I started this poem late last fall when winter started. And this past week, winter has come too early with 3 storms in a row and 2 feet of snow with frigid temps in the teens and 20s…..making me lament for a bit more fall as we have had very little.
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 Landscape is Released. 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 am thrilled to be back blogging and writing again. It has been over 4 months, and I am feeling healed and much better. I aggravated an old back injury, had vertigo and then blood pressure issues (not related to the vertigo).
I started this poem when life had me down and the weather seemed to amplify the sentiments. With this rainbow last week, on a particularly warm November day, I was remembering what is important in my life if I am to live it to the fullest even on the darkest days.
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 Surrendering to the Light. 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.
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.
You are the best part of me~of all of us. And we desperately need to let your light shine out from our hearts and souls now more than ever. I am feeling lost, forlorn and deeply dark within as your light is being overshadowed by hate and fear.
You have taught me that to know you, to be part of you, I must make a commitment. For you are a practice~one I must exercise daily or become atrophied, rotted, forever in despair. And only with practice can I know you better, can I become more accomplished at letting your light shine.
But most of all I must not forget that kindness must be given willingly to all; nature and mankind alike. None must be forgotten, none must be left out or left behind. Nor should I forget the most important kindness, to myself. For without that I cannot hope to bring you to the rest of the world.
So as I move forward, dear kindness, I must not lose faith in you. I must remember that I do not have to live in the dark recesses of a hopeless, anguished world. Not as long as your light is stoked, fed and tended within….bringing out the best in me!
I am bringing you another epistolary poem from a letter I wrote in April of 2016. This one has been edited quite a bit in light of the world in which we live. A world that is desperately in need of kindness….for all. And not easily found.
The pictures are of a spring wreath looking out into my March spring garden covered in snow. The crystal stick is a special rainbow maker from a dear friend.
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 Kindness. 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.
In spring I see the subtle signs of spring….those I listed above. And this year as February ended those signs appeared. Unfortunately we had a beast of a storm on March 2nd that dropped a foot and a half of snow on us. And more snow comes daily with cold winds. So now we wait for the signs of spring to come again perhaps by March end. You can read more about the storm and my garden in this post.
The pictures here are from my garden. Snow covered back garden, and pond thawing.
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 Winter yielding, and spring sighing. 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 been rattling around in my soul waiting to break free as my anguish with each horrific day goes by with more lies, more acts of violence, hatred, bigotry and on and on with hate. And so many still stay silent as words and acts by our government bring us daily to new lows.
The irony of this poem’s opening is purposeful. They are the opening lines of the Miranda Warning said to all who are arrested. And who knows if our acts of resistance will get us arrested, but I have hope we will overcome the insanity and fear. So this poem is my rant to those who are still silent, as I give my voice to those trying to change the dialogue, and not allowing my silence to condone any more of this insanity.
The pictures are more goddess selfies I created last year.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog, and I am joining Sherry for her Thursday prompt at Imaginary Garden With Real Toads; Being The Change.
I leave you with a few additional words about You have the right. 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.
Every year I pick a word to help guide my year. This year TEND came up with ease, shining down giving me peace and healing just to say it. I started a healing path in late 2016, and found my ROAR, my voice and power, again this past year…..now I want to TEND to my inner fire, my home within and surrounding me.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with an additional image for TEND. 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 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.
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.
For me, food was always an after thought. Something I had to have to fuel my growing, in-constant-motion- child’s body. Grabbing a bowl of cereal here and there; a quick sandwich.
And into adulthood, this still was the case. I had my favorites, but still food was merely fuel to be gobbled, rushed, downed and then move on. Eat at my desk, eat on the run. Never really savoring.
Instead the moments of food bliss were kept for those special treats:
The home-made chocolate chip cookies still warm from the oven. The gooey chocolate-covered fingers licked clean.
The ice cream that I lingered over, and licked slowly off the spoon, tasting the swirl of flavors from lips to tongue.
I was lost in the moment with these sugary treats. And these moments increased with age until sugar was the only thing I savored. Now, no longer can I dally with sweets. Instead, I relish the sumptuous taste of the fresh pea or tomato picked from the vine. Warm in my mouth. Luscious, now savoring these. The rush of a sugary addiction transformed.
This poem came from a prompt given to me a couple of winters ago challenging me to write a poem about enjoying food. I have never had a problem enjoying food…there was little I didn’t like. And sugar was my favorite food….in any way, shape or form.
But with age, has come issues with food. The need to reduce sugar or eliminate it as much as possible. Gluten, acid reflux, no preservatives, eating organically all add to the issues where my food intake is now very healthy, and I have made peace with the changes as I turn 60. This is my haibun poem paying homage to savoring food throughout my life.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
The pictures here are of my husband’s award-winning cheesecake that he made for me two years ago on my birthday! One of those rare sugar times. The picture below is of the peas I savored from my garden well into summer.
I leave you with a few additional words about savoring 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.
I rarely write anything that could be construed as political, but given the political climate and actions (or lack there of) in our government, I knew my anger and concern would spill out on the page here soon. The opening lines came to me while watching a particularly nasty storm, and then the rest flowed from there.
The pictures here are selfies I took during a course this winter. They express my feelings these days.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link, Poetry Pantry.
I leave you with a few additional words about how far can we sink. 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.
“Solitude is not a port to drop anchor, but only a port to rest for a while!” ~Mehmet Murat ildan
My shoulder is healing from the overuse and abuse I had given it this summer. But I am realizing that I still must rest in order to heal. That means I will still be away from the computer….writing, blogging, reading posts, etc.
I am hoping to return in October. I might publish a picture or two to stay in touch a bit as I do hate being away.
In the meantime, I will continue to visit blogs as I can. I have also turned off the comments for this post so I am not tempted to respond, and delay my recuperation. Take care, and enjoy the late summer or whatever the season in your part of the world!