Poetry in April...and The Siren Sings on a Distant Shore

Bienvenidos, El Mes De Abril!  We bow to the ecstatic beauty of April and the showers of poetry that it brings!  Oh how I love Spring!  How fitting it is to challenge myself to pen fresh poems in addition to writing the first draft of my new novel, "Not Without Passion," as I intend to complete my first spoken word CD/poetry collection, "Soft Tsunami," this year.

On a poetry stage, behind a mic, I am THESIREN.



                                                     "Women in the Photo #1"


You don't need to ask how I feel about you
It's written across our photo in a thousand words
As if we have written "Love, me and you"
At the bottom, scribbled elegantly in the way
Your arm encircles my back or how I caress you with my smile
My body askance, scripted into yours
Poised, as if we are about to dance
Though the camera does not feel your hesitancy.

(c)   Claudia Moss   1/21/06
 


*******************************************************************************

 

Tongues

I am fascinated

By tongues

In all their

Multiplicities

Some maliciously

Charm

Strap arms

And alarm

In tongue-lashing judgments that

leave whelps and scars…

Others

Sweet talk

Tickle

And implode

In naked nuances that pillow the night…

Some motivate

Change history

Adding names

To the list

Of oratory

Like          KiNg      and      GaNdHi      and         KeNneDy

AnGeLoU      and       HiTLEr

Whose honeyed

Or switchblade

Tongues

Leave you                  H      U      N      G…

But to see

A tongue at

Work

Can leave you

Simply sprung

Especially if

It holds a

Tongue degree

Skilled in

The artistry

Of controlling breathing

See

Some tongues are

Ringed

To make you

S      I      N      G

Their beat heat

That sends feet

To dance on ceilings…

If you’ve ever

Been tongued

Without saliva

Hollah

If not,

No bother

You will---

Just be still

And someone is

Bound to spill

The sight

Like the tongue

That teased me

At the party

Last night

It was               Unmercifully

Darting

Shafting

Flitting

Stinging

Zipping

Ripping

Velcro-ing

Me to the                 S      I      G      H      T

The vision wicked

Like a cobra

In a basket

Stuck, I couldn’t help

Thinking:

“Do whatever

With it,

But stick it

In my

Suggestion box, please…”

The melody

Of Spanish tongues

Enthuses me

Looses me

In revelry…

Deseo ver el fuego

En sus ojos                porque     

Cuando tu escribas su nombre

A traves de mi corazon

Beseme y

Comame como un dulce

De dedo la medura…

In company

I was told

To

H      O      L      D

My tongue

As little girls

Were meant

To be seen

Like a store-bought

Painting

Not having

Anything to say

That might mean

Something

Thus

Little girls

Became

Voice-less

Beings…

And let us

Not forget

Granma’s favorite adage,

“If you don’t

Have anything

Nice to say,

Don’t,

Say nothin’ at all,

Which

In essence

Translates,

“Say something.

Don’t leave it

At nothing.”

But a tiny tongue’s truth might

Challenge Granma’s sensibilities

As Granma…………..Who knows out of the Mouth of a Child

Could come a hurtful truth……….Might yet be

Soothing  

A wayward child inside

Whose tiny tongue

Once charged a debt Granma’s backside

Paid in a switched      H      I      D      I      n      G…

I commemorate

An organ

Weighing less than

An ounce

For as surely

As numbered hairs

The Power of

Life and Death

Resides there

On the tip

Of your

Tantalizing

Truth-welding

Teasing

Take that

Tongue…

 ©   Claudia Moss   08/29/05

                                                                           

**************************************************************************

“This is a Love Poem”

