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" 'An eye like a blue pearl,' was what my father said. And then he died. During a winter's first snowfall, just like this." http://www.svreeland  

Sleeping Beauty was awakened with a kiss. In Mary Ashley Townsend's poem "Creed," a woman, I think, not a man is awakened not only from a long sleep but from death. The real sleep which is described as "cold" and like someone living in "exile" is romantic and not dreary. If I think of a realocation, I remember descriptions of  Siberia.  It is her lover's love that awakens her. She "gladly" feels herself awake from the strange, unknown place of death. It is thought of as an isle. This seems like such a romantic poem. However, If I think of prose, I think of "The House of Ushers" by Edgar Allan Poe? I'm not sure whether it was love that awakened her or something else. There are two words in this stanza that puzzle me. What does the poet mean by "folded orbs?" let's see if I can print the stanza here with the two words that are puzzling to me. poemhunter.com/poem/creed-13/                                  

"Ida, my dear, you don't really believe that fascism can survive in the land of liberte', e'galite', et fraternite'?"   gloriagoldreich.com

In "What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours" by Helen Oyeyemi, there is music, puppets, beautiful English and Chinese roses, music and keys and locks. All of this and more tempt our imagination and curiosity to come out and play. A desire is awakened to visit La Pedrera in Spain. It is definitely a book where a reader will find the time to revisit and relearn the characters. I feel each time it is reread another key will become available to open another locked door. helenoyeyemi.com

I am so in love with Storyton Hall. Is there a real one in my city? The atmosphere is wonderful. There are Mystery book covers framed and placed on the wall. Then, I read about the menu. Had to share it. "Guests savored the October sunshine while the waiters bustled about serving Julius Caesar salads, Herman Melville chowder, Homer's pulled pork sandwiches, or Mark Twain chicken biscuits along with iced tea and lemonade."

Kate Drayton is home from Harvard to work on a writing assignment. Also, she wants to seek answers to her Southern past. There are many secrets in her South Carolina background. Her story is going to involve a slave revolt. One that failed. That's the interesting point. How often did a revolt fail? I immediately want to know what caused the failure. I also want to know what does it have to do with a White girl's life.  As she and a friend boy of color take a walk together, the Spanish Moss is a reminder of "ropes." I think of the ropes used for lynching. Hope I'm not off track.

There are times when it is necessary to walk through dark passages. These places that make us uneasy lead to the truth. In "Buenos Aires Noir" Edited By Ernesto Mallo, there are many passages about murder, drugs, poverty, bad marriages. These are not just horror stories written without a purpose by these different Spanish authors. Their idea is to give a glimpse of the parts of Argentina never seen by tourists. Yes, the discomfort of the stories causes edginess. The good part of that negative feeling is that we learn this place is like our country in its troubles. In other words, we do not suffer alone, and we are not peculiar. If and when we ever meet one another, our introductions to one another will lack a feeling of desperate strangeness. We will remember our brother, sister, friend or the boys who played basketball in the streets. Each story led to a desire to know about the author. Thankfully, in the back of the book there are short bios for each author. Now I know