Vashti Quiroz-Vega's Blog, page 5
August 14, 2020
Poetry Friday ~ Unrequited Love <3
Hello, everyone! Welcome.
Here are the words from Colleen’s Weekly Poetry Challenge:
“Circled and Squared”
I almost tossed in the towel when I saw the two prompt words for the week. What was I supposed to do with that? I thought. But in the end, I decided to give it a try. I’ve been hard at work with the blurb, cover and formatting for my upcoming book, The Rise of Gadreel. Please forgive me for not being consistant with my Friday posts the last few weeks. My Etheree poem was inspired by the second book in my Fantasy Angels Series, Son of the Serpent. I’ve also included an excerpt from that book. I hope you enjoy it.
[image error] Photograph by Mateus Campos Felipe @matfelipe
Unrequited Love
I fell in love with a beautiful mind
thoughts of him spiral out of control
as I crave what I cannot have
He entered my life and made
everything better
I can’t regret him
or corrupt him
he’s married
to the
church
[image error] Photograph by James Coleman @jhc
Dracúl came across a young girl named Miriam while searching the streets of Egypt for a place to rest for the night. She informed him that the pharaoh ordered every Israeli male child not yet walking be thrown into the Nile River for the crocodiles, and she feared for her newborn brother’s life. Here’s an excerpt in Dracúl’s voice from Son of the Serpent.
Gadreel and I left the waterfall and made our way to the street where I met Miriam. I found the house she disappeared into and knocked.
The door creaked open and a man stood before us. “Yes, how may I help you?”
“We seek answers,” I said, bowing my head out of respect. “A girl named Miriam stated that we could get answers from her father, Amram.”
“I am Amram,” he said, creasing his brow. “You say you know my daughter, Miriam?”
“We met once. She told me of a terrible decree ordered by the pharaoh. I have many questions. You could provide me with the answers I seek.” I glanced at Gadreel. She stared at the ground, and I returned my gaze to him.
“Come in,” he said.
I did not hesitate to do so. His home was humble but clean and cozy. The fragrances of incense and fresh bread wafted through the air. They did not have much but offered everything they had. Miriam came out of one of the rooms and helped serve food and drink to Gadreel and me.
“Why are Egyptian soldiers killing the innocent?” I asked once the meal was finished.
“Three months ago, a witch who passes herself off as an astrologer claimed that a liberator, a male child of Israel, was to be born. She told the pharaoh that this liberator would grow to be more powerful than any pharaoh of Egypt.” Amram’s face flushed as he gave us his account of the happenings.
“Witch? Does this witch have a name?” Gadreel touched my arm and scowled at me. “Apologies. Please continue,” I said as heat bloomed in my face.
“The pharaoh decided to end the threat by getting rid of the liberator while he was still a babe, so he ordered every male child that cannot yet walk be killed. My son was born three months ago, on the very day the witch predicted the liberator would be born. We believe our son is the liberator of Israel, for a radiant light filled our house when he entered this world.”
Gadreel gasped, placing her hand over mine.
“We have concealed him for three months, but it is becoming impossible to do so any longer,” Amram said as he wrung his hands, staring at us like we were his last hope.
A woman approached and set a basket made of papyrus on the table. “My name is Jochebed. I am Amram’s wife and mother to Aaron and Miriam, and this is my newborn son.” She extended her hand toward the basket.
Gadreel and I rose from our seats and looked into the basket. My eyes were fixed on the infant. He was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. I was mesmerized.
“He is special.” My words were barely audible.
“We must do something,” Gadreel said, standing on her toes as she gazed at the infant.
“I can help your son, but you must trust me,” I told Jochebed and Amram.
They glanced at each other and then Amram spoke to me. “I knew God had sent you the moment I opened the door and saw your face.” He nodded once, and I picked up the basket with the babe inside.
“Is the basket impermeable?” I asked. “Will it float?”
“Yes, I weaved the papyrus reeds tightly,” Jochebed said.
“Very well.” The babe, he smiled at me the way only one pure of heart could. “I will take your son to safety. Say your goodbyes.”
The family came forth, kissed and caressed the child, and said their farewells.
Gadreel and I made our way to the door with the infant.
“I will go with you!” Miriam said, hurrying to us. “Please. Let me come with you. I want to see where my brother’s fate leads you.”
I faced Amram. “It will be a dangerous undertaking. If we are caught with the child, they will try to kill us.”
Miriam turned to her father, her face wet with tears of desperation and sorrow. “Please father! I implore you. Allow me to go with them.”
