Submissions by ojhoff
POEMS AND SHORT STORIES
FICTIONAL PROSE
Published
4th Oct 2018 8:30am
4th Oct 2018 8:30am
I thought this was a game
Note: the events of this narrative took place on a computer screen and in the Theater of the Mind.
Before I got a computer, I had no life. I can forgive myself for not knowing the basics of human interaction. When I was past forty I got a second hand black and white Toshiba laptop. I went from email to message boards to chat rooms. I found people who spoke my native tongue, the language in which I am most fluent, at which I excel: text. The written word. And then one day years later I had scaled the high...
Before I got a computer, I had no life. I can forgive myself for not knowing the basics of human interaction. When I was past forty I got a second hand black and white Toshiba laptop. I went from email to message boards to chat rooms. I found people who spoke my native tongue, the language in which I am most fluent, at which I excel: text. The written word. And then one day years later I had scaled the high...
#rejection
#heartbroken
#conflict
#escape
#disappointment
506 reads
0 Comments
STORY POEM
Published
23rd Feb 2014 9:42pm
23rd Feb 2014 9:42pm
Northern Satan
I was dreaming about Constantinople. Not modern Istanbul. Old Constantinople. The shining fortress. That splendid, mysterious, ancient city beside the Sea of Marmora. How can I explain the fascination that place held for me? In real life, I had yet to set foot on Turkish soil. My knowledge of Byzantium was derived from the same source as all of my life's experiences. Vicariously. From books. Lonely hours spent with armchair travelogs, outdated encyclopedias, and old National Geographics. But now I was asleep. And although I was widely pitied and despised for a waking existence...
680 reads
0 Comments
SPIRITUAL POEM
Published
27th Jan 2013 8:10pm
27th Jan 2013 8:10pm
do not fear
Do not fear my miracle.
It was born of neither lust nor love.
It is the simple fulfillment of a dream
Created in the twilight.
The promise made to other women
Was made to me also.
I am one who sees and accepts all,
Who does not waste words,
For words, unlike body fluids,
Are power, and not to be spilled.
Now. I can misread small clues
But even the misreading is of no consequence.
And is simply the divergence of a path,
The one I will take.
That which I have loved I have set free.
I speak my words calmly.
I will not...
It was born of neither lust nor love.
It is the simple fulfillment of a dream
Created in the twilight.
The promise made to other women
Was made to me also.
I am one who sees and accepts all,
Who does not waste words,
For words, unlike body fluids,
Are power, and not to be spilled.
Now. I can misread small clues
But even the misreading is of no consequence.
And is simply the divergence of a path,
The one I will take.
That which I have loved I have set free.
I speak my words calmly.
I will not...
683 reads
2 Comments
SPIRITUAL POEM
Published
27th Jan 2013 7:55pm
27th Jan 2013 7:55pm
surprise
When God spoke creation into existence,
He was all-knowing
And did not depend
Upon his creatures' voices to tell Him
"Now I exist".
Sometimes a phantom friend
Speaks with the power of a god,
Then looks for a sign.
Until I speak he does not know
That his words cause
Rain, lightning, sorrow,
Again and again.
I have been too silent,
Assuming too much,
Not admitting the fierceness of the longing,
Confusing the voice of a human
With the omniscience of a God.
He was all-knowing
And did not depend
Upon his creatures' voices to tell Him
"Now I exist".
Sometimes a phantom friend
Speaks with the power of a god,
Then looks for a sign.
Until I speak he does not know
That his words cause
Rain, lightning, sorrow,
Again and again.
I have been too silent,
Assuming too much,
Not admitting the fierceness of the longing,
Confusing the voice of a human
With the omniscience of a God.
531 reads
2 Comments
STORY POEM
Published
24th Jan 2013 2:17am
24th Jan 2013 2:17am
Destination
The line is an elipse, moon-colored;
Even my art, then, has been taken from me.
For Art is line, by definition,
Not elipse. The turning points
Are the crooks of muscled arms
And are not bicycle wheels that fleet
toward one like a saw.
I stream out behind the moon.
I go around and around.
A heaviness in the hips,
A sweet juice, makes me want
To beat him purple with my fists.
I want to button his cuffs.
I want to grime his face,
And then wash him.
The oblique ring once again.
The swing of a comet is wide.
The...
Even my art, then, has been taken from me.
For Art is line, by definition,
Not elipse. The turning points
Are the crooks of muscled arms
And are not bicycle wheels that fleet
toward one like a saw.
I stream out behind the moon.
I go around and around.
A heaviness in the hips,
A sweet juice, makes me want
To beat him purple with my fists.
I want to button his cuffs.
I want to grime his face,
And then wash him.
The oblique ring once again.
The swing of a comet is wide.
The...
576 reads
1 Comment
NON-FICTION PROSE
Published
24th Jan 2013 2:06am
24th Jan 2013 2:06am
Jazzed Up Tofu
Otherwise tactful and pleasant people have been known to utter harsh words when asked their opinion of tofu. This protein-rich, cholesterol-free soy product is, admittedly, a bit bland. But the right ingredients can turn those same skeptics into enthusiastic tofu cheerleaders!
Start with a block of firm or extra firm tofu. Drain and cut it into cubes. In a separate bowl, mix one teaspoon balsamic vinegar, one fourth cup soy sauce, minced garlic to taste (at least one clove), a tablespoon of ground ginger, one tablespoon sugar or honey, a pinch of mustard powder, one tablespoon...
Start with a block of firm or extra firm tofu. Drain and cut it into cubes. In a separate bowl, mix one teaspoon balsamic vinegar, one fourth cup soy sauce, minced garlic to taste (at least one clove), a tablespoon of ground ginger, one tablespoon sugar or honey, a pinch of mustard powder, one tablespoon...
