The Angel & The Clown – for Amy

(There was a request for me to post this after I shared that I proposed to my wife with a 3-part sonnet I read aloud at her surprise birthday party almost 17 years ago. Here it is. Thanks for your interest!)

. . . and once upon a time, there lived a clown
alone inside a windy house of cards.
He held his heart of stone beneath his gown
to hide from all the world his true regards.
At times the sun would shake into his view
until the waters washed it from his sight.
A fate so full of emptiness he knew
and soggy sorrows sobbing in the night.
Then one day, without warning, all the skies
bedazzled him with dancing pageantries –
the swirling sparks of heaven held his eyes.
In breathless wonder, falling to his knees
he looked upon an angel gazing down
with hopefulness and wonder at the clown . . .

. . . the gentle angel softly spread her wings
as golden folds of frolic floated down.
She said, “The time has come to speak of things
that bring you peace.” And then she held the clown.
They drifted into whispers and arose
above the house of cards to leave behind
his world of weariness and secret woes.
She spoke serenity to rest his mind.
As all the heavens sang, around they twirled,
to dance with feathered hearts before the sun.
The angel and the clown above the world
in fierce embrace, became a force of one.
The brightest dancing star that shines above
sings testimony to their perfect love . . .

. . . so, once upon a time, a clown was spared
the frozen, lonely life he lived apart
by dancing with an angel who had cared
to open up her arms and then his heart.
He taught the angel how to play the child
that falls and bounces back to laugh aloud.
She taught him of sincerity and smiled,
reminding him of what he should be proud.
This tale is true, though rather poorly told.
It has no end and only now begins.
And, as the clown, I ask you to behold
these parting lines where everybody wins . . .
Dear Amy, you’re the Angel saved my life.
I’m finally asking, will you be my wife?

A Fun Little Game: The First 4 Words You See Describe You

Reblogged from Lada Ray Blog:

I worked hard the whole week! The weekend is almost here and I thought, why not play a little game? It’s fun, yet thought-provoking. Check it out and have a wonderful weekend!

But first, just a quick update: STEPFORD USA and GREEN DESERT free promos are over. Over 3000 free copies of my books have been downloaded during the past few days and both books appeared on Kindle international bestseller lists.

Read more… 208 more words

LadaRay posted this and it was pretty cool. Give it a shot. I got Happy, Peaceful, Genuine and Reserved. Try it out, you'll see what I mean. Cheers!

Art Game – “Can I Take Your Ordah?”

Betty Boop joins The Art Game! Why don’t you? Check it out at http://allaboutlemon.com/art-game/ Easy as tic-tac-toe!

Golden Boy: The characters make this perfect.

    

   If you were offered a glimpse into your own future, would you take it? How would that glimpse influence your choices? And could you resist the temptation to change your past regardless of what that might do to the present? Those are the questions posed to a group of high school seniors on their last night together before embarking on adulthood in R.G. Lawrence’s fascinating and compelling novel, Golden Boy.

   Lawrence’s novel is well-paced and beautifully written. I really had a hard time putting it down. His eloquent prose provides deep insight into the characters, all of whom I felt I knew personally by the end of the story. I recognized aspects of each character in myself and fully understood the significance of the choices each of them faced. While this novel is, ultimately, a fantasy, the believability of Lawrence’s characters roots the story in a reality that makes the whole idea plausible.

   Lawrence demonstrates a gift for language that effortlessly provides just the right amount of detail to build not only perfectly realized settings but, more importantly, richly detailed characters. And it is his emphasis on character that kept me entranced in his tale until the end and left me wanting more.

   This was the first novel I have read by R.G. Lawrence and I will most certainly be back for more. The end of Golden Boy is followed by a 3-chapter teaser for another of his novels, The Circle. And, given the pleasure I got out of Golden Boy, I can’t wait to get my hands on that one. Enjoy.

   Golden Boy can be found in e-book or paperback at Amazon. His other books, The Circle and Summer with Fidel, can be found there as well in Kindle format. You can start be reading about the author at http://www.amazon.com/R.G.-Lawrence/e/B006NGADZW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Thor’s Pit Stop

By Odin’s holy battle trousers! The god of thunder needs a vacation. Anyone bring the badminton set? Will there be margaritas? Join The Art Game at http://allaboutlemon.com/art-game/ and add your two cents!

The Versatile Blogger Award

Wow. How cool is this?  Looks like I’ve been honored with The Versatile Blogger award, most kindly bestowed upon my humble self by MG Edwards at http://worldadventurers.wordpress.com/. According to what rules there are, I must first thank my benefactor, which I would gladly do anyway. So, thank you so much, MG! I am truly honored by this award you’ve seen fit to, um, award me with. Honestly, though, this is very cool.

What is this award all about? Well, according to MG Edwards, “As far as I can tell — details are rather sketchy and only the creator knows for sure — this lofty-sounding award is basically a mutual admiration society where bloggers recognize their peers for writing quality blogs that touched them in some way. The VBAs honor the blogger rather than specific posts. It’s a chance for bloggers to pat themselves on the back like the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences does with the Oscars. Until someone starts giving out Blogscars, the VBAs will have to suffice.”

