Flamingo Flamboyance—A Poem and More

by Catherine Giordano

Pink flamingos are fabulous. I collect flamingo-themed items just because they make me feel so happy.

A group of flamingos are called a “flamboyance” Isn’t that marvelous? A group of cows is a “herd, a group of birds is a “flock, but a group of flamingos is a “flamboyance.” 

An item from my collection, a flamingo-themed fabric grocery bag from Publix (a supermarket chain), inspired me to write a poem about why I love flamingos.

I’ll start with the poem and then I’ll give some suggestions for flamingo-themed items that you could use to start a collection or that you might want to add to a collection. I’ve put the items on my wish list.

Flamingo Flamboyance--A Poem

Today I bought a fabric shopping bag
I bought it at Publix
It cost a dollar
I bought it because I thought it was beautiful
I will not use it for groceries
It is too beautiful for groceries

Its intense yellow color first caught my eye
The color of sunshine
The color of butter creamed with sugar
The color of a field of buttercups

The bottom of the bag is a cerulean blue
The color of the Caribbean sea
The color of a summer sky
The color of Paul Newman’s eyes

Lime green alligators skip along the bottom
On their stubby green legs
Grinning toothy alligator grins
Little yellow birds perched jauntily on their backs

Palm trees with saw-toothed fronds
Rise from the blue water
Green fronds edged with blue
Swaying against a butter yellow sky

Most beautiful of all
Are the pink flamingos
On a stately march across the bag
Like a parade of princesses

They lift one leg daintily
Like the outstretched pinky
Of a prim society matron
As she lifts a cup of tea to her lips

The bag is beautiful to me
It's a tableau of peace
A representation of harmony
A fantasy of escape

I sat in my New York apartment
Looking out at the cold grey streets
No money for a vacation
I could only lust for sun and release

One day, passing a store window,
I saw a shirt covered with pink flamingos
I bought this shirt
And wore it that winter
And ever since
Flamingos ensconce my yearnings

                     ******

Do you want to know more about real flamingos?  Flamingos are as interesting as they are beautiful. Read about them here: Seven Reasons Why Pink Fkamingos are Absolutely Fabulous

If you want to know more about the lives of flamingos in their natural habitats, the 2-disc  DVD ser, Disneynature: The Crimson Wing - Mystery of Flamingos, is an excellent resource. 

CLICK HERE

And now for some flamingo-themed items you might like. Click below each picture for details of the item including the price.

Get the original pink flamingo lawn ornaments and the book that gives the history behind the bird named by his creator phoenicopteris ruber plasticus; a new avian species, now known to all as "Pink Plastic Flamingo."

   

CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE



 

I’ve collected some other items you might like a shower curtain (matching towels, bedspread, throw pillows, etc. are also available), an insulated tumbler, a cup which turns upside down to become a knick knack, a beach towel, and a figurine of flamingos.



CLICK HERE



CLICK HERE

  



CLICK HERE



CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE

Stop the Killing

Dead tress are used as a metaphor for capital punishment.

 by Catherine Giordano

Stop the killing.

This nation's shame is that when I say "Stop the Killing," you don't know what killing I am referring to.

It's almost the anniversary of the Sandy Hook school shooting. Is that the killing I am referring to?

Fergusson has police-shooting of unarmed black teenagers and boys in the news. Is that the killing I am referring to?

Actually, I am referring to a third type of shameful killing. Capital punishment, aka the death penalty.  At first you may think that the killing of innocent people has no relationship to the killing of condemned prisoners. The truth is there is not a whole lot of difference.

See why I say these three categories of killing are very much the same. I've given some of the reasons in these three posts.

Thou Shall Not Kill: The Immorality of the Death Penalty

The Hangman's Plea: End Capital Punishment (Includes poems about the death penalty)

Why Innocent People are On Death Row

Death Row Follies


For more information: Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty


Read this book to understand how the death penalty affects everyone involved. 

Dead Man Walking: The Eye Witness Account of the Death Penalty That Sparked a National Debate


You could also watch the movie with Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn.

