mind games

Photo by Mike Hall

mind games 

 my thoughts are invisible,
    though my body is here for all to see.
    unless i act, or react, my thoughts
staycamouflaged under my  clothes.
my expressions may or not
           be a reflection of what i think.
  It is up to you to call
                           my bluff, and see if
         you are right.
you see, i am in control of what I feel, and you
              can’t do anything about it.
  I am the master of mind games.

Newsletter of The World of Words by Elias Tobias

Goal of 2.5 million daily viewers set for poetry blog
Internationally-known poet Elias Tobias has set a goal of 2.5 million daily unique visitors by January 2010 on his web site, The World of Words by Elias Tobias.  Already the web blog has reached 2.5 million daily page views and more than one million unique visitors a day.

“I am pleased that so many more people are coming to my blog, but with the help of those already checking out the web blog, more people can be exposed to my style of poetry and photography,” Tobias said.

He said the same items that work to make the web blog, at eliastobias.net, successful now, will continue, including a variety of poems on a monthly theme, the Spanish-language poems, photography and graphics, videos, and incentives to get the reader involved with the website itself.  No media, other than the Internet will be used to promote the blog.

Poem to be published in anthology
The poem, “The Beauty of Life,” has advanced to the semi-annual round of the National Amateur Poetry Competition in a contest sponsored by Eber & Wein Publishing, of Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania.  The poet will compete for 126 cash and gift prizes, including a grand prize of $2,500.As a semi-finalist, the poem will be published in Verses and Visions, a multi-volume collection of new and notable poets from around the world, which will be for sale on Amazon. com, and the Barnes and Noble website.

Vote for the best Spanish poem in Palabras de Inspiración

The Spanish-language book category, Palabras de Inspiración, has been associated with the World of Words by Elias Tobias for six months now, and with one poem, the collection had grown quickly to include poems on many topics and themes.  We would like to know which one you think is the best one.  Five poems were chosen as the top poems. Look at them (just click on the titles) and decide which one is best. E-mail that choice to contact@eliastobias.net.The winner will be announced in the May newsletter, Exponet.

El libro en español de la categoría, Palabras de Inspiración, se ha asociado con el mundo de las palabras de Elias Tobias durante seis meses, y con un poema, la colección ha crecido rápidamente para incluir poemas sobre muchos temas y temas. Nos gustaría saber lo que uno cree que es la mejor. Cinco poemas fueron elegidos como los poemas. Míralos (basta con hacer clic sobre los títulos) y decidir cuál es el mejor. E-mail para que la elección contact@eliastobias.net. El ganador se anunciará en el boletín de mayo, Exponet. Primeros poemas son español

1. La sal y la pimienta (Mi poema de aniversario) 2. Mi canción Victoria 3. Mi Compás 4. Llorar 5. Mi segundo aire

Mike’s Book Café has free books online
The gift of reading is a gift that keeps on giving, long after the Christmas presents have been opened.  The best presents are free and there are hundreds of books online for no cost from a variety of sources.  So when it’s cold outside, and you have time on your hands, fix yourself a cup of coffee and then pick up a book or anthology of poems and relax.

If you just want the latest news from your own hometown to the nation and world, go to Topix at http://www.topix.com/. The type in the name of your city or town in the search box and get information from your neck of the woods.
Here is a set of links from Mike’s Book Cafe:
1. Thousands of books available through http://www.readbookonline.net/
2. Turn page after page at http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/
3. Read and print books for free from http://www.readprint.com/
4. Want a romance novel? Choose hundreds at http://www.publicbookshelf.com/
This is just a start of what can be found for free.  Reading in fun-damental.

Poetry theme for April is growth
As the start of spring in the form of plants reaching through the soil, people can grow in spirit and health this month.  Poetry can help people feel good about themselves.  With this in mind, the poetry theme for April on the World of Words by Elias Tobias is growth.

The World of Words offers several articles for people to grow poetically. This site has an article about how to get published, links to potential publishers, an article about how to set up a poetry web blog in three easy steps,  a set of four mini-lessons regarding writing tips, and even a poetry first-aid for those writers who need just a little more help with their words.  The best thing is that all this is free.

Here is the Poem of the Month.

 Poem of the Month

Tenderfoot

Park the car equally between the lines,
And don’t pull up on the curb too far.
Make sure the colors of clothes match
And look like a model all the time.
Get the right style of tie in the morning
And make sure it is tight and straight.
Keep aware of the traffic conditions, and
 have plenty of gas so you’re not late.
Don’t go over the posted speed limit,
or get dressed for another court date.
There are too many things that everyone
Say that I am supposed to do.
Why does society make up all these
crazy, impossible, nonsense rules?

