Scribblings on Whatever

Is There Hope for Our Educational System?

5/31/2023

I’ve been fussing for a long time about the decline of the American educational system. My rampage began the first time a cashier had no clue how to give correct change without the cash register telling her how much to give. What really got me ticked off was when her manager couldn’t figure it out either.

I patiently stepped in and coached them. “All you have to do is count up from what I owe you, $3.42 to the amount I gave you, $5.00. Start with the 42 cents and get three pennies – 43, 44, 45. Then a nickel will bring it up to 50 cents and two quarters will make four dollars, and another single with bring it up to $5.00.” Heaven help us if I’d given her $5.02!

What hurts me the most is seeing someone who struggles with reading. Not being able to figure out an unrecognizable word makes understanding the text so difficult. About a year ago, I wrote an article about the current method, originally called three-cueing but now referred to as Reading Recovery, used in public schools to teach reading. Instead of being taught to sound out words, students are supposed to pick up cues from the accompanying picture. Unfortunately, after first grade, the pictures get few and far between. Then it's up to the child to predict (guess) what the word could be from how it is used in the text. If the sentences make sense, the reader must be getting the words right, or right enough.

It Doesn’t Work, People! Its disastrous results have been proven countless times in studies and statistics. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 32 percent of fourth-graders and 24 percent of eighth-graders aren't reading at a basic level. Fewer than 40 percent are proficient or advanced. But for some reason, this teaching method is still accepted.

I heard a report on NPR (National Public Radio) that rekindled my pet peeve, yet gave hope that reading instruction may go back to actually teaching kids how to read. School districts across the country are dropping Reading Recovery and taking a more science-based approach that focuses on the sounds of letters and how to figure out what the mystery word is.

My faith has been restored. Hopefully, more school systems will switch. Face it, all learning is centered on reading. With the gradual re-direction to phonics, maybe students will improve in other subjects, and teachers will be encouraged to teach more than just the test.

Check out this NPR interview from last December. Hopefully, it’ll make you think seriously about this issue.

A Touch of Sassy

5/26/2023

What Are Americans’ Reading Habits According to Latest Survey?

5/24/2023

According to Pew Research Center, eBooks reached a decade high in 2021 with 30% of the American readers having read at least one book in this format. Also in 2021, the percentage of American readers who listened to an audio book also presented a new high of 23%.

It’s interesting to note that 33% of Americans read books in both print and digital formats (eBooks and audiobooks). Approximately another third only read print books. Surprise! Only 9% only read in the digital formats. Sadly, 23% read no books at all.

Although so many of us authors feel compelled to offer eBooks in this digital age, 65% of American readers read at least one print book in 2021. This was not the high of the decade, but it was a recovery from the Covid years. The average of books read by Americans in 2021 was 14 books, but the median number of books read by individuals was five. This is identical to the first year of assessing Americans’ reading habits in 2011.

Do Education, Income, or Demographics Affect These Habits?

The figures from the recent survey by PRC indicate that college graduates are more likely to have read books in all formats compared to other educational levels. Urban readers have a bit of an edge on suburban and rural although it is not a large gap.

Despite what one might assume from book clubs and readers’ groups, men read about as many books as women. According to the survey, the percentages in the “read a book in any format” category indicate that people read less as they get older. I have to confess that this is not the case for me (I fall into the 65+ category). I admit that I haven’t read as many books in the last several years as I did earlier in this millennium, but I believe I’m reading more in a year than I did in my twenties. To be fair, when I was in my twenties, print books were the only choice most of us really had. Audiobooks were available on cassette tapes in the 1960s and didn’t come out on compact discs until the 1980s. It was easier to just carry your book with you!

What About the Reading Habits of Kids?

In both 1984 and 2012 PRC determined that 53% of nine-year-olds read for fun nearly every day. In 2020 it was down to 42%. Those who reported they never or hardly ever read for fun was 16% in 2020 compared to 9% in 1984. In the 2020 survey, it appears that American girls are more likely to read for fun than their male counterparts.

The bottom line indicates that in 2020 compared to 2012, every group of nine-year-olds across the racial spectrum read for fun less in a range of 9-12% declines.

Do you think social media is having an affect on this decline? As an older adult with no young children in my life, I can only consider what I observe. It seems that really young kids I see at stores and restaurants are totally engrossed in their cellphones. Maybe they’re reading a book? I have no idea, but it does make me wonder if surfing isn’t having a deleterious effect on their reading habits now and in the future.

