Rigor and Relevance with Xtranormal-Oprah and Jerry Seinfeld

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Xtranormals

Life is a Beach

Bird Seed Bombers

Olga shared some letters that some students wrote her.  Their letter are apologetic and funny.  Read how they ate only four seeds.  My question is: what kind did they eat?  Why did they eat them?  Sunflower seeds?  Rather comical!

How do you?

How Do You?

By Maureen Ucles

How do you?

Get over  

time

waiting endlessly

in the lines, lines, lines

Giving it all

Blood, sweat and tears

wearing it on the sleeve

Now just wiped away

into oblivion

Endless weeks, days, years

minutes, seconds, moments

kept inside

held captive

blown out of the water

it's a total blur

no warning

no will

no way 

to contain

the emotions

that I feel

brought out

in this feeble attempt

trying to make 

some kinda

sense

 in this poem

that I strive

to compose

How do you?

Can you?

even attempt

seeing those moments

memories

flash by

interrupted

with a senseless thud

stealing my heart 

mind and soul

bleeding interminably

internally

feeling woozy

 loss of

spirit and excess blood

life

 leave it all on the court

everything  is spent

nothing remains

the void  is so, so, so

palpable 

surreal

envelopes me

gasping and labored breath

final moments

to let go and yet

to behold

the beauty

that once was

now lost

forgotten

Why? Why? Why?

Always comes to mind

around the bend

when I 

in the least

attend

in a stupor of sorts

out of my racing, confused mind

I belabor the point

can't seem to let  go

Shot out of nowhere

Whoa!

Too much to take in

all at once

or in pieces

if you will

I feel

so scattered

like ashes

thrown over the bow

never to meet 

again

New Post Nothin'

New Post Nothin'

By Maureen Ucles

I've to got a new post

With nothin' to say

A new post

coming my way

still the problem persists

with nothin'

in the slightest

nothin' at all

nothin' to say

I've got a new post

without the slightest

or even brightest

not even lightest

thing on this Earth

to say

I've got a new post

words scrambling

before the deadline

all scattered

like cockroaches

at midnight

with lights flashing

in their disgusting 

devious eyes

I've got nothin' to say

no place to go

It's way too hot outside

Tim Heller

Just sounded the alarm

Ozone colors are

off the chart

with nothin

absolutely

nothin' to say

I've got nothin' to say

The trees are all flowing

Leaves are all blowing

in the hot oven-like inferno

we call Houston

Just nothin at all

I've got nothin' to say

Not many breaths

left to inhale

my lungs are trippin'

on some phlegm

airways obstructed

gotta do something fast

searching

climbing

blowing out air

with nothin' to say

in the least

nothin' at all

Lines of Red

Don't know where this is going.  Don't really care at all.  Just want to get something down cause something is itching to come out.  I mean the ideas fly here and there and sometimes no where at all.  The thing for me is just to get them down and then decide where, what and how they will go.  Crystal Allen said in her luncheon that she writes for 4 hours a day.  It doesn't matter what it is but she has to keep it going.  I think I am going to try that too.  I know I have tons peculating in the mind and then....it depends on me.

So what's going on?  I hate those stupid squiggly lines of red that invade my space without the slightest permission.  They are red and totally offensive.  I would like to have possibly a green squiggly lines.  That would remind me my Boston Celtics and life would be grand.  But then again since they got bounced I am not in the least excited about the playoffs. They are rather bland.  Super duped 4 scooper bland.  Here they go again those squiggling obnoxious and toxious lines.  I sometimes just spell incorrectly for the purpose of ticking them off.  Oh, well such is life in the big city.

Lines in Red

by Maureen Ucles

Why do you invade my space?

Walk in without knocking

Shocking me

Glaring into my mind 

thoughts and messing up my flow

my roll

slowing me down

to a snail's stroll?

You stupid scarlet

pervasive

annoying

IRS- bullying

lines

time is up

give it a rest

please

get a life of your own

Leave me alone

Why don't 'cha just go home

Stay away

Like the rain on 

opening  day

Stay away

Leave me be

To 

let it all out

Words flying off the page

or two or three

Then you show

With your provocative squiggles

more like giggles 

parading in front of me 

on a path

like an EKG clown

lines running up and down
without a care
you stalk and snare

I'd like to see you flat line

disappear

Just leave me alone
with your jagged edged mountain views
shadowing my every move

so obtrusive

never elusive

you are

Your lines of the ABC

keep sneering back

at me

with the gregarious green check

looking so perky

 rather pitiful, putrid

need I say
jerky?

leave me

just leave me

to 

think

create

words of my own

make my very path

lines sometimes straight

others to wherever

I deem

I will be 

what I want

Now what you testify

to be

you believe it's

your ridiculous right

to investigate

rather scrutinize

my every word

line or syllable

You are a pit bull

a hound

on my scent

regretfully 

there I am 

from day to day

trying to escape

from your grasp

locked jaw and all

can't seem to flee

and be free

once and for all

just me

Hey, how about

you do you

and I do me?