From me to my heart

Written in the sensual ink of self-love and gratitude

A Goddess

Painted me in Her image

To define myself

To embrace my likeness

To Divinity

Blessed I AM I don’t

Bow to

Hetero-skewed notions

Of what I should be

No, that’s why this is a Love Poem to me

If left up to you

I would be

Effaced as you think I AM

My footprints already eschewed from the sand

‘Cause your voice and your media

Proselytize lesbians don’t exist

After forty

Much like all women whose parts deflate

Their guarantee

Proven fake

If under the knife   they don’t go

To maintain

Their womanly refrain

That keeps you sane

In your love poem in the lustiness of

Your midnight porn where

Two curved angels

Wings flapping

Breasts fluttering

Thighs quivering

For you          while you stoke

A furnace you intend

For them

Being you figure who else could be the center

Of their erotic fantasies

Never minus testoste

RUN…

It’s a known fact in your Male festo

Dykin’ is fun                        a’ight even

Long as it’s enacted

Under your supervision,    a result of your decision

To please self

Every verse in this Love Poem whispers to me

In soft-lipped, glossy revelries

Of an endless love

A timeless promise

That I AM

The One

A sea-slick Venus

A bare-breasted Isis

Or

The thick-thighed Nzinga

The honey-voiced Nefertiti

Here to right nothing       ‘cause Nothing Really Matters   like Hill sings

Outside of my desires and whims

So I let the world write itself

As that is the way She has it        being She is Love

Like Walt’s Mulan              my duty is to my heart

Thus, when I harken to its calling

When the curtains rise

And I star in my own eyes

I do me:

Loving who I love

Saying what I say

Writing what I write

Dancing how I dance

I am a Sapphic Siren

Singing on a sugary shore

Serenading the sea

I am a Golden Goddess

Doesn’t matter who tires of women

Claiming the right to be               thus

I’m patiently content

Grateful for my Queen’s certain advent

See, this is a Love Poem

And in it I AM the gift

Of me

To myself and

I need no other reason to be

©   Claudia Moss   2/1/2011

Nita Bee's Review of My Novel, "If You Love Me, Come"

Format: Paperback
Author: Claudia Moss
Publisher: Mariposa Publications
Publishing Year: 2011
ISBN-10: 0983269734
ISBN-13: 978-0983269731

Book Description:
(Taken from back cover)
Frenonia Roberts leads an idyllic life, if you ask her baby sister Rhonda Butler, her best friend Sharmayne and anyone else looking in on her glamorous, Buppie existence in Atlanta, GA, where she high-steps it through her days as a young entrepreneur, the owner of The WeAreFamily Bookstore and Coffeeshop. She is the apple of her mother’s eye, a heavy hitter for the city’s National Black Arts Festival, founder of the esteemed Daughters of Isis Book Club and the flame in J.T.’s heart. Then one evening Free closes the bookstore and bows to the whim of a supernatural breeze guiding her Mercedes towards Techwood Homes, a neighborhood off her normal route back to the suburbs. She has no warning that a simple turn in the road will catapult her into a devastating, downward spiral to a place she’s never known…until now.
In turmoil, Free watches as worlds collide and hearts weep. Used to being the epitome of control, she learns to surrender to an unseen power moving for her good, even when she craves little more than an endless night. Meanwhile, the people closest to Free can’t stay her inevitable plunge; they’re too busy handling their own mazes. How is Free to know a stranger with the music of the South in her mouth will be the saving grace she and the others (Rhonda, Sharmayne, Pinky, Pastoria and J.T.) will need to lead them back to love?
A novel about the healing power of love and redemption, about betrayal and longing, about family and its many forms, IF YOU LOVE ME, COME resonates with lyrical language and reservoirs of emotion.

Nita Bee’s Buzzin’ Review:
This was one of those books that absolutely took me to another place. Comforting, beautiful and refreshing is how I can describe it. If you are a lover of words this book will definitely pull you in.  The spirit of the wording brought me to a pleasurable read high, and I don’t say that lightly.  The author used very descriptive language  and as said in the description, lyrical language which helped present a very good visual. You’ll surely feel the poetess in her writing style.  As well, I was clearly able to relate to the characters and see myself in some of the struggles presented. It was refreshing because from all of the books I’ve read thus far, this was a different sort of novel read for me due to the authors writing style. Did I mention, beautiful and refreshing .
This story was based around the main character, Frenonia (known as “Free”), who although has a struggle with her own self, is spirit moved to help herself and others in an indirect way. Free would take in the knowledge and wisdom of an older southern woman, who spoke with a true old south southern tone, named Miz Too-Sweet and would get some valuable life lessons through her storytelling.
Throughout the pages there are lessons for us all to be learned from Free and each supporting character. They all had their own self struggles to deal with as the story showed life and love through, relationships, sexuality, family, growing, hurting etc… the author covered a good few. The whole idea I got from this story is no matter who you are or where you come from, learning ones true self and knowing where you truly belong within, can get you to that place where love an happiness meets.
You will absolutely get something out of this story to carry with you.
One of my favorite quotes is “Love life and life will love you back“, My favorite quote in this book is at the very end that says “Fact is, Love call, you come” , which says it all about this story. I suggest you read the book and see what I am talking about…recommended.


