Coffee Break
Be Thankful For Each Day
By Joanne Olivieri
Morning
The sun has awakened
Dawn has arrived
A fog dampened morning
Eludes our sky.
Birds hum in rhyme
A melodic chord
Debuting our day
A new song born.
The purest of air
With wind so crisp
Refreshes our face
As rain and mist.
A colorful bouquet
Of pansies so sweet
Enchant with a smile
Our eyes so to see.
A new day is here
Awaiting the chance
To embrace our hearts
Rekindle romance.
I found the above quote on a Facebook timeline.
I do not quite agree with this quote. I absolutely think you can go back and start over. Examples: Getting back with an old love and starting fresh or even going back to an old job and starting fresh. It's all about change and moving forward. If you are the type of person who lives in the moment then I think going back with a new perspective is really moving forward in a new direction with a fresh outlook.
My two questions:
1. What is your opinion on going back?
2. Do you believe going back prevents you from moving forward?
My two questions:
1. What is your opinion on going back?
2. Do you believe going back prevents you from moving forward?
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A simple smile can change someone's day by Andrea Lende
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Being Kind
Have you ever noticed that when you are kind to someone the joy you feel is immeasurable? Just smiling and saying hello to someone on the street can not only put a smile on their face but allow you to share your heart with someone.
There are those who would be kind in order to get something from you and sometimes it is difficult to tell whether they are being genuine or have their own agenda. The sure fire way to tell is how do you feel when they are kind to you. If you feel a sense of joy and love within your heart then they are being genuine. If your intuition kicks in and you find yourself asking, why are they being so nice, then you’ve already answered your question.
Just think if we were all kind to each other what a different world this would be. There would not be wars, there would not be violence and there would not be anyone hurt or angered. As humans we sometimes choose not to be kind and that is the problem. Our choices are made with our egos rather than our hearts. Be kind and act from your heart.
Here are a few suggestions
1. Each day smile and say hello to a stranger. It may not seem like much but it will make both of you feel significant and full of joy.
2. When you answer your phone, smile. I know this seems weird but a friend of mine told me this and she does this each time she answers her phone. Why? Because the other person feels your smile.
3. Do a random act of kindness. It could be donating to a cause or it could be helping a friend with groceries or simply taking the time to let someone know you care. Do it everyday without fail and you’ll see the difference it makes.
©Joanne Olivieri
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Hermits For The Times
by
Will Mayo
In the 1700s hermits were something of a fad among the aristocracy in England. People paid good money to have a hermit stay in a cave on their estates and fill their ears at dinner parties with all kinds of hermit wisdom. And maybe that's what we're heading into here centuries later in the days of the plague. Just to pay people good money to stay inside and not infect one another and to fill their days with all kinds of words and art via our wondrous electronic machines. Stuff to spice up our days, you might say. Every one of us could well be a hermit waiting to happen. Inquire within.
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After the quarantine
By: Joseph Farley
I accept what I have,
the little that it is,
realizing it is treasure
beyond measure.
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The Beauty of Love
Goosebumps and butterflies
Conversations till dawn
Rainbows and starry nights
In the wake of new bonds
And oh, those feelings you get
So wondrous and true
In knowing that magic
and reverie
Can happen to you
Alas, short lived
As new becomes old
For more depth is required to
nourish the soul...
And therein lies the truth
Between plateaus and plains
The knowledge that real love
Brings sunshine and… rain
By Lynn Long
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Happy Birthday Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
At the early age of 13 he penned and had his first poem published by the Portland Gazette titled “The Battle of Lovell’s Pond.” The poem was highly criticized at that time for being unsymmetrical and and unoriginal. However Longfellow was not discouraged. By age 15 he passed the exams for Bowdoin College and studied with well known writers to include Hawthorne. Although his Father wanted Henry to study law he spent a year at Cambridge college in study of general literature.
His extensive travel and study of foreign language lent to his receiving a professorship at Cambridge and Bowdoin. Throughout his life he wrote poetry and shared his love of words and language within the genre. He was a champion of the down trodden and those less fortunate. He lived his passion and as a result we are left with an exceptional anthology of his works to be savored and shared by generations to come.
