tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17745602866960960622024-02-19T18:00:27.112-05:00JP's PoetryStarted for National Poetry Writing Month 2011, decided to keep things going. I've always liked writing poetry.Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-86566577912968468772017-04-20T20:21:00.000-04:002017-04-20T20:21:50.563-04:00What are you doing in there?Is it a dance recital<br />
Or are you practicing a martial art?<br />
<br />
What is it like to live<br />
Entirely upside down, feet in my ribs?<br />
<br />
Do you really get to taste<br />
A little of every thing I eat?<br />
<br />
Can you hear my singing<br />
Over the rush of blood through the placenta?<br />
<br />
Are those hiccups hurting you<br />
When you have them for over a minute?<br />
<br />
Do you dream in color<br />
Or are there only soundscapes and emotions?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-6056184833485934432017-04-11T12:21:00.000-04:002017-04-11T12:21:19.252-04:00Bronchitis While Pregnant Breathing and not breathing,<br />
Stuffy but clear enough,<br />
Inside bigger than the outside.<br />
<br />
Brain foggy from lack of oxygen getting in.<br />
Or is it lack of iron to move it around?<br />
Same difference, to the bloodstream.<br />
<br />
Is that chest tightness<br />
The swelling from the microbes<br />
Or the baby pushing the diaphragm?<br />
<br />
<br />
Cough out all the mucous (and air),<br />
Then try not breathe too deeply or too fast while refilling the lungs<br />
Lest the coughing start up all over again.<br />
<br />
Drink more water, and tea.<br />
Yes, even more than before,<br />
So be ready for twice as many bathroom visits.<br />
<br />
Have a snack.<br />
It's been over an hour since the last one, after all.<br />
Maybe something warm to help soothe the throat.<br />
<br />
<br />
Relax, but not too much.<br />
The wrong angle makes it worse:<br />
The coughing, the back pain, the tight-yet-loosening tendons.<br />
<br />
Rest, but don't sit still too long.<br />
Gotta stretch all those shifting joints and muscles<br />
Or there will be no unassisted movement later.<br />
<br />
Sleep, but only in short increments.<br />
There's too much coughing and peeing and stretching<br />
To manage a nap of meaningful length.<br />
<br />
<br />
To conclude:<br />
Try to remember that<br />
The discomfort is temporary.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>I feel yucky today, but I still wanted to at least attempt some poetry. So, poetry about feeling yucky is what you get. That's life sometimes.</i>Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-14673073936973075282017-04-06T17:05:00.000-04:002017-04-06T17:05:44.848-04:00Farm to Cup<b>Walking The Farm</b><br />
<br />
I make an early rise to check on the trees, inherited from father four years ago.<br />
The rains were heavy early in the year, a good sign.<br />
The last trees father chose should be ready for their first harvest.<br />
His influence still covers the hillside, encouraging and intimidating me.<br />
The workers will be arriving soon, ready to pick the bright red fruit.<br />
Many of them knew father, mourned with us.<br />
I wonder if they have confidence in my abilities or worry as much about the future as I do.<br />
Then comes a few weeks of stirring, rotating, and hoping for strong sun,<br />
until the batches are the perfect parchment.<br />
Father had a knack for knowing when it was time.<br />
He'd get out of bed one morning and announce,<br />
"Ready the hulling machines."<br />
As a child, I loved to help with the manual sorting. <br />
I think father liked giving me a small task near so many adults,<br />
even if my work needed checking over.<br />
Now, my favorite part is the sisal bags stacked up and ready to go. <br />
It feels like an end to the hard part,<br />
but in some ways the planning between seasons is the most difficult.<br />
That's when I wish I could still ask for father's advice.<br />
<br />
<br /><b>
Cupper</b><br />
<br />
Nose, roast, crack, rest.<br />
Nose, slurp, repeat.<br />
100 tastes a day<br />
To find the perfect blend.<br />
Every seed has a story<br />
Of rainfall, sun, and wind.<br />
The attitude and altitude <br />
Of the farmer and the land<br />
Influence the flavors <br />
Of the beans in my hands.<br />Floral, chocolate, toasty,<br />
Tangy, acidic, sweet.<br />
<br />
<br /><b>
Conversation of Questions </b>
<br />
Heya!<br />
How are you doing? <br />
What can I get ya?<br />
Big or small?<br />
Extra shot?<br />
Room for cream?<br />
Anything else?<br />
Here or to go?<br />
Do you have a punch card?<br />
Need a reciept? <br />
Thanks!<br />
<br />
<br /><b>
Cup of Clouds</b><br />
<br />
Swirling clouds of cream push to the bottom,<br />
Half settling and half mixing,<br />
A visual for the science behind density and solutions.<br />
<br />
Rippled edges like afternoon tide pools.<br />
Little peaks of color fighting to find equilibrium<br />
Between layers of mahogany, burlap, and fresh cut pine.<br />
<br />
Take a sip or give it a spin<br />
