18 days…it has been 18 days since my last poem…
ok, not really…just the last one i posted on my webpage…
where have i been?
i put up the Christmas tree. insanely early, i know.
i have been teaching a night class for kids that need the extra credits to graduate. and doing tutoring sessions every day before school.
i had a nasty head cold this last weekend.
honestly, i really just have not had the desire to be online.
there is nothing wrong. there is no trauma or difficulty going on in my life. (except the stove catching fire. we already replaced that though.)
to my knowledge, i am not depressed. (yes, i understand the irony in that.)
i still love my friends online. thank you to those that emailed. and hopefully, this sets at ease those checking on me through claudia as well. ha. i have been blessed by knowing each of you; interacting online and in real life.
poetry just got a bit stale for me…everything i wrote started to feel a bit more like the last thing i wrote. reading became a chore.
and it should not be that way…so i’ve been walk about…looking for fresh air…a fresh wind…a new creativity…
i will get there…it will be good…and then, you will see me again.
so how do you keep it fresh?
dVerse 
Will be glad to see you when you return, Brian!
smiles. it may be soon.
Brian (I think it’s you – I hope so, ;). I think that I have been feeling quite stale too when attempting to write poems. So much has happened with the move and all … all good too, except for getting depressed. I feel like I am coming out of that now … however you must have sent me that cold of yours, grr. I do think it is subsiding. Love that you put up your tree early. I have a little and old and somewhat broken pottery tree that lights up. It’s up, but not lit. WELCOME BACK.
lol. sorry for sharing the cold. i would wish it on no one…though the medication is making me feel much better today than yesterday. pretty cool on the broken pottery tree…would love to see a picture of that sometime…
I try to step back a little before I burnout. Thus I will often not post more than three poems a week since, as you know so well, posting involves reading and commenting. And by commenting I mean not just write ‘nice’ in the box comment. There is wisdom in old sayings and whoever came up with ‘don’t bite more than you can chew’ was a wise person.
yeah – that’s wise… when i first started i was so excited that i sometimes even posted two poems a day… relatively quickly realized that i cannot chew that – so usually for me it’s three poems a week as well…
smiles. i agree. i am not one that just says nice…or gives a cursory read. i might have to cut back again to fewer posts a week.
keeping it fresh… i hear you…. think with everything we do on a regular base there’s the danger of routine, of getting bored and over-familiar… if there’s movement in a water it won’t get stale – so i think it’s a good thing to keep moving – input/output – river to sea to clouds to rain to— whatever that means… ha
i like the metaphor/analogy of the water…keeping it stirred…might need to go thrash a bit in some mud puddles….smiles.
Hi – glad you’r invested in life. That’s really the place to be.
I think that like the seasons, there are times when we are dormant and recharge. Nobody is forever on, even the Olympians train to peak for the games.
So, sometimes we do just need a break. – bw
see – this is why i’d love to be a bear – because of the wintersleep… and the awakening in spring… smiles
plus bears get to be grumpy for no reason 🙂
Amen.
the joy of a bear is it’s fair
to sleep the whole winter through
if you growl and you rumble no problem
it’s just what bears are prone to do
In the springtime you munch on the berries
and wait for the honey to flow
prepare for the winter’s long dreaming
in the places sleeping bears go
Bill.. I am a bear I think… (at least that’s my name)….
Indeed! A powerful totem 🙂
mmm i think i could be a bear as well….ha…i plan on sleeping quite a bit come the holiday break this week…that is for sure…..
Grrrr 🙂
as long as i dont become a rug people wipe their feet on, you know…ha..
now that’s a metaphor we can write too.
So good to see you here again and know what you are up to, Brian. Yes, I was getting a little worried, but I don’t like to hassle people. So I thought it best to give you time and space to regroup, rethink, refresh. It’s good that you know your limits and when it is time to get yourself replenished.
i told claudia to start telling people i was on an undercover mission and could not share for national security reasons….smiles…i will shake this soon enough…i have plenty to write about…i just dont want to tell it the usual same way..i dunno…figuring it out…smiles.
