broken hearts of the wind
are gentle, in times when strings are
thin, and fierce
as we gather the materials within
to live, love, and laugh at the sky
reminding me
of how hard we all try
even when we want to shout
we can still let it go by
with a pause, and a breath
watching the waves wash over our missteps
revealing, and relating
the nature of the cosmos in your eyes
of a love
that always shines
Photo by iljaketschik, Pixabay
It’s been a couple of months since I’ve created a month in review, and, as you know, it’s been busy in all aspects of my life. Life is like that, it comes, it goes, both the painful and the pleasurable, and today, I accept all aspects, even when it’s really difficult.
It’s summer time here in Oregon, which means the sun will be out more often, and the temperatures will rise, which I always enjoy.
I didn’t spend much time in the community garden until last weekend, and I made a lot of progress, as you can see from the pre and post pictures above. I’m going smaller this year, only planting tomatoes, peppers, and some herbs. I also planted some lavender, which I love.
This summer I will get out on some hikes, and may also travel down to see my mom and sisters in Los Angeles.
The team is doing well, creating new personal enrichment classes, new leadership training opportunities, training new teenage drivers, getting people ready for new jobs in the workforce, and advising our local small business on how they can grow and gain traction in their businesses.
It’s a wonderful department to belong to, and serving our local communities is a blessing each day. Here is a look at our summer schedule of classes.
This month, I sent my book manuscript to Ingrid Wilson, and we are now in the editing phase, which is not my favorite part, yet, as we all know, it’s one of the most important.
I am hopeful to reveal the cover and title in the next month, though I am in no hurry at all, so we shall see.
I’ve had a poem accepted and published at Spillwords Press almost every month this year, which included being voted Author of the Month for Jan/Feb and three nominations for publication of the month. Such an honor to have my poetry so well received and read.
I was also part of the #1 Amazon Bestselling Poetry Anthology Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women. Every part of this experience has been a blessing to me.
Additionally, I am still submitting two poems a month to MasticadoresIndia & MasticadoresUSA, and will continue to do so for the remainder of this year.
The blog just had its two year anniversary, and we have now surpassed 3,400 readers. I am so honored and grateful to each of you for being here. Some of you have been here from the beginning, and some of you just joined recently. Either way, I honor and appreciate each of you for your participation in this blog and your engagement with me. Thank you!
I’ve iterated my posting schedule on this blog many, many times. There was a time when I posted about 10 to 11 times a week, and now I am posting 2 to 4 times a week, which is perfect for my life today.
I am also now going to iterate how I read, which means that I will not read every single day as I do now, rather, I will read every other day. This is a change that will be hard for me, as I love reading all of your poetry and posts each day, yet because I am resistant to it, it means it is needed. All that it means is that I will read more on the days I read, and then have a couple of nights each week, where I can write and focus on other things.
Overall the first half of this year has been one of continuous growth in every aspect of my life, as I am stretched at home, work, and in my writing. It’s exactly how I like it. When we are challenged each day, we get to grow, and we get to experience the many emotions we have as human beings. It’s the experience of true aliveness when we get to experience all that life has gifted us, even in the most painful moments. A blessing.
It’s taken me a couple of weeks to work through my emotions about the recent overturn of Roe v. Wade, and I am still processing.
Though I love this country, and wish everyone that celebrates today a very happy Independence Day, I recently responded to a poem on Yard Sale of Thoughts, by K Kartless, and wrote that I’d never been so embarrassed to be a US citizen as I am right now. A paradoxical truth.
The bottom line? The United States has tremendous wealth, and yet people go hungry, have to fight for the rights to choose about their bodies, while systematic and structural oppression continues in this country every day.
Though this angers and saddens me, I know that continuing to take my actions each day, however small or large they are, to mitigate and eliminate these horrible injustices will continue.
For, it’s not the size of the action we take in life, it’s that we take our action, and then take another, and continue to do so, working toward, in this case, a better version of this country, which, collectively, I believe we can achieve.
Speaking of a better version, I was elated when I read about the new addition to the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson, on I didn’t have my glasses on, by Beth. How wonderful for the Supreme Court, and for this country.
Lightening Rhymes, by Navin Manik, is a tour de force of poems that enter into the reader’s heart, blossoming like wildflowers stretching towards the sun of spiritual transcendence. Navin’s poetry is raw and powerful, connecting spiritual experiences to nature in a way that leaves the reader breathless, and in want of more.
The feelings Navin evokes throughout the book are stunningly descriptive and can resonate with any human being on this planet, for we’ve all been to places Navin describes. Deep pain, trauma, heartache, anxiety, depression, etc., are woven into the language inside of these beautiful poems with an expert hand. Likewise, Navin expresses deep love, hope, and the beauty of human connection throughout his verse. I highly recommend Lightening Rhymes, it is a book that will resonate in your heart and mind.
In the book, Woman: Splendor and Sorrow, Love Poems and Poetic Prose, Gabriela Marie Milton creates contexts that spark the imagination, while inviting the reader to take a deep dive within themselves. The poems and prose are full of vibrant imagery, evoking a multiplicity of worlds, which seem far away, and paradoxically right next door; for we have all felt the deep sorrow and splendor of being in love with another human being.
Gabriela’s language is stunning, continuously creating juxtapositions between nature and the self, reimagining what it means to be in love as a human being. What does it mean to feel deep sorrow; to feel the elation of delight and splendor? Gabriela shows us through a language of love that entices the senses. (You can read more of my review of Woman: Splendor and Sorrow: | Love Poems and Poetic Prose on Amazon).
