Category: Sam Adams

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    Recent Writing Com Creative Writing

    Recent Writing Com Creative Writing

    40-Words

    April 2023 Dew Drop In Poems

    I have been a writing com member since 2016.  I have been actively posting in various challenges and contests since I began and have posted close to 998 pieces. I highly recommend this site as a warm, welcoming writing community and I have learned so much about the art and craft of writing from participating.  You can find my work at https://jcosmos.Writing.Com/

    Index

    Weekly Challenge

    #27. When Sam First Saw Maria

    ID #1062875

    #26. election cinquain
    ID #1062282

    #25. spider web
    ID #1061843

    #24. 24 Star Crossed Lovers
    ID #1061842

    #22. week 10 my faith journey
    ID #1061840

    #21. too many gunmen joy bell
    ID #1060903

    Writer’s Cramp

    End of Empires

    Quiet January Night With Cosmic Cat

    Lunch with Allen Ginsberg item 231151 Winner

    Dogs of War

    Hitler as an Artist winner

    Express It in Eight

    #19. Strange Places
    ID #1063026

    #18. Gateway In Central Asia
    ID #1063024

    #17. The perfect cup of tea
    ID #1063023

    #16. The Future Of The World At Stake
    ID #1063022

    #15. Warning Signs
    ID #1062873

    Poet’s Place

    #62. why do we write?
    ID #1062876

    #61. Guns Eleven Poem
    ID #1062627

    #60. morning routines Tanaga
    ID #1062284

    #59. names
    ID #1062273

    #58. More Guns Rondeau
    ID #1062048

    #57. The Whole World Out of Control Ronka
    ID #1062047

    40 Words

    01/31/2023-‘re-enter’
    ID #1062534

    #6. 01/30/2023- ‘rescue”
    ID #1062533

    #5. 01/29/2023- ‘old”
    ID #1062532

    #4. Unusual sway
    ID #1062531

    #3. Decency or fascism is your choice
    ID #1062530

    Stormy Lady

    Everything in Life is Foolish or Immoral For Stormy Lady
    ID #1059452

    #9. Barbados Dreaming on a Winter’s Day for Stormy Lady
    ID #1055645

    #8. o dark Hundred
    ID #1051150

    #7. Last night of High school memories
    ID #1049689

    #6. A Mother’s Luminous Tears
    ID #1048420

    Writers Cramp Entries

    Writer’s Cramp does a prompt every day with a daily winner. I have won quite a few of these and try to enter them daily.

     

    End of Empires

    38

    On February 2, 1901,
    Queen Victoria was laid to rest.
    Largest gathering
    Of European royalty ever assembled
    Attended the funeral.

    This was the height
    Of the British Empire.

    Few would have thought
    In a few short years
    World War 1 would begin.

    And then World War Two
    The Cold War
    Followed by the gradual
    End of the British Empire.

    The sun did set
    In the British Empire

    But in 1901
    It seemed like
    The British Empire
    Would last forever.

    Empires rise and fall
    Sometimes one sees the decline.
    Other times it comes as a surprise.
    In hindsight almost inevitable.

    What will be the end?
    Of the American Empire?
    Will America break apart?
    Into ten or 15 new nations?

    If there is a civil war
    It will not end up
    As proponents think.

    That is the nature
    Of civil war
    And war in general.

    it never ends as planned.

    “ War, Good God all, what is it good for?
    War has only one friend, the undertaker.”

    NEW (birthday week) PROMPT:
    On February 2 (2/2) 1901, the state funeral of Queen Victoria of Great Britain took place and was one of the largest gatherings of European royalty in history. Write a poem or story about this event. Use HISTORY as one of your genres.

    A Quiet January Night

    26 lines

    Sam Adams
    Was at home
    On a quiet January Night.

    Snowbound
    In his Capitol Hill Row house,
    Down the street from Lincoln Park
    In the heart of DC.

    All in all
    Sam felt at peace
    With the world.

    Having accepted
    As he was getting older,
    And having reconciled
    With his long-estranged siblings.

    He was playing the piano
    While his cat
    The Buddha Cat
    Was lost in his cat verse
    Deep in meditation.

    Soon he put on some
    Buddha bar meditation music
    And joined the cosmic cat
    In mediation.

    There is a new prompt up in “The Writer’s Cramp” – and if you write the best story or poem (and follow all of the rules) you just might win 10,000 GPs.

    ” WINNER & NEW PROMPT Due Sunday, January 21″ 16 hours 40 minutes 35 seconds
    Please use the following as the Title of your story or poem:

    “A Quiet January Night”

    Please select “Spiritual” as one of your genres.

    Make sure you create a new static item for your entry, and include your word count for stories (1000 words or less) or a line count for poems (40 lines or less) IN your forum post with the b-item link to your entry to be a qualified entry.

     

    Lunch with Allen Ginsberg (winner)

    39

    If I had a chance to go back in time
    and meet for lunch a famous poet
    I would go back to 1954.

    to my hometown, Berkeley, California
    to visit with and have lunch
    with one of my literary heroes
    Allan Ginsberg.

