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I was only going to write about the hummingbird.

But then I thought,

"Why should the fly be any less remarkable?"

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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. 

Watch selected readings from the book >>>

Buy on Balboa Press >>>

 

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The Rains Have Passed

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.

Anchor 1

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?

Anchor 2

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.

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