Shanon Angermeyer Norman
Bio
Gold, Published Poet at allpoetry.com since 2010. USF Grad, Class 2001.
Currently focusing here in VIVA and Challenges having been ECLECTIC in various communities. Upcoming explorations: ART, BOOK CLUB, FILTHY, PHOTOGRAPHY, and HORROR.
Stories (377)
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"The Woman or the Girl You Knew the night before...."
"Girl... ..... you'll be a woman, soon." Neil Diamond sang those lyrics circa 1967, the same year Aretha Franklin was belting out "Natural Woman". Bob Segar recorded the song "Turn the Page" in 1971 with the lyrics "You can think about the woman, or the girl you knew the night before." And "She's Always a Woman" is a song by Billy Joel from his "Stranger" album of 1977, while the BeeGee's sang "More than a Woman"also in the 70s. People also loved John Lennon's song "Woman" from the album "Double Fantasy" released in 1980. After that, the 80s and 90s did not produce any big titles with the word "Woman" as the main theme. So? Why all this history of "Woman" themed songs? What's my point? What does it mean to be a woman? VIVA community wants to know. I think Neil, Bob, Billy, The Gibbs, and John, have all tried to answer the question for women, but how many women have written a song about Women? We might bark up Melissa Etheridge's tree or the Indigo Girls, but as far as I've heard of their songs, I've not found one focused completely on the word or theme "Women" --- which has me believing that neither straight or lesbian women really know what to say about the word "woman" or "women" yet I have just thought of one artist who did come up with something in the 90s: Shania Twain. "Man, I feel like a Woman." Oh, wait. Another artist just came to mind - Whitney Houston (in the 80s) did do a remake of "I'm Every Woman" which was a Pop Hit for her.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman2 months ago in Viva
Do you know your Breaking Point?
Have you ever heard of the phrase "Second opinion" in regards to medical advice? It occurred often when a professional medical advisor stated something unbelievable or unwanted. That may seem odd to you, but what is even more surprising, is that many have sought a "second opinion" in such matters, and found what they were looking for. Your BMI alerts one trained professional to tell you that you are obese, while only 20 pounds overweight. Yet another doctor who had previously been a Sumu wrestler says you are perfectly healthy. Sometimes a second opinion is the way to go.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman2 months ago in Psyche
Envy is a product of the unloved
I love the photograph above. Two women, plus sized, at the beach, smiling, embracing each other without fear, and modeling their bikinis like Vogue models. Yes, I absolutely adore this photo. The women in the photo don't care if you think size 20 is "obese" or if you think they are "too big" to rock a bikini. They are not jealous of the women who get to walk the big city runways or get paid to wear the newest fashion design. They're not mad that they had to spend $80 for the right bikini because no one bought them an outfit to show them off like a trophy or to pursuade them into some rendevous. This is not a photograph about "fat shaming" or envy. This a photograph about love, beauty, and power. Real power. The power to rise above "popular opinion" and the power to find and feel love regardless of how the world tries to deny you of it.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman2 months ago in Viva
Young People Don't Matter
I just read an article on Vocal about how Six Flags is shutting down any leftover parks this month in November. I started getting really depressed thinking about it. I've seen the end of so many of my beloved companies and brands. I had to watch Kmart and Sears go down. I had to watch Payless Shoe Source and Albertson's Grocery kick the bucket. I had to watch Chik-Fil-A leave the mall, expand, and dismiss their delicious cole slaw. I had to watch Disney World and Busch Gardens evolve from $25 entrance tickets to $125 entrance tickets. I had to watch the Dollar Tree go from every item costs $1 to you don't know until you're at the register is what every item costs. The world changed so much the past decade. We lost more businesses and "norms" or symbols of Americana culture the past decade than in the three decades previous to it. It's been truly heart-wrenching stuff.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman2 months ago in Journal
Vacations Seem Impossible
It's been a year and I haven't had my own car. I know lots of people don't have a car and that should be no big deal, but I'm just not the same without my own car. I accepted that I couldn't afford it anymore. I'm old, on a fixed income, and I just don't have the spending money like I did way back when. Plus, I've never known anything about fixing cars, and they all break down at some point. It was driving me insane - literally. I would get so depressed. Though I am happier that I'm not spending a fortune on a car, I haven't gone anywhere in a year. Nowhere. The most exciting trip I've been on in a year is to the local Walmart. That's pretty pathetic to me, especially when I know that I suffer from Wanderlust. Oh yeah, I got bit by the Wanderlust bug big time back in 2018. I've always loved traveling, but when I got into Road Tripping, I fell in love with travel even more.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman2 months ago in Wander
A Letter from the broken-hearted widow
My love, you never said goodbye, because you know that goodbyes make me crumble to pieces. I never got any closure. The memories of your face, the memories of our love, the memories of all the happy days and sweet kisses and warm embraces. That is all I have now. You've been gone for about six years. Maybe you were gone before that, but I could not let go.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman2 months ago in Poets
The Way of Being Grateful
Virtues are just as strong as vices. I ask myself if I'm a virtuous woman. I ask myself "Am I patient? Am I honest? Am I compassionate? Justified? Prudent? Faithful? Virtues are not easy. Vices are easy. I can easily say I can be too proud sometimes and I've known wrath. I can easily admit that envy, lust, and gluttony have caused much grief in my life. Roman philospher Cicero claimed that "Gratitude is a parent of the other virtues" although in many books written about virtues or vices, gratitude is not mentioned. Maybe that's because in November many of us celebrate the official holiday called "Thanksgiving Day" which was made an official holiday in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. "The holiday was permanently fixed to the fourth Thursday of November by a law signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941." (per google, 11/1/25)
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman2 months ago in Viva
My Winter Ritual of Lights
See my garden. The garden is my ritual de la habitual all year long. I've been tending this garden since 2021. I absolutely love this garden and I love everything about gardening. Winter is no different to me than the other seasons. All four seasons are equal to me. In my garden, I pay homage to each season with different sections of my garden. I designed it that way from day one. Winter has its very own section, which I have shown you in the photograph above.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman2 months ago in Humans
Is the Government Shutdown Real?
