A Quote to Start Things Off

""I'd love to go to Santa Fe at some point, Emmett said, but for the time being, I need to go to New York. The panhandler stopped laughing and adopted a more serious expression. Well. that's life in a nutshell, aint it. Lovin' to go to one place and havin' to go to another. Amor Towles in the Lincoln Highway.

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Pictures of Memories I
Snow kidding! These "kids" now range from 17 to 23

Thursday, August 18, 2022

Poetry Friday 8/19/2022 Finding Castles Among Ordinary Things

 I am hosting Poetry Friday today for my very first time. I originally said I would wait until Midnight Eastern time (11 P.m. where I live) so that it would truly be Poetry Friday. I have caved and am posting this on Thursday at 11:09 Eastern time as I worked at 2 of my jobs from 6 am to 9 pm (my time)  counting travel time and don't want to stay up any longer than I have to asI am also working the same shifts tomorrow.  Here's what I have for you ...

 Back on June 17th, Rose Cappelli of Imagine the Possibilities shared her amazing poem, Music Lessons for Poetry Friday.

I was not familiar with the form, an etheree, and decided to experiment with it.  An Etheree is a 10-line poem that works it way incrementally from one syllable to 10 syllables adding a beat with every line. At One aspect that I enjoy about creating poetry is the freedom to see the world a little differently than everyone else.  An ability to make a connection, and then see where that connection takes me.   

As I was reading Music Lessons, at Rose's blog, I noticed that right under her poem there was a section embedded in her post stating sponsored content replete with the usual clickbait about insurance rates, medical treatments, and other sundry time wasters.   Among the annoyance, I had a flash of inspiration.  Why not write an etheree about internet ads.  This was the result ...


Sponsored Content



I

Really

Don't care where

Educated

Singles in Elgin

Meet, Nor do I need to

Know the seven worst mistakes

I can make with my retirement.

There is a search bar for a reason,

I am content to find my own content.

6/18/2022


My wife and I have had one car between us for several months now.  We were hopeful that we would be working at the same school this year and only found out a few days before the school year started that there would not be a position for me.  Fortunately my long term substitute skills  are highly sought after and I received an offer to work at a middle school in my wife's district.  While we begin to look for a second vehicle, I have been bicycling nine miles down our bike path (each way) to my new school.


When I bike to work these pictures give you an idea of the view ahead of me.




Granted it's gorgeous but it's also fairly common place. Don't get me wrong I love my commute.  Most days I see at least 2 deer and some pretty good views of the Fox River but for the most part it's just tree after tree with a couple of towns thrown in for good measure.

But there is also this ...









Yes 2 miles from downtown Elgin there is this castle structure that I believe was brought over from England.  Most days I bike right past it often not even seeing it.  

Over the past few years I have found myself in a bit of Poetry Renaissance.  To me poetry has been my way of finding castles among ordinary things and even making ordinary things stick out like castles.  

That's what I have for this week.  Let's see what you can add and find out where the adventure takes us. 

 


As you read through what I'm sure re going to be excellent selections this week. I hope you experience your own Poetry Renaissance.  Next Weeks Poetry Friday will be hosted by Tanita S. Davis  at Fiction Instead of Lies.


19 comments:

Matt Forrest Esenwine said...

Great job with the etheree, Dave - I always enjoy tackling new forms, so congrats on taking on the challenge. And thanks for hosting, as well!

Linda B said...

Thanks for hosting, Dave, for your funny etheree & for the glimpse of your ride to work, so far! Best wishes for the new school year!

Michelle Kogan said...

What a fun and intriguing post Dave. I love your clever etheree and the images for your whopping 9 mile round trip commute–that's a good ride. My husband and I share a car too, and sometimes it's an interesting balancing act… Thanks for hosting!

Linda Mitchell said...

Ah, Dave the best-laid plans...and then life. Isn't that poetic? I think so. How wonderful that you have found the silver lining in your commute and you ARE highly sought after for substituting skills. I wouldn't be surprised if a position becomes available very soon. I too am in with a poem that highlights what "isn't." Have a good ride to school today.

Marcie Flinchum Atkins said...

Wow, what a commute! Here's hoping you find something very soon. Thanks for sharing those amazing pictures.

Susan T. said...

That's a beautiful commute! Thank you for rounding up this Friday and for your "Sponsored Content."

Rose Cappelli said...

Thanks for the shoutout, Dave, and great job on the Etheree. While I can't imagine riding that far on a bike to work every day, you certainly have a lovely view. The castle alone is inspirational. Good luck in your new position!

Irene Latham said...

Here's to your castles & poetry metaphor, which is makes my mind leap to poets as magicians/wizards/sorcerers. Thank you for hosting!

Carmela Martino said...

Hi Dave,
Thanks for hosting. I like your Etheree, especially the last line. Thanks for sharing your castle view. I think it should have its own poem, too!
Sorry, I posted my link twice. I guess I'm not quite awake yet this morning! I couldn't find a way to remove my first link, but I think you can. Feel free to do so!

Heidi Mordhorst said...

Ha! "content to find my own content"--me too, although I admit that Firefox Pocket is VERY good at suggesting articles that I really do want to read! Do you think the etheree (lovely name!) works well here? I'm thinking it's a good reflection of how we might just click on one little thing to find that in a few minutes we are inundated by content. Your cycle route looks gorgeous. All the best for your new gig!

Tabatha said...

So glad you have a safe way to get to work! We do not have enough bike paths around here. Love the castle metaphor. Thanks for hosting!

Karen Eastlund said...

Love the etheree and the idea of finding castles among the ordinary. Give me an idea for a future post! Thanks so much for hosting in the middle of all your hard work, and good luck and safe travels.

Robyn Hood Black said...

Ahhh... castles. Be still my heart. Thanks for hosting today, Dave, and for sharing your relatable poem. (I don't have a post this week, but I left a sentinel pointing this way.) Best wishes for the new school year in your realm!

mbhmaine said...

I love your post and especially appreciate the two uses of "content" in your etheree and your discovery of a castle amidst the commonplace. Best of luck in the coming year and thanks for hosting today!

Mary Lee said...

Thanks for hosting, Dave! I'll be looking for more "castles" as I bike and write!

Carol Varsalona said...

Congratulations on hosting Poetry Friday for the first time ever, Dave. I love your quote, "To me poetry has been my way of finding castles among ordinary things and even making ordinary things stick out like castles". From the ordinary poets create the extraordinary. Your etheree was a creative endeavor. I do dislike the ads that pop up so much when I enjoy a quiet, lovely read. I came home from a family vacation last night and couldn't resist posting about our trip.

Denise Krebs said...

Dave, delightful post. Thanks for looking for the castles, and making the ordinary look like castles too. Your students, hopefully soon to be permanent, are lucky to have you. I love this line in your etheree: "I am content to find my own content." Thanks for hosting today.

Patricia Franz said...

Dave, "finding castles among ordinary things" sounds like a great title for your next poetry book -- ;) I will spend my week in search of them too. Thank you! And great etheree!

Dave Roller said...

I'd like to thank everyone who participated in Poetry Friday this week. I an in the middle of 7 straight days of working at least one of my jobs. So, I haven't has the time this weekend to comment on all of the wonderful posts but I hope to wrap that up by the end of the day today. I loved hosting this week and hope to do it again.

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