Overall Buzzz Rating:

http://nitabee.com/2012/03/if-you-love-me-come-by-claudia-moss-book-review/

"Many thanks to the lovely Nita Bee and her beautiful buzzin' bees!  My novel can be purchased on Amazon as a Kindle book and as a softback book."   

"If You Love Me, Come"

Kindle Copy of "If You Love Me, Come" 

TheGoldenGoddess

Justice for Trayvon Martin

********************


As the mother of a young Black man in America, my heart goes out to Trayvon Martin's family. No Black male is truly safe tonight, from Sanford to D.C., until justice reigns in Seminole County. Vigilantes who take the law into their hands must feel the full wrath of a blind justice system. A midnight noose will not be replaced with a handgun in broad daylight. Let peace be still and justice reign like mighty waters across this nation...

TheGoldenGoddess

***********************


Why Is This Important

On February 26, our son Trayvon Martin was shot and killed as he walked to a family member's home from a convenience store where he had just bought some candy. He was only 17 years-old.

Trayvon's killer, George Zimmerman, admitted to police that he shot Trayvon in the chest. Zimmerman, the community's self appointed "neighborhood watch leader," called the police to report a suspicious person when he saw Travyon, a young black man, walking from the store. But Zimmerman still hasn't been charged for murdering our son.

Trayvon was our hero. At the age 9, Trayvon pulled his father from a burning kitchen, saving his life. He loved sports and horseback riding. At only 17 he had a bright future ahead of him with dreams of attending college and becoming an aviation mechanic. Now that’s all gone.

When Zimmerman reported Trayvon to the police, they told him not to confront him. But he did anyway. All we know about what happened next is that our 17 year-old son, who was completely unarmed, was shot and killed.

It's been nearly two weeks and the Sanford Police have refused to arrest George Zimmerman. In their public statements, they even go so far as to stand up for the killer - saying he's "a college grad" who took a class in criminal justice.

