Literary Portfolio

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Summer Night Opera

summer, summer nights of sweetness sweat & soul 'tis you I long after & adore yr a song i relish to remember a sound that soothes my thoughts, calms my angst, stirs my soul with peace & passion deeply setting sun & rising moon you bring a feeling far better than this one I’m feeling now kiss me & sing me softly to sleep summer, summer nights lukewarm & sticky crickets chirping a cheery melody the winds whisper over in hushed harmony the rhythmic beat of aluminum trash cans rolling down sidewalks & dimly lit streets neighbouring canines howl out the bridge & in the faint distance a bike’s idle motor hums the bass line awaiting the signal for go to glow & here on the grassy knoll lightly & quietly i lie staring up at a star-lit sky even as droplets of water begin trickling down into my eyes & melting into my skin summer, summer the opus of love the opera of summer nights Published in Tattered Rag on August 11, 2015 http://tmblr.co/ZyL5tw1rn_cFP

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Jazz

This is the genre that never ends The soul it soothes & always mends Some people started playing it On saxes & trombones And they continued singing it In low & steady tones This is the genre that never ends The mind it schools & always bends No one can tell me ever That they’ve never heard a line That didn’t make them jump & jive Or sing & dance sublime This is the genre that never ends It needs no reasons, no reiterative rhymes Ubiquitously, it loves to hang around Befriend you or make love to you But never leave you drowned This is the genre that never ends… Published in Tattered Rag on August 11, 2015 http://tmblr.co/ZyL5tw1rnlGh5

[literaryportfolio]

The Coffee Bar – Review

Located at 1201 S Street NW sits a one-of-a-kind, minimalistic, beat-punk coffeeshop. The atmosphere at The Coffee Bar is perfection. Wooden floors, comfy sofa & chairs, high bar stool seating, Rock & Punk Rock music wafting about in the background, gentle conversations, friendly smiles and excellent coffee!

The atmosphere of this place is more beat-punk which is so much more cooler & hip than that of the blasphemous hipster trend of modern-day. 

They make a Dirty Chai that is delightful!

This is a perfect place for meetin' up with friends or hangin' out alone getting some writing done.

I like to imagine that Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassidy, Lenore Kandel, Kurt Cobain and James Dean used to hang-out in places exactly like this! Places that had a sense of rawness about them.

Published on Yelp on August 11, 2015

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-coffee-bar-washington?hrid=7yEBUjTt1IRozHhpmJ_6iw&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

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Northside Social Coffee & Wine – Review

On the corner where the BLVD's meet in Arlington, VA (Wilson & Clarendon), sits a one-of-a-kind, beat-punk coffeeshop. Northside Social is the perfect down-to-earth, hang-out spot to chill with friends, read alone or be a productive writer. The minimalistic ambience is perfection! The cement floors, stone walls, wooden tables & chairs, & retro blues-rock music wafting in the air compliments the rich aroma of roasted beans. "I'll have a large almond milk vanilla latte & a grilled cheese sandwich, please!" It's one of their best! They have an excellent selection of teas & wines, as well.

Then, I head to the back room.

Published on Yelp on August 4, 2015

http://www.yelp.com/biz/northside-social-coffee-and-wine-arlington?hrid=0fLw5pMA2OyyzUwoWOHqsg&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

[literaryportfolio]

Songbyrd Record Cafe – Review

Located on the corner of 18th St. NW & Adams Mills Rd, the nerve center in the artistic artery of the District, sits a little cafe not unlike something that could have been transplanted right out of the 70s. Background music, primarily from the nineteen fifties, sixties, seventies & eighties, played on vinyl graces your ears as you step inside this musical tardis. The atmosphere of this place is more beat-punk which is so much more cooler & hip than that of the blasphemous hipster trend of modern-day. A music bar with listening stations along the wall adds a unique & blissfully nostalgic characteristic. It's kind of like a modern spin of the jukebox that used to be in cafes & diners in the 1950s, 60s, 70s & 80s. Additionally, you will find in the corner a recording booth like the one from the 1965 film INSIDE DAISY CLOVER. On one wall hangs a large illuminated picture of a scene from the 2000 film ALMOST FAMOUS. And on the other wall, behind a sliding wooden door, is a hidden entrance leading to a bar. On the menu, you will find some delightfully delicious options, including vegetarian, named after famous musical icons. The only thing missing from this place is an active licensed recording studio upstairs. Who knows? Maybe someday they will!

