Fireflies - A Free Preview - Expressions of the Soul

Fireflies

A peaceful night filled with chirps of crickets,

The rush of a cascading stream,

And the wind blowing gently through the leaves

A rocking chair, beckoning and calling

For the lone woman who rocks it

Back and forth, creaking

The light fades, sucking the warmth from the air

Leaving a chilly peace

Darkness arrives as they come

One by one, flickering and floating

Lighting up the sky and trees

Holding her breath she waits

The yellow pulse of individuals calling for a mate

Then, a release of breath

Waiting for the treat

The pulses match, creating and morphing

Into image after image

Synchronizing at a fast rate

Imagined flowers and diamonds

Light up the woods

As firefly after firefly blink

The twinkling and the chill

Fill her with glee

As she rocks gently, back and forth

Alone in the world, this woman feels calm

Viewing her fireflies

In the still of the night

Stolen Moments - Now Available

Stolen Moments

A small hummingbird flit across my vision as I sat in my living room. Hovering in front of my glass door, I watched as it swung it's head around and regarded me with a peaked curiosity. In that moment, I was attempting to come up with the central theme of my next work of poetry. I was lost in what I wanted to do. And here was this magnificent creature that flew into my life in an important moment. All I could do was focus my energy on this little bird. Perhaps it was divine intervention, or just an amazing coincidence. What I found in that moment was a breath of time. A moment. A memory. That one little moment where time stopped and I was able to take in something in such clarity and with such peace that I was shaken to my core and forever changed. Within seconds, the hummingbird flew away leaving me stranded, changed, and extremely pleased. In that moment, I had found the theme of my next poetry book. 

Stolen Moments is a collection of poetry that tries to capture the essence of a moment. It could be a moment like with the hummingbird, or something much larger, and longer. My goal was to capture life and moments I wanted to remember. I cannot say that it was an easy theme to develop, but I believe I accomplished what I set out to do.

This book is available in multiple formats. All of them can be purchased via Amazon.

Please feel free to contact me regarding purchases or for further information. I am looking forward to sharing my future projects with you.

Something about changes....

Here in the mountains of Appalachia, summer is descending at a subtle pace. I cannot explain the emotion of nostalgia and utter happiness that fills me when I smell that sweet scent of honeysuckle in the evening air and know that summer is soon to arrive. It happens every year. I drive along with my windows down and get hit with a pocket of delicious scent. All I want to do in that moment is stop and inhale the aroma.

It transports me back to my teenage years. I can remember honeysuckle blooming right as school was ending as if it was marking the beginning of freedom. Waking up late, lazy days spent exploring the area around our house and hanging out with friends. Evenings spent on the porch rocking in a chair and putting together puzzles as the fireflies gradually lit up the forest in front of me. At times, we would climb through the bushes and begin pulling the flowers off carefully before pulling the stamen from the flower. Darting our tongue out and savoring the sweet nectar with a flash burst that disappeared way too soon.

What it does now, as an adult, is bring back a sense of longing for a time with less responsibility and more freedom. Something that each of us long for and rarely get. As a writer, I use it to inspire.  I find that using those emotions, nature, and memories to create a piece of art helps purify those moments of nostalgia. It provides a tangible evidence of moment's past. It is almost like a cleansing of the soul. A way to change the past into something more happy. Much like the currents that are hidden underneath daily life, change is inevitable.

I have changed from that young, naive girl who savored the nectar of the honeysuckle. Through the years, my sight of the world has changed. I no longer see it as a world of wonder. I see the gruesome, the injustice, the downright disgusting. I see the base of human behavior and how with a touch we can destroy or uplift. And despite this change of sight, I still seek moments where I can transport myself to a time when life was simpler. I find myself lounging in the ever increasing summer winds hoping for the scent of honeysuckle and the boat to take me back.