That about sums it up. I certainly could not have said it any better myself.

Now, in accordance with the rules set down by http://versatilebloggeraward.wordpress.com/vba-rules/, I am duty-bound to nominate some 15 other bloggers for said award. And to include links to their sites. Well, let’s get started then, shall we? These are all some dedicated bloggers well worth knowing.

#1. Youthful Yogini at http://youthfulyogini.blogspot.com/

#2. All About Lemon at http://allaboutlemon.com/

#3. Abstract Plane at http://abstractplane.wordpress.com/

#4. Jason Alan Winkinson at http://jasonalanwilkinson.wordpress.com/

#5. Zena Shapter at http://www.zenashapter.com/blog/

#6. Simone Benedict’s Blog at http://simonebenedict.wordpress.com/

#7. Certainly Not Lost Down Under at http://lostupabove.wordpress.com/

#8. Frost Spun Salad at http://frostspunsalad.wordpress.com/

#9. Postcard Fiction at http://postcardfiction.com/

#10. Ashley Jillian  at http://ashleyjillian.com/

#11. Tess Schoenborn at http://teschoenborn.com/

#12. Monday Morning Musings at http://filelalaine.blogspot.com/

#13. Colddeadheart at http://colddeadheart.wordpress.com/

#14. Matthew Hansel at http://www.matthewhansel.com/

#15. Kofegeek at http://kofegeek.wordpress.com/

Wow – I actually came up with 15. And there were more to choose from. I didn’t even know I was following that many blogs.

Finally, it seems I must tell the person who nominated me 7 things about myself. Now this is gonna be tough. Hmm. Think, think . . . Okay:

1. I currently work days as a special education paraprofessional at our local high school. It’s a field I’ve been in for over 20 years and I love it, love it, love it.

2. I just returned to that field after spending 6 years as a stay-at-home dad, which I also loved, loved, loved.

3. By night, when I’m not shamelessly promoting my science fiction novel, “Space Orville” (samples and links here!), using twitter and facebook, I work as a remote medical transcriptionist.

4. I am very happily married to the most miraculous and beautiful woman in the world. We met at work 19 years ago and have been married for almost 16. I proposed in front of a houseful of people with a 3-part sonnet that I recited at her surprise birthday party.

5. When I was 19, I ran off to Miami, Florida with $80 in my pocket, no contacts and no idea what I was going to do there (I wanted to take the bus to California but Florida was as far as I could get with what money I had). I wound up with an 8-month gig travelling with a carnival that toured up and down the east coast – all the way to Ottawa, Canada and back to Miami. That, I still believe, was my rite of passage into adulthood. I have written one short piece about that adventure so far – “Greyhound”, which may be found under “Shorts” at this blog. I plan to extend that story soon (by popular demand).

6. I did finally make it to California when I was 24. Bought myself a white-over-red 1973 VW Microbus, packed it with everything I owned plus one cat and drove it all the way out there from the midwest. The van made it through New Mexico, the Grand Canyon and L.A., up the coast to Berkeley, off to a Dead show in Mountain View, back out to Nevada for a Rainbow Gathering, then trucked toward San Francisco where it finally died about 30 miles outside of the city limits. A rider we’d picked up at the Gathering had a AAA-Plus towing card that got us towed all the way into the city. The van was pronounced good and dead by several area garages (the journey had punished its poor engine beyond recognition) but that was okay. It had done its duty for us and we laid it to rest somewhere in the Haight-Ashbury, where I lived and worked for the next 3 years. Absolutely loved San Francisco. There’s not a city on earth quite like it.

7. I greatly enjoy acting and am active in our local community theater (as is my wife). I’ve been involved in theater since the 8th grade and performed in 3-4 productions a year throughout high school. I have been active with our local community theater for 19 years now and am currently rehearsing “Private Eyes” by Steven Dietz which opens in July. My character in the play is a real jerk.

Well now. I think that’s enough about me. It’s gotten very late but this prestigious nomination has been sitting in my in-box for about a week now and I really wanted to address it and do my part before passing the torch to the other fabulous bloggers mentioned above.

And with that, and another humble note of thanks to MG Edwards, I bid you all good night.

For the Love of Haiku – Aquified

Turbulent waters

beyond imagination

crackling and alive

Check out the artwork and post your own haiku at http://allaboutlemon.com/for-the-love-of-haiku/  Dolly’s blog rocks!

Gojira!

Oh No! Godzilla is storming Art Game Island! Come join the fun and defend the island at http://allaboutlemon.com/art-game/.

Something Fishy

Something fishy is going on in the Art Game at http://allaboutlemon.com/2012/05/09/art-game-w-17-an-astronaut/.  Come visit Dolly and join the fun!

Watch out for that tree!

George, George, George of the Jungle visits All About Lemon at The Art Game! Why not join us, too? At http://allaboutlemon.com/category/art-game/. Express yourself!