Brandon Ellrich, Writer/Author/Poet

Tools

“Tools”

My dad had no use for grammar,
Never helped me with my school;
His skill was with his hammer,
And words became my tool.

My mom would use a wooden spoon,
When baking cakes or cookies,
And sometimes when we misbehaved,
She'd use it on our tushies.

My cat can use her claws,
To open cabinets like a crowbar, 
But now they have locks on them,
And she can't get in…so far.

Exercise can be a tool,
For helping with depression,  
For losing weight, feeling good, 
And lessening aggression.

To help you memorize,
Use a mnemonic word device,
Like strings on a viola:
Cats Give Dogs Advice.

Artists use their paintbrushes,
Charcoal, pens or pencils;
Some animals can take a stick,
And use as a utensil.

Tools come any shape or size,
To cook or build or sew–
Even to manipulate the mind,
Did I use one? You'll never know!

Copyright © 2022 Brandon Ellrich

This poem was written in response to Sadje’s What do you see # 154. Please visit her page to participate and/or read other people’s responses.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this poem, please click the like button to let me know and leave a comment as well. Follow me if you would like to receive updates whenever new posts are published.

If you liked this one, you may also like My “Pet.”

And So It Goes

The sun shines down and warms the earth,
	The moon appears and glows,
They light the way for day and night,
	And so it goes, and so it goes.

The silence of the rabbit,
	The quiet, watchful does,
The flashing fins of halibut,
	And so it goes, and so it goes.

The bleating of the newborn lambs,
	The heifer moos and lows,
They keep us fed unknowingly,
	And so it goes, and so it goes.

We work and toil from dawn ‘til dusk,
	Next day the rooster crows,
We start again to earn our bread,
	And so it goes, and so it goes.

The hawk is kept fed by its eyes,
	The bloodhound by its nose,
The snake, its tongue, flicks silently,
	And so it goes, and so it goes.

Nearing the ending of our lives,
	We reflect on what we chose,
Some happiness and some regrets,
	And so it goes, and so it goes.

Life to death and then life again,
	When it ends, God knows,
The world keeps spinning ‘round and ‘round,
	And so it goes…

Copyright © 2022 Brandon Ellrich

Thanks for stopping by to read my blog. If you enjoyed this poem, please click the like button and leave a comment as well. Click the follow button to stay updated on future posts.

If you liked this one, check out Rain is a Poem.

Caturday 10/1/22

“Look What I Brought You!”

Shows a black cat sitting on a tile floor with spiderweb on his face, looking up at the camera and a dead mouse about a foot away.

Umm… thanks. 😕

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An Ode to Darkness

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

Darkness, if it weren’t for thee,
What would we know of light?
We’d sweat and toil on endlessly
If there were not a night

Where would we hide our greatest sins
But the darkness of our souls?
We needn’t take a Savior in,
If we’re ever pure and whole.

We could not see the time of day,
If no darkened shadows grow.
Is it time for lunch or work or play?
We shall never deign to know.

We should never know of other worlds,
Or the beauty of the stars.
The universe shan’t be unfurled,
To see the only sphere is ours.

To Darkness, then, I say again!
Thou giv'st rest to my tired eyes
Forever here have you been,
And shall be with me when I die.

Copyright © 2022 Brandon Ellrich

This poem was written in response to W3 Prompt #22: Wea’ve Written Weekly at the Skeptic’s Kaddish, so please visit his page to read other writers’ responses.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this poem, please click the like button and leave a comment as well. I always like to see how my writing resonates with others. Follow me if you would like to receive updates whenever new posts are published.

If you liked this poem, you may want to check out Rain is a Poem.

Lyin’ or King?

For this prompt, I have created two very different responses. I hope each one evokes an emotional reaction.

King?

Who am I? My name’s Claude. Some call me “King of the Beasts.” Don’t let the name fool you. The hyennas still charge me WAY too much for coffee. They say I’m getting a “royal” discount and then laugh when my back is turned. Does that sound like the respect a king deserves? I don’t think so. I may just eat them tomorrow.

Speaking of paying too much… EVERYTHING costs more these days, and everyone expects ME to do something about it. Just because I’m king doesn’t mean I control the whole world. The pandas raised the import taxes on their hand-made bamboo bowls, but two can play that game. What is bamboo compare to diamonds? If they want their gems, they may end up paying just a little extra for them. I may seem strong, but I also have brains behind this mane! If I said I wasn’t looking forward to gouging them a little bit, I’d be “lion.” Get it? Lion…? Oh, never mind.

