Vanessa Shields's Blog, page 43
March 26, 2021
Poem 85 – Gipsy Kings
Gipsy Kings
Hey Google, play Gipsy Kings.
I toss my request at the cone machine
on the microwave as I get the sink
ready for another round of washing dishes.
The music starts. It is loud and full.
I’ve been craving this latin, flamenco,
gitanos Spanish Romani energy explosion;
the thick voices, the fast guitar,
the beautiful bass drumming
to the rhythm of spring’s sensual arrival.
My mother runs (hobbles – she hurt her foot)
into the kitchen, points at the speaker:
Gipsy Kings? I can’t believe you’re
listening to the Gipsy Kings!
All week, I tell her. I’ve been craving
them like chocolate cake.
Me too, she exclaims.
My hands warm in the hot water.
I press dish soap into the sponge.
The Gipsy Kings serenade our
spiritual connection: mother | daughter
musical matching is meaningful.
We marvel in the strumming.
I rinse a plate.
Place it in the dry rack.
Under the sound of running water,
under the flurry of cuban song synergy,
in the silent hallway with the door we
stare at but don’t open – we wonder
if the Gipsy Kings wail in another kitchen.
But we don’t wonder out loud. We let the Kings handle the yearning.
Gipsy Kings. Turn it on. Turn it up. Dance. Dance. Dance with your eyes closed and your hips open.
March 25, 2021
Poem 84 – Oh, but the voice!
Oh, but the voice!
“I said it out loud again, and even though it disappeared, I knew what I said had become a sound in the world.” pg. 104, Edge of the World, from How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa
the body
a shape held in a shade of skin
things soft & hard
moving & still inside – tangible
a vessel in the world
Oh, but the voice!
a soul transmission
vibrational grand jete
divine reception of waves
clinging to bark
tickling elbows
seeping into skin & psyche
Oh but the voice!
your sound in the world
alive & thundering
Thank you, Erinn, for introducing me to ‘How to Pronounce Knife’ by Souvankham Thammavongsa. This is a collection of short stories that is blowing my mind. Perhaps you’ll read it too? What are you reading?
March 24, 2021
Poem 83 – Mirror
mirror
this is your face
the mirror said
these are your eyes
it’s really nice to see you
seeing you
March 23, 2021
Poem 82 – Nervous
Nervous
There are leaping lemurs in my belly
pushing off branches of worry & snapping
them against the bottom of my rib cage
my stomach a cage of sorts…
a jungle of anxieties I can’t name
it’s a right undiscoverable terrain in there
that my logic can’t discern
This type of steadfast flustering arrives
unannounced & somehow knows the
entrance password…
breathing helps &
soft rubs clock-wise but mostly
it’s blind acceptance & a collaboration
with trust that the lemurs will tire
or rest or even better escape
out an ear or a nostril
LET ME WRITE YOU A POEM!
I will be writing poems on demand every day in April to celebrate National Poetry Month. If you would like me to write you a poem, please follow the steps below!
1) start an email to shieldsvanessa@gmail.com.
2) in the subject line write: NPM POD Request.
3) in the body of the email include your FIRST NAME (or who the poem is for if you’re gifting it to someone); 3-6 words for me to use in the poem OR a theme for the poem.
4) donation payment – if you’d like to pay for your poem in any amount, please let me know how much. All donations will go to the Aboriginal Child Resource Centre. You can pay via e-transfer when you receive your poem. (email: shieldsvanessa@gmail.com)
5) send the email by March 31, 2021!
I’d be honoured to write you a poem! At the end of April, I will let you know how much money we’ve collected for the Aboriginal Resource Centre.
March 22, 2021
Poem 81 – That Feeling When You Did It
That feeling when YOU.DID.IT!
when the notes in your blood sing a symphony of synergy
when the muscles in your heart tighten & expand jello-ing
the walls of the chambers of your love & you shudder & cry
but you’ve never felt more alive
when your voice is a forest of redwood conviction & confidence
even as doubt & worry grow at branch tips like leaves
when your face hurts from smiling
when your knees hurt from standing in heels
when your dress fits perfectly
when everything & everyone comes together in a rush of magical
power & exclaims its mighty purpose
oh! the post-exhaustion zinging in your marrow like a current
the tender bruising of your aura having bumped into your dream coming true
and finally – the sleep of a champion
body prone bones settling in energy lifting
rising to the ceiling like your very own storm cloud
the weather of your brilliance
My apologies for the late publishing of this poem. This was a BIG weekend, and I took today to rest. Also, to connect with a ray of sunshine on the back deck for tea-sipping and deep conversation.
Here is another peek into what I did this weekend…#thimblesbooklaunch
Thank you to the crew and team…we made some magic, oh yeah.
March 21, 2021
Poem 80 – This
this
morning breaks
orange strands of
gentle announcement
hot tea in a mug
whispered prayers
grief’s wounds
nesting in heart
chambers
awakening
SNEAK PEEK!
Rehearsals in full swing at *top secret* location for *classified* production….
March 20, 2021
Poem 79 – Equinox Scream & Book Launches
Equinox Scream
a pair of Canada geese
rush on the supple wind
their wings in unison
soar them forward
strong black necks like
exclamation marks
over an azure page –
a day in the mighty book of living
today’s language is flight
confidently destined to lift
the frosted veil of winter
in beaks and claws
place it gently lovingly
on shoulders jagged and
smooth of hero mountains
for safekeeping
exhaling warm breath
Spring’s mouth opens wide and screams
her roar awakes change
THANK YOU!
