celebrating the amazing poets behind One Stop Poetry {for the final One Shot Wednesday}

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anyone who has been kind enough to visit my blog more than once has more than likely read one of  my submissions to the One Stop Poetry site.  i have been honored to participate in their features such as  One Shoot Sunday,  Poetry Form Monday,  One Shot Wednesday,  Friday Poetically with Brian Miller, as well as enjoying their other features including  One Stop Spotlight: Featured Poets,  Moondustwriter’s Thursdays,  Saturday Celebrations, One Stop Poetry Forum. it is through their features and with the encouragement of  all of  the poets behind One Stop Poetry that i have reached the point where i feel that i can actually call myself  a poet. to each and every one of  them ~  thank you!

it is with great sadness that i learned One Stop Poetry will be no more as of  July 19th. to say that the site will be missed by the online poetry community is so much more than just an “understatement” ~ OSP has become an integral part of  this corner of  the internet. to my knowledge, none of  these amazing poets is going to stop blogging. {thank goodness!}  i encourage you to continue to visit their sites, as well as the other poets you’ve met through OSP. this isn’t much, but i would like to pay tribute to these remarkable people by featuring them in this post. i have listed them in the same order as on their “about” page at One Stop Poetry and started off with their bio’s from OSP along with a few words from me ~

Pete Marshall, Brian Miller, Leslie Moon, Adam Dustus, Claudia Schöenfeld, Chris Galford and Gay Cannon

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PETE MARSHALL

Pete Marshall is a UK based poet from near London. His blog is  Pete Marshall.  He is probably best known for his often dark & hypnotic verses featured in the Darkened Tales Series. He also has written theMy Struggle With Unemployment Series which is due to be released later this year. Pete’s poetry is at times intense but often descriptive, “A good poem makes you think, puts you in touch with your inner self, can remove you from that moment and place you in a new domain. A good poem inspires!”
Twitter: @petemarshall1

Pete was instrumental in the transfer from the old site to onestoppoetry.com which had to have been a huge amount of work. he was the  Featured Poet  recently at the online paper  The River.  the imagery in Pete’s poetry leaves me breathless.  in his own words ~

“What can i say? Well I’m a happily married, father of three, who was born and raised in Essex and lives on the Thames Estuary. I was made unemployed a while back but since being out of work I have been on a journey that has firstly seen me take up the pen and begin writing, and secondly, co-found One Stop Poetry. Poetry is all consuming. I love being able to take a theme and create something that leaves the reader in a place that has stirred them.”

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“Taken“   by  Pete Marshall

Dolores smiled and held my hand,
her touch was soft upon my skin,
her lips were full upon my nape,
her thighs were warm and welcoming.

I felt a bre…..Read More

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via   Pete Marshall

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“Alone“   by  Pete Marshall

No one seemed to smile today
upon their face a weary frown
with troubled eyes and heavy hearts
and souls that wandered through the town.
The rain had spat across my brow
and chills would mar my aching bones
inside I sat in warmth and prayed
but still no smiles were ever shown.

Yet hope was sou…..Read More

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via   Pete Marshall

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Brian Miller

Brian Miller hails from the East Coast of  America. His blog is waystationone. He is a writer, poet, father, husband, counselor, key lime pie eater, friend, side street walker, who doesn’t mind mucking and getting his hands dirty or standing in a cherry blossom rain. “Everyone has a story and everything a poem, once you look at it long enough.” He doesn’t take himself seriously (especially when talking in first person) but has been published. Oh and in case you have not heard, love wins.
Twitter:   @bmiller007

what can i say about Brian? a brilliant writer with an edge. his wordcraft is truly phenomenal.  you never know where he’s going to take you but wherever it is, it’ll be well worth the trip. he’s a really nice guy and i am very appreciative of  his consistent support of  my writing.  in his own words ~

“Married to the most amazing woman and dad of  two adventurous boys. I am figuring out what life has in store next.”

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here’s one of  the songs Brian listens to when he writes {unless he’s listening to Eminem} ~

“Always with me, always with you”  by Joe Satriani

Yabbus23

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“still, life in pictures“   by  Brian Miller

The river rolls, roiling
round rocks, leaving glistening
wet kisses on their ruddy
surfaces, glitter in the sun

Does…..Read More

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via   waystationone

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“Poetry Jam: You too?“   by   Brian Miller

She said “Time is irrelevant, it’s not linear”
Then she put her tongue in my ear
Which let’s face, is pretty gross, unless
done with finesse, the lobe, rim or down
the tender lines of  the neck, perhaps just
with the tip, mmmm…, but a full on
plumb dive inside without determining
the last time a Q-tip nipped the crust and
then try to go in for a kiss—

