It was a year of...

It was a year of tender beauties and fragile fires of becoming. Of being ravaged by torn things, by facing duplicity and seeing clearly the multiplicities of truth. It was a year of floods and sinkholes. Of shows and learning to withstand jealousy and pettiness without caving. I hung my work in public twice, a tremendous amount of work and perhaps a fearful act. I learnt to brace myself against those who trivialize others, their work, their lives. I didn't hide. I got a used clip-on mic and start dance performing during poetry events where I was featured. I masqued myself so that I could reveal myself. It was a year where I found myself dealing with what is inessential by relegating it to the margins. I distanced myself from insincerity and understood more preciously those who are clear with the truth of loving impartially and generously. I made my way gingerly through seething places of anger, sadness, remorse, pity, retribution and survived. I was of help to those I love. It was a year when I learned to hold fast to my values and not waver. I think it was a break-out year. Inner strength manifested. There were milestones. LyricalMyrical Press published my chapbook, ‘the luminist poems,’ and I signed a contract with Guernica Editions for a full-length book of poetry, ‘Tidal Fury,’ which was gratifying after the years of writing and re-writing as I honed my craft and vision. As I became less of a recluse and more of a public poet and artist, I found a voice I didn’t know I had. It was a watershed year, tumultuous, just when I thought I landed it all broke apart and then I landed somewhere else and it was good. I remain in awe of existence, the way our lives manifest through the years, our interconnections with each other, the way we share who we are through what we give of our knowledge and talents and how we all grow through this process, of the creativity of our very being. May 2014 be not a meek but a strong year for each of us.

___