Category: Posts

 

As Americans we live in a free country.  There is no other nation on earth that has life any better.  But we must remind ourselves every year, to celebrate this great country we live in.  The United States of America has gone through the ups and downs of creating such a successful nation.  But through it all, it always manages to rise above the clouds, just like the bald eagle who carries that symbol on its wings.

Last year I published a poem in the Denver Weekly called “Fourth of July.”  I decided I’d make it this year’s post, because the message is still clear “That the Fourth of July is not just another holiday.” Happy Fourth of July!  Just look for the poem under the “Poems/Published Poems” tab.

 

Even though I am a writer and have this blog, I never took a creative writing class. But I learned to write poetry finding a knack for words and dividing them into to stanzas. Then in the last eight months I did some research in the library and discovered different forms of poetry.  I also bought a book on the topic.  From this experience, I created over one hundred and fifty poems or narratives in my spare time.  I was sure productive, but a writer also needs to edit and work on getting published. So I’ll give you my lessons in poetry, though some of it is pure fiction, but can’t every writer do what they are born to do and use their imagination?  Just look for the poem under the “Poems/Writing” tab.

 

 

Easter may have lost its symbol, just like other holidays we share.  In the stores there is so much candy, shaped like eggs or chocolate bunnies and jellybeans in hundreds of different flavors.  To me Easter is a religious moment for the world to share, which is why I wrote this fictional poem called “An Easter Miracle.”   Jesus shines in all of us, but his legacy carries in every cross that flourishes on earth.  Just look for the poem under the “Poems/Easter & Spring” tab.

 

 

True love has always been a goal for all of us that believe in happiness.  We’d love to share beautiful moments with our soul mates and carry that love on for a lifetime, perhaps forever.  Many of us will hopefully find it, while others struggle at odds to meet their destined partner.  But true love does exist and I believe that is what Valentine’s Day is all about.

One night I thought about writing a Valentine’s Day poem for this blog.  I decided upon the Shakespearean Sonnet and picked two characters from the bible, who were the first couple that started the concept of true love.  Whatever your thoughts may be on romance, I hope this poem will make you realize, that true love does not only exist on earth, but in heaven as well.

Here is a poem entitled “True Love.”  May it give you nothing appreciation for Valentine’s Day.  Just look for the poem under the “Poems/St Valentine’s Day” tab.

 

 

This year will be coming to an end. At the last moment we should reflect on the past, but look forward to the future.  Our world has seen a lot of changes, some for the good and some for the bad.  Whatever we thought of our future back in 2000 is now long gone.  It is time to press on and iron our hopes and dreams in a New Year given to us by creation.  What do you think will happen when that clock strikes twelve on New Year’s Eve?  What will you be thinking or believing?  I know I will be thinking of “the last moment of 2015” and believing in the “future moments of 2016.”  That’s what inspired me to write this poem.  I hope you like it.  Just look for the poem under the “Poems/New Year’s” tab.

 

 

 Every year an artist comes out with a new Christmas tune, some may last a lifetime and others may just be played seldom or never again.  Will there ever be another Christmas song that will somehow stand the test of time. Will our favorite tune be there wherever we go this Christmas season?

 This Christmas I wrote a poem called “The Christmas Tree Song” which I will share with all of you.  After I wrote and edited the poem, I decided that “The Christmas Tree Song” can be whatever you want it to be.  Maybe your song is a classic or a recent pop tune, but in this poem, it is spiritual, pertaining to heaven.  That’s the focus I wanted to present, but the reader can interpret it anyway they want.

So enjoy and Merry Christmas! Let’s pray for happy times ahead!

Just look for the poem under the “Poems/Christmas & Winter” tab.

 

Since I am a writer, I never thought about taking up painting, but I did try a few art classes. In fact I believe that everyone, young or old, should take an art class. It gives a sense of community among people in the colors that form a scenery across a canvas. You can also learn to express yourself in ways that you never thought you were capable of. Perhaps you took a lesson from an art teacher, but somehow mold it in a way that you had developed in your mind, using “A Universal Paintbrush,” one that you somehow shared with your fellow classmates.

