The Vision Is Sure ©Dawn Minott

In the quiet moments of introspection
Hear the whispers of hope within divine promises
As shadows linger and doubts arise
Let soul find solace in faith’s embrace

Through the corridors of time echoes ring
Prophetic voices, visions ancient and true
Their words, a beacon in the darkest night
Guiding hearts to the promise of light

Interwoven in this thing called life are experiences, varied
Yet when stitched together, unfolds a divine orchestrating
Each working together, a refining fire
Shaping the soul, rekindling spirit’s desire

As the world turns in its ceaseless spin
Faithfully await the appointed time, for
Things will align, a choreography divine
Unfolding according to the Creator’s design

Let not the fleeting shadows obscure
Faith’s grand journey, a narrative enduring
For in the uncertainty of delays and disappointments
There’s purpose in the wait and in the failings

So, stand firm, amid the echoes of doubt and delay
For the vision, though it tarries, will surely come to be
In the sacred interplay of faith and time
Hold divine promises sure, in the appointed time their voice will be the loudest speaking

2024 All Rights Reserved

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Harriet Tubman—Celebrating Black History ©Dawn Minott

Out from the shadow of bondage
Harriet Tubman emerged
a Moses of her people
a conductor on the Underground Railroad

Stood up to cruelty witnessed
the weight of two-pound injustice meted out
her head
bore the brunt
the scar
etched into her mind
resistance
a lifetime of headaches and narcolepsy endured

Marriage, a clandestine act for slaves
still, she wed John Tubman
took his last name
with newfound strength
took her mother’s first name
declared herself Harriet
Harriet Tubman
a name echoing through the corridors of freedom

Taken to the Underground Railroad
a frequent traveler through its undercover tracks
escaped the chains
defied the bounty on her
freedom

Fluent in bird calls
a symphony of liberation
she waded through swampy marshes
where depth eluded sight
her expertise in nature
a compass to liberty

Botany, geography, astronomy, herbal lore, wildlife biology
encased in her survival
Harriet Tubman
a force of nature
her legacy now guides
bids others through
the uncharted paths of
freedom

The Harriet Tubman Mural (Michael Rosato, 2019) at the Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center, Cambridge Maryland

A 1-year-old girl walking towards the outstretched hand of a mural of Harriet Tubman.
Photo taken by Jen Logan.
2024 All Rights Reserved

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The Barbados Chattel House: Celebrating Black History ©Dawn Minott

Beforeword: This year’s BHM theme recognizes and celebrates African Americans in the arts. This poem is attributed to my recent return to Barbados and a reminder of the legacy of the Bajan chattel house. These were the first homes the freed slaves could own. The survival of the design of these timeless houses of wood are a testament to the craftsmanship of Africans.

Splattered across the landscape, the Barbados Chattel House stands
Symbolic shoutout to freedom, built by once enslaved hands

Freed from shackles, a new chapter began
A dwelling placed claimed, a piece of the plan

Crafted by skillful African artisans of old
Wooden homes, silent salute to architectural stories bold

Legacy etched in the grain of craftsmanship sublime
Dreams of liberty engraved in each meticulous line

Jalousie louvers and shutters, doors without glass
Configured possibilities, in a world connected to its past

Four-sided roofs, a defense steep and resolute
Of galvanized metal sheets or wood, shelter absolute

For land—a lease paid in toil and sweat
Termination loomed always, a constant threat

A tenantry’s journey, tethered not in earthy foundation
House perched on blocks, easily moved by transportation

Tiny houses set to be moved at whim, fulfilling landlords’ desires
Plantation workers, not owners, treated as no more than occupiers

Architectural blueprint, a new order their craftsmanship weaves
Inspiring modern design, akin to what their history reveals

Though

Crafted by hands once bounded, legacy endures beyond the chains
Freedmen’s toil in each wooden panel, a resilience traced in pains

Through the annals of history, the whispers of legacy’s persistence
The Barbados Chattel house, a reminder tale of struggle and resistance

One of the most noticeable chattel houses in Barbados is located on Wildey Main Road, in St Michael. It has been designated by the Barbados National Trust.
Source: Pinterest
2024 All Rights Reserved

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Happy Black History Month 2024 ©Dawn Minott

In 2024, we examine the varied history and life of African American arts and artisans. This is a perfectly fitting theme for the artistic me!!!
2024 All Rights Reserved

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black history IS ©Dawn Minott |a sexain for Black History Month, with audio

black history IS, too bold to be contained in one month

Far less one with just 28 days

It’s lived out loud every day in every month of every year

As bold as January 1st and December 31st colliding

It’s like fireworks exploding

Making its presence known

black history IS, birthed from the continent which cradled life

Civilization’s place of first beginning

As mystically dark as before God spoke the universe into form and all that was needed came from its void

Before slavery and colonial conquest, we were …

From the Nile to the Volta River valleys, from the Pyramids to Griottes/Griots’ courts

Keepers of our epic prayers and stories, told and retold

black history IS, too multi-colored to be just one-and-only

It’s not just black, it’s beautifully diverse

Birthing a people of magnificent kaleidoscopic shades of color

From chocolate-dark as starless nights

To in-between hues of caramel-brown

Glowing fluorescence of colors as sun’s light

black history IS, a chest of talented treasures

Too creatively inventive to be hidden

Trailblazers are we—breaking ground in mathematical numbering, web-animating, traffic directing, science and technology engineering

Making the folding chair portable so we take our seat for inclusion at any table

From inventing the sanitary belt for women—liberating to the steel pan for musicians—playing to peanut as smooth as butter—spreading

Yeah … black history’s way too creatively expansive for this poem’s attempt to contain it or even fully convey it

black history IS, bombastic—it vaults the Biles o’er racist typologies

It runs Bolt-fast, dismantling discrimination o’er tracks and in fields …

Whether cotton or tobacco … whether on sidewalks, in cars or in beds …

Whether with the noose or whatever weapons they choose

Black lives being snuffed out, we shout…with the intellectual prowess of Timbuktu’s Bamba to the oratory genius of King-Marley-Gorman

We challenge isms and schisms to achieve justice, to experience one-love, to find light in the never-ending shade

black history IS, me—I am my history interdependently connected

It’s too beautiful for me not to value my worth—regardless of what others think or how they feel about me—my history says: I matter!

It’s too deeply misunderstood not to be activist

It’s too compassionate not to be treated with care, to be protected, to be loved unequivocally, no questioning

It’s too artistic in rhythm, in harmony, in melody to not sing it or dance it, orate it or play it—in all ways, though, to honor it

It’s too matriarchal not to tell her-story—from Mama Africa to children of the diaspora—separate, yet together, equal

black history IS, all-encompassing, intersectional

It’s been hurt enough to empathize with other’s stories

It’s too linked to be conceived as separate or sovereign

It’s too panoptic to not be a shared humanity

It’s a collective human story

black history IS, because we are

All Rights Reserved 
(1st published 2022)

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Hold Love ©Dawn Minott |a Septolet

When love falls on you, hold on to it.

Afterword: The Septolet consists of seven lines of fourteen words with a break in between the two parts. Both parts deal with the same thought and create a picture.

2024 All Rights Reserved

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Love Triangle ©Dawn Minott | a Shadorma

Some days it’s me, my phone, my bed …

Afterword: Shadorma is a Spanish 6-line syllabic poem of 3/5/3/3/7/5 syllable lines respectively. Simple as that.

2024 All Rights Reserved

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Right One, Wrong Time ©Dawn Minott | Senryu Series

To love is something

To be loved by who you love

Is everything

Finding the right one

At the right time, finding love

Is everything

Republished 2023 All Rights Reserved

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Midweek Boost: Askew ©Dawn Minott

Did you try it? Quirky uh?

The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump. Happy hump day!

2024 All Rights Reserved

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What’s Old Is New ©Dawn Minott

Beforeword: The Bible said it first

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastics 1:9
2024 All Rights Reserved

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Unlocked Thoughts Written ©Dawn Minott

Beforeword: I write for this one reason — so my voice does not die within me unexpressed and unheard!

“Unlocked Thoughts Written” is the journey from thoughts to written words, a journey of self discovery, a journey of life discovery, a journey.

2024 All Rights Reserved

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Old Man Winter ©Dawn Minott | Haiku

Winter has finally arrived in my neck of the woods. A double haiku to commemorate wintry magic.

2024 All Rights Reserved

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REBLOG: ‘Blend In? For What?!’ by Dawn Minott

Thanks to David for reblogging my poem “Blend In? For What?!”

