Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan): 19th Century Awareness of Cultural Change

           

From pages 17-18 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. 

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.

Ha' Penny Bridge, Dublin, Ireland

A Day with Wintry Trees

 This poem is from a collection of my 'One Line Poem of the Day' entries from Facebook over the past few winters. I will assemble them here. 

I took this photo in Danbury, Connecticut.

A Day with Wintry Trees

As morning sun 

awakens each snowflake 

adorning bare limbs, 

and trees sigh 

in serenity's brilliance,

one last, gold leaf glistens 

in the snowy shower 

when a brisk wind 

draws its stem from a tree, 

and in this release, 

the leaf tumbles

in a dance of jubilation.

This leaf drifts to the ground, 

and the tree, 

now naked and sparkling 

in the sun's warmth, 

stands tall and ready 

to accept its wintry destiny.

Golden sun illumines 

the end of this day. 

Behind striated clouds 

of pink and orange,

an aqua sky enhances 

the illumination 

as dancing branches rattle,

yielding to the variant wind.

She breathes in the song 

of this winter night 

and surrenders to its peace,

lets the brisk, fresh air

fill her smile, for she sees 

the tiny footprints of animals 

braver than she, 

leading to the tree's hollow. 

Nurtured by the moon’s iridescence 

and a dominion of love,

they snuggle 

within a newly fallen leaf.

Evergreens mingle 

with snow-kissed branches. 

The canopy opens 

to welcome a thousand stars 

spread across the midnight sky, 

and under their distant radiance, 

she whispers, “Humbly, I adore Thee.” 

© Jeanne I. Lakatos  

Epiphany!

"Life’s intermittent light

 shines 

through our souls, 

revealing the softness within, 

knowing that this gentle force 

originates from 

the intensity of hardship 

learned by living 

in the profusion of opportunity 

that surrounds us." 

~ from my operetta, Luminescence

Happy New Year 2024!

Whether you'll be bringing in the New Year with a crowd, by candlelight, 
or by the light of the moon, 

may your illumination lead you to peace, love and joy!

The new year begins as any other day with the exception of a different numeral representing the earth's orbit around the star we call sun. Often, we use this time to mark an opportunity to make changes; however, change can occur more readily if one is clearly aware of that which may or may not need alteration. With this in mind, below are three New Year's creative challenge options:

OPTION I:

1. Get a piece or two of paper and a pencil. Yes, I said paper and pencil. Okay, you may use a pen if that's all you have.
2. Find a quiet place and plant yourself. (It could be indoors or outdoors.) Get comfortable.
3. Close your eyes; breathe slowly in; exhale very slowly out. Repeat this a few times until your mind is calm, open and receptive.
4. Be aware of every sensory response that you experience for 10 minutes and write them down in the form of a sensuous poem.

OR

OPTION II:
Ask yourself what it is that you will do this year to advance humanity (or simply yourself) toward a higher level of consciousness. Then write a poem about it.

OR

OPTION III:
Write your own version of 'Auld Lang Syne.' 

***********************************************************

My Option I:

Sweet Dreams

Softly sounds the beat

steadily pulsating

plummeting my senses

DEEP DEEp DEep Deep deep deep

into a serene, sensual

serenade of sleep:

melting touch of love’s heat

aroma in each breath of life

vision restored in faith

sweet flavor of trust

song of hope,

slowly sifting

sands of consciousness

into a sea of dreams

where fantasy releases

a genesis of truth.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

********************

My Option II:

New Year Haiku

Nuance awareness

Axis  of vision’s splendor

Creative vigor 

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

********************

My Option III:

Aulde Lang Syne Revisited

The moment passes

into a new year.

In body and mind

serenity is clear.

In this sweet moment

reigns our chance to thrive

to bring love, peace and joy

so fully alive!

© Jeanne I. Lakatos