Amram frowned and waved her to go. She grabbed my arm, pushing me forward and out the door, perhaps afraid her father would change his mind.
We rushed through the streets. The babe fell asleep and remained silent. He looked comfortable, wrapped in soft cloths.
“The witch they spoke of––it must be Lilith,” Gadreel whispered.
“It is she. I am sure of it,” I said, moving quickly while scanning my surroundings. “I do not know what makes me so certain, but I am. I will save this child, and then I will deal with her.”
As we reached the bank of the Nile we stopped to look out to the water. Gadreel gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth, stifling screams. Miriam was shrieking so Gadreel rushed to her side, holding her tight as the girl sobbed on her chest. I stood frozen by a sight so astonishing in its level of horror that I had to bite my lower lip hard enough to draw blood to be certain I was not having a nightmare. A myriad of dead and mangled babies floated downstream on the Nile.
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Son of the Serpent is a High/Supernatural Fantasy sprinkled with Horror and Romance for an 18+ audience. Get your copy and give this book a try. It may surprise you.
July 31, 2020
Poetry Friday ~ Trees
Hi, everyone! A warm welcome to my blog.
It’s the fourth week of July! Are you ready for a theme prompt? Sue Vincent selected the theme this week with a quote prompt:
“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth.” Herman Hesse
[image error] Methuselah – The oldest tree in the world
What a beautiful quote chosen by Sue Vincent to challenge us this week. I love nature and that of course, includes trees. Methuselah is one of the world’s oldest living organism. This tree has been alive for approx. 4,789 years and still counting! Consider all the changes the world has gone through in that amount of time and yet, this tree is still standing. Methuselah lives on a isolated mountain top in California (USA). I’d love to be in her presence someday.
METHUSELAH
On a desolate mountain top you breathe
Teaching us lessons of survival
Gnarled and twisted you stand your ground
The Earth’s oldest living thing
For four millennia
You’ve observed the world
Your endurance
Your spirit
Inspires
Awe
[image error]Photo by Jeremy Bishop
I hope everyone enjoyed the post. Have a lovely Friday and weekend! 
July 17, 2020
Rave Reviews Book Club
Hello, everyone!
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To say it’s been a crazy week would be an understatement. So much has been happening around me, including renovations to the inside and outside of my house. It’s enough to make your head spin, believe me. 
July 10, 2020
Poetry Friday ~ Fantasy
Hi, everyone! I hope you’re all coping well with this pandemic and everything else that’s going on. I invite you to come into my world and relax, forget about your problems, even if it’s only for a few minutes.
Colleen’s 2020 Weekly Poetry Challenge No. 185, Poet’s Choice!
I’m participating in the Fantasy Challenge July on Instagram. Today is day 10 and we’re supposed to answer what it is about writing fantasy that we love.
One of the things I love about writing fantasy is the creative freedom we’re given as authors. We can let our imaginations go wild! I especially love the world building. To create a whole new world where readers can get lost in, excites me beyond belief. We can also create languages, religions, and even other beings. How fantastic is that?
That being said, I do an enormous amount of research when writing a fantasy, because although it’s all make believe I still like to ground the story in reality. I want my readers to believe, at least while they’re reading. This reminds me of a quote by Tom Clancy.
“The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense.”
[image error] Photo by Trevor Cole – Armoy, United Kingdom
Today I’m sharing a fantasy poem. I hope you enjoy it.
Castle Of Poets by Mike Qyinn
The castle is a place where poets dwell,
Where each can cast their wondrous spell.
From the turrets high to the dungeons deep
From each portcullis to the central keep.
Its powerful walls keep foes at bay.
They keep us safe from day to day.
The knights are brave and fight with zeal.
In armored suits and swords of steel…
The poets live as all men should.
Side by side in brotherhood.
The magic of rhyme is all they seek
From modern tongue to ancient Greek.
The castle echoes with the sound of joy,
And haunting words from man and boy.
The maidens fair who live within
Pen words of love and carnal sin.
For each one here there is a place
To release the soul from its inner space.
With words of mirth and sorrow both.
And witches spells of evil oath.
The castle grows from day to day
And people come from far away.
But once inside these walls of grey,
They know that they are here to stay.
Their words are all that leave this place,
Their souls the castle shall embrace.
So in our quest for perfect poem
We call this place our sonnets home.
Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/where-poets-life
[image error] Photo by Cederic X – Eltz Castle, Wierschem, Germany
Do you enjoy reading fantasy? What excites you about writing fantasy?
