Vashti Quiroz-Vega's Blog

www.lashanewrites.com/lets-talk/clever-and-awe-inspiring-fantasy-horror-author—vashti-quiroz-vega

Please take a moment to check out this amazing post by LaShane Arnett. She did a spectacular job! I’m beyond grateful for her thoughtful questions, which brought out some of my most meaningful responses. I think you’ll really enjoy it!

Here we are for another weekly poetry challenge! We have a theme prompt for Colleen Chesebro Poetry Prompt Challenge. Sarah selected this month’s theme:

I’ve chosen to write a two stanza Shadorma.

The Shadorma is a Spanish poetic form made up of one or more stanzas of six lines each. It’s a syllabic poem with a meter of 3|5|3|3|7|5

I love daisies. They are the cheeriest, sweetest flowers I know. They’re dainty flowers yet resilient and mighty enough to break through concrete. I was emotional when I wrote this poem, don’t ask me why. I couldn’t help laughing at myself through the tears. Luckily, I was alone in my house. Otherwise, someone might have thought I was crazy.

“The splendor of the rose and the purity of the lily do not rob the little daisy of its simple charm.”

Colleen Chesebro Poetry Challenge explores Ekphrastic poetry, inspired by visual art or photographs. Reena Saxena provided a piece of her artwork for this month’s challenge. There’s plenty of imagery in her art, and it’s a great inspiration to write your poem. Remember what you’ve learned about the psychology of color in your poetry.

So this week our syllabic poem should be inspired by Reena’s lovely artwork. I decided to write a Reverse Etheree.

I didn’t want to do the obvious by writing a poem about the butterfly, but since I saw Reena’s illustration I couldn’t get the image of butterflies out of my mind, and they’ve been coming at me from all sides. I was in my backyard and a butterfly flew up to me, on TV there was a commercial with butterflies, and then I got online and the first thing I saw was an image of a butterfly. So I gave in. It was meant to be.

Last month, Colleen Chesebro asked Yvette Calleiro to select a syllabic form for us to learn more about. Yvette’s choice was a form that Gwen Plano created, called the 4-11. You can find her 4-11 form HERE.

Gwen says the 4-11 is a stanza of eleven lines, four syllables each line. The beginning line also repeats as the last line. Here is Gwen’s example.

So here’s my attempt at Gwen Plano’s 4-11 poetry style: War of the Roses

I hope you enjoyed the poem. Thanks for stopping by. Have a fabulous day

This week we choose our own syllabic form and a chakra color to feature in our poem.

Yesterday was my birthday. As some of you know, the last 3 years were extremely challenging for me, and I’m lucky to be alive and well. So this birthday was a special one. I didn’t do anything special, there was no fancy dinner, lavish gifts or extravagant party, but I felt reborn. I also felt grateful and blessed, not only to be alive, but to be able to do the things I love like writing, reading, blogging, among other things. This is nothing short of a miracle, and I thank God every day for my life.

For this week’s Colleen Chesebro Poetry Challenge I chose the Chakra color green to include in my poetry. I chose green because it’s the color of Harmony and Health.

I chose to write a Cinquain:

Hi, everyone! It’s been a while since I posted anything here. I apologize for that. I’d been dealing with certain issues—problems that interfered with my ability to write or blog. Things are improving, and I have begun writing again. I’m currently working on my next book, a crime thriller. If you’re an author and have written a crime thriller I would appreciate any advise or tips you care to leave in the comments below.

I had hoped that the first post on my blog would be a cheery one, but I was compelled to speak out on the overturning of Roe vs. Wade. Let me start by saying, I’m a Christian. I’ve never had an abortion; on the contrary, my husband and I tried for years to conceive a child and never did. I have worked in the OB/GYN field of medicine for years and witnessed how some women used abortions as if it were a type of “Planned Parenthood.” They’d come in every few months with, “Oops, my bad. I got pregnant again.” Giggles. Well, it wasn’t funny to me. Having an abortion is not a form of contraceptive. On the other hand, I also witnessed twelve and thirteen year olds forced by their religious parents to carry a baby to full term despite the danger on the pregnant child, “Because it’s God’s will.” Some of those girls were raped by family members. We had a thirteen-year-old who had placenta accreta, almost hemorrhaged to death after giving birth, and had to have her uterus removed.

I also watched as some women gave birth to baby after baby without being financially or mentally fit to do so. I actually heard one woman say, “As long as the government keeps payin’ for them, I-ma keep popin’ them out.” Her four kids were wearing rags that hardly fit, ran around the waiting room like little wild animals, touching everything, one of them was sneezing and coughing on everyone (including other pregnant women), and they were all screaming at the top of their lungs. Meanwhile, she sat reading a magazine while everyone else looked after her kids. She didn’t seem to have a maternal bone in her body, but yet she kept having kids for the rest of us to support. I know it isn’t PC to say these things, but it’s the truth.

