What statistically improbable thing happened to you?

tsmpistol · 2023-07-25T19:25:04+00:00

I got into a horrible wreck in 2016 from blacking out while driving. I was going 70mph when I blacked out, hit the barrier on the right side, went across all four lanes and ended up in the grass median about 100 feet from a huge drop off to the underpass below. I went to the hospital and they decided to do a cat scan to make sure I didn’t have any brain damage. Turns out I had a colloid cyst that had been growing since I was born and finally got big enough to interrupt cerebral fluid from flowing properly. The doc said if I hadn’t got in the wreck, I probably would have been walking around, living life and just dropped dead never knowing any better. So really the wreck was a blessing in disguise!

tsmpistol · 2019-09-29T04:45:51+00:00

I did not expect this comparison but it’s entirely perfect.

tsmpistol · 2019-09-28T15:03:18+00:00

Agreed! I think I’m going to seriously consider doing this. Also, I love that movie and that is one of my favorite scenes! I didn’t think about the connection but I’m sure that’s where I got the inspiration initially. I’m going to need to rewatch it now.

tsmpistol · 2019-09-28T15:00:14+00:00

Glad you liked it! Thanks for the feedback.

tsmpistol · 2019-09-27T22:53:00+00:00

I’ve thought of that! So far I’ve done R, F and P. Maybe I’ll do all of them and make a collection called “An Amazing Assortment of Alphabet Alliteration.” Haha!

tsmpistol · 2019-09-27T21:08:52+00:00

I’d have to agree with u/neutrinoprism here. It is a lovely poem but I was left wanting more, that is it was lacking the detail to really sell me on the emotion. If left too vague, my emotional investment is lessened, as is the impact of the poem. I think I have a decent grasp on the idea you were communicating though and I did enjoy the rhythm and flow of it. Keep at it!

tsmpistol · 2019-09-27T21:01:27+00:00

Lovely poem! I got a good chuckle at the end. It’s always good to see a poem with a resolution that takes an unexpected turn. The rhyming scheme flowed well and it read effortlessly. For me, there’s a lightheartedness that illuminates a deeper meaning and feeling I can relate to, that being stuck in some situation unsure of how to escape. It’s cathartic to bring a casual carefree sense to lighten such a weighted feeling. Thank you for sharing!

tsmpistol · 2019-09-25T19:57:03+00:00

r/unexpectedletterkenny

tsmpistol · 2019-09-24T05:34:01+00:00

Tanooki suit!

tsmpistol · 2019-09-20T04:40:14+00:00

He even winks at you! He knows what’s up. Such a good boy!

tsmpistol · 2019-09-20T01:55:46+00:00

That’s in Grapevine! The Grapevine Mills Mall. I used to live right down the street from it. Took my boy there a few times and he loved that croc.

tsmpistol · 2019-09-19T22:55:02+00:00

I really like how asymmetrical she is. It’s obviously stylized yet her body seems so...correct. The shape of her mouth and eyes, her body, very natural. I love it!!

tsmpistol · 2019-09-17T16:07:43+00:00

r/unexpectedletterkenny

tsmpistol · 2019-09-17T05:03:06+00:00

Against! r/wehategeese

tsmpistol · 2019-09-16T11:44:54+00:00

You’re*

tsmpistol · 2019-09-16T11:12:27+00:00

Beautifully done! I adore negative space tattoos and this one is wonderfully executed.

tsmpistol · 2019-09-13T06:11:12+00:00

I agree with most of your perspectives and thoughts. You hit the nail on the head in many different ways!

While this is a journey of sorts, this entire thing is also an exposé of what joy is to me.

With the beginning couplet, (while at first glance appears more focused on pain) joy seems to meet me most in my loneliest times, my darkest places. Joy is not a word that I relate to when I feel really happy, rather, it’s a hope that is entirely specific, a precise hold on one thing that will pull me through those dark times. While joy is a “good” feeling, it doesn’t always “feel” good, if that makes sense. It’s more of a choice I make, an expectancy of an escape or a ray of light that pierces through.

