Strolling by the beach in the thick morning haze-

The sea quiet in its splashing,

The city- a drunk, sleepy witness,

The earth slow in its spinning,

The universe eavesdropping on our heartbeats, like it’s the sweetest music there is-

I believe, I’m walking in heaven.

With your hand wrapped around my waist, and your face resting against my shoulder-

You say everything a lover wishes to hear.

And our stroll continues along the endless beach by the endless sea.

But this is a dream, that remains a dream-

beyond my control and reach.

And I know it like the back of your hand.

So, when we’re forced to break till night- I hold onto you as long as I might.

And you say the exact words you always have-

“Why do you have to torture yourself like this? Leave! Let me go! Move on!”

And I wake up reciting…

I am thrilled, delighted, terrified and other emotions to announce that my first collection of poetry is now available to purchase:

If you’ve enjoyed reading my poems here on my site, you will definitely enjoy this collection.Paint the living, plant the deadis a nice mix of poems I’ve posted here and a few that have never breathed fresh air.

Seriously, folks. I am incredibly proud of this. Check it out!

With humor, foresight, and rarely hidden effort, Phillip Knight Scott dares to ask important, existential questions in his first collection of poems. There may be few answers in PAINT THE LIVING, PLANT THE DEAD – indeed the whole thing is a bit absurd – but sometimes asking the questions can be enough. What is the point of life? Why is my hair gray? Where are my keys? These poems won’t answer these questions, but you’ll at least…

‘There came a time of pestilence and ruin, when greed ruled the land.’

– Linda Lee Lyberg

And the innocents of the earth rose up, and cried out with a powerful roar,

There must be peace, there must be green, there must be oceans of blue and fish to swim in clear cold streams.

There must be lush emerald forests for us to explore, and stone snow capped mountains to climb,

There must be a pearl moon in the sky, and a warm sun that still shines for generations to come,

There must be balance restored.

Author’s Note: Today, November 4th is Blog 4 Peace Day- Come join in! Blog Blast for Peace This poem is dedicated to all the youth who are taking a stand for Climate Change.

some days I do not just feel sorrow
some days I am the sorrow
I am the grey sky
that threatens spitting snow
I am the heaviness in your limbs
your shuffling gait
reluctant to get
where you are expected
some days
I am the sorrow
the stark, leafless, skeletal
branches of the trees
dwelling in the in-between
of not-quite late autumn
not-quite early winter
that borderline of the seasons
when light is dwindling
and darkness grows
some days
I am the wistfulness
that deep longing for your younger self
when time stretched endlessly
before you
the world full of possibility
and the crisp taste of golden fruit

© 2017 Revised 2018 Christine Elizabeth Ray – All Rights Reserved

It’s National Author’s Day! I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to many different writers I’ve met, and who’ve been encouraging to me on my author’s journey. Writing, despite what some (if there are any still) think, isn’t solitary. I started out on my own when I was a teenager, but I’ve come to see that authors get where they are with the help and support of others, especially fellow writers.

Here’s a list of some of those writers:

Ben Garvey

Ari Meghlen

Lorraine Ambers

Sharon Ledwith

J. I. Rogers

Rebecca Alasdair

Michele Chynoweth

John DeDakis

Lucia St. Clair Robson

Izolda Trakhtenberg

Victoria Clarkson

Sally Whitney

Jennifer Bort Yacovissi

Austin S. Camacho

Vonnie Winslow Crist

A. L. Kaplan

There are many more too, including those on my Amazon Authors Twitter List and those whose pages I follow via my Facebook page. Again, many thanks to…