[Poetry 'performance' - a question]

I here repeat my offer to read poems or short works by other authors for the AD Audio Page. PM me if interested. No strings.

Kisses...

TR

[the aerialist]

*TR* wrote:

I think I felt the metaphor intuitively on my first reading.

You certainly got the feelings across. I was just not trusting myself to see it, which I do now very clearly.

Thanks. It is a splendid poem.

Thanks!!

(Have you seen the old (1956) Burt Lancaster / Tony Curtis movie "Trapeze"? It is often seen as a parable of homosexual love. Gina Lollobrigida stars as the official love interest in the movie, but just look at the way the two men interact with each other. .

Yes, though I unfortunately don't own a copy. In fact the actual upload file of the aerialist has a photo of Tony Curtis on the platform, reaching for the trapeze. It amused me on several levels to use that pic, and not only because I'm a big Tony Curtis fan. If tr.org is ever updated (ahem) with the dozen or so more recent poems, you can go there to see that. Till then, you'll just hafta take my word for it.

(Warning-gush alert-diabetics might want to skip this last bit )

I met Tony Curtis once and, man o' man, he is the most charming guy in person you'd ever want to meet...and this is me, usually more annoyed by actors in RL rather than otherwise. He is sweet as hell and, even at his age (whatever that is), he is one sexy, handsome man with a million-killowatt smile.

I think I met him around the time he married this last wife, much younger than him? I had zero trouble imagining anyone, of any age or sexual persuasion, lusting after Tony Curtis. I am not fond of meeting 'stars', unless they're writers or painters maybe, but wowza, I'll not forget meeting Tony Curtis. That guy has more charisma and charm than nearly anyone I've ever met! And so nice!

And yes, he let me kiss his cheek...isn't that sweet? (I was too chicken to try kissing anything else) He is just Charm Personified but it doesn't come off fake, as so many actors will, it comes off as he's just a Nice Guy, maybe not too bright but filled with sincere love for his fellow humans. And that ain't common in Hollywood, IMO. Hell, it's not common in my own neighborhood...

Just added a new dimension to my loving his films, I guess.

Kisses...

TR

[Poetry 'performance' - a question]

Then you have someone like TR, listen to his piece called The Midnight Chime, he performs this piece with

an actors flare. Lowering and raising his voice as the emotion dictates, I found myself caught up in this

vampire tale. The delivery came off quite sexy and profoundly sad, my opinion.

Thank you, Jason, but I was doing exactly what Gabriel describes, I was 'reading' (or performing, or interpreting or whatever you want to call it) The Midnight Chime exactly as I had heard it while writing. Generally, I can still hear that cadence in a finished piece and, yes, I suppose I am injecting emotion into it, too, but emotions were there, audible in my head, when I wrote it, trust me.

I think Des is wrong, though, in saying that radio announcers, etc, can't do other types of voice performance. I think the same person is quite capable of being good at all of those types of vocal performance, though not necessarily of course, and they'd just be switching from different 'modes' when doing one type or the other.

I 'speak' differently when giving a political speech to an audience than I do when reading poetry, for instance, and differently still when doing news, promos or updates for ADR. I don't sing, or not where anyone but my cats can hear me, but I'd do that differently, too, if I knew how. Stage acting is another kind of 'voice performance', too, as are other things I've done, like debating or teaching a class. You don't use the same voice for different things. The Dude is a lifelong, professional radio guy but his 'radio voice' is not his speaking voice, nor is it his singing voice, which is also quite excellent.

Like Gabe, I enjoy reading (or call it whatever) my own work or the work of others; I enjoy making the listener hear the poem/story as I hear it in my head. I plan to record a lot more of my own stuff and might be willing to read others' work if they feel themselves unable to do so for use on the AD audio page. PM me if you're interested. I have a lot of other TR stuff recorded, a few of which are up at AD, others should follow (including On The Lonely Ocean, recorded yesterday).

That said, however, most people are terrified of reading and speaking and this should not be pushed onto anyone unwilling. As a longtime speech and drama teacher, I can promise you that everyone won't do well and many people will be upset at even the appearance of pressure to perform. People who want to read their stuff, go to it, if you don't, don't sweat it, just enjoy what others offer here at AD.

And thanks for the compliments!

Kisses...

