Tag Archives: pain

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on July 16, 2023
Tags: , , comfort, dual, , , , nodual, pain, , , , relvelation, , , , waystation   

Way-station

There is truth in the wind —
recognizing
the pain, and the uncomfortableness of a past
faint, and dim
yet lit brighter than any star
within

an atrocity of revelations –
understanding
this life

a way-station
and non-dual exercise
playing out in a duality of heart
and mind

Image by Prawny 

Twitter #vss365 prompt words used: truth, atrocity, faint, star. Follow me on Twitter here, and Instagram here.

What’s new with me

I am doing well, and having a grand time with my new work role, and community responsibilities. Though this is true, I miss all of you and love when I have the time to come by your sites to read you and to see you.

Lately, in addition to my new work role and community responsibilities, I’ve sent out poetry to some new publications. Though I have no new pubs yet, there will be in the future, and I will update all of you as that occurs.

Lastly, here are a few pics from a recent hike. It’s so beautiful this time of year.

Sending you all of my love.

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

#poetry, #authenticity, #comfort, #dual, #life, #love, #nature, #nodual, #pain, #poem, #reality, #realization, #relvelation, #transformation, #truth, #waystation

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on May 20, 2023
Tags: , boundness, dignity, , , gravity, , , , , , , , , , newest publications, pain, , purple haze, shame, ,   

Purple Haze

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

Image aalmeidah, Pixabay

Twitter #vss365 prompt words used: sumptuous. Follow me on Twitter here, and Instagram here.

MasticadoresIndia/USA Publications

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

#poetry, #boundness, #dignity, #emotion, #feelings, #gravity, #grow, #healing, #knowledge, #learning, #life, #limitlessness, #love, #masticadoresindia-masticadoresusa, #nature, #newest-publications, #pain, #poem, #purple-haze, #shame, #sky

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on April 30, 2023
Tags: , , birch tree, , , , , , , , pain, , , , ,   

Birch Tree

I yearn
for charcoal-colored skies

where faith
and pain live together
conjoined
by tender loving hands entwined —
a paradox

and
a well of human possibility
bequeathed

to you, and me
underneath
the shade of the beautiful birch tree

Image by Image by freeillustrated

Twitter #vss365 prompt words used: charcoal. Follow me on Twitter here, and Instagram here.

MasticadoresIndia/USA Publications

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!

I am excited about my weekend away, and about seeing all of you over the next week.

Sending you love and blessings for a lovely weekend.

Jeff

#poetry, #beauty, #birch-tree, #connection, #emotion, #feeling, #life, #love, #masticadoresindia-masticadoresusa, #new-publications, #pain, #paradox, #pleasure, #poem, #shade

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on April 9, 2023
Tags: , , , , , , , , metaphors, , pain, , , , shadow self, , symbols, , ,   

Your Shadow and Mine

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

#poetry, #balance, #beauty, #expectations, #healing, #known, #life, #love, #metaphors, #nature, #pain, #poem, #reality, #realization, #shadow-self, #sorrow, #symbols, #truth, #unknown

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on April 2, 2023
Tags: , , , C.X Turner, emotional turbulence, hiding, , , , , mistake, , pain, , , , , , , white-tipped waves,   

October Rain

My father
a talisman of probability
and of broken hope, found
underneath a staircase
drunk
on October rain.

A teacher
who left probability aside
in favor of developing brokenness
into the night —
he fashioned emotions
into sleeves
of tears held at bay
a dam no one wants to make.

It is a skill learned
out of survival
when we feel like a mistake, and
a burden to life
and to an imagined view
staring back at me in the mirror —
You.

©JeffFlesch.com
Image by Mysticsartdesign, Pixabay

Recently I sent two poems to Rust & Moth, an amazing online poetry journal. While both were rejected, it reminded me that acceptance lives inside rejection, and is part of the writing process. It also reminded me to continue to pursue new topics and feelings in my writing. October Rain is a poem that explores both of these.

