Memories of Snow

NaNoWriMo Day 25: Black Friday (WC:1881)

Istiqlál (Independence), 5 Qawl (Speech), 173 BE - Thursday, November 24, 2016 AD about 4:57 PM Pacific Standard Time

Memory of Late Spring

On the first triple digit day of the year,
True summer isn't even here,
Las Vegas melts under the sudden heat,
Air conditioning systems break down,
And gas prices rise all over town.

I think the above poem is completed. The original title was "On the First Triple Digit Day of the Year" I changed the title because my gut feeling, my intuition, or my muse didn't like the title. Unless the poetry form requires that the title and the first line be the same, I prefer the title different from the first line.

The next poem isn't complete. I think it needs a second verse about the end of Daylight Saving Time. Perhaps the second verse needs to say something about falling back or going back in time or looking your age. I haven't decided which would be best for this poem.

Daylight Saving Time

Spring forward
Jump into the future
Set your clocks ahead one hour
And become older
Without looking your age

I wonder if I should add some sort of punctuation to the poem. I don't think punctuation will affect the meaning one way or another. The problem with daylight saving time is that sometimes it inspires me and sometimes it just pisses me off. Everytime I change the clock it takes me, at least, a week for my body to adjust to it.

Night

The night is silent
Echoless
Foretelling the bright joy of morning

I think the above poem needs rewriting because "silent" and "echoless" seem redundant. I think I'll take out the word "silent". That would read..

The night is echoless
Foretelling the bright joy of morning.

Istiqlál (Independence), 5 Qawl (Speech), 173 BE - Friday, November 25, 2016 AD about 10:53 AM Pacific Standard Time

Black Friday:
Miscellaneous Thoughts about Me

Lately I've encountered several situations that have caused mental fears. These fears are irrational and they make no sense because I don't think I encountered anything in my childhood to attribute them to. I suspect they like most of my other irrational fears are based on my experience with sexual abuse because I can't think of anything else that would cause them. I know that I still have emotional and spiritual scars or other wounds from that experience.

Today, this morning specifically, I realized why I don't want to call Cox Communications and switch over to a purely internet and telephone bundle. It's because I'm afraid I'll be without a computer connection for a while. I don't really think that would happen, but that's what I'm afraid of. It's a completely (at least, I think it is) baseless fear. It doesn't do me any good to give into the fear and not call Cox Communications to see how much a bundle like that would cost. The only problem would be a couple of days without a television until I go the equipment at Radio Shack or K-mart to get over-the-air television. Because I don't think I have enough money to purchase that equipment right now. I'm not even sure I'll have enough after the first of December and I can't ask Faye for any more money.

I need to put this entire situation in God's hands and get on with what I know I need to do. I'm tired of procrastinating because of fear. I'm tire of being afraid to do something that will help me financially. I also suspect that I will eventually get tired of psychoanalyzing myself. I hope not because I need to figure out what my problems are and how to overcome them. One way to overcome fear is do the thing I'm afraid to do because from past experience I know that nothing ever, or hardly ever, turns out the way I'm afraid it will.

I've decided to purchase the equipment for the television so that I don't have to have cable anymore. I'm not sure how I'm going to get the money because I still need to pay the power bill and the back cable bill. However, I have to find the money because it will pay for itself after I cut the cable. I'm placing this situation in God's hand, I know once I place the situation in His hands then I will find the money somewhere. I may have to request a check from either Inbox Dollars or Send Earnings before I'm ready. I have enough in there for them to send a check it's just that I wanted to have about $3.00 more in each account.

About 2:16 PM Pacific Standard Time

Day of the Covenant

The Day of the Covenant, November 25, 2016, is the day that Baha'I celebrate the appointment of 'Abdu'l-Baha as the Center of Baha'u'llah's Covenant. This is a celebration of unity because 'Abdu'l-Baha's appointment ment the continuation of guidance which protected the Baha'I Faith from disunity. This day also celebrates the basic unity of religion because Baha'I accept the revealers of the major religions as bringing messages from God to assist humanity in it's next stage of evolution.

Each of these messengers established a covenant, which was a part of God's greater covenant with humanity. These spiritual teachers brought a specific religion which was a chapter in the religious and spiritual history of mankind. Many of these teachers reveal a book of scriptures to assist the their followers to live and progress spiritually until the next messenger comes. Baha'u'llah continues the line of messengers sent by God for the guidance of humanity.

