WQWWC :: Heat

soul fire

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
passion garden

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
moments of reflection

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

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!

E.

WQWWC :: Destiny

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

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

the week in between

hello my friends, i hope you had a jolly christmas. here, in my part of the world, we had a white christmas day with lots of snow. we are on lockdown again, so online ordering for groceries and last minute gifts, a cozy meal with the family, just perfect, the way i like it.

the week in between christmas and new year. it is such a special one. it’s like the world has stopped, ‘the holidays’ as people like to say:

  • we don’t have time to wake up or time to go to bed
  • we want to do many things and at the same time to do nothing
  • the christmas tree is still up, but the gifts are unwrapped.
  • we are stuffed with all the christmas food, but making plans for the new year’s eve feast
  • our mind goes back to the year that is ending, contentment and regrets all mixed up.
  • our thoughts go ahead for the year that is starting carrying plans and dreams.
  • the days are getting longer, the snow has melted but the air is pregnant and heavy, the winter isn’t done yet.

happy new year to you!

Lessons of 2020

2020 has indeed taught us many lessons. The vulnerability has been my major one. I’ve learned that I am vulnerable, I have limits and I need to respect them. I’m not stronger as I was in my 20s and 30s. My body and mind crave more attention. I need to set boundaries. This year I accepted that I’m an introvert and it’s OK to say NO and to prioritize my space, my moments of quiet.

My last post here was in October, I didn’t post anything in November. I had to evaluate my blogging path. I love all the connections and friends I’ve made during these 7 years of blogging. I’ve joined many challenges during the years and enjoyed them, but they were putting pressure on me. I was feeling obligated to post until in days that I had nothing to say. I don’t want this kind of pressure, it’s already enough everything that we go through with family, job… I wish this space to be free, a place that I can fly and create without boundaries, and not deadlines. So, from now on, no more challenges, only a few musings here and there.

Run from what’s comfortable. Forget safety. Live where you fear to live. Destroy your reputation. Be notorious. I have tried prudent planning long enough. From now on I’ll be mad.

Rumi

I’d be happy to hear how 2020 has been treating you, any lessons?

Market

Breakfast

Pumpkin pie and coffee. I went to the farmers market yesterday. First time since the pandemic started months ago. I was glad to see that the local farmers didn’t stop. They had all the goodness of the season there: apples, pears, plums, pumpkins…. Now, more than ever, we should support our local business to booster our city economy.

Happy Sunday to you!

Anniversary month

May 20, 2020 :: 20 year wedding anniversary! Love all the 20s in here!

I baked a cake to celebrate this special date.

And I used the china from my mother’s weeding, 68 years ago, to serve the cake and the tea. It was the first time I used her china since I inherited it 10 years ago. The symbol for 20th year anniversary is china!

I dressed my wedding dress after all these years for the first time. I couldn’t zip it up, but it was lovely to feel the softness of it on my body for few minutes, and to immerse myself in all the memories and feelings it brought back to me.

Have a great Sunday!