Why And How I Write: CyranoWriter’s 7+ Years Of Poetry, Prose, Photography And Creativity

More than 7 years ago, in January, 2009, I heard a poet read at President Obama’s first inauguration. I thought: “I can do that!” And so I started.
Making a goal of writing and posting a poem or creative piece every day, I put my creative thoughts into this blog. Most are short poems, which I try to make into Haiku (they are in the sense that they are 5/7/5). Some are longer. Some are free verse. Some are prose pieces. Some are silly. Most are serious and observational.

All of them feed my soul.
(Here is a great piece from Dead Poets Society / Robin Williams)

During the more than 7 years since then, I’ve written more than 6500 poetic and prose pieces. Along the way, I’ve discovered / invented three different types of electronic media poetry: ConTEXTing, IMprov, and ImproVerse. Each of these three has to do with an electron delivery method (phone texting, Instant messaging or IMing, and improv voice recognition.)

Some of the pieces are “romantic” in nature (I’m currently single, have been for nearly a decade, so these writings talk about the pathos of that state). Others are observations of either nature or human nature. Many deal with the issues we all face daily. And still others are just thoughts and musings, prompted by my observations of what is happening around me. Some are augmented by my photography. Most are left for you, the reader, to visualise in your mind. All of these reflect how I see the world, and what living and observing and just being means to me.

My hope, my dream, is that people will read my work and “see new”. They’ll think about how they see or what they feel about the things I see and feel. And, most importantly, I hope my writing, day after day after day after day, will inspire others to simply see, to observe the amazingness happening around them, and to capture it in whatever form or style they choose.

People tell me “I used to write. I wish I could write more. I need to write more.” To them — to YOU — I say: “Do.” Because, 7 years ago, I heard another poet. And then, I did.

PS: My work is in chronological order, with the most recent writings immediately following this post. If you are looking for a particular subject or topic, type in some key works in the “Search” bar (above right), and it should bring up all my writing related to that topic. “Prince Charming” seems to be a popular search!

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Are You Sleeping? Revolutionary IMprov Haiku

She thought that I slept,/
but I was simply watching o’er/
her while she slumbered.

Alpine Lake List: Solitude Isn’t So Solitary — Revolutionary Blogging Free Verse

I took a flat,
0.8 mile
saunter,
a not bored walk
on a boardwalk
around Silver Lake.

By the time I’d finished
I’d seen:
A moose cow and her calf;
Two squirrels;
New pussy willows;
One fish carcass;
Haze from a green wood campfire;
Two doe mule deer;
A reflecting lake;
A distant bridal photo shoot;
A towhee;
Two killdeer in flight;
Two beaver (one slap happy);
Three mallards in flight;
An aspen freshly felled by the beavers;
One hen mallard on her nest;
Three ducklings under her wing;
A patch of yellow columbines;
Sunset on mountain peaks;
Glowing new green on an aspen grove;
A rushing, raging, roaring mountain stream;
A new place to enjoy.

I failed to thank my tour guide,
a Dad who taught me to look,
and God.

At My Dad And Mom’s House: Revolutionary Blogging Prose

If you visit my dad and mom’s lakefront house on the west shore of Lake Winneconne, Wisconsin, in the summer, you’ll find:
1 large fishing/water-skiing/tubeing boat
2 canoes (3 if you want to borrow my aunt’s)

Sailing at sunset with purple martin

Frog pond and woods

1 sailboat
1 rowboat
1 skiff
2 piers
1 big lake out the front door
several swimming noodles
several life jackets
several paddle boards
3 frog ponds
1 goldfish pond
1 swing
1 hammock
2 slide/swing set (next door)
1 fire pit
2 dirt piles
1 over-grown back yard
1 nearby slow moving river
1 nearby marsh
several nearby woods
several Indian/archeological mounds nearby
Uno cards
cribbage boards
several other games
a player piano
a kitchen
a grandma who will teach you to make taffy, peanut brittle, caramel corn, carrot cake, and pies
a garden
stacks of wood with critters in them
2 butterfly nets
2 frog and fish-catching nets
2 benches overlooking the lake
sunsets
clear skies
stars at night
fireflies
tons of bugs
a grandpa who can tell you about every plant, bug, bird and animal around
2 soccer balls
2 kickballs
beachballs
binoculars
magnifying glasses
mud
world-class airshows and aircraft museums nearby
cheese factories nearby
potato salad at Piggly Wiggly
Friday night fish frys
old steel toys
hotdog and bratwurst sticks
s’more ingredients
watermelons floating in the fresh spring pond
a garden with fresh tomatoes for BLTs
fresh, organic watercress (superfood!) for smoothies and cheese/watercress sandwiches
water skis
innertubes
rubber rafts
extra swimsuits and towels
rocks to turn over
a sandbox

vintage aircraft flying overhead
buckets and shovels
aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who will play and do things with you
quiet country roads and woodland paths.

Don’t ask: “Where are the video games?”

———–
My little brother “Ping” (Gene Jr.) thought of some more:
Duck calls & decoys
A rafter to hang your deer from
4 filet knives
Wild flowers
Owls hooting at night
Fireworks seen and felt by boat
Eager fishing poles waiting to be used
Alarm clocks with alarms set well before first light
Wild grapes
Tadpoles
Turtle logs
Mud minnows at the ready
Smell of fish in the freezer
Salmon lures just about everywhere
Martin houses
Purple Martins singing & feeding their young
Starlings sworn at & falling from the sky
House that is paid for
Ice fishing equipment
Carp bows & arrows at the ready
Cast iron skillet waiting to sizzle & fill the air with the aroma of bacon, onions, & potatoes from an open fire
Allenville sweet corn dripping with butter
Mosquitos
Volleyball time
CURDS!!! I forgot to mention squeaky curds!
And Held’s summer sausage!!!
Red wing black birds
4th of July parties & parade
Fish boils on New Years
Thunder storms advancing
Hail falling
Wind blowing
Waves crashing
Mom laughing
Dad smiling
Both of them dreaming
Both of them making their dreams come true

Holding hands
Loving their children…and their children’s children… and their children’s children’s children
Both of them hugging

Both of them loving each other … always.

And Dad (Gene Sr.) said:
Did anyone mention the snow, cross country skiing and skating and igloo building but I guess this could go on forever…

(I commented that this was supposed to be a summer list … otherwise it COULD go on forever!

Post I Eye Surgery: Revolutionary ImproVerse Rhyming Haiku

When you change how you/
see, you discover that you/
observe diff’rently.

Art Gallery Rocket Man In Serpia: Revolutionary ImproVerse Haiku

He stares at the blank/
gallery wall. Only he/
sees the rocket ship.

Observationalism — Seeing Is Seeing: Revolutionary ConTEXTing Haiku

Folks ask how I see/
so much. I write of what I/
see. Then I see more. See?

Slow Down Going Downhill: Revolutionary ConTEXTing Haiku

Again going down/
Alpine hillsides, I remind/
myself to slow down.

OR
Descending Alpine/
paths again, I remember/
I, still, must observe.

They Saw A Moose: Revolutionary ConTEXTing Haiku

These are some things you
might have missed in your hurry.
I can’t list them all.

“Write A Poem!” She Said: Revolutionary ImproVerse Rhyming Haiku

An old ironing board/
was at the freeway side. Don’t/
fight it. Just write it