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JUST PASSING THROUGH, A POEM … AND YOUR WEDNESDAY WRITING PROMPT

“Who knows how easily ambition disguises itself under the name of a calling, possibly in good faith and deceiving itself, in sanctimonious confusion?” Les Miserables, Victor Hugo

I saw you first
on the main banking floor
Unpacking customers
like a traveler his suitcase
Just passing through
on your way to the top

© 2019, poem, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved;  photo courtesy of  Jiri Hodan, Public Domain Pictures.net

WEDNESDAY WRITING PROMPT

The poem above is about ambition that is totally self-centered, which it can certainly be. Ambition can also be a good thing, helping us get things done that make life better for our families and community. Like many human characteristics, it can be a mixed bag, a sticky combo of service to others and self-aggrandizement. What are your thoughts and observations? Tell us in your own poem/s.

Share them on theme in the comments section below or leave a link to it/them. All poems on theme will be published on the first Tuesday following this post.

 No poems submitted through email or Facebook will be published. 

IF this is your first time joining us for The Poet by Day, Wednesday Writing Prompt, please send a brief bio and photo to me at thepoetbyday@gmail.com to introduce yourself to the community … and to me :-). These are partnered with your poem/s on first publication.

PLEASE send the bio ONLY if you are with us on this for the first time AND only if you have posted a poem (or a link to one of yours) on theme in the comments section below.  

Deadline:  Monday, February 11 by 8 pm standard.

Anyone may take part Wednesday Writing Prompt, no matter the status of your career: novice, emerging or pro.  It’s about exercising the poetic muscle, showcasing your work, and getting to know other poets who might be new to you. This is a discerning non-judgemental place to connect.

You are welcome – encouraged – to share your poems in a language other than English but please accompany it with a translation into English.

ABOUT

Testimonials

Disclosure

Facebook

Twitter

Poet and writer, I was once columnist and associate editor of a regional employment publication. I currently run this site, The Poet by Day, an information hub for poets and writers. I am the managing editor of The BeZine published by The Bardo Group Beguines (originally The Bardo Group), a virtual arts collective I founded.  I am a weekly contributor to Beguine Again, a site showcasing spiritual writers. My work is featured in a variety of publications and on sites, including: Levure littéraure, Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature,Compass Rose, Connotation Press, The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, Second Light, I Am Not a Silent Poet, Meta / Phor(e) /Play, and California Woman. My poetry was recently read by Northern California actor Richard Lingua for Poetry Woodshed, Belfast Community Radio. I was featured in a lengthy interview on the Creative Nexus Radio Show where I was dubbed “Poetry Champion.”

The BeZine: Waging the Peace, An Interfaith Exploration featuring Fr. Daniel Sormani, Rev. Benjamin Meyers, and the Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi among others

“What if our religion was each other. If our practice was our life. If prayer, our words. What if the temple was the Earth. If forests were our church. If holy water–the rivers, lakes, and ocean. What if meditation was our relationships. If the teacher was life. If wisdom was self-knowledge. If love was the center of our being.” Ganga White, teacher and exponent of Yoga and founder of White Lotus, a Yoga center and retreat house in Santa Barbara, CA

“Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.” Lucille Clifton

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I AM BEAUTIFUL NOW, a poem and your next Wednesday Writing Prompt

I have been searching

Old Woman

and I find her
in
mySelf

Daughters of Copper Woman, Ann Cameron

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m beautiful now,
beautiful in ways I never was in callow youth …
On fire now with the violet fire of soul speak,
treading a lighter path with a brighter spirit.
·
Sparking pink tourmaline, green jade, amethyst.
Blue sapphire flashing through the cloud of my being,
shooting stars in a cobalt sky of my heart.
I shed the pyrite, lead, hematite, the heavy, the dross.
Lost in a whisper of indigo dreams,
like a gray sparrow feather –
I float through Eternity,
a fragile-strong willow-wisp of joy.
·
In case you haven’t noticed, I am beautiful now,
beautiful in the way of all young women in that
once-upon-a-time when they were old.

© 2019, Jamie Dedes; photograph Beautiful Old Lady from Darap (Sikkim) Village courtesy of Sukanto Debnath from Hyderabad, India under licensed  Creative CommonsAttribution 2.0 Generic.

WEDNESDAY WRITING PROMPT

An old poem shared today, somewhat rewritten in honor of the soon-to-be celebration of my sixty-ninth year. I may be a minority, but I find old-age gratifying.  It some ways, life is easier and things are certainly clearer than they’ve ever been.  How about you? What are your thoughts on aging? Tell us in your poem/s.

Share them on theme in the comments section below or leave a link to it/them. All poems on theme are published on next Tuesday.

