Ode to February | Poem

February 14, 2020February 9, 2020 JoeRover poetry february, life, life trials, love, poem, poetry, winter

The holidays are done
yet winter remains.
What can stop this refrain?

School starts anew.
The bills are due.
Taxes wait by the door.
Please end this winter sore.

Will shadows appear,
Caught by creatures dear?

Can love's undying light
Cause a fire to ignite?

Hold them close,
a love's careful cheer
can break winter's evil sneer.

Laughter in the snow
ends an icy blow.

Winter's trials sack the land
united in love, hand in hand,
spring comes early...
if you love sincerely.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading!

Copyright Joe Rover 2020

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Always Dripping | Poem

February 12, 2020February 9, 2020 JoeRover poetry cave, poem, poetry, publishing, rescue, school, storytelling, superhero

Drip.
Drip.
Drip.

Always. 
Drip, drip, drip.

Kevin sits curled,
head covered.
The sounds echo.

Drip.
Drip.
Drip.

Winds howl.
Bats screech.
And always...
drip, drip, drip.

Stalagmites. Or stalactites? 
His mind tries to focus
on anything other than 
the dreary now.

Does anyone miss him?
Does anyone care?

They should.

It'd make the news.
"Field trip cave-in,"
Kevin's mind wanders.
Anything to escape the
drip,
drip,
drip.

Should have stayed with the group.
Couldn't.
The bullies push and shove.
The never-ending laughter.
Always the laughter.
Like water.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Should have stayed.
Would be safe.
The rescuers come for them.
Not him.

Drip, drip, drip.
The sound still mocks.

Kevin curls further in.
No one misses him.

Drip, drip--

Kevin unfolds.
That horrid sound...
Quiet.

A new sound.

Digging!

The rock breaks!
A figure appears!

Kevin knows that cape and howl.
Dogboy.

A friendly paw helps him stand.
Safe arms hold him well.
A single step, the boy is safe.
Parents greet with warm love.

The job is done,
all are found--
thanks to the Heroic Hound.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading.

It was a dingy, stormy day; the kind of day that makes everything seem black and white. Johnny Blewz played his sax over the radio filling my office with jazz music.
Who Pranked JR. Releases Mar. 24, 2020. Pre-orders at many eBook retailers.

Rescue | Poem

February 3, 2020February 2, 2020 JoeRover Odds and Ends hospital, icy, poem, poetry, rescue, water

Down, down
into the icy dark.
Crystalline beads on skin form.

Above me, entrance,
and exit,
closed tight.

A crack brought me here
to this watery tomb.
Had I listened to friends and signs,
I might still in sun reside.

The numbness grows,
my sight fades.
The last of air drains away.

Why'd I stray?
Was it to impress new peers?
Or to earn a kiss from Suzie Dear?

The cause is small in the abyss.

I feel my heart slow.
Now, I fear, it's time to...

…

Noise and clatter
wake my gray matter.
A room, white and bright;
someone yells, "Fight! Fight!"

Beeping and hissing are far at first.
Is this my fate or a curse?

No, no. Not Judgement Day.
A hospital is where I lay.

Safe and warm, my eyelids close.
Rescued at last, now I doze.

Copyright Joe Rover 2020

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading.

Recommended #39

January 29, 2020January 29, 2020 JoeRover Recommended Alzheimers care, cat poetry, cats, ebook, garden, photography, poem, poetry, Prompts, publishing, writing

The following are my opinion and do not reflect the opinion of any organization or person.

Care giving for Alzheimer Patients. by E-Book Vault

Your Dreams Can Improve Your Writing by The Write Nook

Keeper Of The Gardens by Out of My Write Mind

Do you have any recommendations? Tell me in the comments.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading.

Invincible Quill Magazine (Nov. issue) | Rapid Review

November 27, 2019November 25, 2019 JoeRover Rapid Reviews, Reviews nanowrimo, national novel writing month, poetry, publishing, review, writers, writing, writing magazine, writing prompts, writing tips

The following are my opinion and do not reflect the opinion of any organization or person. May contain spoilers!

