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do not make war, a poem . . . and your Wednesday Writing Prompt

View of Cliff House from Ocean Beach
View of Cliff House from Ocean Beach

1.

it must be painful for them to write, those poets in tough-times and hard places
where blood and tears and poverty contaminate the air, stain the sidewalks, and consume the people

the blood must be soul-sick and rusted and tasting of acid, not salt,
and the poems meant to heal the writer and stroke the cheeks of the wounded,
to dry their eyes and gently kiss their gray heads

to poem in such places must be like walking shoeless on glass shards

perhaps the most sacred thing in the dream-time meadow of poets’ desire is Light ~

can you awaken to meet the Divine on the battlefield, in the camps, in government housing or in the ghettos?

if so, you are a saint, not simply an artist

2.

in my small world, my civilized world, people fall asleep reading or after making love or playing in the yard with their children

if they wander, it is through books or planned travel

there are luxuries
there is food
there is cleanliness and paper on which to write
no bombs are dropping to scorch and scar the Earth
there is a certain dignity

3.

in San Francisco we walk along the beach at night, near the Cliff House
we walk to the sound of the waves, the song of the Earth chanting its joys
our feet are bare and relish the comfort of cool sand

the air is clear and cold and easy to breathe, tasting of salt and smelling of sea life ~
here is a pristine moment of peace

i want to bequeath this peace to you, to everyone,
as though it were a cherished heirloom
it is really a birthright

i want to plunge into the waters and gather the ocean in my cupped hands, to offer it to you as sacramental wine

i want to form seaweed into garlands for all of us to wear, to hang over our hearts, a symbol of affection

i want to collect pine cones from the trees that congregate along the coast and feed them to the children to remind them to cherish this Earth and all its creatures, themselves included, and to say …

do not make war in your heart or upon your mother’s body

© 2016, poem, Jamie Dedes, All rights reservedPhoto credit ~ BrokenInaglory via Wikipedia under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported


WEDNESDAY WRITING PROMPT

“do not make war” … Your thoughts? If you are comfortable, share your poetry or prose or a link to it in the comments section below. You have until next Monday evening. All work shared in response to this prompt will be published next Tuesday in The Poet by Day.


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“Blessed Are the Sacred Folk” and other poetic r esponses to the last Wednesday Writing Prompt

These are the responses to the last Wednesday Writing Prompt, August 2, Hot August Nights. Enjoy and be sure to support and encourage these intrepid poets by liking, commenting and visiting their blogs. Thank you for joining us. Tomorrow another prompt will post and you are invited to come out and play and share your own prose or poetry.  All work shared will be featured in The Poet by Day the following Tuesday.


The Honeymoon’s Over

Spring’s promise of high summer
has passed, the lush greens gone,
and now less vibrant. Parched.
Stale somehow. Disappointing.

The promise so much sweeter
than reality; the heady warmth;
sun filled days and mirage haze
the balmy heat, hot naked nights.

We should enjoy this time, by rights
but if it brings us closer to the fall;
the Autumn of our life, if that is all
then can we not enjoy the cooling

promised winter chill, another world,
its yielding to the blacks and whites
mysterious greys, the icy haze,
the freezing hibernation, preserving.

But no. An earlier Spring, that comes
too soon, and sooner still the melting
Arctic ice. One day, there’ll be no more
dreaming of a summer honeymoon.

© 2017, John Anstie (My Poetry Library and FortyTwo)


29 days .

he came early today. screaming round the garden.

a gentle feel, all chill and autumn mist already,
with us only mid august, yet we know the signs the feel,
the smell of the tide in the air, here.

we panic as the small boy grows, as times passes.

they say quicker now, yet i am not so sure.

i went to town yesterday, saw the signs of another
world. stood in the bank some time, only one
assistant these days.

the sun colours the clouds with empathy.

© 2017, Sonja Benskin Mesher (Sonja Benskin Mesher, RCS – Fine Art and Illustration) and (Sonja’s Drawings)

. 107 just a summers day ..

it is like loving a ghastly child

she said.

looked down,

noticed her puffy

ankles

in the heat.

