Featured Poet: Courtney Rose Kendall

the smell of death still lingers
on the tip of my tongue,
oozing from bloodylips
wafting purple, cold.
i wish i could die
before i reach my grave,
i.want.to.destroy.every.thing

I once fell asleep in the
honeyfields, alone and afraid
where you promised
(you promised!)
to take me away
salty ocean spray
burning in my eyes
my hair floating
on the ice cold water--
adrift in your oceans
of (broken)vows.
the ones we told ourselves
blanketed in velvet night,
the moon swallowing up
the hill, our bodies, our kisses
transforming words into motion
(upon the earth’s sad face)

I want to cry out to the birds
and the rocks and the fields
and the wild sun(rays)
of the fury you have spread
— wildfire in my bones—
I want to crush you, curse you, hate you
yet the corset that we tied
when i whimpered and longed for you
is unsnippable

one day i stitched
the sheets to the mattress
divided the bed right down
the middle in scarlet thread
in my emptiness, I drew
a line dividing our room
in half and stole
the segment of my soul I gave you
that night I loved you under the autumn leaves
the wind breezing through my hair
and the moonlight glowing on golden skin

I snatched a glance at the photograph you gave me
snipped you out and left you lying on the floor
a beautiful frame of that dreadful night
you poured my happy heart into your glass of wine

i am only a memory. a shadow. a grey, grey memory.




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Featured Poet: Courtney Rose Kendall is a very dear friend of mine and the sister of my sweet Josh. Over the years it has been so wonderful having someone with whom I can exchange poetry. Her writing is very passionate, so it's no wonder she is a part of the slam poetry movement. I love her style. It always inspires me. Her imagery is always so strong and so poignant. "Corset Bound Heart(s)" is my most favorite of her poems. The mental pictures of stitching the sheets to the mattress and the unsnippable corset have been permanently printed on my mind. (Hence, my little heart doodle.)


To read more of her work, visit her facebook page and her blog.


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Are you a poet? I'd love to feature your original work!
Submission Guidelines:
Subject matter is not limited, though profanity is discouraged.
You must be a follower of The Quirky Poet.
You may send your poems to rachelmarie@thequirkypoet.com.
All work is subject to editing if I deem it necessary.


Thanks for reading!

Rajesh's Sweater Vest

For those of you who have not yet seen my “Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty” post, this is probably news to you: I’M OBSESSED WITH THE BIG BANG THEORY. Picking a favorite character is impossible since they’re all incredibly brilliant and have their own distinctive styles, but I have quite a fondness for Rajesh Koothrappali. He’s just so endearing. 

Along with our mutual affection for sweater vests, Raj and I have a lot in common. The most obvious similarity is our pouty, puppy dog, brown eyes. Aren’t we precious?

In social situations Raj is usually the fourth wheel on the tricycle, poor baby. I too end up the wall flower in most social scenes, not that I mind much. Actually, I prefer it. That’s where Raj and I are different.

Though Raj is from India, he hates Indian cuisine. I don’t care much for it either, but I don’t care for the spicy, burn-your-taste-buds-off kind of food anyway.

Raj does practice Hindu religious principles when it suits him, and he practices yoga. I practice yoga on a semi-daily basis, too. Like Raj, I like to use yoga to calm my mind in uncomfortable social situations.

Raj is frightened to death of women. He uses yoga techniques so that he can stand in the same room as them “without urinating.” I’m not afraid of women (considering I am one), but the tiny, angry Vietnamese ladies at the nail salon my mom likes frighten me just a little.

  

And I should mention that Raj is a brilliant astro-physicist. Well, I’m no physicist, but I got a B in my astronomy class last year. So we could talk about solar flares and other space stuff if Raj had consumed enough alcohol to make conversing with me comfortable.

What I'm Wearing:

Earrings//Vintage

Sweater Vest//Vintage, 1960s

Blouse//J. Crew, Thrifted

Owl Broach//Antique

Cameo Ring//Antique

Jeans//Target

Shoes//Payless

 

 Photos of Kunal Nayyar (aka Rajesh Koothrappali) are credited to the makers of The Big Bang Theory, which airs on CBS.

