Lost Memories; Prose

How can a lifetime of memories just fade away
Lost in fissures of time in its continuum
Sound and mind bites fleetingly lived
And captured for a lifetime yet drifting with abandon
To a place, existential, yet somehow so removed
Tears fall in sadness of what used to be
Eyes dry in redness for a longing passed away
Confused you sit in silence, your gaze transfixed
On a point beyond this window sill, searching
For something to grasp, greater realities
Born of pre-existence, experience reassured
In calmness, mom, your laughter bids
The fondest recollections
Yet in your darkest hour of need
So drained, so lost in a vortex of things
Your body wrought with tireless desires
Yet struggles to rise to this estrangement
Then you were gone, to Heaven I believe
A kinder, gentler place, lo with angels
Where pureness and joy mark your waking moments
And carry you through precious thoughts and ideals
And even when your visions are seemingly unclear
May you always remember each memory still
And dad, as you sit by your window sill
Gazing longingly for your lover, companion
You too suffer loss of a similar kind
God, please let him linger, give him this time
To chase after those moments that used to be
A better time, better place…in his memory

Copyright 2009 Don MacIver; All Rights Reserved

Crystal Dreams

A downy-soft lane of crystaline dreams

Stretching eternal, limbs of purity

Cavernous blanket o’er laneway subdued

A horsedrawn carriage with urgency passed

In boldest of silence save sparrow’s flight

Air cleansed by its falling ever gently

Virgin flakes layer upon frozen ground

Buried leaves leaven in earthen decay

Footprints lay nestled in a silent trail

Steps without purpose, aimless wanderings

At peace in the splendor of nature’s tale

Embracing crystal dreams, a rhapsody

Effusive outflow escapes without voice

A wordless rendition, faint whisperings

Echoing thoughts meander passively

Adrift as frost-bitten imaginings

Copyright 2008 Don MacIver

You Went Away

Throughout our lives we expend great energy establishing and maintaining friendships. Our relationship with friends blossoms from a seedling, maturing to a point of intimate fondness reserved for a select few. We nurture that relationship as something so sacred, so close to our hearts that seemingly nothing can stand in the way of that friendship. Sadly something happens along this journey and the relationship changes…the flower withers and dies or that intimate friendship suddenly disappears, sometimes for no apparent reason.

How do we let such precious relationships slip through our grasp? Now all that’s left is the pain.

You Went Away

All that we had I thought was a lifetime
The days and nights spent, the laughter and tears
So many moments, so many memories
All of a sudden you just walked away

How can I change what must have been broken
So wrong that forever you went away

Time and distance has gotten between us
Irrevocably close, now torn apart
The warm embraces, unspoken glances
Kept all that we had forever in place

What did I say that brought separation
So wrong that forever you went away

All of the miles that we walked in silence
The paths that we chose so easy to climb
Words always came to us without effort
The memories linger of better times

Can something so good slip through our fingers
So wrong that forever you went away

All I feel is regret for whatever
Suddenly severed the bond that we had
Am I mistaken, was it your doing
How can something so right turn out so wrong

Just one more chance is all that I’m asking
Make up for the pain that sent you away…

How can I change what must have been broken
So wrong that forever you went away

Copyright 2008 Don MacIver

Lest We Forget

Since the early beginnings of recorded history and beyond there has been conflict between peoples. That conflict has turned violent, whether between individuals, tribes, factions, organizations, and the military. Whether for personal, religious or political reasons the results are often tragic. We subscribe to ideologies that at times become an obsession, fixating on what we deem to be correct, moral, just or rational. We are no longer a peaceful, patient people. Instead we let force navigate our existence, our fate. We loath banal indifference preferring a call to action, the consequences be damned. We take life as a means to an end begrudgingly, resignedly.

But what of the lives that are lost and the devastation left for surviving loved ones to deal with? We cannot and must not ever forget about the consequence…

Death by precision justifies
Killing field’s slaughter, consequence
Limbs strewn in bloody disarray
The stench of war suffocating
Tears stain a soldier’s uniform
Streaks of anguish shed in vain
Abated fear haunts silent graves
Where the fallen rest, prayer’s refrain
A nation mourns the deathly toll
Mounting daily through unresolve
Row upon row of caskets draped
With flags of homeland awaiting
Courage, conviction marked their way
With honor dispatched, homeward bound
While loved ones gather far away
Distraught, they grieve their painful loss
Lest we forget the brave who served
Pause to reflect their selfless acts
Preserve our freedom and protect
Our way of life, to live in peace

Copyright 2008 Don MacIver

A Troubled Mind

There have been times when I have found it near impossible to draft a cohesive piece that anyone would wish to read. This is one of those times.