Published on Yelp on July 8, 2015

http://www.yelp.com/biz/songbyrd-record-cafe-washington?hrid=PKhvJIsy8W0vXujvk6oYtQ&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

[literaryportfolio]

Bean Hollow – Review

Cozied in the heart of Ellicott City just off the corner of Maryland and Main, sits a little beat niche of a coffeeshop. Upon entering Bean Hollow or as I like to call it, "The Bean," you are warmly greeted by a rich aroma of roasted beans and friendly smiles. There are varieties of delicious soups and sandwiches chalked on the menu board including several delectable vegetarian options. Handcrafted drinks served in porcelain mugs. They also make a mean Aztec Chocolate. It's one of my usuals. It's a hot chocolate with spice! Add a shot of espresso if you're in the mood for a little kick.   Stone walls and wooden floors. A trio of fans spinning their shadows across the ceiling. The euphonius sounds of indie, bop & blues interlaced with conversation emanates casually from corner to corner. The hearts and souls of local artist's adorn the walls. This wifi-less place is the perfect hideout for catching up with old friends, making new ones, reading a book or writing a novel.

Published on Yelp on February 13, 2015. 

http://www.yelp.com/biz/bean-hollow-ellicott-city?hrid=Hjm0Oc3Z7LlE74HyO0RuHw&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

[literaryportfolio]

Caps Sweep Winter Classic, 3-2

On January 1, 2015 at 1:29 EST on a Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park in Washington D.C., the Washington Capitals hosted this year's NHL Winter Classic facing off against the Chicago Blackhawks. The mid-thirty temperatures outside did not hinder the players or the forty thousand hockey fans from supporting and cheering on their teams.

With goals scored by Fehr (16) and Ovechkin (8), the Capitals took and held a 2-0 lead in the first period. A little over the halfway point in the first period is when Sharp (10) had unzipped the score and put the Blackhawks on the board, 2-1. Early into the second period, the Blackhawks began to really thaw the ice when Saad (20) had tied the game at 2-2.

Both intermissions included spectacular performances by Grammy award-winning artist's, Gavin DeGraw and Lee Greenwood.

Both teams held steady and scoreless for almost the rest of regulation time nearly forcing the game into overtime. It's late in the third, with only 12.9 seconds left on the clock. Capitals on a power-play. Brouwer (20) breaks the tie leading the Capitals to a 3-2 victory over the Blackhawks! Ooh ooooh!

To read and see more highlights from the 2015 NHL Winter Classic, visit nhl.com/winterclassic.

[literaryportfolio]

[literaryportfolio]

Summer Sketch #4

Between the trees where the hammocks hang. People rest. Serenity they seek.

Enter as lovers, her hand deep in his back pocket. Enter as friends, huddled & chattering.

Trees of neon Green & blue Whispers in corners Footsteps barely heard (exception: the soft 'smack-smack' of the flip-floppies) Some stop to Snap a shot

The sun is down The air is cool 'neath a tree She leans.

People pass without a pause No mind they pay To the girl on the ground Alone

'Do I care? Not really Invisible to the world Not really Do I care?'

Once in awhile She'll catch someone's smile Or stare Proof that she is still alive & real

So…? What's the fucking deal? Why can't people share A little care?

For once.

[literaryportfolio]

Summer Sketch #3

*blink, blink* I pan this monstrous span with these lids of mine own eyes

Shutter open, Shutter close These organic lenses attached to the camera of my mind

Open, close Open, close Open, close

Capturing moments Forever in my mind

Sometimes… Manufactured substitutes Simply can not Suffice

[literaryportfolio]

Summer Sketch #2

Stoned hippies & swinging skirted Gypsies

8 ft mohawk of orange neon standing tall

Thousands of canvases Bodies of art Inked & chiseled & carved & pierced

Naked closeness Brushing bodies of sweat

[literaryportfolio]

Summer Sketch #1

Festivals & fireflies The wholest of moons Hanging in the skies Coloured domes & canopies Campfires & accompanying stories

Boxes of sound with rhythm & resound Boom, boom ba-dum, bum, pshhhh… Blasting beats & tonnes of tunes

Stories & songs We trade with friends Some of whom You've known before & some you've only begun To know

Paint the night lightly with cooling breezes

One of the most perfect masterpieces that hangs in the halls of Summer's Gallery

[literaryportfolio]

Snoozeville

Stifled & Starved. Suffocating & Sick of the Stank of this spacious, Stale, suburbia air. This Satin noose Snug & Squeezing still

Sucked dry Seemingly stripped of Spontaneities & free Spirit

Surrounded by SUV’s, Suburbans & Subaru’s Soccer moms & spouses Settling down Stingy love Segregated to those who Share the same, swell, Storybook life

Sparing no space for Single, open minds to See & be truly free

Craving. Crowds Cruising City streets Clustered corners Creative clarity Circling my cortex cerebral

[literaryportfolio]

Silver Linings Playbook Review

Awesome! Beautiful! Brilliant! Extraordinarily Authentic! Phenomenal! Sensational! Superb!

