Poefusion

Poefusion #3

Write a poem/ story using two lines from one of the listed Poevies on my new blog. Please bold the two lines and give credit where credit is due. If you participate, leave a comment below. Happy writing~

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
date 2004
poem Eloisa to Abelard
author Alexander Pope

You can read the poem Eloisa to Abelard by Alexander Pope in it's entirety below. I have put in bold the part used in the movie, for your convenience. Please leave a comment or two.

In these deep solitudes and awful cells,
Where heav'nly-pensive contemplation dwells,
And ever-musing melancholy reigns;
What means this tumult in a vestal's veins?
Why rove my thoughts beyond this last retreat?
Why feels my heart its long-forgotten heat?
Yet, yet I love! — From Abelard it came,
And Eloisa yet must kiss the name.

Dear fatal name! rest ever unreveal'd,
Nor pass these lips in holy silence seal'd.
Hide it, my heart, within that close disguise,
Where mix'd with God's, his lov'd idea lies:
O write it not, my hand — the name appears
Already written — wash it out, my tears!
In vain lost Eloisa weeps and prays,
Her heart still dictates, and her hand obeys.

Relentless walls! whose darksome round contains
Repentant sighs, and voluntary pains:
Ye rugged rocks! which holy knees have worn;
Ye grots and caverns shagg'd with horrid thorn!
Shrines! where their vigils pale-ey'd virgins keep,
And pitying saints, whose statues learn to weep!
Though cold like you, unmov'd, and silent grown,
I have not yet forgot myself to stone.
All is not Heav'n's while Abelard has part,
Still rebel nature holds out half my heart;
Nor pray'rs nor fasts its stubborn pulse restrain,
Nor tears, for ages, taught to flow in vain.

Soon as thy letters trembling I unclose,
That well-known name awakens all my woes.
Oh name for ever sad! for ever dear!
Still breath'd in sighs, still usher'd with a tear.
I tremble too, where'er my own I find,
Some dire misfortune follows close behind.
Line after line my gushing eyes o'erflow,
Led through a sad variety of woe:
Now warm in love, now with'ring in thy bloom,
Lost in a convent's solitary gloom!
There stern religion quench'd th' unwilling flame,
There died the best of passions, love and fame.

Yet write, oh write me all, that I may join
Griefs to thy griefs, and echo sighs to thine.
Nor foes nor fortune take this pow'r away;
And is my Abelard less kind than they?
Tears still are mine, and those I need not spare,
Love but demands what else were shed in pray'r;
No happier task these faded eyes pursue;
To read and weep is all they now can do.

Then share thy pain, allow that sad relief;
Ah, more than share it! give me all thy grief.
Heav'n first taught letters for some wretch's aid,
Some banish'd lover, or some captive maid;
They live, they speak, they breathe what love inspires,
Warm from the soul, and faithful to its fires,
The virgin's wish without her fears impart,
Excuse the blush, and pour out all the heart,
Speed the soft intercourse from soul to soul,
And waft a sigh from Indus to the Pole.

Thou know'st how guiltless first I met thy flame,
When Love approach'd me under Friendship's name;
My fancy form'd thee of angelic kind,
Some emanation of th' all-beauteous Mind.
Those smiling eyes, attemp'ring ev'ry day,
Shone sweetly lambent with celestial day.
Guiltless I gaz'd; heav'n listen'd while you sung;
And truths divine came mended from that tongue.
From lips like those what precept fail'd to move?
Too soon they taught me 'twas no sin to love.
Back through the paths of pleasing sense I ran,
Nor wish'd an Angel whom I lov'd a Man.
Dim and remote the joys of saints I see;
Nor envy them, that heav'n I lose for thee.

How oft, when press'd to marriage, have I said,
Curse on all laws but those which love has made!
Love, free as air, at sight of human ties,
Spreads his light wings, and in a moment flies,
Let wealth, let honour, wait the wedded dame,
August her deed, and sacred be her fame;
Before true passion all those views remove,
Fame, wealth, and honour! what are you to Love?
The jealous God, when we profane his fires,
Those restless passions in revenge inspires;
And bids them make mistaken mortals groan,
Who seek in love for aught but love alone.
Should at my feet the world's great master fall,
Himself, his throne, his world, I'd scorn 'em all:
Not Caesar's empress would I deign to prove;
No, make me mistress to the man I love;
If there be yet another name more free,
More fond than mistress, make me that to thee!
Oh happy state! when souls each other draw,
When love is liberty, and nature, law:
All then is full, possessing, and possess'd,
No craving void left aching in the breast:
Ev'n thought meets thought, ere from the lips it part,
And each warm wish springs mutual from the heart.
This sure is bliss (if bliss on earth there be)
And once the lot of Abelard and me.

Alas, how chang'd! what sudden horrors rise!
A naked lover bound and bleeding lies!
Where, where was Eloise? her voice, her hand,
Her poniard, had oppos'd the dire command.
Barbarian, stay! that bloody stroke restrain;
The crime was common, common be the pain.
I can no more; by shame, by rage suppress'd,
Let tears, and burning blushes speak the rest.

Canst thou forget that sad, that solemn day,
When victims at yon altar's foot we lay?
Canst thou forget what tears that moment fell,
When, warm in youth, I bade the world farewell?
As with cold lips I kiss'd the sacred veil,
The shrines all trembl'd, and the lamps grew pale:
Heav'n scarce believ'd the conquest it survey'd,
And saints with wonder heard the vows I made.
Yet then, to those dread altars as I drew,
Not on the Cross my eyes were fix'd, but you:
Not grace, or zeal, love only was my call,
And if I lose thy love, I lose my all.
Come! with thy looks, thy words, relieve my woe;
Those still at least are left thee to bestow.
Still on that breast enamour'd let me lie,
Still drink delicious poison from thy eye,
Pant on thy lip, and to thy heart be press'd;
Give all thou canst — and let me dream the rest.
Ah no! instruct me other joys to prize,
With other beauties charm my partial eyes,
Full in my view set all the bright abode,
And make my soul quit Abelard for God.