 No poems submitted through email or Facebook will be published. 

IF this is your first time joining us for The Poet by Day, Wednesday Writing Prompt, please send a brief bio and photo to me at thepoetbyday@gmail.com to introduce yourself to the community … and to me :-). These are partnered with your poem/s on first publication.

PLEASE send the bio ONLY if you are with us on this for the first time AND only if you have posted a poem (or a link to one of yours) on theme in the comments section below.  

Deadline:  Monday, February 11 by 8 pm standard.

Anyone may take part Wednesday Writing Prompt, no matter the status of your career: novice, emerging or pro.  It’s about exercising the poetic muscle, showcasing your work, and getting to know other poets who might be new to you. This is a discerning non-judgemental place to connect.

You are welcome – encouraged – to share your poems in a language other than English but please accompany it with a translation into English.

ABOUT

Testimonials

Disclosure

Facebook

Twitter

Poet and writer, I was once columnist and associate editor of a regional employment publication. I currently run this site, The Poet by Day, an information hub for poets and writers. I am the managing editor of The BeZine published by The Bardo Group Beguines (originally The Bardo Group), a virtual arts collective I founded.  I am a weekly contributor to Beguine Again, a site showcasing spiritual writers. My work is featured in a variety of publications and on sites, including: Levure littéraure, Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature,Compass Rose, Connotation Press, The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, Second Light, I Am Not a Silent Poet, Meta / Phor(e) /Play, and California Woman. My poetry was recently read by Northern California actor Richard Lingua for Poetry Woodshed, Belfast Community Radio. I was featured in a lengthy interview on the Creative Nexus Radio Show where I was dubbed “Poetry Champion.”

The BeZine: Waging the Peace, An Interfaith Exploration featuring Fr. Daniel Sormani, Rev. Benjamin Meyers, and the Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi among others

“What if our religion was each other. If our practice was our life. If prayer, our words. What if the temple was the Earth. If forests were our church. If holy water–the rivers, lakes, and ocean. What if meditation was our relationships. If the teacher was life. If wisdom was self-knowledge. If love was the center of our being.” Ganga White, teacher and exponent of Yoga and founder of White Lotus, a Yoga center and retreat house in Santa Barbara, CA

“Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.” Lucille Clifton

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SHE IS GONE FOREVER, A POEM IN ENGLISH BY RANJANA SHARAN SINHA, GERMAN TRANSLATION BY DR. APRILIA ZANK

“There was an old belief that in the embers
Of all things their primordial form exists,
And cunning alchemists
Could re-create the rose with all its members
From its own ashes, but without the bloom,
Without the lost perfume
Ah me! what wonder-working, occult science
Can from the ashes in our hearts once more
The rose of youth restore?
What craft of alchemy can bid defiance
To time and change, and for a single hour
Renew this phantom-flower?”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Thanks to Aprilia for the introduction to Ranjana, a new-to-me poet. It’s an introduction I think you’ll appreciate as well. / J.D.
.
In my journey through life,
I reach an alien territory–
The scarlet gulmohars
with their flamboyant flames
fall on the ground:
A sense of fall silently comes!
llllll
Saddened by
‘ the touch of earthly years’
A boundless ocean forced along
by the winds of halcyon days,
surges up within me,
provoking nostalgia!
.
Behind the morphing
face and body,
I look for my lost self:
A woman without
lines or signs of aging–
Vibrant and agile,
appears before me.
.
I try to loop my
arms through hers,
but she flies and goes forever
making me feel like
A mass of rocks
after recent rainfall:
Oh, the pleasant petrichor persists!
.
My bygone days like
pale effervescent wine
hiss in the flute of
my advancing years,
whispering with the mesmerising bubbles!
.
– Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha
.
© 2019, poem in English and German, Ranjana Sinha
.

Sie ist für immer verschwunden!

Auf meiner Reise durch das Leben

Erreiche ich eine fremde Landschaft –

Die scharlachroten Flammenbäume

mit ihren strahlenden Farben

fallen zu Boden:

Ein Gefühl von Herbst nähert sich leise!

.

Betrübt von

“der Berührung der irdischen Jahre”

Spüre ich ein inneres Grollen –

Ein grenzenloser Ozean gezwungen

bei den Sturmwinden der halkyonischen Tage,

strömt in mir empor,

überschwemmt mich mit Nostalgie

.

Hinter der Verwandlung

von Gesicht und Körper,

auf der Suche nach meinem verlorenen Ich:

Eine Frau ohne

Falten oder Zeichen des Alterns –

Flink und lebensfroh,

erscheint vor mir.

.

