Please join me in welcoming our feature guest for May, 2012 – Charles Banks Jr., / Caution Tape Poetry.
(Please show Charles some appreciation and leave him a message in the comments section following the interview.)
Monthly Archives: April 2012
New Poem, “Wrong Side Girl”
Asking for prayers, please.
Hi blogging world … hi dear friends. I’m asking for more prayers today for my brother, John, please.
Malignant Spinal Cord Compression (MSCC) occurs when cancer cells grow in or near the spine and presses on the spinal cord and nerve roots. This is what my brother is facing right now. He’s waiting to be scheduled for external radiotherapy and dexamethasone (steroid therapy) for 6 weeks. If it works, it is going to make him extremely ill, but he will be alive and we will all be very grateful – if not, the next step is more extensive surgery. All I can do is let him know how much I love him; that I think of him every day; and put as many prayers and positive, healing energies out into the world as I can.
Please be patient and forgive me also if I’m terribly behind in responding to posts and emails right now. This latest news and my own health issues has put me into a bit of a tailspin, and I’m trying my best to stay centered and on an even keel; but it’s hard.
Thank you to all my friends for your incredible love and support; you have no idea how much it means to me.
~ Love, Julie xoxox
Another new poem xoxox
Hunger of My Soul …..
http://juliecatherinevigna.wordpress.com/pixys-poetry/hunger-of-my-soul/
New Poem
For your viewing pleasure … enjoy the read! :)
http://juliecatherinevigna.wordpress.com/pixys-poetry/with-this-ring/
“Word Whisperer” Contest Winner!
Wow, I’m so impressed with all the awesome poems that were entered for this contest – you made it very difficult to choose a winner – as a matter of fact, it was almost a dead heat for two poems in particular. Selena and I both agreed these two poems were so close, that I decided to award a digital version of the book as a ‘runner-up’ prize.
I want to thank Selena Howard for helping me to judge the poems for the contest, as she is a terrific poet in her own right, and also one of the most objective people that I know. I copied and pasted the entries without names into a word document for Selena to read, so she wouldn’t know who had written them (and she purposely did not read my blog for the same reason.) We read each of the entries about four times and discussed them at length before we finally decided on the winner … and so …
Congratulations to the “Word Whisperer” Contest Winner, Caddo Veil @ http://caddoveil.wordpress.com/ You’ve won a signed paperback copy of the Love Notes romantic poetry anthology for your amazing poem, “Essence of Love”!
Congratulations as well to our Runner-Up, Jamalbbd @ http://heathcliffs.wordpress.com/ You’ve won a digital pdf version of the book, Love Notes for your wonderful poem, “Thoughts”!
Thank you so much to everyone who submitted all your wonderful poems for the contest. Selena and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them all, and I appreciate your hard work and support – well done, poets!
Here are our winning and runner-up poems – I think you’ll agree they are stellar!
“Essence of Love”
Water
Falling
On water—
Droplet by drop
Rain turns
The color of the pool—
It is the same water.
And so, for me—
Whether I flew to you
Or kept the rein
Taut on my heart.
Miles of travel
To paradise betrayal
And yet—
Today is as before
That yesterday—
Will be still, tomorrow.
The color of rain
In droplet by drop—
The essence of love
Unquenchable.
© Caddo Veil, 2012
♦
Thoughts
O, what thoughts bring me grief,
Grief that grazes fields of mind,
And colors my face as a faded leaf,
And to ground I yield my pride
To wither among naked flowers
Keeping worries where they remain
I possess not the light nor buds powers
And dark blooms, flooding the brain
Where fears boast a great health.
And thou art me and who else
Might be the soul’s humble wealth,
To heal myself, ancient friend of bless,
So hold me thou for while in mine heart,
That those enemies in me eternally part.
© jamalbbd
Jamal and Caddo, please email me at cvigna555@mail.com with your contact information so that I can send you your prize – and congratulations again to everyone for helping to make this such a fun and successful contest!
