Poets.org - Happy Holidays!

December 15, 2014 Happy Holidays As you begin your holiday celebrations with family and friends this month,  we present our own special season’s greetings with this roundup of poems  to enjoy and share. “Winter is good - his Hoar Delights” (1316) by Emily Dickinson “Winter Field” by Joanna Klink “The Feast of Lights” by Emma Lazarus “Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow “Winter Twilight” by Anne Porter “Meditations on the Fall and Winter Holidays” by Charles Reznikoff “The Snow Man” by Wallace Stevens “The Coming of Light” by Mark Strand “Winter Trees” by William Carlos Williams “Skating in Harlem, Christmas Day” by Cynthia Zarin SOURCE:  poets.org

A Thanksgiving Poem

T hanksgiving is the time for all
H ere and abroad
A ll over the world
N ear and far
K eeping the gratitude
S hown in all that we do by
G iving and caring
I n different ways that leave
V ery memorable thoughts
I n the kindest of ways
N ot just this time of the year, but always --
G od Bless you!
(c)mnrivera

Yona, Guam

INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGE: Have a Happy Thanksgiving with family and friends!

A Word from Confucius

"It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop." 
--Confucius

Storyboard: A Journal of Pacific Imagery is accepting submissions

A Word from Gandhi

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty." —Mahatma Gandhi

American Poet Laureate and Medal of Freedom recipient, Dr. Maya Angelou, passed away yesterday. She was 86. A great voice is silent, but her words will rise. _______________________________________________________________________________________ The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release May 28, 2014 Statement by the President on the Passing of Maya Angelou When her friend Nelson Mandela passed away last year, Maya Angelou wrote that “No sun outlasts its sunset, but will rise again, and bring the dawn.” Today, Michelle and I join millions around the world in remembering one of the brightest lights of our time – a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman. Over the course of her remarkable life, Maya was many things – an author, poet, civil rights activist, playwright, actress, director, composer, singer and dancer. But above all, she was a storyteller – and her greatest stories were true. A childhood of suffering and abuse actually drove her to stop speaking – but the voice she found helped generations of Americans find their rainbow amidst the clouds, and inspired the rest of us to be our best selves. In fact, she inspired my own mother to name my sister Maya. Like so many others, Michelle and I will always cherish the time we were privileged to spend with Maya. With a kind word and a strong embrace, she had the ability to remind us that we are all God’s children; that we all have something to offer. And while Maya’s day may be done, we take comfort in knowing that her song will continue, “flung up to heaven” – and we celebrate the dawn that Maya Angelou helped bring. http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/05/maya_angelou_quotes_poetry.html http://youtu.be/r_muacudzsI

DEVOTION

Devotion is hard for some to understand
It means being there when others need a hand,
It’s not just a notion you feel
It means more and shows that your love is real,
Too many people say it is too loosely today
Not knowing what it means to do what you say,
You say one thing but mean another
You lie to not just yourself but to each other,
Your loyalty will be tested
And if you’re not strong you will be bested,
Back in the day a man’s word was his bond
But it’s no more than a lie today and beyond,
When upheld right, Devotion,
Can break down mountains and cross oceans.
(c)William Jacobs
Barrigada, Guam

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Do your best
In all that you say
In all that you do
To make your life worth living
To make a difference in the lives of others.

Realize that you're important to someone
And your genuine help from the kindness of your heart
To pick up others when the odds are stacked up against them
Gives them hope when they have none.

Remember…
If you help out others with no expectations in return
Then your life will be enriched with abundant goodness
And perhaps one day someone will be there for you too.

Living life right
Sacrificing even it hurts so much
Taking on meaningful challenges that may stab your heart a bit at times
All the while striving to be on the side with one's angel
Whom absorbs the goodness of your beautiful soul
Enables you to live a life that matters.

Keeping up the faith
Working as brothers and sisters
To make this world a better place
Moves a nation and heals our souls -
Tis the power of unity!

Remember that beauty is not dependent on your looks or wealth
But who you are deep within -
A remarkable and beautiful person filled with so much love to spread
Filled with inspirational momentum
To help others because you truly do care
Because you know it's the right thing to do
To make a difference!

And though you're hurting
Though your life is filled with strife that strikes your gentle soul
Sometimes you have to let things go even if you’re hurting deep inside.
You have to release your hold
And let things be
Because maybe it was never meant to be.

Sometimes you have to realize that you can’t take things for granted
Because when you least expect it
What you thought you had can be suddenly stolen
As if someone pulled the carpet fast from under your feet.

You have to hold your head up high even if you would rather cry.
You see, life can be very cruel
And it won’t get any better
Unless you move on with your life
Cut your losses
Invest in hope and faith
And with each day you’ll get stronger, and stronger, and stronger…

Grasp and gain the strength from deep within and trust in God
To live a life that makes a difference -
Tis the wonderful gift of life!
So join me, if you will and
Let's live a life that matters
Because together…
We can make a difference!
©mnrivera
Tamuning, Guam

INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGE: Together, We Can Make A Difference!!

A Special Message from the Academy of American Poets

Dear Friend, Happy National Poetry Month!  We never imagined when we launched NPM 18 years ago that it would become the largest literary celebration in the world! The Academy of American Poets has a great deal planned for this year’s commemoration. As you can see, we’ve introduced our new look, and later this month will launch the new Poets.org. We’ve distributed thousands of free posters to classrooms around the country and produced a new special project for students: Poet-to-Poet. This April, our goal is to remind tens of millions of individuals of the important place poets have in our culture, inspiring many to continue reading poems year-round. But we need your support to make that possible.

As poetry is taught less and less in schools, we need to do more to help passionate teachers bring poetry into their classrooms. Poet-to-Poet is a multimedia educational project that invites students to watch our Chancellors read a poem, and then write one of their own in response. For teachers, we developed a Common Core-aligned lesson plan to accompany the project. We will be working to raise $25,000 this month to support education projects like Poet-to-Poet. Please donate to help us meet our goal. Every dollar counts – Abrams Books has generously agreed to match every dollar we raise, up to $10,000. That means your donation will have twice the impact. We rely on your donations to produce the high quality materials and resources we make available to students and teachers for free on Poets.org. Over the next 30 days, thousands of poets will give public readings, some will be challenging themselves to write a new poem every day, hundreds of publishers will be releasing new collections of poetry, and thousands of librarians and teachers will be organizing Poem in Your Pocket Day events. You can be a part of National Poetry Month, too, with a gift to support our programs. Donate today. With your help, we will nurture a next generation of poetry readers.

Sincerely, Jennifer Benka Executive Director Academy of American Poets

February 2014 - Featured Quote to Live By

"Carry your courage in an easily accessible place, the way you do your cellphone or your wallet  Courage is the ultimate career move."

-Anna Quindlen, Bestselling author and Journalist

January 2014 - Featured Quote to Live By

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.  The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

-Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa, Activist