© 2017, Sonja Benskin Mesher ((Sonja Benskin Mesher, RCS – Fine Art and Illustration and Sonja’s Drawings)


Ghost Holiday

Briefly open the earth gate into your head dark,
allow your kindly dead through the gate to be with
you, the living, let them sup ale in their old pubs,
if the places are not boarded up, demolished,

allow them to enter their old homes. Their rooms left
as they
were when they died, or find their goods given to
charity, sold, some kept, their homes lived in now

by strangers, who chase them off, crash pots and pans too
loud for the dead. So they wander streets as homeless,

uncared, they find your home and photos of themselves,
relieved that someone still treasures their memory.

Soon, respite done, they return by the earth gate to
your head dark, until their next holiday among
the living, to see, again how time has moved on.

© 2017, Paul Brookes (The Wombwell Rainbow: Inspiration, History, Imagination)

Blessed Are the Sacred Folk

who plough
who prepare the earth
who plough with a wide furrow to bring water from the river
who plant seeds
who trace the first ploughing, reploughing as first did not work
who harrow
who dig
who weed
who reap
who carry the grain
who store the grain
who share the grain
who share their good fortune with us, the dead

© 2017, Paul Brookes (The Wombwell Rainbow: Inspiration, History, Imagination)

Open the Grain Store Between Your Thighs

world of
dark in your underworld
full of your dead ancestors
warm food for the cold times
riches kept snug
allow a kiss
allow a lick
I should not let the dark out
for long
I shall plug it
so after winter you can give birth to heat
bring out small bawling heat to help

© 2017, Paul Brookes (The Wombwell Rainbow: Inspiration, History, Imagination)

Gather Harvest

offering

rain to earth
hard labour harvests
first fruits for winter

counsel

uncut grain holds earth
in secret counsel as seas
do not hold sea floor

conversation

scythe interrupts grain’s
conversation with its earth,
ears no longer hear

ruin

ruin oversees cornfields
must be placated with fires
in field, hearth and head

© 2017, Paul Brookes (The Wombwell Rainbow: Inspiration, History, Imagination)


The Heat of Hot August Nights

The longing for warmer weather and sunny days
falls somewhere between Winter rain
and Spring flowers beginning to petal

but it all has given way to a heat so heavy
that it settles upon her August nights
as though weighted a substantial burden

it permeates every living thing and even
insects take refuge long for cooling air
causing the synergy of habitats once again

for the fine line between longing and needing
takes her back to the petals of flowers and green
days with a cool breeze a paramour of the sun

© 2017,  Renee Espriu (Renee Just Turtle Flight and Inspiration, Mimagination & Creativity with Wings, Haiku Halburn and Art)


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SUNDAY ANNOUNCEMENTS: Calls for Submissions, Contests, Events and Other News and Informations

CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS

Opportunity Knocks

CONSEQUENCE MAGAZINE, an international literary magazine focusing on the culture of war “is now accepting submissions for a special anniversary issue devoted to women who write about war. CONSEQUENCE is an independent, non-profit literary magazine published annually. We publish short fiction, poetry, non-fiction, interviews, visual art, and reviews primarily focused on the culture of war.” Reading period ends on September 30. Details HERE.

RALEIGH REVIEW, Literary & Arts Magazine is open for submissions for its spring 2018 issue. The Raleigh Review is published twice yearly and features of poetry, flash fiction and short fiction. Pays $10 plus publication. Deadline is October 31. Details Here.

THE BeZINE submissions for the August 2017 issue – themed Theatre –  closes at midnight PST on August 10th. Publication date is August 15th. Poetry, essays, fiction and creative nonfiction, art and photography, music and theatre (videos), and whatever lends itself to online presentation is welcome for consideration. Please check out a few issues first and the Intro./Mission Statement and Submission Guidelines. No demographic restrictions. We would especially encourage submissions from people who are involved one way or the other in theatre. Essays from theatre lovers on the impact of a specific show or the art in general on personal life or on culture in general are welcome, as is critique or historical perspective. Please keep in mind that we do not publish anything that promotes hate or violence. Special guest host is Richard Lingua, theatre aficionado, occasional actor and frequent lecturer. All submissions to Founding and Managing Editor, Jamie Dedes, bardogoup@gmail.com

INTO THE VOID, Arts and Literature is accepting submissions of fiction, nonfiction and poetry through September 7. Pays in copies. Details HERE.

