Activity
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whitjr submitted a contest entry to
Write a poem or a letter to yourself about your goals for the new year 1 week, 3 days agoDIALOGUE WITH MYSELF TOWARDS 2023…
Ray WhitakerThere is time you spent looking
somewhere in the course
of the day
or days
or weeks and months
maybe even yearsfor that certainty of presence.
This is where you are no longer any sort
of impostor
of fearful
of lacking
of emotional
or dramaticwhen the only thing there is, is that you, yourself, are.
those noises in your head are you
however…read moreVoting is open!
Voting ends April 15, 2023 11:59pm
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whitjr shared a letter in the
Poetry group 3 months, 1 week agoTOWARDS THE DISTANCE
A steam engine train chugs
down the tracks in the Alberta wilds
great clouds of steam
exit from the engine down at the side
the whistle sounds, echoing off the gorge
while snow falls off the tall pines.It is a black engine
great silver coupling rods rotate the dark wheels
a pilot cow catcher moves first on the front
the locomotive turns with…read more -
whitjr responded to a letter in topic Poetry 3 months, 1 week ago
Very nice poem here. I appreciated the four line stanzas, and the deeply honest self-inquiry. The “too many voices” part coincided with the poems nicely! Looking forward to reading more of yiur work.
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whitjr shared a letter in the
Magical Moments group 5 months, 1 week agoAccomplishing a suprise
RayGOING TO BERLIN IN 1970 -for Hank
They were traveling by train
the whole family, for Thanksgiving
at seventeen it felt like being thirty
courage for the i-am-strong-enough
to face the i-don’t-know-what
speaking German wishing-to-know-wordseven so he was in his own thoughts-
Where does genuine live?
Is it In amongst the realizations of the s…read more -
whitjr responded to a letter in topic Poetry 5 months, 1 week ago
How interesting to read your comment! Thank you for takig the time to do so…. One of my “Poet heros” is Carl Sandberg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet. Whike I have quite a few “poet heros” Mr. Sandberg stands out as one that wrote for the massses…. And his work resounded with this times in meaningful ways (1915–1918 were some of his poetry that…read more
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whitjr responded to a letter in topic Poetry 5 months, 1 week ago
Thank you for reading and commenting. The poem above was part of a writing prompt in a class I was in last Wed.s, led by Nancy Dorrier. Having worked with Nance before, I enrolled in this class to seek some empowerment in writing shorter poems.
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whitjr shared a letter in the
Poetry group 5 months, 1 week agoWHAT THE DUMPSTER DIVERS LEFT BEHIND
She had left so much here
the carloads taken to Goodwill
numbered, now, beyond ten
he’d kept a count, tho, if pressed
he’d not admit to ittoo much there to allow in
it was only to go outelsewhere.
Which thoughtlined to such a different place
one of today the multi-colored thoughts and pictures
in an everyday, always anyway, person’s mind…read more-
Wow this poem is amazing. One thing I love about poems is that the reader can picture it differently and the author has a different thought process on it. From reading this it seems like the girl left the guy that they were in a relationship and she left so much things for him to do that she usually does. He’s not used to it because he’s never exp…read more
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Thank you for reading and commenting. The poem above was part of a writing prompt in a class I was in last Wed.s, led by Nancy Dorrier. Having worked with Nance before, I enrolled in this class to seek some empowerment in writing shorter poems.
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whitjr shared a letter in the
Poetry group 5 months, 1 week agoNote from a Poet
RayWhat are we doing as poets? To whom are we writing? It cannot be only for ones-self, not only for some sort of self-edification.
I write for the everyday person, for those pictures in our minds we all carry. So many great poets have gone before, I’ve nearly let that intimidate me in the past, causing an unappreciated inertia.
However there…read more
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Amazing! Poems are very tricky to me. Just like art each viewer has their own interpretation. I’m glad your write for people in everyday situations. It does help a lot with relatable situations that we have all been in especially when we need someone to understand what we went through. Keep up the great work and write you amazing poems.
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How interesting to read your comment! Thank you for takig the time to do so…. One of my “Poet heros” is Carl Sandberg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet. Whike I have quite a few “poet heros” Mr. Sandberg stands out as one that wrote for the massses…. And his work resounded with this times in meaningful ways (1915–1918 were some of his poetry that…read more
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whitjr responded to a letter in topic Poetry 5 months, 1 week ago
Thank You Lauren for commenting and reading. it is very nterestingtghat the further out I am from being a person as a Respiratory Therapist, the more pungent memories are showing up. my above piece was actually true, with of course the names changed and dates/other references change to protect privacy.
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whitjr shared a letter in the
Poetry group 6 months agoCOOL RAY’S BRONC SUITE MIX
RayShe just showed up with it one day
the patient I cannot name here.She had been one of those few patients
that I’d allowed myself to get too close toguess that we had come to know each other
over the several years it took
to get two, t-w-o, double lung transplants
such a vivacious twenty-something
progeny of excellently smart parents…read more-
Aww Mr. Whitaker, this is so sad. But how nice it is that you were able to prolong her life, while also treating her with so much love and kindness. <3 Lauren
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Thank You Lauren for commenting and reading. it is very nterestingtghat the further out I am from being a person as a Respiratory Therapist, the more pungent memories are showing up. my above piece was actually true, with of course the names changed and dates/other references change to protect privacy.
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I think that is sometimes how trauma works. The further away from it you get, sometimes the more in creeps up on you. Keep expressing yourself. Keep healing. We will be here to support you a long the way.
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