Happy Anniversary Reflections of Soul

Today All Authors is happy and proud to showcase one of their own. Today, Queen of Spades shares with us a little bit about her poetry book Reflections of Soul in celebration of its one year release anniversary.

I asked Ms. Spades to tell us a little about my two favorite pieces in the book, Butterfly & Human. Here is what she said:

Butterfly:

I see a butterfly
I like to call Happiness
sitting upon
a yellow rose petal.
I crouch low in the grass,
anticipating capture.
When I am almost near the flower,
it decides to fly away.

I see a butterfly
I like to call Happiness
sitting upon
my window sill while I’m cleaning.
My movements become slow,
steadily deliberate.
I almost touch its’ feet
when it’s on its’ way again.

I see a butterfly
I like to call Happiness
sitting upon
the leaves of a tree,
but this time, I ignore it
and proceed to my writings,
but this time around,
it takes a seat on my knee.

Could this possibly mean
that Happiness is also
meant for me?

And as if it sensed my thought,
it again decided to flee.

But this time, I’m not worried.
It’ll come back,
eventually.

****
Queenly Thoughts:

For me, a butterfly is one of the best personifications of happiness. Butterflies are beautiful and carefree: they will let you look and admire but take off when you get too close. Butterflies are also delicate—just like Happiness can be from time to time.

There are some people in the world that believe Happiness isn’t made for them or they don’t deserve to be happy. Butterfly explores the concept that Happiness is possible for everyone but it comes in a series of waves and flows. I believe one cannot fully appreciate Happiness unless one has gone through the sad times. Sometimes rather than trying so hard to chase it down it’s best to let Happiness come to you—just like the butterfly ended up doing at the end. This is one of my favorite pieces in the collection: as it relates to message and the feel good ambiance.

HUMAN:

There’s something about being Human
that should be Humane,
but instead, we are Hindered
by other thoughts in our brains.

There’s something about being hUman
that should be Unique,
but over time, we are made Ugly
by deciding to cling to conformity.

There’s something about being huMan
that should be Moral,
but sooner or later, we become Marred
as materialistic tendencies leave their scars.

There’s something about being humAn
that should be Admirable,
but over time, we become Asses,
snubbing others who don’t fit social classes.

There’s something about being humaN
that should be Nice,
but sooner or later, we are made Numb,
uncaring of the pain which others succumb.

And seeing

Hateful glances
Ugly actions
Malicious mischief
Acts of anarchy
Nonchalant expressions

make me not
want to be
HUMAN.

I’m tired of playing the role!
Sick of Society’s structure!
The game of Life is actually rigged—
whatever thing you choose,
you’re destined to lose.

Now that I’ve accepted it
I can finally smile
while skin and blood intermingle
and I sleep for a while.

****

Queenly Thoughts:

One style that I have liked to use over the years is to take a letter in a word and expand on it. I used this method in the composition of HUMAN. Through getting older and living in different places, I have a fear that unconditional humanity is becoming extinct. I came from a background where a neighbor helped another neighbor—just for the sake of giving. Now people are very cautious of giving help because they are anticipating the worst. People are reluctant to receive help because of the fear there’s an unspoken price tag associated with it. The back and forth banter with each letter—from Humane vs. Hindered to Nice vs. Numb represents the yin and yang that exists within the human condition. Although I recognize that the good qualities shine more when they have adversaries, it can be perilous when the balance is disrupted. Everywhere you turn, there are horror stories (from car accidents and corruption to poverty and murder), yet the responses are met with shades of indifference:

“It happens a whole lot, so we’re used to it.”

“At least it didn’t happen in my family or in my neighborhood.”

“No need of saying anything. My voice has no meaning.”

“That person would’ve done the same thing to me.”

HUMAN is just the magnifying glass to the things already in play. In my opinion, using this style (as opposed to just doing the typical construct of stanzas) provides more of an impact. One is drawn to the capitalization as well as the tug of war between each positive and negative correspondence to each letter that forms the word "HUMAN". That is what made it the trickiest to pull off. Yet I am pleased with the end result.

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