TR, the Ham Rabbit

PS. Ahem, The Midnight Chime isn't a vampire tale in that no one drinks blood, though it is a gothic style horror story with more than a bit of the erotic thrown in. I think he's more of a ghost than the undead, though he is the undead dead, at least for the hour before midnight.

i put my piece of paper down in front of me, or on the windoc on the screen.

when I read something that has a lot of life in it:

i need to focus on the sounds that were inside of my head when i was writing

more often than not, those sounds are still there

so when I read it, i read in that voice

i figured out that, if i'm going to read it in a voice

the voice needs to be consistent,

just like with anything,

i can't drop the voice half way through,

then pick it up back at the end

and expect to get praised for it.

unless that effect was meant to be

in that case,

i expect my audience to be confused

don't get all crazy about this,

every syllable needs a meaning

whether the poem is going to be read with gusto or not

people are going to put your poem under a microscope

and myopic morphic analysis is far more enjoyable

when every syllable and line is chalked so full of meaning

that your words lead and your voice defines.

those are my thoughts.

Maybe you should record this piece as a sort of how-to for reading and recording poetry?

Kisses...

TR

[the aerialist]

TR,

I like this. You allow me to feel what the aerialist feels.

I particularly like the the juxtaposition of the "murmur of magic" a to a line later. "..arcane bodies in motion,

physics of flying."

I swear I can see it.

The last line has me worried though. Was it a death leap?

I hope not.

science of trajectory

Nice work.

Thanks! Yes, Des, it was a death leap but the line was meant to be slightly ambiguous. Also, the aerialist was, in my mind, as much a metaphor as a reality. I was visualizing the actual trapeze artist (a common synonym for bisexual or opportunistic homosexual) as a symbol for myself or others I know. Suicidal feelings or destructive life choices, etc.

Kisses...

TR

[Declare yourself!]

If? If!

So: close the five others, finish the sixth, the one for Halloween - 'cause ya know the deadlines coming soon - and write, write , write.

See, easy!

This is why I don't date birds, Emu. Bossy, bossy, bossy...

j/k

Actually, two of the stories are potential Halloween stories and all but one is due by month's end, so your suggestion is utterly useless. But thanks for the thought. It might help to concentrate on one at a time, not that I'm not, but maybe one at a time UNTIL that one is done...or something, I dunno.

EXCUSES list-

I haven't felt well at all, and the new kid in the house brought insects with her (but has the sweetest big eyes, so there ya go), and I've teetered on the brink of being outright downright sick, and half my friends are depressed or dying or whatever...and I get these upbeat daily email horoscopes that say things like 'polish your karma till it shines', et-fucking-cetera, and I'm just unhappy, I guess. Or else I need more chocolate. I'd say I need more sex but the bf just got fired and his mood is anything but thataway. Piano players are so highstrung...though actually he's an organist. Yep, an organist, yuk it up, bird.

I'm more likely to walk a mile for a Camel than for Antonio Banderas. And that's just sad.

Bleh. Rabbits are so whiney... (but they taste good in stew)

Kisses...

TR

[Declare yourself!]

IF I finish it, I'll be entering.

Would you believe I have six stories currently open and working just now? Yes, that includes DC21&22. No, that doesn't include all TR's Unfinished Files, nor does it include OTHER people's stories I'm late with as editor (my apologies to those I love). It only includes what TR is actively writing and working on this month.

I wish I could blame my kitties for the delays and disorder...

Can I blame the weather? The government?

Kisses...

TPR (Tragic Procrastinator Rabbit)

[Dear Carpal Tunnel Syndrome...]

Too Funny!

Kisses...

TR

[Cops gun down emu]

Is this a cousin, too, Camy? I saw the family resemblance immediately...or thought I did.

TR

[Beware!]

I think it was Cicero in ancient Rome who advised youth to not masturbate every time the thought of doing it occurred to do them.

Gawd, Cicero was a well-known prude, he probably never jacked off in his life, seriously. A famous Forum joke, I think originating with either Catalina or Clodius, was that Cicero had only had sex with his wife Terentia twice (they had two kids, a boy and a girl)...once to try it, and years later, again, to make sure it was as bad as he remembered.

Cicero was a prissy person and a big fat liar, too. Take no note of Cicero on any subject as serious as sex.

