Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow: A Poetry Reading, and A Review by Gabriela Marie Milton

This week, I am excited and honored to share another poetry reading from Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow, and an advanced review by Gabriela Marie Milton.

A Poetry Reading

The poem I chose for this weekโ€™s reading is called Limbs and Leaves. I hope you enjoy it.

A Review, by Gabriela Marie Milton

I met Gabriela Marie Milton, of Short Prose, early last year, and remember vividly the first time I visited Gabrielaโ€™s site. I fell in love with Gabrielaโ€™s writing, all of it.

Gabrielaโ€™s writing stimulates the intellect and engages the heart. I was honored when Gabriela accepted my invitation to review Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow, and I am deeply grateful for the beautiful words Gabriela uses to describe my book.

Here are a few excerpts from Gabrielaโ€™s review of Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow.

Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow, by Jeff Flesch, is a superb collection whose pages are saturated with poetic intelligence. The author builds a magnificent correspondence between the natural realm and the spiritual one, without making use of language techniques most symbolists employ(ed), preferring the un-revealed/the unknown to the revealed/the known. In Jeffโ€™s poetry nature does not need any intermediary to speak to the soul and vice versa.

I find it interesting that despite the restorative capacity of nature, and its intimate link with the human soul, the ultimate healing does not come from nature. It comes from time. A change of perspective that adds new depths to Jeffโ€™s book.

Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow is an astonishing collection. Jeffโ€™s poetry not only delights the soul. Equally it delights the intellect. It is a must have. No one will regret reading it.ย ย 

I want to thank Gabriela from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to review Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow. The review is gorgeous, and I would be honored if you would go here, and read the rest of Gabrielaโ€™s review. Thank you!


A quick note: I am posting Monday through Friday this week, as I am visiting Justin this weekend, and will be a little less available Saturday and Sunday. I also have some more surprises to share with you about the release of Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow over the next few days.


#poetry, #experiments-in-fiction, #gabriela-marie-milton, #hope-heart, #life, #limbs-and-leaves, #love, #nature, #nature-speaks-of-love-and-sorrow, #poem, #poetry-reading, #publication, #review

the tide

tired, and wanting to know
more

I cast my heart into the sea
and watch

as it stares back at me

winking, like the stars in the sky
making me realize

every ounce of the love we carry inside
belongs to the tide


Photo by Layers, Pixabay


#poetry, #connection, #heart, #introspection, #life, #love, #poem, #realization, #sea, #sky, #stars, #tide

Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow, A Review by Terveen Gill

I am honored to share a surprise with you today, which is another early review of Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow, by Terveen Gill, of It Ainโ€™t Right Until I Write.

I started following Terveen over a year ago, I think, and honestly, I cannot remember how I found Terveenโ€™s blog, but, Iโ€™m sure glad I did. Terveenโ€™s writing is intelligent, witty, dark, at times, and often downright funny. I love Terveenโ€™s style of writing, and the short stories she crafts are some of the best I read on a weekly basis.

I was honored when Terveen accepted my invitation to conduct an early review of Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow, and am beyond humbled by the words Terveen uses to describe the book.

Here is an excerpt from Terveensโ€™ review.

But for me the most moving sentiments in this book are LOVE and HURT that often flow in cyclic patterns. Every poem has a life lesson to convey to the reader. The familiarity of lifeโ€™s ups and downs is the strong connection the poet makes with the reader, and it remains untarnished till the end.

Who hasnโ€™t loved?

Who hasnโ€™t been hurt?

Who hasnโ€™t found the courage to do it all over again?

Honesty and passion are trademarks of Jeffโ€™s writing. Every poem has a few lines that reach out and embrace the reader, leaving them humbled or in a state of contemplation, giving solace or demanding attention to unresolved thoughts and feelings.

I would like to thank Terveen from the bottom of my heart for crafting such a beautiful review of Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow. I am beyond honored.

I would be grateful if you would go here and read the rest of Terveenโ€™s beautiful review. Thank you!


#poetry, #early-review, #experiments-in-fiction, #heart, #it-aint-right-until-i-write, #life, #love, #nature, #nature-speaks, #nature-speaks-of-love-and-sorrow, #publication, #terveen-gill

cosmos within, Published at MasticadoresIndia

I am so pleased to announce that my poem, cosmos within, is now available at MasticadoresIndia. Thank you to Terveen Gill, and the team at MasticadoresIndia for their continued support, and for publishing this piece.

cosmos within

I sit, knees and hands folded
end over end

awaiting the cosmos to appear
within

my heart, a flower blooming
in the vacuum of space and time

a riddle, when chasingโ€ฆ

I would be honored if you would go here and read the rest of my poem. Thank you!