Many of my poems are about art, because I believe that visualization is magical and a gift from God. It makes me appreciate this beautiful planet we live on, that has been created by “A Universal Paintbrush” a miracle that only heaven has the power to establish. My character in the novel that I have yet to finish, is an artist, and she too will carry that paintbrush, the one rainbow light of power that will somehow unite the cosmos.   Art should not be taken for granted, the one thing that God wanted us to learn as children. If only everyone on earth took this lesson to heart, the planet would be a much more peaceful place, designed by only one brush, carefully handled, and not broken in half only to be put in the trash. Life cannot be recycled, and neither can our planet.

Art is the one hobby that just like science, math, language, and history I believe should not just be an elective, but a mandatory class for all grades. In my science fiction novel, art is a core requirement in the futuristic education for my high school age characters, who learned to utilize it in a technological driven world. Somehow years down the road, maybe educators will realize the relevance of art and why it brings wonder and imagination to our youth. Our children are the only ones, who will be able to hold that “universal paintbrush” because the world we live in today needs one. You might say “A Universal Paintbrush” is the Statue of Liberty and her torch, uniting our young country, a gift from our allies in France. Because if the world doesn’t stay friends, than all the art on earth will perish, unless we all hold the same paintbrush and paint together.

This poem was written in the triolet format.  Just look for the poem under the “Poems/Art” tab.

 

 

 

 

 

In life, there are some things that are hard for us to do well, such as those of us who are not that athletic or cannot fight the twitching bug that crawls inside, saying we can never open our eyes, to try to something new.  But despite all of that, we all deserve a good sportsmanship award, because without this boost of confidence we are stuck losing sleep over constructive criticism or regretting how we could’ve participated in the sport, in a stronger and smarter way.  We are all human, which means we’re not perfect, but for us to reach the plateau of perfectionism in any sport, we must climb the highest mountain, just like any hiker who battles the resistance of sore muscles and the bitter cold of higher elevations.

When I came out with the idea for this blog post I was looking for ways, to not only build my own confidence, but my readers as well.  I debated for weeks until I recalled a skiing trip, I made years ago with friends, in which I was awarded the “Good Sportsmanship” award.  You see, I have never been athletic, participated in sports or worked out at the gym, so as you can see cross country skiing was difficult for me.  I swore all the way along the trail, trying to regain my balance, but falling again.  In the end while all my friends, who were more experienced or naturally inclined, I sat by the fire at the lodge, with some hot cocoa, finally relieved I didn’t have to embarrass myself again.

But a week later a friend of mine presented me with an award, a paper that read “Good Sportsmanship” nested in a picture frame.  I guess I didn’t do as bad as I thought.  Why?  Because I tried to keep up with the others.  Maybe they all felt bad at my struggle and saw there was potential in me.  In the long run I realized the only sport I have been good it is writing, even though it requires no sit ups or skiing, at least I can exercise the motor sensors in my brain.

I know I still have that “Good Sportsmanship” Award, in a box in the attic, along with other awards that are somehow long forgotten, but remind even though I didn’t think I did my best, others believed I did.  You see we all have our own talents and it’s important to recognize them.  It is also important to realize the reason why that the activities we are fearful at succeeding at is because it has created too much of a grudge for us to handle.  Yeah, skiing was hard for me, but if I never got that “Good Sportsmanship” award, I would have never realized that I am special and have always been.

Have you ever received an award that you were surprised you earned?  Is there an award that you believed you deserved, but never was issued that piece of paper?  I believe a lot of you would agree with me, that an award based on endurance hard to tackle, is one goal that we all struggle to get to, but in the end, we have all won the game.

Look for a poem called “Good Sportsmanship” under the “Poems/Inspirational” tab.

 

 

All children love posters and one of my favorites was an artist’s photo of the night sky and a caption that said, “Reach for the Stars.”  It seemed to have portrayed a message for me that somehow as a writer I could possibly succeed in that field.  When I got older those fantasy posters turned into floral and scenic paintings and so I took the poster, rolled up like a scroll, and put it in my closet with the rest of my childhood memories.  But the line of the poster still haunts me because it reminds me of my dreams which I believed would come true one day.

Today’s children aren’t really into posters, instead they are into smart phones, kindles, tablets and all the technology which can somehow shut us out from reality.  But posters speak to us, they tell us we can create that picture in our lives, whether it’s looking at meteors in the early morning sky or watching children flying a kite at the beach.  That’s a picture, that’s a poster. But only one poster can influence our lives, one that we will bring on into adulthood and the memory will stay forever in our minds.

I remember as a teenager going to the local mall, how I couldn’t wait to buy a poster.  I would be so excited, waiting for the salesperson to frame it for me.  (Even though most of mine weren’t framed, but a few were and some of them came framed) It was either that or going to a record store, waiting for the latest collection of a pop artist’s hits.  But now record stores are a thing of the past, just like posters, but they hold that same memory that shows maybe our interests haven’t changed, but have somehow grown erratically just like mine.  I still love the stars and I still cherish the moments to write.

Years ago when that poster was probably created, the space age was on its third or fourth decade.  But now decades later as we “Reach for the Stars” we realize that traveling to other worlds is not far off such as living on Mars, or recently exploring the planet Pluto with an unmanned spacecraft.  Who would’ve known that goal would be achieved in our lifetime?  I wonder of the vision of the person who created that poster of mine.  Was he or she thinking of the space age?

But remember if you’re dreaming of “Reaching for the Stars” it doesn’t have to be for fame, it doesn’t have to be an Olympian athlete or a politician whose hope is to make a difference.  It could be volunteering, spending time with family and friends, or just sitting outside with a cold drink, raising your hand to the sky, and smiling gingerly because you have “reached the stars.”

Think of your favorite posters as a child.  What did it mean to you?  Do you still have it among your youth collectibles?   Even if you don’t, it still is somewhere in the back of your head.

I wrote a Haiku inspired by that poster called “Reach for the Stars.”  Just look for the poem under the “Poems/Astronomy” tab.

 

 

 

Written by Danielle E. Pasqua

Copyright © August 10, 2015

 

Sometimes you have to take life and divide it into small pieces. In other words, not get over whelmed by the big picture, which is worrying about tomorrow and looking back at the past. Those similarities can be found in writing. If you’re working on your novel or book and it is not going anywhere, you may have to put it aside and work on “small inspirational pieces” such as essays, short stories or poetry.

What I have found in my life long journey of writing that a novel can be a lot to handle. Small pieces can be relaxing and they help you focus. (See “Hocus Pocus” under “Poems” Menu bar.) You may see your novel in a different light, then somehow your fresh ideas will create the tale that you desired for a long time. But if you keep working on the novel and you’re still stuck, put it aside, then work on something else. You might be surprised of what will happen, perhaps the greatest poem of all or an essay that will stand the test of time.

As a writer and a published poet I have spent years working on a young adult science fiction novel. It’s a spin-off of a novel I wrote when I was thirteen, except that one was completed, this one I am only halfway through chapter three. I spent years doing research, trying to keep up with the new inventions in technology, which makes it hard to write a novel for readers that would have both an ideal utopia world and believable characters. So what do I do? Well, I take a break. I write poetry, some pertaining to my novel, some to publish and put on my blog, or a post such as this. It’s advice for the world of writers and advice for me.

No writer should ever ignore their accomplishments. In fact my achievements have been published five times in a local paper. I have also written over one hundred poems and continue to do so. I also have two series outlined all with song lyrics for each chapter. Whenever you’re stuck on your novel, try to be inspired by the small pieces and enjoy life because before you know it time has passed. Then you are lost at words, literally lost at words. But if you act efficiently you will come more enlightened by the fact that someday your novel will be completed because you looked elsewhere to enhance the talent that the Lord gave you.