The Grammy nominated song by the Black Eyed Peas, “Let’s get it started,” has been stuck in my head for the last few days, causing me to occasionally and loudly break out singing the refrain (the only line I know). I think it has something to do with the fact that I’m about to embark […]
There are about 5 ways to go to and from town from my house. My favorite route is via Woods Gap Road. It’s a dusty dirt road, but often worth the trip. There’s a family of golden finch that live on Woods Gap, and I frequently spot mountain bluebirds or occasionally an indigo bunting there. […]
I used to think scarecrows were ornamental and that hay bales were put there by farmers for Andrew Wyeth to paint. ~ Colleen The peninsula I grew up on, called Hull, Massachusetts, is 6 miles long and less than ½ mile wide in most places. The tip, called “Hull Village,” is where my family lived […]
A poem is a family of words that are all related, either directly (rhymes, assonance, alliteration) or remotely. Dominant sounds fade-out and re-emerge like ancestors passing on traits. One word is born from the other. Colleen ~ From Muses Like Moonlight The following poem – which I wrote 6 years ago and dug up again […]
I’m always on the lookout for a good quote. Not only do I use them here at Loose Leaf, but I cut and paste them throughout “The Museletter,” the monthly local publication that I co-edit. I also used them in both my books, “The Jim and Dan Stories” and “Muses Like Moonlight.” I love the […]
Here is the second installment of my “100 Things About Me List.” One of the things that isn’t on the list but should be is that I love lists. Number 1 – 25 can be found here. 26. I live in a log cabin. 27. I once said I would have nothing to do with […]
Will posting your pet peeves discharge the discomfort they cause, in a similar way that doing psycho-therapy about your childhood can help to release its hold on you? Here is my list to test the theory: ~ At the car wash when they put down your radio antennae and then don’t put it back up […]
In my small town, old-time bluegrass is the traditional music, and we have many talented fiddle players and such. We also have talented hip hop reggae musicians and others who produce their own CDs. We’re famous for the Friday Night Jamboree that happens at the Country Store each weekend and, more recently, for our annual […]
I read somewhere that when Allen Ginsberg was asked who his favorite poets were he answered that they were mostly unknowns. I understand. Some of my favorite poets are local and unknown, and many of my favorite poets have been children. For over 10 years I was the creative writing teacher at Floyd’s parent-run-cooperative school, […]
I sprained my ankle this past Saturday night, and since then my mobility has been severely limited. Luckily, it happened after I had just finished dancing for 2 hours to “The Kind” at Whiskers Roadside in Floyd (because I won’t be doing that again for awhile). My husband and I were picking up his teenage […]
You can call me nosey. Or you can call me curious. You could say I like gossip. Or you could say I like biographies. It’s all just a matter of degree. For many years, I was a member of a woman’s circle. It was in this circle that I made my first breakthrough with my […]
Because I won last month’s poetry slam, hosted by The Easy Chair Bookstore and held at The London Underground Pub in Blacksburg, I headed up the slam this month as the featured poet. The crowd was less congested, probably because the majority of Virginia Tech students had left town for the summer. They were slightly […]
