http://www.eliteskills.com/u/Lost Sheep The writings and poetry of Lost Sheep. en-us Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:54:00 -0600 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:54:00 -0600 Elite Generator http://www.eliteskills.com/z/57527 Reflection on an actual event, subconsciously romanticized I'm sure. My mother's been gone a year and I think I'm just realizing the effect that her absence has had on me. This began as just an attempt at sorting through my own grief. The more I worked on it, the more I like it as a finished work. Technical and artistic critiques are most welcome. http://www.eliteskills.com/z/57572 Ashlee asked for my inspiration, so I thought I would add it here. The inspiration came from the day of my mother's death, last April. The real scene was my dad, my brother, my wife and I on Mom and Dad's patio. They have a large flowering cherry tree in the front yard and their entire lawn and the patio where we stood was pink was fallen petals. They stuck to our shoes in the early morning dew. Her body had been cleaned by the home care staff and placed back on her bed. We were waiting for the people to come take her remains to the crematory. We busied ourselves tidying up, burning things we no longer wanted to see in the patio fire pit. Greeting cards, prescription bottles, wilted flowers, DNR paperwork, it all crackled with a little lawn mower fuel as the flower petals blew around us and into the fire. I first tried to incorporate the real happenings into a larger poem, but I haven't been able to make that work yet. Yet. Perhaps I need to get back to that. http://www.eliteskills.com/z/61436 http://www.eliteskills.com/z/63217 This is a completely fictional piece based in a bit of reality. There is a bar where several friends and I have begun to go. I've only been there four times, but each time, there has been a woman at a table near us. She never says a word, even when approached. I have no idea what her real story is, but here's a made up tale that features her. BTW, the gothic chic on the pool table is our own nebnim. http://www.eliteskills.com/z/175836 http://www.eliteskills.com/z/65016 The human mind is an amazing thing. http://www.eliteskills.com/z/57410 Something that streamed from me one morning at work after a phone call from my mother. God, I miss her. http://www.eliteskills.com/z/57670 I guess this image hasn't left me yet. This is a completely different work than "Petals in the Wind". This is the real story, the poem I started first but couldn't finish, the truly personal tale. Thank you Ashlee for pushing me. Thanks to all who commented on the first work. I think there's room for two. http://www.eliteskills.com/z/57742 Whether your job is saving children or doing dishes it's always possible to raise the bar.