Pantoums

As a writer I am prejudiced - I hate poetry. However, understanding structure and form helps me to construct narratives. I have been exposed to different forms or patterns in prose narratives often - the buddy story, the coming of age story, the monomyth - all archetypes that I respect. Poetry is a different story.

I find that I am forced to grow as a writer by trying to conform to a structure. I like structure. It helps me write. So, Pantoums. It's not much, but it's mine.

Grass reeked today of
promise and growth and birth.
Ice cream trucks traversed the town
with promises of fun and mirth.

Promise and growth and birth
rose today on this patch of brown
with promises of fun and mirth
that made me look up, not down.

Rose today on this patch of brown
ideas of spring and summer
that made me look up, not down.
Winter wakes from its slumber.

Ideas of spring and summer
evoke memories of beaches and redwood.
Winter awakes from its slumber
prodding all of the deadwood.

I hope it tickles you.

Spike

Pundit Profundity

I get a kick out of the pundits and sometimes, I would like to return the favor literally, not figuratively. I hate to admit it but my viewing habits lean heavily towards Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert. My dirty little secrets are the Rehab series, Tool Academy, and yes, I did watch Jersey Shore. However, I am an adult, fully formed and able to make a decision about consuming things that might be bad for me, whether it’s gustatory or visual. Unfortunately, most of America is not capable of making this decision. Which brings me to Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the predatory pugilists of prodigious profundity; why do these idiots have a voice?

Of course these mental midgets are heard because they prey on the most base instincts and fears of the majority of the population. Peeps are afraid that immigrants are taking their jobs, taking their girls and ruining the property values in the neighborhood. Listeners buy in because they are given validation for their own fears and hatred. They lack the sophistication to take a step back and ask the question – what does this jerk have to gain by voicing this hatred?

Here is the answer – money. We are becoming an increasingly mercenary society. God is not dead; he has just changed his name to money, at least for these sycophants. An alacrity to articulate polemic propaganda as a means for monetary enrichment might just be the vilest violation of public trust possible. While I am not convinced of the existence of god, I still try to live my life according to the golden rule and, in my opinion; these bastards are violating that rule.

So, be fiscally responsible, be tight with a buck, be Republican, but, don’t forget, we all share this country and this earth. Follow the rule of campers; leave it better than you found it. Are these folks leaving the campground better? I think Stewart and Colbert are trying. I think O’Reilly and Beck are not, and for that reason, I think there is a special place across the river Styx that has a reservation for them.

Spike

Yadda About Nada

Seriously considering an MFA in the very near future for several reasons - the main one being selfish. I love to learn, to discover new processes and explore new ideas. I think an MFA would help organize my thoughts and provide more structure and planning to my writing. Who knows.

Little time to write these days so I am not sure why I think I could finish an MFA. I guess sometimes I get so bogged down in the day to day minutia that I just want a change, something new, some type of renewal. Of course London wrote about the two divergent paths to writing - the first path is to write everyday for a set period of time and you can finish a novel in three months. Take one off and do it again. At the end of a year, you have written three novels. Of course, they will all get rejected by publishers, but you WILL be a better writer. After five years, and 15 novels, you will be good enough to get published.

The other path is to start small, write freelance for magazines and develop a reputation. Then, parlay the rep into a relationship with an agent, write, market, etc...either way, five years.

I guess I am taking the second path. I have two shorts published with www.redrosepublishing.com and available on Kindle at www.amazon.com and the publisher, among many other sites, but, the well has dried up for now. No time -sucks to be me.

However, and this is where you come in, if I can sell a few more books, my publisher will put me into print. Then I can actually do signings at Borders and Barnes and Noble, not to mention county fairs and tag sales. That may get some more momentum to the book and motivate me to write more, so, help an author out.

If you are so inclined, drop by www.redrosepublishing.com and look me up under the author tab to purchase "A Slice of Life," or, to purchase "Pickup Lines From a Pickup Truck," look up Cara Preston (my co-author). You can also go to www.amazon.com and type in Spike Fremont in the author box. Both books are less than two bucks and you can be reading them in the next five minutes.

