http://slow.writerscafe.org/poko The original writings of author Mike Keenan en-us Copyright 2026 WritersCafe.org 1775980193 WritersCafe.org RSS Generator 15 CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: LESSON #19 Hi William; this will be our last lessonas I hope you will be back in school soon. It has be a lot of fun! WORD FOR THE DAY please add to your list GadgetSynonyms:appliance,contraption,contrivance,gizmo,.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809613/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: LESSON #18 Okay, we are going to wind up with a quickreview. Analogies, Similes andMetaphors Analogies, similes and metaphors areclosely related, but they are not the same.  A simile compares two things us.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809612/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: LESSON #17 Today, we will look at anotherliterary devices. Analogy Definition: An analogy is a literary device that helpsto establish a relationship based on similarities between two concepts orideas.  Exa.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809611/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: LESSON #16  Hi William,You guys looked like you were having funin the pool! Nice back-somersault dives!Your mom suggested that we bring theEnglish classes to and end today - Friday (end of month) so I hope that’s okaywith you.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809610/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: LESSON #15 Good morning William,Looks like you guys had fun in the pool.How was it?  Did you like “The Cop and the Anthem?”  As much as “Red Chief?”   O. Henry excels .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809609/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: LESSON #14 Hi William, Today’s word is shipshape Define & sentence please. Definition:      (adjective) Of places; characterized by order and neatness;free from disorder.Synonyms:&nbs.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809608/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: LESSON #13Hi William,Did you know? "We become what we think about."- Earl Nightingale  (THOUGHT OF THE DAY) So I guess that I’m becoming a peanutbutter sandwich. You? TODAY IN SPORTOn May 21, 1904 the Federatio.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809235/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: LESSON #12 ‘Morning William. Where’s my birthdayhaiku? WORD OF THE DAY- add to your list. Define& place in a sentence to show its meaning. Gambit Definition: (noun) A maneuver, str.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809234/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: LESSON #11 May 15, 2020 Hi William, I have been watching “The Last Dance,”about Michel Jordan. He is the best basketball player of all time. He had anincredible, tenacious will to win that was far greater than th.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809233/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: LESSON #10 Hi William,Four more days to my birthday! I’mexcited. I know that I’m getting a haiku from you!Here is some trivia- May 14 FACT OF THE DAY: Because of its continuous volcanic.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809232/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: LESSON #9 Hi William, On this day in history:  1981 Andrew LloydWebber's musical "Cats" (based on poetry by T. S. Eliot) directed byTrevor Nunn first premieres in the West End, London. Watch - This is one of thesongs sung by an ag.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809231/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: LESSON #8 Yesterday we examined two African-Americanpoets wrote about not giving up and rising in the world that has held themback. (slavery, racial prejudice etc) Slaves had no entertainment other than theirsongs as they worked in the.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809230/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: LESSON #7 Hi William.Happy Friday, May 8, only ten days to gofor my birthday and your haiku! How are you today? Are you getting BORED? Metoo. So, I introduced you to one of myfavourite poets, Billy Collins. I hope you like him. He .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809229/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: LESSON #6 I heard that you were doing some work onhuman rights. The next two poems are written by famousblack American poets (one female, one male) who are speaking about human rightsin their country. You will eventually learn that Ame.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809228/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: Lesson #5   William,   We are now going to look at a poem by Billy Collins, one of my favourite poets. Whenever I have to go somewhere and wait, for example when I took our car in to replace the winter.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809227/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN:Lesson #4 Awesome! Congratulations!  Do you know about paragraph constructionrules?  Okay, read this carefully likea customs inspector at the border checking out a car. Do you like my similes? A paragraph i.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809226/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN:  LESSON #3 Okay, when you get back, sendme your corrections to the 5 bland sentences & do this while I look at them- Similes often make use of EXAGGERATION.A fancy name for exaggeration is HYPERBOLE. Here are some examples: Ta.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809225/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN - LESSON #2: SOME MORE ABOUT THESEEMINGLY SIMPLE SIMILE Lesson #1 introduced similesand asked you to write some great sentences that involved all of our senses andsimiles. Similes make your writing more colourful. Famous writers use them all.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809224/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN- GRANDPA MIKE’S FEEDBACK AFTER LESSON ONEIt was great workingwith you for an entire hour yesterday. I have always admired your writing andimagination. Good writing requiresmuch effort like a soccer player who practices long and hard every day to.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809223/ CONNECT WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN a là GRANDPA MIKEIf you have grandchildren and want to help their parents by occupying them for an hour every day, do what I just started today with my grandson William who is 11. We will “meet” daily from 10-11 a.m., and I will give him English ins.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809222/ MADAMA BUTTERFLYAn evening at MarionOliver McCaw Hall,Seattle Center as wearrive for Madama Butterfly, Puccini's opera inwhich a Japanese maiden catches the fancy ofa caddish American officer, crosses culturalboundaries as his bride, and grapples withpredi.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809220/   PIKE PLACE MARKET  One of the oldest U.S.farmer's markets, nine acres (betweenFirst & Western Avenues bound by Union &Stewart Streets) in the heart ofdowntown Seattle. A Klondike stagingarea in the Gold Rush circa 1890 w.