Just Laugh

Just Laugh is a collection of poems and prose that were inspired by loneliness, acceptance, love, and faith. Often, when we find ourselves feeling alienated by the world, solace can be found in sharing our experiences with others, and Just Laugh is my tribute to those who seek to know themselves better throughout the journey of life.

Zion and Me

‘Zion’ is an imaginary place of peace, happiness, and victory. It has been my life’s ambition and pursuit. It has been a dream. An unattainable dream. Since Adam bit the poison apple in the Garden of Eden, mankind has been under a curse – to work at the sweat of his brow for his bread. This causes all of humanity to moan in existential pain. We long for meaning and for love.

Originally, ‘Zion’ was the hill in Jerusalem upon which Solomon built his temple. Zion since then, has come to mean the holy city. Zion is the party, should there ever be one after the defeat of evil in the apocalypse. To me, it is something to hope for, to strive for. However, as life’s problems obstruct the attainment of such a state, we begin to sink into complacency and misery. There’s poverty, heartbreak, and people who want to put you in a cage. After all that - you die.

Zion and Me is divided into three parts. ‘Haphazard Lines’ is mostly Biblical as I had recently converted to Christianity, and includes some speculation on the divine. ‘This Lovely Day’ is more secular and reflects again on life’s melancholia among other lessons to be learned. Finally, ‘Love Poems’ is self-explanatory and concerns various concepts related to love like longing and sadness. Zion and Me is an attempt to explain the ambiguity that goes with the necessity of discovering life’s secrets and to gain insight and wisdom.

You in Me

You in Me chronicles my journey of healing, learning, and growth from the small Caribbean Island of Dominica to Canada and recognizes the many misunderstandings encountered along the way. Such misunderstandings could keep us perpetually stuck in limiting beliefs and prohibit our progression to a more productive and enjoyable life.

When a change of course in life is desired in order to accommodate a more successful integration in a fast-developing society, it is imperative that these misunderstandings be faced with probing questions as to why they occur and our participation and contributing factors in causing them.

Our participation may sometimes be mainly unconscious, making the cause difficult to detect. The effect of and on behavior is a good indicator that something is amiss and may need some mode of adjustment.

We all share that commonality in unconscious behavior, and the poetry You in Me speaks to the reconciliation of relationships with oneself, others and more importantly, the spirit, which gives fervor and strength to drive the unknown to awareness. When brought to the light of day, misunderstandings may be examined for deeper reasons and meanings, and by the grace of the ever-present spirit, we may be renewed and replenished. A conscious effort is required to bring about these restorations, and You in Me addresses some of these reconciliations. Therefore, with passion, creativity, and sensitivity, I invite you to join me on this engaging adventure of self-discovery and evolution, which sheds some light on a hopeful and brilliant tomorrow.

Lorraine J. Dorival

Writers, Like Hats

Writers, Like Hats begins with an ode and ends with a philosophical message from one of my students; in between is a variety of genres for enjoyment and meditation. Three sections explore the natural world, the world outside, and the world inside. In the appendix, readers find instructions for writing riddles, sonnets, and celebrations of self, as well as samples from students. I invite you to enjoy the music and magic of poetry that lifts us to new heights in Writers, Like Hats.

“Trish Frech’s untrammeled poetic style opens to the reader her deep attachments to Nature, her concerns for the world and its people, and her insights into her own Life. But it is more than that: many readers will savor the vivid images, carefully turned phrases, and playfulness of her poetry. Teachers of poetry, moreover, will find not only rich material to share with students but in the Appendix four ready to use methods (with student samples) for creating poetry itself. Frech’s insights into her on life’s arc and into momentous questions of our times are offset and [made pleasurable] by her simplicity of phrase, colorful wording, and frequent evocation of Nature.”

Review of the final manuscript from Gordon B. Donaldson, Jr., Professor Emeritus at the University of Maine.

Wolves with Furniture

Is the true nature of the human creature more akin to that of wolves or closer to bees or ants? What parts of the human soul are sacrificed by choosing a modern life in a crowded city-hive, an existence severed from the balance of Nature? Do wild wolves have a better sense of humanity than humans themselves?

These are only a few of the questions pondered in L.M. Reid’s poetry collection Wolves With Furniture, in which every intense poem is woven into the stories of Lupa the Wolf Queen and a vibrant girl born unlucky, who grows into a woman carrying within her the towering fury of a flame-haired Lilith.

Will she shatter herself against her own bitter rage, or choose to live a harmonious life guided by the just laws of the wolf? By turns poignant, thought-provoking and redemptive, Wolves With Furniture explores new depths of what it means to be human.

