Song of Sappho

Song of Sappho
Six Sapphic Stanzas
James M M Baldwin


Waning lavender daylight colors your hair
Bluish purple locks envy of the violets
Purple curls charm Lydia’s renowned dyers
Lavender tresses

Petite Olive skinned loveliness unrivaled
Lips of gathered nectar from golden roses
Hypnotic umber eyes captivating gaze
Olive skinned beauty

Originator of celestial songs
Honored among the greatest lyric poets
Odes divine oh Sappho's songs from the tenth muse
Celestial songs

Poetic passion for all things beautiful
Love's infatuations unrequited
Aristocratic art of Socratic love
Poetic passion

Lyrics of the wind-shaken olive tree branches
Fair words produce unwakable comatose sleep
Poetic choruses awaken the dead
Lyrics of the wind

Sing a song of Sappho so that I may die
Athens' Solon desired her song more than life
Lyrics worthy of sacred admiration
So that I may die

Dialogue Excerpt from Chapter 2 of Spencer Murdoch and the Portals of Erzandor

In this excerpt from Spencer Murdoch and the Portals of Erzandor, Spencer is explaining to his friend and coworker Jack. Spencer notices a couple of strangers working in the field across from his house. I walks over to investigate and notices one of them has a gun. When Spencer sneaks away, something under an unusual bush by his house distracts him. Jack, who always has some wild theory, keeps throwing in his two cents worth.

(Jack asks.) “What do you mean ‘something under the bushes’?”

(Spenser replies. ) “Remember the flash I told you about. Well, there was this reflection, or a flicker of light, like somebody shined a flashlight in the corner of my eye. I don’t know what it was, and I’m not even sure why I care. I suppose it could’ve just been a trick of the light, but you should’ve seen it! I swear it had a direct connection to my thoughts. Like it was telling me everything will be all right.”

Jack stayed uncharacteristically quiet for a minute, before he offered his opinion. “I know what it was.”

“Okay genius, what was it?” Spencer knew one of Jack’s extraordinary explanations would follow.

“The two guys in the woods were probably aliens from another planet! And they didn’t have a regular gun; they had a mind control gun. They must have shot you with a thought ray and that’s what flashed. I bet you’re under their control right now. Yeah, if those two guys are as big as you say, and one of them had a name like Gustav, they have to be from another planet.”

Spencer grabbed his chin and looked down, pretending to consider the out-of-this-world theory. He went back to work without responding.

Jack continued to nudge him from his catatonic state. “They could have been ghosts! Yeah, that’s more likely than aliens. I bet they were ghosts. You’re probably under the influence of some supernatural force from a fourth dimension.”

After another make-believe thoughtful pause, Spencer still did not reply.

A few minutes later, Jack followed with yet another theory. “I know. I know what it was… Bigfoot! It must have been Bigfoot. You know Yeti. Sasquatch! The Abominable Snowman! Those two guys must have been Bigfoot hunters, and they didn’t want you moving in on their catch.”

Another short moment of silence followed before they both broke into laughter.

Spencer shook his head. “I’m glad you have it all figured out. Let me get this straight. You think the flash came from the ghost of an alien Sasquatch named Gustav, right?”

Jack raised his eyebrows. “It could happen.”

Read the entire scene and learn what it is Spencer saw under the bush in Spencer Murdoch and the Portals of Erzandor.

Get the book at these stores.
James M M Baldwin wix.com
Amazon
CreateSpace
And wherever books and ebooks are sold

Take a look at the scripted version in the video below. It shows the whole scene, so it starts a little before this dialogue. You can skip ahead to 2:04 or just watch the whole thing. The characters and setting are not accurate, but it captures the mood of the dialogue rather well.

