More Than a Newsletter, It’s a Love Letter
Perception of Reality
Dear Paper Poetry readers,
A big bear hug to you all!
For me, this newsletter is more of a love letter ❤️ than a routine editorial. You know what, writing this editorial makes me feel so very connected to each of you.
While writing, I come across your poems. I feel as if they’ve given voice to my feelings. Feelings, I have never let sneak out from the cocoon of my soul. As I read your poems, it seems you and I feel similarly about certain things. I feel connected at a deeper subconscious level.
It seems that somewhere in heart, soul, and spirit, we are connected. You all are my kindred spirit. 💛 A big bear hug to you all. 🤗
Wrapping up September Prompt
We all stand tall together in good times, and happy times, and lean on each other in difficult times. This has been the way of life for ages. The need for connection is what makes us humans.
And we humbly try to find this connection in the words on paper, because words on paper still mean something, don’t they?
Our September prompt was about loving and hoping in difficult times. It was inspired by a real-life situation where I found myself in the abyss and my child showed me a silver lining in the gray clouds.
And your poems on the prompt stirred the right chord of connection.
Trust me, when I say I feel connected to you, it is because your poems for the prompt gave me strength and hope. Hope that I will overcome all barriers, loving and hoping in difficult times.
Thank you for helping me meet myself through your poems!
Let’s have a look at the bounties on Paper Poetry’s September Prompt
Trust me, we read and engage ourselves with every single submission. A delicacy we relish. I am taking the liberty of speaking on behalf of Carolyn Hastings and Suntonu Bhadra, and am sure they agree.
Rip Tide ~ Jim Dutton Uncouth Funeral ~ Toni Crowe The Who You Want Me to Be ~ Raine Lore Slumber, The Dream Bearer ~ Sherry Atkinson The Survival Song ~ Priyanka Srivastava Olly Olly Oxen Free ~ Kevin Kaczmarski The Day After ~ Sherry Atkinson Come Together ~ Sherry Atkinson Though my Mother’s Misogyny Runs Deep ~ Aza Y. Alam Love Never Fails ~ Carolyn Hastings What’s Your Vulnerability Quotient? ~ Marcus aka Gregory Maidman Corruption Overload ~ Toni Crowe A Root’s Fate ~ Sinus Kosinus Secrets and Ties ~ Sally A Mortemore Breathe In — Breathe Out: Underneath ~ Dave Karpowicz
Thank you everyone for loving and hoping with us in the difficult times and more importantly showing us the way.
Reading your wonderful poems has been a learning and uplifting journey. When I presented this prompt for your thoughts, I knew that you would craft and compose a beautiful collection via your deep thoughts and creative expression.
Thanks for connecting!
October Prompt
Yes, now is the time for the October prompt. We decided to announce October prompt on Canadian Thanksgiving Day.
In this newsletter, I hinted at our October prompt -
Our October prompt revolves around the big questions:
💁 Is this Life an Illusion? Does the reality we see all around, is it really real?
💁Do you sometimes feel there is another parallel realm, which is more real and maybe more peaceful than this chaotic realm we mortals inhabit?
💁The emotions stirred by a Déjà vu¹ moment, are they real?
¹Déjà vu is a feeling one gets of having experienced a similar event before but can’t quite remember when, where, how. For example, you go on a vacation to a place and your subconscious nudges that you have been there before, you have experienced this moment before, but the details elude you. It’s a mystery.
💁Do you feel burning inside your heart and soul, but there is no smoke. What is real? Inside fire or outside calm?
💁Are premonitions real? Or a figment of imagination sparked from a deep subconscious level reality?
💁Have you ever been led to a place, beyond space and beyond time, which feels much real than the reality of this material world around you
In October, in autumn, we see beauty all around, the beauty of falling leaves, strange isn’t it?
💁Do the falling leaves tell you a story? A story of looking beyond what meets the eyes. A story of the realm beyond real, beyond reality.
💁Do you sometimes feel a strong detachment from this reality which we can see and feel and a deep longing for something unknown? You know it is there, you know it is in your subconscious but just cannot put your finger on it
In short, the prompt for October, Is Reality Real? Or is there something more to it — something more subtle, unseen, unknown? What is your perception of reality?
Submission Details
Prompt: “Is Reality Real?”
The prompt is meant to explore your perception of reality.
You may ponder on any of the questions above. OR write on anything revolving around the prompt, “Is Reality Real?”
Form: Any form of poetry will be accepted. Please note: only authentically written poetry will be accepted. The editors of Paper Poetry reserve the right to reject any submissions that are seen to be AI-generated with or without disclosure.
Word/line limit: no restrictions
Title/subtitle/kicker: Please use ‘Is Reality Real’ as the kicker; your choice of title and subtitle
Tags: Please use the ‘Is Reality Real’’ tag when submitting your story
Images: Maximum two images Please note: As a mandatory requirement, at least one of your images must incorporate a handwritten/handcrafted element in either paper or digital format as per Paper Poetry’s submission guidelines. Suggestions: A handwritten segment of your story, a decorative title, an illustration that depicts an aspect of your story, or a digitally enhanced photo (free-to-use or personal) that relates to your story. AI-generated images are acceptable provided you include your source link as evidence in the caption or explain how the image was derived. Please refer to Paper Poetry’s homepage for more examples.
Extensions: Please include a promotional link to this prompt and invite (@ handle tag) up to five other writers to join the prompt.
Submission period: October 9, Monday (UTC-10hrs, Cook Islands midnight) — Tuesday, October 31 (UTC-10hrs, Cook Islands 11:59 pm)
We welcome new writers to join the prompt. Please leave a comment requesting to be added as a writer and include your Medium @ handle, or email us at [email protected]
Really,
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