Rick Ellis Creates

Chose to write a new poem style for me, the villanelle.
Was my first effort, but seems alright.
Basic topic was about bullying.

Dry Your Eye
By Rick Ellis
Copyright ©️
23 January 2025

No snivel, no drivel, dry your eye.
You must keep on your toes every day.
When in public, don’t let them see you cry.

Bullies come and bullies go bye, bye
They say emotions can get in the way
No snivel, no drivel, dry your eye.

They want you to deny, deny, deny
Deny yourself, with nothing more to say.
When in public, don’t let them see you cry.

With great resolve, eyes on your piece of the pie
Nose to the grindstone and best be making hay
No snivel, no drivel, dry your eye.

If you let things go, say goodbye to the sky
They are looking for weakness to put on display.
When in public, don’t let them see you cry.

The world around us has no reason why
To help you succeed or with your dismay
No snivel, no drivel, dry your eye.
When in public, don’t let them see you cry.

Taking advantage of the cold.

While inside with the cold weather I’ve been on a tear writing and writing as ideas come to mind with mixed styles of writing.

Mixed poems including some lyrical types are amongst this batch

Mixed poems 72
Haiku ish poems 11
Song 🎶 Project 8

Going to be a year if this continues. Might be time to write other ideas as well.

Rhyming Approaches

Poetry comes in many forms, styles, rules (or structure), or structural avoidance.

For this writing, I’ll focus on rhyming approaches.

A common approach is end rhyme where the end of a line rhymes with another line using perfect rhyme (exact sound and syllables) or near rhyme. Different purposes focus on whether it ought to be perfect rhyme or not.

Another common approach, more for song writing, is sound rhyme, where the sound of the sound injected syllables need to be near enough for tonal range.

Then there is a lesser or rarely used form of first word or phrase rhyming the beginning of another line.

There is also the use of sight rhymes, not based on sounds but the spelling match of multiple words, even as the words are not pronounced similarly, but the end spelling match’s. This is used in forms of poetry.

Finally, there is the no rhyme, free verse type of rhyming scheme and if things, words, or phrases rhyme, it doesn’t necessarily matter unless it’s a rhyming juxtaposition between order and chaos or disorder or resistance.

There are a mix of author purposes between wanting no rules or structures to those who require rules and structure to those who like the freedom of no structure while feeling the challenge to create within a structure.

It’s basically, do I color in the lines, disregard the lines, or play in both worlds to my own delight.

2025 Writing Progress

First, the haiku ish poems, on second glance, weren’t that at all, so merged those into the mixed poems. I did, however, write more poems in the Haiku styles.

Progress now.

Mixed poems: 63
Haiku ish poems: 11
Song project: 8 of 22
(was original goal planned for 20 pieces,
but was recently increased to 22 pieces)

Trying to determine what style to use next for the song project. Was reading up on “Found Poems” but not sure it’s the right style yet.

Never Gone
By Rick Ellis
Copyright ©️
21 January 2025

One can grieve and be numb while experiencing snippets of joy that is like a crumb within a heart still beating, but that joy and happiness can be fleeting, as it can disappear in a blink, be lost in a wink, even as you prepare to move on as grief is really never gone.

2025 Progeess

First 20 days of 2025, for me, are already writing prolific. 33 mix poem styles, 8 poems for a specific song related project, and 15 Haiku ish type poems. 56 pieces in 20 days and does not include partial writings or notes of ideas for future writings.

It’s weird that I’m pretty stoked about all of that and yet, I find it hard to date to embrace that feeling. That chasm is baffling to me.

Writing Progress

So far, 2025 has been a decent writing year.

For the song related project, 6 pieces created, three different writing styles.

For the rest, 22 pieces created.

Total 28 pieces created for an equivalent of 2 pieces created per day.

That’s without a specific goal set for the year and at times having a few days between writing, plus not including tidbits of ideas that I made note of.

So far, a good start.

Project Progress 20%

My latest writing project is to take a particular song, snag snippets from it, and then write pieces to relate to those snippets while trying to keep in touch with the song itself and it can be a challenge. To date, of this post, I have now completed 4 of the 20 song snippet writings.

Update: 30% and 6 of 20 completed

There are parts of the song I won’t be directly writing about, but may be eluding to within the pieces I create. It’s fun and challenging, but may require some ingenuity to not become overly repetitive. The possibility of being overly repetitive is one of my biggest concerns.

I’m waiting to share the song until I’ve completed this project and I’m hoping interest and inspiration will continue at a steady pace.

Inspiration

Inspiration can come from most anywhere. I was watching a video about how a certain song came to be. From that, I listened to the song again. One phrase in the song caught in my mind and I wrote it down, but wondered if there was more I could get from the song.

All in, I wrote down 20 plus phrases or words from the song towards creating 20 separate pieces from those snippets. I’m unsure how this will work out and in keeping somewhat to how the song got created but from my own inspired take on life.

Im not ready to share the song, because I don’t know his this will work and I’m not ready to reveal it to give too much away.

I hope this works out.

Tis
By Rick Ellis
Copyright ©️
29 December 2024

Tis an extraordinary adventure
As we explore
Tis an enduring drive, to be sure
Constantly seeking more

Tis knowledge that grows so
Should we read
Tis compassion of a fashion, lo,
With each need

Tis an insistent longing
We all seek
Tis a strength in belonging
For the weak

Tis a restless spirit
that regularly fiddles
Tis a quiet mind to hear it.
Life with its riddles

Tis an inquisitive to see the whole
And understand its use
Tis steadiness of a stoic soul
To produce a lasting truce

Tis the consistent stability
In all doing our part
Tis an endearing agility
That gives us all heart.