Kisses...

TR

[Muppet Orgy]

When Bert catches Ernie in bed with someone else, expect the unexpected...

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/227355/burt_...nie_and_cookie/

[the aerialist]

the aerialist

I climb the pole, slick shaft of steel,

with trembling limbs, heart a-drum;

watchers gasp their breath

to see me so high

this small circus platform shimmies

and shakes hard beneath my feet;

my blood is ice yet

I must not look down

muttering masses on the ground

hope for fear and feats of skill;

covertly do they

long for blood and bone

I fill my lungs, then send my hand

reaching out through open air;

toward my gilded dreams

toward the bright trapeze

eight long feet out and miles away

is that far suspended bar,

it draws my eyes so

I do not glance down

I look to the harsh lights above

and release my ragged breath,

then murmur magic and

ready my resolve

I put my trust in the arcane

science of trajectory;

bodies in motion,

physics of flying

eyes on my prize, I tense and leap

arcing towards the bright trapeze,

how high am I and

far must I now fall

*

[PLAYWRITING SOFTWARE?]

K, I'll check them out. And there are programs for this specifically, they're just a tad expensive for someone who doesn't, at this time, know whether he'll be writing more than one play. I'm just entering a contest is all...

Kisses...

TR

[Shocking]

I only scanned the text but wanted to say that, in my opinion, shock therapy does work for many things...it just doesn't 'cure' homosexuality. It can, of course, reduce your wish to act on homosexual inclinations. I consider that an abuse of shock therapy and not the best advertisement for it as a treatment.

I worked in college with autistic kids at our behavior center and saw enough to believe that some pretty radical stuff is all that helps, definitely hardcore behavioral Skinner-type stuff. Shocks, restraints, food rewards, I've personally seen them all work on autistic kids. Sorry, but it's true. And, as that article points out, autistic kids can do a lot of damage to others and to themselves. These are not people able to live in the world. They can't work, socialize, date or even have friends, and they may routinely and regularly harm themselves or others.

I personally found autism to be terrifying, to be so disconnected from other humans strikes my friendly, social little heart as possibly the worst way to experience life. Other disorders are said to respond well to shock therapy, too. For a few decades, it fell out of favor but is now used commonly with particular problems.

Just because it sounds drastic isn't reason enough for me to dismiss the idea that shock therapy could allow someone to live a happier and more productive life. Some of the disorders people live with are pretty drastic, too, and if shock therapy helps, then that's great.

Just another perspective.

TR

[PLAYWRITING SOFTWARE?]

Dearest Camy, I don't need a template, I need software that FORMATS for me. The thing about playwriting (I'm discovering) is that formatting is a b*tch! Sure, a page or two, no prob, but a whole entire play? I'm hoping to have this one done by Feb but am apparently going to need software.

But thank you, anyhow...

Kisses...

TR

[PLAYWRITING SOFTWARE?]

Does ANYone have a good playwriting program I can buy (cheaply), use or borrow? NOT screenwriting, playwriting, and must be compatible with XP.

TR, desperately seeking software...

[Sometimes Love is Like That]

Sometimes Love Is Like That

Have you ever walked a mountaintop

in the Rockies, so high aloft

that the air itself grows thin, tired,

your head aches as your stomach roils

and, at night, you lie awake, unwell,

too weary, weak and sick for sleep?

Sometimes love is like that.

Have you ever touched the ocean floor

beneath the bright Pacific blues

down in the deepest depths of darkness

where frightful fishes flee frantic from

things that slither-slink those shadowed seas,

and black water weighs you down like stones?

Sometimes love is like that.

Have you ever lain in flowered fields

on your back, face-up like daisies

and worn the summer warmth upon your skin

like soothing silken robes of sunshine,

felt the gentle drowsy passage of the day

and a peace for which there are no words?

Sometimes love is like that.

*

[Author of:]

**Blush**

Why thank you, fellas. Sad and sexy, that's me...well, the former, anyhow. I guess the laugh wasn't at my expense, huh, Trab? Trab, don't be so literal-minded, luv. And yes, that 'ad' was intentionally self-deprecating. I have other promos, though, and some may be unintentionally amusing.

