Our 1st Challenge

Since each of our work
will be posted on a page,
I think we should start off with something
that tells a little bit about ourselves.
Keep in mind,
it can take any form and does not have to be a poem.







All About Me

To a great extent I consider myself unique
With an inner beauty like that o' some rare antique.
A life o' peace, love and happiness is what I seek
With strength in spirit, humble, yet certainly not meek.

I was born to be a perfectly balanced Libran girl
Adorned with red hair, worn long and straight, nary a curl.
My favorite necklace is o' the oyster's lustrous pearl.
Gatherin' these from the sea, I'd like to give that a whirl!

I'm an animal lover, especially cherish all o' mine.
There's Missy, a turtle and Tidbit and Scratch, canine.
I feel my four legged critters are gifts o' love divine
Treasurin' them more than a bottle o' effervescent fine wine.

The spirit o' the sun dwells in the depths o' my heart
And a bit o' sunshine to others I'm destined to impart.
Away from domestic violence I've already had to dart
So if there's strife in relationships I'm quick to depart.

I'm a mother whose love is unconditional but tough.
My son's responsibility for his actions I cannot stress enough.
In my day to day dealin's I don't sweat the small stuff.
As to my stance on an issue o' magnitude, don't call my bluff.

The poetic words from my heart that are a gift from above
Are joyously shared with a bit o'sunshine and love.
Bein' a published poet is a dream I'll not easily let go of,
For now my words remain free flowin' on the wings o' doves.

Ruthi







Challenge Prompt - The WHERE I'M FROM


I am from high hills and low valleys,
from poverty and pain.

I am from the rural farmhouse rentals that changed
every few months for never ending years.

I am from the barren alfalfa fields,
the cornfields bittersweet.

I am from the Cox Tree Service woodsmen and
men and women who played as hard as they worked.
From Stanley Cox and Anna Kinsler
Anna Mae Cox was born - my mother whom I proudly claim.

I am from the addictions of drugs, sex and alcohol
and domestic violence of all forms.

From cold dark secrets and hot blooded heathens.

I am from the baptism of Lutheran religion,
a grandma who worshipped Jehovah and an
array of childhood non-denominational
church attendances;
all of which seemed to me in my youth
to be practicing hypocracies.

I'm from the hidden hills of Sugar Grove, Ohio,
where a pot of beans and home grown tomatoes
fed an aching belly.

From the unwed mother,
the unknown father and the
abusive stepfathers I have been born and bred.

I am from God and from the grand old U S of A
and since I am now no longer from my past
I am at present a woman with a unique soul
with the God given right and the freedom
to determine my future.
I am woman and I will do more than survive.
I will live!

© 2006 Ruth Anne Cox







Prompt & Response - August 2007

What piece of advice would you offer to other writers,
especially those afraid to put their feelings into words?

What do you consider to be your greatest asset as a writer?
Your greatest liability?

Who do you admire the most in the world of writing?

How does, or did, this person inspire you?


----------


My advice to other writers would be to write every single day.
Even when you fear you cannot - just write it!
Share the feelings hidden in the depths o' thy soul!
This is what makes the reader, and the writer, feel whole!

Feelings are my greatest asset as a writer.
What I feel in the depths o' my spirit - I want you to feel it, see it, hear it!

Feelings are also my greatest liability as a writer.
What I feel in the depths o' my spirit - can I write it
so that you can feel it, see it, hear it?

In the world o' writing, my utmost admiration is to the readers o' the world!
And, in my case,
the readers o' poetry and o' prose - life and time chronicled in rhyme.

In conversation with a man I once loved,
we shared our feelings about our grandparents.
I shared with him how I could not remember my Grandmother
ever hugging me as a child.
At that moment I had a vision o' the memory o' my Grandma.
She was sitting in her rocking chair,
me at her feet with one o' her books upon my lap.
She would recite poetic ballads to me as I followed the words on the pages.
I remember 'Annabel Lee.' I remember 'The Charge of the Light Brigade.'
I remember now that I got my love o' poetry from my Grandma.
I remember her reading and reciting the gifts inside her Bible to me,
while I sat at the foot o' that rocker.
I remember now that I got my gift o' rhyme from God Almighty.

I attribute my inspiration o' the writing o' my feelings, and yours,
to what I've learned from my Grandma and from my God.
That I would want to share this with the man I once loved, and with you,
'tis not a bit odd.

© 2007 Ruth Anne Cox







Click HERE
to visit my WWAUW Writings page.

Click HERE
to visit Ruthi's personal website.













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