Wednesday, July 31, 2013

An Arrival



...the storm...

an arrival
from storming moments
from pain beyond understanding
from deception and false realities
from the daunting echoes of oppression

an arrival
from the din of judgments 
from the cacophony of opinions
from haunting doubts and fears
from care coupled with resentment

an arrival
to the blooms of Summer
to the colors of Fall
to the surrender of Winter
to the delights of Spring

an arrival
to the majesty of the heavens
to the divinity of the moon and stars
to the splendor of the dawning day
to the light behind the storm

an arrival
to the wonders of BEING
to the exploration of cause
to the power of intent
to the resolves of time

an arrival
to the embrace of SELF
to the WORD known
to the gifts of CREATION
to the SOUL revealed.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York



Light Behind the Storm, Watercolor, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2013.http://www.apogeeart.com/


Monday, July 29, 2013

Octo ~ Wind...wind... wind...



The dance and grace of the WIND made known... such beauty in movement...


Oh Wind, Wind, Wind

Oh wind, wind, wind
It speaks not a word 
Yet its call is known 
It is not to be seen 
Yet its presence is felt 
It is from distance afar 
Yet its touch is near 
It is ever so free 
Yet in bondage to sail and mill
Oh wind, wind, wind 
What mysteries you reveal.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York



ASCENSION


from shadows light be known
a rising day this moment shown
the quest of light ever present be
in this firmament, this celestial sea
hues and tones of moving grace
within a timeless moment I embrace
eternal majesty be the sky above
blessed I am with this the Creator's love
within this beauty a moment sublime
within this moment light's quest divine.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Ascension, Watercolor, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, http://www.apogeeart.com


Saturday, July 27, 2013

TANGO Mood


In Haiku Reflection...


this the TANGO mood
passion's pulsing dance of light
rapture of BEING.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York



TANGO Mood, Dance of Light, APOGEE Vibrational Art, 
©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2013.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Presenting, THE MUSE... at Sunday Fresh...


A Gathering of delight... Honored to be the presenter of, "THE MUSE" at SUNDAY FRESH ~ 
Union Arts Center, Sparkill, NY

Event:
SUNDAY FRESH


July 28, 2013 ~ 11:00 am ~ 2:00 pm
http://www.uacny.com/

express I the need and sounding plea
the MUSE beckons beckons within me
embrace the heart and love known
hold dear the artistry and vision shown
we as ONE as resolute intention divine
hold to a shared calling, be it yours be it mine.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Parnassus or Apollo and the Muses, c. 1640, Simon Vouet, French Baroque Era Painter, 1590-1649.



The SUNDAY FRESH brings community and art together. Along with the current gallery exhibit, this is special day of performance, art, music and poetry, with unique culinary delights to taste made with organic and locally sourced foods. We recommend arriving early and planning to stay awhile, and enjoy. Hours 11-2pm -Every 4th Sunday of the month All ages welcomed – with a kids area to get creative.
$20 Door / Kids 7 and up $12, under 7 $5
Limited Space, By Reservation Only- 
Call 845-359-0258 or Email info@uacny.com

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Haiku in Reflection ~ Orion



considerations
beyond measure and reason
TRUTH and GOD be known.



Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1302/LLOri_hubble_4806.jpg

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

In answer to ... "HOW..."


In answer to ... "HOW..."

How does a poet, an artist, process the news that speaks to corruption, deception, maligning controls and abusive encounters? It hears the plea of TRUTH beyond the lies, it sees the HUMANITY beyond the abuses, it feels the "Quake and Storm," that ever calls to the light. It lives the knowing that beyond all oppression lies RESOLVE...

Revelation
Evolution
Spirit
Oneness
Love
Vivacity
Eternal... and so the word expressed... the light cast...

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Quake and Storm, APOGEE Vibrational Art, http://thesoundinglight.blogspot.com/ ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2013.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

The power that breaks the grip of oppression...the Alchemy of SELF...



Man in freedom so born is he
Yet shackled he sets himself to be
Oppression dark upon heart yet be lain
The echoes of emotion still held profane
The mind to silence daunting echoes of time past
And free the self from binding chains cast
Memory called to free mind, heart and soul
Alchemy to ring its welcomed toll.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Image: Ugolino and His Sons, ca.1857-1861, Saint-Béat marble 1865-1867, Jean Baptiste Carpeaux, French sculptor and painter, 1827-1875, Metropolitan Museum of Art.


"Everyone should consider his body as a priceless gift from one whom he loves above all,  a marvelous work of art, of indescribable beauty, and mystery beyond human conception, and so delicate that a word, a breath, a look, nay, a thought may injure it.”  Nikola Tesla (Source: “The Problem of Increasing Human Energy," The Century Magazine, June, 1900.)


