Sunday, November 23, 2014

When a POET is put to cooking... savor it is...



The apple rests in the palm of my hand
Here I hold the bounty of God's command
Quartered, peeled and cut in preparation
Applesauce to be the transformation
Maple syrup for that hearty sweet touch
Cinnamon sticks, lemon juice not too much
Plumb raisins for added texture and flavor
Cook and stir, oh such aroma to savor
Applesauce made with love and set aside
Jars to hold delight and a bit of Mama's pride.

Happy Thanksgiving


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Photo: Applesauce, Collectible Clicks, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2014


The MUSIC, the PASSION, the FIRE of BEING... APPASSIONATA...



"Appassionata"

This pulsating pleading passion

rapture and pain

ecstasy grasping for the eternal

fleeting frivolity

thunderous echoes of silence

maudlin, tempered and dark

despair dispelled

the sounding ascension

awakening

movements of innocence

joyful exuberance

the spirit as itself

all sound

all silence

being

quell not these passions

the yearning fires of the soul

devour pain and loss.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
APOGEE Poet

Appassionata Sonata, APOGEE Vibrational Art, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2014.
HOROWITZ - Beethoven APPASSIONATA op.57 1st mvt. - YouTube ~

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Alphabet in Praise ~ The Sounding Grace in WORD.




~ click on image for a larger view ~


In sharing grace...


As we prepare, as we look to our lives in sharing grace...

Thanksgiving Unto You...

held yet ever so free
this feeling of gratitude grant I unto thee
within this heart and mind of mine
the graces of life, spirit and time
the past and present visions greet
people, places and memories sweet
abundance and bounty, the harvest be known
the gift of labors, the seeds be sown
seedlings and bloom, our blessings received
within all be the Creator conceived
breath and BEING in celebration anew         
this a Thanksgiving unto you.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York 



The Veteran in a New Field, 1865, oil on canvas, Winslow Homer, 1836–1910.

Painted through the summer and fall of 1865, not long after the nation came to grips with Robert E. Lee's surrender and mourned President Lincoln's assassination—both of which occurred during the second week of April—Homer's canvas shows an emblematic farmer who is a Union veteran, as is signified by his discarded jacket and canteen at the lower right. The painting seems to blend several related narratives. Most soldiers had been farmers before the Civil War. This man, who has returned to his field, holds an old-fashioned scythe that evokes the Grim Reaper, recalls the war's harvest of death, and expresses grief upon Lincoln's murder. The redemptive feature is the bountiful wheat—a Northern crop—which could connote the Union's victory. With its dual references to death and life, Homer's iconic composition offers a powerful meditation on America's sacrifices and its potential for recovery.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Lincoln's Signed Proclamation for Thanksgiving
A Proclamation


The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

C R Y S T A L light...



As I look into my crystal sphere... 
galaxies of light speak the beauty, 
the essence of BEING ever within us... 
and too, the WEB of light in rainbow hues, 
ever spun of love and knowing... 
the brush upon palette and canvas, 
the pen with word, 
the creation perceived, 
the pulsing quest in heart... 
this the MUSE... 
the crystal light of BEING... 

Rose Marie Raccioppi
APOGEE Poet

Photo: Crystal Sphere, Collectible Clicks, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2014.

C O L O R ...



A palette of color from nature's grace
Bloom and beauty upon Earth so placed
A tree, a flower, a gem, 'tis creation divine
Behold each in its season of time
A palette of color unto me
And so a Moment of Freedom as soul's decree.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
APOGEE Poet

Moment of Freedom, Watercolor, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi,www.apogeeart.com


Monday, November 17, 2014

Fallen Leaves Laden...




The sounding rain, fallen leaves laden and ever so still,  the S I L E N C E ... calls ...

to the Spirit
to the I AM
to the Love
to the Ever Present
to the Nurturing
to the Creator
to the Eternal...

Season's  S I L E N C E  in a pulsing refrain...  
 ....so beautifully they answer to the wind... rustling melodies there be...


Rose Marie Raccioppi
APOGEE Poet
Fallen Leaves, Collectible Clicks ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2014.

She's Alive... Beautiful... Finite... Hurting... Worth Dying for... EARTH the pulse, HEART the pulse... each the spell of the other...


EARTH the pulse HEART the pulse... each the spell of the other...

And so...
Abundance BE

Ravage not the land nor sea
Heed the echoed cry and plea
Heard in the crashing wave and thunderous sky
In valleys, plains and mountains high
Hold this Earth in reverent care
Protect our gifts of land, water and air
Take not in abuse a mineral or gem
Behold the wonder of each bloom, leaf and stem
Trees to flourish, 'tis bounty's call
The knowing grace of Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Earth, animals, a you, a me
Nurture wise and abundance be.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York 

Sunday, November 16, 2014

YES, Vincent you knew...