    I would knock on his door
    and tell him I came from
    from 2024, the future.

    And wanted to talk to him
    about the future world
    and we would go and have lunch
    in North Beach.

    And over wine and pasta, we would talk
    We would talk about his life and legacy
    and then talk about the future world.

    I would tell him that Donald Trump
    would become President
    and usher in an era of neo-fascism.

    H would be astonished.
    but finally concluded
    that he knew of the Trump family
    and could see that coming.
    They had bad juju he concluded.

    And then he would go home
    and write a series of poems
    about the future of the U.S.

    And perhaps we would have prevented
    some of the future from taking place
    perhaps it was inevitable
    as he would write,

    “the future is coming sooner than we think
    and it will be stranger than fiction.”

    Unfortunately, I can’t award a winner today. Please remember to select the appropriate genre if the prompt requires one. (Today’s prompt does not.)

    NEW PROMPT: Tomorrow, January 6, is National Take a Poet to Lunch Day. Write a story or poem involving lunch with a poet. The poet can be living, formerly living, imaginary, or even yourself. What’s on the menu, and what topics are discussed?

    The WINNER Is:

    Lunch with Allen Ginsberg   (E)
    Imagined lunch with Allen Ginsberg
    #2311511 by JCosmos (146)

     

     

    Dogs of War Unleashed

    dogs of war howling
    dogs of war howling

     

    dogs of war poster
    dog of war poster

     

     

     

     

    35

    Sam Adams
    watched from far-off Mumbai
    as the terrorists launched 9-11.

    Thanking the Gods
    that his wife was not working
    there at the Pentagon.

    He had a vision
    that the Dogs of War
    Have been set free
    Of their cages in hell,
    And are out
    howling at the moon.

    The Dogs of War
    Have been set free
    To wreck what havoc
    Might be.

    Yes, the Dogs of War
    The Hell Hounds
    Have bound out of their cages
    Sniffed about, smiled

    At the destruction, they saw
    They knew soon
    They would be in their element
    As the world descends into chaos,

    The world saw the face of pure evil
    That fine September morning

    A morning like any other morning
    Until a fateful moment
    When two planes came out of the sky,

    And Destroyed the center of world capitalism
    In an act of horrific violence, and pure evil
    That is beyond the comprehension
    Of mere mortal man.

    Dec 7, 1941, was the attack by Japanese warplanes on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, an event that propelled the United States into the forefront of World War II.

    For tomorrow, write a story or poem that is set during an unexpected military attack. (But broadly construed … could be like Pearl Harbor, could be a science-fiction space war, could be a gang war in NYC, could be an unexpected snowball attack by the neighborhood bullies, could be in fairyland, etc.)

    Focus your tale on the experiences of an “ordinary person” in this attack, rather than someone removed from the action (e.g. not military leaders in command-and-control centers.) Try to bring to life the confusion and emotions of the situation.

    Hitler as an Artist?

    20

    A Hitler historian
    was fascinated
    With Hitler’s failed attempt
    To be a painter,

    Hitler always blamed
    His failure as an artist
    Due to a cabal of Jewish painters
    Who were the arbiters of taste
    In Vienna right after World War 1

    One day he discovered
    A cache of lost Hitler paintings.
    Among the paintings,
    was one labeled
    “International Bird Painting Day”.

    Art historians all agreed –
    It was the worst bird painting
    Ever made,

    Proving that Hitler
    Would never have made it
    As an artist,
    Since he had no talent

    As an artist,
    Sadly, his depraved, evil
    malignant evil talents
    Lay elsewhere.

    NEW PROMPT: Tomorrow, April 8, is Draw a Picture of a Bird Day. Write a story or poem about someone with limited artistic talent attempting to observe this occasion.
    20

     

    Express it Eight

    Soling Bling is the host of the Express It In Eight Daily prompts. The goal is to write an eight-line poem. Here are my most recent entries.

    Jellyfish Lake and Other Strange Places

    Sam Adams was an explorer
    He had been to many strange places
    Among the Weider were the Jellyfish Lake
    Filled with jellyfish
    Snake Island off of Brazil
    Filled with the deadliest snakes in the world
    And the famous cannibal island
    where outsiders are forbidden in the Andaman seas.

    INTERESTING PLACE: JELLYFISH LAKE

    https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/jellyfish-lake

    #19. Strange Places
    ID #1063026

    Gateway In Central Asia

    In an ancient town in Central Asia,
    Deep in the high mountains on the old Silk Road,
    There lays a weird church, mosque, and temple.
    With four doors, one to the church, the mosque, and the temple.
    The fourth door, hidden in the back rooms leads to an indoor patio.
    The fourth door reveals ten smaller green doors on top of each other.
    According to the sign above, each door opens a portal
    To other worlds, a one-way ticket for madmen only.

    Doors [#2308179]
    green doors

    #18. Gateway In Central Asia
    ID #1063024

    Perfect Cup of Tea

     

     

     

     

    Lately, I have been drinking
    Much more tea and less coffee,
    Particularly in the afternoon.
    My latest tea of choice is my wife’s secret blend.
    Bitter melon, jujube dates, ugly potato, wormwood
    With Earl Gray, green tea slims fast,
    Yogi detox teas are added to the brewing pot.
    Perfection in a soothing hot cup of heaven.