Don’t diminish your shine to blend in
When you were made to be outstanding
In a world of conformity for belonging
Move in the rhythm of …

REBLOG: ‘Blend In? For What?!’ by Dawn Minott

Happy Birthday Dr Martin Luther King | The Dream: Justice Eternal Flame ©Dawn Minott

A poetic tribute for Dr. King’s 95th birthday (January 15, 1929) in exactly 95 words and to commemorate MLK Day.

Afterword:

“Seek peace and pursue it. Peace isn’t the absence of conflict; it’s the presence of restored harmony. Seeking peace means we aren’t just peace-keepers; we are peacemakers who actively pursue being a part of restoration. We listen empathetically and strive for understanding. We see and are attentive to the brokenness around us and ask where God might be calling us to be a part of reconciliation. And we put in the work because this kingdom work is worth it.”

YouVersion, 1/15/24
2024 All Rights Reserved

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Blend In? For What?! ©Dawn Minott

Why blend in when you were born to standout?! Also for Sadje’s WDYS prompt.
2024 All Rights Reserved

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Life’s Script ©Dawn Minott

As you venture into this new year, here’s a reminder that though others may bet against you, in the end every decision about you and your life is from God. The Bible says:

The lot is cast into the lap, but its EVERY decision is from the Lord.

– Prov 16:33
2024 All Rights Reserved

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Don’t Waste Your Wait ©Dawn Minott

Beforeword: Waiting is an inevitable part of living. However, how we wait is not prescribed, we define it. In every wait is the pause — a fertile ground for introspection, a space to nurture the seeds of understanding, to embrace the stillness as a teacher, to hone in on our resilience, to strengthen our bounce-back-ability.

2024 All Rights Reserved
Designed with Canva
Image by Pexels

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Happy New Year 2024 ©Dawn Minott

New year, new opportunities!

2024 All Rights Reserved

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Blue Christmas ©️Dawn Minott| with audio

👆👆👆

Of all the holidays we celebrate each year

This is the one that embodies the most cheer

Colorful lights flashing, festive decorations everywhere

Transforming homes and decking trees left bare

***

Gifts carefully selected, wrapped, topped off with bows

Placed under trees anticipating the glee they’ll bestow

Menu of your favorites selected, guest list in tow

It will be a celebration, fingers crossed—there’ll even be snow

***

You left without a warning, there were no clues

You checked out of life, broke my heart in a million twos

Every year will be a blue Christmas without you too

No hugs or kisses lavished, forever gone the YOUnique you

***

Gifts wrapped in love, left unopened under the tree

Like the sorrows that plagued your heart, too deep, I couldn’t see

You smiled and laughed, you danced with me

All the while masking the darkest parts of thee

***

Those on the outside looking in, contemplative wonder

You seemed to have it all, what could have been the matter?

All is incomplete when it’s devoid of the Master

Empty longings run deep, gifts are but a temporary plaster

***

In the shopping, the decorating we’ve nearly forgotten too

He’s the reason for this season, like at His birth, too little ado

The meaning of life lost outside of the One who created you

It will always be a blue Christmas—Jesus—without You

Afterword: On the eve of Christmas, this tribute poem was influenced by the reality that the holidays are the hardest when you’ve lost loved ones.

2022, Republished 2023 All Rights Reserved

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The Eternal Gift of Christmas ©Dawn Minott

Image credit: Jonathan Borba @ Pixels

In the hush of night, a starry beacon gleams
A cosmic lullaby of celestial themes
Not wrapped in ribbons or worldly array
Yet the greatest present in the quiet hay

Beneath the fir’s branches a story unfolds
A narrative timeless, in history it molds
No glittering trinkets can rival the glow
Of this child’s first breath in the stable’s soft throw

Beyond the carols and festive cheer’s embrace
Resides the essence of a deeper boundless grace
Unseen by many, yet felt in the heart
The gift unadorned, a masterpiece of art

Under a Christmas tree, not displayed for show
Nor wrapped in paper or tied with a bow
God birthed as babe in a manger lowly lie
The eternal gift each Christmas and everyday going by

So under the tree or the starlit sky
The message lingers as the years slip by
In the simplicity, the joy finds its way
A newborn hope born on a quiet day

2021 Republished 2023. All Rights Reserved

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Ocean ©Dawn Minott | a Dectina Refrain

Oceanic serenades, a soothing embrace of cleansing waves and radiant sunshine.
2023 All Rights Reserved

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Transformation ©Dawn Minott

In the journey of self-transformation we find
The challenge of shifting the thoughts in mind
For how we perceive ourselves, it’s true
Defines the path of the self we’ll work to renew

To change, we must self-sacrifice—let go
Of aspects of ourselves that hinder our flow
A conscious choice to surrender and see
A brighter self emerging, bold and free

It’s a labor of love—a reset of the mind
Regulating self-speaking language we find
Yet, old labels cling, they won’t easily part
As we straddle the fence, two worlds in our heart

We’ve carried false labels, mistaken for names
“Loser” or “dropout,” igniting self-shames
“Unattractive” or “overweight,” we’d declare
But only selfish determination can banish despair

For this transformation, we must fully commit
Silence each voice that aims to misfit
Embrace the process, surrender to see
The woman or man we’re destined to be

It’s in letting go of the old we’ll find the new
In self-transformation, a journey we’ll pursue
With courage and strength, we’ll break every chain
Becoming the self that will forever reign

2023 All Rights Reserved

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Midweek Boost: Love©Dawn Minott

What the world needs NOW more than ever is LOVE!

The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump with healthy doses of love. Happy hump day!

2023 All Rights Reserved

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Live Life Now ©Dawn Minott

A poetic journey through life’s evolution.
2023 All Rights Reserved

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God Was ©Dawn Minott |with audio

Before there was before, there was God. God was. God is. God will always be.
2023 All Rights Reserved 

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Walking In the Rain ©Dawn Minott| with audio

No one sees my tears when I’m walking in the rain

Thoughts tumble over precipice like a runaway train

Swirling around in torrential emotions no way to restrain

No one sees my tears when I’m walking in the rain

There’s no denying my heart’s a delicate terrain

Beats free-falling cascading flowing o’er and o’er again

No one sees my tears when I’m walking in the rain

Emotions run amok like tsunami can’t contain

Blood pulsating racing through my vein

No one sees my tears when I’m walking in the rain

It’s war on the bodies of women and girls. It’s children massacred. It’s insane … this pain

Setting up like storm for a cloudy-dark reign

No one sees my tears when I’m walking in the rain

It’s raining

I’m going walking

For …

No one sees my tears when I’m walking in the rain

12 Aug 2022 Republished 2023 
All rights reserved
This song, “In The Rain” by The Dramatics, is so perfectly aligned, I had to set my poem to its opening chords and first few words.

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Child of God! ©Dawn Minott | an Abecedarian, with audio

Before-word: With the advent and dominance of social media has been the rise in social posts or STATUS updates which we use to let our friends know what we’re doing or to say what’s on our minds. Whether a tweet or a pin and way beyond catchy one liners on time-elapsed stories, your status is and forever will be:

CHILD OF GOD!

From A to Z you are:

Accepted just as you are

Beautiful in every way

Child of God

Destined for greatness

Exquisite

Fearfully-wonderfully-made—perfect in every way

Good-good creation

Harmoniously aligned

Image of God bearer

Joyful

Kaleidoscopic

Loved to the width and depth of God’s heart

More than a conqueror — that’s who you are

Never defeated — that’s what you are

Overcomer

Purposefully ordered

Quintessential, the God-image bearer

Redeemed—no shame, no guilt, no fear

Sufficiently sufficient

Temple-of-God-abiding

Unequivocally—YOU ARE, child of God

Victorious

Worthy

eXalted-cannot-be-duplicated masterpiece

YOUnique

Zany—amusingly-unconventional, distinctively—YOU!

From A to Z

You are a child of God

Luxuriate in this truth

2023 (republished) All Rights Reserved

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The Genesis of Love ©Dawn Minott

In the genesis of love
where conversations weave
unending threads of connection—
heartbeats dance in choreographed steps

Moments pass slowly, lingering in the realm of “us”
an infinite tapestry creating,
unfolding layers of you and me in
a symphony of shared existence

Exchanges transpire in unspoken covenant
you becoming me, I becoming you
a seamless blending of souls
a repertoire of movements in reciprocity

Connections transcend the verbal—
silent conversations speak loudest
emotions laid bare on a canvas of vulnerability
we fall deeper into the boundlessness of love’s embrace

2023 All Rights Reserved

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If These Lips Could Talk … ©Dawn Minott

If these lips could talk …

If these lips could talk, do you think they’d whisper to the wind,
To ancient forests swaying, or trees dancing in the breeze?
Would they sing a song of rivers, meandering across the land,
Reflecting sunlit skies, cascading free and wild?

