America's Common Truth

America's Common Truth

The future of America

is in the hands

of those who

love liberty
 live in truth
seek justice

amid hope

in a future
determined
by 

responsibility
knowledge
inspiration 

 common sense

and most importantly,

God's Will.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

You can hear my reading of this poem by clicking HERE.

Could

Once upon a time, through the group activity, Poetry Jam, Chris of the Enchanted Oak asked us to partake in a little ekphrasis by means of writing a poem inspired by the classic photograph below. I wrote the entry, entitled "Could."

 photo from Flicker common photos

Could

I could be gone to pursue my dreams,

grow in knowledge and creative thought

to share my ideas with those who care.

That man over there could be quite nice

with smiles, teasing, and sexy lust;

our foreplay could lead to ecstatic love.

He could be thinking of me and I of him.

We both could be subject to fetters of love

that bind our hearts, never to release.

However... now I see; His brilliance shines within

our life's journey, and our hearts forever linger

in this Blessing of Tranquility.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, the 47th President of the United States

photo from Google Images

Donald J. Trump has now collected the number of votes to be officially elected by the Electoral College as the 
47th President of the United States. 

It's time to .....

Make America great again!

1872: Victoria Woodhull, the FIRST female candidate for the United States presidency

Sorry Kamala fans....you're LATE!

The Revolutionary Rhetoric of Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan)

My collection of books written by Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan)

From page 17 of my book: 

Revolutionary philosophy of the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries provides momentum for the transformation of consciousness, circuitous pathways of innovation and circularity within societal parameters, creating awareness of cultural change, often through literary articulation. During the long eighteenth century, Sydney Owenson constructs her national tales by configuring lexical combinations of Irish, English and European colloquialisms, drawing upon the historical and philosophical perceptions of René Descartes, John Locke, and Immanuel Kant to transform her romantic tales into narratives of political inquiry. She incorporates the German philosophical influences of Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Georg Wilhelm Friedriech Hegel, and Arthur Schopenhauer, initiating innovation in forms of cultural awareness. 

As her writing matures, her nineteenth century contemporary scientific approach to human dignity resonates with Auguste Comte’s philosophy, revealing her personal experience with societal expectations. Her voice maintains a necessary fortitude in terms of her feminine perspective, placing Irish ideology into the center of English culture at the onset of the Ascendancy, while she illustrates foresight in challenging the political stance of the United Kingdom in the early decades of the nineteenth century. 

God's Peace

God's Peace

On this sea of doubt, 
I long to sail away
with a guiding breeze 
of everlasting peace, 
Peace with God. 
Through the ebb and flow
of fervent prayer,
I find confidence  
as He moves my heart 
in the direction of Infinite Love,
magnifying Joy,
discerning 

His Divine purpose.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

Flow: "It Don't Mean a Thing..."

(Click HERE to hear Ella and Duke Ellington)    

 Click HERE to hear Beethoven's Symphony #9

As I considered the music that this 'flow' poem describes, my first thoughts went to Beethoven's 9th. Then, I thought a little more and considered the jazz musical artists, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington as they collaborate to perform "It Don't Mean a Thing If it Ain't Got that Swing...."  I chose both. Click above to hear the jazz and/or Beethoven. 

Flow

Waves of sensuous melody

gently stroke the basilar.

The chamber of each hair cell

bursts with the flow

of pulsating charges

stimulating selected neurons

that stir the memory's charm.

Blood flows faster,

determined as voices surge

through the vibrating membrane.

Physical synchronizes

with emotional energy,

aching- soothing,

dissonance resolving

harmonies coalesce

in this resonating

flow. 

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

(To hear my reading of this poem on Pod-omatic, click HERE.)

Aurora Borealis

When the local meteorologist suggested that we, in Connecticut, would be able to see the geomagnetic event, an Aurora Borealis, I thought, "Okay, I'll check it out." Well, I looked out my backdoor window, which faces northward, and there it was: a beautiful, pinkish maroon sky amidst the stars. My camera barely captured the view. This was exactly as I saw the sky in Connecticut:

Aurora in Western Connecticut, Oct. 10, 2024

Auroras in Pleasant Valley, New York, Oct. 10, 2024

Aurora Borealis

I search the evening sky to see

the stars staring back at me 

at their usual positions

in the heavenly firmament.

Then, my eyes, are they deceiving me? 

There it is... softest glow of pink and maroon,

enveloping a fluffy mass of light clouds.

It makes me wonder if another's eyes 

are viewing this heavenly sight,

a shared brilliance from stars and aurora.

I thank God for allowing me 

the glorious view of the rosy hue, 

this geomagnetic event:

Aurora Borealis. 

 

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

 

Reach Defined

Years ago, the Poetry Bus had the delightful Ms. Poetikat as its driver. She discovered the photos below on Ms. Bug's blog and has asked us to view them as inspiration for our poetic contributions. This photo narrative reveals so much to us, but what has impressed me is the reaching aspect. I looked up the term, reaching, in the dictionary to see if there might be a definition that would 'reach' my psyche. Amazingly, right before my eyes, every definition seemed to express what I was feeling. And there you have it: Reach Defined.