Dead Man Walking (DvD)

Ode to a Cranberry

Apple-Cranberry Sauce

Cranberries are wonderful and versatile too. it's great in cranberry sauce, but you can also use it in pies, brads and puddings.

My cranberry sauce recipe I so good that even people who don't like cranberries love this cranberry sauce.  And it is all natural--fresh cranberries, apples, raisins, and maple syrup--no refined sugar. Additionally it is easy to make.

Read all the recipes plus get ideas for using leftover cranberry sauce here.

Apple-Cranberry Sauce Recipe and Other Cranberry Recipes.

I love cranberries so much, I wrote a poem about them called Ode to a Cranberry

Braga Organic Farms
Dried Cranberries
CLICK HERE

Be sure to buy an extra bag or two. They freeze great. Where I shop at Publix, it is always "buy-one-get-one free" so I always have an extra bag. Cranberries are only available fresh in November and December so stock up. ( I used the cranberries in my freezer from last year's purchase to make the cranberry sauce shown above. It looks and tastes great.)

You can  buy dried cranberries year around if you don't have any in your freezer.

Cranberries are also wonderful in pies, breads, and puddings. Here is my recipe for cranberry-cherry pie.

Cranberry Cherry Pie with Walnut Crunch Topping

An Avalanche of Accolades

by Catherine Giordano

The illustration used in "Tips for Writers"

It has been just about four months since I started writing on HubPages (HP). I began because I wanted to earn money, but I stayed for the joy of writing. 

I’ve been told it takes about a year for earnings to happen, but, for me the accolades happened very quickly.  I have reached over 3000 views in my first three months and close to 100 followers to date.  Some of my hubs have been selected by the staff for special recognition. (On HubPages, the articles or posts are called “hubs.”)  

Accolade #1

One of my hubs Inside the Bee Hive: How Bees Make Honeyreceived an “Editor’s Choice” award. It is featured on the HubPages domain where it can get extra attention from search engines.

 

Accolade #2

About a week later, one of my hubs, Why People Collect Stuff and How You Can Too,was selected as Hub of the Day. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of hubs published every day, so it is an a great achievement to win the Hub of the Day award.  

Accolade #3

I figured that was it accolade-wise for a while.  After all, HP probably wants to spread the glory around.  It is a way to encourage writers to keep writing, especially those of us who are not actually making money yet. Today, I turned on my computer and found I had won Hub of the Day a second time--twice in one month. This time it was Tips for Writers: The Making of a Poem that won.



CLICK HERE

I wrote Tips for Writers: The Making of a Poem as a way to put some of my old poems to use. I had several poems with a common theme—a love of words—so I put them all in a hub and  wrote some text about how to use the unconscious when writing prose or poetry, and added some pictures. I thought I was just burning off some old poems, but the tons of comments I have received indicate that people really found the hub interesting and useful.  And they liked the poems.

Another benefit: A network of friends. Through comments and other communication and by reading what others write, I have formed friendships with some of the other hubbers (people who write hubs.)  

If you think you might enjoy writing for HubPages, let me know. I will help you get started.


Update 10/15/14:. I had another hub chosen as "Hub of the Day" today.  That makes three hubs selected for this honor within 30 days.This time the hub was  The Resplendent Quetzal: The Most Beautiful Bird in the World. I may be the only person to ever accomplish this. I also got my second Editor's Choice" today, for  my post The Jobs of the Presidents (Before They Were President)

I am an artistic success. Now,show me the money.

 

Really, I'm getting all this validation on the quality of my writing, but still only pennies a day.

 

Oh Happy HoneyBee

by Catherine Giordano

As I did research for my article about bees, it gradually began to dawn on me that bees are the most amazing creatures on earth. Read Inside the Bee Hive: How Bees Make Honey and see if you don’t agree.

Also I wrote a little poem about honeybees.  I don’t know if honeybees are happy or not, but there is a lot to admire about their lives.

