Monday, April 13, 2015

BLOG OF THE WEEK ~ MY HEART'S LOVE SONGS

Today, my friends, we are featuring a blogger I am sure many of you are familiar with, dani at my heart's love songs. dani offers a mix of thoughts, poetry and prose on her colorful site, and one always comes away replenished. Let's dive in!





dani



dani: This photograph is from thirty years ago, but I've been told I look almost the same ~ if you add gray streaks on each side of my face, quite a few pounds and, of course, some wrinkles. {smile}

Sherry: Thirty years! You are even more camera-phobic than I am, LOL. You don't need to be, you are very photogenic. Tell us a bit about yourself, Dani.


dani: I've lived in the Valley of the Sun, (Phoenix, Arizona, US), since 1975. I'm fortunate that my daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren live less than ten miles from me. 


In my fifties, I discovered writing and entered into the first healthy relationship of my life ~ we're now early into our fifth year and better than ever. I live alone, still mourning the loss of my cat-companion of seventeen years. I love books and movies; my favorite genre is science fiction and fantasy. My hobbies are writing, baking, cooking, sketching, sewing... really anything creative.

Sherry: It sounds like a wonderful life. I am happy about your relationship and sorry you lost your cat-companion. I know how much we miss them, when they pass. When did you begin blogging, dani?

dani: I began writing on Twitter in January 2010. I started my blog 12 February 2010 so that I would stop driving my Twitter friends crazy. I never expected anyone to actually visit, and I am still astounded.

Sherry: I know! I feel exactly the same way.

dani: I had a lot to learn about blogging, and the site has evolved through the years. The header and background change with the seasons, but are always photographs I took of hibiscus growing in my daughter's back yard. You'll find poetry, occasional prose and a handful of recipes. 

These days, almost every post begins with an image, then my writing, and ends with a music video. I also have characters that I refer to as "doodles" throughout the post. Their use started because I didn't know any coding and wanted a way to add extra lines just for spacing. 

My favorite type of poetry to write is "visual" ~ using different fonts, enjambment, unusual spacing and placement, all in an effort to both provide visual interest, and to influence the rhythm of a poem. Most of what I write is poetry, but in 2012 I was honored to be able to run a Featured Poets Series  of sixty bloggers. I am prouder of that than of my writing. I feel very fortunate to have met and gotten to know so many amazing poets.

Sherry: That is how I feel about this Monday feature at Poets United. It is such a privilege. Let's look at your poems, dani. Please choose three, and tell us a bit about each one.


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This poem was written about ten weeks after I started my blog (just over three months after the first poem I ever wrote), and it's the only poem I've had published.

insanity
dani harris
23 April 2010

insanity waits
at the dark edges of my soul
longing to embrace


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I don't really know why I like this poem so much; it's nothing exceptional. But it's really true ~ my life has changed drastically the past five years and, though I can recall the pain and other negative emotions, I don't remember what they actually felt  like.

unfamiliar
dani harris
14 January 2013

i lived in constant fear
too much of this life

fleeting glimpses

still come and go
.



i recognize it
but it’s unfamiliar

i remember feeling it

but not what it felt like
.



sorrow was once
my most loyal companion

in reality i was alone

though i clung to my illusions
.



i recognize it
but it’s unfamiliar

i remember feeling it

but not what it felt like
.



there are wisps of anger,
shame and loss behind my eyes;

a faint taste of  pain

lingers on my tongue
.



i recognize them
but they’re unfamiliar

i remember feeling them

but not what they felt like


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My daughter likes this poem. I like the rhythm of it. I really struggle to rhyme, and this is one of the rare times I feel it worked.

as the wind blows chill
dani harris
15 March 2011

as the wind blows chill
and the willow weeps
as day turns to night
and half  the world sleeps
.

as the sun and moon
chase each other 'round the sky
as the stars just watch
never wondering why
.

as time wanders by
because it can't stand still
life doesn't stop
and it never will
.

i turn in my grave
unnoticed by all
my death meant nothing
no one heeds my call
.

as the earth keeps turning
my soul now sleeps
as the wind blows chill
and the willow weeps


=============================================================

Sherry: Beautiful, dani!  I especially love your third poem about the willow. It really speaks to me. 

Thank you so much, dani, for sharing your poetry with us, and for being a loyal long-time member of Poets United. We look forward to enjoying much more of your work as the months go on.

