#NationalPoetryMonth: Diary of A Romantica by Celia Martinez Review

If you are anything like me, you read poetry to feel something. To feel sad, to feel angry, to resonate with the feeling of heartbreak expressed in a piece. Rarely ever, do I find romantic poetry a genre that I vibe with these days. That is until I happened upon a poet climbing the social media ranks named Celia Martinez.

What struck me most was the absolute effortless delivery with which Martinez delivers her poems, almost like she’s just saying what first comes to mind, and in terms of poetry and the complexity of language barriers, that is a rare find.

Her poetry reads like diary entries but follows a rhyme scheme with themes ranging from future love, past love, love as a concept, romance, fictional men, heartbreak, and themes of anxiety and depression as well.

The absolute best thing about Martinez’s collection is her imagery. You can literally picture two people meeting in the street, the young woman carrying bread. How she blushes when the man speaks to her, wondering if he’s actually addressing her or someone else entirely. It’s like paintings of romantic storylines come to life, and it fills the readers soul with such wonder, curiosity, and even dare I say, fulfillment similar to that of a romance novel you can’t stop reading.

I finished Martinez’s collection in two days simply because I had trouble putting it down like an insatiable romance novel, and that to me is poetry done absolutely right in a time of social media and short attention spans.

Thank you Celia for reminding us all that love is possible even if it hasn’t been returned to us yet.

#BookReview: Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Why are we so scared of what is different?

We judge. We shun. We shut out. We close our minds to what we don’t understand but yet we could learn so much from someone who leads a life in an unorthodox way or thinks differently than us.

Kya is the pariah of the marshes of the North Carolina Bayou. Forced to raise herself when her family leaves her alone in a shack near the bayou and she must learn the art of human survival. The entire town doesn’t rush to help her but instead believes the absolute worst of her, and outside of a fisherman’s wharf style shop near the bayou, she learns to survive one pot of grits at a time.

The plot and character cadence reminded me of a Bayou version of Little House on the Prairie at first, but unlike Laura Ingalls, Kya’s closest friends are the beachside seagulls.

My favorite aspects of this story were how the author chose to entwine nature and poetry throughout which kept me reading, along with this heart-wrenching pull in my soul to see Kya grow stronger and stronger as the pages turned.

It reads like a good murder mystery but with the strong emotive pull of poetic prose, with a love against all odds storyline thrown in. The descriptions of the marshlands were my favorite and spoke to the author’s background in Zoology and Animal Behavior.

The moral of Where The Crawdads Sing to me is not to use one aspect of someone’s identity to box them in or come to conclusions about them. There is treasure -curious humans that we are- hidden in the depths. The depths of the Bayou, the depths of a poem, and the depths of any human soul.

Sometimes you must dare to venture forth an uncharted path to find the treasures of life, even precious human life.

This review was written for no compensation and is originally written in response to the reading of Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. If you enjoyed this review, feel free to buy me a coffee.

#NationalPoetryMonth: All Things I Should’ve Told You by Shayla Raquel Book Review

Poetry is this beautiful snippet into the window of someone’s soul and so is the case with Raquel’s collection.

The short collection offers much perspective into what it means to grieve the loss of a relative or friend, a love or romance that had to end, and the gain of finding hope in a love that wraps you up on both the good and bad days, and even the hope of finding Christ.

One thing is certain

Poetry is a nice

Reprieve from memoir and fiction

But anyone who reads this collection

Will find a new vice

Unraveling

With the ink of this author’s pen.

Enjoyed this review? Book one of your own for your book today for only $40.

#BookReview: His Green Eyes by @cheyennebluett

Cheyenne Bluett’t bright light lit up my Instagram feed. Her content is curated to encourage and inspire just about everyone.

Opening His Green Eyes, I was taken on a poetic journey of the depths of true love, something that writers have a fondness for attempting to understand by giving it a rhyme or a reason.

Yet, poets know love is unique to its counterparts and soulmates are real. Love knows no gender, no age, or no reason.

Love just is.

Reading His Green Eyes the reader is taken deep into the heart of the love and admiration for Bluett’s real life husband Robbie.

My favorite poems in the book appear below but the loving you in every color and loving you in my favorite places were by far so outside the box and refreshing, not to mention sweetly written and heartfelt, full of personal memories and momentos with her lover.

Whether you’ve always felt unworthy of lasting love or you just became a newlywed, these poems defy space and time to share sunshine into the darkest corners of any heart who cynically considers love something only of cinema screens and novel pages.

Bluett’s poetry will make a believer out of you. She made one out of me.

This review is 207 words and took me 1 hour and 23 minutes to compile. I received no compensation for this review. You can get a review just like this for $40. Order yours here.

#PoeticMuses: Cosmosis by Stefanie Briar proves love comes and goes in an expansive universal truth

As most of you know, my favorite month of the year is National Poetry month. I celebrate it every year both here and on my personal social media pages. Why? Well, poets are just underrated but they say things we wish more people would just come out with. I love how immediate and succint writing poetry feels and when someone reads it if they feel the power in your words, the entire poem speaks volumes and all the feelings come full circle. So powerful and as with all writing both brave and vulnerable as well.

