In a world of playful creatures abound Monkeying around, they all astound
Category: Poetry
Poetic expressions
I’mPossible! ©Dawn Minott
Impossible to I’mPossible! changes everything.
In The In-Between ©Dawn Minott | Mental Health Awareness Month
Transforming. Emerging. In the in-between.
Life Mottos ©Dawn Minott |an Abecedarian, Mental Health Awareness
Accept you as you areBelieve in the good, do good Cultivate an attitude of gratitudeDo what you love, do you Embrace the flawsFind peace of mind Give with no expectationsHappiness is fleeting, create joy Invest in experiences, things are ephemeral Jump around in bed some times, find your inner child Kindness is life-changing, be a …
Continue reading Life Mottos ©Dawn Minott |an Abecedarian, Mental Health Awareness
Words Stitched in Alliance ©Dawn Minott
Words weave a tapestry bold and bright!
Stitch (10 word poem) ©Dawn Minott
Words are like tapestry, woven art.
Be Encouraged ©Dawn Minott | Mental Health Awareness
Life gets hard sometimes. In those moments stay encouraged.
What’s Love Gotta Do With It? R.I.P. Tina Turner ©Dawn Minott
Love’s strength revealed.
When Words Failed ©Dawn Minott
My trusted solace, my words, had disappeared
I Can’t Breathe ©Dawn Minott |with audio
George Floyd your life mattered. Your death sparked a movement. We will not forget.
Outcry ©Dawn Minott
How many more?! If the massacre of our children is not enough to initiate change, what will? Prayers for the parents, siblings and children impacted by yet another school massacre in America—this time Uvalde, Texas.
darkness ©Dawn Minott World Mental Health Awareness Month| with audio
Darkness can be from issues that you dare not let anyone see or know about, the issues you struggle with alone and silently … it’s time to open the door, let in the light!
It’s Raining … Suicide ©️Dawn Minott |Mental Health Awareness
It’s raining young people off roofs Suicide epidemic—the numbers are proof A single gun shot aimed at the head Appearing well but next day, dead *** Don’t take it for granted you’ll see the signs Till you read another tragedy in the headlines Don’t judge by what you see on the outside It’s not always …
Continue reading It’s Raining … Suicide ©️Dawn Minott |Mental Health Awareness
What Does Sunset, Dinner & Rooftop in Zanzibar Have in Common? ©Dawn Minott
Along the twists and turns of a maze of crumbling alleyways in fabled Old Stone Town in Zanzibar (Tanzania)!
Shabbat Shalom: God Running ©Dawn Minott
Imagine … God running!!
Mid-Week Boost: Begin Again
You can start again!
Back to Africa: Back to the Future through Windows & Doors ©Dawn Minott
Trip back to Africa immersed in historyThe defiance of a people subjugatedLike memories’ power to holdPhotographs are windows ofMoments frozen in timeLike eyes’ windows to the soulHistory etched in architectureThe stories buildings hold Jetty 1 (Cape Town, South Africa), formally a prison and now a museum Jetty 1 at the Cape Town harbor is a …
Continue reading Back to Africa: Back to the Future through Windows & Doors ©Dawn Minott
Power In Quiet Strength ©Dawn Minott — Tribute To My Mom |Quatrain with audio
Honoring the strength and power of a mother. The power and strength of mothers, grandmothers, other-mothers and motherhood have been historically overlooked. I honor and celebrate my mother and mothers everywhere.
Mid-Week Boost:
Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump fighting.
