December

December and we've  journeyed  into the dark half of the year awaiting the entrance of the winter solstice and the Cold Moon (December),  also known as the Oak Moon, Moon of Long Nights, Wolf Moon, Holly Moon, and Hunters Moon. The world changes,  days become shorter while nights longer and darker as winter hardens its grip, and Mother Earth sleeps, nestled under its blankets. It's the season enchanted by the snow, storm and tree fairies.Symbolized by the trees of  Holly and Fir as we prepare for the coming of Yule by cultivating  mistletoe.

In the darkness, we relax and reflect on the year taking guidance from the Stag, Swan, Goose, and Wolf. We reflex on our accomplishments and failures looking forward to next year and the rebirth of the sun and our new awareness of life. This is a personal and private time, traditions, good times remembered, people we love, the departed who are deeply missed, and a reevaluation of ourselves. As there is light, darkness will follow, as in nature there is a balance and in December we begin to find the balance in ourselves.



Sources:
The Healing Power of Tress
The Druid Animal Oracle

Voting Day

Stand Up
Be Counted
Speak Up
Stand Proud
Take Pride
Be American
Make a Change
Choose
 Vote.

Voting is a privilege, use it. Everyone has a chance to voice their opinion and to make a change, that's what elections are for. Those who didn't vote have no right to complain about the outcome.

Mixed Emotions at 1am

Tonight I am restless, filled with mixed emotions of sadness over the sudden loss of  my dog Skye, the empty void I am in, the love for the Lovely Lady D and her dog Cupcake, along with the sadness in the world.
 But lately, ever since Skye's death I feel a sense of uselessness, probably cause there was nothing I could have done to prevent Skye from dying. So I write this as part of my grieving process since I am a writer and although it's great prose it sill doesn't stop the loss and heartache. Now I need music to outwardly express some of my feelings and since I have this one song  running through my head, I'll play it here.

In time the sadness and heartache will end and the circle of life will be complete, but for now I play this song til the grief subsides.

Litha 2016

We have reached Midsummer, the Summer Solstice, also known as Litha or Alban Hefin. Where the sun reaches its zenith creating the longest day. A worship of the sun and all of its glory before the days become shorter on their journey toward the Winter solstice.

Litha is a day of sun worship and the Sun God who's element is Fire shown in all of its radiant colors of red, yellow, orange and gold. It's ruled by the Holly King who re-battles and slays his twin, the Oak King, and it's a time of celebrating the power of the sun and riches of the earth, and thusly is associated with the male energies and solar influences.

Litha should be enjoyed in the basking sun. A festival with nature and  homage to life in general. No matter how you celebrate Litha, take the time to feel the power of the sun, its energy and the positive light it emits.
Remember to pick your herbs today and create a bonfire or two.

Blessed Litha to All

Father's Day

The Father

Strenght
structure
protection
wisdom
passion
knowledge
understanding
compassion
drive
competition
fair play
humbleness
boldness
kindness
love
name

@Wayne Adam

To all Father's, Happy Father's Day.

Welcome to May and Bealtaine

We say goodbye to April and National Poetry Month, I hope your experience with poetry was new, exciting and inspirational as it was for me to write and post my works. Remember that poetry is not just for a month but an ever evolving art and expression. Maybe you've found that you are a poet or that poetry is now a part of your life, in any case, it was certainly a fantastic journey.
So I leave National Poetry Month with a question for you. Which of all my poems posted was your favorite? Don't be shy, just leave your answer in the comment section of this post. If you need to review the poems, just look at the recent posts on the right side of the blog, all the poems are labeled with NPM.



Now it's May and  Bealtaine.(May 1st), meaning "bright fire" or, "lucky fire," celebrates the beginning of the summer crop and the passing season. It encompasses the height of Spring and the beginning of Summer, where the Earth is alive with fertility. At Bealtaine, the Lady of the Land takes the hand of the Horned God.

Happy Bealtaine to all.

Natl Poetry Month, Day 25, Promised

Promised 

I promised you some poetry or prose upon a page

Should I give you flowers in beautiful arrays?

 Or sunrise, sunset on a perfect day

Maybe I should give you birds in melodious harmonies

Perhaps some tales of restless hearts— a lover’s tragedy,

Or enchanted woods with bells and spells—a mystic fantasy

But I want this to be perfect with words just meant for you,

While giving pieces of myself as a gift to you

 So a story of stars and moons on a cloudless sky,

With fairey dust and softened tones to help you sleep at night

I freely give you all of this in prose and poetry,

To fill your dreams

 Entice your moods,

Or just to pass the time

My promise is completed when I write this final line.              