Observing Jackson Pollock

Observing Jackson Pollock
James M M Baldwin

Swirling, dripping, drizzled color
Looming, high and wide
Lost within your intricacies
Overlapping blues and greens
Stepping close you fill my vision
Stepping closer I feel your process
Closer still, I smell the oils,
Turpentine, canvass
Texture, color, curves, spots
Within inches now, fingers twitch,
longing to touch
Over my shoulder
A security guard watches,
intently scrutinizing
I back away
Standing, gazing
Drinking in your wonder


Jackson Pollock Convergence
Albright–Knox Art Gallery
Buffalo, New York

Judging a Book by its Cover -or- Knowing a Good Nut from Bad

You've heard the saying, "You can't judge a book by its cover."
It's a metaphor about prejudice. Not concerning race but strictly appearance. My dad used to say, "You can tell what a book is about by its cover. You can tell if it's a romance or science fiction, a mystery or horror. That's what a cover is for." So, can you judge a book by its cover? Not quite. You can't tell whether the book is good or not.

I originally wanted to write this post concerning peanuts. I love peanuts in the shell. I can't go to a baseball game without having a bag. Anyway, I noticed that you couldn't tell what the nut inside was going to taste like by the way the shell looked. Sometimes you can, but not always. Sometimes the prettiest, perfectly colored, flawlessly shaped shell contains a bad fruit. Other times, an ugly discolored shell holds the most enjoyable nut. After a lifetime of eating peanuts, I am better at finding the good and bad peanuts. However, even with my experience, I can still be wrong. I really hate it when the nut I save for last, thinking it would be the most delicious, turns out to be the bad nut. I misjudged and now I'm left with a sour taste in my mouth.

Then I realized the metaphor I wanted to create was already contained in the judging a book by its cover saying.

With books, you can sort of tell what it's about from the cover, but can you tell if it's any good. Does a poorly crafted cover mean a poorly written book? Does a beautiful cover mean the writing inside is just as elegant or enticing. Not necessarily. My dad was right. You can judge a book by its cover, but the saying was wrong. It's been said different ways. It's not that you "can't" judge a book by its cover, it's that you "shouldn't."

It's the same with people. Sometimes the nice looking, impeccably groomed person can be the most deceitful. And the oddest person, the one you might avoid eye contact with, might just be the one that would do anything to help others. Maybe. Maybe not.

But what about books. How can you tell? I guess you'll just have to open it up and see if the first words compel you on to sentences, then paragraphs, and eventually chapters. So next time you're in your local book store, (or church, or wherever) take a look at the person you might ordinarily avoid. Give 'em a smile and see what happens.

Have you ever judged a book by its cover, only to find out you were wrong? What book was it? Or who was it? What misled you?

And while you’re here, go ahead and throw the peanut shells on the floor. I'll sweep 'em up later.

Jim

Nightmare

Nightmare
James M M Baldwin

Are there monsters under your bed?
Creeping, crawling from the dead

Gnashing, grinding long sharp teeth
Hiding in the dark beneath

Angry, piercing yellow eyes
Jagged claws of monstrous size

Crooked snotty bulbous nose
While you sleep, sniffing your toes

Are there monsters under your bed?
Maybe they're just in your head

Dandelions

Dandelions
James M M Baldwin

Mother sent us out
Into the front yard
My brother and me
One cent she offer'd
For yellow flowers
A price on the head
Of dandelions
She Obviously
Did not realize
clearly had not thought
Ten-year-olds could have
certain ambitions
with money involv'd
An hour and a half
A full plastic pail
Mother asked us
How many we had
We had not kept track
I quickly offered
Sixty-one thousand
Seven hundred two
Mother's arms crossed
Foot tapping the floor
I stuck out my hand
Smiling innocent
That must be at least
A hundred dollars
She gave us each five
Waving our money
We both ran smiling
Hoping there would be
More dandelions
Tomorrow

What is Speculative Fiction?

People often ask me, "What is speculative fiction?" Like all fiction, I like to tell them, it answers the question, "what if?" In speculative fiction, the question is, "What if anything imaginable were possible?" In my stories I've asked questions such as; What if a percentage of light speed travel is possible. What if time travel is possible? What if supernatural monsters are real? What if someone could physically enter the dreams of another person? What if hatred could manifest itself in a biological presence? What if a man discovered a portal between heaven and hell? These are only a few of the questions that have made it into my stories. I have hundreds of questions such as these that have the potential to become future stories and novels.

I know this concept seems like it could be infinitely wide-ranging, but I believe that is what speculative fiction should be. No restraints. Technically, speculative fiction encompasses the genres of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. But even among these three, there are many subgenres. Wikipedia defines it as, " an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror fiction, weird fiction, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as related static, motion, and virtual arts.

