disgust at control by tottering old men wearing white fezzes and large skullcaps. Liars! I can’t
hold enough outrage! I see things daily
I never expected to see, ever. People are murdered by lies.
It was said, “A lie is both murder and suicide in the world of the spirit.” Mostly these days it’s murder. The suicides will have to wait
to write their notes. The supply of pencils, pens and paper
has been interdicted by the Lie Police.
Will Truth set us free? Perhaps in the Kingdom of God, but here
Truth has been split asunder and reality can’t be recognized by anyone but other liars, and those are so far lost from Truth that they would not know it
IF IT BIT THEM IN THE ASS.
Saving What’s Left
“It’s broken.” My grandson stands over his red fire truck. The wheels have come off. The boy’s lower lip thrusts out and I can see that his heart is broken too. If I tell him that it’s just a toy, he won’t be comforted. This was the only truck in his world and now his grief will carry him to a child’s little hades, for just a minute. What is a minute to a three year old? It may as well be forever. For the duration of that minute all hell breaks loose and his tears and rage fill the room till all the grown-ups flee. Except me. I’m the baby sitter. I know how he feels.
The world is broken, our world. And it was we who broke it, stuffed it, neglected it, tore its roots out. Has it come to this? My grief for a broken world carries me to my own hades, my underworld of sorrow where what has been done cannot be undone until we have atoned like ancient Jews on Yom Kippur.? What punishment do we receive if we fail to atone? Regret, more like: oh the regret we have yet to feel as the land sinks and the seas rise. Our earth is frangible, it can be waylaid like the victims of highway robbery. “Hands up, planet!” The men in dark suits are digging holes. “Can’t you see we’re busy here? Go away with your storms. We know how to deal with your kind!”
They’re only doing their jobs, they’re following orders.
“Take them away”, croaks the man in the suit and tie. “Take them away and hide them in the deepest mines.” ]
It’s broken. Can it be fixed? The next generations are tasked with this inhuman mess. They will have to be strong beyond what we know. They will have to develop themselves in unforeseen ways to have the stamina to work within the broken systems on the derelict highways. Armageddon will be indefinitely postponed. It already happened and we missed it. We were busy fighting. The next apocalypse will hit us before we’re ready. That is the nature of things. We have only the promise in Luke and Mark and John, Christians before Christianity, who learned that the lilies of the field will always be in their raiment, even if it is only in heaven.
Arthur Rosch is a novelist, musician, photographer and poet. His works are funny, memorable and often compelling. One reviewer said “He’s wicked and feisty, but when he gets you by the guts, he never lets go.” Listeners to his music have compared him to Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Randy Newman or Mose Allison. These comparisons are flattering but deceptive. Rosch is a stylist, a complete original. His material ranges from sly wit to gripping political commentary.
Arthur was born in the heart of Illinois and grew up in the western suburbs of St. Louis. In his teens he discovered his creative potential while hoping to please a girl. Though she left the scene, Arthur’s creativity stayed behind. In his early twenties he moved to San Francisco and took part in the thriving arts scene. His first literary sale was to Playboy Magazine. The piece went on to receive Playboy’s “Best Story of the Year” award. Arthur also has writing credits in Exquisite Corpse, Shutterbug, eDigital, and Cat Fancy Magazine. He has written five novels, a memoir and a large collection of poetry. His autobiographical novel, Confessions Of An Honest Man won the Honorable Mention award from Writer’s Digest in 2016.
Want to be sure not to miss any of Arthur’s “Mind Fields” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you find it interesting or just entertaining, please share.
Trying to choose a favorite poem of my own, is like trying to choose a favorite child! Writing is an incredibly personal thing and our creations become our “babies”. Looking back through poems that I’ve written in the past, I will come across one that really strikes me as being exceptional. I’m often surprised by what I find on these journeys of reminiscing.
But to answer your question, today, right now, I think my favorite poem is called Poetry Of My Heart .
The poetry of my heart
spills onto the page
in blue ink
and fervent sighs
The poetry of my heart
is written on the wings
of dreams
and nights
of longing
The poetry of my heart
negate shadows of terrors
not voiced
The poetry of my heart
stands tall
against this world
What inspired you to write this poem?