©Wayne Adam 

Natl Poetry Month, Day 24, Cupcake

And what would poetry be without dog poetry, a great inspiration and fun to write.

Cupcake

She gives her love without question

Asking only love

How can I resist her affection

Shiny bright eyes

Black mink coat,

A vixen hunting my heart

A sweet caress

This love child jumps upon my chest

Her licks warm and tender,

Sweet is her gentle love

It plays with all my senses

I sing her name in sweet refrain,

Sweet, oh sweet,

Cupcake

@Wayne Adam

                                                                            

 

Natl Poetry Month, Day 23, Day at the Beach

Day at the A Beach 

Strong winds blow the white caps

Terns screech aloft hazy summer sky,

Floating on blustery blasts

Raw power of wind & sea rejuvenates my idle spirit,

Stirring primal elements laying in sullen sleep

How vast is the ocean,

Deep is her beauty,

Wide is her message

And yet, I ponder her meaning,

Maybe I lack understanding

Or attempt to make complexities from her simplicities,

Or perhaps, I just haven’t stopped long enough to listen

As my restless spirit seeks to move onto other realms of divinity

My spirit roams

Raw power of wind & sea 

My source of rejuvenation,

But the meaning is still unanswered

Discarded in my thought

In the next cycle,

If I land on the ocean’s shores

Where white caps are driven by the wind

And  terns screech aloft the sand,

Maybe I will ponder once more

    ©Wayne Adam

Natl Poetry Month, Day 22, Deep Autumn

Deep Autumn

Squirrels forage acorns through fallen leaves,

Greenery of trees and bush change to rustic patterns

North winds cascade crisp cooling air amongst clear blue sky

As Mother Earth begins her departure

Leaves die and the trees barren

Awaiting the blanket from Father Winter,

And eternal sleep

@Wayne Adam

Natl Poetry Month, Day 21, Imprints

Sometimes writing poetry takes on its own form, the standard form used to be rhyme and today it's free verse. But sometimes your poem will not come out in the form you intended and that's fine, there is nothing wrong with rhyme or any other form as long as it is written well and conveys your message. That is the great thing about poetry, it's free expression and flexible.


  Imprints

I walk along the seashore, my feet imprint the sand. Blue Ocean stirs my consciousness, vastness overloads my sight and sea salt fills my senses, see the grandeur and sublime. Waves roll on my emotions; a thought perceives what’s real, imprinted on the sand, body and soul revealed.

@Wayne Adam

Natl Poetry Month, Day 20, Morning Coffee

Morning Coffee

Fresh scent of coffee

Softness of your touch

Body next to body,

Love's passionate rush

Your beauty is alluring

Your smile unsurpassed

Birds sing our love song,

As dawn comes to pass

Gazing over coffee cups

We speak unspoken words

Within love's proximity,

Every word is heard

I love our time together

It is our special time,

Listening to your voice

Or lost within your eyes

We travel to a lofty plane,

No bounds amidst no time

Keep these times forever

Close to your heart

Our love is all that matters,

In a world, that’s grown dark

@Wayne Adam

Natl Poetry Month, Day 19, Tainted Heroes

  Tainted Heroes

 Where have all the heroes gone?

Like those within our youth

The ones we admired

From which we sought the truth,

Righteous deeds

Compassion

We praised in ink and song

Erected on the pedestal,

Gods that walked alone

Were they all illusions?

Just some fantasy,

Or does youth wane to wisdom,

Thus reality

Tarnish stains the purity

Deceit destroys the soul

One by one they’ve fallen,

Bloody pieces on the floor

Immortality reverts to sin

Veracity yields to lies

Heroes of our making,

Human traits survive

Are they just reflections of what we want to be?

We bear their cross of failure,

 Mass liability

Men are men

Who sweat and toil with human frailty

They live and die with dignity,

Not immortality

From innocence to worldliness

The measure we have gained

Today there are no heroes,

We are what remain

©Wayne Adam 2003

Natl Poetry Month, Day 18, Wind and the Trees

Today is Earth Day and my poem is closely related to this day. Enjoy nature.