Thoughts On the Subject

If you’re an author, do you feel Americans’ reading habits are having an economic effect on your bottom line?
If you’re an author, how do you feel about only offering the eBook format?
As a reader, do you agree with the survey by Pew Research Center?
As a reader, how do you feel about the reading habits of kids being affected by online surfing?

From A Toy to A Catalyst for Change

5/17/2023

The Evolution of a Slingshot was written by my late husband, John Dean Williamsen, after he had learned to read again in the aftermath of two strokes. This was a story he had been telling me about for years. I kept telling him to write it down. Enthralled by his success at learning to read again, he sat down and began to write. I was thrilled to see how well he did. As an editor, I only had to make the usual punctuation changes.

Although this is described as a coming-of-age novel, it revolves around a murder. I hope you enjoy it as much as those who’ve read it have.

The Book Blurb

The Evolution of a Slingshot is a story of a boy whose life is often as raw and unfettered as the times. He lives in a world of tarpaper shacks and basement homes, of dusty roads and outhouses, of poverty and optimism, of the American Dream and justice snubbed.

In the late 1940s, while the country is recovering from the Great Depression and World War II, an eleven-year-old boy is simply trying to survive his small-town world in Illinois. The great tragedy in his life has been the mysterious murder of his father, which has turned his world upside-down. The fear that grows out of his loss leads him to cling to his brother, Ray, as a substitute father figure. Unfortunately, Ray is only four years older, and while seeking retribution for his father’s death, he is also struggling with his family’s expectations of his filling his father’s shoes.

After watching the way Ray handles the situation when Jake is attacked on his paper route, Jake recognizes how self-destructive his brother’s anger can be, and he is afraid for him. This strengthens Jake’s resolve to handle his problems himself. The slingshot, which was once a toy to Jake, has now become his only means of defense. His life continues to offer him opportunities to choose how to deal with confrontations and the loss of others close to him.

His struggle to make the right choices transforms his relationship with his slingshot. It is this evolving relationship that mirrors the changes in Jake’s inner psychology—the changes which mold his personality and shape his ideas of right and wrong. When he finds himself at the decisive moment where he has the means to avenge the wrongs his family has suffered, what will his decision be? His future now hinges on the choices he makes.

https://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Slingshot-Toy-Catalyst-Change/dp/1479302503
https://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Slingshot-Toy-Catalyst-Change-ebook/dp/B0099A2OAQ

Writing: Does It Get Easier or Harder?

5/10/2023

How writing feels to you can depends on many things.

• What's your mood at the moment you sit down to write? Depending on what it is, it can make writing hard or easy.

• Are you comparing your efforts to your last book, which you can clearly recall and have yet to lose the momentum you had, or to your first book for which the memory of your labor pains has dissipated? Both could persuade you that writing has become quite easy for you these days.

• Are you competing with yourself or someone else? This ego-driven activity always makes writing seem harder.

• Are you seeking excellence? This has the power to motivate you, but it also has the power to stall you in your tracks. So, once again, writing can become easy or hard.

• Are you simply seeking to honor your talent by refining your expression through the means available to you? Then writing becomes easy because you meet that which would seem hard by simply expecting the best.

I know of many writers, including myself, who have started a novel only to put it aside to work on another idea. Later, sometimes years, we come back to it, and it flows as if there had never been a problem. Why? I think it comes back to one of those items listed above.

I feel the creative part of myself is almost like a separate entity from my day-to-day personality. It has moods and can be just as stubborn as the rest of me. When I write vers libre, my creative self is chomping at the bit to express itself. I have learned to give it room. It makes writing so much easier for me no matter what I am writing.

Kids Can Be Your Greatest Fan or Your Harshest Critic

5/3/2023

I enjoy writing children’s books.

Why, I can’t really say. One person hinted it was the measure of my mental capabilities. She said I think like a kid. I’m still debating whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

At first, I never thought of writing and publishing children’s stories. Making up silly tales began as a keep-the-kids-busy activity to save my sanity.

My initial attempt at creating a story occurred when I was a novice preschool teacher many years ago. Occasionally, I had to improvise when my scheduled activities didn’t last as long as planned, and a quick substitute was called for on the spot. Mildred, a purple cow who barked like a dog and swam like a duck, was the best my frazzled mind could come up with during one of those gaps.

Believe me, Mildred was a one-time deal. The kids were not impressed, and they let me know their disapproval. Their critiques ranged from blank stares to yawns to walking away. Luckily, Dr. Seuss came to my rescue with his Green Eggs and Ham. Another teacher had noticed my plight, and like magic, the book appeared on the floor beside me.