Wasn't this lovely, kids? I  hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did putting it together. Do come back and see who we talk to next. Who knows? It might be you!


32 comments:

  1. a beautiful gift today Sherry..i've been to your page Dani...thanks for the lovely poems and the wonderful concept of visual poetry....

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    1. Thank you, Sumana, for your visits and kind comments. The visual poetry is just so much fun to do!

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  2. So nice Danny - your poetry, the fact that you seem happy now. I envy that you live close to your daughter and her family. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Sherry, as always you bring us such interesting people to admire.

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    1. Thank very much, Myrna. Yes, I am very grateful that my grandchildren are in the same town ~ they used to live in another state.

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  3. Hi, kids. I so enjoyed chatting with you, dani, and cant believe it took me this long to do so. You have challenged me to Face My Worst Fear and actually get an updated photo sometime this year. LOL.

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    1. Thank you so much for featuring my heart's love songs, Sherry! I'm honored.

      You're a braver woman than I to get an updated photograph! {smile} Though with your gorgeous hair, I think you should go for one of those glamour shots.

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  4. Thank you so much Sherry for this wonderful interview :D
    Its a pleasure to meet you Dani :D
    xoxo

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  5. It's very nice to meet you, Sanaa. Thank you for taking the time to read about my blog and commenting.

    Doesn't Sherry do a wonderful job here with her features at Poets United? It's so much effort, and on top of her own blog!

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    1. I truly enjoy it, dani. It was great fun getting to know you better.

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  6. My Pleasure Dani :)

    Sherry does a beautiful job of connecting with another person when it comes to interview. The reader feels like taking part in an actual conversation .. ( LIVE)
    I simply can't wait for my turn.. (giggles) though I feel it might take some time :D
    xoxo

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  7. Sorry, typos, LOL. I'm happy you enjoy them, Sanaa!

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  8. An honor to meet Dani... Thank you sherry
    ZQ

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    1. Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment. It's a pleasure to meet you.

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  9. Dani -- so good to see you and your poetry featured here!! I really like some of the short poems you shared here. The one your daughter likes, with the collection of short stanzas, is excellent. Each is true, expressed in a wonderfully poetic way. So glad to see you writing again as well....it had been a while, I think. Sherry, thanks for featuring Dani. Nice to learn a bit more about her as well.

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    1. Thank you, Mary. It truly is an honor to be featured here.

      Poets United was one of the very first sites I ever linked into. I've read some amazing poetry and met some wonderful writers through the years. It's a privilege to be part of the Poets United community.

      I want to thank Sherry for featuring me and my blog and I would also like to thank you for all you do for the online poetry community, Mary. Here and at how many other sites... You have always been very supportive and it's meant a lot to me personally. Thank you.

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    2. Thank you, Dani, for your kind words. Again, so good to see you writing and linking again. Smiles.

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  10. Dani - Nice to meet you. I am not sure if I have come across your blog, but I did just check it out and will be around to visit.

    Another great interview Sherry..

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    Replies
    1. I don't think we had met before but I'm sure we'll be seeing each other through Poets United. Thank you very much for visiting my blog ~ I look forward to stopping by yours.

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  11. Thank you, Sherry, for introducing Dani and her poetry. Dani, thank you for accepting to be in the spotlight today. I like what poetry you have shared with us and will have a look at your blog.

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  12. Dani, nice to know you. i may not have come across your blog before, but Sherry has done a great job. :)
    enjoyed reading your poem, as the wind blows chill. there's a certain melancholy in it, and a sense of longing too. lovely write!

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  13. Thank you so much for a wonderful post!!!!

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    1. Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment!

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  14. I love when the ills of life become unfamiliar, like they happened to somene else. At some point in my life, a few successes began to feel like that too! Where does the time go? Bravo for starting a new life! Mine started in 2012 as did my blog--and my cat will be 21 in May.

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    1. Oh! How fortunate you are to still have your kitty companion! It sounds like we have some things in common, Susan. Thank you for sharing.

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  15. Lovely to read about Dani and sample her poems.

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  16. Thank you, Rosemary. That's very kind of you.

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  17. I am glad you discovered blogging Dani - it really can change your world ;)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you ~ that is so true! It has had a huge impact on my life.

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  18. Wonderful again Sherry. I am a bit late reading this but wouldn't miss it. Dani I went to ASU and my family followed me out there from NY....I of course moved back East for the seasons and to escape the heat....but I loved the desert...loved these poems and look forward to reading more.

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