1

The Solace of

Nature

An International Anthology of

Poetry

2

The Solace of Nature, Anthology of poetry/ © copyright 2013 All Rights Reserved.

American language and English language.

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication

may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in

any form by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise)

without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher. The scanning,

uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via other means, without the

permission of the author and the publisher is illegal. Please purchase only authorized

electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrightable

materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated. The authors of this book retain

sole copyright to their contributions to this book, and are solely responsible for their own

content and the right to publish their material. Publication in this book does not prohibit their

right to publish the same work elsewhere.

Book editing (copy editing, line editing, rewriting, developmental editing, stylistic editing),

proofreading, manuscript evaluation and ghostwriting by AutoCrit, Pro Writing Aid and Turnitin.

3

‘The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or

unhappy is

to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet,

alone

with the heavens, nature and God.

Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be

and

that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple

beauty of nature. I firmly believe that nature brings

solace

in all troubles.’

- Anne Frank

4

Index of Authors:

1.Marieta Maglas Page 5

2. Ajay Ajmera Page 8

3. Anita Sehgal Page 10

4. Ndaba Sibanda Page 14

5. Alejandro Medellin Page 16

6. Bibhakar Dutta Page 20

7. Echezonachukwu Nduka Page 23

8. Mariah Jolliff Page 28

5

Marieta Maglas

Born in Romania, the poetess Marieta Maglas

studied at the University of Medicine in Cluj-

Napoca (1982-1987). Her poetry was published

on different English literary magazines like

Ezine Articles, Velvetillusion (Alabama)

,Articlebase, Allvoices’’, German Trans , The

Secret (la Revista), International Festival of

Poetry in Vancouver ,Canada,on April 2013,

FWM Magazine and many others.

'I think it annoys God if you walk by the color purple in a field

and don't notice.'

- Alice Walker

From "The Color Purple"

Autumn's Grace

The autumn’s dream may keep its dying grace

With flecks of bleeding leaves dressed in yellow.

The cold wind's scorch may wither the green space

The sweet fruits a bit more need to mellow.

And autumn’s tear on every leaf perceives

The cold wind, which scorches green so cruelly,

Till glass fleck shade of bleeding yellow leaves

The wet world to meet its ground so coolly.

And autumn’s red may silence the bird’s voice,

When shivers of the tree the rain embrace,

6

And nature's hide having no other choice.

The winter slowly comes showing her face.

Spring (Double Rondelet Triolet)

With a deep touch,

The red poppy awakes the grass.

With a deep touch,

Red wants green's vibration so much,

The sun awakes the sky's watch glass.

The sky vibrates like a string bass

With a deep touch.

The red flowers bloom in the spring,

When the time of the green grass comes.

The sky vibrates like a bass string.

The red flowers bloom in the spring.

I see the nature's purest swing.

The wind searches his bongo drums.

The red flowers bloom in the spring,

When the time of the green grass comes.

I see His love

Like a white lily among thorns.

7

I see His love

Like in clefts of the rock, a dove.

When red flower its grass adorns,

And her dead winter, spring mourns,

I see His love.

Shadows are inlaid in color,

When red poppy awakes the grass.

Land becomes a multicolor,

Shadows are inlaid in color.

When the cuckoo is a caller,

The sun awakes the sky's watch glass.

Shadows are inlaid in color

When red poppy awakes the grass.

8

Ajay Ajmera

I was born and raised in NC, USA and am

currently a freshman at East Carolina

University, in Greenville, NC. I aspire to

become a medical doctor.

'In my garden, after a rainfall, you can faintly, yes, hear the

breaking of new blooms.'

- Truman Capote

A Day Away

Sponge, soak me up

from the sweetest, crystal clear,

breathing in the fresh, salty, air

inhale exhale

inhale exhale

stopping

ever so softly

so pleasantly abrupt,

gazing into the horizon

and slowing down

to take in... inhale

this sweet pause. Exhale

9

A Cup of Tea

What is

the

anthropomorphic

personification of

your

artistic soul?

Immerse

me

in the

gently

flowing ocean

of your secret

epithet.

10

Anita Sehgal

My interest in poetry has been a fallout of my

inclination towards spirituality. It has

introduced me to the awareness of the softer

side of life. As a former banker and with

involvement in the financial markets there was

little that motivated me towards poetry. I am

thankful that my thoughts on the phenomena

called life have had the opportunity to

manifest.

'Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must

carry it with us or we find it not.'

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Life

Life has shut its doors on me.

However, hard I pound and knock.

It does not respond.

I long to reach out to the joys and the smiles of life,

But they are not for me.

