To Remember – To Forget

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I hope someday I get to remember

– Madame President and her First Lady

I hope someday I get to forget

– That a cross burning in America happened in this decade

I would like to remember

– All the Spanish I learned in high school

I would like to forget

– The taste of my own toes on too many occasions

Sometimes I forget

– just how old I am

But my two over 30-year-old sons help me remember

– just how young I’m not

I forgot…

– How to tie a real bow tie

I remember…

– Your knowing smile when I tugged it loose in one smooth motion

If only I could remember

– The exact day, hour, minute I became your woman

If only I could forget

– The exact day, hour, minute I became your widow

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At dVerse we’re asked “How we forget” as inspired by the poem of the same name by Loyce Gayo. I went off track and chose a more personal route to remember as well as forget.

dVerse ~ Poets Rub | Poetics : How We Forget

Verbal Diarrhea Diaries: Strike Three You’re Dumb?

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So this conversation happened on Facebook…

S: How do seedless grapes grow if there are no seeds to plant?

D: Graphing

S: And that is…?

Rai Venne: Taking the cut of one plant and attaching it to another plant, keeping the newly attached plant alive and growing. Think of it like organ donation where the host body accepts the new organ.

S: Ahhh. Makes sense. I know it was a dumb question but I had to ask it at one point in my life! Thanks Rai!

Rai Venne: It’s not a dumb question, if it gains you knowledge. (Unless you ask it more than thrice, then it’s not that question that’s dumb – lol). :p 🙂

S: Lol. Good thing I retain info pretty well in my old age. But I can’t guarantee I won’t ask 100 more times when I’m 90! I think it’s allowed then, right?

Rai Venne: Absolutely!

grapes

Even at 90 if you’re learning it all over again – you can still learn something new every day.

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Slice of Life: Two Writing Teachers

Slice of Life - Two Writing Teachers

Verbal Diarrhea Diaries – Let Me Count…

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In dVerse ~Poets Pub the conversation was about September and how it was going so far. In my narcissistic mind it came out as asking what do I love about the month and responded accordingly. I place my response here with a few more additions and… well you’ll understand soon enough.

What do I love most about September? Hmmm… Let me count the ways.

* After a long hot summer with no official days off since July 4th here in the U.S., it begins with a three-day weekend holiday (Labor Day).
* It’s my birthday month!
* FOOTBALL (Are you ready for some? I am! Go Giants!)
* It’s my birthday month!
* Autumn, my favorite season, begins.
* It’s my birthday month!
* Though my commute slows down because of it – the kids go back to school.
* It’s my birthday month!
* I get to start wearing some of my favorite cool weather outfits again.
* It’s my birthday month!
* The U.S. Open is back.
* It’s my birthday month!

* At month’s end I’ll get to hang out and party with some insanely fun people.

* It’s my birthday month!
* My annual three-week vacation starts soon. Oh! And did I mention…
* It’s my birthday month!!
🎶 These are a few of my favorite things… ! ♬
Happy September People!

Questions

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How does 
      a kiss stop being just a touch of lips
      polite in greeting, but emotionally fleeting?

Where do 
      the contents of two souls 
      start to slowly collect and then spontaneously connect?

Why now 
      in this new friendship 
      still learning ours feats and flaws, something gives pause?

What has 
      shifted in our core 
      and lay bare that which now has us both hopeful yet scared?

Who are 
      we to question 
      the stars and the moon that such an epiphany could happen so soon?

When does 
      a kiss stop 
      being just a kiss, turning some magic corner and becomes this?

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dVerse ~ Poets Pub | Open Link Night : Week 154

I’ve Gotta Be Me

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I informed a colleague last week, that there is very little that I cannot somehow smutty up without even trying hard, case in point a call with a bank…

Bank Operator (with one killer baritone): Good Morning, welcome to X Bank. My name is Joe and what can I do to give you outstanding service this morning?

No seriously, the man had a voice. Now I know the emphasis on “outstanding” is part of the telephone script spiel, but the way he delivers the line? Dang.

And just like that, I’m off.

