Friday -One Stop Poetry Featuring Fall Poetry Finalists

One Stop Poetry Features Finalists from the Fall Competition "Through a Child's Eye's"

Emmanuel Ibok:

I am Emmanuel Ibok aka Lord Emmanuel and I'm from southern Nigeria. I am presently in Malaysia where I'm doing my final year in Business and Management. I was born and raised in Port Harcourt, one of the oil rich states in Nigeria although I am originally from Akwa-Ibom state. I began writing as  kid and remember trying to get a book published even before I clocked 13 but I guess I wasn't ready then. I am a jovial person and never like dull moments. I started blogging in December 2009 as a means of sharing my poetry. My poetry springs mostly from imagination but I try to make it applicable to real life situations.  I write because I see myself as a teacher and messenger and besides what is knowledge and wisdom if it is not being shared? I write to share wisdom and knowledge. I always find it funny when people read my works and relate it first hand to me; it pleases me although sometimes it could get a little overboard. I like to meet people and learn new things as well as I'm a big scholar of philosophy and psychology. My travel exposure so far has made me see the world from a global perspective and given me the conclusion that humanity is the key to world peace. I kind of have a mysterious trait and I am a deep thinker as well....It goes on and on

Through a Child's Eye

Daddy please don’t hit Mum again,

I know she’s stubbornly insane

but those bruises you leave on her temple,

makes you look stupid in the eyes of people;

like, if you couldn't stay together,

why did you put a ring on her finger.

Mummy please be submissive to Dad,

I know he’s a tough nut to crack,

but each time you cause a fight,

the neighbours have something to gossip about;

like, if you couldn’t tolerate him,

why did you accept his ring.

Mum and Dad please stop fighting,

I know you’re human and not perfect,

but each time you curse and fight,

my siblings sit and wonder;

like, if marriage was this bitter,

why then did you go into it in the first place.

Helena Malheur:

I am first generation Ethiopian-American born in NYC, now living in Florida.  My mother was very much into the theatre and arts, therefore I was exposed to culture at a very young age.  I was given a mystery book for one of my birthdays - I still remember how much I loved it.  I started to read and write quite a lot afterward; I think I used to read a book a week! When I was in middle school, I wrote my first play called “The thief;” it was not a hit at school but that did not deter me from wanting to write more plays, short stories and poetry throughout my teenage years. I kept a diary by my bedside at all times and wrote in it the day’s happenings and feelings till it became a kind of ritual. But, I had neglected my writing pursuing a college degree and work until about seven years ago when I started to write again. Now I write more poetry and prose rather than short stories.
I think that writing can capture a moment and make it new again each time it’s read and I have found it to be a cathartic tool in times of hardship or emotional distress; I continue to write for those reasons. I started a blog for my poetry a few months ago under the pen name Helena Malheur. My poetry stems from reality most of the time; I tend to write about things that have affected me in some way. My favorite writers are Sylvia Plath, E. E. Cummings, W. H. Auden, Pablo Neruda, and Edgar Allan Poe.
I am thankful to have found One Stop Poetry and the group of talented writers with whom I can share ideas. It has been a fantastic experience to meet all of you.

Imagination

in a back yard

as vast as Africa,

fields of red earth bubble

in jeweled dimples

of happy toes;

the putter of little feet,

chase the echo of giggles,

past footprints

of purple elephants

plucked out of dreams.

wide eyes float

above sun kissed cheeks,

beyond the desert sky,

through rainforests

of the Amazon.

tiny hands clasp

knots of imagination,

climbing higher

than birds nesting

golden eggs,

atop a giant tree

sprinkled with magic,

where branches bow

to an emerald throne, and

a crown of butterflies.

One Stop Poetry - Announces Fall Poetry Competition Winner

The One Stop Poetry Team wants to thank all of those who submitted poems to the Fall Poetry Competition. Each entry was a delight which made it difficult for the judges. We will be announcing the next competition theme soon.

I (Leslie Moon) would like to introduce our winner, Renee Sigel.  You can read her winning poem in Spark Bright magazine on page 31. Congratulations Renee!

Renée Sigel was born and raised in South Africa. Her life and career portrays a rich, interdisciplinary tapestry of a life spent  between dance studios, rehearsal rooms, recording studios, orchestral tours, theatre performances, curating art exhibitions, editing, publishing, and writing.  Collaborations include innumerable commissions, award winning film documentaries, and  writing for the Zurich Opera House among others.A dancer and theatre director by training, she has worked with an array of notable and famous names. Her work has been noted, lauded as well as banned. She was forced into political exile in the mid 1990's when she relocated to Switzerland.

Since settling in northern Italy, Renée Sigel´s literary voice has flourished. She launched  the original Literati Magazine, in 2004, to international critical acclaim and issues boasted the toast of contemporary  literary giants, such as George Szirtes, oscar winning author Kate Pullinger,  the fabulously successful Tim Parks and  Kate Mosse co-director of the Orange Fiction Prize, among others. Her unrelenting support of new talent continues with her mentoring writers under the auspices of her Literati Fiction and Poetry online Masterclasses.



I am honored that we have poets like Renee as part of One Stop Poetry. For those who are in the earlier stages of writing, there are many whose style can be emulated and appreciated.
Here is just a sample of her work.

Lilith Kaddish (third of the trilogy)

May 31, 2010

between breaths lost and lives taken,

between the hate and the memorabilia,

someone’s heart will be found still beating:

pounded by an invasion, seared by a bullet,

torn to shreds by the malicious intent

of ideological insanity, or shattered in

the silent panic of a trapped bird,

or even thudding lifeless in the dull

echo of sheer loneliness. somewhere

between the ardour and the sky,

we all felt believing, irrespective of what or whom,

was worth something once upon a time.

Who am I… ?

today i feel i am all and noneoftheabove…

I feel like a vacant lot and

like the fertile soil beneath the sadly sodden

grass that folds to itself the bodies of the lives

that never deserved to be shed.

My soul is heavy for the weight

of all that might fall apart.

for all those who never should die in the name of  an ideology

reckless

May 20, 2010

A kiss is every other kiss

Is not: incurable to scarred

The burned, the calmer heart

That of all love’s ways, not ever new

Of this reckless vow,

my soul owns You: unfathomably

Awards and publications:

In acknowledgment of her various online critical commentaries, especially regarding the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, she was nominated for the 2009 Ted Fellowship.

Sexions, Selections from Life & Love, her debut collection, was commissioned and published by Bewrite Books in 2005. Her poetry has appeared in print and online journals as well as several international anthologies.  Her most recent chapbook, Falling Slowly, published by erbacce press was published in August 2010. A Falling Slowly lecture tour at selected American universities, with proceeds dedicated to support families in their loss of a loved to suicide is being planned for Spring 2011.

more of Renee's fine work can be found on her blog