The Wind and the Trees

Trees sway

Branches bend in rhythm with the wind

Engulfed in their rapture I am entranced by their gentle power

Moved by inspiration and awed by their beauty

I am grounded by touch of branch and bark

Lifted by the power of the wind as it engulfs me,

Within these realms, I am so small

Yet they inspire my prose and poetry

In heights worthy to stand beside them,

To the wind and trees, I bow in humble homage

As they bow back

@Wayne Adam

Natl Poetry Month, Day 16, Looking at the Rain

Looking at the Rain

Gentle thoughts on gentle rain
Droplets fill the window pane,
Each drop lamenting sweet refrains
Of dreams that have remained

Patterns dance upon the glass
Stirring thoughts of now and past,
Of love and life’s enduring times
All the thoughts entwine

Patterns change, a sweeping rain
Bring memories yet explained,
Cleansing all the doubts and fears
The rhythm is all you’ll hear

Droplets smeared across the pane
Faded patterns to none remain,
Clouds part, the sun appears
Thoughts and dreams still linger here

@Wayne Adam

Natl Poetry Month, Day 15, The Wind's Caress

The Wind’s Caress

 I close my eyes amid summer day; she rushes to greet me, caressing my body, my hair, my face with cool long fingers. Suggestive thoughts through her windy whispers entice my spirit to join her in lofty plains as we dance entwined on rapture heights.With a gentle kiss, I open my eyes, she’s gone.                                           

©Wayne Adam

Natl Poetry Month, Day 14, A Summer Friend

Poetry not only deals with emotions and feelings. It can tell a story of some observation or incident that you may have encountered, like a walk in a big city, a ride in an elevator, or like this next poem.

A Summer Friend 

Strolling the park

On this summer’s day

The scent of grass,

Swaying trees

A tranquil place to stay

I am greeted by a reddish squirrel

Looking up at me,

With big black eyes

Bushy tail

He’s quite a sight to see

He stands and looks intensely

Hoping for some food

But I have no offerings,

I hope that isn’t rude

Starring at each other

Connecting in our thoughts,

He seems to be akin to me

In harmony we part

I revel in this quite scene

Upon this summer’s day,

Hoping it will never end

And darkness keeps away

The light is softly fading

This day is at an end,

At least I have the memory

And a furry friend

@ Wayne Adam

Natl Poetry Month, Day 13, Time's Moment

Time’s Moment

Reflections

in a pond

capture beautiful images

in time’s moment,

like my thoughts of you

@Wayne Adam

Natl Poetry Month, Day 12, Watching You Sleep

Watching You Sleep

I look upon you sleeping and wonder what you dream

Are you in forbidden places,

Or by a tranquil stream

Maybe you’re in fields of flowers

Or amongst the trees

I'd like to know your thoughts right now

Are they of me?

You softly turn

 Breathe a sigh,

Your face in soft glow

I look upon you lying there

How I love you so

Maybe you dream of birds in flight

Or butterflies a flutter

Or could it be someone else?

It really doesn't matter

Perhaps I will never know what you truly dream

For your dreams are yours alone—

Do you dream of me?

©Wayne Adam 

Natl Poetry Month, Day 11, Scammers

Today's poem is more in the humorous mode for something a little different.

Scammers

They’re smooth and slick

A face you’d trust, they’re even on T.V.

They lurk in your neighborhood, stalk you on the phone

Inundate your email, you’re never left alone

Take the "big deal," you'll make a million bucks

You won't have to do a thing, just load up the truck

No, it's not a pyramid, it just looks that way

Invest and it will make you rich, just for pennies a day

This pill will do you wonders, who's the FDA?

A hungry child in Uruguay, someone has to pay

All of them are scammers, eyeing up your dough

They’ll fleece you while they shake your hand,

Count your fingers; count your toes

Here are some simple rules, to prevent this sleight of hand

Spend on self-indulgence and just don’t give a damn,

You’ll be happier with your vices instead of being scammed.

@Wayne Adam

Natl Poetry Month, Day 10, A Perfect Day

A Perfect Day                            

A bright yellow orb hangs embedded in a deep blue sky,

My spirit soars on gentle wind amidst the multi-colored forest canopy,

I watch the sunlight enhance the softness of her face, her laughter floats like butterflies in a field of flowers, for the entire world to hear. We travel the road of life, of love, of dreams—just a perfect day

@Wayne Adam

Natl Poetry Month, Day 9, Waterfall's Lure

Waterfall’s Lure

You can hear her calling as she cascades into the pool below,

Her rushing waters are like gentle fingers rubbing your back in steady motion

You feel her rhythm as she entwines your senses while falling in harmony, building in crescendo until ecstasy as you collide upon the rocks. Listen, you can her calling, beckoning you to join her. You see her beauty in silvery glistening sheets of motion, she calls--waiting

@Wayne Adam 2017

Natl Poetry Month, Day 8, Awareness

Awareness

Amid sun and sand

Waves lap on shore

Wind brushes the earth

And birds fly over coast and sea

Carrying messages from the gods,

Gentleness

Calm

Serenity

Prevail in a chaotic world,

Only if we

Look

Feel

And Listen

Will we understand?

