I took this photo of a grounded barge that had been outfitted with pirate masts and crow's nests and the like - to be used as a restaurant. It's located a few minutes from my home near Jordan Harbour on Lake Ontario. Clearly, this restauranteur-to-be was also a dreamer. But the romance didn't end when his dream ran amok. This rusting wreck has affectionately become known as the pirate ship that run aground "way back when" - I expect some younger kids think it has significant historicity...and I am certain more than one teen has ventured on to its deck to search for treasure.
This is a very circuitous way of letting you know that this artist-poet is ready to LAUNCH another poetry book! I take themes that are sometimes difficult...expressing the struggles of being lost in a sea of anxiety and then celebrating the joy can comes after the dark night - the comfort I have come to find in Jesus Christ. I manage to write these experiences into poetry in the hopes that you, dear reader, might find encouragement in my books' pages - and be drawn to the same solid ground that I find through God, my rock and anchor in these troubling times.
As I write, various pieces of art I have created over the last while also come to mind and I have joined many of them as complements to my poems. My first book was "the_mending_branch" and is the most raw of my books, as I explored leaning into my struggles while learning how to be honest with myself and God...learning to trust God with my feelings. About a year later, around the time I went through the book of John, I created my second book "The Wounded Christ" celebrating our relationship with God, through the finished work of Christ. Now, my third book came out of a desire to go back to the beginnings of creation, visiting the fall and regeneration. This ended up being interesting timing since I was still recovering from a coronavirus as I drafted my poems about our spiritual regeneration.
Update: Watch my VIRTUAL CAFE that happened on November 27, 2021 when I read some poems and chatted with some visitors. Grab a java to help set the café vibe!
You are welcome to find out more about my books HERE and I will close with a Haiku from "B'reshith" (Hebrew for "in the beginning"):
EMBRYONIC WORLD
CREATOR HOVERS-FLUTTERS
LIGHTS UP EXISTENCE
Sincerely,
Lorenda