Month: June 2023

Launch Feature – Samantha Terrell

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Patricia M Osborne's avatarPatricia M Osborne

Please join me in congratulating poet, Samantha Terrell on the launch of her brand new poetry collection, Confronting The Elements. (JC STUDIO Press)

Confronting The Elements

Confronting the Elementsis a poetry collection by American poet, Samantha Terrell, which pays tribute to three of the four natural elements – fire, earth, and air – whilst exploring the spiritual and social impacts of the human relationship with the world around us. Confronting the Elements features all original (non-AI) cover art and watercolor illustrations by professional Scottish artist, Jane Cornwell. It follows Terrell and Cornwell’s collaborative illustrated chapbook, Keeping Afloat (2021), which showcases the fourth element – water.

Where to BUY

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About Samantha Terrell

Samantha Terrell is an internationally published poet whose books have received five-star reviews and accolades from her peers. Her poetry emphasizes self-awareness as a means to social awareness and can be…

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Poetry Showcase: Matt Gilbert

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davidlonan1's avatarFevers of the Mind

Bio: Matt Gilbert is a freelance copywriter, who also writes a blog at richlyevocative.net. 

Originally from Bristol, England, he currently gets his fill of urban hills in South East London. He has had poems published in various places including Acumen, Atrium and The Storms. His debut collection ‘Street Sailing’ is out now with Black Bough Poetry.

The midges in the woods

Took me half a life to realise,
bears were not the real danger 
in the woods. Or not the worst.

For all their sudden rearing, 
they do present a choice: yell 
and fight or scream and run. 

It’s the midges I can’t handle. 
Their nagging presence, a dense 
and personal cloud of angst. 

A fluid murmuration of doubt, 
flickering about my head, forever, 
on the inside and never out.

Big Tent Politics

No one sang, send in the liars, send in the mean, no show runner nodded on…

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24 June: A Conversation with a Dog

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Misky's avatarIt's Still Life

a girl and her dog stand on a hill looking out at a stormy sea. AI artwork created using Midjourney

Day 24: Imagine you could communicate with one animal species. Which species would you choose and what would you ask them?

A Conversation with a Dog

The dog gives me that questioning look, a tilt of the head, and she says,

Youre so quiet what are you quiet about

She asks questions without punctuation. Without an inflection of curiosity. Without grammar. Without folds when speaking. That’s a human thing, she once told me, fenced-in words, defined, refined. Sublime sounds bursting out of a human’s head. You should learn to bark, she said.

And I tell the dog that I don’t know what I’m quiet about. Do I need a reason? I suppose that I do, so I start searching for an answer. The dog is still looking at me, head tilted, so I glance beyond her face to the wall, and to the clock on the mantelpiece, and to the…

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Drop-in by Jamie Woods

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Nigel Kent's avatarNigel Kent - Poet and Reviewer

It’s my pleasure today to welcome Jamie Woods ro drop in to reflect on a poem from his pamphlet, Rebel Blood Cells (Punk Dust Poetry, 2023).

This is a poem about me – the poetic I is also the actual I in this poem – listening to a particular songbyone of my favourite bands. It’s my thoughts on the song itself, and what it meant to me in 2019 when I listened to it and had a moment of clarity. I wrote it for myself, not publication, but when I decided to share some of my work, this was included. There’s a lot more to it than that, obviously…

Firstly the song I was listening to. William’s Last Words is the final track on the Manic Street Preachers 2009 album Journal for Plague Lovers and is sung not by James Dean Bradfield – lead singer, huge rasping soul voice –…

