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  • CALENDARS
    • THE BIG CALENDAR
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  • PRESS RELEASES
  • ART AND LIT
    • ART
    • LITERATURE
      • POETRY
        • ROOTED IN POETRY
      • FICTION
        • SHORT STORIES
        • THE RED SEDAN by CHANCE MOON
      • BOOK REVIEWS
    • MUSIC
      • LAKE COUNTY MUSIC GUIDE
      • LOCAL MUSICIANS
    • THEATER
  • FOOD AND DRINK
    • RESTAURANTS AND BARS
    • WINERIES
  • HISTORY
    • LAKE COUNTY HISTORY by GENE PALENO
    • LAKE COUNTY TIME MACHINE
    • LOCAL HISTORY
  • COLUMNS
    • HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE
    • EDITORIALS
    • THE NEIGHBOR YOU NEVER KNEW
    • COMMUNITY NEWS
    • ROOTED IN POETRY
    • STRESSLESS CAMPING
    • WITTER SPRINGS CHRONICLES by GENE PALENO
    • WINDOW ON LAKE COUNTY
    • FEATURED LAKE COUNTY BUSINESSES
    • COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE INSIGHTS
    • OBITUARIES
  • CALENDARS
    • THE BIG CALENDAR
    • THE PARTY CALENDAR
  • PRESS RELEASES
Photo by Maria Orlova from Pexels
February 25, 2021  |  By Hilary Devine

Upon The Death of My Son’s Father

It wasn’t fall when he died, closer to winter’s heart, when birds abandon bare trees, dew sets forth its layers. No delicate blossoms lined our path, none of spring’s hopeful renewal, just tired trudging, winter’s dirty boots, a sterile hospital room unfit for a two year old’s play. He unhinged from existence, a blazing gold […]
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Photo by Jackson Jorvan from Pexels
February 25, 2021  |  By Hilary Devine

Let Them Say – Poetry By Hilary Devine

Let them say the meadow of my heart blossomed in the summer, burst forth in colorful, robust bunches, gleamed– let them say my heart’s woodlands were carpeted and bloomed vividly in the spring. Let them say my heart was a cornucopia, a proud, sturdy host, an open-mouthed vessel which filled itself over and over again. […]
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February 18, 2021  |  By Sama Morningstar

The Places I am From – Poetry by Sama Morningstar

To see the places where I am from Stretches the senses back farther than my birth Back into the warm waters where I was formed Back into the waiting seed carried inside her Carried inside my Grandmother Who was carried inside her mother Stretching back like a house of mirrors Smaller and smaller images of […]
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Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
February 18, 2021  |  By Melissa Bentley

Merkle, Part II – Poetry by Melissa Bentley

On I walk, trip down the dstairs. Catch me, drip me up the wall, 0h, what fun it is to snorkl, If you puede can to burple. I will walk on to the shipmnt Will you with me chance to trip? Together we wil go all rightly, Funly, timely all we do. Every even sit […]
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Image by Mariya
February 11, 2021  |  By Joyce Anderson

Falling in Love – Poetry by Joyce Anderson

Let us fall in love slowly turning our lives gently as pages in a cherished book. Let us not betray the slightest punctuation or rhythm of thought. Let us take time to love, to leisurely bathe in Nereid depths of clear-eyed emotion . . . tracing the symmetry of our passion across well-thumbed pages read […]
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ROOTED IN POETRY GEORGINA
February 4, 2021  |  By Georgina Marie

Now and Then: A Poetry Story by Georgina Marie

As anyone reading this may already know: on January 20th, 2021, the role of the inaugural poet returned to the White House for the first time since the Obama Administration. Amanda Gorman, the first Youth Poet Laureate of the United States, read her poem The Hills We Climb for President Elect Joseph Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris’ inauguration. Amanda Gorman wowed us her with poise and eloquence. She inspired us with her spoken word and her message of unity and resilience. In a move most if not all poets would applaud, she offered respect and remembrance to the great Maya Angelou who once was also an inaugural poet. Above all, she motivated an innumerable population of Americans to want to read poetry, to write poetry – the ultimate goal of a poet laureate.
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February 4, 2021  |  By Georgina Marie

Small, Warm Spaces – Poetry by Georgina Marie

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December 31, 2020  |  By Joyce Anderson

On New Year’s Eve: Poetry by Joyce Anderson

I dance with the dead extending my hands to an ever-expanding circle of passed loved ones and friends. Holding fast to their memories I dance about the room to the beat of the moment, circling round and round moving through time back to the beginning as life ticks away to a celebrative finale. And when […]
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November 12, 2020  |  By Lance Giroux

Rumi’s Second Visit: Poetry by Lance Giroux

(Oct 30, 2020 at 9:18 AM) And when dreams come Let them For you are half asleep Into your room They parade And invade peaceful solitudes And raging wars Prior empty fortresses Without which Unguarded awakenings Would unfold Embrace them You are never Completely asleep Unless unaware You are
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November 5, 2020  |  By Marilyn Hung

New Moon Haiku – Poetry by Marilyn Hung

New Moon hangs in Summer sky With clear voice, a bird Sings to the Moon, not mocking.
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October 29, 2020  |  By Marilyn Hung

Not Playing but Guarding: Poetry by Marilyn Hung

If you are reading this on a phone, you may have to scroll to the side to see the full poem. This preserves the integrity of the lines on smaller devices. I am drawn to the kitchen window by the blue-jay’s cry. The neighbor’s marmalade cat sits on the fence, Under the orange tree. He […]
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Photo by Steven Hylands from Pexels
October 22, 2020  |  By Marilyn Hung

