Motivational Self Portrait

When I took this photo I was drawn not to the pretty shiny car or even to the many reflections. Instead I was drawn to the message on the license plate, a message that resonates with me. Life is oh so short, and yet we put off so many dreams.

It occurred to me that this would be a motivational self portrait so I positioned myself to cast my shadow over the license plate. Reflecting on this self portrait I decided to try my hand at a Haiku to add to the photo. While I am fond of writing poetry I have never tried to write a Haiku so I hope I have done it justice. The title for my Haiku is 'Y Wait'.

I would love to hear what you think of my shadow self portrait and my Haiku. Good or bad, feedback and critique help me to improve.

Linking up with Shadow Shot Sunday.
and Haiku My Heart.

That Place

A bit of poetry and artwork I created in February.

Wednesday Wishes: A Writer's Wish Come True

It's Wishing time again! That is right we are half way through the week so it is time to let the universe know what we are wishing for. Just click on the Wednesday Wishes button below to join us and let the universe know what you have been wishing for.

Before I make a wish this week I want to share some fantastic wishing news. That is right, the universe has listened and this writer's wish has finally come true! After this post  I took the Universe's hint and got serious about getting started publishing my writings. I decided to start off with the poetry I had sitting in my to be published folder. After a busy week formatting the book I had a minor set back in that the book was too short so in this  post I asked others opinion.  The idea of adding a few short stories was well accepted so that is what I did.  Next came the cover design and let me tell you I really enjoyed creating this cover. I am almost as excited about the cover as I am that I published the book. Here is a look at the cover and link to preview my book 'Strength of Time: Weathering Life's Storms'.

Click Here for Book Preview

I know self publishing is not the same as being published by some well known publisher but I decided to take the easier and less stressful route and self publish. After some research I decided to go with Lulu as the steps to self publishing were easily explained and relatively stress free. I find the least amount of stress the better, if you know what I mean. Another major point for me was that they make it easy to sell not just on Lulu but on Amazon as well as make the book available to major book stores such as Barns and Nobel.

Thank You Universe for the nudge in the right direction and granting my (dream) wish to be a published author.

Now for this weeks wishes:

• I am wishing that people will buy my book and that my writing will inspire, encourage and delight the readers so much so that they will anxiously await my next book, which will be a journey into imagery.
• That my blood pressure settles down so I don't have to go to the doctor.
•  That all your wishes come true!

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

And Keep on Wishing!

Wishing on a . . .

Wednesday!

I bet you thought I was going to say star. 

Nope it is Wednesday and time for Unknown Mami's new link-up titled Wednesday Wishes. This is her way of focusing on the manifestation of abundance in her life and encouraging others to do the same. The idea is quiet simple really. Life's possibilities are endless when one recognizes and acknowledges that the universe is abundant in gifts and powers. So this is the day we give voice to our wishes, be they big or small, simple or complex. 

I often like to write acrostic poetry and a few weeks ago I decided to do one for the word Wednesday and post it on Wednesday. Then I read it and thought wow, that is rather negative, so I did not post it. It dawns on me though that this poem wasn't entirely negative, but is the universe's way of waking me up to my own wish. So this week I am giving voice to my wish for spontaneity or maybe it is a wish for adventure. Or maybe a little of both!

Wednesday

Where has the time gone

Each hour, each minute

Day after day

Night after night!

Entrapped in an endless routine,

Spinning wildly in senseless determination

Driving myself insane????

All for the needs????

Yet none for the wants!????

So now the question is how does one plan to be spontaneous?

LOL

 So what is your wish? Why not join us and give it a voice?

Have a Happy Wednesday!

Golden Years

In by-gone days of yore the term 'golden' was used to refer to good times. Thus in the 1950's when more people were living well beyond their fifties advertising agencies jumped on the opportunity and began referring to the years of retirement as golden years. Using the term as a way of appealing to retiree's desire to live out the remainder of their lives in the comfort of warmer climates and easily maintainable homes. It was a good strategy and one that has continued to this day.

But for me the term has never brought to mind the later years of life. No, when I think of the golden years, my first thought is of Robert Frosts poem 'Nothing Gold Can Stay'. I was was about ten when I read the book 'The Outsiders' and was introduced to Frost's poem.