Thank you to the Planet Earth Poetry family and big group of poets who joined together last evening for a celebration of ekphrastic poems and the beloved open mic! It was an honour to share words, laughter, wisdom and delight with everyone!
LOCAL POETRY ANTHOLOGY LAUNCH TONIGHT!
The City of Windsor’s Poets Laureate and the Mayor are launching their collaborative anthology ‘A Dance of Self-Isolation – Covid Poems from the Biggest Little City in Canada’ (Black Moss Press, 2021). Tonight at 7pm on Facebook and YourTV, you can tune in to watch poetry come alive. Featuring a mega-list of poets and city friends, hosted by Dan MacDonald, this is an event not to miss!
‘ROAD HOCKEY CREW’ BOOK LAUNCH SUN. MARCH 21, 2021
The Detroit Writing Room is excited to host “The Road Hockey Crew” book launch on Sunday, March 21 from 3 – 4 p.m. EST!
The virtual event celebrates the new YA novel co-written by Pete Billing and John Conlon and illustrated by Glen Hawkes.
During the virtual event, guests will have an opportunity to view a book trailer produced by The Faculty of Wonderment. Pete will also read a passage from the story.
Author and historian Irene Moore Davis will moderate a discussion with Pete, John, Glenn and co-editor Karen Kilbride. Guests will have an opportunity to ask questions during a Q&A.
Five lucky attendees will win signed copies of “The Road Hockey Crew.” You must be on Zoom to win!
RAVENSUN POETRY
Ravensun Poetry is streaming a live poetry reading featuring incredible poets, musicians and creatives from around the world in a two-day creativity extravaganza. It started yesterday and featured poets Billy Collins, Rosemary Whatola Trommer and Andrew Garfield (yeah, the man who played Spiderman!). It’s on youtube, and today’s line-up will stream later today. Check it out!
March 19, 2021
Poem 78 – Bowling With My Dad
Bowling With My Dad
Today if I could
I would meet my dad
at the Bowlero
Inhale the smooth scent
of oil hot rubber beer fried
feel a bit shy renting shoes
when he has his own
a beautiful ball too
the fancy bag to hold it all
I’d let him type our names
on the flat-lettered keyboard –
marvel at them
Dad Vanessa
The thwack and deep hollow
crack of ball hitting pins I’d
press into my skin
absorb his skills
his hip hike
the way his back foot
points left when his right
arm points forward
I’d swallow his perfect balance
three cracked bowling pins
line up like old memories
I feel your spirit
POETRY TONIGHT!
Tonight at 10:30pm EST/7:30PM PST, I’ll be joining poets at Planet Earth Poetry’s virtual open mic! I’ll be reading the ekphrastic poem I wrote that won me an honourable mention (woot!) as well as a couple other poems about spring. Please join us! Thank you Planet Earth Poetry for inviting me to read!
To join the virtual open mic – that is to sign up to read, click HERE.
To join the virtual open mic as a supporter/listener, click HERE. *You must register to get the zoom link.
Happy Friday, writers!!
March 18, 2021
Poem 77 – Spindle
Spindle
spins constantly
pushed by the invisible
hands of Karma or Time or both
flexible needle a moveable beast
snaking inside my body
pin-tipped pricking my tongue
my eardrum the belly of my colon
vocal chords eyeballs the tender
cushions of my soles – my soul
even in her graceful hiding spots
oh my heart is a beloved destination
alas this curse is also a cure
threads of golden healing
sutures pulsing in pretty patterns
divine cross-stitch
this is necessary needle work
APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH
I will be writing poems on demand every day in April to celebrate National Poetry Month. If you would like me to write you a poem, please follow the steps below!
1) start an email to shieldsvanessa@gmail.com.
2) in the subject line write: NPM POD Request.
3) in the body of the email include your FIRST NAME (or who the poem is for if you’re gifting it to someone); 3-6 words for me to use in the poem OR a theme for the poem.
4) donation payment – if you’d like to pay for your poem in any amount, please let me know how much. All donations will go to the Aboriginal Child Resource Centre. You can pay via e-transfer when you receive your poem. (email: shieldsvanessa@gmail.com)
5) send the email by March 31, 2021!
I’d be honoured to write you a poem! At the end of April, I will let you know how much money we’ve collected for the Aboriginal Resource Centre.
March 17, 2021
Poem 76 – Getting Up Earlier
Getting Up Earlier
attempts to get up earlier are successful but woozy
are their lullabies for the dawn?
the song in my brain sings s l e e p
it is so beautiful in the dark – under the spell
of dreams still living
I am at the beach with Amy Poehler
in a garage bulging with cobwebs & treasures
my body wants to push deeper into the warmth
but some other me lifts my bones carries
me into the unfastening of night
the spaces are different in their ownership of Time
I trust there is something important to learn
in this house when the other bodies are still still
if only to watch the sun’s rays point through
the windows at things I haven’t seen before
the heart shape of the clump of dog hair in the corner
the owl art piece leaning against the dusty picture frame
like a sigh on a shoulder – robust relieved reflective
Feeling much better this morning. My guts are calm. My mind is quiet…quiet-er! The day is open before me…inviting. Though there are lots of things on the To-Do list, I feel like I can achieve them. And, if not, that’s okay too.