    SELF-CARE IDEAS

    BUY YOURSELF SOME FLOWERS

    DRINK A CUP OF HOT TEA

    #17. The perfect cup of tea
    ID #1063023

     

    The Future Of The World At Stake

    trump 4
    trump 4

     

     

     

     

     

    In the U.S. in November
    There is a noteworthy
    Looming election.
    An election that will determine
    In a comprehensive manner,
    The future of the U.S. and the world
    Will the U.S. choose fascism?
    Or will democracy and sanity prevail?

    LOOMING

    NOTEWORTHY

    COMPREHENSIVE

    #16. The Future Of The World At Stake
    ID #1063022

    Warning Signs

     

     

     

     

     

    the warning signs
    are everywhere
    will we heed them?
    will we wake up
    and see that Trump
    and the MAGA movement
    are fascists determined
    to destroy American democracy.

    POEM TITLES

    Warning
    by Jenny Joseph

    When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
    With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
    And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
    And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
    I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
    And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
    And run my stick along the public railings
    And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
    I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
    And pick flowers in other people’s gardens
    And learn to spit.

    You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
    And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
    Or only bread and pickles for a week
    And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

    But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
    And pay our rent and not swear in the street
    And set a good example for the children.
    We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

    But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
    So people who know me are not too shocked
    When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple.

    >< >< >< >< >< ><

    I Choose the Mountain
    by Howard Simon

    The low lands call
    I am tempted to answer
    They are offering me a free dwelling
    Without having to conquer

    The massive mountain makes its move
    Beckoning me to ascend
    A much more difficult path
    To get up the slippery bend

    I cannot choose both
    I have a choice to make
    I must be wise
    This will determine my fate

    I choose, I choose the mountain
    With all its stress and strain
    Because only by climbing
    Can I rise above the plain

    I choose the mountain
    And I will never stop climbing
    I choose the mountain
    And I shall forever be ascending

    I choose the mountain

    #15. Warning Signs
    ID #1062873

     

    Poet’s Place

     David Sneider is the host of Poetry Place.  He does a weekly poetry form challenge similar to what Writer Digest does.  I try to try my hand at both and between the two of them and Fan Story, I have tried over 150 poetry forms since 2016.

    Here are my most recent attempts

    Why do we write?

    40 lines

    A writer is often asked
    Why do you write?
    What motivates you?
    What keeps you going?

    How do you handle the constant rejections?
    The self-doubts
    What comes with the writer’s life?

    I write as many writers do
    Because I must
    Because the damn muse
    Will never leave me alone

    The characters in my head
    Demand to let their voices be heard
    Demand to be freed
    To tell their tales

    And I am a slave
    To my muse
    Who takes me
    Where she will

    No matter what
    I must write every day

    Usually starting my day
    Drinking coffee
    Watching the news unfold

    Writing my thoughts
    Letting the poetry flow
    Out of my soul

    Bleeding onto the computer screen
    The words waiting to be spoken
    To tell their tale
    Before the day is over

    That is why I write
    Because I can not write
    That is the Buddha nature
    Of being a writer after all.

    Most of us probably started writing to fulfill the requirements of our teachers in school. We wrote to pass the course and gain recognition through grade assignments.

    During some self-analysis upon leaving the Navy and starting my job search, I realized that the things I enjoyed the most and had the most success with involved writing of some sort. Therefore, a technical writing job seemed to be the perfect union of that interest with my engineering education. For the next few years, I wrote to instruct field technicians on how to implement retrofit modifications on aircraft.

    Later, in the business world, I wrote to enlighten co-workers, managers, and customers about procedures, policies, and systems.

    Nowadays, while I sometimes still write for those reasons (as I’m doing here), many more factors keep me engaged in this wondrous process. That’s probably the case with you, too.

    If you feel a need to express your most personal response to this mysterious, beautiful, and sometimes painful world in the shapes, colors, sounds, and smells of your imagination, creative writing can provide a powerful means of therapeutic release.

    The pure joy that comes with meeting the challenges of crafting the language into something meaningful, like molding a piece of clay with your hands, can be a refreshing recreational outlet.

    Many writers are driven to publish their work on the printed page. I can vouch for the exhilarating sense of satisfaction that comes with that first acceptance letter.

    Upon receiving a reviewer’s comment that one of my stories reminded him of a stand-up comedian’s routine, I realized that the desire to entertain/is also a driving force that keeps me motivated.

    For whom do you write?

    Many writers resist criticism and defend their writing with the claim that they write only for themselves. While some therapeutic or recreational writing may not be intended for sharing with an audience, writing is usually employed as a means of communicating with other people. Of course, the grocery lists and phone numbers you scribble on scraps of paper are probably intended for only you. However, those things within you that won’t rest until they are given voice–the burning memories that linger in your heart and the fanciful fugitive images floating around in your head–must be shared with someone else to satisfy the need for expression.

