I am a sky tinged in shadows. The absence of color, a cloud’s pain— gentle tears with whitewashed edges. A horizon’s bleakness and a feelings abyss. It is the sorrow of love, my final wish.
©Jeff Flesch
#1 Amazon bestselling poet – Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow.[goodreads +1]
Co-Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women
Jan/Feb 2022 Author of the Month, Spillwords Press
I am paper thin, wearing a mask conditioned in absence. An act of necessity, desires’ debut and dissolution. I am emptiness, love given and suffering subdued in silence.
©Jeff Flesch
#1 Amazon bestselling poet – Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow.[goodreads +1]
Co-Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women
Jan/Feb 2022 Author of the Month, Spillwords Press
I learned from you
and the sumptuous sky
about lessons in pain
and in love
at times
there is no dignity
in a world devoid of feeling
and of knowing
yet, the world continues to spin
on the gravity of your gaze
and on the wellness held at bay
in a spinning top of purple haze
Twitter #vss365 prompt words used: sumptuous. Follow me on Twitter here, and Instagram here.
I am always honored to have my poetry at MasticadoresIndia and MasticadoresUSA. It is a blessing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Terveen, and Barbara for always supporting my work; and, thank you to each of you for continuing to read, like, and comment on my poems on these two exceptional online magazines.
Here are my two newest pieces.
I would be honored if you would read them when you have a moment, thank you!
Jeff Flesch
#1 Amazon Bestselling Author of Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow
Co-Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women
Jan/Feb 2022 Author of the Month, Spillwords Press
I’ve hiked
up and over mountains of love
and of pain
wandering
through fields of metaphors
and valleys of symbolism
exploring within
while watching
minimal expectations
arise again
a balance
of body and mind
and of the love manifesting
in between
your shadow and mine
©JeffFlesch.com
Image by MenielDM, Pixabay
Twitter #vss365 prompt words used: hike, explore, minimal, balance. Follow me on Twitter here, and on Instagram here.
I wrote two poems with the word prompts from Twitter this week. Here is the second one.
Shadow’s Sown
I explore the depths
of the wind
and the space that lives in between
this moment and the next
a balance of learning
and of unlearning
arises again
when
minimal expectations
are drawn together
like a bow
representing
the shadow of words
left behind to sow
We are at that time of year in the Pacific Northwest when the hiking trails begin to dry out, and hiking becomes something that I will take part in each week. For those of you who’ve followed me for years, you know how much I love to be out in the forest and at the coast, two of my favorite places, regardless of where I am living and or visiting.
Here are some pics from my first short hike of the season.
For those of you celebrating Easter, Happy Easter, for those celebrating Ramadan, Ramadan Mubarak, and for all of you, may your day, and week be peaceful, and full of love.
Jeff Flesch
#1 Amazon Bestselling Author of Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow
Co-Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women
Jan/Feb 2022 Author of the Month, Spillwords Press
I drink you in
a star of yesteryear
and of a future
shared
a day
like the next
continuing
to reimagine time’s relapse
of memories
transformed into dreams
amongst stars
encrusted with sleep
and
with the closure
needed
to regulate our heartbeat
Image by Prettysleepy, Pixabay Twitter #vss365 prompt words used: drink, sleep, closure. Follow me on Twitter here.
I’m honored to relate that my poem Field Full of Flowers was nominated for March publication of the month at Spillwords Press. Thank you to Dagmara K, and the team at Spillwords for their support, and to each and every one of you for your continued support, and friendship.
I would be grateful if you would take a moment and vote here. Thank you!
Jeff Flesch
#1 Amazon Bestselling Author of Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow
Co-Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women
Jan/Feb 2022 Author of the Month, Spillwords Press
I want to play with the nature
of pain
and hide
the existence of tears
dwelling
within the chambers of change
a doppelgänger
made from the cusp of our love
frosted over
with the nest of
a honeycomb
encircled
by clouds hanging upside down
from
the starry sky above
Photo by FreeCreativeStuff, Pixabay
Twitter #vss365 prompt words used: want, change, doppelgänger. Follow me on Twitter here.
I am always honored to have my poetry in MasticadoresIndia and MasticadoresUSA. It is a blessing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Terveen, and Barbara for always supporting my work; and, thank you to each of you for continuing to read, like, and comment on my poems on these two exceptional online magazines.
Here are my two newest pieces.
I would be honored if you would read them when you have a moment, thank you!
Hidden in Childhood, A Poetry Anthology was released this past week, and it skyrocketed to the #1 spot on Amazon New Release for several days. I am honored to have two pieces published in this gorgeous anthology. Thank you Gabriela for always supporting my work, for being an amazing friend, and for continuing to create new opportunities for writers all over the world to have their voices heard, and their stories read.
If you’ve not yet picked up a copy of this gorgeous anthology, please do so with the link above. Thank you!
