The Fight

Society has molded you.

You have to prove your worth.

Empty words surround you,

You no longer know the truth.

…

Choas reigns supreme

In this world in which we live.

The benefits you gain don’t match

The effort that you give.

…

But you can’t give up and can’t give in

No matter what the cost.

Fight the good fight, carry on

And try not to get lost.

…

You have to be on top each day

And finish in first place,

Although the endless race you run

Paints worry on your face.

…

The words inside your head conflict

With what you know is right.

It causes you to question life,

And keeps you up at night.

…

But you can’t give up and can’t give in

No matter what they say.

Fight the good fight, carry on

And take life day by day.

…

Self-doubt kicks in, you lose that drive

To cross the finish line.

Your eyes spot road blocks everywhere,

And you’re running out of time.

…

Give up the dream to appease the beasts

That rumble in your head.

They’ll tell you time and time again,

“Give in to fear and dread.”

…

But you can’t give up and can’t give in

To the wicked words they say.

Fight the good fight, carry on

And make it through the day.

…

The voice screams louder and fear sets in,

The battle rages on.

Fighting gets you nowhere

When the beasts already won.

…

So you look to the horizon,

Seeking solace from the noise.

Soak in the view and breathe in deep,

Stand firm and make a choice.

…

You won’t give up and won’t give in

To what these voices say.

You’ve fought the good fight, carried on

And made it through the day.

-LM Nelson

Vintage Words

Author Spotlight – Galya Varna

Author Spotlight

Welcome to another week of Author Spotlight. This week’s spotlight is on Galya Varna. Galya is a poet, book reviewer, and visual artist.

Born in Varna, the summer capital of Bulgaria, on the Black Sea Coast, Galya Varna now lives in Greece, on the coast of the Aegean Sea.

Galya Varna holds an MA in English literature, and linguistics and language acquisition is another passion of hers. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and plays for many years. Dreams You Thought Were Lost is her first published poetry book.

Galya Varna is the driving force behind the new creative project WeArtFriends and the bimonthly online magazine Doorway to Art.

Her debut poetry collection, Dreams You Thought Were Lost, weaves unexpected stories belonging to the realms of aether and the present day. The poems, organized into 8 sections, tell tales of love and endless wonders, voice fears and hopes, take the reader on happy and sad journeys, paint visions of special times and stormy days, share beauty, sadness and moments of joy, hoping for better tides.

If you ever had dreams you thought were lost, this voyage is for you!

 

Let’s take a peek at some of her poems.

True Shape

May the night

bring

dreams

you thought

were lost.

Darkness

lets all things

take

their true shape.

The Wind

Every evening

the wind comes home.

Tired

he sits down

to rest

under the rose bushes,

listening to the song of the crickets.

The birds

leave their twigs

to greet him

with a flutter of wings.

Perched on the fence

they wait to hear

the stories

he has brought home.

The wind takes off

his weary coat,

welcomes a warm summer shower

to refresh his body

and begins to narrate.

The stories,

let free,

become wind

and start their trip

around the world.

You take my hand

in your hand

and off we go

on our journey

into the night.

Fear of the Dark

Sadness

and fear of the dark

pull me back

to a childhood memory

with the feeling

of helplessness.

The warmth

of your laughter

brings me back to the present.

Oh, I know

you  too

have your own fear,

your own sadness,

your own dark.

Standing on the Edge

Standing on the edge

of the rock

I look at the glittering face

of the river

and see

fear of alienation.

Words,

like paper boats,

disappear

downstream.

Gestures and looks

drown

like thrown pebbles.

From the water

emerges our own

hazy illusion of happiness.

Symbiosis

Poppies,

sleeping,

deep into the frozen earth,

dream of

a fresh start

above the ground.

Barren,

the field sighs

with the wind gust

and recalls the red warmth

poppies used to give it

last spring.

What other poets say about Dreams You Thought Were Lost:

“Galya has crafted a bold and honest collection of poems; the imagery of her verse will truly capture you.” –Nicholas Trandahl

“Galya’s debut book is absolutely beautiful! I did short breaks during my reading to absorb all the serene feelings, the sweetness and the optimistic vibes sent to my soul. Dreamy and tranquil is the poet’s style and this a book to treasure.” –Eden Sleepwalker

“Galya Varna understands what it is to be human. In her poetry, nature and personal reflection interweaves, asking questions and revealing truths.” –Isabelle Kenyon

“When I read this book of magical poems, I was greeted with a gentle voice and ethereal perspective that I’ll not soon forget. This is a collection that will dwell on my bedside table, because it transported me to a world of wonder, impressed me with fresh imagery that I’ve not encountered previously, and left me in no doubt that I’ll want to read it again and again.” –Bianca Bowers

“Astonishing, riveting, a soul bearing experience. A hurricane of emotions as you look through the eye of the storm when reading this poetry.” –Frankie Writez

Dreams You Thought Were Lost is available as a Free download on KindleUnlimited.  Grab your copy through Amazon US or Amazon UK

 

You can contact Galya Varna on:

Twitter @GalyaVarna

Her blog www.galyavarna.wordpress.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009264563302

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/galya-varna-1a9156155/

or through her Website www.we-art-friends.com

 

Weathered Hearts

I don’t mean to bring you misery,
I don’t want to cause you pain,
I want to give you sunshine,
Instead I bring in floods of rain.
Flowers bloom around you,
They smile, laugh, and cheer.
But when the moon of me surrounds
you,
Their sunny laughter disappears.
I love you more than I can tell you,
More than words can ever express,
Though I try to give you sunshine,
Fogs of denseness make a mess.
I want to understand you,
Want to see your point of view,
But the minute I unlock the door,
It bolts back up like glue.
My head just doesn’t get it,
My heart is aching too,
It seems the more I try to help,
The less you want me to.
I want so much to be the one
Who always makes you smile,
I try to lift you up inside,
Yet you walk the lonely mile.
I am always by your side,
Though you may not think it’s true,
I just wish my sun could lift the rain
So you can see it too.
I want to be your sunny day,
I don’t mean to be your rain,
But if a storm comes crashing down
Like a locomotive train,
I’ll umbrella you with love
And try my best to understand,
In the end, when thunder frightens you,
I’ll be there to hold your hand.
Let me take away your misery,
Let me take away your pain,
Let me bring to you my sunshine,
And we’ll dry up all the rain.

