During and After

Photo taken by my son in Colorado

branches
weighed
down
like
shoulders
from
burdens

leaves
chilled
from
air
that
bites

frost-filled
ponderings
surrender
to
the
freezing

How much mettle
is needed to push
against the bulk?

a
defeated
soul
shivers
from
trickles
of
a
chill

but the weight
eventually eases

anguish doesn’t live
in an endless state

breathing always
finds its place

with reasoning

for reassessing

during and after the mess.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for dropping in, and if you’re struggling during
this holiday season, I hope you find comfort from my words.
โค๏ธ

We miss Copper this holiday season, but
weโ€™ll find comfort in the photos of him by the tree
,
wearing a Santa hat, or snoozing by the fire.
If youโ€™d like to order a copy, or know someone
who would find comfort in this special collection,
please click on the link. Thank you. xo

ยฉ Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
Author and poet, Lauren Scott, enjoys small-town living in the Bay Area with her husband, Matt, of thirty-seven years. Their adult son and daughter live out of state, and with frequent visits and technology, the family of four remains close. Lauren has published four poetry collections, a memoir, and her first childrenโ€™s book. Her latest poetry collection is a tribute to her familyโ€™s Chocolate Labrador who crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in spring 2025. Lauren is a recent Pushcart Nominee and has been a guest on several podcasts. Her writing is featured on Spillwords Press where she was voted Author of the Month and garnered Publication of the Month awards. She is a contributing author in several anthologies, and her work is also shared on Gobblers and Masticadores. Her muse discovers inspiration from her family, spending time outdoors, reveling in simple things, and marveling at the mysteries of life.

Keep Your Footing

Taken by my son in Colorado

Sometimes,
the road is

unrecognizable –
life turns slippery,
a little messy,
at times,

a bit menacing,
but whatever happens,
keep your footing.
The intuition

that springs
from your gut
will know
when you should
accelerate or break.
Trust is key,
most importantly,
believe in yourself.
The road will continue,
but the daunting will cease.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope this poem provides consolation
to you who are struggling this holiday season.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for stopping by! โค๏ธ

We miss Copper this holiday season, but
we’ll find comfort in the photos of him by the tree
,
wearing a Santa hat, or snoozing by the fire.
If you’d like to order a copy, or know someone
who would find comfort in this special collection,
please click on the link. Thank you. xo

ยฉ Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
Author and poet, Lauren Scott, enjoys small-town living in the Bay Area with her husband, Matt, of thirty-seven years. Their adult son and daughter live out of state, and with frequent visits and technology, the family of four remains close. Lauren has published four poetry collections, a memoir, and her first childrenโ€™s book. Her latest poetry collection is a tribute to her familyโ€™s Chocolate Labrador who crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in spring 2025. Lauren is a recent Pushcart Nominee and has been a guest on several podcasts. Her writing is featured on Spillwords Press where she was voted Author of the Month and garnered Publication of the Month awards. She is a contributing author in several anthologies, and her work is also shared on Gobblers and Masticadores. Her muse discovers inspiration from her family, spending time outdoors, reveling in simple things, and marveling at the mysteries of life.

A Gallery of Art & Words

A few weeks ago, Matt and I were enjoying a lunch at a great Mexican restaurant, Flores, and this beautiful piece of art caught my eye. The artist’s name is in the lower right hand corner. I immediately thought of my good friend, Resa, at graffitiluxandmurals.com because she has an eye for stunning street art that she shares on her blog. I had to get some photos, so I pulled out my cell and took a few. Then I sent them to Resa, and she was thrilled to include them in a post last week. Since I was on a blogging break, I’m sharing her fabulous post today where she not only spotlights this gorgeous painting, but many other faces that will take your breath away.

Please click on over to Resa’s blog for more! She is an amazing seamstress, photographer, artist, and friend who raises the bar when it comes to supporting others. ๐Ÿ’–

In addition to Resa’s blog post, if you saw mine from Monday, you’ll know that my haiku “The Reveal” was published on Gobblers by Masticadores. Well, Resa left a comment on Gobblers, and here’s one of her lines: “This Haiku is so pretty, I want it to be a longer poem.” Not only did she inspire me, but she challenged me too. I met the challenge head on, doing my best to create a series of six haiku – #1 is the original.

(1) The Reveal

in the night abyss
shimmering with white diamonds
hope winks with promise

(2)

optimism shines
through each gem pushing aside
sierra-sized ang
st

(3)

mystery flows from
one star to the next for our
steady pondering

(4)

wonder breathes beneath
darkness in its cluster of
bright luminaries

(5)

glimmers emit warmth
fulfilling souls longing for
pure enlightenment

(6)

peace sinks into hearts
entwined with a promise from
one momentous wink

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Click on sidebar image for more info, and to
purchase for your holiday shopping! Thank you! โค๏ธ

ยฉ Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
Author and poet, Lauren Scott, enjoys small-town living in the Bay Area with her husband, Matt, of thirty-seven years. Their adult son and daughter live out of state, and with frequent visits and technology, the family of four remains close. Lauren has published four poetry collections, a memoir, and her first childrenโ€™s book. Her latest poetry collection is a tribute to her familyโ€™s Chocolate Labrador who crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in spring 2025. Lauren is a recent Pushcart Nominee and has been a guest on several podcasts. Her writing is featured on Spillwords Press where she was voted Author of the Month and garnered Publication of the Month awards. She is a contributing author in several anthologies, and her work is also shared on Gobblers and Masticadores. Her muse discovers inspiration from her family, spending time outdoors, reveling in simple things, and marveling at the mysteries of life.

