featured poets ~ more & more wonderful women poets

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featured poets
at my heart’s love songs

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more  wonderful women  poets

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i am pleased to be featuring some of  the most creative,  talented,  brilliant  {really!}  poets of  our time.  i have been fortunate over the past two and a half years to meet this amazing group of  people through twitter and their blogs.  not only are they writers who excite and enchant and entrance their readers,  they are,  one and all,  nice people who are supportive of  everyone in our online poetry community.  the “age of  technology”  has,  in fact,  facilitated the spread of  the ARTS! ~  poetry,  photography,  art,  prose,  music…   i have friends i have yet to meet face-to-face from all around the world.  day or night,  you can visit their blogs and be transported to another time or place or frame of  mind with just a few clicks of  a mouse.  i find it thrilling!  and i believe you will find it equally thrilling to discover their words.

just click on the  “Read More”  links on each poem to be taken to a new tab or window to read the rest of  the poem on the author’s blog.  if  you enjoy what you read,  please leave a comment on their blog to let them know.  { you don’t have to say you saw them here. }  i am truly honored that these wonderful people agreed to be featured on my blog ~  my gratitude to them all.

and thank you for coming to our celebration ~  enjoy!

{ in alphabetical order }

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featured poet:

Estrella  Azul

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I met Estrella  at least two and a half  years ago on twitter  { @EstrellaAzul }   and she is one of  my dearest twitter friends ~ not just via tweets,  but through emails and even old-fashioned snail mail  { as she calls it. }  she lives in Kolozsvár/Cluj-Napoca, Romania  but could truly be the girl next door in any country ~  as long as that girl is a young woman bursting with talent and creativity and sweetness.  Estrella is a staff  writer at  Milliver’s Travels   and  Associate Editor of  Friday Flash Dot Org.

Estrella may only have one blog  Life’s  a  stage  Weblog©   but  she includes enough for  four or five sites ~  poetry,  prose,  her thoughts about life,  recipes,  crafts,  home-made beauty products,  photography,  and charm ~ Estrella is one of  the most charming people you will ever meet.   the blog title comes with this little declaration  “Everyone is merely an actor on life’s stage…”  Estrella describes her blog as  “a glimpse of  what matters to this writer most,  and what makes her heart beat a little faster…”  i think of  it as a showcase for the extraordinary talents of  a unique and wonderful woman.

read more about this fascinating woman { including links to published works and interviews }  HERE.

in her own words ~

” Simple,  hopeful,  passionate,  loving,  kind,  grateful,  florist,  emerging writer,  craftswoman,  blogger,  readhead & complex.  Puzzle even to herself.  Shadows well  ;) “

all of  the photographs are by  Estrella,  except the final photo which is of  Estrella.

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“White Rain”   by   Estrella Azul

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I miss the rain of white seagulls,
hundreds of seagulls over my eyes.
A white rain to wash over
and cleanse me
from all distress and ugliness,
and whiten me.
We aren’t ourselves
until we’re far away
from…..Read More

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via   Life’s  a  stage  Weblog©

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“Sleeping Beauty of  Palermo”    by   Estrella Azul

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I fell asleep early that night.

***

I had the strangest dream.

It began with my father walking into the nursery. He had been sobbing; I could unfailingly tell when he was sorrowful, he would be extra mindful and affectionate with me. However on this particular night his misery scared me. He kneeled by my bed for the longest time, not saying a word, simply watching me through teary eyes.

I wish I could’ve done something to lessen his grief.

Daybreak crept up on us too slowly…..Read More

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via   Life’s  a  stage  Weblog©

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“Stillness”   by   Estrella Azul

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“Through a lens I glance

At the beauty…..Read More

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via   Life’s  a  stage  Weblog©

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“Heart on the beach”    by   Estrella Azul

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A heart on the beach…

There’s something

in…..Read More

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via   Life’s  a  stage  Weblog©

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“Homemade Exfoliating Body Scrub”   by   Estrella Azul

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Any kind of empty container with a lid
Sugar or mineral salt (less or as much as fits in the container)
Olive oil
Lavender ess…..Read More

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via   Life’s  a  stage  Weblog©

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“two  Beet Salads”    by   Estrella Azul

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Beets Salad

1 small onion
30 dkg beets
2 average s …..Read More

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Pickled Herring and Beets Salad

1 small onion
30 dkg beets
2 average s …..Read More

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via   Life’s  a  stage  Weblog©

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“Disjointed, scattered thoughts”    by   Estrella Azul

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Sometimes we notice how there are things we absolutely know to be true.  Sometimes we imagine truths that keep our hopes up.  And then there is The Truth.

