Submissions Now Open for Blue Heron Review! Deadline: October 10th, 2015

Doing a bit of cross-pollination between my author blog and news about the online poetry journal I currently edit, Blue Heron Review.  Hope you will follow me there on Word Press for news about submissions, recently published issues, and special author features.

(Artwork by Daniel Adams)

 

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS! 

Polish up your poems and get them ready to send. Submissions for Blue Heron Review are officially open! The deadline is October 10th, 2015. Our reading period is a bit shorter this time, so send your poems early. We always suggest that writers read sample poems from past issues on the BHR site before submitting. Blue Heron welcomes submissions from emerging and established writers. We provide a space for spiritual and life-affirming poems. While we aren’t necessarily looking for overtly religious poems, we tend to be drawn to well-crafted, imagistic poems with a meditative or contemplative quality.

Please read our complete list of guidelines carefully on the SUBMISSION GUIDELINES page. We look forward to reading your work!

Don’t forget to visit the Blue Heron Speaks page to read sample poems by, Stephen Anderson, our featured author for the month of September. Stephen’s latest collection, Navigating in the Sun (Finishing Line Press, 2015), was just released.

With kind wishes for autumn,
Cristina M. R. Norcross, Editor Blue Heron Review

Happy National Poetry Month!

I will be joining a plentiful array of poets this month, in our quest to write a poem every day for April.  I will be fine tuning these poems to get them ready to submit, so I won't be sharing them on this blog (as I did last year), but my gift to readers this month is my new poetry/photography postcard, NEW CURRENTS.  Below is my latest design, which I created in honor of National Poetry Month 2015.  In total, I mailed off 80 copies of this card as gifts to friends, family, and fellow writers.  Hope you enjoy it as well.

New Currents

The air is charged –
a current surge of running horses
where sky connects to earth.
Flames reach for purpose.
A shedding of winter hibernation
reveals green leaf
and gold resolve.
We are electric.

Cristina M. R. Norcross

poem/photo Copyright 2015

(Photo taken at sunrise of Oconomowoc Lake, WI)

Happy writing to everyone who is taking the challenge to write a poem every day.  May there be many gems in your journals!



~Cristina

Join us for Random Acts of Poetry and Art Day on February 20, 2015!

Random Acts of Poetry & Art Day on February 20, 2015 is an international day of inspiration.  As an artistic pay-it-forward movement, our purpose is to spread the joy of the creative process.  Wherever you are on this day, please join us in sharing your poems and visual art for all to enjoy!

It’s up to you what you do!  A few examples: leave behind free poetry cards or quotes at coffee houses, cafés and libraries; give away mini works of art; donate art prints and poetry books to non-profit organizations or schools; or give away handmade scarves or jewelry.  Create, be inspired, and share photos of your Random Acts of Poetry & Art on our Facebook event page.  For more information and ideas, please visit the RAPA Facebook page.

Who knows?  You could change someone’s day in an instant of art and poetry!

~The RAPA Inspiration Crew

"A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.  The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves." ~Amelia Earhart

Looking for ideas for a special gift tag for your art or poetry giveaway? We've got you covered! Here is a sample of what you could do. Sometimes people need to know that they have found FREE art and poetry! This is a png image which can be saved as a pdf for print out, or you can make your own. 

Here is an example of my FREE poetry/photography postcard for RAPA Day this year:

(front of card / "Myth of Lack" Copyright 2015, Cristina M. R. Norcross)

 

(back of card / www.firkinfiction.com)

This year's RAPA Day theme is: "Philosophy Legacy" - choose a key word or phrase that represents the wisdom you would like to pass on to the next generation of poets and artists! What kind of legacy would you like to leave behind, based on your art? Create something centered around your own words of wisdom.

Here is an example of a pair of my "word philosophy" earrings (Biku Beaded Designs), which I made to give away for RAPA Day.  I plan to leave these earrings as a gift at a local coffee house, where I know a lot of writers work. I want other poets/writers to remember to not only be artful in their own writing, but to inspire others to create as well.

Don't forget to share your Random Acts of Poetry and Art, by posting photos on our Facebook page! Thank you for joining the journey! 

"One Hundred Percent" poem by Cristina M. R. Norcross / video remix by Othniel Smith

Several of my previously published poems are now available on The Poetry Storehouse site.  This is an innovative, online, collective movement, encouraging cross-pollination of the arts, so that poems, music and film can have a greater impact on our creative culture.   All genres of the arts are connected.  When we inspire one another, we bring our art forms to a higher level.   

I am honored that two of my poems have been chosen, so far, by filmmakers (Marie Craven / "The Red Drum" and Othniel Smith / "One Hundred Percent") to create short, video remixes.  The latest online creation is a film by Othniel Smith, available to view on Vimeo.  "One Hundred Percent" originally appeared in the print journal, Verse Wisconsin.

Please visit the VIMEO site to watch the video remix of "One Hundred Percent" by Othniel Smith.  Many thanks to Othniel for creating this moving, visual accompaniment to my poem.  Seeing the many different faces of society, allows us to understand, on an even deeper lever, that we are all ONE.  When we see ourselves in others, we connect with our shared humanity and develop compassion for all people. 

One Hundred Percent

You are more than a statistic.
You are blood and bone.
You are purpose and spear.
You are part of a symbiotic whole –
an organism
that moves together,
grows together,
strives together
and thrives together.

You are a person,
not a ruffled piece of paper.
There is no refuting
your truth,
your beauty,
your authentic walk to grace.
You are here

because we are all here –
reaching for
a book on the shelf,
a roast chicken on the table,
the prescription for an ailing heart.

You are part of the 100 percent.
We are not divided.


Cristina M. R. Norcross

Published in Verse Wisconsin October/2013

"The Red Drum" on Vimeo (poetry by Cristina M. R. Norcross, video remix by Marie Craven)

Thrilled to have one of my poems used as inspiration for a short film on Vimeo!  What a great way to kick off 2015, with a mixing and melding of artistic genres.  Click on the link below to view the film version of my poem, "The Red Drum."


"The Red Drum" on Vimeo


(Video remix by Marie Craven, music by Dementio13, writing and voice sourced from The Poetry Storehouse.) 

To order a copy of  The Red Drum: Selected and New Poems visit:
Amazon
Signed copies on Etsy

 

The Red Drum

(Inspired by the writing of Stanley Kunitz)

Your heart – a red drum.

Taut leather bound

to the infinite shape of a circle,

seeks the music of other beating hearts.

Sound changes,

when a strong wind blows,

when the leather is rain-soaked,

when the sun makes the circle

jump into the light.

“I made this,”

says the drum.

Dreams take shape in the air,

with each, bellowing note.

“Now change it by living,”

says the drum’s stick.

Sing a new song.

“Truth –

Of thee I sing.”

Many more layers of change

bring syncopated rhythms,

ballads of longing,

and newly discovered voices.

Your heart is a red drum –

now crimson with passion,

tomorrow the sun makes it pink –

a tender, summer rose.

Sing your transformation to the world.

Beat the drum.

Beat the drum.

Beat the drum.

Published in The Red Drum: Selected and New Poems (Lone Gull Press, 2013)

Audio file and video remix available at The Poetry Storehouse

"Blue Lapis Sea" - poem/photo by Cristina M. R. Norcross (Aquinnah, Martha's Vineyard)

Aquinnah Cliffs, Martha's Vineyard

Blue Lapis Sea

Within the chest

is a wide, blue lapis sea.

The ribcage breaks open –

dancers leap out,

spinning in unison.

The thump, thump, thump

of a hand on the drum –

the only way out

is in.

Cristina M. R. Norcross

photo/poem Copyright 2014

Sharing another offering of poetry and art from my ekphrastic project, Postcards from the Eternal, currently-in-progress.  I have been creating this fusion of photography and poetry for the past 3 years.  I often give these postcards away, as gifts, and donate bulk copies of cards to non-profits and charities.  A selection of these cards are also available online at Fine Art America and at my local indie bookstore, Books & Co. (Oconomowoc, WI).

"Know Stillness" - photo and poem by Cristina M. R. Norcross (Aquinnah Cliffs, Martha's Vineyard)

(Aquinnah Cliffs, Martha's Vineyard)

Know Stillness

If you breathe

through the moment,

it will pass.

If you become one

with the breath,

you will know stillness.

Cristina M. R. Norcross

Copyright 2014

Sharing another offering of poetry and art from my ekphrastic project, Postcards from the Eternal, currently-in-progress.  I have been creating this fusion of photography and poetry for the past 3 years.  I often give these postcards away, as gifts, and donate bulk copies of cards to non-profits and charities.  A selection of these cards are also available online at Fine Art America and at my local indie bookstore, Books & Co. (Oconomowoc, WI).

National Poetry Month Challenge - Day 30 / THE END!

The BIG hoorah!  Today is the last day of the National Poetry Month Challenge.  Whether you've followed all along, or are stopping by for the first time for a glimpse into my month of writing a poem-a-day for Writer's Digest and Words Dance Publishing, hope you'll grab a cup of tea (or Sangria, if it's evening when you read this), and walk back with me on a trip down memory lane from my days at the University of Ottawa, Canada.

Today's prompt was to write a closing time / Miller Time / calling it a day poem.  Here is my offering.  Happy Day 30 and Happy National Poetry Month!  See you again next year ...

Thursdays at Café Rosie Lee

(for old friends)

The sound of books closing, pens retracting

and backpacks zippering

signals the close of another academic day –

the beginning of Thursdays at Café Rosie Lee.

Taking three steps down into a cavern of warm, garlic heat

and the taste of creamed mushroom soup,

brings me effortlessly to my once-a-week world

of food, friendship and Sangria.

We play cards and talk about Shakespeare

with equal amounts of passion,

seated around our usual table in the corner.

Without fail, the staff at Rosie Lee’s

knows we are coming.

They prepare extra plates

of rosemary chicken and wild rice.

Laughter springs in bursts from Samantha.

With smiling eyes,

she knows the strength and bend of my heart.

Pauline has languid, bawdy stories to weave –

I could sit and listen to her rich, round voice all night.

Sheila brings life and light everywhere she goes –

making me believe that we could jump right through this roof,

if we wanted to.

We share a love of books –

the weight, texture and scent of them.

We console each other over exam-time stress

and demanding professors.

Living inside the words,

the laughter,

and one too many pitchers of fruity wine,

exists the struggle to know ourselves fully.

Holding hands,

and our breath,

we take a great leap into the unknown

with a mighty yawp!

Cristina M. R. Norcross

Copyright 2014

National Poetry Month Challenge - Day 29

Today's prompt was to write either a realism poem or a magical poem.  You can probably guess before reading, which would be my choice.

photography by Cristina M. R. Norcross / stream near Rydal Water, U.K.

A Wink and a Blink

Walking over the bridge from solid ground

to hallowed earth –

the stream speaks of stories.

The hidden cave at Rydal Water

welcomes our mortal feet.

With each step

an ageless time unfolds.

Colors seem brighter –

more defined.

Each branch becomes

an ink stain across parchment.

An artist with the most delicate brush

makes these lines jump into my vision.

Eyes squinting at brightness,

I can only catch but a glimpse

of the worlds beneath my footing –

mushrooms blooming

with fairies sunning themselves,

and water sprites diving like dolphins –

waving their small hands in the wind.

I hesitate before unlatching the gate

that leads back to the gravel road –

look behind me –

taking a snapshot

with a single blink.

Cristina M. R. Norcross

Copyright 2014

National Poetry Month Challenge - Day 28

Two more days to go!  I think I can ... I think I can.  Today's prompt was to write a "settled" poem, allowing for multiple interpretations of the the word ~ settle.  This is what danced in my jet-lagged brain today.  I hope it inspires something dream-like and true.

photography by Cristina M. R. Norcross, 2014 / Rydal Mount path, UK

We Hold the Golden Bowl

Alignment of bones,

muscles, thoughts –

meridians of energy connect

like blue lines for rivers on a map.

Life force flows –

it settles

but never dies.

White threads beam

from fingertips.

I am you

and you are me –

a synchronicity

of time and geography.

We drink the same drink.

We lift fork to mouth

with equal movements –

hand and elbow

bring luxury to lips.

Experience spins on an axis,

making merry-go-round stops.

Ride the horse.

Hold the reins.

Catch the brass ring –

then give it away

to the next rider –

the next dreamer.

I knock on your door –

hands holding a golden bowl

of rich, ripe fruit.

Here –

take one.

New fruit will appear

at the bottom.

Pick the choicest one.

Do not settle.

Cristina M. R. Norcross

Copyright 2014

National Poetry Month Challenge - Day 27

Today's prompt was to write a monster poem.  This is normally not my genre of choice, so I opted to approach the poem with a bit of humor and human observation.  We'll see if it works.  There are no werewolves in my poem, but you may just recognize a few common traits.

The Ballad of Mr. Dissatisfied

It’s hopeless –

hopeless, I say.

The grass is not green enough.

My car is not flashy enough.

These eggs are not cheesy enough.

My house is not grand enough.

My shoes are not shiny enough.

The sun is not bright enough.

It’s hopeless –

just hopeless.

Time is too short.

My belly is not flat.

My nose is too long.

The list goes on and on.

If only.

If only.

I live in your ear,

whispering sweet nothings of

“you’re not good enough,”

and “you might as well quit.”

I am the monster

of dissatisfaction

living within.

But there is hope, you see.

The walls are melting,

along with my resolve.

A burden shared

is a burden broken in half.

Share my woes,

and you will see me slowly disappear.

A monster is only a monster,

if you feed it.

And just like that –

with this poem –

I am gone.

Cristina M. R. Norcross

Copyright 2014

National Poetry Month Challenge - Day 26

The prompt for today was to write a water-themed poem.

photography by Cristina Norcross (Lake Geneva, WI)

Bathed in You

Your gaze cascades

over my skin like water.

I live inside the tide –

the give and sway –

the push and pull –

your full moon gravity.

As weightless as water bugs,

we float –

suspended in time –

eyes turned upward

to an aquamarine sky.

Hand in hand –

fish glide beneath us –

drawn to this island of you and me.

I come up for air,

letting the rush of sound

awaken ears –

skin bathed in sudden oxygen.

I look to you.

“Cover me again in water,”

I say.

“Envelop me

in the deepest, darkest blue.”

Cristina M. R. Norcross

Copyright 2014

National Poetry Month Challenge - Day 25

Today's poetry prompt was to write some form of a "this is the last straw" poem.  I don't know if I have fully achieved the essence of this poem in my life, but I am trying!


The Power of No

I am so used to saying,
Yes.
Sure.
I can do that.
I'd be happy to.

A few years ago,
I was faced with the typical scenario
of having ten things
already on my plate,
and someone asked me
to pile on number eleven.

Before I realized what was happening,
the word, no, just fell out of my mouth.
Such a foreign,
yet absolutely delicious word,
for these lips.

I've been getting better
at this one syllable reply.
No, that doesn't fit my schedule.
No, I'm sorry, but I already have too many
commitments this month.

Go on.
Say it with me.
You can do it.
Just say, no.

If saying, yes,
causes your eyes to flutter,
your heart to race,
and your fingers to feel fidgety -
the body is desperately trying
to say it for you.
No.

Cristina M. R. Norcross
Copyright 2014

National Poetry Month Challenge - Day 24

Today's prompt was to write a poem based on a fill in the blank title.

"Tell it to the ________"

We hiked for 4 hours on our first day in The Lake District. Today, we rambled around the countryside for 2 hours and explored a hidden cave. This poem is an ode to my tired feet.

Tell It to My Feet

Tell it to the soft spot

just under the arch -

that tender cave wall

that never touches the ground. 

Tell it to the scuffed, padded bottom

that takes the full force of gravity

with each step.

Tell it to the contours that 

hum and vibrate,

after a long day of walking -

each foot having its own heart beat -

a swelling pulse 

from pounding pavement 

and treading on beaten grass paths. 

Tell it to my feet. 

They say,

"I'll take you there

and back again."

Cristina M. R. Norcross

Copyright 2014

National Poetry Month Challenge - Day 23

Today's prompt was to write a location poem.  My location this week is the mountains.

Here we go ...


A Rock is Meant for Sitting

I follow your footsteps
up small, side-of-the-mountain stones
meant for climbing.

Wet tracks glisten
from three sets of boots -
mine will make the fourth.

Halfway up the mountain
we sit -
ducks in a row -
pointing to Lake Windermere
in the distance.

I ask if we can stop climbing
long enough to take it all in -
not yet wanting to wander down,
but not wanting to go
any higher.

My eyes rest on water
and the jagged rocks all around.
A single, black slug
makes it’s slow, wet path
across a piece of slate.
It is as if he is not moving
at all -
his body's breath
is movement enough. 

Cristina M. R. Norcross
Copyright 2014

National Poetry Month Challenge - Day 22

Today's prompt was to write either an optimistic poem or a pessimistic poem (or a mixture of both). I'm surprised that I haven't resorted to reciting the phone book, now that I've been writing and posting a poem a day for 22 days!

You're in luck.  I'm still coherent and persistent enough to keep writing.  If nothing else - I always have hope.


If Hope Were a Beetle

We are all born with hope.
It sits in the palm of the hand -
a spinning black beetle -
tiny legs turning like wheels. 

Our hope scurries -
it flees enclosure -
it hides from cloying fingers. 

Hope spins in circles,
seeking shelter,
memorizing every line of the palm -
your map of self talk. 

I am not worthy. 
I don't think I can finish this. 
I've never done this before,
but I hope I will. 

I hope. 
I hope.
I hope. 

Cristina M. R. Norcross
Copyright 2014

National Poetry Month Challenge - Day 21

Today's prompt was to write a "back-to-basics" poem. This vacation has been about shedding our electronics for long, rambling walks in the Lake District. I traveled a path this afternoon which Wordsworth would have walked. The first line of this poem was genuinely whispered to me. I hope you enjoy this one.


Bare Necessities

It is here that I lay myself bare. 

No purse needed - 
there are no shops here. 
No fancy coat -
just a light jumper will do.
No lipstick -
you need not impress the sheep. 

We ramble on the Lake District trails -
our thoughts rest on stones -
daydreaming our way
through moss covered branches
and bird songs carried by lake air. 

It is in this light
that everything becomes crisp and clear,
as if my eyes have vision for the first time. 

It is here that I lay myself bare. 

Cristina M. R. Norcross
Copyright 2014

National Poetry Month Challenge - Day 20

Today's prompt was to write a poem about family.  Despite jet lag and being on vacation, I am dutifully trying to keep up with my National Poetry Month challenge.  Here is my offering for today, gentle readers.


What This Mother Knows

It is because I know
my youngest will get hungry 
exactly two hours 
after having breakfast. 

It is because I know to put
a box of tissues between them
on the back seat,
to avoid the question,
"Mom, do you have any ... ?"

It is because I know
he likes a bottle of red wine
waiting on the counter
with garlic hummus on a Friday night -
pretzel sticks, not pretzel twists. 

It is because I know 
that he puts Tabasco sauce
on everything.
I keep it stocked in the fridge. 

It is because I know 
my youngest son's favorite t-shirt
is neon yellow with a blue stripe,
that I wash this one first.

It is because I know to wait in the hallway
after prayers,
so my oldest can say, "good night!"
three times before finally closing the door.

This is family. 

Cristina M. R. Norcross
Copyright 2014

National Poetry Month Challenge - Day 19

Today's writing prompt was to choose a color, use it as the title, and create a poem based on that color.  For this poem, I return to Cristina, circa 1991 (living in Ottawa, Canada).


OXBLOOD RED

Red shoes,
ruby mind -
you were here.

My Oxblood Doc Martens
were always on my feet in college.
I'm surprised I didn't sleep in them.

Those bouncing soles took me
everywhere.
I would walk through Byward Market,
collecting delicacies of landjäger wurst 
and German chocolate. 

A flash of red could be seen,
as I escaped down the stairs
of the used bookstore.
I remember picking up a copy 
of Mary McCarthy's, The Group,
and losing myself in fiction.

I was red-infused -
wearing a pair of teardrop, Carnelian earrings
and a deep burgundy scarf.

With Oxblood feet,
my root chakra energy
walked with me -
rooted me to the ground,
centered my many facets,
leaving a trail of invisible footprints. 

Cristina M. R. Norcross
Copyright 2014

National Poetry Month Challenge - Day 18

Today's prompt was to write a weather poem.


It's Raining Color Today

Yellow buttercups wink at me,
gathering strength from the sun.

Your sea blue words carry with them
clarity and calm.
Bathed in your need for direction,
I follow the itinerary
and hold your hand -
my clouds of rose quartz comfort
trailing behind
in secret.

Our children run and splash about
with the red fire of purpose and play.

The other travelers obey the black lines
and close cabin compartments
with rhythmic clicks.

I admire their efficiency,
as I linger over a book
before take off -
remaining deliciously, knowingly
suspended
in the fog of a British morning.

Cristina M. R. Norcross
Copyright 2014