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#TheWildness. Day 24. Imagine you could communicate with one animal species. Which species would you choose and what would you ask them? Please join Jane Dougherty and me in celebrating wildness all this month. I tried to get permission from the Wildlife Trust to use their #3ODaysWild as prompts but it was not forthcoming, so here are my own prompts with a little help from chatgbt. I will feature your draft published/unpublished poetry/short prose/artworks using the following prompts. Please include a short third person bio. Numbers refer to dates in June: Day 1. Describe the sounds you hear when you step outside your home. How does nature contribute to this musical work? 2. Write a letter to a tree or plant that you encounter on your daily walk. What would you say to it? 3. Imagine you could transform into any animal for a day. Which animal would you choose and why? 4. Write a short story about a magical encounter with a wild animal in your backyard. 5. Describe a peaceful moment spent observing a body of water. What emotions does it evoke in you? 6. Write a poem inspired by the vibrant colours and patterns of a butterfly’s wings. 7. Imagine you are a wildlife photographer. Describe the most breathtaking picture you have taken during your challenge. 8. Write about a favourite childhood memory spent in nature. How did it shape your connection with the natural world? 9. Create a dialogue between two different species of birds perched on a branch. What would they talk about? 10. Describe the texture and scent of wildflowers you encounter on your nature walks. How do they make you feel? 11. Write a persuasive essay on the importance of conserving and protecting local wildlife habitats. 12. Imagine you are a nature guide. Describe a walk you would take visitors on to showcase the beauty and diversity of your local environment. 13. Write a poem about the changing seasons and how they affect the behaviour of wildlife. 14. Imagine you are a detective investigating the disappearance of a rare animal. Describe your search for clues in the natural world. 15. Write a poem/flash fiction about a mischievous squirrel that causes chaos in your garden. 16. Describe a special moment when you felt truly connected to nature. What did it teach you about yourself and the world around you? 17. Write a letter to future generations, urging them to protect and cherish the natural world. 18. Create a detailed observation log of a specific species of bird that you have been monitoring throughout the challenge. 19. Write a poem inspired by the soothing sounds of a flowing stream or river. 20. Imagine you are a nature-inspired artist. Describe the masterpiece you would create using materials found in the great outdoors. 21. Write a short story about a group of friends who embark on an unforgettable camping trip in the wilderness. 22. Describe the most fascinating insect you have encountered during your challenge. What makes it unique? 23. Write a diary entry from the perspective of a tree, chronicling its experiences and the changes it witnesses over the course of a year. 24. Imagine you could communicate with one animal species. Which species would you choose and what would you ask them? 25. Describe a magical sunrise or sunset you have witnessed during your journey. How did it make you feel? 26. Write a letter to a future self, reflecting on the impact of the challenge on your relationship with nature. 27. Imagine you are a character in a wildlife-themed adventure novel. Describe the perilous situation you find yourself in and how you escape. 28. Write a poem celebrating the diversity and resilience of nature, even in the face of human challenges. 29. Describe the feeling of walking barefoot on cool, damp grass. How does it connect you to the Earth? 30. Write a short story about a hidden, enchanted forest where magical creatures dwell. What adventures await those who discover it? Feel free to adapt these prompts to suit your writing style or preferences.

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Old Moor Bird photo by Paul Brookes

Wolf,

where are you?
I know you’re there, lying low.
Not in these quiet meadows
and wooded slopes perhaps,
but along Garonne’s broad reaches
harried by flood waters,
where farm buildings sink beneath the weight of ivy,
wooden planking falls like flakes of slate.

Wolf, where are you?
Down there amid the forest-tangle,
the woodland left untended,
plantations abandoned?
Where sounders of boar roam uncontested?
Where deer multiply undisturbed?

The hunters know, and they won’t tell,
won’t give you away,
they want your souls for their private tally.

I would know, would love to find a sign,
not to pry, your paths are your own,
but to put your secret beneath protecting wings,

so, wolf, if you roam among these tangled trees
If you slip from shade to shade along the wild paths,
you may roam in silent peace, unhindered
by the envious, the destroyers of beauty.

Jane Dougherty

Bios and Links

 Jane Dougherty

lives and works in southwest France. A Pushcart Prize nominee, her poems and stories have been published in magazines and journals including Ogham Stone, the Ekphrastic Review, Black Bough Poetry, ink sweat and tears, Gleam, Nightingale & Sparrow, Green Ink and Brilliant Flash Fiction. She blogs at https://janedougherty.wordpress.com/ Her poetry chapbooks, thicker than water and birds and other feathers were published in October and November 2020.