Lyin’

She says she truly loves him, but,
He hits her until she’s cryin’.
Friends don’t know 'cause the door is shut;
She comes out when tears stop dryin’.
Says he’ll stop, though in her gut,
She knows he’s really lyin’.
The next night he walks with a strut,
And she knows that he’s been buyin’
Drinks for all his buddies. “What?
It’s rare, like a white lion.”
He could knock her out with an uppercut,
So what’s the use of tryin’?
She’s stuck in this unending rut,
And every day she feels like dyin’.
‘Til someone comes to help her out,
And she takes off and starts flyin’.

This flash fiction and poem were written in response to Sadje’s What do you see # 153 September 26,2022. Visit her page to contribute and/or see other responses.

Thanks for reading! If you got something out of this writing prompt response, please click the like button and leave a comment. Follow me if you’d like to receive updates whenever new posts are published.

If this post resonated with you, please check out Temperature Change and Fog.

Impossible Request

Play me a song, piano man;
Grant me this request, if you can.

I’m feeling down since my love left;
I’m lost without him, sad, bereft;
Are your skills worthy, honed, and deft?

Play a tune that’s sad, but not grim,
That causes the lights here to dim,
Fills my eyes with tears to the brim;
A song that reminds me of him.

Music can soothe the savage beast,
But can’t stop the sun in the east;
Does it have clout beyond a priest?
Can it bring from death the deceased?
Will it repair my heart, at least?

Make everyone else go away,
Keep all my evil thoughts at bay;
There’s nothing more that I can say;
There’s not a song these keys can play,
To end this hell without delay,
This endless night without a day.

Copyright © 2022 Brandon Ellrich

This poem was inspired by a post on the Skeptic’s Kaddish. It is a monometric, each stanza having its own rhyme scheme, containing one more line than the one before, with eight syllables in each line (but can be any form of meter). Please feel free to try your own monometric (augmented or diminished). Write in the comment section or send a link to your own post.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this poem, please click the like button and leave a comment. Follow me if you would like to receive updates whenever new posts are published.

National Singles Day

Celebrating Singleness

Yes, today is National Singles Day–a day that we are supposed to celebrate our “singleness.” First, I should say that I do enjoy my alone time. I sometimes drive to work with the radio turned off so I can think. I turn off the TV while I’m writing so I can concentrate, and since I live alone, no one is around to disrupt my thought process. Well, almost no one. I have two cats, one of which is very needy and likes a lot of attention.

There are several benefits to being single:

I have no one to argue with me about:
- the temperature of the room/house (65 degrees?! We might as well live in an igloo!)
- what to have for dinner (You want lasagna bolognese? Okay, Martha Stewart, let me know when it’s finished)
- what to watch on TV (The Bachelor? What are you, a monster?)
- who left the dirty clothes on the floor (It was me)
No one is going to steal my blankets in the the middle of the night (unless there’s some sort of burgler with an odd fetish)
No one’s sneezing because of my cats (It’s you or the cats? Well, the cats were here first, so…gesundheit and good-bye)
I can talk to whomever I want without someone getting jealous (unless the person I’m talking to is in a relationship; in that case, I guess it’s their problem)

Drawbacks of the Single Life

Yes, there are things that are nice about being single; however, there are also things that I have experienced that are more negative:

When going out with couples, I feel like a third wheel (which is okay if you’re part of a tricycle)
I don’t have anyone to snuggle with (my cats will tolerate only a limited amount of snuggling)
Going on vacation is not as enjoyable (holding hands at Niagara Falls didn’t seem as appealing for the stranger next to me)
Cooking for one creates a lot of leftovers (that poppyseed chicken didn’t turn out so well? too bad, cause I’m going to be eating it for the next THREE DAYS)

The truth is, I’ve been single most of my adult life and I’m TIRED of it! In an upcoming article, I write about Maslow’s heirarchy of needs and the human desire for intimacy. The Bible says, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Gen 2:18). There is a reason for that. We are wired for intimacy and companionship. The problem for me is, it can be very difficult to meet eligible gay men in my area.

