For a fun Friday, I’m trying something new, and honestly, I’m not sure if my attempts are right! 🙂 I learned about Tautogram poetry on Luisa’s blog, Words and Music and Stories, and she suggested I give them a try. So I did…
The tautogram is best explained by its Greek root words of “tauto” meaning “the same” and “gramma” meaning “letter.” Basically, all words in the poem begin with the same letter.
Here we go! I inserted Friday inspiration and a little bit of Copper!
I hope you enjoyed these tautograms! They were fun and a bit challenging, but I’ll keep trying! 😂
By the way, I’ll be hanging out with hubby at our favorite lake in the Sierra Mountains next week, and beginning on Sunday, I’ll be off the grid. So, have a great weekend and a wonderful week ahead! And I always appreciate your visits and feedback. Hugs, Lauren ❤️
I am pleased to announce that my poem, “Reconnected” is published on Gobblers by Masticadores! A huge Thank you to Manuela Timofte for believing in me enough to share my work each month. I am truly grateful! 🙏🩷
A snippet of the poem…
He had just entered the world his body tiny and delicate a bundle needing to be loved His skin darker than theirs but this made no difference Joy danced in their hearts when he became family
but with each passing birthday the skin color confused him…
This poem is my sister and brother-in-law’s story. They were married 52 years ago, and when they wanted to start their family, they found out that they couldn’t have children. So, they adopted their two boys. This is the story of their first son, my nephew. It is a story of unconditional love and wanting to provide a loving, safe home for a precious baby who needed one. I would be thrilled if you visited Gobblers to show your love on their site and to read the full poem. You can find the poem here.
It was just another day at the county fair. Everything looked the same. Vendors gathered in their dedicated spots. The music venue sat under the white canopy by the pond that never changes location.
Henna ink has lightened – the faded hummingbird no longer reminds me of Mom, the wolf, incognito, but the memory shines like the glimmering pond…
Chatter and laughter echo around the zooming roller coasters, high-flying swings, and games that will eagerly take your dollar bills. Feathered spectators compete in the distance, but their melodies as faint as clouds drifting in the sky. Soft tacos satisfy our palates under a waterfall of sunshine as we observe parents walking by with their children wearing cotton candy smiles. Nothing brings more joy than cheering on the trio of piglets racing around the track. Their curly tails in view past the finish line!
What a delightful visual the lively grounds present from the revolving Ferris Wheel. I grab my cell for photos of him with the crowd’s energy buzzing in the background. He entertains me with these photo ops, knowing how much I love documenting precious moments. The ride pauses with our bucket at the top while others climb in below for their trip around the moon – our fingertips almost touch the vast blue. I am surprised by the vacancy of butterflies in my stomach.
It was just another day at the county fair. Everything looked the same, except… this day was time spent with my adult son – he would soon embark on a cross-country adventure. So, a Sunday of togetherness while enjoying the county fair landscape proved to be anything but the same, and was indeed different in the very best way – worth more than any materialistic possession I could ever own.
