Writing – Tea & Paper

Water

August 12, 2021Photography, Writing19 Comments

Many years ago from the window of an airplane I saw a river with crystal blue water and I thought: This place will be my home.

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),
It’s always our self we find in the sea.
e.e. cummings

Now, as I write this post in my living room, I can listen to the waves and hear the engine of a ship passing by. My home is a few steps from this magnificent river. Every morning I walk/run by its side, feeling its power and energy, flowing with it.

We had rain and thunders during the night. The water was showing all its power. It was washing and cleaning, it filled up the rivers and lakes. Earth’s fragrance is freshness.

A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself.
Laura Gilpin

Water is magical in all its forms. From Inside a cup ready to hydrate us to the large oceans harbouring fish and others sea creatures. From the tap in our homes to wash our hands to the salt water washing the shore of islands.

Be like water,
Flow like a river,
Crash like the rain,
Fly like the cloud again!
Md. Ziaul Haque

Sharing with WQWWC. The theme this week is Lakes, Oceans, Water

Tanka Tuesday and WQWWC :: Expedition and Exciting

July 28, 2021July 28, 2021Inspirational, Poetry, Writing22 Comments

diving into minds
excitation of senses
feelings pouring out
the ink bleeding on each page
laying down and flying out

Expedition and Exciting. Always exciting to be part of an expedition. Here, I’m writing about the excitement of going on a solo expedition into the mind. The journey into our own mind or into the mind of others. It’s exciting to let the mind guide our hands and to write our deep thoughts, an expedition to discover the mysteries in the biggest universe inside us. Another form of the expedition is the one into the books. Poetry books in special, where the writer has poured out his/her feelings into a blank page. Some writers have the power to transport us to inside their minds. We can feel their happiness, sadness, insecurity, anger … as if they are our own feelings. Without a doubt, opening a new book and diving into it is a powerful and exciting expedition.

Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light.
Vera Nazarian

An exciting and inspiring future awaits you beyond the noise in your mind, beyond the guilt, doubt, fear, shame, insecurity and heaviness of the past you carry around.
Debbie Ford

WQWWC :: Relax

July 22, 2021July 22, 2021Photography, Writing20 Comments

Relax. Pockets of ‘me time’ during the day, sometimes not easy to find room for self-care in the middle of the daily business, but it’s a must to be able to do so. Early ‘me time’ sometimes starts with morning pages and a cup of coffee, other times it starts with a run by the river.

Either way, these are moments for relaxing and organizing my thoughts before getting ready for the day. As an introvert, it isn’t easy to be in contact with people and socializing at the work place. I need down time, to think and recharge.

Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges.
Bryant McGill

My garden is my private paradise. Taking care and admiring the flowers and the vegetables or just sitting down and looking at the sky and feeling the breeze washing over my face and my hair. When at home I make sure I have a garden walk at least 3 times per day, generally after each meal.

Nothing more relaxing than spending a hot summer afternoon with a book and a refreshing drink.

Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.
Jane Austen

Sharing with WQWWC, this week’s theme is Relax. And you? What you do to relax during the summer?

Tree square :: Beautiful surprise

July 20, 2021Photography, Writing18 Comments

Do you know that feeling when you see an unexpected beauty on your way?

Yes, yesterday I had that feeling. This beautiful pear tree was on my way when I stopped by the grocery store. I’ve been many times to that store, but I’ve never seen this tree. Why? Because when I go, I always park closest possible to the entrance, and of course, no trees around.

Yesterday I was driving my hubby’s car, he is very careful with his car, and I didn’t want people scratching it with the shopping carts, so I looked for a distant spot for parking, and voila! This tree caught my attention.

Sometimes changing the routine can bring us beautiful surprises.

Sharing with Becca’s Tree Square.

Tanka Tuesday and WQWWC :: Exploration

July 14, 2021July 17, 2021Poetry, Writing21 Comments

pause
aching
confusion
disappointment
her thoughts are sowing
her mind's a grassy field
in the middle of the night
no room for flowers or beauty
the darkness is exploding inwards
the distress crawling its way on her limbs
the silence is speaking loud, suffocating
in the ecstasy of despair, overwhelming
an aching intuition exalting to be heard
floating near spikes
terms of bondage
sound of guilty
anxiety
exploring mess
wisdom is lost

Tanka Tuesday this week is synonyms only and the words are Green and Morass, I’ve chosen grassy and confusion as the synonyms words.

WQWWC theme is Exploration – There are so many stuff to be explored around us, but I decided to go inwards, the exploration of feelings, the mind and body getting together in an explosion of uncertainties in the middle of the night.

This poetry form is a new form to me, again exploration shows off here, it’s called Tree of life, a syllabic form containing 19 lines, unrhymed, following the syllabic order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4.

I haven’t added any image to this poem. I wish for the reader to feel the emotion of this poem without any distraction from an image. And the poem has the shape of a tree, so it’s an image by itself.

WE SHALL NOT CEASE FROM EXPLORATION, AND THE END OF ALL OUR EXPLORING WILL BE TO ARRIVE WHERE WE STARTED AND KNOW THE PLACE FOR THE FIRST TIME.
T. S. ELIOT

Hope you enjoyed it! I have written another Tree of life poem here, this time about a willow tree, I’m really enjoying this syllabic form.