I find myself challenged not by any sort of writer’s block but instead by a cluttered, troubled mind. Human relationships seem to travel a rocky road and while bouncing heavily and seemingly out of control on this mogul-studded path I find it terribly arduous maintaining coherent thought patterns long enough to write something intelligible.

How frustrating this becomes. A singular, or ongoing, battle with my partner leaves me confused, frustrated and lacking the energy or literary foresight to compile a meaningful, enjoyable article or poem. Why must the human relationship be so cluttered with anger, deceit, antagonism, head games, half-truths, placating nuances, insolence, benevolence, argumentative sniping, and the like.

As a writer we need clarity of thought, peace of mind, cohesive and cognitive disposition. The human relationship seems to muddle that to the point of total distraction. Life is so fast, so busy, demanding and downright chaotic at the best of times and to separate oneself from it all long enough and often enough to achieve one’s literary aspirations seems a near unattainable goal to set.

Well, tomorrow is another day and the right words will come. For tonight….I’ll lick my wounds and resolve to do a better job all around with the rise of the sun tomorrow.

Poetry: A Personal Message

When I first sat down to explore the world of writing poetry I had no idea where this journey would take me. Unsure even of the reason to write in this genre I soon became acutely aware of its relevance to my own personal life and experiences.

Writing poetry sets itself quite apart from other forms of writing, whether fictional or non-fictional in content. Poetry is so much a reflection of the author’s own personal observations, emotions, perceptions. In a fashion poetry is cleansing of the writer’s soul.

The one thing that sets poetry apart from other writing genres is its deeply personal origin. Those day to day experiences, many which have a very profound impact on the writer, are imbellished upon, drawn as a picture, before their reading audience in such a way as to move the reader to experience similar or parallel emotions toward the subject matter…thus compelling the reader to want to read more and more of the same author’s works.

Many new or aspiring writers may not wish to expose their innermost thoughts or feelings through personal accounts in their writing however by doing so their reading audience will have a much stronger sense of relating to the subject because it bares such strength in credibility.

One of the key elements of any good written piece, poetry or otherwise, is the presence of believable content. The best way to hold a reader’s attention is to captivate their imagination with a message or story that the writer has actually experienced. With fictional pieces this is of course not a critical issue however when writing about subject matter that involves the human experience it is much more moving, much more compelling when it is obviously a personal account.

For those readers who have had a similar experience in their own lives they will see through a fabricated story or accounting in a second if it does not ring true to the subject matter. It is so important that the poetry writer reflect upon those subjects that he or she has personally observed or experienced. In third person accountings there are numerous subjects which can be written about that will be well-received too but for those subjects that involve deeply personal emotions or experiences stick to the issues that you as the writer have personally been exposed to directly.

If you subscribe or post to public mediums such as internet forums or discussion groups it will quickly become evident just how powerful an impact personal accountings can be. Your feedback will be swift and equally emotional or understanding.

Of course the writer must acquire the word composition skills to generate such emotional responses from their readers. That comes with a lot of painstaking practice, editing, critique from fellow writers and reading enthusiasts, and a willingness to change the structure or content of your writing in response to the feedback that you receive. After all, although writing may well be for personal reasons, if you are seeking recognition and any degree of commercial gains from your writing endeavors then it will be ever more important that you exercise flexibility when it comes to receiving and accepting suggestions for improvement.

No-one learns to write effectively over night, whether poetry or any other genre of writing. As an aspiring writer you may have a sense that you have a natural and unborn talent for writing. From your early writing you may receive strongly supportive, and perhaps even praising reviews of your work. Friends and family may only be affording you polite encouragement in this regard so why not throw caution to the wind and put your writing out there for other writers and potential reading audience to see.

