Cash Music

New Website

In addition to writing poems, I've been looking for a way to make money online with my poetry. This blog was one of those attempts. Up until a couple of days ago, I hadn't made a penny online. Taking a hint from Firefox I signed on with website whose name doesn't sound particularly poet-friendly, CashMusic. Although the CashMusic format was a bit confusing, I was able to upload PDFs, videos and photos and created a website connected to a money processor. Please, visit my website and look around. If you like what you see, tell a friend. If there's anything you don't like, please tell me. Here's the link:

UncleAl.CashMusic.org

Ranked by Google

Oh my gosh, I was poking around the internet, doing Google searches and was pleasantly surprised by what came up. When I put "poem" in the search engine, this blog came up at the bottom of the first page.

Hard-Won Dry Run

When I went to the Affirmation conference for gay and lesbian Mormons in September, one of the speakers was Joanna Brooks at the Kirtland Temple. Yesterday as I was driving home from dinner at my nephew's, I was surprised to hear her being interviewed on NPR. Today there was a new post from her blog. Someone had written in asking about going back to church after a period of inactivity. This poem is a response to her blog.

Hard-Won Dry Run

24 October 2011

Here’s a plan for your first time going back.

Pick a chapel where two or three wards meet.

This maximizes chaos and minimizes flack.

You simply go into the foyer and have a seat.

There you can watch the toddlers running,

The Primary girls sharing stories and gossip,

The young men bettering each other’s cunning

And parents doing their best to worship.

When you’ve had enough, as you please

Get up and leave. No harm, no foul.

Most chapels are built with entries

On both sides in the back. When you prowl, 

And people are filing in, you join the tide 

To collect a program. Then continue 

Across the chapel and out the other side.

The flyer will have information about the who

And what of ward events. You now know

About potlucks and campouts, activities

That let you mingle on your status quo

Without violating your own proclivities.

This poem was made by a guy

Who hasn’t attended in years,

Is once-burned, twice-shy

And understands your fears.

Self-Improvement Epiphany

Yesterday morning I talked with my life coach, Pamela Madsen. We talked about blogging and like topics. That evening I did a guided meditation asking "Who or what am I?" As I was eating dinner my subconscious surfaced with the idea that if I became really successful as a poet, I would become one of THEM. That stuck me as odd, considering that I've been an out gay man into BDSM for several years. Us and THOSE PEOPLE were initially undefined. As I thought about it, I realized my subconscious didn't want me to become one of the tabloid celebrities.  I  reminded my subconscious that I don't drink or do drugs. I also told the subconscious that although I had seen compromising photos of myself from Dore Alley, it had not impacted my career. I'm a long shot from having the paparazzi chase after me.
Previously, I has gotten a set of DVDs about making money on the internet. I had followed the first couple of steps then stopped. I think my subconscious had undermined my determination and efforts to make money. Have you ever had a similar experience?