If these lips could talk, I wonder if they’d murmur to the flowers,
Of petals soft, adorned with pearl-like dewdrops?
Would they share the tales of meadows where birds flitter freely,
A symphony of harmonic lullaby songs chirping?

If these lips could talk, I think they’d hum to the moonlit sky
To the twinkling stars that cast their silver beams of light
They’d tell of hidden wonders, in shadows and in gleam
Cosmic mystery, celestial spectacle, a refrain they’d reveal

If these lips could talk, maybe they’d speak of mountains’ peaks
The stoic guardians of earth, standing proudly unbothered
Evoking a sense of wonder, filling the air with awe
Of their lofty heights, the majestic wonder they would tell

If these lips could talk, do you think they’d praise the ocean’s might,
Singing high notes of waves in rhythmic ebb and flow?
Would they recount tales of sailors and seagulls taking flight,
Telling the world of boundless wonder, beneath the azure sky?

If these lips could talk, they’d share pearls of wisdom
From nature’s endless cycles, its beauty they’d unfold
Like in the embrace of wilderness where there’s solace, peace and rest
A reminder of our roots, a chance to reset, believe yet again

If these lips could talk, they’d bid us cherish nature’s voice
Operate in gratitude, honor each living thing by choice
Amidst whispers of breeze and melodies from trees
Let’s celebrate nature’s glory, as its sacred trustees

If only these lips could talk …

Smiling lips flower pot in my garden

You may also like: “If These Walls Could Talk”


2023 All Rights Is Reserved

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Featured

A Creative Soul’s Embrace ©Dawn Minott | with audio

Beforeword: Hello reader!!! So if you’ve visited the “About” page of this blog, you’d have seen my profile.

Well, I’ve now transformed the “About” page into this poem. I hope you enjoy it!!!

“A Creative Soul’s Embrace”

In creative spaces I find my solace and delight
Words—a poet’s heart, a blogger’s guiding light
A speaker’s voice, in stories unfold
My pen, a vessel, for tales yet untold

In “Moments: A Poetic Autobiography” I share
My thoughts, my verses, my joys, my care
Unapologetically, a lover of the Divine
My adoration of God, evident in every line

Love’s tender embrace—my muse, my song
In verses, I’ll celebrate it all the day long
Nature’s beauty, a treasure trove to explore
In each flower, in each leaf, a story I’ll implore

A logophile, yes, words are my kin
In dictionary’s depths, I always begin
Epigrammatic style—concise and clear
My poetic soul is forever sincere

Creativity flows, an endless tide
In art and words, my heart doth glide
Artsy to the core, in colors and rhyme
I paint my world, one verse at a time

So here I stand, a creative soul’s embrace
Of poetry, of prose, of words, interlace
Whether as a poet, a blogger, a speaker, or more
My love for words, I will forever explore

Thank you for visiting my blog, Poems & More

2023 All Rights Reserved

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When My Heart Fell in Love with You ©Dawn Minott |a double Septolet

When my heart
Fell
It chose you

Landed in
Your love
Safe, secure
True

❤️❤️❤️

When my heart
Fell
It loved you

Love
On alternate
Plane of existence
Created

❤️❤️❤️

The Septolet is a poem consisting of seven lines containing fourteen words with a break in between the two parts. Both parts deal with the same thought and create a picture.

2023 All Rights Reserved

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Solace in Unexpected Places ©Dawn Minott | a Sexain with audio

Where upheaval and troubles of life compound
Solace and peace of mind may be found

In uncharted unexpected spaces, begin
To bask in the presence of folk of kin or skin

A balm for the soul in surprising embraces
Respite found in the most unexpected places

Venture beyond, receive comfort where it’s found
A safe haven, a harbor, no worries abound

In heart’s oasis serenity released
Calm found, inner peace achieved

Tranquility flows like soothing breezes
A welcoming solace in unexpected places


Afterword: a friend shared this photo with me with a message that started with “anywhere you find peace of mind settle there”. And it resonated so deeply with me, the inspiration led me to write this poem.

2023 All Rights Reserved

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Sister-Friend ©Dawn Minott |a Septolet

Sisters
Aren’t always
Bloodline—
Some are choice

The choice
To be—
Sisters and friends

“Always sisters, always friends”
Choice sisters

The Septolet is a poem consisting of seven lines containing fourteen words with a break in between the two parts. Both parts deal with the same thought and create a picture.

2023 All Rights Reserved

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Midweek Boost: Dreamcatcher ©Dawn Minott |a Septolet

What is life
Lived without
Having dreams?

Like
Broken-winged birds
Living
Without soar

The Septolet is a poem consisting of seven lines containing fourteen words with a break in between the two parts. Both parts deal with the same thought and create a picture.

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In creative solidarity, Dee

Points of View ©Dawn Minott |a Septolet

Your point of view
Is but one

Sure
Way
To
Limit understanding
Squelch empathy

… when you only see things from your point of view.

The Septolet is a poem consisting of seven lines containing fourteen words with a break in between the two parts. Both parts deal with the same thought and create a picture.

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Last Stop ©Dawn Minott |a Septolet

Train—
Horns blaring.
Brakes screeching.
Last Stop!

The Last Stop?
A restaurant.
Gotcha!

A friend and I dined at this quaint restaurant, “The Last Stop”, aptly named as it’s located at one of the last stops on a NY city subway line.

The Septolet is a poem consisting of seven lines containing fourteen words with a break in between the two parts. Both parts deal with the same thought and create a picture.

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Fall’s Color Palette ©Dawn Minott |a Septolet

Temperatures drop
Daylight shrinks
Leaves are transforming

Yellow, orange, red, brown
Seasonal
Kaleidoscopic
Landscaping

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The Prayer ©Dawn Minott |with audio

Dear Lord,

Pove that Your power is as great as You claim
In our world is so much chaos, so much heartache, so much pain
With a touch of Your hand You can move what seems insurmountable
Mountains of prejudice, walls of intolerance, of bitterness are breakable

Your power still reigns in the whispers of the wind, in the crashing of the sea
In the miracle of life, in every star that light the night
In the ordering of planets, in the control of every season
Somehow it seems lost in humanity, in hardened heart, irrational reasoning

Show us Your power, Your glory, Your grace
In this world, in our lives, in every heart that beat life
Dear Lord, prove that Your power is as great as You claim
Though You won’t impose, gently nudge us to change

In the hearts of the weak, let Your mercy permeate
In the decisions of the powerful, let Your grace dictate
In the lost and the broken, let Your love restore
In a world hellbent on self-imploding
Dear Lord, let Your guiding-light implore

Amen.


You may also like to read In Memory of Peace.

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Poem Is: A Thing Made ©Dawn Minott

A poem is more than words written on a page
Peering o’er its artistry, it’s emotion’s stage
A “thing made”, as the Greeks did say
A creation from words in a unique way

It’s a tapestry woven with thought and care
A canvas of feelings that poets share
A melody of language, a dance of rhyme
A glimpse into the depths of space and time

It’s a reflection of the human heart
A work of passion, a form of art
A window to dreams, a mirror of truth
A vessel for wisdom, the fountain of youth

So, what is a poem? It’s a magical blend
Of words and feelings from start to end
A creation, a masterpiece, a glimpse of the divine
A “thing made” that forever will shine


Afterword: “Poem” comes from the Greek poíēma which means a “thing made”. This tribute poem is inspired by my previous work: God’s Poem.

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If I … ©Dawn Minott |with audio

If I were a pumpkin, don’t carve me ugly
Dress me up like an angel, make me look lovely
With a graceful smile, and a heavenly glow
Carve me with beauty, let my radiance show

A halo like a crown ‘round my stem will twine
Wings of airy elegance, in moonlight they’ll shine
I’ll be a pumpkin transformed, with a scepter like art
With twinkling tea lights, I’ll cheer every heart

No ghoulish grimaces, no scary face on me
Just a pumpkin turned angel, beauty to see
With sweetness and charm, I’ll light up the night
A celestial creation, for autumn’s delight


Afterword: I’m not at all a fan of halloween—too creepy and frightening for me. Saw this alternative pumpkin displayed in an office, it resonated so well it inspired this poem!!!