White-tipped Waves, by C.X. Turner

cradling the light
I didn’t ever hope
to find you

wave after wave
breaking down

retreating with the tide

awash
with past mistakes
in an ocean of loss

love
came to
remind me
take me with you
but let me go

I contemplate the seasons
you and I went through

find myself
inland on foreign soil
alone yet not lonely

discover
peaceful opportunities
to carry light
however deep the fight

White-tipped Waves is a poem that was created by a dear friend of mine, C.X. Turner, in response to velvet soft, which was a response poem to Scattered Sakura. Scattered Sakura was submitted to the Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow 30 Poems in 30 Days collaboration by C.X. Turner. I love this poem with all of my heart.

#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

#poetry, #broken, #burden, #c-x-turner, #emotional-turbulence, #hiding, #learning, #life, #love, #mirror, #mistake, #naturespeaks, #pain, #poem, #realization, #seeking, #sorrow, #tears, #trauma, #white-tipped-waves, #whole

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on March 18, 2023
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , mindset, pain, perserverence, pics, , , ,   

hope grows

I cry
and sometimes the reason
why

eludes me
though

the significance
permeates each cell of the body
and mind

creating a touchstone
of love

and of hope
carrying seeds destined
to take root

and grow

Image by cocoparisienne, Pixabay

Last week, I went to visit my mom and sisters in Los Angeles, and had a wonderful time. It was so good to spend quality time with my mom, and to see my sisters and their beautiful families. We also went up to Camarillo and visited my niece who is studying at California State Channel Islands. A lovely University in the hills of Camarillo.

While trips are nice, it was also lovely to be home, and to visit all of you today. I missed reading and interacting with all of you last week. Because I chose to forgo posting last weekend, I am posting twice this week (tonight, and tomorrow morning, as usual).

Below are some pics from the trip.

Wishing you all a wonderful Saturday, Sunday.

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

#poetry, #family, #feelings, #growth, #hope, #illusion, #life, #los-angeles, #love, #mind-body, #mindset, #pain, #perserverence, #pics, #poem, #reality, #seeds, #transformation

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on February 26, 2023
Tags: , , archeryintheUK, , calmness, depression, , , , , ingridwilson, , , , , , , nickreeves, pain, , perserverance, , , quietude, , , ,   

soldered heart

I see you
in the majestic & the forlorn

a depressive state
bereft
of indifference, and of alienation

tales
of evenings
alone

a soldered heart
wanting to learn more

about peace
and love

a tangent scale to climb
when

hanging
upside down from
the clouds
in the starry sky

Photo by ausbitbank, Pixabay

Twitter #vss365 prompt words used: bereft, evening, solder, tangent. Follow me on Twitter here.

MasticadoresIndia/USA Publications

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!

Book Reviews

Archery In The UK

A good friend of mine and publisher of #1 Amazon Bestseller Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow, Ingrid Wilson, released a new book recently. Archery In The UK is a collaboration with Nick Reeves, and is a beautiful and passionate book.

Once I started reading Archery In The UK it was hard to put down. The book mixes poetic forms, inviting the reader on a journey of beautifully flowing language, touching hearts, and minds, and leaving me teary-eyed, joyful, and inspired. It is an amazing collaboration.

I highly recommend Archery in the UK, which you can purchase on Amazon here.

The Light in The Cave

The Light in The Cave, by Tricia Sankey is a wonderful Novela full of richly crafted details, and characters developed with depth, and an intensity that fills the reader with a desire to read more, and more. I enjoyed the way Tricia developed the characters and the plot line in a way that left me guessing as to the story behind the story until well into the later chapters, which is where we find that the characters we’ve come to know and love are not exactly who we thought they were. The Light in The Cave is an amazing work of science fiction. I highly recommend reading this wonderful book.

