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Blogs by Harry E Gilleland
Where I Get Ideas for My Poetry 9/13/2009 1:17:21 AM
Buying an old bell at an estate sale leads to my writing a storoem about its "history". Sometimes I am asked how do I come up with ideas for my poetry. Here is one example of how I do:
My wife Linda and I enjoy going to estate sales, both to tour the houses and to shop for interesting items. Linda collects salts and their silver spoons. I collect old bottles, old small tins, and metal bells. I must own 150 bells now of all sizes and shapes. I have them divided into groups, such as animal bells topped with various animals, lady bells (ladies in full skirts and bonnets), bells of differing heights, etc. I have become more selective in deciding to buy a bell when I see one nowadays. Friday we hit three estate sales. At one sale, I found an old bell that didn't look like much. The handle had been replaced long ago with a wooden barrel with a metal bolt and nut to hold it in place. The top nut was exposed and quite rusty. The wooden barrel handle had a big crack down one side of it. The clapper was missing, with only an old, dirty piece of cord left behind, having the end that had held the clapper showing left-over rust. The top (handle part) wasn't much to look at, for sure. The bottom part appeared very old and was dark green in color. The bell was heavy. The handle was 4 and 3/4th inches tall, with the bell being 3 and 1/4 inches tall with a diameter of the bell opening being 4 and 1/2 inches across. A heavy, eight-inch tall bell! Closer examination revealed the bell to be made of copper, quite heavy and thick-walled & quite well-made. I decided to buy the bell. It cost all of $3.50. The lady at checkout said that it was copper and should shine up nicely. However, I prefer to leave the decades old green patina untouched. I can just imagine that this bell was once a grand bell and was probably quite expensive when new. I, of course, wondered about its history -- who bought it new, who all had owned it, how/where it was used, who repaired it, how it came to be sitting on a den shelf in Shreveport. The result of my imagination answering such questions is the following storoem.
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewpoetry.asp?id=263117
Cheers!
Harry
Post a Comment More Blogs by Harry E Gilleland My new poetry book: Poetry by an Elderly, Liberal, White Guy - Sunday, September 3, 2017 About My Newest Poem, - Saturday, July 11, 2015 A Man in Control is FREE on Kindle on January 9th and 10th - Tuesday, January 6, 2015 Win a FREE copy of A Man in Control - Thursday, December 25, 2014 Win a Copy of Print Paperback for A Man in Control - Tuesday, December 9, 2014 A Man in Control is FREE 24 - 26 Nov at Kindle - Monday, November 24, 2014 A Man in Control, My New Fiction Novel, is Now on Kindle - Friday, October 31, 2014 Great Chance to Win A Free Signed Copy of Zack's Choice - Friday, May 2, 2014 Free Download of Zack's Choice at Kindle - Tuesday, April 1, 2014 Zack's Choice Tailer Now Available - Monday, March 31, 2014 Review comments for Zack's Choice - Tuesday, March 25, 2014 Giveaway for Zack's Choice - Friday, March 14, 2014 Trailer for A Wandering Warrior Available Now - Sunday, March 2, 2014 My newest novel is now available on Amazon's Kindle: Zack's Choice - Thursday, February 20, 2014 100,000 hits! - Wednesday, January 22, 2014 A Wandering Warrior Took First Place in P&E Readers Poll in its Category - Friday, January 17, 2014 Preview of My Long-overdue Trailer for “A Wandering Warrior” - Tuesday, December 31, 2013 Only Ten Days Remaining in AWW Giveaway - Wednesday, June 12, 2013 Win a Free Copy of A Wandering Warrior - Tuesday, May 21, 2013 What's an Author to Do to Obtain Reviews for His Book? - Thursday, May 16, 2013 "A Wandering Warrior" Now Available on Amazon.com - Friday, April 26, 2013 A Wandering Warrior -Now Available - Wednesday, April 24, 2013 The cover for my new book. - Thursday, April 4, 2013 Rusty Nail January, 2013 Print Issue has Two of My Poems - Tuesday, January 8, 2013 Does Anyone Know This Chinese Company? - Friday, August 17, 2012 2012 MWSA Book awards - Saturday, July 28, 2012 My total number of hits topped 75,000 today. - Wednesday, May 30, 2012 Great Book for Authors Wanting to Promote their Books - Sunday, January 29, 2012 Free e-book on Kindle Sunday & Monday - Thursday, January 26, 2012 "Poetry Books Don't Sell!" now available on Kindle - Monday, January 23, 2012 Pythons are spreading in Florida ... maybe to Louisiana! - Saturday, January 7, 2012 A 1930s Christmas to Remember -- short story contest entry - Thursday, November 10, 2011 Book Trailer for Aldric and Anneliese Now Has Over 730 Hits - Wednesday, July 20, 2011 Aldric and Anneliese is available as e-book on Kindle & Nook - Saturday, May 21, 2011 Book Trailer for Aldric and Anneliese - Thursday, April 28, 2011 My Kirkus Indie Review for Aldric and Anneliese - Monday, April 4, 2011 Aldric and Anneliese now available on Amazon - Friday, March 4, 2011 America has become a Plutocracy - Thursday, February 10, 2011 Our Forefathers Wanted Us to Carry Guns - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 First review for "Aldric and Anneliese" now posted - Sunday, January 9, 2011 Republican campaign strategy - Sunday, October 24, 2010 Republicans = Repeat the lie, Repeat the Lie - Thursday, October 21, 2010 Signs of fall -- Hummingbirds abounding - Tuesday, September 21, 2010 Econometric models: Bailouts Saved America From 1930s-like Depression - Monday, August 23, 2010 An Example of Where I Get Ideas for New Poems - Tuesday, June 15, 2010 A joke for Friday - Friday, June 11, 2010 The Gulf Oil Spill -- 2010 - Thursday, June 3, 2010 Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial - Tuesday, June 1, 2010 Break up the "too big to fail" banks!! - Monday, May 3, 2010 All Republicans Should Be Ashamed - Tuesday, March 16, 2010 Obama's Bailouts Saved America - Tuesday, March 16, 2010 Reconnecting with an old friend from high school - Saturday, February 27, 2010 The 2009 Tom Howard Poetry Contest Results - Tuesday, February 16, 2010 PMOFM wins second award! - Friday, January 15, 2010 Visit my other blog & maybe be a WINNER today! - Monday, November 2, 2009 "A Wandering Warrior", a saga told in installments - Friday, October 9, 2009 Where I Get Ideas for My Poetry - Sunday, September 13, 2009 Unbelievable! 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