Joseph Mallord William Turner – The Decline of the Carthaginian Empire, Public Domain
When Miriam sent me the French translation of my poem Souls I was waiting for a train to nowhere at the corner of Friday and Saturday.
Oh, fragile blossom of my dreams how friendship and beauty go together.
Miriam, thank you for bringing tears of joy into my life. Thank you for being you. Thank you for this marvelous translation. Thank you for giving me “the kind of things that money just can’t buy.”
Souls by Gabriela Marie Milton
I had to go through your soul to get to mine once in mine I wish I would have stayed in yours boats memories of that port where demons haunted you empty chests our hearts taken out every evening mornings pumping despair and agony no blood left between your soul and mine an autumn naked sky
French translation by Miriam Descendres
Il me fallu traverser tes méandres Pour revenir en moi-même; une fois parvenu, combien aurais-je désirer alors être encore en ton âme.
Les bateaux… Mémoires de ces ports où les démons hantent Les battants de ta poitrine.
Et nos coeur laissés là à l’abandon; chaque soir; pour de nouveau pulser sous les feux de l’aube, entre désespoir et agonie.
De sang, il n’en reste plus goutte s’écoulant en mon âme, la tienne. …
The poem Souls is included in my first collection of poetry Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings (Vita Brevis Press, 2020) available on Amazon here.
If only I could put my palm into yours for one single sunset when the autumn smells like corn & the eyelids of the sea cast spells on the cheeks of the stars At the end of the shore milk foam washes the feet of the children
I searched for love in the thrilling nights of the February carnival. Around me scavengers of night. I managed to look like Ophelia dressed in negligees & incapable of understanding my own distress.
An Update on the Anthology Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women
To those of you who already submitted a big thank you.
However, several submissions do not follow the guidelines for submissions. Poetry not submitted according to the guidelines will not be taken in consideration. So please follow the guidelines if you wish to submit or if you already submitted and you did not follow the guidelines please consider to revise and resubmit.
Submit your poems in a Word Document, together with a short bio. You should use Times New Roman 12, double space. No poem should be longer than one page. No bio should be longer than 400 characters.
Please title you submission Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women.
Example of email submission:
Dear Editor,
Attached please find my submission for Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women.
Best,
…..
The deadline for submission is April 15.
The plan is to have the anthology published at the end of May 2022.
Looking forward to your submissions.
Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.
Everyday I work to feature wonderful poetry written by my fellow poets. I will be most grateful if you can read and support these poets. Kindness, generosity, and supporting our community are things that I highly appreciate.
Thank you everyone.
Wishing you a great weekend and a fabulous Valentine’s Day.
I am thrilled that my poem “A Night of Marble and of Gingerbread” was included in Hebe to Hades, A Free Verse Revolution Anthology.
Thank you to Kristiana, the editor of this wonderful volume.
A Night of Marble and of Gingerbread by Gabriela Marie Milton
on the top of the mountain the pines silhouette against the whisper of the rocks the night is cut from marble, and from gingerbread the wind stops on a branch touched by a naked star I take the measure of that which forever youth gives red poppies that never wither seeds that never impregnate the ground a love that still plays with toys, and lights candles in a Christmas tree in the middle of summer the moon is mortal and concerned with trivial matters and so am I Hebe, how many know that you are the bud of incest and patricide? how many know your child’s eyes witnessed so many crimes? filled with pain, you stop growing up, isn’t it so? oh, don’t cry here is my impermanent heart wear it for one day in the morning you will see the old oak dying in the rain at noon butterflies will sit on your hair in the night a Lethean forgetfulness will lecture on the beauty of transitory love kisses will feel like honey on the tongue the breath of love will rest on your skin you will grow up what? you do not want your forever youth back? dream it’s spring
Image: Dante Gabriel Rossetti – Beata Beatrix, Public Domain
Poem by Gabriela Marie Milton
I see you a lost stranger dissimulating grief in the #fall’s shadows I feel you dreams of wild young tigers in the Sahara of my suns the fate plays games I drag you into the lands of spells which crawl passions strike till all is left from us are ashes in a bowl#vss365#poetrypic.twitter.com/FSgZoNHrU4
The Penitent Magdalen, Georges de la Tour, Public Domain
A New Poem
(excerpt from my poem You Night to be published in January in an new anthology).
