In late November, while walking at dusk with the moon rising, my husband and I witnessed thousands of geese migrating over us….we lost count at 30 groups, moving higher and higher as they sang their glorious song of farewell. This poem was created on that walk. I will be taking a hiatus from blogging for a few weeks to devote time to enjoying the season without the rush. I’ll see you after the New Year.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about the Kiss the Sky. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
I wrote this poem a few years ago while waiting a full day to testify in a labor case for a former employer’s dispute. It was frustrating waiting in a room for 6 hours with nowhere to go and no phone…..just a book and a pen and paper.
As I wrote it, I thought of all the times I have had to wait in long lines…..the end wasn’t quite developed but I was able to revisit the poem and find a perfect ending recently.
These pictures are from a recent trip waiting hours for flights….a perfect illustration!
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about The Waiting Game. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
As I was contemplating recent readings, the term Wild Child came up and this poem poured forth. It is autobiographical, and it is a song to all of us who are working on our inner selves. I offer it to all who are called or feel like a ‘wild child’ as I move into my 61st year.
And yes those pictures are of me when I was about 8 or 9 years old. Both pictures hold very fond memories, as I loved to swim, and go fishing. That was the first big fish I caught, a lake perch.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about The Wild Child. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
This is a poem that was started a few year’s ago, and like the poem says, it drifted in and out of my consciousness until it fully formed recently. Poetry can come easily or be a bit elusive….but I don’t obsess about it. I keep a journal of phrases, lines, ideas, and revisit them until they decide to rain down fully into a poem.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about The Drought. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
This poem has a double meaning for me…the expectancy of spring and spring planting, and the expectancy of growth along my personal path as I read, learn, experience and share my life lessons.
As the full moon is upon us, I am reminded that spring planting by the phases of the moon is said to enhance harvests. Some gardeners suggest sowing seeds for crops that yield an above ground harvest between the new moon and full moon. Root crops are best planted when the moon is going from full moon to new moon. While I have never tried this, I have gardener friends who swear by this planting method.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about Expectant. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
I recently have been reading May Sarton’s, Journal of Solitude, and Brené Brown’s, Braving the Wilderness. Both books have been speaking to me of my path, my inner work. And this poem was born of that reading and work. It is how I feel myself evolving.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about I Flow Like Water. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
To speak your name~well rant it for a good, almost, 10 minutes.
You shook me upside down when I heard you speak. And rung my emotional bell until it hurt from my head to my belly.
But you had to come, you had to speak, Truth. And I am so happy you did.
Although next time can you add a dollop of love with your words so they don’t leave me too splayed upon the ground when you are done talking.
Yes I am glad you came and spoke, Truth, through me, from me down to my very soul.
Truth can set you free they say. It turned me inside out and landed me on my ass. But I had that coming. After all I kept you at bay for far too long, Dear Truth!
I am bringing you another epistolary poem from a letter I wrote in April of 2016. This one was freeing to write. It seems when I hold back from speaking up, the truth backs up until it bursts free. I am learning to speak up more and more especially these days. And especially to those who feel free to lie as a matter of course.
With the #enoughisenough movement, Truth is a friend to many again and speaking loudly through thousands, finally!
The pictures are of a witchball; a gift given to me by a dear friend. Historically, witchballs were hung in windows to ward off ill fortune and bad spirits.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about Dear Truth. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
Even with the vernal equinox coming this week in the northern hemisphere, the first day of spring never quite arrives according to the calendar. It shows up when it is good and ready…each year a different date. And this year winter is unrelenting, and March seems to be the new February, with cold and almost 4 feet of new snow in the first two weeks. Now we are frigid again with snow piles everywhere….no spring thaw in sight for weeks perhaps. So as I wait, I am thinking about what I am yearning for when spring finally does show itself in earnest.