To see more blending, more gradations.<br />
Until it's all one,<br />
Or all gone.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>There are a steps left out, but four poems felt like enough for a series.</i>Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-4671302429236285492017-04-05T08:50:00.000-04:002017-04-05T08:50:23.266-04:00PalateTwo striped shirts walk into the coffee house<br />
one white and navy, one black and white and tweedy<br />
It's so cute in here! (Their first visit)<br />
Loud voices, bright and happy<br />
Friendly, unpushy sales (after ordering coffee)<br />
Like approachable cheerleaders<br />
Saying y'all <br />
More casual than business, but still professional <br />
Friends and colleagues<br />
Easy laughter and a short sing along<br />
Swirling sugar and cream<br />
Sharing a little brightness on a rainy day<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Palate is a local coffee house that I love visiting, and they're actually a non-profit.</i>Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-26953129963872858752017-04-04T07:28:00.000-04:002017-04-04T07:28:08.879-04:00ElegyOne time, she tripped my boyfriend with her oxygen cord.<br />
She was playful like that,<br />
Even using her misfortune to bring joy.<br />
And she wasn't short on misfortune,<br />
Especially as a child,<br />
But she still managed to find good in the bad.<br />
Her faith helped with that,<br />
A faith she pieced together and struggled with over the years,<br />
Making it stronger and more genuinely held than most I've seen.<br />
She was pretty strong in her convictions overall,<br />
Giving careful thought and time to making a decision <br />
And then sticking with it.<br />
Stubbornness is this way seems to be a family trait,<br />
Or maybe she just trained us that way by example.<br />
She set a pretty good example in most things, I think.<br />
I'm grateful I got to live with her a while,<br />
Even it was a result of the same event that gave her that oxygen cord.<br />
<br />
<br />
The NaPoWriMo.net prompt April 3 was to write an elegy centered on a little known fact or something quirky about the person. Nothing came to me yesterday, but this morning, that first line popped up. The rest kinda came tumbling after.Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-39884593363199236682017-04-02T18:47:00.000-04:002017-04-02T18:51:26.381-04:00Growing PainsToday, I have many growing pains.<br />
<br />
My back hurts in three different places.<br />
My chest hurts whenever I digest.<br />
My thigh hurts if I lie on it too long.<br />
My throat hurts from frequent heartburn.<br />
My feet hurt if I ever stand still.<br />
My side hurts when I sit at all.<br />
My pelvis hurts without lots of stretching.<br />
My head hurts if I get thirsty.<br />
<br />
Growing a human can be uncomfortable.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-72291120600440135402015-05-21T15:56:00.000-04:002015-05-21T15:56:28.778-04:00The Apostrophe Question<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I always wonder where the apostrophe should go: inside the word or next to it.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-975462c1-77fa-9a42-738b-d1ddf3babf11" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inside implies one mother. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps it means “motherhood’s day” </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(but that didn't fit as nicely on the sign). </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe it means a more personal mother:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the day to remember and honor your specific mother. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, everyone has more than one mother. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On a biological note, all mothers have mothers; </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">it’s mothers all the way down. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there are the surrogates: </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">teachers, friends, spiritual leaders, aunts. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyone that helps a person grow.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Outside makes it plural possessive. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The day of many mothers, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the day of any and all mothers, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the day of celebrating nurturing itself,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and Mother Nature itself</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(another mother we all have).</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These days, I wonder where I should go: inside the group or next to it.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am between maiden and mother spiritually. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am fairly old or still quite young, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">depending on culture, time, and personal opinion. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I did not yet feel motherly or mom-like</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(more like a still-developing proto-mom)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">when I experienced miscarriage.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t much feel like I lost a child, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">more like a particular vision of the future --</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a (now alternate) reality to which I’d become accustomed,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">and of which I was growing quite fond. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But I wanted it, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was preparing for it, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and I had (nearly) accepted it as part of my identity.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m caught between alternate versions of being.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The apostrophe and me - in or out? </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The answer feels ambiguous at best.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-975462c1-7803-ce30-b1cf-ede4e9c0e25a"><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">Because I wonder about this every time I type Mother's Day, I have researched it. Officially, the apostrophe goes before the s. Here’s the brief <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_Day#Spelling">wikipedia explanation</a>.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
</span></span></div>
Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-13833491797690618632014-09-23T21:10:00.000-04:002014-09-23T21:10:03.905-04:00HaikuAmid night's silence<br />
I see no moonlight, and yet,<br />
I feel her presence.<br />
<br />
The green grasshopper<br />
bounces endlessly against<br />
the wall, so confused.<br />
<br />
Lizards hide in cracks<br />
between dirt, stone, and branches,<br />
hoping for a meal.<br />
<br />
Bumble bee pauses<br />
on the vine's flowering tips,<br />
tasting pure yellow.<br />
<br />
<i>As a result of living next to Busch Gardens, this is also part of my daily nature experiences:</i><br />
Magnetic brakes screech,<br />
timed ever so carefully<br />
with humans screaming.<br />
<br />
<b>Happy Equinox</b>Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-32644768647418216062014-08-26T13:45:00.001-04:002014-08-31T12:10:47.346-04:00LearningI have been taking a class called Learning How To Learn." It's about different techniques that can make learning easier, including ways to avoid procrastination and tricks for memorizing things. It was offered by Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski from the UC San Diego through Coursera. I have enjoyed the video lectures, short quizzes, and discussion forums. For the large assignment in the course, we are teaching others about what we learned. So I present to you three poems about learning.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The Focused and the Diffuse Modes of Learning</b><br />
<br />
Learning needs focused thoughts:<br />
intensity of new concepts.<br />
Read and practice the problem.<br />
<br />
Learning needs diffuse thoughts:<br />
relaxed, creative solutions.<br />
Put it to the back of your mind.<br />
<br />
Learning needs both:<br />
conscious and unconscious<br />
working together,<br />
making connections,<br />
back and forth<br />
to find the best results.<br />
<br />
If you try too hard, you fail.<br />
If you never concentrate, you fail.<br />
If you can do both, you can be great.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Chunking</b><br />
<br />
A chunk is a brick in a wall.<br />
As you set each brick<br />
and let the mortar dry,<br />
you can stack up more.<br />
<br />
A chunk is a link in a chain.<br />
You can learn each concept,<br />
link them together,<br />
and make something to hold onto.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, you learn the physical.<br />
Foot here,<br />
hand there,<br />
eyes forward,<br />
move feet,<br />
learn into the turn.<br />
Eventually, you ride the bike without thinking...too much.<br />
You've linked the chain.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, you learn the mental.<br />
F is for force.<br />
M is for mass.<br />
A is for acceleration.<br />
Newton is for physics.<br />
f=ma<br />
Eventually, you use the equation without thinking...too much.<br />
You've built the wall.<br />
<br />
With enough walls, you can make a building.<br />
With enough chain links, you can make armor.<br />
With enough equations, you can master physics.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Procrastination</b><br />
<br />
Everyone procrastinates,<br />
to make the negative feelings go away.<br />
"That can wait another day;<br />
for now I'd rather play."<br />
<br />
But that only makes it worse,<br />
with bigger problems<br />
and bigger headaches.<br />
