The Other Guy #Poetry #Tuesday Tidbit

Oh, little bee,
as autumn approaches,
you hover on my porch roof,
between life and death.

One day, you fall,
land in my hair.
Thinking you’re just a bug,
I brush you away.
In one last effort to survive,
your stinger latches onto my eye.
In pain, I manage to somehow extricate you,
but the damage is done.

Now, I must tell people,
“Think this looks bad?
You should see the other guy.”

***

The above poem, inspired by something that happened to me last year, was published in this month’s issue of The Writer’s Grapevine. To read past issues of this free, online magazine featuring poems, stories, essays, and some advertising, click here. If you’d like to receive this publication by email, send a blank message to:  writersGV+subscribe@groups.io  You can click on the Play button below to hear me read the poem.

By the way, for those of you who use the National Library Services for the Blind and Print Disabled, The Red Dress is available for download from their site here. No matter how you read it, please be sure to review it wherever you can. That goes for all my books. Thank you for stopping by. Stay safe, happy, and healthy, and may you always have positive experiences.

New! The Red Dress

Copyright July 2019 by DLD Books

When Eve went to her high school senior prom, she wore a red dress that her mother had made for her. That night, after dancing with the boy of her dreams, she caught him in the act with her best friend. Months later, Eve, a freshman in college, is bullied into giving the dress to her roommate. After her mother finds out, their relationship is never the same again.

Twenty-five years later, Eve, a bestselling author, is happily married with three children. Although her mother suffers from dementia, she still remembers, and Eve still harbors the guilt for giving the dress away. When she receives a Facebook friend request from her old college roommate and an invitation to her twenty-five-year high school class reunion, then meets her former best friend by chance, she must confront the past in order to face the future.

***

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September Song #Musical Monday

In the summer of 1979, before my senior year of high school, we were having our home remodeled, enlarging our screened-in back porch to make it a music room. I’ve always been sensitive to loud noises, especially those created by power tools, cement mixers, and other construction implements. So, as a distraction, I took up singing and accompanying myself on the piano. I’d been doing this since I was twelve, but I wasn’t serious about it until that summer.

For my birthday, I’d received Willie Nelson’s album, Stardust, on cassette. This album popularized such old standards as “Blue Skies,” “Moonlight in Vermont,” “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” and “September Song,” the one I’m singing for you today. So, I decided to learn some of these songs.

Once I did, my younger brother often joined me on drums. By that time, Dad had acquired a string bass, and he occasionally played along.

Since the room that was being remodeled was adjacent to the dining room where the piano and drums were located, we no doubt entertained the construction crew. When men came through the dining room on their way to the rest room, they complimented us. By summer’s end, the addition was complete, and we had a new room in which to play our music.

According to Wikipedia, “September Song” was composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. It was introduced by Walter Huston in the 1938 Broadway musical, Knickerbocker Holiday. It was also used in the 1950 film, September Affair, and in the British television series, May to December, and was recorded by numerous artists.

My rendition is based on Willie Nelson’s version. If I’d recorded it during that summer of 1979, the music would no doubt have been punctuated by hammering, sawing, and drilling. Now, during this last week of September, you’ll just hear the song. Enjoy!

By the way, for those of you who use the National Library Services for the Blind and Print Disabled, The Red Dress is available for download from their site here. No matter how you read it, please be sure to review it wherever you can. That goes for all my books. Thank you for stopping by. Stay safe, happy, and healthy, and may you always have positive experiences.

New! The Red Dress

Copyright July 2019 by DLD Books

When Eve went to her high school senior prom, she wore a red dress that her mother had made for her. That night, after dancing with the boy of her dreams, she caught him in the act with her best friend. Months later, Eve, a freshman in college, is bullied into giving the dress to her roommate. After her mother finds out, their relationship is never the same again.

Twenty-five years later, Eve, a bestselling author, is happily married with three children. Although her mother suffers from dementia, she still remembers, and Eve still harbors the guilt for giving the dress away. When she receives a Facebook friend request from her old college roommate and an invitation to her twenty-five-year high school class reunion, then meets her former best friend by chance, she must confront the past in order to face the future.

***

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How I Learned About Sex, a Vagina and a Penis #Reblog #Sunday Surprise

Several weeks ago, after I answered a series of raunchy questions on the TMI Tuesday Blog, I received a comment from a blogger, inviting me to send work to a site that publishes stories by women about their vaginas. I just happened to have such a story I wrote years ago. I originally titled it “Birds and Bees,” but I hope you’ll agree the title this blogger gave it is much catchier. Enjoy!