I wonder what my boss would do
if I showed up to work without shoes?
I’m sure there’s some silly dress code,
And that section would be a quote
clearly from my manager’s mouth.
The lecture would sink south, for sure.
I’d be asked if I’d want a weekly check, and
then I’d probably put my shoes on, I bet.

Paradise 

Paradise

Put the dice in the palms of your hand,
close the fingers, blow in end for luck,
and see there they happen to land.
If you use the method to decide which
way you need to turn, beware, because
if you go left, you could freeze, or go
right, chances are you’ll get burned.
Anyway you go, your experiences
will become lessons learned.
An option is to go straight, and
stay the steady proper course,
but outside expectations may be
the source of an extra force.
These are decisions made on while
on the road to finding paradise,
and if that place is not really found,
the journey there is something call life.

Keeper of the Flame 

 Photo by Mike Hall

Keeper of the Flame

My honorable duty, throughout the centuries,
has been hard. I am not the fire, or its end result.
I am the keeper of the flame,
for all to use for all its use in all forms.
I’m in each match, lighter, torch, molten rock, and
the leftover hot coal in a morning campfire.
Primitive man carried me around and worshiped me.
With me, many people can see, make iron and steel
tools and weapons, have food or warm places to live,
and jobs making the flame. Oil has value, as much
as gold, and plastic exists.
With me, much property has been damaged and destroyed.
People and animals have lost their lives, too.
Without me, none of this would happen, and this
world would still be a cold mass, struggling to
survive in the dark. That is why being keeper of the flame
is such an honor, since I serve the world.

A long way home

Photo by Mike Hall

A long way home

One day a youth decided to take a
different way home. He traversed seven
bridges that day. First, he crossed a
small stone foot bridge over a swollen
creek in the woods. In the same woods,
he went over a ravine on a plank bridge
with bristled rope guides. He crawled
along an old slippery log over a raging
river. The woods opened to rocky hills,
and he tempted fate on a suspended
rope bridge in a steep crevasse. The
hills gave way to corn fields and barns.
He went through a covered wooden
bridge over a small tributary. Next,
the road home covered swamp land
and bogs. A long, straight, low bridge
made of concrete, steel and asphalt
made the traveling easier. The noise
of people and cities filled his head,
and he challenged the bay on a modern
suspension bridge loaded with cars.
When he finally arrived at his house,
the youth had become a man, passing
tests of faith, love and responsibility.

Winter Morning Blues

Photo by Mike Hall

Winter Morning Blues

Give me a few more minutes to get ready
And I will be as good as new.
I’ll look bright and alive as I usually do.
There is something I forget I once knew.
I’m hunting for where I placed my shoes.
The weather man says it’s going to
Be another day below freezing, too.
I need to be the right person you are
Used to when we see each other
When we start working each day.
There is something I’m going through.
I’m not really sick, nor have the flu.
But for now, I feel like I’m suffering
From the winter morning blues.

Cumberland Road

  Photo by Mike Hall

Cumberland Road

Life is good along Cumberland Road
in the gently rolling hills of Kentucky.
We may be poor in wealth, but our
spirits are rich and reach to the sky.

The general store on the corner of
Second Street used to be a famous bar,
And the rooms above, that were a hotel,
make more money rented out by far.
You can find just about anything at the
store, and service comes with smile.
Come and spend time with the Wilsons,
the current owners, and talk for a while.
Life is good along Cumberland Road
in the gently rolling hills of Kentucky.
We may be poor in wealth, but our
spirits are rich and reach to the sky.

If a person looks around a spell,
There is a lot of history to see.
You know, the bank in the middle of
10th street was a scene of a robbery.
The Wood brothers became famous
On the fateful day, June 21, 1946.
The three of them took everything
In the safe and got themselves in a fix.
Life is good along Cumberland Road
in the gently rolling hills of Kentucky.
We may be poor in wealth, but our
spirits are rich and reach to the sky.

Down the road is Lacey’s Restaurant,
where good food is at a good price.
Country favorites are served quick,
and the waitresses are really nice.
Lacey’s been there for the last 35
years or so in the very same place,
but the business has grown and now
takes up two whole blocks of space .
Life is good along Cumberland Road
in the gently rolling hills of Kentucky.
We may be poor in wealth, but our
spirits are rich and reach to the sky.

Old Jake North knows about style,
Especially when it comes to haircuts,
and Sally Dixon knows the latest
fashions in women’s dresses and such.
In the summer time, the Dairy Queen
Is the place for cool, refreshing treats
and Mr. Vinatelli knows how to suit
men so their image is clean and neat.
Life is good along Cumberland Road
in the gently rolling hills of Kentucky.
We may be poor in wealth, but our
spirits are rich and reach to the sky.

