Ken from Gladius Poeticus has nominated me for the Silver Quill Blogger Award.  First off, I would like to thank Ken for thinking of me–flattered that he did, with all those great blogs and bloggers out there.  I am thinking this is the last blogging award I will accept for a while (really only accepted it because (1) I love the questions and want to pass it on to other bloggers because I want to know their answers, and (2) I sorta insulted the Dutch this morning in a poem, and he is either punishing me or forgiving me by passing the award on to me).  So, again, thanking my friend Ken for reading my posts (and you know I generate a lot of them)!

The rules for this award, if you choose to accept, are to paste the logo of this award on the top of your post. Thank the person who nominated you. Answer the questions below. Nominate five or more people, list them and let them know that they have been nominated.

My five victims nominees are all women this time (not that you guys are not great–I just wanted to shout out to the powerful female voices on WP this time around):

1. Rhonda George Hernandez of HelpMeRhonda for her friendship and all the smiles.
2. Soryaya B from Organized Chaos for her raw strength in words.
3. Boomie from Boomie Bol for her beautiful spirit, friendship, awesome poetry, and a recipe for Chapman I want to try.
4. Unfettered from UnferreredBS for her wonderful poetry and awesome friendship (which includes reading all my political posts that she does NOT agree with on FB–oh, that goes DOUBLE for you, Rhonda–you’ve been at it longer).
5. Eulonia from Eulonia Country–just read her work–you will understand why.  She is AMAZING.

The Questions:

1- Do you prefer rhyming or non-rhyming poetry?  As long as it is not forced, rhyming poetry can be wonderful, too.  I just get rashes when I try to write it.

2- What’s your favorite Shakespeare Play? A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

3- Who is your favourite author? Annie Dillard.

4- Name three people who you greatly admire.  Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B Anthony, and Simone de Beauvoir (keeping with the all-woman theme today).

5- What’s your favourite album ever?  The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.  Yes, I know Bob is not a woman.

6- Which primary color do you most dislike?  There is no color I dislike.

7- Name a song or a poem that makes you feel emotional.   Sigh.  This one, by Pablo Neruda.

Perhaps not to be is to be without your being.’FROM: 100 LOVE SONNETS LXIX

Perhaps not to be is to be without your being,
without your going, that cuts noon light
like a blue flower, without your passing
later through fog and stones,
without the torch you lift in your hand
that others may not see as golden,
that perhaps no one believed blossomed
the glowing origin of the rose,
without, in the end, your being, your coming
suddenly, inspiringly, to know my life,
blaze of the rose-tree, wheat of the breeze:
and it follows that I am, because you are:
it follows from ‘you are’, that I am, and we:
and, because of love, you will, I will,
We will, come to be.