Thank you!! Missed the cove! Now that my book is done I’m back and can focus on the cove. I’m so glad to be back 😊

Happy belated birthday Adam! Hope you had a great one!

Done!

Nice to meet you, Rob! I look forward to reading your dark poetry! 😀

Matt- don’t feel bad about taking a break from writing. I took a break from writing for a long time as well! Sometimes a break from writing helps. I went out and lived life and now I feel like I’m at a good place to write again. I write about 3 poems a week, but I will tell you it get easier the more you do it. Daily journaling has helped too. Also, carrying a small notebook with me. I think you writing even a few poems a month is a great accomplishment! 😄

Bendy, I hope you come on Instagram and share your poetry! I'm on there and happy to help any way I can.

I want to finish the book I started! It has always been a dream of mine and although I'm just at the point of writing and placing my poems in categories, I would love the hear anyone else's experiences in the self-publishing route. I haven't been on a vacation since November 2019. It would be nice to go somewhere, but it hasn't felt safe just yet. My office building will open sometime in September (I've been working from home since March 2020), so adjusting to that will last until the end of the year! I have loved working from home so much, maybe too much! LOL. I hope to do more Instagram Lives, I've just started getting into doing open mics and I've actually really enjoyed reading my pieces. Another goal is to record a poem for the Poetry Cove Radio. 😊

I work for the government as web content manager, graphic designer, and writer. There are days I love my job when I am able to design an invitation for an event, or write an article. Other days, I don't. In a good way, poetry has taken over my life. I now live and breathe poetry and find it hard to focus on much anything else. My job now seems to be a hinderance. I know that sounds awful, but I want to work on my book and that's all that is on my mind anymore. 😊

I would be happy to read your book when it is ready for beta readers!

This brings me back to one of your YouTube videos where you did a book review of Rupi Kaur’s book and honestly it was the best video ever especially when you said the poems were statements, which I agree with. The term poetry is so broad now that saying “ the rain is wet, therefore I need an umbrella,“ to some people might be a poem! LOL I believe a robot can write a poem and I’m all for it, but it will lack any real emotion. That’s why I prefer humans writing them. We write about our pain, our love, our longing. A robot doesn’t experience life unless it is getting a software upgrade. 🤣

I have been working from home since March 2020. I am not looking forward to going back in August and having to say good morning to people. LOL. I'm fine doing this after 10 a.m. when I am jolted on caffeine. I am very much an extroverted introvert, but I am not looking forward to having people humming around my office. I will not be able to listen to my AirPods or go on Instagram lives. I will have to sit at my desk like a drone for 8 hours. I have completely lost my attention span. I can't focus on any particular task for long periods of time and I'm constantly checking my phone for Instagram messages, YouTube alerts, or watching TikTok videos. Even when I watch a movie, I have music playing or I'm writing in my journal. I don't think I will cope well going back to "normal," because being at home is a dream come true for me. I have only seen one friend in the past year, but it has been fine. Video calls and texting is actually better. I think I will become even more of a hermit when normal happens.

I will say everyone talks about the 20's being the best years, but wait until next year when you're 30. I loved my 30's so much. I embrace my 40's even more (I'm 41), because it is liberating to be comfortable being me and not worrying about judgement. At this point in my life if someone said they didn't like me, more power to them! LOL. Onto the question at hand! I have two kids, so I don't have a lot of time for anything, but in the midst of working a full time job in communications/government, taking care of them, it leaves little time to myself. I carve out 2 hours a day to write, because I want to publish a book. It's something I have always wanted to do and I have been putting it off for years! I also love working out, so I make time for that. Everything else is a wash and that's ok. I have learned to accept that there are things I will have to let go. I fear death only because I don't want to leave my kids behind. I know this sounds weird, but I think about it a lot. Death is frightening, because there is no turning back. It's final. I also think the way of going is what is what freaks me out the most. Everyone wants that quiet death in a warm bed like that old lady from Titantic, but that is not going to be everyone's reality. I read Darwin awards often and avoid stupid mistakes such as eating slugs (dude got paralyzed then died years later) or taking selfies next to giant cliffs.

Wow Suchita! I learned something new about you! I learned Kathak back in the day. 😀

I love face masks! I do them daily and one time I had a work meeting and had to peel the thing off because we had to turn our cameras on. LOL. I love listening to music and zoning out. I'm not huge into watching tv, but LOVE reading. I hoard books and buy one anytime I go to the store. Not sure if this counts, but I make a foamy latte in the morning and it is the best part of my day.

@Adam Gary thanks Adam!!! ☺️

Coffee is my one true love. My espresso machine is a lifesaver. I make my own lattes with 3 shots of espresso If I were to skip a day, I would have a headache, but have quit coffee before for a couple of years and switched to tea. I also go to Starbucks on the weekends. I would say ween yourself off slowly and start with black tea, then move to weaker tea. I'm a pretty miserable person without caffeine, but what helped me is drinking 3 liters or water a day. That should help. Adam - Congratulations on quitting!

I look like a total standoffish person, but I'm actually friendly. I suppose it doesn't help I don't smile in pictures, LOL. I am able to make friends easily, but the older I've become, I find that there is only one friend that I would call a "best friend." She means the world to me and she is actually the person who encouraged me to share my poetry on social media. I met her at work, but we work in different departments and hang out and see each other outside of work. I have some friends I would say are more or less childhood friends, since I've been friends with them for years, but I don't see or talk to them often. As for forming new friendships, I have a golden rule about this at this point in my life. If you show in interest in being my friend, I'm all in. I will ask you how you're doing and it won't just be a greeting, I sincerely want to know how you're doing. I will listen intently and share about myself if you ask. I'm the type of person if you ask my opinion, I will give you an honest opinion (no sugar coating), but I have been told that is one of my greatest qualities (I'm not making this up, I swear someone told me this!) :) Work friendships in general are tricky. I trust my friend and know she won't share anything about me with others. Aside from my bestie, I don't have other work friends. The others are just acquaintances. I've started making new friends on Instagram through poetry, but I have to say that some people don't wish to communicate more than liking a post or responding to a comment. I am still new to the platform and send people a message if they follow me thanking them, however, most of the time, I don't get a response. LOL.

I have joined a meeting with the camera off and did a full-fledged workout for an entire hour. If I heard my name I chimed in, but usually since I'm pretty quiet anyway, no one seemed to care I don't have any input. I had a meeting right after and this one required cameras on, so I looked totally horrid with sweat all over my face. I picked a coffee shop background, and most people were so keen to comment on how cool it looked they didn't notice. 😂 I am not looking forward to going back in August. I'm sure my office will frown upon my new attire which consists of wearing band t-shirts (AFI, The Offspring, Nirvana, etc.). 😂

Please provide feedback if you can. I keep changing this one and at this point I want to see what you all think before I mess with it more. :) Time I am searching for time’s betrayal, when it left my side and lost its direction. Eventually it gave in to its surroundings grass sprouted around it, died and re-born, season after season. And I reached for peace, where none was found, only memories blended together overlaying one another. I could not shift through them to find the one I needed. I shook memory after memory out of my head until I settled on one. The day I was wrapped in a wool blanket wrapping my hands around a hand painted mug, with faded blue snowflakes gazing at nothing and everything Content at the life I built from inside. I savor this keepsake, holding it in my arms even though it is too lost in time.

Rachel - this poem is perfection! You described my favorite city so well! I felt like was I there.