Welcome to My Poetry Blog!

Thanks for checking out my new blog. I'm excited to have "my own place" to write and share with friends, family and other poets. Scroll down the page and click on the links on the right for poems and news.

I also hope it will become a place where fellow writers and artists gather to read and share poetry. Fellow poets & artists, let me know if you have a blog, and perhaps we can trade links. And please do leave comments if you like.

I'd love it if you'd become a "follower" -- although I admit, being new to this, I'm not really sure what that means.  In the spirit of this gathering space, let me offer a poem:


COMMUNION

Let us come together.

From our different places

let us gather,

carrying our songs and stories

as offerings to each other.

Let open up ourselves and

create a place of welcome.

"Communion" appears in my origami poetry book, Communion, produced by the Origami Poems Project. http://www.origamipoems.com/

Copyright Diane Dolphin, 2010. All rights reserved.

Poem: If Dogs Had Easter

IF DOGS HAD EASTER
Diane Dolphin 

If dogs had Easter

it would be in March

as the snow gives way

revealing lime green balls

yellow noses and purple rumps

that speckle the lawn

like bright colored eggs

and the dogs root and dig

resurrecting old friends

like crocuses blooming

along the old fence.

"If Dogs Had Easter" appears in my chapbook, No Longer Always, forthcoming from Finishing Line Press. It also appears in my origami poetry book, Communion, coming soon from the Origami Poems Project.

Copyright Diane Dolphin, 2010. All rights reserved.

Poem: Communion

COMMUNION
Diane Dolphin 

Let us come together.

From our different places

let us gather,

carrying our songs and stories

as offerings to each other.

Let open up ourselves and

create a place of welcome.

"Communion" appears in my origami poetry book, Communion, coming soon from the Origami Poems Project. http://www.origamipoems.com/

Copyright 2010 Diane Dolphin. All rights reserved.

Poem: For the Benevolent Matriarch

For the Benevolent Matriarch
Diane Dolphin

Tiny, ancient woman, look upon our faces,

the sea of your creation. Your blood,

the blood of mirth and kindness,

courses through our veins. Your song,

Happy Trails, echoes in the halls of our hearts.

Knitter of words, mender of hearts,

eternal fount of love and gossip.

Shucker of corn, gutter of fish,

keeper of all our secrets.

Carry them with you now,

tucked in your giant pocketbook.

We will hand down your stories,

grown larger with each telling.

Go now, join your husband.

Here comes the old station wagon:

Our lady, your chariot awaits.

"For the Benevolent Matriarch" appears in my origami poetry book, Communion, available soon through the Origami Poems Project.  http://www.origamipoems.com/ 

Copyright 2010 Diane Dolphin. All rights reserved. 

Poem: Innocence

INNOCENCE
Diane Dolphin 

You really little girled me,

freckled my face and bespectacled me,

shooed big people worries out of me.

With you I wore green space boots

and carried my days in a froggy face lunchbox.

I colored your mornings yellow,

sprinkled pink candy hearts in your coffee jar.

You wrestled fudge jumbles from my hand

to save until after a squash and peas dinner.

In darkness you held me,

two velvet-wrapped spoons

I listened to the heart sounds in my ears,

wondering how those sounds were made,

believing that beauty meant fireflies blinking

in dill-smelling pickle jars.

"Innocence" will appear soon in my new origami poetry book, Communion, through the Origami Poems Project. http://www.origamipoems.com/ 

Copyright 2010 Diane Dolphin. All rights reserved. 

Diane featured in Providence Journal Poetic License Column

Tom Chandler, former RI Poet Laureate, wrote a story about my writing, and included a couple of my poems, "Recipe," and "August." I'm grateful to Tom and the Projo for the opportunity. You can read the article at this link:

http://www.projo.com/books/content/artsun-July-poem_07-05-09_G6EGD9B_v7.19c5242.html

Poem: Reprieve

Reprieve

Diane Dolphin

Dogs dozing

breeze feeling kind

daisies swaying

birds at ease, bees

not all that busy.

Dragon flies hovering by

shadows hanging low.

All of us just

breathing easy, that's all's

going on.

Sun just is.

"Reprieve" appears in No Longer Always, forthcoming from Finishing Line Press. It also appears in my origami poetry book, Big Thoughts, through the Origami Poems Project. http://www.origamipoems.com/ 


Copyright 2010 Diane Dolphin. All rights reserved. 

Poem: Earth Is Our God

Earth is our God

Diane Dolphin

Earth is our God

our body, blood, our host.

She created us to serve Her

to preserve Her life

nurture Her health

the harmonious song of

Her organs, the continents

Her womb, the oceans

Her veins, rivers and streams

Her lungs, the forests

Her breath, clouds, snow and rain

Her cells: we are Her cells

and the ants and lions

lizards and sparrows

Her consciousness, our souls.

"Earth is Our God" appears in my origami poetry book, Big Thoughts, through the Origami Poems Project. http://www.origamipoems.com/

Copyright 2010 Diane Dolphin. All rights reserved. 

No Longer Always Chapbook to be published!

I'm excited to announce that Finishing Line Press will be publishing my chapbook collection, No Longer Always. The collection is a journey through grief as one straddles the spiritual and material world. Presales of the book will run February 22nd through April 14th via Finishing Line Press's web site, http://www.finishinglinepress.com/NewReleasesandForthcomingTitles.htm

Orders placed during the presale period will receive discounted shipping.

Poem: Big Thoughts

Big Thoughts

So I was just sitting there thinking —

you know, big poet thoughts,

and I looked over at my dog who

was sitting and staring at me like

he was wondering what I was thinking.

Ziggy, are you self-actualized? I asked,

and he tilted his head and looked puzzled

so I asked again.

Are you self-actualized, Ziggy? And

his eyes got huge and he looked bewildered

like he was saying,

I don't know, am I?

"Big Thoughts" appears in my origami poetry book, Big Thoughts, published by the Origami Poems Project. http://www.origamipoems.com/

Copyright 2010 Diane Dolphin. All rights reserved.

Origami Poems Project

If you like poetry (or even if you don't think you do), check out the Origami Poems Project at http://www.origamipoems.com/ Poets (including myself) write tiny origami poetry books and the folks at Origami Poems Project distribute them at coffee houses around RI for folks to read, share, take home. You can also print the origami books from their web site.

 The cover from my origami poetry book, Big Thoughts.

The cover for my origami poetry book, Communion (coming soon).