Author: jennygracespoetryandcreativewritingtechniques

I am a published poet and short story writer. I have been published in SNHU's the penmen review. https://penmenreview.com/author/jenny-andrews is the link where you can find my poetry and a short story. Currently, I am writing a collection of short stories, and a collection of poetry. I am trying my hand at writing a novel. Well, not a novel, actually. Make that two novels. My passion is writing. My inspiration is Franz Krafka because he managed to see the absurdity of life. Life is all about perspective and who is telling the story. We all see this life through the lens of our experiences. Literature should inspire us to think, to analyze, and to get lost in unfamiliar worlds in which we learn something new about this human existence. It is my hope that my writing challenges the reader to think, and to see a different perspective, as well as be entertained. My faith in Jesus strengthens me and gives me the courage to survive the twists and turns of this life. My faith influences a lot of my writing in that goodness always triumphs over evil, in that love conquers all. I hope you enjoy reading my blog.

Memory Hawks: An Idea Poem

Two hawks soared across the pale blue sky.

Symphony of birds twittered in the oak branches.

A world of flight; nature alive.

Sun not too hot.

A beautiful first day of November.

Odd memory scratches inside my head, reminds me that once upon a time you and I soared across the sky like memory hawks; our feathers entwined.

Squirrel in Winter: Idea Poem

Chilly morning,

squirrel sits atop the wooden privacy fence,

and munches on an acorn.

His fat little cheeks vibrate with joy.

He drops it and jumps along the length of the wooden privacy fence.

Not a Love Poem: Poem from the Past

Not going to write a love poem.

Not going to look out there in that patch of space.

Where I loved someone more that I should have.

I sacrificed myself out there; lost pieces of me.

Not going to write a love poem.

For something that wasn’t.

A Fast Retreat: Poem from the Past

I am,

within my shell.

Don’t speak to me; I don’t want to connect to you or anyone.

I will never reach out, again.

Your sting was too tainted with poison for me to ever be my loving, trusting self again.

Within my own mind,

I beat a fast retreat, not wanting to ever feel again.

I want to clam up.

I don’t want to feel anything.

I don’t.

want to stand alone.

Be here where I am.

Shut the door on the world, and throw away the key.

Invisible Me: A Poem from the Past

Age erases me,

shadows me in gray.

People look past me,

I am no longer here.

I have become a ghost within my own body.

Youth fled from me,

I squandered it.

The Present

Pictured here is a torii gate that the local arboretum has in its Japanese garden near the tea house. The arboretum is very peaceful with its winding paths, rocks, flowers, trees and shrubs. Traditionally, the torii gate is at the entrance of a sacred space.

This sprawling garden fits my definition of a sacred space.

It is a refuge. It is a place I can go and quietly sit beside the pond and watch the branches of the willow tree sweep into the water and watch the koi fish swim between the willow trees’ delicate, sweeping branches.

The pale blue sky above me and the chilly January breezes remind me of the simple beauty of this life. This life is such a priceless jewel and God has blessed each of us with this day to just bask in the sunlight and to breathe in the sacredness of this moment.

For the next couple of weeks, I am unplugging social media. I do not want to know about those things that trouble me. Yes, I am going to stick my head in the sand and look away.

Only God can change this trajectory of chaos and mayhem.

I can choose to take a deep breath, stay in the moment, go for a peaceful stroll among the ancient oak, pause beneath the red torii gate and consider the sacredness of this space in time.

God has blessed us with so much that we as a society have taken for granted.

I am thankful to God for the beauty of this day.

I am thankful and I give praise to my God for this gift of sacredness.

Psalm 91 for Protection

Everywhere we turn there is the proliferation of fear, chaos and mayhem.

Truth is, God is in control. He loves His children and protects His children.

I am His child and I turn completely to Him for my protection, peace and safety.

Psalm 91: 1 states: He that dwellest in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (2) I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. (3) Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. (4) He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. (5) thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor the arrow that flieth by day; (6) Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

No matter what tomorrow or the day after brings, God will protect me.

He will protect you.

Trust in God completely for your peace.

Read His word.

Pray to Him for divine protection.

Please join me in this prayer:

Almighty Father God,

Please protect me, heal me, and surround me with your angels. I trust in you with all my heart, soul and mind. Please grant me peace. Please quiet my fearful heart. Remind me of your eternal promise to always protect your children. I am your child, and Father I beg your protection from evil. Surround me and surround those whom I love most with your angels.