I’m thrilled and honored that my interview at Gobblers by Masticadores is Live today! A big thanks to Manuela for this wonderful opportunity, and for gifting me the chance to become a monthly contributor of such a talented and warm community. Please visit Gobblers to read the full interview, and to show appreciation on this lovely site! Thank you so much! 💖
We’re all amazed at how fast time flies, and I continue to be…because it seems like yesterday when my book, Ever So Gently, was first published. This is my 4th book, and after one year has flown by, I’m celebrating with joy the 1st Anniversary of this poetry collection dear to my heart. Not to mention, the beautiful, soft cover painted by my son that paired perfectly with the title and the message within the pages. I want to thank everyone who has bought a copy! I feel so honored by the beautiful reviews I’ve received and all of them, 5-stars. A Big Thanks to you all! 🙏🙏
Reading Ms. Scott’s poetry is like roaming the pages of a spiritual book and you can feel a connection. Upon picking up this book I first read “Ever So Gently” and felt an instant connection, as I’ve lived such moments myself during bushcrafting adventures, connected to nature and all of creation. As I continue to read, each poem is equally as deep and reveals not only the writers soul, but my own. ~ Scott Mitchell, Photographer and Poet
A beautiful collection…
“Ever So Gently” is a beautiful collection of free verse and symbolic poetry. It is broken into three sections that cover nature, life’s moments, and some author insights. I love nature and I’m drawn to vivid images, but the emotions and insights explored in our shared experiences were equally intriguing. There was a peace within these pages that allowed me to drift off into a poetic slumber when I was done reading. Although I enjoyed the entire collection, here are a few lines that captured my heart. “Fresh raindrops/gently landed/on their wilted spirit/as I witnessed them lifting…”—Wilted Spirits, “You stowed dreams in the clouds,/imaginings rose higher than the heavens…”—First Breath, “Their presence graced my universe beautifully like an endless ceiling of bright blue sky. Then they were gone.”—Friendships Gone, and “Its glow will grow ever so gently/into a bright beacon of hope/rising with the golden sun/bringing clarity to our vision.”—Ever So Gently. A collection that I will be enjoying again and can highly recommend. ~ D. L. Finn, Author of Sounds in the Silence
Reads like an Impressionist painting looks…
This book of gentle poetry reinforces love of family, nature and the mysteries of life. Written in a free style, the poems are organized into 3 sections: The Wisdom of Nature, The Noise, The Laughter, The Chaos and The Loved Ones. Each section breaks from free style at its end and features syllabic poetry. This book is for lovers of poetry who look for words to savour, poems to read over and over and a book to treasure in their collection. Through her writing, Lauren Scott reveals a caring and gentle soul that lives up to the title of her book. ~ Resa McConaghy, Photographer and artist at https://graffitiluxandmurals.com. For Resa’s full review on her blog, visit https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/2023/08/20/ever-so-gently-by-lauren-scott/.
Read it slowly, and savor it long…
Ever So Gently–A collection of poems by Lauren Scott, a book of 126 pages, is a beautiful collection to savor more than once. In a combination of poetry forms like free verse, haiku and tanka, etheree, shadorma, and others, the Author celebrates family memories and present moments and reflections on where she is in her life today. Read it slowly and feel the words cause your own memories to float to the surface.
The book is divided into three parts: The Wisdom of Nature; The Noise, the Laughter, The Chaos, The Loved Ones; and Lost In Thought. In Part 2, there’s even a poem from the perspective of Copper, her Labrador—a clear indication of the different loves in the Author’s life. Undeniably you will find the words swell your heart with gratitude too.
I recommend Ever So Gently to anyone who knows how to tap into and make much of the happy moments in life. Because life is not always a bed of roses, yet beautiful things happen all the time. Any of the poems will have resonance. What, with language like these excerpts from the book:
“That this routine, though simple to some, would not be the same, would not provide the comforting experience if one of us was not present? I shudder to imagine such a scenario…” ~Toots and Circles
“the soil exhaled and my lantana sang “Hallelujah!” ~ October’s Miracle
“When I reminisce to these years, memories make me pause… to a time when I witnessed their laughter and tears,” ~The Tiny Town
“a little bit more. I’m sure she knows the amount of residence she claims in my heart. Then again, it is quite difficult to quantify.” ~A Little Bit More
“Then with the years your adolescence faded like my blue dye, but I stayed loyal.” ~The Blue Down Jacket
“Life is like a package wrapped in festive paper.” ~Darker Than The Deepest Sea
All the poems offered me a tender glimpse into Scott’s life. One calm evening to read through this poetry collection is all I needed to recognize how much I have in common with this Author. That she and her husband are empty nesters puts me right in her shoes. So the poem that will remain tucked safely in my happy place is the following:
“I find comfort in the clothes\ strewn on the floor\ soon to be dumped in the washer,\ wallet lying on the dresser,\ cell charging, bed comforter\ in shambles\because the messiness\ displays his presence.\ Now with air miles accumulated\ back in his time zone,\ the room shines in all its cleanliness,\ the neatness grating on my nerves,\ the silence, a cold shoulder.\ My hand pulls back the comforter,\ tousling, creating wrinkles\ in the navy fabric, then I pull\ some old shirts from the closet,\ tossing them on the floor.\ I can certainly pretend\ he’s just out with friends…”\\ The Mess, p.59
I hope you’re ready for just such a book, serene and enticing, that will speak ever so gently to your soul. I cannot wait to read more poetry like this from this Author. 5-star from a satisfied customer.~ Selma Martin, Author of In the Shadow of Rainbows
If you don’t own a copy of Ever So Gently yet, I hope you will soon. It’s never too late! But most of all, my wish is for you to find some poems that you can call your own – poems that resonate to the core. ❤️
I appreciate you joining me in this special celebration! 🎉💫
Thank you from the bottom of my heart! 💙🩵💚
To purchase your copy in paperback or e-book, click ‘Buy on Amazon’ or visit Barnes & Noble, and Kobo where Ever So Gently is also available.
HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY, AND THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY! HUGS & HAPPY READING, LAUREN 💜💜
After almost two months on a break, it’s good to be back because I’ve missed you all, and I hope I haven’t been forgotten. 🙂 Before the break, one of my friends, Resa, and I had decided to collaborate on a post. First of all, if you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Resa, you can find her at https://artgowns.com/ & https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/.
We were talking one day about limericks (during my limerick phase) and she suggested adding some artwork with a few that I had written. Thus, the collaboration commenced! Resa is a costume designer of gorgeous gowns. She is a passionate photographer of outdoor ephemeral art. And her artistic talent is incredible, appealing to our emotions as seen in her sketches below.
Two limericks I sent to Resa were about my lovable canine, Copper, who is almost 14 years old. He doesn’t go fast or far anymore, and his hind legs are weakening. But he is the biggest sweetheart with amber eyes that see right into your soul. The other limerick was about blooms because of my love for nature. Then Resa suggested that I find inspiration from her sketches to write some poetic thoughts. This was challenging because of the writer’s block I’ve been up against. But in its own time, inspiration arrived, which turned into shadorma poetry both serious and soothing. Resa’s beautiful artwork inspired, along with our current political climate, and Nature herself. So, I hope you enjoy our teamwork!
My limericksMy photo that inspired ResaResa’s Copper processAll the love in black & whiteCopper in colorMy limerickResa’s blooming processResa’s lovely creation
My responses to Resa’s blooms…
Nature’s Therapy
She lounges in nature’s embrace in a world that rages unsettling to the core blooms provide comfort
Her country spins and twists and turns an outcome uncharted she finds a place of respite reveling in silk
Blooming Comfort
Colors of nature offer hope golden, pink, purple, red evoking elation for tomorrow’s sunrise
She sinks her soul into their hues, fragrances, spring softness, being a part of their world a setting divine
Dear Friends, it’s hard to believe that this blogging break has turned into a month already. I thought I’d be gone for a couple of weeks. But the truth is that a roofing project has turned into a noisy, costly, and stressful nightmare. And during this time, Copper (our lovable lab) got really sick with gastroenteritis. It’s never easy to watch our furry family members suffer. But he’s finally back to his normal chipper self, off of his bland chicken and rice meals, and onto his regular food. I haven’t felt like cooking, so I’ve cooked more for him than for us!
Then my husband came down with the flu, but luckily, he’s on the mend. And lastly, a few days ago, a heat wave entered into the equation and it’s been disgustingly hot. Most homes in our area don’t have air conditioning like us, but we do have a portable ac unit which helps. Sanctuary defined! Still, this hot spell is unprecedented to continue on until 11 pm next Wednesday. Yuck!
As to writing, I’ve written very little. My mind has been preoccupied, so I hope my muse will return soon. On a more positive note, a couple weeks ago, we went to my nephew’s wedding in the Santa Cruz mountains. We had a blast and it was a gorgeous setting in the company of majestic redwoods.
My sleeping puppy (almost 14 years old)
I have missed you all and will see you later in the month, hopefully. Fingers crossed “this too shall pass.” I am practicing on stillness in my mind because getting upset doesn’t help.
Lastly, for those of you in the U.S., I wish you a SAFE & COOL 4th of July! Hugs to you all, Lauren ❤️💙❤️
My poetry collection will turn one year old later this month, but if you don’t own a copy, I hope you’ll add itto your home library. You’ll find many takeaways about nature, love, and life! 💚🩵💚
Baydreamer Writes ~ Lauren Scott, Author & Poet 