SOLD

I just sold another poem. This time I'm working with the greeting card/stationery company Blue Mountain Arts in Boulder, Colorado. 

I've always wanted to get published by them. Their cards and calendars are beautiful. They have an extremely stringent market-review process, but there you go. If you keep at something long enough, you will prevail (okay, I've only sent in a submission to them once before, so maybe this is luck). I can't divulge the poem here, but let me just say that it used to be posted in the poetry corner.

Look for it on a greeting card or in a calendar or book in the near future...

Revisionist

Revision one...this could take some time. 

[Still Untitled]

The sky cries, and trees
bow their heads
in quiet prayer
The earth, she shakes, 

with anger and roars in pain,
But what do I care,
What do I care

My heart, broken, cries out
but no one hears
So let the sky cry
until her tears wash away
My pleas, mere whispers
to all, unheard
So let the trees bow
and break in despair
My body lies crumpled, broken 

and bare
Why shouldn't the earth tremble,
and share my same fate

For if the sun no longer shines,
overcome by night's fears

Would anyone notice,

Would anyone care
if the stars fall from the heavens
and not one witness their sins

For aren't all our hearts broken
Carried away by the wind
Scattered in pieces

Does anyone care
—July 2008

The Writing Process, in Process

I've debated all day about whether I should post the most recent incarnation of the "poem" I've been working on. Okay, so I know it is technically a poem; it just seems odd to see it in print. Who am I to share such writings with others? What would cause me to believe that anyone else would be interested in how I might breath life into such words? And then, I changed my mind. 

[As Yet Untitled]

The sky cries,

The trees bow their heads

in quiet prayer

The earth, she shakes, with anger

roars in pain,

But what do I care,

What do I care

My heart, broken, cries out

no one hears

So let the sky cry 

until her tears wash away

My pleas, mere whispers

to all unheard

So let the trees bow

and break in despair

My body lies crumpled, shaken in rage

Why shouldn't the earth tremble, 

share in my same fate

If the sun no longer shines,

overcome by night's fears

And the stars, fall from the heavens

without anyone to bear witness

their sins

Does it matter at all

Does anyone care

For aren't all our hearts broken

Shattered,

Scattered to the wind

 —July 2008

So, here's what happens next. I rip it apart, rewrite it a thousand times, toss it aside, and forget about it for a while. When I again stumble upon it, I may rip it apart ... again. Or maybe I'll let it lie in peace, never to be seen. I'm really not sure it matters; there's always another one waiting to be born.

You Are Never Alone

Loneliness—the state of being alone; isolation

To the young, the eternally social, loneliness can be tantamount to death. It’s the cursed cold, the emptiness of the soul, the deadly quiet of day and night that seems eternal, never ending. But, loneliness, as painful as it may be at the time, isn’t forever.

Time spent alone gives you a pause in an otherwise overly active life. It lets you catch up, breathe, relax, unwind, and just be. It can be a time of great creativity: paint, write, sculpt, sketch. If you change your perception of what loneliness is, you can change your mind about spending time alone with your self. Use the time to get to know your self, to enjoy the person you are and the person you are becoming.


When you close your doors, and make darkness within, remember never to say that you are alone, for you are not alone; nay, God is within, and your genius is within. And what need have they of light to see what you are doing?
—Epictetus

The kingdom of God is within you.
—Luke 17:21 NIV

Loneliness is the first thing which God’s eye named.
—John Milton

Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human condition. Man is the only being who knows he is alone.
—Octavio Paz

American Poet for Sale

We write what our hearts reveal, what our souls demand be expressed, only to alter our work, put it on display, and sale it to make a buck.

Dream On

There will always be those who tell you no,
     who say it can't be done
But don't listen, follow your heart and dream on.

There will always be obstacles to stand in your way,
     to try and hold you back
But don't give up, gather your strength and dream on.

For it's only in having faith that you will achieve,
in believing in your dreams that you will succeed.
So follow your own lead. Forge ahead. Dream on.
—Laura Hensley

SOLD

Exclusive Worldwide Rights, (C) Creative Memories

The Miracle of Prayer

Prayer—communication with the Divine, God, Creator of all that is

Prayer is a way of talking with God, of establishing direct communication with the Heavens themselves, of asking for what you want and need and of being heard. Pure, simple, intimate, and available all the time, at all times.

Prayer is not complicated; it is a simple matter of merely talking to the Divine, to God the Creator. There are no magic formulas or special words that need to be said. Prayer doesn’t have to be poetry in motion. It just has to be from the heart, petition and thanksgiving from you to God.

God is there for you every hour of every day of every year. God knows everything about you, every thought, every feeling, every hope, every fear. God doesn’t want you to suffer but to flourish and be happy, to reach your potential, and through prayer you can do just that. It is your most powerful tool to communicate with God, and your prayers never go unheard, but instead are always answered according to God’s will.

Pray with faith that you will be heard. Pray with reverence. Pray in worship. Be open to all God has in store for you, and always, in all ways be thankful.


…pray continually
—1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV

More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.
—Alfred, Lord Tennyson

If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.
—Meister Eckhart

You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might also pray in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.
—Kahlil Gibran

“I will answer their prayers before they finish praying.”
—Isaiah 65:24 CEV

Prayer is the most essential of all human activities.
—Iris Murdoch

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.
—Philippians 1:4 NIV

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray…and He shall hear my voice.
—Psalm 55:17 NKJV

Pray to God in any way you like.
—Sri Ramakrishna

Soul Searching

The secrets of my soul are many, far too many to tell. So instead of baring my soul to any, I keep it to myself.