Shawn L. Bird

Original poetry, commentary, and fiction. All copyrights reserved.

poem-ten October 12, 2019

Filed under: Poetry,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 1:46 pm
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ten years ago

dream in pocket

breathless

learning to pitch a book

awed by everyone

talent

knowledge.

Wishing.

Today, I pull a bin

to my own author table.

I am awed at everything.

It’s just ten years.

Same space I pitched!

Now,

ten books to spread

for this event.

My words searching for homes.

A blink of time

those dreams

are truth.

.

.

I just realized that this month is the 10th anniversary of my first writing conference.  I bravely registered for one day of the Surrey International Writers’ Conference, took my husband and our exchange student to Vancouver. While they spent a day exploring, I pitched my first book to the publisher who would eventually offer me a contract for it and had my first blue pencil with a professional author (Meg Tilley).  Ten years later, I’ve been invited to sell at a Guest Author table, in the very same room I pitched in, and I will have ten books on my table to sell and sign.  How astonishing.  How quickly a decade passes! How amazing to see what happens when you take the risk!

 

poem- grateful December 12, 2017

You can

so

you do.

Time.

Faith.

Encouragement.

You give yourself

in generous helpings,

spinning your blessings

into our blessings

into your blessings

into our blessings.

Oh, I am grateful

for such a

giving

heart!

I’m deliriously thankful

to be

amid

this dancing, scribing circle

of joy.

.

.

Another one for Diana, whose generousity of time and spirit are an inspiration.

Early in my publishing life, editor Sylvia Taylor spoke at a workshop about the importance of community: how as writers we reach up for guidance and assistance  and we reach down to share benefit of our experience.  I have seen many examples of this in the last decade, to my privilege and joy.  Just this week, on one hand I purchased the book from a writer I’d encouraged at a conference, when this book was a dream, and on the other hand, I received an endorsement for my new book from a best-selling author. It’s a giant circle of support.  We’re each other’s readers, promoters, flag wavers, editors, and shoulders to cry on.  If you’re a writer, don’t sit alone, join a circle! You belong where people *really* understand about the voices in your head! 🙂  I highly endorse writing conferences as being the places to meet.

 

 

 

 

Poem- GRATITUDE April 9, 2016

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 9:30 am
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It is lonely

Seeing ghosts of wagging tails

Dancing feet and twinkling eyes.

To remember joy made physical

Only because of my existence.

It is lonely

To catch the movements

From the corners of my eyes

Of furry bodies no longer present.

Grief is a hard, hard, hard burden.

But you,

Are lighter without the responsibility

Lighter with the freedom

Lighter  from the consequences.

Lighter with the isolation

That is not loneliness to you.

But oh,

It is to me,

And my heavy heart struggles

With this burden of grief.

Knowing you.  Knowing me.

Knowing the sacrifice you make

To bring some relief from grief,

To bring me a piece of joy again,

Wagging on the tip

of a tiny tail.

 

2016/04/08

 

poem-unbelievable January 6, 2016

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:58 am
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How amazing it is

that you are in my world.

You are the definition of

incredible and I

am blessed to know you.

 

poem-still August 23, 2015

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:22 pm
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You still surprise me,

After millions of words.

The enthusiasm of your greeting,

the warmth of your embrace,

still makes me thankful every day

you came into my life.

 

poem-ten thousand June 12, 2014

Filed under: Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 5:43 pm
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“No one

in the publishing industry

takes a blog seriously,”

said the presenter

“until it has at least

ten thousand followers.”

I thought about my three hundred

loyal followers and sighed.

I would never manage that.

For six months I thought

about her words, knowing what

WordPress said to do,

and how I wasn’t doing it.

So one April, two weeks

before I gave a social media workshop,

I tested their theories.

In two weeks, 444 followers

became a thousand.

Hmm. I thought.

If I keep doing this,

I could have ten thousand

in a year or so.

So I visited other blogs,

commented, and liked their work.

Introducing myself, and noticing others.

It’s the old mantra

‘the only way to have a friend

is to be a friend.’

and here we are!

14 months later,

ten thousand people

see my posts, leave their comments,

share my words, welcome me into their world

laugh with me

offer suggestions,

and make every day

interesting.

I send ten thousand

thank yous to each of you.

I’m grateful you’ve joined my journey

that you share your lives and your time.

Thank you

Thank you

Thank you.

 

 

inspiring whales… April 20, 2012

On my Facebook feed today was the inspiring story of divers who rescued an entrapped humpback whale, and the inspiring appreciation she showed for their efforts.

Attending to due diligence, I investigated the story and discovered on the urban legends.com site (I sure hope no one ever discredits them) that the story was in fact true.

Here is a link to the original newspaper article relating the event that happened in 2005 off the coast of San Francisco.

I really like how the anonymous Facebook poster summarized the significance of this experience:

 May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.

Both giving gratitude and receiving it provide joy.  While troubles shared are halved, gratitude doubles joy.  I like the math.

 

use it September 20, 2011

Filed under: Rotary invocations — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:48 am
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Nazarene preacher W. T. Purkiser said,

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.”

So let us be thankful for our meal, our lives, our friends and our many blessings, and then let us use each to fuel positive change around us.

.

(c) Shawn Bird 2011  Free use within Rotary.  Please credit Shawn when you share this in your club. Please also leave a comment to document your club  and when you intend to use it, for your members’ information.  With thanks

 

Thankful for… Invocation October 23, 2010

We are thankful for warm hearts
that echo with the call to serve.

We are thankful for strong hands
that do the work to serve.

We are thankful for wise heads
that consider how best to serve.

We are thankful that willing members
allow Rotary to serve the world.

© Shawn Bird 2010.  Free use within Rotary.

 

 
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