Cheryl Rainfield: Scars

Scars

Cheryl Rainfield

Oh, wow. I didn't take any quotes from this book - it simply slipped my mind. This is a very intense read.

I don't hide the fact that I'm a rape victim - or that I used to be a self-mutilator (still am, depending on who you are and how you define SM - I cope now with tattoos and body piercing because it's safer than slashing up my arms or legs and it allows me to take something that makes me feel awful and turn it into art, but that doesn't always sit well with everyone else. Truth be told, I stopped cutting because I found out that one of my friends cut as well - and he scared me into turning the situation into something that really did help me cope without risking my life). 

I don't talk about it very often because I have problems discussing these topics, but I do read a lot of writing about both subjects. And, very often, I find that the fictional books aren't very realistic. They try to gloss over the bad parts and make everything hunky-dory at the end. Not so with this book. The author doesn't gloss over the pain and, while things do end on a more positive note, I wasn't given the impression that Kendra's life will just be A-okay now. She still has problems on the road ahead of her. She still has good days and bad days, but she's going to get through them because she's a survivor. And I love that ending because it gives hope to people like me. So I have to give the author kudos - she did something very rare and I hope this book helps other kids who find themselves in a similar situation.

Update

I'm in the process of transferring my old blog over to this new one - please be patient! I'll have everything back up in a couple of days or so.

Peace,
Angie

Brown: The Lost Symbol

The Lost Symbol 

Dan Brown

"From the crusades, to the Inquisition, to American politics - the name Jesus had been hijacked as an ally in all kinds of power struggles. Since the beginning of time, the ignorant had always screamed the loudest, herding the unsuspecting masses and forcing them to do their bidding. They defended their worldly desires by citing Scripture they did not understand. They celebrated their intolerance as proof of their convictions. Now, after all these years, mankind had finally managed to utterly erode everything that had once been so beautiful about Jesus."


"God is found in the collection of Many. . . rather than in the One."

Paul Harding: Tinkers

Tinkers

Paul Harding

"Who was the greatest business man ever. . . The greatest salesman? Advertiser? Who? . . . It was Jesus. . . Jesus was the founder of modern business. . . he picked up twelve men from the bottom ranks of business and gforged them into an organization that conquered the world!"

Mellick: Satan Burger

Here's some more quotes. All I can say - the following author writes some really weird shit. But that's probably why I like his work. 

Satan Burger

Carlton Mellick III

"The world is still new . . . it seems old to us, but only seems because our lives are so so short . . . our human race has been around for such a brief amount of time that the universe hasn't had the chance to detect us yet. One blink is all it needs to miss our dance through actuality."

". . . homophobic. It's a phobia usually caused by one of three things:

1) Being raised to believe homosexuals are socially unacceptable.

2) Not coming in contact with any homosexuals during the adolescent period.

3) Being gay and afraid to accept it."

". . . hated God . . . actually, he just hated Christians . . . He never met God. Why should he care about somebody he never met?"

Chris Wooding

Some quotes. I've only read these two books by Wooding - but both were fantastic!

Poison

Chris Wooding

"Cynicism was a one-way path, and once taken the way back was lost forever."

"Imagination is as close as we will ever be to godhead . . . for in imagination, we can create wonders."

The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray

Chris Wooding

 ". . . chaos is simply another part of it's [the power behind the universe] order, with a shape too big to see."

Notes on Haiku

Your English teacher was wrong. The 5-7-5 syllable count is actually not accurate - it's an error that occurred when attempting to explain the Japanese concept of Onji (the closest comparison to Onji in the English language is the syllable). Most haiku publishers will not publish haiku that follows the 5-7-5 syllable pattern. The Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Share, and Teach Haiku by William J. Higginson is a good starting point for anyone interested in the art of haiku. I also recommend examining several issues of Modern Haiku.

Historically, a haiku is any stanza of a haikai-no-renga (often called renga - a linked poem with alternating stanzas usually played as a game and therefore composed by several writers). It has since evolved into it's own genre/style.

Typically, a haiku contains less than 17 syllables (according to Wikipedia, most modern English haiku contains between 10 and 14 syllables; according to Higginson, most haiku average 12 syllables).

A haiku can actually be between 1 and 5 lines, with no line or syllable pattern other than what the writer prefers to use (a haiku does utilize rhythmic units but this isn't always based on syllable count).

Traditional haiku is usually written as 1 line with several spaces between certain parts of the poems - those spaces are often translated into English as lines (especially in earlier poems; some modern haiku utilizes the 1-line scheme). For examples, refer to works by Ozaki Hosai, Yosa Buson, Matsuo Basho, and Nakatsuka Ippekiro.

There's not a huge focus on grammar in haiku - don't try to use complete sentences. The haiku may or may not be titled. It may or may not contain punctuation and capitalization.

A haiku doesn't use metaphor or simile. Many writers utilize comparison and contrast between two images that (often) seem to be unrelated at first glance.

There is no rhyming pattern to haiku; rhyme disrupts the imagery. And imagery is what haiku is all about.

