Finding the Colors: Recently published writing and photos, May 2022
Okefenokee, Lavender, Grief, Motherhood, Tiny Flowers
Spring ephemerals, such as bloodroot flowers, trout lilies, trilliums, are some of my favorite wildflowers. I’m no expert at haiku, but this came to mind while I was walking on a trail looking for flowers.
spring ephemerals
open in sun and cold wind
frogs and birds silent
In the lovely Irish journal The Madrigal, a short springtime poem for their themed issue titled “poësis”--a compelling word from which our word ‘poetry’ comes, and which implies ‘the making of something’.
Here’s a more hopeful spring poem, in issue 8 of Last Stanza Poetry Journal.
In One Art journal, three poems to encourage you to think about life in three different ways. The editor finally accepted these three, after SEVEN previous tries! (Never give up.)
A little remembrance on Parks and Points of a visit to the Georgia part of the Okefenokee swamp many years ago. The photo of the egret is one I took at that time and recently scanned from my old print.
Silent Beauty
I’m very excited to announce that I have a little chapbook of poems out now from Alien Buddha Press. Titled A Man of Integrity, the set of poems retells the fascinating, enigmatic life story of Jean Leon: Spanish immigrant, cab driver, Hollywood magnate, and vintner. The book includes beautiful cover and interior artwork by editor Red Focks. Sadly, this excellent wine that inspired the poems (from the Familia Torres vineyard in Spain) is no longer available in Canada. If you live in Europe, I highly recommend it!
If you would like a signed copy, please send me an email at megfreer5@gmail.com and I will arrange to get it to you. Here in Kingston $10, elsewhere in Canada $12, or outside Canada US$12.
Toronto composer/friend/colleague Frank Horvat wrote a gently energetic score for choir and piano to accompany my little poem of sympathy for any kind of personal loss, Just Cracked. I hear the rhythmic piano as a heartbeat part (MIDI file and score attached, for any interested musicians). Enjoy!
I'm honoured that five other poems have recently become lyrics for a choral song cycle titled A Single Thorn, by the prolific and eminently listenable American composer Stanley Grill. The unique scoring for four horns in F, string orchestra, with mezzo-soprano soloist, is quite dramatic. He has added this piece to his “Music for the Earth” series: “compositions intended to evoke, in the hearts and minds of those who hear it, a comprehension that it is humanity's obligation to act as caretakers, rather than destroyers, of the life that surrounds us.”
https://www.stangrillcomposer.com/composi.../a-single-thorn/
Music friends with connections, please feel free to forward the links to these scores to any performers you think may be interested!
Live with joy, love with empathy.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks so much for reading!
I love your work, so full of hope and beauty.