The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump. Happy hump day!
2023 All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
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
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
2023 All rights reserved
Music: Bob Marley and the Wailers
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In creative solidarity, Dee
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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In creative solidarity, Dee
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump. Happy hump day!
2023 All Rights Reserved
Like what you see? There’s more HERE👈 and on Spillwords, the Writers Club & Facebook. To never miss a post click HERE👈 to subscribe & follow the blog.
In creative solidarity, Dee
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
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
I find nature truly beautiful—the sound of the rain on my windowpanes; the peace and tranquility of tress; being captivated by the moon, or darkness or the ocean. A love blossoms within, and I want to share my experiences with others.
Sometimes words fall short in capturing the full essence of such awe-inspiring sights. But sometimes there’s that perfect expression, a visual representation, that manages to encapsulate the magnificence of what I see.
This week’s posts will be on words that capture the beauty of nature in expressions that perfectly communicates the awesomeness of natural sights.
A couple of the pieces will be a journey back in time. Come along for this poetic ride and enjoy nature’s rhapsody with me.
2023 All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
In twilight’s gleam—when stars come out to play
Like a silent dream—when sun gives way to moon
The world is transformed, bathed in a silver glow
The dance of shadows ushered in, begins a mystical show
The moon takes the lead—in the blackened night
On a lunar path guided—it invites me venture out
I obey, embracing the nocturnal scene
Stride by stride, on a moonwalk serene
Moonbeams caress the earth—a silver trail creating
Light as a whispered tale—I embrace its shimmering grace
Footsteps echo softly, imprints left behind
A celestial rhythm rise, in this dance myself I find
The moonwalk whispers—secrets of galaxies reveal
Taken into realms serene—I transcend earthly realm
A celestial traveler I become, lost in the cosmic tide
Dancing in the moonlight, where the universe resides
A dance of shadows—moonbeams so pure
In this mystical embrace—it’s the cure, spirit soars
When stars come out to play, and night wears its dark attire
I find my solace in the moon’s celestial fire
2023 All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
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
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In creative solidarity, Dee
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump believing in yourself! Happy hump day!
2023 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
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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In creative solidarity, Dee
Teacher: Johnny no fibbing.
Johnny: It’s true, the dog did really eat my homework!
2023 All Rights Reserved
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2023 All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
PS: I hope you’ve been laughing your way through these limerick poems this week 😜🤪😂🤣
2023 All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
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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In creative solidarity, Dee
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
Thank you for reading.
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.
Nelson Mandela
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
Thank you for journeying along.
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In creative solidarity, Dee
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 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
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In creative solidarity, Dee
In the sphere where dreams unfold
Where the spirit finds its voice
Lies a secret story yet to be told
Where resilience makes a choice
From “impossible” let’s take a leap
I’mPossible! confidently declares
Break it apart, no secrets to keep
Unleash hope, banish despairs
With every challenge there’s a chance
Determination a stalwart guide
To rise above, embrace life’s dance
Mountains we’ll conquer side by side
No longer bound by doubt’s dark reign
Obstacle recast as opportunity we grasp
I’mPossible! fuels determination flame
Holding our own destiny in a tight clasp
We can each embrace this powerful rephrase
For within us all the strength resides
Bask in the brightest of light displays
Unleash—dance free, let fear hides
Embrace life’s challenges, your spirit resound
With boundless faith and determined will
I’mPossible! ricochets from all around
Till the dance of life you bravely fulfill
2023 All Rights Reserved
Sadje chose this picture for her prompt on What Do You See # 188 May 29, 2023 which made me think of this truly amazing artist—Musa Motha—finding light in what looks like impossible and dark situations.
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Beforeword: I want to start this new month with a tribute poem. Kym Moore is one of the most positive people I’ve been privileged to meet on WP. Her comments often spur my thoughts into creative expressions. This poem emanated from one of her comments on one of my poems where she used the words “rise and soar”. Thanks Kym!! Keep shining positivity. This one’s for you sistah gurl (as I often call her).
In the golden embrace of dawn we rise
Like birds, with wings unfurled, we soar
Through boundless skies, where dream flies
Our spirits will rise forevermore
On winds of hope, we take our flight
Above the shadows of darkness transcend
With every beat our hearts take delight
A symphony of freedom, our souls ascend
Together, we defy negativity’s plight
Exploring, rather, unseen horizons scene
With positivity as our guiding light
On mountains rise, rest in valleys serene
Through mountains high and valleys low
Our souls abound, we seek, we explore
In unity our passions will grow
We’ll find the wings of love to soar
So let us rise, forever be free
To chase sunset’s vibrant ray
It’s in our dreams we truly see
Endless possibilities relay
With every step, with every breath
Embrace the beauty life has in store
In harmony we transcend depth
And forevermore we’ll rise and soar
2023 All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Using my latest publication on Spillwords, “Final Breath”, to highlight positive mental health on this the last day of Mental Health Awareness month.
Forgive, even when your heart’s been broken
Think before each word is spoken
Regard not the ugly people say
End not your day in trifling dismay
Be the first to say: “I’m sorry”
You won’t live your days in worry
Don’t forget to say: “I love you”
And prove always this is true
Then when kiss of death falls on your lips
And all of life before you slips
When you glance back on the last moments of time
Over the valleys you walked and …
You may read the full poem at this link.
