Today's Poetry and Brain Epiphany

Dew

The sweat of the Earth clings to my hands

Beautiful in its clarity and longing

The sun gently arises from the Orient

Bringing with her its patron colors and vibrancy

All about me are tears

The tears the Earth wept for Eve

Joyful tears, yet heart-rending in their silence.

The life of a writer is an endless striving to say what has been given us to say; to articulate the message written on our hearts in God's fiery hand. There is no erasing this message, and no matter how I may shrink from telling it, I am continuously haunted by my inability to say it with clarity. I may rip myself apart inside in frenzies of unworthiness, but somehow I always come back to that one rule of my soul: I must write. There is no turning back from this path, no running away, and all I can pray is that I never lose this inner passion, this heart's burning. I know I can write, I know I have talent, even genius, but my genius will come to nothing unless I can find the words to express it. 

~The Dryad

Dangerous and Observant: A Guide to Spying

When I was young(er) I wanted to be a spy, but I could never figure out how. I have looked up surveillance and being a detective, etc. on the internet, but I cannot find anything that really helps my creativity/longing to be a dangerous and observant person. Someday I will have to write a book on this, but for now, I have a short list just to expand my thoughts on the subject. 

Observe

I cannot stress this enough. Watch the things around you. Train yourself to remember unusual activities. If you don't notice things, you will probably miss important clues when your abilities are put to the test.

Wonder

After you notice an activity that is a little strange, set yourself the task of finding out why. This doesn't need to include any actual work or research, just a little brain power. Why did your neighbor close his curtains at 3 PM? It could be because of the sun, or...something else.

Read Body Language

Body language is important. Even if someone is lying, his brain will likely be working so hard that he won't have time to react to things, or regulate his body language to what he is saying. Do his emotions match the sad story he's listening to? Does he smile later than everyone else laughs after the joke? Often, a liar will be either fidgety or unnaturally still.

Listen

Is someone being vague when they answer you? They may be lying, or they could have forgotten.

Pay attention to the sounds around you. Perhaps the person talking to you is trying to distract you from something in the next room.

That's all I have now. Hint: I wouldn't recommend wearing all black. It may make you feel dangerous, but it won't help you be undercover. It will make you more obvious than not if you're wearing black clothes and shades. 

Aaand if you want young adult novels that have spies in them, you should read the Kiki Strike series. It's pretty great.

~The Dryad