“to live in this world you must be able to do three things to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go” ― Mary Oliver, New and Selected Poems, Vol. 1 Continue reading Inspiration Interlude: Letting Go
“A red-winged hawk is circling” Tom Petty 1950-2017 He glides towards me face to face at eye level on my morning walk, swoops into an old magnolia. He settles his feathers and returns my gaze, eyes shining a message of light and life. l smile,thinking of Apollo, music,and a golden-haired man learning to fly. *** Sources: Tom Petty on writing “You and I Will Meet Again” Video of “You and I Will Meet Again”. Hawks in mythology and folklore. Photo via Pinterest. I tried to trace the source but was unsuccessful. Continue reading Morning Meditation: Of Tom and Hawks
I met Sally Houtman via Fictionaut, an online community of writers and readers. Before that time, I really didn’t have any writing buddies. I was writing singularly, without encouragement or input from anyone within any writing community. I took the plunge of submitting my poetry and prose to this community of fledgling and accomplished writers. I just closed my eyes and jumped in, so to speak. Sally, along with Matt Dennison and Frankie Saxx(thanks, y’all!), made me feel welcome and valued. They encouraged and critiqued. Sally had a gentle way of making her points that I appreciated. She let me … Continue reading My Prose in Flash Frontier Tribute
There are some fantastic women writers writing interesting, enlightening, bold stories online but, sometimes, its not so easy to find those voices among the cacophony that is the internet. So. I’m going to share four women whose stories and poems stood out for me recently. Oh, I could share so much more but, if you’re like me, posts with a long list of “what I read online” can be daunting. Why not focus on four gorgeous women and their writing? First up is Lori Sambol Brody, a writer of incredibly good flash fiction that I discovered this summer. Lori has … Continue reading Focus on Four: Reading Women Online
*** Nothing was next to enough. Rubbed the wrong way was comfort. Most of all, conquered worlds prepared her to live her life a burned queen wearing pearls. *** This set of wonderful found poems in Thrush inspired me to go looking for my own. Continue reading Found Poem: Lessons
The Gods are throwing bowling balls, cracking fissures in the sky. Continue reading Summer Storm
Lucille’s mother was a gifted poet with only an elementary school education. Her poetry was offered publication but Lucille’s father wouldn’t allow it and forced her to burn the poems in the fireplace. It’s said Lucille never forgot it and I’m sure it shaped much of her own poetry. About the incident, she wrote a poem called “fury”: “her hand is crying. / her hand is clutching / a sheaf of papers. / poems. / she gives them up. / they burn / jewels into jewels.” She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for two separate books in the … Continue reading Happy birthday, Lucille!
And their voices rose pushing foggy ignorance into the atmosphere toward the stratosphere away past the stars the planets around white dwarfs through galaxies into the biggest blackest hole in the memory of everything that ever was or will be. That is the power of community. *** Written from the dVerse prompt “signs”. Continue reading Power
“When you’re standing at the cross roads, And don’t know which path to choose, Let me come along, ’cause even if you’re wrong I’ll stand by you” ~ The Pretenders *** Magnolia photo by me. Continue reading Inspiration Interlude: The Pretenders
One night in April I stumbled on the livestream of a poetry reading program on Twitter, put together by Maria Popova, named The Universe in Verse. For over an hour and a half I listened in wonderment to a clatch of beautiful poetry read by some wonderful writers. Now the program is available as a video which I’ve posted here along with the playlist. I loved the whole thing but especially the readings by Diane Ackerman and Tracy K Smith. I hope you’ll find some time to listen to at least some of the readings. It will inspire you, I … Continue reading Poetry Wonderment
