Pub Pals

        Photo by a random man

Two beautiful women from Wales,

both writers and tellers of tales,

welcomed me to their land

with a hug and a hand,

lots of laughter and love and cocktails!

This is about the "publife and community" for dVerse.  I am much too late to link up there, but you should still go there and check out some great writing.  I had the good fortune to meet up with two writing, cyber-freinds when I travelled to the UK last year.  The amazing Shan Ellis and Julie Watkins are pictured here with me and the non-writing, but still delightful Lori McLaughlin.  And yes, a good time was had by all!

Happy New Year from Me and Neil

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself. 

  –Neil Gaiman

Sick Woman

When Tess Kincaid provided us with this image of 'Sick Woman' by Jan Steen at The Mag two oddly dissimilar things came to mind.  They are (and I'm not proud of this) as follows:

In the immortal words of Robert Palmer:

Doctor, Doctor gimme the news

I got a bad case of lovin’ you.

No pill is gonna cure my ill -

I got a bad case of lovin’ you. 


And the other was inspired by a quote from Edna St. Vincent Millay, which seems quite fitting as it is featured on the Willow Manor blog. 
“You see, I am a poet, and not quite right in the head, darling. It’s only that.” 

So with that in mind I came up with this:

The voices are so loud today;

why can’t you hear them too?

They set my skull to vibrating

and pierce my temples through.

Nonplussed, my pulse can scarce push past

the throng that crowds my heart.

The pills you push will not convince

these voices to depart.

Churning, yearning they all want  

for me to give them voice,

Bring me my pen and paper, don’t

you see I have no choice?

And there you have it.
This is also at the open link night at dVerse.  Check out the others there.