One Shot Wednesday - Poetry Week 30

Welcome to One Shot Wednesday - Poetry Week 30

Hi and welcome to another week of celebrating and enjoying Poetry. I am Pete Marshall and I shall be your host this fine evening.

Before we start however I have a few announcements to make....

Over the last six months we have seen One Stop Poetry grow from strength to strength, and in doing so One Stop Poetry has outgrown this site and needed to create a new, more structured place. A place where you can continue to enjoy what we do. As we introduce more ideas and features to an already exciting place, we promise to  keep alive the community spirit and love of poetry that brought us together. We are expanding to include elements that encourage young people to write and explore the arts. We strive to make creative writing explode off the pens of young people. We therefore are proud to announce the creation of  www.onestoppoetry.com.

Obviously moving address is always a stressful time yet we hope that the transfer will be a seamless exercise and cause as little disruption to you as possible.

Thank you all also for your support and votes for One Stop Poetry in the Shorty Awards. If you haven't as yet voted or wish to encourage your followers to vote we are nominated for two awards in the categories Art & Poetry. The voting finishes this week so as much support as you can muster is more than welcome.

Now I feel its time to let One Shot Wednesday begin. If you are new or wish to have a recap here is how it works;

1, Write an original poem and post it to your blog

2, Link back to One Shot Wednesday from your post

3, Sign up in the Mr Linky list,(use the URL from your blog) linking directly to your post, AFTER you've posted it. Mr Linky will be open from 5pm EST Tuesday (10pm UK)  until 3am EST Thursday (8am UK). If you need help with this, please ask in the comment box.

4, Go visit others that have posted. This is a great way to learn new forms, meet new poets and gain inspiration for your next piece. though this is not mandatory we encourage you to visit at least one other poet and give some helpful feedback.

5. For some of you I need to stress - don't feel that you need to comment on each poem, take your time and enjoy the read.

On behalf of all the One Stop Team...Happy One Shot

One Shot Wednesday - Poetry Week 29

Welcome to One Shot Wednesday - Week 29

Welcome to One Shot everyone! My name is Brian Miller and I will be your host today. We look forward to reading your amazing poetic offerings, and are excited you are here, but first let me tell you about a few things that will be rolling out in the next couple weeks with my Friday Poetically.

If you joined us last week, we wrote poetry to the amazing talent of Joe Satriani. Each month we will look at different musical inspirations for our poetry. This Friday, I will launch a new monthly children's wall, where we will be posting poems by children/teens. If you know word artists that happen to be children or have kids of your own, we encourage you to submit their work via email to One Stop Poetry. We will put several up each week and you will be notified the week your child's poem goes up on the wall. In order to provide protection for children under 14 years of age, we ask that you have them create a pen name. Each work of poetry can then be displayed with that name.

Those are just a few of the features you can look forward to on Fridays.

We also would appreciate your vote for One Stop Poetry if you are on Twitter. We have been nominated in two categories  (by the Twitter community) we are in good position to receive an award which would reflect back on each of you as this is a community.  There is a Shorty Awards button to the right of the page. 

Let's give the microphone back to all of you for One Shot Wednesday. Happy One Shot everyone!

If you are new to One Shot Wednesday, please feel welcome to participate by doing the following:

1, Write an original poem and post it to your blog

2, Link back to One Shot Wednesday from your post 

3, Sign up in the Mr Linky list,(use the URL from your blog) linking directly to your post, AFTER you've posted it. Mr Linky will be open from 5pm EST Tuesday (10pm UK)  until 3am EST Thursday (8am UK). If you need help with this, please ask in the comment box.

4, Go visit others that have posted. This is a great way to learn new forms, meet new poets and gain inspiration for your next piece. though this is not mandatory we encourage you to visit at least one other poet and give some helpful feedback.

5. For some of you I need to stress - don't feel that you need to comment on each poem. Take in the inspiration of a few with a good cup of tea or coffee.

On behalf of  my fellow cohorts, Adam Dustus , Leslie Moon, Pete Marshall,Chris Galford, Jessica Kristie, Claudia Schoenfeld, Gay Cannon and myself - welcome and enjoy!!!!!

One Shot Wednesday - Week 28

On behalf of all the team at One Stop Poetry, I warmly welcome you to One Shot Wednesday, Week 28!