The Whiskey Mule Diner Anthology is out today (on my birthday) in most countries. Here are the links!

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davidlonan1's avatarFevers of the Mind

Nothing in India yet? Links: https://tinyurl.com/2p9y4k6x U.S.

https://tinyurl.com/47csy9zh Australia kindle

https://tinyurl.com/36aa42a2 U.K.

https://tinyurl.com/bdfbjr23 Brazil kindle

https://tinyurl.com/5bt2z558 Canada

https://tinyurl.com/5bt2z558 France

https://tinyurl.com/mr3z7swk Germany

https://tinyurl.com/47br4upj Italy

https://tinyurl.com/26p5em64 Japan

https://tinyurl.com/phj2ym2p Mexico Kindle

https://tinyurl.com/4dtxwb4f The Netherlands

https://tinyurl.com/2syej69m Spain

https://tinyurl.com/2p85c7f4  Sweden

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Manolis Aligizakis: Four Modern Greek Poets

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The High Window Review's avatarThe High Window

heliconMount Helicon
*****

In December 9, 2019  The High Windowpublished a supplement of translations from Modern Greek Poetry under the curatorship of Manolis Aligizakis. Here is another selection of work by four poets which, like those previously published, are taken from Manolis’ monumental anthology, Neo-Hellene Poets: An Anthology of Modern Greek Poetry: 1750-2018 , copies of which can be purchased by following the link to Amazon. Highly recommended also, for those interested in exploring further the riches of modern Greek poetry, is Manolis’s own website: https://authormanolis.wordpress.com/

*****

The Poets

Kostis Palamas• Tasos Livaditis  •  Miltos Sachtouris •  Antonis Fostieris

*****

Kostis Palamas: Five Poems

ORPHIC HYMN

Beyond the minds of the thoughtless
functionary and orphic hymnist
I bring back the hymn
of an ancient light worship
as my thoughts run to it now

a river stashed away

the people’s buzzing but a surprise
to the…

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Wildness Day 23

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Jane Dougherty's avatarThe Four Swans

For Paul Brookes’ challenge.

The poplar waits for the orioles to return

Winter torpor
boughs break in wild winds
squirrel-scamper slows sluggish
we sleep while pigs root
deer scrape
boles fill with sleepy snakes
lizards curl
toads dig down deep in leaf litter

leaves stay tight closed
inside in warm sap
crow-song and jay-chatter
crack the icy air grey and clinging cold
a monotone monochrome
through long weeks.

But with softening sun-skies
light that lingers longer
green urges and thrusts timid leaf-fingers
white downy seed pods blow

and in the warming
squirrel-scamper patters
spring comes
pan-fluted by returning children
and their stories of far places
the lush and the dry
their joy to be home
in this poplar tree
by this stream.

