Entries Tagged 'podcast' ↓

…and Children, Television, Recreation, Relatives, Food, Pets, Automobiles, Bugs, and Bibles

You see, Robert Hruzek is hosting a group writing project where people write about a mash-up of 18 fun topics. I added bugs and Bibles to his list just for good measure and polished up a poem for his group. He says it’s the first ever poetry entry. Yea, me!

First, the poem itself. You can hear me read it on the Evoca recording, but you’ll have to skip ahead to 1:20 remaining because I get long winded in my intro. (Be sure to check out my sweet musical intro/outro. Royalty free audio is fun!)

Welcoming Summer

Two love bugs mate on my leg
Until I draw them off with this
#2 pencil. The pair crawls past
my thumb as I write—then up
to the pink eraser which must taste
funny to tongue buds on their feet.
They fly away, black-legged snow-
flakes. We think of Christmas specials
where painted children catch snow
on tongues to welcome winter.
“Open wide, kids,” I say. “There’s
never snow in South Texas.”
My son plays along and we run
up and down the blacktop lot—
heat rising in waves around us—
we must look a pair of Baptist Johns,
prophesying protein in the desert.
A voice of two calling between
parked cars: “Prepare the way
for summer bugs. Make straight
your tongues for them.” Push that
play too far and bugs become God.
All mankind finds salvation in bugs.
And why not? God can raise up
children from rocks and bugs—
even cars with bug-splattered bumpers.

Second, here’s how the poem fits the mash-up rules.

A few weeks ago, we drove (automobiles) to a family reunion (relatives) where my children and I found ourselves surrounded by bugs on our little vacation (recreation) to decorate the graveyard at the Hebron Baptist Church. In fact, the bugs were so thick, we talked about how it was like a blizzard of black snowflakes with legs. My son loved this because he keeps bugs as pets (which means he puts them in bug cages over-night and holds a daily funeral for the ones who don’t make it). You can see from the picture above what so many bugs do to a white car (automobile—again). The snowstorm made me think of the peanuts gang catching snow on their tongues (like food) in the television Christmas special. At that point, my mind took off, and I started writing this poem.

I have to ask, though. Who uses the word automobile anymore, Bob?

Also, Gordon, you asked about W. P. and decoration. I provide a long answer in the audio file above. And you can see W. P.’s grave there on the right. He is my kid’s great-great-great-great granddad. Or maybe just great-great-great, I can never remember.

One last thing about poetry. Bob’s project “What I Learned From…” suggests that I’ll have answers for you here. But poetry isn’t very good at providing answers in the traditional sense. Nevertheless, I hope you’ve found some things to think about in my mash-up of mashed-up of bibles, bugs on my windshield, the subsequent discussions that followed us that weekend, and Writing, Children, Television, Recreation, Relatives, Food, Pets, Automobiles.

Yesterday after we had our new pastor over for an old-fashioned pot roast lunch, complete with my wife’s to-die-for homemade chocolate pie, I found myself weeping while I did the dishes.

The pie really was that good, but it didn’t make me weep. And the pastor wasn’t picking on me. Or at least, he didn’t make me cry.

Stephen Eley, Ken Scholes, and Edward Bear did that.

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I’ve been talking to Ken Mann a bit via email lately. He directed me to this video that wrestles with relativism and the human need for absolute truth–and a rowdy discussion of the video over at ThinkingChristian.

The video is not quite three minutes. (Click here if it won’t load.)

So here are my thoughts and questions for you.

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First, Mark D. Roberts posted his notes from yesterday’s session on his site. The GodblogCon folks put Mark’s audio online as well. Here’s a full list of all audio files from GodblogCon, made available on the Scriptorium.)

Second, Hugh Hewitt invited us to be on his radio show this afternoon. (Mark has been on Hugh’s show several times, like yesterday, but this is a first for me!) We’re taping it at 1:30 PST, and it will go on the show later today. I think you’ll be able to stream it from his site this evening as well.

Yesterday, Mark D. Robert’s comment section exploded, and he wisely chose to remain above the fray, popping in every so often to remind people to be civil.

Why? Mark D. Roberts—I think I can call him my friend, Mark D. Roberts—has done something wonderfully gutsy. He debated Christopher Hitchens on Hugh Hewitt’s Townhall, and now he’s blogging a more thoughtful, less interrupted response. 

I finished listening to the debate this morning while I rode my bike to work. (Life is good.) And here is my primary thought.

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I’ve always loved the First Mover speech from Chaucer’s Knight’s Tale. So here is a little lyric I wrote inspired by that concept and my son’s experience moving from San Antonio to Kerrville when he was just a year old. (We actually moved on his birthday!)

Underneath the text of the poem, I’m embedding a little podcast if you want to hear me read it. (I feel strongly that poetry should be experienced out loud.) 

You know you want to read this poem.

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Kevin Lucia posted a wonderfully concise and helpful review over at his site. Kevin is careful to compare Wayne’s work to other YA series. He is writing YA after all–and doing so quite well. If you drop by Kevin’s site, be sure to check out Wayne’s promotional video. Dude, you are fearless!

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It’s that time finally! The January Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour. Whooo Hoo. I’m pumped. I’m excited. I’m proud to be a geek.

In preparation for this month, Wayne Batson and I created a little podcast on the phone: Good Word Editing Podcast #3 - Interview With a “Righteous Fantasy” Author! It’s exciting just to type out the title.

There’s a special treat at the end for READERS when Wayne reads ”The Betrayal,” a powerful excerpt from The Door Within—with voices and everything. 

Wayne also talks about . . .

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I stumbled onto this free podcasting service after reading Internet Marketing Today. So I thought I’d sign up and see how it works.

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