Top Ten Posts for 2013

If you look on the right hand panel of this blog page, you will see a running tally of the top ten most viewed posts for the month. I thought it would be interesting to go back and see what the top ten posts for 2013 were.  I have my own favorites, but what I prefer does not necessarily reflect what others are most interested in.

Here are the top ten most frequently viewed posts for Not Dark Yet in 2013:

1. Writing Haiku  During the month of April, I always pay special attention to poetry since April in National Poetry Month. This past April I posted an entry with information about writing haiku, the Japanese poetic form with three lines and syllable allotment of five, seven, and five. I thought it would be a good way to get people involved in writing poetry who might not otherwise think of themselves as poets.  I was amazed that this one went ballistic, with well over 900 views.  Seeing that kind of interest in haiku motivated me to start a weekly feature on my blog, Saturday Haiku, in which I write a new haiku each week. 
2. Are Our Lawmakers Capable of Passing Humane Laws?  I had already posted several pieces on immigration in 2012. This brief commentary was one I wrote after reading about an encounter that Alabama’s Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III had with some Latinos on the issue of immigration reform. 
3. Where Love and Reason Dwell is a photographic essay I wrote after visiting the historic First Universalist Church of Camp Hill, Alabama. It was a wonderful visit to a place near my own hometown, although I had never encountered the grand old church until this year. 
4. Everybody Knows (Leonard Cohen) was one of the Monday Music features with a video of Leonard Cohen from a concert in London. “Everybody knows the deal is rotten/ Old Black Joe’s still pickin’ cotton/ For your ribbons and bows…” 
5. On the Waging of War is an essay presenting my anti-war stance. The essay was prompted by the increasing use of drones in military conflict. 
6. Wednesdays with Dorothy: Making the Transition from Group Home to Apartment is from a series I did about my late friend Dorothy Burdette who spent half her life in an institution  (Partlow State School) before finding a new life in the community. 
7. All Souls’ Day: A Time of Remembrance is a reflection on two friends who departed this life in 2013. 
8. By the Waters is from my Saturday Haiku series. With each haiku I post, I always include a photograph from nature. This one featured a beautiful photo by Scott Wright. A lot of Scott’s friends saw this one which bumped it up to the top ten list.  
9. An Evening with Garrison Keillor is my review of a very entertaining evening when Garrison Keillor came to Samford University with an event that was billed as “Garrison Keillor: A Brand New Retrospective.” 
10. Recipes My Daughter Likes: Falafel  I posted several vegetarian recipes this year that are among my daughter’s favorites. This one got the most hits of all the recipes and was number ten on the most viewed posts for 2013.  

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