From: Starr<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

hi y'all...<BR>
i've been away for a really long time...<BR>
i'm in a brand spanking new relationship with a wonderful man & i am working on getting the rest of my life to fall into place along side of it...<BR>
IMPORTANT!!!<BR>
i need to know why poems i wrote in sept. oct. nov. & dec of last year are not showing up in the "heart on sleve corner" section of those months (circa 1999) <BR>
if someone could tell me why this is, i'd be really happy...<BR>
KINDA SORTA IMPORTANT...<BR>
if any of y'all want to chat, drop me a line at [email-masked]<BR>
i hoope you are all well & it's so nice to see all the farmiliar "faces" still here!<BR>
*warm smile*<BR>
<BR>
ml<BR>
-Starr
<HR>
From: nikki<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

Starr--'Kissing Him' and 'Adrian Dancing'...both such simple pieces, but alive with an imagery I really appreciated.<BR>
<BR>
Impatient--'Tiger Eyes'..I could almost feel the heated breath of the hunter/huntress..very well done<BR>
<BR>
ZoE--'Fade to White' wow..you have such talent, and when you write pieces like that, it sends shivers down my spine...graphic and very good<BR>
<BR>
did you ever notice how quickly ice cubes melt in a glass of regular tap water?....off again, nikki
<HR>
From: chris w.<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

starr, both of those pieces were short, pointed, and powerful.  i thought they were excellent!
<HR>
From: lydia<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

i have finally read everyones but itd take so much spae to comment on eveything i loved, well it was all great but there were several that stood out it my head:<BR>
word whispers on stone, superstitions, dreamland, paranoia, heart deep, sensory recall, confession, stature, almost like athena, dew drops, keep up the amazing work everyone.<BR>
suga'<BR>
lydia
<HR>
From: Impatient<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

Nikki ~ thank you.
<HR>
From: nikki<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

I do this every once in a while, I know, but I just wanted to say thanks to Kirk, for making such a wonderful site, and thanks to all of the people I have met here, who, believe it or not, make a real difference in my life.<BR>
<BR>
Enough of the sappy crap...I get that way every now and again...<BR>
<BR>
later lovebugs!
<HR>
From: nikki<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

ok, so I am going into my 26th consecutive game of Bingo...why do I play?  better than staring at the ceiling and waiting for sleep to claim me...not why I am writing right now though...<BR>
<BR>
Impatient--'So Much' was so sweet, thank you for writing it<BR>
<BR>
Riggs--'Online Relationships...'wow..I think maybe I took that one a little more personally than I should have, because I feel like I just got slapped in the face.  However, it was a very well written piece, with some very good points.<BR>
<BR>
Chris W.--don't you know when you tell someone to disregard something, they are more likely to read it?  'Meanderings' whehter written while drinking or not, is a very good piece.  Basic questions that I think we all must ask at one time or another.<BR>
<BR>
Starr--I like the style you wrote 'Lamplight' in and Circles was every bit as beautiful as you said<BR>
<BR>
Eric-- I did read 'Pool of Tears' but I think I need to read it again, because I'm a little confused about it.<BR>
<BR>
later lovebugs!  Nikki (madly playing B-I-N-G-O)
<HR>
From: Crystevin<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

Riggs-<BR>
<BR>
Online relationships...hmmmm...coming from experience, let me say, I had a wonderful online relationship that turned realtime and lasted a few years. Like ALL relationships, they are built on trust..you know nothing about the woman you meet at the single's bar either, whether she's who she says she is, whether she's carrying some disease, or wanted for some crime.  Trust, online or in realtime must be built gradually and if can't be found, the relationship is doomed.  There really isn't much difference, only more opportunity for deception in the online world.<BR>
<BR>
-Crystevin
<HR>
From: Claire Brown Bower<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

Laurel Ahlfeld ~ "Almost Like Athena" abounds with imagery and light alliteration, making for a very pleasing read. <BR>
<BR>
Chris W. ~ Your choice of analogies to examine in "Connection" are wonderful...the unfailing properties of earth, sun, rock, sea...and the title itself plays as important a role in your message. "Meandering" and the questions posed within are impossible to ignore, as you've presented them with a gentle  eloquence which urges the reader to examine them as well. <BR>
<BR>
Zoe ~ "Cargo"  Isn't it amazing how we can feel so alone and estranged from "true" love,  when such physical proximity to another just feels so incorrect? I like how you've expressed that here. <BR>
<BR>
guppy ~ The idea of thatching a heart with braided hair plays wonderfully in "sealed"...and the irony implied is subtle but shrewd. I felt more than a flicker of familiarity in your thirsty verse...thank you. <BR>
<BR>
Eric ~ "Pool of Tears" is indeed a striking statement, with even a bit of sarcastic humour (Bob Ross' happy little tree made me smile). Though I am certainly no expert critic (in poetry OR love) I think you should consider this piece finished. <BR>
<BR>
~ Claire<BR>

