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