My mind space is filled with desperation,

the spirit is dejected.

I live in my head.

Thoughts weave a tight net grasping me firmly.

How can I empty my cup to refill it with life?

I know life exists for I have had glimpses of it.

The warm inviting rays of the sun peeping through the canopy of the trees,

the cool soothing feel of the water running through my fingers,

the wind softly rustling through the leaves,

11

the clouds floating without a care in the blue and the

brilliant beckoning hues in the evening sky.

In these moments everything stopped …

And I had a glimpse of LIFE.

Little by little, the knots in my heart melted.

I reached out…

Moved out of my head into my heart.

And felt and felt.

Life crept in slowly.

That sense of wonder,

which I had lost, made its way back.

The blood pulsating in my veins made me feel alive again.

The miracle of life itself enveloped me in its magic …

Life invited and said, 'Trust.., come live once more …

Cast aside your burdens for I shall take care of you'.

Himalayan Bride

Resplendent in its snow-capped glory,

Stands the tallest peak

untouched.

Thinly veiled by the floating crowd,

12

Its fine silhouettes barely outlined.

Like a shy bride

Awaiting a lover.

The golden orb lifts the veil with a touch of his gentle rays.

-

Nature

I stand at the edge

of the cluster,

And watch with bated breath the spaces between leaves,

For they seem to hold a secret.

So tight, divine and sacred

Thick with the silence

Of the mystery of existence,

I dare not step in to disturb nature,

Offerings its prayers to the Almighty!

13

RAPED

The dry river beds

where once were meandering rivers.

Water marks remain

where once were waterfalls.

Naked mountains cover their shame with a clump of trees,

Mounds of garbage' replace the verdant green

gaping wounds on hammered mountains.

Why bewail when nature retaliates?

14

Ndaba Sibanda

Sibanda is a Zimbabwean-born writer. He hails

from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe`s second largest

city. He is one of the most prolific poets to

emerge from that Southern African country.

A former National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA)

nominee, Ndaba’s poems, essays and short

stories have been published in Africa and the

US. His latest anthology, The Dead Must Be

Sobbing was published in March 2013.

He lives in Saudi Arabia.

‘The rich fire of the orange sunset gloriously announces the

coming night.’

- Susan S. Florence

Nature is Life

I like to take a walk into the forest each time l visit the countryside.

I immerse into its thickness, and feel the awesomeness

of Mother Nature.

The proximity to undiluted life intoxicates my body

I lend an ear as birds sing their happy harmonies

in their charming and chirping way.

Those harmonies make love to my eardrums.

The reptiles wow me to no end as they

15

wiggle in their amazing way

to their homesteads.

I marvel at the beauty

of vegetation,

And I condemn

any deforestation.

No Leap but a Grip

You got me

exploding and imploding.

I seek no freaking fun.

I bet l have to fondle

those breasts till they

spurt out something milky,

ripple those tender lips till

they sing something speechless,

caress those cheeks till

tears of joy cascade down.

Your face, your body and water your hot heart

with my raging flood of affections

surely, a little - yes, little romance

cannot be dominance.

You got me crimping with your grip

my heart is experiencing a little leap.

16

Alejandro Medellin

My name is Alejandro; I am a sophomore at

the University of North Texas with a major in

journalism. I am 19 years old and I am from

Brownsville Texas. Poetry has been on my

passions for about two years now, and I

although I am young, I would like to think that

I am getting better at what I do. I love poetry

but have no plans to make it my career. I just

enjoy writing about what I am going through,

and I like to think that honesty is my goal. I

strive not to educate but to explain the things

in life that are horrible or beautiful. I'm just a

scribe searching for the truth.

'Nature is the art of God.'

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Poem of All of Us

Human are dreamers,

Sad little believers,

Liars and cheaters,

Hypocritical sinners;

9 am dinners.

Some are born leaders;

Others are readers,

Who prefer well written stories,

And like to bask in their glories,

Failures and goals,

Lovers and foes.

They say life is real.

It's a hard fruit to peel.

Even tougher to swallow,

Humans are callow,

Trusting and tasteless,

Hiding in screens to seem faceless,

17

Flawed to the bones,

Harder than stones.

But inside, we are brittle,

We achieve so little,

And fail so great.

However that is fine,

We forget with white wine,

Or old Scottish whiskey.

Life is too short, not to be risky.

We fall if we must, but we rise again stronger.

Days won't get longer,

Our years won't be many.

So, spend every penny,

And live every minute.

Don't squander, and kill it.

Why leave with regret?

Live in a story, no one will forget.

The Moon Also Sets

Have you ever stayed up till sunrise?

