I’ve been struggling with medical issues for a while now. It’s been hard. I’m seeing several doctors, and I’m hopeful that my medical problems will be resolved in the near future. Meanwhile, I’m taking a hiatus from blogging and social media in order to focus on my health. You’ll probably see me pop in and out of social media, I don’t think I can stay away 100%, but it won’t be like before. I haven’t had the energy or focus to do the things I enjoy doing.
I need some time to heal and when I do I’ll be back in full force. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Colleen says: This challenge explores Ekphrastic writing inspired by visual art (photographs). Annette Rochelle Aben from last month’s challenge has provided the photo for this month’s challenge. Remember, it’s not so much about describing what’s in the photo. Look beyond the obvious to find new meaning.
Photo by Annette Rochelle Aben
MERMAID
Don’t mistake songs in the wind for wind songs
Don’t confuse figures out at sea, that
sit on distant rocks for sea lions
She dwells where worlds hide in the
deep, and emerges to
the wild call of the
running tide to
warn us, “let
the seas
be”
photo by Sandra Bittmann
If it doesn’t come bursting out of you in spite of everything, don’t do it. Unless it comes unasked out of your heart and your mind and your mouth and your gut, don’t do it.
Have a great weekend and never give up on shooting for the stars!
This week, Colleen Chesebro from Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge selected the words to get us going. These words are opposites with many synonym possibilities:
Loose & Tight
Photograph by Kat J (Unsplash)
Heavy
days devoid of
love, smiles or kind remarks
I wait, fingers closed in tense fists
for him
***
Hopeless
Out of my mind
with desire to escape
but too stiffened with fear to move
I’m doomed
Photograph by Alexander Krivitskiy
Traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to lure their victims and force them into labor or commercial sexual exploitation. This is a real problem in many countries including the United States. I realize we have a lot going on right now with three different strains of the corona virus out there and a world wide pandemic. I understand you may not want to think about anything else going on in the world right now. But put yourself in the place of anyone of these young people for a moment. This could be anyone’s child, sister, brother, girlfriend, cousin . . . suffering torture, debilitating fear, and hopelessness every single day.
Human Trafficking Indicators
While not an exhaustive list, these are some key red flags that could alert you to a potential trafficking situation that should be reported:
Living with employer
Poor living conditions
Multiple people in cramped space
Inability to speak to individual alone
Answers appear to be scripted and rehearsed
Employer is holding identity documents
Signs of physical abuse
Submissive or fearful
Unpaid or paid very little
Under 18 and in prostitution
Thank you for stopping by today! Stay safe and healthy.
Hello, everyone! Happy Holidays and a warm welcome to my blog!
I live in south Florida and Christmas traditions are a little different down here. We don’t have snow, so we can’t build a snowman, but we can build one made of sand. There’s no sledding or skiing, but we do have surfing Santas and boats decked out in Christmas lights and decorations. We also have Winterfest, a town named Christmas, Disney World and much more. I found this poem about Christmas in Florida and thought I should share it. I hope you enjoy it.
T’was the night before Christmas, and all through the town, No noses were frozen, nor snow on the ground.
No children in flannels were tucked into bed, They all wore their shorty pajamas instead.
To find wreaths of holly was not very hard, For holly trees sprouted in every backyard.
In front of the houses were daddies and moms, Decorating hibiscus and coconut palms.
The slumbering kiddies were dreaming with glee, Hoping to find surf boards under the tree.
They all knew that Santa was well on his way, In a fiberglass boat instead of a sleigh.
He whizzed up the rivers, zoomed up the canals, Delivering toys to good boys and gals.
The tropical moon gave the cities a glow, And lit the way for Santa below.
Quite soon he arrived and started to work, He hadn’t a second to linger or shirk.
He jumped from his boat and gave a wee chuckle, He was dressed in deck pants, with an ivy league buckle.
There weren’t any chimneys, but that caused no gloom, For Santa came in through the Florida room.
He stopped at each house but stayed only a minute, As he emptied his sack of the toys that were in it.
Before he departed he had a long drink, From the glass of fresh orange juice left by the sink.
He turned with a jerk and jumped into his boat, Knowing that he still had more toys to tote.
He put it in gear and he opened the gas, Then up the Peace River he went like a flash!
And I heard him exclaim as he went on his way: “Merry Christmas, Punta Gorda, I wish I could stay ….