If you like the honeybee teapot below, you might like to read my article about collecting teapots:

Seven Adorable Animal-Themed Collectable Teapots

doe poems about bees:  

CLICK HERE

Ode to a Honey Bee and Other Poems

CLICK HERE

 

 

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Wicked Witches Wickedly Funny

by Catherine Giordano


I wrote an article for the web:


How to Win a Slam Poetry Contest:Old Witches Never Die

I think the title is a little misleading.  I read a poem titled, "Old Witches Never Die" at a slam poetry contest and that poem helped me win--third place but still a win.

The article is not really about how to win a slam poetry contest.  It is the story of how I won and the "how I won" part is just an intro to the poem. The poem uses witches as a metaphor for negative emotions like hate, envy, and shame. It's a really good light-verse poem.

Read it and banish the witches.

Click the link, read the poem, and don't forget to vote in the slamming poll. Thanks.

My Apologies… and My Forgiveness

Apologies and forgiveness are important.

by Catherine Giordano

If you have noticed that I haven’t been showing up at meetings or social events, my apologies for dropping out. I’ve been busy writing. I’ve been obsessed with writing.  I write one article and I have six ideas for new articles. The ideas demand to be written down. Right now! 

This week I did three pieces on the subject of apologies and forgiveness.  

 

Thank you for liking, sharing, and tweeting. 

The first is

How to Apologize: Use the 3 R’s to Say “I’m Sorry”.

It explains the  importance of apologies and provides guidelines for how to apologize. 

The second is

How to Forgive: A Guide to Letting Go of Anger and Grief.

It explains why forgiveness is important for the person doing the forgiving. (The offender may benefit also, but that is not the focus of the article.) It gives guidance about how to forgive.  If you are angry at someone (living or dead), especially if you have held on to this anger for years, please read this article.    

CLICK HERE

After those two articles, it was time to lighten up. My third piece is The Apology Poem.
It will make you laugh. 

I hope you enjoy these pieces. I’d love to see your comments and our answers to the poll questions included in the articles.

If you would like to do further reading, here are some recommendations.


CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE



From Happiness to Zombies

by Catherine Giordano




Courtesy of Philosophy Now

I go from happiness to zombies. No one can say I am not eclectic. 

Philosophers have always discussed happiness, going all the way back to Aristotle.  But did you know that today philosophers discuss "the zombie problem"?

What does philosophy have to day about zombies? Read about it here:

ZOMBIES: The Popularity, Mythology, Psychology, Philosophy, Morality, and Reality of the Living Dead

 

Then turn to a sunnier topic and read what I have to say about happiness.

 

How to be Happy: The 48 Best Quotes About Happiness by Famous People

 

  

 

Please like, tweet, and share.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Found Poetry Revival

Found Poems Collage

My second post for HubPages is about found poetry in general and about my news print poetry project.  Naturally, I included a link to my News Print Poetry 2012 blog.

Suddenly traffic to my poetry blog skyrocketed from a handful of visits a day because I rarely post new stuff  to nearly 100 in a day.  Recycling creativity.

 

CLICK HERE to see my HubPages article. You'll find a good explanation of found poetry and also some how-to tips.   I even did my own blackout poem especially for the article.  You can see it in the article.

 

Now I can't wait to see if I sell some books.

 

Fringe Slamming

by Catherine Giordano

I took 3^rd place in a poetry slam at the Orlando Fringe Festival. My score was only one point lower than the scores of the winners.

Slam Poetry is high energy performance poetry. Think of a rant, only with poetic technique.  Extra points for bawdiness.  There is a strong emphasis on story-telling, emotion, and rhythm. The poems are often humorous. If rhyme is used, it is manic rhyme. (You may have your own definition—this is my definition based on the slams I have attended.)

I hadn’t planned on entering, but the organizer needed more performers and asked if I could help out.  I hadn’t memorized or rehearsed. I had to read the poems from my book, The Poetry Connection. I had a couple of poems that could (just barely) qualify as slam poetry, so I took the stage.

My first poem was “Embracing My Inner Crone.” It details all the indignities and insults that nature inflicts upon the aging body, but ends on an upbeat note. I made it to the second round and performed “Old Witches Never Die,” a poem where I use witches as a metaphor for negative emotions like hate, shame, and envy. At the end of the poem, I urge everyone to commit witch-a-cide.

