Sunset would soon reveal itself On this day not quite the thirty-first. Late afternoon brought warm temps, He shifted the car into reverse.
Looking in the rear-view mirror Ready to part from the stall, His eyes blinked several times, What he saw took disturbing gall.
A clown from a horror film With head bent to the right – He thought, “What the hell?” Celebrating defense of daylight!
Mind and body didn’t easily scare, Toughened by the screen. But trepidation began to build, Though not in the least to be seen.
However, he swiftly chose to ignore Since the dashboard clock continued to tick. No weapon glistened in light of day, Time did not allow for a lunatic.
The right move was decided To turn the other cheek. Pointless to provoke, yet, he wasn’t acting weak.
The sedan attempted to roll back As the clown surprisingly stepped aside. Avoiding contact with those eyes, the accelerator was applied.
A form of frightening entertainment, Ages ago, clowns, fun and comical. Their smiles joyful, but now creepy. An event surely psychological.
Nevertheless, a happy ending for this tale – Altercation dodged, he thankfully stayed safe. But fun appears in interesting forms – This afternoon, dreadfully, eerily displayed.
(The inspiration for this poem came from my son’s unsettling experience in college years ago. It turned into a timely post for the spooky event approaching at the end of this month.)
I am thrilled to share Maggie’s lovely review of my book that is about 14 months old. The excitement began in July of last year, and I’m grateful to say that it’s continued. I am humbled to receive almost thirty 5-star reviews.
But first of all, let me introduce you to Maggie if you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her:
I am Maggie Watson, an Indie Poet and Author from Scotland. My poetry journey began at the start of the pandemic in 2020. At that point, I had no idea it would then become such a big part of my life. We can all agree that those years were very difficult, and I found the "lockdowns" particularly hard. So I began putting pen to paper, merely to get my sense of isolation and frustration down on paper. Fast forward to December 2020 and "The Madness of Corona" was published (by a publishing house). As happy as I was seeing my name on an Amazon product page, I was embarrassed by the content ( but heh, we all started out at some point). I knew I wanted to do better, and knew I could do better, so I decided to try and self-publish as a goal to aim for. Self-Publishing is not difficult, only time-consuming. In February 2021 I released "Me and My Shadow" and later that year I also released "Once Upon a Time". Looking back though,I would say that I was going for the achievement factor and still not paying much attention to the quality of my writing! In 2021 I joined the Instagram writing Community. I will always be grateful for the love and support shown to me by my fellow writers (especially when my account was hacked). I would say being on there brought an improvement in my writing because the standard is so high, as it is here on WP! I recently took the decision to leave IG and this blog will now be my main platform. Last year(2022) my work was included in an Open Skies Anthology. I also had my work accepted by Glass Gates Publications and Gypsophila Zine (see my Other Publications Page) as well as releasing "A Jar of Stars" and "In the Shadow of My Pen : A Collection of Poetry and Prose. This year has been my most successful to date as far as submissions go,including Gypsophila Zine again and also Spillwords. My new Collection "Ephemeral Encounters (Her Book of Words) has also just been released. I write for the love of writing, and I always hope someone can take something from my words🙏.
I've read Ephemeral Encounters and loved it, but Maggie has just released another new collection of poetry:
You can pre-order Pieces of Me in e-book format, which will be released on October 7th, along with the paperback. Since I have a strong affinity for paperbacks, I’m holding out! But I love Maggie’s beautiful and evocative writing, so I know her new book will be another wonderful addition to my home library.
Now, I invite you to visit Maggie by clicking on the link below to read her full review of my collection of poetry, Ever So Gently.
Dear Family and Friends, I am thrilled to share that my poem, “An Invitation” is published on Spillwords Press today as a Featured Post! Thank you to Dagmara and her team for accepting my submission. It is always a great honor to have my writing featured on this wonderful platform, and to be in the company of many talented authors.
An Invitation
Smooth granite invites contemplation and reflection. Please, take a seat, relax, watch the lake’s ripples perform their water dance. Does the shimmering surface remind you of stars presenting a ballet in a brilliant night sky?
Note the tall pines swaying in the breeze, you can gently sway, too, if you feel the need. Let the depth of your soul bathe in the beauty...