I remember another case in which a woman insisted on carrying her pregnancy to term, although, her doctor advised against it. She had a condition and a pregnancy would complicate the disorder or cause her and/or her baby to die. She wanted a child so badly she decided to chance it. She gave birth to a healthy, beautiful baby girl and immediately began to wither away. Despite her doctors doing everything they could, even ordering medication for her from Europe and paying for it out of their own pockets, she died before her baby turned six months old.

I’ve witnessed these things and will carry them with me for the rest of my life. And because of everything I’ve experienced, I am extremely confused and don’t know how to feel about abortions. But there’s one thing I know for sure; the overturning of Roe vs. Wade is a step backward for all women. A basic right was taken away from us.

Although I never had an abortion and at this point in my life never will; I still feel that no one has the right to take that choice away from other women. After all, if God gave human beings free will so that we may choose our own way, who are these people to take that right away? God must hate many of the choices we make, but he still allows us to make them.

I welcome all opinions. Please feel free to comment on whatever you’d like in the comment section below. Thank you for visiting my blog and have a fabulous day.

Hello, everyone! Welcome.

I’ve been struggling with medical issues for a while now. It’s been hard. I’m seeing several doctors, and I’m hopeful that my medical problems will be resolved in the near future. Meanwhile, I’m taking a hiatus from blogging and social media in order to focus on my health. You’ll probably see me pop in and out of social media, I don’t think I can stay away 100%, but it won’t be like before. I haven’t had the energy or focus to do the things I enjoy doing.

I need some time to heal and when I do I’ll be back in full force. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

I will soar, laugh, and smile . . .

I will go back to a time

Before you came

Knocking at my door.

—Ashley Hyde

Welcome to my blog, everyone!

It’s the fourth week of the month! Are you ready for a theme prompt? Donna Matthews from D J Ranch.org picked the theme:

EXPEDITION

***

There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away,
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry –
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll –
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears a Human soul.

~Emily Dickinson

This week I chose to write a Shadorma (syllabic poem with a 3-5-3-3-7-5 sequence) about the transcendent powers of reading, inspired by one of Emily Dickinson’s poems.

I opened

a book and entered.

The words spread

out their wings,

and took me on a journey

far from where I’ve been.

********************

NOTE:

My short story Memoir of a Mad Woman is on sale for 99¢ through the weekend. You can get your copy here.

BLURB:

A novelette from the award-winning author of The Fall of Lilith and Son of the Serpent, Vashti Quiroz-Vega.

Who can explain how madness begins?

This is the story of Emma. Reared by a religious fanatic, orphaned at a young age and sent to a mental institution and an orphanage. Molested and betrayed by the people who should be watching over her…

Who can say that madness has no logic?

During a fight, Emma’s best friend punched her in the abdomen. Since then, Emma has believed there’s something damaged inside of her.

Every month… she bleeds.
She tries to fight it all her life, but the pain and the blood return twenty-eight days later… and the cycle begins again.

But Emma, even in her madness, knows how to take care of herself.
She knows how to make things right…

You may not agree… 
But, who can reason with insanity?

Read this tragic but fascinating tale and traverse the labyrinthine passages of madness.

Thank you for your visit! I hope you enjoyed the post.

Hello, my friends! Welcome.

Colleen Chesebro’s Weekly Poetry Challenge

Colleen says: This challenge explores Ekphrastic writing inspired by visual art (photographs). Annette Rochelle Aben from last month’s challenge has provided the photo for this month’s challenge. Remember, it’s not so much about describing what’s in the photo. Look beyond the obvious to find new meaning.

MERMAID

Don’t mistake songs in the wind for wind songs

Don’t confuse figures out at sea, that

sit on distant rocks for sea lions

She dwells where worlds hide in the

deep, and emerges to

the wild call of the

running tide to

warn us, “let

the seas

be”

If it doesn’t come bursting out of you
in spite of everything,
don’t do it.
Unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth
and your gut,
don’t do it.

Have a great weekend and never give up on shooting for the stars!

Hello, everyone! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful start to your day!

Poet’s Choice! It’s the first of the month and that means we choose our own syllabic poetry form, theme, words, images, etc. It’s up to us!

If you’d like to participate check out Colleen Chesebro’s Poetry Challenge here.

Even the lone writer who has wandered this far into summer with her books, notepads, laptop case knocking her knees—even she wishes to enjoy the warmth of the sun caress her skin, feel the fresh seasonal showers wash away concerns, hear the songs in the breeze on sultry summer evenings.

“Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences.”
—Sylvia Plath

Thank you for stopping by!