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Nature’s Morning Serenade @Dawn Minott

Roosters in their morning race
Proclaim the break of day
Competing to be the loudest
In their crowing display

Birdies join this joyful chorus
Chirping to a serene ballet
Nature’s melody makers
In morning’s light they sway

The wind, a gentle maestro
Enters with a soothing cool embrace
Filling the room with freshness
Embraced in a gentle swirling grace

Grey clouds hold the sun at bay
Only for just a moment long
But it soon emerged, bright
As night gives way to day’s song

“It’s DAWN”, all of nature sings
The world awakens in a magical array
With nature’s symphony and sunbeams
Morning ushers in a brand new day


Afterword: I wrote this piece a few years ago. I was working/living in Northern Nigeria at the time and there was immense unrest and upheaval. Amidst all of that, the joys of nature were all the more appreciated. What a blessing to open your eyes from a night’s rest, to know you’re alive and be able to bask in the joy of nature’s wake up call. Finding GRATITUDE in each moment of LIFE!

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Waiting ©Dawn Minott | a Dectina Refrain

She
Alone
Stands waiting
Waiting in vain?
Grasping the bouquet
Fidgeting with hair strands
Hiding tears behind the veil
Can it be that he’s not coming?
Wedding vows left forever unsaid?
She alone stands waiting … waiting in vain?

Lady Edith left at the altar: Downton Abbey at its finest.

This was written in response to Suzanne Brace prompt for W3 Prompt #78 (thanks to David for hosting): to share an emotion in a “Declina Refrain” poem. Thanks to Suzanne for introducing me to this form.

A Dectina Refrain is a poetic form written with your syllables going: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10. Your 10th line is comprised of your first four lines all together as one stand alone line which may/may not be in quotation marks. This was influenced by Downtown Abbey.

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Living Hyphenated©️ Dawn Minott | a sexain

You’re a woman of faith, said he
Refusing to join the party of “woe is me”
Standing at the crossroads of hyphenated identity
Straddling the fine line of conjoined affinity
The shortest distance connecting divergent words
Yet the greatest distance between colliding worlds

Wrestling within with identities, two
Pondering which is the true you
Is it the half that doubts and frets
Filled with sadness and regrets?
Is it the other that’s thrilled with hope and wonder
Scavenging life’s downs—a fortune hunter?

What comes in the hyphen is the interval
Whether left or right it’s a fight for survival
Too deep under there’s no indicator light
No redirection to the surface, a frightening plight
Release air, bubbles of self-assurance forming
Follow bubbles—rise always toward surface soaring

Identity is who you are despite the circumstances
Who you are is not a game of luck or chances
Whether in the good times or in the bad
Whether the situation makes you happy or makes you sad
You are betwixt and between the hyphenated you
Grab ahold of the purpose of what you’re born to do

Child-of-God/child-of-human—interconnected being
One you—living duality inward refereeing
You—the image of God, a god-given soul
Yet you—locked in a body of skin and bone
The paradoxical self—looking out through eyes
Visions of living hyphenated—the you to harmonize

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Be Like A Tree ©Dawn Minott

In this hemisphere’s exit from summer’s sway
Days are growing shorter, skies turning gray
Ponder trees, listening to their whispered art
To hear wisdom they impart to open hearts

They stand as teachers, ancient and wise
With lessons hidden in their varied size
In every leaf and branch there is a key
To how our own lives really ought to be

Be rooted, like an oak so valiantly strong
When storms of life come, hold on for the long
With a foundation form, stay deeply bounded
Finding strength, be solidly grounded

Be constant, like the fir—timelessly green
Be who you are no matter if you’re seen
Embrace you, running your own race
In the rhyme and rhythm of nature’s space

Be pliable, as the willows weep
In storms, their limbs, they gently sweep
Adapt, don’t break, in life’s harsh gale
Persevere, flexibility will oft prevail

Be photosynthetic, seek the light
In darkest hours, shine oh so bright
Turn sunlight into strength and growth
From every challenge, find your oath

Be poetic, like the cherry’s bloom
In every season find your room
To share your beauty, life’s sweet song
In verses, words, and actions strong

Trees, in autumn’s vibrancy show
Their leaves like memories, they will let go
A lesson profound, as seasons flow
To let the past depart and from it grow

As we embrace the changing view
From summer’s green to autumn’s hue
Trees reveal the path we all should know
To let dead things go and with life, flow

The d’Verse prompt is to use artwork from this webpage and write a poem inspired by the piece selected. I selected this piece because it resonated with the season. It’s based off a previous post of prose entitled “Be like a Tree—now a poem of the same title!
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Fireflies ©Dawn Minott

In the shadows cast by sun’s ray fading
Enters shimmering lights on fluttering wings
A mystery they reveal, a secret they create
In twilight’s dawning they’ll absquatulate

In daylight they rest where wildflowers bloom
Come alive under crescent moon’s silvered lighting
They vanish like dreams, in silence they glide
Away from sunlight’s unfolding, they choose to hide

They glitter and dance into the night’s embrace
Like a whisper in this place enchanted
Fireflies unspoken tale like the realm of dreams
In twilight’s dawning they’ll absquatulate

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Joining in Sammi’s word prompt, the word is absquatulate, a poem in exactly 85 words.

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In Loving Memory of Peace ©Dawn Minott

It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the passing of Peace, a cherished companion of humanity for countless generations.

Peace, born in the hopes and dreams of every individual, breathed its last breath on a world that yearned for its eternal presence.

Peace was known for its gentle touch, its ability to unite nations, its power to mend broken hearts, its inability to impose. It honored choice. It provided solace in times of turmoil, offering a refuge from the storms of discord. Throughout history, Peace stood as a beacon of hope, guiding us toward a brighter future.

However, in recent years, Peace had been under duress, with conflict and division threatening its very existence. The forces of discord, prejudice, injustice, and inequality cast shadows that dimmed its light, making it increasingly elusive.

Though Peace may no longer grace our world as we once knew it, we must remember that its spirit lives on within us.

It is up to each of us to honor its memory by working tirelessly to resurrect it from the ashes of strife. We must strive to bridge divides; promote understanding, tolerance, acceptance, inclusion; honor diversity, difference, equity; and sow seeds of unity not discord.

In the memory of Peace, let us pledge to be the architects of a world where its presence is not a fleeting dream but a lasting reality. Only through our collective efforts can we ensure that Peace’s legacy endures and thrives in the hearts of future generations.

Rest in peace, Peace, for you shall forever inspire our pursuit of harmony and tranquility.

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I Flip The Script ©️Dawn Minott

In the tapestry of life, I hold the pen
Scripting my story again and again
Responsibility rests on these shoulders of mine
To be brave, to be bold, to let my light shine

In chapters of courage I’ll tell my tale
With ink of determination writing won’t fail
For each page I turn a new story will unfold
A journey of strength where my spirit takes hold

I’ll re-script the past for a lesson-based future
Transforming the scars into stories I’ll nurture
With every word written a new path I chart
To share with the world a transparent-true heart

Let me write and re-write with purpose divine
In the book of my life, acts and faith intertwine
For it’s my responsibility my story to mold
To be brave, to be bold, to let the truth be told

Book signing 2023
Published 2023

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Someone Else’s Mother ©Dawn Minott | International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, October 17

Unsteadily she trudged
Earthly possessions hauled in tattered, torn bags
Hand extended in alms for she’s got hungry babes to feed
Beneath the load she stumbled
Balancing the weight
Clumsily breaking her fall
Muttering in whispers she only hears
Words to comfort self, assail distress
To you she’s just another vagrant
But she’s someone else’s mother


Someone awaits the familiarity of her footsteps echoing on the floor
Someone awaits the safety only her embracing arms can restore
Someone awaits the lullaby only her serene voice can sing
Someone awaits the love only her heart will bring
Ignored or abused
Mistreated or neglected
Someone awaits her
For she, too, is
Someone else’s mother


According to the United Nations: “In a world characterized by an unprecedented level of economic development, technological means and financial resources, that millions of persons are living in extreme poverty is a moral outrage. Poverty is not solely an economic issue, but rather a multidimensional phenomenon that encompasses a lack of both income and the basic capabilities to live in dignity.”

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Who’s Behind You ©️Dawn Minott |a Senryu

With support behind

Fear not what lies ahead

Confidently go

Afterword: traditional Senryu is 3 lines with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line, and 5 syllables in the last line (5/7/5) for a total of seventeen syllables written in the present tense with no rhyme, metaphors or similes.

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3rd Blogiversary ©Dawn Minott

Three years have passed, oh how time flies
In the world of words some lows and highs
With every post I shared from my heart
Connections made from the very start

Through ups and downs, I’ve stayed true
Crafting stories and ideas, old and new
With dedication and passion shining bright
Here’s to my blog’s third year—what a delight

Words will keep flowing as readership grows
Looking ahead, may inspiration ink freely flows
Cheers to the memories with you I’ve created
Many more to come, I’m overjoyed—elated!