I don’t know if any One Thing was the inspiration for this poem. In essence, I’m saying that my poetry will speak for me when I cannot and I find a lot of power and freedom in that.
What are your plans for your poetry going forward?
I am currently going through past poems of mine, published and unpublished in order to compile them to submit for publishing in a book or Chapbook.
What is your favourite poem?
My favorite poem? This is a very difficult question. I have many, many beloved works of poetry. Since joining the WordPress community, that love has expanded 10-fold and continues to grow.
My mother dedicated a poem to me when I was very young, called “Ordinary Miracles”, by Erica Jong. This is probably still a favorite poem of mine.
Spring, rainbows, ordinary miracles about which nothing new can be said.
The stars on a clear night of a New England winter; the soft air of the islands along the old Spanish Main; pirate gold shining in the palm; the odor of roses to the lover’s nose. . .
There is no more poetry to be written of these things. The rainbow’s sudden revelation– behold! The cliché is true! What can one say but that?
So too with you, little heart, little miracle,
but you are no less miracle for being ordinary.
Why do you like this poem?
I like this poem because it always reminds me of my mother and her love for me. To her, I was her “little miracle”. It has always held a special place in my heart because of that.
***
Thank you, Penny, for being a wonderful guest. I really loved both your poetry choices and am delighted at the idea your mother dedicated a poem to you. What a lovely idea. I look forward to reading your book in due course.
About Penny Wilson
Penny Wilson is a freelance writer who writes in several genres. She has written articles for WOW Women on Writing. Her poetry has been published in online journals, such as Ariel Chart, Spill Words Press and the Poppy Road Review. Penny is a member of the Austin Poetry Society. Her poetry has been featured in the publication America’s Emerging Poets 2018 & 2019 by Z Publishing, Poets Quarterly and Dual Coast Magazine published by Prolific Press. You can find more of her writings on her blog at https://pennywilsonwrites.com/ and follow her on Twitter @pennywilson123.
About Robbie Cheadle
Robbie Cheadle is a South African children’s author and poet with eleven children’s books and two poetry books.
The eight Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.
Robbie and Michael have also written Haunted Halloween Holiday, a delightful fantasy story for children aged 5 to 9 about Count Sugular and his family who hire a caravan to attend a Halloween party at the Haunted House in Ghost Valley. This story is beautifully illustrated with Robbie’s fondant and cake art creations.
Robbie has published two books for older children which incorporate recipes that are relevant to the storylines.
Robbie has two adult novels in the paranormal historical and supernatural fantasy genres published under the name Roberta Eaton Cheadle. She also has short stories, in the horror and paranormal genre, and poems included in several anthologies.
Robbie Cheadle contributes two monthly posts to https://writingtoberead.com, namely, Growing Bookworms, a series providing advice to caregivers on how to encourage children to read and write, and Treasuring Poetry, a series aimed at introducing poetry lovers to new poets and poetry books.
In addition, Roberta Eaton Cheadle contributes one monthly post to https://writingtoberead.com called Dark Origins: African Myths and Legends which shares information about the cultures, myths and legends of the indigenous people of southern Africa.
Want to be sure not to miss any of Robbie’s “Treasuring Poetry” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or entertaining, please share.
Now James Watt is added to Hubble We can soon spot the first signs of trouble. Should aliens attack We’ll push them right back Using Reagan’s star wars at the double!
Trouble comes every day and night When monsters and vampires fight At dawn and evening Their shifts they are leaving Arguments happen in crepuscular light!
There once was a chick who was trouble She ran from the law on the double If she’d just get right And stop trying to fight Her life wouldn’t be such a puzzle!
Question: What advantage do traditional publishers have that indie publishers and authors don’t?
Answer: The ability to get their books into libraries and brick and mortar bookstores, where many readers actually go to find books.
No, really. Not everybody buys from Amazon. And while many authors sign on exclusively so their books can be in KU, there are other book distributors out there if you choose to publish wide. (See my post on why I publish wide.) It doesn’t make sense to me to limit yourself to a single sales channel when there are so many out there, and that goes for utilizing libraries and brick and mortar book stores.
There are a few obstacles which indie authors face in getting their books into libraries and bookstores, partially due to Amazon. They don’t like Amazon, and many brick and motar stores, even independent ones, won’t even look at carrying books which can only be ordered through the big book bully. Going wide solves that delimma, but there’s still the age old tradition of selling to bookstores at wholesale and allowing them to be returned.
