A Dream of Magic
By Emily Thornton

As the youngest
I was given chances to test
Different sports, jobs, hobbies
My parents didn’t jest

Reading was my bread
And imagination, my peanut butter.
One thing brought it to life
The world of magic.

I am not talking little childish tokens
But large elaborate illusions.
The first rule of learning magic
Never tell how the trick was done.

My mother gave me the chance
To perform tricks at her office.
By chance a news anchor
Had come to cover the event.

A burst of courage,
A twist of fate
She invited me to perform
On the morning news!

I was elated, a youth
Such as myself
I had to create
A whole routine.

Perhaps fate decided
The best date
Fell on the morning
Of All Hallows Eve.

The crack of dawn
Where light only makes a hint
Packed up my tricks, In my too big coat
I was off to the stage.

I remember the stage
So small, but gargantuan on tv.
I shared space with the Chef
Who taught how to make tacos.

Then it was my turn,
Miked up and read to go
The camera turned on me
Colors and streamers abound.

What a fun day was had,
The anchors made me laugh
Kids at school saw me
While eating their breakfast.

Honestly, these tricks and magic
Helped keep me grounded
When my world tended to collapse
With reality and hardship.

Today when I show my sons
That magic is real
And enhance my magical life
Into a side business of tarot.
I think back on that day
And twist of fate
That made my life truly magical,
A dream made real.

Dear Unsealed,
WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE
DARE TO DREAM
Since I am almost seventy-five
I will tell you a story of my life behind my eyes.
I was one to read music magazines,
All the boy bands and whims
Of rock and roll
Blues and soul
At the incredibly youthful age of ten.
Yes, I did begin to dream to win.
I worked hard.
Played hard.
I studied hard.
It was the seventies,
Then the eighties,
Then the nineties,
I worked at the LA Times in the eighties.
End of the eighties
I was working as a makeup artist.
And let us wind down there.
You might not have time to spare,
As I have thousands of stories to tell
As deep as a wishing well.
The nineties were good,
As I was forty going on twenty-five
As it seemed to a few bees in a hive.
My first dream job was The LA Times,
But I met a man and forgot to be sublime.
My second job per say
Happened in freelance journalism and film
With my new guy
And no rhyme at that time
I worked with The American Indian Movement in the nineties.
I met john Trudell,
And that went well.
We were there to interview
For a documentary film
The Palomino Club of North Hollywood
So, I have stood
In so many good places and even on a whim.
I met Sonny Bono, the Mayor of Palm Springs at a POW WOW
So how
Did I do that you say?
That is for another day.
I joined up with Women in Film
On a whim.
The nineties came along
To sing another song
I met another guy,
A music writer by trade.
My new guy took me to a special party
In Burbank,
To a Christmas party
Really swank.
I dressed up in fancy high heel boots
To walk by my guy in his suit
My dress was a tight mini skirt and top,
And all were cream of crop.
We drove there to the valet,
Then I walked into the door with my guy
Waving at friends in high places
We were sitting at our reserved table
To wine and dine at the insatiable
CMA
Country Music Association Christmas Party
Music, dancing, food, and ‘party hardy’.
I could go on to tell you more,
But I will say later my friend
Before you get bored.
MUSIC TURNS MY WORLD!
This is a tiny burst
Of my adventures of blurs
And good times
Of rhyme
Or reason
For the season!
Love is real
It’s a deal
Of the good, the bad, the ugly
Of time spans of decades
Of love, heartache, laughter, blues
Facades
Of time
To smile at my life
The strife
At almost 75
I have written a song
From my back pages of strife of life.
My song, “I Woke up Alone”
The song
Was published on Apple
A full song on Spotify
Of life, love from above
To be a woman at 75
Alive
Still rocking & rolling
To the beat.
The publication of my song
Was to say the least
My newest job of sweet sighs
Of “I did it.”

It’s okay if no one sees things from your point of view.
Not everyone has the same heart as you.

Why does the world lack so much empathy?
Let’s try to understand each other, agree to disagree.

You can’t make people change, you can only control you.
If they refuse to want better, there’s nothing you can do.