Why is this al…..Read More

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via   waystationone

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Leslie Moon aka moondustwriter

i first met moonie on twitter. a stunning poet, she can do something that few others can, certainly not as well as she. i have had the amazing experience of  watching live as she “duets” with another poet on twitter. if  you are not familiar with this concept, one person tweets a poem of  140 characters or less and then another person “answers” with a poem. i spent over an hour watching Leslie and Sean Vessey  {@Seanotd } forming an intricate duet in the twitter stream. you can click  HERE to see that duet (posted later to OSP by moonie.)  i always smile when reading one of  her comments on my blog because she says such nice things. coming from a writer of  her caliber, it means a lot. oh, and she’s an amazing artist.  in her own words ~

“Writing is one of  my passions. I am a published author and poet. I am also one of  the “founders” of the award winning One Stop Poetry. In the near future, I hope to get one of  my novels published as well as a series written for special needs children.  If you are a writer, poet, artist, I would love to meet you and see the world through your eyes.”

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“Drawn Together…“   by   moondustwriter

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My first sweep of  your jawline

a shade around your nose

caught on your eyes

what happened who knows

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I sketched un…..Read More

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via   Moondustwriter’s Blog

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“Merging of you and me“   by   moondustwriter

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What part is me and what part is you?

When I look at me I see us too!

Combining of shapes

resemblance in kind

My nose is yours

Your e…..Read More

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via   Moondustwriter’s Blog

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Adam Dustus

Adam Dustus is an American author of  fiction and poetry. His first novel entitled  High School Asylum, and his first poetic publication,  In & Out Of Line,  were published simultaneously at the beginning of 2009. As a blogger, Adam’s been posting on  The Dustus Blog  since November 2008, sharing everything from poetry and flash fiction; to his photography and recent High Dynamic Range (HDR) images.
Twitter:  @Dustus

Adam is a published writer whose poetry is always striking, no matter the form. i owe a special thank you to Adam ~ it was through his comments on our mutual friend, Shân’s, blog {Musings and Smatterings} that i discovered Adam, his blog  and  One Stop Poetry.  my deepest gratitude to you, Adam.  i’m thrilled when he comments on my blog because he often sees things in my poetry that i’m not conscious of  and that has taught me much about my writing. in his own words ~

“{Novelist ~ Poet ~ Graphic Artist} Author & Co-founder of 2011 Shorty Award Winner @Onestoppoetry  …I enjoy writing fiction, microfiction, & poetry.”

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“Wish Again“   by   dustus

"Japanese Dream" by Adam Romanowicz

We move in step
Our pace succinct
Gaining strength
From weakened knees
Chest hive shaking butterflies
Exorcised to far side of  trees

I’m not sure if  this is real
Can’t believe jus…..Read More

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via   THE DUSTUS BLOG

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“Upside Down“   by   dustus

"Reflections" by James Rainsford

Writing in the dark today
Migraines make me think this dying
Jagged gravel scrapes through brain
Alone, afraid, yet keep on fighting

Black silhouettes of  chosen loss
Not scri…..Read More

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via   THE DUSTUS BLOG

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Claudia Schöenfeld

Claudia Schöenfeld lives in Germany, works in Switzerland and buys cheese and fish in France – very normal for someone living so close to the border triangle. Her blog is  jaywalking the moon.  She’s married for more than half her life and has three teenage kids.  She loves to bike and get wet with warm summer rain – and she loves improvising on her Alto Sax.  Claudia discovered writing poetry in 2010 and since then she has been on a Poetry adventure trail she hopes will never stop unfolding.
Twitter:  @cmschoenfeld

i was introduced to Claudia and her poetry through One Stop Poetry. no matter the subject or the form, Claudia’s writing is filled with passion and vivid imagery.  i don’t know how many languages she speaks, but she never gives a hint in her poetry that her native language isn’t English. oh, and for a real treat, listen to one {or several} of  her audio recordings of  her poetry.  if  i was a man,  i’d be her slave.  she has been incredibly encouraging of  my writing for which i am very grateful.  in her own words ~

“i’m blazing words & drinking poetry. join in & we may get a prose fire burning, set the town on fire & syllable-dance in a snowflake covered yard.”

