tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85345770193445533212024-03-04T20:24:21.777-08:00Rattling the Cage"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart." William WordsworthUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-5272501171199570852022-09-18T23:20:00.003-07:002022-09-18T23:21:25.551-07:00"The Long Road" Wins an Honorable Mention in the Lorian Hemingway Contest<p> I'm thrilled to announce that my story "The Long Road" won an Honorable Mention in the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Contest. Lorian is the granddaughter of literary giant, Ernest Hemingway and was one of the judges.</p><p>The story was based on the lyrics of the song by the same name written by Eddie Vedder (my muse) and played by Pearl Jam.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_aK_o-Rvlg4vhEn-_x47kLCyRvpomGgnP4a6IsC69FwGwVZwH5nsTY6053SZhF-QuLrtVr6eFWeJAoHQQ9dgsrxj-VRQSooaiV7ClDucjHQ5gIkjgyir1793JpNrVhtojgVLNYOw7QEMcqgRhIhOpHn3DOtRgC2eOKON3cE9l4zXGMnD5vZTXSYmy/s1498/results.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1498" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_aK_o-Rvlg4vhEn-_x47kLCyRvpomGgnP4a6IsC69FwGwVZwH5nsTY6053SZhF-QuLrtVr6eFWeJAoHQQ9dgsrxj-VRQSooaiV7ClDucjHQ5gIkjgyir1793JpNrVhtojgVLNYOw7QEMcqgRhIhOpHn3DOtRgC2eOKON3cE9l4zXGMnD5vZTXSYmy/w497-h345/results.JPG" width="497" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-30628783884217849772021-12-12T11:11:00.003-08:002021-12-12T11:11:55.303-08:00My "Wistful Thinking" Flash Fiction Featured in Writer's Digest Magazine<p> Absolutely thrilled to have won the Flash Fiction Contest featured in the Nov./Dec. issue of Writer's Digest Magazine. Thanks to the editors, friends, and family that voted. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGM4oCOLL7LiI_WohRnzG3b5ZPWUWq8cgwU7Z8uTnUspiGTs6Yy4FioFj4WT02CMkReHAiA9Yk_8Rrxnm6G9rTQAi_YMBhhJbqI7dtwNFs66-C8JuvMW8w_pcXHoQPWAMd87pVE9kjxZgkl-HOw0FcwDXZuTzgvHiy1wjUsP9853D67qFHXezGUsj6=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGM4oCOLL7LiI_WohRnzG3b5ZPWUWq8cgwU7Z8uTnUspiGTs6Yy4FioFj4WT02CMkReHAiA9Yk_8Rrxnm6G9rTQAi_YMBhhJbqI7dtwNFs66-C8JuvMW8w_pcXHoQPWAMd87pVE9kjxZgkl-HOw0FcwDXZuTzgvHiy1wjUsP9853D67qFHXezGUsj6=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-68879077815593308622021-05-24T08:41:00.002-07:002021-05-24T09:51:56.932-07:00<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcfSnChILO79AjaV6v0VzfFqIhZ2G4GvZHGUYglLVPBh9ItNyfID2VIGvG5XzvyMoJQn2bc9FE9DpDK6_3hYw4bQRhgy0NsvBm54yqoFaXrGzmDOd6c5fCYn55Lu9QxPdIXCRFjjf3Wc/s499/51ZCppjYNAL._SX322_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcfSnChILO79AjaV6v0VzfFqIhZ2G4GvZHGUYglLVPBh9ItNyfID2VIGvG5XzvyMoJQn2bc9FE9DpDK6_3hYw4bQRhgy0NsvBm54yqoFaXrGzmDOd6c5fCYn55Lu9QxPdIXCRFjjf3Wc/w326-h368/51ZCppjYNAL._SX322_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="326" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>My essay, "Thank You, Mr. Rogers, is included in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Living-COVID-Time-Sharing-Stories/dp/0979532965/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=living+on+covid+time&qid=1621870711&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Living on Covid Time</a>. A thoughtful anthology that contains moving stories from women all over the country sharing their experiences and thoughts during the pandemic. It's available at Amazon. com and Barnes and Noble. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-77112419228347099042021-05-24T08:34:00.003-07:002021-05-24T08:35:32.609-07:00Writer's Digest Flash Fiction Finalist<p> I'm thrilled to be one of the five finalists for Writer's Digest magazine's current flash fiction contest. You look at a photo prompt and submit your story of 650 words or less. The editors pick five of the submissions for the readers to vote on. My story is "Wishful Thinking", and it was fun to write. Tally Sullivan just walked right onto the page and started talking. LOL! </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-7637234027851418922020-09-01T11:03:00.001-07:002020-09-01T11:03:44.355-07:00Thank you, WOW - Women on Writing<p> I'm honored that my flash fiction piece placed in the Top Ten at Wow - Women on Writing. You can read the story here:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/downloads/printable/95-FE1-Winter20Contest-Teri-Liptak.html" target="_blank">Under the Stars</a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-59209800557814424642019-12-25T09:10:00.000-08:002019-12-25T09:30:41.715-08:00A Walk at Nightfall<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRACZQtzYXDCSCAYzdUkseKY197Wor-asRON8LqJwY26QLjLKDsowFM8bobLAboIKxAny7QSmS4ZzDvaGUbpYFgmR4UMA8TkQ2yBTJrmC_wnRE1V5swit6cWorVXDUtWm0AWSMXgBOSFc/s1600/roberto-nickson-5PQn41LFsQk-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRACZQtzYXDCSCAYzdUkseKY197Wor-asRON8LqJwY26QLjLKDsowFM8bobLAboIKxAny7QSmS4ZzDvaGUbpYFgmR4UMA8TkQ2yBTJrmC_wnRE1V5swit6cWorVXDUtWm0AWSMXgBOSFc/s640/roberto-nickson-5PQn41LFsQk-unsplash.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@rpnickson?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; white-space: nowrap;">Roberto Nickson</a><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/house-with-christmas-lights?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Bible in</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> hand, a solitary soul bellows his message of gloom.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">His words are thorns that pierce the stillness</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">until the last scrap of daylight slips away and,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">he disappears into the darkness.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Then, a radiant night, wrapped in peace.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Colored lights wink red, green, and blue from rooftops,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">festive along the almost empty, narrow pathway.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Giant candy canes and toy soldiers greet us.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Plastic sentinels of Christmas cheer.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A crisp winter chill kisses our cheeks.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Children’s voices ring in the air.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Bells of energy and freedom.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Their joy loud and contagious.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">We stroll along, calling out greetings.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Naked windows of cozy homes dressed</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">in their holiday finest reveal merrymakers in good cheer,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">cocktails in hand.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Their warmth beckons to passersby. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">May every dark night </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">have its cheerful golden light,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to chase away the gloom.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Remember this. Live it.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Teri Liptak</span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-1537726400911595482018-01-20T00:17:00.003-08:002018-01-20T00:17:49.428-08:00Art Break<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44JFYzErWI2grpUM6DcXvlCO72NrturFZ-CNdzmKQco77ZE_PMTo4LpbcSBbeu7eX7ZIiiUzIbhhg5_Leb5IFWz-ZViyEBOGXMhUov3NcvGXtqdnqzs8K3fNfhjsVkPDEd6VU5PLAIRM/s1600/0114182258a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="483" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44JFYzErWI2grpUM6DcXvlCO72NrturFZ-CNdzmKQco77ZE_PMTo4LpbcSBbeu7eX7ZIiiUzIbhhg5_Leb5IFWz-ZViyEBOGXMhUov3NcvGXtqdnqzs8K3fNfhjsVkPDEd6VU5PLAIRM/s400/0114182258a.jpg" width="345" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepYYY00tl-PT_s_R4aX2lhK5Y9fZT0a8bT2Kiy1IAdsMxaptmHVJc85Vl8mHg4uv8tNUKCz4eOQ8rWOBVXJyZ8yCKQdnINnkpohwdiwXNaaJsDrxVW_8B_6yNAsJ9VJsasXj3vPMxx5s/s1600/0104181632a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="438" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepYYY00tl-PT_s_R4aX2lhK5Y9fZT0a8bT2Kiy1IAdsMxaptmHVJc85Vl8mHg4uv8tNUKCz4eOQ8rWOBVXJyZ8yCKQdnINnkpohwdiwXNaaJsDrxVW_8B_6yNAsJ9VJsasXj3vPMxx5s/s400/0104181632a.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dToOwYxLXdFtPqNNC0VHcYcn1MV_iyoLqc43fn95nff8tAlSaiSWZi2FMbfJ7vR6dclU9MtIzpec31Cjku2UhOOny8EDdRXh-Alqm1aXk9T76GgKm_t-D03k4TsWkwHaj0T_xNqjADM/s1600/0117182209a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="444" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dToOwYxLXdFtPqNNC0VHcYcn1MV_iyoLqc43fn95nff8tAlSaiSWZi2FMbfJ7vR6dclU9MtIzpec31Cjku2UhOOny8EDdRXh-Alqm1aXk9T76GgKm_t-D03k4TsWkwHaj0T_xNqjADM/s640/0117182209a.jpg" width="384" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-29118214150094274332017-11-16T09:33:00.000-08:002017-11-16T09:33:02.661-08:00Struggle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pEJ78JHh8vft6cNiL2l3kMRZTBwOGEXDRXEkSFWwqeayTwX_x8qHbAOVzpu-DnBUfP0b4foIVU1rYJponeST38bTYKPJWtLvZE-HFRPyP1dLB2eErqqEizxMtpeYMh0PeWVV9J8rfYU/s1600/ryan-holloway-273158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pEJ78JHh8vft6cNiL2l3kMRZTBwOGEXDRXEkSFWwqeayTwX_x8qHbAOVzpu-DnBUfP0b4foIVU1rYJponeST38bTYKPJWtLvZE-HFRPyP1dLB2eErqqEizxMtpeYMh0PeWVV9J8rfYU/s400/ryan-holloway-273158.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am . . .</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> corruption </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> redemption,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> sinner</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> saint,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the sacred</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the profane,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the hello</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the goodbye,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a truth</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a lie,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> doubt</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> trust</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> hopes</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> fears,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> lost</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> found,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> problem</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> solution,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> rising</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> falling,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Again and again. In one breath.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A delicate balance of the human equation.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the sight of heaven</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> hell.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> T. Liptak</span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-83826347007614861142017-09-27T09:56:00.000-07:002017-09-27T09:56:01.146-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigg27hk5cnv6rEUGroZrWXraS_6RBQ07vDzE76e_fmlZg4xV-BWV3bUIA_HnJwT8rNDXkVrYl6M8kUiEd_bkP6gr6FhSlKfjdOs_-aVA6zdvwND8fsKyFy3oFYReUnIg_vUQZVQDT-NDE/s1600/03_DREAM_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="597" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigg27hk5cnv6rEUGroZrWXraS_6RBQ07vDzE76e_fmlZg4xV-BWV3bUIA_HnJwT8rNDXkVrYl6M8kUiEd_bkP6gr6FhSlKfjdOs_-aVA6zdvwND8fsKyFy3oFYReUnIg_vUQZVQDT-NDE/s400/03_DREAM_poster.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-43882568404637596382017-09-17T10:50:00.000-07:002017-09-17T10:50:18.485-07:00Art of Peace Anthology Presentation - 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2D3n5vzCDBKBB1BHoPAlvguGijaYAEw0wG97mg-7wFOHnrbW0ndVk9aqKNGkR4krHHRoiduad7PaJk5pL9v94qcQwSy7nprdngZbZbz-DPmYnzccGKYlzSTdYZcnN1ehcTusM-5EnFE/s1600/Artofpeace1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="672" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2D3n5vzCDBKBB1BHoPAlvguGijaYAEw0wG97mg-7wFOHnrbW0ndVk9aqKNGkR4krHHRoiduad7PaJk5pL9v94qcQwSy7nprdngZbZbz-DPmYnzccGKYlzSTdYZcnN1ehcTusM-5EnFE/s320/Artofpeace1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Building Bridges</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_GuRjawAMwhc_7Cm1_gg5tdWYpXoCKU_AXOZ8FttmbpKLUzjdMZFlxeSlpuAK9uIYDudOUW3FKA9aHIRvGctXdIBJ7sFVPFD0ovXRF-E1kDrcuxbRTAvqIVT_bwR_8y_PDbn5WGEamo/s1600/Artofpeace2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1120" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_GuRjawAMwhc_7Cm1_gg5tdWYpXoCKU_AXOZ8FttmbpKLUzjdMZFlxeSlpuAK9uIYDudOUW3FKA9aHIRvGctXdIBJ7sFVPFD0ovXRF-E1kDrcuxbRTAvqIVT_bwR_8y_PDbn5WGEamo/s400/Artofpeace2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Children's Wall-hanging</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It was an honor to have my poem, "He Doesn't Make a Sound" included in the 2017 Art of Peace - Building Bridges Anthology. Thanks so much to Anne McCrady and Ann Faulkner for an inspiring evening.<br />
<br />