When the sun high fives the sky.

It seems like a surprise,

Or maybe a lie.

Don't you wish to fly,

and to touch the clouds with the tips

On your fingers?

18

It is like when you kiss lips,

And the sweetness just lingers.

But still you are stuck,

And hungry to live.

Try your luck.

But, I believe,

That this is meant,

when you trip on stones,

And land on cement.

Have you ever filled your lungs

with joy instead of air?

You climb these rungs,

But you don't know where

damn it’s tough

to be content,

or to love,

And not repent.

The actions, which you choose

To live without hate,

And to be close,

But not to be late,

To those times

Those are worth pictures.

I chose rhymes,

19

And I ignored scriptures.

I am sure you haven't dealt,

With problems right away.

And I know you felt,

The price you had to pay.

You live and learn,

Or die and forget,

To always burn,

What you regret.

The game of life,

Is not so simple.

Like thrusting a knife,

Inside your pimple.

Are you that weak person?

Just be strong.

Yes, it is bleak,

But life is long.

20

Bibhakar Dutta

Studying English literature. Graphic designer,

2D, 3D animation expert, social worker and a

politician as well. I am a man of simple lifestyle.

I always try to remove poverty and class system

from my society because all are equaled (poor

or rich). We need equal distribution of wealth in

society as we all need fresh air for health, and a

good systemic lead for wealth. I am spiritual

and always curious to know more about

divinity....

'We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our

understandings and our hearts.'

- William Hazlett

I Have Left the Door of Glory and Praise

I have left the door of glory and praise.

I just think of my memoirs.

I have just got a meed.

Yes, my name has been chosen from the heap of hatred

But, I want to be a suitor for those poor-houses.

I want to share their agony.

I know their untamed indignation,

Because they live in indignity.

I am now an indissoluble part of such community.

I have no regard for my individuality.

I want to share your pang,

When you miss your betrayer.

Lose all, and release your suspense.

This world is beautiful, and we need not to squabble.

21

Spurn all spurious bonds.

These are the causes of scourge.

These are scorching.

We have to sustain…

We shall earn the self-consciousness.

So, I have left the hall of recompense.

I have left the door of glory and false praise.

Purity

Tears drop from my eyes.

Shall I compare it with a dew-drop?

A dew-drop!

It is a refresher.

It gives strength to our mind,

It brings a new feeling.

When I see it, I forget my missing.

Have you any doubt for its purity?

But the drops shedding from my eyes also says, “I am pure, watch it,

think it, and feel it."

Yes, grief is the part a mournful fellow tortured by a tormentor.

I can smell its flavor.

A mild heart exposes its righteousness by these drops of tear.

Now, I have learned to sacrifice

as I am a human being not a device.

I have feelings.

Yes, now, I can see something more into a dew-drop.

22

I can meditate the similarity

among tears and dew-drops.

I understand the purity.

I am not a pursuivant of misanthropy.

23

Echezonachukwu Nduka

ECHEZONACHUKWU NDUKA: Nigerian writer,

poet, playwright, classical musician and

musicologist. Born in 1989, he has

distinguished himself in classical music

performance as a fine classical concert pianist

and organist. Very prolific, he has authored

over eighty poems and is widely published on

several internet poetry blogs, sites and

magazines. He has been described by critics as

a poet with a height of inspiration. He

presently lectures at the department of music

in Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education,

Owerri, and Imo State, Nigeria.

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from

MTN

'The ocean . . . cold and wild the surf, rushing in to overwhelm

the beach, the wind, stinging my cheeks, enveloping me

in total freedom.'

- Scott Holman

Goodbye to Sorrow, Welcome to 'Morrow

Goodbye to sorrow, welcome

to 'morrow.

For thine dooms day brought

great toil.

So, from eternal source of joy

we borrow

Our penchant for peace on

our soil.

We bade farewell to your

long servitude,

Which kept us all on all

24

our toes.

Thus, changing our age-long

preserved attitude

For you, we drank the cup

of our foes.

Now on our faces, tears of

joy roll

They wash away all clear

sinister marks,

Which you embedded to play

your role.

Thus, we carried our sorrows in

huge sacks.

What way the evil can lie in

your mind?

That for all men so mighty

and brave;

To us you sent your sorrow

to find,

And they sought to send us

to our graves.

Now, my heart shall be

25

peaceful forever,

For we, now, bade goodbye to

your sorrow,

And thus, we welcome a

blissful 'morrow,

Which shall calm our

minds forever!

Farewell to Love

Of all the love I have

ever known,

All the kisses decorating

my lips,

Yours are the truest of all has

clearly shown,

More beauty than all fine

dancing hips.

