Vashti Quiroz-Vega's Blog, page 16
July 13, 2018
Haiku Friday – Old & Days
Firstly, it’s Friday the 13th! Did you ever wonder why Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day? Well, a suggested origin of the superstition dates back to Friday, October 13th 1307 when King Philip IV ordered hundreds of French Templars to be captured and arrested. The templars were charged with numerous offenses, seemingly without basis – but King Philip used these allegations as a convenient pretext to persecute the wealthy order, so that he wouldn’t have to pay debts he owed them following war with England. The Catholic crusaders were tortured into admitting heresy and other sacrilegious offenses in the Order.
Charged with moral and financial corruption and worshipping false idols – many of the knights were later burnt at the stake.
The order’s Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, faced the flames in front of Notre Dame Cathedral and is said to have cried out a curse on those who had so gravely wronged them: “God knows who is wrong and has sinned. Soon a calamity will occur to those who have condemned us to death.”
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Holy warriors
Guiltless men engulfed in flames
Old hex haunts our days
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Did you know that the fear of Friday the 13th Phobia is called – Paraskevidekatriaphobia? Now that’s a word for a game of hangman.
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Old and Days are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.
Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.
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On a happy note, today is also National French Fry Day. Enjoy!
July 8, 2018
Book Tour: If You Love Me, I’m Yours by Lizzie Chantree
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Hello and welcome!
Today, I’m excited to be featuring the latest release by author, Lizzie Chantree, as part of her “If You Love Me, I’m Yours” book release tour.
Lizzie and I are both members of the Rave Reviews Book Club and she has been a guest on this blog before. She is a talented, award-winning author and inventor. It is a privilege to have her as my guest today.
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Introducing author Lizzie Chantree.
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Author Bio:
Award-winning inventor and author, Lizzie Chantree, started her own business at the age of 18 and became one of Fair Play London and The Patent Office’s British Female Inventors of the Year in 2000. She discovered her love of writing fiction when her children were little and now runs networking hours on social media, where creative businesses, writers, photographers and designers can offer advice and support to each other. She lives with her family on the coast in Essex. Visit her website at www.lizziechantree.com or follow her on Twitter @Lizzie_Chantree
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Click on image to purchase.
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Book Blurb:
‘If you love me, I’m yours…’
Maud didn’t mind being boring, not really. She had a sensible job, clothes, and love life… if you counted an overbearing ex who had thanked her, rolled over and was snoring before she even realised he’d begun! She could tolerate not fulfilling her dreams, if her parents would pay her one compliment about the only thing she was passionate about in life: her art.
Dot should have fit in with her flamboyant and slightly eccentric family of talented artists, but somehow, she was an anomaly who couldn’t paint. She tried hard to be part of their world by becoming an art agent extraordinaire, but she dreamed of finding her own voice.
Dot’s brother Nate, a smoulderingly sexy and famous artist, was adored by everyone. His creative talent left them in awe of his ability to capture such passion on canvas. Women worshipped him, and even Dot’s friend Maud flushed and bumped into things when he walked into a room, but a tragic event in his past had left him emotionally and physically scarred, and reluctant to face the world again.
Someone was leaving exquisite little paintings on park benches, with a tag saying, ‘If you love me, I’m yours’. The art was so fresh and cutting-edge, that it generated a media frenzy and a scramble to discover where the mystery artist could be hiding. The revelation of who the prodigious artist was interlinked Maud, Dot and Nate’s lives forever, but their worlds came crashing down.
Were bonds of friendship, love and loyalty strong enough to withstand fame, success and scandal?
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Website
Goodreads
Universal book buy link
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Please join Lizzie Chantree on Twitter each Monday for #CreativeBizHour
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Have a great week, everyone!
July 6, 2018
Haiku Friday – Chance & United
I love the United States of America. This is my country and I’m proud to be an American. That being said, just like a child gets angry at a parent or a parent at a child, sometimes I get angry at my country and vexed with the people running it.
Chance and United are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.
Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.
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The United States
This country should be renamed
Divided We Stand
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We may stand a chance
If labels are forgotten
and we all matter
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Let us stand as one
And keep America great
No one’s first or last
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What’s your opinion on what’s happening in the US? Feel free to speak your mind. Everyone has the right to their opinion.
