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Happy Saturday and More News from Literary Revelations

Literary Revelations wishes you and your family a Happy Saturday.

We are thrilled to let you know that Building Sandcastles: A Book of Short Poems by C.X. Turner and James Welsh – 8 days after its launch – is still a #1 bestseller in the UK. It is not only a bestseller in Hot New Releases. It is #1 in all published haiku poetry books.

Both authors are under a pen name. We could not publicize the book the way others can. And yet we reached the sky. That’s because of those who recognize talent no matter what. That’s because of those of you who love great poetry. That’s because of those who love quality. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. This is the kind of readership we want.



Roberta Beach Jacobson Editor, Cold Moon Journal and Five Fleas (Itchy Poetry) tells us: “Building Sandcastles: A Book of Short Poems, the stunning new collection by C.X. Turner and James Welsh, is a must-have for your shelves. These thought-provoking haiku and senryu left me breathless.”


Please stay tuned for more exciting news, including news that involves our Literary Revelations poetry community.




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R.C. Thomas and his Beautiful Haiku


Literary Revelations is thrilled to bring you the poetry of a very accomplished author: R.C. Thomas. I hope you enjoy it.


BIO

R.C. Thomas resides in Plymouth, UK, with his daughter, where he received a BA in Creative Writing from Plymouth University. His first collection ‘The Strangest Thank you’ (2012), and his pamphlet ‘Zygote Poems’ (2015) were published by Cultured Llama. His poetry and haiku have appeared in journals internationally. Of creative writing publications, he edited Symmetry Pebbles, was Creative Writing Editor of Tribe, co-edited it’s sister journal Thief, and was Managing Editor of INK, Plymouth University’s creative writing journal. R.C. Thomas was selected as one of the ‘Top Creative Haiku Authors’ in Europe in 2021 and 2022; he received joint first place in the Sharpening the Green Pencil Haiku Contest 2022, first place in the Third Maya Lyubenova Haiku Contest, had a ‘Selected Haiku Submission’ in the 13th Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum English Haiku Contest and was shortlisted for the Touchstone Best Individual Poem Award. His short story, ‘My Third Wife Was Called Wendy-Ellen’ received an Honourable Mention in the Globe Soup Open Short Story Competition 2022. R.C. Is currently working on various projects, including a collection of fauna-based haiku.


winding down
around the mountain
mouflons lower horns

wave after wave
whale barnacles
steadily rise




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Sunday Feature – 4 beautiful haiku/senryu by Tina Mowrey


Literary Revelations is thrilled to bring you the poetry of Tina Mowrey. We hope you enjoy this feature.

BIO

Educator and lifelong learner, Tina spends much of her free time reading, writing, and observing the world around her. Most recently, she has been focusing on the craft of short form poetry (haiku, senryu, tanka) with original pieces published in the following journals: Mayfly, Frogpond, Presence, Wales Haiku, Modern Haiku, Trash Panda, Folk ku, Cold Moon, and Poetry Pea. Tina’s work has also appeared in several anthologies including Hidden in Childhood, To Live Here, and From One Line – If I Were A House.

In another life, Tina is a picture book author, with three books to her name and a singer/songwriter. She loves listening to music, traveling with her family, spoiling their five pets, and eating tacos. Lots of tacos!


4 haiku/senryu by Tina Mowrey

warm winds
stirring the foliage
summer’s last dance


recalling how         distant
we’ve become
desert sky


water lilies
a flight of dragonflies
tends the nursery


forest flowers
adding color
to the palette




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Sunday Feature – The Magnificent Art and Poetry of Hikari – Tanka


Tanka poems are a representative type of classical Japanese poetry with a long history. Beginning as waka, which were widely composed starting in the 7th century, today they continue to be produced by people of diverse backgrounds while retaining their ancient characteristics. In other words, tanka poems can be regarded as a valuable part of Japanese cultural heritage that are loved and enjoyed in contemporary Japan…

It can be said that social media has had a great impact on modern tanka. As a result, the traditional framework of social exclusiveness of this poetic genre from ancient times has been removed, leaving an environment where people of any social status and cultural background can easily create and read tanka and join the tanka community.