He is my favorite poet. I’ve read all of his works and can testify that I enjoy all of his writings. I do have a few favorites such as The Day Is Done, The Arrow And The Song, Woods In Winter and Hymn To The Night. He was passionate about his work and it shows through each and every collection. I celebrate his birthday today and everyday as he, through his poetry, allows me to display my creativity and share my love for this craft. Happy Birthday Henry.
The Arrow and the Song
I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.
I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of song?
Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.
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My own poem tribute I penned for him.
The Poets Evening
Solitude
a tribute to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's, The Day Is Done.
Alabastrine eventide
Blanched in empirical thoughts
Provided by frozen memories
Thawed into liquid ideas
Soluble.
They Cascade freely
Imbuing creative brain waves
Along pale parchments
Of virgin nerve endings
Of discovery
A silent affair
With quiet thoughts
Untamed
©Joanne Olivieri
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You wake up in the middle of the night. It is 3:00 am and you cannot get back to sleep. Ideas, street scenes and dreams swirl around in your head activating your creative membranes with words that you know you will forget by dawn. What do you do? Always keep a pen and paper by your bed and jot down those words and ideas. No need to form those words. Those words will become meaningful as you meld them together with your ideas during daylight hours.
The craft of writing poetry does not adhere to the 9 to 5 seven day week venue. Poetry comes to you when you are least expecting it and when you are open to its visit. If you treat poetry as a job it will inevitably fill your days with writer’s block. Poetry is born of the heart and soul and not the brain. The heart holds the poem and the brain forms the style. The following quote by poet Lucille Clifton most adequately describes poetry in its most raw form.
“I think that we’re beginning to remember that the first poets didn’t come out of a classroom, that poetry began when somebody walked off of a savanna or out of a cave and looked up at the sky with wonder and said, “Ahhh.” That was the first poem.” – Lucille Clifton.
The following poem, written by me titled Writer at Heart explains my vision of what poetry is and what the writer explores and displays in his or her own mind.
A Writer At Heart
Words
Emotional expressions
inherent deep within spirit.
Passion are these words
undeniably expressed,
shared, proclaimed
in stanzaic precision.
The writer
Sensitive, intuitive
feelings arise, awaken
born from within
depths of the soul.
A soul unknown
if not for their words.
Ego revisited
firmly understood
and happily embraced.
The writer paints words
with a knowing
of authentic self
creatively expressed.
Memories, dreams
Parade the mind
As streaming videos.
These visual scenarios
Breathe life into the heart
And have no choice
But to be reborn.
Reflections
A glimpse into the heart
where the writer resides
words a mirror to the soul.
A soul which lives
Within the mind
without fear.
The heart
pumps words
through the veins
never missing a beat.
The writer writes
to a different beat
only he hears.
There is no real craft in writing poetry, as it come from the heart and begs to be seen and heard in various forms.
It is crucial, however that poets read more poetry than they write. In order to find your own voice and you need to study the poetic voices of different poets from the traditionalists to the contemporary. This practice will allow you the freedom to find your own style.
The following is a list of a few tips that are essential for getting your poetry published. As a new writer you need a few publication credits in order to have your poetry accepted. As a seasoned writer your name and work speaks for itself. That being said, remember that writing poetry is not about counting all of your publication credits but rather enjoying the poetic journey of sharing your own voice with the world.
My list of do’s and don’ts’s:
1. Always follow the submission guidelines to the letter whether you are a new or seasoned poet.
2. NEVER allow an editor to reconstruct or tell you how your poem should read. An editor is only there to correct spelling and grammatical mistakes. When an editor begins to change your poem, just remember that once done it is not yours.
3. Always keep pen and paper with you at all times to jot down ideas that come to mind.
4. Write in a style that is most comfortable to you. Never let anyone tell you “Well, no one accepts rhyme and meter anymore” because remember it’s not about your publication credits but the journey. Take rejections as a challenge to find someone who will love your poem.
5. Many poets begin by writing very personal poetry and do not want it out in public. Remember though, poetry is about sharing and your story just might help someone else in a difficult situation. Get it out to the world by any means you like. Whether it be a book, blog or online journal, let it be seen.
6. Last and certainly not least, write from your heart. Quote by me “Poetry is the song your spirit writes.” – Joanne Olivieri
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