Welcome to Day 2 of Teri Polen’s Bad Moon Rising Series. Do swing by and check out her guest today, C. S. Boyack. You’ll enjoy this post, I know!
Bad Moon Rising Day 2 with C. S. Boyack
Author: Marcia Meara
#Classic Poetry – #JamesWhitcombRiley – #TheDaysGoneBy
Time once again for another sample of Classic Poetry. I hope you enjoy this one by James Whitcomb Riley. It always strikes a chord with me. Happy reading! 😀
The Days Gone By
JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY (1859 – 1916)
O the days gone by! O the days gone by!
The apples in the orchard, and the pathway through the rye;
The chirrup of the robin, and the whistle of the quail
As he piped across the meadows sweet as any nightingale;
When the bloom was on the clover, and the blue was in the sky,
And my happy heart brimmed over in the days gone by.
In the days gone by, when my naked feet were tripped
By the honey-suckle’s tangles where the water-lilies dipped,
And the ripples of the river lipped the moss along the brink
Where the placid-eyed and lazy-footed cattle came to drink,
And the tilting snipe stood fearless of the truant’s wayward cry
And the splashing of the swimmer, in the days gone by.
O the days gone by! O the days gone by!
The music of the laughing lip, the luster of the eye;
The childish faith in fairies, and Aladdin’s magic ring—
The simple, soul-reposing, glad belief in everything,
When life was like a story, holding neither sob nor sigh,
In the golden olden glory of the days gone by.
James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the “Hoosier Poet” and “Children’s Poet” for his dialect works and his children’s poetry. His poems tend to be humorous or sentimental. Of the approximately 1,000 poems Riley wrote, the majority are in dialect. His famous works include “Little Orphant Annie” and “The Raggedy Man”.
Riley began his career writing verses as a sign maker and submitting poetry to newspapers. Thanks in part to poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s endorsement, he eventually earned successive jobs at Indiana newspaper publishers during the late 1870s. He gradually rose to prominence during the 1880s through his poetry reading tours. He traveled a touring circuit first in the Midwest, and then nationally, appearing either alone or with other famous talents. During this period Riley’s long-term addiction to alcohol began to affect his performing abilities, and he suffered financially as a result. However, once he extricated himself from a series of poorly negotiated contracts that sought to limit his earnings, he began to accumulate wealth and eventually became a financial success.
By the 1890s, Riley had become known as a bestselling author. His children’s poems were compiled into a book illustrated by Howard Chandler Christy. Titled Rhymes of Childhood, it was his most popular and sold millions of copies. As a poet, Riley achieved an uncommon level of fame during his lifetime. He was honored with annual Riley Day celebrations around the United States and was regularly called on to perform readings at national civic events. He continued to write and hold occasional poetry readings until a stroke paralyzed his right arm in 1910.
Riley’s chief legacy was his influence in fostering the creation of a Midwestern cultural identity and his contributions to the Golden Age of Indiana Literature. With other writers of his era, he helped create a caricature of Midwesterners and formed a literary community that produced works rivaling the established eastern literati. There are many memorials dedicated to Riley, including the James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children.
Hope you enjoyed reading another classic poem by
James Whitcomb Riley, who’s always been a favorite of mine.
His poems are a delight to read aloud!
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#TeriPolen’s #BadMoonRising Featuring #Cheryl A. Hunter – #Happy Halloween
It’s that time of year again. The weather is getting cooler, the colors are getting brighter, and Teri Polen’s fabulous Bad Moon Rising series begins today! Hope you’ll swing by and check out her featured author, Cheryl A. Hunter. You’ll be glad you did!
Bad Moon Rising Day 1 with Cheryl A. Hunter
Enjoy!
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#ThorsDaySmile – #AmLaughing – #Humor
Today, I found Thor scratching his head, and asking the same question over and over and over: “Who is this guy? Who IS this guy?” I wasn’t sure what to tell him, since his only frame of reference was this set of memes he found when messing around on my computer again. (Something he’s NOT supposed to do, btw, but I haven’t yet figured out how to stop him. I mean, hello? Norse God of Thunder, and all … 😁) I did promise him I’d show you the pictures that have him so perplexed. You can decide for yourself if you want to enlighten him. I’m staying out of it. 😂)
And that’s probably enough of that for now.
But for goodness sake, don’t anyone tell Thor about John Wick!
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#SneakPeek – #RiverbendBurning – #Prologue
I’m a big lover of Prologues (to grab a reader’s attention right off the bat) and Epilogues (to set up the next book in the series, or to tie up any loose ends.) Because I enjoy reading them, I enjoy writing them, too, even though I know neither is as popular today as they once were.