I am Claudia Schönfeld and will be your host this evening. One Shot is growing - and not only in numbers but also in quality. I personally have learned so much by reading all the wonderful poems you bring to the table each week and thoroughly enjoy the variety of styles, meeting poets from all over the world and the warm-hearted atmosphere and feedback. It's great to be a part of this bustling and alive community.

If you think One Stop is great and like what we are doing, you can nominate us for a social media award in the Shorty Awards. You can do this by clicking on the Logo on the right side bar. We are being represented in two categories, #art & #poetry. A vote for both would be wonderful! 

And now before we start this weeks One Stop, I would like to hand you over to Pete who has a special message;

"Hi everybody and thank you very much for your continued support of both One Shot Wednesday and One Stop Poetry. As we have grown over the past 6 months, in order to maintain the high standards that we set , we have seen the need for the team to expand. Today I would like to introduce to you the newest member of One Stop Poetry, Jessica Kristie. I am sure you will welcome her on board accordingly.

Thank you also to Claudia for a wonderful introduction and I can only reiterate her words with regard to the Shorty Awards, on behalf of us all we are very thankful for the nomination and the votes we receive.

This Sunday, for those of you on Twitter, Leslie  hosted  our first weekly scheduled #ospchat, which is held for an hour starting at 3.30pm EST (8.30 UK). The first of these live chats was a resounding success and we look forward to seeing more of you this coming Sunday at the same time.

On a last note, please do not forget the One Stop Anthology. If you have entered a poem into weeks 1 - 25, then you are eligible to be considered. If you have entered more than one poem and would like what you consider to be your best, to be voted on,  please email us at Oneshotpoetry@gmail.com, headed Anthology, with your chosen two poems and the weeks they were entered. we will only accept these emails up to 21st of January so please hurry. For more details please visit One Stop Poetry  - Anthology. 

Thanks again and now I hand you back to the wonderful Claudia....all the best...Pete"

Well yes - thanks Pete - it's poetry time - woo-hoo - !!

~ Claudia

If you're new to OSW, here's how it works:

• Post a poem on your blog

• Link your poem to One Shot, using Mr Linky. Where the prompt asks put the URL (web address for your poem) for the poem there.

• Visit as many other One Shot Poets as you like. Tell them how you feel when your are reading, encourage and interact with them

• Tell others about OSW by including a link to this page on your post

One Shot Poetry Wednesday - Week 27

Welcome to One Shot Wednesday - Week 27

Welcome to week 27 of One Shot Wednesday. We hope you each had a wonderful holiday? I am you host for this week & my name is Leslie Moon, aka Moondustwriter one of the One Stop Poetry founders. We started One Stop Poetry six months ago to create a cyber site where poets, artists & creative types could join and share their insights and their work. We hope that you feel comfortable and welcome here?

One Stop Poetry has new things in the store for 2011. One of those started yesterday on our Monday Poetry Form day. Our intention is to give even seasoned poets a look at poetry forms they may or may not be familiar with. 

We are also creating an opportunity for poets to chat on #OSPChat on Twitter. We will be introducing twitter chat this Sunday the 9th at 3:30pm EST (8.30pm UK). If you are new to twitter, type in the hashtag (#ospchat) and it will connect you to others using the same hashtag (I use Tweet Deck but Hootsuite is also another good app for twitter). You must type the hashtag with each comment to be part of the conversation. Join us on Sundays to meet each other and talk about poetry.

If you are new to One Shot Wednesday, please feel welcome to participate by doing the following.

1, Write an original poem and post it to your blog

2, Link back to One Shot Wednesday from your post 

3, Sign up in the Mr Linky list,(use the URL from your blog) linking directly to your post, AFTER you've posted it. Mr Linky will be open from 5pm EST Tuesday (10pm UK)  until 3am EST Thursday (8am UK). If you need help with this, please ask.

4, Go visit others that have posted. This is a great way to learn new forms, meet new poets and gain inspiration for your next piece. though this is not mandatory we encourage you to visit at least one other poet and give some helpful feedback.

5. For some of you I need to stress - dont feel that you need to comment on each poem. Take in the inspiration of a few with a good cup of tea or coffee.