Winter Afternoon and Other Poems

The TV shows images of heads without bodies and babies wandering the streets all night... Just before sunrise, his blind eyes shine brighter than the sky, illuminated only by memory... The sudden, enveloping embrace of darkness is creamy in its softness, making you marvel at the world's perfection... Daring children to be young, sharing lunch with someone I once loved... Trust betrayed, messages relayed, bets hedged... Gracie lost herself again; her daughter found her in the basement with the photos... A bird twitters away the summers in a movie's belfry... Shriveled worse than a museum fetus drowning in formaldehyde... Pray the boy will learn to read before he learns to kill... The pizza guy slips a homeless man a few quarters... Moonlight bike rides along the river, conversations with the cat... If I touch the sky, how will I know... A glimpse of heaven through the kitchen window... Because no one can speak the sacred word, and no one knows more than they should...

What the "#x@+" is he 'saying'? ... Read on!

Why

Have you ever wondered why?

It is my pleasure to share this debut collection of poetry. Words are escapes. Each poem is powerful. Brave. My own creation. A work of delight. Rich. Playful. Sometimes fragile. Erotic love alive to the world. Dizzying. Tangled. Some written as a young girl. Some homeless. Some in love. Institutionalized. I write you with the love of life. With confidence. The sparkle and glitter of poetry. A rare wine. A fortune. An expose of lifeblood. And a passionate love affair.

I leave these poems in your hands. Here is my poetry in motion. This is why.

What Do You Think?

As a physician I frequently have to search for a diagnosis which will account for most, or hopefully all, of a patient’s problems. So when I consider a question related to politics, religion or philosophy, I look for an answer that will help us to understand the known facts.

When you read these poems, I don’t expect that you will necessarily agree with the conclusions but hope that you will be stimulated to ask, ‘What do I think?’ and, maybe of more importance, ‘Why do I think so?’

The interpretations will be a product of age, gender, culture, race, nationality, politics, education and religious beliefs or lack of them. It is hardly surprising that our responses may differ. I frequently apply the following quotation from Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), the Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland, to my own thoughts:

“I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken.”
– Letter to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (8/3/1650).

We The People

Joanne S. Duffin’s poetry is a captivating fusion of the personal and the universal, delving into the depths of the human experience. Her verses touch upon matters of the heart, offer insightful observations of the world, and fearlessly tackle the pressing issues of our time, both within the United States of America and on a global scale.

As you turn the pages, you’ll find yourself immersed in the wonders and interpretations of the natural world, the joys of family, the treasure of discovered love, the journey of self-discovery, philosophical musings, political commentary, patriotic reflections, and the pursuit of justice. Duffin’s poetry also explores the complexities of friendship, the pain of loss, and the inevitability of death.

This groundbreaking work of fiction will captivate your mind as you traverse space and time alongside the author, who fearlessly delves into the very essence of self-expression. Throughout her poetry, Duffin never loses sight of the profound impact and influence of the past, acknowledging the experiences that have shaped her as both a writer and a human being.

Embark on this transformative literary journey with Joanne S. Duffin, and allow her unique voice to guide you through a landscape of beauty, understanding, and introspection, as her thoughts and words weave a tapestry of the human condition.

We Are All Equal in Ink

The day after his retirement, Chris suffered a haemorrhagic stroke that paralyzed the right side of his body. The language area of his brain was the most affected, depriving him of speech. To regain his most valued skill – to express himself with the written and spoken word – he had to begin again, re-learning words and their meanings, and to write using his left hand. His urge to use language as before was so strong that he was able to recover little by little what the stroke had cruelly taken away. It took two years until his abilities improved enough to be seated in his wheelchair to read and write. He never felt impeded by his disability. With a tape recorder, a notebook, and a typewriter, Chris picked up where he had left off – his inspiration awakened anew.

Waifs and Strays

These are short stories presented in poetic form. The cadence of poetry lends air and space to a story and heightens anticipation. There is war, loss, love and redemption in this work.

Accompanying these poems are some gritty short stories with twists as unexpected as a Twilight Zone episode. They are at times stark and unforgiving.

Vulnerable

Take a moment to reflect on relationships past and present and what they may have taught you. What you thought you wanted and wished for, to the moment when you realized you should have been more specific in your requests. This is a journey of reflection, release, and re-directing focus, from what is wanted to what is needed. That need and want from not only someone else but also yourself. Follow the story of five relationships – The Good, The Bad, and The Fling. Told through short stories and poems, these stories and poems, will not only help you discover some things about yourself but also help you discover what you may have lost searching for your comfort in someone else. Sometimes what you really need has been there all along, just waiting on you to be ready, waiting on you to finally release that baggage of your past and deal with some things you were scared to look at within yourself.