Tuesday, November 8, 2022
The year of pandemic living
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Souls that are lit (I love this imagery)
Those of you who read my blog know that I am a poetry lover. I appreciate poetry in all formats--rhymed, unrhymed, haiku, song lyrics, experimental--the list is endless. As long as the emotions expressed are pure, that's all that matters to me. And there is something about poetry that brings out pure, raw emotion, in a way that no other form of writing quite manages to do, in my humble opinion.
This poem by Clarissa Pinkola Estés provides food for thought in an increasingly crazy world. I love the imagery--souls that are lit can light other souls that are struggling. Beautiful and kind thoughts......
You Were Made For This
entire world all at once, but of
stretching out to mend the part
of the world that is within our
reach.
Any small, calm thing that one
soul can do to help another soul,
to assist some portion of this
poor suffering world, will help
immensely.
It is not given to us to know
which acts or by whom, will cause
the critical mass to tip toward an
enduring good.
What is needed for dramatic
change is an accumulation of
acts, adding, adding to, adding
more, continuing.
We know that it does not take
everyone on Earth to bring
justice and peace, but only a
small, determined group who will
not give up during the first,
second, or hundredth gale.
One of the most calming and
powerful actions you can do to
intervene in a stormy world is
to stand up and show your soul.
Soul on deck shines like gold in
dark times. The light of the soul
throws sparks, can send up
flares, builds signal fires, causes
proper matters to catch fire.
To display the lantern of soul in
shadowy times like these, to be
fierce and to show mercy toward
others; both are acts of immense
bravery and greatest necessity.
Struggling souls catch light from
other souls who are fully lit and
willing to show it. If you would
help to calm the tumult, this is
one of the strongest things you
can do.
There will always be times when
you feel discouraged. I too have
felt despair many times in my life,
but I do not keep a chair for it.
I will not entertain it. It is not
allowed to eat from my plate.
In that spirit, I hope you will
write this on your wall:
"When a great ship is in
harbor and moored,
it is safe,
there can be no doubt.
But that is not what
great ships are built for."
🌊 Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Two good poems by Charles Bukowski
they are everywhere
the tragedy-sniffers are all
about.
they get up in the morning
and begin to find things
wrong
and they fling themselves
into a rage about
it,
a rage that lasts until
bedtime,
where even there
they twist in their
insomnia,
not able to rid their
mind
of the petty obstacles
they have
encountered.
they feel set against,
it's a plot.
and by being constantly
angry they feel that
they are constantly
right.
you see them in traffic
honking wildly
at the slightest
infraction,
cursing,
spewing their
invectives.
you feel them
in lines
at banks
at supermarkets
at movies,
they are pressing
at your back
walking on your
heels,
they are impatient to
a fury.
they are everywhere
and into
everything,
these violently
unhappy
souls.
actually they are
frightened,
never wanting to be
wrong
they lash out
incessantly...
it is a malady
an illness of
that
breed.
the first one
I saw like that
was my
father
and since then
I have seen a
thousand
fathers,
ten thousand
fathers
wasting their lives
in hatred,
tossing their lives
into the
cesspool
and
ranting
on.
Saturday, October 15, 2022
One of Many--my poem from Parables & Voices
Apropos my last post about doubt--I wrote this poem many years ago. The italicized paragraph describes a woman who has 'chosen' not to pursue her dreams because the man she is with cannot keep pace with her and is angry about that. My guess is that there are many women who do this to keep the men in their lives placated.
One
of Many (Portrait of a Lady) (apologies
to Henry James)
In that way that only women can know
That regret would exact its pound of flesh
For all the choices cast aside, for all the roads not taken.
If she had gone, that life may have been brighter.
Not tinged by so many shadows, not clouded
By the sufferings of others that she took upon herself.
That she would look back at life
As an old woman and wonder why it was
She chose a man ahead of most everything else.
Was it fear that made it impossible to live a life unfettered?
Fear of loss, fear of the other, fear of aloneness.
But what is fear if not lack of trust (in oneself and in others).
Has led to only this, that she cannot any longer
Act without him, cannot think, cannot be who it is she once was,
For better or for worse, without him looming there before her.
By uncertainty and a self-image which is negligible at best,
His and in the end it will be hers, chosen by her because it seemed
That if he could not advance then it was her duty to demote herself.
Once was…..a long long time ago.
Now is diminished, now is careful, now is remote,
So as not to awaken the sleeping beast inside him.
Is filled with hate for others and a desire
To be above them since he cannot control them.
He cannot be them, and she cannot be them, by extension.