The truth which sometimes lands as a bomb, like Danielle La Porte wrote about.  The truth which turns our world upside down when we go searching for it.  It answers some questions, yet confuses us even more and raises an endless list of new questions.  It brings forth emotions we struggled to hide at the very bottom of our hearts and reopens wounds we thought to be healed.

The truth about death. About someone you loved.  It forces us to keep relying on our hearts.  To hope it is strong enough not to break.

To hope that even…..Read More

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via   Life’s  a  stage  Weblog©

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featured poet:

Penny  Smith
aka  Jinksy

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i first found Penny‘s  blog  In Tandem  ~  i think because someone whose blog i visited had used one of  her gorgeous pieces of  art as a prompt.  she was kind enough to visit my post and made an offhand comment which had far more of  an impact than i am sure she realized  ~  she commented on how difficult it was to find the comment box on my post.  it’s  still just as difficult most of  the time  { thank you everyone who perseveres long enough to leave a comment! }  because i usually include a music video in each post,  often with the song lyrics at the end of  the post,  as well as listing any prompts i used.  welllll….. listing the prompt,  the prompt site and  their badge ~ i  LOVE badges!!!  back to Penny ~ because of  her remark,  i  first realized that i  should look at my blog from the visitor’s perspective.  it took about a year,  but i have moved most of  the badges from the sidebars to the bottom of  the page and have reduced the number of  posts per page  by more than half  from twenty to seven.  so we all owe Penny for the much faster loading time for my blog ~  thank you, Penny!

Penny Smith  aka  Jinksy   has three blogs  ~  In Tandem,   Alias Jinksy  and   Napple Notes.   this woman is  not only an amazing poet,  but  a stunning artist and photographer who often creates artwork using digital techniques.

Penny did ALL of  the gorgeous artwork below,  some of  which came from other poems ~ you may click on the images to go the the original posts.   Penny has generously allowed the final four poems to be presented in their entirety without a link to individual blog posts.

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“Countryside Thoughts”   by   Jinksy

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There is a sudden quiet.
Perspective of hearing changes.
A bee drones more loudly
than a passing plane,
and the breath echoes the wind
rustling amongst green leaves
whose dappled light…..Read More

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via  Napple Notes
“…ponderings from the pen of a poet, via the heart of a human, often touched by the wicked sense of humour of an observer of oddities…”

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“Shadows”   by   Jinksy

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And days fall like leaves from our tree of life…
Each changes colour between dawn and dusk,
makes a flutter of shadow across the moon’s face
before a drift of stardust claims its soul.

But morning sunbeams clothe the tree anew
with furled and pleated leaf-buds made of gold.
A day unfolds…..Read More

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via  Alias Jinksy
“…where Pen is mightier than the sword…”

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“Do I Spy An MCP?”   by   Jinksy

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A leap year could inspired a girl
to try and make her man’s heart whirl
by proposing they should marry.
“Say yes, darling? Do not tarry…”

The question, once it strikes his mind,
may, of a…..Read More

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via  In Tandem
“Let your imagination take flight as it pedals along with… well, whatever happens to catch my attention!”

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“Tenderness”   by   Jinksy

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Come, let me hold you now

encircled in my arms

body’s skin to warming skin

to create a sum of one.

Your head lies in the hollow of my shoulder

and your breathing plays a rhapsody of night,

music that will complement our dreaming

as we drift upon its currents of delight.

Come, let me hold you now,

keeping you from harm,

enfolded by the love we share

until the day is come.

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“Happiness”   by   Jinksy

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Happiness is fleeting;
grasp it while you may,
but let go of it lightly –
it will come another day.

Should you try to keep it,
the faster it may flee.
Greet it gladly, say “Hello”,
Then simply let it be.

Each moment holds potential,
may yield a greater joy
than any you’d envisioned –
one which no one can destroy.

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“Nightsong”    by   Jinksy

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Invisible in country dark, the birds

had pegged the notes of songs among the leaves,

like flower garlands hung on high to dry.

In crescendo, sprouting buds full bloomed

then died as petal echoes touched my ears,

enchanting them with musical perfume.

The darkling mystery of night revealed

its secrets, as shifting moon and stars revolved,

and lit arpeggios with silver mists.

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“A Double Etheree”   by   Jinksy

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No

stalling;

rhyme’s calling,

begging my brain

to start work again

on yet another set

of rhyming couplets. So let

battle commence! Get brain in gear

choose words to make the enemy fear

the lash of tongue or mental cut and thrust

designed to conquer, though that be unjust

in what should be a friendly skirmish.

May each foray end as I wish

in compatible joining

of like with like, bringing

harmony to all.

forget the call

to arms. Smile!

Worthwhile,

No?

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Penny’s Blogs ~

Napple Notes

Alias Jinksy  

In Tandem

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2012 featured poet at
my heart’s love songs

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NaBloPoMoSoup

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all copyright remains with the authors

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