Spillwords Press Author of the Month for May!!

Photo by Hasan Albari on Pexels.com

Thanks to your generosity and time, I was voted Author of the Month for May on Spillwords Press!!!

I’m excited to receive this honor among so many amazing writers! Thank you to Dagmara K. and her team for providing this literary site for authors to share their emotions through words. I’m thrilled to be a part of this community!

A Big thank you again, dear friends, for your vote and wonderful support, and for visiting Spillwords to read my poem, “Toots and Circles.”

I wish you a fabulous day and weekend ahead! ❤️❤️

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com – All rights reserved.

Trouble – Acrostic Poetry

Photo by Inzmam Khan on Pexels.com

Trouble – An Acrostic poem inspired by Colleen’s post , but mine turned into a double acrostic with a more somber twist. It may even be more of a story than a poem. When I saw the word ‘trouble’ my father-in-law came to mind…

Thriving in life’s sunrises and sunsets
Reveling in life, travel, staying active,
Over the last century he’s lived a fulfilled life,
Unaffected by pessimism, his sanguinity
Bestows a light on all who walk in his circle.
Legendary in his knowledge and keen memory,
Enervated and full of pain is his body now.

Taking each day as it comes, persistent agony
Rarely breaks from its stopover, but complaints
Outstandingly never fall from his lips. It is
Unusual for the query to escape, but he
Breathes gently before asking when the distress will
Liquidate his bones and muscles, when it will all finally
End.

Maybe you can relate? Perhaps you’re in the same situation with a loved one?

On a lighter note, if you find yourself at a loss for words, desperately needing poetry writing inspiration, visit Colleen.

Thank you for reading. ❤️

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com – All rights reserved.

Nomination from Spillwords Press!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

I was checking emails after getting home from work yesterday, and you can imagine how excited I was to receive this email from Spillwords Press!

Dear Authors,

We are reaching out to let you know that you all have been nominated for ‘Author of The Month’ of May.
Congratulations!

Voting will be conducted via this page: https://spillwords.com/vote/

General Voting will be officially held from 5/26-5/29.
Please note, you need to register and/or login to vote.

The Winner will be announced soon after the voting has been completed and featured on the Spillwords.com sidebar during the entire month of June!

I’m thrilled to be nominated among so many talented writers!

So, if you visited my prior post, you’ll know that my poem, “Toots and Circles” is the poem that is referenced with this nomination.

If you haven’t read “Toots and Circles,” you can read it here.

Photo by Amol Mande on Pexels.com

And if you missed my prior post, you can find it here.

Voting begins today and continues through to May 29th. I know you have to log in to vote, and this is a lot to ask. So, I won’t ask, but I will hope that some of you will take the leap! And if you do, you’ll see my poem displayed on the right side bar.

This is so exciting, and however you offer support, I am grateful! ❤️

Most importantly, Thank you for stopping by, for ‘hearting’ the poem over at Spillwords, for voting if you do, and for simply reading and considering! ❤️💜❤️

Lastly, Thanks again to Dagmara and her team at Spillwords Press for publishing my poem, and for this wonderful nomination! 🙏🏻

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com – All rights reserved.

Spillwords Press publishes “Toots and Circles”!!!

Dear Friends,

Spillwords Press has published my second poem today , “Toots and Circles” and I am honored to have my writing featured on their site again!

This poem evolved one morning when a friend in nature woke us up with its morning greeting just before our alarm sounded off…

Toots and Circles

Perhaps he was a Western Screech Owl
that I heard outside our bedroom window
in the early darkness before the sun
fashioned its glorious arrival.
I cannot say with conviction,
but it is certain he proclaimed his presence
with his high-pitched toots.

But what I really want to know…

You can read the entire poem here

And I”ll be grateful if you head over to Spillwords and click on the heart to “like” the poem. 😁 I’d even do a happy dance if you’d leave a comment, but of course, you’ll need to create an account and log in. I won’t ask you to do this since we are all inundated with user names and passwords. One can hope though!
Please know your time and support is greatly appreciated if you choose one of these options.❤️

Thank you again to Dagmara K. and her team for accepting my submission. I am thrilled to the moon and truly gratified!

