I usually write term-based pieces for Inspired Mag, but I’ll admit: I was too embarrassed to submit this one for their readership. However, I think this poem exemplifies taking an
V-Day, a Poem
So I have decided to contribute to the plethora of love poetry. Here are TWO poems for the books.
To My Valentine, Sort Of
I want a candy heart
that tastes like chocolate,
and says: I like you a lot
instead of love,
because for realz
it’s not that serious yet.
V-Day, a poem
I have been celebrating V-day,
all wrong,
the veins in my heart jealous of the
pump and pomp of GFs and BFs,
<3′s and X’s,
shouting vehemently,
“I am VEINglorious!”
Venting as V’s often do,
about their counterhearts,
flushing vermilion
as they reach varicose levels
of envy.
I try to calm them,
worried that they’ll vie so hard
they’ll vomit,
vitality dripping from their valves
like vitellus from a cracked egg;
then they’ll bare their fangs, carnivorous
and vampiric,
committing verbicide of any word
without the “vuh,”
that makes vixens voluptuous,
and the best villains vafrous.
They’ll vacillate in their threats,
bragging in vanity
that their wings are more volacious than Cupid’s,
swiftly giving up by sometime around noon,
because they know their value
and remember:
B’s understand their plight
on B-Days.
Source, and thanks for some definitions: http://phrontistery.info/v.html
If I had a dime…
So I’m trying to do this writing thing a little more often and decided: whether or not it’s short or long, at least I’m producing some sort of schtuff (according to Urban Dictionary, this is an acceptable spelling of “stuff,” aka “shiz”).
Two Dimes, a short poem
If I had a dime
for every time
I made a mistake today:
I’d have 20 cents,
because I made 2 mistakes
and sort of half of one,
but ran out
of nickels.
Unemployment, A Poem
Excuse me, Internet. It’s been 5 months since my last confession. That’s right, FIVE.
So I’m going to ring in my new year of writing with an attempt at poetry, and brutal honesty.
UNEMPLOYMENT, A Poem
The Interview
When you’re twenty-five
and look like
you’re twenty,
they treat you like
you’re twelve
and talk to you like
you’re ten
then make you feel like
you’re two
when they say
“no.”
The Internship
When you’re twenty-five
and look like
you’re twenty:
it sucks.
Living with your Parents
When you’re twenty-five
and look like
you’re twenty,
they treat you like
you’re fifteen,
and talk to you like
you’re fifteen,
then make you feel like
you’re fifty
when they say,
“get out,”
then make you feel like
you’re five,
when they hug you
and say
they didn’t mean it.
Relationship Legos
I was asked in a recent interview how I build a relationship, and I think my on-the-spot answer (though not as beautifully rhymed as my ots poetry) was not lackluster, but could be improved upon if I had more time to think.
What I imagine I said, because my memory sometimes goes goldfish on me, was that you need to base any relationship with an introduction. Whether business or personal, send an email, make a phone call, do a little intro jig to grab the person’s attention. It’s not a mating dance, but it is important to make yourself memorable. Your colors must be bright. You must put forth your hand to be shaken. You must put your limbs out on a limb.
Enough of my predictably awful attempts at using literary devices.
Part of making this introduction, especially in a business environment, is doing your research. It is more than essential to look up a company if you are about to speak to its representative. If you’re about to meet a manager and can find his work experience on a site like LinkedIn, you might be surprised what he’s done in his pre-managerial existence, and how it may benefit what you bring up in terms of your own experience during the founding words of your relationship.
Once initial communication is made, you must establish a common ground. What do you both enjoy? What type of business are you trying to conduct? What is the actual necessity of the relationship? Whether for a business meeting or installing yourself as a teammate on a softball team, you should find what you share to be a strength. And remember: don’t forget.
If a person doesn’t take to you at first, sometimes you need to let that person go, or give them time to mull over your personality. Letting go isn’t always ideal, but when establishing a business relationship, I think it’s often key to look for alternate personalities within a company with which you may form a better bond (if this is an option).
If you are successful in creating the foundations of a relationship, maintaining contact is then key. Keep in touch, but don’t overdo it. And when you speak to them, don’t make it always about need. There must exist a mutuality in a relationship. Either your symbiosis is obvious in complementary need, or you need to ease up on the asking. A relationship based solely on personal need is never successful. Mutuality breeds trust. And trust (you can ask any heartbroken relationshipee) is the true building block of any relationship, a nucleus of sorts.
Keep in mind that your memory must not go goldfish. If a person talks about his children, remember their names. If she mentions her birthday, remember it. And if a person said something worth repeating in conversation later, write it down. Quotes become famous for a reason: repetition. Remembering the little details shows you care about what they have to say. People do appreciate appreciation. And the old adage is true: treat others the way you wish to be treated.