You can’t force people to see you for who you truly are.
Yet, you continue to shine like a twinkling star.

Some people are blessings, while others are lessons.
Good people will always leave a lasting impression.

Sometimes, things are better left unsaid because there’s nothing left to say.
True colors will be revealed when boundaries are at play.

Healing isn’t linear, so extend yourself some grace.
Be gentle with yourself as things slowly, fall into place.

It’s okay to love others, but love yourself more.
Self love can open doors you were blind to before.

When life gets you down, shake it off and step up.
Adversity can be disguised as an overflowing cup.

Never give up on yourself, the best is yet to come.
The worst part is over, you’ve already won.

Mistakes are gonna happen, nobody’s perfect.
Just remember, in the end it’ll all be worth it.

I learned life’s biggest lessons through trial and error.
You can weather any storm, no matter the weather.

Hi Joanne this message is or you
I’m writing this down because some things have come true
I found a love in someone who treats you as a Queen
I also know people who appreciate your dream
Your poetry has touched so many lives, many are out of sight
You are no longer being teased for being too skinny or your height
You bring joy to those around you
No more feeling isolated in a corner, and believe me it’s true
Your words fill lives and so many different pages
It’s touching everyone, in all ages
No more having people steal from you for their own personal gain
You turned into a beautiful woman and have your own personal fame
You’ve overcome so many obstacles, your blessings are pouring in
Not only do you see it in the physical sense but also from within
Your story is not over there is so much more to be said
But I had to write this quickly before I got out of my bed
Your future is very bright so don’t you dare to worry
Take your time growing up there is no need to be in a hurry

This life’s a high-thrill roller coaster ride
with climbs and drops, with loops and turns— you blink
and future’s past— it’s transience defined.

Cry.

Or don’t. It matters not, for wheels still clink.

Along the track of destiny we fly,
entrusting cars attached by tungsten links
to comfort whether plunging from the sky
or taking corners, screeching, on the brink.

There are no brakes, nor gear that’s marked reverse.

Since seatbelts won’t keep everyone from harm,
enjoy the passing scenery of Earth
and all its blurry, ever-changing charm;
remember nothing lasts— not hurt, not mirth—
so, open up your eyes and raise your arms.

Hi sweet heart.
How are you doing?
I see you standing there,
Alone in dark, cold rooms,
Trying to brighten them with laughter and smiles.
All while the weight of raising adults at such a young age crushes you beneath its state.

I wish I could tell you it gets better,

Because we always believed everything would be alright,
As I held my pillow to confort me
crying myself to sleep at night,
But we both know we’re bad at lying,

And that would be an egregious one.

The truth is ….

And I hate to say this…

It’s get worse

And worse, and worse,

And I’m so sorry but
Im here to tell you we can’t control any of it.

So don’t try or else you’ll tear us apart.

It’s simply
a very dark start

To our story,

But if anything I want to prepare you

Give you a look into the future of tommorow.

So Brace yourself.

We lose all of our closest family members
mom as you already know ,
But Too young to yet comprehend.
Watching that coffin close again,
And…Mikey
The pain of a loss you thought you’d never understand
As they buried our brother in ashes
We hold our own hand
Ourselves,
our only friend,
No savior on the other end.

The ones that actually seemed to like us and care,
Are no longer there
So we’re left with the ones that hate us
Yet smile in our faces
A toxic fueled mess of toxity and stress you never wanted to ensue
But nevertheless,
They do.

As they maim, mock, and hurt you .

I’m so sorry for how they blame you
Or For the way you blamed yourself as if you could change fate
Saying if you could just change
Your whole life would rearrange?

By rearranging yourself.
Being anything, anyone else,
But ourselves.
Because that is deemed the worst hell.

I’m here to tell you you can’t
make them love you or change them
Especially not by changing or blaming ourselves.

And though we argue that we aren’t,

that’s not true.

Because we branded ourselves with their actions,

And can’t see clearly enough to know how to escape from the reactions.

I’m sorry it hurts so much that in the process of changing ourselves we were only crushed, and rushed to grow up,

But I can tell you from the multiple suicide attempts

Death isn’t the answer for us.