Frost had it right! It is the years of youth that are golden, when a child is pure and sees the world through innocent eyes. Such a difficult attribute to maintain. With that thought in mind I created the image below to use as my cover on Google+ and then added the wording to use as my cover photo for Facebook. We may not be able to 'stay gold' but we can work to never lose some of the aspects behind a golden innocence.

 Now for a bit of poetic advice to all parents.

Golden Years

Like the flicker of a candle

burning brightly one moment

only to quickly fade the next

Embrace the joy

Feel the wonder

Cherish the moment

All to soon these golden years will pass

Never be too busy to enjoy them

while they last.

Be it with your cell phone, a point and shoot or a fancy SLR or DSLR snap that shot! You will be glad you did when your child is a child no more. 

Poetry

Back in December Bill over at A Few Clowns Short inspired me to write a bit of poetry with THIS post. I can't believe it has taken me almost two full months to get around to posting this, but here it is. This first poem was written directly after reading the post at the above link.

Fading

I feel myself fading

curled up n cold
 

Ignite the flame 

Let me burn . . . burn

yes let me burn
 

There's more to life than

simply living
 

Ignite the flame 

let me burn . . . burn

yes let me burn
 

All curled up and fading

I've lost my spark
 

Ignite the flame 

let me burn . . . burn

yes let me burn

 © 2013 (a)Nita Davis

The first poem, although it flowed out of me in mere minutes, just seemed so cliche and even a bit morbid so I started on a second poem. I wrote the second poem that same day but it didn't have the flow that I wanted so I set it aside. Then yesterday I pulled it out and made some slight changes to the repeating stanza. Here is the finished poem.

Ignite The Spark

Like the fire in the forest, let me dance against the wind,
for this toneless daily livin's got me fading out again.

Strike the match.
Ignite the spark. 
Watch me blaze!

As a demon on a dark night sent to smother my last spark,
is this lonely dismal journey which consumes my very soul.

Strike the match.
Ignite the spark. 
Watch me blaze!

Enough this fading into naught, this dull and lifeless living
where I hide forever curled up in my quiet little shell.

Strike the match.
Ignite the spark. 
Watch me blaze!  

© 2/20/2014 (a)Nita Davis

Hmmmmm......  the mood of the second isn't much better than that of the first.

Hmmmmm..... can we say Cabin Fever!

Poetry Review: "I lost myself in the mall then found myself in a thrift store"

Are you a poetry lover? I know I am! So when I had the opportunity to get Joshua S. Kangley's book " I lost Myself in the Mall Then Found Myself in a Thrift Store" I jumped at the chance.

Although my personal writing style leans more towards a rigid metrical structure, Joshua S. Kangley's primarily free verse format captivated me throughout this collection of heartfelt poems.

As I read this small book packed full of emotions; happy, silly and sad, I felt myself joining Joshua on his journey of self discovery. His words took me through the joys, sorrows and adventures that have shaped his life. From a place where he refers to mall shoppers as 'shopping zombies' in a 'brick and mortar bubble', past heartache and wonder, to a Thrift store where he left me wondering about the treasure he found.

If you are looking to go on a poetic adventure I suggest you pick up Joshua's book HERE or HERE. I truly enjoyed reading this book and found the poems moving and entertaining, however, my two favorites are: "That Old Boot Box" and "15 Minute Break". 

I wish Joshua well on his literary journey and will be watching for his next book.

To learn more about Joshua or connect with him you can visit his website here or find him on Facebook here. I also strongly recommend visiting his website and reading about his Christmas Card Project.

Infusion

After a long weekend away visiting family and friends in Sioux Falls I came home tired but with a revitalized sense of purpose. Last week while creating this I had an idea for a very different piece but wasn't exactly sure how I wanted to do it until I got home from our mini vacation. I knew I wanted to create a piece that represented the infusion of hopes and dreams through education.
The creative juices were definitely flowing yesterday. Not only was I able to find all the right photographs for the piece and complete the artwork, but I also wrote a short verse to go along with the artwork.  Here are the results.