Ah, think at least thy flock deserves thy care,
Plants of thy hand, and children of thy pray'r.
From the false world in early youth they fled,
By thee to mountains, wilds, and deserts led.
You rais'd these hallow'd walls; the desert smil'd,
And Paradise was open'd in the wild.
No weeping orphan saw his father's stores
Our shrines irradiate, or emblaze the floors;
No silver saints, by dying misers giv'n,
Here brib'd the rage of ill-requited heav'n:
But such plain roofs as piety could raise,
And only vocal with the Maker's praise.
In these lone walls (their days eternal bound)
These moss-grown domes with spiry turrets crown'd,
Where awful arches make a noonday night,
And the dim windows shed a solemn light;
Thy eyes diffus'd a reconciling ray,
And gleams of glory brighten'd all the day.
But now no face divine contentment wears,
'Tis all blank sadness, or continual tears.
See how the force of others' pray'rs I try,
(O pious fraud of am'rous charity!)
But why should I on others' pray'rs depend?
Come thou, my father, brother, husband, friend!
Ah let thy handmaid, sister, daughter move,
And all those tender names in one, thy love!
The darksome pines that o'er yon rocks reclin'd
Wave high, and murmur to the hollow wind,
The wand'ring streams that shine between the hills,
The grots that echo to the tinkling rills,
The dying gales that pant upon the trees,
The lakes that quiver to the curling breeze;
No more these scenes my meditation aid,
Or lull to rest the visionary maid.
But o'er the twilight groves and dusky caves,
Long-sounding aisles, and intermingled graves,
Black Melancholy sits, and round her throws
A death-like silence, and a dread repose:
Her gloomy presence saddens all the scene,
Shades ev'ry flow'r, and darkens ev'ry green,
Deepens the murmur of the falling floods,
And breathes a browner horror on the woods.

Yet here for ever, ever must I stay;
Sad proof how well a lover can obey!
Death, only death, can break the lasting chain;
And here, ev'n then, shall my cold dust remain,
Here all its frailties, all its flames resign,
And wait till 'tis no sin to mix with thine.

Ah wretch! believ'd the spouse of God in vain,
Confess'd within the slave of love and man.
Assist me, Heav'n! but whence arose that pray'r?
Sprung it from piety, or from despair?
Ev'n here, where frozen chastity retires,
Love finds an altar for forbidden fires.
I ought to grieve, but cannot what I ought;
I mourn the lover, not lament the fault;
I view my crime, but kindle at the view,
Repent old pleasures, and solicit new;
Now turn'd to Heav'n, I weep my past offence,
Now think of thee, and curse my innocence.
Of all affliction taught a lover yet,
'Tis sure the hardest science to forget!
How shall I lose the sin, yet keep the sense,
And love th' offender, yet detest th' offence?
How the dear object from the crime remove,
Or how distinguish penitence from love?
Unequal task! a passion to resign,
For hearts so touch'd, so pierc'd, so lost as mine.
Ere such a soul regains its peaceful state,
How often must it love, how often hate!
How often hope, despair, resent, regret,
Conceal, disdain — do all things but forget.
But let Heav'n seize it, all at once 'tis fir'd;
Not touch'd, but rapt; not waken'd, but inspir'd!
Oh come! oh teach me nature to subdue,
Renounce my love, my life, myself — and you.
Fill my fond heart with God alone, for he
Alone can rival, can succeed to thee.

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;
Labour and rest, that equal periods keep;
"Obedient slumbers that can wake and weep;"
Desires compos'd, affections ever ev'n,
Tears that delight, and sighs that waft to Heav'n.
Grace shines around her with serenest beams,
And whisp'ring angels prompt her golden dreams.
For her th' unfading rose of Eden blooms,
And wings of seraphs shed divine perfumes,
For her the Spouse prepares the bridal ring,
For her white virgins hymeneals sing,
To sounds of heav'nly harps she dies away,
And melts in visions of eternal day.

Far other dreams my erring soul employ,
Far other raptures, of unholy joy:
When at the close of each sad, sorrowing day,
Fancy restores what vengeance snatch'd away,
Then conscience sleeps, and leaving nature free,
All my loose soul unbounded springs to thee.
Oh curs'd, dear horrors of all-conscious night!
How glowing guilt exalts the keen delight!
Provoking Daemons all restraint remove,
And stir within me every source of love.
I hear thee, view thee, gaze o'er all thy charms,
And round thy phantom glue my clasping arms.
I wake — no more I hear, no more I view,
The phantom flies me, as unkind as you.
I call aloud; it hears not what I say;
I stretch my empty arms; it glides away.
To dream once more I close my willing eyes;
Ye soft illusions, dear deceits, arise!
Alas, no more — methinks we wand'ring go
Through dreary wastes, and weep each other's woe,
Where round some mould'ring tower pale ivy creeps,
And low-brow'd rocks hang nodding o'er the deeps.
Sudden you mount, you beckon from the skies;
Clouds interpose, waves roar, and winds arise.
I shriek, start up, the same sad prospect find,
And wake to all the griefs I left behind.