I agree that it is hard to maintain freshness sometime. I think after a while one has to figure out what one can do & just stick to that and not demand of oneself the impossible. I know for me too, after some years of writing poetry, sometimes it is hard to find a fresh perspective. So I cut myself a little slack, and if I have a ‘fresh’ perspective in 1 out of 3 or 4 poems I am happy. I do still enjoy it though & always DO look forward to the next challenge! And I accept imperfection in myself.
i dont cut myself much slack in that regard…ha…i dunno…i have some story ideas that i really want to play with from a short story stand point that have been on the back burner for a bit…i may start there to get the words flowing again…
You are absolutely right to draw back, Brian – you are the most punctilious of readers, but life sometimes gets in the way. I too was played out after two months of poem-a-day challenges, and have drawn in my horns for November.
good for you…i did poems a day a couple years ago…and by the end i was scraping the bottom of the barrel…that will surely wear you out….thanks viv…hope all is well…
So refreshing to hear other people have the same feelings. Not depressed, just busyness of life and tedium of same old, same old. Sometimes you just have to step away and breath. Hope you are seeing things with a fresh eye now.
it is getting there…if i get through the holiday this week my life eases a bit…and i can start tinkering again…
i have been working with a student that is in a band, helping him rework some song lyrics…its pretty cool….
Brian, welcome back – your absence was felt. As I said you earlier, I am having some purely rest and recovery time at home from the accident, I started looking all that I have written over a year, and I feel that they need change – I think above everything that need coming from deep inside is what keep things fresh.
dude…i am so glad you are ok after the accident and hope you heal up well…
i will be playing around with words again soon..i am starting to read a bit more again this week and it is stirring me up a bit…smiles.
Seems like a lot of us are feeling exactly the same way Brian. I haven’t written anything in a few weeks, my work also seems stale, like I’m saying the same thing over and over again. I have been painting instead of writing, enjoying the break
from what has become a struggle for words. You write amazing poetry and are so supportive of your fellow bloggers. Enjoy your holiday and soon the words will flow with the freshness you seek.
very cool. would love to see your paintings…i used to paint a bunch more…hmm…maybe i will break out the watercolors and just play a bit…that could be fun…
i hope that you have a wonderful holiday as well…
I think taking a little time off is generally a good thing.. I knew you were well all the time.. I look forward even more to read you when you come online again.. and it seems that many are taking a little time off at the moment…. I look forward to have you online again when you feel like it.
i will be back soon enough my friend….
Hi Brian! When things get stale, ya gotta get some fresh air…. My mom’s getting some (temporary) relief from her HS, so I’ll be back on my usual… Enjoy yourself Bri
glad to hear that about your mom man…been praying for you both since your email…so glad she has a son like you….
i did notice your absence, Brian. checked back through your posts and the comments to see if there was any mention; checked here at dVerse because i knew claudia would share if something had happened to you; thought about emailing but didn’t want to intrude. i’m grateful it wasn’t anything more serious (though a head cold can make one feel like dying.)
we do all need time to just be away… from being online, from things that now feel like an obligation when they used to bring joy, from poetry, even from our friends. plus from now till after the first of the year is a really great time to spend “in the real world” enjoying the holidays with your family. thank you for letting us know you are okay ~ relax, man. recharge. wait until your muse is back. (probably out partying with my muse who never seems to wanna come home.)
*hugs* and happy holidays!!
haha…darn those muses…out partying and did not invite us….smiles…
email me any time…though, i havent really even been on email much recently…
hope you have a great holiday dani…
Hi Brian , good to hear from you. …. Not always easy to keep it fresh and sometimes it’s good to walk away and recharge . 🙂 take care and smiles to you.
Indeed!
thanks ayala…i will be back soon enough…
and you take care as well…will you be seeing all your family for the holidays?
A small part of the family, how about you ? I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving !
Hi Brian! No idea how to keep fresh. I’ve been doing the same thing as you. (Not just the writing, but my oven also caught fire!) Anyway, hope things outside your computer are going well. Take care, friend.
seriously? was so bizarre the day the oven caught fire…i was in a parent conference when the phone blew up with calls…just throw the breaker…we just put the new one in saturday…and it is very nice to be back to cooking…
brb to keep catching up….
Well, dear Brian, I HATE when you are not here saying perceptive little bits that often start the conversation. “Conversation” is why your poems never seem stale to me–but if they do to you, let your bliss guide you. I cannot tell with my own work. For about a half year now I’ve written after reading a short passage as part of a daily meditation/prayer/ silence–so I’ve tended to mention God and then lots of the personal or political or natural world. And when an idea comes, I am so thrilled! What a wonderful rare living thing is an idea. I work hard to find images and analogies and details because they do not come easily. But–OK–your family can have you for a while–that is the main ministry of a father and husband and man in love. I’m glad you are not letting it pass by without taking part.
most def…i dont want to let it pass…i have plenty of ideas…as to subject matter…i am just not satisfied right now with the way i am writing…they all just feel the same a bit…the deadman poems were great because they certainly felt fresh…perhaps i will start there…the kids in my poetry group at school loved them…
Oh, cool! that you shared the dead ones with your students! i liked them too. Though they are someone else’s invention, you made yours unique. How about adding an ancient man, a new man, a man in a coat of many colors? Why dead?