Friday, October 14, 2022
Four beautiful poems by Mary Oliver
How did I not discover Mary Oliver sooner? Well, no matter. I have discovered her now and am immersing myself in the beauty of her poetry. Most of what she writes about resonates with me. The last poem I've included here, Hum, is about bees, and for those of you who follow my blog postings about my garden, you know that I too have written about the bees, those marvelous little creatures that keep it all going.
Why I Wake Early
Hello, you who made the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the
miserable and the crotchety –
best preacher that ever was,
dear star, that just happens
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkness,
to ease us with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light –
good morning, good morning, good morning.
Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.
------------------------------------------------
Song for Autumn
don’t you imagine the leaves think how
comfortable it will be to touch
the earth instead of the
nothingness of air and the endless
freshets of wind? And don’t you think
the trees themselves, especially those with mossy,
warm caves, begin to think
of the birds that will come – six, a dozen – to sleep
inside their bodies? And don’t you hear
the goldenrod whispering goodbye,
the everlasting being crowned with the first
tuffets of snow? The pond
vanishes, and the white field over which
the fox runs so quickly brings out
its blue shadows. And the wind pumps its
bellows. And at evening especially,
the piled firewood shifts a little,
longing to be on its way.
--------------------------------------------------
Saturday, September 24, 2022
And one more poem--Violets--because what she writes about is what matters
Who has not felt the fleeting sorrow for living things that are wiped out or destroyed in the name of progress (however necessary)?
VIOLETS by Mary Oliver
Down by the rumbling creek and the tall trees— where I went truant from school three days a week and therefore broke the record—
there were violets as easy in their lives as anything you have ever seen or leaned down to intake the sweet breath of.
Later, when the necessary houses were built they were gone, and who would give significance to their absence.
Oh, violets, you did signify, and what shall take your place?
(from Devotions--Penguin Publishing Group)
Another Mary Oliver poem--Almost a Conversation
Almost a Conversation by Mary Oliver
Mysteries, Yes--a beautiful poem by Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver is fast becoming one of my favorite poets. I love pretty much everything she writes.
Mysteries, Yes
by Mary Oliver
Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds will
never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.
Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
The Gifts of a Garden is available on Amazon
My latest book, available on Amazon in three formats: e-book, hardcover, and paperback.
The Gifts of a Garden: De Angelis, Paula Mary: 9798435180572: Amazon.com: Books
(front and back covers shown; design by Paloma Ayala)
Sunday, July 24, 2022
My new book, A Town and A Valley: Growing Up in Tarrytown and the Hudson Valley, is now published
This year has been a productive one for me so far. Since I retired last September, I've used my free time to garden and to write. I've published three books this year, all of which were years in the making. I finally finished and published my book about growing up in Tarrytown in New York State--A Town and A Valley: Growing Up in Tarrytown and the Hudson Valley. It is available on Amazon as a Kindle e-book: Amazon.com: A Town and A Valley: Growing Up in Tarrytown and the Hudson Valley eBook : De Angelis , Paula Mary : Kindle Store
A paperback version is forthcoming.
Sunday, July 17, 2022
The Gifts of a Garden
I finally received a hardcover copy of my book, The Gifts of a Garden, after ordering it on Amazon. I am very pleased with how the book looks; I love the cover (designed by photographer and graphic designer Paloma Ayala, and how the book looks generally. I'm proud of it. It is available for purchase on Amazon: The Gifts of a Garden: De Angelis, Paula Mary: 9798833097694: Amazon.com: Books
I need to create a Kindle version (e-book) of the book, which will then allow me to enter it in the Kindle Storyteller UK contest. I will also be sending the hardcover version to The Frankfurt International Book Fair, which is the world's largest trade fair for books. I will do this via The Combined Book Exhibit company, which will display the book for me at the fair. As their website (Print Book Display - Hardcover Copy of Book at Book Fairs (combinedbook.com) states:
Showcase your paperback or hardcover book at any of our worldwide book fairs we attend. Combined Book Exhibit (CBE) participates in only the major book fairs around the world. Shows include the Frankfurt International Book Fair in Germany and Book Expo/BookCon in New York City, American Library Association and many others. CBE provides many options for authors looking to display their books without having to travel to the show. CBE displays books from large, small, or independent publishers as well as self-published authors.
Marketing a book that one has published is an important and necessary job. Without it, a book won't sell, and I want my book to sell. I have written a press release about it, have advertised it on my Facebook page Books by PM De Angelis, have written about it on my blog, and have informed friends and family by word-of-mouth. It's hard to know what else to do, except to keep on repeating what I've already done in the hope that it will stimulate sales. Time will tell.