Title: Infusion; 16x20 prints available through Artistix Network LLC

Infusion 

by Nita Davis

One cold dreary winter day I crossed the threshold of an old deserted school house. Easing into a long vacant seat, I couldn't help but feel a warmth seep right down to my heart. Listening intently I thought I heard a soft voice whisper "Although my seats are long empty,  sit quietly and you will feel the struggles, the excitement, the laughter that once filled me from wall to wall. I sheltered and protected so many young minds as their lessons were imparted. In return each child left a bit of themselves upon my boards." There I sat in wonder as the spirit of a hundred years infused my soul.

Reflections of February

It has been some time since I joined in the fun at Jame's Weekend Reflection so here we go a couple of reflections and a poem to go with them.

Reflections of February

Rain drops cling 

as the cold winds blow.

A joyful heart stills

abandoned and lonely

to a cold winter day.

A golden sun rises
as the wish flower sways.
A joyful heart sings

as green foliage appears,
Springs promise is near.

A. Davis (c)2013

 

 

I took these photos of my granddaughters forgotten hula-hoop in February. For me they captured the essence of February, cold, wet and dreary with a touch of the promise of spring.

 

Now that February is behind us, let a joyful spring commence!

For other great reflections please remember to drop by

Jame's Weekend Reflection

Inspirational Art

This weekend while I was feeling a tad under the weather and snuggled in my blankets trying to get warm this poem came to me. So today I went into my photo archives for some Autumn photos to go with the poem. I hope you enjoy the results.

I couldn't decide which style I liked better so I decided to share both the one above and this next one.

As with all of our inspirational and motivational designs posted here you may copy and use the digital versions as long as you leave the credit in tact. Products and prints of these designs are available in our online gift shop.

Poetry: Lions Love

I just discovered that my inspiration for this art piece passed away a while back.

This post is dedicated to my dear friend.

 

 

Lions' Love

As the lion slumbers
the little girl plays.
He will protect her
All through the days.

On the sand near the ocean
where they laughed with delight.
On the sand near the ocean
where love grew every night.

As the waves crash the shore
the young woman cries.
Who will protect her
now the lion has gone.

On the sand near the Ocean
where he gave his last fight.
On the sand near the ocean
where she dreamt every night.

As the carnation withers
the old woman cried.
Her dreams can't protect her
now the lion has died.

On the sand near the ocean
in the golden sun shine.
On the sand near the ocean
where her memories entwine.

As the memories unveil
with each smile relived.
Her memories protect her
because the lion lived.

Nita Davis Nov. 4, 2011
In loving memory RIP MRB

Strength of Time

When Beth at Daily Journey posted a beautiful photo of Crater Lake and asked if anyone had been there I was reminded of this poem.  In the late 80's and early 90's our family had the pleasure of living in southern Oregon, during which time Crater Lake became one of my favorite places to spend a relaxing afternoon. I hope you will enjoy my photo and poem of this gorgeous place.

Children's Book: Country Tails by Lori Gerads

Just the other evening I had the pleasure of meeting the author of this charming children's book. Through her poetry and stories she introduces young children to the animals that visit her ranch in a way that is fun and entertaining for young children.

I was a bit pressed for time so did not read the entire book but did skim through it enough to know that it is on my 'Get List' for my youngest grandson.

When I mentioned to her how cute I thought the illustrations were she told me that they had all been drawn by a young man when he was only a boy of about fifteen. I was a bit impressed and surprised as most boys I know would never draw such endearing images. When my boys were teenagers they drew warrior type caricatures, cars, girls and fierce looking animals.


If you have all ready read this book to your children I would love to hear what they thought of the book.

A bit of poetry

Ever have one of those days? You know, when despite your best efforts to remain positive and productive it just seems like nothing is working properly. One snuck up on me the other day and this is what came out of it.

 

Inner Turmoil

By Nita Davis

photo by Rachel Montiel

Lost in a sea of emotion
tattered and weary
and so all alone

Exceptional and strong
lowly and small
bold and determined
shy and scared
incongruent in so many ways

waging an internal war
hidden from the world
behind this wall of tranquility