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2nd year Blogiversary can be read here👈

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Golden Hour ©Dawn Minott | Haiku

Open the portals
Rising to setting of sun
Let me drink the day

my phone created this collage. Nothing motivates me to grab my phone faster for pics or vids than rising/setting of sun.
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Ode to Jazz ©Dawn Minott

Beforeword: One of my musical loves is jazz because of the unique and expressive approach to playing it. To watch jazz evolve—the improvisation, the creation of melodies and solos right there before your eyes and ears. Jazz is a rich, diverse tapestry of music created through jazz players’ deep understanding of musical language. This is an ode to jazz and jazz players.

Jazz players, chromatic sounds they weave
No need for rhymes, yet rhythmic notes convey
With improvisation musical tapestry they conceive
Spontaneous melodies, solos beyond compare

In the heart of jazz, a swingin’ groove resonates
Off-beats, syncopation, where rhythm glides
A call and response, in conversation embrace
Musicians words played across musical terrain

Masters of their craft, techniques combined
In bonding notes, vibrato, oh, pure joy
Instruments come alive in their skilled hands
Nuanced emotion to expand music’s refrain

Phrasing with dynamism, accents oft disguised
Subtle pauses, emotions take rhapsodic flight
Modes and scales beyond the common ear
Harmonic richness keen listening to discern

Dynamics and expression, their tools so vast
From whispers to thunder, moments evolve
Collaborative spirits, playing cords off each together
Listening and responding, creativity being discovered

With a vast repertoire, the old they honor
Reinterpreting tunes, stories untold, retold
Jazz players unique in music’s grand design
Their artistry, a mesmerizing dream come alive

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Muse In Absentia ©Dawn Minott

In the shadowed depths of solitude’s embrace
Where once your muse set heart ablaze
Now stands bereft, a barren, empty space
In this void creativity’s but a dimming haze

Who do you write for when the muse is gone
Emotions lost, inspiration withdrawn
Lines upon lines, like wilted flowers, forlorn
No spark of life, no spark to dawn

There’s no story worth telling, no tale to weave
No melody’s embrace, no lyrics to believe
No rhyme, no rhythm for soul’s reprieve
In this silence profound, there’s but grieve

No chord to complement thoughts unstrung
No structure to guide, no song to be sung
No hook to draw listeners in, among
This creative void, passion’s undone

In the stillness recall memories of muse of old
Passion once ignited like mythical goddesses bold
In muse absence, creativity’s waning hold
Search on for inspiration in stories yet untold

Though muse departed as motivating guide
In its absence creativity’s not denied
New sources of inspiration found far and wide
Writing from the intersection where thoughts collide

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I’m A Little Teapot

In 1939 this charming song, “I’m a Little Teapot” was published. Written by Clarence Kelley the song was used to help students master the “Waltz Clog” tap dance routine.

Reviving this post for the WDYS Daily Prompt, which took me down memory lane all the way back to kindergarten and this endearing nursery rhyme:

I’m a little teapot
Short and stout
Here is my handle
(one hand on hip)
Here is my spout
(other arm out straight)

When I get all steamed up
Hear me shout
“Tip me over
and pour me out!”
(lean over toward spout)

I’m a clever teapot,
Yes it’s true
Here let me show you
What I can do
I can change my handle
And my spout
(switch arm positions)
Just tip me over and pour me out!
(lean over toward spout)

I hope your kindergarten self gets your dancing-and-singing onmine did!!! 💃 🕺 🎶 🎤


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Quirky Nature #5: Love’s Eternal Embrace ©Dawn Minott | a Haiku

Eternal embrace

Love transcending time and space

Love don’t die easy

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Quirky Nature #4: Birdy Emergency Rescue ©Dawn Minott | a Haiku

A baby bird falls from its nest and is caught by its mom with her beak while dad helps by lifting his baby from below. A testament to parents reckless love—risking all for their kids with no regard for their own safety. Photo credit: Facebook

From nest baby falls

Acrobatic move, mom saves

Dad lifts from below

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Quirky Nature #3: Midweek Boost ©Dawn Minott | a Haiku

Keep moving, don’t stop

No matter how slow you go

Leave your mark behind

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Quirky Nature #2: Nature Weaves ©Dawn Minott | a Haiku

Mother Nature weaves

Grass wrapped in wire fencing

Accidental art

Mother Nature, the basket weaver.
This beautiful intricate piece of “accidental” art of dry grass trapped in a wire fence in the aftermath of Storm Arwen on the summit of a hill above Maesteg, Bridgend, Wales. Photo credit
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Quirky Nature #1: Wonders of Iceland ©Dawn Minott | a Haiku

Icelandic Shorelines

Green Fields, Yellow River meet

Black Bleach and Blue Sea

A beach that looks like it’s from another planet. Located in the Vatnajokull National Park, the beach is known for the volcanic yellow brook that runs parallel to the blue ocean, separated by a stretch of rich, black sand. Further up the beach, lush, green fields provide yet another gorgeous color to add to the mix.
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Autumn’s Return: A Blogger’s Revival ©Dawn Minott

Two weeks have passed, my blog did rest
For a summer break well-needed, it was the best
No posts, no words, no comments seen
But now I’m back with my writing machine

I missed the interactions, y’all a blogger’s delight
Sharing stories and thoughts be it day or night
Summer’s warmth is fading, leaves will soon fall
A writer’s inspiration anew, answer the blogging call

The crisp air of autumn, a new season’s start
Brings fresh ideas to my creative heart
I’ll craft my posts from sceneries about
In this colorful season, a muse, no doubt

So here I am, rested, revived, renewed
To share thoughts in words in gratitude
As fall paints the world with hues awe-inspiring
Us creatives, let’s craft words, our stories retelling

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Hope y’all had a good summer. Contributing to Fandango’s One Word Challenge—anew and Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge—fall.

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Sunflower Laughter ©Dawn Minott

Memories painted o’er food and drinks
The warmth of friendship, spirits link


Laughter takes delight in sunflowers stride
In their golden dance, joy cannot hide


Nature encased in friendship’s sweet embrace
Cherished moments locked in time’s embrace

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Boom! Thank You! ©Dawn Minott

Thoughts meandering through my mind take rest in ink’s solace

At home in this space interactions caroled

A shared bond bloggers make

Ideas alight, free to freely roam

Whether with affirming words, “star-likes”, or emojis

In this realm of thoughts, bloggers connect

Minds unite in digital symphony of affections

A virtual haven where thoughts with thoughts collide

Words, our common thread, escape to create

Art. Interactions on interactions boom!



It’s been eons since WP gave me any updates then this “boom” message dropped in my inbox. So honoring this moment with a THANK YOU poem to all who stop by here.

This blog is a place for the thoughts meandering through my mind to find a place to rest outside my head.

If 1 or 2 or 300 others interact with my written thoughts—great!! If 0 that is also great ‘cause my thoughts have found a landing space and that is my ultimate goal.

The interactions are a bonus and I love ❤️ love and appreciate when fellow bloggers drop in on my blog and say a word or 2 or 300 😊 or like or emoji their way through.

Thanks everyone!!

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Hydrangeas Bloom in Waiting ©Dawn Minott

Hydrangeas growing lush but will not blossom

The botanist said, this isn’t the custom

Till the soil and feed them fertilizer

Next year they’ll bloom bigger than ever

The only bloom this year….
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Soul Seasons ©Dawn Minott

SUMMER comes with such splendor
all of creation shows its praise
flowers bloom
fruits ripen
birds sing
all things experiencing rebirth
all things made anew

’till AUTUMN’s
golden red
sunshiny yellow
crispy brown
leaves letting go
falling peacefully lying in a final resting place

‘till WINTER’s
milky white delicate snow flakes
cascading
falling
covering all in fluffy softness

’till SPRING’s revitalizing rain falls
showering
washing
pouring
cleansing

life is much like nature’s seasons
constantly assuredly changing
we too must face life’s passing seasons of
SPRING-like rebirth
AUTUMN-like falling
SUMMER-like passion
WINTER-like coldness

we too must face the seasons
the seasons of the soul

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After-word: Nature is a formidable teacher. One lesson I’ve learnt from the changing of seasons is this: we must embrace new beginnings. Like the contrasting seasons, we too are faced with periods that resemble SPRING-like rebirth, AUTUMN-like falling, SUMMER-like passion and WINTER-like coldness. To grow, we too must face the seasons of the soul and embrace the changes each unfold.

Thank you for journeying along!

