"Autobiographies of great nations are written in three manuscripts – a book of deeds, a book of words, and a book of art. Of the three, I would choose the latter as truest testimony." - Sir Kenneth Smith, Great Civilisations

"I must write each day without fail, not so much for the success of the work, as in order not to get out of my routine." - Leo Tolstoy

I have never believed that one should wait until one is inspired because I think the pleasures of not writing are so great that if you ever start indulging them you will never write again. - John Updike

"The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it." - J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Poetry is the shadow cast by our streetlight imaginations." - Lawrence Ferlinghetti


[Note - If any article requires updating or correction please notate this in the comment section. Thank you. - res]


Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Poems of Loss - Life with Father


Amazon link


Shifting the Sun
by Diana Der-Hovanessian

When your father dies, say the Irish,
you lose your umbrella against bad weather.
May his sun be your light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Welsh,
you sink a foot deeper into the earth.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Canadians,
you run out of excuses.
May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the French,
you become your own father.
May you stand up in his light, say the Armenians.

When you father dies, say the Indians,
he comes back as the thunder.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Russians,
he takes your childhood with him.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the English,
you join his club you vowed you wouldn't.
May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Armenians,
your sun shifts forever.
And you walk in his light.

- Diana Der-Hovanessian



In Our Hearts
by Rose M. De Leon

We thought of you with love today,
But that is nothing new.
We thought about you yesterday.
And days before that too.
We think of you in silence.
We often speak your name.
Now all we have is memories.
And your picture in a frame.
Your memory is our keepsake.
With which we'll never part.
God has you in his keeping.
We have you in our heart.

- Rose M. De Leon



Not Enough Time
by Kelly Roper

The time we had, Dad,
Wasn't nearly enough
To pack in an entire
Lifetime of love.

There are so many questions
That I need answers to,
But now that you're gone
There's no way to ask you.

But there are still photos
To remember you by,
Each time I look at them,
I still want to cry.

They say grief is easier
to bear as time goes by,
But the doesn't stop me
from wondering why?

Why my dear, sweet dad
Was taken so soon,
When he was my guiding star,
My sun and my moon.

There are no answers
To a question like this,
So I'll cherish your memory,
And mourn the years we'll miss.

- Kelly Roper



Daddy’s Little Girl
by Punkin

If I had my life to do over,
I’d have chosen you to be my dad
once more.
Even if it meant losing you again,
It’s worth all the tears in the
world.
You were my sunshine when skies
were gray.
I loved you and honored you;
You took all my tears away.
I was happy to be with you,
Proud to be your little girl.
Sometimes we would argue,
But to me you meant the world.
Your love was always pure;
You treated me as your own.
Your time seemed all too short and
I feel so alone.
What can I take from this?
My heart is completely crushed.
But nothing loved is ever lost –
And you are loved so much.

- Punkin







Ev Vykin - Oh, Bliss of Our Life!




Oh, Bliss of Our Life!

by Ev Vykin



Oh, Bliss of our life we live and see,

Caressed by hand each flower and tree,

Where sun of heaven warms the soul,

Where wistful winds so softly blow,

O'er meadows and lawn on grass we dance,

A canvas of color not painted by chance,

Oh land of ours, our heaven on earth,

The soulful visions each year in rebirth,

This our bliss of the essence of life,

This our bless of the essence of life,

Where I can be me and truly feel free,

In serenity and tranquil peace -

Just me...and ....flower...and.... tree.


Ev Vykin
June 17, 2016

@copyright R.E. Slater Publications
all rights reserved







Cyndi McCoy - Cyndi's Poem




Cyndi’s Poem

by Cyndi McCoy & R.E. Slater


I don't know if this means
that God didn't hear our prayers for healing,

I don't know if
our prayers were from pure hearts,

I don't know if this means
contrary to evidence we'll keep believing,

I don't know if
science has discovered what miracles are,

I don't know why
our hearts determine to keep seeking,

I don't know if
God or man dealt us these cards,

I don't know if
the answers will be revealing,

I don’t know if
we will only ever understand it in its parts,

but I do know
I'm unsatisfied with this feeling,

perhaps darkness is revealing
the truth we thought we knew all along,

that hidden deep down is seething
a brokenness I cannot explain nor could,

a brokenness deeply felt and yearning
passed to all with a beating heart churning,

hearts broken every one
awaiting light but receiving none,

awaiting healing while still believing
awaiting miracles to bind the bleeding,

binding me to the God I love
binding me to ikonic fellowship,

sharing brokenness with the healing
breathing I in God and God in us.


- Cyndi McCoy
italicized lines by R.E. Slater
June 14, 2016
*A Pyro-Theology project

@copyright R.E. Slater Publications
all rights reserved