Poetikat's Invisible Keepsakes

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This is it, I promise
2008-02-27 16:41:00
Photo by Jeff Baine at FlickrDon't blame me! Blame it on the Ugly Mailbox lady, who up and went and tagged me with another meme. Here we go with a 4x4!4 Jobs I?ve Had in My LifeAt random, cuz that's more interesting:I worked as a food prep/kitchen helper in a Mother's Pizza restaraunt while in high school. I lasted 1 week. They had me chopping onions all the time. Apparently, it was a rite of passage. If you could endure 50 onions without needing occular/nasal surgery, you made it through to the next round: taking hot items out of the oven. In this round, you got to play with an oven door that swung open like a microwave. For those of you in the biz, watch out for that door - don't do what Idid and try to hold it open with your bare elbow. It's freakin' hot!Next!In those bygone days of ibm selectric typewriters with the little golf-balley thing attached to the innards of the machine (all you young'uns block your ears - this is way before the laptop!), I once held a j...
More About: Promise

Wash away your winter blues. What will she think of next?
2008-02-26 21:48:00
What can I tell ya? It's Winter , I'm sick of it and I don't feel like writing poetry (I think) and I feel like being goofy. So what happens? I'm sitting on the loo, looking across the room and a lightbulb goes off (over my head). I grab the digital cam and voila! I've created another meme of course.This is a weirdy so be prepared.Here are my rules to (*fanfare* a la Henry VIII) The Shower Curtain meme :1. Take a picture of your shower curtain2. Tell us if/why you love/hate it.3. Tell how long you spend in the shower (roughly)4. Who's on the other side of the curtain?5. Tag the 5 of the strangest (er, most fun) people you know on the net.Above all, have a laugh and wash those Winter blahs away!I love my shower curtain because it's whimsical, it matches my cat-themes bathroom and it's plastic so I can make sure there's no one waiting for me with a big knife. (I've seen Psycho too many times, I'm telling you.)I spend about 10 minutes in the shower (most of the time ...
More About: Blues , Wash

Grab a book!
2008-02-26 00:52:00
Linda was challenged by Mizmell and I picked up the open invitation to participate in the "Book Meme". What the heck! I'm easily amused and I like unusual challenges. Here are the rules:1. Pick up a book close to hand that is at least 123 pages long.2. Go to page 123.3. Count down to the fifth sentence.4. Post the next three sentences word for word.5. Tag 5 people (if you wish)Like Linda, I'm opening this up to anyone who wishes to do it. (Like I could stop you anyway!)And now...back by popular demand:Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (For those of you unfamiliar with the author, it is actually a man. I know. Those Brits, eh?)You should know that I was delighted to have this book close to hand (having rediscovered it lurking in the trunk in my living room where we hide our foreign film videos --no reason, honest!). My delight was indeed short-lived however, when I found that my number 2 sentence was perhaps the longest sentence ever written! See for yourselves:Brideshea...
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We can do something! Please act now.
2008-02-25 19:58:00
Photo by Gethin ChamberlainPlease go to the following link and read about the situation with the Roma nian people and how the government is trying to force them out by cutting off their livelihood - the horse-cart. The Roma people are suffering and in turn, so are the horses.Read the Transylvanian Horseman's article below and take the time to write a letter to the people listed at the end of his report.Transylvanian Horseman

Left to Die
2008-02-24 17:32:00
ReleasedNever has he known a gentle hand,Nor been free of the tether and the tie.Born to bear the burdens of this land;He hangs beside the road and waits to die.Ever has he heard the snapping whip,Full-felt the strip of leather rip his thigh.From birth his fate to make each touring trip;He hangs beside the road and waits to die.No feedbag left to ease him to his end;He casts his glance on foe with careworn eye.The bones begin to buckle and to bend;He hangs beside the road and waits to die.The cart still stands beside his broken frame;Unloaded and unloved by passers-by.New laws conspire to halt this grievous game;He hangs beside the road and waits to die.Perhaps the end will be his saving grace;The punishment and pain he will defy.When comes that time, his shade will surely race;He hangs beside the road and waits to die.©2008-Kathleen MortensenFor further information please read here:Daily Telegraph: Horses left to starve...
More About: Left , Release