On behalf of  my fellow cohorts, Adam Dustus , Brian Miller, Chris Galford, Claudia Schonfeld, Gay Cannon and Pete Marshall - welcome and enjoy!!!!!

A Saturday Celebration: Happy New Year from One Stop Poetry

Happy New Year to one and all…

Saturdays bring me great joy when I share with you the Saturday Celebration, but today I wanted to celebrate something different, today, as we start the New Year, we also start the next 6 months so today I celebrate One Stop Poetry.


Having launched One Stop Poetry on 1st July our very first posting was a poem by Leslie Moon, When Two Worlds Collide, looking back now how apt this was….

The poem was a wonderful metaphor for the unison of the founders of One Stop and what we strived to bring forth…6 months later I feel very proud that we have achieved our original goal and are creating new ones whilst still maintaining our original ethos.

As One Stop has grown, we have recognised that to maintain the standards we have set we needed additional  staff. We now find ourselves with 7 members on the team (the original team being Adam, Brian, Leslie and myself.).

Looking to the future, we have so many things in store. As we continue to expand and bring poetry, art & photography to the forefront new ideas are always formulating, the next 6 months are promising to be an amazing time!

One Stop Poetry isn’t just about One Shot Wednesday, One Shoot Sunday, or the amazing spotlights, it's more than that. One Stop Poetry is about finding you, your voice, your style and helping promote you to the rest of the world as we constantly discover ways to find an opportunity for you to be published, whether that be through competitions or our first, of many, Anthology's.

During this coming year, we have additional plans to encourage writers. We will be starting the New Year with a critique site which is not open forum. This site will be a place for poets who are serious about their work to get the critique they need to go to the next level; for many that will be seeking critique in order to publish. Starting this 2011 year One Stop will once a week offer a “poetry class.” This class is intended to be fun and informative. Our hope is that even the seasoned poet will learn new forms of poetry. These classes will be offered on Mondays, starting the 3rd, by teachers schooled in that particular form of poetry.

Today I am also pleased to unveil our revamped  forum and really hope you stop by and embrace a place that has been created for you.We also will be announcing a weekly chat session for those of you on Twitter.

As the year progresses, there will more exiting news to unveil so be sure to stay close and see what's being offered!

Finally, on behalf of all of us at One Stop Poetry, Bri, Leslie, Adam, Claudia, Chris, Gay & myself….we would like to wish you a very happy, healthy & prosperous New Year and look forward to sharing the Wonders of One Stop with you even more….

Happy New Year from One Stop Poetry


If you would like to share any New Year poetry, prose, art or photography please feel free to use the link below

Happy New Year from One Stop Poetry

Happy New Year from One Stop Poetry

Auld Lang Syne

By Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

and auld lang syne?

(CHORUS) For auld lang syne, my jo,

for auld lang syne,

we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp !

and surely I’ll be mine !

And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We twa hae run about the braes,

and pu’d the gowans fine ;

But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,

sin auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We twa hae paidl’d i' the burn,

frae morning sun till dine ;

But seas between us braid hae roar’d

sin auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere !

and gie's a hand o’ thine !

And we’ll tak a right gude-willy waught,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS 

image courtesy creative commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/c_r_i_s/

One Shot Poetry Wednesday (Week 26)

Welcome to One Shot Wednesday!

Hello, Everyone! I'm Adam Dustus, your host for this week's OSW. As 2010 draws to a close, it is my pleasure to begin the festivities for our final One Shot of this year. Before beginning, I'd like to officially welcome Gay Cannon (beachanny) to The One Stop Team. We are extremely fortunate for her skillful help (in addition to her overall wonderfulness); and in case you missed it, check out her excellent Monday post on a familiar face from One Shot Wednesday, Anthony Desmond Scott. 

*Also, don't forget about the One Shot Wednesday "Best of the First 6 Months Anthology." If you entered a poem in weeks 1 - 25, then you are eligible. Please refer to One Shot Wednesday Anthology for more information.

Okay, enough with the speeches, let's get right into it....
If you are new to our weekly poetry meme, here are the guidelines:

1) Write a poem (due to the growing number of links, please post 1 poem)

2) Link your post to One Shot via Mr Linky (put in your name & URL of poem)

3) Please visit the poetry sites of other One Shot poets & provide feedback

4) And don't forget to invite others to join in our community of online poets!

