Check Out The Artist:
Daniel Pravda takes photographs of beautiful decay. He lives in Virginia and drives to the farmlands of eastern Virginia and North Carolina. He finds countless abandoned farmhouses, barns, trucks, tractors, churches, etc., and many broadcast beauty to the open-eyed. More personally, seeing lovely decay might helps him deal with our own decay.
Call For Submissions for my February series, Love Starts With You.
Any form of creativity is welcome! (Poetry, music, paintings, photography, etc.)
Work will be displayed on my blog: http://www.pondersavant.com.
Deadline: February 1st, 2020
This February, my blog is going to be focused on loving one’s self, self care, taking care of oneself first or oxygen-mask-on-first type concepts.
Submission Guidelines:
1. Send your art of any kind (poems, music, drawings, paintings, videos, photography, or any medium of creativity!). Topic should be about loving one’s self, self care, self worth, etc.
2. Include a picture of yourself or any photo that you feel represents yourself as an artist.
3. Include any links to your work or social media sites that you would like to be shared.
4. Email your submission to Mia Savant at pondersavant@gmail.com with the subject line: Love Starts With You
5. Follow the blog site www.pondersavant.com. If you have facebook or Instagram follow there as well @pondersavant.
6. Finally, don’t forget to share www.pondersavant.com on your social media!
Deadline: February 1st, 2020
If you liked last week’s poem by Karly Robinson, you are in luck!
Get lost in the imagery as you soak up this poem that is sure to enthrall:
Gravel Road
By Karly Robinson
I hear tears in her voice
Years of this choice
Walking down gravel roads
Each stone upturned is a lesson learned
Then forgotten as if long ago
Sun lights upon the pavement
Making a statement
She turns her face to the glare
Heat softens the tar exposes the scars
Relinquishing tightly held prayers
Bliss is her companion
Her sweetest ignorance
Dreams are her indulgence
Reality at its best
Truth is in her eyes
She never looks too long
A moment in her gaze
Is a moment quickly gone
Too much guilt
Too much hurt
Too much shame
Too much love
Gritty ground up love
Today’s poem is written by the beautiful person inside and out, Karly Robinson!
Karly was born and raised in Alaska and has spent her life participating in a plethora of creative activities. She exceled in gymnastics and dance, and never failed to bring a beaming smile to every performance. I personally had the pleasure of singing with her in the choir when we were children. I got to watch her develop into an incredible solo vocalist as well.
This determined woman has used her energetic optimism to bring joy to all those around her. With beauty and grace, she even spread her excitement for life in Germany where she worked as an Au Pair for some time. While there, she challenged herself by learning to speak German and built a whole new community around herself. She learned from new acquaintances, made new friends, and some friends that became like family. Her cultural experience only enhanced her love for people and her ability to be accepting of everyone no matter their differences.
Currently, Karly works as a gymnastics coach in Alaska where she not only continues her passion for the art, but also sets a great role model for the children she teaches.
Her busy schedule, however, does not stop her from other creative expressions. Drawing from personal experiences, she uses writing to express some of the struggles in her life. Her writing is full of depth and heartfelt emotion.
Please enjoy this captivating poem by Karly Robinson:
Paper Dream
By Karly Robinson
The further the space, the more I create you
Inside my mind with fancy words
Stretched too far across the page
Taking too long to bounce back
Like me
I’m not up to the expectation
Like you.
Always we said
And always you did
And I was always falling…
Away from you; Short; Too far to come back.
Paper you is soft to my touch
and warm to my taste
Like a breath of sunshine
inside my lungs and around my heart
The ink is fading but I memorized every word
I can still touch you and write you and know you
Inside my paper dream
I am so excited to share with you a tasty treat from my good friend, Anna O’Loughlin! Anna has many artistic skills, but today I get the pleasure of sharing some of her beautiful poetry.
Anna has used her skills to propel her into an admirable career of teaching. She has taught countless dance and piano classes, but currently she works in Korea as an English teacher. She developed such a love for the Korean culture and the people there can’t help but love her right back. The children she teaches, who endearingly refer to her as, “Anna Teacher,” get a chance to experience the fun and creative way that she sees the world. She combines structured self-discipline with laughter and creative expression, which is nothing short of impressive.
During our childhood, Anna and I would both practice and perform music together. What a joy it was to learn music and experiment with her. Oh, the hours we would spend in front of a piano, singing and sharing each other’s work. Over the years, as life has put us in different parts of the world, our jam sessions haven’t been as frequent as I would prefer, but every opportunity that comes up is still just as thrilling.
Without further ado, I will leave you to enjoy the work of one amazing individual:
Bones and Rust
By Anna O’Loughlin
We’re all just bones and rust
Trying to fall in love
Holding bloody hearts in our hands
Wondering if anyone understands
How it feels to be one of a kind
Just like everyone else
It makes us lose our minds
We’re just bones and rust
Bones and rust
Let’s watch each other with questioning eyes
Let’s pick a lover to let inside
Let’s cling together like it’s enough
As we go from dust to dust
We’re all just bones and rust
Bones and rust
We know where we’re going
Trudging to our graves
Wondering what the point of living is anyways
Let’s ask those questions and turn our heads
When the answers aren’t what we expect
Let’s try to follow what is true
Let’s give up when we find out that it’s
Too hard
Too far
Let’s lose heart and let go of love
We’re just bones and rust
Going from dust to dust
We’re just bones and rust
Bones and rust
Wild Boy
By Anna O’Loughlin
I saw him once
That Wild Boy
Staring back at me through the glass
Caught like a moment in time
Wide eyed and ready to run
I blinked and he was gone
I think about him now and then
That Wild Boy
Is he searching for someone?
Someone who isn’t afraid to see him through the glass
And keeps coming back
His smile is crooked and a little bit wicked
Not beautiful, no, but still
There’s something true in his gaze
It makes me question what I know
It makes me hesitate
Will he come back for me?
I want to see those eyes
Make that crooked smile grow wide
Put my hands up to the glass and hold him fast
I want to see what happens when I let a Wild Boy inside
