Michele Lee Sefton's Blog, page 37

Salty Leggings

She never learned to knit a sweater, but collected pearls she can string together.

If you need a little movement motivation to get you over this week’s hump, here’s a Vaudeville sounding, jazz-infused tune that is fun to shimmy to. Click here for Demon Dance by Parov Stelar, if the music video doesn’t display.

Earlier this week, I was invited to participate in an upcoming dance fundraiser for the people of Israel and Palestine. The invitation is to teach two songs to a growing group of people. This is not a cause for celebration, given the reason for the fundraiser, however, I am honored by the invitation and look forward to participating. I have a few weeks to select the music and choreograph the routines. I doubt it will include the song featured in this post, but the fun little ditty got me moving this morning.

Thank you for visiting. Be well. Michele

featured photo by Everett Collection

© 2023 MyInspiredLife

a sunrise swim

The sun has risen
            let’s leave this madness
and swim toward the heavens

through the layers
of truth telling pink and skin tingling yellow
            years of dust and hesitation, washed away

like petals torn during a sudden storm
            all that was covered, now bare

earthy dew, flash-fermented into the sweetest wine
            staining our lips the color of passion

a never-tasted blend
            of honey, raw
                        struck by lightning, pure

slowly I sip

your true essence

Best to you. Michele

my rose photos

© 2023 MyInspiredLife

Dark River (poet spotlight w/audio)

The first poem in Dark River – a deluge of poetry by Isha Garg is titled, “Old Soul,” which feels a fitting beginning considering the sage wisdom that spills from Isha’s pen. I once wrote to her about this poetic energy that gently radiates through all she writes. She masterfully weaves sophisticated language into her lines that reveal a writer with an awareness of rhythm and sound, even if her poems remain quiet on the page.

I could feel Isha’s poetry melt into me as I read her words. A soothing energy that inspires me to slow down and savor the visual images that she creates and the emotional experience she evokes. I feel that way when I read her work online, too. Reading her words aloud heightens my understanding and appreciation for her poetic gifts, that seem to flow effortlessly through her.

A writer of fiction and poetry, Isha “delves into the realms of imagination and rhyme to carve sculptures out of ink drops.” (from her book). If you are not familiar with the author’s work, I encourage you to visit her blog, ishaisms.

Thank you for visiting and listening. A preview of Isha’s book can be found by clicking here: Dark River – a deluge of poetry. I highly recommend this well-crafted poetry collection and of course, should you choose to purchase her book, reviews are appreciated.

my photos, Delta Ponds and reading Dark River on the way to Oregon

© 2023 MyInspiredLife

Park Pirate

He might not be looking for a shipmate

            but a perfect pirate companion I would be
            small enough to hide in a barrel if need be
            I can tiptoe, wriggle low, or climb the highest pole

            against every scurvy dog, I’d protect him… to the end
                        unless he’s three sheets to the wind
            then against enemies, alone he must defend

            from the briney deep, I can catch and clean
                        then cook up a hearty stew for a hungry crew
            from the poop deck, I’d recite poetry and sing songs
                        of ol’, to quiet the most restless souls

He might not be looking for a shipmate

            but my sea legs are ready for an adventure
            my treasure map and booty shorts are packed
            if his cutlass is sharp and skilled, all the better

Thanks for stopping by my hearties. Michele

my photos this pirate in the park, I do not know, but I thank him for bringing smiles and for being a swashbuckling sport

© 2023 MyInspiredLife

Morning mist

Silence surrounds. Leaves freed by a light breeze, fall gently; one at a time they reach the ground. Too soft to make a sound, I feel their final breath under my slow-moving steps. In the morning mist I see and hear clearly all that had previously burned through me.

Click here for Keep the Streets Empty for Me by Fever Ray

Thank you for visiting. Michele

my photos

© 2023 MyInspiredLife

Wide Web

Caught, captured, connected, or fed.

Is a matter of context and perspective.

Thanks for stopping by. Best wishes. Michele

my photos, along the Willamette River

© 2023 MyInspiredLife

Precious Pumpkin

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.”

― Henry David Thoreau

Sweet pumpkin pie dreams warmed my heart and delighted my senses and sent me back for seconds. Reality is plentiful and often uncertain and sorrowful. Sometimes we just need a little more time to close our eyes and dream. Thank you for visiting. Warm regards from chilly and drizzly Oregon. Michele

my autumn photos

© 2023 MyInspiredLife

Something to smile about

It’s Friday night!

Might as well put on your fancy knickers and high heels,

then grab your favorite girl and dance!

“Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.”

― Rumi

Click here for Sup ersti tion by Stevie Wonder

This marks my 400th post! Thanks for being here! I am celebrating my 400th milestone on this Friday the 13th with some good company and good music. Anytime is the perfect time for Superstition by Stevie Wonder.

Photo by Everett Collection

© 2023 MyInspiredLife

An artist

lives here. My daughter’s place.

Sometimes it seems like I should be taking Little Miss S to school, to a class, to a friend’s house, or coloring with her at the kitchen table, and yet she is a grown woman. An incredibly talented one who teaches me something every day. She still collects cool rocks and puts them in her windowsill.

The rainbow lights dancing across her paintings and down the wall caught my attention.

Thanks for indulging my mom moment. Michele

my photos

© 2023 MyInspiredLife

Mermaid Dreams (collab w/Cassa)

A playground first encounter

            two shy girls found each other

A friendship bonded by quiet giggles and a thousand smiles

            Best Friends Forever sealed with a pinky swear

            while painted toes pressed into the pearly sand

Promises made when forever was cloaked by the misty gray

            fog, carrying the secrets of unknown tomorrows

            falling gently on their straw hats and small hands

busy adding broken shells to their sandcastle kingdom

            where two mermaids could live

            when they weren’t underwater exploring

The crystal blue above and the deep turquoise below

            blending, swallowing shadows and fragile castles

            as two little girls left the beach, side by side

            skipping, singing, and hand-holding


half buried, a red bucket and spade forgotten

Thank you for reading. Collaborating with poet Cassa, from Flicker of Thoughts, was a wonderful experience, from start to finish. I shall stop myself from going over the details; I may be the only one who appreciates learning about every step of the creative process as much as the final product. I do look forward to working with her again!

I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Cassa’s micro-fiction collection, The Scars We Don’t See. Link will take you to my August post that featured her book.

Featured photo by oneinchpunch, my California beach photo

© 2023 MyInspiredLife