Stolen Ideas
2008-02-22 23:58:00
Michelle Hix, who often has the bravest things on her blog, just posted a cool poem based on the alphabet. Seeing as I have come out of my stagnation with a bang(!) I've just stolen the idea off of her (with permission) and here's my version. Go see hers though, it is most worthy (not in the Simon Cowell sense). ABCs of a Morning Arise, Bleary-eyed Crusty lashes Dare to open Ease the sheets From off your warm body Glide slowly off the bed Hey! Where are those socks? Inch cold toes across the floor Jump into the shower Karaoke a few numbers Laugh at the madness of it all Make faces at the mirror Neglect those brows again Oh! What shall I wear today? Pull-over and pants as usual Quick! Get that tea down you. Run a comb through the rats nest Snatch a piece of toast from the toaster Turn on the laptop Usual stuff Visit some friends Wait for inspiration Xanadu , did Kublai Khan (Thank you STC!) Youth is lost on the young? Zipcode? I keep telling you, it?s...
More About: Ideas , Stolen

Fun, fun, fun!
2008-02-22 22:24:00
It's perhaps a sad confession I make when I say how amused I am by the plethora of self-centred activities out there on the net. I Just came across this (dare I say, Meme?), only this time, it's not revealing about me at all (sighs of relief all around). As my husband says, you all know enough about me. This is just for a laugh and it takes some work - especially in the graphics area. My result is nothing to write home about, but it's unique and I think it reveals a smattering of design talent. What say you?So, Ladies and Gents, may I present, My Album Cover:Here's what you do:To create your own album: Go to?? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Rand om (The first article title on the page is the name of your band.)http://www.quotationspage.com/rando m.php3 (The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.)http://www.flickr.com/explore/inte resting/7days/The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.Use your graph...

Friday Flashback - Flaming Flamingos?
2008-02-22 17:17:00
Unfortunately, I read this story too late to capitalize on it with the media. No one wanted to publish this poem after the fact, so it got lost in the shuffle. Knowing my readers (as I believe I do), I think a rerun of this poem from last July is in order to serve up an entertaining frolic featuring everyone's favourite proud, plumaged, pinkies! (Okay, that was a stretch, but the poem's fun, nonetheless.)The Legend of Carlos & FernandoSo, ?seems that the press everywhereHas been flaunting this fabulous pairOf flamingos, unruffledThe world is kerfuffledAnd all passers-by stop and stare.You see, we have Carlos y ?NandoWho hail from the usual band o?Big birds in the pink(She says with a wink) --Putting on a performance, commando.At the start Fern and Carlos were justTwo sociable singles nonplussedBy the whole dating sceneThought they?d break from routineNow the media ? they?ve got it sussed.Yes, those clever wordsmithers have stressedThat this pairing of equals is blessedWith a...
More About: Friday , Flashback , Flaming , Flamingos

Blarney Stone story shaken up.
2008-02-22 14:31:00
RockedUp ?til now for the gift of gab, rare,We?ve been kissing a slab in old EireOf that big Blarney rock,But now some smart Sherlock?sGone and proved that it may not be there.If you?re one of the fortunate lot,Who?s been hung by your heels at the spotFor to get the gab?s gift,Then you?ll need a mind shift,Since contention is currently hot.Some grandiose names pressed a lip,Even Churchill and Bly made the trip,But that?s now been up-shaken;Seems we?ve all been mistaken--The historians? book claims a gyp!What they?re saying is causing a fuss,With the tourists who?ve long come to buss.The famous old rockMay now be a crock,Causing previous bussers to cuss!The result will be anyone?s guess;Sure, it?s caused castle-owner, distress.Blarney brings thousands in,Every year it?s win-win--Will they come still if it?s all BS?©2008 ? Kathleen Mortensen
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Top o' the Mornin'!
2008-02-21 18:28:00
Youse didn't know I was an artist, did ya?With the Winter we've been having this year, everyone needs something to look forward to. With our family, that usually means food!Now what better thing to anticipate than a festive occasion that combines, song, good eats, lot of libations and family and friends? I'm talking of course about St. Patrick's Day! (On March 17th, don't you know?)In our household, St. Paddy's Day means the wearing of the green, very bad, tear-inducing Irish jokes, Irish food, Irish drink, Irish coffee, reminiscing and wistful contemplation.I'm Irish and I'm proud! Me father (pronounced like "rather") hails from Belfast, Northern Ireland, from a Catholic family of 12 children (him bein' lucky number 7). Meself, I was an only child 'til I was 9 years of age, when me parents were after adopting me a sister who was 3. I kept askin' them "When's she goin' home?", but to no avail.A few years back, I learned that I had another sister who was older than m...