This challenge explores Ekphrastic writing inspired by visual art (photographs). Diana Peach from last month’s challenge has provided the photo for this month’s challenge.
The Saddest Leave The Least Of Clues
Depression sneaks up when least expected
What you once had seems far above you
as you spiral into darkness
sapping your life of meaning
but you smile all the time
though you’re rarely fine
You leave no clues
Depression
is like
cancer
“Real depression is when you stop loving the things you love.”
Atticus
When I saw the image chosen by Author, D. Wallace Peach it reminded me of a beautiful soul who couldn’t see her ethereal beauty in the water because she was shrouded by the darkness of depression. I have several loved ones who suffer from depression. This poem is dedicated to them and to anyone else who is struggling with this disease. What a lot of people don’t understand is that there are two types of depression. Feeling extremely sad when you lose a loved one, a pet, or when you lose your job or go through a divorce is perfectly normal. People expect you to suffer some level of depression when you experience something terrible. Being diagnosed with clinical depression is an entirely different thing. This is an illness that stems from there being a chemical imbalance in your brain. When depression hits it does so without warning, and it comes with muscle aches, loss of focus and concentration, insomnia, overeating or loss of appetite, headaches, digestive problems, anxiety . . . . It is a disease like diabetes, lupus, COPD, Alzheimer’s or cancer. Whenever I get a chance, I try to create awareness because there’s a stigma attached to this disease and there shouldn’t be.
Click on image to read an excerpt from my upcoming book, The Rise of Gadreel.
Hi, everyone! It’s the first of the month, and that means poets choose their own syllabic poetry form, theme, words, images, etc. Colleen’s 2020 Weekly Poetry Challenge
The year 2020 has seen its share of major historic events and bizarre incidents in just a little over five months–– including the acquittal of President Donald Trump in an impeachment trial, the bushfires in Australia, the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic, and the entire world grinding to a halt as businesses shut down and people are quarantined.
As I ponder on these events and others like the death of (a legend) Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash, the United Kingdom withdrawing from the European Union, the Dow plunging 2,997 points due to coronavirus fears, the 2020 Summer Olympics postponed, and the fact that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their duties as senior royals in Buckingham Palace, I want to pinch myself to be sure I’m not in some dark and eerie nightmare. Despite the peculiar times we’re living in, I’m sure everyone can find at least one thing to be thankful for, right?
I’m thankful that my family and I are doing well, and that we have plenty to eat and drink, and our toilet paper inventory is full. I’m grateful that this nightmare has not prevented me from doing a lot of reading and writing. My cooking and baking skills have gotten better. Despite the fact that I miss my family I have enjoyed our zoom get togethers. I’m also grateful to be in such great company during isolation – there are no better quarantine buddies than my husband JC and Pomeranian Scribbles. I have a roof over my head and a great view of a golf course. How could I not feel gratitude in my heart.
Although there are a plethora of strange happenings there are also appreciable moments. To be honest, there have been times when I’ve been down, fearful, anxious – none of us has ever lived through times like these. It’s easy to feel vulnerable and like you have no control over the outcome of your life. But when have we ever had total control over the outcome of our lives? We can’t focus only on the negative – it won’t solve a thing. Let’s think about all we should be grateful for.
“The most powerful weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. Train your mind to see the good in this day.”
I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but for a while now I’ve been reading about how scientists are working with microorganisms to engineer them to perform certain tasks. There’s good that could come from this, for instance, if a bacteria was to be engineered to locate and kill only cancer cells in a person’s body, leaving the healthy cells alone. If this works, other microorganisms could be used in the same way to rid the body of many diseases. Things can go horribly wrong, though. So many discoveries and inventions were made for the good of the people only to end up in the wrong hands and used for atrocities –– just ask Einstein. I know this all reads like the premise to a Sci-fi novel, but once scientists discovered how to read and map a strand of DNA they’ve been busy experimenting with things we can’t even imagine. Who knows what they’re cooking up in those labs? Like maybe a solution to the overpopulation problem no one wants to talk about. Like maybe engineer a virus that can target the old and diseased, and kill them by the thousands? That can certainly solve the overpopulation problem in the world while maintaining the young and strong safe. After all, they are the future.
Colleen Chesebro from Colleen’s Weekly Poetry Challenge picked the two synonyms for this week’s challenge. Remember, there are many ways to use these words.
