#GuestDayTuesday – Summer Magic by … ME!

/ Marcia Meara

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This could be considered cheating, I suppose, but since I had no one scheduled as a guest today, I decided to feature myself. I started writing poetry as a child of five, believe it or not, and I’ve never lost my love for it. The second book I published, right after Wake-Robin Ridge, was Summer Magic, my little “chapbook” of poetry, and I’d like to tell you a bit about it, if you’ll indulge me.

BLURB:

Summer Magic: Poems of Life & Love is a collection of contemporary poetry about exactly that–life and love. The first part of the book features poems about the magic a young boy discovers while camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The second part of the book has a sampling of poetry about love, life and death, autumn, and dreams coming true.

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While I truly loved writing the poems featuring my WRR hero, Mac, as a young boy enjoying his summers in my favorite place in the world–the North Carolina mountains–there are several poems in the second part of the book that really came from my heart, too. Today,  I’m going to share the longest of those, a poem that has a bit of an autobiographical nature to it. Hope you enjoy it!

ON THE RIVER

Crystal green flows beneath me,
Leafy arches rise above,
Dip, glide.
Dip, glide.
Slide.

Duckweed parts as I float by.
I wonder where they went,
Those ducks?
Gone overnight, it seems.
Another parting, another loss,
And I slide by,
Under all that green.
Dip, glide.
Dip, glide.

Just there, in deepest shade,
Sleeping emeralds cling.
Tree frogs rest in their
Smooth, damp skins
Waiting for the silver moon.
They’ll open their eyes for the silver moon.
Sleeping now,
As I pass by.
Dip, glide.
Dip, glide.

With arms raised to that same moon,
I once danced along the shore,
Young and wild and full of joy.
Moving to music
That stirred my soul,
And washed in that pale light,
I danced.
Years ago, in that pale, pale light.
I remember it all,
And so much more,
As I slide by.
Dip, glide.
Dip, glide.

A scaled ribbon of vivid lime
Scribbles across my bow,
Curving by in his own silent slide.
I smile at Dickinson’s “narrow fellow”
Tasting the air with his tongue of flame.
I feel no “zero at the bone” for him,
For I have known far worse than he,
And survived.
With a nod of my head,
I pass him, too.
And on I go.
Dip, glide.
Dip, glide.

Time and time and time goes by,
And still, green fronds protect me from above,
Green water lifts me from below,
Carrying me ceaselessly on my way.
Slower, now that Youth is gone,
Yet, sometimes a froth of foam and spray
Reminds me of those early days,
When all the water rushed clear and cold,
And teemed with Promise so bright
You could almost catch it in your hands.
That bubbling spring where it all began,
Now lies so far behind.
Far behind, and long ago,
While I move on.
Dip, glide.
Dip, glide.

Always forward,
One stroke at a time,
The only path from Here to There.
One stroke following another,
And I, all the while,
Still cherish the trees above,
The water below.
I wonder as a turn grows near,
What adventures wait beyond the bend?
Will they make my heart beat fast again?
How many shimmering curves lie before me yet?
How long does my river flow?
Dip, glide.
Dip, glide.
Dip, glide.
Slide.

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Buy Summer Magic HERE

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MYSTERY, SUSPENSE,
AND THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

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Marcia Meara lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty years and four big cats.

When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening, and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. She enjoys nature. Really, really enjoys it. All of it! Well, almost all of it, anyway. From birds, to furry critters, to her very favorites, snakes. The exception would be spiders, which she truly loathes, convinced that anything with eight hairy legs is surely up to no good. She does not, however, kill spiders anymore, since she knows they have their place in the world. Besides, her husband now handles her Arachnid Catch and Release Program, and she’s good with that.

Spiders aside, the one thing Marcia would like to tell each of her readers is that it’s never too late to make your dreams come true. If, at the age of 69, she could write and publish a book (and thus fulfill 64 years of longing to do that very thing), you can make your own dreams a reality, too. Go for it! What have you got to lose?

marciameara16@gmail.com
Twitter: @marciameara

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MARCIA’S BOOKS

Marcia’s Amazon Author Page

Wake-Robin Ridge Book 1
A Boy Named Rabbit: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 2
Harbinger: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 3
The Light: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 4

Swamp Ghosts: A Riverbend Novel
Finding Hunter: Riverbend Book 2
That Darkest Place: Riverbend Book 3

The Emissary: A Riverbend Spinoff Novella
The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody 
The Emissary 3: Love Hurts

Summer Magic: Poems of Life & Love

39 thoughts on “#GuestDayTuesday – Summer Magic by … ME!”

    • Thanks so much, Denise. I’m glad you enjoyed the book, and this poem. I’m considering writing another if I ever manage to finish my Riverbend WIP. 😀 Thanks for stopping by, and sorry I’m late. No internet for nearly 8 hours! 😯

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    • Aw,thanks so much, Priscilla. It was great fun to write. And thanks for stopping by. I’d have responded sooner but the internet has been down in our whole neighborhood since before daylight! Urk. 🙂

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  5. What a perfect time to promo this wonderful collection of poetry, Marcia! We can all use a little “Summer Magic” during summer. I loved this book and hope you gain many new fans from the spotlight! 🙂

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    • Thanks so much, Mae. I figured it couldn’t hurt to take advantage of an open Tuesday, and put something out there. And I’m so glad you enjoyed Summer Magic. I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. 😀 Thanks for stopping by. Now that my internet service finally came back on, I can respond to folks again! Yay! 😀

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    • Thanks, Sue. I love canoeing on our rivers, and it was a given I’d write something about it for this collection. Glad you enjoyed it. And thanks for stopping by to let me know. I’ve finally got internet again, and can respond to folks. What a LOOONG boring morning it was without it. 😀

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    • OH, wow, Gwen. What a lovely comment. Thanks so much, and I’m truly glad you enjoyed it. I figured out the other day that I’ve canoed at the very minimum 400 to 500 miles on our rivers over the years. So for sure, I had to write at least one poem about it. 😀 So glad you stopped by today! 🙂 ❤

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  10. I bought this lovely book a couple of years ago and this is one of my favourite poems in it – it’s so evocative. Having said that, I loved the others, too. The relationships between parent and child, the beauty of the natural world and the humour and the touches of melancholy make it one of those books that I dip into when the mood takes me. If you produce a printed version, I’ll buy that as well!

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    • Aw, that’s lovely to hear, Trish! And in fact, I have been thinking about going ahead and offering this as a small printed chapbook, too. We’ll see. That’s what I guess I’m going to have to do with my Emissary novellas, since I’ve had zero luck combining them into a printed boxed set, so maybe I’ll have to go with Plan B on all of the above. It’s good to know I’ll have at least one person who wants a printed version of Summer Magic, too! 😀 Thanks for making my evening. After having no internet connection for nearly ten hours today, I needed a big smile before heading off to bed. You’ve given me that! 🤗 ❤

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    • Thanks, Joan, and there’s nothing wrong with being a day late, either. (I’m so far behind now, I’ve given up on ever catching up. Guess I’ll have to take another blog break soon.) I’m glad you enjoyed the poem, and I appreciate your letting me know, no matter what day it is. 🤗 ❤

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    • Thanks so much, Teri. I’m glad you went along on the canoe! 😀 Once in a great while, when I have no one scheduled for a feature, I’ll toss out something of mine. (I’m actually thinking about doing it a bit more often, but only when nothing else is going on.) So glad you enjoyed this one. I’ll definitely be sharing a few more poems here and there, I’m sure. Thanks for stopping by and letting me know you liked it. 🙂 ❤

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