You can read the full poem here, and please don’t leave without giving it a ❤️. You only need to log in if you’d like to leave a comment, and I’d love to read your thoughts. But either way,I’d appreciate your support! 🤗
Thank you again to Dagmara K. and her team! I am truly grateful! ❤️🌷
I mentioned in my last post, that I’ll be on a break as we visit our daughter and son-in-law in TN. Well, I expected to do a post a week ago. But life had other plans…three days after flying home and having the best time with ‘the kids’, I felt sick and tested positive for Covid. Ugh. So, I’ve been home sick this entire week, isolating and taking Paxlovid. Besides fever, cold, and cough symptoms, brain fog and fatigue joined in the party and seem to have a tough time with letting go. But I’m feeling better from the beginning of the week. So, I hope (and plan) to return to work and the world of the living on Monday, barring any dramatic setbacks. Concentration has been nil until today, and even creating (and typing) this post is taking longer than usual.
Anyway, I hope you are well, and I look forward to seeing you and reading your posts next week when the brain fog has lifted for good, hopefully. I have a lot to share when I return. For today though, I’m closing comments. And I know I owe some replies from prior posts, so please bear with me. I’ll get to them soon. I will leave you with a quick Tanka that I wrote (with brain fog) about one of my symptoms:
each step, inch by inch, feels like liftingcinder blocks don’t take for granted energy your body stores it could vanish suddenly
Have you ever stopped to think about the impression of a breeze… how it brushes aside your face like the tender touch of a lover?
I have a hunch you know what I’m talking about…
when a heat wave invades your personal space – oppressive, and each breath is as difficult as lifting a hundred pound bag of bricks,
a breeze, simple as one is, whisks in as lovely as the sun ascending in tangerines and corals over the hills after a mass of worries pervaded your night’s sleep.
Relief so friendly and delightful as though being welcomed into a new neighborhood with a smile and a freshly baked plate of cookies.
So, next time a breeze leavesa soft touch upon your cheek, place your palm over the connection, inhaling gratitude
because sometimes, sometimes, the simplest of things makes the biggest impact.
We’ll be out of town next week visiting our daughter and son-in-law, so this will be my last post for a while. Stay well, stay cool, stay safe, and as always, thank you for visiting Baydreamer! ❤️
These reviews are long overdue, but I enjoyed each book equally, all 5 glowing stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I will post my reviews soon on Amazon and Goodreads. 😁
The Contract by John W. Howell and Gwendolyn Plano is a story with romance interwoven between the elements of a thriller and a supernatural. Chapter One had me hooked! Peter and Teresa become Heaven’s representatives on earth to assume the bodies of deceased Brad, who was a Navy Seal, and Sarah, who was a teacher and married to an abusive husband. Together, they are assigned a colossal mission, which produces an action-packed and intriguing story. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I began second-guessing who Brad and Sarah should trust. A fun fact for me was the familiar settings of the town of Davis, San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Sausalito, all in my ‘backyard.’
I’m sure it isn’t easy coauthoring a book, but the authors did a fabulous job in making sure the writing flowed seamlessly. The thriller element will keep you turning the pages to the very end, and the love story and supernatural qualities will leave you feeling good. A highly recommended book that offers something for everyone!
I don’t normally read phycological thrillers, but when I ran across a blog post promoting Warning Signs by Carol Balawyder, I immediately paid a visit to Amazon. I was already familiar with Balawyder’s wonderful storytelling and was eager to dive into another one of her books. Once my copy arrived, I dove in and finished the book in two days! A definite page-turner! The story of Eugene, the main character, is horrific, but the author’s experience in Police Technology is apparent from beginning to end, which made my experience fascinating. Regarding Eugene’s criminality, Balawyder didn’t paint graphic scenes that would be disturbing. I appreciated this decision in writing the book. The reader learns the crime, can envision the scene, which is horrendous, but then the story progresses with believable supporting characters who attempt to fit the pieces together. They each carry their own baggage that enriches the tale. A twist took me by surprise, but the conclusion is superb. I’ve always loved a good mystery where the characters work diligently to solve a crime. So, I enjoyed this book for the different genre that it was, along with Balawyder’s brilliant writing. Highly recommended!
Ephemeral Encounters (Her Book of Words)by Maggie Watson is an exquisite collection of poems that speaks candidly from the heart. The melody of unrequited love plays throughout the pages. I cozied up with these lovely poems one evening and read from beginning to end. Watson’s language is both accessible and elegant. You’ll discover honesty, raw, yet beauty, throughout each poem – the emotions are palpable. Watson gently adds passion to this mix to keep the reader even more engaged.
Falling in love and being loved are elements of life that are vital to one’s desire to live. It is human nature to hunger for attachment, acceptance, and feeling special. When this love enters into our life, a poet feels inspired to write. And when the ache of a love not meant to be persistently throbs, a poet also feels inspired to write. Watson has compiled a touching, relatable, and profound collection. I have too many favorites to list, so I’ll share one of them that stood out, “Unfinished Symphony” (the first of three parts):
Don’t place flowers on my grave when I die. I am not there. I will be standing right beside you. I will be the wind in your hair. Or keep me in your heart. That is where I always wanted to be. I would have swum across an ocean to be in your arms. But you kept running, and I grew tired. In this world, we could not be lovers. Maybe in the next? You will always be my unfinished symphony.