Speaking of cute promos, I just caught Janine's Aussie Act, it was hilarious! She almost sounds like an Australian! That's Graeme's wife, for those who haven't read his Family Snippets in our Drawn From Life section. They're awfully fun, those stories and Janine features in many of them, so it was nice to put a voice to the name.

Kisses...

TR

P.S. The piano-playing bf took me out for steaks tonight and we had Australian wine with dinner. Little kangaroos on the cork...(the wine cork, not the bf's) made us wonder just what was in the bottle. While sipping the fruity, flavorful Oz wine, bf told me about this stupid tee-shirt he'd bought in Austria and I found a pic online...see below.

Geography is a lost Art, I suppose, along with Penmanship and Disco Dancing.

[Chat]

If I tell TR where the Nifty chatroom is then will he go there instead of using AD chat.

On the other hand if I don't tell him where it is he could spend hours, days even looking for it and we would be deprived of his wisdom.

Hmmmm? OK! Here is the link but you have to promise to come back to us

[

Hmm, I see what you mean. I logged in and a bunch of them said they loved my stories and a guy named Kip asked if I'd do their Author Chats. I said, sure. Definitely a busy chatroom there...

Thanks, Des.

Kisses...

TR

[Chat]

Nifty has a chatroom?

TR

[EEEEKKKK!]

True existential fear...

TR

[A Scent Of Love]

Oh, I dunno, 'span' would be past tense of spin: Last week, the magician span the plates in his famous chinaware trick. Or something. I'm not sure it's wrong in your sentence, but it might work better for inanimate objects or for events further in the past...but that's just my feeling about the word. Technically, I imagine it's correct, it's just that 'spun' seems to fit more situations that occur to me at the moment.

Was the rhyme deliberately left out of some lines/stanzas? Line&sound patterns varied, too, was that deliberate?

Uh, the title, though. I had to snicker...and was mightily tempted to write one of my spoofs. For me, 'the scent of love' is often rather close to that of doggie doo. I think you meant it in a slightly funny way but definitely a sexier way than that. Me, I'd have changed the title to something else. 'Phermones' or 'Scent' or 'You Smell Nice' or something.

Just a thought.

TR

[Phi]

I like it, but then I generally like prose and poetry with math or science themes. Very cool, a poem about the Fibonacci Sequence. Now write one about Pi...

Kisses...

TR

PS. Pi/Pie is my childhood nickname. Don't laugh, my little brothers' are 'Dumpy Cake' and 'Sugar Plum'.

[Officer Mark wins Mr. Gay UK title]

Yum! What a cutie!

But where's the swimsuit photo?

My favorite line: If anyone assumed it was just bimbos that entered competitions like this, Mark's proving them wrong.

BTW, do British cops still not regularly carry firearms (as US cops do)?

Kisses...

TR

[gay turning fifteen]

Gay turning fifteen?s not what it seems,

Mornings are shorter, nights filled with dreams;

Privacy?s lacking and secrecy short,

My room is a sanctum and teenage fort.

When Mother comes knocking, calling my name,

Sister looking for someone to blame

Or when the trash needs taken outside:

I lock my door, get headphones and hide.

Music at midnight, online till dawn

Downloading pix of muscles and brawn,

Erasing my cookies with such care

That no one would know I had been there.

When morning finds me, I close my eyes

Envision orchards, trees filled with guys,

And I pluck my fruit so quietly

That no one suspects but thee and me.

Mother keeps asking why I?m so clean

Yet my showers take hours unseen,

Fusses because of Kleenex I?ve used

Whole boxes wadded leave her confused.

Fifteen is hard work; gay makes it worse

Keeping such secrets feels like a curse;

But whom would I tell? Not Mom, not Dad

And it?s not the same, emailing GLAAD.

Fifteen?s confusing but I am sure

That sixteen will prove to be the cure;

So I wait for my birthday in spring

And all the wisdom next year will bring.

*

[video]

Evidently I don't sound as everyone imagined, because a certain AD Brit said:

OOOOOOOOOOOH! I just heard you. You don't sound camp at all. I was convinced you would sound as camp as a row of tents. I think you sound sexy actually.

I'm only camp on alternate Wednesdays.

Kisses...

TR

P.S. Did you know that it's impossible to write (or sleep) when you live next to a six-foot Black drag queen with enormous...speakers?