    When you sit down to write, you should keep your audience in mind. Whether it be your friends and family, a group of readers interested in a particular genre as identified here at WDC, or an editor for a specific publication, the language you use serves as a bridge between you and the reader. Choose accordingly.

    Your reasons for writing along with your prospective audience will influence the voice you use in your writing, as the relationship between the writer and the reader develops into a true collaboration in this wondrous experience.

    Today’s Practice Session: Write about your objective(s) as you continue on this marvelous journey.

    Then ponder the postings of your peers and exchange views about the various motivations that keep us all inspired in this venture.

     #62. why do we write?
    ID #1062876

    Guns Eleven Poem

     

     

     

     

    Guns
    so many
    people are dying
    Politicians offer useless prayers
    Death

    The Elevenie, also called Elfie in German, is an exercise in language distillation. Consisting of five lines with word counts of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 1, respectively, it captures a thought in only eleven words, as described and demonstrated in the following links:

    https://rolandsragbag.wordpress.com/2020/10/09/elfchen/

    Wikipedia defines an Elevenie, or Elfchen, as follows:
    “An elevenie (German Elfchen — Elf “eleven” and -Chen as a diminutive suffix to indicate diminutive size and endearment) is a short poem with a given pattern. It contains eleven words which are arranged in a specified order over five rows. Each row has a requirement that can vary.”

    A simple form, similar perhaps to Haiku, Senryu, or Tanka, in which the poet attempts to carry an idea within a set format of words and lines which imposes certain strictures of thought and form on the author.

    The usual format requires a short verse of eleven words in five lines in the form – 1, 2, 3, 4, 1. An order which I have reversed in my last of the 4 Elfchen below . . .

    #61. Guns Eleven Poem
    ID #1062627

     

    Hot Coffee Tanaga

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Hot coffee starts my morning.
    watching the news mid-morning.
    Too much coffee is a warning,
    a migraine a forewarning.

    Afternoon I drink hot tea.
    Contemplating to be.
    What is to become of me?
    Turning on music filled with glee.

    As the sun sets, I drink red wine.
    With my wife, all is just fine.
    While looking at the moonshine,
    As we sit down start to dine.

    The Tanaga is an ancient Filipino form that has evolved from a complete poem to a series of stanzas. The structure consists of four mono-rhymed lines with seven syllables per line, as described and demonstrated in the following links:

    https://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/topic/2191-philippines-ambahanawit-tanaga/#tana…

    #60. morning routines Tanaga
    ID #1062284

    My Name

     I was born John Cosmos Aller
    But for most of my life
    I called myself Jake Cosmos Aller
    Nowadays, I call myself J Cosmos Aller
    or Cosmos As my pen name

    the name Cosmos has nothing
    to do with me being born
    in Oakland
    growing up in Berkeley

    no one buys that story though
    Cosmos being such a Berkeley-like name

    My great-grandfather wanted
    an English translation
    of the family’s last name
    Aller
    looked it up in a German English dictionary

    had two choices
    Cosmos
    or Universe
    chose Cosmos
    and thus I am the last
    of the Cosmos Aller’s

    The universe would have been
    an equally good Berkeley name

    But I have had other nicknames
    The kids nicknamed me Allergy
    And pretended to sneeze
    When I passed them by

    The name  Jake came about
    From a dream I had
    As a boy scout

    I was riding a horse
    Named Jake

    I would scream
    Whoa Jake
    Slide aside Clyde
    Turn around Verdiack

    I started saying these words
    When I walked about Campus
    And people thought I was a bit mental

    So, people simply started calling me
    The Whoa Jake kid,
    Later simply became Jake

    After I left school
    I liked the name, Jake
    Better than John
    Too many Johns
    In the world, I thought

    When my wife became an army officer
    We would sometimes get invites
    To things addressed to Captain Lee and Mr. Lee
    Got tired of trying to explain
    We had different last names
    So, I became Jake Lee

    Later when I was in the military hospital system
    As a dependent getting operations
    The doctors just assumed I was a major
    And called me Major Aller

    I did not correct them
    Liked having been promoted
    To the rank of Major!

    When I started trying to become
    Professional writing and blogger
    I thought using my middle name
    Would be a nice pen name

    So now I am either J Cosmos Aller
    Jake Cosmos Aller
    John (Jake) Cosmos Aller
    or just Cosmos

    No longer Jake Lee
    Or Major Aller though.

    unless you are Maya Angelou, Stephen King, or some other famous writer whose name alone is enough to draw an audience, the title is one of the most critical elements of a poem. As the only thing a prospective reader will see while scanning the list of items in a writer’s port or the Table of Contents in a book, it serves as the door that must be opened to enter the realm of the poet’s imagination. If that entrance does not generate some kind of interest, that browser will likely move along to the next item, or maybe even the next author.

    Like the names of your children, a title gives the poem a specific identity. Of course, some poets eschew such traditions and leave their work without any identifying reference. Emily Dickinson did not put titles on her poems, even though her editors often did before publication. Frank O’Hara often applied simple, nondescript titles, such as Poem. Would you let your child go through life without a name? Then, why would you ever think of not naming your brainchild or tagging it with some irrelevant label?