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Reckless Love ©Dawn Minott |a Loop Poem with audio

In God is Love-complete, there is no Plan-B

Plan-B is the alternative

Alternative to salvation’s plan

Plan so expansive it bankrupted

Bankrupted heaven for Love left no regard for His own safety

Safety ignored, for Love risked all proving again

Again and again, ‘cause it’s the Love that never gives up

Up or down, Love chases after, even at the risk of being rejected

Rejected 70-times-7, yet still Love forgives the hundred-and-fiftieth time

Time knows no bounds in Love’s calculation. It’s ridiculously crazy, really

Really crazy—enough to leave the ninety-and-nine to go find the one

One lost. Redeemed to make the hundred complete

Complete in Love of “YOU never I” displayed

Displayed selflessly on a cross where Love

Love was crucified, Love bled, Love died

Died on the off chance to win our hearts

Hearts won back by a Love reckless

Reckless Love

Afterword: To say God’s love is reckless is not that God is dangerously careless but that HE loves in such a way that is unconcerned with the consequences to Himself. His love for us is ridiculously crazy!

Inspired by Cory Asbury’s song of the same title, “Reckless Love”:

2023 All Rights Reserved

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In creative solidarity, Dee

The Heart of Intimacy ©Dawn Minott

Amidst the chaos of life’s relentless race
Looking beyond mere appearances to trace
Beyond what eyes perceive in fleeting glance
To fathom the depths in life’s intricate dance

Externals, mere masks like emotions in flight
Shifting and swaying like shadows of night
But a doubtless heart, steadfast and true
Forever in search to bring love’s essence through

Unchanging it stands like a lighthouse aglow
Guiding through storms of tides’ ebb and flow
With eyes transfixed, piercing through the haze
Sees to the core of love’s light, like rays

Into-me-see deeply, where vulnerability resides
Embrace a sacred connection that silently guides
Into-me-see the heart of intimacy, true surrender
Souls intertwined in love’s embrace, forever

2023 All Rights Reserved

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Love, Into-Me-See ©Dawn Minott

Looking with love’s eyes to see beyond

Beyond what naked eyes can receive, to discern

Discern beyond the externals shaped

Shaped by shifting emotions, crippling doubt

Doubt-less heart never changing, always looking

Looking with love’s eyes, into-me-see

See into me—the heart of intimacy

2023 All Rights Reserved

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Without! ©Dawn Minott

What is rhyme without lyrics?

What is lyrics without music?

What is music without dance?

What is dance without rhythm?

***

What is eye without sight?

What is sight without beauty?

What is beauty without kindness?

What is kindness without giving?

***

What is oxygen without air?

What is air without breath?

What is breath without lungs?

What is lungs without release?

***

What is heart without beat?

What is heartbeat without blood?

What is blood without life?

What is life without God?

***

Without!

2023 All Rights Reserved

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In creative solidarity, Dee

New York New York ©Dawn Minott

NEW YORK 🌃 

She’s lights flashing 
She’s noise reverberating 
She’s drama unfolding 
She’s concrete buildings
She’s yellow cabs hailing
She’s never sleeping 
She’s New York

NEW YORK 🌃

She’s 5th Avenue
Models and agents
Fashionistas and designers
She’s Broadway
Musicians and poets
Actors and directors
She’s Park Avenue
Cathedrals and parks
High rises and skyscrapers
She’s New York

NEW YORK 🌃

She’s contrasting
She’s empowering
She’s dream-making
She’s mesmerizing
She’s fascinating
She’s captivating
She’s New York

NEW YORK 🌃

She’s a symphony of lights, of dreams, of schemes
Where skyscrapers drape the skyline gleams
From Times Square’s dazzle to Central Park’s green
Brooklyn’s charm to the Bronx’s Boogie Down beat
A mosaic of neighborhoods, diverse and sweet
Wall Street’s hustle and Harlem’s soul
Statue of Liberty with an Empire state of mind
Museums, theaters, where arts abound
A pulsating heart where passions ignite, worlds converge
She’s New York

NEW YORK 🌃

2023 All Rights Reserved

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In creative solidarity, Dee

Independent Jamaica ©Dawn Minott |with audio

She’s a mere 146 miles long and about 51 miles wide
An island washed by the Caribbean Sea, a standout beauty tide-to-tide

She’s the jewel of the Caribbean, a little piece of paradise
Let it be known, her impact on the world far outweighs her tiny size

First the Spanish then the English sought to colonize
Her children—resistance fighters—battled for African heritage kept alive

Defiant—likkle but tallawah—refusing to be renamed
She bears her indigenous name—Xaymaca—Jamaica, land reclaimed

Among first of the Caribbean isles to dismiss the colonial power
Today she stands strong and proud, 61 years freedom tower

From freedom fighter, Nanny of the Maroons to pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey
Her people fought always for independence as their inherent right to be

From food to music to athletics and innovations
Best rest assured, if it’s irie, it’s got some Jamaican connections

The first tropical country at Winter Olympics with the Cool Runnings bobsled team
She’s even the first English-speaking Caribbean country qualifier with her male and female soccer teams

In the world of track and field—this is where she simply “JAminates”
Athletic superstars from Merlene Ottey to Usain Bolt—Olympics she dominates

She produces the world’s best coffee for drinking and even for singing
Koffee, the only woman and youngest person Grammy awarded—what a Rapture she is being

She razzle-dazzles taste buds with food, boonoonoonoos good
And, finger-licking meat jerked spicy-hot on wood

Her rich musical heritage from mento to dancehall
She hails chart toppers from Bob Marley to Millie Small

She will not be outdone in serving rum or giving praises
Guinness World Record holder—most bars per square mile right along with the most churches

In the sphere of innovation, there’s much to emphasize
She’s influenced nation building in those ten times her “likkle” size

In the Western Hemisphere, she built the first iron bridge and railroad
And the AT&T telephone system, from her technology they borrowed

Her flag bears no common color with those in the American flag
She speaks a rhythmic dialect, tribute to African heritage she brags

In only 61 years her legacy she stamped everywhere
‘Cause no matter where you roam, the black-green-and-gold will be there

For high privilege and responsibility of independence reigned
For nationhood, on this her 61st year, we give thanks for freedom gained


Happy 61st Independence to me likkle-big country—JAH-mek-yah 🇯🇲 Jamaica

2023 All rights reserved
Music: Bob Marley and the Wailers

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Heart in Perpetual Bloom ©️Dawn Minott

Heart in perpetual bloom, never-ending, everlasting, constant
A flame who’s light is never dimmed, through darkness, it remains defiant

With each beat, a rhythm of life, a symphony of love and emotion
Through joy and pain, it perseveres, an unwavering devotion

In storms of doubt and uncertainty, it stands firm, resilient and strong
A beacon of hope in the night, guiding us to where we belong

Though seasons come and seasons go, its essence remains steadfast
A garden of feelings blossoming, in this journey of life, unsurpassed

God’s the only heart in perpetual bloom forever
Lavishing His love, a treasure we can never measure

Embrace its power, supernatural, endless unearned grace
Only in His love will you find fulfillment, enjoy your greatest pleasure

2023 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved

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Independent Woman ©Dawn Minott

In a world that shouts “self-sufficient” and “alone”
An independent woman’s true colors become known
She’s not defined by possessions or a partner’s embrace
Rather by being secure, grounded, she’s an emblem of grace

Her heart remains open, not locked off in fear
For she knows not all men’s motives are insincere
With confidence within, she stands tall
She knows whose she is, her identity won’t fall

Grounded in faith, she walks a path of light
Living with integrity, choosing what’s right
She doesn’t bend to fit the crowd’s trend
Her trust is grounded in God, that will never end

A real woman she is, no pretense, no masks she wears
Transparent and true, big-hearted love she shares
Her joy and purpose emanate from within
Not reliant on others for whole-life living to begin

To all the misunderstood independent women, we say,
Embrace love, let stereotypes die right away
For being independent is not about being boss
Not at the expense of the true you being lost

So stand up and standout, unabashed and free
Love and lean on a man, if that’s your decree
For an independent woman is strong enough to just be
To receive love, to give love, and still be a mystery

2023 All Rights Reserved

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In creative solidarity, Dee

Bee’s Flutter ©Dawn Minott

Busy bee on pink rose fluttering
A dance of nature composing
Buzz in the air, petals caressing
Nectar’s sweet finesse harvesting
Amidst blooms, nature’s task unending
A symphony of the cycle of life unfolding

Caught this bee in action as I was admiring this new bloom on the rose bush. Photos taken by me 😊

Contributing to Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt where the given word is flutter, and no more than 34 words.

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In creative solidarity, Dee

say YES! ©️Dawn Minott |a Sedoka

Yearning to be touched
Hunger for intimacy
Satisfied in your embrace

Gently, lovingly
Connected in this moment
In love’s surrender, say YES!