Linda's sphere...by way of Hope
2008-02-18 10:10:00
Challenged (Another Meme)After six, it?s Corrie timeHold all calls, leave the dish grimeWhen ?Street?-inhabitants presentTheir daily dramas, that?s our bent.It doesn?t matter we can?t affordA flash, new car?we?re in accord;As long as we have food to eatAnd roof o?erhead; we feel replete.In another life, perhapsI would have married other chapsAnd lived in great, gargantuan homeBut have no time to write a poem.My mother always said (and does so still)?I?ve got news for you? which sent a chillUp my spine (?twas her intent),Though her intentions weren?t ill-meant.At the wake of my father, he?s asked to be proppedIn his corner-casket, before he?s droppedInto the grave, ceremoniously,And he wants a drink in his hand...for free.Consideration brings the senseOf humanness and recompenseFor wrongs I?ve done--I?m doing rightAnd sleep comes faster in the night.In 1986, my cares were fewWith a new degree to hold claim toYet, my ambition held no sportFor bed and play held more import.Don?t laugh,...
More About: Sphere , Hope

10 things...Part II
2008-02-17 23:02:00
And now for the other extreme (as suggested by my husband): 10 things most often said in our house1. It's your turn to feed the cats.2. What's the heat at?3. Anything interesting in the paper?4. I've got nothing to wear! (husband)5. Cup of tea?6. Don't answer it!7. Hairball!8. Are you on the computer?9. Did those multi-grain pancakes work for you?(alternates with "Did you have your prune juice?")10.What's on your mind for dinner?
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10 Things you'll never hear me say.
2008-02-16 15:22:00
Photo by S. Jackman on Flickr.I don't know if this sort of thing is out there on the blogs anywhere at all, but this morning while I was semi-conscious and lying in my bed, it occurred to me that I will never say the words, "My daughter" or "My son". I don't admit this to expose my regret or resentment over this fact; I have long since come to terms with not having any children, but it started me thinking about some other things I will never say. This list should reveal more about me than anything else I could tell you. Of course, since it is I who am dreaming this up, I've created a list more for its humourous value than for any poignancy...So, this is my first homegrown Meme. I'm tagging Michelle, Scott, Linda,Jen, Fenny and Cameron, Gorilla Bananas and Lee. Here in random order: 10 things you'll never hear me say:1. I'm going outside for a smoke.2. Put another steak on the barbeque for me.3. I got those WWF tickets!4. I'll load up the Hummer.5. Crank up that Motorhead.6. I...
More About: Hear , Things

Friday Flashback - 100 posts, 100 miles...
2008-02-15 15:58:00
Picture taken by "Hidden Images" on Flickr.I just noticed last night that today would be my 100th post to Blogger. That really amazes me. It hardly seems a month since I began this crazy journey. I thought it would just be a place to put my stuff - a receptacle, if you will. I never thought it would end up being a) an addiction, b) a place to really make some new friends c) hard work!Let's face it, if you want your writing -- thoughts, ramblings, creative endeavours to get any attention at all, you really have to work for it. Anyone who thinks this is just a bit of a lark, is seriously mistaken. This blogging thing involves commitment, courtesy and consistency. One must keep writing, keep visiting, keep commenting and keep it interesting. Otherwise, you'll just end up one of those cyber pages floating in the wireless wind... no anchor, no acceptance, no "authority".Set up a blog and you've got a continuous project ahead of you -- keep it fresh, keep it interesting, keep learning ...
More About: Miles , Friday , Flashback , Posts

Hayley's Poem
2008-02-14 17:09:00
Hey everyone! Happy Valentine 's Day to all.Stop by Hayley's blog to see the poem I created for her and her husband Phil. Hayley's a big Will Smith fan, so I did it in the style of a rap and her copy was in MEN IN BLACK style font. Check it out!
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And the winner is...
2008-02-12 02:22:00
Carl, the cardinal has graciously loaned us his seed barrel for our purposes of drawing the winner for the Valentine's Day poem contest.Above are the photos of Carl amidst the ballots, my husband's hand assisting with the draw, and the winning ballot. The Winner is...Hayley Emsley of Hayley's blog! I'll be contacting Hayley to get her details for the poem, and if she's willing, perhaps we'll let you see the finished product (if it's not too personal).