For thee the fates, severely kind, ordain
A cool suspense from pleasure and from pain;
Thy life a long, dead calm of fix'd repose;
No pulse that riots, and no blood that glows.
Still as the sea, ere winds were taught to blow,
Or moving spirit bade the waters flow;
Soft as the slumbers of a saint forgiv'n,
And mild as opening gleams of promis'd heav'n.

Come, Abelard! for what hast thou to dread?
The torch of Venus burns not for the dead.
Nature stands check'd; Religion disapproves;
Ev'n thou art cold — yet Eloisa loves.
Ah hopeless, lasting flames! like those that burn
To light the dead, and warm th' unfruitful urn.

What scenes appear where'er I turn my view?
The dear ideas, where I fly, pursue,
Rise in the grove, before the altar rise,
Stain all my soul, and wanton in my eyes.
I waste the matin lamp in sighs for thee,
Thy image steals between my God and me,
Thy voice I seem in ev'ry hymn to hear,
With ev'ry bead I drop too soft a tear.
When from the censer clouds of fragrance roll,
And swelling organs lift the rising soul,
One thought of thee puts all the pomp to flight,
Priests, tapers, temples, swim before my sight:
In seas of flame my plunging soul is drown'd,
While altars blaze, and angels tremble round.

While prostrate here in humble grief I lie,
Kind, virtuous drops just gath'ring in my eye,
While praying, trembling, in the dust I roll,
And dawning grace is op'ning on my soul:
Come, if thou dar'st, all charming as thou art!
Oppose thyself to Heav'n; dispute my heart;
Come, with one glance of those deluding eyes
Blot out each bright idea of the skies;
Take back that grace, those sorrows, and those tears;
Take back my fruitless penitence and pray'rs;
Snatch me, just mounting, from the blest abode;
Assist the fiends, and tear me from my God!

No, fly me, fly me, far as pole from pole;
Rise Alps between us! and whole oceans roll!
Ah, come not, write not, think not once of me,
Nor share one pang of all I felt for thee.
Thy oaths I quit, thy memory resign;
Forget, renounce me, hate whate'er was mine.
Fair eyes, and tempting looks (which yet I view!)
Long lov'd, ador'd ideas, all adieu!
Oh Grace serene! oh virtue heav'nly fair!
Divine oblivion of low-thoughted care!
Fresh blooming hope, gay daughter of the sky!
And faith, our early immortality!
Enter, each mild, each amicable guest;
Receive, and wrap me in eternal rest!

See in her cell sad Eloisa spread,
Propp'd on some tomb, a neighbour of the dead.
In each low wind methinks a spirit calls,
And more than echoes talk along the walls.
Here, as I watch'd the dying lamps around,
From yonder shrine I heard a hollow sound.
"Come, sister, come!" (it said, or seem'd to say)
"Thy place is here, sad sister, come away!
Once like thyself, I trembled, wept, and pray'd,
Love's victim then, though now a sainted maid:
But all is calm in this eternal sleep;
Here grief forgets to groan, and love to weep,
Ev'n superstition loses ev'ry fear:
For God, not man, absolves our frailties here."

I come, I come! prepare your roseate bow'rs,
Celestial palms, and ever-blooming flow'rs.
Thither, where sinners may have rest, I go,
Where flames refin'd in breasts seraphic glow:
Thou, Abelard! the last sad office pay,
And smooth my passage to the realms of day;
See my lips tremble, and my eye-balls roll,
Suck my last breath, and catch my flying soul!
Ah no — in sacred vestments may'st thou stand,
The hallow'd taper trembling in thy hand,
Present the cross before my lifted eye,
Teach me at once, and learn of me to die.
Ah then, thy once-lov'd Eloisa see!
It will be then no crime to gaze on me.
See from my cheek the transient roses fly!
See the last sparkle languish in my eye!
Till ev'ry motion, pulse, and breath be o'er;
And ev'n my Abelard be lov'd no more.
O Death all-eloquent! you only prove
What dust we dote on, when 'tis man we love.

Then too, when fate shall thy fair frame destroy,
(That cause of all my guilt, and all my joy)
In trance ecstatic may thy pangs be drown'd,
Bright clouds descend, and angels watch thee round,
From op'ning skies may streaming glories shine,
And saints embrace thee with a love like mine.

May one kind grave unite each hapless name,
And graft my love immortal on thy fame!
Then, ages hence, when all my woes are o'er,
When this rebellious heart shall beat no more;
If ever chance two wand'ring lovers brings
To Paraclete's white walls and silver springs,
O'er the pale marble shall they join their heads,
And drink the falling tears each other sheds;
Then sadly say, with mutual pity mov'd,
"Oh may we never love as these have lov'd!"

From the full choir when loud Hosannas rise,
And swell the pomp of dreadful sacrifice,
Amid that scene if some relenting eye
Glance on the stone where our cold relics lie,
Devotion's self shall steal a thought from Heav'n,
One human tear shall drop and be forgiv'n.
And sure, if fate some future bard shall join
In sad similitude of griefs to mine,
Condemn'd whole years in absence to deplore,
And image charms he must behold no more;
Such if there be, who loves so long, so well;
Let him our sad, our tender story tell;
The well-sung woes will soothe my pensive ghost;
He best can paint 'em, who shall feel 'em most.

The Outsiders

movie The Outsiders
date 1983
poem Nothing Gold Can Stay
author Robert Frost

You can find Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost below. Please leave a comment or two.

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so for an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Madea's Family Reunion

movie Madea's Family Reunion
date 2006
poem In and Out of Time
author Maya Angelou


In and Out of Time by Maya Angelou can be read in it's entirety below. Please leave a comment or two.