    Because many poems are so short in comparison with other forms of literature, their names should capture the underlying essence of the expression as it sets the tone and prepares the reader for what is to come. Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug,” and I believe the same advice would apply to titles for a poem. This can be a struggle in many cases. Sometimes the title comes to the poet out of the blue as inspiration for an entire composition, and sometimes it hides within the shrubbery of the text.

    Here are a few suggestions to aid you in your search for the perfect name:

    1. Start with the title and let it propel you into the poem.

    2. Use the first line of the poem as your title.

    3. Provide a brief description of the poem’s theme.

    4. Find a phrase or image within the poem that can represent the whole.

    5. If you are writing a narrative poem, an action verb may help engage the prospective reader with the experience being described.

    6. Use your imagination to pluck lightning from the phantasmal cloud of cosmic pixie dust swirling around in your head.

    Your assignment: Write a poem about the concept of NAMES.

     #59. names
    ID #1062273 entered on January 11, 2024, at 7:16 pm   [Edit]   [5 views]

    More Guns Roundeau

    gun
    gun

     

     

     

     

    More guns killing people today.
    Is it just another day?
    Politicians offer prayer.
    All the dead gun ghosts don’t care.
    Have we completely lost our way?

    To the gun ghosts, what do we say?
    Our prayers are just another cliche.
    Will the guns continue to flare?
    More guns.

    Will we continue to pay?
    Will our country be able to stay?
    Will hatred continue to stare?
    Will there be an end to this nightmare?
    Do we have any words left to sway?
    More guns.

    : aabba aabR aabbaR. Lines 9 and 15 are short

    The Rondeau is a French form of fifteen lines with an intriguing pattern of rhyme and repetition, as described and demonstrated in the following links:

    http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/rondeau.html

    #58. More Guns Rondeau

    trump jpg
    trump jpg

     

     

     

     

     

    I wake up with the morning dawning sun.
    Turn on my TV watch the news,
    drinking a hot snarling cup of coffee.
    thinking dark gloomy thoughts as the snow falls.
    Bombs, war, inflation, end-of-the-world.

    The Ronka is another spinoff from the Japanese Haiku and Tanka forms devised by Ken Ronkowitz. The structure consists of five unrhymed lines with seven words per line. The theme should “focus on observations of the day as seen in the outside world and the inside worlds of dwellings and the mind,” as described and demonstrated in the following links:

    https://writingtheday.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/trying-the-ronka-form/

    ID #1062048 entered on January 8, 2024, at 1:46 am   [Edit]   [5 views]

    #57. The Whole World Out of Control Ronka
    ID #1062047 entered on January 8, 2024, at 1:41 am   [Edit]   [4 views]

    40 words

    Rupali Goswami is the host of the 40-word challenge – to write a 40-word poem or micro story based on the daily prompts.  Here are my latest attempts.


    01/29/2023- ‘old”

    Watching the news
    I feel the old-age blues
    I turn off the barking, deranged,
    talking heads,
    had enough of them all
    for a lifetime
    turned off that snarling noise box.
    And have another cup of coffee.
    With my lovely wife.

    #5. 01/29/2023- ‘old”
    ID #1062532 entered on January 17, 2024, at 4:22 am   [Edit]   [2 views]

    01/28/2023-‘unusual’

    Donald Trump
    Is the biggest con artist
    carnival barker, grifter,
    Flimflam man
    That ever lived.
    He has an unusual
    Sway over his cult-like
    MAGA Followers
    Who thinks he is God’s Anointed
    Some call him the orange Jesus
    The Messiah!

    #4. Unusual sway
    ID #1062531 entered on January 17, 2024, at 4:17 am   [Edit]   [12 views]

     

    01/27/2023-decency’

    The next election
    Boils down to this
    Will we choose decency?
    represented by Biden
    And Democracy
    Or will we choose hatred?
    And Fascism?
    Represented by Trump?

    © Copyright 2024 JCosmos (UN: jcosmos at Writing.Com). All rights res

    #3. Decency or fascism is your choice
    ID #1062530

     

    Darius Smith, V Poems about the assassination of a Wall Street conman

    see the Assassination of Darius Caesar Smith, V for the complete set.

    01/31/2023-‘re-enter’

    When
    Sam Adams
    Bought the 3-d print Glock
    He tested security several times.
    Smuggling the gun in
    And re-entering the building.
    Where he administered justice
    To his lying scumbag frat bro
    Darius Smith, iv.

    #7. 01/31/2023-‘re-enter’
    ID #1062534

    01/30/2023- ‘rescue”

    When Darius Smith, IV
    Sam’s College frat bro
    stole 100 million dollars
    2 million from him
    he prayed that someone
    would rescue his soul
    as he blew him, Darius, away
    as he ate dinner. with Sam’s
    estranged wife.

    #6. 01/30/2023- ‘rescue”
    ID #1062533

    Stormy Lady Contest

    Stormy Lady is the host of a monthly contest where she does the poetry newsletter duties.  Here are my most recent entries, some of which won.

