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Gusts of Separation by Samjoth Sashidharan

Tamara Woods Leave a comment

As I sat on the bridge,
and the water gushed under me,
peacefully they slept , the violet lilacs,
the leaves rustled in the breeze…
the owl’s hoot fainted in the distance,
and the full moon shined above,
sprinkling the forest with white light .

But in me…
the melody of separation ached my heart. .
I felt as though she was there,
my hands clasped in hers.
I stared at her eyes ,
her tears dazzling in the silvery light;
the eerie stillness of the night ,
did waver by her silent smile .

The mist hovered about ,
and the winds sang a lullaby ,
rocking the daisies to sleep.
We strolled down the bridge,
not knowing what to utter .
Walked into a clearing , did we …
as the trees gave way ,
to the glistening and striding light.
The light danced on her with joy,
but , I saw her tears
tearing my heart …

I felt as though ,
she was there with me .
Not an illusion or imagination.
And yes, I could feel her hands in mine,
I could see her tears .
She brisked away..leaving me alone ..
and she stood there, at a distance .
Her face glimmered with a smile..
like a thousand rainbows
shining overhead.
She smiled again,
this time her smile touching the
chords of my heart.

I ran to her , my mind craving for her….
but she …
She was not to been seen.. .
The moon hid behind the dark clouds ,
the winds howled loudly,
the hyena’s cry echoed all around ..
the leaves and twigs fought in the winds ….
And my eyes wandered about ,
searching the darkness,
for a ray of hope n love …
The bridge stood empty,
in the midst of everything..
as I stood snatched away,
from the world of my love n life..
feeling alone n lonesome..

The darkness stretched vast;
with her , nowhere to be seen …
Across a bare branch ,
in a tree far across …
hung a lonely, tender leaf ,
struggling with the winds …
As the battle grew fierce ,
the appalling winds …
growing vicious..
pulled the leaf off its branch…
The leaf writhed with agony and pain..
as the gusts of separation,
carried it away n away..
to where it would return ….
never again….

A randomly chosen Homo sapien. Never a pessimist, but not an inclined optimist too. A little of an introverted self-observer. Thoughts go buoyant. And these buoyancies wander with no destinations or haven; leaving no trials behind. Time does seem to be enough but the “enough” sometimes starts ceasing. Tendencies shift; perceptions change; clumsiness gathers; but the basic instinctive saturations surface from the depths when its time. You can find Samjoth’s blog, here.

A Little Love from Nothing

Tamara Woods 6 Comments

So last week we gave you thirteen romantic words and then asked you not to write us a romantic poem. It can be challenging to make words we normally associate with certain emotions work the other way around for us. In the same spirit of opposites attract, here are thirteen more words.

They aren’t romantic, but we want romance from you. Take these words and make us feel the love.

Remember to share the prompt and that every poem linked up for the week will be considered for this issue of the magazine. Submissions are now open, so send in your best work!
1. apathy
2. animosity
3. indifference
4. disdain
5. hatred
6. merciless
7. cowardice
8. fear
9. disloyal
10. lie
11. fake
12. broken
13. misery

Holiness Today | Publishing Opportunity

Tamara Woods 2 Comments

Some of the publishing opportunities we share with you are very specialized magazines and journals. While we at The Reverie accept many different styles and themes of poetry, some other publishers may not. Please keep this in mind when submitting your work and always read the submissions guidelines thoroughly. Remember that you can always submit to our Write for Us segment and that our magazine submissions are now open for the year.

Holiness Today is published bimonthly by the Nazarene Global Ministry Center out of Kansas.

Please view their submission guidelines here.

Contact: Carmen J. Ringhiser, Managing Editor

E-Mail: holinesstoday@nazarene.org

Website: www.holinesstoday.org

Publishing Opportunities are compiled from information gathered in the 2015 Poet’s Market.

Highlights for Children | Publishing Opportunity

Tamara Woods 1 Comment

I know we must have some poets out there who enjoy writing children’s poetry. I’ve never been much good at it myself, but we at The Reverie want to share multiple opportunities with our poets for potential publication. Of course, we certainly hope you’ll still consider submitting with us for our Write for Us. Submissions for the magazine also just reopened.

I’m sure many of you already are familiar with the children’s magazine, Highlights.

They don’t publish much poetry, but you can view all their submissions guidelines for more information on that.

Contact: Christine French Cully, editor-in-chief

Please review their guidelines, here, before submitting.

Don’t forget, our Monday prompt is live and ready for you to write.

Publishing Opportunities are compiled from information gathered in the 2015 Poet’s Market.

Ulysses by Gary Tribble

Tamara Woods Leave a comment
Artist: Joby Dorr

Artist: Joby Dorr

As no one tied me to the mast.
I dove in headlong, swiftly swimming
To the nearby stony shore;
And there was dashed against the rocks.

Tossed by churning waters
Back and forth, in frothy foam,
Drawn by voices indistinct,
Disjointed, stretched in violence.

Disoriented where the waves fell
Hard on boulders’ jagged edges.
Lost — my former goal, my purpose —
In this great new urgent need — survival.

Where are now my boon companions
Whom I should have charged to bind me?
How had I abandoned them,
And let my yearning overwhelm

All my training, all my wisdom,
What experience had shown
Must inevitably follow
Following my yearning heart?

Now I strive to make some sense of
Where I am, of what confronts me
How to exercise control of
All my strength, establish bearings

That will let me choose a handhold,
Hold a jagged edge of boulder
Flexibly, just long enough
To thrust myself up free of swirling,

Tossing forces that would dash me
To disjointed pieces if I
Let them overwhelm my strength,
My purpose, vision, goals — my future.

Now above the cliff, surveying
What my strength has won for me.
Calm, reflecting on my struggle,
Turn and set my foot ahead.

Dedicated to Michael S. Tribble, who wears Ulysses on his arm.

Lost in the Darkness | Prompt

Tamara Woods 4 Comments

Some of you may noticed the prompt was…well,…not here yesterday.

I am so very blessed to be living in the affected area of what everyone seems to be calling “snowacopolyse.” I’d laugh at the absurdity of it, but I’m on day three of having my children home from school and it’s just not funny anymore.

We had a power outage yesterday that left us spending quality time together in the glow of so many candles it looked like we were mourning the dead or performing a demonic incantation.

So in light of our darkness, I want you to write about the darkness.

Make it your theme, use the word, talk about light in the darkness…Whatever inspires you, let the darkness guide it!

Remember to link up by posting in the comments below or linking back to this post. All poems submitted for the prompt will be considered for this year’s magazine. Happy writing!

HelloHorror | Publishing Opportunity

Tamara Woods Leave a comment

I absolutely love a good thriller, and the community over at HelloHorror is looking for just that. We at The Reverie want to share multiple opportunities with our poets for potential publication. Of course, we certainly hope you’ll still consider submitting with us for our Write for Us segment or the magazine. Submissions for the magazine also just reopened.

Back to HelloHorror…

Directly from their site:

HelloHorror accepts works of fiction, non-fiction, micro-fiction, poetry, photography, visual art and film. All entries must be in English. Translations are acceptable and should be accompanied by a copy of the original text. While we entertain most works associated with the genre, please keep in mind that our goal is to offer something new within the genre with a focus on the psychological aspects of horror.

Contact: Brent Armour, editor-in-chief

Email: submissions@hellohorror.com

Please review their guidelines, here, before submitting.

Don’t forget, our Monday prompt is live and ready for you to write.

Publishing Opportunities are compiled from information gathered in the 2015 Poet’s Market.