So remember, if you choose to write poetry keep in mind that the greatest impact you can have on your reading audience is to bare your soul. All you have between you and your reader from start to finish is a pen or keyboard and the medium your writing is displayed on. Don’t let panic set in and deter you from sharing your writing for all to see. After all, the best way to develop a writing audience is to get your works out there and start getting feedback. Don’t be offended or become defensive about constructive criticism of your work.

Share what you are, what you see, hear, touch, feel, smell, and sense. Choose your words carefully. Compose each piece like it is unique, fresh and a story that must be told. Don’t be afraid to let the world get a true sense of who and what you are. Only then can you effectively reach your reading audience and leave them with a desire to come back for more.

Share your own message, personal and up front, without reservation, and you will reap the benefits that come with this type of writing that is truly rewarding.

Copyright 2006, Don MacIver
A Poet’s View

Poetry; Bare Your Soul

For those who aspire to write, whether it be poetry, a short story, a novel, whatever the genre, you have to find the formula, that combination of words that truly defines self-expression in a way that speaks to your readers in ways so profound that their own personal experience mirrors that of your own. What will their ultimate reading experience render…a shared sense of sadness, elation, longing, fantasy?

As a writer what you create in your writing serves little purpose unless the reader shares the emotions, the experience that you wish to convey. I have discovered as a writer that words ring hollow unless you are conveying personal experience. When you embellish upon personal experience only then can the reader truly relate to the words that you share.

A few short years ago I, almost quite by accident, began to explore the highly personal expressions of poetry, deeply personal because I was sharing the loss of a loved one so close that to put my feelings into words as they related to this loss seemed unimaginable to share with others. Yet, I felt a powerful sense of overwhelming inspiration at a time when I sensed my life to be at a very low point, a turning point perhaps, at which time I somehow felt that sharing such words would ultimately act as some sort of comfort or reassurance to those who have had a similar experience. The response I received in return was indeed overwhelming…and unexpected.

What is it about poetry that creates a bond between writer and their readers? I discovered very quickly that for one to read in explicit detail what one has experienced that has affected their lives in very profound ways creates a mutual respect, admiration, sympathy, or empathy that is quite unparalelled in other forms of writing.

I became associated with a poetry forum on the internet. At first I had a great sense of apprehension about what I conveyed in writing online. Before long though I discovered that fellow writers and devoted readership shared something very special….emotions that previously were suppressed, locked away for no-one to see, to witness, to share and respond to.  I had never dreamed that posting poetry on the internet could generate such a powerful communicative response from such a wide and diverse reading audience.  To received accolades from fellow writers from around the globe was both gratifying and truly inspiring .

In order to reach your reading audience it is of critical importance that you relay actual personal experience. The only way a reader can truly experience the emotions the writer wishes to conver is if the reader believes the experience to be genuine.  Reciprocate what you as the writer have experienced and you are well on your way to a meaningful and fulfilling relationship with your reading audience. Establish a sense of ligitimacy with your readers and you will have them coming back for more time and again.

Be your own strongest critic. Read what you have written over and over and examine what senses or emotions your writing triggers. Do you have a sense of sadness, joy, eroticism, mystique, love, conviction? What do you feel after reading your own writing? If something is lacking then the piece needs re-writing until you are satisfied that the desired emotions are triggered.

Whether it be a piece about political statement, a romantic tryst, a mournful departure, a nature scene, an expression of loss etc. it has to be crafted in a way that will trigger the senses of the reader in a way that leaves them feeling a sense of fulfillment, a desire to return to read more. Few forms of writing achieve this type of personal response as with poetry.

Here I will experiment with a few verses. See what you share in reading these words:

Glistening pine cones quiver in breeze
Dawn’s early sunrise bathing tree limbs
Mist stills the air in calmness of light
A songbird chirups, breaking silence

Lonliness tears at my being once more
Forever drifting, the loss that I grieve
Forgive my remiss, repent of my sins
I long for you, seek of you desperately

Smoke rising from ruins, ashes remain
Conflict of vengence, dead resting within
The stench of decay  does castigate fear
Silenced eyes search for an unanswered prayer

Know where you’re going with your writing. Explore in advance what you seek to achieve. Be objective…is what you have written moving you to explore what message lays within? Do tears well up as the words unfold? Sometimes poetry takes several writings to refine. Don’t write with haste. Write with passion and honesty.

Write poetry from the heart, from the soul.

