Barnstar of Royalty and Nobility (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
There once was a would be king
With raised eyebrow and dark onyx ring
With his people held sway
But his words gave away
Aristocracy’s just not his thing
For those that would be born to rule
Should not take the part of the fool
For no matter how clever
The truth is they never
Can rise from this ruse to be cool
(c) Helen Valentina, All Rights Reserved
Prayer (Photo credit: Boofalo Blues)
To all those that struggle
I wish relief
I wish you to overcome
To all those who mourn
I wish acceptance
I wish you calm
To all those that aspire
I wish you inspiration
I wish you a voice
To all those that believe
I wish you evidence
I wish you choice
To all those that are generous
I wish you recompense
I wish you gain
To all those that are loving
I wish you comfort
Freedom from pain
To all those that live sacrifice
I wish you honour
I wish you fame
And to those that must hold to hope
I wish you peace
that needs no name
(c) Helen Valentina 2013, All Rights Reserved
A businessman’s silhouette. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
You are well pressed
Sleek lines
Barely visible
Controlled pinstripes
White collar
Jacket crisp
Waiting in a line
For the morning coffee
iPad glowing
News rushing in
Rushing out
Brittle
Technological
Like you
Your eyebrows
Neatly manicured
Cufflinks shining
Modest light
You look the part
Like out of a
Catalogue
Which makes me wonder
As I watch you
Are you more than
Just a suit?
(c) Helen Valentina 2013, All rights Reserved
Anger
Cries out
Enfolds its rage
Deep within
Heart
Revenge
Draws out
Strong, ancient grief
Surfacing now
Past
Action
Balances this
Eye for eye
Peace found
Justified
(c) Helen Valentina 2013, All Rights Reserved
Monarch Butterfly chrysalis (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In my chrysalis stage
I had no face
I woke to find
Of my visage
Not a single trace
I saw, it seemed, through tiny hairs
Across my featureless skin
Fine tuned antenna let
The visual in
Through sound waves susserating
beneath and within
Mirrors reflected back
Mere nothingness
I had no reason known
For this change
And deep alarm described
My inner, faceless state
My life completely re-arranged
No mouth to speak my pain
Only soft and undulating
Pale terrain
Hollows where cheekbones
Somehow still remained
Small slits breathing
In and out again
No face to express the horror
Or the fear
I hid in the shadows of my room
Let no-one near
How would they recognise the alien
Thing just lying here
I thought I’d die of grief and shock
My heart beat wild
My reptile brain
Lashed out to the void
Again, again
Clawed at the nothing
Like it was just a mask
Ignoring even pain
Till deep, complete exhaustion
Rendered all battles in vain
Days later someone found me still
In my chrysalis stage
Warm arms embraced me
Carried me
No words exchanged
I saw some hospital through
My sightless eyes
But that none recognised me
Was no surprise
They locked me in a white room
I could hear them speak
Discussing surgery to free me
As if deep below
There would still be a face
A person
That someone might know
Might know
But this was only my chrysalis stage
I dwelt in darkness
Regret and ignorance
So many days
Until the sixth morning, when I woke
My body raised
Found a face of sorts
Returned, transfigured
And before the alien being that I was
I stood amazed
They’ll never know me for they cannot gaze
Upon a light that streams and blinds them all
They are behind me, cannot recognise
The evolution birthed before their eyes
I walk alone with face not born of man
But something drawn from when all time began
Just like a ghost
They’ll think that I must die
Just like the caterpillar grieves
The butterfly.
(c) Helen Valentina 2013, All Rights Reserved
Had to drop in and stop editing/proof-reading to take part on mindlovemisery’s prompt for the week – it’s now a ritual of sorts for me! 🙂 Check it out and her fine writing at http://mindlovemisery.wordpress.com
There’s a picture of you
In a magazine
A story of you
No longer seen
There’s a theory about
Where you might have been
The tears of the lost
They flow for you
There’s so little left
For the world to do
And so little hope
That you’ll somehow pull through
There’s a plea from the heart
Of your family
There’s hope that the shadow
Has some empathy
But this flickering candle
Is so hard now to see
There’s a picture of you
In a magazine
There’s stories of where
You last were seen
And poems about
The girl you might have been
And poems about
The girl you might have been
(c) Helen Valentina 2013, All Rights Reserved
PS: My heart goes out to all families who have lost someone to such a mystery, and to all those lost….