Kensuke, Koshida. “Globalization of tanka: how Twitter contributes to development of traditional Japanese poetry.” Relacje Międzykulturowe= Intercultural Relations 2 (8) (2020).

Literary Revelations is thrilled to bring you the magnificent art and tanka of Hikari, a fabulous Japanese artist. Read more about Hikari here. Some of the art that you will see in this feature is done by Hikari in collaboration with her mentor the Japanese artist Naoki Kimura. Read more about Naoki Kimura here.


Introduction to Japanese Tanka by Hikari

Tanka is one of the forms of Japanese poems consisting of 31 syllables of 5, 7, 5, 7, 7 (*a).

By comparison, Japanese haiku consists only of 17 syllables of 5, 7, 5.

◆Haiku is mostly liked to seasons. tanka is not.

◆Tanka conveys one’s feelings in more detail than haiku because of its longer form.

◆The origin of tanka is said to be around the latter half of the 7th century in Japan.


Famous Tanka Anthologies

The most famous anthologies of tanka in Japan include “Manyoshu” (*b) and “Kokin Wakashu”, as well as the “Hyakunin Isshu”, a collection of poems selected from various anthologies.

I would like to introduce one of the representative tanka in Japan.

It is composed by Lady Murasaki, who depicts “The Genji Monogatari” (*c), and has been translated in many languages around around the world.

(Japanese)めぐり会ひて 見しやそれとも わかぬ間に 雲隠れにし 夜半の月かな

“Me-Gu-Ri-A-I-Te  Mi-Shi-Ya-So-Re-To-Mo

Wa-Ka-Nu-Ma-Ni Ku-Mo-Ga-Ku-Re-Ni-Shi Yo-Wa-No-Tsu-Ki-Ka-Na”

(English translation)

“I met you, my friend, for the first time in a long time and enjoyed talking to you, but at night, you hurried home like the moon hiding in the clouds. I wonder if that was really you…”


Tanka by Hikari/painting Hikari with Naoki Kimura

I always add a tanka written by me to the painting I drew.


(Japanese)悔みても 面をかぶりて 静やかに 光待ち立つ 寛容の門

“Ku-Ya-Mi-Te-Mo Me-N-Wo-Ka-Bu-Ri-Te Shi-Zu-Ya-Ka-Ni

Hi-Ka-Ri-Ma-Chi-Ta-Tsu  Ka-N-Yo-U-No-Mo-N”

(English translation)

Even if you regret it, put on your mask and quietly wait for the light at the gate of tolerance

“la porta della Tolleranza”(*d),


Tanka and painting by Hikari

 (Japanese)残照に 今日の佳き事焼き付けて 悔い燃し進む 沖つ船みる

“Za-N-Sho-Ni Kyo-U-No-Yo-Ki-Ko-To Ya-Ki-Tsu-Ke-Te

Ku-I-Mo-Shi-Su-Su-Mu O-Ki-Tsu-Fu-Ne-Mi-Ru”

(English translation)

“In the afterglow I’m going to burn today’s good things in my heart and at the same time burn up my regret. Watching the ship sailing offshore. Moving forward to tomorrow”


Tanka and painting by Hikari

 (Japanese)花吹雪く ひかりの中で 君が舞う 世が変われども 季節が巡る

“Ha-Na-Fu-Bu-Ku Hi-Ka-Ri-No-Na-Ka-De Ki-Mi-Ga-Ma-U

Yo-Ga-Ka-Wa-Re-Do-Mo Ki-Se-Tsu-Ga-Me-Gu-Ru”

(English translation)

“Amidst the light, where cherry blossoms dance, you twirl. Though the world may change, the seasons continue to turn”

Thank you for reading.


*a  31 characters is not an absolute rule.

*b  Manyoshu is the oldest collection of poetry in Japan(Late 7th century), and includes Chinese poems and waka poems too.

*c  “The Genji Monogatari” is a story about Hikaru Genji, the main character, and the feelings of the women surrounding him. It was written around the beginning of the 11th century.

Norinaga Motoori , 18th century Japanese scholar of literature, advocated that “Genji Monogatari” is the literature at the top of “Mono no Aware,” a feeling unique to Japan.

This idea also influenced Naoki Kimura, a Fine photographic artist.

