Haiku to you Thursday: “First fright”

He reached the road’s end. /

He stepped into the unknown. /

The first fright was love.

Haiku to you Thursday: “Scatters”

Lightning, thunder, rain — /

wind scatters all that remains: /

memory, leaves, love

Haiku to you Thursday: “Radish sandwich”

Sliced radish sandwich. /

Butter and pumpernickel /

embrace Spring’s first crop.

Writing tip Wednesday: “New Millennium Writings”

New Millennium Writings

New Millennium Writings is now accepting submissions for its Thirty-sixth Consecutive Awards for Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction. Writing competition winners will be published in NMW and on this website. Current contest deadline is midnight June. 17.

$4,000 offered in Literary Grants and Awards, Plus Publication
$1,000 for best Poem
$1,000 for best Fiction
$1,000 for best Nonfiction (Nonfiction includes humor, memoir, creative nonfiction, travel, opinion, essay, interview, features, investigative reporting, etc.)
$1,000 for best Short-short Fiction

Visit www.newmillenniumwritings.com for user-friendly guidelines and much more, or jump straight to www.writingawards.com and employ our simple submissions process.

To apply online, follow these guidelines

1. No restrictions as to style, content or number of submissions. Enter as often as you like.

2. Winners announced beginning in September. All contestants will receive our high-quality 2014 anthology.

3. Send between now and June 17, 2013, Midnight, all U.S. time zones.

4. Simultaneous & multiple submissions welcome. Previously published material welcome if under 5,000-circulation or if previously published online only.

5. Each fiction or nonfiction piece is counted as a separate entry, and should total no more than 6,000 words except Short-Short Fiction (no more than 1,000 words).

6. Each poetry entry may include up to three poems, not to exceed five pages total per entry. All poetry Honorable Mentions will be published.

7. Save cover sheet or letter with the submission you’ll be uploading and send as one file. Should you forget to include such covers, however, it’s OK, as contact information is automatically forwarded to us when you pay online.

8. Payment is $20 per submission in order to cover our many expenses and reserve your book. Payment will be by credit card or echeck through PayPal

9. Each entry must be in a separate file (up to 3 poems in one file (See #6)). Many file formats are accepted.

Haiku to you Thursday: “You and the World”

When the world’s empty /
and holds no love, you will have /
evolved to your Hell.

Haiku to you Thursday: “Dandelion aches”

First yard work of Spring; /

muscles fight the bloom of work: /

Dandelion aches.

Silly Bills

by David E. Booker

O’, Pause and let us now behold
the elected intelligence in all its mold.
Bills run amuck of mind and light:
Sufficient fright for a Halloween night.
And there was more, lest you forget
a bill to take away your right to vote yet
for the U.S. Senator of your choice
Enlightened legislators said, “That’s our voice.”
Only a call from fed Senator Corker
prevented that piece of legislative porker.
Many other state bills ceased to be
because big money donors were displeased.
So, say what you will about money buying votes.
It may not get bills passed; but it can get them smote.

________

Tennessee State flag: 0′ what trouble can they conceive when the state GOP is allowed to breathe.

NASHVILLE — On the state Senate floor last week, Sen. Brian Kelsey brought up a resolution that he explained as putting senators on record as declaring “if the federal government tries to infringe on our rights as American citizens, then we will intervene and fight for those rights.”

This prompted Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris to ask his fellow Republican how the resolution (SR17) differed from perhaps the most prominent of several bills introduced this year to nullify federal laws and subject federal officers to prosecution should they try to enforce them.

For the rest of the story, follow this link:
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/apr/07/tennessee-gop-supermajority-eases-up-on-silly/

Haiku to you Thursday: “Adventures”

Flower bends to the wind; /
bee bends to the flower’s desires: /
pollen adventures.

Haiku to you Thursday: “Light”

Light snow and flowers;
sky whistles a gray day tune —
Spring catches its breath.

Haiku to you Thursday: “Gentle confusion”

The first day of Spring /

and temperatures Fall in /

gentle confusion.