This Is Our Song

 by: amica paige

Just because you’re caught

Doesn’t make things right

The people are hurt,

the children are dead

When you pulled that trigger

and lit that cooker.

Just because you’re dead
Doesn’t make things fine

Those who remained—a part of them died

When you pulled that trigger
and lit that cooker.

But because you‘re caught

There’s one less dirt

No one gets hurt,

no child will die...

until one of your kind

looses his mind...

And because you’re dead

There’s one less scum

Nobody gets hurt,

no child will die

Until one of your kind

looses his mind...

And because we’re here

All of US hear

The havoc you man,

the destruction we see

Yet for life,

we stand.

For Boston, we stand. For Newtown, we stand. For New York we stand.

For the children, we stand. For the women, we stand.

For the voiceless, the helpless, and the blood of the innocent, we stand.

Because despite all our differences, we stand. For life.

This is our song. Though our bodies may fail, our spirits prevail.

Life overcomes evil.

It was my fault

by amica paige



*2011 Writer's Digest November Pad Chapbook Challenge - Day 10
Prompt was to write something from a totally different angle.
This examines the thoughts that might assail a person victimized as a child by sexual abuse.

How did I get there?
I just went for a ride.
Mother okayed it,
she worked late on most nights.
Coach was always so kind,
Dad was nowhere in sight.


How did I get there?
I just went for a ride.
He was being so nice
for nearly no price.
Except for the dark times
when he did me much harm.


But I just could not say things
that would ruin him, dear.
I've had to consider
the more critical things.
Should be easy to do that,
if I swallow my pride.


Tried to push them away
from the back of my mind.
Yet the nightmares resurfaced,
as my dreams dissipated.
I've grown from a mere boy,
fed with guilt, shame, and pride.


I've tried to move on with
the rest of my life.
Yet the nightmares continue,
as my dreams disappear.
I try to forget it,
but mother sinks in her grief.


How did I get there?—
I still ask myself this.
Why should anyone fault him?—
no one fed me those fears.
It must have been me,
I must have been sick.

Delightful Child (poeTry)

by amica paige
***My entry for Writer's Digest Wednesday Poetry Prompts



What a joyful girl you were
Such a cheerful spirit you had back then
Dancing and singing until you dropped
Drawing and counting your bit of change
You'd skip towards the ice cream man
down the street in his red cart
the second you heard its bell ringing.
We used to play the Barbie blonde,
Remember the only one you had?
Such pretty skin she had!--that grown-up doll
was as perfect as your cousins.
"Why can't you be like them?
Or even like the girls in school?
Not only are they smart, you see
but such charming personalities
are made for TV too, you know."
Remember when you failed your test
and hid it from your mom?
She wouldn't understand, I know
it would have made her flip, god knows
Remember when your aunt got mad
that you failed your spelling too?--
"Those English words have meanings
Don't be stupid and start memorizing."
Pardon your aunt for her pinches,
the ones she laid on your sweaty skin.
She needed a place to stay,
while she studied for her B.A.
Your mom was so kind--that's her sister
Remember she took you out that time?
She just didn't like your chubby face
and couldn't read what's in your chest,
like you didn't even know it then
when something shrunk inside of you.
So don't cry anymore
you've washed them away--the marks
countless times before
And look at you now.
Do you see how I've grown?
Yes there's much work to be done.
But don't you worry, we'll be just fine.
So we'll part for now,
cause you're stronger now.
But since you've not been told,
let me say this now
what a delightful child you really are,
like the happy girl you were back then
before everything else happened
that only made you stronger.

Mohammad Karimi's Story

This beautiful story shows that sometimes all it takes are open hearts and willing hands for miracles to happen. Aol News has the full story.

Jessica's Daily Affirmation

Haven't checked in for a while, but here's one simple but great clip actually worth squeezing in time for. One of AOL's headlines and a Parentdish post, this is a clear reminder that happiness lies in gratitude and contentment. Sadly, we, adults, forget that bit of wisdom in our efforts to succeed and find life's greatest pleasures. We abandon the very thing we seek and snatch it away from our children. They get it, at least until the grown-ups immediately prepare them for life, that they might also find success, and thus happiness. We drag them to search with us, not realizing that we ourselves slowly stamp it out of their hearts. We chisel away at their innocence and, ironically, confidence--their belief to be great and do great things in life.