    Everything in Life is Foolish or Immoral For Stormy Lady

    Oscar Wilde once said

    “Everything in life I love
    Is either foolish, immoral
    Or fattening”

    But for me
    I am filled with crazy desires
    Walking down the river at sunset

    Watching the moon rise
    Over the canal in Gimpo
    Casting its reddish glow
    Over the romantic waters

    Stopping to smell the fall flowers
    Softly inhaling their sweet fragrance
    That fills the air with the scent of love
    Bad craziness takes me over

    Filled with love I pick the chrysanthemums,
    the daisies, marigolds, poppies, purple flowers
    and the red and purple cosmos flowers

    Putting them into a bouquet
    Of autumn wildflowers
    To give to my wife

    Who is always walking by the side?
    As the moon shines on
    Filling us with a deep love

    We stop and enter a wine shop
    Having a glass of wine
    Looking down the hallway
    As the canal flows on by

    We stop and laugh
    And howl at the lunatic light
    Of the full moon

    Foolish
    immoral
    desire
    daisies
    hallway
    softly
    fragrance
    air

     #10. Everything in Life is Foolish or Immoral For Stormy Lady

    ID #1059452

    Barbados, West Indies – March 4, 2007: A beach scene on the Caribbean Island of Barbados with a yellow lifeguard station and people enjoying the beach and the water.
    On a winter’s day
    In cold, dismal snowy DC
    My thoughts often turn.
    To Barbados.And the three wonderful years
    I spent serving my country.
    In Barbados, and the Eastern Caribbean.Recalling blissful days
    Hanging out at the Hilton Hotel
    With the love of my wife by my side.Sunday brunch then hitting the beach.
    Drinking rum sours while watching people
    Frolicking in the Blue Sea.

    Visiting my other islands
    once a month
    Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts,
    St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines

    Meeting political leaders
    Liming with the locals.

    Listening to the steel drum band
    Play as the sunsets
    Over my secret Caribbean paradise.

    Comment: My best tour in the Foreign Service was when I served as Deputy Pol/Econ Chief in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean (Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines) from 2007 to 2010. Liming is local jargon for having a drink.

     

    #9. Barbados Dreaming on a Winter’s Day for Stormy Lady

     

    ID #1055645

     

    O Dark Hundred

     

     

     

     

    0 dark hundred
    Just before dawn
    Insomnia comes over me

    My mind filled with
    Haunting whispers
    Degrading the air

    troubled rumors
    of distant places
    of ancient times

    traveling afar
    extinguishing

    the rage
    I feel against the coming
    Dark Night of the Soul

    Note: o dark hundred is a military/intel word denoting the early morning hours just before dawn when soldiers often wake up to go to battle

    #8. o dark Hundred
    ID #1051150

    Last Night of High School Memories

     

    free roaming berkeley
    free roaming berkeley

     

     

     

     

     

    One of the most memorable nights
    In my life
    Was my high school
    graduation night
    In Berkeley in 1974.

    We had all gone out
    To numerous graduation parties
    Partying all night
    Until dawn.

    Then heading
    to Berkeley’s Tilden Park
    Inspiration point
    Where we ran into
    Numerous friends,

    This was a BHS tradition
    Dating back to whenever
    We all ended up there
    On the morning
    After graduation night.

    We all shared a moment
    Enjoying the rare sunlit morning
    Usually foggy but that morning
    The sun lit up the distant horizon
    With dramatic hues.

    As the sun rose
    over the mountain tops.
    Of the Berkeley Hills and Mt. Diablo

    We all stared at the sunrise
    Looking at the beauty all around us
    Contemplating the tranquil mood
    We were in.

    Then we left
    Ending up at IHOP
    Enjoying the lumberjack breakfast

    Bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausage
    Lots of hot coffee to wash it down
    Heavenly first breakfast
    As an official adult
    Member of society

    Getting home at about noon.
    Knowing that one stage
    In our life was over

    Waiting for the next stage
    To begin.

    Knowing that we may
    Never see our friends again
    As our paths
    would soon diverge.

    But I will never forget
    That magical night
    When I officially
    Became an adult.

    © Copyright 2023 JCosmos (UN: jcosmos at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.

    #7. Last night of High school memories
    ID #1049689

    #6. A Mother’s Luminous Tears

    An old Mother
    Embraces her daughter
    And son-in-law

    Luminous tears
    Flowing down her face

    As she looked
    At her children
    Filled with love

    A devoted humble
    Guiding loving spirit
    Smiling at her

    These are the rules:

    1) You must use the words I give in a poem or prose with no limits on length.

    2) The words can be in any order and anywhere throughout the poem and can be any form of the word.

    3) All entries must be posted in your portfolio and you must post the link in this forum, “Stormy’s poetry newsletter & contest” [ASR] by May 13, 2023.

    4) The winner will get 3000 gift points and the poem will be displayed in this section of the newsletter the next time it is my turn to post (May 17, 2023)

    The words are:
    A mother embraces luminous tears devoted spirit humble guiding

    #6. A Mother’s Luminous Tears

    ID #1048420

    The End

     

     

     

  • April 8, 2022 Poems

    April 8, 2022 Poems

    April 8th, 2022 Poems

    Welcome to Cosmos’ annual April Poetry Madness.  Last year I wrote 300 poems in one month, this year I will write less, as that was just way too much to deal with.

