Poetry and Prose by #1 Amazon Bestselling Author of Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow, Co-Author of #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women, and Jan/Feb 2022 Spillwords Press Author of the Month
I am both excited and sad to share this wrap-up post of the Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow: 30 Poems in 30 Days Collaboration. It was a lot of fun, and while I am sad to see it end, I am even more excited about the initiatives and projects I am working on, which you will learn more about in the near future.
First, let’s take a quick look at the gorgeous poetry that each of the writers created for the 30/30 collaboration.
I would like to thank all of these wonderful poets and friends again for collaborating with me, and for sharing their talent, and hearts with all of us. I remain honored you chose to submit and to have your gorgeous poetry here.
As always, thank you to all of you for always being here, for your friendship, and loving support.
As it is officially Spring in this area of the world, I am preparing to participate in the Community Gardenagain this year. Last year was my first year with this garden, and I am excited to participate again. As you can see in the picture above, there is a lot of work to do!
This past month, I also completed the purchase of a painting from two of our blogger friends, Giada and Labrum, of Multidimensional Art. The painting was one that Labrum created specifically for me, and I love it. If you’ve not yet checked out Giada and Labrum’s site, I recommend you do. Giada writes wonderful poetry, and Labrum’s paintings are amazing.
Coast Trip
I also took a trip to the coast in March. I usually go to Yachats, OR, and did so again in March. I grew up at the beach, and so I like to visit the ocean every couple of months. I always have a wonderful time walking along the coast, contemplating life, and just being with myself and nature. It’s glorious.
Work
The department completed the spring schedulethis month, and I am excited about some of the new in person classes we have this term. We also launched our CDL (Commercial Drivers License) program this week, and it is going wonderfully.
Right now, we have more people registered for classes and training since the pandemic started, which means we are serving more people, and are reaching these same community members with access to education they need. A wonderful feeling.
As you know, I was voted Spillwords Press Author of the Month for January and February, which is a huge honor. I would like to thank each of you again for your continued support. You are appreciated immensely, and I am lucky to have each of you in my life. If you missed the Q&A Interview I did with Spillwords,you can find it here.
I am continuing to write for my debut poetry book, and am on a timeline that includes writing for the book through April, editing in May, and sending it to Ingrid Wilson, of Experiments in Fiction in late May, early June. Ingrid and I are currently working on cover design. Exciting!
Blogging
My blogging schedule has changed again this year, to make space for writing my book, and to write for the publications at MasticadoresIndia and MasticadoresUSA. I’ve created the goal of posting two to three times a week on my blog, which I am meeting at this time.
I would like to thank you all again for supporting me by continuing to visit MasticadoresIndia and MasticadoresUSA to read my poetry. The response to the poems I have published on these sites has been amazing, and I’m honored each time you visit these sites to read my poetry. Thank you.
For the past couple of months, I’ve been reflecting upon how I can give back to our writing community.
Over the past year, I’ve purchased many books that our writing community has produced, and this year, I’ve decided to write reviews of these books. I’m excited about this reading and writing project, and look forward to sharing the reviews with you.
My goal is to write at least one review each month, and thus far I am on par with this goal. Here are my reviews of two amazing books.
As Delicate As Snow, by Shobana Gomes
In the book,As Delicate as Snow, Shobana Gomes weaves a tale of magic, mystery, and suspense. Shobana’s use of snow as an additional character in this love story guides the reader inward, toward an exploration of wondrously delicate and beautiful imagery, and profound feelings, from the angst of meeting a new potential lover, to the love that blossoms in ones heart at the realization of true love. As Delicate As Snow will make you believe in true love again. I highly recommend this beautiful love story, by Shobana Gomes.
Being a Woman Forthcoming, by Michele Lee Sefton
Being a Woman Forthcoming is a collection of poetry and prose that stirs the soul.Michele Lee Sefton takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery, through important social justice issues, such as gender discrimination, and also reminds us to honor our mothers. Being a Woman Forthcoming is a powerful read, full of empowering prose and poetry, inviting the reader to look within and contemplate issues that affect us all, from the personal to the global. I highly recommend Being A Woman Forthcoming, and thank Michele Lee Sefton for gifting us this wonderful work.
These books are wonderful, and I highly recommend them.
I will continue to contemplate how I can give back to our community this year, and will have more ideas and insights about future projects and contributions I can make to do my part to ensure that the vitality and vibrancy of our community continues.
A Poem
dreams begin in a clear lake that I look within
depths unseen & a pool waiting to find beneath
the pain & trauma bubbling up
like raindrops upside down on the forest floor awaiting triumph
That’s all for this month. Thank you to each of you again for being such wonderful friends. I am honored to know you, and feel blessed everyday to be a part of this amazing community of talented and gifted human beings.
Sending you all my love for a wonderfully blessed April.
I am elated and honored to share with you that I was voted as the Spillwords Press Author of the Month of January and February!
I am deeply grateful to Dagmara K and the entire team at Spillwords for supporting my work; and deeply grateful to each of you for being here, supporting me, and being such wonderful friends. It is because of each of you that I am here today. You inspire me, and I appreciate each of you very much. Thank you!
rhythm and sound walking along the ground, I stumbled, and fell
happenings like this tout a specific rhythm
and sound, like walking amongst the clouds
what confused me most then, was not knowing —
love is derived from within
took quite a few more stumbles, and tumbles
among the trees, the leaves, and
all of the misery
to notice, the hand was always there, even when on the ground
It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted a diary entry. I am excited about this entry, as I’ve got a couple of veggie pics, a blueberry picking adventure, and some news about traveling. Fun.
Last week, the team and I completed the team building I wrote about in my last diary entry. It went well. The theme of the team building was Back to the Future; yes, termed such after the movie, and the concepts we discussed were connection, continuity, and change.
We discussed these concepts because we know that there will be more change, there always is, every moment something is changing, we are all changing, yet, we also know that within this change, there is also continuity and continued connection.
An important paradox to understand and be at ease with.
Writing and Reflecting
The past couple of weeks, I’ve been reflecting a lot upon the internal work I’ve been engaged in these past 4 years, and how this work has shaped the man I am today. Transformational is the concept that comes to mind.
Transformational because when we look at the pain we carry, get in touch with it, work through it, we get back so much more. The only way to let go of something is to actually be in touch with it first, and to then work through it. Then, we can let it go.
I imagine my poetry will always be shaped by these experiences, because they are not static, they continue today.
Veggies and Blueberries
The garden is healthy and well, and is producing, and will produce even more in the next month. Exciting.
Here are a couple of pics.
Justin and I went to a local blueberry farm last weekend, and picked almost 40 pounds of blueberries, which are one of my favorites. I eat them everyday, and enjoy them most in my evening smoothies. Delicious.
As I wrote about a few months ago, I will make some changes to the site this summer. I’ve already removed the videos page, as it is very outdated, and am creating a couple of new pages, and condensing some of the other pages.
At this time, I am not planning on changing the overall site theme, yet, you never know. As I work through these changes over the next two months, if something occurs differently for you, or becomes difficult for you on the site, I would love it if you would let me know. You can get my email from the contact page. Thank you.
As I’ve written about before, I am excited to travel in the coming years; and, I’m excited to share that I’ve booked my first trip. It will be to London, next May. Since I’ve been at my current job, I’ve not taken off more than a few days here and there, and am excited to be in London for 12 nights.
That will be the 2022 trip, and in 2023? India; and, then in 2024, Japan. That’s the plan anyway. We all know that plans change, yet, having a plan is important. And, then? Let the change come. It’s all okay.
