Wings: A mystery poem
You and I, my friend, we are birds, we have wings
Hello, friends! How are things going? Did you watch the eclipse? I got to see 92.5% of it here in Boston, and it was pretty cool. I was kind of kicking myself for not planning ahead and driving the three or so hours north to see the full thing. It would have been so easy. Oh well, there’s always 2044!
Today I have a funny story to share, and also a mystery maybe you can help me solve. I made the graphic, above, for my poem, Wings, and posted it on the socials. But then someone correctly pointed out that this poem does not appear in my poetry collection, Open Things. Oh, I said, silly me, it must be in Blessings for the Long Night. But I looked, and it is not in Blessings either. Which is weird, because it is a very Blessings kind of poem, and also a very Open Things kind of poem. So does anyone know where this poem is from? Or did it somehow fall through the cracks and I didn’t put it in any of my books yet? Is this a sign that I should start working on another book of poetry?
In other news, my friend
just published her third book of poetry, Whole, which I whole-heartedly recommend. I had the honor of endorsing Whole, and this is what I wrote:I've read enough of Marla Taviano's poetry to know to expect wisdom, humor, honesty, and insight, but her latest book, Whole, brings fresh joy and vigor to the table. Though the subject matter can get heavy, Taviano's words dance it lightly across the page. Everyone who has gone through upheaval in their life will recognize the poignancy of the questions these poems ask, and the joy of finding resolution, peace, and wholeness.
And my friends D.L. and Krispin Mayfield have just launched a new Substack,
with all the research they have been doing about religious authoritarian parenting. If you grew up with parents who read James Dobson or Debi and Michael Pearl books (The Strong-Willed Child, To Train Up a Child) you might be interested. They originally planned this research to be a book, but have decided to launch it as a Substack and Podcast instead, which I think is really cool! Also, I really like how they made their graphics look like an old, faded paperback book:
On a more personal note, I’ve had to quit my part time babysitting job because of an ongoing leg injury, so I’ll be leaning more heavily on my freelance work for income, including my writing here. All my posts here are free, and always will be, but if you have the capacity and would like to support me and my writing, there are paid subscription options here:
And of course I am always grateful when you buy my books!
With all my love and hope,
Jessica
P.S. Blessings for the Long Night is currently only $10.99 over on Amazon!
Thank you, friend!! I looooove your endorsement and all of your books and Strongwilled!! 🥰 And I can’t find my poems either!! 🤣