I was told I must
celebrate
in some kind of obvious way,
because I prefer to hide in the wonder
of my life,
to stay quiet and even rather
still,
To drink the nectar
of solitude
instead of more company
than is good for me,
like too much wine
that would make me unrecognizable
to myself.
My thirst is for
the clarity of my thoughts,
the true rhythm of my heart,
and the wakefulness of my soul.
Although, in a way, I do seek
drunkenness, by
overindulging in the softness
of my cats and their doggedness, too –
the same to be said about nature
as it intoxicates my life with meaning
and escape from meaning,
and the passions that make me teeter
on the edge of becoming unrecognizable
to everyone but myself.
‘To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.’ ~ William Blake
On my birthday I make a toast of blessings to you all!
And to
All Things That Matter Press
who will be publishing the sequel to A House Near Luccoli:
To A Strange Somewhere Fled
Thank you, Deb and Phil, for the best birthday present!
The novel now has its own page on my website:
dmdenton-author-artist.com/to-a-strange-somewhere-fled
where you can read the opening pages.
Or go to its page on this blog.
Peace and love.
©Artwork and writing, unless otherwise indicated, are the property of Diane M Denton. Please request permission to reproduce or post elsewhere with a link back to bardessdmdenton. Thank you.
P.S. And a belated happy birthday!!
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Thank you again! Blessings! XO ❤
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Great imagery, and once again I resonate with your words!
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Thank you so much, Betty! Lovely to ‘see’ you here. Hope all is well. I will be over to your blog very soon. XO ❤
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Birthday love flowed on Facebook and I am just catching up on posts…Diane, you are very special and I think it’s brilliant news about your book. ❤ xXx
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Thank you so much, Jane! XO ❤
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Happy belated birthday, my sweet, and great jubilation on the birthing of your new novel! I am constantly impressed and moved by your work (though I hope you knew that already, it never hurts to remind you!). May the year to come be filled to overflowing with joys and flowers, birds and beauty and blessings!
xoxoxo,
Kathryn
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Hi, Kathryn, and thank you for the lovely wishes! May all those same beautiful blessings return to you a thousand-fold, my lovely friend. XO ❤
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“My thirst is for
the clarity of my thoughts,
the true rhythm of my heart,
and the wakefulness of my soul.”
Diane,
It is that thirst that makes you an inimitable artist with the pen and brush
and that same thirst makes you one that your readers call friend. You are
truly a beautiful and talented soul.
This poem is grand!
Sarah
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Oh, Sarah, thank you so much for your lovely and humbling comment. I value it so much, as I do your friendship and appreciation. Blessings. XO ❤
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Actually, you just may have answered the ques I asked in reply to your comment on my board. =) Your closing line to the poem is lovely. Happy bday and congratulations on this special milepost.
Xxxx
Diana
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Yes, I think this poem does answer your question, Diana! Thank you for your lovely wishes. Blessings. XO ❤
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Happy Birthday Diane xx
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Thank you so much, Martin! Hope you are well and getting your computer problems sorted out. XO
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Hi Diane. I’m OK and the laptop has been working for the last few days so fingers crossed, but if it breaks again then it’s off with its head!
XX
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Good to hear, Martin. I’ll keep my fingers crossed, too, and, also, ask my computer Buddha to send some (non-violent) ‘keep well’ energy to your computer ‘buddy’! 🙂
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Dear Diane, Happy Birthday and congratulations! I love the title for your new book and will learn more. Many blessings, Ellen
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Hi, Ellen, and thank you so much! I so appreciate your visit and interest. Blessings to you. With ♥
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Congratulations also on your new novel soon to be arriving for us! ♥ 🙂
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Thank you, Lauren! It feels so good to know that it is in good hands for publication, although it will be a little while yet. 🙂 ❤
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Your poem and illustrations are beautiful, Diane, and I love the harmless implications of drunkenness, overindulging and intoxication…I wish you a birthday celebration just the way you want it, be happy and content and know you have touched many lives here on WP. Sending birthday hugs and a cupcake, too! 🙂 Much love to a wonderful friend! ♥
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Hi, Lauren, and thank you – so glad you enjoyed the poem and illustrations. Spending a quiet day with a special dinner at home with mom and the kitties. To know that I can offer something positive to others means so much, as I know you understand! Love the cupcake! ❤ Treasure your friendship! XO ❤
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Diane our visitors from Ireland have gone out to meet friends for the afternoon so I have a few moments to say another Happy Birthday to you! Have a lovely day however you celebrate it. And the drunkeness you are soaked with from your kitties is far from harmful, just the opposite! Your poem is a delight and the illustrations of course. And Im so thrilled for you that your sequel will soon be with us, such a great achievement. Also I love the William Blake quote.
Thank you for another year of beautiful friendship ❤️ Xxx
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Hi, Christine, and thank you! Spending a quiet day at home. So lovely here and mom and I hate to leave, and love being with our kitties. Dinner is in the oven and I picked some wild raspberries from the garden to top a cheesecake I bought. I discovered them yesterday when I was cleaning some weeds in a couple of wilder areas of our yard (and there are many!). So glad you enjoyed the poem and illustrations. The Blake quote is one of my favorites … he says so much in so little. I just don’t have a need for parties and such – I never have. And now I am older it is such a relief not to feel pressured to be more social. Saying that, I am more blessed than ever with lovely soul-connected friends like you. Thank you for your very special friendship – I know how much you mean to so many and am honored to be a part of your life. XO ❤
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I would much rather stay home and “celebrate” too really, and I havent told many this! This has become more so as Ive got older. But now grandchildren dictate otherwise! I know I am blessed to have them so they are worth every bit of chaos they bring with them. 😊❤️ Xx
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That poem of gentleness and beauty has set me up for the day. Enjoy your birthday doing what you like best DIane. Love and hugs. xx
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Hi, Susan, and thank you! So glad you enjoyed the poem and that it added something positive to your day. Thank you for the lovely birthday wish, too. XO ❤
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Lovely worded poem. Enjoy your bd the way you like it best! And stop working for a day lol those covers, illustrations and poems can wait a bit! 🙂 Big bd hugs to you my dear friend {{{ Diane }}} xxx
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Thank you, Ina! And for your advice … insistence … you are right. It is hard to do nothing, but very nice, too! Big hug right back to you, dearest friend! Take care of yourself, too. XO ❤
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What a beautiful poem Diane, and lovely illustrations. I wish you a very happy birthday!
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Thank you so much, Marie! Hope your summer is off to a wonderful start and will be splendid! XO ❤
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