My Vegan Child by Ozzie Mayers

Parents, during different developmental stages in their children’s lives, often wonder/worry how their children will navigate new life challenges—and with what degree of ease or difficulty. Ozzie Mayers wrote “Vegan Child,” he explained, “as an attempt to cope with the transitions his younger child was going through from adolescence to young adulthood.” As the poem unfolds, readers are gifted with a tender portrait of both the poet-father and the child to whom this poem addresses. Posing questions without answers, musings full of speculations, Ozzie offers readers a personal window into a process and format for asking questions living inside each of us that might be worth our time exploring.

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the day i stole a yellow boat by Colleen TwoFeathers

One of the “founding mothers” of a small poetry blog created as a safe haven for women to read and critique each other’s work, Colleen TwoFeathers is not afraid to explore whatever moves her deeply or tickles her funny bone. I’m especially moved by poems she writes related to seasonal changes, birds, grandchildren, depression, and a vast array of social justice issues. the day i stole a yellow boat paints a strong visual portrait of how slowing down and spending time in nature can often bring oneself back to the center of one’s poetic life.

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Sebeka, Minnesota by Simon L. Eckman

Music often exists in the sonic realm, much the same as the spoken word. What is spoken word, but simply vibrations cultivated by our vocal musculature? Listen as Simon’s lyrical guitar “speaks,” as it contacts his inspirations, such as nature and spirituality. Be mindful of where your mind wanders when listening to a “song without words.”

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