{"id":2640,"date":"2021-08-09T08:42:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-09T14:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/?p=2640"},"modified":"2023-06-28T13:03:13","modified_gmt":"2023-06-28T19:03:13","slug":"on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/","title":{"rendered":"On Focus: &#8220;I saw a creature&#8230;bestial&#8230;&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;text-align: center;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/dot.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Email\",\"Print\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"big\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_twitter_via=\"bxwretlind\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"On%20Focus%3A%20%22I%20saw%20a%20creature...bestial...%22\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Focus, man. Focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don&#8217;t do this often, and I don&#8217;t know if I&#8217;ll do it again. Feel free to mark this day as &#8220;weird.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;So, what&#8217;s new in the WORLD?&#8221;<br>Asks a demon in my midst.<br>&#8220;Funny thing you should ask,&#8221;<br>I breathe out from behind my bars.<br>&#8220;I was going to ask you the same.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was from the late 80s. Note the similarities, if you will, to my favorite poet Stephen Crane. I don&#8217;t know if it was my intention to ape his style so closely, but I did it nonetheless. If you&#8217;re unfamiliar with the poetry of Crane, allow me to post this one (since it&#8217;s public domain and all that jazz):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">II<br>In the desert<br>I saw a creature, naked, bestial,<br>who, squatting upon the ground,<br>Held his heart in his hands,<br>And ate of it.<br>I said, &#8220;Is it good, friend?&#8221;<br>&#8220;It is bitter, bitter,&#8221; he answered;<br>&#8220;But I like it<br>Because it is bitter,<br>And because it is my heart.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-5354\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Stephen-Crane-1897.jpg\" alt=\"Stephen Crane, 1897\" class=\"wp-image-5354\" width=\"533\" height=\"734\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Stephen-Crane-1897.jpg 1065w, https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Stephen-Crane-1897-218x300.jpg 218w, https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Stephen-Crane-1897-743x1024.jpg 743w, https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Stephen-Crane-1897-768x1059.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Stephen-Crane-1897-1024x1411.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Stephen-Crane-1897-784x1080.jpg 784w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Stephen Crane, 1897<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Crane was a depressing soul, really, and in his rather short life (he died in 1900 at the age of 29 from tuberculosis) he created powerful works and left a legacy I have no chance of ever matching (nor, in truth, do I think any current author can). I&#8217;m not a literary scholar; rather I&#8217;m a literary nutcase. That pretty much means I want to know who a person was, what they wrote and why they wrote it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the early 1990s, after a bout of depression, I quit reading Crane. I figured it would just bring me down even further and taint my view of life. Perhaps by the time I stopped, however, my view of life had already been tainted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Something to think about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s another poem I wrote in 1991.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through a blanket of rain<br>I have seen the horses come,<br>Black steeds,<br>Seething breath,<br>Red eyes ablaze,<br>Pounding hoof upon the WORLD<br>I have seen them come for me,<br>Calling my name,<br>Reaching for my soul,<br>Red eyes,<br>Burning hatred,<br>Pounding hood upon the WORLD<br>They come,<br>The come for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pounding hoof upon my heart.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I recall the genesis of this poem distinctly, and yet I don&#8217;t know why. I had been performing my duties on the edge of the flight line at Shaw AFB. It was at this time that there was a constant rotation of F-16 squadrons through Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm. It was, in fact, the feel of the afterburners from two F-16s taking off in tandem that really sparked the lines &#8220;Seething breath&#8221; and &#8220;Burning hatred.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For those not quite familiar with Crane (again, we&#8217;re back to him), check out this passage from his seminal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/files\/9870\/9870-h\/9870-h.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>War is Kind<\/em><\/a> published in 1899 after he&#8217;d spent some time as a journalist covering the Spanish-American War. (By the way, if you didn&#8217;t know, Crane wrote <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3NQr9o6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Red Badge of Courage<\/em><\/a> in 1895 with no war experience. Between the publication of that novel and this poem, he&#8217;d been a witness to quite a bit in both Greece and Cuba.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,<br>Little souls who thirst for fight,<br>These men were born to drill and die.<br>The unexplained glory flies above them,<br>Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom &#8212;<br>A field where a thousand corpses lie.<br>Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.<br>Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches,<br>Raged at his breast, gulped and died,<br>Do not weep.<br>War is kind.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently, I&#8217;m in a debate with myself with regard to the project I should work on next. I have three projects outlined and two in progress. After <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3PuxtTG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">finishing one<\/a>, it&#8217;s sometimes hard (for me) to decide on the right path. That&#8217;s not a good thing, as I feel the need to maintain a focus as I did last year. Having so many projects without a focus is &#8220;&#8230;bitter, bitter.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe this is Stephen talking to me, the ghost in my attic who won&#8217;t leave me alone until I return to his work and continue his legacy. I like to think there&#8217;s a small chance a soul can move forward, infest the direction of a future soul and merge continuously through history until perfection is reached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that&#8217;s a different <em>something<\/em> altogether I won&#8217;t get into now. (It has to do with reincarnation.)<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/beastial_pin.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/beastial_pin-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5885\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/beastial_pin-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/beastial_pin-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/beastial_pin-720x1080.jpg 720w, https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/beastial_pin.jpg 735w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div><div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;text-align: center;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/dot.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Email\",\"Print\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"big\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_twitter_via=\"bxwretlind\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"On%20Focus%3A%20%22I%20saw%20a%20creature...bestial...%22\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Focus, man. Focus. I don&#8217;t do this often, and I don&#8217;t know if I&#8217;ll do it again. Feel free to mark this day as &#8220;weird.&#8221; &#8220;So, what&#8217;s new in the WORLD?&#8221;Asks a demon in my midst.&#8220;Funny thing you should ask,&#8221;I breathe out from behind my bars.&#8220;I was going to ask you the same.