I highly recommend this poetry book for anyone who has ever been in love or who has nursed a broken heart.
I’ve always been fascinated with packing imagery and emotions into just a few lines of poetry, and haiku is one form that delivers. Dawn Pisturino’s book, Lunar Gazing Haiku, is a beautiful collection of over sixty haiku touching on emotions, passion, spirituality, seasons, and of course, the spectacular moon. I immersed myself into these short yet meaningful poems one morning while enjoying a hot cup of coffee. In the beginning of the book, Pisturino includes the Introduction that offers history on this short Japanese poetry form which I found to be beneficial. Gaining more knowledge by reading enriches the experience while enjoying the content. This short chapbook is meant to be read more than once. Throughout its pages, there is an aspect of life for everyone that will resonate. Highly recommended for all poetry lovers. I enjoyed this entire lovely collection, but a few favorites are:
Fireflies
fireflies in the dark spur childhood imaginings fairy lanterns glow
Autumn
crisp red apples taste sweetest in pie and cider on brisk autumn nights
Healing
mooncakes and water capture moonlight’s silver rays powerful healing
I hope you won’t leave here empty-handed, but thank you for stopping by! Happy reading, Lauren ❤️
Happy September! I welcome the new season upon us in a few weeks with wide open arms! This summer has been stressful, and much too hot for too many consecutive days. So, cooler temps, come our way! And on that note, Ms. Autumn has something to say…
I am not bashful. In fact, I tell it like it is, and I am thrilled that my cue for moving into your lives is coming up around the corner! In quiet moments, I reminisce on the good times when you express your oohs and aahs as I make my entrance. How I gracefully arrive donning pomegranate reds, cinnamon browns, and citrine yellows. Energy buzzes like a walk on the red carpet – a highly anticipated moment, so I have heard.
My sweet fragrance beautifies a stroll around the neighborhood. My cool touch refreshes, replacing summer’s harsh existence. And I am aware that Mr. Summer’s mood this year has been exceptionally unsympathetic toward you, my humans whom I adore!
Now regarding my work, I labor with patience and diligence – brush in hand and paint by my side to create a vibrant landscape. Lovely memories as vivid as the colors of my wardrobe… memories of yesteryear before Mr. Raging Fire barged in, disrupting the balance of the nature of seasons.
Now, each year, a sense of dread crushes that sought-after anticipation of my arrival. And yet, defeat has not prevailed. This new reality only advises that my effort must toughen up…paint and brush lie in wait at my fingertips. The artist deep within will continue to create for you who appreciate the very essence of me.
Well, the time has come to wrap this series up! I think I’ve milked it, but I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey. It’s quite obvious the delight and reverence we feel while hanging out with nature in all her glory. And I’m surprised with how much writing inspiration came my way. Several poems are waiting in the wings to be polished. But they’ll have their time in the spotlight down the road. Thanks again for following the series. I truly hope you’ve left with meaningful takeaways. If you’ve missed any parts, you can click on each one below: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4. And now for the conclusion…
A Fun Mix of Limericks!
Packing at home
There once was a van named Clay That delightfully came our way Time for outdoors Adventuring in store Exploring, relaxing, and water play!
Leisure comes first on vacation Unplug without hesitation Get inspired to write If inclined, recite Embrace the vital sensation!
From web, Silt Management Supplies LLC
Straw wattles lay around the curve An interesting sight to observe No silt in streams A brilliant means Macro invertebrates preserved!
What a view to embrace upon waking New memories in the making First sip of coffee Not fancy or frothy A moment beyond breathtaking!
A family of feathered friends Swims in sync around the bend Paddling in sunshine An imperfect line Our best wishes to them we send!
We hopped from stone to stone Smooth granite to call our own Gray landscape for rest No thoughts to protest Ready for a reflective zone.
Lake reveals rough waters today No kayaks or paddle boards at play Wind changes plan Grateful for van Inside our shelter we will stay!
A lovely day whispers its farewell Casting over us a wondrous spell A sunset sighs Splendor for the eyes Bringing to a close my show and tell!
“I could not be a poet without the natural world. Someone else could. But not me. For me the door to the woods is the door to the temple.” ~ Mary Oliver
Baydreamer Writes ~ Lauren Scott, Author 