~ Julie
Word Whisperer Contest
A “horse whisperer” is a very special trainer who communicates with horses. A “dog whisperer” is a person who understands and interprets canine communication. An “animal whisperer” talks to animals in their own language.
So what is a “Word Whisperer”?
A person who communicates and interprets with words.
Because April is National Poetry Month, I’m holding a special poetry contest – and one winner will receive a personally signed, paperback copy of the Love Notes Anthology.
There are 3 ways to compete for the opportunity to win: 
1) Choose a photograph (your choice) and write a poem to communicate and interpret it in your own words.
2) Choose any instrumental piece of music and write a poem to communicate and interpret in your own words.
3) Choose any event in your life that was meaningful for you, and write a poem to communicate and interpret it in your own words.
The contest is open from Monday, April 16th to Friday April 20th.
Please post your entries in the comment section of this post. If you are using a photograph, please email me a jpg at cvigna555@mail.com (you won’t be able to include it in your post); if you are using music, let us know what piece you are interpreting. Selena Howard — a wonderful poet and someone who can judge objectively — has graciously consented to assist in choosing the winning poem. The winner will be posted on Saturday, April 21st.
Good luck, and happy writing! ~ Julie
Related articles
- Coming Up in April (juliecatherinevigna.wordpress.com)
- Celebrate National Poetry Month: Sidewalk Chalk and Poetry (lifeisanexquisitejourney.com)
- John Lundberg: A Brief Guide to National Poetry Month (huffingtonpost.com)
The Best Poached Plans …
I make beautiful poached eggs, perfectly formed, firm whites and soft yolks, just the way I like them. Poached eggs are my favorite, and I like nothing better than a lovely poached egg on a slice of toast – for any meal of the day. And when you have digestive issues and find something that you can eat without too many problems … well, you just can’t wait to feast on any delectable treat.
Today I decided to poach an egg for lunch. I’ve been thinking about it because it’s a ‘good eating day’ today, and I tend to take advantage of good eating days. I’m good at timing things too – a perfectly toasted slice of Canadian rye bread was ready and waiting at the precise moment my poached egg was ready.
I brought the pan over to the plate, gently lifted the egg – and – SNAP!!!
The handle of the egg lifter snapped off, the egg lifting part sailed sideways with the egg, and landed SPLAT!!! on my kitchen floor! My beautifully, perfectly poached egg – what a mess! ARGH! (I’m so glad no one was around to hear my rather colorful language – and besides, I would have had to pick them up off the floor too, because they would have been rolling around on it, laughing.)
I never knew Annie could run so fast. In spite of my, ‘don’t touch the poached egg!’ command, she was nose first into that mess – I guess the wind from the flight of the egg was enough to cool it off by the time it splatted on the floor so that she didn’t burn herself while she gobbled it up. It reminded me of that tv commercial where the puppy runs and skids across the floor right into the piles of soft bathroom tissues. I had visions of her running around the apartment with runny egg yolk all over her paws.
So, while my little piglet of a one-eyed, almost blind, 17 year old dog enjoyed my not-so-lovely-now poached egg, I spread peanut butter on my now cold toast, brought it into my comfy chair in the livingroom to eat my lunch while I whined all over Facebook, and left her to clean up what she would. She trotted in a few minutes later, egg on her face, and I swore she was grinning.
And yes, I washed the danged floor, which didn’t do my back one bit of good. And I washed Annie’s face, although I swear she’s been grinning at me all day long. Sigh. And it was such a beautiful, perfectly poached egg – my favorite.
April Medal of Humor Challenge!
We’re going to try something a little different for
April’s Medal of Humor Challenge.
You may choose one or any of the following:
1) Write a humorous poem based on the photograph
2) Write a short, humorous prose based on the photograph
3) Write a humorous caption for the photograph
All entries must be posted here in the comments section of this post.