Please join us in calling on Norman Wolfinger, Florida's 18th District State's Attorney, to investigate my son's murder and prosecute George Zimmerman for the shooting and killing of Trayvon Martin.

~~~Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton
As seen on www.Change.org


Please sign this petition.

http://www.change.org/petitions/prosecute-the-killer-of-our-son-17-year-old-trayvon-martin

To Know A Poet is To Love ArtistCG

COLETTE aka ARTISTCG


Colette aka ArtistCG--- Poet Interview with The Golden Goddess


When did you know you were a poet?


I remember writing poetry as a teenager. I think it was probably crappy love junk. I remember doing drawings from the back view of a couple standing, holding hands, wearing Levi’s. haha I think the crappy poems accompanied these crappy drawings.

As far as when did I know? I would say perhaps in the past year. Some of my poetry has been published several years ago, but I don’t think I ever saw my poetry as being something truly worthy until recently. Now, I’m like Yeah, write on! I’m a poet and I know it! LOL


Who influences you as a poet?


Writers from before my time (living or not) who influence me and why:

• Charles Bukowski (raw truth)
• Pablo Neruda (metaphorically delicious love)
• Anais Nin (love knowing no boundaries)
• Colette (I think I’m tied to her somehow)
• Marguerite Duras (The Lover.)
• Maya Angelou (endured a harsh past and still appreciates the bird’s song)

Man...looking at that list, I wish I could arrange a face off with those peeps and have them compete for the top spot! There are singer/songwriters that I could add to that list too. I have a sense of nostalgia for the past, and I feel a connection to them when I read how they approached situations during their time. Times change, but certain things are a constant—like struggles, desires, and the emotions that are attached to both.


Writers who currently inspire me are:

• Claudia Moss (lively spirit who gives all her characters great voice!)
• Joyce Conley Williams (knows a woman’s hardships, and certainly knows her worth)
• Kumasi Mack (a modern day romantic, but he calls himself Abstract due to his flavorful metaphorical word choices)



How do you contribute to the love of poetry in the world?

I began posting my poetry online at theStarliteCafe.com in 2002. A man named Albert used to run it, and it was a pleasant place to share, get feedback, and bond with other poets. Since he has passed, various changes have occurred on the site, and there are a lot of glitches. I later started posting on WritersCafe.org. I’ve had some poetry published in India through the Taj Mahal Review, and various other small journals.



Almost Dead Poets Society    We are the Almost Dead Poets Society. If you are interested in poetry...whether you read it, write it, or enjoy listening to and watching spoken word performances then this group is for you.


About a year and a half ago, I formed the group the Almost Dead Poets Society. I had renovated my studio/living space to showcase my art, and I had a vision of this place I call the Avant Garde 2434 becoming a comfortable hangout for artists, musicians and writers to share their passion and inspire each other. I hosted the Sunday Nite Poetry Chill n Thrill for a year here, and took a few month hiatus recently. We will resume on Saint Patty’s Day with an Afternoon Delight potluck, and perhaps get back to our Sunday night routine from there on. I created a Facebook group for the Almost Dead Poets Society not long after our physical group formed, so that I could post the challenges, and we could also read the words we heard spoken. I have been delighted with its reach to those in other locales—including other countries.







Kumasi Mack, photo taken at the Avant Garde 2434
Poetry Chill & Thrill 2011





Joyce Williams, photo taken at the Avant Garde 2434
Poetry Chill & Thrill 2011


Last year, I created an art exhibit I titled Hung Out to Dry. I hung photographs I had taken of some of the poets from our group, and poetry from these poets and some from afar who participate in our online group. It was a one-day event that included several segments of spoken word. I’d love to take something like this on the road. Ahh one day! You know...Wishing Thinking of the Urban Mind! ;)






HUNG OUT TO DRY...Poets from the Almost Dead Poets Society



I have plans to put my poetry in print and eBook form soon. The means to self publish and reach an International audience is amazing thanks to online sites such as Blurb.com, and Apple iBooks. Besides having a few of my own collections I wish to publish, I want to compile a collection of poems from our Almost Dead Poets Society. Quite possibly, I will tackle that before my own, because I’m eager to share these amazing poets with the world!


Describe your writing process?

Free flow.

I’d like to stop there, but then you’ll yearn for deeper explanation—right? I write when my mind is pushing it out of me. Pushing it from my mind to my fingers to any pen, paper, keyboard I can get into contact with. Often I have words—more importantly thoughts—running around in my mind, and sometimes I’ll get them down if I have paper and pen in reach. Sometimes, I don’t. And, sometimes they are lost or changed by the time they do meet the page. It’s more of a burden of thoughts...things that trouble me. Sometimes, it’s things that elate me. I just let it out. And, sometimes, maybe later, I’ll go back and tidy up the thoughts and words a bit and shape it into a more coherent poem. Sometimes.