While you’re there please don’t forget to remember to show me/my art some love with a like and your comments. Thanks.
Many thanks to Dagmara K., Director of Development, Editing Department and the entire team at Spillwords for selecting this piece!
2023 All Rights Reserved
First published 2022 on createdbyDEEsign.com
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Enter a world where playful creatures monkey around
Their cute antics unfurling, dogging about, pet lovers surround
Cats not to be outdone, skittish and playful, pussyfooting about
There’s even a pig—yeah, you guessed it—he’s pigging out
Some days we need a bare hug, sadness to erase
Like bears bear-hugging their friends in a warm embrace
Animals joyful glee, bounce about kangarooing
Never slowing down a whimsical world of cavorting
Don’t bug me, this is a tale of animal’s “verbifying”
They horse around, that there is no denying
So let’s honor nature’s creatures weaseling out lessons unconfined
Through animal “verbifying” let our poetry flow, unwind
For in this dance of words we’ll find connections true
Larking between the animal world and the human—me and you
2023 All Rights Reserved
Afterword: I couldn’t resist joining this very fun prompt hosted by dVerse Poets Pub, Tuesday Poetics 05.30.23: Acting Like Animals!
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Accept you as you are
Believe in the good, do good
Cultivate an attitude of gratitude
Do what you love, do you
Embrace the flaws
Find peace of mind
Give with no expectations
Happiness 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 kind human
Love like you won’t be hurt, live like you will die
Make the space you occupy a better place
Nurture friendships, you’ll need support
Obstacles are opportunities for change, embrace them
Protect your mental health, self-care is NOT selfish
Quiet the noise, listen from within
Remember always, you’re imperfectly perfect and that’s OK!
Say yes to adventures—period!
Treat people with respect
Understand before you seek to be understood
Vulnerability is not weakness, welcome it
Worship God always, it will center you in this ever-changing world
eXpress your voice authentically, be not silenced
You’re beautifully and wonderfully created, know this
Zealously pursue every dream, take chances, it’s ok to fail
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In creative solidarity, Dee
2023 All Rights Reserved
In the realm where words take flight
They weave a tapestry bold and bright
When stitched together, thread by thread
They craft masterpieces where dreams can be read
An alliance of verses harmoniously blend
They unite heart’s symphony, emotions transcend
Words possess the power to heal
They bridge divides, make hearts feel
Stitch words in alliance loud and clear
In the tapestry words create, hold life dear
Stitch them with love, impart them with grace
They breathe life into alliance, they leave lasting trace
Afterword: I took up Sami on the 10 word challenge—stitch, then saw Fandango’s one word challenge—alliance. Both words formed an harmonious dance in my mind and out flowed “Words Stitched in Alliance”.
2023 All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Words are like
Tapestry
Stitch
Them together to make
Art
In response to Weekend Writing Prompt- 313- Stitch, hosted by Sami Cox
2023 All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Whenever, wherever I travel I try to find the most interesting, culturally-relevant experiences I can have and immerse myself fully in them.
Enjoy this travelogue — moments of a sunset dinner on the highest rooftop restaurant in Zanzibar.
Along the twists and turns of a maze of crumbling alleyways in fabled Old Stone Town in Zanzibar (Tanzania), up what feels like a hundred stairs on a steep ascent to the most astonishing sunsets is—the Emerson on Hurumzi rooftop restaurant!
Ooh la lah … hands immersed in warm rose-fragrant water before the start of a delectable dining experience fused with Omani and Persian influences.
… and if all this wasn’t enough, the night is topped off with live music by a traditional Taarab singer & band.
Question: What does sunset, dinner and rooftop in Zanzibar have in common?
Answer: The makings of a unforgettable experience with memories for a lifetime.
Side Note: Its sister restaurant is the Emerson Spice. It’s in a beautifully ornated old Swahili mansion which has its roots deep in the history of Zanzibar and credited by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. And quite fittingly so because it’s history includes being home of the last Swahili ruler of Zanzibar, Muhammed bin Ahmed, known as Mwenyi Mkuu.
2023 All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
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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In creative solidarity, Dee
Life can be tough BUT YOU ARE TOUGHER. Carry on Fighter!!
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump fighting. Happy hump day!
2023 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
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 in relation to others or a situation. This stay may be to remain in the same place. Or it may be to wait, to pause, to stop or to hang around.
There is stay that pertains to the inability to remain hidden. That is a mode of stay that is premised on continuing to be—to persist, to carry on, to go on being. In essence this stay is to be at rest in your being or in the situation.
There is also stay that is about being accommodated such as to stop over or to visit with the knowledge that it’s but a sojourn—it’s a temporary stay.
And then there is stay in nautical terms.
I recently sailed on a dhow (see photo above). In watching the sailors raise the sail, I wanted to better understand what was entailed. As they explained the support that stays provide to the fully-deployed sail, I had an aha moment:
Doing life in many ways is like a sailing boat and it’s dependency on the stay.