677 reads
3 Comments
NON-FICTION PROSE
Published
19th Jan 2013 5:38pm
19th Jan 2013 5:38pm
Keep Your Hands Clean
Antibacterial hand sanitizer may never replace good old fashioned soap and water as a means of preventing illness, but it is a handy and important back up method. Public facilities sometimes don’t provide the basics, and a tube of sanitizing gel carried in a purse or backpack can provide the protection you need. It is also useful when there is no convenient access to a sink or running water. A recent study showed that families using hand sanitizer and practicing basic good hygiene reduced the spread of stomach flu from one to another by as much as 59 per cent.
Hand sanitizers...
Hand sanitizers...
835 reads
2 Comments
FICTIONAL PROSE
Published
19th Jan 2013 5:20pm
19th Jan 2013 5:20pm
Virtual World Relationship
The female was hard to miss. Who in a world of models and movie stars would CHOOSE a nose like a pig's snout and legs like tree trunks? She didn't know how to sit or stand, and her hair was basic jelly goo. Her hands and feet were huge.
"Welcome Helga", said Alexander. "Welcome to the Village of Vagabonds. Would you like to make this place your home?"
"I would have to think about it", the woman replied. "Why do I need a home?"
"Everyone needs a home. A place to come to, a place to hang out when things get...
"Welcome Helga", said Alexander. "Welcome to the Village of Vagabonds. Would you like to make this place your home?"
"I would have to think about it", the woman replied. "Why do I need a home?"
"Everyone needs a home. A place to come to, a place to hang out when things get...
1163 reads
1 Comment
NON-FICTION PROSE
Published
17th Jan 2013 5:46pm
17th Jan 2013 5:46pm
Depression Era Sandwich Ideas from the Farm
Depression era homemakers created appetizing sandwiches out of simple ingredients. Their culinary ideas are as useful today as they were seventy years ago.
The Great Depression forced rural homemakers to come up with some recipes that taste surprisingly delicious, even in this day and age. Farmers could afford enough gasoline to make one trip per week to town, where they might buy a luxury item such as bananas. The sliced fruit garnished peanut butter sandwiches. Home made bread and home churned butter rounded off this special treat. Simple ingredients kept families going...
The Great Depression forced rural homemakers to come up with some recipes that taste surprisingly delicious, even in this day and age. Farmers could afford enough gasoline to make one trip per week to town, where they might buy a luxury item such as bananas. The sliced fruit garnished peanut butter sandwiches. Home made bread and home churned butter rounded off this special treat. Simple ingredients kept families going...
1002 reads
1 Comment
SONG LYRICS
Published
16th Jan 2013 7:58pm
16th Jan 2013 7:58pm
Lucifer Under the Lamplight
You are Lucifer under the lamplight
In tails and a tall silk hat
And gold dust in your pocket
And what should I think about that?
You have touched a match to my senses
And my thoughts are like bees in a jar
If I beg your for cotton candy,
You will laugh, and point to a star.
I fear you are waiting to lure me
To your Chinese opium den
Where the smoke is a satin pillow
And what shall become of me then?
In tails and a tall silk hat
And gold dust in your pocket
And what should I think about that?
You have touched a match to my senses
And my thoughts are like bees in a jar
If I beg your for cotton candy,
You will laugh, and point to a star.
I fear you are waiting to lure me
To your Chinese opium den
Where the smoke is a satin pillow
And what shall become of me then?
710 reads
3 Comments
SONG LYRICS
Published
16th Jan 2013 7:35pm
16th Jan 2013 7:35pm
Love Was The Dizzy Balcony
Love was the dizzy balcony
Where she waited, half afraid,
Of stars in the night and the
Poetry
Of a Spanish serenade.
Love was a graceful polonaise
Danced in the Kingdom of Sighs
Where the heart stands up like a petticoat
And falls when the music dies.
The lanterns burned orange with laughter,
The music was brilliant and loud
And the serpent leaped between them
As they stumbled into the crowd.
She thought that he was a handsome prince
Who lead her onto the floor,
Numb to the pangs of a woman grown
Who had never...
Where she waited, half afraid,
Of stars in the night and the
Poetry
Of a Spanish serenade.
Love was a graceful polonaise
Danced in the Kingdom of Sighs
Where the heart stands up like a petticoat
And falls when the music dies.
The lanterns burned orange with laughter,
The music was brilliant and loud
And the serpent leaped between them
As they stumbled into the crowd.
She thought that he was a handsome prince
Who lead her onto the floor,
Numb to the pangs of a woman grown
Who had never...
601 reads
3 Comments
SONG LYRICS
Published
12th Jan 2013 7:51pm
12th Jan 2013 7:51pm
Song of the Cougar
I sing you of lonesome valleys
Where the moon drags over the hill
And the fire dies down inside you
And you weep if you can...if you will...
Your friends cry, "Oh mercy, oh mercy"
For they fear you are losing your youth
And must pay out your gold for the powder
That helps you to cover the truth.
Then into the valley rides Billy,
I sing you of pretty young men,
I sing you of older women,
Oh, Billy is my best friend.
Oh, Billy is younger than springtime
And his face is freckled and fair
And the sun shine's so...
Where the moon drags over the hill
And the fire dies down inside you
And you weep if you can...if you will...
Your friends cry, "Oh mercy, oh mercy"
For they fear you are losing your youth
And must pay out your gold for the powder
That helps you to cover the truth.
Then into the valley rides Billy,
I sing you of pretty young men,
I sing you of older women,
Oh, Billy is my best friend.
Oh, Billy is younger than springtime
And his face is freckled and fair
And the sun shine's so...
698 reads
5 Comments
DU Poetry : Submissions by ojhoff