But the truth,

Is in case they haven’t told you
I’m so proud of you,

Because despite our pain
The one dream that always comes true,
Is your strong
And we can make it through.
Even if it’s by ourselves
we face the fires
And walk through.
Always the one lesson to stay with you

It had been months . Sometimes preplanned but mostly self invited, her visits were routine. She consistently crept into my head night after night to be my recurring dream.

But who was she?

She was openly Prolife! That’s the way she had always felt…in an apolitical kinda way. Always wearing her heart on her sleeve ,her calm,self assured,mature demeanor was intriguing to some and threatening to many.
Who does’t struggle with that pesky wont go away water weight, right??
So did she. But she owned it.
Her blemishes, her assessts, her faults, her perfections, her idiosyncrasies- they were all her’s. She took pride, protected and flaunted every inch of her being.
What surpassed her outer charm was only her inner beauty.
She was a natural nurturer and a compulsive giver. Her warmth and kindness was magnetic. Everyone wanted to spend time with her, some lusted her and many craved for a piece of her.
But where there is beauty there is also the unsuspecting beast lurking close by.

Her naivety led her to those who knew no better.
Repeatedly tortured, abused,
stripped of dignity, she was abandoned and left to perish.
Her frantic pleas for help fell on tone deaf ears.
She felt violated. Her spirit molested, her body brutalized and her core being shattered.
She had lost the will to exist.
Plunging herself into flames one day, she let the heat engulf her entire being.
Taking with her, her progeny that was impregnated in her belly.
And just like that one night she vanished.
I rubbed my eyes, and came out of my slumber. And it all made sense.
Awakened by a rude reality, finally I could see.
She was mother earth and watching her silently go each night was me , you and everybody.

“Born New”
A poem about the importance of hope

By Ariana Cooper

“A needle my dear…
Why, doesn’t that scare you?’’
I said, “no sir, go right ahead.”

For that painful poking feeling,
that leaves others reeling,

I’ve come to accept and not dread.

The strong scented soap,

Trying to learn to cope,

My life under a microscope,

The coldness of the stethoscope,

Tellings of my horoscope,

Struggling to stay afloat,

MRI lights, like kaleidoscopes,

Feeling i’m at the end of my rope,

Opening mystery envelopes,

Receiving prayers from the pope,

Feeling like I’m in a sinking boat,

Searching for the antidote,

Being treated like a dope,

Bystanders that tease and provoke,

Always being overshadowed,

Clinging tightly onto hope.

My most important lesson learned,
is that hope NEVER stops,

A nagging earworm of a song, a catchy tune, a bop.

Hope is like a tiny voice that you must not ignore,

Through our struggles, through our pain, although our souls feel sore,

They can’t hurt me anymore,

Though I feel rocked to my core.

Now that I am so much wiser,

I’m not a quitter, I’m a riser!

I may still only be a teen, with wisdom beyond my years,

For from a young age, I have learned, we all eventually face our fears.

Fear is a LIAR,

But hope’s like a choir,

That sings and inspires,

Burns strong like a fire,

Makes darkness lighter,

Makes a walker a flier,

‘Cause hope takes you higher.

The problems you have do not define you,

Your courage, your strength, your truth, will shine through,

How do I know? Because I have been blue,

My soul has evolved, a completely new hue,

A rainbow of colors, for I am born new.

When you get tomorrow morning, it may not be the best, the car doesn’t start, your breakfast is cold, you will go to work and people may not talk to you, you ask WHY ME, it’s not fair, Stay focused, you want to scream at times a loved one is sick and THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO, STAY FOCUSED, you will make it, YOU CAME THIS FAR, finish strong and STAY FOCUSED

So I had a dream about my wife,( the problem was I wasn’t married) I had looked continuously and came up unsuccessful, my assistant pastor, told me to quit looking and give half my cell phone bill to God and put on there GDS( GOD’S DATING SERVICE) and I did , well I decided slip and call a dating service ( my cell phone bill was a 1,000 dollars) but I met a girl from South Dakota I’m from SC, well she told me about her friend and her friend and I hit it off, we talked for 2 hours minimum every night.On August 8th we would finally meet, we spent the week together, i decided to drive her home unexpectedly in my 94 Nissan truck and I didn’t check NOTHING, I met her family and we hit it off ( AMAZING PEOPLE) Connie would move down with me and on Feb 25, 2005, we would get married.She is my best friend and my dream wasn’t fake.NEVER DOUBT GOD.

