Wednesday, February 29, 2012

A poem that links some of my deafness to other areas of my childhood

Say Yellow


            1

Yeawoah.  No. Say yellow.
Yeawoah.  No, yellow!
That’s what I said…
Nevermind.


            2

My yellow magic blanket;
was in fact magic, my
comforter, always kept cool
or warm, it was what I
requested, protected, projected,
my screen of life, the tangible
wall, the wall that oppresses
till ’89, must fall.  It fell.
it was torn, thread by thread,
lost its magic hold over
me, freedom came, yet,
what is with the change?
The unraveling left me naked,
alone in the dark, no longer
cool or warm. Molten
frost became me. 

            3

Can one hear yellow?
Do colors make sound?
Sound is too mechanized,
there are no purities, nothing
tempered or refined.  Only
time has helped the aids, the
yellow ear-molds show age.
Now I need true yellow, geld,
which is gelb.  The former
now comes green, whereas
gelb is still gelb, albeit
I can’t hear the difference
auf Deutsch.

© T.S. Graveline

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Writing Block - part 1

I thought I'd start a new segment on areas where I get writer's block or some other struggle within my own stories.

Today, my struggle is with starting a new section of a chapter, but that's not the problem.  It's the fact that I want it to be based on this newer character in the series that needs to be fleshed out more.  Frankly, all that's really known is that she has a fire in her and that she's also kind-hearted.  We don't know her flaws, but I don't want to give her stereotypical flaws.  She needs a uniqueness to her.

I think I may have just figured it out.  It's not something groundbreaking, but it works.  It's a case of identity crisis, but it won't be usual considering the story's framework.

Wow, I just learned something.  Writing about the problem in an avenue like this helps solve writer's block.  I suppose that's lesson one folks!

About my book

Okay, I realize that many people do not know much about my book.  It is a fantasy ridden story in a World War 1 setting.  There are Angels, demons (though I call them something else), and elves, oh my! The main characters are basically descendants of angels who are here on earth and they are known as Paladins.  There are very few, and our young hero's, who's names I shall withhold for now, will be interacting with on a quest that hasn't really been given to them, but more like thrust upon them through a series of tragic events.

There is a good amount of magic that is quite interesting and fans of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, Rick Riordan's novels, and many other fantastical Young Adult series will truly enjoy the books I'm writing.  At least, I really hope you do.  I've truly enjoyed writing this over the past 7 or 8 years or so.  Much of that time was spent on college work, but the story never left my mind.  I am always receiving inspiration for the story arc and hope that I can someday present the 1st book to you in published form.  Hopefully, that is sooner than you and I realize.

An older, but fun little poem I wrote when I first started writing poetry and funnily enough, it still applies today

Google Syndrome

Extra! Extra!
Again, for the love of god,
Google is in the news
Its market value, ungodly high
Government peeved by their refusals
So of course, it’s more popular
The clicks and views continue
Makes you wonder if the founder,
Is a bit like Faustus;
Having sold his soul to the devil
Why else would everyone say,
“Google is the best” 
I feel this, but can’t decide why
The educational industry, the media,
Everyone thinks this too.  Why?
Maybe we just have to wait like Faustus,
For their 24th anniversary
Maybe then, they will fall
And then we’ll all
Scream, Yahoo!

© T.S. Graveline

Monday, February 27, 2012

A poem I wrote years ago that was in response to Elie Wiesel's Night.

People who know me know how much I love to read and I love finding cool books in stores.  I happened to be vacationing in Boston and went to a really cool college bookstore right next to Harvard University and found a great edition of Night.  I started reading it that day and I couldn't stop.  I just kept reading as I was sucked in by the gripping details and I was fully absorbed by the time Elie and his father were running in the snow all night long.  So here is the response:

My Night

My tears never end
I’ve been running for so long
The guard’s curse commands to run
Run we do, but not as people

We have become savages
Only wanting to survive
We have stopped praying our prayers
Animals -- that is what we are           

My only thought is of food
I can no longer think of a God
I see my brothers and my father
We run together in a pack, like wolves

All of us are thin and dried
Our feet no longer feel
They are burned, and this is the Sahara
Or better yet, our hell

We no longer need our eyes
Instinct took over long ago
Do as you are told, and you may survive
I forget what we are surviving

I vaguely remember a church
A people who loved all
Love, what is that?
Now hate, I know that, but love...

I forget
Hunger -- that is what’s left
Only thing is, sand provides little
All I have are my tears to drink

We are ordered to stop
There is a shift change of guards
Their vehicles glide over and hover
Their suits of red look so endearing

I know they have air conditioning
We have the earth, and her winds
Yet here, they pick up the sand
Then we shed, and bleed, becoming fades

That reminds me of spirits
Ah, I remember a God
One I used to worship
And here I weep, hoping for his love.