As the leaves move to the call of the winds, as the autumn colors paint the sky... felt is the pulsing of change... this so beautifully expressed by Vincent Van Gogh... Vincent perceived the vibrating energy of light. He captured the quivering, pulsing fields that embraced his vision. All was moving, all was dimension, all was effect. 

Within be the gems of time... the green of emerald, the russet of garnet, the yellow of topaz, the orange of citrine, threads of silver, threads of gold, threads of ebony... holding to the pulsing light ... holding to the pulsing light... Yes, Vincent you knew ...


"And now I think I know what you tried to say to me
how you suffered for your sanity
how you tried to set them free. "

And I in turn,

Vincent, yours is a world known to me
And I grasp at this meaning of Be
Light and fields, people and purpose defined
And I in plea proclaim do not confine
Bar restraint and perception veiled
Vincent your gift of knowing has prevailed
With awe and sighs anew your art so perceived
And blessed for the inexplicable conceived.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Wheat Field Behind Saint-Paul Hospital with a Reaper, Painting, Oil on Canvas, Saint-Rémy, September, 1889, Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany, Europe, Vincent Van Gogh, 1853-1890.


Friday, November 14, 2014

BRAVO! APPLAUSE!!


 "Gathered with conviction and many a sign..."



"Stand they did with determination in heart..."

BRAVO!! APPLAUSE!!

A vision of sustainability you to hold
No false promise will you be sold
Discernment, TRUTH be your plea
Awareness, revelation a defined decree
Reaching out with faith ever new
A community in gratitude onto you
Time and effort with inspiration shown
And so a VICTORY be it known.
Friends and family yours and mine
Gathered with conviction and many a sign
Stand they did with determination in heart
From which change has its noble start
Waters imbued with nature's grace
This upon our tables shall we place
To health and wellbeing let us rejoice
For heard be our united voice.

In gratitude,

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York



At the hearing and in subsequent communications, I focused on the meaning of RESOLVE... each letter offering a plan of action, a viewpoint, and a sustainable concept... a word now validated in each of its calling letters. APPLAUSE indeed to all.

RE: Proposed Desalination : Issues Conference

If indeed there is merit in a particular approach there is to be no hesitation in gathering all the information sought, have all the questions clearly answered, issues clarified, assurances delineated. 

The word RESOLVE itself defines the line of inquiry that is more than justified...
R - what are our water Resources and how are they being administered to assure equitable distribution 
E - what are the Economic concerns both immediate and long range 
S - what are the Sustainability concerns 
O - what Other solutions need be explored 
L - have all Liabilities from this proposed process been considered 
V- what Verification is there that the treatment process poses no health risk 
E - what are the Environmental concerns/repercussions throughout the area... 

Yes, it is indeed warranted that Orangetown, in representing its constituents and their well being, call for and approve an Issues Conference. More information and clarity is to assure a fully thought out process that may itself define other viable alternatives and measures.

Respectfully,
Rose Marie Raccioppi


Thursday, November 13, 2014

S I L E N C E


S I L E N C E

The quiet resounds
The silence speaks, the silence sings
The quietude echoes the breath
The stillness echoes the heart
Embraced by a timelessness
Held by the spirit of ONE
The pause, the meditative moment
ALL IS the PRESENCE
The breath, the breath, the breath
The breath of BEING
The quiet resounds.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York



Interface, breath and being, APOGEE Vibrational Art, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2014, www.thesoundinglight.blogspot.com

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Held By The Leaves



Majestic be the light held by the leaves
Luminous and radiant, a golden scarlet there be
Held I am, mesmerized by Nature's intensity
Alluring, magnetic be such treasures of Creation
Leaves caressed by the rapture of the abiding light 
Rhapsodies in this divine expression of BEING.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Photo: Held by the Leaves, Collectible Clicks, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2014.


Tuesday, November 11, 2014

A Poetic Tribute ~ Veterans Day 2014 video by Art Cooke

In Gratitude and in Tribute... Veterans Day, 2014, Walkway of Heroes...



In Gratitude and in Tribute... Veterans Day, 2014
 these words presented at the 
Veterans Day Ceremony
Walkway of Heroes
Tappan, New York

On Memorial Day of this year, I had the honor of presenting a tribute to our Veterans. In preparation, I asked that words be shared that held the messages of gratitude for each life given, in the name of service to freedom. So too, I asked of Veterans whose valor and dedication yet resounds.