There are all kinds and types of churches
where people can get closer to the Lord.
C.J.’s Auto  and Body Shop has become a
dealership with cars people can afford.
The flea market at the edge of town
Is packed Wednesday and Friday,
and the regular booths have goods
that  will take away your week’s pay.
Life is good along Cumberland Road
in the gently rolling hills of Kentucky.
We may be poor in wealth, but our
spirits are rich and reach to the sky.

The pride of the community is the
Schomberg Memorial High School, and
Even though consolidation was tried
years ago, it failed; our colors were true.
The football team keeps the town’s
 attention on those cool fall nights,
and the marching band has claim
to own the state’s best bragging rights.
Life is good along Cumberland Road
in the gently rolling hills of Kentucky.
We may be poor in wealth, but our
spirits are rich and reach to the sky.

The rolling hills and the trees have a
magical mystery they call their own,
and that’s why many people who
come here end up making it their home.
There’s a Boy Scout campground, where
I spent weeks of my summer in youth.
There are other commercial places
with lakes where RV’s reserve booths.
Life is good along Cumberland Road
in the gently rolling hills of Kentucky.
We may be poor in wealth, but our
spirits are rich and reach to the sky.
 

What Is On the Other Side of the Hill?

 Photo by Mike Hall

What is on the other side of the hill?

What is on the other side of the hill?
You won’t know until you see.
There are many possibilities.

What is on the other side of the hill?
It could be full of sharp turns.
There could be lesson to be learned.
 
What is on the other side of the hill?
 Be sure to turn on your lights.
 Others need to see you at night.

What is on the other side of the hill?
There could be a steep grade down.
If you’re lost, you could be found.

What is on the other side of the hill?
The trail can edge as a cliff.
It’s a game to say, “What if?”

What is on the other side of the hill?
There is always an easier way.
Some will wait for the next day.
 
What is on the other side of the hill?
You won’t know until you see.
The spirit inside you needs relief.

To read this poem in Spanish, click here.

The Morning Train

I hear the morning train,
the only one on the track.
This will be my last ride,
because I know I’m going back …

back home where I belong.
where I feel I’m free.
where I can sing my songs.

I hear the morning train,
the only one on the track.
This will be my last ride,
because I know I’m going back …

back home with all my friends.
where I know I’m me.
where I will be loved to the end.

I hear the morning train,
the only one on the track.
This will be my last ride,
because I know I’m going back …

Newsletter for the Word of Words by Elias Tobias

Readership passes 1 million daily visitors

Daily numbers for readership of the World of Words by Elias Tobias show a continued growth. The site reached its first day of 1 million unique visitors.  These visitors have read more than 2 million pages per day.  New material is coming to the poetry web log to keep the content fresh using features that are helping to maintain or increase readership.  See the Press releases page for where to get current figures.

Artbrushed Photo Gallery

Through the magic of technology and computers, The World of Words by Elias Tobias presents a portfolio of 30 Artbrushed images that originated as digital photographs by Mike Hall. Click on the Meditation Pond thumbnail photo to get there. 

Live Magazine NYC joins International Poetry Link Exchange

Live Mag! is a biannual event/performance publication which takes place at the Bowery Poetry Club, hosted by Jeffrey Cyphers Wright. Poems are collected by audience members and read by guest editors. Previous editor guests have included Hannah Winarsky, editor of Princeton University Press, William Electric Black of La Mama Etc., Michael Andre of Unmuzzled Ox . Erika Jo Brown, editor of Stretching Panties Magazine, Bob Holman of the Bowery Poetry Press and Gary Parrish of Farfalla Press.   To get to the site, go to http://www.livemagnyc.com/

Free Elias Tobias signature poster

The World of Words by Elias Tobias presents a free signature poster of Elias Tobias. You can print it easily. Just click on the image on this page and and choose the “Save photo as” option when you right click again.  You name it. You can use it.  Then find the “main page” link on the right side of the page to go back to the main page.

Journey of life is poetry theme

The journey is the poetry theme for March 2009.  There is a saying that goes something like this: life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it is about learning to dance in the rain.  In Indiana, there is rain, snow, and everything in between. The journey is making choices and the most of the conditions, no matter the weather.
        

New Book, A Cupful of Words, started

The new category or book is being started this month, and it is called, A Cupful of Words.  The name of this web blog, The World of Words by Elias Tobias, stresses word choice.  This book will feature poems that a person can read and understand with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning before the day starts or in the evening when the tasks have ended and it is time to relax.

   Poem of the Month

Winds of Change

Dried lifeless leaves from the fall
              circle in the air as a strong wind
           swirls the past around.
                            For a moment, the wind stops, but
soon repeats the cyclone cycle
several times. 
        The warm sunlight stirs the convection
               from the ground that a week ago
was covered in 12 inches of snow.
       The rain came yesterday and washed
                  away the pain from the cracking
sidewalks.
            No one seems to know what will happen
                    next, except for the weatherman, who plays
the odds with God.