Monday, February 18, 2008

How to Rake in the Cash from Helium

Lately, in reading random posts and articles, throughout the web, I've noticed the people often complain that it is is nearly impossible to make any money from Helium. Well, I am here to inform you other wise. I will let you in on a few secrets of mine that I have picked up along the way. First off, if you signed up for Helium, and decided that you would write one article, and expect to get paid more than a few cents,you were wrong. The key to helium is the number of articles you submit, along with a few other various things.As I'm sure you've noticed that the title of my blog is "Poetry, Money, and More" Yes, I do make money from my poetry, probably more so than most helium users. The secret lies within knowing how to manipulate the system. No, I'm not talking about hacking, I'm simply talking about Social Book-marking, such as Digg, Stumble Upon, and Delicious. These networks are basically, nothing more than a way for you to submit content that you find interesting. And they are accessed daily by 10's upon thousands of people each day. To give you a better idea of just how many people visit Digg.com on a regular basis, let me inform you of this, from time to time, their server gets overloaded because so many users are connected to Digg.com that he just shuts down. Stumble Upon currently has, (If my estimate is right) about 3 million users. Now, let's say you want to make some money, for doing nothing more than writing either a simple poem, or writing an all out article about a subject that you are knowledgeable about. My venue, is poetry, and that's why I love Helium. They not only let me submit full on, informative articles, but they also accept my random poetry.Now, ask I'm sure you know, if you've tried Helium already, that it guess kind of discouraging the first week or so, you check your earnings, and it says something like, "$0.04. Then you look at the pay out minimum and realize that it's set at$25, now that doesn't sound like you'll reach that any time soon, Well my friend, there's a little bit more too it than just posting your content.Just like anything on the Internet, you have to promote it.Helium pays you a few cents every time a new visitor reads your post, therefore, you need to increase the traffic to that URL. In order to do that however, can be an issue if you don't know where to start.Let me give you an example of what has worked for me. Stumble Upon is by FAR the greatest social book-marking programs that I've found. I would suggest, if your struggling, go to www.stumbleupon.com and download the extension. Submit your content to Stumble, and voila, there you have it, you will notice a dramatic increase in traffic. Also, what I have been submitting every post to del.icio.us, technorati, and Digg.Another tip would be to post a blog, and copy half of the article on your blog and then add a link to your helium page so that they can read the rest.I hope this information helps you. If so, leave me a comment.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Who Wrote the Best Love Poem?

Who Wrote the Best Love Poem?Love poems have long been a way for men and women to express their feelings for one another in a unique and romantic way. They range from structured, formal works such as those by William Shakespeare to free verse works by modern greats such as e.e. cummings. But of all the love poems ever written, who wrote the best love poem ever?Of course this question may have a different answer depending on who you ask. But for the sake of argument, let’s say that the poet who created the poem that is most often quoted and most recognizable is the one who wrote the best love poem of all time. If these are the criteria, then the poem How Do I Love Thee? by the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning would win hands down.Browning wrote this poem to her husband. She and Robert Browning, also a poet, wrote countless love letters to one another over the period of several years. Today, these love letters and the poems that accompany them are treasured parts of American literature. Here is Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s finest and most recognizable work:How Do I Love Thee?How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and heightMy soul can reach, when feeling out of sightFor the ends of Being and ideal Grace.I love thee to the level of everyday'sMost quiet need, by sun and candlelight. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love thee with the passion put to useIn my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.I love thee with a love I seemed to loseWith my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.When people think of love poems, they usually think of this one, especially of the first line. It has inspired many other poems in its time and is a great source of imitation. As the best love poem ever written, it has all the elements of a great work: elegant structure, classic rhyme scheme, and beautiful imagery. Visit to find more of the best love poems.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Dark Passage - A Moonlit Journey through Urban Decay

