Poetry Friday – Rumi & More!
One of the nicest things about being a part of the Poetry Friday community is that it doesn’t matter if you drop out of the loop for a while and then step back in with a fresh post weeks or even months later. Poetry lovers are always welcome. But that mean getting back into the habit is easy. This poem from Rumi reminds me that the first step to anything is just to start.
Begin
This is now. Now is,
all there is. Don’t wait for Then;
strike the spark, light the fire.
Sit at the Beloved’s table,
feast with gusto, drink your fill
then dance
the way branches
of jasmine and cypress
dance in a spring wind.
The green earth
is your cloth;
tailor your robe
with dignity and grace.
~Rumi
To be honest, beginning is something I’m pretty good at. It’s that finishing of things that often gives me trouble. One of my newest beginnings was setting up Poppiness, a shop on Etsy to offer my nature photographs and greeting cards for sale. Funny thing about trying to sell photographs and art, it’s just as intimidating as facing the blank page for a new poem or novel. Luckily I discovered I am not the only poet/writer/artist. My first day on Etsy I reconnected with the lovely and talented Robyn Hood Black who has a delightful Etsy shop of her own, artsyletters, which features many wonderful gifts for literary lovers. This week Robyn is also offering a fun giveaway over on her art blog Art Break Wednesday. All you have to do is leave a comment on her blog for your chance to win a cute little portable light to help you create your next masterpiece during those long, late, and oh-so-dark nights.
To celebrate Poetry Friday and the opening of my new shop, and well, lets just celebrate the fact poetry lovers are some of the nicest people you ever want to meet, Robyn and I are both offering a Poetry Friday discount for holiday shopping. From now through Dec. 31, just visit either of our shops – Poppiness or artsyletters – and type in the Coupon Code: PF2012 for a 10 percent discount! You can also find us on Twitter @poppiness, @susanwrites, and @artsyletters or “like” our Facebook pages, Poppiness on Facebook and artsyletters on Facebook.
But wait, there’s more! To help me celebrate even more, Robyn is sharing some of my hummingbird poetry on her blog for Poetry Friday.
Anastasia has the complete Poetry Friday round up.
Original art by Susan Taylor Brown
Welcome back! And thanks for the discount at your (and Robyn’s) site! I’ll be doing some shopping this week! When I need a break, I’ll read some more Rumi. I do love him…
Thanks for stopping by, Mary Lee. Rumi is a comfy blanket for me, like my fuzzy slippers. I can count on him to help me feel better.
Looking forward to creating something for you.
What beautiful Etsy stores! Thanks for the Rumi, too.
Thanks for the kind words, Ruth.
Thanks Susan, I’m late tonight because I was at a conference. I love Robyn’s shop & am excited to see what you have, too. Thanks for all of this-I have trouble starting too-sometimes just have to give myself a lecture-get up & do it!
Linda, I’m so glad you had a chance to pop by. That getting up and getting started is just the hardest thing for me. Thanks for the kind words.
Loved your hummingbird poems on RHB’s blog and checked out your Etsy shop. Wow – those photos are gorgeous!!
Thanks so much, Violet, for stopping by here and Robyn’s blog and the Etsy shop. I appreciate the kind words.
YAY for you – welcome back to the blogosphere! Loving Poppiness and your esty shop! And thank you for sharing the Rumi poem – exactly what I needed right now. xo
Glad the poem spoke to you, as it did me. We’ll cheer each other onward!
Thank you. It was just what I needed right now, too and since we are so much alike. . .
“Begin
This is now. Now is,
all there is.”
Love this! So glad you came back to Poetry Friday on my hosting day, Susan!
Thanks for stopping by, Anastasia and thanks again, not just for hosting, but for the tremendous effort you continually put forth for the Kidlit world.
Hi, Susan. I have been reading “The Essential Rumi,” edited by Coleman Barks. “Now is all there is” is also a big theme in Eckhart Tolle’s discussions. Fascinating.
Best of luck to you with your shop. Thanks for giving us a way to “shop local” over the holidays!
Laura, I think I need to pick up “The Essential Rumi,” as I realized many of the writings/poems I had saved were from that collection. I am trying so hard to learn the importance of NOW but it is hard! Thanks for stopping by.
What a lovely choice of poems after a little Poetry Friday break, Susan! Rumi always reminds us to live in the moment.
It’s been wonderful sharing this new Etsy adventure with you – your work is stunning and reminds us to live in the moment, too. :0)
Robyn, thanks for being my buddy with the Etsy fun. It really helps being able to share ideas and encourage each other. I love the idea that my photographs help people live in the moment. Thank you!
Love Rumi — thanks for that moment of beauty!
Congrats on your new Etsy Shop — I was just thinking how wonderful it is to see you discover a passion for nature photography — and for you to get so good at it in such a short period of time. You’ve been able to touch and inspire so many people already with your pictures, and no doubt this form of creative expression nourishes all the other parts of your life and work.
Thanks for the visit, Jama. Honestly, I almost always think of you within seconds of thinking of Poetry Friday, you’ve become so braided in my mind. Thinking about your generous spirit of sharing has really helped me keep that same goal in front of my eyes and try to think of ways that I could make it more a part of my own life. I am loving the way I have found to share my photos and get the feedback I so often crave and now being able to share the photos so people can actually have them in the hands, it feels odd but in a good way.
Next up for me will be combining my writing and my photographs. I hope.