Can’t tell you how nice it is to hear from you Brian. It sounds like you’re going through a little blogging/poetry burnout. It’s no wonder, considering how hard you work at all you do. Those kids really need you more than the world needs another poem. Thank you for helping them out.
Can’t deny that I miss you but mostly I want you to be well and happy. I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving. Enjoy your family. Got some rest. Come back when you’re ready.
smiles…that is a bit what i felt…that the kids needed me more…our school has been rocking this year with hurting kids…have a great turkey day as well myrna…catch you on the back side…
I do just what you did/are doing, Brian. Take a break, be kind to yourself, go for a walk even if it’s cold. I confess, I put up the tree this weekend, too. Didn’t even check e-mail yesterday. I love Christmas, the decorations, all of it. The only thing is, what used to take me one day, now takes three. There is no doubt that, as the years go by, they take one’s energy with them. (I’m applying this to me, not you, Brian.) To everyone here at the pub, even if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving–Happy Thanksgiving.
putting up nutcrackers is an all day job…ha…we top out near 200 in the house…
they say we might get snow tomorrow night…smiles…could be fun for the holiday…
When I’m feeling stale
and limericks elude me
I attempt haiku.
Seriously, I freaked out after the latest U.S. election and I lost my sense of humor and my ability to write limericks. Re-directing my poetry energies to haiku helped a lot!
Good luck, Brian!
could form poetry be the cure…
ouch…not too sure about that…ha….
glad it helped you though…
oy on that last election as well…blech….
You never know. 🙂
nice to see you bri, if only for a moment… am glad you’re allowing yourself time away to figure out what’s next, even if ‘next’ turns out to be nowhere near here
“to my knowledge, i am not depressed.” – love that!
smiles. i figured someone would get a chuckle out of that…really i am happy…just kinda enjoying life and taking it for what it is….
I waited a few weeks before quizzing Claudia about your absence; thanks for the update. I have always marveled at how in hell, around life, work, family, & traveling you kept the writing & commenting coming in punctually; certainly does take energy & time; so perhaps your batteries are recharging as we speak. I told Claudia that I have a medical appointment tomorrow, so will miss Poetics; then it struck me that Thursday is Thanksgiving, & the Pub will probably be shut down; & rightfully so I say!
Then in December the Pub will be closed for a couple or weeks, right? Gosh, I can’t remember from year to year what the dVerse policies are.
As to burnout–I am very much like Mary, I accept my imperfections & just jump into each prompt 2-3 times a week with the enthusiasm of a kid the night before Christmas. Once you hit a certain age, you fear that maybe there aren’t that many poems left in you, so each one is a hallmark of sorts.
Ya, Glenn, imperfections are part of each of us! I would be the first to admit that every poem I write is not a work of art. C’est la vie. Move on to the next. And, yes, every poem is a hallmark indeed.
smiles. thanks for checking on me sir…and i hope all goes well with that doctors appointment…do let us know….i think the doors are still open thursday….
we do close down for our second annual break at christmas though…
it will be here soon…i need to get some shopping done…ha…not on friday though…i abhor black friday….
Hi, Brian. You’ll recognize me as a sometime contributor for many of the same reasons you detailed. None of those signify anything ill…just that, life…you know. Smiles to you. See you around.
thank you for the smiles karen…and glad to have you when we do…life is…and that should be what fuels us, for sure…
I am very happy to hear from you, Brian. You are very missed. I’m glad to know you are well and busy and happy. With your schedule it would be difficult to add in posting and yes, the commenting is what takes the time, for sure. Sometimes a little break gives us a fresh start. I like your idea of more dead man poetry, those rock!!!!! Take good care of yourself, and all the people in your world. Know you are very valued online and that your poetry carries your unique and compassionate worldview. It contributes something very good to the world.
hey sherry. i got your email, but have been remiss in most of my correspondence over my break…and thank you for the warm words…i will be back soon enough…smiles.
