Attention Poetry Readers and Writers
Please read the talented and meaningfully engaging DMTakeshi
One of the pleasures of being a volunteer editor for several publications, both within ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications and outside (Promptly Written and Write Under the Moon) is discovering talented writers and poets). DMTakeshi is such a person. She writes excellent poems, which just as importantly, are relatable and relevant to any reader. People will not scratch their heads wondering WTF she was talking about. She also includes explanatory prose with some of her pieces, which is a practice I strongly encourage. Some purists prefer the uncertainty yet the explanations will not cause one to lose readers, may increase one’s audience, and will also increase by multiples the reading time and thus MPP payments for poems, which as predominantly otherwise short reads, are often paltry.
Here is a selection of Ms. Takeshi’s work.
The first one is not poetry, yet it is a story that is all too darkly poetic for many people. I left this comment:
“Look at you now!! Thank you for the courage and vulnerability to share this powerful story.”
This poem (I quote just an excerpt to draw you in) speaks to many of the themes of DM’s writing:
I was a mother of four at age eight My three siblings, plus myself My parents weren’t there Mother worked long into the night Step-dad always flying high I cared for my children The best I knew how
A personal favorite of mine is this poem, in which I commented:
Great job using dizain to describe a toxic relationship. I think you captured the situation you described afterward very well in the poem. Thanks for including my piece and thank you on behalf of the community for always featuring another writer. We need more people like you on Medium and it’s great to see you challenge yourself with forms.
I am often full of anxiety But also extreme love I like me, finally But not nearly enough
How many of you can relate to this and the full poem?
Last but not least, this essay is very powerful and I believe many can relate to and be helped by it. Thank you, Jennifer.
I am not writing this for sympathy, but rather to connect with more souls that may be experiencing a similar story. If that is you, I see you, I hear you. I want you to know that you are not alone in this crazy world. Here I am, at three AM, putting this out into the universe. I hope it finds the right heart.
As I alluded to in my quoted comment above, one of my favorite aspects of Jennifer’s pieces is that she often includes the link to the poem or story of another writer that inspired her. Thus, before she even knew of it, she rose to the monthly challenge for January issued by Ravyne Hawke:
The responses to the challenge are all here.
In Rama I create, with soul-energy surging through my body, inspiring me and breathing wind into my sails,