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
My new book, The Gifts of a Garden, is now published and available for purchase
My new book--The Gifts of a Garden, is now published and available for purchase on Amazon: The Gifts of a Garden: De Angelis, Paula Mary: 9798435180572: Amazon.com: Books
As the back cover of the book states--'gardening has become my passion and my form of meditation'. The text and photography in the book are my own. The book cover design (front and back) as well as the book's layout are the work of the talented graphic designer (and my friend) Paloma Ayala. I love the front cover design and I know you will too. You can find Paloma on Instagram at @paloma.photo.nature
Thursday, June 16, 2022
My new book--The Gifts of a Garden
My new book, The Gifts of a Garden, is now available for purchase in hardcover and paperback formats on Amazon. It will eventually be available as an e-book as well.
Here is the link to the book on Amazon: The Gifts of a Garden: De Angelis, Paula Mary: 9798833097694: Amazon.com: Books
Thank you for your support!
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
My blog posts about My Brilliant Friend
For those of you who are just now discovering the HBO series My Brilliant Friend, I can say that you are in for a real treat. I've watched all three seasons to date; the fourth season has been announced and production is underway, with new actresses to play the parts of Elena and Lila. I'm very much looking forward to the new season. The series is directed by Saverio Costanzo, Alice Rohrwacher, and Daniele Luchetti. And if you want to start with the books by Elena Ferrante on which the series is based, you can find them on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Here are two posts I wrote in 2019 and 2020 about the books and the series respectively; I'm posting them again today:
A New Yorker in Oslo: My Brilliant Friend is a brilliant HBO series (paulamdeangelis.blogspot.com)
Thursday, April 7, 2022
The World I Live In by Mary Oliver
A beautiful poem by Mary Oliver......
I have refused to live
locked in the orderly house of
reasons and proofs.
The world I live in and believe in
is wider than that. And anyway,
what’s wrong with Maybe?
You wouldn’t believe what once or
twice I have seen. I’ll just
tell you this:
only if there are angels in your head will you
ever, possibly, see one.
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Movements through the landscape
This book is a collection of poems originally written in Norwegian and translated into English. I am planning to publish the Norwegian version as an e-book here in Norway.
Friday, March 18, 2022
What to say to a writer
Nothing else to do but laugh when I read this. I can imagine it's like this in some literary arenas where the air is rarefied, if they're anything like the good ole boys' clubs found in academic circles. Mutual admiration societies, and if you're not part of one, oh well. Too bad for you.
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
In my later years
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Update from the home front February 2022
It's been six months since I stopped working. Six peaceful months of not having to answer to someone else. Six months of reorganizing the way I look at my life and what I want to do with my free time. I don't think there was ever any doubt in my mind that I wanted to focus full-time on writing. So far that seems to be working out well. I just submitted a poetry collection (in Norwegian) to a publisher here in Oslo and am hoping for a positive response. If they don't want to publish it, I'll self-publish it as a Norwegian e-book and then I'll self-publish the English translation on Amazon. I've already translated all the poems into English so it's ready to go at any point. This poetry collection is entitled Movements Through the Landscape (Bevegelser gjennom landskapet in Norwegian).
I've also finished writing my garden book as well as my book about growing up in Tarrytown NY. I started the latter well over ten years ago, but what with working full-time, personal challenges and other obligations, it's taken a while to finish it. Now I need to find a publisher for this book as well. I'm thinking about self-publishing my garden book. I tried to get a literary agent interested in it last summer but no go. The publishing world can be as elitist in many ways as the world of academia that I happily left behind. Once you get your foot in the door as a published author, your books continue to get published even though they may not be anywhere near as good as your last one. But that's life. As my friend's father used to say, don't let the turkeys get you down. Good advice. Another piece of good advice for building self-esteem and believing in yourself is to stay off social media. It's just a time-waster and a negative spiral that will drag you down. I'd cancel my social media accounts without any problem except that I have enjoyable contact with a number of American friends and family and I'd miss that. We'll see what time brings.
Here's to a productive 2022 for every creative soul I know. Creativity is hard work but it's incredibly rewarding, no matter what type of creativity it is.
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Wendell Berry's The Peace of Wild Things
I found this the other day online and it resonated with me. Wendell Berry is a well-known American poet who is a firm believer in the importance of man's connection to the land via small-scale farming, and who lives that belief. You can read more about him online here: Wendell Berry - Wikipedia
I loved this poem and wanted to share it with you.
Giving back to the world
I find this quote from Ursula Le Guin to be both intriguing and comforting. I really like the idea that one can give back to the world that ...