I think its the natural ebb and flow of things . . . I’ve been grappling with both my art and poetry recently too. Wondering if its all been said and done before . . . how to change it up. We can get so caught up in having a presence online and beating ourselves up when we don’t adhere to the standards we set for ourselves. Sometimes its good to step back, to break the routine and regroup. I had a head cold when I got back from the UK last month. I know how crap that can feel. Hope you’ve shaken it and that you’re enjoying the break . . . don’t worry about us lot, do what’s right for you. Miss you though. 🙂
i do set pretty high standards for myself…and def never want to stagnate…i know the questioning you are going through with art…and i wonder if the artists that paved new ways felt the same before they had a break through you know….
When poetry comes from a sense of obligation, rather than passion, it is certainly time for some fresh air. I, too, go through those dry spells, but feel all the more desire to write when the passion returns… and it will! See you soon!!
ah it is there…just simmering…figuring out the bowl it will slosh into eventually…smiles.
I only post with dVerse once in awhile because I’m doing a daily blog post, which keeps me quite busy. I normally write a piece of flash fiction for Friday Fictioneers on Wednesday (don’t ask!) and there may be as many as 100 entries, so trying to read and comment cogently on most of them keeps me very busy. Add three photo challenges a week and…you get the picture. I think having the variety helps keep me fresh, a mix of photos, writing with the photos, poetry and flash fiction, and then just my own thought on random things periodically.
Going on a trip/vacation and doing the minimum also helps! When I was in France recently, I did a daily post, responded to comments, and kept up with other posts as best I could, but I wasn’t squandering precious time on the internet. That being said, I do post daily, even if I have to set some posts up in advance.
Glad you’re back and I’ll see all of you again one of these days…but probably not during Thanksgiving week with family here. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you celebrating it this week.
janet
Janet.. I can usually not keep up with you.. and the photochallenges I have not dared to venture into..
My creativity seems matched with the solar cycle.. with sometimes more than i have time to say.. OR DO.. in April exploding until August.. and slowing.. slowing.. and I am glad of that for some balance in life…. both online and in real life….in Fall to Winter Months…
But one thing for sure is.. if i worked there would be no WRITING online for me..at all.. or if i had never been forced onLINE to kill time without effective seeing and hearing….AND TYPED WORDS BECAME ME…;)
i’m not a word person at heart as hard as that may be to believe…
HOPE you have a good change.. and hope to see you writing when you are ready..:)again….
Hopefully you’ll get second breath opening…and flow of something new and magnificent. Brian, journaling helps , writing/remembering the main ideas of everything you read per day, walking, meditating, auto writing….trust your soul will force you to write when passion happens….Brian, now I’ll look even more toward your ‘coming’…Hugs.
:)Nice to hear from you. yes, sometimes we need a break and to feel the air, best wishes!
I need the answer to that question, Brian. I have no idea how to keep it fresh. I’ve been out of the loop for ages…just can’t seem to get the old juices flowing like they once had been. The words used to just flow out of me when I saw a prompt…mostly anyway. Nowadays, eh… I’m especially in awe of people like you who seemingly always have something new and passionate to express in spite of your busy life. Well, now I know differently…you too go through dry spells. My best to you always, Brian and have a happy Thanksgiving with your loved ones. I’ve been dodging that head cold too that has come awfully close…keeping my fingers crossed!
Gayle ~
Glad to hear from you, that all is well. Certainly you are more needed by others
right now…having a young family, teaching, plus all of life’s other demands can
tap you out….something’s gotta give, somewhere if we don’t stop and re-align ourselves in some way…inspiration will come…Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Brian.
I haven’t been on DV for so long, for some reason I popped in to read this, without knowing you were writing. I am so glad all is ok. Hope you find yourself soon Bri, if not simply in your own time. In answer to your question, I haven’t been writing very much at all of late either. Inspiration is all around, but hard to find the words. Take care and best wishes to you and your family.
Glad you’ve checked in… I think we’ve all been there; I know I was about a year ago. If you all remember records, once-in-awhile there would be a scratch in the thing and all it would do is repeat…repeat…repeat itself. Writing can get that way. Living life, exactly what your doing, is what works for me. The tangible everyday stuff is what writers are made of and how we communicate. Once one comes back from a respect, their a bit of a different person. Live life… you’ll know when your ready, if you are, and don’t feel a bit guilty. There’s only so many people you can give a bit of yourself away to. LOL… I dare you to stop by our blogs to JUST read and not comment. Bet you can’t do it! Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for your past dedication. While we may all miss you; you are touching other people lives. Go for it!