But once upon a time, we, too, knew happiness. We held it, just like this little girl embraces it. Sometimes it's nice to be reminded of the simplicity of wisdom by a child, that we may just believe again in its magic.

Teen Spirit?

Makes me wonder how a teen could get to a point where he likens a child to a piece of burger, or how another could be so curious about how it’s like to take a child's life. At what point did sanity cross over the threshold to insanity in their minds? What happened to these adolescents’ psyches, or consciences?

Baffling Disparity: Hunger and Obesity

Photos from dailykos.com

"This photograph, also taken in Sudan, won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for South African photographer Kevin Carter, who subsequently committed suicide.", and

"A well nourished Sudanese man steals maize from a starving child during a food distribution at the Medecins Sans Frontieres feeding centre in Ajiep, southern Sudan. by Tom Stoddart."

Meanwhile, according to bettertimes.cc,

"The incidence of childhood obesity is rapidly rising throughout the world. The obesity epidemic is especially evident in industrialized nations where many people live sedentary lives and eat more convenience foods, which are typically high in calories and low in nutritional value. In just two decades, the prevalence of overweight doubled for U.S. children ages 6 to 11 — and tripled for American teenagers. The annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that about one-third of U.S. children are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. In total, about 25 million U.S. children and adolescents are overweight or nearly overweight."

Starvation, apathy, greed, and gluttony at its worst. I'm at a loss for words.

Mo Willems and Lou Ferrig-who? at the N.Y. 2009 Comic Con

The three-day New York 2009 Comic Convention that commenced on February 6 at the Jacob Javits Center was quite a hit, or so I was told. My husband took my son, who met the nationally acclaimed Brooklyn author/illustrator, Mo Willems, the illustrious creator renowned for his clever children stories and straightforward illustrations, dominated by offbeat characters, such as the utterly wily pigeon, who repeatedly carries out his antics in a series of attempts to gain your trust in “Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus”, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late”, “The Pigeon Finds a Hotdog”, and “The Pigeon Wants a Puppy”. And was Mr. Willems rather pleasant to his supporters, I’m told. He didn’t charge a penny for a snapshot with him.


***Video courtesy of cnet.com

On the contrary, Lou Ferrigno, the former green monster guy, named The Incredible Hulk, who underwent a grotesque transformation every time he was overcame with fury, apparently had his head stuck in green once again at the Con, well, metaphorically speaking. And no, I don’t mean that rage overcame him all over again. Mr. Ferrigno was somewhat possessed by a different sort, or shade, of green, as in dough, the cash kind, in which case, you might as well take his green obsession quite literally, I suppose. You had to hand him both a Jackson and a Hamilton for a picture with him. Now, that’s incredible! And I don’t mean that in a cool way. No, not at all. Now, whenever I’m reminded of the dated green guy, I think of this hideous “green” guy—and definitely not the Hulk of our current times, Ed Norton—for charging my son who had actually been excited to meet the green monstrosity with his dad at the Con.

Dismissing this not so incredible facet of the Con, the event was pretty awesome, my son reports. By the way, Mo Willems’ website, mowillems.com, and his ironically famous but nameless pigeon’s site, pigeonpresents.com, offer smart amusement and a totally cavity-free treat.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is no fairy-tale

Another enchanting book is The Tales of Beedle the Bard, an accompaniment to the last of the Harry Potter series, The Deathly Hollows, created by no other than, J.K. Rowling of course. This time she gave her creative pot half a stir more for a more fanciful take on an otherwise typical fantasy book and brewed a whimsical read with a twist, just like she did with the books Quidditch through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. As if Harry's world truly existed alongside ours, yet unseen by us muggles, us commoners who are bereft of any magic like the Dursleys of Privet Drive, we are given a peephole to the wizarding world's children stories, which are comparable to our fairy tales. It's all good. There's nothing wrong with a great imagination.