Describe a time when language mesmerized you.

Honey, when hasn’t it? The womb? I don’t know...I think that my collective unconscious is tied to some former writers and artists, so it’s part of my DNA. I’ve been mesmerized since before my flesh encased my spirit.

ArtistCG's Poetry

Day of the Dead / Night of the Devil
A Poem by Colette
"a Halloween experience"


I fuck everything up / the pie
no brown sugar / for my brown sugar
no crust / wrong shell
hell
More time cleaning up / than clearing up
the energy
that pulled him here / that pushes him away

I want to impress / to decompress
to touch soft / love mellow
yellow / everywhere / to symbolize


Happiness


What is it?
No one ever knows 'til it's too late / so I wait
to no avail / jail / feels like what I'm in
because I did find out / what "it" is
but, I can't obtain it / fully

Slivers of my piece of the pie
not even satisfactory
though I try

I'm a ghost in this land of the unknowing
Even when I blurt it out / paint it / create it
demonstrate it
I'm unheard / unseen / nothing but awkwardness
showing

It would be easier if I could think
walk / talk
dream of a future / like them
but, I can't.

I'm spilled over / peeled off / sliced
chewed up / spit out
discarded like trash / recycled
too many times

I watch lesbians build families / scouts build fires
burn what's meant to stay semi-whole
signs everywhere looking for new hires

I'm strong as titanium / as weak as these old, falling leaves
No one knows what to do with me / And,
I don't know how to sit still / I'm not addicted to a pill
or alcohol / or, otherwise

It's the simple things that give me thrills

Perhaps I'm meant to remain alone in this life?
Feeding squirrels peanuts / walking an incognito cat on a leash
Because, I don't think I'm designed to merge
with these humans

completely.

© 2011 Colette

*********************

Our Scars
A Poem by Colette
"flashbacks, and how they cripple our future. *inspired by the film Black Snake Moan"


that black snake moans

those flashbacks

of the wars i’ve fought

with my father, brother, steroid pumped man in blue

all i’m keepin true


my truth


wanting to give it all to u

inside out, and back in then out

again

no air

choking throat


nothing but a hair left behind, and

those scars


i see the you you don’t see

you see the me of the former remnant of women past

and i am ready to strangle that fucking black snake

til it no longer moans, but screams, then fades

then relaxes

to the present


i say i want to massage your temples

until your misgotten memory turns liquid

so i can swallow

swallow that black snake

so it chokes no here and now no more


that black snake moans

and i cry

cancerous tears

tears of death moans playing in my cerebellum

body twitching both involuntarily and voluntarily

hell, i don’t even know the difference anymore


and somehow both of our necks begotten

like some African mythology springing forth new life

out of the dead crevices

we have to learn who to be thankful for


i’ll suffocate your fucking, moaning, black snake

i’ll help you breathe, but


what will you do for me?


what will you do for me?


© 2011 Colette

**********************

Abstract Artist
A Poem by Colette
"a dedication to Kumasi Mack--The Abstract Poet"


I call it motion / they call it abstract

I call it feelings / they say it looks like a heart attack

I say the colors are like the wind on a hot summer day

I say the gay rainbow flies / I say... Sailor, Hey!


Movie screenings / temporary tattoos

The work of an artist will do / What? / Only if they lived before you?


Pistachios / Mangos

Yellow / Pink / Orange / Purple

You know I dream in Technicolor

You know when you dream of me there is little color / no obstacles

a barrier / reef

and we’re back to a reality in a colored land


Give me your hand

African myths / a gazing globe of peacock feathers / watermelon lingerie

said to cure what ails you / and help you sleep


Deep


They call us lewd / I call them funny

They call her nude / I call her lovely


They call me / I don’t call back

Today might be the last day / I’ll have a Big Mac attack


I’m down with the hoops / not with the studs

A painting that doesn’t encourage growth is simply mud


I call it the Ripple Effect / they call it football

Sometimes

He falls / He says, “We can’t fly” / I say, “Gimme your hand”


You might call it metamorphosis / I say

the caterpillar can’t eat if the butterfly don’t know where to land


We call our language metaphors / a fictional version of facts

He calls me Moonshine / I call him Abstract

***********************

ArtistCG is also an awe-inspiring PHOTOGRAPHER!!!
http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/1028261



Images of people in their bedrooms to demonstrate that regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or cultural backgrounds...we are all similar.


Living A Golden Life,
TheGoldenGoddess

Dr. Victoria Lynn Schmidt Encourages Writers Via BIAM!

A beloved, Las Vegas friend, Nik Nicholson, invited me to join her on a writer's adventure last year! Our noble mission: write a book in a month! At first, I wondered if she was serious but she didn't sound inebriated and there was a determined essence in her voice. I could feel her persistence, her fire to blaze that unprecedented trail.