 

Via How I Learned About Sex, a Vagina and a Penis

 

By the way, for those of you who use the National Library Services for the Blind and Print Disabled, The Red Dress is available for download from their site here. No matter how you read it, please be sure to review it wherever you can. That goes for all my books. Thank you for stopping by. Stay safe, happy, and healthy, and may you always have positive experiences.

New! The Red Dress

Copyright July 2019 by DLD Books

When Eve went to her high school senior prom, she wore a red dress that her mother had made for her. That night, after dancing with the boy of her dreams, she caught him in the act with her best friend. Months later, Eve, a freshman in college, is bullied into giving the dress to her roommate. After her mother finds out, their relationship is never the same again.

Twenty-five years later, Eve, a bestselling author, is happily married with three children. Although her mother suffers from dementia, she still remembers, and Eve still harbors the guilt for giving the dress away. When she receives a Facebook friend request from her old college roommate and an invitation to her twenty-five-year high school class reunion, then meets her former best friend by chance, she must confront the past in order to face the future.

***

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Memoir Pays Tribute to Country Music Icon #Thursday Book Feature #Reblog #Friday Fun Reads

Today, I’m offering you an oldie but a goodie from a few months ago. This book review can also be read in The Writer’s Grapevine. To read past issues of this wonderful, free, online magazine containing fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and more, click here. To subscribe, send a blank email to:  writersGV+subscribe@groups.io  Happy reading!

 

Via Memoir Pays Tribute to Country Music Icon #Thursday Book Feature

 

By the way, for those of you who use the National Library Services for the Blind and Print Disabled, The Red Dress is available for download from their site here. No matter how you read it, please be sure to review it wherever you can. That goes for all my books. Thank you for stopping by. Stay safe, happy, and healthy, and may you always have positive experiences.

New! The Red Dress

Copyright July 2019 by DLD Books

When Eve went to her high school senior prom, she wore a red dress that her mother had made for her. That night, after dancing with the boy of her dreams, she caught him in the act with her best friend. Months later, Eve, a freshman in college, is bullied into giving the dress to her roommate. After her mother finds out, their relationship is never the same again.

Twenty-five years later, Eve, a bestselling author, is happily married with three children. Although her mother suffers from dementia, she still remembers, and Eve still harbors the guilt for giving the dress away. When she receives a Facebook friend request from her old college roommate and an invitation to her twenty-five-year high school class reunion, then meets her former best friend by chance, she must confront the past in order to face the future.

***

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An Elastic Acrostic #Six-Sentence Poem

Easy to use, it fits round my waist.

Lazy I’m not, but it’s what I wear most.

All I do is pull up my pants.

Stylish or not, it’s what I like best,

Takes the hassle out of getting dressed.

Independent I am with no buttons or snaps.

Carrying myself, I wear it with pride.

***

Thanks to Girlie on the Edge for inspiring the above acrostic poem. Click below to hear me read it.

Now, it’s your turn. See if you can write a story or poem of no more and no less than six sentences, using this week’s prompt word, “elastic,” at least once. If you’d like to participate in Girlie on the Edge’s blog hop, click here. Otherwise, you can leave your six-sentence contribution in the comment field below.

By the way, for those of you who use the National Library Services for the Blind and Print Disabled, The Red Dress is available for download from their site here. No matter how you read it, please be sure to review it wherever you can. That goes for all my books. Thank you for stopping by. Stay safe, happy, and healthy, and may you always have positive experiences.

New! The Red Dress

Copyright July 2019 by DLD Books

When Eve went to her high school senior prom, she wore a red dress that her mother had made for her. That night, after dancing with the boy of her dreams, she caught him in the act with her best friend. Months later, Eve, a freshman in college, is bullied into giving the dress to her roommate. After her mother finds out, their relationship is never the same again.

Twenty-five years later, Eve, a bestselling author, is happily married with three children. Although her mother suffers from dementia, she still remembers, and Eve still harbors the guilt for giving the dress away. When she receives a Facebook friend request from her old college roommate and an invitation to her twenty-five-year high school class reunion, then meets her former best friend by chance, she must confront the past in order to face the future.

***

My Books

My Amazon Author Page

Facebook

Website