The thing I love about writing poetry is that there are less rules. You can format it however you want, and even make grammatical errors part of the poem as well.

When reading poetry, I find solace in the short but staggered rhythm of lyrics and words that leave me feeling lifted, understood, and less alone.

I found Stefanie Briar’s work during one of my curiousity sprees (when I am venturing down the many rabbit holes of Instagram) where I search online for salve for the wounds of my human frailty.

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Cosmosis uses the metaphor that our universe grows and expands with each act of love even if lost or toxic.

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It is brilliantly organized in four sections:

  • Solar Flare
  • Supernova
  • Black Hole
  • Eclipse

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The poetry in each centers from the gravitational pull of its theme my two favorites were Solar Flare and Black Hole because like this poet, I have loved, and I have felt the blackest hole of love lost.

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20200822_184838This one is probably my favorite if I had to pick one…although every poem here is so powerfully poignant and original.

 

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You can join the conversation and find new poetry shared often via her Instagram pagewhich impressively has over 20,000 followers in the six months since she joined the platform (Stefanie, please sprinkle some of your magic voodoo dust on my Instagram, please).

And it’s easy to see why she has so many fans. Her words are sharp and spoil-proof. Yet, if you message her, she will message you back within hours. She’s genuinely super supportive of other poets and writers, and she’s also got amazing taste in music.

According to her author bio on the back of her debut poetry book, she lives in New Jersey with her husband, young daughter, python, and cat-sized rabbit. She teaches 10th grade English and coaches cheerleading.

You can purchase a copy of the Barnes & Noble Press poetry bestseller Cosmosis here. 

Her second book of poetry is due out on New Year’s Day 2021. 2021 is already looking promising if you ask me.

 

How You Treat Your Dog Helps Teach You How To Relate Better With People

This post is sponsored by WellPet but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

We’ve all been misjudged, misunderstood, heard a rumor about us that upset us, or even felt like the odd person out.

Heck, that’s why I created The Smart Cookie Philes in the first place. Yet, I think it’s why I love spending time and being around my dogs a lot.  I even have nicknamed my dogs and I “The Squad.”

You had a bad day at work? They love you.

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You just got rejected or broken up with? They love you.

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You just got let go from your job and don’t know how you will make your bills? They love you.

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My dogs are always there for me, in the good and the bad, and it’s why I search high and low to find the best treats for them.

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Treats that have all-natural ingredients.

Treats that are made in the USA.

Treats that have a variety of flavors so I always surprise their taste buds with a brand new experience.

It’s why I love that I was recently shopping at Wal-mart and came across Old Mother Hubbard’s dog treats.

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They come in small and mini size, and in a variety of flavors.

Flavors

Founded in Gloucester, MA, Old Mother Hubbard’s dog treats are all-natural and never artificial, and have been around since 1926. Each home-style recipe is carefully crafted from wholesome ingredients that allow you to feel good about giving your pup a reward that is healthy and heartfelt., and all the fun flavors in between, there is a natural choice for every taste that dogs drool over. And while still based in Massachusetts, Old Mother Hubbard is now available at Walmart nationwide!

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You can actually add them instantly to your Walmart cart here or here.

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The cool thing about biscuits is they look good on top of these Carrot Pineapple Mini Muffins recipe that I recently found and tried out. You can find the recipe in the video below and be sure to watch until the end to see “the squad” strutting their stuff with some nifty tricks in order to get their paws on another tasty Old Mother Hubbard dog biscuit.

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At the end of the day, it’s all about how you treat others and THE golden rule: treat others how you want to be treated.

Dogs treat me like I’m worth a million dollars. It sure doesn’t hurt my wallet or my heart to give them the best of the best in dog treats in order so they know how much I love them.

Maybe we as humans can take a few pages from their life handbook too and be quicker to love and understand those around us instead of judge them or throw them to the curb.

 

#PoeticMuses: Poetry Review Mike Mac’s Of Welter and Whim

Poetry has always struck a chord with me. I was a poet before I became a novelist but it is rare among all of today’s modern poets that poetry strikes both a chord and a nerve.

Yet, Mike Mac’s poetry did just that like a strum of guitar chords among a thumping bass, it reads like a musical accompaniment any person may need to dance in the key of life.

I was asked to read this book for an honest review and am glad I took the leap and the chance to do so.

His topics range from love and relationships to powerful poetic statements.

Some of my favorites are below.

