Ode of the Gamer

Video games, a honey dripping goldmine

         Entering a fantasy world away from the truth

                 Escaping life, so ritual and mono

         To get a passion out of screen heroes

Hopping to a goal, avoiding pitfalls of death

Seeking inspiration out of the human craft

Going on adventures and being thrilled to breakfast

         Helps the hands, helps the eyes

               Trains the brain to see the patterns

        The agony of defeat, the thrill of victory

              Especially against all odds

              In times of backs against the wall

Clinging to life, wits and intelligence

It’s a fine mosaic of pixels, a jungle of creativity

        Taking us on destination in all possible directions

And the journey from Pac-Man to Halo

       That’s an historical set of events

               In the words of a gamer:

              Achievement Unlocked

Writing 201: Day 5 – Map, Ode, Metaphor

From Bare to Brilliant White

“How dare you mock me?”, I say,
squatting near your dusty wall,
your drawers of ripe old age,
have witnessed much life, much
rise and fall;
You’ve been with me through many tears,
witnessed hopes, dreams, and fears,
trials and tribulations,
“Wow, I can’t believe I’ve kept you all of these years.”
Were there when I was a baby,
and have witnessed so much more,
watched me grow up fast,
walk through many bedroom doors;
Ah! What a brilliant shade of white,
it shouted anew in 2010,
Contained within it’s
ever changing confines,
are an assortment of odds and ends:
A jar of beer caps, some flossers, and
guitar tuner which is likely dead;
The 80s live on in an old baseball handbook
while a memory book lies above
college diploma, received from
all those painstakingly boring classes I took;
And the ties of assorted taste, and
honor roll medal from high school,
discarded toothbrush in the back,
and hydrocodones from the old Liz I knew;
Let me keep you, dearly durable drawer,
and all of your companions,
Because I love you to the moon and more;
I have never had another dresser,
this same one from my youth,
and as the years roll on,
and life changes colors,
I realize I can never let go of you

Writing 201

Ode of the Lynx Descendant

They were cast down from the almighty lynx,
Two rambling creatures, two curious blinks;
This red day saw my love go out to them,
Gold and black colored, always on the prim

The nuisance they are,
The childlike they may seem,
But they seem to understand
That my presence is one of serene

For on this Cupid day,
When no love is sent my way
It’s always best to put on an act
Just a single guy and his cats

Cocoa, Blackie, Napster, Whiskers, Gracie, Fluffy, Smuckers, Kimba (previously Flatty and then Flutters), Goldie (2 cats), Cocoa-Vanilla, Pineappler (not a mispelling), Spaz, Midnight, Freefall, Velvet, Chet, Darby, Chester, Jesus, Paczki, Boo-boo, Peaches, Bubbles, Blackjack, Brewster, and I’m sure there’s more but this is a start.

Those are most of the names of all of the cats I’ve owned or lived with at one point in my life. And as you can see, the names vary from “normal” to ridiculous. Some of them were named by me, some of them by accident, some got their names only after they settled in naturally.

I’ve had one dog in my entire life and it’s name was Deuce. A small dog given to us that we only had for a few months before he was taken away to better caretakers (not that we weren’t but we had never took care of a dog before). He usually stayed tied up outside on the porch because of the dozens of cats inside getting him riled up and scared. Well, it didn’t help that my sisters, then both younger than ten, used to tease him, pulling on his lease or wrapping it around the railing, causing him discomfort.

But, boy oh boy, do I love (and sometimes hate) cats!

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In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: Cupid’s Arrow

Write an ode to someone or something you love. Bonus points for poetry!