Many authors may not know this about the publishing industry, but traditional publishers decided a long time ago to allow bookstores to buy at wholesale, which is less royalties for the author, but might be understandable. But they didn’t stop there. They also gave bookstores permission to return any books they don’t sell, if they choose to. Traditional publishers go through enough books, that returns may not put a dent in them, but to assure that it didn’t, they deducted it from the author’s cut. This practice can be devastaing to an indie author who is unprepared, to suddenly get a seven or eight hundred dollar return charge when they are not expecting it. Fortunately, an indie author can now opt to not allow returns, and I think D2D does this for you automatically, so the author won’t be caught by this surprise expense. Unfortunately, as soon as you decide to not take returns, you may be eliminating brick and mortar stores from your distributor list, because most bookstores won’t buy books they can’t return. This is one of those outdated dinosaur practices started by traditional publishing, but bookstores don’t want it to change.
Libraries are the same in many ways. They don’t like Amazon and won’t order books from them. But there are certain lists put out by distributors who work solely with libraries, such as Overdrive, and if your book isn’t on that list, they won’t consider carrying it. Libraries have been smart enough to include digital lending, but the lists are extensive and before they can lend out your book, they have to know that your book exists, and it helps a lot if they know someone wants to read it. So the first task for an indie author who wants their book in libraries is to be sure their book is carried by the library distributors, so that librarians can find it.
But that’s not enough. Librarians have to know that your book exists and that people want to read it.That’s why authors need to get to know and be familiar with their local librarians. When you know them, it’s easier to ask them to carry your book, and sometimes that’s all it takes if you have established a relationship with them. If you can get readers to request your books from their local libraries, all the better.
Now you might ask yourself, why go to all this trouble to get into libraries, where they will only buy one or two print copies at the most. That’s where the digital lending program becomes of interest, because most libraries follow one of two models, which pay authors a set amount per checkout, which can add up if your books are popular. But more than that, libraries are a way to reach out to potential readers, because when a reader finds an author they like, they are likely to want to read more of their work. And library patrons are hardcore readers, especially these days when it is so easy to sit at home and order up your reading material at the click of a button.
I think that’s enough reason to warrent the extra effort required to get my books into libraries. All WordCrafter Press books are available on Overdrive and other library distributors, so they will be easy to find when people request a WP book. I’m working to get my local libraries to carry WP books, and since I live in a rural area, there are at least three libraries which I consider local. But I need to get out the word and have readers and contributors request WP titles and make librarians aware of their existance, and that’s part of what this post is about, even if the titles you want are not published by WordCrafter Press, beacuse this can help all authors – spreading this message:
Go to your local library and ask for the titles that you crave,
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, as a sampling of her works just for joining.
Hogwarts hasn’t got anything on Roanoke Academy and the magical world created by L. Jagi Lamplighter in The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin. Rachel Griffin has worked hard to prepare for attending, and now as one of the youngest students at Roanoke, she has a lot of expectations to uphold and her magic must be in top form to keep up with the rest of her class. But there is something amiss at Roanoke Academy; a new magic being used for ill gains, an assasin disguised as an agent, a princess who goes places whenever she touches certain people, and a raven which only Rachel can see. Rachel must figure out what is happening and how to battle the forces of evil which seem to be decending upon them and threaten to take over her magical world.
Skillfully crafted to offer up all the pieces for readers to put the puzzle together. It’ a lot shorter than the story about the kid with the owl but just as thoroughly entertaining. Rachel Griffin is a sharp young lady with magical inclinations that will win your heart and make you want more. I give The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin five quills.
Down to Dirt, by Kevin Killiany is a wonderful young adult science fiction novel with an underlying social moral. after spending her whole life in space, Mara’s family decides to send her to visit her Earth bound relatives on what spacers call Dirt. She arrives on Earth fearful and a little confused, but within a few weeks she will come to question everything she has ever been taught about Dirt. With a little help from her cousin, Beth, and her friend Jael, who each in thier own way challenge the prejudices that came with her, Mara begins to see things in different light.
