some see ruins,
culture popped gift shop
'i was here' t-shirts
me, i want to rediscover
treasure long forgotten
lay my tongue on the texture
of your her-story
What can you say in 160 characters? Say it, then tell Monkey.
The picture is by Neil Alexander, who is featured as part of One Shoot Sunday by Adam Dustus and Chris Galford. Two great guys that have helped drive the success of One Stop Poetry this year, who are sadly now leaving. Yesterday, Pete Marshall, another great friend and founder of OSP announced his leaving. Just wanted to take the time to say thank you to each of them.
As you will see by her post today, Claudia is leaving as well. She is a dear friend and I could ramble on a while, but will leave it at thank you. It has been great to see you poetically blossom.
Stay tuned, in the next couple days, I will be announcing my next poetic venture.
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93 comments:
ohhh. :( i found it very disturbing that this place had a gift shop where you could get t-shirts.
this must be a good poem if you could get to me like that!!
"lay my tongue on the texture"
nice take on the photograph!
a truly fabulous write... love the textures you have flavored here.
"her-story" —wonderful play on something far more memorable than a t-shirt. Rocking 160/1SS!
Her-story. His-story. I like your story. Thanks for playing along with the Sunday 160.
Those last two lines.... really nice.
There are still places that take your breath away and don't sell t-shirts, but you have to find off the beaten path, obscure locations... like the very northwest
part of Montana called the Yakk
and Baker, Oregon where you can still see the trails left by the pioneers.
You have to not follow the crowd...
"Lay my tongue on the texture of her story" .... let me say Brian that, that line there is provocative in more than one way!
Wonderful, yet again!! Looking forward to learning about your next poetic venture.
For a moment, I thought that castle was Disney. And I could say then, "I was there."
"What can you say in 160 characters?"
Hi! Brian...
Not as much as you just did...
...Taking your readers, beyond just "gift shop" trinkets and "ruins" Of an ancient civilization that time made stand still to hope for a..."rediscover.
.."
Thanks, for sharing!
deedee ;-D
[An addendum: I too look forward to your next poetic ad[venture!]
I talk to bugs, but tell stories to you.
Beautiful Words and Beautiful Photo !!Will Wait for Next !!Unseen Rajasthan
her-story > t-shirt. hahah... great work!
Concise and to the point but carrying so much more than the 160 you're allowed. Looking forward to new horizons.
that´s a nice attitude! :-)
I read it through without realising it was only 160 characters long. Brilliantly packed and packaged.
thanks Bri...another wonderfully piece thats tells so much...take care and stay in touch..pete
It's amazing what you find in old ruins... grins.
Beautifully written of the importance of savoring the culture; the sights and sounds of life as it really is...well seasoned.
"Her story"....so touching and precious!!
Hugs
SueAnn
I want to take hundreds of photos, and I like your writing always
160 is worth every character...
Laughing at what Valerie said, truly another way to think.
The picture is truly beautiful and falls into one of those "if only these walls could talk" categories. We would hear a lot of their stories and maybe the ones who made those t-shirts would tell us how they made them to last for so long.
So many words in so few letters. Still doubtful I could ever do it. Great 160.
God bless.
The treasure of this poem -- and its accompany photo -- belong to "her-story," as you put it, the vault of gems inside the ruination of the outside. I read this looking at the picture and think of the incredible find last week of a treasure-house found beneath a temple in India, with billions of dollars' worth of jewels found there. Me, I panning with you in the stream of "her-story" -- there's gold in them thar blue ... - Brendan
think this is a real statement about commercialism said succinctly ...I also believe the true beauty are ruins or nature without the commercial crap....thanks
I guess it is all about perspective and imagination. Some see past the surface ...
I agree with kez...why do we always have to commercialize something in order to make a buck off of it. Some things just need to be enjoyed in the true sense that they are. I enjoyed your poem love.
short and great :)
when I went home a few years ago, I looked for some of my childhood haunts.. They had been replaced with shiny, new strip malls. I felt quite sad and angry.. Not everything needs to be replaced..
My favorite poems are the compressed ones which leave a mark.. this is such a poem..
much enjoyed...
a short but powerful poem~ (edit *rediscover*)
agree on the commercialism bit, but sadly we all want to show everyone
"we were here".
Wow. And now I am looking forward to your next venture. It only keeps getting better, doesn't it?
Nice!
Artistically crafted into a fabric that speaks to our time and space...Love it when you say "...me, I want to rediscover treasure long forgotten," and for some that treasure lies within!" Roger ☺
Oooo
Tongues and texture of HER story...
LOLOL Very good read!
happy sunday to you - i like to learn about 'her-story' too - very nice. i am excited to hear more about what your next poetic adventure is ...i will stay tuned! :)
i don't only want to re-discover...just saying...and the last two lines are killer!!!
Yeah sometimes many forget and just see the shop
Which is everything now a days trying to make a buck on top
Of some ruins or some other things
Just make sure you sterilize the spot you place your tongue on or germs that brings..lol
Beautifully done!
your words took me right along on your adventure...brilliant :)
bEST of luck with new venture
So, this kind of awesome. And, yeah, those last two lines are pretty great. So osp is not exactly going to be the same, at all. I want to hear about this new poetic adventure for sure...
Hmmf. I don't come around here to read this kind of suggestive stuff.
Well, okay, so I do. :-D
I liked "culture popped gift shop".