Everyone who participates may take a copy of this cute Easter version of the Medal of Humor to place on their blog with their entry. You may also want to copy the photograph to use for your submission on your blog (I’ve attached the link for the source photograph. It looks like a lot of sites have used this photograph – it must be popular.)
http://www.artcar.blogspot.ca/2010/04/easter-bunny-furball-art-car-madness.html
Happy writing! ~ Julie
Update and Continued Prayers
New Update: My brother John is at home now, in a lot of pain and waiting for the nurse, after which he hopes he’ll be able to sleep until at least noon tomorrow. (I’ll call him to see how he’s doing tomorrow afternoon.)They didn’t fly him to Vancouver this time; he had exploratory surgery at Kelowna’s Cancer Clinic, and will know the results in about a week – that will tell them if he needs more extensive surgery. They did 2 biopsies; one in the back of his neck near his shoulder bones, and one further down his back below his last surgery. Please continue to keep him in your prayers and thoughts.
Please also keep Selena Howard in your prayers also, as she is still in the hospital and was coughing up blood this morning … she is one sick puppy, and I’m worried about her as well.
Thank you to everyone – wishing you all a safe and happy Easter. I’m going to try to rest, as I haven’t had a lot of sleep lately. ~ Love, Julie xoxox
Prayer Request
My dear friends, may I ask please for prayers, positive energies and thoughts of love, hope and healing for two people who are very dear to me?
One of my best online friends and our fellow poet and blogger, Selena Howard has been in the hospital for the last couple of days. She’s been dealing with strep throat and pneumonia for a few weeks, and was taken to the hospital with severe breathing problems. She is presently tethered to oxygen, IV, steroids and antibiotics and is having breathing treatments. Selena also has fibromyalgia and has suffered two strokes, and I am worried about her.
Also, my younger brother, John, will be having his second surgery in three years for bone cancer in his back, near the bottom of his neck. His surgery is scheduled for this Friday, April 6th, either in Kelowna or Vancouver, in British Columbia. I’m not able to be there for him because of my own physical health, and can’t afford to fly there to be with him either. He is having to go through the surgery without any of his family with him. I know that he is very scared, and he has been in a lot of pain.
Your spiritual support in whatever way you celebrate would be so much appreciated. Thank you all so much. ~ With much love and appreciation, Julie xoxox
I Got Tagged!
Ray at: http://novicejournal.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/i-have-been-tagged-and-im-summing-up-the-week-about-two-days-early/ tagged me in a “get to know you” blog game. Thank you, Ray! I really enjoy visiting your delightful blog and reading your posts. If you don’t already follow Ray, I urge you to check out her blog – she has a little bit of everything; poetry, wisdom, a cool popcorn recipe, funny lists … so much interesting stuff to read there!
The “Tag Game” Rules:
- You must post the rules
- Post eleven facts about yourself on the blog post – Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
- Tag eleven bloggers, however, you can break the rules and tag fewer people if you want. Make sure you hyperlink their names/blogs.
- Let them know you’ve tagged them!
- Have fun!
Here are the questions Ray asked me:
1. Sea monkeys or sea horses?
Sea horses, of course, that’s what Water Pixies ride!
2. If you had to choose between either an hour of hopscotch or pin the tail on the donkey, which would you do?
Hopscotch! If I ever had the mobility to do that once more, I don’t think I’d ever sit down again!
3. Is searching for a needle in a haystack really worth it?
People who know me already know I’m going to say ‘yes’ … I can be a little OCD at times, lol.
4. Which is better – tall tales or true stories?
Oooh, tall tales! You can make them come out exactly the way you want!
5. If you had to lose a finger, which would it be? Pointer, middle, ring, or pinky? Remember, the thumb doesn’t count.
Eww. I don’t like this question – I invoke my right to ignore it. (sticks tongue out)
6. What is the craziest thing you would do to get 1,000 dollars?
I’d write a poem about it and wander the streets reciting it to everyone (carrying a tin cup, of course!)
7. What would you name a pet rock?
Oh, you must be talking about Arthur – he’s tall and rather ‘regal’, and enjoys books as much as I do; as a matter of fact, he likes to stand at one end of a row of them.
