IWSG, Moments, and Landscapes

 Happy IWSG Day to all those who participate in the monthly Insecure Writer's Support Group Blog Hop! You rock!

And many thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh and those who are helping out this month: Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Natalie Aguirre, Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen, and Olga Godim!

Today, I will be enjoying small moments that feel vast - those momentous moments of joy and gladness we feel in the presence of loved ones. We are visiting my older daughter, her husband, and our tiny grandson today in Montana. Surrounded by incredible landscapes, we are focused instead on a five month old little boy.

Meanwhile, my Kickstarter is going and I haven't been attending to it as I ought.

Too much life stuff has happened. I got sick, I got better. My dad went to the hospital, and he got strong enough I felt comfortable coming on this trip to see my grandson, but there are more appointments in the future. I realized how close the mission trip to Mongolia is, and my focus shifted to packing plans and such. I found out that my family's preference for packing light (one backpack carryon) and doing laundry while traveling might be more than a little strange to everyone on the mission team (apparently, 12 changes of clothes and at least one checked bag are expected). This still has me reeling a bit. I mean, I know we all have different ideas about travel, but packing light has been so much a part of my life that it's hard for me to wrap my head around doing the opposite for a mission trip. But if no one else is planning on doing laundry, then I need to pack accordingly, which means way more than I normally would.

Anyway, as you can see, my brain is full of everything except my Kickstarter, but Kickstarter campaigns are all about intense focus and campaigning. So, I may have to redo my campaign when the dust settles.

But, because I have the campaign going on, I would love to share a few poems with you from the book - which will come out eventually, Kickstarter success round 1 or not. These two poems are from the Wild Grace section of the book.

Shadowed Movement

Shadowed movement

catches my peripheral,

brown against green.

​

I turn to see

deer, normally bold,

ducking into trees.

​

I still,

checking for predators.

The bushes rustle,

stop.

​

I am chilled

when the howls of the hunt

ring my yard as the sun

dips and the sky darkens.

​

It’s not so quiet living

outside the city limits,

but I do appreciate the chuckling

of the owl when the coyotes leave.

​

Driftwood Curves

Driftwood curves echo

bridges spanning sea water

sulushing on rocky shores

as seals glide and seagulls peck

hunting for sustenance.

​

I hunt for the sustenance of peace

through camera’s eyes

under cloud-covered skies,

chased by scolding seabirds,

until sea meets river, and I climb

away from salty breeze and back to reality.

Find my Kickstarter for To Speak RIGHT HERE.

Have you ever done a Kickstarter Campaign? And, if so, how did you maintain that laser focus in the midst of life?