*All forms of poetry are accepted.

Thank you for your participation & support,
dustus

 

One Stop Spotlight - Anthony Desmond Scott

Hello everyone, I'm Gay Cannon and I'm so excited to tell you I have joined the @onestoppoetry team.  There are exciting new projects planned for the year ahead and it's an honor to have been asked to join the team in bringing them to you. 

I will be doing occasional spotlights and for my first official one, I want to introduce you to Anthony Desmond Scott.  If it hadn't been for Anthony, you wouldn't be reading this from me, I wouldn't know about poetry online, @onestoppoetry or probably even be writing again. Anthony was my first real twitter friend. I had been looking at twitter more or less as a news feed for many months. Then @MyWordWizard started following Anthony and me at about the same time and we were finishing their prompts. Anthony is in all things curious, and even though he writes deep, sometimes dark and very intense poetry; yet, his disposition is easy going,thoroughly likable, always polite and invariably upbeat.

Anthony discovered blogsites. We both created one and the rest has been a journey in meeting new poets, reading and being read by other poets spurring both of us to read more, write more and to connect.  Because of this I am happy to interview him for the spotlight today.

Anthony, tell us about yourself.

I'm a 19 year old guy with a passion for poetry and music. I've never been the average kid. I've always felt different from just about everyone. Through the years of coming into who I am, I've experienced feeling out of place and such. But with the guidance of my Mother and the will of myself, I learned to embrace all the things I enjoy and love being a true individual.

I know your mother has been a major influence in your life. Tell us something about her.

My mother is the one person who stood by me through everything. She made me the person I am today. My mother's writing evokes her tragic childhood experiences such as sexual and verbal abuse by family members. She could've gone down a destructive path but when she had me at 18 she turned those bad experiences around for the better as a Mom and now as a strong independent woman.

When did you start writing poetry and what and who inspires your writing?

I started writing poetry when I was 16 and fell in love with it. My first complete poem was 'Self'. When I had written that, something clicked inside of me. I knew poetry was my destiny.

Frank Stanford is a big influence for my poems. I love how tragic his poetry was. Yet there was sometimes a small bit of light in the midst of all his pain. I also take inspiration from paintings and music. When it comes down to it, the core of my poetry is the good and bad of life. I express it only in ways that come naturally to me.

I know you were as thrilled as I was to find @Onestoppoetry. What has it meant for you?

I think @Onestoppoetry is amazing because there's no competition, just love. One Stop Poetry gives us so many opportunities to showcase ourselves as the best poet we can be. I appreciate this community and I feel appreciated as well. You can't beat that.

What are you aspirations for the future?

I aspire to be a prolific figure in poetry. After I've lived a long happy successful life, I hope my work will live on and continue to inspire.

I am happy to share these poems of Anthony's with you today.

sElf

I'm staring at a vacant wall full of emptiness

Wondering if I'll finally make it my own

Intimidated by the knives in my soul

Cutting incisions in my flesh

Marking their territory

While hunters tread my grounds

And shoot my guarded veins

My spirit still remains

When the seasons change

Hunters rampage across the bridge

To destroy the light that shines on me

As winter approaches and summer passes

All that's left is a lonely breeze

Hunters put down their rifles

And charge full steam ahead

As pulses of blood rush towards my head

With battle scars resulting as tears

Running out my mind

Next target lies where my memories are confined

My pupils dilate as my eyes

Awaken back to where it began

A wall covered in my deepest secrets

© 2008 Anthony Desmond Scott. All Rights Reserved.

DARE

Rats are almost an equal to men, women, & children

Remove our skin cut it from our flesh

So it falls from heights unimaginable

Shells from shots we've fired

Fill our mouths to keep from swallowing our tongues

As they gauge our eyes & roll them in a pond of lava

Rip our legs off right below the knee

So one can't see over this fake fucking mountain &

Dare to make a judgement on who's better

© 2010 Anthony Desmond Scott. All Rights Reserved.