The sun has come.
The mist has gone.
We see in the distance...
our long way home.
I was always yours to have.
You were always mine.
We have loved each other in and out of time.
When the first stone looked up at the blazing sun
and the first tree struggled up from the forest floor
I had always loved you more.
You freed your braids...
gave your hair to the breeze.
It hummed like a hive of honey bees.
I reached in the mass for the sweet honey comb there....
Mmmm...God how I love your hair.
You saw me bludgeoned by circumstance.
Lost, injured, hurt by chance.
I screamed to the heavens....loudly screamed....
Trying to change our nightmares to dreams...
The sun has come.
The mist has gone.
We see in the distance our long way home.
I was always yours to have.
You were always mine.
We have loved each other in and out
in and out
in and out
of time.

Here's a link to Maya Angelou's short bio.

Dennis The Menace

movie Dennis the Menace
date 1993
poem Wynken, Blynken and Nod
author Eugene Field

You can read the poem Wynken, Blynken and Nod by Eugene Field below. I have put in bold the part used in the movie. Please leave your comments below.

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe --
Sailed off on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in the beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we!"
Said Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
That lived in the beautiful sea --
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish --
Never afeard are we";
So cried the stars to the fisherman three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam --
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe
Bringing the fisherman home;
'Twas all so pretty a sail it seemed
As if it could not be,
And some folks thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea --
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoes that sailed the skies
Is the wee one's trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea,
Where the old shoe rocked the fisherman three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

Here's a wikipedia link for more information about this poem.

The Invisible

movie The Invisible
date 2007
poem In The Night
author unknown

In The Night by ? can be found in its entirety below. Anyone know the author? Comment below.


In The Night

Day burns down to night
Burns the edge of my soul
In the night I break into
Sparks of suns
And become fires end
The dust of bones...

Night knifes my breaths
Swallows whole my tongue
Turn back
Reverse
Return

In the night I see
The real concealed
In the days bright lie
Eyes stitched shut
White teeth smile

Sleep walks
And talks
And feet
Mark time
To the drumless beat.

The Invisible

Authors

A E Housman
Abraham Cowley
Alexander Hope
Carmina Burana
D H Lawrence
David Jewell
Dr Seuss
E E Cummings
Edna St Vincent Millay
Elizabeth B Browning
Elizabeth Bishop
Emily Dickinson
Eugene Field
Eugenio Montejo
Federico Garcia Lorca
Homer
Jane Kenyon
John Donne
John Keats
John Pudney
Mary Elizabeth Frye
Maya Angelou
Robert Browning
Robert Frost
Robert Herrick
Thomas Hood
W H Auden
Walt Whitman
William Blake
William Butler Yates
William Ernest Henley
William Wordsworth

Poevies Index

Author Unknown
Poem Title Unknown (3)
Candy's Poem
Candy, 2006
The Devil's Backbone, 2001
In The Night
The Invisible, 2007

Angelou, Maya
In and Out of Time
Madea's Family Reunion, 2006

Auden, W H
As I Walked Out One Evening
Before Sunrise, 1995

Bishop, Elizabeth
One Art
In Her Shoes, 2005

Blake, William
Auguries of Innocence
Dead Man, 1995

Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion
P.S. I Love You, 2007

Browning, Elizabeth B.
A Man's Requirements
You Belong To Me, 2008

Browning, Robert
Life In Love
You Belong To Me, 2008

Burana, Carmina
O Fortuna
So You Think You Can Dance, 2009

Calvert, Raymond
The Ballad of William Bloat
Dead Poets Society, 1989

Cowley, Abraham
The Prophet
Dead Poets Society, 1989

Cummings, E E
I Carry Your Heart With Me, I Carry It In My Heart
In Her Shoes, 2005
Candy, 2006

Dickinson, Emily
Ample Make This Bed
Sophie's Choice, 1982

Because I Could Not Stop for Death
The Brave One, 2007

Hope
Autumn In New York, 2000

Donne, John
The Good Morrow
Tristan & Isolde, 2006

Field, Eugene
Wynken, Blynken and Nod
Dennis the Menace, 1993

Frost, Robert
Birches
Here On Earth, 2000

Nothing Gold Can Stay
The Outsiders, 1993
Don't Look Down, 1998

Frye, Mary Elizabeth
Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep
Desperate Housewives,2008

Garcia, Federico Lorca
Horseman's Song
Revenge, 1990

Geisel, Theodor Seuss (Dr. Seuss)
Oh, The Places You'll Go
Fracture, 2007

Henley, William Ernest
Invictus
The Capture of the Green River Killer, 2008

Herrick, Robert
To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time
Dead Poets Society, 1989

Homer
The Odyssey
Prison Break, 2008

Hood, Thomas
Silence
The Piano, 1993

Housman, A E
To An Athlete Dying Young
Out of Africa, 1985

Jewell, David
Delusion Angel
Before Sunrise, 1995

Keats, John
To Autumn
Bridget Jones's Diary, 2001

Kenyon, Jane
Let Evening Come
In Her Shoes, 2005

Lawrence, D. H.
Self Pity
G. I. Jane, 1997

Lorca, Federico Garcia
Cancion del Jinete (Horseman's Song)
Revenge, 1990

Millay, Edna St. Vincent
The Buck in the Snow
Trial by Fire, 1995

To A Young Poet
Autumn In New York, 2000

Montejo, Eugenio
The Earth Turned To Bring Us Closer
21 Grams, 2003

Pope, Alexander
Eloisa to Abelard
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004

Pudney, John
For Johnny
The Way to the Stars, 1945

Tennyson, Alfred Lord
In Memoriam
Hellboy II: The Golden Army, 2008

Whitman, Walt
Give Me The Splendid Silent Sun
Little Women, 1994

Willett, Tom
Poem Titles Unknown
Dreamland, 2006

Wordsworth, William
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, 2005

Ode On Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood
Criminal Minds, 2008