Photo by manychoice, Pixabay


#poetry, #connection, #heart, #hope, #intrispection, #intuition, #life, #love, #masticadoresindia, #mind, #nature, #poem, #publication, #silence

soft and supple

soft and supple, bending
with the wind

I dream

of a life given
to my heart, getting out of the way
of results

knowing
they belong to the riddle of time
freeing me

like a wind chime

blowing back and forth
making beautiful music out of sounds and notes


Photo by Studio10-27, Pixabay


A quick reminder that the first reading from my debut poetry book, Natures Speaks of Love and Sorrow is this coming Monday at 6 am PT (USA). Iโ€™m excited about all 4 of these upcoming poetry readings, and hope you enjoy them!



#poetry, #connection, #contemplation, #flow, #heart, #instrospection, #life, #life-force, #love, #music, #nature, #poem, #time

golden sunsets

I ramble with the sky
looking into the center, a vaccum

of space and time
mirroring

the cosmic qualities of you and me
and

the golden sunsets
we continue to dream


Photo by ArtTower, Pixabay


#poetry, #connection, #consciousness, #cosmos, #dream, #goden-sunsets, #heart, #life, #love, #poem, #space-and-time

Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow, Cover Reveal, and Release Date!

It gives me great joy to share with all of you the title and cover of my debut poetry book, Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow. Compiling the book was a labor of love, which took almost a year to complete.

As I was contemplating the poems, which eventually ended up in Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow, I remember collecting intro lines to poems on scraps of paper as I worked, or was out in the community, and most of them made their way into the book.

I enjoyed every moment of contemplating and writing this book.

A Reminiscencne

As a youth, I loved to write. I remember writing to the local paper once about an issue in the community, and the letter made it into the local paper. A transformational moment for me.

Though this was a transformational moment for me, it took many more years before writing would show up again, first as a nontraditional student at University, and then in the blogosphere.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the possibility of publishing a poetry book. Oh, how life changes, iterates, and keeps us on our toes. A blessing always.

Upcoming Activities

This month there are some activities scheduled to celebrate the upcoming release of my book, the first of which are poetry readings.

Over the next 4 Mondays, I will select and read one poem from Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow, and post the readings to my blog and Twitter, beginning on August 8 at 6 am PT (USA).

There are also a few surprises in store, as we move toward the September 1 Release Date. I will let you all know about these activities, as we get closer to the date of their occurrence.

Thank You

For now, I want to acknowledge and thank each of you.

I know in my heart that Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow is now a reality because of your love, support, and friendship. Words cannot properly convey how much you all mean to me, so I will simply say, thank you, and I appreciate you.

I also want to thank the best publisher and editor in the world, Ingrid Wilson, of Experiments in Fiction. Ingrid took this book into her heart and worked hard to create a book that we are both proud of.

I hope you enjoy the upcoming poetry readings and the other surprises that are forthcoming.

All my love and blessings on a splendid week.


#cover-reveal, #debut, #experiments-in-fiction, #life, #love, #nature, #nature-speaks-of-love-and-sorrow, #poems, #publication, #release-date, #sorrow, #writing

honey trimmed

I learned to drink you in
when young, and bold

to me, you always told

the distinction between
the stream residing, inside

and the one that trickles

within
the mist and dew-ladened
petals

trimmed

with honey, and the scent of jasmine
herein

it runs back and forth
filling my life with equal parts
your love

and
the love that dwells within my hope-filled heart


I am thrilled to announce that on Monday, August 1 at 6 am PT the title and cover of my debut poetry book will be revealed! A big thank you to Ingrid Wilson, of Experiments in Fiction, and to all of you for supporting me each day, every day. My love and blessings to you all.


Photo by ArtTower, Pixabay


#poetry, #cover-reveal, #debut-poetry-book, #determination, #flowers, #heart, #hope, #life, #love, #nature, #poem, #resilience

stone colored glass, Published at MasticadoresUSA

I am pleased to announce that my poem, stone colored glass, 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.

stone colored glass

I often think about the past
itโ€™s like looking through stone colored glass

hazy, and filled with trauma, a cold place
inside my chest

lingering among flowers, thought and feeling

reconcile meโ€ฆ

I would be honored if you would go here, and read the rest of my poem. Thank you!


Photo by sjainart, Pixabay


#poetry, #believe, #hope, #life, #love, #masticadoresusa, #nature, #pain, #past, #poem, #present, #publication, #reminiscence, #trauma, #trust

touch and taste, Published at MasticadoresIndia

I am so pleased to announce that my poem, touch and taste, is now available at MasticadoresIndia. Thank you to Terveen Gill, and the team at MasticadoresIndia for their continued support, and for publishing this piece.

touch and taste

every little touch, and taste
takes me

to another place

desire afire, living inside the tranquility of the seasโ€ฆ

I would be honored if you would go here, and read the rest of my poem. Thank you!


Photo by Agnali, Pixabay


#poetry, #desire, #hope, #life, #love, #masticadoresindia, #nature, #poem, #publication, #truth