| Filed under writing
Starting July 1 all my eBooks will be 50% off at Smashwords. That’s right grab a title or two. From short stories to poetry, why not go check it out?
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AnnChiappetta
Sale ends July 31. Thank you for supporting independent authors.
| Filed under blindness Guide dogs writing
I’ve got a few things going on which I will share in another post. But I wanted to share a fun moment with my guide dog, Bailey. The pictures are of the mask with the logo of Guiding Eyes for the Blind taken by an Aira agent. It was less than five minutes of fun, but it keeps me smiling even though the smile is hidden by the mask. Enjoy!
Ann and Bailey on bench: Both looking straight on
| Filed under Poem Relationships writing
Sadness
acrostic
By Ann Chiappetta
Sorrow
Abyss
Darkness
Nothing
Except
Soul
Scars.
| Filed under writing
Jerry could not find the Cholula hot sauce, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholula_Hot_Sauce#Brand_name, the main brand we use in our home for spicing up dishes. It wasn’t in the cabinet, the basket on the counter, or in the fridge. Using his powers of thinking like May the Dog, he armed himself with the flashlight of discovery and excavated under the bed in April’s old room, finding the intact glass bottle. Now, the mystery unfolds even further, folks. Why did May take the hot sauce off the counter and where is the decorative wooden sphere that fits over the screw top of the bottle?
We haven’t found it, to be continued. May dog face close-up
I don’t usually post poems here because submission guidelines for other magazines will not accept an author’s work either previously printed or posted online. But I just have to share this one. Thanks for reading and please share it with others who love to read and write poetry.
The inspiration for this poem is self-advocacy; I’ve learned that standing up to bureaucratic requirements, what I call nonsense, often wears down the complainant resulting in the complainant dropping a case. It also re-traumatizes the person each time the person must respond to filing deadlines, written statements and affidavits, as the person must, to an extent, relive the experience to be witness to it.
This poem attempts to express the resolve and power of circumstances one must choose to endure when planning to grab the rope of advocacy and pull back, often against a much bigger and stronger opponent.
Tide
By Ann Chiappetta
Hard packed sand softens
With each step, like thoughts
Yielding Cool and unbidden under foot
Sun Descending, I walk from east to west
Sea water surges
Scours away thought-foot prints
Hope and resolve walk beside me
I persevere, unable to alter the course.
Though the dunes rise to the left and waves
Grab and pull My limbs on the right
I stay the course.
Tears taste like the tide
and like the wet ambition of the fisherman’s net
ego escapes, pours back into the sea.
2020
Catherine de Medici’s Fork
By Ann Chiappetta
To pluck tidbits from a trencher
soils delicate hands
even a lady’s dagger, while beautiful
cannot hold softened morsels
a spoon compels one to slurp — or drip
How excited was I
to find bordering neighbors
otherwise equipped.
I returned with this implement
A gift from a Venetian prince.
a slim handle with four tines
to spike and transfer a tidbit
From table to fair lips
Graceful and delicate
Behold, unsoiled fingertips.
2020
| Filed under writing
Yello lab Bailey is next to blue water with blue skies above.
Here are some of the things he is done since we met in March 2015: Helped me be a better handler, a faster walker, a more patient person.
Here are some things I believe I have helped him achieve: better manners, tolerance to cats, and doing better with food scavenging.
Today he is 7 years old and it is significant because I know he will be my working dog for another 2 years; his projected retirement age is 9. Until then, Bailey and I will travel a little more once the covid19 pandemic has subsided.
Finally, I want to convey to folks reading this why handlers like me go on about our dogs, why a working dog deserves respect and the best care possible. I personally believe every pet deserves the best care possible, no matter the species but working dogs, especially guide dogs even more so.
I hope I am not overstating the obvious. Every time we go out and walk a route, I feel blessed, free of some invisible restraint. Bailey knows his job and his desire to perform is infectious. He picks up a new route or task quickly once he knows a treat will mark it.
There was one time I thought he wouldn’t walk onto the lift platform beside the jet. The jetway was being used and I could not walk down the stairs. When the flight attendant said I would need to ride down from the plane to the tarmac, I panicked, not knowing if Bailey had ever been on an open-air lift. He took me on, sat and cocked his head as if to say, wow, this is different, waited for the lift to complete the ride, and guided me off like he’d done it just yesterday.
He only showed fear once. We were at an old-time farm and the chickens and rooster were in the street. He refused to walk past, in fact, tried to turn around and go back the way we came.
Happy birthday to Bailey, ever-curious, affectionate, and full of big-boy sweetness.
| Filed under Poem writing Writing Life
I’ve been experimenting with poems using the non-visual senses focused on specific items. The styles differ but the impact should resonate in some way emotionally as well as recalling sensory memory. I wrote this using one of my favorite food condiments.
The audio link is above the printed poem.
Dill and Brine
By Ann Chiappetta
Green and curved, bumps
diminutive gherkin cornichons
curved Kirby’s
Aromas bewitch salivatory glands
Jarred in glass
Brine Of herbs and salt vinegar.
Infused Tantalizing tartness
Wicked on the tongue
Olfactory humming with anticipation, the crunch
The layered satisfaction
Of Perfection.
2020
| Filed under blindness writing Writing Life
Okay, folks, I am listening to your requests, 😊 Many of my friends wanted to know how I stepped into this home-grown recording studio thing in order to get my books on Audible. Ingenuity is born out of necessity, and my project objective was to create soundproofing without making it permanent.
The first step was to record and get feedback on the audio quality with my headset and office with the door closed. The feedback was received, suggesting softening the echo and also the background noise. I set in a chair near a window and the office door being closed did not shut out enough apartment noise, either. I tried a blanket over my head like a human tent pole but while it was better, it was hot and uncomfortable.
I was speaking to a writing friend and mentioned my dilemma and she said her husband uses moving blankets and hooks them to the wall. Amazon had two for less than $50. One draped over the curtain rod to cover the window and the other we rigged to close-off the desk area from the wall nearest the door to my desk. It works well and has made recordings better.
The photo is of my office desk, chair, pc and headset and the blanket strung across to act as a noise barrier using s hooks and metal posts. The blanket can be taken down, folded, and stored until it is needed.
Horoscope
Found Poem
By Ann Chiappetta
Peacefulness wells up within the soul today,
coloring the entire day with an aura of calm.
You may fear your tranquil mood will be negatively affected by
the chaos of routine and the demands of others, you
will likely feel compelled to seek serenity
in which to nurture your mood.
A soothing personal space,
withdraw into it. Ohm.
achieve deep relaxation and slip into a reflective state.
Should distraction be the case, consider
taking a few moments between tasks today
to retreat into the depths of the mind. Through
meditation or introspection,
maintain a peaceful state even
when chaos erupts.
Cultivate serenity
ensure a quiet, private place to retreat
quiet the cacophony
when worldly concerns devastate and overpower us.
Build havens of tranquility Within the home.
havens of stillness provide quietude
leading back to inner peace.
commune with ourselves, Cultivate a serene atmosphere
sustain the serenity in the soul.