Or are we blinded by hate

Deaf to the screams

And numb to our toxic culture,

What is our direction?

What is our fate?

I look at the waves lapping on shore

And the birds flying over coast and sea

I feel the wind brushing over me

And listen to nature—

Trying to understand

 @Wayne Adam 2016

Natl Poetry Month, Day 7, The Stream

The Stream

Sitting by this stream

Life is so serene

Watching water tumble

 Thoughts—ideas to ponder

Life is like this stream,

 Or so it seems

It flows in one direction

Knowing where to go

Till down yonder

 Where it splits and turns

Wandering the unknown

.

So like Life

 Or so it seems.

It’s good to dream,

Sitting by this stream

@Wayne Adam

Natl Poetry Month, Day 6, Heat Wave

Heat Wave

A fireball ignites on eastern horizon

Blazing, red molten

Suspended in milky blue watercolor

Heat exudes,

Flowing waves of sightless lava,

Smothering plant and creature;

Immersing all in cauldrons of sweltering vapors

Suffocating heat takes my breath,

A taste, cool liquid, my only desire

Mirage thoughts wavier into shredded paper;

Scattering into burning ashes

From dusk to darkness humid curtains flap,

Dreams of fire burn through steamy scenarios

Of restless sleep

In morn, red molten drips on burnt canvas

Oppressive, unrelenting, in fiery rage

I look upon the searing orb,

In oozing meltdown--I die

@Wayne Adam

Natl Poetry Month, Day 4, Dark Souls

Dark Souls

Bones chill in autumn’s cool

Black water reflects tattered souls,

Thoughts shred like paper on

hopeless screams of humanity

As hearts are crushed under the

stone of apathy

Until the chorus sings silence

before the presence of fear

 @Wayne Adam 2004

Natl Poetry Month, Day 3, No Words For Poems

No Words for Poems

       

Today my words hide from my pen

My thoughts are in complete shatter

Stanzas fly like shredded paper caught

on a gusty breeze

I try, but it doesn’t matter

Poetry lies asleep, upon a dreamy meadow

All I can do is wait till it wakes and yawns

in a gentle rain

Floating back into my mind—so I can write again

 ©Wayne Adam 2015

Natl Poetry Month, Day 2, Changes in Early Spring

Changes in Early Spring

Winter’s cold ebbs to mild winds of early spring

Change of seasons,

Changes of life

 New ideas meld among veiled dreams,

 Spring’s light through winter’s darkness

Reawakening of my human form and inner being

Yet, I am a spec of dirt within the grandeur of nature and sky

Awaiting the wind to be uplifted into infinity

Returning as gentle rain upon Mother Earth

Completing the cycle

Death to birth

Despair to hope

Reflection to resolve

Meditation to enlightenment

We emerge in brilliant light--

Beginning a new day

@Wayne Adam 2012

Natl Poetry Month, Day 1, Lizard Love

For the first day of National Poetry Month, a request from the Lovely Lady D,
the poem is Lizard Love.
Enjoy mi Lady(bowing).

Lizard Love

@wayneadam2017

Two lizards on my screen

One on each side

They meet each day in their special spot

Above a flower pot

Their lizard hands touch

And their noses too

On the unyielding screen

Dividing the two

 They stay there for hours

Staring into each other’s eyes

For they are lovers

No big surprise

Their love is unyielding

Passions are high

Devoted but divided

Their love will not die

I must try to unite these lovers

For I sense their pain,

Love should not be suppressed

Desire no barriers

And passion no chains

The two lizards meet on my screen

Doing their dance of love

And staring into each other’s eyes

But today they’ll embrace

Without a wall between

Get Creative for National Poetry Month 2016

April 2016 will mark the 20^th anniversary of National Poetry Month, established and organized by the Academy of American Poets, 1966, for the purpose of increasing awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States. Each year the Academy of American Poets partners with award winner designers and commission a poster for National Poetry Month. They distribute over 120,000 posters to schools, libraries, and bookstores from coast-to-coast. Individuals can also download an 8x12 copy of the poster from their PC from www.poets.org

National Poetry Month focuses on awareness and introduction of great poems and poets. There are over 30 ways to celebrate this event. Here are my top five: 

Read Poetry. The best way to appreciate poetry is to read it. Great poems and poets are easy to find. Visit the poetry section of your local library. Subscribe to a literary journal, or buy a poetry collection. Browse poetry websites, and if you find a work you admire, leave a comment on your opinion. Or you can sign up for Poem-a-Day on the Academy of American Poets website.