Fish in the Sea

According to a U.S. census report, nearly 50% of adults in the U.S are single (127 million). That sounds like a fairly large number, “plenty of fish in the sea,” if you will. Now let’s break it down a little more:

According to a gallup poll, 7.1% of Americans identify as LGBT. That brings the number of eligible partners down quite a bit. Of that 7.1%, about 10% are married to same-sex partners, which means, at least for me, they’re unavailable (I’m not a homewrecker). Information collected by Wikipedia shows that, in Missouri, the percentage of those identifying as LGBT is 3.4% (we’re getting smaller). If my preference is gay men, that cuts the number down a lot more (no, “a lot” is not a specific estimation, but I could find no studies about this particular demographic).

Living in rural Missouri, we are spread out quite a bit and I would have to try to go where other gay men congregate. Where do they go? Clubs and bars. Is that where I want to meet my soulmate? Is that where high-quality men go to meet one another in order to form long-lasting, deep, and meaningful relationships? Probably not.

So, all of this to say that looking for my “fish in the sea” is like swimming through the ocean, trying to find one, specific, tiny minnow.

Fishing in the Wrong Pond

In an episode of the podcast Gay Dating Secrets (which I highly recommend), Life Coach Frank Macri suggests that if you’re not finding what you’re looking for, then change your environment. If you are looking in bars, clubs, and on Grindr, but coming up short, it’s not that you’re finding the wrong guys; you’re looking in the wrong places.

The problem is, where are the right places? I could meet guys at common venues like the gay grocery store, the gay gym, the gay library…oh wait, those don’t exist? Well, back to the gay drawing board.

What’s the Point?

Now that I’ve whined and complained about how difficult it is to meet single, available gay men, what is the point to writing all of this? Maybe there isn’t one. Maybe I just wanted to whine and you are my captive audience, or maybe other readers can relate to this dilemma. I guess one of the points is that you can’t do much about the statistics, you can’t change reality, so if you don’t like it, either do something about your situation or live with it. If you are single, I hope you are making the most of it, finding things that add fulfillment and meaning to your life.

Feedback

So tell me, readers, can you relate to this article? Are you single? Do you enjoy the single life? How do you deal with it if you don’t?

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article, or if it resonated with you in some way, please click the like button and leave a comment. Follow me if you would like to receive updates about new posts whenever they are published.

If you enjoyed this article, please check out Drumsticks, Social Butterflies and Wallflowers and Who is Disappointing Whom?

500+ Followers!

Congratulations to Ushma Patel for being my 502nd follower and receiving a free copy of my book Tell Me No Secret! If you would like to visit her page, you can find it here: https://ushmapatelblog.wordpress.com/

I started this blog in July of 2020, but after blogging for about a year, I took a year off. I’m back at it now and doing well. To my followers, I hope you continue to enjoy my writing, and to any newcomers, I hope you find something that resonates with you and you will want to read more. I enjoy writing and I hope to earn enough from it that I can do it more often. Money shouldn’t be a determining factor in pursuing what you love; unfortunately, that’s just the way it is. One day, perhaps I’ll “get a break” and be able to focus more of my attention on this passion.

When I started this journey, I (like many bloggers) didn’t know what I was doing or if this pursuit would really go anywhere. I have been pleasantly surprised by the support I’ve received from readers and other bloggers. The audience I have gained has exceeded my expectations. I now have over 500 followers, more than 9,000 views, and over 4,700 visitors to my website. And just in case you were wondering, here are some of the most popular posts:

Untitled Poem – Post with most views and poem with most likes (Overall Post with 2nd most likes, 2nd most comments)

Thankful? – Post with most likes, most comments

Six-Word Stories – “Short Story” post with most likes

Coming Out – Flash Fiction with most likes

Crowded – (short story/flash fiction)

Fighting – (Poem)

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Warnings – (short story based on photo writing prompt)

I must say, it has surprised me what has resonated with readers, what garners the most views, most likes. The ones that have been the most popular are not ones I would have guessed or even chosen myself, which is fine with me; I like (pleasant) surprises!

I would like to give a “shoutout” to a few people who have been following me since I started:

June at The Godly Chic Diaries

Sundaram Chauhan

Kathy Falley at the Proofreading Nut

Brenda

Caryee

And a few others (some early followers, some new) who consistently give encouraging and supportive feedback:

Shobana Gomes at Simply Shobana

Barbara Strickland/Amorina Rose at Barbara Strickland – Author and Blogger

Ken Hume at Poetry and Prose of Ken Hume

Denise Scholander at articulate-creations.com

Sadje at Keep it Alive

If you want to see quality work, please visit their sites as well. That’s all for now, and I guess you can expect a similar post whenever I reach 1,000 followers!