Yeats, William Butler
Her Praise
House MD, 2004

The Lover of the Rose in His Heart
Desperate Housewives, 2008

The Second Coming
Heroes, 2008

Movie Guide

Here you will find a list of movies I know have poems used in them. If you know of a movie not listed please comment below. As this is a blog with documentation of movie poems, I'm only interested in movies with poems. Thanks~

Here's a link to Amy King's blog sharing her movies w/ poetry. And, I've started the list below using Poetry in Movies: A Partial List originally compiled by Stacey Harwood. It was first published in the Michigan Quarterly Review and now posted at Poets.org. Reproduced w/out permission. Stacey Harwood's reference guide will be added to periodically so drop by often.

21 Grams, 2003
84 Charing Cross Road, 1987
A. I.: Artificial Intelligence, 2001
A Farewell to Arms, 193
A Map of the World, 1999
A Matter of Life and Death, 1946
A Prairie Home Companion, 2006
A Raisin in the Sun, 1961
A River Runs Through It, 1992
A Very Long Engagement, 2004
Adam's Rib, 1949
Alice in Wonderland, 1966
American Splendor, 2003
Another Woman, 1988
Any Mother's Son, 1997
Apocalypse Now, 1979
Autumn in New York, 2000
Awakenings, 1990
Away From Her, 2006
Back to School, 1986
Barfly, 1987
Beautiful Dreamers, 1990
Before Sunrise, 1995
Blade Runner, 1982
Blockade, 1938
Blue Car, 2002
Born to Kill, 1947
Bridget Jones's Diary, 2001
Brief Encounter, 1945
Bull Durham, 1988
Burning Secret, 1988
Butley, 1974
Calendar Girls, 2003
Candy, 2006
Capture of the Green River Killer, 2008
Cast a Giant Shadow, 1966
Ceux qui m'aiment prendront le train, 1998
Chariots of Fire, 1981
Citizen Kane, 1941
Coach Carter, 2005
Come Live With Me, 1941
Crimes and Misdemeanors, 1989
Dangerous Minds, 1995
Days of Wine and Roses, 1962
Dead Man, 1995
Dead Poets Society, 1989
Dennis the Menace, 1993
Desk Set, 1957
Don Juan de Marco, 1995
Don't Look Down, 1998
Down by Law, 1986
Dreamcatcher, 2003
Dreamland, 2006
Educating Rita, 1983
El Dorado, 1967
Equilibrium, 2002
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004
F For Fake, 1974
Finding Forrester, 2000
Finding Graceland, 1998
Four Weddings and a Funeral, 1994
Fracture, 2007
Frenzy, 1972
Germany in Autumn, 1978
Germany Pale Mother, 1980
Ghosts on the Loose, 1943
G.I. Jane, 1997
Girl, Interrupted, 1999
Goodbye, My Fancy, 1951
Good Night and Good Luck, 2005
Groundhog Day, 1993
Gunga Din, 1939
Hackers, 1995
Hairspray, 1988
Hannah and Her Sisters, 1986
Hannibal, 2001
Hellboy II: The Golden Army, 2008
Here On Earth, 2000
Here We Go Again, 1942
Holes, 2003
Holy Smoke, 1999
Home of the Brave, 1949
Hot Afternoons Have Been in Montana, 2005
Il Postino, 1994
In a Lonely Place, 1950
In and Out, 1997
In Her Shoes, 2005
In the Bedroom, 2001
In the Cut, 2003
Intolerable Cruelty, 2003
Jamaica Inn, 1939
Julia, 1977
Kid Glove Killer, 1942
King's Row, 1942
Kiss Me Deadly, 1955
La Letrice (The Reader), 1988
Laura Croft: Tomb Raider, 2001
Le Divorce, 2003
L.I.E, 2001
Lifeboat, 1944
Little Women, 1994
Logan's Run, 1976
Lola Montes, 1955
Lolita, 1962
Love and Death, 1975
Love and Death on Long Island, 1997
Madea's Family Reunion, 2006
Memphis Belle, 1990
Million Dollar Baby, 2004
Mindwalk, 1991
Morning Glory, 1933
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, 2005
Must Love Dogs, 2005
My Darling Clementine, 1946
My Own Private Idaho, 1991
Night Mail, 1936
Now, Voyager, 1942
Out of Africa, 1985
Pandaemonium, 2000
Peau d'ane, 1970
Peggy Sue Got Married, 1986
Pinero, 2001
Play Misty For Me, 1971
Poetic Justice
Portrait of Jenny, 1948
Pride and Prejudice, 1940
Privilege, 1967
P.S. I Love You, 2007
Reality Bites, 1994
Regeneration, 1997
Renaissance Man, 1994
Revenge, 1990
Richard III, 1995
Saboteur, 1942
Sabrina, 1995
Seabiscuit, 2003
Sense and Sensibility, 1995
Shadowlands, 1993
Shadow of the Vampire, 2000
Side Street, 1950
Since You Went Away, 1944
Smoke, 1995
So You Think You Can Dance, 2009
Solaris, 2002
Sophie's Choice, 1982
Spider-Man 2, 2004
Splendor in the Grass, 1961
St. Martin's Lane, 1938
Stage Struck, 1958
Star Trek VI: The Undisclosed Country, 1991
Street Scene, 1931
Sylvia, 2003
Take the High Ground, 1953
Tea with Mussolini, 1999
Telefon, 1977
Tender Comrade, 1943
The 25th Hour, 2002
The Anniversary Party, 2001
The Barretts of Wimpole Street, 1934
The Brave One, 2007
The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957
The Bridges of Madison County, 1995
The Charge of the Light Brigade, 1936
The Clairvoyant, 1934
The Crow, 1994
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, 2002
The Daytrippers, 1996
The Devil's Backbone, 2001
The End of the Affair, 1955
The Exorcist III, 1990
The Falcon and the Snowman, 1985
The Fog of War, 2003
The Four Feathers, 1939
The Horse's Mouth, 1958
The Human Stain, 2003
The Invisible, 2007
The Krays, 1990
The Ladykillers, 2004
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, 1935
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, 1962
The Longest Day
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, 1944
The Mirror Crack'd, 1980
The Notebook, 2004
The Outsiders, 1983
The Perfect Man, 2005
The Piano, 1993
The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1945
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, 1969
The Prisoner of Zenda, 1937
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, 1939
The Quiet American, 2002
The Raven, 1935
The Ruling Class,1972
The Scarlet Pimpernel, 1934
The Sweet Hereafter, 1997
The Thin Man Goes Home, 1944
The Track of the Cat, 1954
The Trouble with Harry, 1955
The Unfaithful, 1947
The Victors, 1963
The Way to the Stars, 1945
The Weight of Water, 2000
The White Cliffs of Dover, 1944
They Were Expendable, 1945
This Land is Mine, 1943
Till Human Voices Wake Us, 2002
Today We Live, 1933
Tom Jones, 1963
Tombstone, 1991
Too Much, Too Soon, 1958
Trial By Fire, 1995
Tristan and Isolde, 2006
Truly Madly Deeply, 1991
Tumbleweeds, 1999
Two Way Stretch, 1959
Undercurrent, 1946
Unfaithful, 2002
Vision Quest, 1985
Walkabout, 1971
Way to the Stars, 1945
White Men Can't Jump, 1992
Wilde, 1997
Without Love, 1945
You Belong To Me, 2008
Young Guns, 1988