It seems like every day a dream comes true.
I get to wake up
feel the warmth of the sunshine on my skin
take my first breath of the day
lift my arms, wiggle my legs
take the biggest stretch I can
Filling my body with so much love
Every day is a dream.
It’s another chance to make someone smile
or to laugh
To feel all the bubbly emotions inside
To embrace who I am
to the fullest
Allowing myself to shine
Expressing my passion through art
or words
Sharing myself with those I love
I am living my dream
I get to wake up and be me
with no shame or judgement
and no fear of trying to be someone I’m not
This whole life is a dream
It’s a chance to explore me
The real me
The one who gets to dream

Blessings swirled and danced and wove themselves through the lives of my capable friends, but seemed so unattainable, amends unavailable, to me and my sick intents.
Most days were spent in a thick, foggy haze, plagued with the side effects from alcoholic ways.
Ever drained from manufactured chaos.
Long nights with short payoffs.
And I was cocooned, bound and corrupt, drowning in my poisoned cups.
Doomed to combust.
Further fast-tracking my funeral once I discovered the stronger drugs.
But one day, BAM, a clarity!
A lightening bolt of serenity.
It just hit me – this mystery – a jolt to rewrite my history.
A new journey to heal after a decade of trouble and tragedy.
I could really feel.
This was a miracle I was too long scared to acquiesce; that is until I became more scared of impending, ultimate death.
I had found my hope and I wanted to really live, not just cope.
But I harbored so much jealousy and envy, it pooled and boiled within me, resentments lengthy. I was bitter at social media posts, vacations and dinner toasts, and those who were joyful and friendly I saw as an enemy – such a manic psyche in frenzy, anger too plenty.
So I took a personal inventory, being fearless and thorough as a moral explorer remembering to not rest on my laurels marching forward with decorum.
Apologies were spoken, forgiveness was given, and something that was broken within me now awoken, a new beginning.
I couldn’t believe all this emotion, the cosmos burst open for me to be free to see reality, breathing sober breaths.
Many people helped pull me up and out from Hell’s deep despair depths to where I could be content simply living in the present.
The cliche’s like, “poor me, poor me, pour me another,” I’d discover, were just one of the many clever motivators to help me recover.
In time I would find on this brighter side that if I did what was advised and followed my spirit guides and applied principles learned and tried to purge the pain, then blessings would emerge and inspiration would surge to unlearn a lifetime of my survival skills that no longer served.
What was once inconceivable, an existence so unbelievable, finally made achievable, and with a lot of effort and belief I processed my trauma and grief.
I entered into a new season of mind, something divine, one of intentional design after the old me died.
And happiness and sobriety were not just a naïve fantasy, but an actual goal I could and did achieve.
Today I can say I’m proud of who I became without shame or blame and reframe my past as a gift I purely needed to unpack.
I’m thankful for the positive impact that negative experiences can refract back.
I no longer lack or feel trapped or need to distract from life’s ebb and flow because I know no matter what I undergo, even a heavy blow that can knock me low, will only bestow lessons through which I get to grow.
This meaningful life, once a dream, is now a very real thing, and at the center of my world, with clenched fists unfurled, I embrace all the love that I’ve always deserved.

Long Ago
I wrote a poem
I titled it ‘My Lovely Dream’
It spoke of tears that fell from me
After life was ripped from womb
And I was told
I would never have my life’s dream
But….
As the world shut Down
A mystery solved
Missing puzzle piece found
You were living
Growing inside of me
Tina Marie
Told so many times
A Mother – A Mommy
I would Never Be
My Sweet First Born Son
You Have Became
My Loveliest Dream