Write Poetry. Everyone has a little bit of a poet within him/her. It’s cathartic, it’s fun, and if you need prompts you can find one every day in April on the Poetic Asides blog. Write a poem about your favorite friend, animal or lover. Poetry has many forms Rhyming, Free Verse, Ode, Haiku, and so forth, try writing a poem in different forms, or if you feel the need for free expression—chalk a poem on a sidewalk.

Experience Poetry.. Get out to a poetry reading, like the Favorite Poem Project, April 4^th, or the PoetryLife Spring Weekend, April2 & 23 at the Florida Studio Theatre (FST) in Sarasota, FL. If you’re too busy, there’s always YouTube. Search for “poetry reading” or “poetry slam,” there you’ll find hours of performances for you viewing pleasure.

Share Poetry. To love poetry is to share it. April 21 is Poem in Your Pocket Day—a day where you carry a favorite poem and share it throughout the day. Or, take your favorite collection and lend it to a friend. You may even want to give a book of poetry as a gift or write a collaborative poem with someone.

Publish Poetry. If you already doing all of the above try taking your poetry passion to the next level by getting your work published. Send your poems to a publication you love or post them online via a blog or forum (like Google G+). If you like the self-publication route, contact printers about creating a high-quality, low-cost chapbook you can give to friends and family.

Poetry is a very creative and expressive art forum. It transcends our physical bonds and is the true essence of free expression that everyone should experience, Even if you’re not a poet—celebrating National Poetry Month will be a rewarding and interesting journey.


You all know I am a poet, and  for National Poetry Month I will write one poem a day and post it on this site. In addition, I'll distribute a poem to people I meet, maybe I'll drop one off at my local library, or hand one out to a person I meet on the street, or at a restaurant, the possibilities are endless. Maybe I'll even record them on this site. So get inspired, create and have fun with poetry.

Midnight

Midnight and I can't sleep, maybe it's just my mind unable to unwind or just a restless soul looking for a place to rest in the dark. So I write and listen to songs of my mood, songs of softness, love, loss and conscientious. It's just a mood with no particular meaning to my thoughts or events of the day.
Here with only the light of my computer and a candle I try to create prose/poetry. But it's unknown if any of it is worthy or  just the ramble of a guy on a sleepless night with no beginnings or ends. Either way, it's killing time until sleep comes to put me in another state.
Midnight turns to one and the eyes get heavier and the thoughts start to scatter. No matter if my words are good or bad I know they won't be a waste of time.                                                    

                                                                             

Remember to comment about this post.

Brush Up on Your Poe

Followers of Edgar Allan Poe already know that January 19th is his birthday. For non-followers, it's time to brush up on a great American writer who has contributed much to American Literature. Poe's achievements are staggering, he is recognized as the father of the modern short story, the inventor of the detective story, pioneer of science fiction, and master of the horror story. Furthermore, he was the first writer from the United States to gain international status and the first American writer to attempt earning a living from his writing alone.

Edgar Allan Poe(1809-1849) had a horrific tragic life  filled with unremitting misery, repeating disappointment and frustration, constant poverty, and addiction. For those who want to read more about his life, I suggest you read, Edgar Allan Poe: The Strange Man Standing Deep in the Shadows

                                                                                                                                         


The Poe Toaster

Starting around 1930, in the early morning hours of January 19th (Poe's birthday), the Poe Toaster, a person dressed in all black, face hidden by a hood/scarf and carrying a silver-tipped cane, entered the Westminster Hall and Burying Ground in Baltimore. He would go to Poe's original grave site and toast the dead writer with a glass of Martell cognac and place three red roses in a distinctive configuration on the monument along with the unfinished bottle of cognac. Although the significance of the cognac is unknown, the roses represented, Poe, his wife Virginia, and her mother Martha Clemm. Notes were occasionally left, in 1999, a note stated that the original Toaster had passed away and the tradition was passed on to his "son." The tradition abruptly stopped in 2009, the two-hundredth anniversary of Poe's birth.

In honor of Poe's birthday, I have written the following poem titled Remembering Poe:

Raven sits above my door

A gentle rapping, tapping

And the whisper of—Nevermore

These I dream, but something more,

Valdemar wakes from his decaying bed

While the Ebony Clock strikes upon the glass stained red,  

Boldly I go through the Valley of the Shadows

And fear the eerie gloom of Usher’s Manor,

The Pendulum swings upon the deathly Rue Morgue

Amontillado I drink and nothing more.

I stand at the edge of the shining sea

And wait for her—my Annabel Lee

But it’s just a Dream within a Dream,

The Toaster pays homage this day

Cognac and roses lay upon the grave,

He inspirers our thoughts and guides our pens

And thus we’re his students—Evermore.

@Wayne Adam 2016