Texas Heat

Fierce
Exciting
Adrenaline
Roaring
Fast
Uncontrollable
Loud
Large

Ferocious
Indescribable
Rapid
Enlarged

Kaitlyn Shehan

© 2011 A Spacious Place, Inc.

B Boy

On our birthday, the B Boy dresses up like a big cake, and parachutes off the Empire State Building, granting each birthday person the power to live forever or whatever power they choose. Or the power to make money.

Birthday Fairy

The Birthday Fairy flies to every child having a birthday and grants one wish to the birthday boy or girl.

Collaborative Creations Inspired
by "The Great Pumpkin"
created by Charles M. Schulz

© 2011 A Spacious Place, Inc.

Fun!

¹ epilec is an original word meaning awesome
² eggciting is a pun for the word exciting.

~ a haiku* about water play by
the Young Writers Club

© 2011 A Spacious Place, Inc.

Food Opposites

~ a diamante poem by
the Young Writer's Club

© 2011 A Spacious Place, Inc.

I WISH MY LIVE OAKS WERE DEAD

Not really.
They are beautiful trees.
Our home is enhanced
By several Live Oak trees.

To even think of wanting a tree to die in Austin

Where the very word "Green" is revered

Is tantamount to saying "Shit" in church

(Which I could get by with in my church)

Or in a poem sent to my daughters.

But what's with this Spring ritual?
Shedding leaves like there is no tomorrow.
It's like they watched other trees
Devoid themselves of leaves in the Fall
While thinking "You ain't seen nothing yet."

How do they do it?
They are not naked after their Spring undressing.

They do not seem overburdened

With leaves in Winter.

They must have little leave suitcases from which they draw.

Fall shedding trees
Are empty of leaves after their act.
Spindly bare branches testifying to the fact.
Live Oaks keep right on truckin'
As leaf producing monsters.

You blow leaves off your roof.
Clean out your gutters.
Rake up your yard
In early March.

And again in mid-March.
And again in late March
And again in early April
Where will this insanity end?



Then, in mid April

You see the light of day.

The daily leaf deposits seem to subside.

In time for the onslaught

Of brown wormy things

Sometimes accompanied by caterpillars.



So what now?

Should I climb up on the roof again

With my trusty leaf blower?

(I'm not exactly a spring chicken.)

Or can I just leave the mess up there

And pretend we have a thatched roof?

That's the thing in England.



Just call me Limey.

Dan Vickers

© 2010 Dan Vickers

Know Thyself: I am From

I am from Verna Inez and Verneal Melvin, Ida Lorena and Granville Watson, Guy Melvin and Lillie Ann.

From Arkansas woods, Panhandle cold, and Dawson County heat.

From blowing snow, blowing dust, gin smoke and raining mud.

I am from cornbread and buttermilk eaters, creamed corn and black eyed peas eaters, and everything fried eaters.

I am from conservative-in-all things, dry wit, do-it-yourself, and church going.

From stick with it, do your best, and have a good time.

From "God will provide", "You can do anything you set your mind to", and "Be home in time for supper".

I am from no-drinking Methodist, no-dancing Baptist, and no PDA.

From two week revivals and two week Vacation Bible School.

From hard scrabble farming, lawmen, preachers, and educators.

I am from Roy Rogers, Howdy Doody, Sputnik, and S & H Green Stamps.

From stray cats that stayed, his and her shirts, and after school jobs.

From glorious sunsets, cool summer nights, and crop-eating hail.

I am from 10 below to 110 in the shade, and Republican.

From cotton fields, cotton gins, and cotton denim jeans with brass grommets.

From Elvis, Rogers and Hammerstein, and The Broadman Hymnal.

My own deep-rooted tree sprung from granite and sandy loam, nurtured by familial springs of love.

Don Roberts

© 2010 Don Roberts

The Conductor

Returning from downtown Chicago
After the seven-years-old's bedtime.
Her after-hours silliness kicks in
With a vengeance.

She has convinced herself
That I have no commuter ticket
And the conductor is moving close.
Her efforts to warn of his approach
Fell on my deaf ears.

Wide eyed she gestures
As active as the clickety-click of the tracks
Pointing at the approaching official.
Trying with all her might
To warn of the on-coming danger.

The previous evening
She had been trying to get me
To turn around and look behind
At some imagined spectacle.

I would fall for her tricks at times.
Sometimes I would not.
So I used her game of the day before
As an excuse for not looking now.

She shifted into high gear
Insisting that "He is right there"
With facial contortions previously unseen.
She gave it her all.

The dreaded confrontation occurred.
I calmly handed over our ticket.
She settled back into her seat
The inevitable disaster averted.

The conductor had not missed the show.
As he passed she stated "I'm free".
He calmly proceeded with his duties,
Punching tickets, saying "I doubt it".

Dan Vickers

© 2010 Dan Vickers

An assignment from our Creative Journaling Workshop (March 2009)...

The Portrait

Butch and Spike sat languidly at the table waiting on the others. Spike shuffled and reshuffled the cards to relieve the boredom. Butch stacked his chips clacking them over and over. Hank slunk into the room carrying the drinks. "Whiskey," grumbled Butch. "I was hoping for a brew." "Ah, finally, he comes" said Spike.

Chester sauntered up to the table wearing a tawny fur. He pulled out his pack of Camels and tamped the package. Pulling out a cigarette, he offered them to the others. Heads shook no as Hank lit up a cigar.

As they seated themselves around the table, the painter began setting up his easel. Placing a strange, black canvas on the easel, he mixed his paints on the palette and began his work on a masterpiece: "Dogs Playing Poker" on black velvet.

David E. McKee, Jr.

© 2009 David E. McKee, Jr.

Happy Holidays!

	Christmas 2008. Send us pictures of the lights in your neighborhood and we'll post them here.

	Halloween 2008 was an exciting time. Check out the pumpkins. Send us pictures of your pumpkins and we'll post them here.

Sayings to prevent short term perfectionism

ANYTHING WORTH DOING IS WORTH DOING.

IF YOU CANNOT DO SOMETHING PERFECTLY, DO IT ANY WAY YOU CAN,
(and do it again, and do it again, and do it again.)

The weakest part of a growing thing is the part that is growing.

I dance any way that I can, and I dance, anyway!

by Betty Foster

Diamanti

                  Religion:
          ancient, steadfast —
unyielding unmoving, unchanging
  tradition. Nation, World, Union:
         living, moving, loving,
            steadfast, radiant
                     Faith.

                   God:
         powerful, eternal —
   creating, ruling, destroying.
Enmity, Crisis, Revelation, Love.
   Beginning loving protecting.
            Faithful, truthful
                    God.

by Gregg Geist

Space

Thoughts like explosions,
Then and Now,
Beyond Then and Now ...
Thoughts that have
A life of their own ...

The Space between
Creates
Distances and Attractions,
Necessities and Art,
Perhaps Love ...

Seeing is believing,
But believing — Ah

Believing
Through telescopes,
And microscopes,
Thousands of scopes and probes ... even millions,
Backwards and forwards,
Forwards and backwards.
So much Space
Defies Perspective
To See.

Believing
Words and the faces,
Stories and pictures,
Movies and songs,
DNA.
Young and old
Old and young
So much Space
Defies Meaning
To See.

Yet, In the Space
There is the Belief
To See
What to Believe In.

I Cannot Believe
The Space is Empty ...
It is in The Space
Where My Beliefs Are Born.

by Mike Lawrence