Hi CyberPoets,

You have to love the King James version of the Bible. Where else will you find poetry like that? erm, well, we can try.

As I promised last issue, Spring arrived. Magically, we turn the corner on March 20th and "poof! it's Spring!" Of course, I can't do anything about the weather. If it is still snowing and frigid where you are--and I understand it is in many parts of the U.S. and Canada--you're on your own. All I can do is make the announcement that officially Winter is over.

Last month, I proposed that there might be rituals to the way we approach writing. Rituals imply set conditions, e.g.: time, place, implements, and routines. Maybe, you are one of those people who, if you can't find your favorite notebook when in the mood, will spend the next three hours looking for it instead of setting the words down on something. When you finally do either find the errant volume or give up the search, the words are gone. Or, maybe, like me, you do your best writing in your head in the bathtub; you can hardly wait to towel off and grab the nearest envelop back and writing tool (that's how I get over writer's block; I take a bath).

What rituals do you employ? I'm serious about opening a dialogue on this question. By sharing some of the things you routinely do, perhaps we can discover a key that will help the next fellow. Right now, it appears the next fellow needs a little help. Have you noticed?

-- AngelPie_Mouse

The website is authored and maintained by AngelPie_Mouse and is located at the following addresses: http://www.geocities.com/cyberpoetsniche for Newsletters, Faqs, and general business and at http://www.geocities.com/cyber_poets for Member Showcases.

Of the fifty members of CPN, seventeen are members with showcase pages on the club homepage. In alphabetic order, showcase members are: AngelPie_Mouse, ArrylT, Cendrilloner, crowstouch, Elfenone, Faerimuse, Jazz_85, Isitis, Kattlyn, Mgonzalez01, MooseLodge1999, Oldcusser, Poetry_Gal, Romusthepoet, Sis_Sarana19, Telescope07, and TheCyberwitch. If you want to be added, see the homepage Showcase Questionnaire.

This month (between February 21 and March 20) contributions were added to the showcase pages for the following members: AngelPie_Mouse, crowstouch, MGonzalez01, and Telescope07 -- or for four of our seventeen showcase members.   You may view these additions by clicking the name (on the website repost of this newsletter only).

Congratulations, OldCusser!

It has come to our attention that our member OldCusser has been published in The Poetry Webring Webzine, a quarterly publication of the most massive on-line poetry webring going. The poem, known to us, was his piece "The greatest wonder." Good going, Ken!

The group (or interactive) poem begins on the 20th of each month with any member of the club posting a few lines that suggest a topic to the message board under the heading "[month] Interactive." It may then be added to by other members of the club, who repost the material preceding their entry. The purpose of the group (or interactive) is to provide an exercise in critical reading skills and promote participation. You may read more about it on our homepage at: http://www.geocities.com/cyber_poets/ourwrite/interactive1.html.

This month, for the month of March and in conjunction with nothing in particular, the topic was the rains of Winter's end, more or less. In any event, the club composed the following poem:

The Rains of Winter's End

The rain comes to warm the bones of the earth. Ancient joints made arthritic from too much concrete, too much criss-crossing of dermal surfaces veined with asphalt, too much warting with cities and towers of cities, the carbuncles massed together in pustule hives that even the maggot worm chooses to ignore. The rains come, but they cannot wash away man.      (AngelPie_Mouse)

The rain comes to bring spring season. Still chilly air, pattering my umbrella with sorrow Might have been an ume blossom shocked by, Petals is not scattered so much, They are stronger than cherry blossoms in the rain, Though they will soon be finished the peak period in the year.      (Telescope07)

The rains come, needle bright droplets slanting in the wind. The black dogwood drops its flower burden to the muddy earth, to the curbside, to the street. Bruised petals lie like crushed pink fists, impotent against the final blasts of retreating winter. The tires of passing cars grind the fragile hulls. Does anyone notice?       (AngelPie_Mouse)

Torrents pour from heaven's watering can The soil is well fertilized and nourished Soon the earth, once dry and barren Shall bear much fruit which shall flourish Beautiful children shall she bear and yes.....all of nature shall rejoice!      (MGonzalez01)

[end]

We presently have 50 members at the CyberPoet�s Niche. We have Chat Night every Wednesday at 10 PM Eastern.

Club Ranking. The ranking of clubs in Yahoo! is based solely on the number of members, not on member participation. This month we gained one new members (and lost one. The departing member was Lane_Ware, and we are very sorry to see him go, but we understand his dilemna. See, Lane_Ware has been given a temporary transfer to a different office of his company. He's commuting home weekends and living out of a suitcase the rest of the time. That means: no recreational computer access weekdays and trying to spend as much quality time with the family as possible when home. There's not much leftover for participating in clubs in that sort of schedule. Let's hope he keeps a journal and returns to us with lots of new poetry.

As for our position in the numbers game�in January we were in 31st position, pretty low as these things go. However, in February, we were 28th, where we continue to hold steady.

New Members. This month, we acquired one new member to whom we would like to extend a special welcome and extend particular invitation for her to share her work. Welcome bluecyd!

The Art and Craft of Poetry
Michael J. Bugeja
Format: Hardcover, 339pp.
ISBN: 0898796334
Publisher: F & W Publications, Incorporated
Pub. Date: February 1994

This book is about the making of a poet - you. It's written in a particular order to help you develop both yourself as a poet and your poetic works. You begin with a chapter on generating ideas for poems and end with a chapter on the total poem, summarizing key elements in the creation of publishable verse. ... Bugeja is able to illustrate the process of writing poetry in a unique, step-by-step format (from The Publisher).

The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury
by Jack Prelutsky (Editor),
Meilo So (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Library Binding (September 1999) Knopf;
ISBN: 0679993142

Annotation: A collection of more than 200 poems by such modern poets as Nikki Grimes, John Ciardi, Karla Kuskin, Ted Hughes, e.e. cummings, Eve Merriam, Deborah Chandra, Arnold Adoff, and more than 100 others (from The Publisher).

"Until this century, most children's poetry was either syrupy sweet or overblown and didactic, and tended to talk down to its readers. Contemporary children's poets have thrown all that condescension and moralizing out the window, and write with today's real child in mind." -- from the Introduction by Jack Prelutsky

My favorite book as a child was Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verse. Although I had difficulty appreciating the context of some of the poems, never having been confined to my bed for a long illness, still the words openned a new way of thinking to me. Unfortunately, there were few similar offerings suitable for children at my local library or bookstore. (AngelPie_Mouse)

Patrick Martin: The Web Page/The Poetry Resource
It is difficult to describe this site. It's everything I hope our webpage will become and I still haven't plumbed its depths to any real extent. Bookmark this one! [URL: http://www.pmpoetry.com/]

The Western Canon
A great collection of verse and links to verse written by those poets considered of such stature as to be seminal in literary study. [URL: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/6681/poetry.htm]

Credits:
Editorial and page layout by AngelPie_Mouse
Book Recommendations by Mgonzalez01, annotation by AngelPie_Mouse.
Links Recommendations by AngelPie_Mouse

For those who check the Readability of this newsletter: Flesch Reading Ease: 63.6 (within average) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 7.6 (average).