a brand new sherpa
draped over the furniture
it isn’t dirty yet
or covered in dust
it doesn’t have dirt or stains
or mud
a virgin snow
untouched
by the long, dark
or the salt that curses the roads
beautiful
innocent
it is the puff
of fresh air
on your lips
It’s amazing how a cafeteria smell
Will instantly take you back
The way it smells like broccoli cheddar soup. Like cheese but with a funk
Only 20 seconds
And the anxiety flashes back
High school anxiety. And middle school anxiety.
Standing in line forever to get food
If you kept your head down, the kids that were lewd, that were cruel, left you alone, rushing to eat
Difficult to swallow when your heart is pounding
Choking down chicken and gravy
That sticks to your throat like plaster
Or a doughy pizza that’s okay. Thank God for Pepperoni
Then you got the years Michelle Obama tried to make us eat healthy, and everything palatable (fries and cookies) were taken away and replaced my wheat rolls that looked and tasted like cardboard
What will we eat now?
It was okay with friends
It was safe there
Laughing and creating together
But on my own, I felt anxiety about a crowd
A teenage boy loves an easy mark
Especially someone so gullible
Innocent, naive, and unaware of the world
A 16 year old should have been more aware
Should have been not so afraid
I didn’t know how to be
Every day was fight or flight
And mom would be instantly there. To make it all better
For more poems from me, check out my poetry book, Walking in Cemeteries, now available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/72YgJ1O
Said the elk to the zebra, “It just isn’t right that I have the horns, and you have the stripes.”
Said the zebra to the bear, “I think it is wrong that I am so thin, and you are so strong.”
Said the bear to the hippo, “It must be quite fun to stay in the water and out of the sun.”
Said the hippo to the fish, “I wish I was free, to swim in the ocean and live in the sea.”
Said the fish when I caught him, “This just isn’t fair! I wish I was an elk, a zebra, a hippo, or a bear!”
For some time now, I’ve been considering writing a poetry book for children. 🤔🤔 Hmm.
For more poems from me, check out my poetry book, Walking in Cemeteries, now available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/72YgJ1O
dogs tell tales
like humans do
scratch an ear
steal a shoe
a stolen slipper
means, “I missed you”
a sock in mouth
means “hello,” too
love is the language
that dogs speak
except they say it
with a toy that squeaks
or slobbery kisses,
with head on your thigh
hands in warm fur
a deep, contented sigh
and muddy paw prints
on the kitchen floor
nose prints on the window
scratching the bathroom door
a minute is an hour
when you’re gone away
because they love us
every. single. day.
If you liked what you read, considering following me on Instagram @ajmorse_writes and follow my Facebook page A. J. Morse. My poetry book Walking in Cemeteries is available on Amazon here: https://a.co/d/cAsZUxa
And…because we love our two buds…some pics below! We recently got a new golden retriever puppy. Meet Teddy! You can follow them both on instagram @kodabear_and_teddy
To the person who left
An old, deflated basketball
In your back yard
To Mother Nature
Who picked it up
Carried it to the next house
Then the next
Until it rested on a muddy bank
That belonged
To a chocolate lab
Who rescued it
Claimed it
As his own
To the countless hours
Through rain, snow, dust and sunlight
Spent catching, jumping
and loving this half-deflated
Junk that no one else wanted
To the person
Who thought that deflated
Meant not useful enough
Who tossed it aside
To the universe who knew
That a chocolate lab needed it
To the water
That brought it
where it needed to be
To Koda who
Loves, loves, loves
His first, dirty, lumpy basketball
That the universe gifted him another
To the universe
Who knew that a chocolate lab
(and their human)
Would spend countless hours in the yard
Playing, catching and listening
To the universe
Who knew that two, lumpy, half-deflated basketballs meant
More fresh air, more exercise, a friend and friends
To the basketballs
who often sit on our front porch
Lovingly named “Outside Balls”
Thank you
If you liked what you read, considering following me on Instagram @ajmorse_writes and follow my Facebook page A. J. Morse. My poetry book Walking in Cemeteries is available on Amazon here: https://a.co/d/cAsZUxa
For more of Koda, our chocolate lab, you can follow him on instagram @kodabear_thebud.
Got the Yankee – Astros game playing in the background, the fan is whirling and making a steady shwooo noise, and I’m snuggled in bed with a book.