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

#poetry, #anxiety, #archeryintheuk, #beauty, #calmness, #depression, #determination, #experimentsinfiction, #happiness, #heart, #ingridwilson, #joy, #life, #love, #masticadoresindia, #masticadoresusa, #nature, #nickreeves, #pain, #peace, #perserverance, #poem, #publications, #quietude, #reslience, #review, #sorrow

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on February 5, 2023
Tags: , , , hidden in childhood, , , , , , number 1 best seller, pain, , , , , ,   

honeycomb

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.

MasticadoresIndia/USA Publications

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!

OUT NOW! Hidden in Childhood, A Poetry Anthology, edited by Gabriela Marie Milton

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

#poetry, #change, #healing, #hidden-in-childhood, #life, #love, #masticadoresindia, #masticadoresusa, #nature, #number-1-best-seller, #pain, #poem, #publications, #sky, #stars, #transformation

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on January 29, 2023
Tags: , author of the year nomination, , , , , , pain, , , , , , , ,   

2022 Author of the Year Nomination at Spillwords Press, and Reorganizing Possibility, by Jeff Flesch

I am elated, and so very honored to let you all know that I received a nomination this week for the 2022 Author of the Year at Spillwords Press. I am humbled by this wonderful gesture and have written the following poem as a thank you to all of you and to the Spillwords Press editorial team for supporting me, and for making dreams of possibility become reality.

Reorganizing Possibility

Trust in the feelings at dawn
conspiring
to leave you confused about
the nature of pain

and
about the love you see
in every single drop
of rain

falling
over the bloody streets
reorganizing

the possibility of something
great

out
of the melancholy, we once tried to
escape

This poem speaks to the relationship between pain and possibility; simply, through trying experiences, we emerge as something more, something, in many ways, transformed.

Voting is open through January 31 at Spillwords Press. I would be honored and forever grateful if you would vote. Thank you!

Photo by alegria2014, Pixabay

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

#poetry, #author-of-the-year-nomination, #clarity, #confusion, #dreams, #escape, #known, #pain, #poem, #possibility, #realization, #spillwords-press, #transcendence, #trasnformation, #truth, #unknown

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on January 15, 2023
Tags: , , , confidant, , , hidden dreams, , , love's muse, , , , nurtured, pain, , , poetic response, , ,   

love’s muse

I stand on a pedestal of
ice, a cold wind blown from afar and
wide

escaping lips
of tender, and delicate
skin

a shift
in consciousness, and
in a history

dosed
with fields of understanding
a common feeling

coming home to roost
in hearts filled with love’s muse

Photo by 12019, Pixabay

Twitter #vss365 prompt words used: shift, history, dose. Follow me on Twitter here.

Hidden Dreams, Published at MasticadoresIndia

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

Hidden Dreams

There are dreams
hidden
within buildings
towering upon hills

and beneath
the surface of the sky

a transparent beauty…

I’d be honored if you would read the full poem here. Thank you!

Here are two more poetic responses to the Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow: 30 Poems in 30 Days Collaboration.

Love’s Heights

love is like the tether of
a kite
grasping, and holding tight

the sun
into the heights
it flies

wonderment and awe
fill time, and trepidation does too
arise

a balance of mutually beneficial
allies

riding through the sky

Love’s Heights was inspired by the poem Love’s Trial by Dawn Minott.

Final Sigh

I sit in silence
and ponder the sky

the celestial bodies

linger
in the night
and

in my heart
where

I find the divine

ascending toward infinity, I realize
she

makes love possible in every shape and size
and in every eye

awaiting, am I

the faintest breath

and this, the final sigh

Final Sigh was inspired by the poem, Divine Flight by Layla Todd.

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

#poetry, #30-poems-in-30-days, #awareness, #confidant, #consciousness, #feelings, #hidden-dreams, #hope, #lonely, #loves-muse, #masticadoresindia, #nature, #naturespeaks, #nurtured, #pain, #perspective, #poem, #poetic-response, #publication, #reality