Shabbat Shalom: The Stay ©Dawn Minott | with audio
Living this thing called life is interspersed with periods of “stay”. In this post I’d like to share my reflection on being in a period of stay—when everything that all my senses encounter shouts: “leave”, “run”, “cower”, BUT that still small voice keeps insisting on “stay”. There is stay that is relevant to one’s positioning …
Continue reading Shabbat Shalom: The Stay ©Dawn Minott | with audio
Back to Africa: A Travelogue ©Dawn Minott
Three years ago I was in the throes of making plans to celebrate my birth over the full month of April, like I’ve traditionally done for birthdays past. However, on 11 March 2020 after the corona-19 virus infected people in 114 countries, WHO declared a global pandemic and soon thereafter countries were locked down. And …
Mid-Week Boost: Honey Words
Walk gently in the lives of others. Not all wounds are visible. The Bible says it this way: Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. Proverbs 16:24 The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump. Use …
The Rock ©Dawn Minott |a Quatrain
Perched precariously upon a rockA watering hole for travelers wideBelow craggy surface fishing boats dockLandlocked till ocean ushers in high tide Aptly called—The Rock—restaurant with viewOcean kissing sky from every sideDiners pose for pictures not one or twoCapture moments too glorious to hide Dishes created from ocean’s offerChefs working their magic to make it rightCulinary …
Henna: birthMONTH celebration ©Dawn Minott
For over 5000 years, the art of henna—also called mehndi in Hindi and Urdu—has been practiced in various parts of the world including Africa. This temporary decorative art is used on hands and feet and usually reserved for the celebration of special occasions such as weddings and birthdays. As this is my birthMONTH (April) celebration …
Nakupenda ©Dawn Minott |a Senryu series
Nakupenda beach, Zanzibar Nakupenda isSandbank beach in ZanzibarIt means “I love you” Indian OceanIdyllic summer swim inCrystal-clear waters Waves move o’er white sandLow tide ripples revealingJust off Stone Town coast 2023 All Rights Reserved Like what you see? To never miss a post click HERE👈 to subscribe & follow the blog. I love hearing from …
The Giraffe ©Dawn Minott |a Shadorma
All photos taken by me 😊 Grasslands roam Awkward elegance African Queen of height Safari expedition Moments etched in time Afterword: Shadorma is a Spanish 6-line syllabic poem of 3/5/3/3/7/5 syllable lines respectively. 2023 All Rights Reserved Like what you see? To never miss a post click HERE👈 to subscribe & follow the blog. I …
The Magic of Music ©Dawn Minott
Music sets words to motion.
Mid-Week Boost: Trust Yourself
Midweek recharge to get over the hump.
Black Bald & Bearded ©Dawn Minott |an Ottava Rima
When a photo speaks more than words.
Ten Thousand Feet Above ©Dawn Minott—Tribute for Earth Day (April 22)
Today, April 22, is Earth Day, a time set aside to celebrate the Earth, learn about the environment, and promote conservation.
Shabbat Shalom: Selah! |with audio
Selah! This may be the most mysterious word in the Bible. There’s no one definition but the operative word that all these definitions have in common—though it’s only implicit—is silence.
Full Circle ©Dawn Minott |a Shadorma
Live life in full circle.
Midweek Boost: Yet ©️Dawn Minott
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump—persevere. Happy hump day!
Birthday Gift Poem #5 |an Acrostic
The best gifts to commemorate the day of my birth—the gift of words in poetry.
Let Her Eat Cake ©Dawn Minott |a Shadorma
Let her eat cake because… why not?!
Birthday Gift Poem #4 ©Dawn Minott | a Gwawdodyn Byr
The gift of blessings pronounced.
Birthday Gift Poem #3: Her Dawn
When the heart shines, the soul smiles!
More Than Enough ©Dawn Minott
You are and have more than enough for what you’ve been called to do!
Birthday Gift Poem #2: It’s Your World Girl
You don’t go girl, you flow girl, no question, its your world!
Today’s My Birthday—I’m Enough ©Dawn Minott
Happy birthday to me!
Birthday Gift Poem #1: See The Awesome
The awesomeness that is me. Birthday affirmation 2023.
Introverted ©Dawn Minott
Don’t mistake reservation for lackluster. Sincerely, an Introvert
Flower of the Day Challenge #56: Tender Tulips
Tulips signaling spring’s arrival.
Blessed Easter ©Dawn Minott
Blessed Easter. Resurrection Sunday. Thanks
Resurrection Sunday: The Master Key ©Dawn Minott |with audio
Friday there was sorrow. Saturday was silent. But Sunday is coming and indeed it is here—RESURRECTION morning. Blessed Easter.
Flower of the Day Challenge #55: Heavenly-hued Hyacinths
Spring time beauties—hyacinths
Shabbat Shalom: The Sacrifice ©Dawn Minott
Easter Saturday is silent. Easter Sunday is coming.
Saturday was Silent—The Last Week to Easter ©Dawn Minott |with audio
Easter reminds us Jesus conquered death so we can have life and have it MORE ABUNDANTLY!!
Flower of the Day Challenge #54: Ravishing Red Rose
Red red rose!!
Mid-Week Boost: Don’t Stop Striving @Dawn Minott
The best of yet to come. Don’t stop striving.
Mid-Week Boost: Your Kind of Beautiful
You’re your own kind of beautiful.