However, I was not the only failure that day. The teacher who rescued me had the bright idea of cooking some green scrambled eggs by adding a few drops of blue food coloring. Her experiment went okay until the squirt bottle accidentally dropped into the bowl of raw eggs, splashing its contents all over the table, chairs, and nearby arms, legs, and clothes. That was another disaster we never repeated. You talk about unhappy polka-dotted children and their parents, too! Oh my!

We learned from our mistakes. As time passed, my improvised stories improved, transforming my pint-sized critics into fans.

Story time became their favorite part of the day. I experimented with writing longer stories, which the kids thoroughly enjoyed. The children and I also authored stories together with the young artists doing the illustrations. The proud kids took their books home with them. Hmmm…I wonder if any still exist.

After getting married and moving to another state, my work with kids came to an end and so did the stories. Yet, the opportunity to write again presented itself when my husband and I developed health issues and had to give up our aviation business. The first Patchwork Dog and Calico Cat stories were written on a legal pad and stored in a desk drawer. I was too busy with my freelance newspaper work to do much with them then. Eventually, my work slowed down, and Patchy and Calico were rescued from the drawer.

Returning to the original question concerning why I do this, I write children’s books because that’s what I’m comfortable doing. I’m extremely fortunate to be able to write. It’s such a thrill to read my stories to kids and listen to their giggles as Patchy gets into one mess after another.

The greatest reward I hope for isn’t fame or fortune but seeing young’uns laughing and having fun while going on adventures with Patchy and Calico.

However, my primary goal is to spread the joy of reading. I want to provide books that encourage kids to keep reading for the rest of their lives.

Could there be anything better than that?

Patchwork Dog and Calico Cat - Book One

Print https://www.amazon.com/Patchwork-Dog-Calico-Greta-Burroughs/dp/1467989460/

Kindle & Kindle Unlimited
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006B9RSIQ/

Universal link http://viewbook.at/patchyandcalicocat1

SassyScribblers.com www.sassyscribblers.com/books-for-children.html

Can Sensitivity Reviewing Go Too Far?

4/26/2023

An Example of Sensitivity Critiquing of Classical Literature: Roald Dahl

According to the BBC, below are some of the changes being made in Roald Dahl’s books.

• Augustus Gloop, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now described as "enormous."
• The word "fat" has been taken out of every book - according to the Telegraph.
• Mrs. Twit, from The Twits, is now described as "beastly" no longer "ugly and beastly."
• The Twits has removed the word "weird" from the sentence "a weird African language."
• "Crazy" and "mad" have also been taken out of the books.
A spokesperson for the UK Prime Minister used a word created by Dahl to support his opposition to the changes. “When it comes to our rich and varied literary heritage, the prime minister agrees with the BFG [Big Friendly Giant] that we shouldn’t gobblefunk around with words.”

If you’re interested, here’s a link to Roald Dahl: the best gobblefunk words: https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/jun/14/roald-dahl-dictionary-best-gobblefunk-words

While Travis Croken, national co-chair of the Canadian Authors Association, believes using sensitivity readers to rewrite classical literature like Dahl is problematic he does believe employing them to work on in-progress manuscripts can be an important aspect of the writing process.

Examples of In-process Critiquing

A British Columbia sensitivity reader told an author of an unpublished manuscript that her autistic lead character, who spent her time hating herself and being a burden to her family, was a harmful characterization and needed to be changed. There was no mention of how the story played out. Did the character eventually evolve into a better state of mind or was her role to demonstrate to readers, even autistic ones, how unproductive her attitude was?

One sensitivity reader makes the point that often authors are writing about situations they know nothing about. She is non-binary and finds that despite their research, cisgender authors may tap into stereotypes or utilize damaging tropes. I understand that as authors we cannot always walk in another’s shoes, but I find it interesting that in reviewing a fantasy book, she found fault with a black character who turned into a Minotaur being described as monstrous and bestial. She saw this as a dangerous stereotype. My clinical observation is to ask: If the character were not black and still turned into a Minotaur in this fantasy novel, would you still consider it a stereotype?

Being a fantasy novel and the character being a Minotaur, having the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man, which has often been described in mythology as being monstrous and ferocious, doesn’t it seem like overreach to assume that the author’s descriptives were aimed at the character’s race rather than at the Minotaur itself? If one sees this as impossible to view other than as a “damaging stereotype,” it opens the door to authors being unable to exercise their imaginations or create characters that are anything but perfect by someone else’s standards. Censorship of societal issues should not be applied without context.

