This was a homework assignment at the Golden Pen Writers Guild in 2013. We were tasked with creating some historical fiction and as I had been recently reading up on Manchukuo and the Japanese involvement in Manchuria, I chose that as my topic. Only one of the characters I used was an actual historic person (see notes at the end).
This was a lot of fun to write and an interesting challenge. Click over the jump to read more:
Sitting in the park
feeling gentle breezes blow
on a sunny day
Grass beneath my feet
cushions every step I take
as I stroll along
Flowers in a bed
brighten up the atmosphere
lovely to the eyes
In the distance, hear?
Birds are voicing their delight
in the springtime sun
Clouds are on the move
in the sky above my head
changing shapes again
Pleasant respite from
everyday’s incessant noise
makes me feel like new
Now I must go home
to resume my normal day—
that I’d left behind
© 2014 Douglas P. Kendrick, all rights reserved.
New Feature: Writing — I’ve decided to begin sharing some of my writing with the world. There’s a new menu item above—conveniently entitled “writing”—to take you there, or click here. I’ll post new pieces directly to my blog on the 1st and 15th of each month, and also link them on the writing pages. — Do feel free to comment by clicking the “Leave a Reply” link at the bottom of any post (NB: I do moderate the comments).
Ode to a Sunflower, an original musical score based on the book, is an intelligent, artistic tour de force—superior to its ghastly predecessor. The divine harmonies surrounding the ubiquitous melody played on the chimes are soothing rather than strident.
Here are the given words: Sunflower, intelligent, chime, original, music, artistic, book, ghastly, strident, harmony – Bonus: ubiquitous
To find out all about these “40-Word Challenges”, take a look at the index page under the writing menu above, or click here.
© 2014 Douglas P. Kendrick, all rights reserved.
It has been a very long time since I’ve actually written anything creatively or otherwise for my own enjoyment. Poetry or prose—even the novel I started over a decade ago now—has always been a somewhat guilty, personal pleasure of mine and one that I don’t share that often. But now that I prepare to close my first half-century, I ask myself “What the hell are you waiting for? Why are you holding back?”
As it turns out, last weekend in Bakersfield provided me with a once-in-a-lifetime shot of inspiration that I was compelled to get out of me. I hope you will enjoy what I wrote and can appreciate what it has taken for me to put this side of me out there. And more importantly, the subject I wrote about.
Click over the jump to read…
Wandering in vain
Has seldom let a man be
Anything but lost;
Is it any wonder, then
That people try to draw maps?
–Doug Kendrick
Yesterday, I made an effort to memorize the Naniwa Bay tanka poem that is used to start a Japanese Karuta match. With that buzzing through my brain, I woke up at 1:20 this morning with a haiku on my mind. I wrote it down in my bedside notebook, closed my eyes for 5 minutes and thought of the final two lines, turning it into my first-ever tanka (another Japanese poetry form also known as waka with a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable format).
I’m actually quite proud of myself–hopefully I’ll be able to post these from time to time.
© 2012 Douglas P. Kendrick, all rights reserved.
Hopeful flowers wait
for the butterflies and bees
At long last, they come
–Thomas J., age 9
Tweeted July 20, 2010 by The Huntington Library. Sometimes it’s the young who have keen insight; out of the mouths of babes…
journey, not destination 