Category: writing

A Chorus Line

All together now,

Sing your heart out, chirp, and whirl…

We’re on Broadway now!

I had some fun earlier with a color palette that I put together and a dancer that I converted into a shape in Photoshop (I’m learning a few new things in a summer class in case you couldn’t tell). If you’re into color, there is a great site that generates color palettes for you in a fun and simple way, and it’s called Coolors. And it is the coolest.

Here’s the palette that I created for the image above:

It was not my intention to create a background that looked EXACTLY like the palette (i.e. a bunch of rectangles), but once it was imported into Photoshop I thought it looked cool—so I duplicated it by using rectangles and fill. The effects process changed the shades ever so slightly, but they’re close enough.

Anyway, I don’t usually get into my processes, but I thought I would share that tidbit of information along with my Haiku, just for those who are interested. I’d love to do a series (here we go again) where I share some of the tips and tricks that I’ve learned in my classes thus far. What fun is learning if you can’t share it with someone? Right?! We’ll see. If anyone is interested, let me know.

That’s about all for now.

One can speak poetry just by arranging colors well, just as one can say comforting things in music.

Vincent van Gogh

Written for Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Chirp & Sing

Like Dust, a Haiku

He took one last drag,
A piece of his heart, missing.
Gone, like crypto dust.

My son got into crypto awhile back and I’ve been very curious about it. I’ve asked him a lot of questions, and the more he explains things to me, the more I don’t understand. Ha! So, I’ve been looking into it more in my spare time, and I’ve seen the mention of “crypto dust” quite a few times lately. That being said, it was the first thing that popped into my head when I saw Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Drag & Dust.

My artwork is a bit strange. I thought that a man dragging on a cigarette was actually a good metaphor for heartbreak. Kind of like a prisoner’s “last request.” I hope that’s not too gloomy. I hate gloomy. Maybe it’s not a girl that broke his heart… maybe he’s sad because he lost all of his money in the crypto market. I don’t know.

I was going to add smoke, or white dust, but I ended up liking the simplicity of it. Anyway, it felt good to do something spontaneous… so there you have it.

That’s about all for now. Thanks for reading!

—Janet

Rewriting Your Story

The Icing on the Cake

The original writing on this little piece of cyber real estate was published on October 3, 2016. It came to life when I was seven months sober, so it has been parked on WordPress for nearly five years—and it has served as the second mini-chapter of the tale of my recovery—a story that was titled “Unteach Me.”

Continue reading “Rewriting Your Story” →

Memories Cherished

I can see the roses,

Engraved atop your door,

Like a photograph,

Etched into my mind.

I can feel the warmth,

Of the love that lived inside,

The light flickering through,

Making the petals sway.

The entrance is weathered now,

It’s colors, bleached by the sun.

And paint chips…

They fall like tears.

A lifetime of memories,

We have made here together,

But it is time to move on.

And I will miss you…

My Home Sweet Home.

Welcome to my new series: Windows

First of all, I was inspired to write this poem by Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Home & Weep. I tried to write a Haiku, I really did, but I needed more words. I’ll give that another shot in the next day or two!

The window that I photographed is on a door here at our house, and it is the entrance to my dad’s old workroom. That, in itself, is enough to bring up cherished memories. But I was focusing more on how it must feel when you have to sell the home that you grew up in. A home that has been in the family for generations… seeing a new married couple blossom into pregnancy, and then children, grandchildren, and even great grandchildren. I haven’t had to experience this yet, but it is inevitable at some point down the road and I’m sure it will be an emotional time for many of us. I was trying to imagine what will go through our minds when the times comes.

Anyway, I gave the photograph a “sketch” effect to help improve the look of it (the door really is old and weathered) and I’m much happier with it this way. It looks more like a memory than an actual snapshot. I like that.

That’s about all for now. Thanks for reading or stopping by!

Home is not a place, it’s a feeling.

Through a Window

“I discovered windows one afternoon and after that, nothing was ever the same.”

Anne Spollen, The Shape of Water

I’ve been excited to come back and share the letter “W” with you because it’s opened a whole new window (excuse the pun) of opportunity and inspiration for me. I thought about the word WINDOW and I immediately thought of Stuart Shafran’s Film Noir – Woman in the Window. If you haven’t seen it already, check it out.

Continue reading “Through a Window” →