Category: The Short of It

The Short Of It – Volume 2 – Cover Reveal

Published on by Susi Bocks32 Comments

The latest volume of expressive micro-poetry is in process! Look for the publication date to be early April or sooner. I’m excited to showcase all the wonderful contributors from the past year in this volume. 47 in total! They gave us a lot to ponder and many things to understand with their creativity and expressive works.

Accidentally Poetic, Aishwarya Saby, Akhila Siva, Amee Redden, Amrita Valan, Anita Neal,
Bartholomew Barker, Bradley Ramsey, C. Adebayo, Candice Louise Daquin,
Carolyn Crossley, Carrie Levine, Chanah Wizenberg, Charles Randolph, Cheryl Wood,
Duane Herrmann, Eugenia Hoffman, Franca Basta, Freya Pickard, Goutam Dutta,
Heather Carr-Rowe, Ivor Steven, Jane Seaman, JeanMarie Olivieri, Joan McNerney,
Joe Wells, John Collins, John Grey, Joni Caggiano, Katey Sutherland, Ken Gierke,
Kritika Maheshwari, Laurinda Linda, Layla Todd, Lisa Tomey, Lorraine Lewis,
Marisela Brazfield, Marjorie Maddox, Radhika Puttige, Reena Saxena, Scott Richmond,
Skye Genteen, Stephen W. Buchanan, Sylvia Simmons, Tahlia Friedmann, Timo Schmitz, Tre Loadholt

As I did last year, the interviews with the poets will be scheduled as they are produced. Come meet them! If you haven’t subscribed to my YouTube channel, please consider doing so. Click HERE!

Stay tuned for more news as it develops!

On To The Next!

Published on by Susi Bocks29 Comments
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The New Year is right around the corner! While I don’t think I was as productive as in previous years on this blog, or accomplished as much as I had wanted to, the time sure seemed to go by quicker. Probably because I’ve taken on work outside the home or maybe it’s just because I’m getting older. lol Regardless, this was an interesting and exciting year in so many ways. But like the previous year, I still feel the same – “With Covid still being uppermost in our minds, and politics continuing to challenge our sanity, I’m frankly happy to put this one to bed and await something better at the clock striking Midnight soon.” May it bring an end to whatever insanity we’ve been experiencing in our lives and fulfill our wishes beyond our wildest dreams!

The end of this year marks my 5-year anniversary on WordPress. Absolutely amazing. 🙂 The continual love and support I get on this blog have been a tremendous lift to me throughout the year, and I thank you all so much for your comments, your praise, your friendship, and your kindness. To a certain extent, you are my muses, but time spent on your blogs also enriches my head and my understanding of the world. For that, I am eternally grateful as well.

I Write Her continues to grow, maybe not as much as other blogs, but that’s okay. Those readers who stick around are some of the most loyal bunch I’ve gotten to know. Thank you for that too!

For a look back, here are the publications that I submitted to and which happily accepted my work. Their continued support and aiding my growth professionally is something else I’m grateful for; validation is another aspect that a writer treasures.

10/22/22 Volcano Theme – Pure Haiku
5/29/22 Priorities, Ravaged, and Man-made accepted for Social Justice Inks – Prolific Press, LLC
5/1/22 Loud & My Self Evolving accepted for Wounds I Healed Anthology
4/24/22 Curled Up in Open Door Magazine Anthology – Joy, War and Favourite Things
4/2/22 Sleeping in Colors – The Pine Cone Review: Survival Theme
3/16/22 Rising – MasticadoresUSA
3/4/22 Sheltered – MasticadoresUSA
1/19/22 Poetry Partner#38 – The Skeptics Kaddish
1/10/22 Indie Blu(e) Feature
1/9/22 Ghostlight theme – Pure Haiku

The Short of It features will be on hiatus until 2024, but Volume 2 of the selected features from this year will be published hopefully in April 2023. I will be working furiously to make that happen. The next submission cycle will be open on July 1, 2023, and I look forward to reading the submissions then, and welcoming many new poets and writers who have expressed interest. Next year promises to be a good one based on the response! That too has been growing. I’m so thrilled about that!

So there you have it! 2022 in a nutshell! Happy Holidays everyone!

Aishwarya Saby

Published on by Susi Bocks15 Comments
Dennis Klicker – Unsplash

Delicate leaf

delicate last leaf,
succumbs to strong gust of wind,
as a new leaf springs.

Spring Beauties

bees dance eagerly,
around vibrance of roses,
stashing up nectar,

cuckoo’s joyous song,
calls to open summer blooms,
melody’s rhythm.

Summer Relief

crows pause awhile to,
seek elixir of life, those,
endless summer days,

colours splash across,
as rainbow draws curtain to,
a much awaited spell,

orange flowers,
brighten up dull city roads,
long past summer days.

Winter’s round the corner  

as lakes fill up, seek,
refuge from winter at home,
migratory birds,

brightest star takes break,
and darkness hurries to dawn,
know winter’s around,

remnants of fire,
warming up memories from,
a cold winter night.

