Writing

“Now cracks a noble heart. Good-night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. ”

~ Jersey Girl ~ Leave a comment

~William Shakespeare, Hamlet

This quote immediately came to mind when I opened this page to write this post. Today it has been confirmed that music legend Prince has died at the age 0f 57. Children of the 80s all over the world are in shock and reliving their fondest memories of the musical genius. I’m one of them.

Today “this is what it sounds like, when Doves Cry.” Now we know the sound. It’s deafening.

Celebrities pass away all the time. In fact, 2 more this week alone. However, when losing one feels so personal and heavy in your heart as Prince does, you truly realize the impact he has had on a generation, an entire industry and the world. Maybe the word genius is overused in some capacity but there really are very few deserving of that adjective. Prince is absolutely one of them.

Today marks the second time I’ve felt deep sadness and emotion in reaction to the loss of a celebrity. The first was when we lost Robin Williams. Today is the second. Today is extremely heartbreaking.

There isn’t much I can say that hasn’t been said already about Prince. His music evokes memories for all who grew up living it while it was being created. I explained to my kids today what he meant to me. I described my walkman and how music was on cassettes when I listened to Prince over and over again. I wore out my cassettes so when CDs came out, I upgraded my Prince collection. I remember how badly I wanted to see Purple Rain as a teen. I wasn’t allowed to watch it at first and when it finally came out on network TV (you know, edited for all audiences) I was finally allowed to watch it. I watched it so often after that, I’ve lost count on how much. From that first view, the color purple became meaningful for me. Even my kids know that is my favorite color and now they understand how Prince is the reason why. Purple Rain.

I spent most of my teenage years hanging out with musicians and writing music with many of them. I wrote so much poetry growing up and the next logical step was lyrics. Prince was such an inspiration for those of us who loved to create with words and song. He was just…wow. Really if you are a creative brain and grew up in the 80s, Prince just blew your mind. Purple Rain directly inspired a song I wrote in the early 90s. His lyrical and musical genius has forever impacted countless artists and opened the floodgates of imagination and other great works.

I’m actually in tears writing this because his influence on my world is so deep, personal, emotional, inspirational and unforgettable. I really can’t describe it any better so I’ll let Prince take it from here.

Purple Rain in the rain decades later.

1999 seemed so far away when this song was released. “Party like it’s 1999” has become a catchphrase that still hasn’t gone out of style. In fact, ironically today, I saw a commercial that used this very phrase. Prince coined the phrase of a century that will continue live on.

Love everything about this solo guitar set. Everything.

And because he made another song I love even better by covering it, I have to share this. Radiohead can always hold an honor not many other artists can…being covered by a legend.

“How could you just leave me standing, alone in a world that’s so cold…”   “Why do we scream at each other? This is what it sounds like when doves cry.”

Good-night, sweet prince.

Grammar Nerds Rejoice as Word Crimes Exposed

~ Jersey Girl ~ 1 Comment

This short and sweet blog post is on a subject near and dear to me: grammar. I am a stickler for proper grammar. As an English major and professional journalist for most of my life, I know other Grammar Gurus will understand when I say that social media posts make me cringe daily. I am always so distracted by careless misspellings and bad grammar to fully enjoy reading newspapers and online news sites as well.

When I met my now boyfriend of 3 years, it was grammar that got him that first reply. The first text he ever sent me was a paragraph of full sentences, proper grammar and spelling. There were no text abbreviations. I noticed immediately and thought it was so unusual, especially in a text from a man. I loved it! True story. He even uses proper punctuation in text messages. Good grammar can serve a purpose in all aspects of your life, even love.

Thank you “Weird Al” Yankovic for giving the grammar nerds everywhere an outlet for our frustrations. If you struggle with proper grammar, bookmark this link for a handy little guide and the bonus of a catchy tune to bop around to at your desk! 

Enjoy and share!

National Poetry Day!

~ Jersey Girl ~ Leave a comment

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Today is National Poetry Day! My very first literary accomplishment was a completed poem at age 5. I fell in love with the rhymes and verses that I could create out of words! I have binders full of my poetry and it has always been my first love as a writer. I spent my entire childhood crafting words into poetry and song to express myself. Today is in celebration of all the poetry, in every format, ever written or still to be written!

National Poetry Day is coordinated by the Forward Arts Foundation, a charity that celebrates poetry and promotes it as part of everyday life. National Poetry Day was founded in 1994 by William Sieghart and has engaged millions of people across the UK and countries around the world in reading, writing and listening to poetry. Can poetry change your life? Get creative and find out! William Sieghart explains here.

Your creative outlet should have no limits! The themes are not set as the true intention of this day is to bring recognition to a beautiful literary art form, poetry. Today can be filled with inspiration! While this holiday originated as a British campaign to promote poetry, it is celebrated internationally and this year marks the 21st annual National Poetry Day.

People all over the world are sharing their poetry and performing it as well in short videos! You’re invited to do the same here if you like! Post yours in the comments and join me in celebrating!

I will share a few of my favorites that I wrote during some of my most inspirational years of creativity…high school. They are typed up from my collection so I snapped a picture here for you to enjoy and feel free to share on your various social media sites!

My poetry
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