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“not really“   by   claudia

i don’t drink whiskey – usually and probably
this is my eight out of  nine or so problem as

getting badly drunk just by the smell like on that
day when we had samples in the office, you
k n o w_we me…..Read More

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via  jaywalking the moon

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“>fragility“   by   claudia

>tonight
is about pages of  unread books,
sparks left on busy streets

when i break
into fragments of  what i am,
what i fear, want,
hi…..Read More

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via  jaywalking the moon

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Chris Galford

Chris Galford is a writer, poet and photographer from the American MidWest. He has a Bachelor of  Arts in journalism from Michigan State University. Online, he operates two blogs:  The Waking Den, which features poetry, fiction & photography; and  The Shut-In, showcasing movie and videogame reviews. He is presently working to publish his first novel, titled The Hollow March, and currently works as a journalist and freelance photographer.
Twitter:  @Aurinth

Chris is an amazing photographer as well as poet. you can find his  photography HERE.  i just saw both his poetry and photographs in the online paper The River.  all of  his poetry is superb, but my favorite are his haiku ~ Chris is a true master of  the form. he has been very kind to me in his insightful comments at my blog and i hope he knows how much i’ve appreciated it.  in his own words ~

“I am a graduate of  Michigan State University (Go Spartans!), now fresh out of college with a BA in Journalism. To keep myself busy throughout college, I used to work as the Photography Editor and a Reporter for Spartanedge.com, as well as a Photographer for EJ Magazine. In the past, I’ve worked as an intern for the Lansing City Pulse, an alternative newspaper largely catering to the arts and entertainment scene, and a paper for which I still freelance today. But I have been writing since I was little, and my greatest pleasure in life would be to spend my years as an author and a poet, creativity my only guide and only boundary. In the meantime, writing is my escape, and my blog, the host for my work.”

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“Thundering  #Haiku“   by   Chris G.

Brown summer plains roil

It blo…..Read More

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via   The Waking Den

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“Fettered Rise“   by   Chris G.

Image by © Chris Galford.

Darkness

Begets salvation.

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Closed eyes embrace

Wide-spaced longing,

Riveted in fire like

Old angels lacquered

With th…..Read More

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via   The Waking Den

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Gay Reiser Cannon

Gay Cannon lives in Texas between two houses in Port Aransas and Arlington (near Dallas). She’s written poetry on and off  since her teens. Published in small magazines, journals and online; she has two blogs:  Beachanny By The Sea  with current works of  poetry; and  Beachanny’s Texas  with prose/poems written about or inspired by living in the state. A mother of  3 grown children and grandmother to eleven, she’s employed and working from a home laptop. She has a degree in Education & English Literature (emphasis: poetry).
Twitter:  @beachanny

Gay has been responsible for the marvelous Form Monday at One Stop Poetry, both in providing information on poetry forms herself  and bringing in others to explain and educate about various forms. it’s really difficult for me to select just one feature at OSP as my favorite, but if  forced i think Form Monday would be it. one thing i’ve been truly grateful for is when Gay lets me know in her comment if  there is something i could improve upon. it’s rare for someone to be that honest, even if  it is helpful, and it takes time and attention to critique someone’s work.  not to say that Gay has not left me comments which really were too kind. her poetry is certainly not limited to just one or two forms and she always takes the reader into the vision portrayed by her words. be sure to visit both of  her blogs.  in her own words ~

“Friend, Mother, Grandmother, Musician, Artist, Poet. Interested in photography, music, writing, poetry, philosophy, lifestyle, culture, travel, figure skating, ballet.”

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“CRANE“   by   Beachanny

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i am walking by
she’s hanging out
the window
now she’s standing
on the frame
she catches me
i don’t smile at her
she lifts he…..Read More

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via   Beachanny By The Sea

when you go to Beachanny By The Sea, be sure to check out ALL of  the pages ~  HAIKU,  ETUDES,  FIFTY LOVE POEMS

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“NOCTURNE (A Villanelle)“   by   hollyheir

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I cannot find you in the summer’s leaves,

Or hear your music in the moontime’s song,
The shadow shapes become the faceless breeze.

Across a cubist’s landscape of  elm trees,
On midnight’s wa…..Read More

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via   Beachanny’s Texas

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As Adam Dustus once said “One Stop Poetry is about finding you, your voice, your style…” both the site and the individual poets there have helped me along my poetic journey to find my voice.

i can never repay each of  you for the difference you have made in my writing and how i view myself as a poet. all i can offer is   “thank you” ♥  i wish each of  you the best in your future endeavors.

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you can still visit   One Stop Poetry  HERE  and i strongly recommend that you do.  i already miss it! I sincerely hope that they will leave the archives open to the public, but if  not, you only have until the 18th or 19th of  July to visit.

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this is my submission to ~

One Shot Wednesday – Week 54     at     One Stop Poetry ~ a FABulous site for poets!

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i am participating in ~

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NaBloPoMo

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Post A Day

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