Wednesday, February 29, 2012

13K Dow

Learn how to make money in the stock market
A Wall Street rally—
the Dow
above 13,000.
Some predict an
extended bull run.

An improving economy.
Declining unemployment.
Rising consumer confidence.
Strong corporate earnings.
The Dow soars.

Warning:
A correction
may be on the way.
But for now,
the bulls are in command.

A good chance,
by the end of this year,
the Dow
will break
its all time high.

Everything,
Is pointing
toward guarded optimism.
Finally,
things are looking up.

© 2012 Catherine Giordano

Here I am doing this celebratory poem, and wouldn’t you know it, the Dow dips below 13,000 before I even get the poem posted.

August 2013 Update: Who would have guessed that the Dow would soar to 15,500 in just a year and a half? The stock market is a good investment again.


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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Scary Skinny

Angelina Jolie was scary-skinny
at the Oscars.
Like a Bobblehead with matchstick arms.

The book is out -- a collection of 101 of the 2012 first quarter poems. I'm taking down the posts, but I'll leave the first stanza of each poem.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Golden

The Academy Awards:

A night for
celebrating
movie making.

The nominees.
The winners.
The categories.
The gowns.
The thank yous.
The tears.
The stars.
And Oscar,
the darling golden statuette.

This magnificent event
enables all of us
to celebrate the movies.

The stars were out for the Oscars, the event we hate to love.


© 2012 Catherine Giordano


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Sunday, February 26, 2012

Now


Make every day exciting.
Make everyday memorable.
Experience every day.


The book is out -- a collection of 101 of the 2012 first quarter poems. I'm taking down the posts, but I'll leave the first stanza of each poem.




Saturday, February 25, 2012

Racism Isn't History After All

February.

An entire month dedicated to black history.
Children learn about how life “used to be”
We think of racial discrimination as old news.
Truth is, racism is still very much alive.

Human beings should know human decency.
What defines us is our humanity.
We are all one human race.
We all live on this planet.

The basic principle of freedom
includes freedom from discrimination.

February is almost over, and this is the first news article I have seen about Black History Month.  Carpe diem, a poem about freedom.

© 2012 Catherine Giordano

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Friday, February 24, 2012

Linsanity

Dripping with drama,
Jeremy Lin,
an overnight sensation.

The book is out -- a collection of 101 of the 2012 first quarter poems. I'm taking down the posts, but I'll leave the first stanza of each poem.


Thursday, February 23, 2012

The Art Of Rowing


The Orlando Rowing
Club is training
for the upcoming
competition.

It looks easy,
but it is not.
Physically, mentally,
each rower in sync,
doing everything
together.
It’s like a ballet
on water.
  
Like so many things in life, rowing is about teamwork.  Send your Congress member some oars.

© 2012 Catherine Giordano

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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Fish for Lent

Shake off that Fat Tuesday hangover.
Embrace a new day in the kitchen.
Go fish for Lent.

The book is out -- a collection of 101 of the 2012 first quarter poems. I'm taking down the posts, but I'll leave the first stanza of each poem.







Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Saluting Tuskegee Heros

Heros! 
Click Here to order the dvd

The Tuskegee Airmen--
the pilots from the first black
military aviation units,
the pilots who escorted bomber planes
during World War II. 
The story of their service
 has been told and retold. 
The Tuskegee Airmen—
 just doing
 their jobs during wartime.
 
The Tuskegee Airmen—
overcoming
hundreds of years of bigotry.
The Tuskegee Airmen—
Still honored in aviation history.

OK, I cheated.  It is so frustrating when I’ve done the whole poem, and I just can’t make the last line make sense.  So I added the word “history”.  Call it poetic license.  After over 50 poems, I think I can be permitted to slip up once. 


©2012 Catherine Giordano
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Monday, February 20, 2012

Obama Will Win Florida

Florida:
The most glittering prize,
the nation’s biggest swing state.

The Republican candidates’
conservative positions
are boosting Obama’s electability.

Independents, Blacks,
non-Cuban Hispanics.
Jews, twenty-somethings,
seniors, nature lovers,
aerospace scientists,
college students, military families—
The Florida constituencies
being wooed by Obama. 

The most critical mission—
the economy.
Everything else—
secondary.