<HR>
From: Chris W. at [email-masked]<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

claire: thank you so much for you flattering comments on touching tongues, connection, and meandering.  the first and last kind of spilled out, but connection took a little work to, well, make the connections between lines.  i have to ask because of the way you critique others' works...have you been trained in some way in writing and poetry?  your work is excellent and your commentary is very insightful.<BR>
<BR>
nikki:  thanks as well for your comment.  i ended up late last night out on my balcony with a few beers, enya, and my thoughts staring up at a full moon.  it was awesome, but thought provoking.  i'm just glad i didn't embarrass myself with some drunken rabble of inconsistent phrases and misspelled words:)
<HR>
From: Chris W. at [email-masked]<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

Hey all:  thought this was amusing and pertinent.  found it on cnn.com...<BR>
<BR>
Judge again resorts to ruling in poetry<BR>
July 14th, 2000<BR>
<BR>
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- One judge here isn't averse to a little verse. <BR>
<BR>
For the second time in his career, Superior Court Judge J. Michael Eakin has written an opinion in rhyming verse. In May 1999, Eakin upheld the prenuptial agreement of a divorcing couple in a series of rhyming couplets. <BR>
<BR>
Last week, Eakin used 121 lines of verse to deny an appeal by a man who had been ordered to pay $1,155 in veterinarian bills after hitting a miniature poodle with his car. <BR>
<BR>
A county judge ruled Sipula was negligent and responsible. Sipula appealed to Superior Court, insisting the dog owner was at fault for walking the dogs in the street. <BR>
<BR>
That's where Eakin penned his poem. It concluded: <BR>
<BR>
So while counsel raises issues that are worthy and well taken <BR>
<BR>
in the end, we find the effort to apply them here's mistaken. <BR>
<BR>
We must conclude the issues raised do not warrant a new trial <BR>
<BR>
and all that we may offer now is this respectful, rhymed denial. <BR>
<BR>
"There's no reason you have to be dull," the judge said. "Too often, judges and lawyers write in stilted Latin and use big words just to use them, and it isn't necessary." <BR>
<BR>
Sipula's attorney, William Askin, said he was considering an appeal -- but not because of the way Eakin expressed the court's findings. "I have no problem with a well-written opinion," he said. <BR>
<BR>
Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. <BR>
<BR>

<HR>
From: deevaa<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

(blushing a little)<BR>
<BR>
Why Hank!!! goodness! OK... you win -- YOU are the biggest flirt I've ever meet.... 'Art De Vous', how could a girl NOT melt.<BR>
<BR>
(I knew you were pouting at my lack of attention recently, but hell... what a way to get it back.... Chris W, babe -- I don't know what to say!)<BR>
<BR>
dee<BR>

<HR>
From: terry<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

Impatient~ 'So Much' is a good description of the Blender itself....thank you for saying well what was in my head!<BR>
<BR>
t.
<HR>
From: terry<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

Claire~ 'His Muse' was a beautiful image set to words. It communicated so many emotions within ...<BR>
"...kiss upon his brow<BR>
from lips of fragile pink,<BR>
contentment flows as whispered dawn <BR>
drains sorrow from his ink."<BR>
<BR>
Words escape me now to adequately express the contented sadness this left me with...thank you...<BR>
<BR>
terry<BR>

<HR>
From: Riggs<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

Nikki and Claire---<BR>
<BR>
thanks <BR>
<BR>

<HR>
From: terry<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

Chris W.~ 'Touching Tongues'...WOW  your poetic voice was much less inhibited than is your normal style. You captured not just the moment, but the color and intensity, and yes, almost the taste...great work!<BR>
<BR>
terry
<HR>
From: terry<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

Gala~ 'Eating Dessert First'..as if I needed another reason to indulge! Very good sexy image these words produced. 'Smoky Mountain Sourwood...' wow...<BR>
t.
<HR>
From: Chris W.<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

terry: thanks!  i'm glad you liked touching tongues.  i was an approach i don't normally take.  but, it seemed to work well, so maybe i'll try it some more.<BR>
<BR>
sarah:  i liked all of your recent submissions.  it's talent to be able to convey an idea or emotion in very few words!
<HR>
From: chris w.<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

terry: i meant "it was an approach..." not "i was an approach."<BR>
sorry about that.<BR>

<HR>
From: ZoE<BR>
Date: 16 July 2000<P>

ClAiRe and NiKkI- Thanks for the nice things you've said.<BR>
-ZoE
<HR>