Journey of the Heart

  Place by Sandy Rochelle    This is the most beautiful place because it touched his skin. When he laughed and cried. When he loved me and when he didn't. When blessings became tarnished. When the flowers in my hand were twice blessed. When the earth spoke to me. When the rivers swallowed me up and drank my tears. When I thought life was forever. When I found out it was not. Sandy Rochelle   is an award-winning poet, actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of The World Peace Prayer Society Poetry Award--- And the President's Award for Literature. She narrated and produced the Documentary film: Art Watch, about renowned art historian, James Beck. Publications include: Verse Virtual, Dissident Voice, Wild Word, Lothlorien  Poetry Journal, Trouvaille Review,  Poetic Sun, Every Day Writer, Spillwords Press, Impspired, and others. Connect with Sandy via her  website here . *For submission guidelines,  click here. *

Skin whitening is the use of cosmetic products or services to reduce the amount of melanin, or pigment, in the skin to make it appear lighter. It’s a huge market around the world that exploits women’s insecurities about their appearance,  estimated to be worth about $4 billion in India alone! India’s younger generations, however, are starting to fight back with body-positive messages, such as the one delivered in this poem by emerging poet Navratra from Jaipur, India.    Beauty-fool by  Navratra   Rosy lips, dimpled cheeks your long black hair. Celestial nose, pretty eyes, your color is also fair.   Such attributes of beauty: I am amazed to see such grace! But more amazed to realize something missing on your face.   Alas! These features of yours are not attracting me towards you. I see beauty in a brown-cheeked lady sitting just beside you.   What power could this be? I wonder for a while. Then discover the miracle is her alluring smile.   Stuck and confused I thought while keeping her

  Nocturne   With thanks to those who saw and captured the magic   Before, when the sun slipped away coruscating wonder and wisdom reigned above; Hablik looked up to find earth grasping for a whirling, scintillant firmament; Van Gogh beheld intense, shimmering spirals of power surmounting a sleepy town; now, city-bound, I am greeted by a murky veil harkening to Whistler’s night visions, but bleached of his delicate beauty.   Abscond, throw off time’s shackles, escape blinding excess; gaze skyward anew, rediscover the painful, lost art of patient, faithful waiting.   […]   Dusk settles over pastorality, crickets serenade dancing fireflies, a dog a farm or two over bids farewell to the sinking crescent moon and, channeling Sappho, welcome to the glittering diamond signifying Venus. Jupiter, lord of the planets, is soon shepherded in, followed by the Martian mote cloaked in dusky red. The first stars, Dickinson’s Arcturus and Auden’s Vega, sparkling across unfathomable expanses lead a tri