Heartfelt be these words and remembrances. Heartfelt be the sacrifices, the loss, the vision, the victory, the freedoms to prevail.
So this be known...
And they who for country and freedom in battle perish
We to weep and in loving memory with gratitude cherish
For each life that was lives in God's embrace sublime
Ever blessed be their souls in soaring grace divine
The pulsing, sounding, recording within our heart
From which memory and sentiment have their start
Of dearly loved ones who once filled our day
Their souls taken to another path, to the eternal way
We share gestures and words that lovingly hold to grace
And within our BEING it is tenderness we place
All in reflection of sacrifice and noble deed
The cry of Freedom, ever our living creed
The gifts of LIFE with vision blessed and bold
This the giving within each Veteran's story told
Loyalty, dedication, ascending care be they known
This in valor by our sons and daughters shown
Courage to hold to freedom's call and light
In perseverance the challenge be it day or night
Fortitude, strength, imbued with heart's noble call
Sacrifices of body, limb, in this a growing toll
And when returned to home's welcomed shore and land
Let us in caring response put support in command
It is resolve that humanity calls to be known
Within the grasps of faith, love and TRUTH be shown
The dream yet dreamed shall unfold
And PEACE to be the story told
This gift of knowing to mark the rising way
And we in tribute give honor this Veterans Day.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York
Photo Credit: Joe GartnerJG Photography, 2014.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

This a Sunday in November...



Sunday... a poetic tribute to our Veterans, a walk along tree lined roadways, 
a word with neighbors shared, this today...

Each tree yet holds to brilliant color
To the alchemic glory of Autumn
To the Creator's artistry
To the passions of beauty and change
Such reverent knowing of Nature
Such grandeur of time
Such be the blessed splendor
This a Sunday, a Sunday in November.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Sunday in November, Collectible Clicks, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2014.


As the leaves are taken by the wind... 
and the sunset in brilliant tones of crimson and blue...

A leaf, a life, each with its own season
Each with the many moons of time
Headlines, newscasts, many a story to be told
The grasp of a newborn's hand upon its mother's finger
A new season of life in blessed bloom
No armament has this child newly borne
No gun, no malice of heart
No call for destruction nor revenge
It is of a PRESENCE true
And what shall we sow
What seeds do we scatter for this life new
Let us reap the harvest of the Divine
Seedling of TRUTH, LOVE, FAITH
Fruits of PEACE and BROTHERHOOD
A leaf, a life, each with its own season
Each with the many moons of time.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Friday, November 7, 2014

Of Leaves


As I step into my garden I to greet
The sounding feel of leaves below my feet
A quiet presence deep within
All calmed is the daunting din
From that mighty Oak tree ever strong and tall
This blanket of fallen leaves, gift of Fall
Amber, red, orange and colors of gold
Trees of Birch, Dogwood, mark time and a story told
Leaves alight and with winds do flee
Season of change this be Fall's decree
Warming sun, touched by the morning air
November's  gift this hour, sky so blue so fair
These gems of trees in colors bright
Behold the benediction of  Creation's light.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Photo: Collectible Clicks, Rose Marie Raccioppi, Credit: Bruno Monginoux.


A leaf, a gem, a crystal, a mineral... and so I ponder...

Could leaves be the very messengers that speak the language of rubies, emeralds, jade, citrine, peridot, tourmaline, malachite? These among the myriad of gems of Creation... All Above All Below... each leaf, each tree, to feed the Earth, to transform the Light into crowning jewels. 

A leaf, a gem, a crystal, a mineral... and so I ponder...

Photo: Collectible Clicks, Rose Marie Raccioppi, Credit: Bruno Monginoux.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

... the way of an artist..



.
..the way of an artist... I look at a color 
and feel its temperature, its texture, its vibrancy, its calling... 
and take a brush to its soul
 and upon canvas cast its beauty...
 And so the wind, its whispers heard...

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


And So The Wind, APOGEE Vibrational Art, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2014

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

At the Front Door...



The morning sun and the leaves to greet
Where the firmament and earth's bounty meet
Brilliant hues of Creation's light and knowing love
This before me in grandeur and in vistas above
Within its roots and branches all grace there BE
Budding green, flower white,  golden orange of the tree
Donned in Autumn's cloak of citrine hue
The wondrous, its treasures bestowed upon you
At the front door these gems I to behold
Within the leaf the season's story ever told
The morning sun and the leaves to greet
Where the firmament and earth's bounty meet.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Photo: Kousa Dogwood, Collectible Clicks, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2014.


Tuesday, November 4, 2014

P a s s i n g...



the drum hum hum of the passing wheels
people in seats behind steering posts
the sun bright, the sky clear, vibrant azure
black birds fill the sky in formation 
up on the power lines perched
their song heard above
the drum hum hum of the passing wheels
slender trees in the company of telephone polls
and power lines along the side of the road
behold the breath of light and the beckoning of Fall
I and time awaiting
the drum hum hum of the passing wheels...

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York