June 29, 2018
Haiku Friday – Child & Safe
Did you know that every time a child tells you something he or she feels is important and you dismiss it, the child loses trust in you and the more you do it the less safe the child will feel. It does not matter whether you’re the child’s parent, aunt/uncle, teacher, neighbor . . . if a child comes up to you looking frightened or concerned and confides in you, please take him or her seriously. At least, look into the situation.
Sure, kids make up stories but there are certain things they’re not likely to lie about and it takes a lot of strength for a child to communicate certain things to an adult, even one they trust. So please listen, observe and look into the situation.
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Illustration by George Miltiadis for ‘The Basement’
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Little girl, little girl what did you see?
A thing of horror chasing after me
Little girl little girl were you not scared?
More than I thought I could possibly bear
He was a man about oh so high
I swear I came just to his thigh
I knew he was off, not quite right
I was chilled by him at first sight
He wore a hat that covered his gaze
And weaves lies like some kind of maze
The kind you can end up lost in for days
All things around him reeks and decays
He looks upon children with a sick grin
Like looking upon us is his kind of sin
The evil he had comes straight from within
My fear of him, I know not where to begin
He asked me for things and would not take ‘No’
So I did strike him in that place down below
He gasped for some air as I ran through the snow
Now I must pray he did not try follow
Now I feel as if I am eternally stalked
Everyone I have told this to has balked
Even my parents by them I am mocked
Now the door to my room is forever locked
Little girl, little girl that’s quite a tale
I’ll be sure to tell it throughout the dale
Little girl, little girl I can hear you cry
The sound only little girls make as they die
Old man, old man I knew it was you
I knew our little game was not through
So open this door if you want your kind of fun
And see my justice through the barrel of this gun
James Harris
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Illustration by George Miltiadis for ‘The Basement’
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My contribution this week:
I never felt safe
No monsters under my bed
You crawled into mine
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Child and Safe are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.
Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.
June 22, 2018
Haiku Friday – Bliss & Brawn
Don’t build your paradise on sand or online. Sometimes the world is too bright. That’s because we’re looking into a screen. I’m blinded by false smiles. Status: Happily married. Happy and married until the moment you go off line? Although there are many genuine people on social media and I know a bunch, there are also people living their lives in a digital utopia. Family and friends are my paradise.
Two things upset me this week. The first, I came across a picture of a friend on Instagram. She wore a huge smile and looked happy and radiant. Then I read the caption. She wrote that just before she took the selfie she had been crying her eyes out. I called her to find out what was going on. It turns out she was devastated, because her cat had died. I understand not wanting to post about her cat’s demise, but why then post a picture depicting herself as being happy when she clearly wasn’t?
Then I got the news that another friend was getting divorced. It came as a complete shock to me and apparently everyone else, because there were a myriad of photos online of the happy couple hugging and kissing at the beach, smiling lovingly into each other’s eyes, looking like the perfect pair. Some of the pictures were dated a day or two before the announcement was made. To say I was confused is an understatement.
I guess no one wants their feed cramped with sad pictures and people griping about their problems. I get that. If you’ve travelled, made a discovery, baked a cake, had a great meal, accomplished something, by all means, post it online but be honest about it. I want to know the good with the bad. Maybe I can learn something from your experience.
I love social media as much as the next person but I wouldn’t post a picture of myself grinning from ear to ear unless I was truly happy at that moment.
Also, be present when you’re with your loved ones. Enjoy their company. Put away that iPhone, pad, laptop. They won’t be around forever, so be present in the moment. Life is made of moments and we need to experience each one, because we don’t know which will have an impact on our lives.
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Bliss and Brawn are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.
Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.
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The world is broken
Our strong family bond
Is our paradise
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Live in the Moment
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Search for bliss online
Virtual hugs comfort none
I prefer real flesh
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Have a great day!
June 15, 2018
Haiku Friday – Tyrant & Hope
“The common mistake that bullies make is assuming that because someone is nice that he or she is weak. Those traits have nothing to do with each other. In fact, it takes considerable strength and character to be a good person.”
~Mary Elizabeth Williams
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Trolls
by Vacuous
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Trolls,
a mythical creature now real.
They roam the internet looking to eat.
Looking to eat emotions.
You get a kick out of pain from another.
You kick them down on the ground while they are already under it.
Using technology to get into their brains and heart.
You find it funny to bring suffering to someone who can’t take anymore and has already taken it all.
You let them slip farther down into the hole when they confide
in you something they won’t tell others.
You think it is funny, cute, fair to treat others with the disrespect you have honed.
You practice day in day out to make those around you
feel less significant.