With that thought in mind, as I try to get back into Writer Mode, I thought I might share the Prologue I wrote nearly a year ago for my 4th Riverbend book, tentatively entitled Riverbend Burning. For those who’ve read the first three books, you might be interested in knowing that the whole gang is back again: Maggie & Gunn, the Painter Brothers (Jackson, Forrest, and Hunter, with spouses), Lester Purvis and his reptile collection, and more.
Crossing my fingers that some of you will be intrigued by this little preview, and your appetites for more of this story will be whetted. Thanks for reading!
Just After Midnight Friday, May 8, 2015
~~~
Under a Dark, Starless Sky,
Along a Crooked Country Road,
In Pretty Much Nowhere, Florida
HE STOOD BENEATH a heavy canopy of trees, across the road from an empty, dilapidated barn, watching as a flickering orange light grew and flourished in the dark. Within minutes, flames crept up the weathered wood on each side of the sagging doors, growing larger and brighter every second. Sooner than he’d dreamed possible, they were eating away at the overhanging eaves and pouring through the open door of the loft.
His heart beat faster and faster and joy surged through his soul, as bright and beautiful as the flames in front of him. Riveted, he gazed at the conflagration as it rapidly consumed the entire structure. Within minutes, the barn caved in upon itself. Starved of fuel, the flames shrank lower and lower, then died away, leaving behind nothing but a few charred and broken boards protruding from the mound of ashes. A scattering of glowing embers here and there was all that remained of the inferno he’d created, and then, one by one, even they winked out.
He shivered with pleasure. Oh, yes! It was every bit as exciting as he’d always believed it would be, and though this was the first time he’d dared to see for himself how it would make him feel, he knew it would not be the last.
As he crept back through the woods to the dirt road where he’d left his car, plans for his next glorious blaze were already taking shape. No way would he stop now.
Hope You Enjoyed the Excerpt,
And Thanks Again for Reading!
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#GrannySays – #Humor – #Inspiration – #Wisdom
Always Be True to You!
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#ClassicPoetry – #RobertBrowning – #OhToBeInEngland
Since I shared a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning last time, I thought it only fair to feature her husband this time around. With that in mind, here is one of Robert Browning’s most often quoted poems. Hope you enjoy it!
Home Thoughts From Abroad
Oh to Be in England
Robert Browning ( 1812 – 1889)
Oh, to be in England
Now that April’s there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England—now!
And after April, when May follows,
And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows!
Hark, where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge
Leans to the field and scatters on the clover
Blossoms and dewdrops—at the bent spray’s edge—
That’s the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,
All will be gay when noontide wakes anew
The buttercups, the little children’s dower—
Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!
Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings and challenging vocabulary and syntax.
His early long poems Pauline (1833) and Paracelsus (1835) were acclaimed, but his reputation dwindled for a time – his 1840 poem Sordello was seen as wilfully obscure – and took over a decade to recover, by which time he had moved from Shelleyan forms to a more personal style. In 1846 he married fellow poet Elizabeth Barrett and moved to Italy. By her death in 1861 he had published the collection Men and Women (1855). His Dramatis Personae (1864) and book-length epic poem The Ring and the Book (1868–1869) made him a leading poet. By his death in 1889 he was seen as a sage and philosopher-poet who had fed into Victorian social and political discourse. Societies for studying his work survived in Britain and the US into the 20th century.
Hope you enjoyed meeting Elizabeth’s other half,
a leading poet in his own right, though I lean a bit towards
the sonnets of his wife, myself, being
a diehard romantic and all.
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#HealthUpdate – #VeryGoodNews!
I’m pretty sure you guys must be tired of hearing about poor, pitiful me, stuck at home while dealing with this or that health issue. (I know *I* am!!) Well, guess what? Today, I have good news. The BEST, actually, considering some of the things I was coping with, or had been warned were on the horizon. Therefore, without further ado, let me bring you up to date.
PART 1:
Some of you might know we had a change in insurance a couple of years ago that meant I could no longer see the wonderful dentist I’d been seeing for about 20 years. Before I could find another dentist that would take my new insurance, the pandemic hit, I had COVID twice, and in general, wasn’t doing my best. After three years stuck at home, I managed to get a couple of broken teeth, and realized I had to have help. I found a new dentist very near to our house, and he proceeded to install a crown over the first tooth that was bothering me. Only problem was, he installed it incorrectly, and it immediately got infected. He basically pitched a fit and said “Go find an endodontist,” and walked out of the room.