Afterword: Today’s R&B-poetry collaboration is inspired by Floetry. Floetry is the true epítome of R&B and poetry colliding as this duo-group started on the performance poetry stage.

A sedōka is a pair of katautas of the 5,7,7 syllabic arrangement. A katauta, a Japanese poetic form that consists of 17 or 19 syllables arranged in three lines of either 5, 7, and 5 or 5, 7, and 7 syllables. The form was used for poems addressed to a lover. A single katauta was considered incomplete or a half-poem.

2023 [republished] All Rights Reserved

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In creative solidarity, Dee

sure-enough-gonna God ©️Dawn Minott |a Shadorma

Daddy God
He’s yes and amen
Promises
He will keep
A sure-enough-gonna-God
He’s faithful to me

Afterword: this tribute piece to God concludes this week’s thematic focus on the poetic form—Shadorma!!!! Shadorma is a Spanish 6-line syllabic poem of 3/5/3/3/7/5 syllable lines respectively.

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Aurora: Ode to Dawn ©Dawn Minott

Beforeword: A week of poems about single words that each encapsulates the vast beauty of nature and the awesomeness of natural sights would not be complete without AURORA which also means DAWN. Yeah, I meant to do that!!!!! Enjoy …

Aurora’s essence, a celestial embrace of
Dawn, a name as ageless as time
In early morn, your light arise
Kaleidoscopic dyes you splash across skies

Breathtaking sight radiant hues of
Dawn, the breaking of day to unveil light
A mingling of colors across darkened blue
The world awakens—refreshed, renewed

Your presence heralds morning’s birth of
Dawn, with each sunrise hearts find hope
In your radiant glow, we trace our way
Guided by your warmth day after day

As the sun displays it’s rays, Aurora ushers in
Dawn, a colorful breaking of the night sky
In your name, a forever promise we hold
Of endless wonders waiting to be unfold

Aurora—the Sleeping Beauty in fairy tales told
Aurora—the Roman goddess of the dawn denote
A symbol of hope, dreams in tales, enshrined
Deity and beauty, aurora-dawn, forever entwined


Afterword: I hope you enjoyed this week of one-word wonders. Single word expressions that fully capture the beauty of nature and perfectly communicate the awesomeness of natural sights. Like the smell of the earth after rain’s first drops; the peace and tranquility of wind caressing trees; or being captivated by the moon, or darkness or the ocean.

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In creative solidarity, Dee

Apricate ©Dawn Minott | Shadorma & Haiku

Apricate?
Is that a new fruit?
Apricot
Comes to mind
Nah! It’s to bask in the sun
Do you apricate?

Apricate in rays
Not a fruit, but warmth I seek
Summer basking days

2023 All Rights Reserved

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In creative solidarity, Dee

Ammil ©️Dawn Minott

Snow’s serene descent just ended
I ventured to my cherished park
Eager to witness nature’s art untamed
Before others disrupt this fallen-white artistic display

There were no footprints marring the pristine white
Nor had the wind disturbed the delicate flakes
Still draping branches, in the stillness I reveled
Embracing the beauty of the season’s first snow-falling

Branches laden with the fluffiest flakes
Like clouds descended on branches, crouched
The scene awakens childlike wonderment in my soul
A tropical heart finding joy in nature’s contrasting cold clime

Walking in hushed steps, a careful dance of wonder
Respecting the grace of this transient chance I’ve encountered
To witness the ammil, this snowy treasure
A memory now forever etched in time

Oh, the joy that comes from such pure adventure
Nature’s brush strokes of serenity and splendor
Creating a haven of tranquility a winter land retreat
Snow glitter dusting everything, I’m in wonder

I carry in my heart’s core the memory of that day
Forevermore a recall of nature’s creative display
For in my favorite park, beneath the snow’s cover
I found solace, I found beauty, I found ammil’s timeless treasure

2023 All rights reserved

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In creative solidarity, Dee

Psithurism: Ode to Jamaica ©Dawn Minott

Jamaica, indigenously named “land of wood and water”
Where nature’s beauty gleams and glows
Bathed in Caribbean Sea’s warm embrace
A paradise where tranquility flows

Lush vegetation adorns the land
Caressed by gentle breezes’ touch
Amidst the trees, I’d often lay or play
Onto childhood’s summer days I clutch

Under the canopy’s verdant embrace
Gazing through leaves to the azure sky
Lost in daydreams my mind would stray
Lulled by psithurism’s soothing sigh

Whispers of wind in towering trees o’er me
A symphony of nature’s melodic rhyme
The rustling leaves, oh sweet lullaby
Calming my spirit, transcending time

Listen—hear psithurism’s gentle murmurings
Whispered secrets of life’s hidden lore
A serenade in my heart forever captured
Indelibly etched in memories’ core

Jamaica, my enchanting island home
Where psithurism weaves its gentle spell
I long to return to your soothing embrace
Where nature’s symphony will forever dwell

2023 All Rights Reserved
Photo credit: https://jamaicaroadtrips.com/circleisland.html (Portland is 1 of 14 parishes in Jamaica)

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Memories of Petrichor ©Dawn Minott

Have you ever experienced the delight and tranquility that comes from listening to the raindrops gently tapping against your window? If so, my friend, you might be a pluviophile—a person who finds immense pleasure in the rain and its soothing presence.

In Jamaica’s embrace, my heart recalls
Cherished memories, as raindrops fall
The first few droplets, on scorching terrain
Unleashing petrichor’s earthy-fragrant reign

Hot ground beseeched, quenched by nature’s grace
Vapor ascending in a calming embrace
That earthy scent kissed by rain’s soft touch
A tender whisper, I’ve missed so much

Pitter-patter ricocheting off zinc rooftop
Nature’s symphony, a comforting backdrop
Childhood’s realm, a world of pure delight
Where simplicity and joy took whimsical flight

All worries melt away in this nostalgic space
Recalling petrichor weaving her mystical embrace
Ahh, exhaling gratitude, a heartfelt sigh
For memories cherished, never to deny

Petrichor, a gift from nature’s grand design
Where rain and earth unite—oh so divine
In Jamaica’s land, those moments held dear
Petrichor’s essence forever near

Afterword: In conceptualizing this piece it took me way back into childhood memories—it was a nostalgic joyful creative walk back in time. Hope you enjoyed reading it.
Kim, hostess at dVerse, invites us to choose one of the basic four
elements and write a poem. My choice — water (rain) — in this republished piece.

Posted for Poetics: The Four Elements @dVerse Poets Pub

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In the Shadow of Your Smile ©Dawn Minott |a Shadorma

Depths of love
Behind gentle curve
Unveiling
Revealing
In the shadow of your smile
My heart finds release

Afterword: Shadorma is a Spanish 6-line syllabic poem of 3/5/3/3/7/5 syllable lines respectively.

2023 All Rights Reserved

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Petrichor ©Dawn Minott |a Haiku

Petrichor blesses

Earth’s scent she wakens anew

Rain’s gift, nature’s joy

Afterword: this week’s d’Verse challenge is to choose one word from the list provided to create a poem. I chose petrichor (a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather) and wrote a haiku that anthropomorphized the word (give it human qualities).

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She’s A Lot!! ©Dawn Minott |a Shadorma

She’s a lot!

You’re right … I’m a lot

Lots of heart

Ideas

And personality, too

So, yeah … I’m a lot!

Afterword: Shadorma is a Spanish 6-line syllabic poem of 3/5/3/3/7/5 syllable lines respectively.

2023 All Rights Reserved

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Your Circle ©Dawn Minott |a Shadorma

One or two
You don’t need a lot
Choose wisely
The right friends
Your circle, a sacred space
For a chosen few

Afterword: Shadorma is a Spanish 6-line syllabic poem of 3/5/3/3/7/5 syllable lines respectively.

2023 All Rights Reserved

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Be The Sunshine ©Dawn Minott |a Shadorma

Life gets dark
Light disappearing
Heart breaking
In silence
Be the sunshine for others
Seek to brighten lives

Afterword: Shadorma is a Spanish 6-line syllabic poem of 3/5/3/3/7/5 syllable lines respectively.

2023 All Rights Reserved

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Yeah Me ©Dawn Minott |a Limerick

There was once a poet—yeah, me
Writing limericks from comedic things that be
Trivial topics at best
The blog did the rest
A week of happy limericks for bloggers to see

Afterword: And so concludes the featured poetic form—the limerick. Hope you chuckled a time or two reading these over the last week 😊🤣😊

2023 All Rights Reserved

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Dog Ate My Homework ©Dawn Minott |a Limerick

There was once a dog with a will so strong
Determined to prove the teacher wrong
The homework he ate
Like bone on a plate
Leaving Johnny to explain all day long


Teacher: Johnny no fibbing.
Johnny: It’s true, the dog did really eat my homework!