Remember when Trump kept saying "Fake News" and everybody called him the Anti-Christ for saying that? They mocked him, hated him, and called him all kinds of bad things because he was pointing out the FACT that many people were unaware about how much nonsense they accept as truth just because it came from the television or the "News" reporters. Do we still feel that way or have more people begun to realize that we have no idea what is true or false anymore? I have to admit that for the portion of my life that I call the "young years" it was really nice believing that I knew everything or at least that I knew enough to discern between fact and fiction. These days, I have no idea. Unless it actually occurred to me or to my witness, I have no idea who is truthing or fibbing. Like this "Government Shutdown" thing ---- What the heck are they talking about?
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman3 months ago in The Swamp
Lessons I Wish I Had Learned
Yesterday I had a melt down. I just flipped out all by myself because I couldn't find my favorite dress. I threw all the clothes in my closet and dresser looking for it. Then I realized it was in the dryer and I was so relieved even if I had a lot of clothes to pick up off the floor and put away again. It's a silly dress by fashionista standards. I paid about $20 for it at one of those hard-to-get-to unique stores. It's like that dress that Charlotte was wearing in Vegas when her best gal pals (a scene from Sex and the City) were making fun of her. They said it wasn't classy, kinda cheap looking, kinda "sluttyish"... Charlotte just shrugged. She liked the dress and the way she looked in it. That's exactly how I feel in my favorite dress. It's size XL and stretchy polyester material. It's lightweight and cool and comfortable. It's a simple pattern style design and it accentuates the curvy body. It's perfect for my body. Do you know how hard it is for an inverse triangle body to find a dress that looks good on? Almost impossible. The dresses that they sell at the big name brand department store that go for $50 or more and have the sizes that cater to the above size chart, don't care about my body or the bodies of plus-sized women or the bodies of curvy women who defy that size chart. They never have. And we have driven ourselves crazy trying to keep up with the Jones's and the Kardashians with all the reindeer games of "What are you wearing?" and "Where did you get that thing?" instead of just finding what really looked good on us. Who cares what other's think? How do you feel in it? Do you feel fabulous? Then you found the right dress.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman3 months ago in Viva
Don't forget the power of a Window Display
Some people (like me) stopped going to the mall. We used to love it. It used to be part of weekend routine. Every Saturday or Sunday we'd drive to the big parking lot, circle around to find a spot, and then walk around the glossy floors wondering if we had enough money to buy something from one of the "ooh la la" stores. We felt nostalgic, like we were teenagers again, but this time there was actually some cash in our purses. We didn't go to meet up with some friends or see if our new crush would steal a kiss - nope. We went because the floor was shiny, the air-conditioning or indoor temperature was better than the weather outside, and it gave us a reason to put on some nice clothes because we got all confused at church about what to wear. We tried to enjoy our meal at the foodcourt, even though we knew we could make something better at home for less money. We walked around and noticed the teens, and the families with children still trying to juggle all of that responsibility. We sat on some bench watching and reminiscing about the stores that have come and gone. Memories of old friends and happy times came to mind as we listened to whatever music was playing. Then we took one last walk around to see what the stores were promoting. The window displays would invite us in or tell us to keep walking. Most of them don't have a "Welcome" mat or a "Now Hiring" sign these days. Most of them just have a subtle "Keep Walking" sign. That's how you know, that soon the mall won't be there. It will become another empty building beckoning to be leveled to ground zero, or crying to be reinvented. History repeats, over and over again.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman3 months ago in Trader