APOGEE Acu-Tone™ ~ Vibrational Sound Therapy: 
The power that breaks the grip of oppression...the Alchemy of SELF...


Friday, July 19, 2013

The Hand of Creation


Within realms of time and vistas vast
We are this moment NOW and all the moons past
Create we do to seize time and memory new
A word, an image, a perception, a view
With pen and heart a poetic word upon paper be
With brush strokes 'tis passion's expression of light's decree
Eternal be this need to do and proclaim
To live our purpose in God's glory and name
Upon surfaces our marks in form there to behold
Within the word, the painting, the sculpture, creation's story told
And when we grasp the intent and expressed grace
It is the hand of creation upon our hearts we place.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Frames of Mind, Opus 6, Watercolor, Conceptual, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, http://www.apogeeart.com 

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Red Rose...


The Rose

Emergent life ever within
 Beauty in willful expression 
A silent pulsing rapture
 Blessed be the accord.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


WHO



Who

Who heeds the words of this poet
Who listens to these echoes of heart
Who feels the yearnings and the fire
Who sees the vision held clear

Is it the wind that whispers its own song
Is it the sun that warms and nourishes
Is it the moon that sheds its light
Is it the star that guides our way
Is it the stranger who extends a hand
Is it the child who gives a knowing smile
Is it the soul in its moment of call
Is it God in all present grace

Who heeds the words of this poet
Who listens to these echoes of heart
Who feels the yearnings and the fire
Who sees the vision held clear.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

The Inspiration of the Poet, Oil on canvas, 1629-1630, Musée du Louvre, Nicolas Poussin, 1594 - 1665.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

What Color Be This Moment



What color be this moment
Is it the red of passion that sparks with flame and desire
It it the orange of a setting sun that holds to the warming fire
Is it the yellow that dances with knowing joy and delight

Is it the green that lives the blessings of God's light
It is the blue so vast and clear of a day time sky
Is it the indigo of the night and stars on high
Is it the violet of Spirit's silent and resounding call
It is each, each and ALL.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Monday, July 15, 2013

Pulsing Time...


certainty be an ever present variable of change
what lies ahead has many a term and many a name
what with certainty can one with heart and mind proclaim
be it that the breath present bears life its claim
the heart in its pulsing passion sounds its plea
this breath of life, the gift of time on to thee
savor the ebb and flow of life and spirit within
hear the rhythmic beat beyond the oppressive din
heed well the sounding glory sacred and divine
hold in revered celebration life's gift of pulsing time.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Image: Goggle: Ancient Clock

Sunday, July 14, 2013

In Reflection... what be this poet's plea...



To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist.
Robert Schumann
Composer
1810 - 1856


And what be this poet's plea
But to honor God's gifts
Be they of land, sky, ocean or sea
To know that All and One are given in grace
And in gratitude be our care, our loving embrace
Stars and galaxies, vistas of splendor and glory
Within the secrets, the miracles of Creation's story
Stardust in waves of time and space
From which our spirit we to trace
Light beholden within our heart
From where love has its primal start
Known be the fire of the Creator's flame
And we the Presence of All so named
Words to hold to the knowing of heart and soul
Reverent be our gratitude, our calling toll
And what be this poet's plea
But to honor God's gifts
Be they of land, sky, ocean or sea.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Astronomy Picture of the Day: Orion Nebula: The Hubble View, NASA.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

An Interview... Blog Talk Radio... Words indeed...The Vibration & True Meaning Of Words

click on image for larger view

You are invited to listen to an interview that speaks to the power we bring to words and the intention that motivates our communications. Your comments are most welcomed. This is the first of a planned series of interviews. Ivan has launched what he envisions to be an ongoing dialogue. Do join in with your responses. 


This the interviewer's introduction:


"We use words everyday.  Most people don't think about words.  We simply use words.
However, every word has a vibration and a hidden meaning.   Today's episode is about the true meaning of words.
I will have many more episodes on this topic and I encourage listeners to call / write in with their own words.
In this episode.......... we started off with a common phrase.  The phrase is:  "You Made Me" as in "You Made Me Mad" etc..........
Nobody can "Make" you mad.  In order for that to happen, you must resign your power.
You are powerful and nobody can "Make" you feel mad, sad or weird.
You choose to feel that way.  This and other words and phrases are explored in this episode.
Thanks for listening in  :  )
Yay"

Here is the link to an interview that was featured on blogtalk radio on July 1st.  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/parksarezoosfortrees/2013/07/01/call-in-about-anything


Thank You for your endearing interest.