Some place else

In a galaxy far, far

to infinity

We must part

like yesterday or last year

now

Get out of my life

I'm just too tired

gulping down the last 

cup of coffee

with the grinds

stuck in my teeth

hanging out 

on the roof of my mouth

Now you

go on

let go

of 

your

controlling

manipulative

lines

in the red

Xtranormal Crazy

Check out my new Xtranormal video-Bantering at Work.  I will use the idea of Xtranormal in other ways too.  It's been far too long since I created my first ones.  Click on the link below.

Bantering At Work

Dolor de mi cabeza- revisited

Aqui se encuentra una poema que escribi mientras que estaba trabajando con un grupo de ninos en cuarto grado.  Estaba tratando ensenarles como escribir y leer poesia narrativa.  Le dije lo que me paso el dia anterior y escribi mi borrador con ellos.  El siguiente dia tuve tiempo a mostrarles lo que escribi en mi primera revision.  Utilizemos este idea para analizar y revisar mi poesia.  Despues les invite a escribir poemas  en verso libre o con los que contienen un esquema o patron que riman.  Hable con Omaly Sandoval hoy y ella me apollo mucho.  Me ayudo con su entusiasmo y algunos revisiones.  Es una buena amiga y companera de trabajo.  Me dijo que debo escribir el poema en Word para poder de escribir la puntuacion y acentos normales.  Yo tome su consejo. No se como usar acentos todavia con Blogger.  Pues aqui esta:

 Dolor de mi cabeza

por Maureen Ucles

Ayer yo me sentí
bien, bien, bien
en la mañanita

Trabajé con un grupito
de niños astutos
Hablemos de poesia
Poesia narrativa

Todo andaba bien
bien bien
super bien
excepto, excepto
medio dia
PUM! PUM!

Ya llegó
una a persona
bien conocida
una persona
que a mi no me gusta

Mi enorme enemigo vino
Tocó el timbre
mil veces, posible mas
--¡Ya vengo!  ¡Ya vengo!
le dije gritando

Abrí la puerta
despacito
Ví su cara de enojo
-¿Que tienes?-me preguntó.
--Nada, nada.-

De repente entro
un dolor a mi cabeza
-¿Por qué me molestes?
pensé.
-¿Por qué vinistes otra vez?

Este dolor de mi cabeza
no me dejó
en paz
por toda la tarde
 y la noche entera

Tomé mi aspirina
No me quitó nada, nada
Cerré mis ojos
Quisé llorar
Mi pobre cabecita
dolía aún más


Pues en la mañana
me levanté
escuché  las canciones
de los pajaritos
y pensé
-No tengo un dolor,
dolor de mi cabeza
Se fue mi enemigo.
¿pero por cuanto

tiempo?         

Student Poetry and Reading Responses

Get On The Train

By Maureen Ucles

Come one!

Come all!

Join us

The few

The proud

Heart attack expressions
written on the canvas

Peeling through the onion
Layers upon layers
exposed

No tears allowed

maybe a few
maybe some
possibly none

On 

The Writing Train

It's leavin' the station

Rev up those pistons

Moving through your city
pueblo or town

Take a look

Stay for some time

See the sights

Cross the Nile

Into some thoughts

Left on some pulp

of an old, old, tree

Imprinted forever

on some pixels

Thoughts left unread

'til now
Enter in
Join the frey
Pull up a chair
Crack a smile
Stay for a minute or to
if you like
for long, long  while

Shout it from the roof tops

kids thinking

kids writing

kids reading

Havin' some fun!

Get on the train

Let your imagination

Go wild

Firm warning

tho'

Not for the faint of heart

but for those

who know

It's in the message

It's the meaning

Not perfect

Just words

Trying them out

Playing around

Moving

on a page

waiting to launch

into the unknown

Check it out!

Commericals in Hyperbole including Mr. Microphone