&#8221; That was&hellip; <br \/> <a class=\"button small blue\" href=\"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,7,29],"tags":[65,9,31],"class_list":["post-2640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poetry","category-readerly-musings","category-reflection","tag-poetry-2","tag-reading","tag-reflection-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6.1 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>On Focus: &quot;I saw a creature...bestial...&quot; - Benjamin X. Wretlind<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Currently, I&#039;m in a debate with myself with regard to the project I should work on next. Having so many projects without a focus is &quot;..bitter, bitter.&quot;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"On Focus: &quot;I saw a creature...bestial...&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Currently, I&#039;m in a debate with myself with regard to the project I should work on next. Having so many projects without a focus is &quot;..bitter, bitter.&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Benjamin X. Wretlind\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-08-09T14:42:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-28T19:03:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Stephen-Crane-1897.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Benjamin X. Wretlind\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Benjamin X. Wretlind\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/09\\\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/09\\\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Benjamin X. Wretlind\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/00b22fcb0d2170803400ba3ea89fb516\"},\"headline\":\"On Focus: &#8220;I saw a creature&#8230;bestial&#8230;&#8221;\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-08-09T14:42:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-28T19:03:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/09\\\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":744,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/00b22fcb0d2170803400ba3ea89fb516\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/09\\\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/Stephen-Crane-1897.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"poetry\",\"reading\",\"reflection\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Poetry\",\"Readerly Musings\",\"Reflection\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/09\\\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/09\\\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\\\/\",\"name\":\"On Focus: \\\"I saw a creature...bestial...\\\" - Benjamin X. Wretlind\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/09\\\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/09\\\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/Stephen-Crane-1897.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-08-09T14:42:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-28T19:03:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"Currently, I'm in a debate with myself with regard to the project I should work on next. Having so many projects without a focus is \\\"..bitter, bitter.\\\"\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/09\\\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/09\\\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/09\\\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/Stephen-Crane-1897.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/Stephen-Crane-1897.jpg\",\"width\":1065,\"height\":1468,\"caption\":\"Stephen Crane, 1897\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/09\\\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"On Focus: &#8220;I saw a creature&#8230;bestial&#8230;&#8221;\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Benjamin X. Wretlind\",\"description\":\"Creator of Things\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/00b22fcb0d2170803400ba3ea89fb516\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/00b22fcb0d2170803400ba3ea89fb516\",\"name\":\"Benjamin X. Wretlind\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/cropped-cropped-bx_logo2_trans-1.png\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/cropped-cropped-bx_logo2_trans-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/cropped-cropped-bx_logo2_trans-1.png\",\"width\":402,\"height\":409,\"caption\":\"Benjamin X. Wretlind\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/cropped-cropped-bx_logo2_trans-1.png\"},\"description\":\"Benjamin ran with scissors when he was five. He now writes. Follow him at https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/bxwretlind.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.bxwretlind.com\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bxwretlind.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"On Focus: \"I saw a creature...bestial...\" - Benjamin X. Wretlind","description":"Currently, I'm in a debate with myself with regard to the project I should work on next. Having so many projects without a focus is \"..bitter, bitter.\"","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"On Focus: \"I saw a creature...bestial...\"","og_description":"Currently, I'm in a debate with myself with regard to the project I should work on next. Having so many projects without a focus is \"..bitter, bitter.\"","og_url":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/","og_site_name":"Benjamin X. Wretlind","article_published_time":"2021-08-09T14:42:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-06-28T19:03:13+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Stephen-Crane-1897.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Benjamin X. Wretlind","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Benjamin X. Wretlind","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/"},"author":{"name":"Benjamin X. Wretlind","@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/00b22fcb0d2170803400ba3ea89fb516"},"headline":"On Focus: &#8220;I saw a creature&#8230;bestial&#8230;&#8221;","datePublished":"2021-08-09T14:42:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-28T19:03:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/"},"wordCount":744,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/00b22fcb0d2170803400ba3ea89fb516"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Stephen-Crane-1897.jpg","keywords":["poetry","reading","reflection"],"articleSection":["Poetry","Readerly Musings","Reflection"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/","url":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/","name":"On Focus: \"I saw a creature...bestial...\" - Benjamin X. Wretlind","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Stephen-Crane-1897.jpg","datePublished":"2021-08-09T14:42:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-28T19:03:13+00:00","description":"Currently, I'm in a debate with myself with regard to the project I should work on next. Having so many projects without a focus is \"..bitter, bitter.\"","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Stephen-Crane-1897.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Stephen-Crane-1897.jpg","width":1065,"height":1468,"caption":"Stephen Crane, 1897"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/on-focus-i-saw-a-creature-bestial\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"On Focus: &#8220;I saw a creature&#8230;bestial&#8230;&#8221;"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/","name":"Benjamin X. Wretlind","description":"Creator of Things","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/00b22fcb0d2170803400ba3ea89fb516"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/00b22fcb0d2170803400ba3ea89fb516","name":"Benjamin X. Wretlind","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cropped-cropped-bx_logo2_trans-1.png","url":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cropped-cropped-bx_logo2_trans-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cropped-cropped-bx_logo2_trans-1.png","width":402,"height":409,"caption":"Benjamin X. Wretlind"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cropped-cropped-bx_logo2_trans-1.png"},"description":"Benjamin ran with scissors when he was five. He now writes. Follow him at https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bxwretlind.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.bxwretlind.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2640"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24873,"href":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640\/revisions\/24873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bxwretlind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}