An Emperor’s Penance

journeys into middle of an ice-filled
landscape, guards an egg, his very own,
freezing, battling unearthly climes,
in company of his men,
journey to fatherhood,
after lady lays,
she walks away,
he stays strong,
until,
she,
comes,
and takes,
chick back to,
sea, together,
without a morsel,
until then; he braves cold,
Antarctic climes for his young,
an emperor penguin’s penance,
like no other here – year after year,
cold environs cradle warmth of father.

~~~

Aishwarya a.k.a kittysverses loves writing poetry. Her poems have been published in Spillwords, Visual Verse, and Word Weaving Journal. She blogs at kittysverses@wordpress.com. This is Aishwarya’s first feature on The Short of It.

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C. Adebayo

Published on by Susi Bocks8 Comments
Evgeni Tcherkasski – Unsplash

In the Gale 

Standing quite proudly
Withstanding nature’s pressure
Emancipated

The Healing 

Our spirit requires softness and presence ensuring calm
The journeys of others offer hope and inspiration
As the cost of survival bids us farewell, relinquished pain reveals freedom

Peace be with you

Goodness

Humanity shines
When uprightness embodied
Within mankind’s soul

I’m Sorry, Gaia 

Mother cries to us, but we hear not.
She laments as we wail in misfortune.

And she…

Instinctually responds
As humanity destroys our cocoon of existence.

~~~

C. Adebayo was born in Africa but has lived in many countries. Her parents were missionaries who traveled to many countries where they felt led to do good works. This is Adebayo’s first feature on The Short of It.

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Heather Carr-Rowe

Published on by Susi Bocks7 Comments
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Stars in Our Eyes

It can be said
that all love
starts like a star
     -atoms collide-
stars in our eyes burn
until gravitational pull
puts our feet firmly on the ground
     -stars collapse-
perhaps, not all love
is like the death of a star

Dead Flowers Rise Again

from sadness,
let spring
rise from the darkness,
sprout seeds from remembrance,
that sunflowers
shall shine once more

        Beacon

          slivers of moonlight
shimmer between dancing leaves
          illuminating

    Duplicitous

moonlight masks
   dark
    aspirations

      Sky

crystal blue
      light
  everlasting

The Messenger

A mourning dove
visited me one day.
He did not coo,
much to my pleasure,
he bobbed his head
all-knowing,
walked about the garden
as we once did.

~~~

Heather Carr-Rowe is an educator and tree lover living on the prairies. In her spare time, she loves to hike, weave, embroider, and write poetry inspired by nature. You can read more of Heather’s poetry at her blog, Sgeoil. This is her first feature on The Short of It.

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Bradley Ramsey

Published on by Susi Bocks8 Comments
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Lovely Women and Shit Men

Pristine
Worthy of love
Chosen as favorite
Then just as quickly discarded
Baggage

Over Everything

Excess
Too much talking
Not enough listening
More than enough hate and anger
Just stop

Technology and Connections

Phones
And computers
Many ways to connect
More distant than ever before
Backwards

~~~

Bradley Ramsey is married, has two children, and a wonderful wife. He began writing his observations after his mid-life crisis, thankfully his wife stayed with him. This is his first feature on The Short of It.

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Ken Gierke

Published on by Susi Bocks19 Comments
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Milestone

Well worn,
our path together,
though not

well-traveled.
Our destination
nowhere near

the one we chose.
Where we parted,
all that remains

is a milestone
of what once was
our life together.

Reading Between the Lines

Expression

Fine lines, creases
Framing the lips
Corners of the eyes

Within those eyes
A gleam of enthusiasm
The dull shade of weariness

Regarding those lips
The glimmer of teeth
A solemn line of doubt

Impression

A gleam in the eyes
Taken for joy
Or is it anger?

Teeth shown in anger
Or is that a hint of laughter?
The lips might say

Or is it all weariness?
The answer lies in both
Behind the mask

Shorter Still

Far from brief, the time left
when viewed in the past.
A lifetime to shape a future,
with no end in sight.

Shorter now, it seems.
The slideshow of bygone images
little more than a time-lapse,
details fewer each day.

Shorter still, ahead.
The end on the horizon,
while goals slip beyond,
their time misspent, gone.

Beneath the Waves

Nearly whispering, I say,
“Every wave that ever passed over
this shell is held inside for you to hear.”

Eyes wide, you ask, “When I get bigger,
can I dive with you and hear the shells in the water?”
And so your thirst for knowledge was born.

Yours is now a world of numbers,
but you have known wizards and knights,
poetry and prose, music and art.

And, from time to time,
you still hear the waves
washing over that shell.

In the Dark

What transpires in a week? In a month?
You show a different face, revealing more, yet less.

There is a cloud hanging over you. Below,
around you. Are there secrets you would share

under different circumstances? The greater the light,
the less I know of you. Are you more open to another,

while I am left in the dark? You make no promise
I’ll see you this evening. We play this game,

you keeping your distance as I try to read you, each day
the window ever smaller, till you fade from sight, again.