Alright, that’s all for this month. Sending you all my love and blessings for a wonderful July.
love lives in the shadows, and
the whispers of the wind, as
along a lost trail, I go
with pain the size of stones
in my heart, I
compose
possibilities, while people in places far away
eliminate the rights to choose and be free
Do you ever wonder about peace and tranquility?
I do too.
at the same time
I consider the anger in the breeze, and
the angst pervading this body, as
visceral sensations awaken the truth
within the painted brush strokes
of a love as deep as the sea
and this terrible sadness dwelling inside of me
Photo by Prawny, Pixabay
I am so pleased to announce that my poem, stems and seeds, is now available at MasticadoresUSA. Thank you to Gabriela Marie Milton, and the team at MasticadoresUSA for their continued support, and for publishing this piece.
stems and seeds
shadows are cast over my eyes
as I try to find
the nature of reality inside
the stems and seeds
gifted to me
while I await the return of the tide
within
the heart and stone romancing…
I would be honored if you would go here, and read the rest of my poem. Thank you!
Photo by knewf /, Pixabay
I bleed from the trepidation within
of salt and the sand beneath
the trees skin
It’s like wondering, and wandering
around the needle of a haystack
rightly sized and trimmed
with a beneficence of hope, and
a ladle made from the love we once formed
Is it possible to love this much, and not bleed more?
I don’t think so either.
For, it’s in the form of the fountain
where love gets lighter
living beneath the breath of this struggling architect, and
the love that lives within
the next steps of his flowered aspects
I was excited to learn yesterday that my poem, The Seas Adoration, was nominated for June Publication of the Month at Spillwords Press. Thank you to Dagmara K, and the team at Spillwords for their continued support; and my deepest thanks, gratitude, and appreciation to all of you for always being here, supporting my work, and being magnificent friends.
Voting is open though June 29, and you can vote here. Thank you!
Photo by PeterKraayvanger, Pixabay
I like to live underneath the trees
they satisfy me, and
my sensibility
of the known and unknown
Did you know that around every corner a bend is shown?
among the flowers, long and tall
as they, to me, draw
nearer, and
for the first time in life
a kaleidoscope of colors becomes clearer
purples and pinks always delight
while amber hues, and the relational aspects
of the indigo fields
speak to me of a love
lingering
in the shadows
awaiting its time to shine
upon you and I
Photo by Sean_Ewing, Pixabay
I am so pleased to announce that my poem, fiery lake, is now available at MasticadoresIndia. Thank you to Terveen Gill, and the team at MasticadoresIndia for their continued support, and for publishing this piece.
fiery lake
love lives in each heartbeat
and breath
we take, regardless of past
mistakes
and the pain we rake
like mist
that takes me on a trip…
I would be honored if you would go here, and read the rest of my poem. Thank you!
Photo by jes872148, Pixabay
stars are made up of dust, and the atoms
of the lost
and torn
pages
I continue to read
while nesting my heart within the tallest oak tree
I wonder
about the nature of these feelings
Have they always lived with me, or are they a part of some other being?
Alas, I know not. I do know, though, that love
is here to stay
even when I’m sure
it will flee with the breeze
and, here is where I stop, and look up
to see if the moon is still in the sky
it reminds me of the reasons for my existence
and for the you, in I
and the love that burns throughout the day and night
Photo by Sina Katirachi on Unsplash
Well, look what arrived yesterday! I’m so honored and excited to be a part of this beautiful anthology filled with amazingly talented writers and friends. Another big congratulations to Gabriela Marie Milton, Ingrid Wilson, Nick Reeves, and all of the amazing authors. You can get your copy of Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women here.
trees hold up the sky
you’ve always known it was that way
by design
like candy rolled up into a tiny ball
sprinkled
with love, these shiny bits of
fall, brown and sandalwood colored delightfulness
befall us all
when we allow the love of childhood to enter the space
we’ve hidden inside
the flowers stamen, tall
and magnificent
a fragrance from the heavens cascading down in time
with the beating of our hearts
even when thin, and dreary
the tides
escape
the banks of the river deltas hymn
with the love we share in common within
I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for all of the love, prayers, hugs, and support you sent to my family and I over the past few days. Things have settled, and I now am back on WP. I will spend the next few days catching up on your beautiful poems and posts. Sending love and blessings to all of you.
I was elated to learn yesterday that the Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women anthology is now a #1 best seller. How amazing! Congratulations to Gabriela, Ingrid, Nick, and all of the wonderfully talented authors! You can pick up a copy here.
As a reminder, there is a launch party this morning at 7 am PST, where some of the authors will be reading their poems from the anthology. That is one hour from now, and you can tune in via YouTube here. Alas, I will not be in attendance this morning, yet send my love and best wishes to Gabriela, Ingrid, Nick, and all of the authors for a splendid event.
Photo by 12019, Pixabay
beauty stays, while I refrain
from past participles of rain
may I always remain
inside the mist of the sun
while a deluge of fevered feelings
comes forth
carrying my heart towards the past
none
can know the pain I carry
inside the dew drop known to me as you
glistening and shimmering
with a vibrancy at noon
we dance under the umbrella sky
tinged with blue
and await the love living inside our brambles of truth
I had a personal issue arise last evening, which is requiring my attention. Please know the family and I are safe. I will respond to your beautiful comments and reflections, and visit your sites as soon as I am able. Sending love and blessings to all of you.
Photo by ArtTower, Pixabay
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