Education Power @Dawn Minott |International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (25 March)
By teaching the history of slavery we can guard against its legacy of racism.
Free At Last©Dawn Minott |International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (25 March)
The enterprise of enslavement lasted for more than 400 years. A history of barbarity and also a history of awe-inspiring courage.
You Are Missing From Me ©Dawn Minott |with audio
When I say I miss you, I mean I miss the part of me that you are!
Mid-Week Boost: Stay Inspired @Dawn Minott
Never stop creating.
Poetry Was ©Dawn Minott |World Poetry Day 2023
Before the written word, poetry was.
Mid-Week Boost: Is It Worth It?
If it’s worth it. It’s worth waiting.
Tulips in Winter @Dawn Minott |Haiku series
Tulips’ peaceful defiance to winter’s stronghold.
Happy International Women’s Day 2023: Equity Embraces ©Dawn Minott
Equity means creating an inclusive world. We can each play a part.
Still ©Dawn Minott |a Senryu
Still in love with you.
Mid-Week Boost: Be You
Be who you are. Say what you feel.
black history IS ©Dawn Minott |a sexain for Black History Month, with audio
Honoring black history—the triumphs and struggles, the innovations and the artistic, cultural, social and political achievements. Black resistance.
Unbought and Unbossed ©Dawn Minott |a Gwawdodyn Byr for Black History Month, with audio
Undeterred, glass ceiling-breaker!
Mid-Week Boost: Life Lessons
Life is a master teacher.
Shabbat Shalom: The God-Man ©Dawn Minott
Jesus Messiah, the Son of God yet as human as brother and friend
Ode to Da Curls In My Hair ©Dawn Minott |for Black History Month, with audio
Black hair is black resistance. Black hair has a uniquely meaningful history as a symbol of survival, resistance and celebration and as such is an important part of Black history.
Mid-Week Boost: Be Gentle With Yourself
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump being gentler with you. Happy hump day!
AFRICA in My Heart ©Dawn Minott |for Black History Month, with audio
She is … Africa on my heart
What the World Needs is Love ©Dawn Minott
Happy Valentine’s Day!!!
Freedom Ad ©️Dawn Minott | a Shadorma for Black History Month
Up until the end of the Civil War, more than 200,000 ads to recapture enslaved people who walked away from slavery were published in American newspapers.
For Türkiye & Syria ©️Dawn Minott | Senryu series
Life changed instantlyDeath and dying all around Hearts are beating pain Finding hope in griefRescue received with a smileLove knows no limits Afterword: I arrived in Türkiye for work 2 days before the earthquake. We weren’t close to the epicenter, but the humanitarian nature of the organization I work for meant parts of our team …
Continue reading For Türkiye & Syria ©️Dawn Minott | Senryu series
Finding Broken Hearts ©Dawn Minott|with audio
Inspired by a documentary on Whitney Houston’s life and death and out birthed this piece—a response to her #1-chart-topping question in song: “Where Do Broken Hearts Go?” I miss her. What a beautiful contributor to our world she was.
Conquest of Paradise ©️Dawn Minott |a Shadorma for Black History Month
In 1492, the year Christopher Columbus made landfall on an island in the Caribbean—and the waves of European exploration, conquest and settlement that followed—it started a massive global exploitation of indigenous populations from Africa to the Americas with spin-off consequences that still reverberate in the lives of black and brown peoples today.
Mid-Week Boost: Color Changes Things
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge—add a little color, brighten up the dark patches to get over the hump. Happy hump day!
Folding Chair ©️Dawn Minott | a Shadorma for Black History Month
Black resistance means creating space to be heard and seen.
Flower of the Day Challenge #54: Plainly Gorgeous Orchid, 1st Bloom
this orchid mom is exuberant yet again because one more of my other babies is blooming yet again! She’s my oldest, just over 5 years old!!!!
Black History ©️Dawn Minott | a Shadorma for Black History Month
History// Bold and black as night// So it shines// Like stars bright// In a cloudless dark night sky// There from where time starts//
Black Resistance ©️Dawn Minott |a Gwawdodyn Byr for Black History Month
Every stroke of pen takes flight// Every piece of poem and prose write// Every act of resistance might// Every riot, march, sit-in fight// Each is another force—Black resistance// Stay the course till freedom for all is right
Black History Month: 2023 Theme—Black Resistance
African Americans have consistently resisted historic and ongoing oppression, in all its forms. Nearly 179 years ago, the Rev. Henry Highland Garnett proposed that the only path to freedom, justice, and equality; self-determination; and/or social transformation is RESISTANCE. In thunder tones, Garnett shouted: Let your motto be resistance! resistance! RESISTANCE! By resisting Black people have …
Continue reading Black History Month: 2023 Theme—Black Resistance
Flower of the Day Challenge #54: Plainly Gorgeous Orchid, 1st Bloom
… happy orchid mom exclaiming: “my baby is blooming yet again!” She’s the first bloom of my season!!! Waiting with bated breath for my other babies to bloom.
