Fun with Poetry, Part One

My first Villanelle -- Saying Goodbye

As we say goodbye I start to cry,

In disbelief the time has passed,

Wishing time apart would likewise fly.

On Wednesday nights my spirits high,

But Sunday always arrives too fast,

And we say goodbye; I start to cry.

On our days together I do try

To simply enjoy, to make them last,

Wishing time apart would likewise fly.

On Sunday mornings I start to sigh;

Throughout the day my dread topmast,

Til saying goodbye I start to cry.

Laughing all day, beloved and I,

Together our joy is deep and vast,

Wishing time apart would likewise fly.

The moment is here; our time's gone by,

Trying to hold my tears steadfast,

But saying goodbye I start to cry,

Wishing time apart would likewise fly.

Eeek

Tonight my short story is going to be workshopped in my Creative Writing course. I'm not sure how confident I am about my story, and I don't always take criticism very well. This could be a disaster.

Plot excercise, attempt two

We were cooking lunch over the fire, a couple of packets of Tasty Bites in boiling water, our usual backpacking fare. The sun shone brightly overhead, shaded a bit by the towering trees. Sonya sighed, "I wish we had brought coffee." John rolled his eyes and dished up her food. I glanced at Bobby, who was absently scratching his leg as he tended the fire. In the distance, the figure of a man suddenly appeared. As he came closer we could see that he was tall and fit, sporting a walking stick and a large black backpack, an iconic mountaineer. Spotting us, he ambled over. We greeted him and offered him food.  Thanking us, he sat down and then yelped as he noticed Bobby. "Is that a bug bite? You need to get medical attention!" Bobby answered, "I think it was just a mosquito. I'm fine." I peered more closely at Bobby's leg and spotted pus oozing out. "It looks a little infected," I ventured. Sonya frowned and walked over to Bobby to investigate. She jumped back: "I think there are baby bugs and blood in there!" Bobby shook his head: "I'm FINE!" Bobby started dabbing at the bite with his bandanna, scrunching his face in disgust and starting to look a bit concerned. John was fiddling with his cell phone and suddenly yelled: "WebMD says it's a sign of a poisonous bite!" "Call 911!" Sonya and I shouted in unison. Bobby was flailing around, panicked, as John yelled into the phone that they should send a helicopter. "Cut off my leg!" Bobby screamed at me. I could hear the helicopter overhead as the stranger slinked away.

Plot exercise, attempt one

Betsy and Tim looked at Michael and me and raised their glasses. Tim exclaimed, "To another great vacation."

"The cruise was a great idea, Betsy!" Michael said. Betsy smiled as she clinked his raised glass.

"Can you believe this is our tenth trip together?" I asked.

Just then, a portly man in a white linen suit walked over. "Hello folks, I hope you're having a good time."

"Yes," Betsy gushed, "this ship is amazing."

"Thank you," the man responded. "I'm Ross, the program director. May I join you?" When we nodded reluctantly, he pulled over a chair and stuck it on the corner between Michael and me. It seemed an oddly casual move in such an elegant dining room. I glanced at Tim who raised his eyebrows.

Ross turned to Tim and me. "How long have you two been married?"

I giggled. "No, I'm married to Michael, and Tim is married to Betsy," I said, gesturing.

"Really?" Ross asked, "I saw you from across the room, and..." he trailed off.

Betsy shot a panicked look at Michael and back at Ross, stuttering, "you didn't think that we..."

"Yes," Ross nodded.

"No," Betsy said, in shock.

"Well, Betsy, we are friends," Michael mumbled.

"Janie and I are too," Tim defended. "But we're not... I mean, I like her."

"Well, I like Michael," yelped Betsy, knocking over her wine glass. Michael leaped to help her mop the wine.

Without thinking, I shouted, "I love Tim!" and then looked over at Michael with horror. To my surprise he seemed almost relieved as he put his arm around Betsy.

Tim rose out of his chair and leaned down to whisper in my ear, "I love you, too, Janie."

Just before turning to kiss him, I saw Betsy and Michael kissing and a smirking Ross walking away.

Resolutions

I was going to blog about how I resolve to blog more in 2010, but I, uh, just didn't get around to posting it.

I do resolve to run more often. I dropped down to three times a week after the marathon, but since admissions season started, it's been more like once or twice a week. I've been riding the exercise bike, so I'm still working out, but I do need to run more.

And I definitely resolve to write more. I'm taking a creative writing class this quarter, so I don't think I'll have much choice, which is a good thing! Maybe I'll get around to editing my novel so that people can read it too. Maybe. :)

Happy new year everyone! 2010 started with getting sick and all the wrong football teams winning. It can only go up from here!