Everland, by Wendy Spinale. It’s this steam punk version of Peter Pan. I love the cross genre and diving into the realm of fiction classics is always fun, too.
What are you reading? Anything good?
I worked on this last week, but I guess I forgot to post. It was something I saw on a Facebook feed from a previous year. Someone had shared some 6-word stories and they were heartbreaking. Beautiful though, but amazing how they were able to portray so much with so little words. It’s such a great challenge though for creative writers.
Let’s see what you can come up with…here’s mine:
Seven 6-Word Stories
1. Brian said, “Goodbye.” Then he jumped.
2. Snowflakes danced around flower-covered headstones.
3. Black coffee drank up searing disappointments.
4. The advertisement read: need companion, non-violent.
5. Clutched hands trembled, the doctor spoke.
6. Tail wagged. The Vet said, “Ready?”
7. Birds chirped happily over rushing water.
Happy New Year!!! Got any New Year’s Resolutions this year?
This New Year’s was kind of pathetic for Mike and I. It was too cold to go anywhere, so we just hung out with a friend, watched the ball drop and then went to bed. We didn’t even drink!! How lame.
Anyway, it was nice and relaxing, though. And it was kind of fun to see all the announcers on ABC, (people who we don’t really like that much anyway) freeze their asses off in the New York weather. Bahahaha!
I think New Year’s Resolutions are kind of hokey, but it is basically a list here like any other; and for us anxious types, lists are great for organizing thoughts, chores, goals, work, etc.
Here are my New Year’s Resolutions for 2018:
1. Write More
This goes without saying, really. If I’m going to get something published, I need to write. Even when I am feeling down and tired from work. No, note to self: YOU SHOULD WRITE when you are tired from work. This is where I find my purpose. When I feel like I am truly doing what I’m supposed to be doing.
2. Read More, especially some new books!
I have several books on my bookcase that I haven’t read. And yet, I will still buy something new at the bookstore. I can’t seem to help myself. I will let books fill my life until I am drowning in them. I will breathe in the pages and choke on the words and I will never be satisfied that it is enough, even when they’re piled around me and I get anxiety about deciding what to read next. Huh…do I have a problem? Maybe. Just maybe.
3. Exercise, Eat Healthy, Take Care of Yourself
Tomorrow it’ll be in the negatives. No, I will not be going outside for a jog. But still, I need to remember to drink TONS of water, I never drink enough when it’s cold outside. I’ll also bundle up like a burrito in front of the TV. But I don’t need to eat cookies every night. Even though I want them…and they want me.
4. Make New Friends
It’s hard to put yourself out there when you spend all day being customer-servicey and you just want to shut yourself away from the world for a while after work. I need to find a writer’s group.
5. Find Writer’s Group
This isn’t the last because it’s the least important. Really it’s the last because I just thought of it…but this could be what I need to keep motivated, make new friends, AND get some writing done. So, really this is an essential part of getting a few things on this list done. I think I could be brave enough? Eee…baby steps! I know I can. This would be a good thing for me.
Anyway, that’s it…what about yours? Got any New Year’s Resolutions of your own that you want to share?
Happy Writing!
Hi Everyone – I’ve been a bit MIA on this blog as of late…and I don’t know why.
It could be because I started a full-time job this fall, and I just don’t feel inspired after a long day of sitting typing at a computer. Also, about mid-November I was sick for like a week with a cold, and that about wasted my November.
On the positive side, though, I have been writing more as of late. I think it all started after watching Outlander one Sunday. I was curious about the books and I went on Diana Gabaldon’s website, and something I read of hers inspired me.
It was what she said about the first book of Outlander. She said she wrote it because she wanted to see if she could write a novel, and Outlander was just a trial, a for-fun novel.
Well, several books later and a successful TV Show and she is still writing. I guess it made me realize that you shouldn’t doubt yourself. It might not be as awful as you think it is, and if it is awful…who cares? It was meant to be a draft, right?
If Diana Gabaldon can do it, well then so can I. Plus, my writing process seems to be a bit similar to hers. I tend to just wing it…I’ll have a rough outline, but otherwise I tend to be at the whim of my characters: “alright, guys, where do you want to go next?”
How was your NaNoWriMo? Any words of wisdom for the rest of us?
(Also, my NaNoWriMo wasn’t all that successful, but I got some more useful scenes written for my novel-in-progress and that’s something!)
A. J. Morse 