I came upon this nicely told story in your well organized port.
It is an interesting tale describing Beth's emotional state as she meets this stranger from nowhere.
Even in such a remote corner, interruptions are inevitable.
It takes courage to camp in a cottage with no company for now. The surrounds are idyllic. Yet, she is panic stricken once the stranger enters her paradise. is he the serpent? She is visibly shaken and wonders about his intentions.
"The panic was beginning to blossom into intense fear and as Beth tried to cover it up, the words came out more gruff and demanding than she meant them to be."
Wonderful narration and dialog that encourages me to go for the next chapter.
It is enlightening to know about the Mohawk "an indigenous people of North America who originally inhabited the Mohawk Valley in Upstate New York,"
Your roots are deep and you have history stretching on to continents. yet the new generation hardly understands the power of the old generation whose existence was eliminated.
"So often, I continue to allow other people to inhabit my open plain, or my hidden forest hunting grounds, and I realize in this moment, I miss my own story."
Yes, these are the adverse conditions if a culture is displaced and its language forgotten. The world is so much the poorer by losing a culture without hope to retrieve.
The whole story is told in an extended metaphor starting from the strong leg of the ancient times and the one twisted by the later circumstances.
The colored tapestry of life is simply beautiful. Each color for a purpose and each in its place in the texture of life.
Irish tapestry is one of its kind.
Celtic tapestry showing tree of life on the wall is a sight I cannot forget. Treasured carvings and wall hangings bring out the joy of life at its every single stage.
"So fine a thread, so sheer, so bare
Ne’er you find it the same anywhere"
Native Irish weaving cannot be surpassed.
The color scheme and its deeper meaning are well shown in vivid imagery.
"Tis green for peace I do spin
an’ black for the mood I’ve in
blue shorn for the sky I dream
an’ silver for my cloudy seam:
Rhyme and rhythm are par excellence.
It flows right into my heart.
Thanks for sharing talent.
These rhyming couplets are an expression of very sincere and heartfelt feelings on the occasion of Valentine's Day. True love as we know, stands the test of time and lives on steady and unfazed in the face of unforeseen harmful events.
"Spend it well, this mortal trust,
One life to give, and give I must."
The value of life and time are reiterated in a fine manner with well chosen words(a feature seen throughout the poem) with great rhythm. A spontaneous and natural rhyme as well is an embellishment, continues throughout.
All the reasons why love is a unique emotion are well integrated in the verses.
"Tis you I love and you alone,
My love, my life is yours to own."
Every trusting woman would love to hear the above words from her beloved, myself included.
The feelings of a new mother are well expressed in couplets, a free style form.
Babies are such mesmerizing little things. Innocent and cherubic they win the hearts of any.
Your experience is much the same as any other mother, yet each one feels unique. Like a poem just created.
When he or she comes into the world, your life changes, your feelings change and there is feeling of new tenderness you never knew hitherto.
His tears bring tears to your eyes and his smile makes your heart glow with love and care.
There is no sacrifice involved in bringing up the baby, your baby. Many presume they sacrifice a lot in looking after one's own son or daughter which in fact is a great blessing for the mother. Many long for children in vain.
Hi Mark,
you caught the spirit of language in this haiku. I find it appealing, perhaps because I connect to it. I do love language and the expression it is capable of.
Well, let me wish you a wonderful WDC Account Anniversary!
May the muse increase your talent for poetry.
In fact, we have a Goddess of language and wisdom in our culture (Indian, Hindu) named Saraswathi.
Your lines quite sync with our adoration of the deity and thereby, language.
"We worship language"
I think the first thing we should know is not to misuse it knowing its power.
Any branch of learning would seek the help of language without which their vision remains isolated, unknown to the world.
Beautiful compact lines express the reason why we value language.
" The power to incubate
Enormous vision"
There are times when we feel bone tired and do not wish to shed sloth and slumber. Yet duty calls and it is not possible to stay in bed though you wish to do so.
You say you are still tired after "waking from a very long sleep". It is no longer a "nap" which is short in duration compared to a long sleep.
You have stated what goes on in your mind with clarity. You mentioned Acedia, a Greek word the meaning which, according to Wikipedia is a "state of listlessness or torpor, of not caring or not being concerned with one's position or condition in the world." Wow! Your use of this foreign term is appropriate to the topic you raised.
I would do the same if I had some worry either physical or mental.
I came across this poem in your port and am reviewing it for your WDC Account Anniversary.
Congratulations on another reaching another a milestone in your WDC years of creativity,.