Suffice it to say, I struggled to find another dentist, during which time the infection got worse and worse. It was extremely painful, and didn’t go away, even with four courses of antibiotics, and another dentist taking a look. I finally realized it was worth going back to my original dentist and paying out of my own pocket to get the problem addressed. Guess what? NO MORE PAIN. From June 1, through all of July & August, and into mid-September, I struggled with this excruciatingly painful mess, but thankfully, the infection has finally been defeated, and I have a wonderful dentist in charge again. I’m so happy, I can’t being to tell you, and I am considering the lack of pain a miracle of the highest level!
PART 2:
In addition to trying to get the dental issue under control, I had to find all new doctors to replace all of my old (and greatly respected) ones. So far, this has been a much more successful endeavor than trying to find another dentist. I think I’ve struck gold with each new doctor, in particular, my new cardiologist. From the moment he introduced himself, I was impressed, and felt he was going to work out fine. He had received all my records ahead of my visit, including imaging forwarded to him (supposedly) from my last cardio doctor’s exam. It showed significant thickening of the heart walls and he diagnosed it as Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (or HCM). He ordered two new medications and asked me to curtail many of my favorite activities until he could get new imaging done for a better look.
Long story short, they were finally able to do the new imaging last week, and the doctor went over it with me yesterday. He was dumbfounded that the new imaging looked nothing like what he had been sent. (He doesn’t believe the image that had been forwarded to him was of my heart at all!)
He said there is only the slightest thickening of my heart walls, and everything else is clear, and looked good. He’s not worried about HCM at all, and has taken me off of “house arrest” completely. In fact, he wants me to get out for daily walks, fifteen minutes of which should be fast enough to elevate my heart rate a bit, and build some strength.
BOTTOM LINE:
I’m apparently in darn good shape for someone who will turn 80 in a few months. Combine that with the fact that I’m no longer dealing with extreme pain, and I’m a very happy camper, here! I’m feeling energized, too, though I probably should get back into the swing of things one step at a time. I’m feeling so upbeat right now that I’m even planning to see if I can make some progress on my half-finished Riverbend tale that I shelved a few months ago.
In other words, Miracles Really Do Happen, and I have just experienced another one!
Last but Definitely Not Least:
Here’s to Good Health and Many Miracles
for each of you, my friends!
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#MiraclesAbound – #SmallMiracles – #Rerun
Some years ago, I used to share a series called #Mid-Week Point of View, and I thought it might be fun to rerun a few of my favorite posts from back then. This is one I felt could be very timely, since in these stressful days, it’s easy to forget that life is still filled with miracles. Hope it gives you a smile, and reminds you that sometimes you have to remember to look for the good stuff!
Wood Stork on the Wing
Some years ago (too many to count), I developed a little habit I call “looking for the miracle.” It started as a small superstition that if I saw something truly beautiful or uncommon at the start of a long car trip, it was a sign all was well in the world, and I’d get where I was going, unscathed. Yeah, I know it was silly, but it made me feel surprisingly good, and you know what else? I found that when I was actively watching for them, small miracles showed themselves to me nearly everywhere I looked.
Of course, with my long-established love of nature, I often looked for special birds or wildlife along the roadside, as an omen of good luck. I’d spot a bald eagle soaring overhead (always an inspirational sight), and say to myself, “There! That’s this trip’s miracle.”
Or I’d see the summer’s first swallowtail kite, my very favorite bird of prey, and feel so happy, I just knew it was good omen, and my trip would go smoothly.
Over the years, I’ve spotted all sorts of interesting animals and birds along the highways and byways of my travels. A flock of wild turkey is always a good sign, to me . . .
. . . and my first Florida sighting of a half-grown black bear made me smile for the next twently or thirty miles.
Over time, I saw other things that I counted among my miracles. Rainbows are always good, and double rainbows mean my trip home will go well, too.
A solid purple field of wild phlox takes my breath away as it announces its miracle status in no uncertain terms.
A crested caracara sitting in a tree,
deer grazing in a field,
a baby donkey standing in the front yard of a farmhouse–all have given me a sense of the magical, the beautiful, the miraculous, at one time or another.
You may count other things as your good omens, but whatever speaks to you in that way, I promise if you make it a point to look for the miracles around you, you’ll find them. And whatever you’re doing at the time will suddenly seem happier, taking on new significance.
Miracles abound, if we but open our eyes. Try it. You just might be amazed.
Originally posted March 16, 2016
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#ThorsDaySmile – #AmLaughing – #Humor
Well, whaddya know? Apparently, even Norse gods get nostalgic about their youth. It’s back to school time around here, and Thor is all dewy-eyed over the fun times he had in Math class. Okay, I made that part up, but he IS feeling a bit emotional about days gone by in general, and heading back to school, specifically, so just to let him know I understand, here are a few memes to make him (and hopefully some of you) smile. Enjoy!
The Write Stuff 