Friday Draft: Bits and Pieces

46º ~ still a constant cloud cover, but brighter and whiter today, slight chances of rain, a promise of sun for tomorrow?

Dear Reader, I confess that I have no complete draft for today.  I have had plenty of time at the desk.  I have followed my usual routines.  I have made attempts with several prompts and tried working with some lines that sprang forth over the last week.  No luck.  No dice.  No poems.

I am not the least bit surprised by this.

I spent the last half of spring break traveling (last week).  I was able to see friends and family and lots and lots of nieces and nephews.  I finally listened to the entire, unabridged recording of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, to finish out the Lisbeth Salander trilogy, as I spent 26+ hours in the car, all told.  Then, on Monday, I hit the ground running at school as we ramp up for April, truly the busiest month of the academic year.  Students are beginning to burn out and we have our biggest writing projects of the semester yet to go.  It's National Poetry Month and the month when Little Rock hosts the Arkansas Literary Festival.  Lots and lots of things to plan and then actually DO.

So, even though I tried to think about poetry and dream up lines last night and this morning, the well done run dry.  Yet, I do not despair.  All of this traveling and school frenzy will replenish the well, so I know that I'll have something soon.  Also, I have learned (so slowly) that I really am a creature of habit.  Traveling disrupts that.  Even if I have time on my return, it takes me several days to re-acclimate and feel at ease.  So be it.

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On another note, I'll have a poem appearing in The Rumpus tomorrow, as poetry editor (and friend), Brian Spears is running another Rumpus poem-a-day for National Poetry Month.  Many thanks to Brian for choosing "The Starving Saint" and for doing all he does at The Rumpus!


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If you like birds, check out the eagles of Decorah, Iowa.  The eggs are due to hatch ANY MOMENT!  Then, the real fun begins as the male and female parents will feed and protect the young ones.  There's already a dead rabbit in the nest just waiting for the eaglets to appear.  (You can see the hind legs in the lower left of the image below.)  So cool!