Me (with my never far from dirty, but now pure gutter mind for that voice, is remembering to behave): Well regrettably there’s nothing you can do for me Joe, however you can make *Name on Debit Card in My Hand* very happy. I found the card on the subway platform and I’m sure *Name* would appreciate knowing it’s not just floating out there.

Joe: Oh! Well that’s very nice of you to report it in. Let me check the system; what is the number on the card?

Me (in best professional voice – I said I was trying to behave wasn’t I?):*card number*

Joe: Thank you, one moment please…

I grab my scissors out of the drawer while I wait because I know what’s coming next.

Joe: Yes, I have it. Again I would like to thank you for calling this in; that was very nice of you to do. As for the card…

Me (interrupting): I know, I know. I’m taking scissors to it as we speak and will drop it in the shredder for confetti making in a moment.

Joe: Okay. Thank you. Is that all Miss… (he realizes I never gave my name and quickly sallies forth) or is there anything I can do for you?

Oh and there goes that dang emphasis again.

Me (not entirely joking): Read the phone book or 50 Shades or… oh never mind.

Joe (definitely laughing): Wow it’s only Monday morning and not even nine o’clock.

Me (behaving myself thrown out of the window): Right, as though you’ve never talked dirty on the phone first thing on a Monday morning before. You’ve given outstanding oral service today, Joe. You have an excellent day.

Joe (barely keeping the amusement out of his voice): And you as well, thank you for using X Bank.

Me (stage whisper): Not the way I’d like to use you and your voice right now.

I hang up the phone to the sound of much chuckling on the other end.

I gotta be me, I gotta be meeeeee 

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Let’s see how the others are slicing it this Tuesday…

Slice of Life : Two Writing Teachers

Slice of Life : Two Writing Teachers

 

The Power of Speech

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At six I didn’t sleep for over a week
Fear of being damned for a kiss on the cheek
Words my pastor were constant to preach
Ah yes, the power of speech

Working for my degree made my nerves fry
Kept hearing the words “It never fails to try”
Encouragement is a subject not required to teach
Ah yes, the power of speech

Her beauty takes my breath away
“Nice boobs” was all I thought to say
Her slap corrected that social breach
Ah yes, the power of speech

Two years later I have a different surprise
The diamond of intent bringing tears to her eyes
“Yes” brings in a star once out of my reach
Ah yes, the power of speech

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dVerse ~ Poets Pub | Open Link Night : Week 153

Remember

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Within your hearts abode
                  a code
The slices of our past
              can last
Simple joys to not perish
              but cherish
Go on and  reminisce
               since
You hold the key
             see?
There will be your smile
                  awhile
Within the territory
             memory
             glory
              me

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Welcome to Echo Verse

An Echo Verse is a poem where the last word or syllable in a line is repeated or echoed underneath to form a rhyming line.

dVerse Poets | Meeting the Bar: Echo Verse

Cannicular Days

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The day’s just begun
And it’s a hot one
Step out with caution
An hour in the street
I’m already beat
Destined for exhaustion

Warmth first felt a blast
To winter’s cold past
But now no relief’s in sight
The summer heat rays
Cannicular Days*
That stifles most of the nights

Seeping from within
Crawling on my skin
Sweat leaving salt trails on me
Humidity’s bane
I pray for rain
Just for my own sanity

Yes, summer winds down
Seeing leaves turn brown
But from fall or this hot spell?
I live for the day
It all goes away
From these hot Dog Days of hell

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* Cannicular Days – Another term for the dog days of summer, coming from Canis – dog. The night skies proclaim dog days Orion’s dog – Canis Majoris, high in the sky with its brightest star being Sirius.

I learned a new (for me) poetry form! Welcome to the Alouette

The Alouette, created by Jan Turner, consists of two or more stanzas of 6 lines each, with the following set rules:  Meter: 5, 5, 7, 5, 5, 7 Rhyme Scheme: a, a, b, c, c, b

At Tuesday’s Poetics Toni (Kanzensakura) challenged us to write about the infamous dog days of summer, which I missed posting by thismuch. But it’s now Open Link Night so I submit it here.