'Normal Is No Rule'

Cheap carpet harvested my open pores

Laid to rest everynight in the Sahara

Sand flew in my eyes while I made bold attempts to sleep

I wake up with dirt in my mouth

My spit forms a mudslide

That drains through my intestines

I wish to cough up blood in the midst of

Making an over dramatic statement

In regards to the ratio of too much or not enough love

Questions/Reasons

Perfect ways to get to know the honest form of human

Which came from woman on her back

Soft spoken gentle voices tender touch

So much of what I need

I already want but cannot have

I'll stay on my back

© 2010 Anthony Desmond Scott. All Rights Reserved.

You can find Anthony on Twitter @iamEPanthony

His blogsite is http://glassstaircase.blogspot.com

Photography courtesy of creative commons wall Laura Chifirium http://www.flickr.com/photos/lchifi/231115148/

Sands- Alaskan Dude http://www.flickr.com/photos/72213316@N00/4512280393

Merry Christmas to all our readers

To everyone of you that reads, contributes, shares and enjoys, have a great Christmas and a fantastic New Year... cheers Pete

We appreciate each of you. Writing poetry just wouldn't be the same without the support each of you gives... Best Wishes Leslie

To our artistic peers, readers, & friends, Happy Holidays & Thank You.
Warmest regards...  Adam

Thanks to each of you for your creative and inspiring presence - you make One Stop what it is...have a fantastic Christmas and a good start into 2011...Claudia

It's an honor being part of a community filled with so many talented and creative people...each and everyone of you have a gift, and it's a real pleasure you've shared a piece of it with us. To all, my thanks, and my best wishes for the holidays! ~Chris

Great to join with you and see where poetry takes us in 2011.Wishing the best of Holidays to you and yours ~Gay

photo by dustus

One Shot Wednesday - Week 25

Welcome to One Shot Wednesday - Week 25

Hi and welcome to this weeks One Shot Wednesday. I am Pete Marshall & today I will be your merry host.

Following the recent announcement of our "The Best of One Shot Wednesday - The First 6 Months" anthology, published under Limited Editions Press, today's One Shot is the cut off week, number 25,  for poetry to be considered. For further details please visit the following link;

 One Shot Wednesday Anthology.

Rest assured however this is not the last One Shot Wednesday, just the last for your poetry to be considered in our first Anthology. I hope you also note the word "first" as we will be releasing further publications throughout the coming year.

The first 6 months of One Stop Poetry really has been a wonderful success which has seen us grow at an amazing pace whilst still keeping true to our original beliefs. As we have grown so has the team, who work diligently, week in week out, to bring you such wonderful features.  We have so many great plans & announcements  in store for 2011 and look forward to enjoying every day of the next 6 months with all of you, who help make this such an exciting place to be.

In just 6 months One Stop Poetry has seen itself firmly established as a place that brings together the arts from all around the globe, and lends itself to quality and as a platform to helping you realise your dreams.

On behalf of all the team at One Stop Poetry I would therefore like to thank you for your support over the last 6 months & to wish you the happiest of Christmas's and a wonderful & prosperous New Year.

Cheers Pete

One Shot Wednesday - week 25

For those of you who are new here's how it works

1) post a poem to your blog

2) link your poem to One Shot using Mr Linky, where you will be prompted to enter your name and the URL for your poem. The URL is the web address for your poem

3)Visit other One Shot Poets, as many as you wish. Tell them how you feel when you are reading, encourage and interact with them. If you wish to critique remember to be positive and constructive, negative criticism does not help anyone.

4) Tell others about One Shot Wednesday by including a link to this page on your post

Welcome to One Stop Poetry - A Christmas Tour Around the World

Welcome to One Stop Poetry. As we begin the week of Christmas, we want to recognize the importance of families and friends. Because of that One Shot Wednesday will open earlier on Tuesday in order for last submissions (that can be considered for the anthology). Thursday will be a time to write poetry in honor of those we love (i.e. parent or grandparents) who we miss during this time of the year. You may have a poem written to honor that person or a Christmas memory that you would like to share.

Christmas Eve will be a story (based on a true story); one that can be enjoyed by the entire family. Christmas Day and Boxing Day (UK) will be observed as holidays for you to enjoy (off-line). Though we will probably post a poetry prompt for you die-hard bloggers.

We wanted to start the week by learning about different cultures and how the Christmas holiday is celebrated. Celebrations may include many things: food, songs, things the family or community does. There are things your family does that is it's own unique celebration. We would love for you to share how you celebrate. You could write a poem about your celebration or a funny story. Please feel free to link in and/or share in the comment box.

