"As Hemingway noted so poignantly, the world does not protect anyone from experiencing the pain of living. While we cannot be buffered from the pain that is inherent in the act of living, we are capable of discovering tools that enable us to cope more successfully. It is through the tools known as poetry and prose that I have been able to deal with circumstances in my life that could have easily driven an average human being into the cave of hopelessness and despair. Words are the magickal elements that, when combined together, yield not only a deep and abiding comfort but an invisible shield of protection, as well. When all else falls away and I am left seemingly alone and barren, it has always been words that have lifted my soul and carried it to a place of understanding and peace."

Behind Shades of Darkness

Late in the deep of night
behind shades of darkness
Mother Moon sits high on her throne
clouds dangle low beneath her feet

I watch her in silence, drenched in awe
gazing through a crescent-shaped window
purifying myself in her luminous rays
naked and vulnerable in her light

Whispers drift through the window
a humble supplication bent for the heavens
anguished sobs dissolve into soft whimpers
caught, then quieted, in her kind bosom.

Questions? E-mail scribequill@gmail.com
with Question - Shadows in the e-mail subject line.

AUTHOR BIO:

Bev Walton-Porter is a Colorado-based professional author and editor who has had hundreds of columns, articles and reviews featured in numerous publications, both online and offline, since she began freelancing in May 1997.

She is the author of Sun Signs for Writers (Writer's Digest Books) and Mending Fences (Whiskey Creek Press). She is also a co-author of The Complete Writer: A Guide To Tapping Your Full Potential (Red Engine Press).