helenvalentina

The Beloved

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Helen

Bird in blue sky (Photo credit: YLev)

The Beloved is
Music above melody
Wordless lyrics
The small light
In a darkened room
Spilling illumination
Defiantly, perpetually
Eternally

The Beloved is
A single bird against
A cloudless sky
The soft murmur
Of wind across raging water
The single pebble
Polished by time
Deep within the riverbed

The Beloved is
A soft kiss on the brow
The moment before waking
Breaking bread with strangers
Seeing in line, weathered faces
The beauty of the One

The Beloved is
An embrace as the last breath
Of life escapes willing lips
The very moment new life
Pushes mewling but hopeful
Into the world.

Posted in Air, Poetry | Tagged Aspiration, Lord, Love, Lyrics, music, Philosophy, Spiritual, The Beloved, truth | 5 Comments

3 Month Bloggerversary

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Helen

Thank You (Photo credit: mandiberg)

Tonight will mark my three month bloggerversary – three months ago I finally set my first poems to ‘public’ on the blog and went to bed not expecting anyone to even look at the blog till I started traversing wordpress myself.

Then the next morning I got up, opened my email, and to my dismay found some wonderful people had already found my poems on their Reader and were kind enough to like/comment. It was a wonderful surprise, and the surprise just keeps getting better.

I can honestly say I have never found a more warm and generous community – on line or off line. To each and every one of you who has read/liked/commented on my work and who shares so freely of your own fine creativity, I say a huge Thank You.

Three months in and it feels like a year, but in the best possible way. I can’t even remember my pre-blog life now really – it seems a blur – and I can’t imagine not having this connection in the future.

So thank you again for making this one blogger very happy and very welcome…I can’t really express what it means to me…just eleventy times a million million 🙂 🙂 🙂 or more!!!

Posted in Conversation, Fire | Tagged anniversary, Aspiration, Blog, bloggers, Blogging, creativity, friendship, Thank you, WordPress | 51 Comments

Feeling Down and Irritable

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Helen

Charles is a great writer and one of wordpress’ most generous bloggers to fellow writers. Another blogger suggesting re-blogging this to help spread the word about Charles’ books and I heartily agree! I think he eloquently describes in this post a challenge we all may face if we self publish. Please check out his blog if you haven’t already and reblog on so that more people can find Charles’ wonderful writing, the story of his journey in writing, and the links to his published works. Cheers, Helen

Legends of Windemere

Sundays have become infamous for low (or no) sales days for my book. Not sure why, but today is looking like it will knock off all those Amazon lists completely. I’ve been preparing myself for this and trying to find a way to soften the blow. I was doing okay until a thought crossed my mind:

I’ve seen a lot of self-published authors talk about how important ‘word of mouth’ is and I’ve preached it too. I use social media, support other authors, and do whatever I can to spread the word of my book and the books of other authors. I greatly appreciate the hep and advice I’ve received from all of the WordPress friends that I’ve made. Yet, there is a piece of my puzzle that’s lacking and it’s finally hitting a point where I’m annoyed.

Back when I set out to be an author full-time, I announced…

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Posted in Poetry | 7 Comments

Almost There

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Helen

Weeping angel (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

The dominion here
Of the greedy lost
With their cruel neglect
Shown through burdened cost
Takes us centre stage
Where they bleed us most
In a tragedy
Purest tragedy

Dislocate whole tribes
From a living wage
Systematic loss
Writ on history’s page
Generations now
Left to weep and rage
Through this malady
Deepest malady

At this moment
Of such true despair
Comes a light
And a chance of care
And we find
Salvation almost there
Almost there

Seasons change
Those that rise may fall
All their fame
All their jewels recalled
Before their crimes
Stands a world appalled
At their cruelty
Total cruelty

As the Wheel
Of all Fortune turns
And such sins
Find their just returns
Those who danced
Yet may fall and burn
For their apathy
Criminal apathy