The One Stop Poetry Team (Adam, Brian, Chris, Claudia, Gay, Leslie, Pete) would like to wish you and yours a wonderful holiday.

We asked Claudia to share her traditions from Germany to kick us off.

Oh sing me silent Holy Night

When I was asked to write about how we Germans celebrate Christmas and what kind of traditions we have, my ambivalent relationship with traditions was the first thing that jumped to my mind and with it this story...

As I thought, a Christmas tree had nothing to do with the birth of Jesus, I refused to have one for years...and how our children suffered as everyone else had one of course! As I didn't change my mind, one Christmas Eve, my eldest daughter (she must have been six or seven then) told me, this year we will have a tree as she had crafted one herself - and there it stood in our living room - made of a broomstick and colored paper...so we were celebrating Christmas around this broomstick tree and from then on  - we started to have real christmas trees...

So the Christmas tree is one tradition we have - in 95% of the German households it's a genuine tree, cut in a forest. Usually we put it up in the living room the day before Christmas Eve and leave it there until the 6th of January.

The Advent wreath is my personal favorite Christmas tradition, dating back to 1839.
Pastor Wichern was at this time the leader of an asylum for homeless boys in Hamburg (The Rough House) and in the dining room, he hang up a huge cartwheel for "his" boys with 19 small and 4 big candles and every evening, the boys would light another candle to show them, there's hope in their
hopelessness.

Something you might know is the "Star of Herrnhut" which was the Christmas challenge for the boys of the Missionaries home Niesky in Herrnhut/Germany by their math teacher in 1821 - and since then re-built a million times and well known in most countries of the world.

And it was Martin Luther who re-arranged the date when the children would get their Christmas presents from the 6th of December to the 24th of December.

The reason for changing the date was that he said: Nicolaus was a good man, but can't help us any more - but on Christmas, God gave us his only son and every year this gives us a reason to celebrate. His wife and all the people in this small church in Wittenberg didn't like this at first - until
he introduced the song he has written for this Christmas celebration in 1535 - > "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her" - > "From heaven above I come"

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs and we used to sing it a lot with the children. And one year, we went skiing and Tim, my son (he was quite small then) was sitting in the chair lift and singing full sound "From heaven above I come...." and all the people around were smiling...

So we will decorate our Christmas tree on the 22nd or 23rd of December - will go to church on the 24th at around 5pm - then have Christmas Dinner with the family (Fondue most years) , sing the first stanza (we only know the first stanza by heart..) from all the christmas songs that jump to our mind with me playing the guitar and then unpack presents under the Christmas tree.

Last but not least, let me share a Christmas poem and then extend my German Christmas experience to a tour round the world...

~ Claudia


Oh Sing me silent Holy Night

oh sing me silent holy night
when angels held their breath in awe
and wonders tender, true and raw

were born just when the time was right
I can’t hold on to what is wrong
my soul entwined in brightest light

with him who's stronger than the law
oh sing me silent holy night

(Claudia Schönfeld)

this is an Octain -
a new poem structure, created  by One Stop's featured friend Luke Prater.
We will have an opportunity to learn more about this style in the New Year.

Please Join Us in a Christmas Tour Around the World..

The Wise Men photograph courtesy of Creative Commons and Visual Panichttp://www.flickr.com/photos/visualpanic/314708685/

Friday -One Stop Poetry Holiday Poetry

Mistletoe

Walter de la Mare

Sitting under the mistletoe

(pale-green, fairy, mistletoe),

One last candle burning low,

All the sleepy dancers gone,

Just one candle burning on,

Shadows lurking everywhere:

Someone came, and kissed me there.

Tired I was; my head would go

Nodding under the mistletoe

(pale-green, fairy, mistletoe),

No footsteps came, no voice but only,

Just as I sat there, sleepy, lonely,

Stooped in the still and shadowy air

Lips unseen - and kissed me there.

Minstrels

by
William Wordsworth

The minstrels played their Christmas tune

To-night beneath my cottage-eaves;

While, smitten by a lofty moon,

The encircling laurels, thick with leaves,

Gave back a rich and dazzling sheen,

That overpowered their natural green.