Monday Mural

by guavaguavalamp
from Photobucket

Monday Mural will feature a picture/ artwork for you to lend your words (poem or story) each Monday. I want you to ask yourself what images are provoked here? What words would you use to define this picture? If you choose to write for Monday Mural please leave your comments below. Hope to see you around.

Artwork by guavaguavalamp at Photobucket is the inspiration for today's Monday Mural. I have always thought the eyes held deeper insight into one's self, good or bad. I hope you can find some inspiration here today as you write your poems. If you copy the artwork to your site please give credit where credit it due. Thank you everyone for making Monday Mural a nice environment.

Friday 5

Friday 5 is a collection of five words which can be found each week (middle column) on this page and inside this post. If you choose to write a poem or story with these words please leave your comment below. I hope everyone can find the same inspiration with Friday 5 as they do with 3WW. Hope to see you around and don't forget to post your comments below. Have a nice day.

Friday 5

scrivener
distal
parapet
gilt
trace

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year blogosphere friends. You all have made my blogging experience a very good one. Thank you for your friendship. Here is a little something I handmade for everyone. It's late because I ran out of supplies and couldn't finish it until late last night. Hope you enjoy.

Monday Mural

images by Michelle Johnson

Monday Mural will feature a picture/ artwork for you to lend your words (poem or story) each Monday. I want you to ask yourself what images are provoked here? What words would you use to define this picture? If you choose to write for Monday Mural please leave your comments below. Hope to see you around.

Today's Monday Mural comes to you courtesy of my own yard. Pictured is a cement statue I found at an antique & craft show in Maysville. I bought it for my Zen like garden in front of our house. It features the four winds- east, west, north & south. Pick the one you like best and start writing. Hope you enjoy today's pick.

I had planned a Christmas theme this week but, I haven't heard whether I have permission to use the image yet. So, I hope these images will create some sort of inspiration while we wait. Happy writing~

Ocean's Heart

I hear the thrumming beat
Of palpitations beneath grainy sands
As Virginia waters bite at my feet.

Poised with hinged hands
I wear the ocean's perfume-
those white caps brushing saturated lands.

Drawn from salty brine of conch's womb
Are low tides verboten pieces
Excavated from Poseidon's tomb.

With sounding breath the ocean releases
A dredged treasure to reap-
An avatar of love that never ceases.

While Charybdis, the gatekeeper, sleeps
Ubiquitous night falls over low tide,
Ocean's heart is given... for keeps.

Friday 5 words are in bold. Pictured above is the heart shaped seashell I found during our honeymoon at Virginia Beach, August 1997.

photos by Michelle Johnson

Friday 5

Friday 5 is a collection of five words which can be found each week (middle column) on this page and inside this post. If you choose to write a poem or story with these words please leave your comment below. I hope everyone can find the same inspiration with Friday 5 as they do with 3WW. Hope to see you around and don't forget to post your comments below. Have a nice day.

Friday 5

sanitary
fuselage
ache
paste
pardon

Theme:
It's Unlike Me

The words/ theme for this week came from Read.Write.Poem. If you choose, you can write a poem with just the five words or, you can use the theme as an extra challenge. Either way, I hope you have fun writing this week. And, don't forget to leave your comments below.

Monday Mural

by Megzmacz
from Photobucket

Monday Mural will feature a picture/ artwork for you to lend your words (poem or story) each Monday. I want you to ask yourself what images are provoked here? What words would you use to define this picture? If you choose to write for Monday Mural please leave your comments below. Hope to see you around.

