Before-word: World Mental Health Day (Oct 10) this year comes at a time when we are all affected and impacted by the corona virus. Now is a good time to take stock of where you are emotionally and mentally. And writing a letter to your younger self is one fun and therapeutic way to do …
Author: D. Minott
i want a love like that LOVE© (a poem)
Before-word: It’s been described as “A Many Splendored Thing” in poems (William Waterway). It’s the themes of movies and the hook of songs. It’s described as euphoric. It’s said we fall into it and even fall out of it. For all it’s ups and downs (oxytocin and all), one thing is for certain—I’m totally in …
Ode to Break-up©
Before word: No matter how it happens, breaking up is hard to do. But staying when it’s over is harder, more harmful and unwise. Self care is essential. I think Kahlil Gibran said it best: “Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores …
New York©
Before-work: Like many living in NY, I came from elsewhere. Despite all her big city woes, NYC does grow on you. You may love her or hate her but whatever your relationship with the City, you gotta admit—it’s a pretty amazing place. Right now under Covid-19, she looks and feels nothing like her usual self, …
SweetsHeart
When you want to say “I love you” and your sweetheart is all kinda SWEET, say it creatively with sweet/candy wrappers. You’re that EXTRA-special kind o’ LOVESTARBURSTing emotionsSending heart waves into a pleasurable SYMPHONY of ORBITJUICY FRUIT kissesOut of this world MILKYWAY delish You make each relationship day feels like PAYDAYNobody better not lay a …
Two As One In Love© (a poem)
Before-word: I wrote and recited this piece for two of my dearest friends on the occasion of their wedding. Where once it was “me and I” inhaled—now “us and we” exhalingBirthed through pangs of willing submission, full surrenderOn this two-becoming-one journeyStarting in the acknowledgement that you are his and he is yoursTwo lives entwined together …
Poetry© (a poem)
He conjures up ideasHe tantalizes emotionsHe’s the evocative straddling of punctuations and tensesSummoning metaphorsRiding consonants, pulsing rhymesMaking me talk fast, talk slow, mess up grammar, not conform to language structuresWhen he allows me to dissect and internalize the complexity of his elementsHe flows out of me as natural as air breathing He defies hypocrisy and …
Stay Single Till Then©
Stay single till you meet the person who makes you smile from within and it escapes with such intensity it up-curls your lips from ear to ear, makes your cheeks go numb and your eyes light up Stay single till you meet the one who proves himself worthy of you, who prioritizes you, amidst the …
Finding Hope in A Broken World
Before-word: This piece was written in response to the following questions I've been asking myself in the wake of protests to social injustice across the globe: How many times can a people be stretched before their elasticity is extended beyond its capacity to bounce back and they snap instead? What do you do when as …
Ode to Breath© (a poem)
Before-word: How often do we think about breathing? It’s such an innate part of who we are, happening independent of us , that we don’t really think about it. Breath Whimsical as light as feather Powerful controller of life and death Rhythmic in-and-out flow Cannot be voluntarily constrained Faithful companion Constant friend You are my …
Words’ Power!
Before-word: This short essay is thanks to my reaction to a nature show on NatGeo. There I was immersed in the wonders of life in the deepest part of the ocean and I thought: “wow...all of this was spoken into existence”! [clearly, I’m a creationist]. Then I got to thinking about the power of the …
Unmasked© (a poem)
Before-word: I wrote this piece long before masking became part of global health guidelines. Today we mask-up to protect our immune systems from an unseen predator—the novel corona virus. So for that reason, follow the golden rule of masking: mask-up for others as you’d have them mask-up for you. However, when I wrote this piece …
D.O.A. | Defiant On Arrival© (a poem)
Before-word: This piece was written based on the culmination of experiences of those of us who've encountered a lying, deceitful, manipulator who masqueraded as love. Who among us haven’t had such an encounter? This is a live recording of a recital of D.O.A. at the Bowery Poetry Café (NY City). [click the “play” icon to …
I Can’t Breathe©
Before-word: This piece was written June 4, 2020, a couple weeks after the killing of George Floyd. At first no words would come. The one thing that gets me through every crisis—my words—failed me. So I stayed silent, I listened within. I leaned into the discomfort, the angst, the anger, the upheavals of emotions. I …
New Journey
The journey begins. Thank you for joining. “Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.”— Izaak Walton