Thank you for your protection.

In Christ Jesus’s Holy name I pray.

Amen

Escaping to Paradise: A Dream

To say this year has gotten off to a very rocky start is an understatement of epic proportions.

As if 2020 wasn’t horrible enough, well. . . .it appears that this year isn’t heading in a very promising direction.

I am an optimist by nature and I firmly trust in my Lord Jesus Christ for protection. He tells us not to fear and to trust in Him. I absolutely trust in Him.

However, as of late I have been envisioning myself sailing away to a tropical island somewhere where there is absolutely no internet connection, where there is nothing except a beautiful sandy beach and glorious sunrise to greet me each morning and a glorious sunset to relax me in the evening.

God has given us ungrateful humans a fascinatingly beautiful world, yet we create ways to destroy it. We obsessively fixate on the glass being half empty rather than filled to the brim with overflowing joy, bountifulness and awe-inspiring beauty.

I don’t want to be a person who gives into the fear-mongering. I don’t want to be a person who surrenders to this joy depleting agenda that has taken hold of this world.

I want to escape to a more gentler place. I want to unplug. I want to spend my hours filled with joy and not spend my hours being afraid of illness, terror, and death.

To be honest, I truly want to escape this modern life that has become a fiasco of epic proportions.

I want to actually see peoples’ faces again so that I can see their smiles.

I miss seeing smiles.

I want to speak truthfully what is on my mind without fear of censorship.

I want to be the free soul that God created me to be.

In this current state of the world I do not believe that this is possible.

Yes, I want to escape and unplug.

I want to be Free. Free. Free.

The art work here is the ship in my imagination that I would use to just sail away.

It is my original artwork.

I could spend endless hours in my imagined paradise painting and writing.

An island paradise. . . .

This is what I would like to find. . . .

Just sail away into a beautiful sunset.

And into freedom.

In Praise of Fathers

It has been almost thirty-two years since my son was born.

This is a photo of my infant son and his father.

This photo brings back a lot of memories, some good, some not so good.

Time passed way too quickly.

I look at this photo and recall so many emotions and I at times wish I could go back to that moment and start all over again. But, with more wisdom.

Sadly, fathers are often pushed aside as if they do not matter.

But, they do.

Their presence in a child’s life is immensely necessary. A strong father can change a child’s life for the better. A strong father is a hero upon whom his family can depend.

Recently, I saw a quote that said the “future is female.” While I kind of understand the essence of this quote, I think it can serve to disparage young men.

Truth is that men and women are both equally important in the family and for the future of this world. To say “the future is female” implies that males have no place in the future, that they are not needed.

Males are needed to help nurture and protect future generations. They are of equal importance to females.

Fathers are irreplaceable in the hearts of their children.

Nothing quite stings like the absence of a strong father in the home.

While it is not yet Father’s Day, I would like to send a heart-felt thank you to all the strong fathers who stayed with their children and nurtured them rather than abandoning them.

Your courage and strength are needed more now than ever in this volatile world.

Sending much love and thanks to all the fathers who had/have the courage to protect their families.

Your love is irreplaceable.

May God Have Mercy on the USA

This is the flag of my country, the United States of America.

I love it because of the freedoms that have been guaranteed to me as expressed in the United States Constitution.

Most importantly, this country is my home. It is in my blood. For hundreds of years and through different wars, my people have fought and spilled blood for the freedoms that I enjoy in this land.

I am an American. I have no other country that I can call home nor did my parents, grandparents, great grandparents, great-great grandparents, great-great-great grandparents, have any other land they could call home. This land is all that I have. It is woven into the very tapestry of my blood, soul and self-identity. I am an American.

I am very saddened by the state of my beloved land at this moment.

I am urgently requesting that we all turn our eyes toward God and beg Him to heal our wounds, to give us the wisdom to remember that we are a human family that should work together rather than fight and destroy each other.

At the end of this life, we all must stand before God’s throne and give an accounting of our actions. All kingdoms pass away; all people leave this earthly life.

Nothing is forever.

Nothing except God and His kingdom and His judgement.

Peace only comes when a people walk right with God and obey His laws.

There can never be peace without God.

God is love.

Love is kind; love is patient; love reaches across the aisle and sees the humanity in all God’s children.

Please pray for peace and healing for my beloved country, the United States of America, my home.

My home, sweet home.