According to Google, to speculate means to form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence. They define speculative as engaged in, expressing, or based on conjecture rather than knowledge. Those are fancy ways to say, "making stuff up." That's what we do when we write speculative fiction. I know some "hard science fiction" fans and writers that might disagree with that, but it's still taking what is known or possible and filling in the blanks. Some relevant synonyms might be conjectural, theoretical, hypothetical, or abstract. Put the word fiction after any one of those and it could probably be considered a subgenre of speculative fiction.

GreenTentacles.com attributes the creation of the term "speculative fiction" to Robert Heinlein (one of the big three science fiction writer of all time along with Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clark) in 1941. DictionaryReferance.com gives a precise definition, "a broad literary genre encompassing any fiction with supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements. That makes it easy. Right?

Well, I'd better get busy writing. If you want to know more about my speculative writing, stop by my website. In the meantime, what's your favorite speculative genre. Or, if you want to be more specific, who is one of your favorite speculative fiction authors or what is one of your favorite speculative works?

In Memory of Your Name

In Memory of Your Name
by James M M Baldwin


I got your mail again today
I don't know you
Never met you

You must've lived here before me
This must've been your house
Where did you go?

Did you find a better place?
A warmer climate?
Are you even still alive?

Maybe your ghost is still here
With me
In this house


I haven't seen you
I heard a creek in the hall
Last night

Most of the mail comes
From someone you never met
From some place you'd never been

Today was different
A hand written letter
With a real postage stamp

I wanted to open it
Maybe then, I would know
Who you are or who you were

I'll keep putting it back
In the mailbox
With the red flag up

The mailman will take it back
Tomorrow
I don't know where

For now, I'll remember you
Not your face
Only your name

Your name will live
In my memory
My mailbox will remind me

Of your name



What do you think? Do you ever get someone else's mail. Let me know. Or tell me about something else on your mind.
Thanks
Jim

Exciting News From Author Jenelle Leanne Schmidt

Cover Reveal from Author Jenelle Leanne Schmidt's Second Son

In an attempt to manipulate the future, a family and a nation are forced to
decide between two brothers. Guided by a prophecy spoken hundreds of years
before, the King and Queen of Llycaelon have set their course. Their goal: to
fulfill the prophecy and save their nation from a dire fate.

Rhoyan has always understood and accepted his own role as second born and
perpetual prince. He looks forward to the day when he will be a warrior in his
older brother’s guard. When Rhoyan is sent on a quest filled with unimaginable
danger, nobody anticipates the greater repercussions.

As Rhoyan journeys far across the seas on his appointed trial, he will battle
creatures of legend, suffer shipwreck, endure captivity, and lay claim to a
fallen star. When tragedy strikes, Rhoyan must struggle to return home believing
his quest has failed. However, the home he left no longer awaits him and the
true test of his strength and character has only just begun.

Long before Aom-igh needed a champion, Llycaelon had a Second Son.

AUTHOR BIO:

Jenelle grew up the oldest of four. Every night before bedtime her father read
to her and her siblings, and it was during these times that her love for
adventure and fantasy were forged. While she adored the stories of the Lord of
the Rings, the Chronicles of Prydain, the Wheel of Time, and the Chronicles of
Narnia; it wasn’t long before her imagination led her to the creation of a world
and story all her own.

In 2001, Jenelle completed King’s Warrior, originally titled The Dragon’s Eye,
as a project for her father who wanted something new and fun to read to the
family at night. This first endeavor gave way to the completion of a four book
series that is full of the same adventure that Jenelle grew to love in
literature as a little girl. Jenelle graduated from Taylor University in Indiana
in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in English Education.

Jenelle has written numerous short stories and many poems, as well as some full
length work within the realm of science fiction. King’s Warrior is her first
published work and she is currently working on bringing the rest of the series
to public availability. Jenelle lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her
husband Derek and two little girls Leiana Arwen and Nathalie Eowyn.

Peace
Jim

2014

Happy New year to one and all. I wish everyone the best and hope that your dreams and desires are fulfilled in 2014. I'll be back. Stay tuned. The best is yet to come. Jim