To Hestia: who was forgotten – by Gabriela Marie Milton included in Issue III (Hestia) of Free Verse Revolution #poem #literary magazine #free verse

bestselling author, Gabriela Marie Milton, poem, poetry by women, poetry collection 2 Minutes
Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash

To Hestia: who was forgotten – by Gabriela Marie Milton

it’s quiet now
inside the shapes of our burning hearts
tortured the endurance of surreal trees
a headkerchief full of blood dries on a bench
unknown the mark upon the sky to which you point
the windows of bookshops read “kill” and “f..k”

Hestia,
strangled, your virginity hangs on a rusty wire
inside the chimney a creaking creature with bat-eyes
streets filled with guns
mundane caricaturesque phalloi,
demonic blisters rub the hearts
there is no home for millions of us

come back
you, virgin goddess of the heart,
the murder and the sex will stone you in the boulevards
premonitions
there are back streets where you can walk
songs of nightingales and roses will hide you in their arms

you sacred fire, 
give a home to hungry children with no clothes 
to those who sleep under the bridges of cursed stars 
in nights when linden trees in cemeteries bloom 
flame the ebb and flow of skies that know no tides
you, goddess,  
the very subject matter of which I write. 

I am thrilled to be part of Issue III of Free Verse Revolution. You can download the publication for free here.

Update on the poetry contest Woman: Splendor and Sorrow

Thank you to everyone who enter the poetry contest Woman: Splendor and Sorrow. I am honored and touched by your submissions. Your entries are magnificent. Everyone’s writing is so dear to my heart that I will never be able to choose a winner. As a gentle reminder here is how the winners will be selected:

The selection method is similar to that of a double-blind peer review: the reviewer doesn’t know the identity of the author, and vice-versa.

To achieve that I will do the following:

  • Create a master document with all submissions. Remove the name of the authors and replace them with numbers.
  • Create a second document with the name of the authors and their assigned numbers.
  • I will not participate in the process of determining the winners. Winners will be determined by two of your peers.
  • However, I will disclose a piece of information and deviate a bit from the fully double-blind process:  the editor of Vita Brevis Poetry Magazine, Brian Geiger, will be one of the reviewers. 

The winners will be announced in late-October. I will update you periodically.

Prizes:
First Place: $300
Second Place: $150
Third Place: $75

Funding for the prizes comes from my royalties.

To the future winners: please remember to spread love in our community and buy some books written by your WP favorite authors.

Update on MasticadoresUSA

  • Please visit MasticadoresUSA. Support our community. There are several new and wonderful poems up. Do not forget to like, follow, and submit.

    • @Gabriela Marie Milton

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    Published by Gabriela Marie Milton

    Gabriela Marie Milton #1 Amazon Best-Selling Author, 2019 Author of the Year at Spillwords Press NYC; internationally published poet; poetry collections Woman: Splendor and Sorrow (Vita Brevis Pres, July 27, 2021); Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings (Vita Brevis Press, April, 2020)

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    120 thoughts on “To Hestia: who was forgotten – by Gabriela Marie Milton included in Issue III (Hestia) of Free Verse Revolution #poem #literary magazine #free verse”

      1. Thank you Bo. Sweetie, I am waiting for two things:
        – an update when you can and if you want to
        – to let me know if you posted because if you did I am going to Eric’s blog and from there I will get to yours.
        xoxo

        Reply

        1. I don’t underatand why you don’t see my posts. I posted a review last.
          We’re doing ok. Pretty busy with B and chores lately. My parents recovered feom covid as well. Just talked to mom. She sounds good. Did blood work today and hopefully she resumes her therapy tomorrow or these days.

        2. Hon, not seeing your posts – as bad as it is – is not the entire story. More than half of my followers do not see my posts in their readers. I cannot argue with WP anymore. The problem with your site is that I cannot get to it. It says it’s private and I need permission. We know I have permission. I purposely go to Eric’s site (whose posts I do not see either) I click on the comments that you leave and get to your site. That’s my new trick.