Here are your two words:
Idea & Fancy
He’ll make love to the seven continents
and his offspring will rule the masses
but before then –– we surrender
to our desire to be led
the “We” campaign begins
a government scheme
Bring on the chaos
and they will
come to
me
Photo by Hudson Hintze
I have so many questions bouncing around in my mind about what’s going on in the world as it pertains to COVID– 19. I’ve been thinking a lot about the aftermath of this pandemic. What is going to happen to all the small businesses that are now closed? Will they recover? Will the school system be irrevocably affected? What changes will be made to the government?
We’re still a ways away from a vaccine, so when will isolation and social distancing end? When will people be allowed to go back to work?
How will this experience change our mindsets? Our mindsets shape our thought habits. And our thought habits affect how we think, what we feel, and what we do.
Now, we also have the Bill Gates coronavirus conspiracy theory to think about, too. I know I can’t be the only one with questions spinning out of control in my head. What are you thinking about? How do you handle the stress and anxiety that comes with all these questions?
Welcome, everyone! I’m thrilled to have you visit. It’s the 3rd week of the month, and that means we have a photo prompt.Colleen’s 2020 Poetry Prompt Challenge.
Padre, from Padre’s Ramblings, provided the photo for this month’s challenge.
Here’s my contribution for this week, a Butterfly Cinquain:
I Prefer a Book
tempted
by the Autumn
that labored to make it
thoughts of the soil and its duty
and the
full bellies of
grapes who hang on to vines
that twirl and reach to the heavens
s o r r y.
“Reading—the best state yet to keep absolute loneliness at bay.”
—William Styron
Photo by Tim Rebkavets @timreb9
“Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere.” —Mary Schmich
I know there are many people who are self-quarantined or in mandatory isolation due to the coronavirus. Don’t despair. Grab a book, and meet some fascinating characters, walk in their shoes and take an extraordinary journey. I wish everyone a calm, safe and happy Friday and weekend.
I have several topics I want to address today, and it’s going to seem random. I apologize in advance.
Firstly, let’s talk about the coronavirus and COVID- 19. Unless you’ve been vacationing on the moon you’ve heard these terms before. The coronavirus has been around for a long time. It’s the same virus associated with SARS in 2003. COVID- 19 is the disease caused by the newly identified type of coronavirus that emerged in China in December 2019.
COVID- 19 symptoms include cough, fever and shortness of breath. Now, these symptoms are similar to the flu, and we are in flu season so if you have these symptoms call your doctor and let her know, but don’t go crazy thinking you have COVID- 19. Don’t automatically go to the ER without speaking to your doctor first because if you don’t have it the ER (emergency room) is probably a great place to catch it, and if you do have it you’ll most likely pass it on to people that are probably in a more vulnerable state than you are. Please call your doctor and act calmly.
There is no coronavirus vaccine yet. Prevention involves frequent hand-washing, coughing into the bend of your elbow and staying home when you’re sick.
Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly for at least 20 seconds (about a round of Old McDonald had a Farm). Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Cover coughs and sneezes with tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
Stay home when you are sick.
Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects people frequently touch.
I’m not a doctor, but I’ve worked in the medical field closely with doctors for many years. There are a lot of nervous people out there acting in panic, and that only makes things worse for them, others and people in the medical field who are only trying to help. You can calm your nerves by simply keeping yourself informed and by applying the 3 Ps: Positivity, Preparedness, and don’tPanic.
Let’s stay positive, but prepared, and please don’t panic it only makes things worse for you and others.
I also wanted to mention that someone sent me a DM (direct message) on Twitter asking why I only feature certain people on my blog. First of all, I’m an equal opportunity blogger and always have been. I’m constantly volunteering to host people on my blog. If we know each other, and you want to be featured on my blog let me know. Contrary to what some people may believe I don’t own a crystal ball. If you’ve never asked me to feature you on my blog don’t bitch complain about not being featured on my blog.
Lastly, don’t allow anyone to influence your thinking or how you feel about another person. Give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Before you reject, turn your back on or completely disregard someone because another person told you to do so, think for yourself. Judge someone according to the way they’ve treated you and by their deeds. Make up your own mind who that person is. Don’t allow anyone to do that for you.
The Writer Next Door | Vashti Q 
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