Copyright 2006, Don MacIver
A Poet’s View

The Inspiration To Write Poetry

Writing is an incredible journey, a soul-searching, an outpouring of information, a personal creative challenge, a cleansing process, and so much more.

In order to pen a quality piece there must be some internal or external resource that the writer may call upon again and again to turn mental images, thoughts, ideals etc. into a written dialogue that will stimulate its reader, leave the reader with a sense of satisfaction for having read the piece.

I made a new acquaintance recently who I shared a glass of wine with and quite a stimulating conversation about our places of origin and local politics, climate, geography, peoples, economy. Our discussion eventually centered around writing since my newfound friend was skimming through my first book “Journeys In Verse”.

With favourable comment about the content of my book this gentlemen marvelled at the presentation of the book and queried where I get the inspiration to write. He too aspired to write but was unsure where to begin the process.

In response I reflected upon the very conversation that we had just so enthusiastically engaged…our homelands, peoples, geography, policical scene. What could possibly motivate one to write more than those very everyday topics that are so close to our hearts.

I referred to the standards of poetry that have been the very core of poetic verse since the first stansas of poetry were scribed including romance, nature, fantasy, distant lands, war and conflict. What an enormous resource of topical information flows from that core of themes. And there is vertually an endless stream of worldly situations and personal experiences that drive us daily to some level of emotion, consternation, trepidation, bewilderment.

We are bombarded daily with an enormous amount of information, whether it be via the various formats of media, the internet, personal observation, word of mouth from those we meet. There should never be such a things as “writer’s block”….something that I perceive occurs not from a lack of subject matter but internal or external conflict resulting in distraction considerable enough to temporarily diminish the writer’s ability to put together a meaningful article, story, poem, etc.

From personal experience I have found that when I feel uninspired or lack the cohesive thought processes to put together a good written piece I take a break from writing for a few hours, days, weeks, whatever it takes to recharge and recover a clarity of thought processes needed to resurrect the creative juices. Then and only then do I resume my place before the keyboard and return to doing what I love the most…writing.

I have found that in order to maintain a strong desire to write I need to diversify to the extent that I don’t restrict my writing genre to poetry exclusively. Over the past two years I have expanded my publication efforts from poetry to web journals such as this, and also a poetry writing newsletter and articles.

This diversity of writing materials and a steadily growing and devoted reading audience has kept the joy and challenge of writing fresh and exciting for me. With the availability of online resources , in many cases free, the vehicles for publishing are considerable.

What inspires me you ask? The question you should ask perhaps is what does not inspire me. Look around, use your senses, your emotions, your cognitive skills to absorb the many, many things that happen around you, around your region, and indeed around the globe. Think of what triggers people’s emotions, what makes them laugh, what makes them cry. There’s your inspiration. Capture a moment, an event, a glimpse at mental pictures, frame by frame and paint that picture on the page or monitor screen with great purpose and satisfaction.

Inspired to write yet? I hope so…watch, listen, touch…now write about it!

Copyright 2006 by Don MacIver
author, Journeys In Verse

Poetic Verse: A Journey

Writing poetry is an art form, a creative adventure, an observation, a journey of the senses.

Poetic verse is a truly personal experience for not only the writer but also for the reader. If you’re going to write poetry one of the most important things to remember is that the reading experience is greatly enhanced when the writer authors a piece that reflects his or her own actual experiences rather than a fictional piece.

When writing about a real experience the author has strong emotional connection with the content of the piece and that connection will surely be reciprocal for the reader.

Poetry is an expression of so many emotions…joy, elation, sadness, love, anger, confusion, frustration…just to name a few. Your reading audience will be able to relate so much better to a piece that comes straight from your heart.

Poetry offords the writer a virtually limitless number of themes to draw from. In my first book “Journeys In Verse” I elected to write about a diverse range of themes. Learned authors have reflected upon the concentration of a singular theme noting that emerging writers may wish to diversify their writing portfolio rather than attempting to reach out to a targeted audience.

Poetry needs to touch the heart, the mind, the soul. What could be more gratifying than a reader of your work telling you how moved they were by a particular piece. I have experienced this type of reinforcing feedback and it is truly gratifying and an enormous inspiration and motivation to keep writing.