Authors often use their imaginations to present societal conditions as they exist in order to inform those who are uninformed about those situations. Not all instances are designed to express disapproval of someone or some way of life. Once again, context is important. I once had a reader who, after reading a couple of chapters in one of my books, felt the female character was not portraying the strength she expected. Of course, she didn’t read the book in which this female’s character evolved into a strong, independent woman.

Author Keira Drake had the release of her book postponed because early readers pounced on what they termed “racist trash.” The Continent is a fantasy novel about two warring nations. Apparently describing one nation’s warrior as having “reddish-brown skin and painted faces” is one of the things which set them off. I admit that I haven’t read the book, but it’s difficult to see exactly how imaginary peoples in a fantasy novel could offend anyone.

Writers’ Opinions

American author Francine Prose doesn’t believe authors and publishers need to hire sensitivity readers. “Few of us are working in so much isolation that we can’t find someone who we trust about a certain subject and say, ‘You know, you think I’m getting this wrong?’”

Award-winning author, Kate Clanchy, who went through the gauntlet with several sensitivity readers offers her opinion in an opinion piece. The title is “How sensitivity readers corrupt literature: They sullied my memoir to suit their agenda.” https://unherd.com/2022/02/how-sensitivity-readers-corrupted-literature/

Writer Hillary Jordan, author of Mudbound, told NPR.org the following: Literature “comes from curiosity about how other people live; it comes from the desire to break down the barriers between us. And I just don't know how you do that if you have someone looking over your shoulder and sort of coughing slightly to let you know when you're off."

Sensitivity reader Dhonielle Clayton says, "I'm not in the business of censoring people. I'm in the business of checking to make sure what they're doing does not have harm and repercussions for the people that they are writing about. Because people don't realize the power of words and the power of bad representation — it can haunt people."

Do Sensitivity Readers Have Value?

If all sensitivity readers approach their work like Lynn Brown in New York, then it can be a good thing. She believes her role to be pointing out if the character feels stereotyped or if the character from particular segments of society would speak the way the author has written. She also believes she should point out if the author is developing the character in a stereotypical way to the point of being offensive to those readers of similar backgrounds.

One sensitivity reader believes that any author writing across cultures should use a sensitivity reader, especially in books for kids. I agree that accessing feedback from persons who are in the population group of your characters if different from your own is as reasonable as accessing experts in periods of history or professions used in your book.

My Opinion

I think classic literature should be left alone. It smacks of trying to rewrite history, an offense on the lips of millions today.
Advising authors on a work-in-progress is fine and can perhaps rectify one-dimensional stereotypes as well as clichés as long as the author has the final word.
As mentioned earlier with the Minotaur example, context should always be considered. If a book is a fantasy or a science fiction, it is especially important to honor that they do not usually mirror reality.
Let us all remember that when talking fiction works, fiction is defined as “literature in the form of prose that describes imaginary events and people,” who I assume cannot be offended.
The difference between censorship, such as banning books, and sensitivity readers is that censorship is the suppression of content. As long as sensitivity readers’ opinions are held to the standard of suggestions, there is no suppression.

In today’s hair-trigger, hyperreactive social media landscape, as the New York Times describes it, readers can often assume it is their job to nitpick everything they read. Sometimes you have to wonder if they took the time to enjoy the stories in the books they post about. If such “heightened scrutiny” continues, many writers of fiction will refrain from including other cultures in their writing, resulting in a more homogenized body of literature.

We want to know what you think. Do you believe books should be altered and possible offensive words and content be removed, or should the books be left as they are?

Awaken Your Capacity to Succeed with MindSlap!

4/19/2023

Would you like to know what is left out of most of the techniques on how to be successful? Have you tried enough of the methods and experienced the disappointment of being unable to get them to work for you? Have you asked yourself the question, "This worked for them, why doesn't it work for me?"

I hasten to say there's probably nothing wrong with their methods. After all, some people DID get them to work. If they worked for some, do these procedures have the potential to work for you? Of course. Does it mean that if you follow their path exactly you will experience comparable success? My experiences tell me that this is rarely true.

If your "garbage" thoughts influencing your life are exactly the same as theirs and you’re able to feel, think, and behave as they did, you may be able to duplicate their success. The problem is that no two of us are exactly alike in our experiences or our hang-ups. Just because someone writes a book and details how to be a success does not mean that it will open doors in the same way for YOU.