    Today’s poems will be April 8th poems, followed by April 9th to 15th  in separate postings, one per day.

    I will post them as I write them, and try to update them every day or so.  I will finish May 1 US time, as that will still be April 30 KST (Korea, where I currently reside.)  Most will be G rated but a few may not be. I will try to label those or not post them. The topics will be wherever my mad muse takes me, and I usually don’t have a clue until I write them.

    I will post here the poems I wrote based on prompts from NaPoWriMo, (the poetry’s world’s equivalence to the annual NaNoWriMo novel competition which I will enter again in November). Writers’ com’s Dew Drop-in, Poetry Super-highway, Writers Digest, and occasionally other prompts. I will write a few more each day, but not post them, as I need to build up more “unpublished poems” for future submissions.

    Daily posting All poetry, Anchor, this blog, FB, Medium, PSH, Wattpad, Writing com, and Writer’s Digest.

    I will post each poem, followed by the prompt, occasional author and notes, and photos. I will convert it to a podcast later, available on anchor, radio public, blog radio, Spotify, and elsewhere under the name “The World According to Cosmos: or Jake Cosmos Aller. See the following for more information on the podcasts.

    Podcast update

    At the end of the month, I will add up the total poems written this month, total posted, total not-posted, and total YTD.

    I have found that this annual exercise has been a big help in helping me hone my craft as I am entirely self-taught except for having taken the Mod Po class several times. It helps me stretch my poetic muscles. It has been a lot of fun but a challenge.

    Here are links to my previous April poems

    Ten Best April 2021 Poems

    April 25 to April 30 2021Poems

    April 16 to April 20 2021 Poems

    April 16 to April 20 2021 Poems

    April 10 to April 14 2021 Poems

    April 1 to April 5 Poems

    April 6 to April 9 Cosmos’s Poetry 

    April 6 to April 9 Cosmos’s Poetry 

    April 6 to April 9 Cosmos’s Poetry

     Cosmos’s 2020 April Poetry Part One

    Cosmos’s 2020 April Poetry Part One

    April 2019 Poems

    April 20 to April 25th 2021 Poems

    2022 April Poetry Madness April 1 to 3 poems

    April 5 2022, Poems

    April 4th 2022, Poems

    April 6th, 2022 Poems

    April 7th Poems

    Begin Poems

    Big Daddy In the Cosmos Bar NaPoWriMo

    lover kissing
    lovers kissing

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Big Daddy, was the man
    who always had a plan.

    He was an ex-University of Arkansas
    and Dallas cowboy player
    who had worked for the CIA

    The agency fired him
    for murdering enemies of the state
    at home in contravention of agency rules,

    but they retained
    his services from time to time.
    He supplemented his CIA payments
    And bar income from money laundering,
    drug smuggling, human smuggling
    and other assorted crimes, big and small.

    Big Daddy had lots of enemies
    Many people wanted him dead
    Relatives of his many victims
    Of the covert wars, he waged
    On behalf of his nation.

    He had moved to Bangkok, Thailand
    after running a bar and grill
    in Little Rock for a few years,

    He opened the Cosmos Bar
    With the assistance of his manager.
    Kuhn Lek, and her uncle
    The police chief and his cousin
    The biggest drug kingpin
    In the northern triangle.

    The Cosmos Bar
    Became world-famous
    The spot to go to in Bangkok.

    Located in Soi Cowboy
    It was an after-hours club
    Secretly owned by the Thai police,

    One of the few places
    That served alcohol 24/7.

    It was filled with
    Criminals, drug dealers, government agents
    Journalists, prostitutes, pimps,
    spies, counter-spies, sex tourists,

    tourists, undercover cops,
    and assorted other low-lives,
    From all over the known world.

    Had the best looking woman
    The best-looking travesties too,
    The best beer, wine, and liquor list
    In the city,
    And the best burgers in town.

    It looked like the Bar in Star Wars
    Filled with probable human life forms
    And perhaps a space alien or two.

    Trouble Found Big Daddy

    He was hoping to stay out of trouble
    But one day trouble found him.

    One day a mysterious Korean woman
    Came into the bar asking for him
    By his universal nickname
    “Big Daddy”

    Maria Lee was a Korean-American
    Drop-dead gorgeous woman
    Who was on the lam,
    from her rich Korean husband.

    She had one question for Big Daddy.

    “The word in the Korean community
    is that you are a man
    Who knows how to launder money.

    Can you launder 50 million dollars?”

    “Hmm for a fee.”

    “What’s the fee?”

    “A night of wild sex with you.”

    “Done, but only after the deed is done.”

    She smiled sweetly.

    He called his underworld contacts
    and they laundered the 50 million dollars
    and he gave her the bank receipt.
    He had parked the money
    in a Cayman Islands account.

    That night
    she honored her
    agreement with Big Daddy.