At this moment
Of our true despair
Comes a light
And a new fanfare
And we find
Salvation almost there
Almost there

Posted in Fire, Poetry | Tagged 1%, Apathy, Aspiration, belief, cruelty, dark, denial, greed, Labor, Living wage, Philosophy, Politics, Spiritual, truth, Wage | 12 Comments

Drama Queen

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Helen

Lady Macbeth (Photo credit: widdowquinn)

You live a tragedy
Like Anna Karenina
Weeping, disconsolate
By the train
You’re so dramatic
Like Lady Macbeth
With wild ambition
No more restrained
Or like Camilla
Le Fanu’s vampire
Leaving every victim
Soulless, drained
Could you please refrain?

Why so histrionic
Like Cathy’s lost ghost
Clawing at windows
In the night
Or Brooding Heathcliff
Ruining families
To revenge
Unforgiven slights
You’re twisted justice
With her blindfold
Robbed of her balance
Without sight
Can’t you see
Oh can’t you see
The flag we’re waving here is white?
Could you please
Give us relief
From your imaginary fight?
I wish you may…
I wish you might…

Posted in Fire, Poetry | Tagged Arts, Cathy, dark, Drama queen, heathcliff, Humor, justice, Lady Macbeth, pain, Relationships, truth | 23 Comments

Phoenix

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Helen

Phoenix 2.0 (Photo credit: Jon_Tucker)

On this day
And on this morn
The past gives way
A dream is born

Aspiring eyes
Will softly gleam
And slowly rise
To clutch their dream

The pen will write
The voice will sing
The power of might
The righteous bring

A soul will see
First steps along
A reverie
Of words and song

And should we find
Enraptured hearts
Leave more behind
From more depart

The road we walk
Here hand in hand
Needs none to talk
We understand

Follow the star
That guides us through
We journey far
We yearn for you

Enwrap your wings
Around our hearts
Such shimmering things
Mark where we start

Posted in Fire, Poetry | Tagged Aspiration, Dreams, Musings, Philosophy, Phoenix, rising, Spiritual, truth | 25 Comments

Moving House

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Helen

Day005 – Moving Home (Photo credit: Bernard Farrell)

Must have bath
I’m not spending the next two years
Only showering

Must be close to shops
I have no interest in driving long distances
Just to get milk

Must be close to work
I also have no interest in driving and parking
In the city

Must be safe
I like living alone
But I don’t want fear

Must be quiet
I’m an old fogey now
And need my sleep

Must feel welcoming
Ghosts are welcome co-tenants
Only if they’re friendly

Must have storage
I honestly don’t know how
I’ve collected all this junk

Minimal garden too
I’ve never had a green thumb
And never will

Checklist ready
How much will I
Need to compromise
By the end?

Posted in Earth, Poetry | Tagged apartment, flat, ghosts, house, house hunting, household, Landlord, moving, Renting, requirements | 12 Comments

Fantasy

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Helen

Broken Heart (Photo credit: Gabriela Camerotti)

Now here we are
Lost in a fantasy
You had a heart
Long before mine was born
Now here we are
Waiting hopelessly
When all our time has gone

Now here we stand
Nothing for us to do
I had a plan
Hoping to conquer you
Now here we are
Lost in entropy
As all our time is through

Hoping that by
Talking to you
Hoping that I
Could bring pain to you

Now here we are
Lost in a fantasy
You had a heart
You showed for all to see
Now here I am
Knowing something new
I broke my own heart too.

Posted in Poetry, Water | Tagged cruelty, denial, fantasy, lost love, Love, memory, pain, passion, Relationships, truth | 27 Comments

The Dream

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Helen

lost love (roses & concrete) (Photo credit: onkel_wart (thomas lieser))

The hardest thing in losing love
Is to relinquish what it seemed
For even though the partnership
May well have lost its gleam
How do you quell the lingering ghost
How do you kill the dream?