companionship (Photo credit: goosie~gander (keeping in touch when I can))
The simplest love is the purest
The one that does not cause fear
No anxiety rising to greet you
Companionship built upon years
With passion there’s always some darkness
Uncertainty raises the stakes
But with this delicious perplexity
Comes too many times for mistakes
I so hope to hear that you’ve found him
The one that’s a match for your choice
The one that can yet be relied on
The one that encourages your voice
The simplest love is the sweetest
You deserve this so clearly my friend
I pray that such lovely, sweet balance
Returns every day, yet again
(c) Helen Valentina 2013, All Rights Reserved
Sow-thistle seed head, Wellington, New Zealand (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’ve been very remiss in keeping my RCC updates up to date, or interacting on the RCC blog itself – so apologies first to my wonderful fellow RCCers!
The reason for the absence from this part of blogging is based on the key challenge I originally outlined for my membership – how to juggle a blog, getting novels published and a job and still have a life, LOL! 🙂
Still, each day brings me closer to certain key goals. This week I received from lulu.com the draft cover art design and the first full proof of the first novel I am going to publish, The Seed. I now need to spend the weekend ahead going through it to see what revisions, if any, are necessary before it is published. I’ve done lots of editing of the original manuscript, so I hope it’s relatively few revisions needed, but I’ve never done this part of the process before so I have no idea how long it may take – I presume even if there are few changes one would need to thoroughly read the manuscript over again, and the novel is over 100,000 words, so that takes time I suppose. Maybe those who have done this before have tips to streamline it effectively – any advice would be most welcome!
What this means is I may not be around the wordpress blogging world as much as usual this weekend. I’ll try to drop by at least once a day to keep up if I can, but if it seems that I am gone from the ‘liking’ and ‘commenting’ side of things, please bear with me – I’m absent for a good reason, not for neglecting my fellow bloggers!! You’ll still see a couple of poems a day as I’ve written and scheduled them quite a few weeks ahead, and I’ll try to at least keep up with comments from those kind enough to read them, but I think this weekend will be quite insular and focussed – more about editing than creativity, more about isolation than community.
Hopefully the next post on this subject will show a cover reveal and some advance publicity on what the novel is about etc. I’m hoping to publish in the first couple of weeks of August and lulu.com at this stage think that’s a realistic timeframe – I suppose we shall see. 🙂
The Seed is all about the birth of a relationship from shared mythologies, dreams and beliefs. Birthing the novel itself has a similar feeling to it. I feel at this point like the seed is starting to sprout. It’s exciting and scary all at once. Thank you to all of you who have been so supportive to date – I shall rely on your kindness and guidance going forward!
So if you don’t see a lot of me over the next few days, I shall be back, and I look forward to diving back into our wonderful community then!! 🙂 🙂
Cheers
Helen
English: A photo of a cup of coffee. Esperanto: Taso de kafo. Français : Photo d’une tasse de caffé Español: Taza de café (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The plunger is full
The cup overflowing
The dark rich aroma
Is playfully glowing
I feel my addiction
Is gradually growing
Uncaring, unknowing
Uncaring, unknowing
A caffeine adventure
Is beckoning me
Inspire the writer
The first poetry
The fruits of this pleasure
Are all here to see
Let me never be free
Let me never be free
Oh a sad Sunday morning
If I’m coffee-less found
I’ll just wander in stupor
Say nothing profound
And the pleasures of breakfast
Would run to the ground
Let the coffee be found!
Let the coffee be found!
(c) Helen Valentina 2013, All Rights Reserved
Snuggled in my quilt
Like a child
While the wind howls
Its misery
Outside
So sublime
To be quiet, settled
Safe
For a time
So warm and enfolded
Still, as though
Expecting a moment
To arrive
Sleep beckons
Like a playful friend
Drawing me down
To silence
In the end
Of all moments
In a sometimes scarred life
This most pure
And hopeful
Protected and calm
Hear the rain
As it batters
The streets and garden below
This is peace
Tranquility
I can know
(c) Helen Valentina 2013, All Rights Reserved
Like most people, I have a number of sides to me. The most interesting one probably emerges through my writing, hence this blog. I love to read, and also to write, and so this is a way to share both.
Gravatar image credit: (c) iStockphoto.com/Lobsterclaws
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