Have a great day!
you have vividly drawn the picture of losing patience and poised to strike your offender. Control over senses is not as easy as they pontificate. However, given the fact that as human beings we can exercise control over basic vices such as anger, you did the right thing. A second's thought is all that counts and there you are walking away from something that might have escalated to a bitter row.
"But the angel of virtue whispers in the ear
softening the gray mass to be clear"
Glad you saved yourself and the other person from something ill advised.
Childhood memories of a dearly loved daughter flood the father as he gets ready to give her away on her wedding day.
Time is truly a subtle thief and we talk of the pleasant past (and not a distant past really) as "when you were little girl..."
Unbelievable how the days fly especially, when they are pleasure winged.
Emotions are shown in a subtle delicate manner.
""Are you ready?" I ask her. I speak gruffly, trying to hold back tears."
Lovely story of longing for the past joy. It reminds me of the song, "Yesterday once more" in some way.
This melodious chant from hills of Sikkim surrounding the holy Tsomgo lake is soothing to soul and body. As I sat on a rock on the top of a hill, I heard the chant of "Om Mani Padme Him" carried and transmitted by the waves of winds.
It is as if the saints and monks of the ancient monasteries are uttering these mantras to the Sun God whom they worship.
Nature is adorable and so this worship of Surya or Sun is absolutely justified.
Those moments of magic still vibrate in my mind. The memory of Tsomgo with just wind, sky and water around with the chant of Om Mani Padme Hum are evocative of the universal affinity of man with God.
Glad this poem made me revisit the tranquility of the place stored in memory.
Failure and disillusionment of love found after a number of "wasted years" could be heart breaking. This could bear its negative effect for long years to come.
Search for love continues to haunt many. Life could be hard enough to dry and deny a heart a chance to love.
"it was a chance I had to pass."
Interestingly, this poem starts with what looks like a rhetorical question.
"Love that lasts?"
Answer depends on our experience of love. Lucky souls are in love forever. Misunderstandings have no chance to affect their love. (I suppose)
I can see it is pretty hard to live a life we want. True, misfortunes never come alone in personal and professional walks of life.
I can see perseverance and hope in all the efforts you made to get a job as a citizen of a supposedly prosperous country.
We do need tax reforms and more welfare schemes especially for the economically suffering.
In the recent years unemployment rate in India, my country dropped significantly. It is no secret that leadership and honesty matter to run the country successfully.
yours's is a true to life story and I can see that things are not normal or comfortable there.
I only hope life will give a firm footing and let you live without tensions.
This is just the kind of philosophy that makes me go through desperate and despondent times successfully.
As the poet so inspiringly said, if winter comes, spring is not far behind.
Samuel made it possible for the whole village to live up to the present and also secure a safe future by waiting for the hard times to pass. I can see that hope and patience go hand in hand.
And time, above all, teaches how to fend for self as well as for others, thus finding new ways to make life comfortable.
"The drought ended, and the fields bloomed with renewed vigor."
Language and style are a great draw. Smoothly flowing sentences and thoughts deserve applause.
A good story about the invisibles in school.
This pattern of not noticing the unassuming kids continues in our schools.
Why? all due to the crass and mannerless behaviour of the teachers who are supposed to set examples in exemplary behaviour.
"“You never wondered why nobody notices you? Why you raise your hand in class and the teacher ignores you? Girl, you have the power of invisibility!”"
A sharp and satirical observation of what takes place in class. The teachers don't care. The pupils who are not loud in voice or behaviour get ignored.
This story convincingly makes a point about the misery of the ignored kids.
If they unite in opposing the crudeness they face, it might have some effect.
Fantastic colour scheme Maria.
I love the combination of colours producing a splendid effect on the environment.
Yellow, sunlight, green, polka dots, golden and buttercups.
Nothing can be more delicious than the picture you painted here.
Those fields of mustard flowers are alluring and tempts me to run through them with my hair open and glistening like spun silk under the golden rays of sunlight.
Yes, Christmas is a season of joy and celebration. Most importantly, we celebrate freedom from the shackles of slavery to ineffectual deities and finally found the truth of God.
Yes, we revel in the joy of infant Jesus who came to give salvation to folks of our earth.
Christmas as you say rings in the bells of hope and peace. Mary's boy child was born on this day, who was hailed as "new king" whose good deeds and sacrifice made man to live forever more.
If one is a true believer, he or she should be able to listen to the angels singing at His birth in Bethlehem.
"Christmas is a time of joy,
A time for giving and receiving toys."
I honesty agree with your opinion that we all belong to God.
In fact we in India consider the whole earth as one nation and one family and we all believe in the Universal spirit irrespective of the name assigned to Him.