The other performers were magnificent; I felt totally outclassed. But for whatever reasons, the judges gave me high scores--scores comparable to the scores of the other performers. Maybe because my poems were more philosophical.  Maybe they just didn’t want to hurt my feelings. Maybe they were a little drunk--we were right next to the bar tent.

After a few of the competitors were disqualified for going over the three-minute time limit, I found myself in the semi-finals.   

It didn’t appear to be a serious contest. The prize was a chocolate Easter bunny. (Often slams offer substantial cash prizes.)  This slam was just for fun. Everyone appeared to be having lots of fun, especially one of the judges, an actress in one of the Fringe Festival plays, who rendered her judgments in character. 

I had a lot of fun. Thank you, judges, for your high scores.  Even with low scores, I would have had fun. But high scores made it a lot more fun.

I can’t wait for the next slam. I’m going to rehearse and memorize and work on a delivery that wows the audience.

I Took First Prize

By Catherine Giordano

Forgive me. I have to show off. I took first place in The Maitland Poetry contest on Friday. There were three judges and the poems were judged without the poet's name attached to insure it was a fair contest.

It was only a small contest—only 20 poems were entered. But some of the best poets from the Central Florida area were in contest. To top it off—there was a cash prize. So now I can say I have actually earned money from my poetry.  (Not counting the money I have earned from the sale of my poetry books.) 

Please share this post by tweeting, "liking" on facebook, and "+1 ing"

I want everyone to know about my success.

Please click the amazon shopping cart (above left) to buy from amazon.com,

maybe even one of my books.

This poem, “Safe Harbor,” has a long history. It became about two years ago as a prose piece written to a prompt a writing workshop. It felt poetical so I transformed it into a poem.  Every few months, I’d go back to it and revise it.  It’s been revised about four or five times.

I almost didn’t enter the contest.  A friend reminded me about the contest the day before the deadline.  On the final day, I tweaked the poem again, and I submitted it via the internet.

The theme was “Explore Your World.” I thought this poem about sleeping on a sailboat—“Anchor your sailboat in the crook of a cove” it begins. But like many poems, it veers off in an unintended direction. It turns into a poem about the place of the earth in the universe and it’s about the earth being our mother. It ends “Sleep in the womb of the world.”

The poem may have won the contest, but the poem continues to be a work in progress.  I thought of another revision last night.  

I've gotten great reviews for my first book of poetry, The Poetry Connection.  Check them out at amazon.com

 

Florida Writers Conference Accolades

by Catherine Giordano

 

I’m back from the Florida Writer’s Conference and my brain is a buzz.  So many wonderful seminars, workshops, and people gave me so many new ideas. I think I’m ready to start on my novel now.

On Friday night, there was an open mic. I read some of my poems from News Print Poetry 2012: Best of 2012.  I chose short funny ones from last October. I got compliments all the rest of the weekend.

I also got lots of compliments on my story “The End of a Marriage” which took second place in the annual FWA anthology, It’s a Crime. There are so many great stories in that collection—everyone is a gem.  I’m so honored just to be included.

If you would like to read the poems I read on Friday, click the links below.

October   2, 2012      Love

                               

October   2, 2012      Reality                      

October 11, 2012      Romance           

October 27, 2012      Insight                                   

I finished my open mic performance with two poems from my first book, The Poetry Connection, both funny, but cynical, poems about love.   

 Please share this review by tweeting, "liking" on facebook, and "+1 ing"

Please ""follow" so you don't miss any of my reviews.

A New Twelve Chairs Program Starting

For about a year now, I have been part of the Twelve Chairs Project.  A new program is starting with seminar one scheduled to begin in November. Maybe you will want to take part also. 

Twelve Chairs is a comprehensive, practical, and innovative course for poets. The program is called the Twelve Chairs because only 12 hand-picked students/colleagues will be enrolled.

 

There will be 30 seminars in all. You will meet 15 times a year for six hours per session. Each session will be devoted to a single topic, such as sound, metaphor, rhetorical devices, technique, and more, including how to get published.
 