Urban DecaySlowly descendingThe spiral staircaseInto urban decayOn this night long journey -Preceded by flashlightAnd followed by the full moon,Whose eyes hold us all inHis view as the street lightFlickers in and out in orange shades. Spirit of the PastThe spirit of the pastLives inThe whispers of the wind andThe hoot of the hoary owl,Which echoes sadly evermoreAgainst the lonely trees -Who for days uncountedHave seen the endless journeys of menCome to and end beneath them -This final respiteMarked by names and datesOn lonely tombs.Ghost HuntingThere is a ghost in the shellOf every old place -Whether the unclaimed metal skeletonOf an abandoned steel mill,Or the spirit that lingersOn the grounds of a historic graveyard.These ancient places carryThe immortal remnantsOf old civilization.Exploring them toExamine their secretsLike an urban archaeologist -Chasing down the answersTo urban legendsAnd ghost stories -Simply to knowWhat came before.Abandoned FactoryOnce full of life,This old building;With memories locked awayUnder layers of dust.Cigarette butts and broken beer bottlesLitter the lonely lot. Once vital and activeIn the world of mortal men,Now immortal in its skeletal frame -The ghost in the shell of theAbandoned factorySpeaks secrets of long misused tools,Broken cinder blocks,And locked away rooms -Modern ruins and electric tombsLong left behindOn this hidden highway.And evermore in urban legend. Stomping GroundTraversing the rural fringesOf urban reality,Haunting the spiritsWith lamps and curious minds.Marble CityI know when you were born and died,But I want to see beyond the mossOn your gravestone.Who were you in life?Old ChurchI. Cathedral.I go back in time as I brush webs of dustFrom the stained glass window,Wondering what secrets thisOld church buried with its dead.II. Esoteric.As stained as memory,This old window yet reflects lightLike the sermons once heldIn the holy hall.Farewell Party (Leaving the Old Church)The ravens on the roofStand guard like gargoyles -These grim feathered ghoulsPerch atop the once proud passagesThat they now pretend to own,And sing a sad a cappellaIn mockery of memory.To End a JourneyI leave as the morning lightLifts the late night's velvet veilAnd the moon bids farewellTo the starry sky,Wondering if warning signsWill be like hieroglyphsTo a future age.Into the LightWalking at the crack of dawn onThis early morn,Through fresh cut grassAnd beside foggy fields,My shoes soaked with dew -I stop to take a drinkAnd pause to think:This simple heaven’sGreater’nThat urban hell.AtalayaDark watch towerOverlooking the lonely beachBuilt without blueprint -Summer home sculptedFrom brick and mortar,Its plans first and solely sketchedIn the dreams of a genius and poet.Ordered chaos - artistic anarchy;The sculpture room seems toSummon the spiritOf the poet's late wife -As if the ghostOf the lady sculptorHaunts the mossy hallsJust to finish her last work.Manifest DestinyHow wild was the west?How true rang the gold,That men sought and killedFor it?How mighty the steed,And how much mightierThe man who rode itAnd held the law on his hip?How long the roads of those days?How deep the secrets?Would the spirits ofDoc Holliday and Wyatt EarpSpeak to us in the old saloon?

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Different Forms of Urdu Poetry