I hope you enjoyed my poem, and I wish you many miracles in nature! ❤️

Photo by Amol Mande on Pexels.com

© Lauren Scott, baydreamer writes – All rights reserved.
Both Spillwords logos credit to Spillwords.com.

Living Ever So Gently

I’m thrilled to share the collaboration has begun with an amazing illustrator for my first children’s book!! The release date will be later this year, specifics TBD. This road is one I haven’t traveled before, so a learning curve is ever present. But the journey will be delightful as I watch my adorable character come to life in color on pages through beautiful illustrations. Not to mention, the important message included in the story for both children and adults. More information will follow throughout the year as progress moves forward, and I’m sporting a Big smile…

like this happy canine!

So, food for thought in haiku form…

visualize dreams
transform into intentions
rewards lie in wait

As I’ve mentioned in prior posts, the progress for my upcoming book, Ever So Gently, is slowly advancing. Life has interrupted at times, but the plan is to release it next month. For the cover, I wanted a minimalist design with soothing shades to complement the title and message I’m conveying. I may play around with the font and placing of the text, but below is a mock sample:

A snippet from the introduction:

Ever So Gently expresses how I welcome nature’s offerings. The gentle way in which I should react to life’s challenges. The gentle grace in my heart that is full of gratitude for the love in my life, for being loved. For the support of my family and friends through every stumble and every celebration. When I greet a new day, I am reminded to breathe and live gently. We live in a world riddled with chaos and tragedy, but beauty surrounds us if we open our eyes. I may not always succeed in gentle, but if I slip up, I will try again. A variety of emotions is felt throughout the collection because life can be joyful, but it can also be messy. As to the style of poetry, most are free verse, but since I enjoy trying different forms, I’ve included syllabic poetry as well.

Style notwithstanding, the purpose of compiling this collection is for you, the reader, to discover at least one, but hopefully, a few poems that will evoke a special memory or remind you that you are not alone living with the emotions in your heart. Perhaps you’ll get a good laugh or experience an aha moment. Most importantly, when you turn the last page, I hope you discover the reward of living Ever So Gently.

Thank you for reading and for your wonderful support in the past! Stay tuned for more information on both books in future posts. May your weekend be filled with adventure and big smiles! ❤️

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com – All rights reserved.
Canine photo by Marco Carrillo on Pexels.com

The Magic of Redwoods…

soaring to the top
with best view of stunning park
she feeds her babies

its numbers decline
endangered species, precious
dark brown spotted owl

watching from above
birds’ chorus resounds within
grandiose forest

advocates promote
for the cultural touchstone
brown, white spots, those eyes

four inches in length
wandering salamander
lives like king in crown

watching intently
in pursuit of carrion
a huge bald eagle

hold dreams close to heart
raise face to the beguiled blue
evergreens enchant

sunbeam bursts throughout
crowns of majestic redwoods
hope twirls with a breeze

they stand defiant
soaking up carbon and mist
life support for all

SAVE THE REDWOODS!

Spotted owls, a myriad of bird species, and salamanders are only a fraction of the wildlife that live in redwood forests.

We hung out with the redwoods on Mother’s Day, and I couldn’t imagine a better place to celebrate! I hope you enjoyed the facts and the magic! 💖

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com – All rights reserved.

In case you forgot…

We are all beautiful and unique in our own way!

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”
~ Confucious

“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.”
~ Khalil Gibran

“Beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin. It’s about knowing and accepting who you are.”
~Ellen Degeneres

People
Unique, beautiful
Compassionate, complex, quirky
Family, friends, acquaintances, strangers
Individuals

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com – All rights reserved.
You can find me on Instagram too! ❤️

A Double Ennead poem for Mother’s Day Weekend! 💐

Happy early Mother’s Day to all moms out there!

Mothers

She protects with arms of
strength and adoring love,
embodies splendor of many colors, bold
for confidence, pastel
for giving support

She is the butterfly
on the breeze, flying
with style, the hummingbird outside our window
she graces our presence
a lovely blessing


She will swim upstream with
vigor if need be
a sister, daughter, friend, lover, a caring
spirit like no other
an angel on earth

(My mom passed away 12 years ago and my mother-in-law at a very young age, three decades ago. But these two amazing women live in our hearts, and not a day goes by without thinking of them.) 💗

My bridal shower in 1988. Mom in red stripes and my mom-in-law in red flowers.