·        It is targeted for experienced poets seeking to broaden the scope, sound, and vision of their work; for poets who want to make use of all available resources in to advance their understanding and talents.

 

·         It is also targeted for writers of all kinds who want to improve their writing through an understanding of poetic techniques.
 

The Twelve Chairs seminars include lectures, lots of show-and-tell, freewheeling discussions, exercises, and elective at-home assignments to help you bring your writing to the next level. (I should say “next levels” because you will undoubtedly progress rapidly from level to level.)

 

Al Rocheleau, the author of on writing poetry: for poets made as well as born has developed the course and will be the instructor. He’s a charismatic teacher and  a widely published poet.

Twelve Chairs is like getting an MFA only it is a lot less expensive (you will be pleasantly surprised at how low the cost is), it gives you twice as much as you would get from university classes, and it is much more fun.  

There are a few chairs remaining.  Maybe one of them has your name on it.

If you want more information, contact Al Rocheleau via email at ARRO40@aol.com.

 

 

Click Here  to order a copy of Al's book

To TV or Not TV

In addition to my poetry blogs, I do a blog about premium cable TV.  I review, recap and riff on original series on HBO, Showtime, and Starz.  If you watch TV, check out my blog, Premium Cable Reviews. 

My friend Robert Agento wrote this poem for me. He told me he dashed it off quickly.  I thought the first stanza needed a fourth line so I added it.  I hope you don’t mind, Robert.



He didn’t give it a title, so I’ll call it ...

To TV or Not TV

We don't have a TV. We miss all the blather.

We have no relation to Wolf, Beck or Rather.
We missed being taught about all things forensic.
The medical shows would only make us feel sick.

The Becks and Kardashians, they just go us by.

We've missed all the Geicos. We don't even try.
We stay quite informed--without any fuss.
As life on the blue screen, goes on without us.


http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com

 



June, Moon, and Meaning

Percy Shelly

I was recently talking to a fellow poet, and we got onto the topic of light verse.  Is it art or is it drivel? I said that even light verse has to have meaning; he said that the ability to rattle off rhymes is also a talent. He mentioned Ogden Nash to illustrate his point.

Ogden Nash proves my point, not his. I began reading Ogden Nash in high school. First of all, Nash doesn’t just rattle off rhymes; his writing is clever and funny.   

For instance, here is one of his most famous little poems:



CLICK HERE

"Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker."
 

Nash is not just delighting us with a clever rhyme; he is commenting on the social mores of seduction. I could probably write a PhD thesis on the meaning in that little poem--about love and sex and the relationships between men and women--but I won’t because I know if you think about it for a minute you’ll see what I mean. 

THANK YOU FOR LIKING, SHARING, AND TWEETING THIS POST  

For more quotes about love, see

How to Find Love: The 45 Best Quotes by Famous People on Love

 

 

To prove my point that it is easy to rattle off rhymes, I decided I would composed a little poem in a couple of minutes off the-top-of-my head. I intended it as a send-up of the moon-June cliché. However, when I wrote it down and read it, I realized that although I had intended to write doggerel, I was actually commenting on the social mores of love and sex and the relationships between men and women myself.

What can I say? Even when I try to be nothing but frivolous, I’m deep.

Here’s the poem I wrote.  What do you think?

 

The Moon in June

It was a lovely night in June.

And yes, you guessed it, there was a full moon.
My sweetie gave my lips a peck.
And then he began to nuzzle my neck.

At first it was just a low growl,

but soon it became a full-throated howl.
I thought, “It’s nothing more than lust.”
But it wasn’t—it was canis lupus.

 

 



 

Wordstock Festival

Join the fun at Wordstock at DeLeon Springs in Florida.  Poets from around the world are planning individual events to take place simultaneously on September 29th in a celebration of poetry, art, and music to promote social, environmental, and political change.

At only $5 for the whole weekend, it’s the best deal ever. 

And you gotta love it, if only because of the clever pun in its name.

It is being held at the Bamboo Arts Center from September 29 -20.  The address is 4490 Cave Lake Road DeLeon Springs, FL 32130 The phone is 386-956-1329

More information availabable at www.facebook.com/wordstockpoetry