I was unable to acquire permission to use this photo. If you copy this picture, please give credit to Megzmacz from Photobucket. Thank you Megzmacz for creating such a lively picture.

chance

german shepherd took
one big adventure today
rainy day surprise

Friday 5

Friday 5 is a collection of five words which can be found each week (middle column) on this page and inside this post. If you choose to write a poem or story with these words please leave your comment below. I hope everyone can find the same inspiration with Friday 5 as they do with 3WW. Hope to see you around and don't forget to post your comments below. Have a nice day.

Friday 5

hinge
bite
conch
gatekeeper
Charybdis

Theme:
Only Once

Some of the Friday 5 words/ theme came from Read.Write.Poem. If you choose, you can write a poem with just the five words or, you can use the theme as an extra challenge. Either way, I hope you have fun writing this week. And, don't forget to leave your comments below.

Monday Mural

by Ann Maria
Albuquerque, New Mexico
117/ 2000

Monday Mural will feature a picture/ artwork for you to lend your words (poem or story) each Monday. I want you to ask yourself what images are provoked here? What words would you use to define this picture? If you choose to write for Monday Mural please leave your comments below. Hope to see you around.

Ann Maria is the artist for this week's Monday Mural. The name of this piece is unknown to me. I took a picture of this artwork in a Lexington, KY office one day during an appointment. I have searched many times for Ann Maria but, cannot find her. Please circulate this picture with my name and blog because I am interested in purchasing a copy of this artwork. And, don't forget to give credit where credit is due for the artist. Thank you Ann Maria for the use of this beautiful artwork.

Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica Beach- 11/6/99

My story begins with winning a trip for two to meet Cindy Crawford the supermodel and ends with an incident at Santa Monica Beach/ Pier. However, this post will only focus on the Santa Monica Beach story. I will tell the other half another time.

It was a sunny day but, cold when we (me, John and friends we made) decided to go to Santa Monica Beach. When we arrived there I wanted to take some pictures and film the beach area before we went up on the pier. The others also wanted to take pictures so it worked out nicely.

John was the closest. He and I talked with one another while I was preparing to take the camera out to film. It wasn't long before I had company. A man with a crooked or lazy right eye, brown curly hair and a brown suit approached me saying, "Camera!" I look at him kinda funny as I didn't understand the rest of what he said. Before I could say anything in response he took the palm of his hand and hit my nose. He knocked me, stumbling backward, holding my nose. When I looked at my hand I wasn't bleeding from my nose but, it hurt. I knew it was broken and my lip was busted because it was bleeding.

While this was taking place, John's back was to me on the pier's stairway. When he turned around and saw me looking into my hand with tear filled eyes he asked, "What's wrong?" I pointed at this man (who's name is Savvas) and said, "He hit me."

John turned to Savvas and said, "That's my wife. You don't hit her."

Savvas, at this point, is stunned my husband is with me. He must have thought I was talking to myself earlier when he approached me. Naturally a fight ensues between the two men. The friends we made came running up to see what had happened. John got a good fist into Savvas's face before they were separated. But, Savvas kept circling us until we reached the top of the pier.

Here's where I remember a woman coming over to say, "If you can make it to the top of these stairs, there's a Police Station right there." My face followed her pointing finger to see that the station was indeed at the top of the pier stairs. I don't even think I said anything to her because I was crying so hard at this point saying to John, "He's crazy, just get away from him!"

Though I didn't see or hear this person, a man was telling John that he had called 911 and the Harbor Patrolmen were on their way. When we got to the top of the pier John was holding me close and trying to push away Savvas. Our friends were also telling him to get away. We stood there in the middle of the pier waiting for the Patrolmen to arrive. An audience was also watching everything unfold. It was just like a movie.

Now, I can see the Harbor Patrolmen riding their SUV upon the pier and stopping. The driver steps out with one leg and speaks to us between the door and the frame. Savvas takes leave of us and strides over to the SUV. He shuts the door on the driver's head and leg. I can't believe this is happening. I cry some more when I see the other Patrolman come around the back of the SUV to help his partner. The Patrolman, without hesitation, puts Savvas on the pier, facedown. He cuffs him and places him inside the SUV in the backseat.

Afterwords, we stepped inside the Police Station and gave our statement. I never saw Savvas again after that day but, I found out he got 9 month's jail time w/ 2-5 years probation, restitution to the Harbor Patrolmen and he had to see a psychiatrist.

One more note, Savvas was homeless at that time. I think he done this because he wanted to have 3 warm meals and a warm place to sleep. It was very cold that day so, I can only imagine how hard it was for him to survive the elements for as long as he did. I don't excuse him from what he did to me or the Harbor Patrolmen but, I can understand it a bit more when I look at it from his perspective.

I had a headache for 3 month's straight when I returned home. But, I am thankful to still be alive. I found out later that he had attacked another woman 2 weeks prior to our visit and he only spent time in jail for 2 days on that offense. I won't go into details about her attack because I don't know the other woman but, it wasn't good.

I will end this post by saying thank you again to the Harbor Patrolmen and to Santa Monica Beach Police Station for all their help.

7 Things About Me

I grew loud, agraffe bright,
Beneath mustard shades of Libran sun
Where my Caucasian fingers
Flossed black & white piano keys.

Escaping this distorted potato skin
Are classical recipes
Notorious for tipping the scales.

My elastic smile shared without moat
Even after my altercation at
Santa Monica Pier in broad daylight.

Friday 5 words are in bold. I was tagged by Cristina to write 7 things about me in a poem. I hope you enjoyed the distorted look into who I am.

Friday 5

Friday 5 is a collection of five words which can be found each week (middle column) on this page and inside this post. If you choose to write a poem or story with these words please leave your comment below. I hope everyone can find the same inspiration with Friday 5 as they do with 3WW. Hope to see you around and don't forget to post your comments below. Have a nice day.