Passing Madness

There’s a madness to it
this rush to color

From a blanket of green
to red
yellow

blazing orange

and, finally,
to brown

We are seasoned in this experience

And so we wait
for the return of green

Until, once again,
the madness of color
that marks the passing of the seasons

Path to Winter

golden leaves
warm light on cold day
honeyed tea

maple leaf
on path to winter
will not wait

fallen leaves
carried by river
memories

bare branches
seen in fading light
shorter days

single leaf
clinging stubbornly
winter wind

~~~

Ken Gierke has been published in The Short of It, Vita Brevis Press, Silver Birch Press, and Amethyst Review, as well as in The Moons of Autumn from Word Weaving and easing the edges: a collection of everyday miracles, from D Ellis Phelps.  His poetry blog: https://rivrvlogr.wordpress.com/ Ken also had pieces selected for the first anthology – The Sound of Brilliance.

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Katey Sutherland

Published on by Susi Bocks5 Comments
Matt Shalvatis – Unsplash

Bloomin Awake 

With each passing minute
I unfurl and greet the day.
I am here.
Blessings as I expose myself fully.
My open stature beckons examination
As the beauty within is revealed.

Loves Me/Loves Me Not 

Oh, ox-eye daisy! Tell me of fortune today!
With sorrow, I destroy your beauty revealing my fate.
Forgive me.
But I must know – does he love me?

In Netherlands 

From the buried bulbs
Appear dizzying rainbow fields
Happy recipient

~~~

Poetry and nature are the only things that make sense for Katey. This is Katey Sutherland’s first feature on The Short of It.

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Reena Saxena

Published on by Susi Bocks16 Comments
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THE MIDAS TOUCH

I am no Midas
yet everything I touch now
acquires new meaning
Is it an artist’s vision
or a poet’s call and yearning?

LIAR MIRRORS

change seeps in
imperceptibly
entrenches
itself in
deep psyche layers
mirrors lie with the same face

PRESSED FLOWERS

memories unfold
-a pressed flower in the book
crushed before its time
I strive to read stories etched
on petals, not the pages

BEYOND THE RAINBOW

rainbows show
multiple layers,
complex truths
in seven
predefined colors
-I look for what lies beyond

~~~

Reena Saxena is a former banker, coach, and writer from Mumbai, India. Published works are available on Amazon – When Time Stopped (Fiction), Com Pen Di Um (Poetry Anthology), Life As It Happens (Poetry Anthology), Basic Banking for Debt Recovery Agents, and E-books on Money Psychology available on the MoneyGoalz website. This is Reena’s first feature on The Short of It.

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Lisa Tomey

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Memories Sweet Taste

Taste the memories
Harvests after sweat and spade
Earth has its own soul

This Thing About Trees

leaves tangle in her hair
from aging trees
roots locked
in shared vibrations

spring brings growth
rings stretch the girth
age is crowned with colors
changing in time

sangria scented lips
tease in her shade
youth finds folly
yet, the wisdom
of the sage
overseer
prevails

there is no way for youth
to escape the elder court
its shadows and arms
hold all there is to know
about the beating
of the drum
of the heart

There Was A Night in Raleigh

Twinkling little lights
captured my attention
stars about the night

A celebration
clinking glasses
over charcuterie

I walked to the window
once formalities are done
I gaze downward

My eyes are drawn
to the thrift shop
on the corner

Bright lights spill
to the sidewalk
an elder struts his girth

Another day of gratitude
to make a scuff and repast
to take the flavors in

And we haven’t had dessert
but the man wrapped
in the blue blanket
sleeping on the bench
warmed to a cotton-filled dream
which was just enough to forget
the planets did not align
for him or his kind

Sprinkle, twinkle
make a fire in the barrel
warm the hearts
of humanity

Dessert is best served
to those who deserve
the sweetness
let him have mine

An Uncertain Life

he cuts through the night
with the sharpest knife he finds
from his busy mind

fast pacing his life
he stumbled over leaf piles
not noting the signs

waiting for the train
a kitten rubs against him
he shoos her away

coffee and bagel
riding the speed track subway
ready to get off

panhandler plays harp
he calls his job to check-in
stops dead in his tracks

what he heard is how
this day ends all his ventures
now he’s on his own

he sits on a bench
full of angst stares at his cell
not sure what to do

he stands up and looks
at all that surrounds him now
could he be the man

with harmonica
maybe the bagel schmear guy
how about those leaves

blowing, floating, gone
they’re no longer in his path
lost at the turning

~~~

Lisa Tomey is a poet, writer, & publisher from Raleigh, NC. She is an editor for Fine Lines and manager of the poetry circle of the Garden of Neuro Institute. Follow her on ProlificPulse.blog & ProlificPulse.com. Lisa was featured twice on The Short of It – May 2020 and October 2020. Her piece, Silence, featured in the first anthology – The Sound of Brilliance, and was nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

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