GRIS GRIS MAGAZINE, An Online Journal of Literature, Culture, and the Arts is at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. It is published twice a year and issues include poetry, fiction, nonfiction. $2 processing free on each submission, which are reviewed year round. Details HERE.


CONTESTS

Opportunity Knocks

PITCH AMÉRICA, A Pitch Contest Focused on Latinx Voices opens at midnight on August 30 and closed at 11:59 on September 3. This contest is for the first 500 words and the 35 word pitch of completed manuscripts by Latinx. Demographic restrictions apply. Judges will selection pitches to make the rounds of publishers. Details HERE.

DREAM QUEST ONE POETRY AND WRITING CONTEST Summer 2017 is open internationally.  There is a $10 USD entry fee for short stories and a $5 entry fee for poetry. Cash award. Details HERE.

THE WRITER MAGAZINE “Let There Be Light” contest calls for  2,000-word fictional short stories using any nuance, definition, or understanding of the word “light.” $25 entry fee. Cash award and publication. Deadline is midnight EST August 21. Details HERE.


EVENTS

  • Jazzfest Berlin, October 2017In a world where walls are being erected and borders strengthened every day, jazz exists to remind us of a simple lesson: that people and societies are at their best when they work together in a spirit of openness and inclusion. Further detail HERE.
  • A Haibun Journey, August 8 (Part 1)hosted by Smart Museum of Art and Poetry Foundation and Poetry Magazine at 5550 S Greenwood Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60637. Ticket info at www.eventbrite.com (Part II is on August 15)
  • Poetic Tuesday with Litquake, August 8 from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. at Yerba Buena Gardens, 760 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA  94103
  • Millions for Prisoners Human Rights March, Washington DC, August 19 to end legalized prison slavery and mass incarceration. There is also a virtual march. Details HERE.

SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM 100,000 POETS FOR CHANGE FOUNDERS: Michael Rothenberg and Terri Carrion

Hello 100 Thousand Poets for Change!

There are only 60 days left until the 7th annual 100 Thousand Poets for Change global day scheduled for September 30! So far over 450 events in 100 countries are planned to take place.

This is an important year for all of us. The world needs our help, our voices, our words, our creativity, if we are going to get through these difficult times. We must continue to work together, as well as reach out to new friends in our cities and towns around the world to build a stronger, creative expression, an expression of peace, justice and sustainability. We must continue to organize and let our voices be heard. We need to keep pushing. Bringing our arts community together in this way is one of the most effective things we can do as poets and artists to bring about positive change, through education, awareness and community empowerment.

Let me know if you want to organize a poetry reading, music concert, dance performance, teaching workshop, fundraiser, or art exhibition in your town on September 30th (or any day close to that day that is possible). If you are going to organize an event in your city please email mrwalterblue@gmail.com and type the following statement to the Subject Line:

‘YES I WANT TO ORGANIZE”

 Once we hear back from you we will be happy to sign you up!

Thank you for being an important part of this global community.

Peace and hugs,

Michael Rothenberg and Terri Carrion

100 Thousand Poets for Change, www.100tpc.org

  *****

¡Hola 100 Mil Poetas por el Cambio!

Quedan solamente 60 días para el 7o día global 100 Mil Poetas por el Cambio, ¡evento anual que este año está programado para el 30 de septiembre! Hasta el momento ya hay planeados 450 eventos en 100 países.