Friday 5

mustard
piano
elastic
moat
notorious

This week's words are from Poetry Express. I found them last year while searching for poetry prompts. I really liked the feel of those words and thought it would be fun to share them here with you. Happy Friday 5 writing.

Christmas Tree

Tonight is the first time our family has put up a tree in a long while. After supper we decorated the tree and placed ornaments around the living room. Pictured to the left is our wall angel and other ornaments we picked up through the years. But, the ones that mean the most to me are the reindeer. My Great Aunt Mary gave them to me one year for Christmas. Each time we put up the tree, I always place the reindeer out for everyone to enjoy. If I am not mistaken the reindeer traveled from Michigan with Mary when she moved to Kentucky. When I was a child we decorated her tree and placed the reindeer around the bottom.

My mom made MyKiah's Christmas sock for her when she was five years old. Her sock is always hung by the door in case Santa wants to fill it to the top. Of course, she's old enough to know there is no Santa but, we still enjoy hanging up the sock for her and telling her to be good anyway. Sometimes she lets us wrap a gift for her and say it's from Santa. My mom also made me a Christmas sock which is dated back to '78. I couldn't show you a picture because it is torn. Maybe sometime I can sew it and then take a picture of it. It's red with white letters down the middle.

Here are some more of the ornaments we hung up on the wall. Those bells are my favorite. I especially like the horn because MyKiah will sound it off into the living room letting us know we have officially finished putting up the tree. The horn may look easy to sound but, it isn't. I guess we just don't have enough hot air.

While we put everything out we listened to Christmas songs. Overall, I would say the night went well. Lastly, I give you our Christmas Tree. We have decorated it with Christmas characters from the older Christmas movies we (John/ I) watched growing up. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thanks for sharing a bit of Christmas with us.

Doesn't the Santa hat set the tree off? Now, all we need is some presents to place underneath. I just hope Mateo won't pee on them.

Monday Mural

photo by Brian Dube
website NY Daily Photo
direct link to article

Monday Mural will feature a picture/ artwork for you to lend your words (poem or story) each Monday. I want you to ask yourself what images are provoked here? What words would you use to define this picture? If you choose to write for Monday Mural please leave your comments below. Hope to see you around.

I am so excited about this week's Monday Mural because it comes to you from Brian Dube at NY Daily Photo. His website is well worth checking out for all the different photos he publishes and the articles that accompany them.

This week's Monday Mural is especially nice because it has a poem amidst the picture. The poem was written by Jose de Diego. Brian's article posts more at the link provided above.

Here is the last half of Diego's poem as posted on Brian's blog.

La idea es el vapor: vapor divino,
que invisible y potente, como el viento,
marcha seguro a su inmortal destino.

¿Quién osa detener su movimiento?
Si se alza una montaña en su camino,
abre un túnel y pasa el pensamiento!

And, here's the Babelfish translation from Spanish to English:

The idea is the steam: divine steam,
that invisible and powerful, like the wind,
marches safe to its inmortal destiny.

Who bear to stop its movement?
If a mountain in its way is raised,
opens a tunnel and happens the thought!

Please check out Brian's blog for more info on Jose de Diego and the significance of the photo. Also, please ask permission from Brian to copy his photo. I only acquired permission for myself.

Thank you, Brian, for the use of your photo and the link to your article. It is much appreciated.

Christmas Party

flier from Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America, Inc.
MEAA Christmas Party
date December 1, 2007

John works for Mitsubishi which holds a Christmas party for all it's employees and their spouses every year. This year's Christmas party was held on the Belle of Cincinnati through BB Riverboats cruises.

Pictured is the flier from the party. The Belle was docked by 6:00 pm for pictures/ boarding. Around 7 we were served oven roasted sirloin, center cut roast loin, new potatoes, broccoli/ cheese, baby carrots and a salad w/ orange slices mixed in. Everything was impeccable. Also worth a mention was the dip that was served with the sides. I don't know what it was but, it was really good.

After eating, John and I went around the boat to take pictures. Later, everyone went downstairs to the first floor and danced. John and I danced once to the song I Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith. At least that's what we think it was. We were lost to the moment.

The only bad thing to happen was John got motion sickness because he forgot to take Dramamine before we left home. And, I got a splitting headache from the loudness/ excessive heat inside. Other than that, it went really well.

Lastly, I want to thank our waitress who was nice enough to talk with us awhile. And, if it weren't for the other lady who helped us out we wouldn't have made it through the three hour cruise. Thank you so much ladies. Your kindness will not be forgotten.

Here's some pictures from of the riverboat.










Maysville Landing w/ bridge










Belle of Cincinnati, BB Riverboats










Riverboat Paddle Wheel










Bell aboard Belle of Cincinnati

Four Wheelin

photo by Michelle Johnson

pictured John Johnson and Adam Gullett

John went four wheeling at Big Rock Off Road Park with some friends of his from work this morning. He was pacing the floors waiting to go. He hasn't done this since childhood and was very excited. The park is only a few miles from our home but, this is the first time he's been able to go. I can't wait to see him return because his friends like to go through the mud puddles. He says he will try to avoid doing that but, something tells me he will come back covered. Above is the picture I took before these two left.

Here on the right is the after shot of John/ Adam. They are considerably more muddy than when they left but, they said they each had a good time. John told me later that some of the other guys that went got stuck in the puddles. They drove 26 miles today.

On Sunday John woke up sore all over because he's not used to working all those muscles. Thank you Adam for taking John along with you and your friends. I know it meant a lot to John.