I Stood Still

Day Four

Its day 4 of Na/GloPoWriMo..today, I write a poem in the form of a poetry prompt, using the surrealist prompt-poem of  poet Mathias Svalina.https://www.instagram.com/p/CYecp-wl4S8/

I Stood Still

i stood still
in the valley of death
in silence and in agony
blinded by the lights
neither by hope
nor by despair
what they don’t hear
they won’t complain
what they don’t see
they won’t fear
what they don’t feel
they won’t despair.

i stood still
in the valley of death
waiting for the morning star
to light my way
to the garden of Eden
where sinners
find refuge and forgiveness
where Christ the King
took His oath
oath upon oath
to save
to redeem
the human race

even with
“Judas’ kiss”

Features of Surrealistic Poetry:
Dream-like scenes and symbolic images.
Unexpected, illogical juxtapositions.
Bizarre assemblages of ordinary objects.
Automatism and a spirit of spontaneity.
Games and techniques to create random effects.
Personal iconography.
Visual puns.
Distorted figures and biomorphic shapes.

I am again pushing my poetic skills to the edge by combining them with the IG Lent Poetry Prompts:

Christ the King
Forgive
Refuge of sinners
Garden of Eden
Morning star
Valley of Death

Featured in Ipoh Echo

poetrybymich 💥💛💫 i am very pleased and honored to be featured once again by Ipoh Echo, a newspaper publication based in Perak, Malaysia.

Here is an excerpt of the feature. To read the full story you can click this link https://www.ipohecho.com.my/2022/03/07/new-book-release-after-rain-skies-second-edition-by-ipoh-based-amazon-bestselling-author/

“In conjunction with International Women’s Day, here is her precious advice for all women out there especially in the pandemic: “An empowered woman is a woman who is not afraid to fail and commit mistakes – someone who bounces back stronger and better. The pandemic is just one of those many trials we are bound to face in our lifetime. With courage, determination, perseverance and tenacity, we will all get through this. Finally, understand who you are and live your purpose.”

Thank you to Tan Mei Kuan, for writing this beautiful feature story and to the Editorial staff of @ipohecho.my. Thank you too to the women of PWWS, this journey would have not been possible without them.

Marissa

Marissa is your typical happy and successful middle-aged woman.

She was in a violent relationship for 10 years. Violence or abuse happened after the first year of their marriage. Initially, it was like, she would not be allowed to go out of the house except if she is accompanied by her husband or whenever she will do a family errand. On that case her husband would closely monitor her calling her all the time until she is home.

Control was the first sign of abuse.

When you are in an abusive relationship for so long, you lose your identity. You believe in the lies you were told. You don’t believe in your ability to live independently. You don’t get much sense of freedom, and on most occasions, you learn to live with it and deal with it quietly for there is nothing much you can do about the situation.

Such was the story of Marissa.

Until the inevitable happened. The emotional abuse gradually became more intense. Her husband found a way to isolate Marissa from her family and friends. And so seeking help was close to impossible. There was also the “shame factor” of abuse.  Marissa is living a highly functional abusive life.

Abuse however has a way of manifesting physically, no matter how much you try to ignore it.

Marissa accumulated enough stress that it manifests itself in physical symptoms.  Marissa suffered from excessive bleeding and chronic fatigue. She was eventually diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease an autoimmune disorder that can cause hypothyroidism or underactive thyroid. Rarely, the disease can cause hyperthyroidism or overactive thyroid. Thyroid hormones control how your body uses energy, so they affect nearly every organ in your body—even the way your heartbeats.

That was her ticket to courage; the courage to finally leave her abusive husband and seek the help of her family.

For Reena https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2022/02/03/reenas-xploration-challenge-216/

You need to imagine this as a character in a story plot, and write about her.

• Give her a name.
• Mention the geography she lives in.
• What could be her temperament?
• Is she prone to melancholy, or is she faking it to fool someone?
• Is there someone she is thinking about?
• Where could she go next for here?

The list is indicative, and you can use your imagination to paint a more vivid character sketch.

If you are telling a story, you can add one or more characters to bring depth.