There is an internal, spiritual creative process that works in the background for everything you desire to achieve. Being aware of the steps of this process so that you can plug your own unique desires into it and work through your unique obstacles to create the mental equivalent of what you are able to accept in your reality is a spiritual gift.

If you are interested in engaging with this process consciously, you may be interested in MindSlap! the paperback version of our 5 CD audiobook It's Your Move! Transform Your Dreams from Wishful Thinking to Reality, a Bronze Award winner in ForeWord Magazine's 2004 Book of the Year Awards.

You can maximize your potential with MindSlap!

Engage the Process: make the process that manifests your desires a conscious tool you can use for a lifetime!
Cut Through the Clutter: tweak the system of beliefs you have about yourself and the world around you that determines how you interact with life.
Embrace a Powerful Self-image: improve your life experiences through identifying and neutralizing negative emotions and attitudes while learning to embrace the positive ones that are in harmony with your desires.
Explode into Action: take what you learn and apply it to your inner world so you can express creatively in your business and your life!

Your thoughts and feelings must be in harmony with your desires, or you’ll get a watered-down version of your goal. If you are a singer, you cannot be as successful as you want to be if you believe everyone else is better than you! You can’t be as good a teacher if you don’t think anyone wants to hear what you have to say. It's time to fine-tune your thoughts and feelings!

Unfortunately, there are only a few copies of the 5 CD audio book remaining. After my husband had his strokes, we never produced any more of them. If you are interested in them, you can contact me at dwilliamsen@dannyewilliamsen.com. Use IYM in the subject line, please.

MindSlap! is available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/MindSlap-Perspective-Conditioned-Reactions-Conscious/dp/1516815041/

The Writing Process

4/12/2023

It’s easy to find explanations of the writing process. Some are very technical and detailed-oriented. As a writer, you have probably figured out already that everyone has their own style and their own approach. It has a lot to do with one’s personality. Some writers need to outline their entire presentation before beginning. Some writers jot down a few points and start writing. Some writers rely on their intuitive connection to assist them in their writing, choosing to allow ideas to flow more freely.

Regardless of the category into which you fit, there is one basic description of the process that is relevant for everyone, whether you are more analytical or more spontaneous.

1. Every piece of work starts out with an idea. It is an idea you have created. It doesn’t matter what sparked it: you now have a seed idea. You will now take this seed idea and use your own unique approach to the writing process to launch your work.

2. The next stage in the process is the bring out the potential of this idea.

If you are what Robert Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) calls a “classical” thinker, you may choose to sit down and write a detailed outline, carefully developing this seed idea into its fullest expression before you ever begin the actual presentation itself.

If you are more of a “romantic,” you are less methodical. You’re more of a free spirit, choosing to live in the moment. So, you may decide to jot down a few possibilities about how to expand your idea and trust in the moment. If you are an intuitive writer, you may take your idea and start writing, allowing your intuition to guide you.

You may be a little bit of both, but it doesn’t matter which approach you take as long as you carefully nurture your idea so that it develops into the message it was intended to express.

3. The final stage in the process is to prune the outgrowth of your seed idea. Pruning, if done right, will produce a powerful and meaningful message. During this stage, regardless of your approach to writing, you should read your talk over carefully.

Take one paragraph at a time and check for grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Then check for syntax. The organization of words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence can deliver the power you’re seeking or neutralize your point entirely.
Next, make sure that your sentences within a paragraph are in the best order for making your point.
Next, determine if any sentences should be cut.
Finally, make sure your paragraph is the next logical step in the fleshing out of your idea.

In their execution, these three stages incorporate more detailed steps found in others’ discussions of the writing process. I feel, however, that if you can keep the “big picture” in mind while you’re writing, you’ll be okay. My explanation offers you a structure within which you can do your work – details and all – without losing sight of what you’re trying to accomplish.

The Reluctant Rebel

4/5/2023

Many of you knew my husband, Robert Burroughs, as a friend on Facebook. Some of you knew him as Robert DeBurgh, the author of Riders of the Wind and Winds of Fate. Others knew him from his 50+ years in aviation or through his passion for classic motorcycles and cars.

However you came in contact with Bob, your first impression pegged him as being friendly, considerate, honest, giving, knowledgeable, and a multi-talented person. He was pretty transparent in showing the world what made him tick. But there were a few faces my husband revealed only to certain people, such as his artistic side. His paintings are amazing! Then there’s his poetry which opened his soul to reveal his deepest fears, loves, and feelings. More about that in a bit. First, we need a little more background.