Through hill and valley every breeze

Had sunk to rest with folded wings:

Keen was the air but could not freeze,

Nor check the music of the strings,

So stout and hardy were the band

That scraped the cords with strenuous hand.

And who but listened? --till was paid

Respect to every inmate's claim.

The greeting given, the music played

In honor of each household name,

Duly pronounced with lusty call,

And "Merry Christmas" wished to all.

Photographs courtesy of Creative Commons:

Steve Willis

http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_willis/2227916456/

Joe Lewis

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanbeiji/2147857683/

If you'd like to have some fun and write a mistletoe or Minstrel (aka carolers) poem, please share with us and link in.

One Shot Wednesday - Week 24

Welcome to One Shot Wednesday - Week 24

On behalf of all the team at One Stop Poetry, I welcome you to One Shot Wednesday, Week 24!

I am Claudia Schönfeld and will be your host this evening. As I'm hosting from Germany and we already have 11 pm over here - I will soon leave the party - but this should not keep you from celebrating, reading as many of the poems as you like, chat a bit in the comments section, meet some new friends and enjoy the cumulation of excellent poetry.

I would also like to remind you of the One Stop Anthology - a collection of "Best of One Shot - the first six months", a collection of the best OSW's entries, published under Limited Editions Press Follow the link to read more.

Now let the fun begin - thank you for being here and making One Stop what it is!

~ Claudia

If you're new to OSW, here's how it works:

• Post a poem on your blog

• Link your poem to One Shot, using Mr Linky. Where the prompt asks put the URL (web address for your poem) for the poem there.

• Visit as many other One Shot Poets as you like. Tell them how you feel when your are reading, encourage and interact with them

• Tell others about OSW by including a link to this page on your post

One Shot Wednesday - Week 23

Welcome back  to  another One Shot Wednesday. I'm Moondustwriter (aka Leslie Moon) hosting this round of poetry. We want each of you to feel welcome at One Stop Poetry.  If you have been coming by regularly, can I encourage you to read the post before yours so that each person has at least one comment (this is especially true for late posts). If you are new, please comment and tell us who you are so we can welcome you properly. The goal is not to read through as many poems as you can rather to enjoy the talented poets and soak in inspiration for your next poem. A friend of mine likened reading a good poem to looking at a fine piece of art in a museum; spend some time getting to know the work and the writer and ENJOY!

Here is the format for those of you just starting

1. Write a poem

2. Come to One Shot Tuesday night or anytime Wednesday and put in the necessary information on Mr Linky. If Mr Linky is down you will need to put the URL in the comment box. The URL is the web page address of your poem

3. Leave a comment (we love to hear from you)

4. Take a few moments to read a poem or two and give some words of kindness. I personally like constructive criticism but if you do that keep it positive.We have poets of all levels. I know how much it means when the reader can give the poet some encouragement. Thanks all of you for always knowing the right thing to say.

Thanks to each of you for your wonderful writing  and for inspiration each week.


***One Stop Poetry is now calling for submissions. If you wish to post an article, highlight an artist, or use our platform to promote a worthy cause; we'd like to here from you. 

***The One Stop Bookshop is up and in its early stages. If you have written a poetry collection, novel, or cookbook email us at oneshotpoetry@gmail.com Title the email "Bookshop," and if possible, include the ISBN code.

Monday Feature - Guest Hosted by Gay Cannon - Hector Gutierrez

Mondays are traditionally Brian Miller's day but he is taking a much needed rest. I ( Moondustwriter) would like to introduce Gay Cannon. I featured her on Moondustwriter Thursday on November 4th, 2010. Please visit the archives to read about Gay. I'm excited to announce that Gay will be joining One Stop Poetry. As the site grows, we want to maintain quality and offer additional aspects for your writing needs. We will be announcing her project soon.

Hello everyone,

I'm Gay Cannon known to many of you here at One Stop Poetry as Beachanny. I've been invited to guest host One Stop Poetry this Monday so that I can introduce you to my very good friend, mentor, and fellow poet Hector Gutierrez. I have known Hector since we were both participants in a writer's workshop in the Dallas-Ft.Worth area in the 90s. An eclectic group of writers, eventually the poets splintered into a monthly group dedicated to poetry only. Even after that dissolved for many of us, the poetry group continued by e-mail hosted by Hector in a group called Poetry Express. There we continued to share work, critique and encourage one another. Hector's work is very fine and has influenced my approach to poetry in countless ways. I asked him several questions for this interview and here are his answers.

