The above is a poetry excerpt from my poetry, prose and photography book Mr. Sagittarius which is now available on Kindle Unlimited, and to buy in Kindle and full colour Paperback.
I added the last line as the dragonfly has such a short life like the butterfly and change can be fragile unless we encourage and nurture it and learn to be our better selves.
A while ago on my frequent visits to Cambridge Botanical Gardens I came across a very friendly dragonfly. This particular fellow, or lady dragonfly, landed right next to me on the bench. Mr. or Miss. Dragonfly remained for a very long time as if enjoying my company! I even placed my hand above expecting the dragonfly to fly away but it stayed motionless enjoying the sunshine with me.
It flew off for a few moments and then came back to me as if showing off its flying prowess.
Later, I posted about this encounter on Facebook and received several comments, one of which said: dragonflies are good luck omens and seeing one may denote change.
How interesting! Yes, this ancient insect has many myths and legends attributed to it. In Japan, it is revered as a good luck symbol and often mentioned in haiku poetry. Some cultures link the dragonfly with the dragon which is a startling synergy as I intend to write about dragons in the final book of my YA series The Curse of Time. I’m currently editing book two and hope to have the second book out by Christmas.
The first book in the series is available via Amazon and is receiving a good amount of 4 and 5 star reviews: Buy Book:myBook.to/TheCurseofTime
Returning to the dragonfly I’d recommend the following post if you want to find out more about dragonflies. It is a fascinating dragonfly article sharing different reactions from all over the world ranging from: celebrating, or fearing the dragonfly: J Sedgwick: http://www.icysedgwick.com/dragonfly-folklore/
Whatever the truth about dragonflies I like to believe in their magic.
Certainly, it is true that my life has changed in the most amazing way since I’ve discovered the joys of writing, blogging and photography.
Since encountering my dragonfly friend I have written a short story about twin brothers and a dragonfly bound to the magic of the gorgeous Golden Willow Tree which opens the narrative in Mr. Sagittarius.
I’ve mentioned the Willow Tree before in my series of posts about the magic of trees:
It’s amazing that there are ideas/characters/inspirations for writing everywhere. All manner of strange beings: (Insects, trees and people!) can supply ideas which excite me as I pass by on my way to my day job, or on my days off work.
For instance, the two brothers in Mr. Sagittarius: Harold and William were inspired by a couple of elderly gents that I noticed on my way to work one day. They were such extraordinary looking characters that I just had to write about them! They had no idea what I had in store for them… Thank goodness it’s all fictional. Lol.
If you open your eyes to magic you will discover stories everywhere. Time to embrace change with a full and happy heart.
Getting back to the dragonfly. Have you had a similar encounter with a spirit animal?
Do let me know, I’d love to hear about it.
Some good news! My full colour paperback is now available in Amazon. Here’s my universal link for Mr. Sagitarrius which is available in paperback, kindle and free on kindle unlimited: http://mybook.to/MrSagittarius
I’m sitting in a cafe in Cambridge watching the snow fall. A lady crosses the road with a large black umbrella, the white flecks of pure snow fall covering its surface. I am drawn to this image to write a poem.
The world faces so many challenges at the moment: climate crisis, Coronovirus, economic crises. Where are we headed? Unfortunately, the Coronovirus has led to some racist abuse due to the origin of the virus. So, this is my poetic take on the state of affairs, expressed with a Tanka…
White snow falls to black Umbrellas hiding cold stares Finding clarity Sick quarantine continues Media spreads people’s fears.
Thank you to Willow for this lovely blog tour post/author interview for Mr. Sagittarius. It is the last day of my tour and who better to share a cuppa with? Willow has been such a support throughout the whole tour. Can’t thank her enough.
Hi everyone guess who has come to join me today for a cuppa,
and a chat about her latest Blog Tour. Yes it my dear friend Marjorie Mallon.
Marjorie how are you today? Here get comfy, help yourself to some cake and let’s have a nice chat.
Just before we start a little Birdie has told me that your Dad is 91 years young today so let’s wish him a very Happy Birthday!
What gave you the idea for this book?
I think my lunchtime wanders in the Cambridge Botanical Gardens played a considerable part in creating this book. The beauty of the trees, flowers and the magical creatures of the garden: particularly a visit from a robin, and a dragonfly encouraged me to write Mr. Sagittarius. Moreover, my tendency to ‘people watch’ had a huge impact on the creation of my two main characters: Harold and William. I…
My poem’s a sad one today as I recently heard about the tragic death of a young woman in her early twenties. How fragile we are.
I miss you; I’m blue Above me heaven’s sky opens My light shines for you Waiting for you to return Dinner’s ready love, come home.