Invincible Quill Magazine November 2019 issue (Earnest Writes, free download): The latest issue has launched, and it’s about National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo). The latest issue focuses on helping writers through NaNoWriMo. There are poems, prompts, and articles. I did notice some typos and some awkward sentences, but what work of art doesn’t have flubs? I liked the “Writing Styles Alignments” chart that lets you know if you were a neutral pantser or a chaotic plotter. According to the sheet, I’m a chaotic plantser; this means that I have a plot idea and then it all goes crazy from there. I also enjoyed the article by Kairavi Pandya titled “Better Egotist Than Poseur.” The article talks about how readers and writers alike think of novelists and poets as the brain surgeons of the field while they think of screenwriters or drama writers as loyal physicians. I like how the author mentions that a novelist is not better than someone who writes short stories–we’re all writers. Finally, this issue seemed to fly by. I got to one point and was like, “Why won’t this scroll any more?” It was because I was at the end of the magazine. The magazine was so interesting to read that it felt like I just started. The flow of poems to articles and back again made the reading captivating. I felt like I was reading something entertaining, not a boring textbook.

Do you have any shows, books, movies, etc you’d like to see a review on? Tell me in the comments.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading.

Join in the adventure as Joe and company deal with everything from waking up in the morning to stopping an alien invasion in the Christmas themed eBook Gift of the Minion. Releases Dec. 3. Preorder for $0.99, regular price $2.99.

Love | Review

October 26, 2019October 25, 2019 JoeRover Reviews love, poem, poetry, publishing, review, William Lynn, writing

‪ ‬The poem “Love” by William Lynn recounts the story of someone who falls for another.

I enjoyed the line when the narrator asks if the person was an angel or a demon sent by the Devil to torment them. It showed the narrator’s feelings well and added the question of why they can’t be together; it makes you want to read more. My problem was that the question didn’t seem to be answered; I still want to know why they can’t be together.

The poem keeps the same tone very well. I can picture someone sitting at a desk thinking or even just sitting on a park bench watching their love interest from afar. You feel like you can get inside the narrator’s state of mind. I did notice a couple times when it felt like the rhythm faltered or became awkward; but for the most part, the poem flowed well.

I also had some trouble with getting lost in the lines. This is easily resolved by adding some verse/paragraph breaks now and then.

Another line I enjoyed was when the narrator mentions how people told them they didn’t know what love was. It gives the reader an idea of how old the narrator is. I could picture an older teen or young adult. The idea of a younger narrator is reinforced by the word choice. The flow and structure also makes it sound like a younger person speaking. I did not feel like I was brought out of the poem until the end.

While the poem was not perfect, it was well done and a great read. I enjoyed that I did not have to spend hours trying to pick it apart to understand it. Lynn does an excellent job of telling the reader what is happening while still giving you something to think about. 4.4/5

You can follow William Lynn on their blog or on Twitter.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading.

Fans of fantasy and sci-fi, The Beast of Camp TimberWolf is out now. You can purchase it from many online retailers.

Rapid Reviews #2

August 19, 2019August 14, 2019 JoeRover Rapid Reviews, Reviews awritersd1ary, capcom, capcom app, capcom game, card game, comics, free tv, pluto tv, poems, poetry, ratective, ratvault, streaming tv, teppen

The following are my opinion and do not reflect the opinion of any organization or person. May contain spoilers!

TEPPEN from GungHo Online Entertainment Inc: Various Capcom characters battle it out in this online card game. I really enjoy the cinematic cutscenes. Every graphic is amazing. The animations for the characters’ special power is also well done and gives the game that unique flair. I could tell that they really worked hard on it. I also enjoy that many of my favorite Capcom characters are together. But, it did take me awhile to understand how to play the game and navigate the menus and system. I still have no idea what the Zennys are for–I’m assuming its to buy cards (or is that the Souls).

awritersd1ary: A collection of well thought out and short poems. The poems pull at your heart and make you want to go “awww” after reading them. The backgrounds fit the poem well and are not distracting. I also had no trouble reading the text–it doesn’t blend into the background.

ratvault: A collection of comics featuring a rat detective, but don’t expect a great detective. The Ratective is kind of a goof. The artwork is high-level and amazing. The jokes are also very funny.

Pluto TV: An app or website that allows you to watch free TV. It has a nice collection of old and new shows and movies. I wish it allowed you to see further into the programming than three hours. If you sign up, you can save channels as favorites, but signing up is not required, which is nice. There are a few bugs still to work out, such as sometimes it’ll glitch and repeat a scene over and over until I close it. It works well for having something to watch during off-seasons and downtime. It is also great for having something on while your eating or taking a break.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading.

Do you have any shows, books, movies, etc you’d like to see a review on? Tell me in the comments.

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