<u>He Doesn’t Make a Sound</u><br /><br />No angry fists thrown in the air.<br />Only a five-year-old boy, dazed and bloodied, <br />in the back of a war-rattled ambulance.<br />His black silken hair powdered white with the rubble of his homeland.<br />No cries. No tears. Not a sound.<br />Born into a world that turns away. <br />A future as fragile as dust.<br />Yet, his face transcended borders and captured the heart of the world.<br />For a fleeting moment, one small Syrian child became everyone’s small child.<br />Then, we got busy with our own lives. Our own children.<br /><br />We moved on. We forgot.<br /><br />In this shrinking, wounded world, we must not live as strangers,<br />but learn to share a grief that is not our own.<br />Open up. Live deeper. <br />Make outraged noise for a child muted by bombs.<br />What we think we know about each other builds walls.<br />What we come to know about each other builds bridges.<br />Remember the displaced and the lost, who yearn for a stronghold. <br />Their dream of peace, evergreen and universal.<br />Hope of a better world for one’s children, <br />the common thread that connects us all in this tapestry of life.<br /><br /> T. Liptak<br /><br /> </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-87460299018263585132017-09-03T21:03:00.000-07:002017-09-03T21:05:34.442-07:00Poetry Reading<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdeLC6B7X6VXXVzOHk5GNAMBvU06raypt1zHkyhRG2kZxvOsX7bJTKLdAHISGfbE3yVOC9Wx9QoFdZr6zsEsz-jJ2QhqJTvs_0njmQEMLBQ_gPC6uomthlK4qwA6O981CmEzsLjpUGNbc/s1600/pr.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdeLC6B7X6VXXVzOHk5GNAMBvU06raypt1zHkyhRG2kZxvOsX7bJTKLdAHISGfbE3yVOC9Wx9QoFdZr6zsEsz-jJ2QhqJTvs_0njmQEMLBQ_gPC6uomthlK4qwA6O981CmEzsLjpUGNbc/s400/pr.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-70589666989049115032017-06-25T11:02:00.000-07:002017-08-17T08:30:24.082-07:00Find Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDB-dULkx5BLv2vkvFs6sAoSjbrbLuNhI_5r8CjGqH0z3ZO89Mo86nGnRW4nyk_NmJriqUMPBg-2MRA0U1jTglv6kVx7Ylh6UkIKPimnHup-s81TnVdG8s58EsC6nAItQqP3ao91Lfhg/s1600/jeremy-bishop-206785.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDB-dULkx5BLv2vkvFs6sAoSjbrbLuNhI_5r8CjGqH0z3ZO89Mo86nGnRW4nyk_NmJriqUMPBg-2MRA0U1jTglv6kVx7Ylh6UkIKPimnHup-s81TnVdG8s58EsC6nAItQqP3ao91Lfhg/s400/jeremy-bishop-206785.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This night, unfinished.<br />
A possibility.<br />
A girlish impulse,<br />
clear-eyed and friendly.<br />
A lesser angel in the curve of a smile.<br />
A stranger’s face,<br />
beginning to feel like home.<br />
Holding everything you need within<br />
a mad embrace.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
T. Liptak</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-50886457801439504732017-06-10T10:00:00.001-07:002017-09-05T10:14:31.641-07:00Chasing the Light<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div id="fb-root">
</div>
<script>(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.9";
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzevK2w99paC0XWj-EAWVxowy-VmZuGhAyHTovX2F_VENNi1Olhqh2eiVm0SA2-m_l9BHh9H834Kn-UeijAsJ1LjHPOOxksw7KKkIwiRwI-W7YIgB_D2p0MapCDdhCamix1I99KDPpIyE/s1600/mayur-gala-487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzevK2w99paC0XWj-EAWVxowy-VmZuGhAyHTovX2F_VENNi1Olhqh2eiVm0SA2-m_l9BHh9H834Kn-UeijAsJ1LjHPOOxksw7KKkIwiRwI-W7YIgB_D2p0MapCDdhCamix1I99KDPpIyE/s400/mayur-gala-487.jpg" title="Sun, heart" width="400" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
The sweet smell of lavender drifts on the warm breeze<br />
and all the melodies come back to me,<br />
of summer’s sweet songs.<br />
Time slows down as I embrace the need to devour this thing called life.<br />
A childlike longing to break the gold-tinged day into pieces <br />
and slip them into my pocket.<br />
To glut and gorge on sherbet-colored sunsets and cotton candy skies.<br />
Each day given its portion of spectacular.<br />
<br />
T. Liptak</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-6998646723936594262017-05-08T10:21:00.001-07:002017-06-05T22:20:03.565-07:00A Chapel Without Walls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIGus7fd2as-ZSf-pZ-dEhOYgDZljRQstE_ZC-W6-nwWmHlYUw2ApXIBgNhBdLWWAZ3xHURe3QAr45xsuk-CAQF552NV0Q5eTY8M2ArXHklo54dp4xxjHhFuUSP1QUMMODVddHlkt_UE/s1600/DSCN0167a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="660" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIGus7fd2as-ZSf-pZ-dEhOYgDZljRQstE_ZC-W6-nwWmHlYUw2ApXIBgNhBdLWWAZ3xHURe3QAr45xsuk-CAQF552NV0Q5eTY8M2ArXHklo54dp4xxjHhFuUSP1QUMMODVddHlkt_UE/s400/DSCN0167a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A hunger gnaws at me as the winding road inches me to my destination. My patience is rewarded as the landscape unfolds like the pages of a child’s pop-up book into something rugged and wild.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-625bf029-e913-a212-89cb-70fe3430a7d5" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The numbing repetition of big box stores and gas stations fades away as the small jutting, striated rocky ledges and mounds soon swell into the muscles and bones of the San Juan mountains in Southwest Colorado. Mountains that rise above me like a protective mother. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tucked in along the gentle slope of her majestic skirt that spreads along the still water, I look up. Searching. Reminded of a simple, yet profound, truth about nature, life, and myself. All we have is the now. The moment at hand. These mountains generously offer me what I didn’t even realize I was looking for before now. A permission to slow down and take a deep breath. Truly listen to what my mind has to say. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A hush embraces me as I wander along the dirt path at the base of the rocky range stacked with towering cedars and aspens. The silence broken only by the click of my camera. The cool blue of the sky presses on me, rooting me to the earth. Wisps of clouds thread through the treetops. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I do not question the sensation that I am somehow at the intersection of the past, present, and future. A flash in time. Illumination. Seeing with my heart, as well as my eyes, what is before me. A joyous focus. I embrace it and mold myself to this new feeling of wonder combined with mindfulness. A rush of gratitude and completeness sweeps over me. The sense of a connection to something much bigger than myself grows with each step into this pristine wilderness. Here in this chapel without walls. </span></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-74088937106090240272017-04-09T10:50:00.002-07:002017-04-09T21:59:58.201-07:00Art Break - Deep Ellum Art Festival 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday, we ventured out to the Deep Ellum Art Festival in Dallas, TX. Again, our outing included fierce wind gusts most of the day, but we had a nice time in spite of it. It is always inspiring to spend time among art and artists. The colors and ideas, not to mention the people-watching are fuel for a writer's imagination. I wish I could have gotten more pictures of the artwork, but most did not want pictures taken of their work, which is understandable. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9BBV5T51ycnSZpIhx10y-05pDNqQOVJLolhZ6pQ8Al3mjsA2UygipJARfQxUvKRlLSan79OAj9gnTtllXalxNVql6v5797tNM9p4a8XHc68fAPTDBtOF1puTY3kOH5NWVSNLuGo20mc/s1600/DSCN0387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wall of graffiti" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9BBV5T51ycnSZpIhx10y-05pDNqQOVJLolhZ6pQ8Al3mjsA2UygipJARfQxUvKRlLSan79OAj9gnTtllXalxNVql6v5797tNM9p4a8XHc68fAPTDBtOF1puTY3kOH5NWVSNLuGo20mc/s400/DSCN0387.JPG" title="Graffiti" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qUiwjJyoWWtFKYG-G-r5Xf6GJYjp26-oyo010H-3TKJWw4IqBTx7x2kBLSKsDrCZtoqCA2M75yOPCG3razGaEm4sJpqhGwIDMnj62l4zp_OADqFKnw052YAs-xShhd8aOqZOWeylVQI/s1600/DSCN0389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Old Barn" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qUiwjJyoWWtFKYG-G-r5Xf6GJYjp26-oyo010H-3TKJWw4IqBTx7x2kBLSKsDrCZtoqCA2M75yOPCG3razGaEm4sJpqhGwIDMnj62l4zp_OADqFKnw052YAs-xShhd8aOqZOWeylVQI/s400/DSCN0389.JPG" title="Photo of Old Barn" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDjkWzfhFv8zPT9ppmkrXL7woUfA22XZazEmBJdbvOU71m05RNMqo-viTINC3s2qExbrK-U7F6sIqJSwO0o0Vu-OeZjJxg7hqBFTGGPjdEn4bFm2ClAmj1Z-KFYTUHbxc1qFLwcGmwMU/s1600/DSCN0390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Art" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDjkWzfhFv8zPT9ppmkrXL7woUfA22XZazEmBJdbvOU71m05RNMqo-viTINC3s2qExbrK-U7F6sIqJSwO0o0Vu-OeZjJxg7hqBFTGGPjdEn4bFm2ClAmj1Z-KFYTUHbxc1qFLwcGmwMU/s400/DSCN0390.JPG" title="Art at Deep Ellum Art Festival" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oKLwI_Yn0vITyJ13dq_BkKlarh4O5hl2TA7ad3wkbo7QofvmMogVN7JiWy0pCAF5qjSSwWZeU0GGggKEHXb98rQM-9wsrSUqtL3skP1JRk4bb0UtJs1rksZY46fWIdYtMLQYZBE9IrM/s1600/DSCN0392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Crowd shot" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oKLwI_Yn0vITyJ13dq_BkKlarh4O5hl2TA7ad3wkbo7QofvmMogVN7JiWy0pCAF5qjSSwWZeU0GGggKEHXb98rQM-9wsrSUqtL3skP1JRk4bb0UtJs1rksZY46fWIdYtMLQYZBE9IrM/s400/DSCN0392.JPG" title="Crowd at Deep Ellum Art Festival" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_DpKyqzDh4LHOqHFAMTV25IN50ZuuFhLGKNGxqq-okvVX65VT11zrjAtytQAfhjg-oZ91pUypg2Z8vQO-ZOjjh14KthNfZEdwgbtJhtLyydSrzQhllJ7HyZ2yRXiV57kiJrdowx4qUM/s1600/DSCN0393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Art Festival Dallas TX" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_DpKyqzDh4LHOqHFAMTV25IN50ZuuFhLGKNGxqq-okvVX65VT11zrjAtytQAfhjg-oZ91pUypg2Z8vQO-ZOjjh14KthNfZEdwgbtJhtLyydSrzQhllJ7HyZ2yRXiV57kiJrdowx4qUM/s400/DSCN0393.JPG" title="Deep Ellum Art Festival" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvled8rJ_GBVDfY9Up_rTQxRATrZ890k6lqhcQVnZZHStftWgdhM5uMM2AOnP1UJlUOo3jymPPRtMsNapHV7xTqVUEoLYNWwu5CzP0HOp0UvW54klGR2__qPb6CgC__m8X1kJZlt_IbOs/s1600/DSCN0397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Graffiti Deep Ellum " border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvled8rJ_GBVDfY9Up_rTQxRATrZ890k6lqhcQVnZZHStftWgdhM5uMM2AOnP1UJlUOo3jymPPRtMsNapHV7xTqVUEoLYNWwu5CzP0HOp0UvW54klGR2__qPb6CgC__m8X1kJZlt_IbOs/s400/DSCN0397.JPG" title="Wall art Deep Ellum" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-53712288918629715292017-04-01T22:03:00.000-07:002017-04-09T22:00:48.840-07:00Running Towards the Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My poem "Running Towards the Day" was published on the <a href="http://www.kindovermatter.com/" target="_blank">Kind Over Matter</a> site a few weeks ago. It's a beautiful site with a wonderful message that encourages women to be kind to one another, as well as themselves.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4cM7qhH5aZur3OkAt7B_wfUtt_BFScKr2A97BKO21eARk4h3lblFhhzZ9dNCcBQny2o1yP-YAkelZVxigMjqM8azXmI0_OGCMHkRwQyMxKw47_nHNTV7k7Ga_WYljIlFodfognJYDRQ/s1600/Screenshot+%252812%2529a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Poem" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4cM7qhH5aZur3OkAt7B_wfUtt_BFScKr2A97BKO21eARk4h3lblFhhzZ9dNCcBQny2o1yP-YAkelZVxigMjqM8azXmI0_OGCMHkRwQyMxKw47_nHNTV7k7Ga_WYljIlFodfognJYDRQ/s400/Screenshot+%252812%2529a.jpg" title="Kind Over Matter" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-25908062886297937182017-03-22T09:59:00.000-07:002017-07-26T20:40:35.697-07:00One Word at a Time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tvuZYTYVAYlfcPYPyeXUbm6V0DqNCU63kWvkEUYoLUY8mA3fxTMrwo-vUp1JzXH-YS63HTtAjaWE0K41Xq9TEH8p141m03LcZiTWK_7WS71cL3mayxQpd0Xqs2zb48d61qzUBr2FLas/s1600/pen-1974727_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Journal with Pen" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tvuZYTYVAYlfcPYPyeXUbm6V0DqNCU63kWvkEUYoLUY8mA3fxTMrwo-vUp1JzXH-YS63HTtAjaWE0K41Xq9TEH8p141m03LcZiTWK_7WS71cL3mayxQpd0Xqs2zb48d61qzUBr2FLas/s400/pen-1974727_1920.jpg" title="Journal" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The ocean blue notebook is tattered and marred with scratches and stray ink marks on its cover. It started out as a surplus of school supplies for my son, tucked away and forgotten. Now, it holds the rocky story of my past year. A hard year spent in a bubble of depression. Inside this unassuming notebook’s shabby cover lies a hidden lifeline of language for a soul in need of solace and meaning. Blood, sweat, and tears in cursive. <br /><br />The handwriting alone documents the highs and lows of that year. Some of the handwriting is beautiful and artistic with a hopeful flourish, while some is barely legible. The desperate scratchings of someone with tears streaming down her face, seeking shelter from the unexpected despair that gripped her. The ink smudged in random spots with tears now long-dried, but not forgotten. <br /><br />Two of my favorite memories of childhood are sitting on my daddy’s lap while he read me a favorite book and spending lazy summer afternoons in the old two-story wooden house that was converted into our city library. An inviting place that enveloped me with its signature scent of aging paper and dusty ink. Curling up with the latest Nancy Drew book in the sunny spot by the bay window, I was transported to another world while my mom searched for her own books in the next room.<br /><br /> As it does for many young girls, my love of words extended into keeping a diary. A birthday gift, it was white with gold-foiled edged pages and had “My Diary” stamped on the cover in gold. The tiny lock and key it came with delighted me. I felt grown-up and important.<br /><br />As life got busier, I no longer took the time to write in a diary. Yet, intuitively, I found my way back to writing as an adult during my onset of depression. At first, orderly words marched in obedient lockstep along the rigid, black lines. Somber and searching, the words purged out of desperation, no joy found there. Only a release as my hand moved across the page. The gliding of the pen on the page slowed my heartbeat and steadied my breath. As the weeks flowed by, measured in ink, my mood began to lighten. My words grew bold and playful, daring to stray outside the lines in the occasional arch floating above the margin in a rainbow of plans and dreams. <br /><br />Today, my beloved notebook is swollen with printed confessions, great and small. It is a silent witness to a soul searching for and finding better days. A path laid down, thought by thought, out of the darkness into the light. Grief and joy balanced in the palm of my hand. That notebook, an old friend that reminds me that things can and do get better even when it feels the darkest.</span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-13363695258083173392017-02-28T23:54:00.001-08:002017-03-23T21:35:18.646-07:00Ben (Excerpt from Work in Progress)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJsAeL6iQnq-ioK9AnGKIIr0ktUADWNFgy6FQtdnuYVSCOvLUHwSkTWuXIM9CKkfoKHuv793HZfyb4k9rmhrFTvfjhOu_5DqGx5b4V3mHj95OjEgQ1Kl18g5Id8ZOsNVBu6trGsl70m8/s1600/school-supplies-488381_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Crayons, glue, paints" border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJsAeL6iQnq-ioK9AnGKIIr0ktUADWNFgy6FQtdnuYVSCOvLUHwSkTWuXIM9CKkfoKHuv793HZfyb4k9rmhrFTvfjhOu_5DqGx5b4V3mHj95OjEgQ1Kl18g5Id8ZOsNVBu6trGsl70m8/s400/school-supplies-488381_1280.jpg" title="School Supplies" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Five-year old Ben Lambert was in