So I consented. And so did three other writing friends.


Nik walked the road she set for her indomitable pen, over job stress and family life and whatever else she had to overcome to meet her goal. At the culmination of a month, the good sister had that "fast" written manuscript ready for edits. On the other hand, I bailed. With 1,000 excuses strapped to my ankles. But something in me beckoned, the forefinger summoning me back to the drawing board. "We never give up, Heifer!" it scolded me, rolling its eyes.


It may not be now, but you, young lady, will sit to meet this goal. Nothing is insurmountable...if you give it your best. Then I mused: Did I really give it my best? Deep within, I knew I hadn't. A door opened and I dashed.


Now I walk up to the challenge again. Resolved, indomitable and elated---I am telling The Golden Goddess, Ms. Claudia, you can, you must and you will. It's a simple as that!


So, beloveds, in April, (yes, next month) come hell or high water, I undertake the mammoth venture of completing the first draft of my new novel, NOT WITHOUT PASSION. Not only will I have the initial write, but also I will rewrite the manuscript and include subplots and anything else the second write should possess in May. Afterwards, off to a potential publisher it will traipse, high stepping it all the way.


In dedicating myself to the undertaking, I decided to invite the lovely Dr. Victoria Lynn Schmidt to A Golden Life to share her pearls of writing wisdom...with me and any other writing soul out there who could benefit from her encouragement and expertise. I must say, I reached out and Dr. Schmidt received me graciously. She consented to my request with the warmth that only a master teacher can exude to those who come to sip of her knowledge. Thus, without further ado, I give you V.L. Schmidt!





"I'm so happy to be visiting with you all on the Golden Goddess! I know many of you are pursuing writing a book in a month, or at least just spitting out a draft of it which is wonderful. You will be far ahead of most writers out there who never actually get to 'the end' so be sure you pay attention to the 'celebration stage' you deserve it!


Try to think of things in terms of steps. Try not to see the whole manuscript in the beginning, just see the first page, the first chapter. Take that first step. Don't stop to take care of anything else, don't worry about things being perfect. The stars will never align. You just have to take that first step and get things rolling. THE STARS WILL NEVER ALIGN PERFECTLY! Don't wait.


Also, start every writing period congratulating yourself. Take a moment to look back at all the pages you have written and feel good about it. We often go crazy staring at where we need to go that we forget to take pride in what we have already accomplished. Be good to yourself and your muse will show up. It's like we climb to the top of a mountain and worry about the next mountain, instead of taking a moment to see the glorious view in front of us already. Writing is a journey.


A bit of practical advice - be sure you create back ups! I just heard from another writer who lost all her files to a virus. E-mail your ms to yourself at the end of the day at the very least if you have to. Your work is precious, take care of it."






This is the BIAM book that guides me on my voyage! I have been rereading it to reintroduce myself to my support system. This time, together, we will dock in a port of phantasmagorical accomplishments!


Thank you, Dr. Schmidt, for the beauty of your presence in the world!


Victoria says:

"I am an author, instructor, and holistic-minded explorer of psychology, spirituality, and creativity. My books combine my unique interests in ways that allow my readers to think differently about subjects while offering them practical tools to explore things on their own.

My first book series is the best selling Creative Writing Series – 45 Master Characters, Story Structure Architect, and Book in a Month. These books combine all of the above to show readers around the world how to hone their craft and reach their dream of writing a book or screenplay. (45 Master Characters was recently translated into Korean)"

Read more: http://victorialynnschmidt.com/



Living the Golden Life
TheGoldenGoddess

OPT-IN Form for Buyers of Tim Pond's Bestselling e-book, THE HAPPINESS HOP

Welcome, A Golden Life Subscribers!

If you are one of the many e-book buyers who just downloaded your copy of Tim Pond's wonderful new e-book, THE HAPPINESS HOP, you are in the right place to claim one of your premium BONUS GIFTS!




THE HAPPINESS HOP: GAIN THE THREE INSIGHTS TO YOUR AMAZING LIFE


To claim your bonus gift here, please subscribe to my blog and leave your first NAME and E-MAIL ADDRESS, to which I will send your e-BONUS GIFT of my new story collection, WANDA B. SINGS THE BAILOUT BLUES. You will enjoy Ms. Wanda and her hilarious take on our contemporary world!




Kudos to Bestselling Author and MARKETING GURU, TIM POND


Tim Pond is a best-selling author and coach. He has published fifteen books. His own unique purpose is to help people gain insights and make their lives extraordinary. To learn more about his latest book, The Happiness Hop, visit www.threeinsights.net/book.

To watch The Happiness Hop book videos, visit his YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/timpond1/videos.


Living a Golden Life,
TheGoldenGoddess