    The next morning
    while drinking his cup of coffee,
    She revealed that she had poisoned him

    because she did not want anyone to know
    about the transaction
    and her affair with Big Daddy.

    She smiled,

    “Thanks, Big Daddy,
    I liked last night,
    You are a real stud, Big Daddy,
    Perhaps that is why you are called, ‘Big Daddy’

    But hey it is nothing personal, Big Daddy.”
    After all,
    it was just a business deal
    in the end.

    And that was
    how trouble found Big Daddy.

    Today’s prompt comes to us from this list of “all-time favorite writing prompts.” It asks you to name your alter-ego, and then describe him/her in detail. Then write in your alter-ego’s voice. Maybe your alter-ego is a streetwise detective, a superhero, or a very small goldfinch. Whoever or whatever your alternate self may be, I hope this prompt lets you stretch both your writing skills and your self-knowledge.

    Watching Cats Fight in Incheon, NaPoWriMo

    cat jpg
    cat jpg

    Watching two cats
    Fighting alongside the sidewalk
    In suburban Incheon New Airport Town.

    Completely indifferent
    To the humans walking around them
    And the humans
    were indifferent to the cats.

    As they stood there fighting
    And screeching at each other.

    One orange one
    One half-black-half-white one
    Both middle age in cat years

    As I sat there watching the cats
    getting into it, I wondered
    what they were arguing about?

    But since I don’t speak cat
    I didn’t know
    All I know is they were screeching at each other
    And almost looked like they were
    about to attack each other

    But one cat backed down
    As the other cat stood their proverbial ground
    If they were humans,
    One would have pulled out a knife, or a gun
    And someone would have been killed

    But being mere cats
    They stared at each other
    And walked away.

    But they kept glancing at each other
    So, I knew the fight was not over
    Merely postponed until a later hour.

    Cats truly are the aliens
    Who live among us humans
    Or perhaps we are the aliens
    Who live among the cats?

    Creature—write a poem in the voice of some living creature that is not human.

    Death of Big Daddy PSH

    After Big Daddy was assassinated in Bangkok
    His adult children arranged for his remains
    To be brought back for a funeral
    In his hometown of Little Rock.

    Big Daddy, aka Sam Adams
    was the man
    who always had a plan.

    He was an ex-University of Arkansas
    and Dallas cowboy player
    who had worked for the CIA

    The agency fired him
    for murdering enemies of the state
    at home in contravention of agency rules,

    but they retained
    his services
    from time to time.

    After running a bar and grill
    In Little Rock for a few years
    He moved to Bangkok, Thailand

    Where he opened the Cosmos Bar
    With the assistance of his manager.
    Kuhn Lek, and her uncle.

    The police chief and his cousin
    The biggest drug kingpin
    In the northern triangle.

    He supplemented his CIA payments
    and bar income from money laundering,
    drug smuggling, human smuggling
    and other assorted crimes, big and small.

    Big Daddy had lots of enemies
    Many people wanted him dead
    Relatives of his many victims
    Of the covert wars, he waged
    On behalf of his nation.

    He was hoping to stay out of trouble
    But one day trouble found him.

    Big Daddy’s Funeral

    The funeral was a big affair
    Lots of people came to the funeral
    Lots of people came to make sure
    That SOB was indeed dead.

    His children were hoping
    To find out where his rumored
    Millions of dollars were located.

    Hoping that they could gain access
    To the ill-gotten gains
    Of his life of crime.

    Big Daddy’s lawyer
    Told them that his account info
    Was one of many secrets
    He had taken to his grave.

    But they were now the owners
    Of the Cosmos Club
    Which was worth
    millions of dollars.

    His business partners were willing
    To continue to run it
    And send them 100 K each
    For the year in royalties

    Provided that they did not
    Interfere in the management
    Of the Cosmos Club.

    They all agreed to the arrangement
    And hired the lawyer
    To track down the money.

    The money was never found.
    For his business partners
    Had located it
    And looted the account
    Before anyone could find out.

    April 8, 2022: Poetry Writing Prompt – Duane L Herrmann

    This poetry writing prompt submitted by Duane L Herrmann:

    “As the casket was lowered into the ground, the four adult children stood dry-eyed and looked at each other with knowing stares.”
    Who was in the casket?
    What did they know?
    Did anyone else know?
    What had the deceased done to them?
    What will or did they do in response?

    If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
    #napowrimo #poetry

    The Fog Local Gems

    Fog in SF
    Fog in SF

    Note: one of my oldest poems was written in 1972 when I was 16. Revised as a Cherita.

     

     

     

    The Fog

    The Fog
    Rolls in and in.

    And on forever
    Till the end of time
    Past where once stood proud San-San.

    Now there is nothing.

    But bones rolling in
    Forever and ever.

    Rotting in the blue sunlight
    Turning in the yellow clouds
    filling the air

    With the stench

    The fear
    The feel

    Of a people forever dead
    Merging with the fog
    Filling the air.

    The fog rolls in and in

    Laughing as the Sun
    Sinks into the purple coated sky

    Above the encrusted sky of time
    With the people of the earth
    Just another dead civilization.

    Day 8: A Layer of Fog

    The End