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    Balloon Passages
    Balloon Passages
    Balloon Passages
    Ebook86 pages19 minutes

    Balloon Passages

    By Donald Kihm

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Experience and emotion are primary components of life, both cornerstones of existence which form this offering. Each poems narrator (persona) presents an event or a thought important to one individuals life. Initial steps require he molds an identity through family interactions, emotional fluctuations; from bizarre to alarming, from comfortable to appreciative. He also discovers books and nature in an effort to understand himself. How he joins the greater world then inspires him to assess personal maturity, when upper air currents shuffle him. The last phase of existence advances at a different speed, maybe pushes from another direction as he muses about the past, and concerns of age near. A hot air balloon ride is a useful metaphor to demonstrate the vigor of a balloonist who learns what operating a balloon takes, then navigates currents of air and returns safely to the ground. Experience, emotional growth are essential in the elaborate voyage. Enjoy the flight that is this book.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateApr 7, 2014
    ISBN9781491872666
    Balloon Passages
    Author

    Donald Kihm

    Born and raised in that part of northeast Ohio where steel was king, the Mahoning Valley, I learned that imagination was a trusted resource for getting me through washing dishes, scrubbing floors, the usual jobs given a child or a teen. Two events stand out: the first when the family Brownie box camera became mine; the second when fingering a plastic recorder called Flutaphone well enough to render simple tunes without mistake. Visual images wedded musical sounds forming my approach to composing verse. As well, shared experiences were the norm on college campuses. Time spent at Youngstown State (A.B.), Ohio U (M.A.), Indiana U and IUPUI, Columbus (post graduate work) was transformative since so many points-of-view mingled and horizons expanded. That so many people came together for a learning experience amazed me, so I became an English teacher. Calling Columbus, Indiana, home, I helped teens appreciate the complexities of our language, hoping that some would turn on to the subject. As well, tasks involving judgment came my way: referee, umpire, jury foreman, speech contest official, etc. The arts became another interest: I acted in many Arts Guild plays and saw other performances and art exhibits in the region. Likewise, reading, traveling, hiking, collecting art, ceramics, music cds became hobbies. Like an Oscar Peterson concert, a happening can overwhelm, become memorable. Such was the case during a mid-October snowfall of eight inches, and I decided to express the event in verse. Poetry remained in the classroom, for I had never written anything worthy of publication. Walking a golf course across the street was quite exhilirating, my prints the first on the mostly white landscape. This marked my entry into writing for others, a sharing of life. Thusly, my bio has been brim full of neat sounds, places, events, people,... always the interesting people.

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      Book preview

      Balloon Passages - Donald Kihm

      Copyright © 2014 Donald Kihm. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

      Published by AuthorHouse 07/18/2018

      ISBN: 978-1-4918-7267-3 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4918-7266-6 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2014904796

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

      and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      Contents

      Acknowledgements

      Part I Preliminaries before Flight

      Coatroom

      Down

      Youthening

      Covering Distances

      We Potters

      Sit the Bloodhound

      Jury

      string quartet

      Slight Encounter

      Envelope

      Slumber

      Teacher’s Weary Eyes

      Unaware

      Key

      skins

      When I Was Six

      easing

      Language of Violets

      Potpourri

      Bulb Warmth

      From Seed

      cherished times

      daytime flavors

      Door

      Part II Air Currents

      Binding

      Debut

      Aging Faith

      Reaction

      a dance

      A Sure Shot

      A Chinese Landscape Painting

      ascent

      of the bedroom

      In the Band

      Intrusion at Butler Art Institute

      Monoliths Near Shiprock, New Mexico

      Zen Passage

      Picture Taking on a Snow Covered Day

      Calm

      Duet

      Lawn Maintenance in the Midwest

      coming near

      Encountering Nimue This Fall

      In a Cab

      Field Study

      Part III Coming to Rest

      odd shower

      To Blossom

      Girl and Pup

      Mums

      centering

      Champ

      John

      Attachment

      Aging

      Sudden Presence

      Delivery

      Travelers

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