Silver Linings Playbook, directed by the ingenious David O. Russell, shines a light on the courageous and cohesive cast, showcasing the talents of Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver.

Silver Linings Playbook is a passionate story, an emotional journey, about fighting to find that piece of your life that is and has always been a part of what makes you who you are, even before you have any clue what that piece looks like. That slice of you that is hidden until you are honestly ready to receive and appreciate it.

“We so often get caught in the state of negativity and…it’s a – it’s a poison.” - Pat Solitano Jr.

Silver Linings Playbook is about fighting to find some sort of hope when all has gone to hell. It’s about that void in the puzzle of your life and the strategy of finding the piece that fits perfectly instead of continuing to force the piece that might…maybe…almost fits.

Well-deserving of all the love and support it has received, Silver Linings Playbook is a classic that will persevere in mending the brokenness in us all from now until eternity.

“The world is hard enough as it is, guys. It’s fucking hard enough as it is. Can’t someone say, ‘hey let’s be positive’. Let’s have a good ending to the story.” - Pat Solitano Jr.

[literaryportfolio]

The Forgotten Copper

Disbanding the production of copper currency is a smart financial and economical decision for the Canadian government. A decision that the United States should soon follow suit. By not producing the penny, millions of dollars can be saved. Millions of dollars that could be used more productively elsewhere. Say, I don’t know, paying down the National Debt!

The penny really has lost its value and respect, though. Every day thousands, even millions, are trampled on and forgotten about. Very few people really see them for who they are. They have been around and seen a lot since their creation. A myriad of stories they each could tell. They used to bring a something as simple as a smile to child’s face with just a piece of candy.

My keen sense of observation and I refuse to leave them abandoned on roadsides and floors, dizzied in washing machines or drowned in fountains. We will continue to rescue them and remember their simpler life. While their careers as a national currency may be over, these coppers still have a lot of life left in them. For instance, being tossed into cans for general amusement, (which is actually quite addicting and so much fun!)

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2012/03/30/f-penny-faq.html

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The Blue Butterfly

Sitting alone in a crowded bar Their gazes lock from afar. Not even once, Had they ever met. And yet...

Week after week, in the midst of friends Many bets he would place On the bountiful, beautiful butterflies That dared to enter his sacred space.

But she is unlike any other. Her will brave, Yet fragile. Her wings strong, Yet delicate; The rare hue of deep, Crystal blue. Her aura of suspense surrounds him.

Fluttering suavely, She draws near. Her presence deep within him, For the first time he feels. On his hand, she gently comes to rest. And breaths in him a whisper so warm; So mysterious.

Ignited. Like a spark in a forest. Feverish. Like a love-borne pathogen in the bloodstream. Refreshed. Like the dewy air after a steady, summer rain.

Intoxicating passion without reason, Between two sobering souls. Explicit trust without doubt, Between a dyad of suspecting skeptics. Genuine affection without fear, Between long awaiting wounded hearts.

Both of them running. Running from themselves; Their pasts. Find safety forever in each other, At last.

Published in Tattered Rag on March 6, 2012 http://tmblr.co/ZyL5twHZ1CbQ

[literaryportfolio]

To See or Not To See

Well, Punxsutawney Phil and his friends seem to be in a bit of a trifle dissensus concerning the prolonging of this years winter. While Phil may have awoke to see his shadow this morning, many of his friends across the North American continent, did not. From Staten Island Chuck to Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam and Ontario’s Wiarton Willie, the predictions are unanimous, “Hello, Spring!”

So, could Phil be wrong? Given the fact that it actually is a grey, obscure sort of day, yes, he may have been off his game today. But that’s okay. Meteorologists are wrong all the time. Skin or fur, nobody is perfect.

Perhaps the more important question is why there is an entire day devoted to these supposed rodent weather experts? The real reason the males emerge from their holes in February is not to predict the weather, but to find a mate, instead. See, mankind are not the only ones to celebrate love in the second month.