My publishing house, Literary Revelations, and I are thrilled beyond words to share some incredible news with you. The eBook edition of Fine Art Photography: Lullscapes in Light and Shadow by acclaimed Japanese artist Naoki Kimura has soared to the #1 Bestseller spot in Japan! Equally exciting, the book is currently the #1 Bestseller in the USA too.
This journey would not be possible without your unwavering support and appreciation for the art of photography and poetry. Each page of this collection is a tribute to quiet beauty, gentle illumination, and the delicate dance of shadows and words—a treasure designed to enrich the souls of all who encounter it.
From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank you for being part of this artistic adventure. Your enthusiasm inspires us every day, and we sincerely hope you continue to enjoy and share our eBook with others. With your help, this digital masterpiece can find its way to even more art lovers around the world.
May this book bring light and serenity to your days. Thank you for making this moment possible.
The afternoon smelled of brick; I used to scratch the wall with my knees and nails on my way to the sea.
My blood stained my socks and fed the roots of the orange tree Mama planted one spring before my seventh birthday. Soon after, the tree grew blood oranges.
I used to dream I would reach the port before crickets would serenade the white cement between the bricks, and the evening wind would sew the wounds from the face of the wall.
I needed a God to lead me to the sea. In Mama’s stories, there were too many Gods leading souls to heaven. I did not want to go to heaven. I wanted to go to the sea.
I used to fail. I did not understand what failure is. The next afternoon, little ducks embroidered on the rim of my blue dress, I would start climbing the wall again.
One day I thought I would get to the port and run straight into the sea.
Little did I know that the day would come when I would first look into your eyes. The sea inside your eyes is like laundry left to dry on a wire. Long red poles floundered left and right like the wings of a moribund bird. The body of a boat eroded by salt, and by the kisses of the women of your past agonized in green and blue.
Your eyes: on the right, your love for me, and on the left, your hate for the world.
Did I say your love for me? You see, over time, I had to reconsider that formulation. Your feelings resembled more a never-ending animal magnetism than love.
Let me make one thing clear. No one person is sufficient to drive all demons from another one. You can think of Goethe’s elective affinities if you wish. I cannot save you from you. You need to help me. I can carry this conversation into the night and win.
Ah, winning! The day I understood I can win, I stepped into hell.
That day was the day I lost my innocence and, with that, paradise. Since then, my blood has never stained my socks. The orange tree has never grown red-fleshed oranges, and Mama stopped telling stories.
featured image: Gabriela Marie Milton, Greece.
My books (Only English) #1 Amazon bestseller, Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings (Vita Brevis) #1 Amazon Bestseller, Women: Splendor and Sorrow (Vita Brevis)
Thank you to all my followers who reviewed my books. Please read other reviews here:
Christina Schwarz, the author of the New York Times Bestseller “Drowning Ruth.”
“With lush language and lavish imagery, Gabriela Marie Milton. evokes a fantastic world ripe with emotion.” Christina Schwartz
Edited Collections: #1 Amazon Bestseller, Hidden in Childhood (Literary Revelations) #1 Amazon bestseller,Petals of Haiku (Literary Revelations) #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women (EIF)
Below is the opening poem from one of my #1 Amazon bestsellers, Passions: Love Poems and Other Writing, and a review by Fabian Bats that, in the beginning, refers to The Miracle of You. Fabian got it!
The Miracle of You
the moon’s right-hand pours soul into my flesh pigeons’ wings bring scents of lilac blooms the air gets drunk with poetry statuary women of the water flaunt their hair
within the loneliness of you my heart rotates five equinoxes on a wooden spindle your eyes pour flesh into my soul my body germinates the sounds of growing leaves I wash my hands into the waters of Guadalquivir in the scented night of those who never sleep I say I love you and in one single breath our wedding is transformed in an enraptured death
[Following is a volunteer review of “Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings” by Gabriela Marie Milton.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings by Gabriela Marie Milton is a book of 126 poems; 84 love poems, 6 Italian, and 36 others. In the foreword, the author was praised for her ability to pour out passion, from within her creative mind, into her poetry, and this raised my expectations for deep and insightful poems significantly. The author makes good use of the acknowledgments section, by communicating with the reader, which I liked. There is also a responsive table of contents at the start of the book that allows the reader to resume reading with ease.
As the title indicates, love is an overriding theme in this collection of poems, and the book is opened with one of such. The first poem is my favorite in the book; it took a few re-reads to grasp, but when I did, I instantly thought to myself “Genius!”.
After my first read, I had no clue what I had just read, “what is the link between the title and the poem?”, I thought, racking my head and moving on to the next poem, hoping for less murky waters to swim in -at the start of the book, it is humorous, I know. However, when I came back to read it again, and started seeing links, I felt butterflies, I marveled at the beauty of the words chosen and how a particular figure of speech was used here or there, and when the stars aligned in my mind, I saw clearly that the author was referring to the night of a honeymoon (it could mean a host of other things to other readers, simply because poetry is art). From this point onward, it was difficult to put the book down.
Geographical locations are referred to in metaphors and other figures of speech. Landmarks in Spain are mentioned several times in the book, and Spanish history is also referenced. A few other landmarks are also referenced; hence prior knowledge of Geography would make the poems all the more enjoyable.
The Italian translations section also has the English text placed by the side. The poems in Italian were very similar to the poems in the previous chapters, that were centered on love, however, one of the best poems in the book, in my opinion, was in that section, “Languor of love/Languore”. The final section in the book, “Prose poems and flash fiction”, had more understandable content, and two of my favorites from it were “Art” and “Thoughts”. They were written simply and beautifully.
I liked the wordplay very much, the figurative expressions were so well fused, that a wandering mind would be unable to grasp. This book is an advanced work of poetry, with complex rhyming schemes that change per chapter. It must be read with maximum concentration. This is a book of poems so I would recommend this book to those who like poetry, especially the romantic genre, and have at least beginner-level experience in poetry (like myself), also those who want to delve into poetry for the first time, can give it an attempt at their own risk.
The book has no profane language and mild sensual content, which could easily grow within one’s mind whilst reading. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars, for being professionally edited, conveying a series of beautiful messages powerfully, and being a one of a kind book in its genre.
Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your day!
My books (Only English) #1 Amazon bestseller, Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings (Vita Brevis) #1 Amazon Bestseller, Women: Splendor and Sorrow (Vita Brevis)
Thank you to all my followers who reviewed my books. Please read other reviews here:
Christina Schwarz, the author of the New York Times Bestseller “Drowning Ruth.”
“With lush language and lavish imagery, Gabriela Marie Milton. evokes a fantastic world ripe with emotion.” Christina Schwartz
Edited Collections: #1 Amazon Bestseller, Hidden in Childhood (Literary Revelations) #1 Amazon bestseller,Petals of Haiku (Literary Revelations) #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women (EIF)
Petals of Haiku: An Anthology published by Literary Revelationsretains its #1 Amazon Bestselling Place in Haiku and Japanese Poetry. We are still Top New Release in Haiku and Poetry About Nature. We were briefly #1 Top Release in Poetry Anthologies. I am thrilled.
Thank you for your likes, your kind comments, and your support. I am very grateful to everyone who have helped us. Sending you love.
A few haiku from the book
butterflies flutter in the bushes red bougainvilleas
synchronised courting dance— the grebes paddle furiously
Christina Chin
lightning’s brilliance strikes, tree falls in the whispering dawn, my body echoes.
life’s depth beyond pride, love’s essence, more than words’ fodder, death’s fear, left behind.
Virginia Mateias
harvesting cassava the widowed woman babywears her child