And thank you to my amazing daughter and son for making me feel so blessed!
❤️🙏🏻

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com – All rights reserved.
The Double Ennead poetry form was created by Colleen Chesebro for CarrotRanch.com.

You can find me on Instagram too! 🤗

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! 🌺



Life in Cinquain form.

I found this form of Cinquain poetry and decided to give it a try. I’m sharing eight poems and would love to hear if any of them resonate or stand out for you. Don’t be shy. Some are serious and some are simply fun.
The rules are:

Didactic Cinquain Poem Form 1:

This is a very popular form of cinquain that instead of incorporating stress and syllables, it uses word counts.

  • The first line is one word which is the title of the poem.
  • The second line contains two words which are adjectives that describe the title.
  • The third line has three words that tell the reader more about the subject of the poem or show action. Many times these words are gerunds that end with -ing.
  • The fourth line has four words that show emotions about the subject of the poem and may be individual words or a phrase.
  • The fifth line is one word that is a synonym of the title or is very similar to it.

And now for the poems and some of my photos:

Emotions

Emotions
Raw, hurtful
Aching, reeling, falling
Catches you by surprise
Reactions

Pain

Pain
Throbs, shocks
Stabbing, stinging, smarting
Halts activities like lightning
Agony

Perceptions

Perceptions
False, clouded
Mystifying, troubling, startling
Causes heartbeat to slow
Impressions

These beauties are from our yard, but they line the road on my way to work
which inspired the poem.

Poppies

Poppies
Bright, cheerful
Swaying, smiling, waving
As I drive by
Blooms

Rainwater

Rainwater
Cool, necessary
Refreshing, quenching, soothing
Brings life to nature
Precipitation

Summertime

Summertime
Warm, colorful
Swimming, relaxing, vacationing
Get outdoors and play
Solstice

Books

Books
Stories, poetry
Compelling, transporting, entertaining
Turning pages is exciting
Paperbacks

Music

Music
Songs, instruments
Playing, singing, listening
Dancing the night away
Melody

And a more personal reflection…

Music

Music
Choir, piano
Harmonizing, recording, performing
Reveling in the spotlight
Entertainment

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great Thursday!

~ Lauren ❤️

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com – All rights reserved.

To The Quail We Go!

My husband and I recently attended The annual Motorcycle Gathering at The Quail Lodge and Golf Club in Carmel, CA. This location is prestigious and absolutely gorgeous. The guests are directed to park on the fairway, and the system is a well-oiled machine. With my husband being a motorcycle enthusiast, going to this event for him is like me perusing a book store! But I enjoy it too, and this time was our second year. It’s interesting to see the variety of bikes, custom, vintage, even scooters, for adults and for youth. The unique styles definitely exude the Wow factor, but the beautiful colors are also appealing. There are some real beauties, along with some wild bikes. I hope you enjoy the visuals!

Very cool!
Wow!
😎
Who are these people?
Best of Show!
Cute little mini.
Pretty!
Nature always finds herself included.

And a photo from one of our past rides…

And to close, I wrote a Double Ennead poem about our experience, and this is my first try at this poetry style.
I learned about this form on Balroop’s blog and her lovely poem, “The Last Kiss.”
You could say mine is also about love, but a different kind – a love for riding in the wind.
A Double Ennead is a 99 syllable form, comprising three stanzas of syllables (6, 5, 11, 6, 5).

A Motorcycle Gathering

Beautiful bikes admired
aesthetic differs
but enthusiast’s passion runs parallel
Like-minded people walk
the lavish, green grounds

breeze swirls around faces
sunshine drops in now
and then, but scarves stay swathed, blowing in the wind
bikes glisten for adults
mini styles for youth

engines roar in distance
friendships established
though strangers when doors open, stories disclosed
history respected
a valued event

Thank you for dropping in, and “let us journey among redwoods, seacoast and rolling hills, drawing in breaths and exhilarating thrills.” ❤️

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com – All rights reserved.