Down to Dirt addresses social issues via a fictional alternate timeline world to create a story which is both engaging and entertaining. I give it five quills.
Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, as a sampling of her works just for joining.
Many children’s picture books make use of brightly coloured cartoon style illustrations. Children are attracted to bright colors such as red, yellow, green, blue, and pink. These colors create a sense of energy and playfulness and also emanate happiness. Colour impacts on children’s moods, behaviour, and educational performance.
Part of the reason children prefer bright colours is because saturated colours are easier for young, developing eyes to see. Bright colors and contrasting colors stand out more in a child’s field of vision than feinter shades.
Colour effects the way the brain functions and can be used by illustrators to encourage pattern recognition, memory, and the ability of young readers to absorb new information.
Here are a few examples of colours and how they can be used for learning:
RED – a powerful and attention-grabbing colour, red stimulates alertness and excitement. It encourages creativity and can also increase appetite.
BLUE – provides a sense of comfort by exuding calmness, loyalty, peace, serenity, and security.
YELLOW – encourages positive feelings and improves concentration by promoting creativity, clarity, and optimism.
GREEN – symbolises nature and the natural world. Green relieves stress and provides a sense of healing. It also represents balance, growth, tranquillity, cleanliness and calmness.
ORANGE – like red, orange is an energetic colour that promotes alertness. Orange creates a sense of passion, warmth, excitement and encourages communication.
PINK – symbolises love, romance, nurture, warmth, calmness, and imagination.
It is also important for illustrators, or writers engaging an illustrator, to note that colours can also overstimulate children, instead of inspiring them, so a balance of bright and neutral colours is required for illustrations.
I illustrate my own children’s books and I try to apply these principles in my own work. This is a collage of a selection of my fondant and cake art illustrations.
My illustrations have proved popular with children so I think I am getting the colour coding right.
These are some examples of famous children’s books and illustrators:
What do you think? Do you like bright colours? Have you written a children’s book and illustrated it yourself or engaged an illustrator? Let me know in the comments.
About Robbie Cheadle
Robbie Cheadle is a South African children’s author and poet with eleven children’s books and two poetry books.
The eight Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.
Robbie and Michael have also written Haunted Halloween Holiday, a delightful fantasy story for children aged 5 to 9 about Count Sugular and his family who hire a caravan to attend a Halloween party at the Haunted House in Ghost Valley. This story is beautifully illustrated with Robbie’s fondant and cake art creations.
Robbie has published two books for older children which incorporate recipes that are relevant to the storylines.
Robbie has two adult novels in the paranormal historical and supernatural fantasy genres published under the name Roberta Eaton Cheadle. She also has short stories, in the horror and paranormal genre, and poems included in several anthologies.
Robbie Cheadle contributes two monthly posts to https://writingtoberead.com, namely, Growing Bookworms, a series providing advice to caregivers on how to encourage children to read and write, and Treasuring Poetry, a series aimed at introducing poetry lovers to new poets and poetry books.
In addition, Roberta Eaton Cheadle contributes one monthly post to https://writingtoberead.com called Dark Origins: African Myths and Legends which shares information about the cultures, myths and legends of the indigenous people of southern Africa.
Want to be sure not to miss any of Robbie’s “Growing Bookworms” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or entertaining, please share.
I took an ATV ride today and just had to share the fall colors with you.
Autumn afternoon above Hillside, Colorado
Aspens are my favorite trees, as you might guess. Let me also share a poem about them which seems fitting. This is a minimalist poem which I’m particularly found of. It was published in Colorado Life magazine (September/October 2016). I do hope you enjoy it.
Aspen Tree
Dark eyes staring out of white bark
Scantily clad by quivering green leaves
Turning waxy yellow in fall
Stark and exposed in winter
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
_________________________
Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, as a sampling of her works just for joining.
Writing to be Read 
Mind Fields: Poetry & Such
Posted: November 18, 2022 | Author: artrosch | Filed under: Commentary, Mind Fields, Poetry | Tags: Arthur Rosch, Mind Fields, Poetry, Social Commentary, Writing to be Read | 1 CommentIdeas Like Never Before
Boulder breakers and charcoal makers
the poor
wait for something they don’t know what
just breaking rocks to earn a penny, rocks to pave
gravel roads that go away. Anywhere
is better than poor in Africa, Asia, America, the poor are broken just like the stones they break.
