Journey of the Heart

Today, we are excited to share with you an excerpt from the newly released  Under the Same Sky , by Carolyn Chilton Casas one of our regular contributors. Under the Same Sky is Carolyn's second poetry collection, and was released today with Golden Dragonfly Press .   Together in the Evening Light                     In the soft light  of longer evening hours, we sit down  at our rough pine table with warm plates of grilled fish  and steamed vegetables. I glance past my husband and see two deer lying on the grass— a doe, her eyes locked with mine, and her fawn, head twisted back resting on his shoulder as he sleeps.   She does not startle when I stand to bring  the butter, pour the wine; they are frequent guests. In a bougainvillea next to the window, a blue jay darts in and out, carrying twigs to knit her nest. Now she hops in bushes near the deer, the...

  Maybe it’s an intention   to do at least one kind thing today  or to make no less than one person  smile. Or allowing myself  just ten minutes more  of silence to savor, that blanket of joy with hands placed gently over heart and belly.   Maybe it’s tuning in  to the elm tree, noticing  how it sheds its bark and amber leaves, preparing for a new beginning. Or appreciating the frogs  voiced elation after days of rain.   Maybe it’s stopping to look  into the eyes of loved ones,  truly listening to what is  on their mind in this moment.   Or it could be making a list  of what I know must get done,  then setting it aside in reverence  to the promise of this new day. Carolyn Chilton Casas  is a Reiki master and teacher whose favorite themes to write about are nature, mindfulness, and ways to heal. Her articles and poems have appeared in journals and anthologies in multiple countries includin...

  I TOOK A SHORT WALK            by  Lisa O'Neil-Guerci  I heard the music  of wind and water as I took a short walk today. Nature had graciously asked  if I wanted to join in their afternoon of play. I might have known  I'd step into their home- that they of course would become the words  of another autumnal poem.  That I'd come upon and smile to see a heart-shaped yellow leaf propped against an oak tree~ both seeming to be waiting  patiently for me. I should have guessed that sorghum and cattails  would be slow dancing  with each other... of course they would~ it was clear to see they're longtime friends  turned lovers. I then inclined my gaze upwards towards branches which held the sun tenderly in their arms. A few leaves were stained  with the first blood  of the season's russet hue it shouldn't surprise me  that the afternoon sky would be so perfectly blue~ and that the white la...

EDITOR'S NOTE:  The following poem, by Sarah Carlson, was composed shortly after the deadliest shooting in Lewiston, Maine, U.S.A. on October 25, 2023 , in which 18 people were fatally shot, and 13 others were left injured. As of 2023, it was the 10th deadliest mass shooting in U.S history.  The Fog of Mourning with love to my home state of Maine  by Sarah Carlson   We know what we know. People were slain. People were injured. People experienced terror. We are hurting. We wait and wonder.   I had a sudden rush  of tangled emotions this morning after I read about the tender beings who were killed in Lewiston. I feel such empathy for them, for their families, for those who shared in their lives. And then it went deeper as the words “there one minute, gone the next”  meandered through my mind. Though it has been years, and my husband died peacefully, I can relate to a normal day  that ends with sudden,  catastrophic loss. At first I felt guilty....

  A Poem, A Prayer by Carolyn Chilton Casas    some days    my prayers dress up as poetry   as if they are not the very same thing                                       untitled poem by F.D. Soul,   between you & these bones To my ear, every single poem I write ends up sounding like a prayer. Blessing, invocation, expression of reverence, meditation. Not so much the petitioning kind. Rather, prayers of thanksgiving. Prayers for communion. Especially prayers for understanding. Poems help me acknowledge there’s so much I don’t know. How wonderful the idea of Source as muse, so that...

  Rebirth  by Lynn White I’m ready for the birth of a new day. Ready for a pink dawn to rise and break full of possibilities, as the light takes   over from the dark and the day is born again. And I shall follow the road towards the light, and leave the dark behind, again. But I have found that the dark always follows. Catches up with me, as if it were the past. If I hurry, maybe I’ll escape it this time. Maybe I’ll catch the light and hold on to it and not let it break again.   (First published in The Phoenix Soul , Jan 2018) Lynn White  lives in north Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice and events, places and people she has known or imagined. She is especially interested in exploring the boundaries of dream, fantasy and reality. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net and a Rhysling Award. Her poetry has appeared in many publications including: Consequence Journal, Firewords, Capsule Stories, Gyroscope Review, Blue Pe...

  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.   St...