READ
I was only going to write about the hummingbird.
But then I thought,
"Why should the fly be any less remarkable?"
WITHIN MY ILLUSIONS
Within My Illusions invites you on a poetic journey of discovery. Join author Jennifer Bloom as she explores questions that arise when making friends with paradox, allowing boundaries to blur, and testing the limits of our habits and beliefs.
The poems, taken individually and collectively, tell stories and also question the role that story plays in how we make sense of the world and ourselves. Linger on one poem at a time or take in the book all at once. Read the poems as an observer or bring your own heart into the conversation.
BRAINSTORMS
In Brainstorms, Jennifer invites you to connect - with stories, relationships, and the natural world that is often hidden behind the façade of suburbia. At times metaphysical, quirky, and emotionally raw, the poetry in this collection is an exploration of what it means to be human and the moments that can transcend the ordinary.
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HINDSIGHT
There will come a time
when we look back on this day
and remember it as the spark that ignited the flame,
the catalyst that set the ball in motion.
There will come a time
when we will look back on a picture
and remember the smiles without the tears,
the outcome without the angst.
There will come a time
when the swirling storm of turmoil
will be edited out of the frame,
leaving only the rainbow that we formed
from fragments of light.
THE RAINS HAVE PASSED
The rains have passed
and we walk out onto the porch
into the cool, crisp air,
the void after the storm.
I shiver slightly
as the moist air hits my bare arms.
Your body is close to mine.
I can feel your warmth even without us touching,
feel the energy between us,
like two magnets being held
just far enough apart
that an outside force can keep them separate,
even as they yearn to be together.
The touch of your fingertips,
merging with mine,
brings me back to this moment.
I had started to wander
into the clouds.
TAPESTRY
Our lives are woven together in moments
of chance encounters,
smiles and laughter,
gestures and touches.
Moments so brief, they seemed like nothing.
But moments add up,
and moments have meaning,
just as each stitch is an integral part of the whole.
For even if two threads never cross again,
they will forever be a part of the same tapestry.
LIFE CAN BE FUNNY
life can be funny this way:
the way the best and the worst are synchronized
so that the euphoric memory of new life
can rouse a surge of tears
as it is so intertwined with a moment
when the rug was pulled out
from underneath the façade.
life can be funny this way:
the way a person can arrive
during a time of deep despair
and bring in a joy so unexpected
that the wound suddenly doesn’t sting with such intensity
and the unknown doesn’t feel so frightening.
life can be funny this way:
the way love and rage and fear and gratitude
can circulate through me
as I laugh and cry at the same time.
and the way that comfort comes
not only in the warm embrace of an other
but in the still, cold silence of my self.
life can be funny.
PRISM
The facet of you that I see
is the person I know you to be.
You seemed clear on the surface,
until sunlight cut through your angles,
distinguishing tones
I hadn’t noticed before.
Something within
bends the light,
allowing me to see myself
differently through you.
And I wonder:
When you look at me,
do you see the self that I was
or the person I am becoming?
MORNING CUP
Do you fill your cup with coffee?
Or fill it up with tea?
With all your mental anguish,
Or possibility?
Do you pour it out for others
Leaving nothing left for you?
Steeped in good intentions,
The result a bitter brew.
Me, I fill my cup in nature,
With laughter and good friends.
By making time for myself
And a present, mindful lens.
If my cup is filled to brimming,
And teeters on the brink,
There’s so much more I have to share
As I offer you a drink.