          Anyway, I am glad to hear that everyone recovered from Covid and that your mother sounded good. That’s wonderful hon. I am really happy. My love and best wishes to everyone.

          I am going to unfollow you and follow you back. Let’s see where I get with that.

          Huge hugs to B.
          xoxo

        4. I went to your site now via Eric’s and I liked two posts. Red the review and your newest publication. It’s beautiful. I left a comment. We will see if it works when you post again 🤗

    3. This is truly beautiful Button. Such an incredible piece. Your certainly captured the goddess. The words take us on a ride from the beginning. Some of my favorite lines are:

      “there are back streets where you can walk
      songs of nightingales and roses will hide you in their arms”

      Brilliant piece. Sending lots of love and hugs, and may your days be filled with happiness and blessings.
      ❤️ love honeybun

      Reply

      1. Thank you so much honeybun. Your support and your kindness are beyond. I am so glad you liked that part. Thank you for the love and hugs. Sending you more.
        Have a beautiful week ahead.
        xoxo

        Reply

        1. A gorgeous piece and it was my pleasure. Congratulations for being a featured poet on the cover as well. Hugs and love coming back your way. Honeybun
          🤗❤️🦋😘💕💝🌹🌷

        2. Hon, thank you again for your kindness. No contributor is featured on the cover. What you saw on IG was some promotional material done by the editor I suspect for each contributor.
          Love and hugs sweetheart 🌺❤️🌸🌹🌺❤️🌸🌹

        3. Oh well after reading your piece I could see why you would be featured. That was a sweet thing for her to do. I am going to download the book I am sure it is filled with lovely work. Thank you for your love and hugs Button. Love honeybun ❤️🤗💕💝🌹😘

        4. Thank you from the bottom of my heart hon. If you download is going to be of great help to the entire community.
          xoxo

      1. Timothy: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. But we do not want you speechless. We want you singing 🙂 Sending hugs to everyone.

        Reply

        1. Ha! Speaking of singing, did you catch my latest parody I posted on Friday? Not only is it bloody awful, it’s really creepy unless you are a fan of bugs.

        4. Lord, Timothy, this is spectacular. How did I miss it? The music, the lyrics and your interpretation are gorgeous. As for the message – what can I say? You are right. Honestly it’s getting to me. I am beginning to believe that I use too many words in the mist of so many acronyms.
          Your work is fantastic 👏

        5. Thanks, Gabriela. You missed it because I posted it in 2019. Acronyms drive me crazy, especially because most people who use them a lot of no clue what they mean. One woman at the office asked me what FUBAR meant. I was surprised she didn’t know what it meant. That was the only acronym I didn’t define in the video because I assumed, wrongly, all adults knew what it meant. I told her what it meant (F**ked up beyond all recognition), and she was floored. She said her dad had said FUBAR when he got made for as long as she could remember. She said “I thought my dad didn’t swear!” Turns out a lot of people don’t know what FUBAR or SNAFU (situation normal all f**ked up) both of which are so commonly used don’t know what they mean.

        6. Timothy I had no idea what those acronyms meant either 😊😊😊
          The kitties and I are sending purrs and hugs to everyone 🤗🐈‍⬛

        7. Now you know. But I wouldn’t expect you to know those two. You get a get out of acronym jail free card.

        9. We can continue writing, be lexical, go beyond the morphemes, and compound or words and sentences like normal people.

        11. I have no problem with language change. Like so many things, a language that doesn’t change is a dead language. However, language changes should make so sense. But then so should so many things that don’t make sense.

        12. You are right. Languages are living creatures. They change. But you know the famous saying. Change is inevitable, progress is not (E.H. Carr)

    7. What a powerful and tragic poem, Gabriela. For me, it captured the desecration and destruction of feminine power, will, and innocence by a brutal world and its politics of power. Moving and beautifully written.