I noticed your absence from the prompts and comments. You are such an inspired and hard worker for this site. I guessed you were taking a break and hope you will continue to do so until you feel refreshed. We all have to get off the merry-go-round and take stock sometimes. Rest was forced on me for July and August this summer by a spine operation and 2 months laying on my back! Hence the two month blank in my archives.
With best wishes to you for a happy holiday with your family, in the meantime don’t work too hard:)
Glad to hear all is well… I was wondering, but hoped it was just a needed break. I have been feeling much the same way these past few months, with too much busyness mixed in. Enjoy your break, sometimes it’s good to let the well fill up again!
Sending out a hello to all at dVerse, I have been missing all of your work! xoxo
This is a beautiful post. Thank you for sharing this, Brian. When I’m feeling that way, I find it refreshing to read material printed on actual pages … library books, my favorite poets, etc. Also, when I take a sabbatical from Internet activity, I usually realize I’ve been sleep-deprived. So might I recommend a bit of extra napping? Although, it sounds like you’re pretty busy. Oh, one of my favorite things to do is replace online writing time with child-friendly writing time: I actually make word lists for my daughter; then we both use the lists to write very silly poems together. We make it highly theatrical and sort of perform our poems aloud for the family. It’s the most fun. 🙂 Also, it’s good to put aside writing to play in one of your other artistic corners, like painting or photography. And like you said, just take time to absorb nature and perhaps open wider your spiritual eyes.
And hey, you can always try starting a new blog. 😉
i did for just a bit….or maybe it was just an alias…or just my shadow….ha.
I look at nature , arts, desperately eat real cuisine and seek talents greater and more passionate than I could only dream of being ‘Like the dancers’. Sometimes I look back at my old nature pics. Go get the wind in my hair someway! Hence; http://seasideauthorhaiku.wordpress.com/2014/11/24/mia-loons/
Everything you are doing I will get to too. That def will help you. If you click on seasideauthor name that should ignite passion and the beaut of the dance. It did for me! Awesome. Best of luck.
getting out and living does that for me as well…i need to do more….work has been heavy of late and i need to get out and refill my own cup if i am going to give away what i have….which is what i have been doing….
Brian, I pray your time away and with family and simple pleasures restores you and blesses you greatly. Your presence is missed, but so understood. Sending smiles.
AND PS to keep it fresh? I’ll tell you what I do, same as you, I walk away…I walk the beach, I let the words come and go like waves even if they come. I trust that there will be more words to capture. I live. And I let it be enough. Because it really is…
Dear Brian, so sad to hear you are feeling a bit – um, un-webby? I feel that way often too. But I am clinically depressed. Not saying you could be too, just that I wouldn’t know the difference. I hope you’re not. But if I may be blunt I think you are simply burning the candle at both ends right now. (A misfortune many of us have tread upon at one point or another). Your mind is telling you to set your priorities – and then allot the percentage of time each deserves. If you are like me, then family is number one. And those kids you are spending time helping to shape and mold (not just their knowledge but) their desire for knowledge – is a really important game. I won’t be presumptuous enough to categorize their importance for you – except to say as a dad of two learning disabled kids I think it’s pretty important. As for poetry – I follow Poe’s philosophy on that – who said “For me poetry is a passion more than a purpose.” If it ever becomes purpose then it is simply dead. When poems come they come. That is why I’ve never felt that my own poetry is truly mine. I have had periods of years without having written anything. You deserve a break Brian. Re-energize – and reapportion those parts of you that you are willing to give away to others. Life comes in phases…. I’ve never felt those phases simply stopped at “adult.”
Brian, I was reading through everyone’s comments and it’s nice to know that I am not the only one who hits a wall from time to time. I always have little poetic kites flying around in my head. Usually triggered by something that made me smile, or feel inspired, however the tying together of those thoughts in a way that satisfies me, is not so easy. I love the community, and all the poetry, yet sometimes my brain gets full and I have to step away for awhile. Especially during the holidays. The sitting and thinking time seems to fly out the window. Putting up the Christmas tree is a joyful thing, not sure why twinkling lights should ever have time limits on them 😉 Enjoy!
“I always have little poetic kites flying around in my head”
Love.
Hi Shawna! That just flew out while I was typing, there’s a poem there somewhere…I always loved that song from Mary Poppins
–“Let’s Go Fly A Kite” 🙂
it’s in the air, friend. see you out on the trail ~