Anyway, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is rather profound for a brief read. Though concise with only five tales—however, it is, again, a supplement to the Harry Potter story—it certainly isn't lacking in moral depth. Instead, it probes into humanity's heart and soul, as it examines more deeply the same morals which we, common folks, are all too familiar with and oftentimes neglect.

• Tolerance for our differences and compassion for the meek are the underlying lessons in The Wizard and The Hopping Pot.


• The Fountain of Fair Fortune depicts the importance of an active pursuit of ones dreams, wherein real fortune lies, contrary to our fairy tales' princesses, whose inclinations are "taking a prolonged nap or waiting for someone to return a lost shoe" in the words of the author—no, not Beedle, but Rowling. (This role-play is starting to get a bit confusing for my intention.)


• The Warlock's Hairy Heart warns of the dangers of protecting oneself from the pain that goes with loving someone. As in the words of Professor Dumbledore, "To hurt is as human as to breathe." To see love as a weakness makes the heart cold, or worse, leads to destruction.


• Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump exemplifies how blind obsession and ignorance can easily lead to gullibility.


• Lastly, The Tale of the Three Brothers epitomizes what could be perhaps the most difficult truth in life that "wizards and muggles alike…with a lust for power" dare deny, that death is inevitable and that it is futile to even attempt to elude it. (Even Dumbledore, by his own admission fell prey to the temptation of trying to avoid death, when he admitted that he "[remains] just a big a fool as anyone else".)


• But at the core of this book is the hard truth that virtue, not magic, can overcome problems and that "magic causes as much trouble as it cures."

J.K. Rowling has done it again and cooked up a delightful creation. How The Tales of Beedle the Bard is cleverly and meticulously woven into the Harry Potter plot is remarkable, and the clues are certainly brewing in this book. And while Professor Dumbledore's commentary definitely provided the meat, Hermione Granger's translation of Beedle's tales was surely an essential ingredient in this concoction. I must warn you though that The Warlock's Hairy Heart is quite gruesome even for a mature reader like me. So, to the adults with children to share this book with, you've been forewarned.

Hocus Pocus: A Tale of Magnificent Magicians is clearly no hokum

Wouldn't you just love to use magic to tweak your circumstances to your advantage to slip out of tight and sticky situations and move ahead, or just completely zap the nasty nuisances away with a wink, a spell, or even a wave of a magic wand, such as in magical movies like Harry Potter? Well, I sure would like for my house bores, or chores, to be instantly done with a murmur or a flick of my finger, like when Mrs. Weasley gestured her hand from a distance for the ladle to stir the pot, while she engaged herself in a conversation, or when the Leaky Cauldron tidied itself up, with the chairs hauling themselves onto the table and a sweeping broom independent of any actual hands, save for a spell uttered, or a hand, or a wand flicked upon it by the pub's staff, if my memory holds clearly. However, while magic could be very appealing to some, a lot of us know better, and others consider it as nothing but hokum. Even so, magic certainly makes for great amusement, such as in Paul Kieve's book, Hocus Pocus—that is, only if you don't get enchanted entirely by it, as in the case of a young wizard.

Paul Kieve, who was the magic consultant in the making of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, had apparently captivated Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter—a piece of trivia for those of you who are still uninformed to this day, with his tremendous knowledge and skill in magic that the idea for a book started to brew.

There was indeed a Hocus Pocus book formerly written in 1634. It was considered the first comprehensive book on magic in English, from which lessons on magical skills still fascinate to this day. Paul's book, however, is not just a compendium of magic tips and tricks, but an enthralling tale of a nameless novice who inexplicably finds himself in the tutelage of the greatest of magicians who ever lived and performed at the legendary Hackney Empire Theater in London during the "golden age" of magic in the early 1900s. The master magicians, including The Man Who Knows, The Great Lafayette and his terrible tragedy, the couple, Servais Le Roy and Talma, Robert Houdin, David Devant, Chung Ling Soo, Ionia, and The Great Harry Houdini, not only present their fantastic feats, but also reveal the secret behind magic which sustains it. With Houdini capping the protagonist's beguiling encounters with history's most brilliant magical acts, he eventually discovers the ultimate lesson in magic, which can be applied to life in general. Here's a dash of magical morsels, something of "prestidigitation" and perspiration, along with the other magical secrets in this spellbinding book. Experience the magical realm of Hocus Pocus for mere entertainment or real passion.