© T.S. Graveline

Sunday, February 26, 2012

A recent poem written after my daughter was born.

Many a times I walked

Many a times I walked.
And I walked alone seeking
What the world had to offer.
I walked in my wanderlust
To great cities, regions, and
Religions.

Then I stopped walking.
And I stopped seeking as
I had found what I sought.
I stayed in wonderment
To know awe, friendship, and
Love.

Then we walked
And we walked together
Finding what we wanted.
We walked hand in hand
Through tears, jubilation, and
Joy.

Now we walk
And we walk together
Having found what we sought.
We walk hand in hand
With our little girl, our family,
Our happy lives. 

© T. S. Graveline

Saturday, February 25, 2012

A Poem written in 2007

Louise Odier
For Jen

Traveling as the youngest really sucks,
And is lonely. Especially when I’m headed
To plant nurseries.  I hate those places.  Yet,
This time is different.  I’ve never been here.
There is a sense of antiquity in the air.  These
Roses feel like they are out of Hawthorne’s
Salem.  The lush green and the cloudy sky
Has given this place an ancient smell.  As
A child I’m thinking this is odd, interesting.
Maybe this place will be different.  So I
Sniff around, knowing my nose must be
Greater than all others as one of my senses
Is mostly lost.  I figure the others must all
Be greater to make up for that loss.  I
Smelled her then.  I looked and found her
Name was Louise Odier.  She is truly old.
Yet, she is so beautiful.  I am enamored.
This rose, this Louise, Miss Odier, she
Has seen so much, she communicates
To me by speaking with her scent.  I
Cannot help but drink in her story. 
Apparently she is from the East coast. 
She is a rare kind, and people will clip
Her stems, so she grows more thorns,
I felt them, and yet she perseveres
All the more.  She grows faster, becomes
More pungent. Wildness is in her, she
Is a rambler rose.  She befriended me
And took me under her soft petals
When I needed it most of all. And now,
I see her today years later.  It’s fall
And she is wilting.  I know though,
That she will revive, not only herself in
The spring, but me as well.  I will smell
Her again, and remember when she saved
Me from loneliness and comforted me
With her lovely story that I did not hear.

© T.S. Graveline


I wrote this poem years before I met the love of my life and it was after I did, that I knew this poem was about her.  I had known when I had written it that it was for my future wife.  I got lucky with her.  Maybe this poem helped. 

Friday, February 24, 2012

Trends in Young Adult novels

In the past decade or so we have seen quite the trends make their way into the Young Adult market of publishing.  Fantasy has always been popular since The Hobbit.  Children's fantasy has been popular since long before that with the tales from the Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Anderson, Aesop's Fables, etc.

What I have noticed is (and this isn't really groundbreaking news) that publishers are on the lookout for the next big trend to market.  Harry Potter was huge.  We had wizards both good and bad and the magic was deliciously enticing for young and old.  The next wave I admit is not my favorite.  The vampire trend is oversaturated and filling up bookshelves and e-book stores.

What is exciting, is I think I might have stumbled on a new wave of my own.  I do not say this to be self-indulgent or cocky, but I really think it is excited.  It is magic, but with a different kind that has been used rarely.  I have researched the character types for this story and they go back ages ago, but even then, they are rarely used.  There is a very popular computer game that has this type of character in it, and these people have created their own lore.  I went and tried to take this group to a new level.

Can you guess who these people are?

If you do know and are a friend of mine, please keep it to yourself.  We don't want to unveil this too soon.

Happy weekend everyone

~T.S. Graveline

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Chapter 2 of book 2 is about halfway done.

The 2nd chapter is a two-parter.  It's about the main characters meeting up with someone who is quite obsessed with fine shoes.  Custom shoes are the best.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

A response to a song...

I wrote this in response to a song that really affected me. I think I know why, but it's a song that I heard in the movie 50/50. So here is my response to it or a redoing of it so that it reflects my heart.

I keep facing the other way
I keep facing the other way
I keep facing the other way

Running in my own race
Running in my own race
Running in my own race

Seeking in all the wrong places
Seeking in all the wrong places

Running in my own race
Running in my own race
Running in my own race

Seeking in all the wrong places
Seeking in all the wrong places

I keep facing the other way
I keep facing the other way
I keep facing the other way

You’re always by my side
You’re always by my side

Even though I don’t see you
Even though I don’t see you
Even though I don’t see you

You’re always by my side
You’re always by my side

~tsgraveline