Este es un año importante para todos nosotros. El mundo necesita nuestra ayuda, nuestras voces, nuestras palabras, nuestra creatividad, si vamos a superar estos tiempos difíciles. Debemos continuar nuestro trabajo juntos, así como acercarnos a nuestros nuevos amigos en otras ciudades y pueblos alrededor del mundo, para edificar una más fuerte expresión creativa, una expresión de paz, justicia y sustentabilidad. Debemos seguir organizando y permitiendo que se escuchen nuestras voces.

Necesitamos empujar más. Unir nuestra comunidad artística de esta manera es una de las cosas más efectivas que podemos hacer como poetas y artistas para provocar un cambio positivo, a través de la educación, la concientización y el empoderamiento comunitarios.

Déjame saber si quieres organizar una lectura de poesía, un concierto de música, una coreografía, ofrecer un taller, organizar un evento de recaudación de fondos o una exhibición de arte en tu comunidad este próximo 30 de septiembre (o cualquier otro día, lo más cercano posible a dicha fecha, de ser posible). Si vas a organizar un evento en tu ciudad, por favor, responde a mrwalterblue@gmail.com y añade la siguiente afirmación en el asunto:

¡SÍ, YO QUIERO ORGANIZAR!!!

Una vez que recibamos su confirmación, ¡estaremos felices de apuntarlos!

Gracias por ser una parte importante de esta comunidad global.

Paz y abrazos,

Michael Rothenberg y Terri Carrion

100 Thousand Poets for Change, www.100tpc.org

Δ

THE BEZINE 100,000 POETS FOR CHANGE 2017 invites poets, artists and friends to join us for our traditional virtual event beginning at 12:01 a.m. PST on September 30 at The BeZine and extending to 12:01 a.m. PST on October 1.  American-Israeli poet, Michael Dickel (Meta/ Phor(e) /Play) is master of ceremonies. You are invited to share poems, music videos, art – anything that can be shared in a comment or via a link.


KUDOS


NEWS AND OTHER INFORMATION


YOUR SUNDAY ANNOUNCEMENTS may be emailed to thepoetbyday@gmail.com. Please do so at least a week in advance.

If you would like me to consider reviewing your book, chapbook, magazine or film, here are some general guidelines:

  • nothing that foments hate or misunderstanding
  • nothing violent or encouraging of violence
  • English only, though Spanish is okay if accompanied by translation
  • though your book or other product doesn’t have to be available through Amazon for review here, it should be easy for readers to find through your site or other venues.

DISCLAIMER

Often information is just that information – and not necessarily recommendation. I haven’t worked with all the publications featured in Sunday Announcements or elsewhere on this site. Awards and contests are often a means to generate income and publicity for the host organizations, some of which are more reputable than others. I am homebound due to disability and no longer attend events. Please be sure to verify information for yourself before submitting work, buying products, paying fees or attending events et al.

Affiliate Links Disclosure:
Some product links within posts are Amazon affiliate links. The Poet by Day is supported in part by these links. Your use of them costs you nothing and helps to keep this site running. When you click on a affiliate link (not all links are affiliate) and/or make a purchase I sometimes receive a small percentage of the purchase price. Thank you for your support.


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Historian of the American Revolution, Thomas Fleming, died

American Historian and Historical Novelist, Thomas Fleming (July 5, 1927 – July 23, 2017)

“Novelists focus on the intimate side of life. This is the first time anyone has looked at the intimate side of the lives of these famous Americans, with an historian’s eyes.” Fleming said with regard to Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers, which examines the roles of women in the lives of these early leaders

Thomas Fleming was an historian and former president of PEN America and the Society of American Historians. When his tenure as president of PEN ended, he remained active in its Freedom to Write program. Fleming chaired the New York American Revolution Round Table and was an honorary member of the New York State Society of the Cincinnati. Fleming died last month on the 23rd.  He is survived by his wife, writer Alice Hoffman (literature and fiction, young adult, magical realism).

Thomas Fleming’s work reflects the foci of his interests –  the American Revolution and military history – with books including Liberty! The American Revolution And The Future Of America, Duel: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the History of America and Washington’s Secret War: The Hidden History of Valley Forge.

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