Stay in nautical terms is about directing the movement of a boat’s mast in relation to the direction of the wind.
Stay in the midst of living life, is also about directing the movement of one’s life in relation to the direction of the issues at hand which is often a tumultuous place to be.
We go through questioning, wonderings, and doubts. There’s the interplay of what-ifs and uncertainty that fuels this fear of making the wrong decisions.
It is in these moments of chaotic noise that we must listen differently.
In noisiness, if someone wishes to speak directly to you, she/he will likely whisper as oppose to shouting above the noise.
Whispering is a different way of communicating for both the speaker and the listener. The speaker must soften her/his voice, using as it were their inside voice. While the listener must silence all else—to quiet the inside noise—and listen intently and intentionally to hear.
Whispering also takes on a different posture. When someone intends to share something intimately with you, they lean into you, moving their mouth close to your ears.
In reflecting on being in this period of stay, and acknowledging that this time is being accompanied by confused noise, what I needed most was to listen differently for the voice of God.
Listening differently is moving my ears closer to the mouth of God.
This of course is all about the posture of my heart. That is, a leaning into God—talking to Him, asking for discernment to hear and to accurately understand what He’s saying, and for a willingness in my heart to follow. That heart posture is one of intimacy and it’s one of surrender.
The need for discernment is to determine the type of stay in order to know if it’s a stay to “stay in” or a “stay to miss”. Do I remain in the same place? Wait, pause, stop or hang around? Am I to be at rest in my being or in this current situation? Or is it that I’m merely in a period of sojourn?
A posture of surrender helps to determine where my stay is mounted. Is my stay in a person or a situation or circumstance?
In the case of boats, stays need a strong mounting point to handle the immense forces they endure.
So do I.
My mounting point in a stay period is God!
Why?
Because God is not only in the stay, but most importantly He is of the stay.
God creates blessing opportunities through the moments of stay in our lives.
If we are cognizant to tune into Him, we will hear His “gentle whisper” —what the Bible calls a “still small voice”— we will hear it through the din and turmoil into the silence we create.
Not only does God desire that our stay is mounted in Him but that it remains in Him regardless of storms and fires or peace and calm.
In the same way a boat in stay is steered to head directly into and through the boisterous wind in order to bring the vessel on the opposite side of the wind, so must our lives be steered.
One thing that stood out in learning about nautical stays is this — no mater what material a boat’s mast is made from, if it is unstayed it will quickly fail under sail.
For us—on our own—our lives, like mast, cannot withstand the pressures of the storm. But if God is the mainstay of our lives, then we will not collapse under the pressure and uncertainty of life’s stays.
With God as a life Captain, a life in stay will be steered through the moments of turmoil and brought to the opposite side where the noise is silenced and His leading can be heard.
I also learned that stays are mounted to the very front and the rearmost parts of a boat. So is God to be mounted in our lives to stabilize and guide in both the forward and aft directions. And when that is the case, that’s when God puts His mouth up to your ears for the whisper of direction. And whether you turn to the right or to the left:
… your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it…
That’s what God promised in Isaiah 30:21!
Because stay periods are an inevitable part of doing life, you may now be in stay, coming out of stay or will be going into stay.
So, the sum of my reflection is this:
Welcome the stay.
Listen past the noise. God is speaking. It may be a whisper.
Check your heart posture. Is your heart leaning into God to hear; and, is it willing to follow?
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In creative solidarity, Dee
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 honey words today and everyday. Happy hump day!
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Perched precariously upon a rock
A watering hole for travelers wide
Below craggy surface fishing boats dock
Landlocked till ocean ushers in high tide
Aptly called—The Rock—restaurant with view
Ocean kissing sky from every side
Diners pose for pictures not one or two
Capture moments too glorious to hide
Dishes created from ocean’s offer
Chefs working their magic to make it right
Culinary joy for seafood lover
Delectable food, whetting appetite
The visit, a travel enthusiast’s bliss
From “to do” to experience complete
More than idea on a travel list
Pictures with stories to regale replete
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Nakupenda is
Sandbank beach in Zanzibar
It means “I love you”
Indian Ocean
Idyllic summer swim in
Crystal-clear waters
Waves move o’er white sand
Low tide ripples revealing
Just off Stone Town coast
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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 and as it’s being commemorated in the land of my ancestors, Africa, getting the henna art seemed fitting.
On the day I got this design drawn on my hand I was walking through the craft market in Stone Town, Zanzibar, when a sistah called out to me. First with the request that I buy clothing then with the offer of drawing me a henna. And so I paused my walk long enough to speak with her while she skillfully, in 3 minutes, created this artistic expression to visibly show my intentional celebration of my birthday/birthMONTH.
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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.
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Caramel skin brotha, kissed by the sun
A shaved head with full beard, bespoke sexy
A picture speak a thousand words as one:
Debonair-elegant-charming-dressy
Knees weakening, heart’s racing, she’s undone
Cause or cure, intoxicating is he
Black, bald and bearded in confidence stride
Taking her along, a fantastic ride
Afterword: An ottava rima is an eight-line stanza with the specific rhyme scheme in which the first six lines have an alternating rhyme pattern and a couplet as the final two lines.
