A writer inspired by nature and human nature

Archive for the ‘Poetry’ Category

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Monet


I love art & poetry…
Have a beautiful day, friends! ~ Bette A. Stevens http://www.4writersandreaders.com

Rivers Renewed's avatarRivers Renewed

Monet from Pinterest

With a simple paintbrush he could see the horizon

that it was not a destination, but light between worlds,

a way of thinking really, bending colors, identifying

the softness. Just a hint of humans passing through

time, walking softly between colors and light.

A lot of blue with green, often a sky.

Monet.

       

 Poetry © Copyright 2016, ancient skies

image from pinterest

Peace and blessings to everyone.

“When we love people, we give them hope.”

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Written

on 02/27/2016

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1059. Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life. ~Rumi


Grateful! ~ Bette A. Stevens, http://www.4writersandreaders.com

nataliescarberry's avatarSacred Touches

The Gift

Be still, my soul, and steadfast.
Earth and heaven both are still watching
though time is draining from the clock
and your walk, that was confident and quick,
has become slow.

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So, be slow if you must, but let
the heart still play its true part.
Love still as once you loved, deeply
and without patience. Let God and the world
know you are grateful.
That the gift has been given.
~Mary Oliver

Sing to the Lord with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp. ~Psalm 147:7  ✝

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Written

on 02/06/2016

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1044. As long as you can start, you are all right. The juice will come. ~Earnest Hemingway


Singing along… ~ Bette A. Stevens http://www.4writersandreadres.com

nataliescarberry's avatarSacred Touches

The birds they sing at break of day,
“Start again…” I hear them say.
~Leonard Cohen

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Nourish beginnings,
let us nourish beginnings.
Not all things are blest,
but the seeds of all things are blest.
The blessing is in the seed.
~Muriel Rukeyser

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ~John 12:24  ✝

**Image of European robin via Pinterest

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Written

on 01/22/2016

1034. Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are a part of mystery. ~Max Planck


The wonder of it all! ~ Bette A. Stevens

nataliescarberry's avatarSacred Touches

Nature looks dead in winter because her life is gathered into her heart. She withers the plant down to the root that she may grow it up again fairer and stronger. She calls her family together within her inmost home to prepare them for being scattered abroad upon the face of the earth. ~Hugh Macmillan

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When the ages of ice came
And sealed the Earth inside
An endless coma of cold,
The heart of the Earth held hope,
Storing fragments of memory,
Ready for the return of the sun.

Let us then salute the silence
And certainty of mountains:
Their sublime stillness,
Their dream-filled hearts.

The wonder of a garden
Trusting the first warmth of spring
Until its black infinity of cells
Becomes charged with dream;
Then the silent, slow nurture
Of the seed’s self, coaxing it
To trust the act of death.

The humility of the Earth
That transfigures…

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Category:

Inspirational, Nature, Photography, Poetry

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“Peace Comes Walking” a poem by Bette A. Stevens


Peace Comes Walking POEM bas 2015

Wishing you love, joy and peace in the New Year and beyond. ~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator

[Bette’s Blog]

Written

on 01/01/2016

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Autumn’s Lament HAIKU by Bette A. Stevens


Autumn’s Lament

Haiku by Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator

AUTUMN LAMENT Haiku bas 2015

By late November autumn’s vibrant deciduous tree leaves have settled in for the soon-to-arrive Maine winter, ready to read their own bedtime stories for a season. At least that’s the tale they told me. ~ Bette A. Stevens

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Written

on 11/25/2015

To Rhyme or not to rhyme, that is the question . . .


Yay! A poetry contest. And I’m off to enter one of mine! ~ Bette A. Stevens http://www.4writersandreaders.com

AuthorJoePerroneJr's avatarAuthor Joe Perrone Jr's Blog

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines poetry as “writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm.”  Huh?  What’d he say?  Let’s try Wikipedia for a more comprehensive definition.  It defines poetry as “a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language—such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and [sic] metre—to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, the prosaïc ostensible meaning.”  Not much better, is it?  (No wonder Wikipedia is called the “free” encyclopedia.)

Most of us believe we can identify poetry when we see it—or at least recognize it when we hear it— why then is it so difficult to define?  After all, if it rhymes, it’s poetry, right?  Not so fast, partner.  YourDictionary.com states categorically that there are “over 50 types of poetry.”  One of those is Haiku, a form of poetry that originated in Japan.  It…

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Category:

Poetry, Writing Challenges

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“Milkweed Wishes for Monarchs” a poem by Bette A. Stevens


Milkweed Wishes for Monarchs POEM bas 2015

The poem “Milkweed Wishes for Monarchs” was inspired during a walk out to the mailbox one morning when I spotted an exploding milkweed pod in all its glory. I ran back into the house to grab my camera and was delighted with the results. I also captured a shot of two more pods mostly intact and picked them for a friend (photo below).

I am a writer inspired by nature and human nature. As a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of five, I live in Central Maine on a 37-acre renovated farmstead where I enjoy reading, writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. I advocate for children and families, for childhood literacy and for the conservation of monarch butterflies—an endangered species (and milkweed, the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat).

My children’s book AMAZING MATILDA follows an amazing monarch butterfly through her metamorphosis. I wrote and illustrated this picture book to inspire kids to have patience and to follow their dreams.

 ~ Bette A. Stevens

 

MILKWEED Pods

  • AM Look Inside NEW 2015Find AMAZING MATILDA and all of Bette’s books at YOUR AMAZON

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Written

on 11/19/2015

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REVELATION, a poem by Bette A. Stevens


Revelation POEM bas 2015

Written

on 10/09/2015

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BROOK SONGS a poem by Bette A. Stevens


BROOK SONGS poem by basInspired by nature, I love to walk to down the brook. It’s only a quarter-mile from “The Farmstead” here in Central Maine and no matter the weather or season, the sights and sounds of the water and the abundance of nature’s bounty always manage to refresh my soul and often inspire the writer child within me. The photo for the poem Brook Songs was taken last fall. As the autumn season nears a new dawning, I put pen to paper for a draft before designing the poem on the computer. ~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator

  • Take a “Look inside” all of Bette’s books on YOUR AMAZON.
  • You’ll find more of Bette’s poetry right here on her blog

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Written

on 09/17/2015

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