Unequal.
Lifeless.
No matter how far a person thought you could push
you always found a way to push a little farther.
That’s all you’ve known.
That is all you will ever know.
Because at some point in life,
you decided to become a
troll.
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How much does bullying hurt? If we don’t know by now, after all the school shootings, teen suicides, mass murders in public places . . . The effects of bullying are painful and can sometimes lead victims to suicide as an alternative to pain. Bullying has a negative effect on everyone involved; the target, the bully and the bystanders.
We see the effects of bullying on the news almost every day. We read about it on social media. I don’t think anyone can turn a blind eye any longer. So what do we do about it? Spread awareness of the negative effects of bullying. If you see someone being bullied, try to do something to stop it. If you are a bully, and many adults are, stop bullying others. When you bully someone you take away their self-confidence. Bullying makes children feel lonely, unhappy and frightened. The effects of bullying can be devastating and lead to depression and suicide. In order to grow, we need to learn to lift others up, not tear them down.
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She yelled hopeless words
Like an old edifice, I
crumbled to the ground
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“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
~ Mark Twain
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Tyrant and Hope are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.
Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.
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I’m almost done with my self-edits for the 2nd installment of my Fantasy Angels Series. Tomorrow I will be sending it off to my editor. I am also working on revising my first book, The Basement, which touches on the subjects of bullying and verbal abuse. So stay on the lookout for that one. 
June 10, 2018
The Contract between heaven and earth
I’m going to allow John & Gwen to take over now. Don’t forget to leave them some feedback in the comment section. Thank you!
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The CONTRACT between heaven and earth
By John W. Howell & Gwen M. Plano
Thank you, Vashti, for inviting us to join you today. We are delighted to be featured on your blog, and indeed feel like neighbors (you being the writer next door). All the best to you!
Available on Kindle and Paperback
Kindle priced at $0.99 for the introduction.
THE CONTRACT is a different story for writers John W. Howell and Gwen M. Plano. For either of them, it is their first attempt at co-authorship. After a year of Hurricane Harvey and other challenges, they have created, what they have termed, an inspirational thriller that bridges heaven and earth.
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Here is the blurb:
The earth is threatened with a catastrophic political event which could result in international warfare and destroy all life on the planet. In heaven, a divine council decides that extraordinary measures are essential. They call for an intervention that involves two souls returning to earth. The chosen two sign a contract that they will work to avert the disaster.
Brad Channing, a Navy SEAL, and Sarah O’Brien, a teacher, become heaven’s representatives on earth. The story follows them as they individually and then together face overwhelming obstacles and eventually end up on a strategic Air Force base in California. It is there that they discover a conspiracy to assassinate the President of the United States. The terrorists have a plan for global dominance, and they are determined to complete their mission. Although military leadership appearsto have the President’s best interests at heart, it is not clear who can be trusted and who should be feared. The action is rough and tumbleas Brad and Sarah try to figure out the culprits for the plot that will turn into a worldwide conflagration unless stopped.
If you enjoy thrillers, this is one with enough twists and adventure to keep you riveted and guessing. If you like your thriller along with a good romance, Brad and Sarah’s initial attraction and eventual love will sustain you as they live out their heavenly and earthly desires.
Here is an excerpt.
A child cried among the sea of moans in the burial ground that once was a school. An eight-point-five earthquake had hit San Diego and buckled the structure, trapping the children. Rescue teams lifted chunks of concrete, looking for any sign of hope, while sirens whined, and anguished parents screamed as rescuers lifted one lifeless body after another from the rubble.
In the darkened classrooms of twisted metal and collapsed ceilings, angelic beings held each child. They formed part of the divine regiment, sent to comfort and escort the children to their heavenly home.
“Mommy,” the voice said, faint and failing.
An angel responded, “Come, little one. Youaresafe with me.”
Without effort, theyoungster floated above his body, and with the angel, he ascended into clouds of bright iridescent hues. The wisps of color surroundedhimand obscured the destruction and terror below.
“Johnny,” hecalled out when he noticed his friend nearby in the clouds.
Johnny looked and waved in return. “Hey, Pauly.” He, too, traveled with an angel.
Then Pauly spotted other children on all sides of him, accompanied by celestial beings. He smiled and said to his guardian angel, “My friends are all with me.”
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Authors Bio.