*d The main gate of the church of Santa Croce.




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Sunday Feature – Poetry by Bartholomew Barker


Literary Revelations hopes you enjoy our Sunday Feature: The Poetry of Bartholomew Barker.


BIO

Bartholomew Barker is one of the organizers of Living Poetry, a collection of poets and poetry lovers in the Triangle region of North Carolina. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, written in and about strip clubs, was published in 2013. His second, Milkshakes and Chilidogs, a chapbook of food inspired poetry was “served” in 2017. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, Bartholomew worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he makes money as a computer programmer to fund his poetry habit at bartbarkerpoet.com


Canis Redivivus!

My dog sleeps like a beach towel drying in the sun
after a vibrant afternoon throwing his tennis ball
into the lake, scaring fish and snapping gnats.

When he’s had his fill of fecund water, he collapses
onto the sand, panting, tongue drooped. I cajole
him home, where I wash the souvenir smells from his fur.

It’s the best way to get some quiet time to work
until I hear the distinctive music of his tags shaking
and he yawns into my office where I proclaim,

“Behold! Bobo Redivivus!”
He returns my wag,
ready for dinner.


I was more popular when I drove a pickup

She asked me to drop her at the airport
and I was happy to repay the favor
until I discovered it also involved
moving her out of my apartment





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Featuring English-Spanish Poetry by Gabriela Marie Milton


Dear Readers,

Thank you for your love and support. I am thrilled to let you know that next year I will publish a bilingual English-Spanish poetry book entitled Thorns that bloom/Espinas que echan flor. More about the book and how it came about later. For the moment I will share a poem I selected to include in the book entitled Seduction. Seduction was first published in English in my poetry collection Passion: Love Poems in Other Writings accompanied by an Italian translation belonging to Flavio Almerighi, a wonderful Italian poet. This time I hope you enjoy Seduction in English and Spanish.

Gabriela Marie Milton


Seduction

The rhythm of castanets awakens the moon
on opal rings your kisses spin
a cricket’s hitting a crescendo
waves tattoo dark shadows on your skin
sonority, you who vibrates the souls
of those who haunt at night the Port of Cartagena

I toss in smells of apricots and plumes
the Hand of Fatima takes off my veils
your forehead sinks into the sweat of lovers
who sever their veins
oh, dream of the unknowns,
you, latency,
the sigh of blood which flows
in spring both mud and flowers grow

didn’t you know
that when you said I love you
you stepped on roads of fables and folk tales?
you glued your heart onto a purple sunset
smells of lilac and of roses, impregnated strolls,
seduction,
it wasn’t me
it was you who stole his soul.


Seducción (Spanish Translation)

El ritmo de las castañuelas despierta a la luna,
sobre anillos de ópalo giran tus besos,
un grillo se marca un crescendo
las olas tatúan oscuras sombras sobre tu piel;
sonoridad, tú que haces vibrar las almas
de aquellos que rondan de noche
el Puerto de Cartagena.

Me balanceo entre olores de albaricoque y ciruela,
la mano de Fátima retira mis velos,
tu frente se hunde en el sudor de los amantes
que inflaman sus venas.
¡Oh! amor de desconocidos,
tú, latencia,
suspiro de sangre
que fluye en primavera
alimentando tanto flores como tierra

¿No sabías
que al decir te quiero
te adentraste en senderos
de fábulas y cuentos?
tu corazón quedó prendado de un atardecer púrpura
impregnado de aromas a lilas y a rosas;
paseos,
seducción,
vosotros robasteis su alma,
no fui yo.




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Tan-Renga by Christina Chin and Uchechukwu Onyedikam


Literary Revelations is thrilled to bring you the poetry of Christina Chin and Uchechukwu Onyedikam. Together they wrote two excellent Japanese Tan-Renga.


BIOS

Uchechukwu Onyedikam is a Nigerian creative artist based in Lagos, Nigeria. His poems have appeared in Amsterdam Quarterly, Brittle Paper, Poetic Africa, Hood Communists and in print anthologies. He and Christina Chin co-authored Pouring Light on the Hills (2022).