Economic trends,
voter perceptions—
the economy
is getting better. 

The direction
 of the election—
Obama’s second term.

 
© 2012 Catherine Giordano

 
Today’s found poetry gives me another chance to advocate for Obama.  None of the current Republican candidates have the experience, character, or temperament to hold the office of President of the United States.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

NBA, NASCAR, Traffic

Central Florida—

The center of the sports universe--

the NBA All Star Game in Orlando

and NASCAR’s The Datona 500.


The events are sure

to boost area

businesses,

and snarl traffic

as fans cross paths

On infamous Interstate 4.


Be patient.

It will be fun—

 once you get there.


An exciting weekend for the city,

good for everybody;

great visibility

for this town.


All night parties,

appearances by celebrities,

high-profile festivities.


Taxis, buses

limousines and cars,

bringing people to the arena.

Security checkpoints,

bomb-sniffing dogs,

law-enforcement agencies--

Orlando on the ready.


Will it be perfect?

No—

But—it will go well.






February 26 will be a good day to stay home with a good book.  Perhaps a poetry book? Perhaps my poetry book, “The Poetry Connection”?

© 2012 Catherine Giordano  
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Saturday, February 18, 2012

Mercury Mission

Fifty years ago,
America needed a new hero.
John Glenn was ready.

The book is coming out the end of April with a collection of 101 of the 2012 first quarter poems. I'm taking down the posts, but I'll leave the first stanza of each poem.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Silver Springs Rodeo

Bull Riding,
Barrel Racing,
Calf Roping—
A big time sporting event.

The book is coming out the end of April with a collection of 101 of the 2012 first quarter poems. I'm taking down the posts, but I'll leave the first stanza of each poem.





Thursday, February 16, 2012

Tortoises Slow SunRail

The small gray gopher tortoise,
slowly making its way in the scrub
and sand, its destination unclear.

The book is out -- a collection of 101 of the 2012 first quarter poems. I'm taking down the posts, but I'll leave the first stanza of each poem.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

National Grapefruit Month

February is National Grapefruit Month.

Any way you slice it,
Or squeeze it,
Grapefruit offers lots of diversity. 

The book is out -- a collection of 101 of the 2012 first quarter poems. I'm taking down the posts, but I'll leave the first stanza of each poem.


Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Too Early


Singer Whitney Houston,
underwater in the bathtub
of a Beverly Hills hotel suite.

Cause of death, unclear.
Investigation, ongoing.
Too early to tell.

Flowers and stuffed animals
at a memorial for Whitney.
She died Saturday.

Beautiful, talented, successful--she died too early. 

© 2012 Catherine Giordano

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Monday, February 13, 2012

I Love You

Valentine’s Day—
A day to express love,
Celebrate the spirit of love.

The book is coming out the end of April with a collection of 101 of the 2012 first quarter poems. I'm taking down the posts, but I'll leave the first stanza of each poem.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay


Mystery Monkey of Tampa

Up in the vine-laced trees,
crab-crawling down a post,
climbing over a stack of firewood,
the Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay,
a wild free-wheeling creature.

Mr. Monk appears very much at home
in Pinellas County, his comfort zone.
The monkey swings from the trees
and washes his sticky hands in a stream.
He is welcome to our little piece of paradise.

© 2012 Catherine Giordano

I couldn’t resist the “Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay” headline.  Live free, little monkey.


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This picture is from http://michaelkonik.com

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Passion for Red


Red, the spark that ignites.
Red exudes energy and passion.
Red encourages appetites.

A bright coral red.
A true lipstick red,
A deep plumy wine red,
A brownish-earth toned red.

I love every red.
Red roses; red
 lipstick; red toe polish.

Always red!
Red anytime!
Go red!


Today's my birthday. It's dinner and a show with my sweetie. I'll be wearing red. It's my favorite color.

© 2012 Catherine Giordano

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Friday, February 10, 2012

Arts Live Downtown

The arts-ification
of downtown Orlando.

The book is coming out the end of April with a collection of 101 of the 2012 first quarter poems. I'm taking down the posts, but I'll leave the first stanza of each poem.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Disability and Desire

You’re supposed to be
having more sex.