Shabbat Shalom: Living Hyphenated©️ Dawn Minott | a sexain
God never looks at you apart from Jesus. So don’t ever see yourself outside of Jesus. Everything that is true about Jesus is true about you.
Mid-week Boost: You Have Presence
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to relook at yourself and recharge to get over the hump. Happy hump day!
Mid-Week Boost: It’s Gonna Be A Good Day
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump. Happy hump day. It’s a good day!!
Souled Out for Change©️by Dawn Minott: A Tribute Poem for Dr Martin Luther King on his 94th Birthday
Some kings rule from iron thronesDisconnected from community realityYou’re the King who served from humanity’s throneWho dreamed not in black or whiteWho envisioned instead a world inclusiveYour voice, your vision a great void fillingSpeaking the language of the unheardInspiration to persevere, to never stop dreamingSummoning collective longings and eternal hopesFor a nation by its noblest …
Flower of the Day Challenge #53: Helleborus x Hybridus—Black Beauty
… also referred to as 'Dark and Handsome' or 'Black swan'. Mother Nature totally rocks with flowers in the full range of the color spectrum including black!!! Thanks to Cee for hosting the Flower of the Day prompt 2023 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved Like what you see? To never miss a post click HERE👈 …
Continue reading Flower of the Day Challenge #53: Helleborus x Hybridus—Black Beauty
Life Lived in Poetry©️Dawn Minott |with audio
Before-word: Life is line upon line of experiences grouped together like stanzas, arranged like verses in a script // expressed with voice, diction, sound, rhythm, meter // understood through figures of speech, symbolism, allegory, imagery // structured in syntax and scheme // with strong, accurate, interesting words, deliberately chosen to give meaning to life — LIFE LIVED IN POETRY.
Springtime Bunny© |with audio
It’s spring time I’m abounding with joy There’s a cute little bunny that drops by the garden each spring He’s an elusive frisky little fella Ears always at attention, pointed straight up to sky like soldier resolute to flight, not fight At best I’ve managed only to stare longingly at “His Royal Cuteness” Face pressed …
Flower of the Day Challenge #52: Color-blotched Orchid
Thanks to Cee for hosting the Flower of the Day prompt 2023 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved Like what you see? To never miss a post click HERE👈 to subscribe & follow the blog. I love hearing from you, so remember to “like” & comment. For more content start HERE👈 In creative solidarity, Dee
Mid-Week Boost: Bend Not Break
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump. Be flexible enough to bend. Happy hump day!
You, Me, We ©Dawn Minott
“Ubuntu” is part of the Zulu phrase "Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu", which literally means that a person is a person through other people.
Who’s Behind You ©️Dawn Minott |a Senryu
Fear not what is before you when those who care are behind you.
What’s Your Status? Child of God!© | an Abecedarian with audio
What’s your status? Not what’s on social media feeds or catchy one liners on time-elapsed stories. Your status now and always will be child of God!
Small Talk: A Tale in the Park©️
As I’m on the final-final days of leave and the NY weather has been unseasonably mild, I decided to take my reading to the outside. I strolled to my favorite park, just across the street from home, and chose a bench facing the river to perch. I perched because much of the bench remains wet …
Mid-week Boost: Positivity
Positive thinking and optimism.
Roots©️ | an Idyll Haibun
Boots worn laid in waste Till nature took it over Unexpectedly
Page 1 of 365 in the Book of 2023
Happy New Year 2023
1 Day©️: Countdown to 2023
A numerological countdown to 2023 …
A New Year Resolution Worth Keeping©️
The new year will bring us 365 opportunities, how will we use them?!
Mid-week Boost: The Power of Yet
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge—employ the power of YET—to get over the hump. Happy hump day!
‘Twas The Days After Christmas©
…and just like that, Christmas is over. Or, is it?! What if we kept the spirit of Christmas with us all year!!
Poems & More 