Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011 assessment


As usual at this time of year, I doubt my productivity, so I do an assessment of my writing.


I have, of course, proofread and edited approximately 2000 papers during the year, although that doesn’t count as writing, but it is part of how I earn most of my money. If I multiplied that times the 45 years I have taught, it comes to more than 100,000 papers over a lifetime.

Having become more organized, I can give an accurate accounting of my writing for 2011:

1. Poems:

    A. Written—52

        a. Free verse—20

        b. Rhymed verse—4

        c. Prose poem—6

        d. Haiku—4
 
        e. Tanka—19

        f. Shaped poem—1

        g. Acrostic—2

        h. Translated from French—0

        i. Translated from Spanish—1

    B. Submitted for publication—10 (current and archived)

    C. Published—2 (AAR “Dawn’s Early Light” and “A Position in a Place.”)(archived, current); 41 tanka in Tanka Time, an illustrated book of poetry.

    D. Published in blog Writing Rite—90 (from previously published collections Son(love)nets, 1975;     Memento, 1976; and Two Wholes Make It Total, 1978; Cadet Rousseau, 1988; City Magic, 1987,Monsters in a Half-way House, 1981, Tanka Time [unpublished] or brand new).

2. Articles or essays

    A. Started—14

        a. Completed—10

        b. Submitted for publication— 2

        c. Published—2

        d. Published in blog Writing Rite—9 (from archives or written in the blog)

3. Short stories

    A. Started—12

    B. Completed—6

    C. Entered in contests—2

        a. “The Bridge” and “Fort Sumter”—Glimmer Train

        b. “Fort Sumter” and “’Trash Bag’ and ‘Sweat Hog’”—Bridport

    D. Published—0

    E. Published in blog Writing Rite—5(from previously published collections Touch Me and A Collection of Nickel-Plated Angels)

4. Novels

    A. Worked on—4

        a. Science fiction—2

        b. Mystery—1

        c. Historical Western—1

    B. Completed—2

    C. Published—2 (Windfall and Long Shot)

    D. Published as eBook—7: Books Four through Ten of the Buck Jaspers Mystery series.

        a. A Meeting of Minds

        b. Severance

        c. Possession

        d. Raiders

        e. Deletion

        f. Silent Partner

        g. Windfall

    E. Chapters published in blog Writing Rite—19 (revised from Interplanetary Secret Agent: Book One: Putkwyz)

5. Anthologies

    A. First Writing Rite, an anthology of my first year’s blog.

        a. Worked on

        b. Published (Create Space) May 2011

        c. Entered in contest sponsored by Pinnacle Books.

        d. Published as eBook (Bookbaby).

    B. Second Writing Rite

        a. Worked on

6. Plays

    A. Screenplay

        a. Long Shot

            i. Worked on (Act One completed)

    B. Play (one act)

        a. Wild, Expensive Oats

            i. Completed

            ii. Published in blog

            iii. Entered in contest (SFWA)

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Greeting Neighbors

15.


We didn’t say “Good
Morning,” smile, and shake our
Neighbors’ hands. Instead--
O hio. Go za i mas?”
And bowed to greet them.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Japanese Dress



14.



Mother bought for us all
Kimonos, obis, gatas
And fans; the gals’ were
Festive, but the guys’, somber,
Serious, dark, befitting them.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Final View Tokyo

39: Tokyo Zoo



My family stood
Serene with bound happiness—
Inside the display
Of wild trapped beasts and caged birds—
Symbolically occupied.

 
This is the last tanka based on my childhood memories.  More may come if more memories return.  
 
The photo is one of two taken at the time represented by these poems and included with them; it shows my mother and father and my older sister June and me at the Tokyo Zoo.  I believe the photo was taken by a willing Japanese citizen who was touring the zoo with his family at the same time. 
 
The other photo, which appears before the first tanka, is of my sister (before diabetes) and me on the deck of the U.S.S. Sullivan.  This photo was no doubt taken by my mother.  The ship was named after the family that lost five boys in one battle during World War Two.  They had been sailors--all serving on the same ship.
 
My sister was two years short of being a "baby boomer," but I was one of the first of my crowded generation.  As our lives progressed, I found this fact to be a dividing line of tastes and attitudes between my sister and me.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The Emperor's home

38: Imperial Palace



Someone important
Had lived inside those stone walls
Above the dark moat,
Ensconced in white carnations
Amid koto and sushi.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Spring in Japan


37: Cherry Blossoms





The white and pink glow
Plumped the trees like cotton can-
Dy while the floating
Petals wafted downward like
An exhalation d’esprit.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Visiting Buddha

36.



We marched up the steps
To where the great stone Buddha
Watched over the land.
I touched its giant gray knee—
And it seemed to look at me.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

honored boy



35: Boys Day Koinobori.




Green fish flying up
Above us over the rooftop—
Not inverted world,
But honor for me just for
Being a snot-picking boy!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

East leaves West


34.



She confused me, imp
That I was, when she married
Someone else more her
Size. Was she never to come
Back to care for the bad boy?