Samhain: Poetry by Marilyn Hung

If you are reading this on a phone, you may have to scroll to the side to see the full poem. This preserves the integrity of the lines on smaller devices. Come in! I knew you’d be here this night. My, how cold your hands are – like blocks of ice! Let’s close the door, […]
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ROOTED IN POETRY GEORGINA
October 1, 2020  |  By Jennifer Mills Kerr

Rooted in Poetry: Fire of Life, by Jennifer Mills Kerr

I began thinking about life’s polarities: night and day, rest and work, questions and answers, friends and enemies. We have an endless amount of opposing ideas to juggle. But where do the blacks and whites blur into grays? Why or when does this occur?
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Photo by Bruno Scramgnon from Pexels
October 1, 2020  |  By Jennifer Mills Kerr

Word Embrace: Poetry by Jennifer Mills Kerr

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August 21, 2020  |  By Trudy Wakefield

A Celebration Six Months Overdue: Georgina Marie and the Lake County Poet Laureate Inauguration (Complete with Haikus)

A hot, gusty breeze passes by our footsteps, bringing with it needles falling from the giant redwood overhead. We walk through the heart of Library Park, looking for a picnic table safely away from other visitors, two of Juicy’s spectacular pizzas in each hand. The gusty afternoon breeze hasn’t settled down into balmy summer evening just yet; another flurry of wind blows open our pizza box. But slight pink hues in the sky creep over the lake, hinting at a beautiful sunset to come. I flip the pizza box shut, trying to turn it a direction where the wind won’t blow it open again. “Congratulations on your first six months as Poet Laureate,” David says, then takes a large bite of pizza. Georgina smiles, pulling back her hair from her face as another breeze brushes by us.
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ROOTED IN POETRY GEORGINA
August 20, 2020  |  By Lance Giroux

Rooted in Poetry: Understanding Practice Through Simple Poetry – By Lance Giroux

You are, I am, we are always practicing something all of the time – that this “something” changes now and then does not diminish the fact that whether or not we are consciously aware of it – some of our practices are constructive, and others are not. All practices have shape and all have impact. Our lives revolve around the construct of practice. The willing act to “create and have a practice” – even if for only a short time – helps one illuminate the power and depth of practice.
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Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger from Pexels
August 13, 2020  |  By Lucinda Shaw Chatham

“Night City, 1962” and “Janis Joplin”: Poetry By Lucinda Shaw Chatham

Janis Joplin Night City, 1962
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Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels
August 6, 2020  |  By Mary Wilson

“Objects of My Affection” and “It Rained Once”: Poetry By Mary Wilson

Objects of My Affection It Rained Once
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ROOTED IN POETRY GEORGINA
June 18, 2020  |  By Jennifer Mills Kerr

Rooted in Poetry – Here is Where I Am: A Poet’s Affirmation

We will always live in moments of uncertainty. I have no idea what the future will bring, not only for me, but for our country. The page, however, refutes uncertainty. It is a white canvas, destined for creation, and within its square space, holds the promise of an affirmation. Even while describing loss, our words are born, again and again and again.
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Photo by Irina Iriser from Pexels
June 18, 2020  |  By Jennifer Mills Kerr

The 8:08 – Poetry by Jennifer Mills Kerr

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June 12, 2020  |  By Georgina Marie

Roadside River – Poetry by Georgina Marie

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ROOTED IN POETRY GEORGINA
May 28, 2020  |  By Georgina Marie

Rooted in Poetry: Living my Writer’s Life by Georgina Marie

This particular time of the coronavirus challenges us to maintain our relationship with our creative lives and it very well could be a time of pause. One may find it hard to write when we’re worried about our health and livelihoods or our families. One of my favorite writers, Nicole Gulotta, recently discussed in her podcast Wild Words how writing is certainly essential but in a way that is different than our basic essential needs. This may very well be a period of time this year where we slow down or even stop writing because we feel exhausted, we don’t have the energy or the motivation, or we just don’t feel like it. All of this is okay and I would even say that it is certainly a part of living a writer’s life.
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Photo by Pixabay
May 28, 2020  |  By Georgina Marie

Cold Gin and a Pandemic – Poetry by Georgina Marie

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ROOTED IN POETRY GEORGINA
May 21, 2020  |  By Georgina Marie

Call for Submissions for Rooted in Poetry Bi-Weekly Poetry Column

Lake County Poet Laureate Georgina Marie and The Lake County Bloom invite Lake County writers to submit to our bi-weekly poetry column, Rooted in Poetry. This column is a collaboration to offer a platform for local writers to introduce themselves to the community through their writing. Writers of all backgrounds are welcome regardless of your experience or style. We support established and emerging writers and look forward to reading a wide range of work and perspectives.
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ROOTED IN POETRY GEORGINA
May 14, 2020  |  By Hilary Devine

Rooted in Poetry: Adjusting To Social Distancing With Poetry – by Hilary Devine

Like all of you, I’m adjusting to this new lifestyle. No facet of my life is unaffected by the pandemic. I’m teaching classes from home. I’m homeschooling a teenager. I’m standing in line for toilet paper at 7:00 a.m. in a mask. I’m dealing with the personal and professional challenges of a “shelter in place” order, and when I get the chance, I’m writing. The following series of poems is dedicated to all of the students who are “sheltered in place” at home.
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