Who and what influences you in writing poetry?

My fascination with poetry started when I read Carl Sandburg’s “Fog”. Something in the words, “on little cat feet, ” made me actually “feel” the silent movement of the fog as I read the poem. The feeling stunned and fascinated me, and it left me wondering how the author could put together words that could produce such an effect on me. I’ve been trying to unravel the secret of that magic ever since.

What journey have you taken that has brought you to your current approach?

Early on, I came upon “The Raven” and “The Bells” by Poe, and my lifelong commitment to structure and rhyme began. As I worked to maintain an intricate structure or a rigid rhyme scheme, I developed a mental approach that occasionally discovered surprising relationships between words. As a result, my efforts to create pivoted in a particular way that led to my writing style. I have written some unrhymed poems with loose structure, but the verses that called for a challenging structure or rhyme scheme seemed to draw the most out of me.

Do you use traditional structures like the sonnet, or do you experiment with new forms?

I’ve written several sonnets and two villanelles that worked out well, but I have also tried many experimental approaches to structure and rhyme. I have a few poems that I wrote in what I call the framed couplet, for lack of a better name. I began with a rhymed couplet in iambic pentameter, but I decided to rhyme the initial syllables as well as the ending syllables. To add emphasis to the initial rhyme, I decided that the initial syllable must be accented. So I ended up with nine syllables per line instead of ten. “Minor Strain” is written in this form.

Part of the fun has been to try to “hide” the structure or the rhyme scheme, so that the poems appears to be free-form while still allowing me to work in the particular mode that works best for me. For one poem, I took a favorite line of verse from another poet and used it as a template for a new set of words. For example, “The Red Wheelbarrow“ by W. C. Williams“ starts with “So much depends / upon / the red wheel / barrow.” My line became “His mush descends / upon / the red tongued / sparrow.” I wrote two poems using this approach, which provided a well-hidden structure while producing a line that seems to flow freely. Some of my approaches have been less ambitious. “The Boy’s Tree” is simply a sonnet with the rhyme removed except for the final couplet. “Bourbon Street” focuses on varying the metric patterns to simulate the dancing and the music that the poem is referring to, while the words that rhyme with “Muse” act like a recurring base drum beat that provides a steady pulse to guide the syncopated rhythmic flow.

Short bio, publication activities:

With the guidance of an English degree from the University of Houston, I have been writing for more than 25 years. I have two self-published books of poetry with limited circulation. I published a periodic poetry newsletter, “New Winds”, for about five years, with participation from local and area poets, including a few college professors in Texas universities.

Minor Strain

Sinless child, your face turns back toward ten,

innocence bruised, strained by careless men.

Clothes that push you up toward twenty-one -

loathsome need in you; for them, brief fun.

Tension pushes, pulls, to fill a void

men’s abuse created; what’s destroyed

time can never . . . child, you must not tease.

I’m your friend, or would be. Stop! Don’t. Please

The Boy’s Tree

This tree ain’t lovely - never was. It looks

like serpents rising from the ground, that want

to play. Not pray. A tree wants to be climbed.

Each branch is hard like Daddy’s biceps, and

the bark will scratch you like his chin at night.

The leaves caress and tickle as you climb.

In gusty winds, they sound like ocean waves.

A tree ain’t nothin’ but a tree. That is,

until they cut it down. Then it can be

a cradle or a coffin or a carved

figure that looks like Dad. A pencil, or

a sheet to hold a poem or a truth.

Ain’t no use askin’ who can make a tree.

It is the tree that makes, it seems to me.

Bourbon Street

Ageless stones resounding Satchmo’s chops

that wail from the bars for the smiling Muse,

stones worn smooth by steel tapped shoes

still dancing for the Man,

timelessly keeping time

to the jazz and the rhythm and blues,

while the strippers and the booze

bark their intent from the fringes

and the pallid crowds refuse.


Thanks to Gay and Hector for another look into the world of poetry. At this time Hector does not have a blogsite to visit. We may cox him to post on One Stop periodically.

Photography Attribution:
73 year old treehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/turtlemom_nancy/2298821513/
Bourbon Street:http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuseeger/213350144/