Tis the world that revolves,
And not I
Tis me that evolves
Whenever I try.

Word Creation

One fun aspect of writing is being able to create new words interlaced with new or existing meanings to enhance any current situation. Today, I created a new word and gave it meaning I believe all can relate to.

Foreswoon

Fore - beforehand, in front of, foreshadowing

Swoon - a state of raw emotional connection, hysterical rapture or ecstasy, or brought on by illness, fear, or stress.

My description:

Foreswoon is that momentary visionary urge and expectation, a sudden giddiness, a sense of what is possible before it is a known for a certainty or not. It is the power of belief, faith, hope, and pure adrenalized excitement of what can be that drives us forward towards uncertain possibilities.

Everyday examples:

The moment before most parents learn what gender the child in their womb is.

The moment before a person learns they are getting a new job or promotion or special efforts are leading to success.

The moment before a high school student is about to learn if they got accepted to a college of their choice.

A sports moment when the game is in the line, the ball is in the air and it feels like the world has stopped waiting to see if it’s make or break towards the basketball hoop or the field goal or the gokd ball in the hole.

Sometimes it feels like what is referred to as a pregnant pause, but for the trike invested, they feel like they could collapse waiting to learn if it’s real or bust.

Foreswoon

My latest creation for 2024:

Hope and Hopeless
By Rick Ellis
Copyright ©️
29 December 2024

Hope and hopeless, two sides of a narrow road,
especially when carrying a heavy load,
It’s really just a rugged old path, a trail
As people wonder who might stumble and fail

Questioning who will stay upright and remain
Despite the harsh terrain or enduring pain
Might they tumble or suddenly regress
While facing hardships, before achieving success?

Will they stay steadfast the entire way
Without any maddening hiccups causing delay?
Can they keep their morale at a high place
Rather than surrender, trying to not lose face?

Even if friends and family regularly inferred
Failure is imminent with a discouraging word?
Can they keep their head high and their eyes on
A distant vision towards the forward horizon?

Yes, hope and hopeless are two tricky beings
One encouraging our minds visionary seeings
The other tossing in imaginary complications
And boundless dialogue of self recriminations

Some think they are two sides of the same nickel
Profoundly declaring both are strangely fickle
Hope and hopelessness bearing towards a single fate
For one mind to discourse both in endless debate.

Creations, 2024 and beyond:

While I’ve been writing incomplete snippets of ideas in my recent days, my completion factor has been low, but that’s okay because I can cycle back on those complete pieces in over time. In fact, I’ve been thinking about doing a recycle year, to recycle through my incomplete works and try to finish each that seem worthwhile or intriguing to complete.

Should be an interesting exercise, because it will be including new works as well. In good mining jargon, it’s like sifting through the old tailings for good missed in the past while dredging up fresh, untouched ground at the same time. (What I get for watching good mining reality shows and other videos.)

Anyway, I have finished out this year setting a goal and a stretch goal to keep me looking forward with my writing and now it’s time to do more.

What shall I do in the coming year?
Writing
Illustrations
Photography
Publishing

Yet to be determined, but constantly with a feeling I need to do more than I’m doing now.

Also, with the lingering concern whether whatever I wrote is worthy of the reading. This is my enduring struggle between hope and hopeless. Towards that ongoing struggle is my latest creation and my next post.

Some of my latest poetic dives include the Korean Sijo poetic form and the narrative poetic form as used by Robert Frost in the poem The Road Not Taken, using iambic (unstressed, stressed 2 syllable foot) tetrameter (four feet) with a four stanza and 5 line ABAAB rhyming scheme per stanza.

Sijo is a short Korean poetic form that is a non rhyming poem based on three lines, but syllable groupings within those lines to start a theme, add to it, and give it a twist. Still sorting through how that works despite my initial efforts.

Challenging in their ways.
Much to learn. Fun times.

Maybe final report 2024 Poems
200…….goal
250……push
253……done

My response to a meme I’ve seen about being told to don’t be obvious about mentioning when there’s snow since a person can look outside and see it fur themselves. 😮😂😎

Outside View
By Rick Ellis
Copyright ©️
12 December 2024

In case you didn’t know
Not looking out the window
The land is feeling the snow
That’s been falling fairly slow.

And in case you already saw
Maybe your guts will gnaw
As it was already obvious to you
When you got an outside view.

The Flow
By Rick Ellis
Copyright ©️
15 December 2024

My mind still has the flow,
But the flow has begun to slow,

Less insistent
Not so persistent
The tap remains existent
But not as consistent

More steady focus
Less hocus pocus

Meandering thought
Much lost and forgot
Not getting caught
Ending in being naught

Slipping through the net
Bits we quickly forget

Unless they’re written quick
With practiced, scribbled flick
A learned experienced trick
With each vanish clock tick

Ah, yes, the vanish clock
There’s no time to gawk

Wondering the overall cost
Of which thoughts were lost

Well crafted bits of prose
Lost in those endless flows
Knowing that’s how it goes
And one knows the throes

Of creative thoughts lost in the past
Cause I couldn’t scribble that fast

It’s more manageable now
Not less tangible, somehow
Not by the sweat of the brow
But the steadiness of the plow

Though the flow has begun to slow
My mind still has the flow.

Progress report 2024 Poems
200…….goal
238……done
250……push