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What eyes see
Is not always all
Rainbow’s whole
Beyond clouds
A trick of perspective
Like life, full circle
Afterword: Shadorma is a Spanish 6-line syllabic poem of 3/5/3/3/7/5 syllable lines respectively. Simple as that.
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The most powerful addition
I can’t do this + YET = optimism
I can’t express myself + YET = growth mindset
I don’t get it + YET = perseverance
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump—PERSEVERE! Happy hump day!
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May your birthday be just the beginning of
A year filled with happy memories
A year filled with wonderful moments
A year filled with shining dreams
Beloved Beautiful Daughter of Zion
Think not of how old you are
Rather think of how blessed you are
Think of all the experiences you’ve had in life—both good and bad—that have brought you this far
B-be yourself
I-invite new challenges
R-recall past triumphs
T-trust your instincts
H-have faith in your abilities
D-desire only the best
A-affirm your strengths
Y-you have got what it takes
Afterword: This year my friends have given me the best gifts to commemorate the day of my birth—the gift of words in poetry. Being a logophile, words are precious to me. Words constitute the language my heart operates in. This piece is in full credit to Tshepo Kgadima.
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Let her eat
To her contentment
Choice of cake
Candle lit
Sparkling atop, till blown out
Celebrating life
Afterword: Shadorma is a Spanish 6-line syllabic poem of 3/5/3/3/7/5 syllable lines respectively. Simple as that.
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Birthday is a time for good wishes
A midas-like touch for successes
Love like assuring hug caresses
Knee slapping laughter tear induces
Impecable good health and high spirts
Sprinkled throughout the year, showers of wealth
Afterword: This piece was inspired by birthday wishes sent from a friend. I used the gwawdodyn byr poetic form — it’s a sestet (or six-line stanza) form with 9 syllables in the first 4 lines; 10 syllables in the final 2 lines; lines 1-4 and 6 end rhyme; the end of line 5 rhymes with a syllable in line 6.
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Happy, forever twenty one!
When it Dawn, the light becomes
When the light becomes, the heart shines
When the heart shines, the soul smiles
When the soul smiles, love becomes, her Dawn!
As I celebrate my birthMONTH, I must give a shout out to Warren over at “A Love Story” for this beautiful poetic tribute and my dear friend for this equally beautiful greeting card. Together their thoughtfulness equals a gift worth treasuring and amplifying.
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blessed with style, grace and oh yes
much attitude
radiance suspended in time
like an interlude
you don’t go girl, you flow girl
no question, it is your world
Enjoy your birthday
Afterword: When your friend honors your love of poetry and writes you a poem to celebrate your birthday. All credit to Michael Cabero.
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another revolution
around the sun
of mindedness… you’re not who you were then
***
intended communication
to be heard
even silent… when words can deform the meaning
***
adjusted celebration
of others
to yourself… to see you more and better, to heal you
***
charmed resignation
of expectations
in freedom… of your occupation, your holds, to your dreams
***
purposeful reclaimation
of growth
each year… a journey to discover, the awesomeness in you
***
Afterword: each year my dearest friend, my chomma, writes me a poem for my birthday. This is her 2023 poetic celebration of my life journey and our friendship. All credit to Amanda “Mando” Khoza.
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Thanks to Cee for hosting the Flower of the Day prompt
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The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump. Keep moving. Happy hump day!
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There are many types of beautiful in this world, and you are one of them.
Christy Ann Martine
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump. Happy hump day!
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Slavery
Transatlantic Trade
Families …
torn away
Millions deprived, trauma …
generations span
Prejudice
Harmful norms live on
Impact then …
continues …
today, racist legacy …
reverberating
See the world …
through ethical lens
Status quo …
transforming
Education needed, to …
end injustice now
Afterword: A Shadorma (3/5/3/3/7/5) series to commemorate this year’s theme for the international: “Fighting Slavery’s Legacy of Racism Through Transformative Education.”
My 2020 commemoration poem: Mamma Africa
My 2021 commemoration poem: Lest We Forget
My 2023 commemoration poem: Free At Last
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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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In creative solidarity, Dee
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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In creative solidarity, Dee
***
2023 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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Women and girls, in all their diversity
A life of equity and equality is their right fundamentally
Whether offline or in virtual spaces
NO violence! NO harassment! NO abuse—in NO places!
To have agency over their bodies and over their lives
Every year, March 8, International Women’s Day recognize
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
Dr Seuss
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump. Happy hump day!
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Chisholm, first black woman—congressman
Unbought and unbossed campaign she ran
A presidential seat to be won
Though they blocked it, said it can’t be done
Undeterred, glass ceiling-breaker, was she
Her legacy, never will be undone
Afterword: The gwawdodyn byr is a sestet (or six-line stanza) form with 9 syllables in the first 4 lines; 10 syllables in the final 2 lines; lines 1-4 and 6 end rhyme; the end of line 5 rhymes with a syllable in line 6.
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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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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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In creative solidarity, Dee
As the world’s attention is focused on this day of love—Valentine’s Day—sending out a prayer that we outdo each other in/with LOVE.
Happy Valentine’s Day!!!!