The following forms of Urdu poetry are known, some more popular than others:fardGazalhamdhazalhijvmadahmanqabatmarsiiyamasnaviimunaajaatmusaddasnaatnazmqasiidaaqataaqavaalliirubaayiisalaamsehraavaasoKhtfardA composition consisting of only one sher.Gazal (pronounced “guzzle”)Ghazal is a collection of couplets (shers or ashaar) which follow the rules of ‘matla’, ‘maqta’, ‘bahar’, ‘qafiya’ and ‘radeef’. The couplets are complete in themselves. All the couplets of a ghazal must be of the same bahar, end in the same words (radeef) and have the same rhyming pattern (qaafiyaa). Every ghazal MUST have a matla. A ghazal may or may not have a maqta but if it does, it has to be the last sher of the ghazal.Ghazals which do not have a radeef are called Gair-muraddaf ghazals. In such cases, the rule of qafiya is strictly followed. These type of ghazals are very rare. Ghazals with the same radeef are called ham-radeef ghazals.hamdPoem written in praise of God.hazalHumourous poetry, also known as ‘mazaahiyaa’ or ‘mazaakiyaa’ shaayari. Some examples of humourous Urdu poetry can be viewed here.hijvA satirical poem written to condemn or abuse a person. This type of poetry is considered inferior and generally avoided by reputed poets. The opposite of a hijv is a madah which is written in praise of patrons.madahPoem written in praise of royalty, patrons, etc.manqabatA poem written in praise of members of the family of the holy Prophet.marsiiyaa (muhr-see-yaa)An elegy written to mourn the death of a great man or a dearly loved person. In its stricter sense, traditionally accepted in Urdu, a marsiya is an elegy written specifically in honour of the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Husain and his comrades at Karbala. It describes the battle fought on the plains of Karbala by Hazrat Imam Husain against the army of Yazid. The most well known writers of Marsiya in Urdu are Mir baber Ali Anees and Salamat Ali Dabir. Sub-parts of the marsiya are called Nauha and Soz.masnavii(pronounced “mus-na-vee”)A long narrative poem - much longer than the ghazal - embodying religious, romantic or didatic stories. It is written in rhyming couplets, with each couplet having a different rhyme and radeef. The most famous masnavis are Masnavi-e-Rumi in Persian, Shah Namah of Firdausi, and Zehar-e-Ishq in Urdu.munaajaatA lyrical poem written as a prayer to God.musaddasA poem in which each unit consists of 6 lines. The most well known poet of this style of writing was Maulana Altaf Husain Hali.naatA poem written in praise of the holy Prophet.nazmIn a broad sense, nazm is a term used to define all kinds of Urdu poetry which do not fall into any other category. However, in a literary sense, a nazm is a well organized, logically evolving poem where each individual verse serves the need of the central concept or theme of the poem. Though a nazm is traditionally written in rhymed verse, there are many examples of nazms written in unrhymed verse, or even in free verse.qasiidaa (pronounced “quh-see-daa”)A panygeric, or poem written in praise of a king or a nobleman, or a benefactor. As in a ghazal, the opening couplet of a qasida, is a rhyming couplet, and its rhyme is repeated in the second line of each succeeding verse. The opening part of the qasida, where the poet may talk in general about love and beauty, man or nature, life or death, is called the ‘tashbib’ or ‘tamheed’.Interestingly, the ghazal has evolved from the qasida. Over time, the tashbib got detached and developed into what we today know as Gazal. A qasida is usually quite long, sometimes running into mor than a 100 couplets. A Gazal is seldom more than 12 couplets long, averaging about 7 couplets.qataaA poem consisting of four lines, in the form of two shers. However, unlike shers in a ghazal, the subject of the two shers is the same. It is believed that the qataa was invented for occasions when poets felt that they were unable to express their thoughts completely and satisfactorily in a single sher.qavaaliiTraditionally a devotional song expressing love and oneness with God sung by a group of people to the accompaniment of musical instruments. Nowadays, qawaallis cover popular topics like love and wine.rubaayii(pronounced “ru-baa-ee”)A self-sufficient quartrain, rhyming (a, a, b, a) and dealing generally with a single idea, which is customarily introduced and developed with the aid of similes in the first three lines, and concluded, with concentrated effort and impact, in the fourth line.The most well known rubaayis in Persian were written by Omar Khayyam. In Urdu, some of the most well known practitioners of this form were Firaq, Josh and Yagna Yaas Changezi.salaamA salutory poem written in praise of the holy Prophet. It can also be a poem describing the incidents of Karbala. It is recited standing up.sehraaA song sung at the time of tying the seharaa during the wedding ceremony. It is usually in praise of the bride/groom and their relatives.vaasoKhtA poem describing the displeasure and carelessness of a lover

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

The Easy Way to Define Poetry...

is a form of expression. Whether it is spoken or written, it is the manifestation of thoughts, feelings, and intellect. It is a way of communicating. With poetry one can effectively communicate opinion, desire, ideas, cleverness, and most of all state of mind. Although poetry is a supreme form of expression, it is not the most efficient form of expression. It is subject to the reader's or listener's interpretation. A poet may want to express certain notions but the interpretive elements of poetry can sometimes keep the meaning of a poem from being clearly articulated. We all see and feel things differently.Most poets want to evoke emotion in the reader or listener. They'll often use rhythm and rhyme with a swarm of other literary devices to create such an effect. Poetry is like music! Actually, one could reason that poetry is music. It is the art of arranging sound to create a thought-provoking effect. Therefore, poetry is also defined as literature that focuses on the aesthetic beauty of words and sound. It is artistic writing in metrical form. It takes skill and technique to produce this art-an art that seems to define itself as its definitions come across as being somewhat poetic. Poetry is the science of versification. It is creative expression at its finest, which is why sharing, writing, or reciting poetry can be a deeply personal experience. It is truly an art form.

