Story Time…#Christmas

Today is Christmas, for those who celebrate. And for those who don’t, it’s simply another Friday. Either way, it’s time for another installment of Story Time Friday.

There have been a lack of STF posts, as many of you probably noticed. Because of this, I decided to do my best to gather a group of authors for a special holiday post. Turns out my reach isn’t that far these days, but I did have two veteran poets jump at the chance to help me. For today’s special post, I have returning poets Ben Ditmars and Mari Posa. I also have a poem I wrote recently. I have a few others I’m still working on, but this one felt polished enough to share. I hope you like it. I’m sure you’ll like Ben and Mari’s work. And if you do, be sure to check out their other pieces. You can find links to their sites and where to get their books near the bottom of the post.

Don’t be shy if you’d like to be a future guest poet or flash fiction author for Story Time Friday. I’m always looking for people to feature. More info on how to go about submitting a piece is below, as well.

Hope you enjoy these poems. I hope you’re enjoying whatever holiday(s) you do or do not celebrate. And I hope the new year gets off to a great start, if I don’t talk to you before them. Happy Christmas everyone. (Yes, I’m American, not British. But Merry just doesn’t make sense. Happy is for all the other holidays. Christmas doesn’t have to try to be better than the rest.)

One last thing…I have another present for everyone. At the end of my poem, I’ve put a coupon code to use over on Smashwords. You can get a copy of From Where I Stand with it, just add the book to your cart and enter the code at checkout. That coupon’s good until the end of 2015.

Shall We Stand?

by Ben Ditmars

we shall not stand
or come to pass, this way
with tinsel strewn
across an ocean warming
lights submerged by
hurricanes
a melody of peace,
a memory of frost
and what went wrong.

Who Will Cry?

by Mari Posa

Who will weep for him, this little Syrian boy
Adorned in red soaked cloth and filth
This little boy who once knew joy
He feels pain and sadness and fear
He loves and laughs and cries as you do
If you could pick him up and save him would you?
If you could wrap him in your arms
My bank account can’t reach so far
I cry for your sisters and your mothers and fathers, too
If I had the means to answer this call
The same as you do
But my country has the potential to be great
If we weren’t so fueled with fear
I imagine a world where everyone is free
Not how we are, no, see they’ve lied to me
I know that’s what I’d do.
Unable to be his star
But I cry for you, sweet soul
If I could I’d save you all
They call for a bigger wall
They call for deeper pockets
They want to ship others back
Keep them hidden away
No one should stay
You’re unamerican they cry
If you don’t like it leave
With hate
Why have I been blessed to feel
Ironically it says “In God We Trust”
They are wolves in sheeps clothing
Parading False Prophetic Paradigms
Teaching the youth to fear what they tell them to
I weep for you
I weep for you
God, tell me what can I do?
So much, so much
But there is no God here,
God, please tell me what to do

Some Trees

by Robert Zimmermann

Some trees
are covered
in lights,
glass balls,
and sparkle
with glitter and
tinsel.

Some trees
more or less
of one thing
or another.
While some trees
are a mess
of color and bright,
blinding cheer.

Some trees
are better
left outside.
Left to grow,
thriving for another
new year.
Left to be
decorated
in fresh snow.

For a free copy of From Where I Stand use:

CODE: ZV92W

Link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/253778

About the Authors:

Ben Ditmars is a bestselling author of gnomes, plays, poetry and more.  He was first published in his college publications the Cornfield Review and KAPOW.  Since then he has been featured in several online literary journals including: Flurries of Words, Samizdat Literary Journal, and Shine Journal. You can find his collections of poetry, plays, novel, and short stories for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

Ben lives in Marion, Ohio and is currently working toward his Master’s Degree in education at the University of Findlay while substitute teaching. He hopes to instruct high school social studies full-time within the next year.

He loves historical documentaries and all things gnome.

Find out more:

Website | Twitter |Facebook |Goodreads | Amazon Author Page | Smashwords Author Page

Mari Posa is the adult child of a substance abuse parent. She lived in various locations, Colorado and California mostly, but found her way up to the state of Washington after her mother’s death. Here she worked hard to overcome her past and the obstacles presented to her. Mari now spends her days living her dreams as a wife, mother and writer.

Mari has published a collection of poetry, written when she was still a child. She chose to publish these poems because she felt they showed from an adolescent perspective what it is like to live as the child of a substance abuse parent.

Mari is currently working on a full length novel, Clipped Wings, a memoir of her time before adoption and how she overcame the odds.

Find out more:

Website |Twitter | Amazon Author Page

How to Submit:

For those who wish to be part of Story Time Friday in the near future, you can send submissions to the email address that I formerly used for review requests (but don’t anymore since I’m retired . . . don’t try to be clever and slip one in 😛 ): miztrebor88@gmail.com. Be sure to use the subject “Story Time Friday Submission” and send your piece as an attachment (.doc/.docx would be best). Any other questions, feel free to comment here or contact me through the blog’s contact form.

Hope to hear from some writers soon!