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Ships arrived
Fourteen-ninety-two
Conquest of
Paradise
A place can’t be “discovered”
Where people were found
Afterword: Shadorma is a Spanish 6-line syllabic poem of 3/5/3/3/7/5 syllable lines respectively. Simple as that.
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2023 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump. Happy hump day!
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Create space
Never hesitate
You have voice
There’s a choice
Seat not offered at the table?
Carry your own chair
Afterword: Shadorma is a Spanish 6-line syllabic poem of 3/5/3/3/7/5 syllable lines respectively. Simple as that.
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Some kings rule from iron thrones
Disconnected from community reality
You’re the King who served from humanity’s throne
Who dreamed not in black or white
Who envisioned instead a world inclusive
Your voice, your vision a great void filling
Speaking the language of the unheard
Inspiration to persevere, to never stop dreaming
Summoning collective longings and eternal hopes
For a nation by its noblest ideals is truly living
Fighting back against injustice
Rallying the call — equality for all
Your dream though deferred lives on
In a people, like you, souled out for change
2023 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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… 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!!!
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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.
From the source of spiritual cosmology
Conceived in rhythmic movements
Birthed through pulsing, pushing
Punctuated by intermittent pain and joy
Life
Life
Giving meaning to the ineffable
Obscured in allusions
Developed in plots
Composed in stanzas
Live
Live
In fragmented syntax of challenges and victories
Linguistic coding lyrics of uninhibited joy with unimaginable sorrow
Alliteration of life’s idioms of transformation
Reciting poignant epigrams of wondrous elocution
Live life
Live life
In metres to know and be known
Evolving through spiritual healing
Resolutely declaimed: live in the everlasting now
Climaxing in all that was created
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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 up against the window pane, I stare intently
In fear, that even a flutter of my eyelashes and he’ll bow out
This is the year
Armed and ready I am
I’ll not concede or give in on this relentless pursuit
This is the spring where he’ll surrender to the will of my intent
Suspending his whim of flight for a moment long enough for—
Aim . . .
Shoot . . .
Got it!
The shot I’ve been pursuing in spring times past
My spring time bunny visitor
Forever captured, frozen for a moment-in-time, behind bars
Photographed
Caveat: It’s not 99 words or less as Charli asked for this story challenge in 99 words prompt but I couldn’t resist resurrecting this piece from Spring 2021.
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You may also like the post: “Be Like A Tree”
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You, Me, We
Are but one of millions, like starlings
Swooping across a globe in flux
You, Me, We
Intricately coordinated in journey
Creating program formations to aid a world ever changing
You, Me, We
Connecting human rights, equality, justice
Leaving no “starling” behind
You, Me, We
Maintaining cohesion
Sensing uncertainty, figuring out change
You, Me, We
Group cohesiveness balancing
Individual efforts commending
You, Me, We—US, optimizing balance, maintaining consensus
You, Me, We—UNITED in nations’ service
You, Me, We—COLLECTIVE in our humanity
You, Me, We—UBUNTU—because you are I am
Afterword: Ubuntu” is part of the Zulu phrase “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”, which literally means that a person is a person through other people.
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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 from the recent rain and the driest part of the seat is wide enough for just perching. So I’m precariously perched with book in hand.
I’m reading. Every now and again I look up to smile or mouth “hi” to neighborhood folks walking by. Some taking health break strolls like the healthcare workers who work at the nearby hospital. Others pushing baby strollers. Couples strolling hand-in-hand. And others walking with or being dragged by their dogs. So I’m looking up from my book a few times but still getting a good bit of consistent reading in.
There’s a dog approaching. His master has him on a long leash so I turn my smile to him before his master arrives. She talks first:
“What’s that in your hand,” she asks.
“This?” Closing the book and extending it for her to see I continue, “a book.”
“We don’t see too many of those these days,” she responded.
“So true. And this one is about “Small Talk”, go figure”, I smiled with a lift of my brow.
We chatted for a little bit. Small talk in practice.
“Have a great day,” she semi-shouted, turning her head back in my direction as her dog had tire of our conversation and was now dragging her away.
And just like that I got the chance to practice, “The Fine Art of Small Talk” in my favorite park, perched on a bench, across from the river, alongside the hospital on a beautiful weather day in winter.
Ciao beautiful WP people 👋🏾 rain drops are spattering on my phone. Running home.
2023 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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2023 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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A well-lived year is like well-worn boots
Filled up with memories grounded in roots
Sprouting, growing in all the right places
Changing, evolving, transforming spaces
Boots worn laid in waste
Till nature took ‘em over
Unexpectedly
Contributing to Sadje’s WDYS #167
2023 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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2023 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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To 2022’s end—time is rapidly racing
Now only 1 day remaining
New boundaries to draw, negativity ending
There’s still time for needful erasing
***
Letting go, without fear—embracing
Rebirth on the other side of heartache, waiting
To happiness, harmony, your heart is directing
There’s still time—create new beginning
***
Which doors must close for better ones’ opening?
Peace, hope, guidance into something new you’re stepping
Disappointments, hurt, grudges—releasing
There’s still time, decide what stays who’s influencing
***
To 2023’s beginning time is rapidly racing
Now only 1 day remaining
Love, joy, hope—negativity replacing
There’s still time to start the changing
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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You may also enjoy another mid-week boost post: “Yet Plus …”!