OpenLinkNight-mic

dVerse ~ Poets Pub | Poetics : Dog Days

dVerse ~ Poets Pub | Open Link Night : Week 153

 

Verbal Diarrhea Diaries: Toot

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Verbal Diarrhea Diaries aka the crap that comes out of my mouth sometimes that surprises even me.

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A little ego tripping twixt myself and a recent attendee of one of my classes with whom a fun rapport developed via email exchange.

Me:  Weren’t you supposed to email me and remind me to send you this information?

Erstwhile Student:  I had full faith in you that you would remember 😉 Thanks for a seriously awesome training day! You rock…but I’m sure you already knew that.

Me:  * clutches pearls and gasps *

Why, it would be far too immodest of me to self-accolade in such an unseemly manner! I cannot openly concede the methodical superiority in which trainings held under my exacting tutelage are conducted. It would merely serve to further exemplify the depth of all other instructors lacking and that is unkind and unfair.  Luckily, I’m not fair, kind or modest and the horn in which I personally toot is often of a decibel suitable to guide coastal ships in inclement weather.  😉

Besides, the class is only is good as the attendees, many thanks to you for being an equally awesome student.

Erstwhile Student:  LOL! Oh, if only an eighth of my technical classes were even half  as entertaining as yours. Thanks!

Note to my fellow trainers, instructors and teachers reading this. JUST KIDDING!!!!  As I said ego tripping, but it is always wonderful to receive such emails acknowledging your work.

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Let’s see how others are slicing through their Tuesday…

Slice of Life : Two Writing Teachers

Slice of Life - Two Writing Teachers

I Cannot Tech This Anymore

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I cannot tech today.

I who work in a technology based industry have been in relative fail mode for anything that has a power button today.

The overhead projector and instructor PC in the training room are in an apparent lover’s snit and do not want to talk each other. I check the wires, display format etc. nothing.  Of course I discover this minutes before a class is set to start.

Fine ain’t got time for dat as the saying goes. We’ll do this the ol’ fashioned way and use the still active portable projector like I used to do not too long ago. It’s not as pretty or as high-tech as the overhead, but it will get the job done right? Right. Wrong. Keystone. Horizontal and Vertical settings. Zoom, only showing one monitor. It’s not happening. Oh come the freak on already! All this futzing around is still happening at 10:15 for a class that was supposed to start at 9:30. I look at my students admit tech failure and start to talk talk them through the training.  I speak a lot as it takes longer to describe a concept where a simple click of the mouse to show them all at once would have worked miracles, but we get through it.

I come back to my desk and accidentally kick something, that hits something, that pulls the plug on one of my monitors.  Greeeeeeaaat! Follow the affected line down through the spaghetti of cords under my desk and get it all plugged up, only to realize I have now pulled out my mouse in the process and back into the spaghetti I go.

A run to Starbucks struck me as a right fine idea, by then.  Well, that my colleague leaving me a note, putting the bug in my ear (a really creepy crawly action if taken literally I must say). So I grab my phone with my Starbucks app, insure I have my cardkey to get back in the building, take my sunglasses and head out for some much needed refreshment.

So, do you want to guess who got in line at Starbucks, got all the way to the front of the line, was one measly person away from placing an order when she pulled out her phone and realized the damned thing was as dead as a door nail? No really, guess who! Hint: It’s the same person who did not have a dime on her otherwise. The same person who could not use her Starbucks card instead because it was in her wallet. The same person who left her wallet at her desk, because why would I need my wallet when I have my Starbucks app on my trustee phone? Uh huh.

Technology: 4 – Raivenne: zilch

Silver lining? Yes, there is one. I made it back into the office building Starbucks-less, but just before it started to to pour outside (good thing I had my shades with me, huh?).  Also, this computer has not done anything else untoward since I started typing. Yay, the tides are turning…

But I’m not touching any light switches with my bare hands for the rest of the day, just in case…

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Let’s see how others are slicing it up this Tuesday.Slice of Life : Two Writing Teachers
Slice of Life - Two Writing Teachers