A misty blue dawn … sometimes I just feel that way
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How Heavy The Days by Herman Hesse
How heavy the days are. There’s not a fire that can warm me, Not a sun to laugh with me, Everything bare, Everything cold and merciless, And even the beloved, clear Stars look desolately down, Since I learned in my heart that Love can die.
Aprhrodite Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer, published in 2019, is a multidimensional tour de force of poetry, prose, artwork, and structure, that truly is mesmorizing in its scope and beauty.
The book is composed structurally of seven chapters, each one a dialogue between the poet and Aphrodite. Aphrodite Airs Her Grievances, The Poet Airs Her Grievances, Aprhrodite Speaks On Love, The Poet Speaks On Love, Aphrodite Sings Of War, The Poet Sings Of War, & Rising. Each of the chapters has short verse poems, prose poems, graphics, photographs, drawings, and collages, all revolving around these dialogues.
There is an imaginative twist here, a poetic turning of the tables, so to speak, particularly in the earlier chapters, when Aphrodite addresses some of the many myths surrounding her. Some of her remarks are angry, some are humorous, but they all revolve around the themes of self-empowerment, and self worth, which truly applies to all of us.
In this way, this original book, based on the struggles and difficulties of one young woman, coming of age, accepting who she is, become generalized, and reveal so much to all of us. In a way Trista Mateer becomes her very own version of Aphrodite, with pride and freedom, and without denying anything at all to anyone else.
Which in my opinion, is truly a worthwhile accomplishment!
If you like contemporary poetry/fiction, and the attendent styles, which have come about because of social media, I am sure you will enjoy this book!
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give yourself permission to explore every aspect of your being:
the parts they call feminine and the parts they don’t / the parts that would make your mother gasp / the parts that are deemed unacceptable and undesirable / the parts that are hungry / the parts that are angry / the parts that are hurting / the parts that make you feel good / the parts that make you feel guilty / the parts your’re not proud of / all of it / every bloody, ugly bit
wishing to see blossoms on weeping cherry trees stars in my eyes
– Matsuo Basho
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Weeping Cherry Tree by Cornwall Library, New York.
Standing beneath this tree, in the height of Spring, close to the home of so many beautiful books, truly is a magnificent experience! So I understand how M. Basho felt so many years ago! And of course this library even has free Internet access, which I don’t think was available in his times!
A gift in 1912 to symbolize a growing friendship between nations
Sadly the terrible wars came destroying many the weeping and gnashing of teeth
But the Kwanzan tree still blossomed every year as it does today pointing the way back to a more promising more noble path
The Kwanzan Cherry has its origins in Japan, where it is known as ‘Kanzan’ and has been cultivated for centuries. It was introduced to Western countries, including the United States, in the early 20th century. These trees have become synonymous with the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., where they were gifted from Japan in 1912 as a symbol of friendship between the two nations.