The book is coming out the end of April with a collection of 101 of the 2012 first quarter poems. I'm taking down the posts, but I'll leave the first stanza of each poem.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Love

Valentines’s Day!
 
Chocolates.
     Red roses.
         Sweet whispers.

The book is coming out the end of April with a collection of 101 of the 2012 first quarter poems. I'm taking down the posts, but I'll leave the first stanza of each poem.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Exergaming

Exergames.
Exercise combined
with virtual reality.
Older people exergaming
on cybercyles,

The book is coming out the end of April with a collection of 101 of the 2012 first quarter poems. I'm taking down the posts, but I'll leave the first stanza of each poem.



Monday, February 6, 2012

Elite Eli Manning

Super Bowl trophy
Super Bowl trophy
Eli Manning
Is elite
For sure.

And far, far more
Than Peyton’s
Little brother.

Spot on Sunday night.
Leading the Giants.
Victory over the Patriots.

It feels good to win a Super Bowl.

A wild season.
A tough bunch of guys.
Who had faith in each other.

Proud guys sticking together.

As good as it gets.
As cool as can be.
Manning won games.

Manning— an elite quarterback.

I don’t really follow sports, but I knew today’s poem had to be about the Super Bowl.

© 2012 Catherine Giordano

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2/8/2016: This year it was big brother Peyton Manning who took his team the Denver Broncos to victory.
Super Bowl 50 Program
Super Bowl Program




Sunday, February 5, 2012

Obama Focused


The Audacity of Hope
CLICK HERE Audacity of Hope

Four years ago

Obama ran on hope and change.

This time,
unlderline the hope,
lowercase the change.

Chearleader in chief. 

An overall optimistic tone,
with just the right balance
between optimism
and realism.

Find the sweet spot.

Newt Gingrich declared,
“America is decaying.”
Mitt Romney called the nation
a “virtual Titanic.” 

Believe in America.

An incumbent has to err
on the side of optimism.
A challenger has to sell
the need for change.

Obama pays tribute to the country.

The president has
a hopeful message.
Republicans can be as
apocalyptic as doomsday. 

Stick to talk about the future.

© 2012 Catherine Giordano

I like this poem because it expresses my belief that people are going to get tired of Republicans bad-mouthing America.


2/6/2016 Update
It's interesting to look back four years ago today when I was doing my News Print Poetry project.  Obama was going to be the Democratic nominee and the Republicans were fighting it out to determine who their nominee would be. The Republicans were bad-mouthing America and they are doing it again.


Saturday, February 4, 2012

Komen Backlash

Three days of tumult,
an outpouring of criticism,
atrong public reaction
via social media.

“We want to apologize,”
said the Komen Foundation,
“for the changes made to our
funding for Planned Parenthood.”

That is what is right and fair.
That is a victory for women,
women who rely on this care,
women with breast cancer.

Reversing the decision
was the right thing to do.

© 2012 Catherine Giordano


I am outraged at the continued attacks on Planned Parenthood. Komen just happened to decide to change their policy about funding groups under investigation?  More likely, the change in policy was made specifically to target Planned Parenthood.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Talking Turkey


The ubiquitous theme park snack—
the turkey leg
Folks go hog-wild for them.

What’s their draw?
The taste? The smell?
The care-free attitude?

It’s like an ice-cream cone,
but it’s meat. Dark meat.
It goes good with beer.

Feel caveman-like!
Gnaw! Pull pieces off!
Salty! Smoky! Meaty!

Street-food phenomenon.
Comfort food.  Flavor.
It’s Americana.

© 2012 Catherine Giordano

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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Facebook IPO

Facebook
the social networking giant,
is one step closer to cashing in on
the largest initial public offering,
out of Silicon Valley.

The book is coming out the end of April with a collection of 101 of the 2012 first quarter poems. I'm taking down the posts, but I'll leave the first stanza of each poem.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Florida Romp

Mitt Romney
rode a barrage
of negative ads,
to an easy victory
in Florida’s Republican primary. 

Newt Gingrich ran
a week second.

The fractious ten day campaign,
demonizing and denigrating.
A flood of negative TV ads,
attacking Gingrich,
attacking Romney.

The American public does not want
a mud-wrestling match.
Everybody gets dirty. 

© 2012 Catherine Giordano