June 26, 2020
Poetry Friday ~ Live Your Best Life!
“…Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time…”
It’s the fourth week of the month! Time for a theme prompt at Colleen’s 2020 Weekely Poetry Challenge. Pat R. from last month’s challenge picked the theme. The theme this week is the quote above taken from A Palm of Life by Henry Wadsworth.
[image error] Photograph by Damir Spanic
LIVE
Great men remind us
do what gives your life purpose
find your life’s passion
Our time on Earth is a gift
Live your life to the fullest
I believe I’ve found the work that gives my life purpose and passion. Writing has become part of what makes me who I am, and I eat, sleep and breathe stories. Seriously, I don’t know what my life would be like or how I would go on without writing.
That being said, I do enjoy other activities like reading, being out in nature, kayaking, drawing, photography, fashion, baking . . . I love spending time with my family and playing with my dog, Scribbles. I have an adventurous spirit and relish traveling to different parts of the world and learning about other cultures, meeting new people and trying things I’ve never tried before.
[image error] Photograph by Eirik Skarstein
Wishing everyone a fabulous day! Live your best life!
June 19, 2020
Poetry Friday ~ Little Black Kitty
It’s the third week of the month! Time for a Photo Prompt! Colleen Chesebro’s 2020 Weekly Poetry Challenge
[image error] Image by Huda Nur from Pixabay
Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog. I want to start by saying that I’m almost done going through my editor’s edits and the book is coming along great. I’m also working on the book cover for The Rise of Gadreel. I wanted to share an image of her with you today.
[image error] GADREEL
** I’m also a featured guest of Colleen M. Story at her Writing and Wellness Blog. I would appreciate it so much if you would visit her blog, read my author interview and comment and share. Thank you!
I decided to share a lovely poem by one of my favorite poets, Emily Dickinson. In the poem, She Sights a Bird she perfectly evokes the tension of a cat about to pounce.
She sights a Bird—she chuckles—
She flattens—then she crawls—
She runs without the look of feet—
Her eyes increase to Balls—
Her Jaws stir—twitching—hungry—
Her Teeth can hardly stand—
She leaps, but Robin leaped the first—
Ah, Pussy, of the Sand,
The Hopes so juicy ripening—
You almost bathed your Tongue—
When Bliss disclosed a hundred Toes—
And fled with every one—
Thank you for stopping by my blog. Wishing all of you a peaceful, happy, and safe Friday and weekend.
June 12, 2020
Poetry Friday ~ 2020
Hi, everyone! A warm welcome to my blog. I hope all is well with you and your loved ones.
[image error] Photograph by Tom Barrett @wistomsin
Colleen’s 2020 Weekly Poetry Challenge. Here are your two words, provided by Linda Lee Lyberg:
“Nimble & Enigma“
We are only allowed to use the synonyms of these words in our poems.
The Year 2020
Hey twenty-twenty
you’re tough but we are tougher
Hey twenty-twenty
you gave us a pandemic
racism, fires, and locusts
But mankind still thrives
and there’s still time to mould you
into a good one
We’re a quick-witted species
mysterious in our ways
[image error]
UPDATE: I’m still working on my edits for The Rise of Gadreel. I’m about halfway through, and it’s going great. I’m also working on the book cover and on the first draft of my next book (a thriller ya’ll!).
Enjoy the rest of your day!
May 29, 2020
Poetry Friday ~ The Merchant of Venice
Hi, everyone! It’s the fourth week of the month, which means, we get a Theme Prompt! Merril D. Smith, the winner from last month’s challenge selected a quote from Shakespeare’s A Merchant of Venice as this month’s theme. Colleen’s 2020 Weekly Poetry Challenge
This week’s theme is:
“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.”
― William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
[image error]
After each good deed
no parade or accolades
Take a step higher
on heaven’s ladder until
you have reached St. Peter’s gate
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I read The Merchant of Venice in high school, and I remember having mixed feelings about it. The Jewish loan shark (okay, moneylender) Shylock horrifed me with his request for a pound of flesh as payment for a loan.
Here’s a rough and short summary of the story: A man named Antonio owned a fleet of merchant ships. One day, a gold-digging friend of his, Bassanio asked him for a loan so that he could pursue a rich woman named Portia. But Antonio’s ships had not come in with his merchandise yet, so he had no money to lend him. Instead, Antonio tells his friend to ask Shylock for the loan promising that he’d pay it back once his ships return. When Bassanio asked Shylock for the loan, instead of charging extremely high rates of interest, as he usually did, the moneylender asked that a pound of Antonio’s flesh be the payment if the loan was not paid within three months.