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2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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👆PLAY👆to listen as you read along
‘Twas the night before Christmas that Jesus returned
All through the universe, not a sound was heard
Not a creature stirred, not even a mouse
There was half-an-hour’s silence in the Father’s house (Revelation 8:1)
My children reluctantly crawled into bed
I tucked them in snugly with a kiss on each head
No one said a prayer, and no one was aware
That the second coming of Jesus was awfully near
I sat on the sofa, exhausted and tired
My favorite show I must watch before I retire
As soon as it’s finished, I’ll read the Bible
And say a quick prayer, if I’m still able
When out from the east arose such a clatter
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter
I raced to the window in a lightning flash
Tore open the louvers, and lifted the sash
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But ten thousands of angels proclaiming: “Jesus is here!” Jesus is here?
In spite of myself, fear drove me away
I wasn’t prepared for this to be the day
Jesus had the Book of Life held in His hand
With a thundering voice He called the name of every redeemed one:
“Now Mary … now Joseph … now Ruth … where’s Esther?
And David … and Dorcas … come on John …where’s Peter?”
No! That can’t all be
You still haven’t called me
I cried, and wept, and pleaded with Him
“Look again—please—my name must be within”
I looked into His eyes, how they narrowed with pain and sorrow
As His nail-pierced hand pointed me to my darkest tomorrow
“Depart from me, I know you not”, I heard Him sadly say
Condemned. No more time to seek forgiveness, I sadly walked away
Then I saw the condemned running to and fro
To hide from Him seated upon the majestic throne
Their horrid screams penetrate the hollow night
They were caught in a dreadful, inescapable fright
Had I not been told, I would not believe
The looming, ghastly and frightful scene
The whole earth began to heave and shake
Great mountains moved by a mighty quake
The bowels of the sea moaned and groaned
Sending shivers through an already petrified crowd
The lost continued to curse their plight
As one by one they were slain by the radiant light
They slept engulfed in death’s deep slumber
Undisturbed by the trumpets and a voice so tender
It was the voice of Jesus as He summoned the just:
“Awake! Arise My children! Time to shake off the dust!”
Into their tombs glorious beams find their way
Awaking each with a gentle touch and a sway
And one by one they came up from the grave
Standing face to face with their Savior of Grace
As quickly as a wink they were all changed
Up, up and away they swiftly flew out of range
Then I heard Jesus exclaimed ere He rose out of sight:
“I’m taking My children home where there’ll be no more night!”
His children. His children did not include me
For I had practiced “religion” to a T
Squandering salvation gift He gave on the cross
And now my soul was eternally lost
I cried in despair as Christ disappeared from my sight
If only I knew this would have been the night
I would have let go of religious obsessions
And brought before the Lord all my sins in confession
If nothing else from this poem fell on your ear
Believe me Jesus’ coming is quite near
NOW is the time for you to walk in His way
Not sooner or later, but right now—today!
Though this poem was a dream, soon it will be
The day when Jesus’ return we’ll see
Repentance then will be too late
Won’t you enter now through mercy’s gate?
2022 Dawn Minott All rights reserved
As appeared in Moments: A Poetic Heart Journey
Mostly drawn from Revelation 6
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In creative solidarity, Dee
To 2022’s end—time is rapidly racing
8 days are still remaining
New boundaries draw, negativity ending
There’s still time for needful erasing
***
Letting go, without fear—embracing
Rebirth on the other side of heartache, waiting
To happiness, harmony, your heart is directing
There’s still time—create new beginning
***
Which doors must close for better ones’ opening?
Peace, hope, guidance into something new you’re stepping
Disappointments, hurt, grudges—releasing
There’s still time, decide what stays who’s influencing
***
To 2023’s beginning time is rapidly racing
8 days of opportunities, renewed life birthing
Love, joy, hope—negativity replacing
There’s still time to start the changing
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
I’ve curated this event as part of commemoration of 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women. Check it out (registration required):
https://unfpa.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_P8xqclTETPmsb8VyGzKR0A
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Let everything
Let everything that has
Let everything that has breath
Breathe
Breathe in gratitude
Exhale praise
Life
Life can play hard sometimes
Sucker punches of sickness, hurt
Pain that cannot be covered with bandaid or fixed with poetry
And just when you think you’re in the game of better plays
Life knocks the wind out of you leaving you gasping
Making your lungs appreciate the taste of air
And it’s precisely on those days when you should
Breathe
Breathe in gratitude
Exhale praise
So
Come along with me on a high climb
Up the limbs of life’s “poetree”
Sit high upon its lofty branches
See above the strife
See life
See life the way the Creator intended
For
He could have painted our home black and white and we’d have never known
A shack for a home would have been just fine
Instead He gave us a mansion—a globe—wrapped in splendor
With just the bat of His eyelashes, nature jumped in place
He suspended the sky like a curtain, secured stars in their sockets, ignited the sun like a fire-ball and told the ocean you can only come this far
Did He have to give the flowers fragrance and the mountains lofty peaks?