Jeff Flesch
#1 Amazon Bestselling Author of Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow
Co-Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women
Jan/Feb 2022 Author of the Month, Spillwords Press
I rest my eyes
on the sunset, long in shadow
and lost in temptation
I recall
a coddled wall
of memories
where backlash
found safety, a thin membrane
of projection
and a hurled osmosis
of confusion
a scripted truth
of
transmigration, and the cosmosis birth
of you
Photo by PeterKraayvanger, Pixabay
Twitter #vss365 prompt words used: coddle, hurl, script. Follow me on Twitter here.
It occurred to me recently that I’ve not yet shared all of my response poems to the Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow: 30 Poems in 30 Days Collaboration. Therefore, over the next several weeks, I will share a couple of them each week, along with the poet that inspired my poetic response.
Here are the first two.
Artless Love
they alight on a leaf
tranquil, and made up of a piece
of our love
the broken bits
sewn back together
by the sky
above
restless, and tired
I linger in the alcove
where mist
displays the toxicity of the pain
in my head
and
in my heart
drifting with the wind
I stop
and realize
you
are the one that’s always been
and will always be
dramatized
by the rendition of an artless love
Artless Love was inspired by the poem Butterflies Blue, by Shruthi.
Lonely, and Desolate
confusion abounds inside my head
while I linger along a street
lonely, and
desolate
ambling
toward the sunshine over the horizon
I melt
into
a pool of wonderment
and of awe
awaiting
the stars to appear in the sky
I too
realize
you are at the center of my life
teaching me more
than any book could possibly
confide
the love
you’ve delivered to me
over the course of my life
Lonely, and Desolate was inspired by the poem Stay Away, by Spriha Kant.
Jeff Flesch
Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow
Co-Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women
Author of the Month, Jan/Feb 2022, Spillwords Press
I skirt
and flirt
with dangerous territory
when thinking
of you–
you
remind me of all that was once
true
in life, in love, and in
the texture of weathered bones
drawn closed
like shutters upon my eyes
I
rely upon the truth
to open up
yet, also know the pain of the mountain
tops
call me home
where danger, and safety
resonate as equals
when you are close
I am honored to have my new poem, Courage Resurrects, published at MasticadoresUSA. Thank you Barbara Leonhard for supporting my work, and for all that you do
I would be honored if you would go here, and read my new poem. Thank you!
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!
May your 2023 be filled with peace, love, and joy, and may all of your dreams come true.
Jeff Flesch
Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow
Co-Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women
Author of the Month, Jan/Feb 2022, Spillwords Press
I cross cross the earth
in search of something fleeting
knowing
the unknown
is a place of peace
of mind, and of body
a souls destination
housed
within a fractured
system
of thoughts, and of feelings
coming home
a respite from the storm
sitting
in the center of silence
watching
things come, and go
attraction
to the poles of
opposites
the healing of ego
and of the soul’s companion
on the way home
Photo by me, Oregon Coast
I am always honored when a piece of my poetry is published at MasticadoresIndia and MasticadoresUSA. It’s such a joy, and this publication at MasticadoresIndia is no different. Thank you, Terveen, for always supporting my work. I am beyond grateful.
I would be honored if you would go here, and read my new poem.
If you’ve not yet submitted to either of these fine publications, I invite you to; it’s an amazing experience.
Last week, I visited Justin and Izzy in Portland, and we had a great time. We went to a boutique event supporting local small business, ate some wonderful food at Blossoming Lotus, and then went to the Portland Trailblazers game on Sunday evening. It was grand.
I wish you all a wonderful week; see you next weekend!
All my love and blessings,
Jeff
Jeff Flesch
Author, #1 Amazon New Release Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow
Co-Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women
Author of the Month, Jan/Feb 2022, Spillwords Press
I walk, and watch
a time of trees
and of the silences that speaks
of mist
covered evenings
and of the memories
you left
by the gravestone
etched with the blood of
our love
a time of desperation
and of sorrow
dwelling in hearts
beating in sync with lost
time
and
with the cosmic qualities
of our lives
Photo by jplenio, Pixabay
I was elated to receive Kym Gordon Moore’s new book about a month ago, and though I’ve only read a few selected chapters thus far, I can write here that it is an amazing read. Here is an example:
I Am
“They say I am nothing
in my someone-ness
traverse into a flow
of the seen but not heard
nonexistent, divisible where liberty is not just
not considered worthy to speak,
or to be respected
just an invisible occupation of space,
you think that of me
yet my existence is more
than the archives of silence
I am.
Refusing to conform […]”
Absolutely stunning. If you’ve not yet picked up a copy of this amazing book, you can do so here.
It was great to catch up with many of you last night. I am doing very well, and enjoying the travels. There is so much beauty in the world, and it is a privilege, and a joy to get out and see it.
Today, I am off to see Justin, which will be a lot of fun. We will do some shopping, and farmer’s marketing on Sunday, and then we are going to see the Portland Trailblazers on Sunday night. I’ve not been to an event of this size in years, thus I’m filled with excitement and some anxiety. Very normal.
I look forward to catching up with all of you again next weekend.
Have a wonderful weekend, and upcoming week.
All my love and blessings,
Jeff
Jeff Flesch
#1 Amazon Bestselling Author of Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow
Co-Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women
Jan/Feb 2022 Author of the Month, Spillwords Press
Shadowlight Words 