Haiku relates an experience and/or describes an object/event - by describe, I mean that a haiku utilizes one (or more) of the five senses in relation to the object or event. It paints an image.

A haiku also doesn't reference emotions - emotion is what each individual reader brings to the haiku. This allows one haiku to have multiple meanings among a wide variety of readers.

Examples:

© Angie Lisle 2009

a tree stands
in the pavement
the city grows

© Angie Lisle 2009

muddy field
flattened players
football bounces

A Rattie Haiku
© Angie Lisle 2010

a rat dies -
somewhere in India,
one less mouth to feed

© Angie Lisle 2009

toe
jammed
door

Toni Morrison: A Mercy

Another quote.

A Mercy

Toni Morrison

"We never shape the world . . . the world shapes us."

Letter on Craig's List

This was originally posted on Craig's List; it has since been flagged for inappropriate content. Homosexuality is NOT a choice, but homophobia is reposted this on facebook and I borrowed it from them.

PostingID: 1797870768

A mutual friend of ours threw a big party for her 30th birthday, tons of people were there and it was a lot of fun. Somewhere along the line you and I ended up on the balcony for some fresh air at the same time. We started chatting; we talked about sports, books, tv – discovered we both are about to start our masters degrees and spent some time debating the pro’s and con’s of the educational system. We talked about hanging out sometime, and you wanted to meet my girlfriend.

I understand how upsetting it was for you when I blinked mildly in surprise and said I was here with my husband. I know it was a shock to your system, if your face had turned any paler I might have called 911. You made a good recovery though - that hurried mutter of “I’m not like that” was very polite and you only knocked over two drinks and one vase in your hurry to rush to anywhere other than near me. I can’t blame you – I forgot how delicate you straight boys are. So I wanted to give you a few helpful hints about where you went wrong last night.

1) As a general rule we don’t walk around with big signs around our neck proclaiming our sexuality. No scarlet letters, no scent of hellfire and brimstone… sorry about that.

2) We do not generally assume that everyone within 5 feet of us must also be homosexual – it was nice of you to immediately reassure me that you are hetero, but it was really unnecessary.

3) Homosexuality is not infectious. While I am sure you meant no disrespect with your hasty departure; in the future you can rest assured that taking a few extra seconds in your mad dash for safety will not result in you being turned gay. It will however keep you from destroying expensive vases and knocking over senior citizens.

4) This next one may come as a surprise; but you are not, in fact, irresistible. The fact that you have a dick does not instantly turn me into a bundle of uncontrolled lust. Contrary to popular opinion, being in the same room with a straight man does not cause a gay man to instantly lose all common sense and basic common courtesy. Though I am not so sure about the reverse.

5) Homosexuals in general get a little irked when people treat us like some sort of leper. Rushing to another mutual friend of ours and advising him of my sexuality, so he could be “forewarned” was really uncalled for.

6) Upon being told (by said mutual friend) to stop being an idiot and that you were not my type anyway… it generally confuses the issue when you then proceed to become upset that I DON’T find you attractive. Three seconds ago you were running through a crowd of people with your hands cupped protectively over your junk as if I might attack you at any moment with a blowjob. See hint number 4.

7) We homosexuals have an odd sense of humor – I can’t help that. Something about watching you freak out as if all the demons of hell were after you just struck me as vastly amusing.

8) While being pissed at me for dissolving into uncontrollable laughter might be understandable… gathering a couple guys together to “teach the fag a lesson” is not.

9) You might also want to drink a little less and be a little more careful about the guys you approach for your little proto-hate-mob.

10) Assuming the two tall muscle-bound bruisers must be uber-hetero and just as appalled by my presence as you was your first mistake. It was an understandable one though. How were you to know that pflag tshirt the first guy was wearing wasn’t a sports team? Also the rainbow ring the second guy was wearing could have meant anything I am sure.

11) In retrospect I suppose that upon hearing your not very subtle hate-talk and seeing who you were heading for; I could have said something instead of just laughing harder. I apologize for that. I should have just introduced you to my husband instead of letting you walk up to him and ask him if he wanted to help you teach “that fag over there” a lesson. I hope that broken nose heals up cleanly.

Maguire: A Lion Among Men

A Lion Among Men

Gregory Maguire

[Sister Hospitality, thinking]

"We start out in identical perfection: bright, reflective, full of sun. The accident of our lives bruises us into dirty individuality. We meet with grief. Our character fulls and tarnishes. We meet with guilt. We know, we know the price of living is corruption. There isn't as much light as there once was. In the grave we lapse back into undifferentiated sameness."

"Men were beasts. Everyone knew that."

"The past, even a bitter past, is usually more pungent than the present, or at least, better organized int he mind."

[Yackle]

"I'm not involved in shame. Morals are learned in childhood, and I didn't have any such holiday called childhood."

[Yackle]

"We live in our tales of ourselves. . . and ignore as bast we can the contradictions, and the lapses, and the abrasions of plot against our mortal souls. . ."