Was He required to put stripes on the zebra, hump on the camel or make the parrots speak?
No
But He did it
So my heart stops
My jaw drops in awe
And my soul erupts like a volcano
Lava of praise cascades from within
Release
Flow
Let go, and
Breathe
Breathe in gratitude
Exhale praise
True
There aren’t enough words I can recite to heal all the pain you feel
But welcome the rain of surrender, it will wash away every pain, every hurt, if you let it
Then bask—bask in the sunshine of God’s favor
Sing aloud His praise
Raise high His beautiful name
And
The next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow of flowers leaves you speechless
Remain that way
Say nothing
Listen as He whispers:
“Do you like it? I did it just for you”
So
Come along with me on a high climb
Up the limbs of life’s “poetree”
In gratitude let the depth of your soul rings the refrain
And
Let everything
Let everything that has
Let everything that has breath
Breathe
Breathe in gratitude
Exhale praise
Afterword: My church commissioned a “thankful” piece for thanksgiving service and this was what I wrote and recited. It’s a miracle that we BREATHE!
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump knowing you are worthy. Happy hump day!
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Born with a purpose-tag on me
Living every day t’ward my destiny
Knowing tomorrow may not be
Living out loud every day I see
***
The choice is mine to love or hate
It’s so much better to give not take
Enjoy the sunshine as equally as the rain
Each note a harmony in life’s song refrain
***
When wake-from-sleep confirms there’s still life
Live life in peace, leave no room for strife
There’s still much more for me to do
Embracing each day like it’s all brand-new
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
The week is long. The weekend is short. Midweek is a good point to recharge to get over the hump conquering. Happy hump day!
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
There’s a popular TV ad in the US for the campaign of an accounting network, BDO, which has a tagline: “People who know, know BDO”.
Catchy, isn’t it?
This may be true for being in the know about accounting. But, if you want to be in the know about LIFE, where do you go!?
Where do you go in this age of distressing global events, reactive media conversations, alternative facts, misinformation, and gaslighting?
Where do you go when lies are elaborate while truth is disputed—being bracketed and experienced in questioning “air quotes”.
Where do you go when lies trump facts?
Through it all you may be left cynical. You may be wondering what and who can be trusted to guide your life’s course.
There is a book that is specifically designed to provide basic, yet essential, instructions for living life in-the-know, life in-the-now, and life-in-the-forever.
Yes, there is such a book!
If you are seeking to distinguish what is truth and what is true—what is true about you, true about people, true about the world, true about the past/the present/the future, and true about God—give the Bible a chance or another chance.
It will reveal that truth is not “what” but “Who”.
Truth is God. God IS the Truth. (John 14:6)
And Truth/God is immutable—He’s neither susceptible to or capable of change. (Malachi 3:6) You can trust the never changing God to guide your life course, and you can get to know Him and His life instructions through His word—the Bible.
So, along the lines of BDO’s tagline: The people who know God, know life!
Shabbat Shalom.
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Sharing from my walk through my favorite park for Cee’s Flower of the Day and Dawn’s Festival of Leaves
Thanks to Harshi for sharing this most relevant quote: “Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”—Jim Bishop.
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
2 Kings 20:6
This verse pertains to Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a king over ancient Israel. He was king David’s great-great- great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson.
By the time Hezekiah assumed the throne as king, 13 kings had already reigned for a period of 294 years. In other words, David was dead for almost 300 years. However, when Hezekiah was sick unto death and the Assyrian army was about to invade his kingdom, he prayed to God for good health and deliverance. God responded by adding 15 additional healthy years to Hezekiah and gave him victory over the invading forces. [This whole saga can be read in the Bible, in the 20th chapter of the book of 2nd Kings.]
What resonated with me when I read this was God’s emphasis that He acted not only for His sake, BUT for David’s sake as well.
You may recall, I wrote a bit about David in a previous post and how God testified of David that his heart was like God’s heart. Yes, David had a special relationship with God. But this story goes beyond that to show that God not only treasures relationships, but that He recalls them and will even extend the benefits of those relationships to descendants for years to come.
So when I read the text that started this post I was absolutely fascinated! You may not see immediately why, so let me paint a picture of how my imagination envisioned what transpired when I read this text.
Go with me on your mind’s eye:
The prophet had just delivered the news to Hezekiah that he was about to die and departed from the bedroom of the King.
Hezekiah immediately falls prostrate at his bedside beseeching God for healing and deliverance. His prayer is one of billions ascending to the throne of God, but when Hezekiah’s prayer reached God’s ears it immediately triggered the memory of God who recalled David.
God recalled a man whose heart resembled His; a man who worshipped Him with such reckless abandon and intensity that there was leftover worship, praise, love and adoration stored up in heaven.
And immediately God pulled down on David’s blessings stored up for almost 300 years and credited it to his offspring removed by 12 generations!
How do I know it was immediate? Because so instant was the response, it came between the time the prophet left Hezekiah and reached the courtyard. God instructed him to return to Hezekiah with the counter message of good health and deliverance.
This ability to call down credit from blessings stored up in heaven by an ancestor is not just Bible-relevant.