The pictures are of native Bloodroot from my garden. They are one of the first native flowers blooming. You have to watch for their blooms, and savor them while you can, as they fade fast.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about the Yearnings of Spring. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
I have long known that the ocean is my home. I come home to the ocean and am reconnected to my creator…..my soul. There is an exhilaration I cannot find anywhere else on this earth. And I long to be in its environs whenever close. So upon a recent visit to the ocean, I was reminded of this deep connection….to the creation of life in the soup of the sea. And this poem poured forth.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about Born of Water. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
Sometimes in the most hurried, stressful situations, it is worth our while to remember that a smile can light up our world….it can light up the whole world. One small act of kindness, can change everything around us.
So with that in mind, in a very busy airport recently, I decided to make it a point to smile at everyone. To excuse myself as I weaved and bobbed. To joke with, and be polite to the TSA agents as they examined my bag one more time.
Even if smiles were met with frowns, and thank yous were not forth coming as I gave away space at my table or in line to get food, I still smiled. I still persevered, and kept kindness front and center. Letting it pour forth from my soul.
And what was the effect of this grand experiment? Well, I cannot tell you it made any difference in anyone else’s life, but I know it did mine. I was calmer, happier and more centered. Each smile I gave away, made my day brighter. And I have to believe it helped shift the world a little, that day, to the kinder side of life.
This poem, a haibun, was an experiment I decided to conduct in a crowded airport. To smile, be courteous, polite and kind no matter what. Not an easy task when traveling as it is a stressful time made worse by time constraints, tired feet, discourteous people and knowing I am about to be strapped into a cramped space for hours while flying 35,000 miles suspended above the earth.
The pictures are fun selfies I created in a course I took using the phone apps, Pixlr and Prisma.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about given freely. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
It feels good to write your name on this page….another year older, new numbers for this new year. And the new numbers come easily to my pencil and fingers. Most years, I will continue to write the old year, correcting myself numerous times as if I cannot let go….not fully accepting the change the new year brings.
But not this year, 2018. It is as though I have erased the old year and never want to write it again. I certainly never want to see it again~or so I think! Yet this new year looks foreign and foggy to me. I am not sure what to make of it, except it feels good; stronger with lots of promise.
So I begin this New Year with these thoughts….I will Tend this year lovingly for myself and others. A bit more kindness and love given. A bit less judgment and fear. Yes 2018, I am remaining open for you and all you will bring. Hopeful you will make sense and bring some order to this world.
I wrote this epistolary poemin my new journal as the New Year began. The flowers pictured here are commonly known as Amaryllis, scientific name Hippeastrum. Red amaryllis are often associated with the holiday season, and typically mean determination, beauty, and love.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about Dear New Year. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
I was recently inspired to speak out again about the most basic hypocrisies in our world and country…..judging others and the erosion of truth. I wrote this poem in response to all the trolling and name calling. Calling out the trolls and calling for a resurgence of sanity, values and the ‘real’ truth.
These pictures are selfies I created earlier this year when I was taking a course in how to creatively us photography phone apps.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about Judge Me. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2017. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
I am bringing you another epistolary poem from a letter I wrote in April of 2016. This one was a homage to my home and hearth….where I live and where I find solace. Both my house and garden were the main inspiration, but it seems the poem, as it developed, is also about finding my inner core as My Home.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about Dear Home. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2017. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
This poem came to me as I was trying to relax and start a 2 week vacation…..and as I wrote it, my mind, body and spirit eased and I was able to move into the moment and enjoy my time away. No confines, no worries, no strings….just pure delight.
The pictures were taken at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, a most fascinating place east of Phoenix. The first is of an old homestead carved out of the rock. The second is the remnants of a dry riverbed.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about outside the box. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2017. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
This poem came streaming out of me after I finally let go of my fears and attended a writer’s conference. I knew this was going to be a big step towards fulfilling my destiny, and that once I entered, and crossed the threshold, there was no turning back!
The pictures here are hummers visiting the garden this year…they represent pure bliss and joy!