Scream for Screamfree Parenting, or applaud it rather

Are you a parent? If so, then you must be familiar and/or even guilty with one, or more, or all of the following expressions and/or actions, or reactions rather, you’ve directed at your child at some point of madness or another.

1. “…or I’m going to sew your butt off with a spoon.”


2. “You won’t like me when I’m mad”


3. “You’re always/never…” (continue with your own unique verbal ammunition)


4. use laser eyes to melt the opponent, which is your child in this case


5. attack opponent, which is still your child, verbally


6. attack opponent—your child still—non-verbally (silent treatment)


7. recall (take back) things given such as toys, promises, praises, etc., to the undeserving brat, or imp, also known as your child in this case too


8. scathingly grind teeth at opponent—you know who this is—in combination with numbers 1 through 10


9. banish opponent—same person still—to his/her room


10. and countless other ways to battle the opponent—your child still, of course—with strategies I’d rather not mention…well, one of which is to justify your normal temporary attack of raging insanity clearly out of anger and naturally blaming it on the little devil that is your child of course

Well, quite shamefully, I’ve said and done them all rather shamelessly, and perhaps even a bit more—which I truly hope that I'm honestly mistaken about—except the first one, which is really an original by another mom. But I probably would have saved myself, and incidentally, my family, from a lot of unnecessary chaos, if I had only encountered this book much sooner. But regardless of where you are in your parenthood, this book is a tool that can help you navigate your way through the difficult places, or mazes, of a parent/child relationship and perhaps even assist you in building a safe haven for you and your child’s psychological and emotional health, because it's never too late to start making a change.

Clear and concise, Screamfree provides actual examples of those difficult parent/child interactions and effective strategies on dealing with those situations. Hal Edward Runkel sensibly reminds us, parents, that the only way to positively influence our children is to reclaim control of ourselves and focus on our behaviors, because we are not responsible for our children’s behaviors, but we are responsible to them for how we behave. Remember that.

Pick up this book if you honestly can’t remember the last time you had balance, structure, consistency, calm, and connectedness in your family as you got lost in the its usual madness. Pick up this book even if you’ve never screamed before, verbally or emotionally. You never know when something really trying comes along to make you suddenly stop breathing, even if only temporarily. You'd know how to put on your oxygen mask first to be able to help the one(s) who look to you for help and guidance and love.

Vitamin

I love stories and poems about the unconditional love of a child. And for a parent like me, nothing can top this totally free and genuine love displayed in a child’s hug. A simple but genuine embrace demonstrating the unconditional love of the little person with the big heart sometimes even confounds the adult psyche, especially when you’re able to catch the moment it happens right before your eyes. This is an embrace apart from the guilt-driven ones from children who think they owe their parents unconditional love for raising them, regardless of their upbringing. It’s apart from the extra tight ones from children who are extremely excited and entranced with their presents. This embrace is easy, undemanding, uncomplicated, unfussy, sure, and true. It’s a simple hug that says I enjoy you…I like you...I love you. And it feels so good when given to you unexpectedly by your child. It’s the best vitamin any parent must take for sustenance by being completely cognizant when that moment occurs and your child comes your way and throws one right at you. Seize it. Feed off this vitamin and feed the nourishment right back to your child.

DIRT on hypocrisy

by amica paige

"DJ!" Finish showering! Hot water's expensive especially in the winter!" Peg reminds her sometimes absentminded six year old. Moments later, she hops in the shower to relax under its warmth and mulls over her day. This goes on for nearly an hour.

Porcelain Boy (poeTry)

by amica paige



He's a porcelain boy
so fragile and free
'til i polished him dearly

Excellence (poeTry)

by amica paige



Guidance I lacked
when I was growing up
Everyone was busy
as I watch them grow up
My grades were great
They were happy to hear
But nobody knew of
my heart that melted in fear
Did anyone asked?
Was anyone concerned--
as I cried myself
to sleep in bed?

Then, I forgot
I forgot for a long time
until my heart bled
and eventually died.