love, and it made his stomach hurt. The peanut butter and strawberry jam
sandwich he’d had for lunch was now a gummy knot tangled up with loopy
butterflies when he looked at her. Why did grownups want to be in love? It just
made you want to throw up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Still, his hand
shot up when his teacher asked the class to name the letter she had written on
the blackboard. It was the second day of kindergarten, and he wanted Mrs. Peele
to like him and know that he could already read a bunch of words. Some of them
even had five or six letters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Next to his mommy, Mrs. Peele was the
prettiest lady he’d ever seen. The shiny black hair that draped past her
shoulders reminded him of a black bird’s wing when the sun hit it. Her brown
eyes were so dark they were almost black, and they crinkled at the corners like
she had a happy secret to tell you. She looked like Pocahontas, which was one of
his favorite movies. Her words floated out in a singsong way that made him feel
friendly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Mrs. Peele
pointed at him and said, “Yes, Ben. Can you name this letter?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Ben’s mouth
went dry as nineteen heads turned to stare at him. The butterflies turned into somersaulting
pterodactyls. The rustling of papers, tapping of pencils, whispers, and random
squeaks of rubber-soled shoes on the linoleum floor that was the official music
of Room 18 stopped as if someone flipped a switch. The complete silence pressed
on him. The tops of Ben’s ears grew hot, and his tongue felt furry and too big
for his mouth. Why did he raise his hand? Love or not. Dummy. He just hoped the
P.B. & J stayed down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> He peeled
his tongue off the roof of his mouth, but his words dribbled out in dots and
dashes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> “I . . .i .
. . it’s the l-l-let . . . ter B,” he stuttered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Kids
laughed and hooted, and Ben clutched his brand new Fuzzy Wuzzy Brown crayon in
his hand so hard it snapped. Heat fizzed up the back of his neck and prickled
his scalp like ants let loose in his amber-colored hair. He scooted down in his
blue chair, trying to disappear behind Jennifer What’s Her Name and her
fountain of a ponytail topped with a giant, lop-sided purple bow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> “All right,
class. Let’s not laugh when someone is answering a question. That’s not nice.
Sometimes, we get tongue-tied. You were right, the letter is B. Good job. Thank
you for raising your hand like I asked and volunteering an answer,” Mrs. Peele
said. She gave him a smile that made the pterodactyls disappear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Ben bent
down and pretended to look for something in his pencil box on the little wire shelf
underneath his chair so no one could see the tears that burned his green eyes.
Sometimes his words didn’t come out right. There was even a real word for it. Tongue-tied.
That was just what it felt like. Someone had lassoed his big, fat, furry
tongue. He didn’t always stutter and mess up his words, but when it happened,
others always made fun of him. Mommy said when he was nervous, his brain worked
faster than his mouth, and he would grow out of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Jennifer
What’s Her Name turned to look at him as he sat back up. He swallowed and gave
her a half-smile. Mommy always said to smile when you didn’t know what else to
do. Jennifer stuck her slimy tongue out at him and whipped her mean red ponytail
at him as she turned back around with a snap. Girls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Ben sighed
and picked up the pieces of his Fuzzy Wuzzy Brown crayon and stuffed them in
the front pocket of his tan cargo shorts. He hadn’t even gotten to use it yet. You
couldn’t color trees or a good dog without it. The best color in the box. Well,
next to Atomic Tangerine. At least he still had that one. Ben crammed the crinkled
tail of his Batman t-shirt back into the waistband of his shorts where it had
wiggled out and sat back down. He sure hoped the day got better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> He wasn’t
so sure about this school thing. It was more fun at the beach looking for sea
glass with Mommy or in her art studio while she gave lessons. He was always
good and quiet and got to watch the people learning how to paint. It was hard
work being five. It was a good thing he would be six in nine more days. Every
morning, Mommy crossed out each used up day on their Adorable Kittens calendar
with a red Magic Marker for the countdown to the big day. Six had to be better
than five. Maybe his tongue would work better then. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Ben looked
around the classroom with its red door, pale yellow walls, and colorful posters
with dancing numbers and letters with happy faces and giant feet on them. It
wasn’t too bad. They even had a class turtle named Shelly in an aquarium in the
Quiet Time corner by the bathroom. Ben liked turtles. Turtles didn’t care if
your words got jumbled up. He couldn’t wait for his turn to get to feed her. Then
he sneaked a look at his new classmates. There were more girls than boys. Just
his luck. His brows furrowed as he had a rotten thought. What if none of them
wanted to come to his birthday party? What if he sat there with his Batman cake
with the multi-colored sprinkles and the mint chocolate chip ice cream,
waiting? Then he waited and waited some more until the ice cream started to
melt, and no one showed up? The pterodactyls were back. Was it time to go home
yet?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">#<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> The tree
didn’t look that high. It was a Madrone tree, like the ones sprinkled through
the forest behind his house that his daddy had taught him about. It was Ben’s
favorite kind of tree. Its cinnamon-colored bark could be peeled off in sheets
like a fancy scroll of paper, and it had glossy green leaves. Sometimes, they
had red berries on them. He bet he could climb this one, no problem. It was
recess, and he wasn’t going to waste it waiting for someone to talk to him.