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#TheWildness. Day 23. Write a diary entry from the perspective of a tree, chronicling its experiences and the changes it witnesses over the course of a year. Please join Jane Dougherty Misky, and me in celebrating wildness all this month. I tried to get permission from the Wildlife Trust to use their #3ODaysWild as prompts but it was not forthcoming, so here are my own prompts with a little help from chatgbt. I will feature your draft published/unpublished poetry/short prose/artworks using the following prompts. Please include a short third person bio. Numbers refer to dates in June: Day 1. Describe the sounds you hear when you step outside your home. How does nature contribute to this musical work? 2. Write a letter to a tree or plant that you encounter on your daily walk. What would you say to it? 3. Imagine you could transform into any animal for a day. Which animal would you choose and why? 4. Write a short story about a magical encounter with a wild animal in your backyard. 5. Describe a peaceful moment spent observing a body of water. What emotions does it evoke in you? 6. Write a poem inspired by the vibrant colours and patterns of a butterfly’s wings. 7. Imagine you are a wildlife photographer. Describe the most breathtaking picture you have taken during your challenge. 8. Write about a favourite childhood memory spent in nature. How did it shape your connection with the natural world? 9. Create a dialogue between two different species of birds perched on a branch. What would they talk about? 10. Describe the texture and scent of wildflowers you encounter on your nature walks. How do they make you feel? 11. Write a persuasive essay on the importance of conserving and protecting local wildlife habitats. 12. Imagine you are a nature guide. Describe a walk you would take visitors on to showcase the beauty and diversity of your local environment. 13. Write a poem about the changing seasons and how they affect the behaviour of wildlife. 14. Imagine you are a detective investigating the disappearance of a rare animal. Describe your search for clues in the natural world. 15. Write a poem/flash fiction about a mischievous squirrel that causes chaos in your garden. 16. Describe a special moment when you felt truly connected to nature. What did it teach you about yourself and the world around you? 17. Write a letter to future generations, urging them to protect and cherish the natural world. 18. Create a detailed observation log of a specific species of bird that you have been monitoring throughout the challenge. 19. Write a poem inspired by the soothing sounds of a flowing stream or river. 20. Imagine you are a nature-inspired artist. Describe the masterpiece you would create using materials found in the great outdoors. 21. Write a short story about a group of friends who embark on an unforgettable camping trip in the wilderness. 22. Describe the most fascinating insect you have encountered during your challenge. What makes it unique? 23. Write a diary entry from the perspective of a tree, chronicling its experiences and the changes it witnesses over the course of a year. 24. Imagine you could communicate with one animal species. Which species would you choose and what would you ask them? 25. Describe a magical sunrise or sunset you have witnessed during your journey. How did it make you feel? 26. Write a letter to a future self, reflecting on the impact of the challenge on your relationship with nature. 27. Imagine you are a character in a wildlife-themed adventure novel. Describe the perilous situation you find yourself in and how you escape. 28. Write a poem celebrating the diversity and resilience of nature, even in the face of human challenges. 29. Describe the feeling of walking barefoot on cool, damp grass. How does it connect you to the Earth? 30. Write a short story about a hidden, enchanted forest where magical creatures dwell. What adventures await those who discover it? Feel free to adapt these prompts to suit your writing style or preferences.

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The Tree photo by Paul Brookes

The poplar waits for the orioles to return

Winter torpor
boughs break in wild winds
squirrel-scamper slows sluggish
we sleep while pigs root
deer scrape
boles fill with sleepy snakes
lizards curl
toads dig down deep in leaf litter

leaves stay tight closed
inside in warm sap
crow-song and jay-chatter
crack the icy air grey and clinging cold
a monotone monochrome
through long weeks.

But with softening sun-skies
light that lingers longer
green urges and thrusts timid leaf-fingers
white downy seed pods blow

and in the warming
squirrel-scamper patters
spring comes
pan-fluted by returning children
and their stories of far places
the lush and the dry
their joy to be home
in this poplar tree
by this stream.

Jane Dougherty

Bios and Links

Jane Dougherty

lives and works in southwest France. A Pushcart Prize nominee, her poems and stories have been published in magazines and journals including Ogham Stone, the Ekphrastic Review, Black Bough Poetry, ink sweat and tears, Gleam, Nightingale & Sparrow, Green Ink and Brilliant Flash Fiction. She blogs at https://janedougherty.wordpress.com/ Her poetry chapbooks, thicker than water and birds and other feathers were published in October and November 2020.

 

23 June: A Tree’s Diary Entry

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Misky's avatarIt's Still Life

a beech tree forest, green

Day 23. Write a diary entry from the perspective of a tree, chronicling its experiences and the changes it witnesses over the course of a year.

23-day-old moon in its fifth cycle: My ancient heart is awake again, young as a morning smile. Condolences to winter and its barren days. I prayed like a whisper for spring green and young as fresh leaves. These are my undreamed-of-days. 

Day 23 for The Wildness Challenge: write a diary entry from the perspective of a tree, chronicling its experiences and the changes it witnesses over the course of a year.  Artwork is created using Midjourney. Imagery and poems ©Misky 2023.

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