Bring on the Rain

I posted this about three years ago, but since it’s been raining here for the last 4 days, I thought it was appropriate to repost. I’m not complaining about the rain at all. This city needs rain, desperately. It’s been over 100 degrees every day since the middle of May.

I love rain.  I grew up in an area of the United States where it rains almost daily.  Now that I’m in Texas, rain is a rare treat.  We’ve received more rain this year than we have in many years, so much rain that many cities have been devastated by floods. Despite this, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Texas so green. It’s beautiful.

It happens to be raining again today.  I love the sound of rain.  The sound of rain not only relaxes the mind, but it can inspire creativity as well.  Art, photography, music, poetry, theatre, literature — rain has provided inspiration for many artists.

Today I’d like to share some rain-inspired works that I love.

 

A painting by Belorussian painter Leonid Afremov.

This awesome photography shot is called Rain Again.

 

A poem entitled “The Rain to the Wind” by my favorite poet, Robert Frost

The rain to the wind said,
‘You push and I’ll pelt.’
They so smote the garden bed
That the flowers actually knelt,
And lay lodged–though not dead.
I know how the flowers felt.

—Robert Frost from his poem “The Rain to the Wind”

One of my favorite musicals is Singin’ in Rain, starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds.

See Gene Kelly Perform the song “Singin’ in the Rain” here.

Rain has a purpose.  It brings life by providing water for flowers and plants. Rain fills reservoirs, which provides clean drinking water.  It keeps lakes and rivers at capacity, which not only benefits fish, but also gives us a place to go waterskiing, swimming, or enjoy other recreational water activities.  Rain supplies puddles for kids to splash in and a water source for animals to drink from.  Rain cleanses the Earth, relaxes the mind, and cools the air.  I love rain.

13 Ways of Water

The lake ripples as boats float by.

The clouds pour raindrops from the sky.

Puddles are fun to splash in and play,

Cleanse in holy water before you pray.

Making spaghetti, it boils and churns,

But frozen as ice, it cools down burns.

Putting out fires and cleansing thirst,

And on a hot day from a sprinkler it bursts.

Delicate snowflakes fall from the sky.

In summer the water balloons sail by.

It combines with soap for washing my socks,

Then helps me relax on sauna rocks.

Vapor or liquid or solid as ice,

Water is life, and water is nice.

-L.M. Nelson

In Honor of National Poetry Month

Spring

Yellow is a bright, sunny day,
Baby ducks come out to play.
Green is full of life in spring.
A joyous tune echoes
From every tree as yellow birds sing
Their song of life.
Brightly colored daffodils
Pop open their lively petals.
Their noses protrude, smelling the fresh scent
Of newly mowed grass.
Yellow canaries chirp in the sun,
Flying from budded branch to budded branch,
Enjoying the green scene before them.
Yellow monarchs flutter near leaves of green.
Soft breezes blow over the pond
Where green frogs play in the warm sun all day.
Children sell yellow lemonade,
Collecting dollars, green in their pockets.
Yellow bees buzz,
And green grasshoppers hop about,
While I dance around joyfully
To celebrate the season.
My yellow hair glows in the sunlight;
My green eyes feast upon the day.
Joy and beauty fill the air-
Greens and yellows everywhere.

-L.M. Nelson

The Rose

He gave her a flower,
A single red rose.
He kissed her as they said goodbye.
He looked in her eyes
And she started to cry,
Then he turned and drove out of sight.
The only thing left
To remember him by
Is the single red rose that he gave her.

L.M. Nelson

What of the Children?

In honor of National Poetry Month.

I wrote this back in the 80’s when the Cold War was a legitimate threat on a lot of people’s minds, mine included. This was my first poem to get published.

 

I am a patriot,

Yes, that’s true,

But if war comes

What would I do?

What of the children,

Their future, their fun?

War could come

With the shot of a gun.

What of the future

If war should burst?

Think of the children,

They come first.

Poetic inspiration: Creative hearth

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Business in Rhyme

Writing

is searching for that perfect hearth

where you plant your creative roots

and imagination freely grows,

with each breath

and heart beat.

Maja S. Todorovic

View original post

Spring

Spring

Yellow is a bright sunny day,

Little baby ducks at play.

Green is full of life in spring.

A joyous tune echoes

From every tree as yellow birds sing

Their song of life.

Brightly colored yellow daffodils

Pop open their lively petals.

Their noses protrude, smelling the fresh scent

Of the newly mowed green grass.

Yellow canaries chirp in the sun,

Flying from budded branch to budded branch,

Enjoying the green scene before them.

Yellow monarch butterflies

Flutter by the leaves of green

Soft breezes blow over the pond

Where the green frogs play

In the warm sun all day.

Children sell yellow lemonade

Collecting dollars, green in their pockets.

Yellow bees buzz, buzz,

Green grasshoppers hop about,

While I dance around joyfully

To celebrate the season.

My yellow hair glows in the sunlight;

My green eyes feast upon the day.

Joy and beauty fill the air-

Greens and yellows everywhere.

-L.M. Nelson