This tree would be perfect to sit in and see all over the playground. He could
be a pirate in the crow’s nest looking for enemy ships to plunder. With a
bubble of excitement, he grabbed onto the smooth lower branch and planted his
sneakered foot into the fork of the trunk and worked his way up the tree.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> “Hey, how
did you get up so high?” a voice called out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Ben looked
down to see two boys, their hands tented over their eyes as they looked up at
him. Both of them were in his class, but he couldn’t remember their names. One
had black hair, and one had hair almost the same color as Ben’s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> “Well, my d-d-daddy says that I’m p-part monkey, so maybe that’s it,” Ben
teased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Both boys laughed. The black haired one said, “You’re pretty
good at it. Are you scared?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> “Nah. I’m
too busy being a pirate looking for ships to attack.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> “I want to
play,” said the amber-haired boy, “but I don’t want to climb up there. Will you
come down, and we can play pirate on the monkey bars?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> “Sure. I’m
c-c-coming down. Wait for me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> “O.K.,
we’ll stay here until you get down.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Excited to
play with them, Ben scrambled down the nearest branch. He was half-way there
when he heard the sharp crack. The branch gave way and fell from underneath his
foot, shifting his weight. The smooth bark slipped through his sweaty fingers.
The air rushed out of his lungs as he bounced off the next branch and felt
himself hurtling toward the ground. Headfirst.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-55451192409041092412017-02-19T22:00:00.002-08:002017-03-23T21:35:50.287-07:00Too Dark Tonight? (Pantoum Form)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Cz3Dhfs5k6pISCelyqySwBoxvR8eTWX0gfefcObawFekZfgqrvhxxKRFOfLzk_50Sr0rIOeaXYHAVCGv8oMquWVwxK1T-85TwwMIc8kawdMn-R-YVT6wdCaP95m55MW6jNOqZ4_BAlA/s1600/Too+Dark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tree in the moonlight" border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Cz3Dhfs5k6pISCelyqySwBoxvR8eTWX0gfefcObawFekZfgqrvhxxKRFOfLzk_50Sr0rIOeaXYHAVCGv8oMquWVwxK1T-85TwwMIc8kawdMn-R-YVT6wdCaP95m55MW6jNOqZ4_BAlA/s400/Too+Dark.jpg" title="Tree" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-39563298682515247992017-01-30T10:11:00.002-08:002017-03-23T21:37:46.132-07:00Art Break: Art Journal/Doodles<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As a writer, it's always helpful to enjoy other forms of art to inspire creativity. Art journaling and doodling are two favorites of mine. I'm also making a journal for my poetry. The protagonist of my current "WIP" is an artist, so it helps me to get into her head to take an artistic break.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DNMDVeehhylr2nl8ABZxGYKuMmyaR8tEKJHBj0S_zfXu_x_u4z0XeEEPlY282bW3FQy43cZ_bo526h6i-tUWOKUp0TAcl-sVydDgmIHQcstVl-NV4pOcCxo5GzOjgBELHRVK_DSXECg/s1600/0129171434a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Junk Journal" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DNMDVeehhylr2nl8ABZxGYKuMmyaR8tEKJHBj0S_zfXu_x_u4z0XeEEPlY282bW3FQy43cZ_bo526h6i-tUWOKUp0TAcl-sVydDgmIHQcstVl-NV4pOcCxo5GzOjgBELHRVK_DSXECg/s640/0129171434a.jpg" title="Journal" width="384" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIBZ9TLcOmeUbkuRMX5NCHNfuXnLRD2_EVAgP4wrZ6QyH5lGnmupnMFOxNwL4uzpdbenv9z-KEFN4Yz-h19pNO7qXrzAihaoURx1SaBqEUyl968QlNvmRCBbL48BVnkdeZcsYeWbtiB0/s1600/0128171303ba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Poetry journal" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIBZ9TLcOmeUbkuRMX5NCHNfuXnLRD2_EVAgP4wrZ6QyH5lGnmupnMFOxNwL4uzpdbenv9z-KEFN4Yz-h19pNO7qXrzAihaoURx1SaBqEUyl968QlNvmRCBbL48BVnkdeZcsYeWbtiB0/s640/0128171303ba.jpg" title="Traveler's Notebook" width="512" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GU1MNrWwqTnSdAbnvLumk0J4Y6eAcz4NCbELKy6n6ZIilywDb_lvPvepb1ozQadmNm191HD4hz_RmFdPr-dK5njxGOdUm2eI0fDTPKHy4qNWLVrg-Y0HInX2EMHM6B6PNjUaAEItUcg/s1600/0123171013a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Doodled bird" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GU1MNrWwqTnSdAbnvLumk0J4Y6eAcz4NCbELKy6n6ZIilywDb_lvPvepb1ozQadmNm191HD4hz_RmFdPr-dK5njxGOdUm2eI0fDTPKHy4qNWLVrg-Y0HInX2EMHM6B6PNjUaAEItUcg/s640/0123171013a.jpg" title="Robin doodle" width="512" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1L3HfVh3WbJjuNwRz6jSp81v6dEvYS8GkKukuQhPlb3cIDiwR0JsxQSS4PTnwAx771HeJEcY0Qi9cbfYHNNW_WxKEk7S4JaitCIgJHMekzF0egaE7dJGq-_VXJKVoXia9c5ZU9SSwL8/s1600/village.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Ink doodle" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1L3HfVh3WbJjuNwRz6jSp81v6dEvYS8GkKukuQhPlb3cIDiwR0JsxQSS4PTnwAx771HeJEcY0Qi9cbfYHNNW_WxKEk7S4JaitCIgJHMekzF0egaE7dJGq-_VXJKVoXia9c5ZU9SSwL8/s640/village.jpg" title="Tiny village doodle" width="384" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflpux_2hPPxnHrf5A0W9Tihz4ZwUgTtLwe2BlUurwOaZ3GfdH23-e8RHFxBK9suwlxmAPEBhm__HecVxrAOYJD5L0_dcYIOosV6uARAjiT0wTDlanVEgQfhaPazwVCjhAFLM1FDDsy4M/s1600/0123171012ab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book doodle in ink" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflpux_2hPPxnHrf5A0W9Tihz4ZwUgTtLwe2BlUurwOaZ3GfdH23-e8RHFxBK9suwlxmAPEBhm__HecVxrAOYJD5L0_dcYIOosV6uARAjiT0wTDlanVEgQfhaPazwVCjhAFLM1FDDsy4M/s640/0123171012ab.jpg" title="Ink doodle" width="512" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-79535453285555478452016-10-03T00:44:00.000-07:002017-03-23T21:38:43.744-07:00Daybreak <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div id="fb-root">
</div>
<script>(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.7";