If a relationship ends, however badly, time can often revive it. Don’t be afraid to be honest. And don’t be afraid to admit when you’re wrong.
And if a relationship is good, it’ll stay good if you give it attention. Just, well, don’t be an idiot about it. I think that’s it; business as usual.
Bigheaded
It’s been a while; nay, a millennium!, since I’ve posted. Here’s my attempt to get my head, more literally, back in the writing game.
Bigheaded
My forehead expands
outward, to be tamed by a belt
or the headband equivalent
as long as it’s tight, tight, tight
and keeps the head from reaching
too big a girth—
a head so big
it gives birth
to more than just ideas or actions.
Satisfaction in the simple,
beauty in a pimple
or a mole,
a face with holes,
but head so whole,
the mouth is leaking—
metaphorically speaking,
of course.
Your voice too hoarse,
you speak with your eyes,
blinking,
winking,
drinking in the world.
Window to the soul.
The cliché holes
for finding true love.
And when your forehead reaches out,
bangs like a wig,
too big, big, big
for its headband britches.
The head constantly bitches,
“I’m hurt.”
And you sing songs that bring the mirth,
laughing as your head
shrinks down.
So You Graduated. Now What?
I create, design, and write for the Emerson College Journalism Department’s newsletter. Below is an article I wrote about what journalism students should do to get a job after they graduate for our most recent issue (April/May 2012).
The designed page:
So You Graduated. Now What?
By Alexa Lash
Whether you dread or embrace graduation doesn’t matter; you’re graduating. But being a journalist should be a comfort: you’re good at research, you know how to talk to people, how to network; and the jobs you are applying for aren’t the regular 9-to-5s (for the most part). But like any good article, your next steps after graduation require an outline, quotes, and attention to detail. You must attack your post-grad life with equal ardor. The story of your life is too significant not to make a front page. As a recent graduate, here are a few tips for what to start doing now that you’ve flown the educational coop.
Clip It Together
You should be saving every piece you publish, and highlighting your best pieces in an online portfolio. For broadcast students, make sure your reel is clean, organized, and showcases your best work. If you don’t already have one, consider creating a website with links to your reel, print/electronic portfolio, and resume. You could also add a blog element to showcase more of your writing (but don’t make this your only writing sample).
Get Connected
Find out from your professors if they know someone who’s hiring (your professors are a valuable resource when it comes to getting a job). Attend alumni events, and bring your business card when you’re going to meet visiting speakers and students. Trade contact information with classmates and keep in touch—you never know who will be your next coworker, or even your boss. Keep connected on a professional network like LinkedIn. Attend conferences and networking events with desired employers.
See the Sites
The dedicated job-seeker should be visiting sites with frequent journalism job postings such as mediabistro.com. Follow job sites on Twitter and Facebook. Visit the employment section of companies you want to work for.
Do Your Post-Grad Homework
If you want to work somewhere specific, or you want to pitch a story to a particular publication, get to know the names of your editors. Use an online resource or a directory such as Bacons Media Directory (available at the Emerson Library). Become familiar with the style and content of the company you’re contacting—employers take notice of a good journalist who’s done his/her research.
Think Small
You may not come out of school with your dream job at a big company, but you do have ways of getting to it. Don’t be afraid to work for a small publication or network. Oftentimes, you’ll end up doing more types of work, and end up with more diversified experience than other candidates you’re up against when applying at a large publication.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Write in a blog, take video of an event, but don’t stop using the skills you learned in college. You want to remain active with your journalism skills. Doing this can also lead to stories you may want to pitch in a cover letter, or to a publication as a freelance piece.
Master Your Skills
If you’re graduating as an undergraduate, don’t rule out getting your Master’s degree. This is a great tactic in finding a specialization (such as science journalism), and an effective tool if you want to later teach Journalism.
From Drafts to Riches
I’m not, by profession, a designer, but I think the process across all creative genres is essentially the same: you have an idea, you plot it out, then you make it reality. If my design skills were more expert, there would have been loads more I would have perfected in the below poster. But I think, as far as coming up with a whiteboard idea, the actual product pretty much represented what was mapped out.
The Whiteboard session with fellow Emersonian Admin Extraordinaire Tess Fallon.
The finished product
An Editor’s Work is Not Quite Never Done
I create, design, and write for the Emerson College Journalism Department’s newsletter. Below is an article I wrote about editing for our most recent issue (February/March 2012).
The designed page:
An Editor’s Work is Not Quite Never Done
By Alexa Lash
Despite the fact I’m out of college, it doesn’t mean I’ve stopped writing and editing; I live by the credo that a paper without edit marks is just words on a page. You need to look back at what you’ve written, to breathe grammatical life into unedited sentences. And if you find yourself in need of ideas, I have a few editing tips that may work for you as they’ve worked for me.
