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Showing posts from April, 2014

Music of Sacred Lakes by Laura Cowan

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Every so often, I am asked to review a book.  When Laura Cowan , author of Music of Sacred Lakes , wrote about her book, I didn't hesitate to say yes.   Music of Sacred Lakes intrigued me on several levels.  First, it is the tale of a young man who has lost his way after a major tragedy.  Second, he finds himself through the guidance of Native American wisdom.  Third, it takes place in a part of the US that I knew well. As I read this epic, I was touched by how carefully Laura incorporated Native wisdom.  At times, her writing is poetic, especially when describing the mysticism of the Lake.  In addition, her characters are all entirely believable.  I felt I knew them - could recognize them if we ever met.  To me, this is great writing! There are lessons to be learned in this book; it is not simply a tale to entertain.  Laura weaves wisdom throughout the story that holds true today as it did centuries ago. This is a great book for anyone who is struggling as well as for any

Painting Words of Hope

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As I have said many times before, poetry is painting pictures with words.  Like any art, the more ones practices the better one gets.  Often, my students will tell me that it is too difficult to write poetry; however, I remind them that everything in life can be difficult, until we learn to make it our own. So, this past month, I had some of my ESOL students write haiku...the results were so beautiful that I created a newsletter with the pictures they used as prompts along side the haiku they wrote.  Needless to say, they were impressed with the fact that they could write something good enough to go into print.  So, begins their personal journeys into creative writing! This is the poem I wrote for my students - my heroes - who struggle against so many odds to learn English. Safe Haven   They come beaten and battered by the storm  of dictatorial lies and systematic cruelty,  looking for the promised asylum offered by  the great colossus mother, who stands  firmly astrid

The Power of One

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Photo Credit: by Sergiu Bacioiu via Wikimedia Common s Often, I have thought and written about the power of words as well as the power of one person to make a difference ... to change things.  The image of the ripple effect is used to show how Grace can touch one, then, radiate out to touch the multitudes.   This week, I want to share a story and a poem.  The story was sent to me by my daughter, who is now nurturing daughters of her own. Together with her sisters, we have had many discussions on the recent trend to dress little girls (as young as infants!) in clothes that are totally, to us, inappropriate.  Don't get me wrong, I am not a prude, but seeing an infant in a black sequined diva dress, to me, sends the wrong message, as do the tight short shorts and skimpy tops for seven and eight year old girls. So, the following article was proof that even the little girls know that they are being exploited! ( Click here to go to the article. ) Next up is a poem that also ta

Vincent and I

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  Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh Public Domain - Wikimedia Commons Those that know me well, know that I have loved Vincent Van Gogh since childhood.  As a little girl, I believed that Starry Night was painted for me.  No one could dissuade me of this fact. So as an adult poet/writer, it is not surprising that often my work become entwined with his.  Here are a few examples for your reading pleasure. Alive with Color    Like Vincent, I too am “alive with color.”  With the artist’s eyes,  I see the purple dark,  Brightened by spiraling gold light.  No monochrome existence -  No shade of gray subsistence.  I am a tropical village, alive  With turquoise and salmon,  Buttercup and lilac -  Tones of singing color -  Unafraid of my rainbow palate life,  I paint the world!  Linda M. Rhinehart Neas © 2014  Vincent’s Sky   In a life, long before now,  you painted swirling lines of fire,  scattered across a landscape  of purple and blue.  Your palate alive

Spring Fever and the Poem a Day Challenge

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  A wee bit of green pushing through  Spring! Well, dear readers, I have to admit that I have had an acute case of spring fever over the past month.  Just have not been able to get out of my own way, but, the good news is...I am over it! The medicine I used to snap me back into writing mode is the Poem a Day Challenge - Thank you Robert Lee Brewer!  I am so excited to be crafting poems each day that I feel once again the creative juices flowing. So...Happy, happy Spring!  Here are a few new poems to start off April with...enjoy!  Circles    the beginning was difficult  water on cement  nothing getting through  panic – I begin again    the middle seemed sufficient  a spark to kindling  something was happening  caution – I continue onward  the end made my day  a garden in full-bloom  thoughts begin connecting  joy – I end class  4-1-2014 © LMRN  To Travel  Bird song, my whistle -  The garden, my carriage -  Spring sun - all the energy I need  to