Keep reading - hopefully I'm on your list.

Spike

Spike being Spike

I hope I have a few new peeps here. I have been gently promoting and it would be nice if a few folks stopped by to see me.

I am disturbed by the nature of education, but that has little to do with Spike, so I will move on. I am working on another short, hope to have it out by the summer, but the whole editing and cover art process is cumbersome, so you never know.

I would encourage visitors to friend me on facebook. I think I am the only Spike Fremont on there, if not let me know. You can email at Spikefremont@aol.com - I check almost daily.

Until I get another wild ass idea, peace!

Spike

Edumacation

I have recently received a Masters Degree in how to lie with statistics. My current millieu is without contract and I have witnessed first hand both sides being disingenuous through their use of facts; skewing facts to the particular message desired and outright lies. It's a pleasure to be a teacher in this environment.

Atticus Finch tells his kids that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. My experience shows that there are no mockingbirds when it comes to education; not the parents, not the teachers, not the kids and not the administrators. It's every man, woman and child for themselves. It takes a contract dispute to clarify the mercenary role of educators in American society. The message we learn is that it is everyone for themselves. There is no community, no "educational environment," and no concept of doing the right thing.

As a parent, this is disheartening, yet enlightening. I will internalize this experience as a teacher, as a taxpayer and, as a parent. It's unfortunate, but this world is all about money. Teachers want it, taxpayers want it, administrators want it. All of this want means that we are eventually stealing from the kids. And that my friend, sucks!

Nanowrimo

Whew, time flies and, it's that time of year again; Nanowrimo! For the uninitiated, that means National Novel Writing Month. It happens every November and I am fascinated by it. I usually sign up, write a thousand words in a burst of inspiration, and then ignore it for the next 29 days until my failure mocks me miserably as the calendar grinds inexorably forward.

Not this year. I am recruiting students to write with me so we can all go down in flames together! Yay!!

It started small for me but now I am cranking it up a level. I hope to get thirty five kids to fail with me so I can get the educator kit from Nanowrimo.org - cool charts and buttons! Whoopee!

Here's to nothing.

Spike

GoodBye Senator!

As a child, I learned about the Kennedy family – money, privilege, and of course, the curse. I grew up as a child of Republican parents, and of course, I became a Republican. I made fun of the Kennedy’s – it was too easy; Jack was a rum runner, Teddy was a drunk. It was easy for them to be liberal –they had the money, ill gotten gains of a maverick.

Of course, age and maturity softens the outlook. As a college student, still Republican, I began to feel for the Kennedy’s. They gave so much as a family, and lost so much, for public service. However, I chalked it up to their desire to be in politics, to be “public figures.”

When John John struggled with the Bar and Maria became a public figure, I started to feel for them. I took perverse pleasure in his inability to pass the Bar; I liked the fact that this good looking icon struggled.

Of course, later, I regretted my glee. But, I always felt, somehow, this family deserved its curse. The ski death of a scion and Teddy’s divorce did nothing to ameliorate my animosity. In fact, Teddy’s increasingly liberal bent provoked me.

Teddy had always been Teddy – Chappaquiddick, Mary Jo, Joan and Victoria, and his constant railing for liberal causes –jeez, give me a break.

Then, something strange happened. I started to appreciate him, just like I started to appreciate Barney Frank. This was a dude who got it – it wasn’t about politics for him anymore, it was about doing the right thing, as he saw it. He knew that his dad’s dream of a higher office wasn’t going to happen and he just got down to business, took care of what was important, as he saw it.

And, he made shit happen!

Senator Edward M. Kennedy – making shit happen.

This was a righteous dude. I never fully agreed with his politics, but I think he did what he thought was right. There may be stains on his soul, but he did his best to rock, and for that, I appreciate and respect him.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy – my hat is off to you!

Rest in peace!