Ich versuche, ihre Arme

.

mit meinen zu umklammern

aber sie fliegt und verschwindet für immer

und ich fühle mich wie

ein Haufen von Steinen

nach frischem Regen:

Oh, der liebliche Petrichor verweilt!

.

Meine vergangenen Tage wie

heller, schäumender Champagner,

zischen in der Schaumweinflöte

meiner zunehmenden Jahre,

und flüstern

mit bezaubernden Perlen!

– Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha

Translated by Dr. Aprilia Zank

DR. RANJANA SHARAN SINHA is a former professor in English at Shree Binzani City College, Nagpur, Maharashtra (India) and is well- known poet, author and literary critic. Dr. Sinha’s PhD thesis was on ” Sri Aurobindo and the Epic tradition”. She is a recognised voice in Indian Poetry in English and has received an accolade from the former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for her poem “ Mother Nature”.

Dr. Shinha’s poems, short stories, articles and research papers published in reputed dailies, magazines, e-zines and archives at national and international levels.Her poems have found place in prestigious Sahitya Akademi’s journal lndian Literature and international anthogies.Authored and published 06 books in different genres and 50 research papers.The books are:1.Spring Zone (Collection of Poems and Haiku); 2. Midnight Sun ( Collection of Short Stories); 3. Nature in the Poetry of William Wordsworth and Sumitra Nandan Pant ( Criticism); 4. Feminism: Times and Tides ( Historiographical and theoretical  commentary on Feminism covering eleven chapters) 5. Different Dimensions (Compilation of Research Papers) 6. Scents and Shadows ( Collection of Poems) 7. Rhymes for Children ( Collection of rhymes- to be published).Completed  UGC-sponsored MRP on comparative literature.

Dr. Shinha has received awards for her outstanding contributions to literature: Best Poet Award by Poets International, Bangalore; Rashtriya Pratibha Samman by Akhil Bhartiya Sahitya Sangam,Udaipur; Best Citizens of lndia by lnternational Publishing House, New Delhi; T.G.Deshmukh Best Teacher Award by Nagpur Shikshan Mandal, Nagpur; Brij Sahityamani Samman by Brajlok Sahitya-Kala-Sanskriti Academy, Agra; Hindi Bhasha Bhushan by Shri Govind Hindi Seva Samiti, Muradabad; Chitransh Kul Bhaskar Samman, Bilaspur(CG); Felicitated at lnternational Poetry Festival, Guntur.Featured poet of Pentasi B World Friendship Poetry 2019.

She is associated with a number of literary organisations and Poetry groups.Presented papers in many national and international seminars and conferences.Research Supervisor,RTM Nagpur University.

DR. APRILIA ZANK is a lecturer for Creative Writing and Translation Theory from Germany. She received her PhD degree in Literature and Psycholinguistics for her thesis THE WORD IN THE WORD Literary Text Reception and Linguistic Relativity, at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where she started her academic career as a lecturer. She is also a poet, a translator and the editor of two anthologies: the English–German anthology poetry tREnD Eine englisch-deutsche Anthologie zeitgenössischer Lyrik, LIT Verlag, Germany, 2010, and the anthology POETS IN PERSON at the Glassblower (Indigo Dreams Publishing, UK, 2014).

Aprilia writes verse in English and German, and was awarded a prize at the “Vera Piller” Poetry Contest in Zurich. Her poetry collection, TERMINUS ARCADIA, was 2nd Place Winner at the Twowolvz Press Poetry Chapbook Contest 2013. BAREFOOT TO ARCADIA, her bilingual collection of poems translated in Telugu by the eminent Indian poet and translator Dr. L. S. R. Prasad. was launched in 2018 in Hyderabad, India.

Aprilia has received wide recognition in both western and eastern countries for her merits and achievements. She is active in many literary and artistic groups, a frequent judge in poetry and photography competitions, and a member of the editorial boards of advisors of prestigious literary platforms such as Our Poetry Archive (OPA), Sahitya Anand Literary Journal and Athena, Journal on Humanities and Social Sciences. In 2018, she was awarded the title “Dr. Aprilia Zank – Germany Beat Poet Laureate”, by the National Beat Poetry Foundation (USA).

Aprilia is also a passionate photographer. To her, photography means the attempt to get a new insight into the essence of things. She has organised many photography exhibitions at the Ludwig Maximilian University and other cultural centres in Munich. Many of her images are prize winners and have been selected for poetry book covers.