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1INpc-QJMnUemAN4fdxifc6eWBGkVTXISsAJz1_RBBLBSV31-nIAow0B2b0zx7HK-nz_nZ_C3RfxRpARp29zeaBUf5zqKoOVolnOijoFjtx1p1Anh7LCWaC0VLhSXwDRz98fC7VlroCU/s1600/sunrise2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ray of sunshine" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1INpc-QJMnUemAN4fdxifc6eWBGkVTXISsAJz1_RBBLBSV31-nIAow0B2b0zx7HK-nz_nZ_C3RfxRpARp29zeaBUf5zqKoOVolnOijoFjtx1p1Anh7LCWaC0VLhSXwDRz98fC7VlroCU/s400/sunrise2.jpg" title="Sunrise over field" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the first ray of light that ushers in day, there blooms my hope.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Unfurling as a bud seeking the sun.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Sparkling fingers of dawn push against the darkness.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Transferring its energy into a displaced heart.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-19470634888658550792016-10-02T10:24:00.000-07:002017-03-23T21:39:13.995-07:00Will She or Won't She? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div id="fb-root">
</div>
<script>(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.7";
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXs-xALnDNtLtTpFJUIfRENNZL5g1KmKgM7l_eDetrO55sqvS0Q-bvBh0ZoZtMOS3zH0Y_LXFWCtVFuilT0JvsnXrIyq5P4AFSnhGNH0RqA1IIOIPDgBlhq89L5rjSghK5wX_EManKCLA/s1600/willshe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ray of sunlight" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXs-xALnDNtLtTpFJUIfRENNZL5g1KmKgM7l_eDetrO55sqvS0Q-bvBh0ZoZtMOS3zH0Y_LXFWCtVFuilT0JvsnXrIyq5P4AFSnhGNH0RqA1IIOIPDgBlhq89L5rjSghK5wX_EManKCLA/s400/willshe.jpg" title="Girl in Sunshine" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
He sits on the cracked stoop brooding, expecting nothing at all.<br />
The jagged blocks that make up the city fade away<br />
as he sees her face, one in a crowd on 14th Street.<br />
Filmy white sundress topped with a faded denim jacket.<br />
The wild falling of her crimson hair threaded with stars.<br />
Pink-cheeked girl. Curlicues and heart-dotted i’s.<br />
She appears as summer’s child barefoot and free, <br />
chasing his winter from him. <br />
A deep wave carries him to shore<br />
after the struggle to stay afloat.<br />
Unwilling to watch this goddess go as sand, <br />
slipping through his fisted hand,<br />
he unfolds and follows, every nerve on fire.<br />
Romance in the swell of her hips.<br />
He shadows her step, by step, by step.<br />
Hoping for a touch of the sun he remembers well,<br />
before his life of shadow began.<br />
Hope perches in his heart,<br />
a softening that fills the void.<br />
Will it be yes or no?
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-11939319022798318752016-10-01T00:50:00.000-07:002017-03-23T21:43:21.549-07:00No Need to Say Goodbye <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKVHeEMk8WZUFCDRLKmD3qmsVCw98eWA7I_LloWrcWxrRyANPWbw72x5RRnQmAJIYivCvEvgE2e8TVXaXcSqbs8Ix4W4zyuMTGHqz52g-GaaKjhnjg5qQf5LQ4evg0aHZODJaxvLS1GI/s1600/wildflower-918934_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wildflowers in field" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKVHeEMk8WZUFCDRLKmD3qmsVCw98eWA7I_LloWrcWxrRyANPWbw72x5RRnQmAJIYivCvEvgE2e8TVXaXcSqbs8Ix4W4zyuMTGHqz52g-GaaKjhnjg5qQf5LQ4evg0aHZODJaxvLS1GI/s400/wildflower-918934_1920.jpg" title="Wildflowers" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div id="fb-root">
</div>
<script>(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.7";
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script>
I am in the birdsong on the wind,<br />
I am in the whisper of the butterfly’s wing,<br />
I am in the star of silver that jets across the night sky,<br />
I am in the shadow of the new moon,<br />
I am in the reflection of light that dances across the ceiling,<br />
I am in the bubble of laughter from the happy baby,<br />
I am in the outstretched hand of a stranger,<br />
I am in the downpour of the quick summer storm.<br />
<br />
I am in the soft gurgle of the river as it flows,<br />
I am in the songs of the gentle giants of the sea,<br />
I am in the foamy break of the waves,<br />
I am in the rhythm, patterns, coincidences, and signs,<br />
I am in the caress of the breeze against your cheek,<br />
I am in the burst of movement of the crisp, fallen leaves,<br />
I am in the syrupy warmth of the first summer night,<br />
I am in the deep glow of the flickering firelight.<br />
<br />
I am in the wildflower on the overgrown country path,<br />
I am in the stillness of the silence,<br />
I am in the energy of the joyful noise,<br />
I am in the awakening you embrace,<br />
I am in the lovely moments that comfort you.<br />
<br />
I am no longer bound inside a cage of bones<br />
in this flesh and blood world.<br />
I am of earth and sky, my spirit free to dance along the golden horizon<br />
and nest in the deepest blue of the galaxies.<br />
A season unto itself.<br />
<br />
Still, my spirit nestles in your tender heart.<br />
Sustained by your smiles and blessed by your laughter.<br />
Kept alive in your memories until we meet again upon the fulfillment of time.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-76396150076762688462016-08-22T10:26:00.000-07:002017-03-23T21:43:53.925-07:00Confession of a Neat Freak<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvC3X96gKgODGpF7g872lUaSX_2CDoZCTxE-pbKCehBOr2rn2OvZ5OUqvJimtsMHb3E2ZbhRdrpFVS4u6oE1pq8qSmisHFvjWBuanUzD2m938VLxY3FKx-lCi2jnuD1lIIUVmfGyYUqQ/s1600/4VHE7E68OE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Coffee cup with book" border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvC3X96gKgODGpF7g872lUaSX_2CDoZCTxE-pbKCehBOr2rn2OvZ5OUqvJimtsMHb3E2ZbhRdrpFVS4u6oE1pq8qSmisHFvjWBuanUzD2m938VLxY3FKx-lCi2jnuD1lIIUVmfGyYUqQ/s400/4VHE7E68OE.jpg" title="Cup of coffee" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
As a bit of a "neat freak", it's time to come clean (ha) and confess there are some messes that don't bother me much at all. In fact, I secretly love them.