But now, like distant clouds

running to nowhere,

Like a troubled troubadour

chasing dark clouds,

Your love has taken to her

26

heels in defiance.

Farewell to love my heart

is locked.

If like all troubadours

I sing and dance;

If like all true scholars

I read and write;

Why should your love jettison

my poor heart?

Farewell to love my heart

is locked.

I have turned my eyes

away.

My heart has gone so much

astray

Like lost sheep wandering in

the wild.

No more shall my feelings

be mild.

Cupids flying past my

scary window

stopped to sing some

27

songs of sorrow.

For your sake, they took off

with the wind.

Farewell to love my heart

is locked.

Tell this tale to tiny

tailors,

For the love-suit they make

is fake!

Let them make winter-coats

for sailors,

For fine love-suit, I shall myself

make.

Shall my heart ever love

again?

Shall cupids arrow pierce my

heart?

For your sake, I’ll fly away from

Love.

Farewell to love my heart is locked.

28

Mariah Jolliff

My name is MARIAH JOLLIFF; I am 19 years old

born in Chicago but lives in Texas. I'm enrolled

right now in Ctc College working on my degree.

I’ve been writing poetry since i was in 8th

grade and i hope my poetry can relate to

several others in life.

'How easy and simple it is to live enjoyably when the simple,

interminable blue of the sky, with its long wisps of white

clouds, become a pleasant thing to behold, a thing of

beauty that thrills you every time you care to look skyward.'

- John Schindler

On A Rainy Day

On a rainy day for me,

It’s like everything

comes out,

All the pain and the

tears.

I just wish sometimes

The story of my life

was different.

29

Rainy days like this the

tears never stop.

No matter how many

times you wipe your

face.

The tears seem to

never fade away.

Blemishes I carry over

my heart.

Millions of them stuck

in one spot.

It’s a sign of hurt that's

not going anywhere.

Deep down inside my

heart, is slowly fading

away.

On a rainy day like this,

it feels like my whole

life disappearing my

way.

No family, no friends

just me all alone

Rainy tears still here

after all the praying

I've done.

30

Sometimes, just feel

like nothing could work,

But people always say

"Mariah never gives up"

I try my best to follow

these words,

But something always

seems to step in the

way.

I just wish, sometimes,

things would go my

way.

Maybe all this pain

cause me to be off

track,

Or maybe there is

something that can

make it leave my heart,

and never come back.

I try to be strong, but

rain just falls down

Each and every day on

my knees.

With my hands

together ,

31

I pray on this rainy day

That the pain and the

tears would wash away.

LATELY

Lately, my mind been so gone,

My heart been so cold,

The stress through my body

Taking each breath slowly,

It is only so much I can hold!

I just want to be left alone.

Nobody understands me.

I have felt so down

Hurting like crazy.

Nobody is there! Nobody is to be found!

I could keep trying to push through,

But my heart cannot take anymore.

I do not know what else to do.

I lean-to reach to the nearest person to me,

But they always seem to be busy.

I guess that is hard for them to see,

32

But what I watch.

It hurts me more than what I can bear

& I smile in y’all face

Just to hide it all away.

I wanted to be someone one day,

But my life was not meant to go that way.

Now, y’all see! Here is my life!

& so, y’all know this wasn't always me.

YOU

Where should I start

21 years knowing you?

I can really say you got a good heart.

We can talk about anything,

And you do nothing, but put a smile on my face.

The things you do! The things you say!

Your sexy voice, I love it that way

The naughty thoughts on my mind.

You just do not know, you one of a kind!

The way you dress so clean,

33

The scent of your clothes

Damn! Boo…

You got to understand what I mean.

I bull*****you not,

And this is not a game.

Now you tell me, if you are feeling the same!

34

Editors :AutoCrit , Pro Writing Aid and Turnitin

Copyright:

Registration date:

August 27, 2013 - 08:54 AM

Copyright number:

S2CB-2QRX-UA4V-J9F6

Fingerprint:

baa09a9adc05de44bab055fe71b606b5ac43aa5e23469d51b2b64ef14874f4ba

Title:

The Solace of Nature

Description:

An anthology of poetry about nature.

Category:

Poetry

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.copyrighted.com/copyrights/view/s2cb-2qrx-ua4v-

j9f6"><img border="0" alt="Copyrighted.com Registered &amp; Protected

S2CB-2QRX-UA4V-J9F6" title="Copyrighted.com Registered &amp; Protected

S2CB-2QRX-UA4V-J9F6" width="150" height="40"

src="http://static.copyrighted.com/images/seal.gif" /></a>