Rose Marie Raccioppi



Friday, July 12, 2013

Threads of Time... Blue Velvet...drift I into raven enfolds of this hour...



we gave a cry and all rejoiced for this our birth complete
we are our first steps greeted with open arms
our first word that brought an admiring smile...

trace the years and their memories await anew
a montage, a kaleidoscope, of one's life view

sounds, impressions, of place time and moments sweet
where our dreams and our days come to meet
praise, punishment, joy and pain come to define
a life known as rightly yours, a life lived as mine
and what brings reason to pause this very day
but the wondrous Creation given by Life along its way
a sculpture unveiled and all in AWE and PRAISE
for what each has brought to their ennobled days
and then a painting, a poem, an endearing embrace
upon a time line of memories now they to place
decades of moons have brought mystery and delight
magical be this waxing and waning of Creation's light
and so this heart, this soul, in time's grasp and claim
be held in the spirit and glory of our Creator's name
be it of yesterdays or days yet, and dreams enfold
each new gaze, a breath, a sigh, be this our story told
with threads of time Life's cloak we weave
let it BE the warp and weft of Divinity conceived.



Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Blue Velvet, APOGEE Vibrational Art, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2013.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Sweet Song of Summer Secrets



sweet song of summer secrets
the quiet passion of flower in bloom
perfumed be the stillness
serene be the day's surrender

heard are the flutter of wings
the scamper of little feet
the quiver of grass laden with summer rain
within the will of beauty the flower to bloom
majestic grace in nature's array
the breath, the bloom of a summer day
the love that was, that is, and longs to be
sweet song of summer secrets resound within thee.



Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Summer Secrets,  APOGEE Vibrational Art :http://thesoundinglight.blogspot.com/2013/07/summer-secrets.html ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2013.


Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The Morning New



the sunsets
the day's interlude
night sky of stars
the garden held in the embrace of ligh
t
upon awakening a bloom
petals of beauty greet the morning new.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York



The Morning New, Photo, Collectible Clicks, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2013.

Monday, July 8, 2013

NEW MONUMENT MARKS 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF CAMP SHANKS, WW II BASE LOCATED IN ROCKLAND COUNTY


nyackfreepress.blogspot.com

NEW MONUMENT MARKS 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF CAMP SHANKS,  WW II BASE LOCATED IN ROCKLAND COUNTY





Rockland County Veterans Services Agency Director Jerry Donnellan, right, shows Town of Orangetown Highway Department workers a map indicating where Camps Shanks was located in Orangeburg during World War II. Donnellan is curator of the Camp Shanks Museum.

Click on images for an enlarged view.

1.3M G.I.s sent off to war from sprawling Camp Shanks in Orangeburg


By Bill Demarest


When Jerry Donnellan visits the Piermont Pier – jutting about a mile into the Hudson River from Rockland County – there is a special significance for him to the panoramic views that seem to stretch endlessly.

“This is one of the last views of home that thousands of G.I.s had as they went off to fight World War II,” said Donnellan, a Vietnam War veteran who is director of Rockland County’s Veterans Services Agency. “A lot of those G.I.s never came back.”

Donnellan is also curator of the Camp Shanks Museum in Orangeburg, which is dedicated to preserving the memory of the sprawling World War II U.S. Army base that prepared 1.3 million troops for war – including 75 percent of American forces taking part in the D-Day landings at Normandy. Many of those troops shipped out to Europe on boats that docked at the end of the Piermont Pier.

But 70 years after the construction of Camp Shanks, there are few traces of the point of embarkation that came to be known as “Last Stop, USA.” During the war years, the camp housed more than 40,000 troops at a time spread out over more than 2,000 acres where 2,500 buildings were erected. After the war, the camp became “Shanks Village” housing for returning G.I.s and their families who were studying at Columbia University.


A stone monument to Camp Shanks and the troops who shipped out from there is located near the end of the Piermont Pier, with another monument and statue located in Orangeburg. This Fourth of July holiday, however, visitors to the Piermont Pier can see a new monument to Camp Shanks – celebrating the 70th anniversary of the camp’s completion.


“When you think of what they accomplished in such a short amount of time, it’s really incredible,” said Donnellan of the Camp Shanks construction. “In today’s terms, you can’t even get a deck built on your house without it taking forever.”


In September 1942, 130 Orangeburg families learned from the government that their homes and farms would be taken for construction of Camp Shanks and by early 1943 the camp was completed with 1,500 barracks, mess halls, theaters, a hospital and an area that would go on to house German and Italian prisoners of war. At the camp, more than 40,000 soldiers a month were issued their combat gear, underwent final inspections and were then shipped out.


“This was the staging area for D-Day,” said lifelong Blauvelt resident and journalist Arthur Gunther III. “There were a lot of famous people who also came through there, like Helen Hayes (the actress known as the “first lady of the American theater” who lived in Nyack) and Frank Sinatra.”