WQWWC :: Freedom

July 1, 2021Photography, Poetry, Writing24 Comments

This week’s theme for WQWWC is Freedom. Well, freedom has many meanings and possibilities. It depends on who is claiming it, who is experiencing moments of freedom or the lack of it.

No one outside ourselves can rule us inwardly. When we know this, we become free.
Buddha

This sidewalk drawing was on my way this morning. I was running and thinking what should be my take on this prompt. And voila! Freedom was there to be seen! I stopped and couldn’t believe it! That feeling that the universe has my back. I took the pic with a smile on my face.

None but ourselves can free our minds.
Bob Marley

I decided to go simple, a few words to describe Freedom. An acrostic poem is perfect for it.

Fierce as it can be
Resilient upon to the right time
Elusive and inspiring
Emancipation to the needed
Divine in respect
Observant in silence
Meaningful to all

Freedom lies in being bold.
Robert Frost

WQWWC :: Heat

June 18, 2021Photography, Writing11 Comments

This week’s theme for WQWWC is “heat”. I decided to go a little bit sideways and post about the heat from the soul, my inside heat that needs to come out in the form of creativity. Not sure if the word heat is the best, “fire” is more appropriate. For many years I’m using paintings and collages as a vessel for expression. Poetry is another form to let out what is in my mind. And of course, I couldn’t forget to mention the journaling practice that is a constant form of expression for me.

Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.
Rumi

Abstraction is my favourite kind of expression, both for my painting and my poetry. Recently I had my poems featured in a poetry book, I’m quite pleased with myself, you can check it here.

The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.
Ferdinand Foch

I always write about my feelings before starting any piece of art. I need to check what my soul needs at that moment, what is the fire, the energy igniting my creativity at that moment that I need to put out in the world.

Energy is the key to creativity. Energy is the key to life.
William Shatner

The poem below is one of my favourites when I need to express my feelings through art.

In the heat of heat
The heat is so hot
My body takes control
In the heat of heat
The heat gets so hot
My passion overloads
James Harris III

WQWWC is a challenge that I’ve recently joined, I’m loving to be part of it! Marsha is the host and the prompts are great. Check it out if you want to see nice posts or joining the challenge.

My first poetry publication

June 12, 2021Poetry, Writing46 Comments

I’m happy to share with you that two of my poems have been published! I’ve never thought that one day my poetry would be good enough to be in a book. And it is almost unbelievable that they were published in a book that teaches how to write syllabic poetry!

The form of published poems is Haiga, Japanese syllabic poetry that combines a written Haiku or Senryu with an image. Both written form and image should stand independently, and they should be able to transmit emotion to the reader.

If you are following me on my blog or Instagram you already know that photography is my passion, a way to express my feelings in the same way I use words to scribble details of a moment. So, Haiga is an opportunity to combine my photography and poetry together in one piece of art.

Word Craft Prose & Poetry by Colleen M. Chesebro is an educational book for poetry lovers and writers. It’s loaded with information about the poetry forms, the history of them and wonderful examples to help you compose your own poems. It has awesome poems from a variety of poets, it is perfect to have it by the bedside at hand for some bedtime poetry, or as I do, I keep mine together with my journal to consult it when I want to try a new poetry form.

I’ve known Colleen’s work for many years through her poetry challenge, Tanka Tuesday. It was by joining her weekly challenge that I’ve learnt to appreciate syllabic poetry and to write them. Some of the forms are still a mystery to me, but I’m sure that with this guide book I’ll master them at no time.

It is awarding to have my poems sharing the same space with many talented poets in this book. T

I’d like to thank Colleen, for believing in my poetry and always encouraging me to keep up with the writing.

Here are my two original poems and the link for the blog post where they first appeared.

Thank you for reading and to follow my poetry adventures!

WQWWC :: Destiny

June 4, 2021Photography, Writing23 Comments

Do you believe in destiny? I’m not sure I do. I think I’m more a kind of free will person, but sometimes I’d like to believe in destiny, to believe that my path was designed long ago, and nothing would change the here and now. I’d be free of guilty, and I’d stop thinking about the what if…

The freedom of choice is wonderful, I’m thankful for living in a country where I’m free to go and come back to where I want, not so much now with the pandemic 🙂 but many women in the world don’t have this physical freedom. Here, I’m not talking about the physical/space stuff, I’m talking about the stuff that is in my mind, the freedom to be content in the moment, to know that the here and now is the best for me, no matter what happened, this path is the right, it is the one written in the stars.

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
Buddha

“Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?”
Garth Nix, Sabriel

The topic for this week WQWWC is Writer’s choice, I’ve chosen Destiny! Let me know in the comments what are your thoughts about it.

Have a great weekend!

WQWWC :: Hope

May 27, 2021May 26, 2021Photography, Poetry, Writing26 Comments

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.
Emily Dickinson

Joining Marsha’s Writer’s Quotes Wednesdays Writer’s Challenge. The theme this week is HOPE.

Well, this word always brings me back to one of my favorite poems of Emily Dickinson. Hope is the thing with feathers …

Here is my version of Hope! I hope you enjoy 😉

Expectation
Desire
Believing in the magic
The impossible turning into possible 
The only tool to keep us going
When nothing else makes sense
A wish
A silent prayer
The soul talking to the mind