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up, Poetry Pantry, for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about taking back a life. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2017. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
This is the third poem I wrote when my Aunt Mary died recently (July 3rd). She was laid to rest this past week, and the grief was back. Loss is so difficult to deal with, but I have learned that I just need to allow the emotions to flow. And grief always seems to come at me in waves. I am doing better these days so perhaps some peace is coming. You can read my tribute post to my aunt on my other blog.
I am joining Poets Unitedfor their Poetry Pantry linkup.
I leave you with a another image about loss. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2017. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
This poem is a remembrance for my Aunt Mary who passed away July 3rd. A dear friend said to me that dwelling on missing her would only bring sadness and depression….but celebrating her light would bring me solace and peace. I liked that idea and this poem came to me the next day. You can read my tribute post to my aunt here.
I am joining Poets Unitedfor their Poetry Pantry linkup. July 12th was my 3rd blog anniversary….what an amazing 3 years of creativity it has been.
The picture at the top is of my Aunt Mary with a few sweet peas, snapdragons and lavender. The vase below is more of these same sweet flowers.
I leave you with a another image about an extra-ordinary life. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2017. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
It has been almost a year since I have written here on this blog….since I injured my shoulder and had to listen to my body and really rest which meant no writing or gardening (I am right handed and the injury was to my right shoulder). I learned to be more left- handed….and it has been a good rest. I have discovered much about myself and my journey while away.
I had no clue when and how I would return to this blog and writing poetry. But the day my beloved Aunt Mary passed (July 3rd) I wrote a blog post on my other blog and 3 poems. This poem is one of them. It seems the floodgates are open again. This poem is based on my interpretation of a quote I used on my tribute post to my aunt. It captures my essence and my purpose these days and how much Aunt Mary has influenced my life. I hope you enjoy it.
… so this is for us. This is for us who sing, write, dance, act, study, run and love and this is for doing it even if no one will ever know because the beauty is in the act of doing it. Not what it can lead to…
~Charlotte Eriksson
I am joining Poets Unitedfor their Poetry Pantry linkup. The roses here have been blooming in my garden for weeks in honor of my Aunt Mary Rose.
I leave you with a another image about creating. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2017. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
I wrote this poem at the new year, as I was contemplating my new word for the year, Innovate. I have written a couple of posts about this word and what it means to me, and how I planned to incorporate it into My Mantra. So after 6 months with this word, I find it still serves to push me a little further outside my comfort zone, and take new steps forward toward my dream.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their Midweek Motif. This week Susan is giving us the theme ~ ‘The Song of a Single Word’. I am also joining in with Sanaa@A Dash of Sunny for her Prompt Nights. This week’s theme is ‘Dreams‘. As Sanaa says, ‘We all have them. We strive for something which at first we deem impossible. But as they say, the key to realizing a dream is to focus on its significance, cause then even our smallest steps and victories will take on a greater meaning.’ My word for the year helps to focus me on my journey toward realizing my dreams.
I leave you with a another image about Innovate. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2016. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
I read a prompt a while ago where they asked us to have a conversation with our Inner Critic. I have had a long-standing Love-Hate relationship with that part of me, with me losing more times than I care to count. So I thought it was about time we had it out….after all this Inner Critic was holding me back and I was letting it.
As a reforming perfectionist, I am dedicating this poem to all of us who have been caught in Perfections trap. And most especially, I dedicate this to my lovely niece, Natalie on her 13th birthday, today! Like her Aunt Donna, she is a perfectionist. A wonderful goal to to try to reach, perfection, as long as we don’t let it hold us down and make us feel bad about ourselves, as I have done. So here’s to you my dear niece! I wish for you the means for working with your Inner Critic, and not letting it get the best of you. Oh andshe is a most gifted and creative poet as well!
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog, and Sanaa@A Dash of Sunny for her Prompt Nights every Friday. This week’s theme is ‘The Hidden Realm’, that safe haven I find inside as I heal and discover my true self.
I am using pictures of Columbines, and faded Columbine petals that represent Anxious, and Resolved To Win, in the Language of Flowers!
I leave you with a few additional words about Inner Critics. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2016. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.