<br />
Focus on the process.<br />
Work on small parts,<br />
just a little a day.<br />
<br />
Focus for 25 minutes.<br />
Work with a timer,<br />
then five minutes of play.<br />
<br />
Find a good place to work.<br />
Limit the distractions,<br />
best in a quiet place.<br />
<br />
Cue, routine, reward, and belief.<br />
Procrastination is all of these.<br />
It's a habit that anyone can beat<br />
with a little dedicated training.<br />
<br />
Find the cue.<br />
A text message perhaps?<br />
Silence the thing.<br />
<br />
Don't answer the phone;<br />
just let it be.<br />
Form a new routine.<br />
<br />
The reward was the break.<br />
It can wait<br />
for the time relief.<br />
<br />
To get the best results<br />
with your new habits,<br />
you must believe.<br />
<br />
So don't procrastinate;<br />
this habit can be beat.<br />
You can find a better way<br />
and have fewer worries.<br />
<br />
<br />
Another MOOC learner has created a Hall Of Fame for in which to collect these final projects. If you're at all interested in Learning How To Learn or want to know more about various learning concepts, definitely <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/howthebrainlearn/a-hall-of-fame---le">go check it out here.</a>Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-86517097973899223752014-08-01T13:34:00.000-04:002014-08-01T13:34:34.331-04:00OverheardHe was hot... H.A.W.T.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
You're almost as tall as him.</div>
That is not allowed,<br />
I'm married.<br />
I don't think we should be going to a bar.<br />
I tell you what,<br />
Go in for a practice round.<br />
...<br />
No, you don't have to stop.<br />
That's the last thing you want to do.<br />
Meet you on the other side.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I recorded a few lines while waiting in the airport security line, then rearranged them into a story. This is what I got.</span></h3>
Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-65752942539312536002014-07-28T10:15:00.000-04:002014-07-28T10:15:00.101-04:00Secrets of PerseusIndirectly searching<br />
for the unobservable.<br />
The majority is the abnormal,<br />
viewable only from the side,<br />
noticeable only from the pull.<br />
<br />
Did you see it too?<br />
Maybe it's really there.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Inspired by a recent <a href="http://www.iflscience.com/space/astronomers-detect-mysterious-signal-240-million-light-years-earth">news story</a> about astronomical mysteries.</i>Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-77332851154028594142014-07-27T10:02:00.000-04:002014-07-27T10:02:40.824-04:00Unexpectedly AloneFor a few moments,<br />
I was post-apocalyptic.<br />
In a place of many,<br />
it was just me. <br />
<br />
No one in the train.<br />
No one in the hall.<br />
No internet.<br />
No cell phone. <br />
<br />Unexpectedly alone.Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-42885374283399570862014-07-26T15:24:00.000-04:002014-07-26T15:24:00.049-04:00Not Quite RightThe meter is just not right.<br />
The rhymes are just not right.<br />
And now I've rhymed<br />
the same word twice.<br />
<br />
Either too simple,<br />
or too contrived.<br />
<br />
The poem never feels quite right.Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-44004705199564676112014-07-25T15:19:00.000-04:002014-07-25T15:19:00.108-04:00Afternoon RestThe tree leaned down<br />
and said to me,<br />
"The sun's quite bright today.<br />
How about you sit in shade?"<br />
<br />
The grass looked up<br />
and said to me,<br />
"Your feet seem quite tired.<br />
How about you sit awhile?"<br />
<br />
The breeze whispered<br />
into my ear,<br />
"It is quite hot just now.<br />
How about I cool your face?"<br />
<br />
Thank you, tall tree.<br />
Thank you, soft grass.<br />
Thank you, sweet breeze.<br />
Same time tomorrow?Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-71652822948565750562014-07-24T15:15:00.000-04:002014-07-24T15:15:00.785-04:00BraidLeft to right,<br />
right to left<br />
Til all the hair is one.<br />
Down the length<br />
of your hair<br />
Til the braid is done.Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-83893176408968037182014-07-24T15:13:00.000-04:002014-07-24T15:13:11.010-04:00The Apple & The KnifeThe apple says to the knife,<br />
"Oh, what strife<br />
to be cut by you this way."<br />
"Well, you must be sliced,"<br />
says the knife,<br />
"for apples are snack today."Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-20745949472689184942012-04-08T23:20:00.000-04:002012-04-08T23:20:20.698-04:00Blue TeapotLittle blue teapot:<br />
a toy a child forgot<br />
sits waiting for the day<br />