Ending poverty is the work of a civilization. If we can’t end poverty anywhere in the world, we are not a civilization
What to Believe
These days I can’t believe anything. A lie
hovers overhead day and night. All the competing agendas clash
and the books, videos, news, none remain without a stink
of mendacity. The liars hold the highest offices. They control
information. Their tech is the latest but
their lies are old, ancient, lies told by tyrants to the innocents.
Those who are brave defy their terror and protest. In Iran,
the women are sick with disgust at control by tottering old men wearing white fezzes and large skullcaps. Liars! I can’t
hold enough outrage! I see things daily
I never expected to see, ever. People are murdered by lies.
It was said, “A lie is both murder and suicide in the world of the spirit.” Mostly these days it’s murder. The suicides will have to wait
to write their notes. The supply of pencils, pens and paper
has been interdicted by the Lie Police.
Will Truth set us free? Perhaps in the Kingdom of God, but here
Truth has been split asunder and reality can’t be recognized by anyone but other liars, and those are so far lost from Truth that they would not know it
IF IT BIT THEM IN THE ASS.
Saving What’s Left
“It’s broken.” My grandson stands over his red fire truck. The wheels have come off. The boy’s lower lip thrusts out and I can see that his heart is broken too. If I tell him that it’s just a toy, he won’t be comforted. This was the only truck in his world and now his grief will carry him to a child’s little hades, for just a minute. What is a minute to a three year old? It may as well be forever. For the duration of that minute all hell breaks loose and his tears and rage fill the room till all the grown-ups flee. Except me. I’m the baby sitter. I know how he feels.
The world is broken, our world. And it was we who broke it, stuffed it, neglected it, tore its roots out. Has it come to this? My grief for a broken world carries me to my own hades, my underworld of sorrow where what has been done cannot be undone until we have atoned like ancient Jews on Yom Kippur.? What punishment do we receive if we fail to atone? Regret, more like: oh the regret we have yet to feel as the land sinks and the seas rise. Our earth is frangible, it can be waylaid like the victims of highway robbery. “Hands up, planet!” The men in dark suits are digging holes. “Can’t you see we’re busy here? Go away with your storms. We know how to deal with your kind!”
They’re only doing their jobs, they’re following orders.
“Take them away”, croaks the man in the suit and tie. “Take them away and hide them in the deepest mines.” ]
It’s broken. Can it be fixed? The next generations are tasked with this inhuman mess. They will have to be strong beyond what we know. They will have to develop themselves in unforeseen ways to have the stamina to work within the broken systems on the derelict highways. Armageddon will be indefinitely postponed. It already happened and we missed it. We were busy fighting. The next apocalypse will hit us before we’re ready. That is the nature of things. We have only the promise in Luke and Mark and John, Christians before Christianity, who learned that the lilies of the field will always be in their raiment, even if it is only in heaven.
_____________________________________________________________
Arthur Rosch is a novelist, musician, photographer and poet. His works are funny, memorable and often compelling. One reviewer said “He’s wicked and feisty, but when he gets you by the guts, he never lets go.” Listeners to his music have compared him to Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Randy Newman or Mose Allison. These comparisons are flattering but deceptive. Rosch is a stylist, a complete original. His material ranges from sly wit to gripping political commentary.
Arthur was born in the heart of Illinois and grew up in the western suburbs of St. Louis. In his teens he discovered his creative potential while hoping to please a girl. Though she left the scene, Arthur’s creativity stayed behind. In his early twenties he moved to San Francisco and took part in the thriving arts scene. His first literary sale was to Playboy Magazine. The piece went on to receive Playboy’s “Best Story of the Year” award. Arthur also has writing credits in Exquisite Corpse, Shutterbug, eDigital, and Cat Fancy Magazine. He has written five novels, a memoir and a large collection of poetry. His autobiographical novel, Confessions Of An Honest Man won the Honorable Mention award from Writer’s Digest in 2016.
More of his work can be found at www.artrosch.com
Photos at https://500px.com/p/artsdigiphoto?view=photos
_______________________________________________________________
Want to be sure not to miss any of Arthur’s “Mind Fields” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you find it interesting or just entertaining, please share.
Share this:
Like this: