Tag: beauty

Children’s Poetry Anthology Forthcoming!

On By Anna EastlandIn Family Life, Poetry, Writing2 Comments

I’m so excited to be part of this amazing project—to compile almost 200 poems for children from over 60 poets and present them in a gorgeous, fully illustrated keepsake anthology!

Here are some sample spreads to give you an idea what the book is like. I have three poems in the book, and many others are written by talented and lovely friends of mine from my online poetry group and writing classes at The Habit.

We are really honoured to have our poems illustrated by the talented Emily J. Person, whose work you see above. It’s really magical to have one’s poetry illustrated!

To produce this quality of work takes a fair investment, so we are running a kickstarter to support the project, and are almost there!! We need to reach our goal by Tuesday, March 11th for this book to come alive; if we don’t no one will be charged as the project work go ahead. If we do, it will be published on time for Christmas this year!

If any of you would like to support the project from Canada, but prefer to avoid shipping, you can get an ebook version. I think it will still be delightful on a tablet or computer.

Here’s the link to our Kickstarter if you’d like to get yourself a copy or even just to spread word about the project in these final days of fundraising. Thank you! 🙂 🥰

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bandersnatchbooks/illustrated-childrens-poetry-anthology

Let Businessmen Wear Black

On By Anna EastlandIn Poetry4 Comments

Let businessmen wear black 

and straight-laced grey faces,

but let poets punctuate 

their wardrobes with patterns 

that leave lingering traces… 

Let bards wear bright flowers 

and nice funky hats, 

red shoes or loud boots

and snazzy jackets that shout:

“Oh, yeah, that’s right,

     you know it—

          you guessed it:

               I’m a poet!

I’m a walking, talking metaphor—

a symbol in motion and what’s more,

a barrel of books, ready to pour 

the golden brew of language

upon your heart’s door.”

October Garden

On By Anna EastlandIn Writing8 Comments

It is October. The garden sags under the weight of the year. Leaves wither and curl. Lupins droop and drag their seed pods on the ground. The Earth exposes her belly as the covering of plants dies away. Yet Winter has not yet wrapped her fingers around the life of this place. 

Japanese Lanterns hang every few inches, decorating the decay. Along the fence, clusters of flowers bloom. In the lawn, sprinkled with patches of weeds, dandelions hold up their heads to greet the sunshine. Bees still bumble about the garden, resting on the centre of the blossoms before taking off, legs covered in the fairy dust they will use to romance other blooms into existence. 

Just beyond the fence, cars whiz by. When the light turns, they idle in front of the house, their drivers unaware of the seasons turning in the garden, moving round and round, tunnelling through time like earthworms, causing everything near them to grow.

This was a little writing exercise I did for a wonderful creative writing course I’m taking with Jonathan Rogers called Writing with Anne of Green Gables . L.M. Montgomery is so talented at painting a visual scene with her words, but surprisingly, doesn’t rely that heavily on adjectives and adverbs. Rather, she uses really vibrant verbs and specific, concrete nouns. For our class we had to describe what we saw outside, but without using adjectives or adverbs. It’s a fun challenge!

And now, since this is my blog and not homework, here are some pictures of my garden! 🪴

Bloom

On By Anna EastlandIn Photos5 Comments

Shortly after my Dad died, I bought myself this amazing flower, an Amaryllis Lily. Its bulb is dipped in golden wax and it is self-sustaining. You don’t need to water it or anything. It just keeps blooming…these are the second set of flowers it has produced, after the first ones died off. The resurrecting flower. A sign of hope.

A Tiny Piece of Night Sky

On By Anna EastlandIn Poetry6 Comments

Right now I don’t wear mourning black

because as I told the kids before the funeral,

Grandpa loved the bright colours of gardens

and flowers in the sunshine,

so dress for him.

But I do wear around my neck

a black necklace studded with tiny stars

—piece of night sky stolen by faeries—

to remind myself in all dark moments

to seek the sparkle.

It’s not a bright, dawn-rosy piece of Heaven

but a scrap of far-off night sky,

piercingly cold and beautiful,

the kind you look up at in silence

longing for the things that do not perish.

My heart thumps near my necklace,

aching to burst forth from my chest

and reach this forever with you,

beating its warm little drum

to the echoes of eternity.

It Is Worth It

On By Anna EastlandIn Poetry2 Comments

It is worth it to stay up half the night

to see the misty moon

disappear and re-emerge behind the scattered clouds

that drift like silver ribbons across the sky.

It is worth it to peer up at the quiet stars

and hear above the faint roar of a few cars

on the highway far below

the gentle hoot of an owl.

It is worth it so see the silhouette of trees

standing like living paintbrushes

solemn and still

against the pearly grey night sky.

It it worth it to feel the summer air

on my skin at midnight

and know that the goosebumps

are more from awe

than the slight cool of the breeze.

It is worth it to stay up half the night

to be in love with the ever-changing sky

and write it poetry.

Creation is so beautiful—

my heart is bursting with it!

Can anyone feel so happy as I am

alone with the moon,

in the company of memories?

“Dream and Your Dreams Will Fall Short”

On By Anna EastlandIn Friendship, Photos, travel4 Comments

So here’s my happy headline for the week: I’m on workshop at the Copper Ridge Conference Centre at Britannia Beach and it’s amazing! After years of fundraising efforts, and the amazing generosity of many donors, both great and small, the dream of a beautiful, peaceful place for people to come on retreat has come true! But don’t take my word for it—look! This is the view from my room!!

I feel so incredibly happy because when I’m surrounded by beautiful nature, I feel like I’m twelve again, and tromping through the woods with my brothers.

I’ve been able to do things like stick my feet in the cool rushing creek…

…perch on top a huge rock to gaze and the view, read my book and write.

Love this book so far! She is hilarious and inspiring!

…..and swim in the ocean at this beach!

All of this would be great even if we were roughing it and camping, but boy are we not. Instead our small group (half the usual size due to Covid safety measures) is staying in the elegant centre and being treated like queens by the lovely administration who cook for us…a massive treat for a group of busy moms! Because we can only seat two at each table, we’ve taken turns sitting with someone different at most meals, and have all gotten to know each other so much better! This has been a balm for my company-starved soul!

So what does it look like, the building?

Awesome covered porch with a breathtaking view of the water and mountains.
Cosy corners everywhere to sit and read or chat.
Did I mention the balcony next to my room!? The fresh air here is so wonderful! At night the moon shimmers on the water, and when it fades, the star -studded sky is just glorious! All I have to do here is step outside and my heart is singing a prayer.

Well, that’s enough pictures for one day…next time I’ll show you the wildflowers, some of the old artwork inside….and more of those lovely views!

Miracles do happen! Hope your day is filled with them!