the child returns to play.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehSVxcSBi0xu0rlFLDx9tzvk6BZZt9TKw4_hfd96Zv2SZdRrDGfKcmQUXm2H0ui_pjrEi4YzTadj-jUjtSAMbpYUQHJJYzkoiPXmOLPEyk7JIIh4IovMYwNA-F9m2yrbIB5BixKvLU3o/s1600/photo(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehSVxcSBi0xu0rlFLDx9tzvk6BZZt9TKw4_hfd96Zv2SZdRrDGfKcmQUXm2H0ui_pjrEi4YzTadj-jUjtSAMbpYUQHJJYzkoiPXmOLPEyk7JIIh4IovMYwNA-F9m2yrbIB5BixKvLU3o/s320/photo(1).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found this in the yard the other day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-44690083141878238132012-04-07T09:08:00.000-04:002012-04-07T09:10:31.248-04:00QuinzaineThought I'd play around with a new form today. So here are a couple quinzaines.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinzaine">Quinzaine</a> : The name comes from the French word meaning 15, quinze, describing the total number of syllables. There are three lines with 7/5/3 syllables. The first line is a statement, followed by two questions.<br />
<br />
<br />
The palm leaves move with the wind.<br />
How many are there?<br />How much wind?<br />
<br />
<br />
Father has gone to the store.<br />
When will he return?<br />
What's for sale?<br />
<br />
<br />
Grandma made yummy cookies.<br />
How many for me?<br />
Just one left!?Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-5855951722451767442012-04-07T08:45:00.000-04:002019-05-05T19:59:42.312-04:00QuietEarly morning, not ready to stir.<br />
Others, still in bed, breathe softly.<br />
The fan moves air along the walls.<br />
Birds make calls to one another.<br />
Leaves rustle in a soft breeze.<br />
Bugs vibrate in search of mates.<br />
Even in the morning's stillness,<br />
Life is sound. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So I wrote yesterday, but I forgot to post. Ah well, at least I'm still writing during my vacation if not quite keeping up with posts.Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-42004356514127957992012-04-05T21:35:00.000-04:002012-04-05T22:25:28.134-04:00St. George StreetWalking on the street,<br />
people go around <br />
as we amble,<br />
browsing storefronts.<br />
<br />
Chocolate shops,<br />
ice cream parlors,<br />
pizza dens, and<br />
open air grilles<br />
<br />
call us inside.<br />
Smells wafting out<br />
convince us to<br />
take a long look.<br />
<br />
We leave with a<br />
pound of pralines<br />
and caramel<br />
for later.<br />
<br />
<br />
We visited St. Augustine, FL today and walked along St. George. It's part historic district, part tourist trap, and part unique shops. It's a place I've visited a few times over the years, since it's close to my grandparents' place. If you're ever in northeast FL, I recommend it.Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-20124578386203284342012-04-04T23:22:00.001-04:002012-04-04T23:22:21.441-04:00Missing YouWe're spending our days
miles away.
No matter how far,
you're in my heart.
Just sing me a song,
and all night long
you will be with me
in my dreams.Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-77007300208268184572012-04-03T19:48:00.001-04:002012-04-03T19:50:49.465-04:00Gentle Haikuan evening breeze<br />
gently moving through palm leaves<br />
caressing my cheek<br />
<br />Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-81749630375069588332012-04-02T22:55:00.000-04:002012-04-03T19:50:33.664-04:00InterrogationYou know him?<br />
Who?<br />
You ever see him now?<br />
What's going on?<br />
Said he said he'd done something?<br />
He said that?<br />
What happened?<br />
Was it Monday yet?<br />
Why?<br />
Can I talk?<br />
Promise?<br />
<br />
<br />
Lines found in <strong>Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter</strong> by Tom FranklinJess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-51974068021498316892012-04-01T22:52:00.001-04:002012-04-05T22:26:53.343-04:00LullabyGo to sleep, little baby.<br />
Go to sleep, my dear. <br />
Mama's here, little baby.<br />
There's nothing to fear.<br />
<br />
Winkin, blinkin, and nod<br />
Are waiting for you to come play.<br />
Lay down and rest your bod,<br />
Sleep off the cares of day.<br />
<br />
Mama's here to watch you, <br />
And keep you close all night.<br />
Mama will always love you.<br />
So now, little dear, sleep tight.<br />
<br />
<br />
The other day I felt the urge to wrote a lullaby. This is it. Not terrible, but it's a good thing babies don't critique poetry.Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1774560286696096062.post-9451874746453907002012-03-26T16:51:00.000-04:002012-04-03T19:51:09.170-04:00April ApproachesI know I've been super lax lately with my poetry writing. Well, April is fast approaching, and so it will be Poem-a-Day time again. April is National Poetry Month. I'm gearing up: writing down some prompts, ideas, and starts to poems. I've also joined the <a href="http://www.blogher.com/nablopomo-april-2012-blogroll">blog roll</a> at BlogHer. There is <a href="http://www.blogher.com/blogher-topics/blogging-social-media/nablopomo">more information</a><a href="http://www.blogher.com/blogher-topics/blogging-social-media/nablopomo"></a> about NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) as they organize it and a link to the prompts page. Oh goodness, this'll be exciting. Wish me luck!Jess PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10775984664764629241noreply@blogger.com0