Goals, Promises, Resolutions

This is the first year I've made resolutions and documented them. I can see why people enjoy it so much. Optimistically laying out plans for the next year freshens and inspires the spirit in a way. So here are my resolutions for 2012 (though I prefer to think of them as goals or little promises to myself).

A lot of this is to do with time management. Being a college student is taxing on personal time. I always promise myself not to allow college to subtract from what I love or to subtract from how many hours of sleep I have each night. Nothing is so important that it should deprive me of my life.

What are your goals for this year? I have a feeling mine will extend far beyond this little list. 2011 was a rather challenging year for me, so I'm sure 2012 can only be better!

Looking Back: Best of 2011

These past six months of blogging have been so fulfilling. I can hardly express how much I love this little place I've curated in the blogosphere. Thank you for reading, for your kindness, and for encouraging me every day. You all mean so much to me.

I'd like to take a moment to look back at my favorite posts from 2011. These all stick out in my mind as defining moments...

The first month of blogging, I really had no clue what I was doing. My photos were all taken with my laptop's webcam, so I was very insecure about their quality and what not. But I was very proud of these photos and proud that I was able in this post to marry my two loves: literature and vintage clothing. It's something I've continued to do.

In this post, I expanded my creative thinking and drew inspiration from music to create this outfit. As time has progressed, I find I'm inspired by increasingly random sources. 

Finally! I got a real camera! The photos in this post showed that I was really getting comfortable in front of the camera. This shot always makes me feel like a supermodel. Good feeling to have, right?

Every piece of vintage clothing I own is special to me, but this sweater, since it was my mother's, really deepened that connection with the past. You can see how she wore this sweater in my original post.

This post was the first time I experimented with photography in a public arena. It turned out well, and wasn't quite as scary as I had made it out to be.

The color of this sweater is delicious. You can tell I thought so since I was inspired to wear it by eating a pomegranate. I'm telling you, my inspirations come from odd places. You can read the original post here.

This photo shoot was done with my bestemest friend Angel, and I was so pleased with how the photos turned out. She is so beautiful! It was a fun day.

This post is one of my favorites simply because it involves Alice in Wonderland. Can't say there's any other reason.

This post is one of my most popular, and I am probably most proud of this one. I saw an opportunity for goofy photos, and I went for it. One of the best blog decisions I've made. 

The photos in this post turned out so beautifully, and it's another of my most popular outfits. Since the dress is so unique and lovely, I can't say this surprised me very much.

Thank you again for reading. I'll see you next year <3 

Sexy Photographer

Lucky Josh got a snazzy camera for Christmas, and when I say snazzy, I mean holy crap that camera is a beast! So he came over a couple nights ago to photograph me in my natural habitat.

It's very nice having my photo taken without having to use a self-timer and running back and forth like a crazy person. I think I might have a new (part-time at least) photographer. Woot!

I just love the effect he used on the last three photos. The very last one is probably my favorite. 

And no, your eyes do not deceive you...that really is a Big Bang Theory t-shirt. Make fun if you like, but it will only make me love it more.

Green and Red

As a personal rule, I avoid green and red combinations during the holidays so as not to appear grotesquely cheesy. I thought I had succeeded this year, but after looking at these photos of my anti-Christmas outfits, I realized that I had subconsciously worked in variations of the classic Christmas colors. Alas, I am not a Scrooge afterall.

This first outfit felt like such a success to me. I paired not two, not three, but four different patterns without looking like a Christmas clown. I think that right there makes for some fashion history.

Outfit Details:

Hairbow//The Quirky Poet

Necklaces//ModCloth

Giraffe Blouse and Pearl Bracelets//Charlotte Russe

Small Pearl Bracelet//Handcrafted by me

Cardigan and Lace Skirt//Target

Tights//Vera Wang for Kohl's

Shoes//Vintage St. John's Bay

And I wore this outfit on Christmas Eve...

This dress is so flippy. I always feel like dancing in it. Appropriate for a holiday party, I'd say. And look at that pretty scarf! One of my lovely Christmas gifts this year. Perfect color, isn't it?

Outfit Details:

Pearl Barrette//Vintage
Scarf//Gift
Ring//Antique
Necklace//Vintage
Dress//Vintage, 1980s
Cardigan//Victoria's Secret
Tights//Vera Wang for Kohl's
Boots//Charlotte Russe