Thanks for reading!

Brandon Ellrich

Drumsticks, Social Butterflies, and Wallflowers

Two types of social personalities and their roles in a group setting

First, let’s talk about Drumsticks

Have you ever had those frozen ice cream cones with a hard chocolate shell on top, usually with chopped nuts? Those are the drumsticks to which I am referring. They look good, and the first few bites are great, but after the top is gone, it’s just all vanilla ice cream in a waffle-type cone. There’s nothing wrong with vanilla ice cream–I love it–but the drumstick leads you to believe it is more than it is. It shows you its greatest appeal, but it doesn’t take long to crack open that chocolate layer and realize there is not much underneath. I equate these confections to a social butterfly.

Social Butterfly (The Extrovert)

According to Wikipedia, “a social butterfly is a slang term for a person who is socially dynamic, successful at networking, charismatic, and personally gregarious.” A social butterfly is one form of an extrovert. In my experience, after you get to know them, they don’t have a lot of substance to offer and are commonly self-serving. I am, of course, making generalizations, and I am not saying that all extroverts are shallow, but it’s certainly more difficult to get them to have serious, introspective conversations. It’s not bad to have at least one butterfly in your social group, as they are good at planning events and getting people involved. As a close, dedicated friend, though, it may be better to look more at an introvert.

Wallflower (The Introvert)

I think many times, introverts get a “bad rap.” They may be looked at as painfully shy or unsociable and are often referred to as a wallflower. This term usually seems to take on a more negative connotation. The introvert can seem unemotional, so they wouldn’t normally be considered the “life of the party,” but they certainly can be sociable with a smaller group of people. Introverts are generally reflective and more self-aware. They are not customarily impulsive, but take time making decisions because of their more analytical mindset. Taken to an extreme, some forms of introversion can lead to social anxiety or depression. In and of itself, being an introvert isn’t a bad thing. Many social butterflies tend to want to pull them “out of their shell,” because that’s just in the nature of these winged socialites. They are having fun, putting themselves on display and they believe that if everyone isn’t having the same reaction to an experience, well… they should be. Introverts, however, don’t need to be fixed; they are not broken.

A Balanced Garden

If you have a group full of social butterflies, you may have a lot of fun, but you may also get into some mischief. Quick, impulsive decision-making can lead to trouble. Having a mix of butterflies and wallflowers will give you a more well-rounded group.

Did you know that a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope?

A kaleidoscope of butterflies without any flowers will have nowhere to land; they will not be grounded. On the other hand, a floral garden without any butterflies will have much less activity, but maybe a bit boring. In every facet of life, I believe it is a good idea to find some symmetry–a more balanced garden, if you will.

The Gardener

Among your group, there may be an extrovert that is more empathetic and self-aware. This person will be able to recognize and celebrate the differences among the members of the group and help to create that balanced garden. They may be looked at as the leader of the group or the “gardener.” This person should be able to cultivate good relationships without crossing boundaries of each individual. Without the gardener, things may get a little weedy, but hopefully, you’ll all at least survive the evening.

So, if you’re a wallflower, go find a butterfly–no, strike that. You won’t need to find them; they’ll find you. Just accept them if they flit over your way and try your best to indulge them in their attempts to help you join in the fun. If you’re a butterfly, find a wallflower to land on–just don’t land too hard or you’ll break them.

*If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy reading my article Grow Your Nose.

Thanks for taking the time to stop and read my blog. If you enjoyed this article or gained some insight, please click the like button and leave a comment. Click the follow button to make sure you don’t miss future posts.

Be

*Image credit; Kelly Sikkema* @ *Unsplash*

Baby boy, be brave,
Be benevolent, behave.
Be unburdened, bare and bold,
But obedient to what you’re told.
Before you begin to be,
Break no bonds with me.
My wee beloved bairn,
Brilliant, beyond compare,
Be humble, but be proud;
Let bounteous blessings abound.
I begat your beginning breath,
But bid you goodbye in death.
I believe we’re bound by love,
Bestowed by Heaven above.

Copyright © 2022 Brandon Ellrich

This poem was written in response to Sadje’s What do you see # 152 – September 19, 2022, so please visit her page to participate and/or read other writers’ contributions.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this poem, please click the like button and leave a comment. Follow me if you would like to receive updates on new posts whenever they are published.

If you liked this poem, you may also like my poem Mother Knows Best.