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Ugh … a bird on my head?! ©Dawn Minott |a Limerick

There was once a man who grew birds on his head
And you thought dandruff was your biggest dread!?
Try dealing with poop
Whether stand or you stoop
Like the man who grew birds on his head

2023 All Rights Reserved

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Me Stuck ©Dawn Minott |a Limerick

There once was a lovable dog, but quite dopey
His cat sister said, “you’ll get through, your coat is soapy!”
His head got stuck
He’s a sitting duck
Now he’s not only dopey, but mopey 😔


PS: I hope you’ve been laughing your way through these limerick poems this week 😜🤪😂🤣

2023 All Rights Reserved

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MidWeek Boost: Limerick-ing ©️Dawn Minott

There was a man who had a job
But Wednesdays gave him quite the jab
He curled o’er the stool
No playing the fool
“The hump is too steep”, was his sob

The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump! Happy hump day!
2023 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved

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Lips Like These! ©Dawn Minott |a Limerick

There once was a horse that lived on a farm
Like old McDonald he had quite the charm
He painted his lips
Puckered up for a kiss
But Miss McDonald raised quite the alarm

2023 All Rights Reserved

Afterword: A limerick is a five-line poem that consists of a single stanza, an AABBA rhyme scheme, and whose subject is a short, pithy tale or description. Most limericks are comedic, some are downright crude, and nearly all are trivial in nature.

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Irrational Fear ©Dawn Minott |a Limerick

There was a man who had a fear
That he’d be turned into a chair
A man made of wood
In a corner he stood
Till his wife interrupted, “wake up dear!”


Afterword: I took this photo in the change room of a store in Johannesburg, SA in April. I knew it would spark some measure of creativity — and here it is, a limerick. A limerick is a five-line poem that consists of a single stanza, an AABBA rhyme scheme, and whose subject is a short, pithy tale or description. Most limericks are comedic, some are downright crude, and nearly all are trivial in nature.

2023 All Rights Reserved

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MidWeek Boost: Say Nothing! ©️Dawn Minott

Sometimes the wisest thing you can say is NOTHING!

The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump! Happy hump day!

2023 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved

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Worthwhile Exchange ©Dawn Minott | a Haiku

Butterflies’ beauty
Caterpillars’ painful change
Worthwhile exchange


The butterfly is beautiful only because the caterpillar was brave enough to accept painful change.

2023 All Rights Reserved

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Hope Away from Home ©Dawn Minott |for World Refugee Day 2023

A refugee’s journey marked by turmoil and despair
Hope away from home, though there must be fear
With open hearts, with hands extended wide
Build supportive community, stand side by side

Let there not be walls to impede quest for new start
Inclusion the motto to guide each heart
Champions of justice defenders, support not fight
For refugees seeking safety this will be a guiding light

In the face of adversity champion their cause
United voices resounding can influence laws
Advocate for their stories loudly proclaim
Lasting solutions the aim, extinguish prejudice flame

World Refugee Day—a reminder profound
That compassion and empathy know no bounds
It’s possible in this vast world for refugees to find
A haven of safety, warmth and peace of mind

Together we can make a difference, this is true
Champion rights, that’s what we’re meant to do
Better to build bridges than feed the divide
For on this day and every day our humanity abide


You may appreciate reading the 2022 poem, Before You Call Me Refugee and Refugee, which was also published on Spillwords.

Afterword: Each year on 20 June, the United Nations calls on the world to commemorate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. The 2023 theme of World Refugee Day is “hope away from home.”

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Juneteenth: Liberation ©Dawn Minott |a Haibun

Liberation—the act of setting someone free from slavery, imprisonment, bondage—supersedes the physical. The liberated must have release—freedom from limits in thoughts or behavior. Liberation encompasses the physical, emotional, psychological self to be truly free.

It’s like the prophet-artist Bob Marley sang in “Redemption Song”—“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds”.

In liberation exists threads of courage and dreams. It is a space where boundaries of all types dissolve, and enables the spirit to soar on wings of freedom.

This is what Texas native Opal Lee dreamed of. At 96 years old [in 2023] she fought her entire adult life for this day to be recognized as a federal holiday. June 19, 1865 commemorates Union soldiers arrival in Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, signed earlier by President Abraham Lincoln, which freed enslaved people.

Renewal in spring
Like nature liberated
Dreams unbound, take flight


Afterword: dVerse Haibun Monday the prompt is to compose a Haibun on the theme “liberation” in honor of Juneteenth, which is today, June 19th.

A haibun is a Japanese literary form that combines prose and haiku.

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In creative solidarity, Dee

Breath ©Dawn Minott |a Senryu series

Before-word: How often do we think about breathing? Maybe never, right? Because it’s such an innate part of who we are, happening independent of us, we don’t really think about it. Especially as we’ve had to wear masks for many months, at the start of this new week I pause to poetically acknowledge breath.


Whimsical, as light as feather

Breath, a gentle breeze
Sustains life’s eternal flow
Peace in each exhale

Inhale to exhale effortlessly

Inhale life’s sweet air
Exhale worries, find solace
Breath unites, heals all

Rhythmic in-and-out flow

Beneath starlit sky
Breath ebbs and flows, life’s rhythm
Vital energy

Sustainer of life

Lungs embrace the air
Vital rhythm of existence
Breath whispers, “Be alive”

Cannot be voluntarily constrained

Breath dances freely
Liberation fills each lung
Freedom whispers life

Powerful controller of life and death

You’re life’s beginning
A faithful companion
Constant to life’s end

Breath

2023 All rights reserved

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In creative solidarity, Dee

Juneteenth: Not Black, It’s American

Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.

Nelson Mandela
..with suffragist, freedom fighter Miss Sojourner Truth

Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Juneteenth marks the anniversary of the announcement of General Order No. 3 by Union Army general Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas.

2023 All rights reserved

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In creative solidarity, Dee

Ode to Mint ©Dawn Minott

In my potted garden, blessed and green
Mint added to create space serene
Their fragrance dances in the air
Adding delight, a whispering flare

With a gentle touch, one sprig I pluck
Crushing it lightly, its essence struck
My senses, awakened with delight
Unfold the magic, sip by sip, tonight

Steeping in hot water, leaves’ flavor unfurl
Releasing their essence, a tea-gift like pearl
Aromatic tendrils curl and ascend
Into my cup tranquility blends

Bit by bit the minty potion I sip
My senses held in a heaven-like grip
Its cooling touch calming my soul
An elixir of peace, my spirit made whole

From garden to teacup, a journey complete
Mother Nature’s symphony of flavor sweet
Oh humble mint from the earth you spring
Flavoring my tea, a simple joy you bring

So with me raise your cups and cheer
To the mint from our gardens, ever near
A fragrant companion, faithful and true
With each sip, moments of bliss will ensue

Mint

Afterword: If you’ve been visiting this space for awhile you know I started a garden under the pandemic. I also wanted to plant a vegetable garden. This year I gave up on waiting on boxes to be installed and resorted to pots. So I finally planted vegetable and herbs, including mint. I had the first fruit my labor with a fragrant cup of mint tea!! The experience is worthy of its own ode.

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In creative solidarity, Dee

Writing Is ©Dawn Minott |a Quatrain-Senryu

Before-word: One of the first pieces I wrote for this blog was “Why I Write”. It speaks about the power of the written word. We shift and grow and though the written words remain as they were first written, they take on different meanings as we look back at them through the lens of our shifting and growing.

This poem came from reflecting on my why for writing. I transformed my initial “Why I Write” essay into a poem—“Writing Is”—combining a quatrain and a senryu.

Writing Is

Writing is the air to creativity’s wondering
In the stroke of words imagination go flying
Ideas once dormant take their place among the living
Expressed in a symphony of thoughts now revealing

Writing is the oxygen to fire’s flaming
Fuels the mind, confined thoughts unlocking
Thoughts mixed with emotions dancing
A delicate step-by-step word-to-word igniting

Writing is the needle point to tapestry creating
Starting from just one single word expressing
To a collection of words stitched together stories revealing
Whether prose or poetry, expressed ideas weaving

Writing is the spark of inspiration
stimulating
Giving voice to ideas imagination unveiling
Whispers soul secrets from the deepest parts revealing
Tales that long await words for the unveiling

Writing is the breath to creative spaces filling
A sanctum divine imagination transcending
The rhythm and rhyme of words unfolding
Symphonies’ hearts, once held in words, now singing

Writing is my soul
Words alive, flow through my veins
Ink spills my essence

2023 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