Interview on Bold Journey & Friday Inspiration

Recently, I had the privilege to participate in an interview with Bold Journey Magazine thanks to my dear friend, Maggie Watson. And thank you to the team at Bold Journey for this wonderful opportunity. So, I invite you to click on the link below if you have a few minutes, and I hope you enjoy…

https://boldjourney.com/meet-lauren-scott

Now I offer you a little inspiration for today and every day that follows:

ยฉ Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com

Click on my son’s image to order your copy! ๐Ÿงก

Lauren Scott
Author โ€“ย King Copper: Our dogโ€™s life in poetry
Author โ€“ย Coraโ€™s Questย (a childrenโ€™s book)
Author โ€“ย Ever So Gently: A Collection of Poetry
Author โ€“ย More than Coffee: Memories of Verse and Prose
Author โ€“ย Finding a Balance: A Collection of Poetry
Author โ€“ย New Day, New Dreams: A Collection of Poetry
Co-Author โ€“ย Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku
Co-Author โ€“ย Petals of Haiku: An Anthology
Co-Author โ€“ย This Is How We Grow
Co-Author โ€“ย Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships
Bi-Monthly Contributor on Gobblers by Masticadores
Spillwords Author of the Month May 2023
Spillwords Publication of the Month October 2024
Spillwords Publication of the Month June 2025

The Reveal – haiku

in a night abyss
shimmering with white diamonds
hope winks with promise

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ยฉ Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
Photo by Kennst du schon die Umkreisel on Pexels.com

Click on my daughterโ€™s image to order your copy! ๐Ÿงก

Thanks for stopping by, and I wish you a beautiful day! ๐Ÿ’™

Lauren Scott

Author โ€“ King Copper: Our dogโ€™s life in poetry
Author โ€“ Coraโ€™s Quest (a childrenโ€™s book)
Author โ€“ Ever So Gently: A Collection of Poetry
Author โ€“ More than Coffee: Memories of Verse and Prose
Author โ€“ Finding a Balance: A Collection of Poetry
Author โ€“ New Day, New Dreams: A Collection of Poetry
Co-Author โ€“ Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku
Co-Author โ€“ Petals of Haiku: An Anthology
Co-Author โ€“ This Is How We Grow
Co-Author โ€“ Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships
Bi-Monthly Contributor on Gobblers by Masticadores
Spillwords Author of the Month May 2023
Spillwords Publication of the Month October 2024
Spillwords Publication of the Month June 2025

Protective Gear

At first, I was uncertain. How would I live with my own personal white noise tailing me like a spy? I couldn’t make a James Bond escape. A daunting shadow stalked me for days because the constant hiss felt claustrophobic though Iโ€™ve never beenโ€ฆbut then time doesn’t concern itself with rest, and I learned to tune it out (the irony). So, to you who reassured me that life goes on despite the hiss, I offer my deepest gratitude. And then I rotated my thoughts, tumbling them in the frontal lobe like clothes in a Kenmore dryer, until my attitude experienced a transformation. My personal noise became protective gear, shielding me from unwanted hubbub in the world, carrying a more soothing cause than threatening.

We deal with the hands weโ€™re dealt, but some take more grit than others to navigate. This should be acknowledged, so navigation time is subject to personal situations. Yet, in doing so, we create our own rules, bringing a whisper of warmth settling over us like being wrapped in the comfort of a cashmere blanket.

try inviting in
a positive perspective
to alleviate

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ยฉ Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
This blog content cannot be used to train AI.

This post is a follow-up to my original “Hiss”
in case you missed it.

Photo by SlipcoverKAS .COM on Pexels.com 
Happy Monday, and I wish you a wonderful week! โค๏ธ

Available on Amazon, and Barnes & Noble,
but click on the image to purchase
your copy through Amazon.
๐Ÿ’œ

Seen

Make yourself seen.
Don’t slip into invisibility
like shade in the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Comments have been turned off,
but I wanted to wish you all
a beautiful weekend and offer some
words to ponder. Some of you may
have also seen this on Instagram.
Hugs, Lauren ๐Ÿ’ž

Available on Amazon, and Barnes & Noble,
but click on the image to purchase
your copy through Amazon.
๐Ÿ’œ

Saturday Serenity

Under the redwoods,
we slide into a zen-like state –
letting the magic flow gently
into our presence
bringing inner peace
to mind, heart, and soul.

“One can never get enough of redwood charm to fill the need for harmony within oneself.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ยฉ Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
This blog content cannot be used to train AI.

Available on Amazon, and Barnes & Noble,
but click on the image to purchase your copy

through Amazon.๐Ÿ’œ