Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Poetry


Tropical Depression
                                                                        By Ann Carolan
Driving wind and rain
Across plains of shallow gulf waters
Recently bared by low tide; now swept, revealing mud inches below
Flats beside saw grass rising into low brush

Once haven for tall cedars and spreading live oak,
Ancient, hundreds of years, of slow growing creation
            Cut down.
Invasive species pushes out native plants
Like invading Europeans displacing indigenous tribes
Armed with righteousness false
In truth, not understanding earth’s hidden secrets

Rather, out of tune,
            Dis-ingenuous,
                        Dis-engaging,
                                    Dis-astrous.

Consequences to humans, to wildlife, to ecosystems
Taming life
Yet to every life
            Now threatened
                        Living in terror
Of greenhouse effect, melting ice caps
Of bombs;
Of weaponry

Mad men seeking power
Follow instinctual trek of hunters
Now better-armed
Tribes of modern men invent more weapons,
            more killing fields
To protect the money god.
Driven by strange doctrines

Yet, gentler, gatherer tribes farm, nurture, grow.
Propagate the earth haven.
Sent from heaven, stewards of creation
Follow the WAY of peace, harmony,
            in tune with nature
A gentle people inherit the earth

In the End.


Monday, March 21, 2011

A Writer's Life

Today I've been following the Catholic Writer's Conference online. A week-long event, it is a smorgasborg of information for writers, Christian or secular. For a mere donation, you can sit in your easy chair and learn about pitches, blogging, writing tips, etc and even participate in online critiques with established writers and editors. REAL pitches to REAL publishers. Such a deal. It is well managed by several writers including Karina Fabian (see: fabianspace.blogspot.com), one of the top 50 bloggers! The most recent post in the chat room really encouraged me to post daily on my blogspot. I was concerned about shifting topics, but that doesn't seem to matter. So I'll try to post under different topics each day, but I'm sure I'll diverge as I'm a born multi-tasker, multi-thinker. Perfect for a middle-school teacher, albeit retired now. I've been working on my novel, Deported! and just returned from a meeting of the newly formed Citizens for Immgration Reform (CIR). It's exciting to be a part of the formation of a group like this who are dedicated to preserving our Constitutional rights for all people. Currently Latino immigrants are the target of racism. Do we really need more people in our Jails whose worst crime is the color of their skin? My novel is about the way these people are treated and the sufferings they endure as they strive to overcome abject poverty, prejudice, fear, and racism. Here is my "pitch" for the day:  

PITCH:
Deported! a Young Adult Novel
16-year-old Maria must grow up fast when her parents are deported to Mexico. With one brother stealing and another joining a gang, Maria is at her wits end trying to keep her family together. When an eviction throws her into the dangerous streets of Detroit, shy Maria must find the courage and resilience to face homelessness and ridicule at school. The parish church and a charming young man from the youth group offer her family sanctuary, hope and finally redemption. With immigration making today’s headlines, this action-packed Young Adult novel is sure to hook readers looking for multi-cultural topics of current interest. Through her faith in God and the recognition of the nobility of her people throughout centuries of hardship, she is able to rise above hopelessness and despair.