Three months went by, and Antonio’s ships had not returned. He was told that they were lost at sea. It was time to repay the loan, but Antonio was broke. Shylock had him arrested and demanded his pound of flesh. Bassanio, now married to the heiress Portia, offered her money to pay the loan. However, Shylock held a grudge against Antonio because he considered him competition in the loan business and an anti-Semite (which he was). Shylock insisted he must be allowed to extract a pound of flesh from Antonio as per their contract.
Long story short (too late), Portia, (Bassanio’s rich wife) dressed as a lawyer (?) managed to safe Antonio’s life. She won the case against Shylock by stating that there was no mention of blood in the contract. Therefore, if he could extract a pound of flesh from Antonio without spilling any of his blood he could go ahead and do so, but if he spilled one drop of his blood he would go to jail. Of course, Shylock knew it would be impossible to cut out a pound of flesh from a man without an enormous amount of blood shed.
In the end, Shylock lost his daughter and part of his wealth to another of Antonio’s friends, and was forced to become a Christian (antisemitism). Antonio’s ships came in afterall, and he and his friends lived happily ever after with their spouses. At times, I viewed Shylock as a villain and other times as a victim. Nevertheless, The Merchant of Venice is a story worth reading.
Thanks for stopping by, and have a fabulous day!
May 22, 2020
Poetry Friday ~ Photo Prompt
Hi, everyone!
Every 3rd week of the month it’s Photo Prompt time at Colleen’s 2020 Weekly Poetry Challenge. I won the last photo prompt challenge so I had the privilege of choosing this week’s photo. I chose this intriguing and somewhat scary nature photo by Balaji Malliswamy.
Colleen’s words:
Remember, a photo can be a metaphor for your poetry. Think about the mood, the theme, and the color. Think outside of the box. We know there’s a crocodile, but what else is going on here? What do you smell? What do you hear? There’s more here than meets your eye. Surprise me!
There are many movies and books that depict crocodiles as monsters, but they’re simply animals trying to survive in the wild. Here are a few fun crocodile facts:
Crocodiles are reptiles.The physical characteristics of crocodiles make them good predators.Crocodiles are fast over short distances.Crocodiles have the strongest bite of any animal in the world.The muscles that open crocodiles jaws however are not so powerful, reasonably strong people could hold a crocodiles jaw closed with their bare hands.Like other reptiles, crocodiles are cold-blooded.Crocodiles can survive for a long time without food.Most crocodiles live in fresh water rivers and lakes but some live in salt water.Crocodiles eat a variety of fish, birds and other animals.Crocodiles release heat through their mouths rather than through sweat glands.The saltwater crocodile is the largest species of crocodile.Some crocodile species can weigh over 1200 kg (2600 lb).
My poem today is about the most dangerous predator on the planet, man.
“I am an evil man. I do not love anyone. I wish harm to everyone and good to myself. I am an egoist. I am not God. I am a beast, a predator.”
From The Diary of Vaslav Nijinsky
*
The Stalker
The silent stalker
camps outside your home and waits
Followed you all day
He claims to add balance to
your soul ’cause he’s seen your horns
[image error] Photo by Viktor Mogilat
I hope you liked the post! Let me know what you think in the comments below. Enjoy the rest of the day!
May 15, 2020
Poetry Friday ~ Transition & Harmony
Hi, everyone!
Kerfe from K. Lines That Aim To Be (Blog) chose this week’s words for Colleen’s 2020 Weekly Poetry Challenge. We can’t use the exact words. Instead, we must find synonyms to use in their place.
Transition & Harmony
[image error] Photo by Tim Marshall
Together
The world is changing
Look at the shape we are in!
Must we all adapt?
Every fight is a chance
Real gain does not come easy
[image error] Photo by Hidde Rensink
My editor informed me this morning that I’ll be getting my manuscript back this afternoon. Yay! I’m happy, excited and a little nervous. Even though she’s kept in touch sending updates every Friday, and had always said she hadn’t encountered anything mayor to correct I still can’t help feeling the jitters – that’s just me. Well, this means I will be quite busy this weekend. I can’t wait for you guys to see and hopefully read this book. It’s been the most fun to write so far, and I’m beyond excited about it.
I hope everyone is safe and healthy. Enjoy this day and the weekend, and don’t forget to count your blessings!
[image error] photo by Shane Rounce