ABOUT

Testimonials

Disclosure

Facebook

Twitter

Poet and writer, I was once columnist and associate editor of a regional employment publication. I currently run this site, The Poet by Day, an information hub for poets and writers. I am the managing editor of The BeZine published by The Bardo Group Beguines (originally The Bardo Group), a virtual arts collective I founded.  I am a weekly contributor to Beguine Again, a site showcasing spiritual writers. My work is featured in a variety of publications and on sites, including: Levure littéraure, Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature,Compass Rose, Connotation Press, The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, Second Light, I Am Not a Silent Poet, Meta / Phor(e) /Play, and California Woman. My poetry was recently read byNorthern California actor Richard Lingua for Poetry Woodshed, Belfast Community Radio. I was featured in a lengthy interview on the Creative Nexus Radio Show where I was dubbed “Poetry Champion.”

The BeZine: Waging the Peace, An Interfaith Exploration featuring Fr. Daniel Sormani, Rev. Benjamin Meyers, and the Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi among others

“What if our religion was each other. If our practice was our life. If prayer, our words. What if the temple was the Earth. If forests were our church. If holy water–the rivers, lakes, and ocean. What if meditation was our relationships. If the teacher was life. If wisdom was self-knowledge. If love was the center of our being.” Ganga White, teacher and exponent of Yoga and founder of White Lotus, a Yoga center and retreat house in Santa Barbara, CA

“Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.” Lucille Clifton

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The Plotting of a Story, a poem … and your next Wednesday Writing Prompt

“Here I am alive, and it’s not my fault, so I have to try and get by as best I can without hurting anybody until death takes over.” Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

There are open spaces in the plotting of a story
I print out for edit during the work hours
In the silence of creativity, a sweet lavender
lends its fragrance, color and calm
Outside squirrels skip, toddlers play
Grandmothers stand-watch in doorways,
chili stewing and stacks of tortillas, warm and
soft, rest and wait under clean kitchen towels

Spring is moving into summer and neighbors
tend their herb and vegetable gardens
They imagine the yield dressed in salads
They’re willing to share the harvest with friends
A world away soldiers download ordnance
synchronized to the hum and click of my printer
Bodies fall, hearts stop, eyes water and
the manuscript is blue-pencilled* by rifle fire

© 2018, poem and photograph, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved

* For the younger generation: back in the day light blue pencils were used to note corrections to writing because they would not show up in the reproduction process. This is rarely seen now that we use computers for production.

WEDNESDAY WRITING PROMPT

What would the world look like if we called a global moratorium on murder, torture, separation, and starvation?  How might we get to such a place ?  How would the story of the human race change? Tell us in your poem/s.

Share them on theme in the comments section below or leave a link to it/them. All poems on theme are published on the following Tuesday.

 No poems submitted through email or Facebook will be published. 

IF this is your first time joining us for The Poet by Day, Wednesday Writing Prompt, please send a brief bio and photo to me at thepoetbyday@gmail.com to introduce yourself to the community … and to me :-). These are partnered with your poem/s on first publication.

PLEASE send the bio ONLY if you are with us on this for the first time AND only if you have posted a poem (or a link to one of yours) on theme in the comments section below.  

Deadline:  Monday, February 4 by 8 pm standard.

Anyone may take part Wednesday Writing Prompt, no matter the status of your career: novice, emerging or pro.  It’s about exercising the poetic muscle, showcasing your work, and getting to know other poets who might be new to you. This is a discerning non-judgemental place to connect.

You are welcome – encouraged – to share your poems in a language other than English but please accompany it with a translation into English.

ABOUT

Testimonials

Disclosure

Facebook

Twitter

Poet and writer, I was once columnist and associate editor of a regional employment publication. I currently run this site, The Poet by Day, an information hub for poets and writers. I am the managing editor of The BeZine published by The Bardo Group Beguines (originally The Bardo Group), a virtual arts collective I founded.  I am a weekly contributor to Beguine Again, a site showcasing spiritual writers. My work is featured in a variety of publications and on sites, including: Levure littéraure, Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature,Compass Rose, Connotation Press, The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, Second Light, I Am Not a Silent Poet, Meta / Phor(e) /Play, and California Woman. My poetry was recently read by Northern California actor Richard Lingua for Poetry Woodshed, Belfast Community Radio. I was featured in a lengthy interview on the Creative Nexus Radio Show where I was dubbed “Poetry Champion.”

The BeZine: Waging the Peace, An Interfaith Exploration featuring Fr. Daniel Sormani, Rev. Benjamin Meyers, and the Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi among others

“What if our religion was each other. If our practice was our life. If prayer, our words. What if the temple was the Earth. If forests were our church. If holy water–the rivers, lakes, and ocean. What if meditation was our relationships. If the teacher was life. If wisdom was self-knowledge. If love was the center of our being.” Ganga White, teacher and exponent of Yoga and founder of White Lotus, a Yoga center and retreat house in Santa Barbara, CA

“Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.” Lucille Clifton