Featured on Asian Times Now

poetrtbymich 💛💥💫 Featured on Asian Times Now, Asia’s biggest news agency

Below is an excerpt of the feature story, to read full feature story click this link https://asiantimesnow.com/michelle-ayon-navajas-bestselling-author-i-will-love-you-forever-too/

Michelle says “As for me I’d rather wait for the perfect time for things to happen and unfold on their own. We can always achieve greater things if we work hard and if we never give up. So, there is nothing that I would give up to become a better writer because everything that I have and everybody around me is what makes me a better writer.”

A Lifetime

A Lifetime

isn’t it odd that we are bound to have a list
of the things we wanna do before we go?

isn’t it peculiar that we do good deeds
because we want to be remembered?

what if we do things just as we want it to be
and just carry on with the daily life with glee?

what if we just say something nice
to anyone and everyone no dice?

we can try some random acts of kindness
no cameras, no other people to praise

we could volunteer in our community
and spread love around the city

we could visit or meet up with old friends
and reconnect with them it would be the best

or maybe, just maybe, we could love with all our hearts
no ifs, no buts, just take the chance and start

maybe then we’ll know what living truly means
that is letting go of our “before i die” list

after all who needs a list when we have
a lifetime of memories to make?

so baby, hold my hand and let’s live 
a lifetime together forever

For Sadje https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2022/02/07/what-do-you-see-120-february-7-2022/

Featured on Hindu Wire

poetrybymich 💛💥💫 featured on Hindu Wire, an Indian nonprofit news and opinion website which publishes in English, Hindi, Marathi, and Urdu.

An excerpt of the feature story. To read full story click this link https://hinduwire.com/michelle-a-navajas-on-women-then-and-now/

“We have achieved so much for which we should be both grateful and proud, but there remains a lot to be achieved. I think the spirit of feminism as I understand is very simple,” she said as the conversation proceeded into the discussion of feminism. More than focusing on the term, Michelle stressed how every woman deserves a life of dignity and the ability to make her own choices. She stressed over and over again upon women’s education, their financial independence, the need to give them career-oriented training, and women coming forward to help other women grow. Michelle expressed her strong critic of women who feel threatened by other women’s courage to break out of their traditional roles.”

New Book Alert

poetrybymich 💛💥💫

soon…
.
No one embodies triumph after hardship more than a woman who survived all sorts of adversaries – even the inevitable “death”

#pubtips #writers #wordboss #bepublished #publishing #hybridpublishing #authors #bestseller #publishabook #bookrelease
#newbook #newrelease #amwriting

Just A Kiss

i’d love to kiss you
on a dark starry night
it would be perfectly romantic

but i guess they were right
that you just need one kiss
anytime, anywhere

one moment, one kiss
to truly know you are love
that you are in love

ours happened one afternoon
unromantic no stars
unpoetic no moon

but love happened
no stars no moon
just a kiss

for Eugi’s https://amanpan.com/eugis-causerie-caress-february-1-2022/

Those Days

Those Days

“and when this is all over, i hope to hold your hand, kiss you around and see you smile”

i long for the days when friends are source
of love and inspiration and all sorts of measures
those times when people  are out of the street
unmindful of what’s happening and what’s scares a bit

i long for the days when friends witness each other’s smiles
the smiles and laughters we have forgotten for a while
those moments when we truly see how delightful people can be
is now sadly hidden behind a fashionable mask to see

i long for the days when hugs don’t freak anyone around
when kisses are manifestation of undying love to hold
those gestures that made us more human
those love language  we surely miss a lot this time

For Sadje https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2022/01/31/what-do-you-see-119-january-31st-2022/

So No One Told Me

So No One Told Me

so no one told me it would feel this way
unexplainable in so many beautiful ways
my mind is trying to make sense how this is
my heart is celebrating “it’s wonderful” it says

so no one told me it’s magical beyond magic
unknowable, impossible even through logic
my senses are feasting over delightful sight
of you beside me as i see the first ray of sunlight

so no one told me how it would feel this way
just you beside me is breathtaking i swear i say
i could trade anything in the world for you
to be where you are anywhere my boo

so no one told me it would feel this way
but thanks to you i knew it now anyway

https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2022/01/27/reenas-xploration-challenge-215/

The words to lead your piece for this week are

• unknowable

• unexplainable