Christina Chin is a painter and haiku poet from Malaysia. She is a four-time recipient of the top 100 in the DAC Summit Contests, exhibited at the Palo Alto Art Center, California. She is also the 1st prize winner of the 34th Annual Cherry Blossom Sakura Festival Haiku Contest (2020).


Tan-Renga

the dull midnight star
a trailer to the homestead
mother lay still breathless
the solemn departure
of the village babu

Uchechukwu Onyedikam/Christina Chin


the young boy
clings to her lifeless body
screams above the breath
a scene of loss
family mourning


Christina Chin/Uchechukwu Onyedikam




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A Different Monday at Literary Revelations – Dark Fantasy – The Poetry of Spyder Collins


BIO

Spyder is a simple wraith that spins odd and fantastic tales of horror and dark fantasy. As well, his web has been known to spawn melancholy and sometimes horrific poetry. Spyder dwells at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean or at times in the Rocky Mountains. No matter where he may be, rest assured darkness accompanies his adventures. Publishing credit of his work can be found at: Quill and Crow Publishing and Hellbound Books.


In Her

In her
I’ve found the comfort of silence
the crisp autumn air
& the ocean’s tide
she is my twilight
the warmth of a blanket of stars
where I can curl up
& simply be
no need for wasted words
to say that which is known
but always room for tenderness
inviting arms that soothe
she warms my heart
& brightens my soul
I have found
where I belong
with her


Fate’s Unholy Grave

Grave the fate of the desirous
Call devotion moderna, blind lust
Cardinal, your sin lies upon avarice
The hymns of angels are cancerous

Tout your glutton-like holy charms
Spite humanity no matter whom it harms
Light the wanting with candle fire
Lust for greed stakes the saints on the pyre

Quiet, you sulk as the glow fades
Upon the black mass altar, your soul is laid
Death weaves your flesh like lattice bone
& eternity burns beneath tears to atone

Deaf are the ears of light & divinity
Cast your essence to the fiery sea
This fate of greed’s overreaching sin
Hush now your cries lost to the sinking din


featured image provided by the author


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The Poetry of Dawn Pisturino


Literary Revelations is thrilled to feature the poetry of Dawn Pisturino. We hope you enjoy it.

Bio:

Dawn Pisturino is a retired nurse in Arizona whose publishing credits include poems, limericks, short stories, and articles. Her poetry has appeared in several anthologies, most recently in Hidden in Childhood: A Poetry Anthology, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women, and the 2023 Arizona Literary Magazine. She is a Mystery Writers of America and Arizona Authors Association member.


You and I

PEOPLE
can only take
so much pain
and trauma
until they shut down
and tune out
and wish it all away.

YOU
never understood
how much pain
you caused
to others.

You died.
And so, we parted,
never really knowing one another.
How sad!


The Old Man at the Piano

His wrinkled fingers
lovingly touched
the yellowed keys
of the battered upright

and he began to play
a sentimental song from long ago
when Julie danced
and Helen sang
and Lola sat beside him on the bench
pounding a playful duet.
The war was raging then
and at night the sirens blared
calling the people of the city
into underground hiding.
They clung to each other in the dark
while bombs exploded
and buildings collapsed
and smoke filled the war-torn city.
We have to live! We have to survive!
they cried in their hearts
not knowing if their houses
remained intact
not knowing if there was anything left
but memories
scattered pieces
of treasured greeting cards
postcards
and faded photographs.
In the morning
the light would come

shining through the darkness
and the wind would blow
driving away the smoke
and they congratulated one another
on surviving another day.


While reading Dawn’s wonderful poetry please do not forget to check out our most recent release, Building Sandcastles: A Book of Short Poems by C.X. Turner and James Welsh. The book is still a bestseller in several markets in New Hot Releases [including the US]. On August 13 Building Sandcastles was featured as the #1 bestselling haiku book in the UK.



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Building Sandcastles is now #1 and #2 in the US market and #1 in the UK and Canada


Literary Revelations is thrilled to let you know that Building Sandcastles: A Book of Short Poems by C.X. Turner and James Welsh is now #1 and #2 in the US market [New Releases – Haiku and Japanese Poetry] and #1 in the UK and Canada. I am thrilled to be the publisher of this book. Thank you to those who help us.


Here is one of the reviews that the book has already received.


Please check out the book below.

Thank you.




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