      Reply

      1. Diana, thank you so much for such a beautiful and thoughtful comment. It brought tears in my eyes… Yes, it does try to capture exactly that.
        xoxo

        Reply

      1. Aw… my most sincere thank for your beautiful comment. I am truly humbled by your words.
        xoxoxo

        Reply

    10. Beautiful as always. But this differ from your normal writing and I am loving it. ❣️❣️ Dear Gabriela, your poetry are as amazing as you! Hope all is well. Sending you much love 🧡❤️😍🤗

      Reply

      1. Sweetheart, thank you so much for reading and for your beautiful comment. Your comments always make me happy. You are a gem. All is well here. I hope all is well with you and your muse is back!
        Love and hugs right back at you.

        Reply

    16. I adore all the verses, and yet this line here, “songs of nightingales and roses will hide you in their arms” adds magic to my evening. Beautiful to read you on this lovely fall evening, dearest Gabriela. Sending you much love. xoxoxo

      Reply

      1. Hello, my dearest Jeff, thank you so much for your comment. I am thrilled you liked that line.
        Thank you for the love. Right back at you.
        xoxoxo,…

        Reply

      1. Sweetheart, thank you so much for your beautiful comment. You made me happy this morning. I hope everything is ok. Sending lots of love.

        Reply

    20. We all lose sight of one another from time to time, is it being here, is it the randomness of us, I’ll always find you, Gabriela, and it seems you find Bojana through me, from time to time I lose sight of her as well, and Basilike too, who, with the ever constant, Diana – for me, the four of you, the corners, the right angles, of this online world. Your post, your words feel, as if a truth revealed, beyond the sound bites, the visual flash of current news.

      Reply

      1. Eric, I so much wanted to reply to your comment sooner. Yet I had to wait and read it again and again. Thank you for your magnificent words. I hope Bo, Basilike, and Diana know this. If the four of us form a square you shine in the center. You all love your writings.
        Thank you again.

        Reply

        2. Oh, Eric, your words honor and humble me. Thank you so much.
          Have a beautiful weekend my dear friend.

      1. Thank you Gina. I am really glad you liked this piece.
        Have a beautiful day ahead my dear.
        xoxo

        Reply

    24. “in nights when linden trees in cemeteries bloom ” I am always impressed by your imagery, especially in October. congratulations, G!

      Reply

    26. wow Gabriella, not sure how I missed this piece but it it truly is guttural and speaks to the heart and soul. Your ability to transend the unspeakable is a gift for all of us to treasure.I adore these lines
      “there are back streets where you can walk
      songs of nightingales and roses will hide you in their arms” 💖💖💖 so much love.. ❣️

      Reply

      1. Thank you for you exquisite comment hon. I am most grateful to you. I hope you are having a fabulous Sunday.
        xoxo

        Reply
    28. Pingback: who was forgotten – by Gabriela Marie Milton included in Issue III (Hestia) of Free Verse Revolution #poem #literary magazine #free verse – Short Prose – Cupids Health
    29. Pingback: To Hestia: who was forgotten – by Gabriela Marie Milton included in Issue III (Hestia) of Free Verse Revolution #poem #literary magazine #free verse – Artist, Activist, Health Educator and Medical/Mental Health Peer Advocate
    30. Pingback: To Hestia: who was forgotten – by Gabriela Marie Milton included in Issue III (Hestia) of Free Verse Revolution #poem #literary magazine #free verse – Artist, Activist, Health Educator and Medical/Mental Health Peer Advocate

    31. So excited to read your short poem about her! She has been guiding me for some time…I’m a old fashioned Bone Broth Soup maker 3-5 days at the circular hearth, on my feet, tapping into the ancient guidance. I use my alchemists Intuition, summoning Hestia for guidance, as I l am stir!

      I often channel her. Looking forward to reading your poetry!
      🙏

      Reply

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