Hang on to your hearts(exclamation point)
2008-02-11 21:55:00
This evening I will be making the draw for the winner of the Valentine's Day contest to win a personalized love poem created by yours truly of Kathleen's Invisible Keepsakes.I will post the winner and then I'll be contacting that person to elicit some details for the poem.Good Luck to all my good friends!Poetikat
More About: Tonight , Point , Hearts , Hang

Girls only! Which Jane Austen Lady are you?
2008-02-11 19:48:00
Here's who I am:"You Are...Anne Elliot!" So says the website: Emma Adaptations that I found at one of my new fave blogs: "Hadleyesque". (Helloo! to Heidi - who dropped me line on the Brideshead post below.)"You are Anne Elliot of Persuasion! Let's face it; you're easily persuaded, particularly when friends and relatives try to use "the Elliot way" against you. But this doesn't mean that you don't have conviction. Actually, your sense of duty is overwhelming. And though you won't stick your neck out too often, you have learned to speak up when it counts. To boot, you know how to handle sticky situations. You love deeply and constantly."I'm not sure about "the Elliot way", but the Davisons and the Mortensens have their own unique wiles. People who know me, know that I have no fear when it comes to speaking out. This trait goes all the way back to grade school when I talked back to my Grade Four teacher - and ended up in Sister Beatrice's (Principal) office to make my apology (...
More About: Girls , Lady , Jane

Join Red Dot Campaign
2008-02-11 16:46:00
Despite this being a Canadian campaign, I believe any and all who read the following poem can take something from it. Wherever you are, brave the elements! (I did, just an hour ago and it's -16 celcius here.) Put a notice on your mailbox now! Let's get this paper thing sorted!Kat(*note: for all my international friends: C.P. is Canada Post* mail service)No Campaign TrailA Vancouver gal from B.C.Has a scheme that involves our C.P. *When it comes to the mailThere?s a long paper trailWhich these days, just isn?t pc.She?s developed the Red Dot CampaignTo carriers we?ll make ourselves plain:Please no junk in our boxes;Now raise up your voxes--A greener earth?s what we can gain.A policy has been in placeFor ten years, they claim--to embrace.Six per cent only, opt outAnd get this mail chop?t out;Which honestly, is a disgrace.The reality is that perhapsC. Post?s kept their plan under wraps.Stuff unaddressed to youBrings in big revenue--Could be why they?ve kept shut, their traps.Sign with...
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Every morning goes something like this...
2008-02-08 19:09:00
Thanks to this guy whom we like to call "Clockwork Orange".
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Friday Flashback - I love the Brits!
2008-02-08 17:47:00
I was raised on British television programs - mainly the WNED out of Buffalo, New York's presentations on Masterpiece Theatre. When I was quite young, I watched the entire series of The Six Wives of Henry VIII, all of the original Forsyte Saga, Upstairs Downstairs, I, Claudius and various other dramatic series as well as British comedies such as On The Buses, Man About The House, Dad's Army, etc. You name it; I saw it!So, it should be no surprise to my readers that by the time I was a young lady attending university in the early 1980s, I was utterly enamoured of the British way of life, but it was one particular drama that truly captivated me.The BBC dramatization of Evelyn Waugh's novel, Brideshead Revisited has been called by many "the finest miniseries ever made". It is the story of a young man named Charles Ryder who gets caught up in the tortured life and family of a wealthy, conflicted and beautiful fellow-student, Sebastian Flyte. The adaptation is gorgeously filmed, magni...
More About: Love , Friday , Flashback , Brits

A muse well meant
2008-02-06 18:03:00
Today, my gratitude goes out to the new friend I discovered at STP's blog. Leanderthal, a true gentleman, has penned a poem featuring, as Miss Piggy would say, "MOI", (and I didn't even have to pay him).What he doesn't realize is that this very kind gesture came directly on the heels of a rather unkind comment I received on my Wordhawk blog of personalized poetry samples, where someone took the time and effort to declare my "Name poem for a little boy", (and I quote): "BORINGGGG!". Ouch! That really stung. So you can imagine my sincere delight at discovering what Leanderthal had done at The Thirsty Muse .Thank you so much, Lee!

My mother was a fur hat!
2008-02-05 21:11:00
Wiarton WillieWiarton Willie is his namePrognostication is his game;Call him woodchuck, or whistle pig--Come mid-winter, his fame is big.Wiarton Willie, first beganWhen Mac Mackenzie had a plan;One winter?s day in ?56,Devised he, grandest of gimmicks.Wiarton Willie came aboutWhen Star reporter sought him out;Mac, he grabbed his wife?s fur hat,Dug snowy-burrow?that was that!Wiarton Willie made the press;Some folks thought, ?Hey, that?s b-s?!Didn?t stop them coming roundTo spy the hog from underground.Wiarton Willie had some flackKicked the bucket--real setback.How then, they, did that blow, soften?Decked him out in his own coffin!Wiarton Willie lay in stateQuite the scandal to relate?Promoters had the public bluffed?Til they learned the hog was stuffed!Wiarton Willie--not so niceMurdered mates, not once, but twice;Finder kept it all hush-hush,So to keep town council flush.Wiarton Willie, he?s no "Phil";Canadians use the guy to shill.Just this year for ?Groundhog Day?He had an auction...
More About: Mother