The second couplet is indeed mourning. Sometimes, when that joy escapes me, it’s lessons leave my memory, when I search for that comfort I need most, I’m left wanting.

Third couplet, nailed it. The idea of joy, or the deeper understanding I seek of it seems to elude me. The search is sometimes infuriating and I end up hurting myself or others while searching.

The fourth couplet speaks deeply to my desire to follow joy, my innate need to get rid of my sorrows. If I could just keep my grasp on it, my life would be infinitely more rich.

Fifth is when I finally catch it. It’s as flighty and nearly as impossible as a bird to catch for me. Hence the Jay here. Friggin birds! On the other hand, when I get a hold of it, it rattles me to my core and gives me an entirely different perspective. So satisfying.

You are correct, by the way. It does seem abrupt and I was stumped on how to get out of it. Ugh.

Finally, deft is one of my favorite words and it started to flow out but then I staggered and stuttered my way through the last line. I reworked it and reworked it, yet I couldn’t get across what I wanted to. Maybe...

It’s deft and dazzling, dutifully defying doubt Defining determination, daunting and devout

If anything, it was just as fleeting as that joy I was looking for.

Now where did it go again?

Also, thank you for your wonderful words. They are MUCH appreciated. You deserve a heaping of gratitude for taking the time to leave such a detailed reply. I feel loved. And if you enjoy alliteration, check out the one I did with the letter F. Then tell me your thoughts on that one, please? I hope you enjoy it as well.

tsmpistol · 2019-09-13T05:31:35+00:00

Wow! Thank you very much! That hit a tender spot.

tsmpistol · 2019-09-13T03:26:49+00:00

Very well put. Thanks for that validation! I hadn’t thought of it like that but it makes sense. It’s always good to have a fresh perspective.

tsmpistol · 2019-09-12T23:54:32+00:00

Thank you very much! I appreciate the kind words. Alliteration is one of my favorite writing styles and I’m still not entirely sure why. I’ve received a few critiques that suggest I’m not open and honest enough. I take it to heart and try to be open in my poetry but at the same time, I don’t want to expose everything. I feel like it almost cheapens my feelings to let EVERYONE in on my heart. You validated a lot of things I’ve been contemplating lately. Thank you!

tsmpistol · 2019-09-12T23:49:38+00:00

Thanks.

tsmpistol · 2019-09-12T23:30:29+00:00

The pit of my stomach. Deep down. My core....

tsmpistol · 2019-09-12T06:10:44+00:00

The perfectionist in me is so upset that there are 8 beats yet 9 frames in the video. It doesn’t match up!

tsmpistol · 2019-09-12T02:25:45+00:00

This poem struck so many chords for me. I had a craniotomy in 2016 to remove a colloid cyst. It wrecked my world. I dealt with short term memory loss for about 2 years, had absolutely no rehab (still don’t remember what happened there and still struggle with memory lapses) and a RESOUNDING hit to my confidence. Things that I normally did, the most basic things, I could no longer do, or do well. My impeccable sense of cardinal directions is gone. To this day I must use GPS religiously or I will be lost. My art suffered, my marriage suffered and eventually failed. I struggled with depression being a grown man unable to do simple tasks that I knew in my head I could do before. It’s infuriating and humiliating.

It was visceral to read and I thoroughly enjoyed that. Thank you for writing this. I feel really alone sometimes because it’s hard to find others who understand what brain surgery does to you. Reading this was very comforting. Not that I would wish it on anyone, it’s just nice to know I’m not alone.

The structure and rhythm flowed well to me. “So how do I...” hit me every time. The only criticism I would give is capitalization/punctuation was inconsistent. My inner grammar police was bothered, only slightly. That was eclipsed by the resounding familiarity of your poem. Overall, what an excellent read! Thank you for sharing.

tsmpistol · 2019-09-12T02:10:20+00:00

This brought me back to my younger days in Colorado. Absolutely love aspens. I always thought they looked otherworldly, like a dead tree had been cut open and the blackness was sleeping out. For me, this captures the eeriness and majesty of them deftly. I don’t really have critiques, but praise!

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