8. Red or green apples?
Green Granny Smiths to crunch on, warm apple pie made with whatever apples, red baked Delicious apples with cinnamon and raisins … yummy!
9. Do you believe in coincidences?
No. I believe everything happens for a reason, even if we never learn what that is.
10. Cats, dogs, or baby elephants?
Aww, do I really have to choose? Hmmmm. Okay then, it would have to be dogs. Then cats. And all baby animals … then all animals … sea, land or air, I love them all. Except spiders and bees, but only because I’m “phobically” (is that a word?) terrified of them. I love them if they stay where they belong – far away from me!
11. Describe your best day ever using the phrase “hot digitty-dog”
In my make-believe world, I’m waking up to a brilliant sunrise in my little cabin by the ocean, throwing open the windows to let in that awesome sea air. I take my coffee out to the porch swing and sip while I watch dolphins at play and listen to the multitude of birds greet the day. After spending a couple of hours writing, I change into a swimsuit and take a break to walk along the beach for awhile before wading out into the surf. I enjoy a leisurely swim and then race back to the cabin, starving and ready for lunch. The afternoon is spent working on my book while listening to classical music. I go out to the patio for a lovely candlelight dinner, and … oh my goodness, who is waiting there for me? Is that … Legolas? Be still, my heart, and hot diggity-dog, please don’t wake me up now! (It makes perfect sense to me – I’m a Pixy, and everyone knows that pixies adore elves!)
This was a lot of fun – I hope that those I’m tagging have just as much fun with their questions.
My 11 Questions for those I’ve ‘Tagged”:
1) Introvert or Extrovert?
2) Skydiving or Snorkelling?
3) Beer, wine, or cocktail with cute umbrella?
4) You’re playing Truth or Dare. If you knew that no one would find out, would you lie and pretend you’re telling the truth? Why?
5) Did you tell the truth in question 4?
6) If you could play any character on any television show, who would you choose, and why?
7) If you do something silly or embarrassing in public do you: giggle, look around to see if anyone saw, or carry on as if nothing happened?
8) Salty or Sweet: Which is your favourite snack, and what is it?
9) If you could be any kind of animal, which would you be, and why?
10) If you were stranded on a deserted island and only had one book, which one would it be?
11) Breakfast in bed, or lunch in your favourite restaurant – which would you choose, and why?
I’m just going to choose 4 people: 2 of my newest followers so they can introduce themselves; and 2 who have followed my blog for quite awhile that I’d like to learn more about. I encourage you to visit their wonderful blogs, too.
http://lifeinthedashlane.wordpress.com/
http://auroramorealist.wordpress.com/
Tough Decisions
A message to my lovely friends who follow my blog: Today I was supposed to post about a blog tour I had committed to for a new book by a debut author. Unfortunately, I won’t be doing that, and it was a really difficult decision for me to make. I received the book to review only after committing to the tour. The book excerpt provided is not an indication of the actual book content. Had I been given the opportunity to read the entire book first, I would have politely declined to participate.
The reason this is difficult is because I don’t feel I (or anyone else) have the right to decide what people should and shouldn’t read. Nor do I want to discourage any author in any way by my personal decision not to participate in this event. However, in all conscience, I just can’t do this tour – I honestly don’t believe it’s a good fit for my blog, or for you who follow me.
There are some really cool prizes with this tour (some that I as a participant would have been eligible to receive as well) – but you have to purchase the book in order to qualify. I am going to provide the link to the contest for those who do wish to enter – but need to emphasize that, even though the main character is a 16-year-old Asian girl, the language, theme and explicit sex is definitely rated 18+. Here is the link for those who wish to enter: http://www.novelpublicity.com/2012/04/the-sykosa-whirlwind-tour-starts-today-welcome-to-blogaganza-where-the-questions-are-fun-and-the-prizes-are-huge/
I wish the author every success in the tour and with the sales of his debut book; and again, apologize to my readers for reversing my decision to participate. I also want to stress that these are my opinions only – and some decisions are just very difficult to make.
~ Julie