Heraldic Monikers just for fun
2008-02-05 02:01:00
My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:Her Grace Lady Kathleen the Lush of Westley Waterless Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:His Most Noble Lord Kevin the Unique of Molton St Anywhere Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Spring's just around the corner...
2008-02-04 22:58:00
So says Canada's answer to Punxsutawney Phil...Wiarton Willie!Five reasons I love groundhogs ( I saw this meme on another blog):They have long, stubby, chubby bodies.They have incredible incisors.They have bundles of bouncy babies.They look so sweet when they bask in the sun (in the Spring, of course).They're cousins of that other riotous rodent, the squirrel (see "Orson Swells" and "Rococo Squirrels").I feel a poem coming on...stay tuned!
More About: Corner , The Corner

The dead outside my window
2008-02-01 18:49:00
Snow Upon SnowThere?s a body that?s going into the cold groundA hooded man hovers beside the new-foundHole in the earth where the dead one will go,And silently falls the fresh snow upon snow.There?s a someone on satin, who won?t really mindIf her dress is in fashion, her hair?s all entwin?dHis mortgage is paid?he?s got enough dough,And silently falls the fresh snow upon snow.There?s a corpus delecti descending todayI dream that the Angels are holding at bayThe demons who prey on the newly laid low,And silently falls the fresh snow upon snow.Now the hooded one raises his shovel againTo finish the job of the burial of menThen home to his family, he leaves the barrow,As silently falls the fresh snow upon snow.©2008-Kathleen Mortensen
More About: Dead , Window

Friday Flashback - an anniversary
2008-02-01 13:56:00
Happy February!This is Dorothy. Dorothy is the reason I do what I do.A year ago this week, this little skunk had quite the exciting time. She's a California skunk who ended up in my neck of the woods up here in Canada. My national newspaper, The National Post, ran a contest to name the skunk, and I won it! I named her Dorothy after the famed Dorothy Gale of The Wizard of Oz, because -- as I said in my entry--"She fell asleep and woke up in a strange, new world."The Post liked my entry and "Dorothy" was christened. The name really caught on, and the skunk ended up somewhat famous and had quite the adventure getting back where she belonged.The story was my first creative impetus in quite a number of years and the poem I produced was so well received that I decided to send it to the National Post which they published on their website.It was my first piece to be published and it's been uphill ever since.As a reflection on my year of writing and making a career out of it, here's the ...
More About: Adventure , Anniversary , Friday , Flashback

Just a reminder...
2008-01-29 15:39:00
Don't forget! Comment on this blog within the next 14 days and you could win your choice of Valentine's poem for the love in your life.Choose from sonnets, odes, limericks, free verse -- it's up to you!So leave your message and get in the game!
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Guilt-ridden
2008-01-27 17:29:00
The Unskilled Poet (see links below) issues a daily challenge to write poetry based upon a single word. Today's word is "confession". I haven't been to church today. Why? Ennui, malaise, a rudderless sense of not belonging. Thus, the following poem has crept in silently, giving voice to a deep-seated guilt from childhood that I cannot banish. Yet, I know, I am forgiven.Confession BoxThe box,Wherein,I lay myself bareTo YouAdmit all that I have done,Or not done.Telling talesOut of schoolOwning up to lies and deceit,Curses and oaths,Disinterest and shame.The guiltDrives me back to YouAnd yet,I cannot enter.I feel the forces of EvilBarring my way,Laughing for spite.I must get in!And confessAnd beScrubbed clean.Kathleen Mortensen © 2008
More About: Guilt

Tak! That's Danish for Thanks!
2008-01-27 16:36:00
I just felt like saying it in Danish . It's a hygge kind of day here, right now. I'm also happy to say that the poem "Days of Hygge" was published in the Danish magazine "Alt for Damerne" just recently. To thank me (as is so typically charming of Europeans) they sent me a lovely, delicate bottle of French perfume. How thoughtful!The "tak" is sent out to STP at Poetic Leanings for giving me this unique award.Mange tak! (Many thanks!)I forgot to mention; I'm bequeathing this award to a couple of people myself ( I can't give it to STP, though I would, if he didn't already have it), but I can give it to Nothingman (warning - this is a sight (em, after coffee, I see the error of my ways: I meant of course, "site") of shall we say, forthright expression) and The Unskilled Poet.AddendumOkay,No caffeinein Kathleen, must mean,umpteenmistakes.I must now rectify a situation. I am supposed to present 3 ideas of what writing means to me. So, here goes:Writing is catharsis.Writing is survival...