Have you ever felt like you’re blessed in ways you don’t deserve, partly ‘cause you didn’t pray for it or request it but it seemed to land on you in just the right way at just the right time?! It happens so seamlessly that unless you’re cognizant of being in a state of gratitude, you may just miss it and instead chalk it up to ‘just life’.
For me, Hezekiah’s experience mirrors my mom and me. You see, long before I knew how to pray I had a prayer-warrior interceding on my behalf, storing up blessings in heavenly places that when needed God could redeem by claiming: “for the sake of Agnes, my servant”.
I never take it for granted when my mom says: “I’m praying for you” or “I pray for you every day” because I know—as confirmed by the Bible—God can move on my behalf based on the stored up prayers my mom deposited on my behalf. And not only my mom because I come from a lineage of people who love God and I believe the blessings they have stored up have been sustained over generations. For in the same way there are generational curses and traumas, there are generational blessings.
Shabbat Shalom! Don’t forget to remember—God doesn’t forget. And He’ll bestow blessings on you that’s been stored up at the request of others on your behalf.
2022 ©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
2022 ©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
at love’s beginning
conversations unending
heart-beats skipping
each passing moment lingering
more of you and more of me unfolding
you for me and me for you exchanging
soul to soul connecting
without words conversing
emotions revealing
deeper into love falling
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Today I started my day in a bathtub
No water
No bubbles
Just me, elongated legs and arms, stretched out
A fluffy pillow cushioning my back against hard porcelain
Sun beam piercing through the blinds bathing me in warmth
There’s a stillness in the air
Except for the steady second-hand chime of the clock on the adjacent wall
Each tick-tocking reminiscent of time’s certain passing
Thoughts free flowing like rain
Drip-dropping to my fingertips
Transforming into words
Transferring from mind to paper
I write
Words of gratitude and appreciation
Of thanksgiving and forgiving
Words to heal, to restore to empathize
I write:
“Today I started my day in a bathtub”
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved (first published 27 Oct 2020)
After-word: When was the last time you nestled in a bathtub, just because…? Allowing it to envelope you for no other reason than … ‘cause you wanna?! I wrote this piece at a time of uncertainty and unrest and found solace in the sturdiness of the bathtub, in the strength of its curled-down edges and the confinement of its length and width (just enough room to snuggle you in protective-like)
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In creative solidarity, Dee
The more I think on why I pray, the more I come to realize that my prayers are really but fragments of my heart.
Like when I’m compelled to stop in acknowledgement that the normalcy and routine of my life has been interrupted by the supernatural.
Like when my eyes open in the morning and I realize that I’m alive, the fragment of gratitude from my heart escapes upon my lips: “thank you Father for waking me up”.
WITH ALL THERE IS TO SAY TO GOD—
—the thanksgiving, the praising, the adoration, the questioning …
—the joy, the sorrow, the loss, the longing, the hurting …
—the wonderings and what-ifs, the near-misses and could-have-been …
My prayers are unending conversations taking place with:
—eyes-wide-open, eyes-tightly-closed …
—standing-up or kneeling-down …
—hands clasped or held high …
My prayers are often filled with emotions seen in:
—tears of joy or tears of sadness …
—unending smiles and abandoned laughter …
—sometimes loud and sometimes soft …
—sometimes no words at all just groans
Shabbat Shalom. May you find the peace, the joy, the release, the assurance that comes with praying.
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
2022 ©Dawn Minott All rights reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
I wish you—LOVE
Love that never lays the blame
Playing the I-love-you-more game
Love that doesn’t mind being wrong
Keeping vows made in tact and strong
Love that always generates a smile
Melting away, bridging the miles
Love built firmly on faith and trust
Willing to shift, make change, adjust
I wish you—LOVE
Love as rare as a priceless stone
Love able to transform a house to a home
Love perfectly aligned as sent from above
Love carried gently on the winds like dove
Love that gives like there’s no tomorrow
Love that stores up joy to counter any sorrow
Love that endures beyond a life time
Love for eternity, your love and mine
2022 ©Dawn Minott
All rights reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
‘Tis the season, autumn’s change ’bout to begin
Even in the “death” of trees there’s beauty within
Packed with lessons sublime, if we but only see
Rebirth comes after dying, letting dead things be
Some times change is designed just for you
You can’t imitate what others might do
When it’s your season, let things go
It’s in the letting go that you will know
What waits for you on the other side
Remains unknown till you cross the divide
Change is scary, so much to go through
The journey is worth it, trees testify this to be true
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
They drew a circle that shut me out
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout
But love and I had the wit to win
We drew a circle that took them in!
adapted from “Outwitted,” a poem by Edwin Markham
2022 ©Dawn Minott All Rights Reserved
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In creative solidarity, Dee
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This blog, titled "Empowering Leadership: Building a Harmonious Partnership Between School Management and Principals," explores the essential factors that foster a strong and effective relationship between school management and principals. Drawing on historical context, philosophical principles, Indian legal frameworks, and mythological analogies, the blog offers insights into creating a balanced dynamic where principals are empowered yet accountable. It provides practical strategies for ensuring the administrative, academic, and financial health of educational institutions through clear communication, shared vision, and mutual respect.
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