As a professional pilot, he logged over 17,000 hours flying numerous types of airplanes, from Aeronca Champs to Boeing 747s. Bob’s quest for adventure landed him some interesting piloting gigs around the globe. Some jobs turned out to be a bit more exciting than advertised – like when he ‘accidentally’ became caught up in a military coup in the Dominican Republic or when his airplane became the target of surface-to-air missiles in Southwest Africa.

During the mid-1960s, the political situation in the Dominican Republic wasn’t very stable. Robert was working as a contract flight instructor at the air base in Santo Domingo when all hell broke loose. The air force needed experienced pilots and drafted Bob to serve as a major in the Dominican Air Force. He was young and daring and thought it was fun buzzing the harbor and the capital in his F-86. That is until he received a knock on his door at three o’clock in the morning. Two men wearing dark sunglasses and dressed in black suits strongly suggested he return to the USA the following day or else become a Dominican citizen … Fun over, he returned home.

A few years later, his best friend suggested they go to Southwest Africa (now Namibia) and fly BN2 Islanders for the country’s domestic airline. The lure of going to Africa outweighed their caution over the warnings of violence throughout the country. The SWAPOs (Southwest Africa People’s Organization) had been making significant gains in advocating for independence from South Africa.

Bob recalled never knowing when a group of fighters would emerge from cover and shoot at his airplane. He wasn’t worried about handguns and rifles since he could fly above the range of bullets. But when the SWAPOs acquired surface-to-air missiles, the strategy underwent a drastic modification – cruise at tree-top level so the guerillas wouldn’t have time to aim before the plane passed overhead. Unfortunately, that plan didn’t work all the time. Bob decided it was time to go home after viewing a passing missile up close and personal.

Dodging missiles tempered Bob’s pursuit of adventure, leading him to choose tamer international duties. The new methodology worked to his advantage. While training 747 flight engineers in South America, he had the privilege of traveling around the continent, meeting indigenous folks and learning their cultures, traditions, rituals, and love of the land.

This is where we get back to the poetry. The things he learned from the elders changed him and transformed his thinking and attitude. His eyes and mind were opened to see and understand that he was just a small part of the natural world.

After that experience, he wrote Changes. Below is an excerpt from that poem.

I have traveled the high plains and peaks of the Andes.
Seen the reed boats on Lake Titicaca in the summer
And the ruins of the Incas.
I have seen the herds of llama and the wild guanaco.
In the evenings, I rested in the huts and listened to the songs.
I spoke with the people,
And I was changed

I have climbed the Andean trails to the ruins of antiquity.
Seen the legacy of Cerro Alto and the mystery of Cerro Sechín
With its myriad tiny rooms.
I have seen the marvel of Machu Picchu and opened my mind to the spirits there.
In the dark of night, I heard the whispering voices of ages past.
I listened to the ghosts,
And I was changed

I have tramped the green forests and plains of the Pantanal.
Seen the rain moving in sheets across the round lakes and green marshes
Teeming with wildlife.
I have heard the call of birds, and the cough of the jaguar.
I have seen the traditions of the Indians, spoiled now by modern ways.
I spoke of old wisdoms in the night with the shamans, listened to their words,
And I was changed

I have looked down upon the emerald forests of the Mato Grosso.
Seen the mighty Amazon in her epic journey from the Andes to the sea,
World’s longest and most mysterious river.
I have seen where the Rio Negro joins the stream;
The waters flow side by side and do not mix.
I bathed in waters filled with fierce piranhas, anacondas, and graceful pink dolphins,
And I was changed

All this have I done. All this have I seen. All this have I learned.
But there is more to see, more to learn.
I have not traveled
The bottom of the sea nor the cold silent vacuum of space.
I have not spoken to the ones who have been to those places.
Where now shall my feet guide me? What more shall I learn?
And now, how shall I be changed?

Thank you for allowing me to share a part of Robert’s story and his poetry with you.

Blossoms in the Snow

Kindle and Kindle Unlimited
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B092SXPNW5/

Universal link
http://viewbook.at/blossomsinthesnow

I will read forever because it lets me visit in my mind the worlds that I will never be able to see; it helps me put away the stresses of the day and relax into the rhythm of the story before me; it lets me bring to the surface and experience without regrets those feelings I hide away; it lets me re-experience the thrill of first love through someone else's eyes; it keeps my mind juiced so that it will never desert me; it is always there for me even when there's no one else. I will read forever no matter whether it is print or digital because the words will always call to me. ~ A Sassy Scribbler