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Purchase this and Mike Mac’s other poetry collection here

She Had Gone I could no more outrun thoughts of her then I could outrun the rain And I would have it no other way

I was unable to disuade my eyes from her. She was extraordinary. A serendipitous confluence of quirk. An ethereal sumphony of vitality amidst the dull drone of our doom. A windfall of cosmic liberty in stark defia

I could never lose someone as much as I lost you. -Of Welter and Whim, Mike Mac

Her words were curt,irate, and keen primed for print in a rolled up magazine Mike Mac, Of Welt and Whim

She was both fire and flame but never the same -Of Welter and Whim, Mike Mac

My casket will bear the corpses of a man and his remorses

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I saw vultures in her eyes circling overhead I knew that I had died when she left me for dead

He was big headed And small minded A walking contradiction And a running joke

 

I let you walk all over me but next time I'm going to be a Lego Of Welter and whim, Mike Mac

If only truth had the endurance of gossip -Of Welter and Whim by Mike Mac

I have an exorbitant literacy rate -Of Welter and Whim by Mike Mac

 

#MusicMonday: Kelly Clarkson gets back to her soulful sound with ‘Meaning of Life’

Kelly Clarkson is only 36 years young and she’s already had a Greatest Hits Album. The original American Idol winner is back to her signature soulful sound with her eighth studio album Meaning of Life.  It was released on October 27, 2017 and debuted on the US Billboard Hot 200 at #2.

Song by Song Review

A Minute (Intro): 

A broken down minute long r&b track about needing a minute to be yourself. Written and produced by The Monarch with writing input from Jim McCormick and Katie Pearlman, was primarily made for Clarkson, whose hectic family and work life have made it hard for her to take a minute break for herself.

Love So Soft: 

A soul-trap anthem, very different from Clarkson’s usual stuff, picks up where Duffy’s “Mercy” left off. With Clarkson’s usual attitude, it tells a love story about something palpable between two people, “if you break it, you buy it” type love. Written by hitmaker Priscilla Renea.

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Heat: A catchy soul-trap pop sound paints a track where you are begging someone for a hot as coals type of love, one that has you warm all over, smiling from ear to ear.

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Meaning of Life: the title track and the song that started the entire project. The vibe, soul and message of this song showcases Clarkson’s new direction musically. It is a track that has an r&b signature sound but about a love that brightens the colors around you & catches you completely brand new.

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Move You: A ballad with a drum-string combination about wanting to make such a lasting impact on someone you end up moving them.

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Whole Lotta Woman: A body positive and female empowerment song about being loud & proud of your shape, your curves, and confidence in your femininity.

My favorite song on the album because it has the signature sound of a Clarkson anthem but with a powerful progressive measure. March on, ladies. Own who you are.

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Medicine: Schultz and Harlœ co-wrote and produced the seventh track “Medicine” as a tribute to the ’90s and was inspired by Carey’s song “Emotions” (1991). It has an up-tempo pop musicality which sets the stage  for this track about a past lover who she has moved on from who did nothing for her.

Cruel: An r&b jazz pop fusion about a hard to love lover that you are commanding respect from.

Didn’t I: A pop soul track about a lover you gave the moon, sun, and stars to and her or she took you for granted.

Would You Call That Love: A track about how someone loves you but they love you with a complete dichotomy of what love is supposed to be.

I Don’t Think About You: The soul-infused power-ballad chronicles losing a prominent love in your life only to realize you’re better off without them.

Slow Dance: A slow tempo ballad about taking things slow in order to let the fire or heat between two people simmer.

Don’t You Pretend: A slow tempo song that begs a man to be honest about his true feelings, and quit pretending he doesn’t feel the same.

Go High: A song about staying kind in a world that tries to turn you wicked, sour, and miserable.

Overall, Meaning of Life doesn’t have one bad song. It is short but sweet, and shows depth, growth, and wisdom of Clarkson’s person and artistry.

 

 

#MusicMonday: Fight For My Soul by Jonny Lang is a Blues Music Masterpiece

Jonny Lang is no stranger to professional music. He got signed in 1997 at the young age of 16, but with a musical maturity and sound that made me and many others, take note. It is no surprise that his 2006 release Turn Around won a Grammy.  Seven years later comes a brand new rock n soul Lang signature with themes of heartache, bluesy emotional musicality, and love and loss.

Fight For My Soul was released on September 7, 2013.

Song by Song Review

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Blew Up (The House): A bluesy guitar heavy track [Lang’s signature style] paint a metaphorical picture of burning down the house or leaving the man you were yesterday.

Breaking In:  A song about temptation (metaphorically or literally) breaking in between you and the person you love, and how you will no longer stand for it.

We Are The Same: 

A song about how God’s love could free each of us to all live with no more disguise.

What You’re Looking For: 

A song about how what you are looking for most in life will eventually chase you down, and find you at the right time.

Not Right:

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A soulful song about being & staying blind to the needs of this world.

The Truth:

A song with guitar interludes that remind me of Carlos Santana with emotional lyrics about wanting to be with someone but you aren’t right for one another, and not wanting to face the truth of that at all.

River:

Jazzy blues musicality about the sanctity of the river and letting it wash away the shame and wrong away.

Fight For My Soul: 

A soft song about a young girl caught up in the wrong stuff and the fight for her soul.

All of a Sudden:

A song about the moment you fall in love with someone & your life is forever changed

Seasons:

A song about the various seasons of life as he reflects during Christmas Time.

I’ll Always Be:

A love song about being your loved one’s biggest fan.