<br />
<div id="fb-root">
</div>
<script>(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.7";
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script>
They are the beautiful messes that make our house a home.<br />
<br />
Hygge (n/vb.) /HOO-gah/ is the Danish word for the concept of coziness. The art of creating a warm atmosphere by enjoying the good things in life with good people. Yes, sometimes that can get a bit messy, but such is the beauty of life. In all its dusty, sloppy glory. Occasionally, it's ok to have that second cup of coffee while scrolling through pictures of gardens in Paris on Pinterest instead of dusting the top of the refrigerator.<br />
<br />
Beautiful Messes I Secretly Love:<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Dirty dishes from a homemade holiday meal scattered all over the table and counter tops.</li>
<li>Muddy little paw prints on the kitchen floor. (O.K., maybe not so cute RIGHT after I've mopped.)</li>
<li>Silky tufts of cat hair at the foot of the bed. </li>
<li>Flower petals from a thoughtful bouquet dusting the coffee table.</li>
<li>An untidy stack of unread books waiting for me beside the bed that keep falling over. My personal game of Jenga.</li>
<li>A pile of fragrant, still warm laundry waiting to be folded. (Bonus points if there's not a cat curled up in them.)</li>
<li>Bed head and puffy eyes after a truly good sleep. (Not so crazy about the sheet marks on my face, however. They are staying longer and longer these days. That's just cruel if good "face smashed in your pillow" sleep causes wrinkles. *Sigh*)</li>
<li>Snowfall of flour left in the kitchen after the baking of favorite treats.</li>
<li>That favorite candle burned down to a goopy, sooty nub. The little broken stubs of wick float around in the melted wax like tiny black boats bobbing in the ocean. Oddly relaxing to watch. </li>
<li>Half-empty coffee mugs left next to the newspaper on a lazy Sunday. </li>
<li>Smudges of paint left over on my creative fingers.</li>
<li>The colorful tangle of wrapping paper mixed with empty (or cat-filled) boxes on Christmas morning. </li>
<li>The blanket on the ottoman that clearly belongs to the dog.</li>
<li>Crumbs from the latest birthday cake dotting the counter top.</li>
<li>Autumn leaves piling up in the yard.</li>
</ol>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I hope you take the time to enjoy the beautiful messes in your life too. :)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534577019344553321.post-39603945554127732042016-07-18T08:34:00.000-07:002017-09-17T11:03:53.315-07:00Bridges 2016 Anthology: Selected Works available on Amazon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Bridges 2016 Anthology: Selected Works available on Amazon.com.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJA5rEEl6lrZJvU2X3Ghyphenhyphenhl0D6kmE0MEDtxh2dG2z8MsyC-huN8iNT9COptT7aklRE0jMDTECjBV0z4r1sDo9iTflrCdAgNRYTcwMV7Gp6XsxamhmQ7kEHpf9XRPSxsg0HJsdbedVdrrk/s1600/0712161139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book of poetry" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJA5rEEl6lrZJvU2X3Ghyphenhyphenhl0D6kmE0MEDtxh2dG2z8MsyC-huN8iNT9COptT7aklRE0jMDTECjBV0z4r1sDo9iTflrCdAgNRYTcwMV7Gp6XsxamhmQ7kEHpf9XRPSxsg0HJsdbedVdrrk/s640/0712161139.jpg" title="Bridges Anthology 2016" width="384" /></a></div>
<br />
Bridges available here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bridges-Selected-Works-Anthology-Writers/dp/1533222584/ref=pd_ybh_a_35?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=D46167A10PBPF86KJ1BH" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Bridges-Selected-Works-Anthology-Writers/dp/1533222584/ref=pd_ybh_a_35?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=D46167A10PBPF86KJ1BH</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSf2FWSd3HBrOCS15H681bpb_yMlfjuSfAcJ7lOUmaBm-_tTTZg0rywex2yGXGin1jM92lNvu4hm9S1S_ZM_14FmUuVcnF7nXJaG5mh0QxFehGRkXwtja_9Sh7Had9P734h1I3SzdlsFM/s1600/0712161140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSf2FWSd3HBrOCS15H681bpb_yMlfjuSfAcJ7lOUmaBm-_tTTZg0rywex2yGXGin1jM92lNvu4hm9S1S_ZM_14FmUuVcnF7nXJaG5mh0QxFehGRkXwtja_9Sh7Had9P734h1I3SzdlsFM/s640/0712161140.jpg" width="384" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03ut4KOBMxUrY__ZnXA7XvTLo8-mCa9BGKo50oSPhq0LSVzxH7ECErMrExNRsXPrL4DHhEGqGXdwLeH6e2m1X4j5H2NfXwvEHFGZQq7z9Ov0b5l1W9aM77QLwbwwRnnfqqKOQbbeuqgk/s1600/0712161141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03ut4KOBMxUrY__ZnXA7XvTLo8-mCa9BGKo50oSPhq0LSVzxH7ECErMrExNRsXPrL4DHhEGqGXdwLeH6e2m1X4j5H2NfXwvEHFGZQq7z9Ov0b5l1W9aM77QLwbwwRnnfqqKOQbbeuqgk/s640/0712161141.jpg" width="384" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfH-dYJClcaQdYemLGIrtSJ8luwQLPTKKnLe7DCzrNHxUY7j-5e6r5BDK8ZALaOHCk6-_aRBXkb-lHRr3AnO07XtSKcp0eSaNg6ZyzYDvoROYke6IPZvTKm9eaP40DPLhKXWtlXPD0HI/s1600/0712161141a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfH-dYJClcaQdYemLGIrtSJ8luwQLPTKKnLe7DCzrNHxUY7j-5e6r5BDK8ZALaOHCk6-_aRBXkb-lHRr3AnO07XtSKcp0eSaNg6ZyzYDvoROYke6IPZvTKm9eaP40DPLhKXWtlXPD0HI/s640/0712161141a.jpg" width="384" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIEIDeMFfj1m4lP2_N-aC9b4xmaXZv6WmW8M0H7RPy-V30uqr-8YttLgSDWLulDmIw5JXUg0n9F-bWn_odYb8tiaUzh5jtNmSpgYV0EpmyBAaKV6pZkVFVTNv5Lah2MpT3gLCegjfI-M/s1600/0712161141b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIEIDeMFfj1m4lP2_N-aC9b4xmaXZv6WmW8M0H7RPy-V30uqr-8YttLgSDWLulDmIw5JXUg0n9F-bWn_odYb8tiaUzh5jtNmSpgYV0EpmyBAaKV6pZkVFVTNv5Lah2MpT3gLCegjfI-M/s640/0712161141b.jpg" width="384" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-N39nG43f4NgUzdTlhVLZbXxxdmbXon2WBpDoIdMONPXa-NMgC9uN_cf6Z8g2920KOSjMYhl5UodasgO5pkLm56AXyAMmx6TlnpVckOJcQ5m068bx_L3BkTvE9A-0XBnSL0VZl5JFRo/s1600/0712161141c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-N39nG43f4NgUzdTlhVLZbXxxdmbXon2WBpDoIdMONPXa-NMgC9uN_cf6Z8g2920KOSjMYhl5UodasgO5pkLm56AXyAMmx6TlnpVckOJcQ5m068bx_L3BkTvE9A-0XBnSL0VZl5JFRo/s640/0712161141c.jpg" width="384" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHy6s94dnUoYa8uilW5RCAhjvFIfMvxf93nnbQslIoHhrWLcp60HlGm-5_6YQ4VQSiiDm9g8RVfZFoAkjk_D6uP3U9F5g7DD4S1YiV8Vv3R2gWw16K5VQdX8qtooW_RP2L8Q3ljZ9Uj0/s1600/0712161142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHy6s94dnUoYa8uilW5RCAhjvFIfMvxf93nnbQslIoHhrWLcp60HlGm-5_6YQ4VQSiiDm9g8RVfZFoAkjk_D6uP3U9F5g7DD4S1YiV8Vv3R2gWw16K5VQdX8qtooW_RP2L8Q3ljZ9Uj0/s640/0712161142.jpg" width="384" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4