Louder, Please
Reading your work out loud, whether alone, in front of an audience, or to a tape recorder, is important for more than finding repetitive points. You can pick up double words, misspellings, missing words, and tone; flawed logic and weak points. And if you find yourself saying, “I wouldn’t really say that, would I?” then reading out loud has helped you find your voice, too. It’s one of the easiest tricks to self editing, and something I still do with everything from texts and tests, to short stories.
Time Heals All Wounds
Sometimes you need a little distance from your work. If you have the time, or even if you don’t, set down your work for an hour or a few days. Distancing yourself from your writing helps you come back to it with a keener editing eye. You’ll likely see what you would have missed if you’d edited while you wrote.
Book Smarts
Keep your stylebooks close at hand (the real editors do it, so why shouldn’t you?). Some of the texts I have include the 2011 AP Stylebook, the 16th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, Einsohn’s The Copyeditor’s Handbook, and a dictionary and thesaurus (if you’re not near a computer).
Help Me, Seymore
Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. Another pair of eyes on your work can be equally, if not more effective than giving your piece distance. Help can range from your college writing center, to a professor or a classmate. Be wary when you ask for your friend’s help; you’ll want an unbiased eye to look at your writing.
Practice Makes Sort Of Perfect
Practice editing and good writing beyond the work you do for school: edit your emails, find mistakes in the newspaper, etc. Offer to edit work for other people.
A Pen of a Different Color
When you’re editing your work, or having a friend edit, pick a pen color that doesn’t terrify you. Red is such a strong color; picking an alternate hue, like purple, will ease the stress and be less of a burden to look at if there are a lot of edits needed on a page.
Three Strikes
You should be editing your work more than once. You can do different types of editing to multiple drafts, or split your editing between local (line-by-line) and global (major aspects such as overall theme and focus) types. If you look at your draft once and think it’s perfect, at least hand it over to another person to see if it’s clean copy. You’d be surprised with what you miss.
Avoid the Easy
As wonderful as programs like Word are, you shouldn’t depend on them. Homophones and dual spellings can be overlooked. And if you use fragments for effect, it’ll keep marking those statements incorrect. Once you know the rules of grammar, breaking them can be OK, with care.
Reflect the Possibilities
This tip is one I learned from a leadership program. Put your goals on a mirror: editing goals, what grade you’re going for. Having what you want written out helps you get the work done, and pushes you harder to achieve those goals if you see them every morning when you brush your teeth (or so we hope).
To Each His Own
In an effort to continually practice writing, here is an on-the-spot about possession:
If you’re under the impression,
that he is your man,
understand,
you cannot have him,
he is not yours,
he’ll call you, yes, if he’s bored
or wanting of something,
the kind of thing
that stopped making young girls blush
in 2007,
when there existed a rush
for maturity,
but his honesty, in state of obscurity,
is indeed obscured,
(trust me, I tried for years to have him cured)
until I learned that I could love him,
but could not have him,
not completely,
not neatly wrapped in clover like a heart,
lying more an art
not yours, not mine,
simply him.
To each and everything, his own
and I should have known
better,
I should have learned,
faster,
but I thought he was mine.
I thought he loved me.
And maybe he did.
Who am I kidding to think I know him
well enough to say he cannot belong to both of us,
and whoever comes next,
who’s to say he’s not just in it for the sex,
or that he loves you,
and that he’s yours,
until he finds me again,
as my man always does.
With Love
On January 3, 2004 (I was 16) I wrote:
“Love with lust is passion
Love with faith is religion
Love with heart is belief
Love with words is seduction
Love with money is greed
Love with ache is remembrance
Love with meaning is unknown
Love with truth is forgotten
Love with consequence is war”
I think 16-year-old me had a point: love is in all things, and in all things, love.
What 16-year-old me forgot:
Love with trust…love with honesty…love with sadness…love with lies.
There are a lot more (but don’t tell her that). I have chosen not to fill in those blanks because, to tell you the truth, I have no idea what they should be. When you’re 16, you think you know what the world is like; but let me tell you, I’m 24 and I have no clue what it’s all about—unless you’re a HUGE fan of the hokey pokey and then it’s only about one thing (still not sure on the specifics).
An on-the-spot poem about being 16:
Dad,
stop telling me what time
I should come home,
because I’m already old enough
to drive,
almost old enough,
to drink—
overseas—
and definitely old enough
to fall in love.
And Dad,
I won’t come home
singing about keeping
my baby
because I’m responsible enough
to say no
until I’m ready,
smart enough,
to say no
when he says, “please”
and definitely old enough
to say no,
when he says,
“But I love you.”
And when you say,
but you’re not old enough to know love
then I’ll say,
without hesitation,
“I love you.”
And you’ll let me stay out,
an extra half hour.