But Donnellan notes the buildings at Camp Shanks were not meant to last, so there is little trace of the sprawling facility that stretched from Tappan north to Blauvelt, just west of today’s Route 303. In Orangeburg, there remains a patch where the brush has overgrown along the lines of former railroad sidings once used for the camp.

“A lot of people out there don’t know they are walking in the footsteps of a million G.I.s,” Donnellan said as he watched visitors and fishermen enjoying the Piermont Pier on a recent sunny day. “Today, the average age of the World War II vet is 92. So there aren’t that many left who remember what happened right here.”

Donnellan said he thought the 70th anniversary of Camp Shank’s completion was a significant milestone that could be used to bring attention to the impact of the camp and the soldiers who were stationed there. To mark the anniversary, a stone with a bronze plaque has been added to the existing monument park near the end of the Piermont Pier. A ceremony to dedicate the new monument is being planned.

The stone for the monument came from Tilcon New York’s quarry in West Nyack with assistance from Cal Mart Construction and its principal, Carl Wortndyke.

The stone was moved from West Nyack to the Piermont Pier by a crew from the Town of Orangetown Highway Department.

Orangetown’s poet laureate, Rose Marie Raccioppi, wrote a poem that serves as the inscription on the monument’s plaque:

To Honor Those Who Lived a Cause

Flowers and flags in devoted array
A loving tribute in homage this day
To honor those who lived a cause
This moment, this day, and so a pause
Hearts and souls in valor known
Right Intention and devotion shown
Battlefields of victory and plight
Through all beheld freedom’s light
Answered they did to liberty’s plea
That freedom be held for a you, a me
Sons and daughters, husbands and wives
Children of purpose have given their lives
The breath of freedom an endowment divine
Bequeathed to life yours, life mine
With valor and sacrifice they gave
And embraced the call yet to be brave
In memorial and reverence gather we
For held be the right that we live free
Memory of each life gone never to fade
Live we life’s blessings for sacrifice made.

Gunther said the camp and its history are important for today’s Rockland County residents and others to know because development of Camp Shanks would set the west-of-Hudson River suburbs on a course that led to large-scale development in the post-war era. However, Gunther notes that because Camps Shanks was hastily developed, it also set in motion decades of problems with overdevelopment, poor drainage and inadequate sewers that persist today.

“I remember playing in Shanks Village when I was a kid,” Gunther said. “Up until 1966 and 1967 you could still see the shacks that were left from Camp Shanks.”

To learn more about Camp Shanks, visit the Camp Shanks World War II Museum on South Greenbush Road in Orangeburg. The museum is open Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 4 p.m., Memorial Day through Labor Day. 


The monument park at near the end of the Piermont Pier in Piermont, NY. The small park with its flag pole includes a monument to the troops from Camp Shanks who boarded ships at the end of the pier for their journey to Europe in World War II. A new monument commemorates the 70th anniversary of the construction of Camp Shanks in nearby Orangeburg, NY.




The stone for the new monument marking the 70th anniversary of the construction of Camp Shanks in Orangeburg, NY, is selected at the Tilcon New York quarry in West Nyack, NY.




The new monument to signify the 70th anniversary of the construction of Camp Shanks in Orangeburg.




Town of Orangetown Highway Department workers load the stone for the new Camp Shanks 70th anniversary monument into the monument park near the end of the Piermont Pier in Piermont, NY.




The bronze plaque on the new Camp Shanks monument, with a poem by Rose Marie Raccioppi, Orangetown’s poet laureate.



A memorial erected in 1985 to the troops of Camp Shanks who left the U.S. from the Piermont Pier.




The stone selected for a new monument to Camp Shanks is prepared for unloading by Town of Orangetown Highway Department workers on the Piermont Pier in Piermont, NY.

~

A Word from Rose Marie Raccioppi

It is with deep appreciation and pleasure that this presentation by Bill Demarest is here posted with his permission. 
~

The Upcoming Event in Commemoration

Anniversary of V-E Day And Camp Shanks, Piermont, New York

Inviting you to mark your calendars ... Would love if you can join me in this event... Anniversary of V-E Day And Camp Shanks, Piermont, New York...

On Wednesday, August 14, 2013 – at 6:30 p.m., there will be a ceremony held at the end of the Piermont Pier. At this event, a plaque will be unveiled, commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the creation of Camp Shanks, and the 68th Anniversary of V- E Day, the end of the War in Europe. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. For further information, contact Jerry Donnellan at 845-638-5244 or e-mail: jerry@rockvets.com

Thank You... look forward to seeing you 
On Wednesday, August 14, 2013 – at 6:30 p.m.

~