The best way to test this theory out is to read your own work repeatedly to see what kind of reaction or emotional response you experience. Are you unsure of the merits of your piece? Did you feel a connection? Did your reading experience evoke any emotional response? If the answer to any or all of these questions is no perhaps you may wish to edit the piece prior to publication…go back to re-visit what it was that you experienced in order to breath some new life into the piece.

Once I received feedback from readers telling me that I “took them there” or “thanks so much for taking me along on such an extraordinary journey”, then and only then did I feel a sense of accomplishment, a sense that I could write for a reading audience in a way that allowed them to truly experience or relate to a situation and want to see more of my writing.

Poetry is in so many ways an exploration, a quest for answers, the sharing of deeply personal thoughts or feelings…a journey.

On my website “A Poet’s View” I share a collection of my original poetic works and invite you to visit . The poetry I have posted is a sampling of original poems from my first book and also my second book “Touched By A Rose” which I expect to be published soon.

Make that connection with your readers…it is such a rewarding experience for you and your reading audience.

Copyright 2006 by Don MacIver

Poetry Writing: Embracing Technology

The writer of today has a rapidly evolving array of technology at their disposal for the composition, publication and promotion of his or her writing projects.

One of the most talked about forms of publication and promotion on the internet in recent times is this very forum, the weblog…or the blog…or the web journal.

Irrespective of the extent of exposure one may or may not gain from this means of publication on the internet, the weblog is a wonderful tool for showcasing one’s written works. Like a website, this form of instanteous posting of written material on the internet for a potentially massive audience is an incredible vehicle for the illustration of one’s writing, free of charge no less.

The first hurdle, of course, is to get past the anxiety of posting to such a potentially vast audience and the related angst of what feedback one might receive to such personal postings. The key to getting your feet wet, so to speak, in the arena of internet posting is to realise how virtually painless posting to the internet really is.

Of course the most important criteria for the posting of one’s work is to first and foremost write for the love of writing. Never mind what critique may result from your writing efforts. There will always be someone out there that knows more than you do, who feels they are more qualified, more educated, more skilled at writing. That’s all fine and dandy, the bottom line is that if you feel you have something valuable to communicate, whatever the written genre, write and publish it with enthusiasm and renewed conviction day after blessed writing day. Reafirm your conviction to writing daily.

In addition to the praise, the accolades, and downright unbelievably positive and supportive feedback that I have received since beginning to write, there has been and always will be arrogance, conceit, self-serving and destructive criticism of your writing form, style, content and purpose.

In order to achieve success in writing the author must seek to view critique, however positive or negative, as a learning tool, a means to an end, to learn from constructive and learned opinion as well as from misguided or misdirected jealousy, anger, and sometimes downright vindictive comment that serves no more purpose than to satisfy the writer’s insatiable thirst for the destructive attack of another’s written works in the absence of substance of their own writing.

Today we have the rapid advancement of technology, the information super-highway, the internet, email, messenger, chat utilities, websites, weblogs and so much more.

Take advantage of any form of self-promotion that technology brings your way. What better opportunity than free services such as these to post actual examples of our writing for potentially the whole online world to see!

What have we got to loose? Well, perhaps the negative response alluded to here, perhaps non-response. Ok, deal with it and get past it. You write because you love to write and feel that you have something of relevance to say….so write and keep on writing! Imagine where, in the writing world, we would be today if the Keats and Brownings of this world caved in to negative opinion or reaction to the incredible works that they produced?…on second thought, don’t imagine this.

Writing is communicating. Writing is a compilation of thoughts, expressions, ideas, whims, opinions…and so much more. We as writers have a reading audience, no matter how large or small, and we owe that audience, and ourselves, the sharing of our written expressions for what they are intended to be…communications.

The weblog may come and go, as will many other “new and improved” forms of internet communication vehicles. The challenge is to embrace this change, as come it will, to take advantage of the potential benefits that may arise from using such mass-communications vehicles, in order to realise some degree of recognition, some level of acceptance or appreciation for what we do as writers…the sharing of ideas, opinions, observations, fantasies.

So why wait for the world to pass you by? Post a blog today, create a website, post to forums, submit to ezines. Unless you have a dream, embrace that dream and utilize all the many electonic means to share and promote your written dreams, in today’s world they cannot become a reality.

Write on and post often. Best of luck in your writing endeavors.

Don MacIver
Copyright 2006 at A Poet’s View Blog.