So true, so painfully true. Some see these things as nothing but another blip on the map to traipse over, get a boasting t-shirt from, and move on. They do not see the beauty, the majesty before them...to rediscover this, to lend meaning to what was...it is a wonder all its own.
Brian, my friend, you give us such kind words, and I might send the same your way. It has been a pleasure, the sincerest pleasure, working by your talented and kind-hearted side. I look forward to seeing your next venture - I'm sure you'll bring to it the same skill you brought to OSP!
I love her-story!!!
and this is why I am a fan of yours.
:o)
I felt a little blush with those last lines. Nice.
powerful 160
powerful take on the prompt
Well done!
What a come down for a place like this to be hosting a gift shop now.
I also saw some her-story in this one--it always amazes me what you can do with so few words--this is an entire blog column of atmosphere and message that would take me probably 160 paragraphs to say--good stuff, my friend.
Ruins have never been so sexy!
the eye sees a gift shop, a t-shirt and a beauty...sounds like a time travelers viewpoint...nice...bkm
Really like the gift shop reference and the her-story, nice twist.
Tuned :).
I so dislike tourism taking over historical spots.
*lay my tongue on the texture
of your her-story
wow!
Smiles :)
Loved it!
Brian, I'm so happy to be back reading your wonderful poems. I'm sorry to hear so many are leaving One Stop. I hope it continues to thrive.
Damn. Would it be inappropriate to say that's swoon worthy. Brian, you make all the other men look bad, Inspiring 160!
Love the last two lines!
Always sad to see a great team move on! It surely was a stepping stone to something bigger and better. :)
like that *lay my tongue on the texture
of your her-story*
Great one... Looking forward to that new poetic venture of yours... And it's sad to know those great poets are leaving the site, well- life!
reminds me of the overly tourist shop developments at Niagara Falls
her-story....love it
Culture popped gift shop
Just got back from SD,CA. Went to Old Town SD. Culture popped gift shop. :) I was there.
I am being driven 100% crazy by the posts. The poem was wonderful, but the ruin stands out foremost for me...something ancient and sacred, taken by the spiritkillers of our world. Forgotten, overgrown, where restless spirits of another time are left to roam,(whoops! that's almost cat like!) Can NOT wait to learn more of your next poetic venture. Know you've got a supporter here!
"her-story"... another great one. And so true how beautiful places can end up with gift shops and t-shirts.
Beautiful take Brian, landed perfectly ~ Rose
Those old ruins tell quite the tale. I think there is a soul there.
Looking forward to hearing about your new venture.
I love how you're able to use so few words and come out with something damn near amazing
You never disappoint! So much said in so few words and with so many interpretations!
Excellent 160
Can I get that picture on a t-shirt?
Kidding of course, though it is fabulous. I like to stand in the midst of such ruins, eyes closed, imagining the lives of those from long ago.
Why can't I do a comment in 160 or less?
interesting take...looking forward to the next venture --your words take us on amazing adventures
all I want to shout is: "I went to OSP and all I got was this fricking t-shirt!" just kidding - what I really got was to learn from and enjoy the work of others who are as passionate about poetry as I am, a plight which I will now continue for the rest of my days. Can't wait to see what you have in store (no pun intended) next...
plight? that's not the word I meant to use. see, I need to keep working on this writing stuff!
All that in 160...
Looking forward to your announcement.
Oh, Brian, I am flummoxed. This one is a little over my head because I know there is usually much more to your writing than what meets the eye. It has been a long and challenging week. I'm going to come back and read it again tomorrow. I hope you have a good week!
oh my goodness
(well, actually, I guess it's YOUR goodness...)
=)
Nice, nice, nice.
jj
Wonderful write.. Loved it. Have a nice day Brain!
Oh, so sorry to hear that everyone is leaving. But I'm sure you will have a new venture to thrill us with!
Lovely poem, as usual.
That last line, tongue, texture and herstory, does a soul-stirring job of personifying the inanimate.
wonderful 160 brian..
Someone is Special
Just to reiterate what others have found:
"Lay my tongue on the texture of her story"
will haunt me for some time to come, I think.
Wonderful!
Oh wow. I didn't know all those people were leaving One Stop! That is sad.
Thanks for pairing the news with a super interesting poem. I love the idea of laying my tongue on the texture. I prefer that type of exploring / travel as well. And... usually that helps me avoid silly gift shops. :)
♥ Love "cultured popped gift shop" Ha! So true...Smiles...
I think I'm still in shock about everyone leaving One Stop...Can't wait to see what your new adventure Brian!
i love historical buildings.
a great description from a t shirt mate, very well said :)
Looks like a place you could wander in for a good long while.
Wonderful poem for this prompt, Brian! I had similar childhood memories, including the playing war one, for my brother always recruited me. We seemed to be outside all summer. Indoors was only good for eating and sleeping.
to me, like all really good poetry, this has so many layers. makes me want to go to this place...sit in the sun...soak in the stones. i love the way you write.
--snow
Lovely, Brian! We all see something different, don't we...
It has so many layers...
walk the past
I don't care for souvenirs either when I visit such places. I would take a lot of pictures and just explore.
Good lines. :)
Love the way you changed 'his-story' to 'her-story'. And taste the texture with your tongue..umm..yes..well..you have a lovely way of playing with words Brian.
ooooh!!!
Her- story? Bow!!
Breathtakingly well woven.. xx
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