We not only seek His blessings and support and courage, we are also bound to obey His principles of morality and conduct of life.
It takes an effort to build a perfect character and we should constantly strive to achieve it, or else we become victims of greed, envy and jealousy.
"He deserves our reverence—always and everywhere."
This story reads more like a philosophical musing and less horror.
The restless spirit we carry to afterlife comes back to earthly roots, they say. I wonder if they are empowered to hurt humanity.
We don't know what happened before birth and technically we don't know what follows after the grave. Even in the interim we are free as burdens weigh heavy.
The issue of death and afterlife is complicated. Nothing is clear. Those who ventured also disappeared.
But there is no denying that everyone likes to know the mystery after death.
Do you believe in good spirits and bad spirits?
What everyone wants is to die sweetly, not carrying worries or concerns.
That would be enough to live with character.
Mature love finally unites the couple.
True, some parents never see their reality. Unreasonably standing between true lovers they cause a lot of heartache and misery.
Three decades separated the high school sweethearts whose patience and lasting love paid off finally.
Looks like their union is written in the stars and so it is bound to fructify.
"Nothing can stop us today
we won't be undone"
The poem sounds like a song of love sweet and sacred.
Hi Joseph,
I love your line on never saying goodbye. Even in my culture(Hindu) it is discouraged to bid goodbye. Instead like you have shown say something like "see you soon."
The thought of not saying goodbye, which sounds like final farewell, appeals to me.
I say see you later
Meet you on the other side
Strengths
Informal and conversational style.
It sounds spontaneous and natural.
The person who doesn't like to say goodbye must be in all possibility kind and friendly.
There we shall gather yet again
What I liked most
The poetic quality of the poem, with lines that take me to some nice eternally beautiful place.
On that beautiful Riverside
Where sorrows are no more
This review on Jane Austen's famous novels mirrors the important events in each of them.
It is difficult to do justice to Austen's grasp of life and her ability to bring it to the novels.
Her novels show how dependent women were on marriage and so pursue husbands with financial security. Love fades to the background. Yet, Jane Austen's novels owe their appeal due to her skillful handling of the importance of the sentiment of love combined with realities of money and "connections."
So I learn through her novels that certain values are permanent despite the gap between the rich and the not so rich.
Whatever changes today brings, be it bad or good, I would wake up new and whole when tomorrow comes.
So the poet could listen to the dream music despite being surrounded by painful realities. To me, it is therapeutic philosophy, which has appeal and far reaching effect on a thinking person.
" and Tomorrow
The world will swirl
dancing to my dream music"
To me, this "dream music" the poet speaks of represents the inner world sequestered from the physical world tucked in the labyrinths of the soul.
"my passing" or death has this cleansing effect because it frees the soul from the prison of contraries such as the "fleeting and permanent"
Absolutely appealing thoughts.
"fate" in the last line affects the picture we get earlier in the poem. The hand of fate is viewed with importance because life changes for good or bad if fate has a part to play.
A very contemplative poem dwelling on realities with philosophical musings.
Free style poem flows well.
Looks like Paradise takes a long time to plan and build. The previous incident concerning finding paradise in minutes was a great disaster and those, who craved and drank the mysterious liquid got liquidated if that is what paradise meant.
It would be preposterous to assume that one can ascend to paradise instantly. It is everybody's knowledge that one has to sincerely attempt to achieve things, which is possible only after long.
The color blue is significantly used to show the difference between the two kinds of people.
It reminds me of the adage, "if wishes are horses beggars would ride."
The two characters seem to have understood the basics of building good life or finding paradise.
"That’s been ten years now. We’re still building our paradise."
A different kind of tale where the end, which is realistic merges with the preceding events, which are ephemeral.
The anticlimax at the end is the comical observation on vending machine failure as against the changes in life in the preceding lines.
Looks like the whole life is a chain of changes without which life never happens. No wonder they say that change is the law of life.
Yes, changes sometimes are heart breaking such as leaving friends to shift to another town or when a girl breaks his heart.
"Moving away from my friends to a new town
Can’t stand change"
Changeless life could be stagnant without growth or without a chance to evolve into a better person.
Like it or hate it, change happens without effort most of the time.
I like the practical and personal observations of life contained in this flowing humorous verse.
It flows well with visual imagery.
This passage on laughter is an impressive comment on the sense of humour.
Humour is essential to life.
Laughter relieves a person of tensions and seriousness. It is like a fresh breeze on a hot day. It helps spreading positive vibes.
Your views on laughter are relevant at all times .
I like the age old saying that laughter is the best medicine.
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