A Knock
crisp welcoming voice of the wren
how her incantations I long to hear
but she placed her voice in a box
her color, joy, and song buried near
wailing calls soft, tiny bulbs hoist sail
oak tree slain by a dismal, frail wind
roots glisten in the sun, a forest-sick
my body dismantled, like my friend
To continue reading, please visit HotelMasticadores. Thank you all so much for your visit. I am grateful to each of you that read my work. Love to each of you. May your day be blessed and full of wonder!
Hello Joni, this is beautiful. Have a great day.
Hello, dear Tangie, thank you so much for reading. I truly hope that you are doing well, my friend. I pray that life has been good to you and that life is offering up some true happiness in these difficult times we find ourselves in with our world in turmoil. Much love, Joni
You’re welcome, Joni. At the moment I am doing okay. I pray your continued presence on WP to keep us uplifted with encouraging words. Blessings and have a wonderful day.
What a kind thing to say Tangie. Big hugs <3<3
Beautifully written Joni! ❤️
Thank you, dear Sara, for reading and commenting in both places, that is very gracious and kind of you. Sending big hugs and love, Joni (Have a wonderful weekend)
It’s always my pleasure, Joni!
Sending hugs and love to you as well.
Have a fabulous weekend. 🌞🌻
<3 <3 <3
Congratulations Joni!
Thank you, Francisco, I appreciate your reading and leaving a comment on both sites. Many blessings, my friend, and happy weekend.
Pleasure Joni!
<3<3<3
Congenial Joni.. gonna head over there now
Happy Saturday, Nigel, I hope it is going well, my friend. Wishing you an amazing and inspirational day. Thank you for commenting here, too. Blessings and our love, always.
Thank you, Joni. I appreciate the love, my friend.
Same here, our friend. <3<3<3
Congratulations, Joni! It’s wonderful that your beautiful poetry was posted on Hotel Masticadores.
Thank you so much, Timothy, for reading. How kind, as always, you are to read me. Yes, I appreciate Mich. I have been writing for Masticadores now for since 2020. She is wonderful to work with Tim. You should submit one of your stories. You retain all your rights. Any of the magazine’s locations would love to have some of your writing, I am sure if you are interested. Sending blessings to you and your family, always!
💖🙏
There’s palpable sorrow in this one, Joni. I left a comment over at Hotel about how Ips beetle infestations destroyed large populations of pinyon and Ponderosa pines in my area. Just so much devastation and not a lot anyone could do to stop it. Keep writing about nature, my friend. We need voices speaking up for our planet and all that lives herein. 😊🌳
Oh, I will, my friend. Don’t worry as long as I can write, I will write about the beautiful earth we were gifted with and how it is slowly disappearing. Thank you so much Mike, for your kind response here and on Hotel. That must have been a painful time to witness. Imagine the destruction of almost all the chestnut trees. I can’t even imagine the fire in the Redwood forest. We plant lots of trees – “the blight killed 4 billion American Chestnut tree.” Now I wish I had actually had a joke to tell to make you smile or laugh as I know you love trees like I do. Scott looked it up while I was responding. I am excited to read your poem posted tonight – it will be late but I took a nap so I can stay up late and read and enjoy in the silence the words of those I am blessed to know on WordPress.
That was tremendously insightful and powerful.
Thank you Joni!
I’m thrilled your writing is getting so much attention.
As I mentioned on Hotel M. is there somewhere else to buy the book? I have been boycotting amazon for going on 11 years.
Have a great and happy week!
xoHugs!
Thank you so much, Resa. I wanted you to know how much I appreciate that you read me on Hotel. I know you can get it in Barnes and Noble, but you have to ask for it, and then they order it, and then you have to pick it up. It is crazy and expensive. I have sent you an ebook that I already had paid for, and it was sitting in my gift file to your email that shows up under your WordPress account, so you will likely see mine as well. Also, if you are uncomfortable with that, as I respect your feelings about ordering from them, I would be thrilled to send you an autographed copy of my book. Then you can read it at your leisure. Just let me know. Big hugs and thank you again for reading my work as it means a lot to me. <3<3<3
I just saw your mail!
I’ll take the free autographed copy. What a treat!
I don’t have a kindle, and will only go to amazon to copy links for authors whose books I review.
I understand that amazon has the indy authors by the throat. We all need to make $$$$.
I am boycotting amazon. I am not boycotting authors.
Will write, reply to your mail after dinner.
We have a bit of a postal issue here, so you might have to wait a week or 2 before mailing.
Will explain all in my mail.
THANK YOU!!!!! xxxxx
Thank you dear Resa. Hope your week is off to an amazing start. You are most welcome!! oxoxxo
HUGS!
HUGS right back at you!
Wonderful, congratulations Joni, the palpable pain.. <3
Thank you, Trâm, I truly appreciate your reading me. I love your work, and so many of the poets you translate for, and I am honored when you read my work. You are a very special person to give so much of your time to helping others have a voice. You are something else, <3<3<3
uhmm, it’s just to kill time Joni, though thank you my love. <3
You are so welcome. I don’t believe it is just to kill time. I know you have a big heart. We can agree to disagree on that. I know a giant heart when I see one. <3<3<3 love you too.
heheh okay, for today only 😉
OK, your secret is safe with me today. Love you and your great big heart.
Such beautiful imagery, Joni!
Dear Dawn, thank you so much for reading my work. It means a lot to me, and I hope that you know that. I wish I had your energy my friend. You are a prolific and talented writer. I just can’t seem to muster the time with my husband and the time it takes to be the best that I can be. At least I certainly feel that way. I am grateful that Mich continues to publish me and be so supportive of me. I am so glad you were in Mich’s book, “After Rain Skies – The Global Anthology.” Your poem tugged at my heartstrings Dawn. “The Fountain,” is a heroic poem and I must say that it is the putting down of women and our rights that make us continue to feel guilty instead of prosecuting these rapist. A truly great piece of writing Dawn, although it brought tears to me eyes with the power and sadness of the last two lines. Blessings <3<3<3
Thank you for your kind words, Joni! It was a difficult poem to write. In fact, it was so difficult, I couldn’t write any other poems. God bless you, my friend.
Thank you, Dawn, I mean it, too. I truly get what you are saying, I do. I pray you will realize no matter where you were that rape is a crime of violence. A large number of rapists are impotent and we have a right to go anywhere. During my rape relief and sexual assault training, one of the trainers told us that if a woman walks down a street completely naked, she may get arrested for indecent exposure but that in no way excuses the crime of rape. It is what men to do feel in control when they sense they have lost all control. There are stories I have not shared and may never. After I wrote my book, I went through this very weird experience. It was like I went through a depression first, and it was difficult to move on and to write at all. It was like taking your clothes off in front of an audience, one that you hope you will help, but some of that same pain comes roaring back and the shame and your self-doubt. I don’t think many people know what it feels like to expose most of the ugliness you lived in. Also, as women, we know that there will always be that double standard – one for men and one for women. Mich did a wonderful thing publishing the book, and I am truly grateful you shared – you can be sure that you WILL help someone with your powerful poem. May God bless you too, Dawn.
Heading over to read, Joni. Congrats on the publication. <3
Thank you Diana for reading and I hope that you are having a restful and inspired day my friend. Hug, Joni
<3