Language Arts: A Meditation On Revisit To The First Post of Word Zoo Blog Of November, 2008

The First Post As Word Zoo Keeper

What a zesty stew of emotions stirred by the 03/12/12 Word Press Daily Prompt to rewrite one’s first post. I hack through overgrowth of brain cells which choke accurate recall. Direct view is impossible because Word Zoo 001 was at Windows Live Spaces, a service now defunct. At December 2012, I use a different computer and must fire up the old wheezer. I hunt for first file and feel anxious, curious, hesitant and a heart-thumping excitement.

I discover a hard copy printout of the first cyber-splashdown at 12/11/08. The post is a poem, titled gulping sunlight (1989). The title of the post is Trying Out Space. There are no preliminaries, comments, trackbacks or pingbacks.

I am less perplexed in 2012 to condense the raison d’être for the blog.

As a project for a milestone birthday I decided to reread all journals. I made a conservative budget of two months. The project slid into a year. I do not mean 24/7 nonstop reading. I did stop to shower, snack, snooze and shave my armpits. At first I was keenly interested before I grew bored with a repetitive diet of angst, upheavals, failures, successes. I regret I was not a witty gossip or historian. I was stunned the record is mostly silent about chronic health disruptions and acute episodes of illness.

Yet in the compost of entries, I unexpectedly found poems. Not several. I lost count after 100. I began to keyboard a file, with brief commentary. Then I was at a loss as to what to do with the artefacts. I sent 125 to an editorial service that checked grammar and spelling. S/he also made comments about (non-)sense, imagery and possible points of confusion. What to do with the backlog? I thought it unlikely an agent from Random House would drop by with prepaid travel itinerary to circumnavigate the globe as Poetess, wearing fashionable head-gear festooned with wrinkle-hiding veils. Yet, in more than one daydream I was a mumu wearing poet, chomping on a cigar while chewing through a poem.

Instead I made visits to the library, reading contemporary poetry publications, renewing the joy of poetry with attempt to match my poems with their style and content. The task was failure to match, for example, a 1968 poem about the moonwalk with suitable publisher. I studied online self-publication, debating the utility of a limited edition. By 2008, I had earned a realistic understanding of health limitations and knew I had not the stamina to survive a poetry slam or run an at-home mailing service.

Did I even want another career? No; not as poet, plumber or pawn shop owner. I decided a blog would allow the poems to see the light of day. The project started with the first line: ‘gulping sunlight’ – with 165 words to follow. I hoped for one reader.

In hindsight would I change the first post? No. I set out to share poetry. I did. In 2008, I was unfamiliar with what would become the experience of blogging, finding connection with others and breaking through the at-home isolation of illness. The sharing of poetry became less important. Today’s Daily Prompt produces more than a few chortles because I realise the old poems are forgotten as I abandoned daily posts from the poetry vault and began to write new poems, prayers and whatnots.

© S. Calliou. 3 December, 2012

From Blue Dog Studio

6.5 Tips For Regifting At This Season of Delights Which Strike Fancy

6.5 Tips For Regifting Items Already Purchased By Someone Else As a Gift To You But You Will Give To Someone Else

’tis the season to be jolly. Jolly derives, from, perhaps, a Germanic loan-word via the Old Norse ‘jol’ which means ‘winter feast’. This word could relate to ‘yule’  - as in ‘yuley’ only pronounced with a German-Norse accent. Word origins are as tricky as picking up bits of a broken ornament. ’tis also the season to bear gifts. These tips may enable setting aside funds to survive the economic downturn without increase of annoying debt.

1.0 Perhaps this is obvious but the regifting of brassieres, panty hose, corsets, knickers, gaunch, jock straps, thongs, pantaloons, baby dolls, g-strings, camisoles, boxers, briefs, and other apparel of underwear is questionable – even if only slightly worn. Such items might cause a bewilderment of intentions which dampen the season’s good will.

2.0 Items which plainly display the monogram of your surname will raise eyebrows, particularly if your name is Wilhemminah Hah-Hah Collins and you are gifting a set of towels to Kenneth B. Waltzinsky. Think before you wrap.

3.0 Ensure the gift is in working condition. Perhaps you received several appliances as wedding gifts and the excess clogs up needed storage space. However, best to give the combo yogurt-bread-clock-radio-doughtnut-fryer a whirl before shunting the item off to a friend who will demand the service warranty at 26 December, 2012. To regift an appliance is a challenge because the recipient can have their own retirement fund in play with return of gifts for cash refund. Avoid persons who make clear they need a receipt.

4.0 Take the time to unwrap the gift item and check for rot, mildew, bug infestations and the like. If you discover the item is already a regifted item, strike this person from your gift lift immediately. Always take the time to wrap the regift in fresh, unwrinkled wrap and an unused bow. Take time to pen a handwritten card with various holiday endearments copied from a reputable website.

5.0 Check the condition of the item. Nicks, dents, scratches, tears, rents, pits, cavities, bruises, blisters, pockmarks, furrows, dimples and such may identify the item as a ‘discard’ rather than gift. Take time to hammer out indentations in that toaster. Make time to snip off pulled threads. Find time to melt and clean wax out of the candelabrum. Discover a use for a neglected set of retouch crayons.

6.0 Hire I.T. people to set up a gift giving spreadsheet system to avoid accidental regift of an item to the original giver. As memories can become as overloaded as credit cards, do not rely on intuition or outdated Rol-O-Ducks system. Ensure all original gift items bear the name, date and approximate value. The price is important as it is simply offensive to regift with an extraordinarily expensive item which is well beyond the means of reciprocity.

6.5 Ensure there is an adequate supply of . . . ‘scusa. The timer has rung, signalling that the rinse to bleach out blueberry stains from a set of sheets is, hopefully, successful.

© S. Calliou. November 28, 2012.

From Blue Dog Studio

Prayer for Advent Adventure

PRAYER FOR ADVENT ADVENTURE

Dear Holy Spirit, we pray
to strengthen our courage
to walk with renewed spirit of adventure
through this season of Advent.

O Holy Spirit we pray
to strengthen our sense of wonder
throughout this adventure of faith
on pilgrimage to The Nativity.

Dear Holy Spirit we pray
to strengthen our wisdom
to set aside baubles of worship
and delight in purity of communion
in a season of prayer with Thee.

O Holy Spirit we pray
to strengthen our joy to be
alive and vibrant,
uncluttered by hasty celebrations
which do not honour Thee.

Dear Holy Spirit we pray
to strengthen our perseverance
to declutter this season
and experience more deeply
the reciprocity of the simplicity
of Divine Grace, Forgiveness and Love.

© S. Calliou 2 December 2012

Prayer For All Healers

Dear Creator, at this hour we pray for all
who are granted the ministry
of care for the injured, the sick
and the dying.

Dear Creator, at this hour grant us
growth in charity which conquers
irritation with repetition of tasks
and assist humility with tasks so
we learn gentle exercise of the heart.

Dear Creator, please grant us infusion
of grace which magnifies the
blessedness of each moment
when we are in company
with suffering that we might
learn the experience of transcendence.

Dear Creator, please grant us
peacefulness in our minds and
our actions to enable
precision and attentiveness
patience and accuracy
that we might learn to be
truly present to the guidance
of Divine Love.

Dear Creator, please grant us the gifts
which amplify the goodness
of all souls weaving a story of
faith and honour and trust
which disables
the turmoil of fear.

At this hour we pray blessings
for all in ministry of care
and thankfulness
for all help received.

© S. Calliou. 2 December 2012