The Tangled Branch Discussion Forums

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[Gates open Wednesday, July 31st -- boards will be unlocked at that time]
 

Welcome – The Tangled Branch is again proud to host the historic, addictive, and uninhibited Mid-Summer Poetry Fest -- cold beer, lemonade and cider, soft or hard as you will - whatever turns your crank, but for sure cranks will be turning, churning, burning lines and lies and clumps versificated and otherwise, toward free narratives and free spirit dances around campfires and bonfires spiraling toward dawn, a reincarnated morning, to reconvene, rehydrate, reload and reversify, and to re-vision, revisit and re-write the poems of summer, each and every summer, all to the delight and amazement those still capable of being delighted and amazed.  So take what steps you may need to make yourself [again] capable of delight and amazement -- both the giving and the receiving.  Remember – it's summer . . . when the magic happens.     

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Info – the Fest commences Wednesday July 31st and concludes midnight on Saturday, August 10, 2019.  Come in, look around, write and post some poems – read and enjoy others’ work.  

Loosen up, have fun, let the summer spirit enter your hearts and pens.  The occasion is the special magic that can be a summer's night, a summer's morn, and how that magic can find poetic expression.

In addition to this board, there is a Beer Tent for general chat, banter and trash talk.  

Seven of the boards invite the posting of your original poems written during the Fest.  Two of boards will allow the posting of previously written poems.  Those are the Poet Laureate competition (best damn poem you've ever written, any topic), and Mid-Summer Magic Showcase (best summer magic poem you have ever written).

Here is a rundown of all of the boards:

1  Main Gate / Info Booth 
2  Beer Tent -- Red Baron Style, general chat, banter, and trash talk
3  Summers Past - Poems of Reminiscence 
4  Summers Future - Poems of Presentiment, Expectancy
5  Mid-Summer Magic Showcase
6  Four & Twenty -- max four lines, twenty words
7  Poetry Decathlon -- ten poems meeting the various requirements
8  Love and Death -- time to write on the two most overwritten topics ever
9  Let it Be Spoken -- posting of audio recordings of your poems
10  Poet Laureate of MSPF -- best original poem, no limits
11  Crappy Poem Thread -- for the stuff what doesn't fit elsewhere.

Folks can choose what they want to post, ignoring some boards, flood others – whatever -- its just for fun.  And it is your responsibility to have fun.  Now – have at it. 
 

                                     


                                 


Final arrangements have been made.     Now get to writing.  

Yay! 
Pop the beer,
Summer is here!
 You're all the rage
on center page.

Howdy Deb
Glad you're here
Almost as glad
As I am for the beer.  

Almost as glad?
Should I be mad
as the Mad Hatter can be?
I don't know, let's wait and see.



Is that your gauntlet on the ground?
'Scuse me while I look around.
Where is the hand to this glove?
I'm just throwing you some love.

Tracy, I love the waterfall pic in your current avatar or whatever they're called these days. Where was that photo taken?

Thanks Deb -- that is a picture of Hidden Falls at Nerstrand State Park, southern Minnesota.  I camped in those woods as kid, before the area became a state park.   Last summer I got the chance to revisit the place.  I hiked the better part of a day there -- relived some memories.  Took some pictures.  Ate my sandwich.  

Tracy Mitchell wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 04, 2019 11:33 am

Thanks Deb -- that is a picture of Hidden Falls at Nerstrand State Park, southern Minnesota. I camped in those woods as kid, before the area became a state park. Last summer I got the chance to revisit the place. I hiked the better part of a day there -- relived some memories. Took some pictures. Ate my sandwich.

Better the hiker eats the sandwich than the bear. I imagine there are bears up there. Looks like a lovely spot.

I'm getting excited for Colorado, days away! We're going to ride the Silverton Narrow Gauge, hit the Great Sand Dunes and Zapata Falls, then up to Rocky Mountain NP and Roosevelt.

About rafting Arkansas River, did you go with an outfitter or on your own, and where did you put in and get picked up?

Outfitter -- in addition to supplying the raft, life vests, helmets and paddles, they put a person in each raft who knows what s/he is doing.   Cotopaxi, but there are outfitters from Buena vista to Canon City.  Lots of great options.

I love your itinerary - you'll have a blast.  I visited Roosevelt last June for the first time.  marvelous.

T