Black Friday:
Remembering my first Gray hair

I'm not sure when I noticed my first gray hair. It could have been in 2003 or 2004 because that's when I wrote "A Romantic Challenge" (I wasn't crazy about the title when I word the poem and I'm not crazy about it now). I don't know nor can I think of a better title for now. It's possible one of the lines or stanzas have a better title.

A Romantic Challenge

Time caresses
My Auburn tresses wrapped
Around my fingers.

The first gray strand,
A perfect white,
A wisp of day
Against the cruel night.

I think I see
A ringer in my mirror.

I'll have to change the hair color in stanza one because my hair hasn't had any red highlights since I was a small child. When my hair finally grew in it had reddish or strawberry blonde highlight, but it darkened as I grew older. I wasn't born with hair and I didn't grow hair until after my first birthday. So I'll have to chose one of the brown colors for the line two in the first stanza. In addition to the second line, I have to make some changes to the third line in the first stanza. Instead of finger I'll use Index finger to indicate the finer my hair was wound around.

More Poems about Me and My Life

"I Am" is an experimental poem I wrote while I was going to UNLV. If I use it in my autobiography I may have to rewrite it. I may rewrite it anyway. I think the original poem was written in sometime 1992.

I Am

I am Neva Florence Darbe.

I am a Baha'I;
         A follower of Baha'u'llah.

I am the daughter of Marie Pearl Newland;
         The daughter of Melvin Fay Darbe;
         The sister of Elizabeth Faye Sisk;
         The sister of Melvin Frank Darbe;
         The sister of Tommy Joe Darbe.

I am a poet;
         A Management Information major at UNLV.

I am the link in evolution's chain unitying past and future;
         The homeless child wandering eternally through the cosmos,
         In search of the universe's receding rim.

I have absolutely no idea what I was attempting to say in this poem. I'm sure I'll have to rewrite, but I don't know where to begin. Perhaps remove the last stanza and use it in a poem about poets. Since I don't believe in reincarnation I know the last line doesn't refer to that, but I'm not sure what it refers to unless it refers to my muse. If it refers to my muse or the poetic muse then it would be a good stanza in a poem about poetry or the poet.

"In the Perfect Word" was inspired by the Baha'I Faith. I know it doesn't need punctuation. In fact, I don't think it needs anything. It may be finished and if it is then I'll use it either in my autobiography as part of the introduction or post it directly in my port on writing.com.

In the Perfect Word

In the perfect world
The planet is united

In the perfect world
Differences pale when compared
To our similarities

In the perfect world
All God's religions agree
Each faith is a chapter
In Jehovah's Sacred Book
Progressive Revelation

In the perfect world
Religion and science are
The wings of one bird
Civilization soars in
The Firmament of God's love

In the perfect world
Equality's the standard
Humanity's one
Unity is the watchword

In the perfect world
Wealth and poverty extremes
Are nonexistent

Jalál (Glory), 6 Qawl (Speech), 173 BE - Friday, November 25, 2016 AD about 5:00 PM Pacific Standard Time

Black Friday:
Excitement In my Neighborhood

We had some excitement in this neighborhood this afternoon about 1:00 PM. A man in one of the apartments was shot and killed. Right now they have two people in custody, but I don't know what they have to do with the murder. I suspect the man they have in custody doesn't have anything to do with it because I know his girlfriend, he was picked up because he was too close to the scene and had two warrants concerning domestic abuse. The warrants are on him because he didn't pay the money he was fined.

I have to admit this isn't the safest neighborhood to live in, but at this point I can't afford anything else. I can't afford this apartment because Faye is sending money for the rent. I need to find somewhere else to live and figure a way to pay my own rent so that Faye doesn't have to pay it. I don't know what she'll say if she finds out. Perhaps I should say when she finds out because it was on the news so eventually she'll find out, but I'm not going to say anything to her unless she asks. There isn't any use causing her to worry anymore than she already does. Not to mention the fact that the next time she goes on a drunken rant she'll bring it up. Sometimes I think she believes I can't take care of myself.

I know a couple of three years ago the SWAT team knocked on one of the doors in the apartment building to the east of me. I watched them and told some of my friends, but I don't think I ever told Faye. Personally I don't think what goes on in my neighborhood is any of my sister's business especially when she's going to hold it against me when she gets drunk. Oh well, maybe I'll write about this in tomorrow's blog entry and maybe I won't I haven't decided yet.