John began his writing as a full-time occupation after an extensive business career. His specialty is thriller fiction novels, but John also writes poetry and short stories. His first book, My GRL, introduces the exciting adventures of the book’s central character, John J. Cannon. The second Cannon novel, His Revenge, continues the adventure, while the final book in the trilogy, Our Justice, launched in September 2016. The last, Circumstances of Childhood is a family life thriller story and launched October 2017. All books are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.
John lives in Port Aransas, Texas with his wife and their spoiled rescue pets.
John’s other books.
Available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/author/johnwhowell
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John and Lucy
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Gwen had a lengthy career in higher education, and it was there that she published her first book, Beyond Boundaries, for students interested in volunteer work in developing countries. After she retired, she wrote her award-winning memoir, Letting Go into Perfect Love.
Gwen lives in Branson, Missouri with her husband.
Gwen’s books.
Available on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2wdXsrn
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Gwen and her kids.
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Thank you for visiting!
June 8, 2018
Haiku Friday – Choice & Faith
I have a friend who is intelligent, kind and beautiful. Despite having these great qualities, among others, she has a low self-esteem. She often berates herself, and she can’t take a compliment to save her life. This saddens me, because her low self-esteem holds her back from achieving certain goals and living a good life.
Her issues with low self-esteem stems from her childhood. She grew up with a verbally abusive father who called her names like stupid (although she was a straight “A” student), idiot, dimwit . . . whenever she made a mistake as a child. His name-calling escalated to profanity and it would happen for the smallest things, from spilling milk to wrinkling her dress. The silliest things would set him off.
Now she’s an adult, she has a great career, husband, wonderful kids, a beautiful home. She’s made a great life for herself, but whenever she makes the tiniest of mistakes, her father’s voice is in her head calling her names and making her feel like garbage.
I’m happy to say that she’s seeing a therapist for this problem, and she has told me that things are much better. She has no idea how strong she’s been all her life.
Many people believe that words are just words, but they are so much more. Words have driven many to alcohol, drugs, excessive eating, depression and even suicide. Words have a lasting impact, especially those said to a child.
Be careful how you talk to others, whether it be your spouse, children, friends, employees or coworkers. Berating someone is no way to teach or communicate. If you speak to someone with kindness, respect and consideration, they’re more apt to listen and comply.
Be smart in the way you communicate with others and yourself, because there are consequences, not only to our actions, but also to the words that come out of our mouths.
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I wrote two haiku today. I decided to use more the feel of the words rather than the actual words. Truth for “Faith”, which is what these haiku portray, and the lack of choice someone with low self-esteem may believe they have.
Choice and Faith are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.
Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.
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You can tell me I
am beautiful but, I will
never believe you.
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If you tell me I
am good for nothing, I will
always believe you.
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June 1, 2018
Haiku Friday – Home & Free
Home and Free are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.
Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.
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Gadreel’s Lamentation
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Nefarious deeds
Got me exiled from heaven
Now on earth I roam
Hiraeth beckons my soul
But I can’t ever go home
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I’d gladly give up
the freedom earth allows me
for one day back home
Where flowers sing lullabies
and leaves dance all aquiver
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Floraison Scene Illustration by Jeff Brown for The Fall of Lilith
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May 25, 2018
Haiku Friday – Fragile & Heartbeat
I’m happy to say that I’m done with my first round of edits for Son of the Serpent (WIP). I feel good about the book and I’m getting ready to send it out to my beta readers. I can’t wait to hear/read their input. Then I’ll revise the book once more, before sending it off to my editor. So things are moving along.
Today, there are men working on the “curve appeal” of my house. Well, these guys are breaking up the existing tiles and cement, to prepare the foundation for new pavers and landscaping. I’m excited that we’re finally getting some work done to the outside of the house, but you can imagine the ear-splitting cacophony of power tools, men shouting and my dog, Scribbles barking. I know this is work that has to be done, so I’ll just have to grin and bear it.
I’m also preparing for my trip to Japan in August. I would like everything, including the publication of my book, to be done before I go but I’m not going to hold my breath.
Thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the poetry. Have a wonderful day!
Fragile and Heartbeat are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.
Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.
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“There are darknesses in life and there are
lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of
all lights.”
~Bram Stoker
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My fragile heartbeat
I shall always remember
Your breath on my skin
Fires of love doused with blood
My sweet love draws breath no more
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Vengeance shall be mine
I have a heart that does not
know how to forgive
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“There are some things that are so unforgivable
that they make other things easily forgivable.”
~Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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