Long Live The Love Poem

Long live love poems: There's no chance the love poem is dead, the reason? Because the one you write is for the one you cherish the most and it will be a part of you both forever. Writing a poem is all about observing the world within you or around you and leaving all expectations behind.For the cash-strapped, or romantically inclined, writing a sincere, well thought out love poem may be just the ticket to your loved one's heart. Love poems, friendship poems, sad poems, romantic poems, or any poem that you can think of may mean more to someone then any gift ever could. If you are writing challenged, poems-online.com can show you how to write the perfect poem to get the one you're after. For example, romantic love poems exhibit an intense sense of love felt by a lover but must also poses the elements of a poem: elegant structure, classic rhyme scheme, and beautiful imagery. How? Well poetry's use of ambiguity, symbolism, irony and other stylistic elements of diction often leave a poem open to multiple interpretations. As we've often discussed, poetry can be about anything. You should view poetry in an entirely new and innovative way. For example, Edgar Allan Poe, although probably best known for his macabre stories, also wrote poetry and loved to experiment with the sounds of words. While some may find poetry intimidating or irrelevant, there are people who poetry as Hope. I've been writing poetry since I was about 11 years old and wouldn’t know what to do without it.Are you interested in writing poetry or learning the process involved in crafting a poem? Then start writing instantly, right now, go and give your writing on paper.There are many different techniques and forms you can use when writing a poem, but we won't go into them here because, honestly, they aren't that important. Writing a poem is all about observing the world within you or around you. Try writing out an answer to the question, "What is this poem about.It's true that many of us tend to be jaded when it comes to romantic writing as it seems old fashioned. When I'm writing a poem, I hardly consider its contemporary context. Writing a poem is a voyage of discovery. Besides, a poem can be about anything -- pets, family, friends, things you like to do. Your poem is not an editorial. Your poem is very good and beautiful. Read it out loud, slowly! As is true of most of us, the poet's understanding of an experience is a gradual realization, and the poem is a reflection of that epiphany. So nobody truly knows where the poem is, nor should they. As soon as a poem is finished to your satisfaction, mail a copy to a trusted friend and ask him or her to keep it along with the cancelled envelope. For time, waits for no man.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Goethe’s the Sorrows of Young Werther

Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther is about the tragic life of Werther who has committed suicide as a result of his loneliness and critical approach to society, also his displaced unfulfilled feelings for a woman called Lotte who he could never have. The story takes the form of a correspondence between Werther and his friend Wilhelm. Since the correspondence is only one sided, the readers find themselves taking the role of Wilhelm as the story progresses. The story, to shortly summarize, begins with Werther who has bourgeois origin, who is leaving home to regulate some issues about family estate for his mother. He soon neglects his tasks and spends his time enjoying his life and in the afternoons feeling nature and the complexity of a human life. He quickly acquaints with the nice people who populate his "paradise". When he was invited to a dance by his new acquaintances, it’s where he gets to know Lotte and sets his eyes on her; he falls in love with her, although knowing that she is already engaged. As the story continued, they both realized that their affection was mutual and they became close friends. Later on, Werther visited her almost every day and spent blissful hours close to her. But when Albert, Lotte's fiancĂ©, returned from his journey Werther's feelings for Lotte has changed from "bliss" to the "unhappiness" because Albert's presence rendered it clear to him that his love would remain unfulfilled because Lotte will never be able to return his feelings because of the fact that she actually loved Albert. It was at this point that Werther began experiencing bouts of desperation and mood swings alternating between extreme optimism and extreme skepticism about life and society and how he fits into both. All these emotions were coupled with his unrequited love for Lotte. Seen from Lotte’s viewpoint, Werther epitomizes a man of intelligence and artistic minded. These traits coupled by his sensitivity to beauty and nature were what endeared him to her to consider him as a close friend and confidant of her thoughts and views on life. However, these traits were also the real reason why Werther found no respect and contentment with the society. His disrespect to the Prince’s superficial knowledge of art demonstrated that he couldn’t tolerate anyone who did not share his artistic views. In the story, Werther did not find an equal or a superior to himself that even Lotte, who he fell in love with, did not have enough power to help him with his obsessions and desires. With the exception of Lotte and her family, Werther was effectively isolated from the society. Lotte must have sensed Werther’s need of a companion that she is in a way welcomed his friendship despite knowing that Werther’s affections towards her extended way beyond friendship. She said that she appreciates Werther as a kind of confidante for her emotions. Emotionally, they were too similar that Werther must have done a mistake as a positive sign of love urging him to pursue Lotte despite her circumstance. Werther at this time was happy thinking that love was the answer for his loneliness and passion. “ My days are as happy as those reserved by God for his elect; and whatever be my fate hereafter, I can never say that I have not tasted joy, -- the purest joy of life.” (June 21) Yet, when he found out about Lotte’s marriage to Albert, he decided he couldn’t accept living without her. We should not blame Lotte for Werther’s grief and emotional suffering because she had been cautious in handling the evident feelings of Werther for her. She clearly loved Albert, who later became her husband and she made this clear to Werther despite his disappointment. Werther later on had already put Lotte in a high pedestal that it became difficult for him to detach his feelings for her even during her married life. Before Albert appeared in the book, Werther's love was not still so clear, his surroundings seemed vitalizing. As he got more mindful of the feelings he has for Lotte, nature began to add to his desperation. Gloomy night strolls, which once seemed full of life and love in the book/ His pessimism began to settle and took the best of him. He then started to fantasize about marrying Lotte in the future. Traditional values and stability is Albert’s wife for life. Werther precipitated himself with intense emotion. Werther is well aware of this, when he declares, “I cannot help esteeming Albert. The coolness of his temper contrasts strongly with the impetuosity of mine, which I cannot conceal. He has a great deal of feeling, and is fully sensible of the treasure he possesses in Lotte. He is free from ill-humour, which you know is the fault I detest most” (July 30). This obvious and marked difference between the two was what further antagonized Werther fully realizing that these characteristics of Albert were what engendered him to Lotte. Albert, on his part is well aware of Werther’s special feelings for his wife but his reason and values prevented him from showing hatred to Werther. However, their secret rivalry intensified in a heated discussion concerning the topic of suicide wherein Werther rejected all of Albert's arguments and passionately defended the right to suicide, which he deemed to be an expansion of natural death. Judging from the intensity of the argument, which transcended beyond the topic of death to a deeper issue of Werther’s close friendship with Lotte, one could conclude that it was at this point that Albert decided to forbid Lotte to see Werther anymore. Lotte was stunned by this thought and having reservations had no choice but to obey her husband’s wishes and from then on informed Werther to distance himself from her. “We cannot go on in this manner any longer” (December 20) was her decision. This must have disoriented Werther to finally think about suicide and thereafter proceeded to commit it. It was in his unconditional love, his hardheaded want for no woman but her that Werther's destiny originated. Since there can be no fulfillment of his unconditional love for Lotte, the desire for death constantly grew within Werther whereby he expressed, “Adieu! I see no end to my misery but the grave" (August 30).In conclusion, Werther's search for a place in society led him to examine himself relative to his own existence in the world. His desperate attempts to win Lotte’s heart have been the source of his sorrows and his ultimate doom. Anyone can say that the paths he has chosen toward maturity were irrational or impossible. In the story, he chose to fall in love with a woman already engaged. He chose to direct all his sorrows and anger on her. He undeniably lacked courage to face defeat and rejection. He chose to end his existence. Werther’s story shouldn’t be taken as an account of a young man who has seen life as it really is but instead, it should taken as the choice between duty and inclination. I believe there is a young Werther characteristic in all of us and we must always seek to achieve a balance between reason and passion. This will make it possible for us to live productive lives as compared to Werther’s story.