Reach Defined

Approach the moment

in a state of mind

influence, power

communicate

strive

achieve

acquire success

lend a hand

 sail on a tack

 with the wind blowing

 reach defined,
refined

 for a television viewing audience

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

(with help from the

Merriam-Webster online dictionary)

Troubadours of Truth

A small group of my colleagues and I would meet occasionally to let off a little steam. We called it the Meeting of the Minds, but I also like the term used here: Troubadours of Truth. We haven't met in a while now, but I think of these meetings with fondness. Enjoy!

Cheering with Irish Coffees at a local pub

Troubadours of Truth

We meet in various locales

far enough away from the others

who meet for what they think

are much more crucial causes.

At our 'meetings of the minds'

we pun and chortle, sip our drinks

and cheerfully lighten

our burdens of misanthropy

with stories that feed our souls.

Our meetings begin and end

with hugs and reassurance

that common sense is a reality,

if surveyed through the pane

of the Troubadours of Truth.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

Spin Cycle

With the topic of Confusion, I've chosen the metaphor of a washer because nothing creates a turn like a good spin cycle.  The reading of this poem has been posted on Podomatic. 

from Google images

Spin Cycle

Confusion

agitates in a murky froth

volleying my thoughts

back and forth, back and forth,

do or don't, can or can't, will or won't,

until remnants of every smear

swirl into a watery, soapy tuft.

Blended tones collide

to form mottled suds.

Cascading pools jostle

my consciousness;

a circular spin

wrings out the truth.

From this cycle

my mind turns, 

and I am cleansed.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos 

Crickets in Love

Cherishing the final weeks of summer, below, is a little poem I wrote on the soothing sound of crickets in love under the moon's light. Enjoy! 

Crickets in Love

Suspended 

sound waves

fill the senses

echoing harmonics

soothe 

reverberate

through chambers

of hearts

pulsating rhythms

an intricate loving 

coalescence 

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

from lifeandberyl.blogspot.com

Back to School (or) A New Box of Crayons

Many thoughts race through my head at this time of the year. One, in particular, is a memory of that brand new box of crayons (usually only the 24-crayon box) I would look forward to seeing in my clean book bag, so lovely and organized, ready for the new school year. One year, it was the 64-crayon box!  Hmmm... a childhood dilemma, which crayon shall I choose first? 

Back to School 

(or) 

A New Box of Crayons

There is nothing as sweet as the waxy aroma

of a brand new 64-count box of Crayola crayons

bought especially for that first day of school.

It has the crayon sharpener right on the box!

And oh, the most marvelous feeling:

sliding the very first crayon out of its sleeve.

Periwinkle Blue! Carnation Pink! Burnt Siena!

What does it mean, this lovely box of crayons?

Summer is over! Those lazy, creative days sitting

under the maple tree, dreaming of 'next school year'

are etched forever as summer childhood memories.

Those encouraging words from last June come alive. 

New: books, shoes, clothes, hope, friends! 

Old ones, too, but now with new stories to share. 

Early autumn, with its cool breezes, 

whisks colorful leaves that dance among fallen apples: 

Nature's own fresh box of crayons. 

Tossed with a sanguine force that energizes 

each step toward the school's front door,

kind smiles herald enlightenment 

radiating from a Teacher's welcoming heart.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

August 15: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Painting by Sir Peter Paul Rubens

1626

housed in the Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. 

Blessed art thou among women, 

and Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us sinners, 

now and at the hour of our death. 

Amen.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum, 

benedicta tu in mulieribus, 

et benedictus fructus ventris tui, lesus. 

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, 

nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. 

Amen

The History of the Star Spangled Banner

Below is the link for an historical insight of the United States' National Anthem, 

The Star Spangled Banner

https://youtu.be/n7BMjS9vhVI?feature=shared

Memorial Day: Thomas Paine and Revolutionary Consciousness

In honor of Memorial Day, 

a day when we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. 

from Google Images

     Thomas Paine derives his insight of revolutionary consciousness based on traditions and historical practices. In his pamphlet, Common Sense, directed toward the “American Inhabitants,” Thomas Paine describes monarchies in general in this fashion:

Male and female are the distinctions of nature, good and bad the distinctions of heaven; but how a race of men came into the world so exalted above the rest, and distinguished like some new species, is worth enquiring into, and whether they are the means of happiness or of misery to mankind.

      Here, Paine empathizes with the common individual in his simple analysis of physical and moral distinctions of humanity, and he refers to the British aristocracy as “a new species.” He boldly reaches out to the consciousness of his readers, inspiring them to act on their natural right of the pursuit of happiness. In the words of Harvey Kaye, “As Paine saw it, American unity and vitality were themselves revolutionary imperatives - but not just for Americans” (65).

Kaye, Harvey. Thomas Paine and the Promise of America. New York: Hill & Wang,

2005.