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809219/ EARLY SPRING, ALASKAN HIGHWAYVans, campers, cars all stoppedas bison amble on the new-born road, licking winter salt.People brandish phones and cameras,dodge dangerously close to the languid beaststhat once fed and clothed First Nations  long before we shot the.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809217/ WOOF, WOOF Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Sound of Silence’ in 1964 led to the duobreaking apart, but if I was a modern lyricist, unlike them, to concentrate onnoise, I’d compose an onomatopoeic song for the sound of dogs, ‘dog speak’ ifyou will. Their .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809216/ FROM THE WINDOW OF A SPACESHIP  For an astronaut, it never gets tedious - ninety-two minutes, another sunrise emerges in blackened space,illuminating earth’s features,mountains that command ascent,capped in snow with green forests garnished below,rivers sna.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809019/ THEMONOTONY OF HABIT Withoutcomplaint, the chestnut gelding bearsthe weight of heavy German tourists,respondssluggishly to repeated kicksagainstits ribs; singlefile it plods along the mountain crest asa narrow river winds below,snakelike- coil.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809006/ BASEBALL STATS(sung by Willie Nelson) A radio program onbaseball,and the commentatorcomments on its lore,love of stats concerningeverything, and baseball as metaphor. Opening Day beginsyour life, the season from boysof summer to fall cl.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2809005/ HILTON HEAD HAIKUS  Pelican floatingA post Icarus-like plungeWater gives and takes Green Palmetto treesSpreading their fantail tributeWitness to the sun The waves crest and surgeReunited with their sourceIn a foamy death.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2808790/ Senryu dirt ditch dug deeplyto accommodate plasticthat wraps all the dead  http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2808789/ THE SOCIALISM OF THEHEDGE It does not enjoy vivid colours of rose or hibiscus,but presents solid green,symbolizing strength,unity of purpose,each cooperative branchsupporting a common goal -to assuage the force of aberrant baseballsor shoes .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2808768/ Haiku  They appear to sleepLimbs askew on the stiff streetStill, blanket covered http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2808332/  TheRetirement Coach by Mike Keenan MEDITATIONAND ZEN KOANS FOR SENIORS (JULY 24, 21) It’s vital for retired people toremain nimble in both body and mind. Otherwise, we get too set in our ways, toofixed in our thinking. It’s important to be .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2808189/ The RetirementCoach by Mike Keenan HOW TO PURCHASE ANEW CAR (JUNE 26, 21)                                  &n.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2808162/ SINN FEIN(Ourselves, Alone) In the village of Cross, County Clare,the mongrel, black and white with knotted hairstretches stiffly, slowly rubs its meagre rump against a wooden door. Above rolling hills, a bird of preyfloats sweetly on thermal draught.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2808157/ HOTEL DIEUX is a rehab hospital in St. Catharines ON http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2808156/   CONSTRUCTIVECRITICISM  S/hethought s/he was a poet,thematerial so profound,forwho employs such brilliant rhymetoexalt the lowly lost and found? Lostlove and sadness s/he exaltedlikelong sermons at the church.Famegrew o.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807899/ Haiku Soft rain turns to iceWe walk slowly, carefullyBut surely will fall http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807879/ GIN RUMMY WITH MYDAD King of hearts, dad; don’t you need a king?What about an ace?He taught me to hangon to aces.We sit at the samekitchen tablewhere we sat tenyears beforeI went to college-legs of pittedchrome rest on faded linoleum.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807877/ HaikuLeaf falls from the treeI lose part of you each dayWinter is coming http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807876/  FREEDOM, NOT REALLY - A RESPONSETO TRUCKERS IN OTTAWA Freedom enjoys myriadassociations such as independence, choice, liberty, autonomy and such, but it’slargely an illusion starting with your birth. You had far greater odds toovercome than the Buffalo Bills wini.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807875/  The RetirementCoach by Mike Keenan  HOW TO SAVE MONEY LIKE A RETIREE (MAY 24, 2021)             A friend works at the post office;his wife, a waitress in a local restaurant. They don’t seem able .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807808/   TheRetirement Coach by Mike Keenan CONSPIRACY THEORIES FOR SENIORS (MARCH24, 2021) Seniorsare surrounded by conspiracy theories that dominate the news, shaking trust inour fellows. These theories are often politically motivated and popularized by.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807805/  TheRetirement Coach by Mike Keenan THE PROBLEM WITH KNOWLEDGE (APRIL24, 2021) Sometimes it's impossible to figureout why strange world events happen. Perhaps the problem is that the mediaenjoy bizarre news because they are tired of reporting regular boring.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807804/  The Retirement Coach by Mike Keenan BELATED VALENTINE TIPS FOR SENIORS (Feb.27, 2021) Men,particularly seniors, require help regarding Valentine's Day, particularly whenyour Valentine has been with you for a long time, as is the case with mine.After multip.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807803/ Learning To Pee Like A WomanThere have been occasions when I think that my penis might make an excellent anti-aircraft gun, the way it tends to shoot randomly, veering sharply right and left after my futile initial aim at the centre of the toilet. Apparently, my wife is not interested in reviving WW.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807802/  POETRYEVALUATIONS - PART TWO Dearall, Thefirst seven tips were merely the tip if the iceberg. Here are some more itemsto consider:  PoetryEvaluation - Five More Suggestions 8.Imagery is often used to enhance poetry. W.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807750/ ORGANIZEDRELIGION                                              &nbsp.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807736/   MY STORY Intelling, I pray forbeginner’s luck,nothappenstance,moreopen invitationtounearth fragments. Nota solemn priest distributingthinwafers of the absolute;morea batter in the box,batraised, slowly cocked,as.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807735/ POETRYEVALUATIONSDearall,Inreading myriad reviews thus far, there’s quite a divergence of responses, whichrange from simple ‘likes’ to comments and riffs on content to more specific poeticitems. Not many know what to say about a poem. Some think that it has to rhy.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807486/ EVE'S GARDEN Sweet swift mango sugar, fleet dripping juice of peach; firm, red allure of cherry, wise purple of the plum;we taste time, wrinkled brown, waste time, feel olive’s coolrebuke. In that harem of hard hearts that work against your tongue -rosar.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/poko/2807483/