Colleen is looking for Senryu poetry in the 3/5/3 and 2/3/2 format to use in her new book as an example. If she uses your poem you will retain all rights to your work. Your work is copyrighted and she will cite you in the Bibliography at the end of the book. Please email Colleen at tankatuesdaypoetry@gmail.com.
Thank you to Ritu for this blog tour post for Mr. Sagittarius.
Pop over to read a short excerpt… and to find out more.
The first month’s royalties of the ebook will be donated to the Australian bush fires.
A while ago I made a new friend in the Botanical Gardens in Cambridge. This sweet robin came and sat beside me on a bench as if he had something important to say to me: this happened shortly before Christmas so perhaps he wanted to impart a Christmas message. At the time, I thought he was so cute and friendly that I wrote a poem about him on my blog: https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2019/12/07/colleens-weekly-tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenge-poets-choice/
Symbolism of Robins
These sweet birds are associated with: family, a sense of community, living in the moment, leaving the past behind, the season of spring, rejuvenation, new beginnings, happiness expressed through song/music, feeling abundant, (in nature, not caring so much for material things,) and being grateful.
Meaning of a robin sighting:
A robin sighting can be a divine messenger teaching you to protect what you love and learn to live with those who may not be like you. What in your life resembles the robin’s nature? What can you do to change who you are? What can you accept, or perhaps let go of ?
A Robin is a symbol of good luck, passion, new beginnings and renewal and sometimes can represent a symbol of wisdom and patience. In my case, I believe this is what the robin came to teach me. To be patient, to take my time in my writing path and not to get frustrated! To move forward with a sense of joy and energy to leave my past behind and not to regret any previous choices I have made.
Perhaps my little robin came to impart an important message: Believe in Myself and Accept Who I am.
This particular robin features in my new release Mr. Sagittarius – a mixture of prose and poetry and photography which is available to buy on Amazon.
The first month’s royalties of the ebook will be donated to the Australian bush fires.
Furthermore, the second in my YA fantasy Series The Curse of Time, Golden healer also mentions a robin too. This will be released later on this year. How strange that a robin plays a part in that novel too, albeit a tiny part!
If you haven’t read the first book in the series The Curse of Time Bloodstone now is the time to do so. It is on #free #promo today 21st February 2020.
It’s uncanny! This is the second encounter I’ve had with a spirit animal. I count myself as blessed. It wasn’t too long ago that a dragonfly paid me a visit.
It seems that the natural world has become my friend! What a joy that is, especially when the robin came to pay me a visit before Christmas.
Do you have a special connection with a spirit animal?
Please comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts on spirit animals and any encounters you might have had, past or present.
Cheerio, for now.
This is another post, from Marje @ Kyromagica – Spiritual Sisters. xxx
The Spiritual Sisters are:
Adele Marie Park Author & Personal Blog: Firefly465
Thank you to Colleen for this beautifully presented author interview celebrating the release of my new book: Mr. Sagittarius poetry/prose and photography. It includes a link to her 5 star review too. 🙂
2020 Conversations with Colleen ~ Featuring Author, M. J. Mallon @Marjorie_Mallon
I’m thrilled to announce that I have two five star reviews for Mr. Sagittarius. Thank you to Colleen for the above review. So thrilled. And also to Ritu for her 5 star review too:
My blog tour begins on Sunday the 16th of February – Mr. Sagittarius – a collection of poetry, short stories and photography.
When I mentioned who was kicking off my blog tour, my eldest daughter, Natasha said:
That’s so you mum!
So, who is my first blog tour host/ess? …
It’s my lovely friend Sam and Charlie the cat with the following question:
Charlie asks :
“I notice there is a poem called ‘Life Lessons From Cats’ with my sister Lily’s picture.
What would you say is the most important lesson you’ve learned in Feline Philosophy?”
To discover my answer and to meet Charlie and my good friend Sam in person, pop over to Sam’s awesome blog celebrating her cute family of cats and her gorgeous crystals : https://samanthamurdochblog.wordpress.com/
Sam is the first stop on my blog tour this Sunday.
MIAOW…
PURR…
Kindle Amazon UK Link:
Kindle USA Link:
The first month’s royalties from the sale of the e-book will be donated to the Australian bush fire charity.
Remember: Senryu poems make the human, not the world around them, the subject of their creative endeavor. Humor and sarcasm are two of the most favorable elements in a Senryu and should deal with the human condition. Think about sexual matters, family relations, religion, politics, and anything that touches on the pain we experience through sorrow, prejudice, oppression, anger, and frustration. Senryu do not deal in sentimentality.
I haven’t written any Senryu before so here goes… I’ve written three…
M J Mallon YA Author and Poet 