Voicing the Full Moon
read poetry out loud today
just do it
I triple dog dare you
read poetry out loud today
the full moon needs to hear the magic of poetry’s
rhyme & meter & metaphor & pain & devotion & confusion &
love & love & love
because: eclipse
the moon – great hunk of pock-faced light
slides into earth’s shadow & bleeds there
this May Flower moon red with sun’s extravagant heat
super-sharing behind it
the full moon needs to hear your voice
words licked by poets old & new
dead & alive your mouth gaping
grasping giving melody so the moon knows to
survive this devastating phenomenon
so the moon believes in its moon-ness
embraces each voicing each frication each plosion
each extraordinary silence between your mouth’s turbulent unleashing
poetry is muscle in the body of the universe
connecting each part so it can function thrive
play hide & seek
so pick up your books
or grab your pens
search & find & write then
stand sure-footed
(naked, if you desire, the moon loves a supple breast)
dip into dipthongs
lash out liquids
gentle glide
nail nasals
volume increase vowels
just please
read poetry out loud today
the full moon needs to hear its earth’s heartbeat
thump off your tongue
so it remembers how to shine
you need that too, don’t you?
INTERVIEW W/ OPEN BOOK!
Thank you, Open Book for engaging with me in this q & a about my writing life! Oh, have you not heard of Open Book yet? Well, here is your introduction! Open Book is the province’s premiere location for all things literary. From celebrating new book releases, to writers-in-residence, to guest posts, to navigating the landscape of our literary hearts – Open Book is here for you!
To read my Going Pros & Cons interview, CLICK HERE! Then be sure to spend some time on the website and discover all that Open Book has to offer!
The Business of Dreams Virtual Event – postponed
After an emotional conversation yesterday, Stephanie and I decided to postpone our upcoming virtual event wherein we were planning to discuss living the dream of opening small businesses for our writing communities. With the continued onslaught of pandemic restrictions and/or shifts and shakes to opening conditions, our ‘dreams’ for our writing rooms are in flux. So, we’re holding our hearts in wait and hope as we continue to go with the turbulent flow of our current situations.
We hope that our new date will come by the fall, and that, WAIT FOR IT…we can do it in person! Face to face! Voice to voice. Body to body. So, thank you for your patience and understanding. We are doing our best to keep our dreams alive for our writing rooms.
To find out the incredible events that are happening at the Detroit Writing Room, please click here.
Gertrude’s Writing Room remains closed.
VANESSA SHIELDS, writer 