roses fill the sky
with the fragrance of the tide
as petals sing to the moon
under the canopy of our afternoon
know
there’s always been a piece of me in you
a mirror or two
reflects back our love
while we climb the ladder of chaos
still embossed
with an evening of frost
as we set off
on a journey to reclaim our love lost
Photo by G4889166 , Pixabay
trepidation is a trickle of dew
upon a flower sitting kindly
in the afternoon sun
long and lovely
bending towards the warmth of your smile
a radiance wild
nesting inside my heart
weaved of colors long and short
blues, lavenders, and pinks, always remind me of you
a rainbow festival calls
while I linger in the shadows petals
and their beautiful hues
falling from the sky
a love canopy goes by
dropping the essence of our love
purely divined
and oft remembered during these most magical of times
Photo by ArtTower, Pixabay
life breathes through my pores
like the rain in an afternoon of prose
written just before bedtime
while the love within me shines
through my heart and onto the page
with a vibrancy that is beyond
the stage
set from the past, while relations come to pass
I learn
to lean into the marigolds rising
like the masses
while learning more about my past transgressions
and the love that lives inside the ashes
Photo by ArtTower, Pixabay
I am so pleased to announce that my poem, cloudless drifter, is now available at MasticadoresIndia. Thank you to Terveen Gill, and the team at MasticadoresIndia for their continued support, and for publishing this piece.
cloudless drifter
oranges and limes fill the sky
a scent reminiscent of another time
when love was like a drop of candy in the winter
and the fields were dusty
a cloudless drifter…
I would be honored if you would go here, and read the rest of my poem. Thank you!
Photo by prettysleepy1, Pixabay
white blossoms fill the trees
they make me believe
in the stars that glisten from the leaves
it’s hard sometimes to find intrigue
among the violins playing in the rain
they sip the wind
while bursting with notes wide and thin
a series of flashes begets the sky
bringing me present
to all the gifts we’ve been given over time
while I wrestle with the love inside
knowing
you’ll always be here
even when I hide
you’ll call for me
as the wind subsides
Photo by Pezibear, Pixabay
I am excited to announce that my poem, Realization Dawns, is now available at Spillwords Press. A big thank you to Dagmara K., and the whole team at Spillwords for publishing this poem, and for their continued support.
Realization Dawns
Breaking waves,
remind me of
breaking hearts,
in time
with the juxtaposition
of life’s myriad, and
frantically felt…
I would be honored if you would go here, and read the rest of my poem. Thank you!
PPhoto by Keith Misner on Unsplash
passion lives in the wind
and in every pocket of your skin
just as magic resides
in our hearts and minds
Do you remember how it felt when kindness reigned the night?
love burned brighter than it’s ever been
caressing every tree limb
while dripping with a gentle touch
it’s just enough
to know you are there, and I am here
waiting upon your kiss carried on the wind
like seeds floating through the atmosphere
the membrane between you and I becomes thin
Photo by David_Do, Pixabay
As it is officially Spring in this area of the world, I am preparing to participate in the Community Garden again 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.
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.
The department completed the spring schedule this 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!
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.
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 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.
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.
the tree climbs through my veins
a richness profane
like a sacred text masquerade
speaking to me of burnt amber
and a subtle and textured decanter
filled with life brimming within its core
Have you ever felt this kind of love before?
it’s just around the corner from here
in a field made from love gifted true
and as I kept watch, you grew
while the feelings ran through
like the magic already living inside of you
Photo by David_Do, Pixabay
Recently, David, of The Skeptic’s Kaddish launched an initiative called, Poetry Partners. It is an amazing initiative, which invites poets to submit a poem, and then David writes a response poem. I contemplated a poem to send to David for some time, and then finally did about a month ago.
Here is the poem I sent to David.
a lining of silver
I sit atop a tower, looking down
at the flowers briar,
calling to me at all hours
it is
beauty
seen
in
the myriad contours and folds of life’s road —
gold
and shining in the afternoon sun,
watching from afar,
they run
frolicking in nature’s bounty, like slivers
of dust, the night away,
they wash
as the
clouds hang
onto the love
they feel within
gathering
up our tears, a lining of silver
remains
thin
delivering back the tears collected,
delight spreads across the
land
as our tears seed
hope and love
inside
the
flowers briar once again
Now, here is David’s poem in response to my poem.
A crystalline by ben Alexander of ‘The Skeptic’s Kaddish’
An arrogant little man looked
out upon glowing sunflower fields.
If their lovely soul wouldn’t bow,
he’d simply be forced to Dehull her.
“Forward! Bring that fucking bitch to me!”
Soldiers marched, tanks rolled; rockets flew.
But the flowers resisted and stood
tall against the might of his troops.
‘Grind them down!’ he shouted, enraged,
‘Press forward! We shall Extract our price!’
Tears flowed forth from the flowers, but
they would not succumb to the Crude man.
Then, as though born of silver tears,
a Refined lady rose from their midst.
The train of her golden gown trailed
behind her, as she strode through the fields.
Thick clouds, hanging onto the love
they felt within, gathered up the tears.
“True hope,” the gentlewoman declared,
“shan’t be defeated by hubris.”
Deliberately, she stepped forward,
unfazed by the bullets, and beamed.
Thank you again to David for partnering with me on this amazing collaboration. What fun!
Photo associated with a lining of silver by Layers, Pixabay
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