I found the rivers where fish were born & nightingales sang. You night, how beautiful you are crowned with black poppies. Tell me something after I die & let me blossom on the Hill of Slane #starve-d for love. Eyes see no clouds. You night. #vss365#poempic.twitter.com/Car3cQTtOd
Woman: Splendor and Sorrow: | Love Poems and Poetic Prose by Gabriela Marie Milton featured in Portland Book Review
In Woman: Splendor and Sorrow: Love Poems and Poetic Prose, author and poet Gabriela Marie Milton takes the reader on a deeply personal journey across the globe and into her heart. The verses delve into themes ranging from love to loss to feminism, all of them clearly inspired by the author’s own experiences. The palpable emotion and unique turns of phrase ensure that this will be a book that will stay with you long after you set it down…
In “The Six O’clock Café,” Milton’s prose takes a turn toward the fictional, combining poetry, magical realism, and mystery to tell a short, impactful story. Once again, loss takes center stage in a highly creative way.
This collection of poetry and poetic prose will be a hit with fans of contemporary poetry looking for something that doesn’t hold back from sharing its innermost emotions and for those who enjoy creative word play.
Samos, perhaps Crete – a poem from my book Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings
Samos, perhaps Crete
on the barren shore you play your mandolin I conjugate “to leave” in the voice of trees the air reverberates expressions of old gods the space changes its mind maybe it is Samos, perhaps it is just Crete traces of death, glimpses of the future your thoughts are cut in marble scratches turn to yellow delineations, conquerors of islands the shore melts in the waters your eyes tell prophesies the time changes its mind perhaps it was just Samos, maybe it was Crete the dying mandolin, the smell of ripened olives an unmade wooden bed solemnity, delirium the names of I, You We
Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings was published by Vita Brevis Press in 2020. It is available on Amazonhere.
Updates:
Please do not forget to visit MasticadoresUsa. I have so many beautiful pieces up. Subscribe and follow us.
At the end of the month I will announce the new project I am working on – a project that will hopefully feature numerous poets from our literary community. Please stay tuned for more news.
40 POEMS AT 40 by Ingrid Wilson – reviewed by Gabriela Marie Milton
40 POEMS AT 40 by Ingrid Wilson is the manifesto of an extremely intelligent, and talented, woman unafraid to explore her past and her inner and outer worlds. Ingrid’s poetry soars to the sky when the seasons change. It dwells in the most secret corners of the soul when dark moments knock on the door.
Ingrid has written 40 beautiful poems. 40 beautiful poems in which one comes face to face with yearnings to change the world, biographical notes, questions about the birth of the universe, pain, and love. Ingrid’s poems weave splendidly the ontological and the epistemological plans to create art. What, and how, come together in an unbelievable journey into the life of a woman in which children go to school and birthdays need to be celebrated.
Oh, and how the landscape plays a role in her beautiful poetry. Italy, England, Spain are not only used for decorative purposes. In Ingrid’s poetry they become intricate parts of the author’s soul.
The space and the time are perceived through intimate prisms. There is North and South, and there is the sea, with its majesty. There is a certain November sky with its colors. There are dancing ice queens and solstices of the heart. There are striking lines like: “I am the song unsung/the life unlived.”
One can almost hear the opening villanelle with her up and down tonalities. It sounds like the song of a nightingale.
The book will be released next month when Ingrid turns 40. Here are a thousand cheers for this stunning volume of poetry and for its author – a woman who knows how to ask questions about the real meaning of life. A woman who does not mince words and does not submit to stereotypes.
Read 40 POEMS AT 40. It’s a fabulous book. You will not be disappointed.
Publication date: February 11, 2022. The book will be available for pre-order before the publication date. You can find Ingrid’s work here.
I learned how to read in the mint forest under a pale October moon. My eyes, blueberries mama gathered in her wicker basket. The unassuaged yearnings of a golden autumn spread under my skin. I found the rivers where fish were born, and nightingales sang. I thought to myself: you, night, how beautiful you are crowned with black poppies and nursing ancient lovers at your chest. A boat sailed straight through my heart. The earth stretched its arms to pick up stars. Then a war started. A bat-eyed wind blew, and the earth turned toward itself. And I thought to myself: you night, how painful you are. Tell me something after I die and before tomorrow’s departure. Let me wear twelve sage leaves on my lips. Let my body blossom on the Hill of Slane when the breath of sleep rises from the empty crypt. You night, how wise you are.
The Anthology
From the publisher:
“From a shaft of sunlight warming the kitchen floor to a lush forest by Walden pond, what is it about experiencing nature that pleases and fulfills us? In the third volume of the Vita Brevis Poetry Anthology, established and emerging poets from around the world show what nature means to them. This is nature poetry at its most precise and moving, continuing the long tradition of Transcendentalism, deciphering ourselves and the world that sustains us — with art.”
Vita Brevis Anthology
Announcements
There is exciting news published in MasticadoresUsa. Please visit the site Here. Like and follow to support our literary community.
On a different note, this month I will features two poetry collections published or to be published by two of your fellow poets. Please stay tuned for more news.
